We're Here!!!

Tonight will be our fourth night in our new home!!  So far, we are loving Wisconsin...the people here are sooo nice and welcoming! :)  The kids seem to be adjusting to their new schools fairly well...especially my seven year old.  I expected some bumps in the road for my middle schooler, but things are getting better each day.  I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked, but it will all be here tomorrow (unfortunately)!  My refrigerator is currently empty aside from some milk and a box of frozen waffles.  I wanted to wait until my new fridge got here before I did a grocery trip, but I don't think I can eat take out that long.  So, I guess we'll check out the local grocery store this weekend (I've heard mixed reviews...I'm hoping it's passable).  My husband has been home all week and will go to the office for the first time on Monday.  I'm sure Monday will be an interesting day for me because it will be the first "normal" day (hubby at work, kids at school, and me all alone with the moving boxes)!  Hope everyone has a nice weekend.  I'll be back soon! :)

Finally!

So, it's about four 'o' clock in the morning.  The dryer is going because when I woke up a little bit ago, one of my first thoughts was "oh crap, I never finished the laundry".  After a crazy day of finalizing closing times/dates and packing/sorting, I guess I conked out before I got that last load transferred to the dryer.  Last night was our final night in our house!  The movers will be here in about four hours to start packing things up.  Depending on how quickly the packing process goes, they may end up loading today as well!  That would be great because that would give me all day tomorrow to do some last minute cleaning before closing!!  Yes, I said closing!!  We are finally going to close on our house tomorrow!!  Tomorrow, tomorrow....the sun'll come out tomorrow!  Ok, ok, I'm getting a little carried away but I seriously could have burst into song yesterday when we got the news!  It was a whirlwind of a day and I suspect that today will be no different.  Of course there is some mix of emotions going on in the house, but I think my adrenaline is subduing any boohoo feelings right now (of which I am eternally grateful)!  I'm hoping that today goes smoothly and that by nightfall the moving truck will be packed and loaded for the trek "up North".  I guess I should try to catch a few more z's, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I don't know how long it will take to get our internet up and running when we move, but I'll be back with a post about our big moving adventure!

Still Here!

I should be sitting in my new house right now, exhausted after a busy day of moving!  Instead, I am still in my "old" home waiting.  Our closing date on our current house had to be postponed by two weeks, so, hopefully two weeks from now I will be sitting in my "new" house! :)  Hoping that the old saying is true "good things happen to those who wait"!  Yesterday, we made some good progress in the kids' rooms.  The majority of their toys have been boxed up and I'm hoping that over the course of the week they don't become "unpacked"!  I think we are all at the point where we want to just be settled.  I'm hoping that there are no surprise changes in closing dates this week!  I'll be back when I know more.

Full Speed Ahead!

So much has happened in the past month!  We got an offer on our house!  We found a new house!  If all goes according to plan, we should be settled in our new house in the next 3-4 weeks!!  It is going to be CRAZY for awhile.  I'm just glad we are going to be able to enjoy the holidays before we move! :) Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

So...

What a difference a day makes or maybe I should say what a difference a few thousand dollars makes.  We lowered our price at the end of last week and we've had two showings this week and another showing lined up for tomorrow.  Most importantly, we have an OFFER!!  We signed a counter offer today and should hear something by tomorrow afternoon! :)   Hopefully, I'll have one more thing to be thankful for next week...a house under contract!

I've been working on my Christmas cards the past few days and I LOVE them!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Still Here...Moving On! (haha)

I guess in this market it is no surprise that we still haven't sold our house.  People are not knocking down our door to see the house either.  We've dropped our price again in hopes of generating some interest, but at this point I don't really want to sell our house until after the new year.  Who wants to move during the holidays?  NOT ME!  So, for the foreseeable future, I am going to write about more enjoyable things like the upcoming holidays!

I LOVE the holidays...especially CHRISTMAS.  I think I like Christmas more than my birthday. :)  I started my Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago, and I am almost done buying for the kids!  Right now, I am trying to decide what I want to do for our Christmas card this year.  For the past couple of years I have done a handstamped card.  A few days ago, I mentioned to my husband that maybe I would just buy cards this year.  He was surprised and said that I should definitely do a homemade card again.  So, I guess I'll be making our cards again this year.  Personally, I don't think he really cares if it's homemade or not...I think he's just trying to keep me busy with a project!  Usually, my card planning process is to just go to Hobby Lobby and buy whatever stamps "speak to me" in the moment and worry about the "design" later.  This year, I think I am going to do some internet research for ideas BEFORE I go shopping.  Hopefully with a little more thought and effort,  this year's card will be the best one yet! 

I can't believe Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks.  I definitely have much to be thankful for!  Today, I am thankful for my family, friends, and the fact that we haven't sold our house yet and get to spend another Thanksgiving with our loved ones!  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ready, Set, Wait!

Maybe I should rename this blog Ready, Set, Wait!  I knew that selling this house would take time, but I'm frustrated because we haven't had much traffic.  We had our third showing yesterday and the realtor said our house was on their list of houses they would want to see again when they were ready.  Apparently, their realtor doesn't know what their timeline is for buying.  Isn't that like one of the first questions you ask potential buyers?! Oh well, I guess we are just sitting ducks at this point.
I'm getting into a good routine of keeping the house ready at all times for last minute (virtually non-existent) showings and it is nice not to have to do big marathon cleaning sessions anymore! :) I guess all we can hope for at this point is that we can get settled before the snow starts to fall up north!

Happy Waiting!

Waiting!

UGH!  Selling this house is becoming one big massive HEADACHE!  We haven't had anymore showings.  I don't know if the market is just slow or what!  We've dropped our price twice so far and really don't want to have to drop it much more.  This is so frustrating!  School will start here in a month, but doesn't start in Wisconsin for two months.  We really don't want to have to start the kids in school here because it would make for a super long school year for them since Wisconsin is on a different schedule.  :(  We had hoped to be moved by now.  Our best case scenario would be to get an offer in the next couple of weeks, so, we could still move before school starts in Wisconsin and maybe not have to enroll them here.  I am trying to be patient and tell myself that things will fall into place, but it's hard to stay positive sometimes.

Just Checking In

I'm beginning to think I should change the title of this blog to Ready...Set...Wait!  We've had one showing since our house was listed 9 weeks ago!  The showing went well, but the couple is split on which house is their favorite. Their move depends on whether or not the husband gets a job he interviewed for.  We should know something one way or the other on Wednesday.  The realtor is hoping that nicer weather will produce more showings...I hope so too! :)  We know that the right buyer will come along...eventually!  We just have to be patient!

State of Affairs

So, our house has been on the market for a month.  Not one single showing!  I know the market is slow, but geez I thought we'd at least have some interest in the property.  The realtor says it is just a slow time right now. :(  I know the right person will come along...eventually! :)  

I have been keeping an eye on the real estate listings up north since we came back from our trip.  Unfortunately, there just isn't alot available in our price range.  We are almost to the point where we are ready to write an offer on one of the places we saw during our visit.  Of course it will be contingent on inspections and selling our house.   Hopefully, the seller isn't in a terrible hurry to sell and will be willing to wait until we sell our house.  If not, I guess we will have to resume our house hunting! :(  I'm trying not to stress about the timeline of selling our house, but with summer fast approaching it's kind of hard not too!

Back from Wisconsin!

We had a great trip up north!  Unfortunately, the house hunting wasn't that great. :(  You wouldn't believe the state of some of the houses we looked at!  We found one place that looks promising and our realtor is going to get more info for us about utilities, etc.    The house that we liked is the only house we saw that I could potentially see myself living in.  We may have to continue searching depending on what our realtor comes back to us with.  The housing prices are crazy up there, so, that limits our selection big time.  Hopefully we'll find something...worse case scenario is that we may have to rent for a year.  Right now, I am more concerned about selling our house!!  :o

A New Lawn Decoration

So, our lawn is sporting a new decoration...a For Sale sign!  Our house is officially on the market!  It really makes this move seem more real now!  We are gearing up for a trip up north to check out the area and look at some houses.  It should be an interesting couple of months.

I am THOROUGHLY convinced that moving will be a piece of cake compared to the process of readying our house to be put on the market! :)  I organized my top kitchen cabinets this morning and will hopefully get to the bottom cabinets later today.  My to-do list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter!  We have three days until the realtors come!  Is it time for panic mode yet? :o

HAPPY CLEANING, ORGANIZING, SORTING...

Moving

So, now that we have had a chance to look over the relocation proposal I guess I can say that we are officially moving.  Of course if won't be "technically" official until he signs the paperwork, but that should be within the next few days!  The last week has been a bit of a blur....

• contacted realtors (local and in Wisconsin)
• started organizing and purging (I refuse to box up and move things that we no longer want or need)
• started boxing things up that we don't really need right now 
• started "depersonalizing" the house (putting pictures away, etc.)

We've only got about a week and a half until the realtor comes to check out our house!!  It makes me tired just thinking about all the things that need to be done before then! :o  I know it will all get done...eventually.

Happy Moving Preparing!

Snow, Snow, Go Away, Don't Come Back Another Day!

Dear Snow,

You are driving me crazy!  You make the roads slippery and make us housebound!  I don't want to see white everywhere when I look outside.  Please feel free to melt away and not come back again.

Sincerely,

Tired of Winter Ready for Spring

So, tomorrow will the the third full day of school that the kids have missed this week.  I highly doubt that they will have school on Friday either.  At this rate, they will be in school until June!  

OK, enough about the snow!

On the relocating front....we still haven't gotten the relocation package yet, but are hoping to get the info soon (hopefully by the end of the week)!  I am just so ready to get moving on things...tired of waiting!

Sweet Potato Hash w/Adobo and Fried Tomatoes

I totally stepped out of my box tonight by trying this recipe that I found on vanillakitchen.blogspot.com

The meal was delicious even though it took me forever to prep and cook everything.  It was definitely worth the wait!  My hubby is already talking about me making it again!!  There is enough leftover for him to have it again for breakfast..it will be interesting to see how it is reheated.  The only downside to this culinary experience....cleaning up the mess I made in the kitchen!  Guess I better get started!

Well....Today's Not the Day!

So....my hubby talked to his boss this morning and it looks like we probably won't know anything until the end of this week or beginning of next week!  UGH!  Apparently some key people involved in compiling the relocation details were not in the office, so, it got delayed!  Don't people realize that time is of the essence...we've got a house to sell in a not-so-great market?!

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

So....tomorrow my husband will get his relocation proposal and if the terms are acceptable, we will be relocating to Wisconsin.  Life is about to get super crazy!!!  Our hope is that we can move in early summer, so, the kids can get acclimated to our new home before school starts.

I am super excited because I won a giveaway on Kelle Hampton's blog  http://www.kellehampton.com/. I know my little girl will be so excited because the giveaway was a tutu from http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovingshop.  I decided to keep the tutu a secret from her, so, I can't wait to surprise her with it!

My No Name Blog

So, I've decided to keep my blog unnamed for the time being.  I think once I find out for sure if we are moving, I will be able to choose a direction for my blog to head in.  We should know something in the next couple of days...I hope!    I know once we know for sure that things are going to get super crazy around here.  We have a house to get ready to put on the market, a trip to plan up north over Spring Break, and a new house to find.  We are hoping to be able to move in June, so, we have a couple of months to acclimate before the kids start school and I start looking for a job.  YIKES...entering the workforce for the first time in about 7 years while getting used to a new place should be rather interesting!  Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right!

A Proud Mama

So, I am always a proud mama and think I have the best kids in the entire world, but today I am an especially proud mama!  My son, got second place (he should have won, but that's another story) in the school spelling bee and will be competing in the district spelling bee in three weeks.  Last year he was second in the school spelling bee and went on to win the district spelling bee and got a chance to compete at the state spelling bee, but was eliminated in the second round.  I'm sure the next three weeks will be spent pouring over the spelling bee study guide and the dictionary!