Let's just pretend...

That I've been keeping this blog updated all along and the last time I posted wasn't in July, mmmkay? We're all moved in and settled now, and are looking forward to a few more house projects next year. The list includes:

• Front yard (see this post): add landscape lighting, landscaping, and removal of a few trees/bushes. Our park strip is nothing but weeds and a little grass; we'll dig that up, plant a tree, and add some plants and ground cover.
• Back yard: prune fruit trees, add one more (possibly a Crepe Myrtle), re-seed a few areas of grass, and add landscaping to our little retaining wall.
• Trim work: baseboards (whole house), door trim, new doors and hardware. Possible crown molding.
• Bathrooms: new tile floors/baseboards.

I did take some before/after pictures but am still editing those. Most of the work we did was cosmetic, as the house was in pretty good condition for being over 40 years old. I'm really looking forward to finishing these projects so that we can (hopefully) have a couple of years to just enjoy our home without working on it!

And now I'm off to work on today's agenda which is re-wrapping all of my Christmas gifts. Why? Well that would be because our tree decided to come crashing down last night, smashing ornaments and dumping water onto gifts that had been wrapped. Ho, ho, ho!

Still plugging along...

It's been three weeks today since we started working on the house. We've painted, torn out ceilings, ripped up carpet, demolished bathrooms, and the list goes on. I think we've all reached the point where we're tired, but know we need to dig deeper because the end is close. I'm really hoping we're only two weeks out, but when you're remodeling a house things rarely go as planned.

The kids start school in less than a month, so there's a pretty big push to get things done. I know we won't be totally unpacked and settled before then, but I'm hoping we can at least get their rooms somewhat done. Thankfully we've already bought some new clothes and shoes, so that will be one less thing to handle prior to the first day of school.

Hopefully soon there will be lots of "before and after" photos to share (and yes...we did clear out the front yard so it looks much different than below)!

It's here! It's here!

The day we have been waiting for since January has finally arrived: we have the keys to our house, the previous owners are out, and tomrrow we can start making it ours! I have to give props to my in-laws who have been letting us live with them (cough*rentfree*cough) since the end of March, but we are so ready to get back into a house of our own.

The plan for Day One? Tear out most of the shrubbery/landscaping in the front yard. This was requested by the termite company, and I am happy to oblige as I want to redo almost everything that is currently planted. Here is the current view:

And here is what we'll be removing:

Meanwhile, I will be working on the master bathroom. Eventually we will gut both bathrooms and totally redo them, but for now we're hoping to give them a minor face lift.

Don't be jealous...I know it's totally fabulous. The really sad thing is we left behind a beautiful bathroom with custom cherry cabinets, granite counters, beautiful tile floors....oh well. Someday this one will get there, too.

Now it's time to get some sleep as we've got a long day planned tomorrow!

Sometimes plans change...

Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yes...whining about the woes of short sales, foreclosures, and the general crapiness of the current real estate market.

Several weeks ago, after five offers failed to materialize one single house, I really started to have some second thoughts about moving away. Between the commute, the kids starting new schools, leaving friends and family...I started to wonder if we were doing the right thing. Only two weeks after looking at homes  in our current city, we had an accepted offer and were in escrow. Of course we're not getting the 4,000SF house with 25 bathrooms, but it's a home that is a good size for us and meets our needs. And after really thinking long and hard about the cost and time to maintain a big ol' house, I'm pretty happy with our decision.

So where are we at now? Escrow should close in about two weeks, then the sellers will rent back for a while. As soon as they move out (more like the second they leave) we will have a few things to take care of, like having the house tented, scraping the popcorn ceilings, painting, etc. In the meantime I have come up with some design ideas for each room. Want to see? :)

I love doing these little mood boards...I've found that they really keep me focused when designing/decorating a room, and keep me from buying things that I don't need.

Now all I need is a house and I'm ready!!

Can I get off now??

Well...we didn't get the house (insert VERY sad face here). They went with an offer $5,000 higher than ours, even though it's a short sale and that money doesn't benefit the seller in any way (our agent says you never take the highest offer, yet this has happened to us twice). I am so tired, stressed, drained and emotionally spent. At this point all I can do is tell myself everything happens for a reason, and eventually things will work out.

Goodbye cute little house with the amazing pool....we hardly knew ye.

Another offer...

Even though we put an offer in on a house, we are still looking as the bank approval process takes soooooo long (if you ever consider buying a short sale or bank owned home, talk to me first!). The good part about that is it gives you a chance to keep your eye out for something else, or in our case something that will hopefully approve and close a little sooner.

I drove out by myself (yikes) yesterday to look at three homes. The first one was around 4200SF, had a 30-40' fireplace with a second one upstairs, and not one but two loft areas. I guess that vastness appeals to some, but I'm more of a smaller, cozier kind of gal. Even the house below is really too big for us. The second one we saw was a much more manageable size: 2800SF, 4 bedrooms plus an office with cabinets and counters, and an amazing backyard with a pool. The third house was one of the first ones we saw when we started looking, and although it received an offer shortly after we have been praying it would come back on the market. Lo and behold, the agent contacted us and said the buyer might be getting ready to walk. Of course, now we have an offer on a house and just found another one we love.

I came home, shared what I found with the family, and we decided to make an offer on the house with the pool. We're supposed to find out the answer on Friday, which could also be the day we find out about house #3! That's pretty much the way it's been lately; all or nothing.

Other than that I don't have much else to post. Once we make a final house decision I can start planning the decorating and projects, paint colors and furniture and all the fun stuff. Right now my life is pretty much cardboard boxes, packing tape and real estate contracts.

Fingers crossed for good news this week!

Our new house?

We drove out to see the house we are trying to buy last weekend, and took the kids as they hadn't seen it yet. It's a short sale, which means lots of waiting until we hear back from the bank (our offer was accepted by the seller). So far this is the hardest part: finding a house you love but not knowing if it will be yours. My mind is spinning with decorating possibilities, yet I'm trying not to give my hopes up. We already lost out on one house, and have no idea what will happen to this one.

Hopefully I don't jinx myself, but I thought I'd share a few pictures.

Normally I'm not a huge fan of newer neighborhoods, but after owning two older homes and having to do SO much work to them, I am ready for something built in the last decade. This house is also double the square footage we have now, which is both exciting and terrifying. It will be nice to have so much space, but as the resident housekeeper I am a little worried about keeping up with everything.

Right now I wish I could just fast forward time and know how things work out. For an extremely impatient person, this is not easy!!