It's Been One Week...

As of today, our house has been on the market for one week. We have had 7 showings. Considering what the real estate market has been like, this is really good. However with no offers looming, I continue to be anxious {read impatient} about the whole ordeal.

Putting your home on the market and waiting for an offer is like waiting for that guy that you have a secret crush on to call to ask you out on a date. You spend time making yourself look good in order to get his attention. And then you wait. And hope. And every time the phone rings, you get butterflies in your stomach. Then you are disappointed because it wasn't him. Or your feelings get hurt when you find out he really likes the way you look, but is not crazy about where you live {we have received feedback from two showings that they liked the house, but were not crazy about the neighborhood}... it's kind of crushing and there is nothing that you can do about it but wait for the next "guy" to come along.

On a side note, I am baking cookies before EVERY showing. The smell of chocolate chip cookies is supposed to make people want to linger. This is an awful lot of baking and all of the cookies do not get eaten with every showing, so that means I am eating one {or three} cookies a day. Just because they are sitting there on the counter. This can't be good for me.

Project 52: Date Nights - Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

I can't believe that 4 weeks have passed since Daniel moved to Chattanooga. This weekend we opted to meet in Peachtree City (south of Atlanta) to attend a wedding. I took Friday off and loaded Sophie and all of our stuff into the car and drove down Thursday night after work {in the rain}.

It was such a relaxing weekend – we mostly layed around and did nothing. And it was awesome. We both needed the rest after all of the stress of getting our house on the market {now that it is on the market, there are new stresses, but we will cope}.

Friday night we went to the movies for the first time in several months. Saturday night was the wedding. Sunday we searched for an open UPS store that had a notary on staff because we needed to get some paperwork notarized {that we both needed to sign}. Then we headed to the Chattahoochee River Recreation Area where we went for a walk {and Sophie proved she was no longer afraid of water when she jumped INTO the muddy river}. After the walk, we dried {cleaned} Sophie off as much as possible then went our separate ways. Goodbyes do not get easier with time.

The weekend was like de ja vu from our college days – driving to meet up with Daniel for the weekend. It was bitter sweet and reminded me that I don't miss that year in college of driving back and forth 6+hrs every weekend. I hope we aren't separated for a whole year again...

On my drive home, a nasty storm chased me. The National Weather Advisory would come on the radio and inform me that the town I had JUST LEFT was under a tornado warning and that you should abandon cars and mobile homes immediately and take cover. This little warning came on the radio with each passing town, from Spartanburg, SC up I-85 to Charlotte, NC – definitely a drive that had me on edge. Thankfully we made it home safely {to my basement} and there were no actual tornadoes.

Showing the House

You know that feeling you get when your in-laws or parents come to visit your new place for the FIRST TIME? You feel {or at least I feel} the need to make sure your house is pristine. You stay up late, the day before they arrive. You clean your whole house better than you have ever cleaned it. You get stressed out and find yourself griping at your husband for tracking dirt into the house {maybe I'm projecting} and then the day comes and everything goes smoothly {well, maybe not always} and you relax and {hopefully} enjoy your visit...

Well, having your house for sale is like that. Except, you have to keep it pristine ALL OF THE TIME. And instead of family, it is strangers that are coming in to judge the cleanliness {and decor} of your home. And whether or not they like it, determines whether they will make you an offer. And you are stressed because your dog won't quit shedding or tracking mud into the house. And to top it all off, a light bulb in the hallway went out and you are having trouble changing it AND the spring rains are driving these huge carpenter ants inside and you keep finding them and it is totally stressing you out {maybe I'm the only one with this problem}.

On a happy note, we had several showings over the weekend... it was much easier when I wasn't in town to stress about whether or not my house was clean enough {well, maybe I stressed a little}.

However, having a Monday afternoon showing after traveling all weekend has proven to be a pain. I had to run home at lunch today and throw all of my unpacked luggage in a closet and hide things {like my laptop} that I had left out. And I had to coordinate with a friend to come take Sophie while the house was being viewed. I will be so thankful when all of this is OVER.

It's Official

Our house is on the market!!! I have to tell you that coming home and finding a "For Sale" sign in the front yard was somewhat disconcerting. We have been working so hard towards this day {4+years of renovations} and we are finally here. It all makes me a little sad. The end of an era for us. We have spent a ridiculous number of hours getting it ready to show and now all of our hard work will hopefully pay off. I do hope it sells quickly - but I won't hold my breath in this economy/market. 

Photos by Billy Keasler

See more info at Allen Tate Realtors.

You can view a virtual tour here.

I could use some pampering...

My days are all running together. Yesterday I worked all day, came home and cleaned my house like a mad woman before falling into bed around 10PM. I went to bed "early" because I had waxed my basement floor and decided Sophie and I should not hang out in front of the TV in a room full of fumes. Then I didn't even sleep well :(

Today, I ran home during lunch to let the photographer in to take our house pics for our listing - Sophie did not like this one bit. Then it was back to work for moi. After work, I rushed home to pick up Sophie {we were out of dog food and I hated leaving her home by herself and starving}. We ran to Lowe's to pick up door pulls for closets, then to PetSmart to pick up dog food. She ate in the car in the parking lot. Then to McDonald's for me {I haven't cooked in almost a month, this is a sad, sad thing}. Then to Walmart to pick up a few things I needed for the house. Sophie was very patient through all of these errands - I think she was just glad to be out of the house.

When I got home, I played in the yard with Soph, then I drilled holes in the closet doors and added the hardware I purchased. Then I cleaned our glass shower doors. Then I cleaned our bathtub in the hall bathroom. This was a very involved task that thankfully turned out well... let's just say we have been using the tub to hold all manner of things and to clean tools. It wasn't pretty. But it is now spic and span. And I am tired from all of the cleaning.

The house will be listed tomorrow and I have the task of making sure it stays CLEAN. This does not bode well for me cooking for myself in the near future since cooking = more cleaning.

Sophie and I will be heading to Atlanta on Thursday evening to spend a long weekend with Daniel {and to attend a friend's wedding}. I am so thankful that there are days of relaxation in my future.

Project 52: Date Nights - Early Bird

Daniel drove all of the way home on Thursday night - which meant a little more time together this weekend. 

For our date, Daniel suggested we used a gift card he had found and go to BoneFish Grill for an early dinner on Friday. We literally went straight there when I got home from work so that we wouldn't have to wait a long time for a table {we have been known to go to early bird specials to get better deals and save time, it just isn't worth it to stand around for an hour waiting to be seated}.

Dinner was nice. We let them bring us two baskets of bread before our food came. This was a bad idea... because we ate it all. It tasted great, but when our food actually came, I was definitely regretting all of the bread. I think I ate a third of the food on my plate and then I didn't feel so great the rest of the night.

So not a good idea to eat too much before your food comes. I guess I was distracted by actually getting to spend time with my spouse that I didn't consider what I was shoving in my mouth.

So glad that I got to have Daniel home for a little longer this weekend {he stuck around until after 5PM on Sunday to help get all of the big things done on the house}. Even though the weekend was a bit stressful, we got a lot done and our house should be on the market TOMORROW. We are praying that things go well and we get an offer quickly.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 11

These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner may be one of my favorite works of fiction.

This is a historical novel, inspired by the author's original family memoirs. Written from the perspective of Sarah Agnes Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory. This book takes us from 1881 through 1901, weaving a tale about the hardships of growing up and living on the frontier.

It is a dramatic adventure that I never wanted to put down. Sarah is strong and takes whatever life throws at her. The love story interwoven in these pages is epic. I loved every moment that I spent curled up reading about Sarah.

This book is so rich in content, full of passages that I adore. Here are some of my favorites.

Now it seems as if all these folks that were so mean spirited and hateful before suddenly know they need each other to stay alive, and they are much more friendly and willing to share things.

I wonder if every new mother feels as if there is nothing left of herself. Every minute of my day and every last thing I do is tied to this little someone else. I am scared to death I will do something wrong, and she will die or grow u p meager or sickly. And I got to thinking about all kinds of things like, how will I teach her not to be selfish? And how will I know if she has a sickness when she is too little to say what hurts. I am driving my mother to distraction asking her questions.

One thing I know... is that if he was quiet, and you were quiet, and neither or you minded it, then you are in love... A friendly silence can speak between two who will walk together a long way.

Taking a school test is a new way to be afraid, and takes the knees right out from under you. If I'm riding a horse and get thrown, it's just a matter of getting back on. And if I'm fighting for my life, there's only living and dying to choose from. But taking that test, that's like showing other people the inside of your thoughts, and just waiting for them to say wrong, wrong, wrong, and you can have a thought that seems right but since you never went to school, maybe it isn't.

It seems there is always a road with bends and forks to choose, and taking one path means you can never take another one. There's no starting over nor undoing the steps I've taken. It isn't like I'd want to not have my little ones and Jack and that ranch, it is a part of life to support yourself. It's just that I want everything, my insides are not just hungry, but greedy. I want to find out all the things in the world and still have a family and a ranch.

My life feels like a book left out on the porch, and the wind blows the pages faster and faster, turning always toward a new chapter faster that I can stop and read it.