- Packing and Moving [Round 2] -

The long story short goes like this: after the house sold, we had 30 days to turn around and pack all the rest of the stuff we originally left inside to "stage" it for showings.  And oh my GOSH, [a very sarcastic] cheers! to! moving! again!  I literally cannot BELIEVE how much sh*t we've acquired over the past five years of living here, and I think know I could live the rest of my life without ever needing to tape up another large cardboard box and stuff it full of junk..... *gag*

Thankfully, we had some good little helpers... 

...and a few late night trips to Jack in the Box to put some pep in our step [fried tacos have a way of getting us through our worst times!]...

...because mannnn, oh man, packing and unpacking and arranging and rearranging F-O-U-R trailer loads of junk from the old house to the storage unit made for some exhausting evenings!

Alas! We finally loaded the last truck-full and pulled away with no regrets! 

Never looking back! 

Hasta luegoooooo, baby!

We officially have this listing/selling/packing/moving chapter behind us, and let me just say one thang: IT FEELS SO GOOD! :D 


 

- Going, going, GONE! -

The i's are definitively dotted and the t's are completely crossed; we sat inside the title company for FAR too long this morning to close, but it's officially a done deal!!! 

This ole' shack is going...

...going...

...GONE!!!  

Couldn't. Be. Happier. !!!

We also couldn't have been more pleased with how the whole process unfolded, and the biggest "THANK YOU!" goes to our amazing realtor.  He was the most relaxed guy imaginable, yet he laid out and executed a flawless plan and had the house under contract in <24 hours after it hit the market.  Thank youuuuu so much, Troy!  We appreciate your professional recommendations and expertise and truly enjoyed working with you! 

Lastly!  I got a [tiny] bit sad driving away last night knowing we'd never again step foot in this little house that so quickly became a home!  I know Brian and I both will forever cherish the days we lived here as we spent our newlywed years under this roof and also brought our two sweet baby girls home to thrive inside these four walls.  This humble abode has seen countless laughs and a whole lot of love! 

So long, sweet home... Thanks for the memories!  :)

- Packing and moving [round 1] and cleaning ...and cleaning some more... -

...'cause we're bustin' outta here!

What is happeningggg?! Hmmm, well!  So we could effectively deep clean the "old house" without tons of toys and clutter in the way and then KEEP the house clean for listing/showing/selling, we decided it would be best to pack everything up and bail!  Brian's brother has a bachelor pad juuuust down the street, and it just so happens to be vacant.  He so very kindly opened his door to us so we could crash there for a few months during the transition.  Saving grace who?  Yep Uncle Gar, that's you! The kids love Uncle Garett's pad and settled in just fine:

...minus that Scarlett fell off her little setup here after snoozing atop it all night and had to downgrade to the Pack 'n Play the next night...

...but she lived to tell the story and came back with a smile on her face, so meh! No biggie.

More days than not, we traipsed back over to the "old house" to pack more junk and scrub EVERYTHING.  The kids have become pros at window washing [I finally taught them how to use the Norwex rags after several sessions/smearings with baby wipes...], and Harper stays close to Daddy telling him he's doing a great job with this and that and everything in between!

Oh, and then this: by some super-human act of God, Brian tore down the .E.N.T.I.R.E. deck and raised it again in 3 days... BY HIMSELF, at that!!! I literally could not believe my eyes. He was just planning to replace the staircase that had started rotting out, but he just kept going...and going...and going... 

Me: "I can't believe you just built that whole thing this weekend..."
Brian: ...so nonchalantly... "Well, somebody's gotta do it."

^^ Looks amazing, I must say!!!

After Mr. Fix-It was finished with all his projects and all the sawdust settled, we just had a few more things to do:  storm through the house for the final cleaning sesh and paint the living room wall!  Thanks, Mom, for your help! We are a power team; we rocked it!

Not sure I even believe this because it still seems so surreal, but this baby will be on the market NEXT WEEK!  

Wahhhhhh!

- Happy Fall, Y'all! -

HOLY BALLZZZZ...

...it's finally fall!!!

Maybe it's because I'm 20-something weeks pregnant going on FULL TERM [AKA already sooo ginormous and kinda disgruntled about my current Amazon appearance], but this 90-degree weather in October has been despicable and I've been waiting ohhhhh so not-so-patiently for the first gust of cool air.  Sweaters and leggings and boots [and something big/bulky to cover the bump], OH MY!  Last year, we were already 90% through with our Fall Bucket List by mid-October; and this year, I've been folding the laundry [indoors in the A/C] week after week wondering if we will even be able to pack away our shorts and tank tops before Christmas.  #summerbluesensues

...I've been known to exaggerate in certain situations, but this ^^ is for real. Ohhhh the irony of painting Halloween scenes at Library Lab and having [what should be] warm cozy October slumber parties with our cousins all while donned in our summery-est of summer clothing:

But today! Todayyyyyy!  The crisp breath of fall is in the air and we have some pumpkin cookies baking in the oven and the Young Living diffuser going and ahhhh!  That's what I'm talkin' bout!  Feeling full of the fall spirit and loving our house decor!

PLUS, Harper has her Halloween costume all picked out and ready to wear [thanks to some Pinterest inspirache!] and we can't wait for some cool fall nights to hit up the trick-or-treating scene.  And still to come: apple picking [is it too late to pick apples???], pumpkin patch fun, and hopefully some bonfires complete with a weenie roast!

I LOVE FALL!

- Rut roh: there's some altered tradition in this edition... -

There's a little traditionnnn we started when we got married called "decorating for Christmas on Black Friday"...

...and I broke it rull good this year.

Say wha'?  That's right, I hate shopping and crowds and so why even bother with something that involves shopping AND crowds together? 

Who knows.

But...

...BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING this year for the first time ever! Goin' big cuz we ain't goin' home...

Mom and I hit the road at 6am [after a McDonald's coffee stop] ...and then the sun rose and the rest of the day was history! It seemed like the perfect time to be at the stores because all the super early bird crazy peeps were already gone, but all the others who wanted to Black Friday shop -- just "not as seriously" -- were still at home in bed!  All the rest I'm gonna say about the day is that a) I only have a couple more Christmas gifts to buy (!!!) and b) I saved $390 at Kohl's so...well...we'll just leave it at that! ;) :) 

After the all-day shopping extravaganza, I was wayyyyy too sleepy to decorate the house. We settled for putting up the tree and then taking a family nap...

...and doing the full-fledged decorating on Saturday!  Harper was an awesome helper this year!

The first year for some outside decor!

And of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without the nativity scene...

...though I foresee a little problem this year since Harper only wants all the figurines taken out of the stable and face down on the table... And she thinks "Bee-bee Cheeeech" [AKA Baby Jesus] should sleep on the angel's perch.  Last year, I failed miserably at teaching the Christmas Story, so my efforts are in full force for 2016. Dontcha worry.

The house is soooo beautiful in all its Christmas glory...!

********************

Annnnnnd then I'll just throw down a couple of deese old classics: 

• Christmas Decorating 2015
• Harper's childhood handiwork 
• Christmas for newlyweds [2012]

It's [fo sho] the most wonderful time of the year! :)