The One Where We SOLD THE HOUSE

The Semi-Homemades return from Vegas, just in time to sell their house.  They're blown away - they've always been proud of the house that Mr. Fix-It built, but can't believe it sold in a month on the market!  Chaos ensues as they have to locate temporary housing, negotiate on land for the next Semi-Homemade house, and figure out how to find time to pack an entire house while still working insane hours and taking care of two precious kiddos.

Okay, so yes... WE SOLD THE HOUSE!  Can you believe it?  Feels like we've been on a roller coaster... it's gone kinda like this:

April 18 - sold the house
April 19 - re-submitted an offer on that 'perfect lot' we'd found - only to find out it had JUST gone under contract.  Now not so sure we wanted to sell our house (not having anywhere to go!), we decided to hold off on signing papers on the sell of our house. 
April 20 - signed the papers.  Spent every night that week, looking at land. 
April 22 - put an offer in on a new lot in a neighborhood we've always loved.  Negotiations lasted days.  They didn't work out.
April 30 - put an offer on ANOTHER lot. 
May 12 - FINALLY got the counter offer.  We're dealing with a foreclosure and the speed (or lack thereof!) of these negotiations are killing.me.  We put our counter offer in late that night, and...  we're still waiting.  I was hoping to have good news by today - mr. fix-it even bought some champagne (that we might break out this weekend anyway!)  It's in an area we hadn't previously considered... it's further out.  But the neighborhood is amazing and it just so happens that the Everythings are residents of this same town. 

The combination of having our permanent residence totally in the air... combined with some work-related stuff.... and trying to pack our entire house ourselves (we didn't pack a thing the last time we moved - loved that!)... and you can imagine that I haven't slept in weeks.

We spent all last weekend packing.  And I have to say, I'm impressed at what we got done. ;)  We'll pack all this weekend, too.  Then my mom and mom-in-law are driving down the next week for a Packing Party!  I'm taking 2 days off and we'll finish the rest of the house and move into our apartment next week.  Funny story... Big Sis started asking questions about what we were packing... for ex, are we packing the ceiling?  no.  Are we packing my bed?  Yes, and it'll go to the place we'll live this summer.  But your dresser will not... So, it won't go to the summer house, momma?  And THAT is how our apartment became known as the summer house.  Yep, we're fancy like that... ;)

And as we started packing last weekend, I started getting sad... this is the first house (and you know we've had too many houses!) that felt like a true home... that we connected with, on a deeper level.  I was sad when we left the house we brought Big Sis home from the hospital... but this house makes me even more sad.  It'll be hard to leave:

~G-man's first room - love that pirate nursery!

~the living room where we do "streaker" every night after baths.  mr. fix-it and I chase nekkid Big Sis and G-man around and around the couch.... yelling Streaker!!.... until we catch them and fall to the floor, shrieking and giggling!

~the staircase where Big Sis and I race each other upstairs to bed every night

~the backyard that's seen it all - G-man's pirate birthday party, s'more's makin', summer BBQs

~the dining room that was the center of Big Sis's Nutcracker Sweet birthday when Santa visited!

~the home where I experienced my 2nd pregnancy... and then bringing home precious baby #2!

~the kitchen where I've hosted numerous parties, cooked it up for many holidays, where Big Sis and I make chocolate chip cookies

~and the Movie Room - home of all our family movie nights!

Goodbye, sweet home.  And so... Moving 2010 is underway!  And the rest of the year promises to be full of interesting episodes, as the Semi-Homemades move into an apartment... mr. fix-it builds our new house... I design new rooms for Sissy and G-man... and more!  As soon as we get off this land-seeking roller coaster, it's all fun from there!

Happy weekend!