Our original plan when we moved into the rental of my brothers, was to eventually buy it and stay there permanently. And then pretty much the day after we moved in, my job pretty much just went away. I still have it, and I still hope for orders to pop up every day, but I have had maybe 10 orders total in the past six months. While Clint makes decent money, the cost of living is just so high right now that there was no way we were going to be able to make it each month, let alone save up for a house. So, we started looking. Wait, no. I started looking. It took me several months to convince Clint that we had to make a change before we were so under water there'd be no re-surfacing. I looked for months. I went and took the girls with me for weeks, to house after house after house. If they didn't smell like dog/cat pee, then they smelled like cigarette smoke. And if they didn't smell like cigarette smoke, they had only two rooms. Or were so dirty I would rather live outside than in them. Or whatever. I got pretty annoyed looking at so many rentals that people were asking good money for but were just not worth it. I finally found one on Craigslist---and after a few days of negotiating with the owner, signed a lease. I actually feel really good about our move. We are living more within our means, and we no longer have to rely on any income from me for us to pay all of our bills each month. Yes, we sold stuff. LOTS of stuff. Yes, we downsized by more than half of a house. Yes, we live really far out and the commute is not fantastic. But really? I kind of love it. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from our shoulders. It's going to take a few months for us to get caught up on bills and be able to start saving, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm so happy about it. Our new home is clean, and smells fantastic, and is homey.
The move, on the other hand? Gag. It blew. I took a load a day from one house to the other pretty much every day for two weeks. I stayed up late moving and organizing and selling. I had a garage sale that went CRAZY. People were fighting over stuff--before the sale even began! We could not have gotten everything moved without the help of our parents. My mom helped me with the little van loads each day, and watched the girls for me when I needed her to. My dad helped assemble/disassemble things. Shari and Joe helped us load and unload heavy furniture, late at night. I am so grateful to live close to family.
It's been a week now that we've been in our new home. I still have boxes in my garage full of things that won't fit in the house but that I wasn't willing to sell. For now, I'll keep them in the attic or garage. I'm slowly getting things the way I like them. I think what's frustrating for me is that I like 'like' things to be together. Pots together. Pans together. Spices together, etc. With the limited space, I've got dishes in my hall closet, toys in the same closet as my medicine shelf, decorations stowed in my closet, etc. Things aren't where I'd ideally like them to be, and that doesn't bode well with me and my OCD. But I'm coping. LOL.
I realize my new home is so so much more than a lot of people have. I try to remember that and to be grateful. I think it's just always harder to go from a big place to a smaller place. Not awful. Not unmanageable. Not heart-breaking. Just harder. And my closet is just the perfect size for our pack and play. So although this isn't a pregnancy announcement, a baby would fit just fine.
Charlotte is, so far, the only one having adjustment issues. We pass by our old house every few days to take the girls to school or visit Shari and Joe. Each time, she cries. She begs to "go home" and gets so sad when I tell her we can't. She used to be my independent child, but lately she refuses to go to school, kicking and screaming when I try to leave her. She is also up at night. A lot. Like every hour. She used to sleep so well all night long, so her new sleeping woes have really thrown me. I'm hoping that with time she will adjust and get back to her happy little self.
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| I'm a lazy packer. I just threw stuff in my van and unloaded right into closets. |
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| Yikes. |
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| My job while Clint put our bed together at midnight was to lay on our mattress so it wouldn't get in the way. |
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| When I took Emery's crib apart, I found all of her missing pacifiers and her blanket. Good thing I had made a late night Wal-Mart run for pacifiers the night before. |
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| Last night. Trying to get everything out, cleaned, and back to it's original condition before new renters came the next morning. |
3 comments:
If it makes you feel any better... ive never had a house and probably wont soon since. My Richard is trying for a Phd. We have always just had apartments and now a townhouse. Thirty is young. You are very very clever for making this choice and you will be blessed for it. Good luck in your new home. Just bake chocolate chip cookies... that always helps me feel settled. :)
Ps your family pictures are gorgeous!
There is a peace that comes from not being too financially strapped. Wish we could all feel it all the time! Oh, well. :) I MISS having you guys so close to us, but your new home is cute and a really nice layout. Now the girls just need to find some new friends close by and things will be good! Char was the one that talked the most about the move last time, but she adjusted pretty quickly. I'm glad to see the picture of you holding down the mattress! You have worked SO hard to get that job done, I hope you get to rest for a while, now! Love you all!
Way to take initiative & get things in order. It's so hard to decide to make the change, but once you do, it feels so much better. Hopefully Charly will adjust quickly. Can't wait to see pictures!
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