Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we took a trip to the NC mountains, in the Boone/Blowing Rock area. The idea was to get away so that when the onslaught of home showings came, we'd be out of dodge and wouldn't have to clean the house every time. Unfortunately, the onslaught never came - we only had one showing. But we still had a great weekend, and we really needed to slow down and catch our breath. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Here are some pictures from our trip. This first one is a view of the mountains from our hotel room. Not bad, huh? (And yes, I cut all my hair off... I'm still getting used to it but it is SO easy now.)

It's ON!

As of today, our house is officially on the market.

Here is a link to the page on Realtor.com:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/804-Bristol-Blue-Street_Apex_NC_27502_1110338585

We are weary, to say the least. We feel like we've been non-stop with house projects for weeks and weeks. We're hoping to go away for a couple days next week to rest and recuperate.

We'd appreciate your prayers for our home... that just the right buyers would find us, and that it would sell quickly. Thanks!

A week of firsts

Little Man Westin had quite a big week last week.

For one, he got his first tooth! Bottom front. He has been in a great mood ever since... makes me wonder if he was just hurting for a while. Poor little dude. My sister Jennie just said to me the other day that if adults grew teeth like babies, we'd be on morphine for the pain. Good thing babies are tough.

Also, he is just starting to learn the art of the shimmy/schooch/snake slither/army crawl. He puts whole body face down on the carpet, almost like he's kissing the ground, and then you see his little feet push off the carpet and he moves forward a few inches. Hilarious. I haven't figured out why the head down position is important, but it must be, because he won't move any other way. I need to capture it on video.

All that tooth and crawling stuff is great and all, but let's get down to the most important "first": he went on his first BIKE RIDE! Yes, Westin and Daddy had their first biking experience together, and I captured it on film and video. Westin absolutely loved it. I got my bike out too and we all 3 rode a few blocks together so Westin could see me and not be scared at all, and let's just say I didn't even need to be around. His eyes were so wide and he just took it all in with this huge smile on his face. Priceless. Jeremy was proud to say the least.

He's changing so fast... who know what next week holds. Stay tuned.

More projects galore

Just when we think we're getting close to being "ready" to put our house on the market, we come up with other things to do. I'm sure some people would say we don't need to do half the things we're doing, but we figure if we do as much as we possibly can, our home will hopefully sell faster. If we spend an extra $1,000 on projects, but it sells in one month rather than 3, we've come out ahead in our book.

As I mentioned before, it's rather sad that our house will be so nice and we won't get to enjoy it. I can't believe we haven't done some of these things before.

Here's a list of the improvements we've made (the ones that I can remember at the moment):

Outside:
-Turned an ugly eyesore on the side of our house into a flower bed with a retaining wall -Pressure washed the entire house
-Replaced our doorbell
-Mulched the entire front and back yard
-Planted flowers
-Hired a lawn company to fertilize the yard regularly
-Replaced the top railing on our back deck -Stained the back deck
-Paint our shutters black (haven't done this one just yet)

Inside:
-Replaced thermostat with a newer digital one
-Stained all of the cabinets - kitchen and bathrooms
-Painted the master bath and the guest bath
-Installed hardware on every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen and bathrooms
-Replaced all doorknobs on the main level
-Replaced 3 light fixtures with newer, more modern ones -Replaced entry way chandelier with a modern one
-Put tile in all 3 bathrooms (it's actually vinyl tile, but it amazingly looks exactly like tile) -Replaced the master back huge mirror with 2 stylish, modern ones
-Replacing downstairs carpet (will be installed sometime next week. We did the upstairs last summer.)

We're also getting a small storage place nearby to "declutter" our home.

So, if you know of anyone looking to buy a very well cared for 1700 sf home in a fantastic Apex location with a relatively big back yard, please spread the word. And if you're so inclined, please pray that we can sell quickly!

Our 6 month old

Westin is 6 months old today. Time has flown by and our little guy has changed so much and seemingly so fast. He went from a teeny little newborn (well, not THAT teeny I guess... he was 8 and a half pounds after all) who couldn't control his arms and legs, to a baby that is busy busy. He grabs at everything in sight.... eyeglasses, coffee cups, cell phones, the remote, Daddy's goatee, my hair, etc. He can roll over, sit up, and is now eating vegetables. He seldom sits still and his little legs are in constant motion. He has a sense of humor, he loves music and is developing a very cute and funny personality. He melts our hearts every single day.

Happy 6 months, Little Man. Mommy and Daddy love you very much.

Projects Galore

We're right in the thick of trying to get our house ready to sell. For those of you who have asked if it's "official" that we're moving... here is our prepared answer: We are making plans as though we are moving to Austin, and unless we encounter some kind of roadblock, we are moving. We have truly been praying and seeking God's will in this matter, and for now we feel like we have the green light to go ahead with moving. In the bible, the apostle Paul made plans to go into a couple of places (Asia and Bythinia) and the Holy Spirit wouldn't let them (Acts 16). I don't know exactly what that all means, but it at least tells me that Paul made plans, moved forward, and then when the doors closed and he was stopped, he changed his course and concluded God's will was moving in a different direction. This is how Jeremy and I plan to proceed.

We've talked to to some realtors, and now we need to officially decide who we're going to use. It is a really tough decision. I've been fortunate, as a mortgage broker, to work with many good realtors through the years, and it's hard to pick "the one" we want to use to list our home. We've narrowed it down to 2 realtors, and they are both pretty equal in experience, in price, in personality/temperament, and in likability. We might just have to flip a coin to decide who to use. :-)

It's a bummer that we're getting our house looking so good just in time to move, but I guess that's the nature of selling a home. Here are some before and after pictures of the awesome transformation of the side of our house. It has been ugly for many years, and Jeremy did a fantastic job of building a retaining wall and turning it into a flower bed. I will be planting some bushes there soon.