Free Stuff

February has been a month of change. Gus going back to school has been this big elephant in the room I'm trying hard not to acknowledge. I sort of feel like I could've tried harder and I sort of hope that the school isn't so successful so that we can step in and take over again... start fresh. But I am also sort of (a lot) relieved to take a break.

The days are so much longer and we are getting to spend time out of doors. That feels so nice (and I'm not even an outdoors person!)

The house hasn't sold (and probably isn't very likely to) but it feels okay to say that. Kate is doing everything humanly possible to sell it. Sometimes I think it's even harder for her, because she wants to sell if for us (... nothing to do with HER gains... this is to do with her wanting to sell it for US). She is a freakin' great realtor. It will sell (some day) and in the meantime we are enjoying a life uncomplicated by remodeling, but even more so uncomplicated by all our "stuff". How Trent and I LOVE our "stuff"... we have such nice "stuff"... but it's been interesting to be without it. Everyone we've met here only knows us by what they've seen since we moved here. We essentially, look like we have NO taste and NO ambition! We have camping chairs in our "dining" room and Bay sleeps in a port-a-crib in our room. For the love of God! We are definitely living on the piggy side. How funny to find that we are kind of liberated by it! And funnily enough, the world hasn't stopped turning and none of the children has grown a third arm. We have no cable, no dishwasher, one bathroom... and we seem to be surviving. We actually seem to be having fun. Fun is good. Fun is free (thanks be to Jesus....)

It's Monday... time to sign another counter-offer. Anyone would think that we didn't want to sell the bloody thing. Thankfully we have an amazing realtor keeping us calm. We have had crazy offers, ridiculous offers, maybe offers... Today's is a mixed bag. We hear that the people really like the house... but the 25K low ball offer is one we can't take. No point... So, we countered and now we'll wait and see... again...



In the meantime we are on the fast track to Christmas. The boys are so excited... even cool and mature Gene. He is the most worried about prospective loot because he knows more about our financial strain carrying both mortgages. I'm pretty confident that he will be happy on the big day. I plan to wrap one of his two main gifts in a disguised box labeled for me... then just when he thinks "no Red Ryder BB Gun"... I'll unwrap the "last" gift... which will turn out to be his big ticket item... Should be good to get the last word...

Going, going... not gone...

Our house deal fell through. We are not as devastated as I would have expected. Maybe after a year of doing this juggling act we are used to it. It was a really nice feeling for those four days when we thought we had a deal... We came close... but yesterday Kate (our realtor, AWESOME lady, now a good friend) called us and told us that our buyer's deal had fallen through on their sale and therefore they had to rescind their offer. We were all (including Kate) pretty speechless... but what are you going to do??