Did you wonder where I went?

If you have been wondering where I have been, you are not alone!  I'm not sure where I have been either!  Okay, here's what I remember:  We all got the flu over Christmas.  It started the Tuesday before Christmas and lasted through the day after Christmas.  Cameron was the culprit who brought it home and spread it like Christmas spirit to everyone in the house!  As you can imagine that really put a damper on the festivities.  And if you have a good memory, you will remember that this is year 4 that we have gotten the flu at Christmas.  Next year, Christmas will be on October 12th.  Please join us!

After that, Sara closed on the farmhouse!  It was a flurry of excitement as we all traveled to the farm to see what she had bought.  Boy has it been a lot of work.  It's a beautiful house that has been seriously neglected.  The last owners had a myriad of animals in the house.  From what we've heard from the realtor and the horrified neighbors, there has been dogs, cats, turtles and even a fox inside the house.  I'm convinced that if the doorways would have been bigger there would have been an elephant or two.  First thing we had to do was remove wallpaper.  Talk about a job I never want to do again!  Next, we painted 3/4 of the rooms.  Not just painted but also spackled like crazy.  Where you would normally see a wall with 5 or so holes, you would find at least 20-25.  Each room was worse than the next.  As of writing this, we have painted 7 rooms.  I'm exhuasted!  After that, Wes and I ripped out all of the carpet from the upper levels (the lower levels just have laminate and hardwood).  The kids really got into that.  Now they are well-versed in things like subfloor, tack strips which Preston calls "Punchies" and carpet ripping.

That pretty much has taken all of January and most of February.  In  the end of January we put the house up for sale with a realtor.  To say that this has taken up the remaining amount of my time is an understatement!  I clean and clean and clean so that the house shows well for potential buyers.  Here's some tips I have learned: the dryer and suitcases are great places to hide dirty laundry!  If you don't have time to do your dishes before a showing, throw them in a bag and take them with you.  I do always hope that we don't get pulled over during a showing because our van makes us look like homeless vagabonds.  Also, I am in love with a new way to spot clean my carpet.  I just start heating some water on the stove and then douse the spot with the super hot but not boiling water and let the water work it's magic and then dab it away.  This has helped me clean jelly, peanut butter, spit-up, markers, baby food stains, you name it!  I love it because it doesn't leave any soap residue that collects dirt later and the carpet feels nice, not stiff afterwards.  Before you try this, spot test it so you don't come back and kill me if it doesn't work for you. :)

We have had approx.15 showings and 1 low offer.  Things slowed down for a bit but are starting to pick up again.  We have a second showing today that shows some promise.  I'll keep you posted!  My days have def. been filled with a lot of stress and running around but I know in the end it will be worth it.  Last night Sara, Wes and I were sitting in the hottub looking up at all the stars and I was reminded about how awesome God's creation is and how lucky we are to be a part of it.  I encourage everyone to find their own little peice of paradise and go there when you need a recharge!  It might be a closet, a bathtub, a chair in front of the window, you  name it.  Take time for yourself and enjoy!

I hope to post some before and after pictures of the farm but I'm waiting for the carpet to come in.  It's 2 weeks late!  Grrrrr......Until then I promise to do a better job blogging!!