Progress, and it's exciting!

Late last week we finished all the updating on our old home and finally moved the last things out - those last pesky things that remain after all the essentials are gone. Then we listed the house with an agent. It hit the MLS yesterday and we had a showing today! We sure hoped to have it on the market earlier, but perhaps we can still catch some of the summer home shoppers who want to have their kids in school this fall - or just are looking for a home during nice weather. The house looks great. Now we can concentrate on unpacking and settling in to our new home -- we're ready!

No boredom here!

There's certainly no boredom around the Wardlaw house. We have more to get done than can possibly be done in each day. Our focus continues to be getting the Butternut Circle house ready to put on the market. It's been painted and had many upgrades put in. We've hired workers to tear out the old carpet. The upstairs is out - today the downstairs will be done. I believe that the carpet layer is ready to come in when we are ready. We lucked out on the carpet.......we'd met Lou, a Shaw carpet inspector months, ago during the water damage phase of our adventure. When we needed carpet for Butternut Circle we called Lou. Luckily for us, he'd just finished carpeting a seven story building and had a roll left over. So we got a good deal on good carpet, and we're sure the installation will be good. When we're able to be at our new home, we're finding it to be wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable, just as we'd hoped. There are still final finish details to be done here, but we're enjoying the house a lot even though some things still need to be done.

Things are moving along!

We still need to unpack at the new house so we can take pictures. Can't wait to post some for you to see. Thus far, our time has gone into continuing to move and unpacking has had to take a back seat. A friend gave us a couple of awesome lounge chairs for the patio --we hope to spend many peaceful relaxing moments in those - out in our wooded back "yard" - not really a yard since there is no grass. We continue just to work and make progress toward getting Butternut Circle on the market - it will be such a relief when we're finally able to list it. Hope you're having a fun beginning to the summer!

Multitasking

We have been in the new house for about two weeks now.  We're still living surrounded by boxes since our primary attention must go to clearing out the basement and garage of the old house.  We need to get it on the market very soon.  We've met with a realtor we like a lot - and will probably list the house with him.  For the last 10 days or so, painting has been taking place there and it looks great!  Next is a new kitchen floor, new bathroom floor and carpet.  We hope that these upgrades will make the house attractive to buyers and it will move soon.    We don't want this house sitting around - we want it sold!  Because of all this work, we're trying to balance getting completely moved out, supervising the work, and trying to unpack a bit at the new house.  The latter isn't happening very fast.  Our next goal will be to get to work with our attorney and try to get recovery (of damages) under way.  So, life is good.  We're loving the feel of the new house and how it works for us.  We're both feeling very overwhelmed with way too much to do.  It's just been such a long process and it still seems that it will never end.  On the other hand, we can see progress.  Thanks for visiting our blog and keeping up with us - we appreciate your interest, good thoughts, and prayers!

Basement/Minnesota

The boxes are all moved from the main floors of our former home.  Thanks, Lin, Dave, Melanie, and Jane!  Our next big project is to go in the basement and decide which of our 40 years of stuff that is stored down there we will keep and which we will donate or toss.  Through many moves we've kept more stuff than we should have.  I'm glad our new house doesn't have a basement!  Too easy to gather clutter - at least for us.  At the end of the week, I'm flying to the Twin Cities to attend the college graduation of our international student, Michelle.  She is from Hong Kong.  We were here host Mom and Dad while we lived in MN, and she's still a dear friend and daughter.   I'll see her Dad again and get to meet her Mom for the first time.  I'm staying with a friend, so that will be fun too.  

Boxes and more boxes!

We have a couple of friends coming Saturday to help move boxes.  G will rent a U Haul.  Tomorrow, a friend is going to come help and we'll pack the dishes - and the pantry if time allows.  When this is over, the boxes are going on the CURB!!  Hooray!  Last move for a long while.  Goodbye interims, goodbye parish ministry, goodbye house hunting.  Color me happy!  And tired too, at this point!

We slept at the new house last night!

While I was in TX visiting my Mother, G got some help and got all the furniture moved into the new house~!  That being said, there is still a ton of stuff at the old house - all the non-furniture items.  Kitchen, pantry, closets, bathrooms and stuff in the basement storage.  We need to get the majority of it moved this week.  The painters will begin to paint the old house next week.  After painting comes carpeting, then we will hopefully be ready to put it on the market. We have yet to interview realtors - we felt that it would be best for any potential listing agent to see the house freshly painted and carpeted.  Friends have offered to help with the move, and when we can figure out how to best use their help, we'll accept their gracious offer.  We're spending today recovering (G from final construction details and moving; Jan from travel).  Thanks for reading our update!