Sunday Snapshot - Halloween

Well, of course today's pictures would center around this sugar-filled, chocolate covered, candy coated holiday!  This year it seemed like it was a 3-day Halloween-a-palooza!  Friday was Trunks & Treats at Trinity, yesterday was pumpkin carving here in Drosche Land, and since Trinity's awesome Trunks & Treats event was held on Friday we actually got to trick-or-treat in our own neighborhood tonight!  We had the cousins come over, ate pizza, and they had a great time.  A sure sign it was a great weekend - the kids went to bed about an hour ago and we haven't heard a peep!  Enjoy the pictures from this multi-day candy spectacular!

 The boys ready for Trunks & Treats!

 Playing games at Trunks & Treats!

 Games at Trunks & Treats!

 Trick-or-treating at Trunks & Treats!

 Jack on a bouncy slide thing (Braeden wouldn't go of course!)

Pumpkin carving fun!

 

 Cleaning and sorting the seeds!

 Pumpkin goo!

 Braeden ready for trick-or-treating

 Jack ready for trick-or-treating!

 My beautiful wife, and her taco!

 

One of our favorites, edited and played with

 

Another favorite, played with!

Show Off

Ok, so I am mobile blogging this post (LOVE my iPhone!) since we are in a temporary exile from the house. But it's for a good reason! Friday, in the midst of setting up for Trunks & Treats, Amy got a phone call. A realtor wanted to show out house from 3-4! Mind you, it's not the best timing. See the cousins are all coming over for trick-or-treating and we were going to serve dinner. But since life rarely works in accordance with our schedule, we adapted. After all, selling the house is just slightly more important right now! So, a trip to Costco to get pizza and pumpkin pie for tonight and we are all set!

What are we doing to fill the time? Grocery shopping and taking the car to the car wash. Nothing too fancy! Maybe a stop for ice cream if all goes well. Then it's back home for Halloween fun! So, the first of many showings or the one that turns into a sale, who knows which this one will be. Either way we're running errands with our fingers crossed!

All is well, hoping the strangers in our house love it, in Drosche Land.

Making A Listing and Checking It Twice

Well, it's been 3 days since the house was officially listed and no sale yet.  Did I really expect it to happen this quickly though?  No (yes?).  I know it's silly, but there is a small part of me that thought we would have this magical, world's fastest sold house experience.  Crazy, I know, but then again looks who's blogging!  :)  But that's ok, we are not ready to move yet, financially at least.  Mentally, we might be getting there, but financially we are nowhere near. So the thought of being homeless after having the title of world's fastest sold house bestowed upon us is less exciting.  So I'll deal with the house being on the market for a while longer.  In my researching of the recent home sales in the area is seems as though 1-3 months is a good guesstimate so I am sure his 6-9 month estimation is very conservative.  Again, no worries all in His time not mine right (Jeremiah 29:11)?  

But Amy is bustin' it (no pun intended) to get us financially ready to move and purchase a new house.  I must say, she is quite impressive.  I'd be lost in debt and eating Ramen noodles (Yum!) without her.  Speaking of bustin' it, she is doing much better.  Still some pain and slow moving, but she is showing progress each day!  Back to the post topic at hand, sorry if I'm a bit scatterbrained but it's late and I just finished this week's homework.  Anyway, the listing.  It is great.  Our realtor managed to get some great shots that highlighted the house's good features.  He also put together some great flyers for the info box on our sign out front!  I know what you're waiting for - the listing.  Well, wait no more, you can find it here.  Go ahead, I'll wait while you check it out. . . . . . . Great huh?  So I have great confidence that this process will continue to move along as smoothly as it has thus far!  I am so glad we used Dave Ramsey's ELP program to find a realtor, we have been very pleased.  

So, spread the word about our house.  Tell your family, your friends, a neighbor you don't like and wish would move, heck - tell a stranger!  I'm super excited and eager to get the ball rolling!  I have a feeling I will soon be blogging about an Open House and/or showing!  Well, at least I hope so.  Until then we wait!

All is well, happily listed, in Drosche Land. 

Sunday Snapshot - A Tie

Well, this weekend was a big weekend for us here in Drosche Land, especially today.  We met with our realtor!  All the paperwork is signed, the pictures are taken, the lock box is on the door, and our sign is out front - we are all set!  Tomorrow the house will officially be listed and we take the next step (a big one) in this new adventure!  Originally that was going to be the sole subject of today's post but something else cute came up.  Apparently Braeden has been talking a lot about Silly Bandz.  All his friends have them and they are "really cool".  So we gave in today and bought the boys some.  Baseball, Basketball, and Halloween themed Silly Bandz.  It was fun sorting through them with the boys and watching them put them all on.  This is their first venture into any kind of trend or fad.  Just another reminder that they are growing up so fast!  Of course this momentous occasion had to be captured on film.  Thus the dilemma.  Not really though because they will both share the spotlight in today's post.  A variety of adventures - both big and small!  Enjoy!

Silly Bandz! They were very happy with their first fad!

 Oh so many choices!

 Jack - always so serious looking.  Even when choosing his bandz!

My boy - growing too fast!

 

 We're listed!  Woo hoo!

 Let the adventure begin!

Shove It

In a drawer.

In a box.

Under a bed.

In the garage.


Somewhere, anywhere because it can't be left out!  That's the task for today folks.  You see, the Realtor is coming tomorrow afternoon to list the house (I'm smelling a Sunday Snapshot) and we (more importantly the house) need to be ready!  So the packing, organizing, touch up painting, and staging has once again commenced here in Drosche Land.  However, we are almost done and I can just see (if I squint) an end to the prep work.  But I dare not get too happy about it because that means that the daunting task of keeping the house the way it will look in the pictures is upon us.  

You might be wondering why "In a closet" is not listed above as one of the places to "Shove it"?  Good questions.  Apparently another irony of listing your house is how you must show that you have lots of great storage.  The way to do that - why by keeping said storage areas clean and empty of course!  So our house will look nice and open with most personal affects stashed away somewhere they won't be seen unless potential buyers get a little nosy.  

On a side note, I'll provide an update on Amy's down and out derriere.  So far she is doing slightly (and I'll stress slightly) better.  The pain is about the same, maybe a little less, but she has way more mobility.  We are just taking it easy this weekend and keeping her home and laid up as much a possible.  That meant having to bow out of 2 parties this afternoon but she needs the rest.  I'm taking advantage of the extra time to shove it!  So, she is on the road to recovery and we are hoping for a smooth and bump-free ride!

All is well, shoved, crammed, and stashed away, in Drosche Land. 

Pain in the A**

So, because things were getting somewhat comfortable and settling in here in Drosche Land, and because the coming months aren't busy enough with birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas life knocked us on our rears.  Quite literally in fact.  Yesterday was TLCC's annual field trip to the pumpkin farm for the kids in Pre-School 3 and Pre-K.  Braeden was stoked about it and it has been the main focus of conversation here for my little mini me over the past week.  So, despite being busy Amy managed to get away and attend the field trip.  Both to be with Braeden and just to be there as the Administrator in charge.  Well, she made it there, but not much further.  See, as she was getting off of the bus she slipped on the stairs and landed on the edge of the bottom step.  On her butt.  So, given the title of this post and the hints and innuendos of this paragraph can you guess what happened?  Yes, she fractured her tailbone.  Busted her butt.  Broke her booty.  The last phrase is the one we actually used to inform the boys of what happened.

So, I'm there at work, enjoying a typical Thursday morning and filling out our Word Wall with short i words.  In walks Julie, our school Secretary, and I could tell immediately that something wasn't kosher.  I figured a parent/lunch/school problem of some sort.  Nope.  Amy was on the phone and I was to take the call right then.  After briefly explaining what had happened she asked that I come and get her and take her to the doctor.  So I raced back to my classroom after securing an emergency sub (THANKS Lori!) and blew out of there.

The pumpkin farm in question is Dewberry Farm.  Way out in Egypt, but only about 10 minutes from our house.  40 minutes (I drove a little fast) later I was helping her to the car.  The original plan was to bring her to her doctor (in the city of course) and have her bum X-rayed.  A few seconds into the car ride she realized that wasn't going to work so we changed plans and headed to an Urgent Care center by our house.  Sure enough it was fractured.  However, as I'm sure many people know, there is nothing you can do for a busted bottom.  Pain management and gritted teeth for 6-8 weeks.  Yes folks, 6-8 weeks.  Mind you she won't be at home for that long, but that is the estimation for total recovery.  

I'm happy to say though that she is doing somewhat better.  Yesterday she was dealing with the excruciating pain and complete immobility.  Today she is only experiencing severe pain but she can (with effort) move about.  We are hoping that it will get slightly better each day and she will be good to head back into work on Monday.  That's the plan for now, we will see how things progress this weekend.  

On a side note, if you are looking for a great pumpkin farm, Dewberry is your place!  We love them and have been going every year to get our pumpkins for a few years now.  However, I must place a disclaimer with this recommendation.  The farm, despite being über fun and loaded with great pumpkins, appears to have an air of unluckiness about it.  See, a few years ago I was there on a field trip when I worked at Memorial.  Our good friend Robin was there with her class too.  They have these giant inflated "pillows" (that's what they call them) that you can jump around on.  Think a bouncy house with no walls/trampoline and you've got a good idea.  Anyway, we were bouncing around on that with our kids when her knee blew out.  Long story short she had to be taken away in an ambulance and was bed-ridden, post surgery, for a few months.  So, pumpkin farm or house of pain, call it what you will but it is a blast and you should definitely go.  Check out their website here.  However, you have been warned.  I bear no liability should you go for a fun pumpkin-themed family outing and meet with painful disaster.

So, it's always a new adventure here in Drosche Land, no ands, ifs, or butts about it!  HA!  You know I've been waiting to work that one in somehow!  This is just one more thing to bring excitement into our lives.  By the way, turns out you use your tailbone for just about any kind of movement.  Go figure huh?  Just be glad I told you and you didn't have to learn the hard way.  

All is well, sore from the bottom up, in Drosche Land. 

A Cut Above

Ok, so I have something to admit.  Yes, I am a teacher.  Yes, I LOVE my job.  But I am somewhat ashamed to admit that we don't do a lot of "school-y" things at home with the boys.  I know, shocker.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It's not all video games, sugar, and TV here in Drosche Land for the littlest citizens.  We do read, we do color, we do play outside, and we talk a lot (not just me - everyone).  But things like cutting, gluing, play doh, etc. don't get done as much as you'd think (or as much as I'd always like).  This is partly because I mean, it's my job, I do those things all day.  So do the boys.  The last thing we want to do when we get home is play school.  Family time takes precedent over that.  Plus the boys are just 3 and 4.  There will be plenty of time for homework, projects, reading, and other various and sundry school activities.  For now we take it easy and I try to focus on reading and discussing.  

Why the random soap box you ask?  Well, tonight it was reiterated to me just how important school is, for all ages.  In this instance, Early Childhood.  We were working on Braeden's homework for this week - an F/f collage and he was cutting pictures out of magazines.  Well, of course you know Jack had to do some "homework" too.  And since Braeden's homework involved magazines and scissors, he insisted his did also.  I don't know why I thought this would be a good time to work on his cutting skills.  Maybe the inner teacher in me came out, maybe the guilty teacher/parent came out, or maybe I was just a glutton for punishment.  Regardless the reason, so began the painstakingly tedious activity that was teaching my darling Jack, a 3-year old, rough and tumble boy with limited fine motor skills, how to cut.  Luckily I am happy to say that no one lost or sliced open a digit in the process.  I am still in awe as to how I was able to cram my adult fingers into a pair of safety scissors along with his chubby, little, toddler, sausage fingers.  But alas, Braeden got most of his homework finished and Jack had a great time cutting magazine pages into strips.  Did the activity actually benefit Jack?  Who knows?  I sure hope so or the hand cramp I have was all for naught.  

It did though, bring into me a great admiration and respect for all Early Childhood teachers who teach the little ones how to do basic skills such as pencil grip, cutting, fine & gross motor, etc.  Wow!  Saints, all of them.  Special thanks to those, Vivian, Chamie, Julie, and Vera, who educate my little dudes!  So, after tonight's fun I once again make the resolution to work more on those activities/skills at home with the boys.  I really do want to do so, we are just often crunched for time.  Hopefully the move will help with this, it should!  We will see how everything fares this time around!  

All is well, bandage-free, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot - Zoo Boo 2010

Last October we decided to take advantage of some great weather and our membership to the Houston Zoo.  Little did we know it was Zoo Boo.  We were not dressed, we had no buckets, but we did have loads of fun.  This year, we were determined to continue this and make it a family tradition.  Complete with costumes and candy receptacles.  So, we loaded up the car, bought some much-needed new camera batteries, some snacks and headed off to the zoo with Wolverine and Batman in tow.

We could not have asked for better fall weather here in Houston.  So, we made the rounds and tick-or-treated, saw lots of animals out and about (also enjoying the aforementioned weather, and even got in 2 rounds of the Dinosaur exhibit!  Of course you know I went into this planning to get some pictures for the Sunday Snapshot post.  With Amy's camera up and working (a long story for another post) and mine too I was sure we would get several good shots, and we did!  Here are some of the best, both natural and edited.  Enjoy!

Jack in his Batman costume with his pumpkin

 

 Braeden in his Wolverine costume with his pumpkin

My beautiful wife

 

 Me and my boys

 Jack at the lion exhibit!

 Braeden and the T-Rex

 There were thousands of mini pumpkins to choose from

 My boys!

Jack being Jack!

The Sweet Smell of Success

So, I will take this post to brag on Amy.  So, you have seen via this blog and Facebook, just how much her Scentsy business is booming and how much she is loving it.  However, yesterday she got some confirmation on just how well she is doing.  Her name appeared in the Scentsy Spotlight Newsletter because she made a crap load of sales this past month!  Ok, so that's not exactly the terminology they use, but you get the gist.  We knew she had been doing well because she just got her first paycheck (which was awesome!).  Plus you know Amy and her spreadsheets (she has several for her Scentsy business!), they have provided evidence as well.  I have to say I am so proud of her for getting her name in the publication. She works her butt off and has been enjoying every minute of it.  I am just so glad that she has received some validation for her hard work and her love of the business!

In addition to that great news she is also excitingly close to having her own team!  One of her girls from work, Braeden's teacher Julie, is considering becoming a consultant and we had lunch with some good friends, Robin & Michael, yesterday and Robin is hooked as well!  So, in a few days we will see about their decisions to join the Scentsy family.  Not only is Amy bringing people into the company and supporting this awesome product, but she is also super excited about starting her own team and having team meetings and parties!  

So, business is booming here in Drosche Land and we are loving it!  The boys get almost as excited about each new Scentsy delivery as Amy.  I love watching them sit down, unpack, and smell all the new items!  I have countless pictures to prove it.  So, what is Scentsy to Drosche Land?  Additional income?  Yes.  A second job?  Kind of.  One thing is for sure - Scentsy makes Amy joyously happy and she is great at it!  That's all I need to know about it!  Now, what's love and a blog without the ability to shamelessly plug and promote something I love?  Visit here for more info, to buy, or to join Amy's team!  :)

All is well, and smelling good, here in Drosche Land.

         Isn't she AWESOME! 

One More Week

Until what?  I know the anticipation is killing you, so I will go ahead and tell you and then move onto the post.  Listing the house.  Yeah, so it was supposed to happen this weekend, but as it turns out our realtor is out of town.  Bummer.  But, the house is technically not totally ready so I guess it's for the best.  Although I have to say I busted my butt to get it closer today.  

I stayed home with Jack today because he was still sick last night with a fever to go with his throat infection.  Amy took off yesterday and took him to the doctor.  Luckily today was his recovery day and all is well.  Trust me, he is totally back to normal!  So, he will be returning to school tomorrow.  So I missed a day, which I hate, but that is the joy of being a parent!  Not everything is on your time.  A tough lesson to learn (stop smirking Amy!).  :)  But, it wasn't a total waste because I got a lot done around the house.  Last weekend we finally decided on a paint color for the boys' bathroom.  Did I mention that last weekend?  Anyway, since not everyone is pro bright yellow paint with big blue and orange dots (I know, go figure!) I started painting today since I had the time.  

I will take a moment now to pause and plug one of our favorite products - Behr paint.  Not just any paint mind you, the primer and paint in one.  Ahhhhh, colorful happiness in a can.  So wonderful I almost forget what a chore painting can be (almost).  But in all seriousness go get some.  If you were thinking about painting something, buy this paint.  If you weren't planning on painting anything, find something to paint, and buy this paint.  It nearly covered our circus-bright bathroom in one coat!  Joy!

Ok, back to the blog.  So I gave the bathroom its first coat.  I also began to touch up the paint downstairs where we filled nail holes in the wall and tiny, grubby hands touched and dirtied everything.  I still have the stairway to do but that will have to wait when the aforementioned tiny, grubby hands aren't around.  I am not going to plug the Sherwin Williams paint KB uses (seriously, don't buy it).  I mean who uses flat paint!  I also knocked out a couple of loads of laundry because I love doing that.  Lastly, I  had to deep clean the bathrooms.  They weren't too bad, but needed to gleam for the pictures for the listing.  

I will pause again to plug another favorite item - SOS pads.  I mean I know I have blogged about these little wonderful pads of joy (here) but they warrant another mention.  I mean is there anything these little scrubbers can't do.  Don't waste your time trying to think of something, because I don't think there is anything.  I again used them to attack the shower.  Mind you, it wasn't as bad as before but I still wanted a deep scrub of everything.  These little guys do an amazing job.  Leaving everything with a fluffy Smurf-blue foam.  Rinse that away and you are left with shining cleanliness!  Ahhhh, joy!

Ok, back to the blog.  So today was quite productive and I am ending it pleasantly tired and fulfilled.  Somewhere in there I also found time to get my homework for this week finished.  One more course down and only 3 more to go!  I cannot wait to be finished.  But that's a post for another time.  So we have to wait a little longer until we take the next step in selling the house.  Oh well.  Guess I'd better learn patience with this process now since I am sure I will need it often throughout the coming months.  Amy is off on Friday so she will most likely finish all the painting (she's great like that)!  Plus she has the carpet cleaners coming to do the entire house, per the realtor's instructions.  After those tasks are completed, we have just a little more tidying and staging left until we are ready!  I'm excited to get the show on the road.  6-9 months.  Seems long, but at the same time incredibly short.  I spend most of my time on HAR looking at homes and dreaming!  Ahhhh, Jersey Village we can't wait to get to know you better and call you home!

All is well, with a fresh coat of paint, in Drosche Land. 

Sunday Snapshot

Ok, so today's pictures relate to today's earlier post about going through the boys' closet and getting rid of their baby clothes.  Whenever Amy and I do this they are enevitably under foot and wanting to "help" (I loosly use the term) us.  Today was no different.  However, it did provide some funny moment (in addition to some frustrating ones).  Braeden found an old outfit of theirs, size 12 months, and proceeded to put it on!  Surprisingly it barely fit!  But I had to take a picture because it was so funny and he was so proud of himself because "it still fits!"  Don't worry he did take them off and they made it into the bags to give away!  The other shots are from when they decided to hide and play in one of the tubs (started, of course, by our resident hider - Jack!)  Enjoy!  :)

"It still fits!"  HA!

Hide & Seek, or just Hide!  Jack's favorite game!

Of course Braeden joined in on the action!  Love his face!

Cleaning Out the Closet

The title of this post is both literal and metaphorical.  Deep huh?  So, We are officially one week away from listing the house and have done nothing else to prepare.  Not our fault (totally) because the week was busy and this weekend was beyond busy.  I'm tired just remembering it.  Friday night - birthday party for my nephew Jared and the boys spent the night with Amanda and the cousins.  Saturday afternoon/night - waitstaff/kitchen staff for an auction dinner and we worked our tails off!  Let's just say I won't be quitting my job anytime soon to work in the restaurant industry!  But I digress.  

So, after another busy day - church, lunch, and grocery shopping, it was time to get something ready to prep for our next meeting with the realtor.  Up first - cleaning out the closets, namely the boys'.  Sounds easy right?  Well, sort of.  See, we've been holding onto quite a bit of the baby clothes.  Why?  Who knows?  We have gone through them before actually, every time we cycle out the boys' clothes.  In doing so several times we have managed to work our way down to 6 large tubs.  Yes, I know it sounds like a lot, and it is.  But considering the fact that we have gone through it all at least 3 times prior to this, that's pretty good.  Well, anyway, We decided to finally get rid of it all.  Realistically we probably won't ever need them again.  We are not planning on having any more biological children and when we adopt, it will be a girl.  If we ever do change our mind and have another boy, or adopt one, we will be in the financial place to buy new (thanks to Dave Ramsey & Amy).  So, rather than move it all we decided that the move was the perfect catalyst to finally say goodbye.  We are giving it all to a friend who works at TLCC and just had a little boy, so that made it way easier.  But it was still hard.  Little onesies, outfits, socks, bibs, rompers, blankets.  It brought back a lot of memories, and I'll admit I teared up a bit (ok a lot).  We did save 1 tub of stuff, the most special items that were made especially for the boys or our favorite outfits, the rest we parted with.  When all was said and done we had 8, yes 8, bags of clothes to give away.

This was something we had been planning on doing, and something I was somewhat dreading.  It meant admitting that the boys were just that, boys.  No longer our little babies.  It also meant finally admitting that we were not going to (at least plan to) have any more children.  We are fully committed to the adoption, and I look forward to it each and every day, but this was saying goodbye to a chapter of our lives.  Then again, it was all about starting a new one.  Namely moving and the adoption.  So in that aspect it was also kind of exciting.  But, all is said and done now.  Tomorrow we give the clothes away to a friend with best wishes that they might bring special memories to someone else the way they did for us.  

All is well, packing up and moving on, in Drosche Land. 

Less Than A Month

Until what you ask?  Well, you shame on you, you should already know.  It should be on your calendar.  In red.  Underlined.  Circled.  But just in case you have forgotten, I'm talking about my birthday.  Not just any birthday either, the t-word one.  I'm still in shock about it and wonder if I will get used to the idea before, or after for that matter, it happens.  I don't feel that age.  But then again what does that age feel like?  Maybe it feels like this.  Deep huh?  It can't be that bad really?  Everyone says it isn't.  There are some days when I think, "Eh, it's just another birthday.  The number means nothing."  I mean life is great, better than ever really.  A great wife, 2 wonderful (albeit crazy) sons, working toward being debt-free, working toward our adoption!  No worries, well almost.  Then there are the days when I think, "Holy Crap!".  I really am an adult.  When did that happen?  Was it after I graduated from college?  Got married?  Got my first job?  Experienced Hurricane Katrina?  Had kids?  Bought a house?  Bought a van?  I'm not quite sure when, but somewhere in that list of life events I grew up.  Don't get me wrong, I still like to think I am as goofy and awesome as ever (some things will never change!), but an adult nonetheless.

So far being an adult isn't so bad, I can't complain (see list of blessings referenced above).  In case you were wondering, I'm having one of the "Eh" days where is doesn't seem so bad.  Of course, I still have yet to use that t-word so I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea.  Not yet.  I still have almost a month to get used to it before I'll admit to it.  Until then  I'll live it up as a young adult in my 20's.  Man I like that number 2 at the beginning of my age.  I'm going to miss him.  But I guess it could be worse, I could be bracing for one of the "f" ages!  YIKES!  I'll get to that post in a decade or so!  :)

All is well, still in my 20's, here in Drosche Land.       

Sunday Snapshot

So, I have a guilty secret to admit, as much as it shames me to do so.  But here goes:  we don't play with play-doh as often as we should around here.  I mean, we are teachers and all and it's fun in the classroom.  But at home it tends to be a crazy mess.  I know, I know you are shocked, but it's true.  Maybe admitting the problem will bring about some resolution and more frequent play-doh fun?  Who knows?  But we did play with it a few weeks ago and I got some cute pictures of the boys.  The favorite thing to make - snakes (nakes if you're Jack).  Oh and pancakes, or pizza depending upon the appetite.  So, while I deal with the shame that is infrequent play-doh use here in Drosche Land, you can enjoy the pictures below!  :)

 Jack always pauses for a smile!

 Using Halloween stamps!

 

Braeden is always ready to pose and indulge me when he sees the camera!

 

 He gets so serious about his work!

The Meeting

So today was the big day.  The day we met with a realtor to take the next step in our latest adventure.  Excitedly nervous, nervously excited.  Take your pick as to how we were feeling.  The day began, of course, with more cleaning as we finished our closet and were reminded of just how ginormous it actually is.  We also finished our bathroom before heading to church.  Before leaving Amy had time to test the paint samples we bought yesterday and, much to our dismay, they were both off, waaaaaay off.  So we were left stressing out about this new discovery.  However, fret for long we did not.  I decided to call the Sherwin Williams by the house, just to see.  Lo and behold they had some of the KB White we needed.  The girl (Jackie if you're ever at the Sherwin Williams at Fry & Clay) did tell us that they stopped making that color because KB stopped using it 2 years ago.  The good news is that they could, by request, make more if someone (us or any other KB homeowner) needed some.  So all is well that ends well with the paint drama.  After church we had enough time to quickly convert Amy's craft room/Scentsy headquarters into an office and tidy up the house before taking a brief break to wait for the realtor.

Overall the meeting went very well, we really like our agent and got some great feedback from him regarding the house.  We were open and realistic with him and he was with us.  We came up with the price we would need to simply break even and of course we are worried about getting that given the current market and our area, but pray and work we will to get as close to that amount as possible.  He had some great things to say about our house and we discussed the positives about it, the kitchen and our upgrades there, the bigger back yard, and the general layout.  The worst news was the fact that we will have to repaint the boys' bathroom.  As it turns out we are likely the only people who would enjoy a bright yellow bathroom with orange and blue spots.  Who knew?  So, bummer, we will just have to get it knocked out in a day, next weekend probably and be done with it.  The good news is that we won't have to paint it with the Sherwin Williams paint!  We can just get some Behr paint & primer in one (if you haven't tried it you really should, it's amazing) in whatever neutral color we want.  

We agreed to list the house in 2 weeks so we don't have much time left to paint and finish cleaning and de-cluttering the rest of the house (namely the remaining closets).  We also need to have the carpets professionally cleaned.  So, the race is on to listing the house, the next step in our adventure.  Oh, by the way, all this prep work, packing, and de-cluttering has lost us a garage as the boxes and cleaning finally took it over.  Luckily the realtor said it was alright to store 75% of our belongings in the garage throughout the process!  On one hand the house has never been so clean and open, on the other it's like we're living in a model house!  Again, all the cleaning makes me wonder about what our house was like before.  I mean I never thought our house was that cluttered, but now I'm beginning to have second thoughts!  

So, we continue the seemingly endless amount of prep work for selling the house and hopefully in 6-9 months (per the realtor's estimate) it will have all paid off!  Until then we clean, box up, rearrange, hide, stage, etc. in every spare minute we have!  Never a dull moment here!

All is well, 2 weeks from listing, in Drosche Land. 

Who Knew?

Well, it has been an incredibly busy day here in Drosche Land as we prepare for the meeting with the realtor tomorrow afternoon.  We have been bustin' it to get the house ready, or as ready as it can be.  Who knew that selling a house was going to be so tiresome and crazy?  A lot of people I'm sure.  It is still bewildering to me that in order to sell a house, it has to look like no one lives there, like it's a model home.  When everyone knows full well that people live there!  Crazy!  It is what it is I guess though.  Amy and I do find it comical that our house looks so different with so much of our stuff removed.  Every time we leave and come back we walk in and are a little taken aback by it! 


We continued with the cleaning, organizing, packing, and general de-personalization of our house today.  The laundry room/pantry, kitchen, dining room, living room, and both the front and back yards are done.  I guess I could have just said the entire first floor, oh well.  Cut me some slack, we've been busy.  After much debate I finally admitted defeat to Amy and acknowledged the fact that she was correct (stop grinning Amy) and took down the cross wall and all of the family pictures in the stairway.  Yeah yeah yeah, nobody buying a house actually wants to recognize that someone actually lives there.  I know, but still it is hard to start packing everything up while not knowing when we will even be moving.  But Amy keeps me going by reminding me that everyday is one day less until we move, regardless of when it will be.  However, taking down all of those things just led to more drama.  No pictures/crosses means nails must come out of the wall.  Nails out of the wall means spackling and touch up painting.  That requires the special paint that KB used (KB White by Sherwin Williams).  So we travel out to get that along with mulch for the front beds and sod for the back yard flower bed we are tearing out.  An unpleasant surprise greets us at Sherwin Williams - they don't have/make/sell KB White anymore.  Say what?!  Yeah so now what?  Grrrr argh!  So after consulting some Behr paint samples we find two we think are close so we bought little sample jars to test - something else we didn't make it to.  So, we will continue that adventure tomorrow.  

On the bright side we mulched the front beds and they look great, tore out the bed in the back yard and sodded it over and it looks great, treated weeds in the patio and it is all set!  Tomorrow after church we will kick it into warp speed and finish random tidying/hiding/cleaning and hopefully we will be ready for the realtor at 2:00 p.m.  I'm excited and nervous.  Excited because it is the next step in this adventure and we badly want to get the process rolling and get the house sold.  Nervous because who knows what could happen?  We know how much we owe on the house and we are not looking to make a profit, just get out without having to pay much, if anything to do so.  Hopefully the realtor can help us do that.  I'm happy because he is one of Dave Ramsey's ELPs so that is promising.  But we will have to see what tomorrow brings.  In the mean time we pray, prepare, and wait.  Tomorrow will likely bring 2 posts, the Sunday Snapshot and of course an update on the realtor's visit.  Until then!

All is well, realtor-ready?, in Drosche Land.