Normalcy

I am so glad that I decided to decorate for Christmas. We needed to have something to look forward to this year. Not just the kids, but me as well.
With the house being listed, we never decorated for Halloween, which is a holiday we go all out for; so decorating for Christmas was a must.
We didn't put everything up, because a lot of our decorations are in storage already, but it's enough to get me through the holidays.

We sold our 9ft Christmas tree last year when we started the downsizing process. I REALLY didn't want to. I loved that tree. It was tall, fat, and awesome. It also weighed 900 pounds. Not really, but Dan always commented that it did. The box took up SO much space in storage that would be better utilized for something else and it was almost impossible to move. It was definitely a two man job. 

But, I loved it none the less.

So this year, instead of spending $50-70 on a real tree; we decided to go with a smaller artificial tree.
We had two choices.

Walmart tree for $89


or King of Christmas tree for $99 (free shipping and no tax)

We had the kids vote and King of Christmas tree won! I am actually REALLY happy that they picked that one. Isn't she just dreamy??
https://www.kingofchristmas.com/product/6-foot-prince-flock-artificial-christmas-tree-unlit-open-box/

I am super duper excited for the FedEx guy to show up today!! My girls are excited that the star will finally fit on top of the tree.

Happiness is...

We Have an Offer!

We officially have an offer! It's $15,000 less than the asking price, but it's an offer none the less.

Yesterday's open house was a flop. In the two hour time period, we had two people go through. TWO.
We had a showing Friday morning and that is where the offer is coming from.
Fingers crossed that something actually starts happening with the sale of the house. 

45 Days...

45 days. Our house has been on the market for 45 days without one offer. To say we're frustrated is an understatement. It has been a constant roller coaster of emotion for this last month and a half. We've had 5 or 6 open houses, tons of showings; and yet nothing has come of it. I honestly don't know how much longer I can do this.

There are some positives in this whole thing.
1. My house is always relatively clean. It take under 40 min to clean the whole thing for a showing or open house. Although, any sort of a mess looks 20 times worse than it is because of how much we decluttered and purged.

2. My kids don't complain about doing their chores anymore because of how quickly they can get them done now. Say what? Something is easier and quicker to clean if you just keep it clean?? I had NO idea.

3. My house feels more peaceful and zen this way. Stuff was taking center stage in our lives and home and it was super stressful. Everything now has a place & a purpose. Love people not things.

4. Believe it or not, (I'm talking to me), I feel like I'm learning to be more patient and to find the positives in life more. Don't get me wrong; I can still pity party like no tomorrow, but I'm trying to be more mindful and pull myself out of it quicker. Some days are bette than others.


We have another open house today. Fingers crossed that the people that are supposed to start their next chapter in life in this home find it.

For Sale

And just like that, our house is for sale. 

After a couple of horrible weeks of packing, purging, fixing, and cleaning, our house went on the market. 

17 years ago, we moved into this house when our oldest was only two weeks old. Two of our kids were even born in this house. There are a whole lot of memories, good and bad, in this house. It has been a safe harbor from the world for us. The one constant in an inconsistent life. 

As soon as the sign was put into the lawn, it hit me like a ton of bricks. We're selling the only home my kids have ever known. After our realtor left after the sign went in and the lock box went on the door, I had gone into the laundry room to change the load over. Dan came in and hugged me; and that was all I needed to just completely loose it. Wracking sobs hit me harder than I wanted. There was something so final about the sign going in that I wasn't expecting. It seems so silly to be attached to something like a house; but yet, I am. There are so many emotions and thoughts going through my head, that I am having a hard time forming them into cohesive sentences. 

Maybe I'll write more when I've been able to process it fully. 

Packing, What a Nightmare...

Where do I begin? I know that has been my daily, if not hourly thought. There is just so much to do and it has become so overwhelming. 

Here are some musts if you are going to brave moving. 
Make lists
       Have one for each and every room you are working on. Have one for each task you are going to be doing in those rooms. 
Example: We have lists for what needs to be finished in each room. Like touch-up paint, clean base boards, etc. Then we have lists for what furniture we want to keep & put into storage and what is good to sell. Then we have the list for what room order we are going into for the great purge.  

Purge
       This one is SO hard, but so rewarding when you are done. Thankfully, the hubs is so ready and is purging like a mad man.  
We actually started this when we were going to build a house. And those boxes have sat in storage for almost two years. So now when we take new boxes in, we take old boxes out to go through. Last night we took 10 boxes to storage and brought back 10. I went through those 10 boxes and emptied out 4 of them to go to the DI (like Salvation Army or Goodwill). The remaining boxes got purged as well, and then other stuff was added to them. 

The master bedroom is what we worked on this weekend. I am happy to say that it is 99% done. There are some things that need to go to the in-laws house for when we do the house pics. It feels amazing in my room right now! So calm and peaceful...

Kids. They want to keep everything. They also want to keep what another sibling is getting rid of.
Rock collection? (they are literally rocks from the gravel side yard) Keeping those. 
Yarn piece? (like, we are talking small cut pieces of yarn that you can't do anything with.) Keeping them.
Clothes that don't fit me or I NEVER wear? I HAVE TO HAVE THEM!!!!
100 million stuffed animals? I MUST KEEP THEM ALL!!! 
It just goes on and on...

I have also completed the linen closet. This one wasn't too bad since I had really gone through it two years ago. I was able to toss a bunch of towels and sheets to go to the DI and some others to take up to my in-laws cabin. It feels so good the less stuff we have. Crazy.

I wish I had more help, but honestly feel as if everything would be directed to me anyway, so why bother with it. Which leads me to the next thing.


Get Help
       Even though we have 5 kids, they are really useless at things like these. The nine year old is so eager to help, but let's be real; she isn't going to do it to your standards. It also only seems like she want to help when I am packing the breakables. Maybe it's the bubble wrap?


For the or stuff you know you are keeping, enlist some family and friends to come help you pack. You can make it a pizza and packing date.

Take Your Time
        I know this just isn't possible for some situations. I am really feeling the crunch myself. We have 9 DAYS to get our house ready for listing. NINE. Days. 😱 I am feeling the crunch.

Sell What You Can
        Yup. Sell it. Furniture can be easily replaced. Maybe it's not even your style anymore. We are keeping a few antiques that I LOVE, but we are selling everything else. Bunk beds, dressers, dining table, chairs, bedroom set, couches, entertainment center. It's all going. It's all replaceable.



Today is a new day and a new room to work on!

*PLOT TWIST*

We all know that life happens, right?
Well life certainly taught us a thing or two this last year.

Let's do a quick rewind.
1. We were supposed to have had our house sold, and moved into the 5th wheel.
2. We were supposed to have left St. George in March of this year. (2018)
3. Our business was supposed to have sold.
4. Life was supposed to be working in our favor.

What has been the biggest obstacle in our leaving? A few things, actually. Our business not selling was probably the biggest one. We have had it on the market for 6 months with only a few inquiries. And then when they find out the location *crickets*. St. George is a beautiful, safe place to raise a family. There are so many outdoor things to do! Anywho...
The second biggest obstacles were our older kids. I get it. At the age of 14 & 16, your friends are your life! The last thing you want to is leave them. So we tried. For another year we tried SO hard to make it work. In the end, it just wasn't meant to be.

So new plan!
We decided to go smaller & cheaper. We found a class C RV that will work with some modifications. By doing this we will be saving over $1,000 a month in payments. Our sweet neighbors have graciously offered us their side yard until after the holidays. We are going to see how January is looking and go from there. We will continue to run the business while hoping & praying that it sells before we leave. Otherwise we will keep it and run it remotely. We have an awesome team that will keep it going in our absence.
Our older boys have also conceded. They have agreed to give us 1 year of travel & we will take it!
I am excited and seriously scared about this next adventure.

It took us 17 years to figure out that we are different in our life goals & lifestyle and that we will never fit in the mold society has laid out for people to follow.
Life isn't about stuff. It's not about how big your house is, the kind of car you drive, the decor in your house, the money spent each month to "keep up with Joneses".

We want simplicity with our time and energy. We want experiences over stuff. Memories over payments. Time over blinking one day & your kids are grown and gone. So much time has already passed us by.