Home for Sale

I'm secretly kinda nervous.  Our house is going on the market tomorrow.  Officially.  As in a SiGN out front!  Our realtor came today to take pictures, and she has a really nice wide angle lens..like it can see farther than you can (like when you turn your eyes really far to the left and right)!  It's must be like a fish eye.  I thought the pictures turned out great!  In the rooms I played "assistant"-I was moving some stuff around to get better pictures.  We still had a baby swing in our bedroom, and she said it might be best to take it out.  But there was a cord showing..so she said we could move a chair in.  Well, I didn't have a chair..so I got one tonight!  Here it is:

Ok, in my dark room, the blue pillow matches the chair.  In the bright flash..not so much.  Anyway, it fills a spot! ; )

Color me exhausted from the cleaning and preparations.  I've been cleaning corners and closets and storing little extras in our storage unit not too far from here.  Me and the nice lady there?  New BFF's!  She's getting furniture and clothes and wood and metal..she takes it all.  Really, she's so nice!  She takes the clothes to the Women's Shelter and the furniture too if they can use it.  All the extras they take to the dump (there's some politically correct term..but I can't think of it!) about once a month.

The real estate contract we had expired at the end of February.  And the time between November and now?  Gave us time to know what we want..to build for sure!  We are hoping we aren't c-r-a-z-y to sell our house.  It's been a wonderful home, and the yard is amazing.  We've poured blood, sweat, and tears into it.  Ches is ready for fewer trees, less yard to mow, and less upkeep (read: areas to mulch, flower planting, and leaves to rake!)  I want Carter to have a room with a closet, and a bigger laundry room for me.

So..that's been keeping me busy.  The other hours of the day?  Carter is still sick.  We are on day 22. : (  I'm wiping his nose, and we are now fans of Boogie Wipes.  (Cool invention, with saline to loosen up mucus and boogers) (sorry for ruining your breakfast!)  His nose has been red and hurts.  I feel awful for him.  He can't sleep very well, so I'm rocking him alot.  He's also completely on formula now.  He never did nurse again. : (  I was sad, but I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision about when to stop nursing.  He made it for me.  No guilt.

Clay "likes" a girl at school.  I'm not supposed to really know (much less say anything..so shhh!).  He even wants to be a car rider so he can see her after school.  And that requires lots of other people changing their lives!  It means I have to leave here by 2:40 to get in car rider line for Mary Claire and Ethan to pick them up at 3:00, then cross town to get in line to pick him up at 3:15 (which means I'll get there by 3:30).  If they ride the bus home, littles get home at 3:20, and Clay at 3:40.  But heaven help me, he wants to talk to the girl.  Do I accommodate just this once?  I can't do it every day..but I could do it once.  Good grief, I remember what it was like to be twelve!  Drop-in conferences are tomorrow so I figured I could get him, park, and conference.  A one-stop shop. ; )

** Ok, I must point out that we've told our kids from Day One that we don't have boyfriends and girlfriends.  They are just too young.  But apparently nature has other plans? **

..Because Ethan has been begging to have a friend come over to play.  And it's a girl!  She seems sweet enough and keeps sending him home with cards and drawings (with hearts!).  Ethan even figured out how to use the phone to call her MOM!  He brought the phone to Ches a couple nights ago when he was in the shower and said, "her mom wants to talk to you!"  Ches told her that I'd need to talk to her.  He was so shocked Ethan made the call, and to the right person!  That boy.

Mary Claire is still growing.  She can wear my shoe size, and is about three inches shorter than me.  It won't be long now.  I've prayed for her to be taller than me, it was really tough to be so short.  In third grade, I was the same height as the kindergartners!  In junior high I really grew, but then I maxed out in high school.  I'd have really appreciated another two or three inches..but God felt otherwise. ; )  haha

And because I uploaded pictures..finally (like Santa pictures!), here are some recent ones:

One of Mary Claire's girl scout cookie booths!  They kept the cookies organized in a rainbow by box color.  Sweet girls!

Mmmmm...teaching this baby right.  Us in the red Hot Now glow!

..and because my motivation right now is a bigger laundry room...isn't this one great!?  Except I'll sacrifice a few cabinets for WiNDOWS! : )

I should go, my bed is calling my name!  The kids are all in bed, and I've been up since 5:40!  I'm tired.  But my house is clean and neat! ; )  Love on your kiddos and be thankful if they don't have this awful cold that is going around.  We need some warm weather to build up our bodies (and get some vitamin D!).  Hugs!