At this stage...

At this point in the game, I was sweaty. We'd seen many houses, it was 90+ degrees with mucho humidity. I was really unsure about this next house ... it looked like 3 bedrooms and a bonus room. I knew it looked good, but the house MUST have 4 bedrooms.

Driving through the subdivision I was unsure about the surrounding houses, but we pressed on. By the time we reached the cul de sac I was even more unsure but it was worth our time to look.

As you can see, there was lots to love. Great finishes, great spaces. BUT, we would need to add a wall and even then it's not perfect. In addition, this house IS the most expensive one in the subdivision. By $30K. That added to the other factors makes it not the one for us...but the bedrooms, bathrooms, bonus rooms and pocket doors were fantastic!

And, then there was this house. I have found the perfect nearly new construction there is. It's a few years old but looks like new. And, it's perfect.

I want to buy this house almost solely because of this mud room. It's the perfect area for shoes, shoes, backpacks, shoes, and any other extraneous items. Seriously. And, the kitchen is the perfect configuration with great finishes. Sign me up.

Around the corner was a new construction that was totally not for us. But, it will make some family a nice home.

Up next, the one that got away...

I never knew...or maybe I did

I never knew I was so skilled at distinguishing a house I would love from photos on the internet. In case you wondered, I am. I knew from the photos I would not like this one. I also just told you about the other house to look anyway because you might actually like it. Despite the pictures we looked. I was spot on -- this one was definitely not for me. It was, however, also a short sale. This is not even an option for us due to time constraints.

This staircase was massive. Think wedding dress down the staircase massive. Good thing we have no daughters nor a need for this staircase. And yes, this carpet is yellow!

On and on we go...I knew driving over this was a short sale. I knew once we pulled into the subdivision that this wasn't for us. I don't know why, it just wasn't a community -- it was only a street or two of homes in this area. Despite the shortcomings, there was a couple of great things. One, the side yard -- beautiful. Second, the kitchen was pretty nice.

And then we went...again.

try not and be jealous of this gorgeous carpet on the stairs. i know you're trying to find out where to purchase some just like it!

Now, this house. This is the one that I think of when i think about moving to the midwest. BIG! (4,000 sq ft!) NICE subdivision. Upstairs AND downstairs laundry. Screened in porch! 5 bedrooms. Office! Living, dining and spacious kitchen. Ahhh...this is the life!

But, there were more houses to see...so off we went. Again. Two more great houses and then the one that got away...

Onward...part 2 of day 1

Okay. House number 3. This house is the perfect example of why you should see a house even if you hate the online photos.

I'm still not going to buy this house, lets be clear. BUT, there were things about it that were great and if there weren't the others I like, this one could really have a shot!

This house was 3700 square feet of confusion. Yes, confusion. Lots of good spaces, but nothing excellent. Lots of rooms, each more different than the last. Different? YES. Every room had different floor -- the bathroom had a baby blue top on the vanity and a baby blue toilet. (One bath had pink ones!)

But, you know what this house had that I loved? 2 staircases! One in the front and one in the back. So, if this house weren't so confused AND it had office space? It could have been ours.

You see that front window, the one on the right? It's a formal living room. It's a gorgeous room with amazing sunlight pouring in. And, as I was leaving...I was standing out front and I could totally envision a huge Christmas tree in that window. What a wonderful touch that would be!

The next house there isn't much to say about. it's a great house for a family, just not ours. The spaces aren't spacious enough, the finishes aren't right...the dog peed all over the floor while we were there. That kind of explains the visit.

for the record, I did really like this fireplace and mantle!

I saved the best part, the hyperbaric chamber, for last. This was in the small room off of the master bedroom!

Onward to the cul-de-sac, a favorite type of location to us. With the active boys this would be perfect for bikes, ball and friends. I didn't have high hopes for this one either, due to the outdated fixtures and oak kitchen cabinets with a deep grain. I was surprised by this one as it had a great layout and a couple of really nice features. (Great kitchen configuration, screened in porch and a bonus room that is accessible by a back staircase!)

Stick with me...I have more! BUT, I have to feed the brood. Check back later!

Day 1

Whew. It's been a long day. Solid houses for 4 hours...over 10 today. You know what, though? I loved every minute. Houses and scrapping, those are my things.

Anyway, we met our Realtor at 9 am. He had horrible news. Our top two picks were already sold in the last few days. And, a close third was pulled off the market. We were crushed. I was sure one of those top two were going to be ours. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

So, we cruised on over to House number 1.

I really wanted a pool. Not this pool. The green, the above ground-ness and the sloping deck is totally NOT good.

I probably don't have to tell you that #1 is not the one for us. Too small, too outdated and not a good flow.

Then, we flew to option 2! Okay, okay we didn't fly. But, it rhymed and that was fun. Okay, so house 2. We kind of ruled that one out yesterday. We weren't thrilled with it's location. The price was high-ish, behind it were condos/townhouses and there was still going to be construction. BUT, we liked the interior photos so we decided to at least look. Doesn't hurt!

I loved the hardwood that there was. I loved the finishes. BUT, in the end it was 3 bedrooms with a bonus room and loft area. And, the kitchen configuration just wasn't for me. You add the less than desirable area and it's just not our house.

There are more...hold on and I will be back!

Moving on

I know I've basically left this blog in the dust. It's sad. BUT, never fear because I'm resurrecting it!

You read that right, this blog is coming back to life! With our move coming up and our house hunting trip starting TOMORROW - I'm going to record the trip here. I'll show you the contenders, the good -- the bad -- the ugly. I'm not going to hold back. I promise.

So, we'll go from this:

to I don't know what. So, won't you join us?

{day 44}

It's a fun and busy time around here. Birthdays (Andy's!), Valentines day!, parties, baseball and just day to day stuff. Hard to get a free moment.

A birthday outing to Farrell's. A very fun way to celebrate complete with dinner and dessert.

Day 22

We're already half way through this month and it's been...interesting. The kids have all been sick. I don't think that has ever happened. We've had days and days off (YES! as Harry would say), we've had Disneyland and we've had...soccer. Yes, soccer. Boys, Under 10, ALL STAR soccer.

And that, is where we spent our weekend.

Luckily for us, there was kettle corn, football and sunshine to keep all 4 of us occupied while we cheered on Cam and the rest of the team. It came down to 1 win and 2 losses and a whole lot of fun. :)

Day 20

It's the 20th day of January. You're probably saying "DUH" of course it is!

Well, to me, it's a big day. You know why?

We finally enjoy gymnastics all by ourselves. We go in and even participate in the warm up. Of course, next week is the last week of class.

park day

I'm dipping my big toe in the blogging waters...it feels nice to share...share that we're off to a running start in 2011, full of school, sickness (all 3 boys are on antibiotics!) and soccer. I'm launching a few big things and we're all as happy as can be.

And I give you, a few free moments spent at the park. It's lovely, sunny and 66 degrees. Just as it should be.

And, if you're still with me, a look at my crafty side.

Scrappy Wife, Happy Life

Epic Fail

This blog seems to have, well, gotten lost in the shuffle. An epic fail. I will be back. Like Arnold. I'll make up for it.