An Update on the HOMEfront

Hello all!! Who's ready for Christmas?? Not us!! This is mostly because I've spent the past 2 weeks making phone calls and faxing papers in an attempt to get a contract on a house. During this process, I was once again reminded of why I have never had any interest whatsoever in the business world. Sitting around waiting on people to call me back all day long is not my forte! After 5 days of this, I was ready to pull my hair out. But a few extra gray hairs later, my work and blatant lack of patience paid off. As of last Friday, we have a contract on a great house right next to my parents neighborhood.

You may remember I mentioned going to see a house a couple of weeks ago that was "For Sale by Owner."We had no idea what to expect, but we were wowed at our visit. The house just happened to have everything we were looking for (except built-in bookshelves, but that's a minor concession). It does have a basement with plenty of room for storage and expansion if we ever need it, a double lot, a great location which is convenient to the Cartersville commute as well as the Rome hospitals should Cline ever work there, and a style we love. We're familiar with the neighborhood, which I'm told has lots of children and young families as well as a neighborhood swimming pool. The owners were quite accommodating with our delayed closing needs; we don't close until May - PERFECT! The biggest selling point is that it's a house we can see ourselves in forever with space for a growing family. We are so excited to start decorating (well, I am anyway... I doubt Christa and Cline are as excited about that part, so IKEA anyone??) You are all invited to a cookout we plan to have next summer after we officially move in! In the meantime, here are some pictures.

(This is the family room from the view of the upstairs balcony. The family room, formal living room and foyer are all two stories. Most of the downstairs is painted this seafoam green color with a hint of bluish gray. It's not exactly what I would have picked, but it's not awful and it's growing on me. I think I can tolerate it for a while until we get around to repainting, although I'm thinking it will clash with our sage green couches... slipcovers might be in order for a while too. The upstairs is a really pretty yellow color that I love.)

There are a total of 4 bedrooms, a bonus room, and 3 1/2 baths. The master bedroom is downstairs. I haven't quite figured out in my head how that's going to work when the kids are little and able to get out of their beds, but maybe not quite old enough to go downstairs on their own, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. That's what baby monitors and gates are for. Long term, I like the privacy of the downstairs bedroom - plus I'll be close to the exit points when my teenagers are sneaking out of the house (not that my perfect children would ever think of such a thing:)!

Yes, mom, I know this is my 3rd post with no picture of Christa. She misses you and will see you in person in 3 days! I'll have lots of pictures of her to post next week :) Until then, have a great CHRISTmas, everyone!

(I can't resist asking for your prayers for a little boy named Joseph. Joseph is the son of a co-worker of my sister-in-law, and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor last month. It's cancerous, inoperable, and the treatment options are experimental, so they could really use a Christmas miracle. I saw it happen more than once at Egleston, so the verse, "with God, all things are possible" is not just an outdated saying. www.prayforjoseph.blogspot.com )