My Time

Hubby is upstairs doing the laundry (yes I know He ROCKS!), Alex is supposed to be in bed but I just heard him running around, and where am I...downstairs catching up on American Idol from last week enjoying a brief half hour of me time. The older I get, the more I feel less like the person I think I am. Cryptic huh? There are so many pulls on my time now between being Mommy, Housekeeper, Working Girl, and Wife. This half hour is my time to enjoy some of the things that make me the person I remember in my head but rarely get to see.

Blogging is something that has really let me decompress and unwind, think through thoughts that would sometimes get lost in daily shuffle, and most of all connect with other people who are like-minded. The past year we have dealt with Eric going gluten free, the trials and tribulations of Alex's second year, typical growing pains in our marriage, worries as the economy continued to spiral down, and most stressful of all, we purchased a new home but were unable to sell our old one. We are now landlords to great tenants but the worry never really goes away. Through all of this I have been able to come here and let myself vent, and de-stress. However regardless of how stressful things get there is comfort in knowing others have been there and gone through similar circumstances before.


There are some wonderful groups out there who help connect people with amazing blogs. 5 Minutes for Mom brings a smile to my face with their Ultimate Blog Party (how can I resist a party, even a virtual one :)). Click on the picture and see if you find something new and fun, and don't forget to sign up for some of their awesome prizes at the same time!

All Moved In

So we bought a new house before we sold our old one...YIKES in the current market! We've been distracted for the last few days as we moved into our new house and got settled but now that we are Eric and I are both beginning to feel the push to stop strangers on the street and ask if their in the market for a new home! :)

It's a beautiful home, well taken care of, and we could have been very happy there for years if the tempting home down the street that had everything we wanted to eventually do to ours and then some had not popped up. And then the darn financial market began spiraling downhill and it became a smart, cost-effective move to make. So we jumped on the opportunity, took a leap of blind faith and hoped that ours would sell in a timely manner.

We've had a good bit of traffic, gotten some comments back and made some updates (more neutral paint...should have known, huh?) and yet still no offers.

Now starts the rambling and wondering...is our house under-priced? Are the wrong people coming to look at it since we priced it low to sell quick? Then a neighbor's house (a nice house but of course I think mine is nicer :)) comes on the market and it's priced almost $4000 more than ours. Makes me want to pretend to be buying and go snoop the house!

When we thought the house we were buying was a sinking ship (the first, second and third times we signed termination of contract papers) we nicknamed it the Titanic. It's something of a misnomer now since it has sailed safely into port and we are happy and settled but the icebergs keep on floating by as we are anxiously awaiting an offer on our house for sale.

Do you know someone looking for a new home in Austin??? Our previous Well's Branch home is for sale. Visit the listing here: http://listings.listhub.net/pages/ABORTX/5059778/?channel=trulia

Motivated Sellers! One of the best homes in Wells Branch! With new neutral paint and laminate wood floors, this house is move-in ready.The soaring ceilings, spacious layout, roomy kitchen, and large backyard with patio are great for entertaining while the large master suite is the perfect place to rest and relax. Wonderful bonuses such as surround sound speakers, quality stainless steel appliances, and a lush lawn with vegetable garden make this home a complete package! Plus its in Round Rock ISD!

Houses used to be named to represent what they stood for to their owners. The dream of owning a home, the work that it took to get there all culminated in the few words that forevermore the home site was known by. These days with neighborhoods full of similar plans, elevations and landscaping we no longer do this. Our recent adventure in real estate was a roller coaster ride of emotions, craziness, mishaps and comedy, and I'm bringing back tradition. Our house has earned a name...The Titanic.

A little background...
We live in a typical, average, truly lovely part of Austin, the Wells Branch area. We are surrounded by hike and bike trails, swimming pools, soccer fields and quirky neighbors. Eighteen months ago we bought a great two story, grey brick house with too many tall bushes in front, and a great room that knocks your socks off.

That transaction was also convoluted and riddled with last minute interest rate changes (had our lender never heard of locking a rate?), but that's another story for another time! The house we bought was a basic in good condition but had none of the upgrades we were hoping for. So we bought it, buckled down and spent the last eighteen months doing one project at a time. It kept us hopping but eventually we were ready for a break (did I mention we have a toddler too J), and a house where weekends were spent playing in the backyard and not laying wood floors, or installing new appliances.

So we started searching for a home with all the upgrades we had in mind in our same neighborhood, and four months later the Titanic sailed into view!