At Last!!

Does anyone else hear Etta James in their head when they say that? 

If you follow me on twitter or instagram or are friends with me on Facebook, you’ll know that I posted this photo two weeks ago announcing that we are finally home owners!! 

It was a very loooong process but we are so excited with the outcome!  We are blessed to have a four bedroom, two and half bathroom home in a wonderful neighborhood.  We have many projects to tackle, but that’s to be expected.  We spent the first few days cleaning, redoing the laundry room and moving our belongings in.  I was very thankful for the help from our families and the long weekend in which to get it all done (even though two weeks later there are still several things to unpack). 

Miles isn't quite sure of his new home, he seems a little restless, but that’s good for us, he runs up and down the stairs a lot which tires him out!  He does seem to be slightly more attached (more so than he already was, if that’s possible) and very protective of me.  He does seem to bark a lot more, but there are several more birds, squirrels and trees with leaves to look at.  Hopefully he will settle down in the next few weeks, I think he must think we are going to abandon him and once he is sure of where he is, he can chill out!

The only downside to this move, is we are in Woodstock, GA, which is a great area and we love it.  BUT, it increased my commute quite a bit.  It's an hour every morning and I'm lucky if it's only an hour coming home. But, I am trying desperately not to complain, even though my husband might tell you otherwise.

I’m hoping to post some of the many projects on here as a reminder of what the house was and what we make it into. 

So Worth the Wait

I saw a onesie a few months ago that said “So Worth the Wait” and I thought it was perfect for Wyatt.  Unfortunately I did not purchase it in time and have not had any luck in finding it again.  I think it sums up just about everything Amy and Kevin are experiencing right about now though, and really the rest of the family as well.  It was a very joyous occasion last Saturday (early) morning as we welcomed Wyatt Edmond Pace at 1:14am.  Thankfully the nurse knew how long we had been patiently waiting for his arrival and let us all in the room to meet the little guy!  

Weekend Review

1. I took Friday off of work, it was a much needed personal day.  I got to have lunch with this little cutie, so it really started off the weekend right.  Unfortunately as I was saying goodbye she decided to spit up on me L, just a little parting gift. 

 2. While at home, I found a great picture of my sisters and I at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  Check out my hair!  Unfortunatly I did not use a hair straightener until later in life. We did have a lot of fun when the Olympics were here.  We were lucky enough to go to several events and had a lot of fun. 

3. Ryan has been dying to see The Dark Knight Rises.  He begged to see it at the IMAX theatre at the Mall of Georgia, but seeing how tickets were $17.50 a pop and we are on a strict budget, I refused.  He settled for a 10:30am matinee. We loved it, I’m sure he is already trying to find to go see it again.

4. Our 10 year high school reunion was this weekend.  We did not go.  I had been on the fence about going, it was going to cost $100 (yes, I know, it’s not that much) but Ryan really didn’t want to go.  It was held at Sweetwater Brewery from 4pm-7pm and we both felt it was such an odd time.  We have also been to the brewery and not many classmates were going.  From a class of 800+ only about 80-100 went.  Plus, Ryan was not interested in the same questions you hear every time you run into someone you haven’t seen in a while.  He joked that he was embarrassed to be married to me, (I was the shy, quiet type, he was not) but we all know that’s not true!

5. Instead of heading to the reunion, we chose to meet up with some of my close girlfriends and their husbands after at Front Page News.  So much has changed since high school, so it was nice to catch up.  Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures.

6.  Sunday we took our moms to see the house.  We didn’t show the house to anyone before we put an offer on it, and only told family that we had.  We’ve been burned in the past and didn’t want to take our chances.  Of course having plenty of time in the house has us already planning millions of projects.  I have to keep reminding myself, one at a time.

7. Speaking of projects, we spent a good hour and a half walking around Home Depot pricing things out and getting ideas.  This was extremely dangerous!  We also stopped at Brands Mart because Ryan assured me that our TV is not big enough to mount over the mantel and we will need a bigger TV.  Ha!

8.  We ended the weekend with a little bit of a scare.  Miles started choking on a rawhide bone.  Unfortunately, I could not get it out,  but instead he swallowed it.  I did some research, and turns out, you really aren’t supposed to give dogs rawhide bones.  I don’t give them to him often, but I didn’t know any of the issues that they can cause.  We have watched him closely for the last two days and he isn’t experiencing any of the symptoms that would indicate he is having trouble.  Needless to say, we won’t be giving him bones anymore!

Things I've Learned From House Hunting

As most of our friends and family know, we have been searching for the right house for some time.  Some may say we are picky, I say we are meticulous.  I thought I would share some of the things I have learned about house hunting/selling a house.

1. Make sure your house smells good.  This is key.  We have walked into some pretty nasty smelling houses.  This could mean one of many things, you are dirty, smelly people, you have pets that you do not clean up after, you smoke or you have mold issues.  Making a home smell nice is inviting (Scentsy products do wonders to a home :) ).
2. Clean up.  It's unbelievable to me how messy some people are.  If you are selling your home, make sure it's appealing, first impressions are everything.  If nothing else, run a vacuum to make sure there are not dead bugs laying all over the place.
3. Price your home right.  It's been our experience, if the home is priced right, it sells quickly.  In our experience we find the ones that are overpriced for the market (or our budget :/) sit on the market longer and the seller becomes unwilling to negotiate.
4. Staging.  This goes back to cleaning up.  If the home is staged right, it gives the buyer an idea of what the home will look like with their stuff.  If you have too much or too little, sometimes it's hard for they buyer to get a feel for the size of the home.  *Side note: we have walked into homes that people clearly need to be nominated for the hoarders show. 
5. Information.  Realtors that leave disclosures, maps and neighborhood information for the potential buyers have a much better chance selling the home.  All of that information is helpful to the buyer, especially if they are new to the neighborhood.  Plus it shows that the seller is up front and honest about the condition of the home.

Clearly I am no expert, but I find these small things helpful.