Home, moving forward

We are in the process of tying up loose ends with the seller of the Varina lot to recoup our earnest money and be released from the contract. The Seller contacted a lawyer about our request to be released and is now asking us to cover some of the costs he incurred for the perc test and survey. That may turn into another story but for now we are hopeful that we will soon be cleared from any perceived financial responsibility owed to the property owner.

It was back in June that we first eyed that parcel of land, and here we are six months later and the whole deal has fallen through. We were cautious but optimistic moving through the steps to purchase the lot, however, by September we were feeling pretty good about our chance for success and so when we learned that our landlord was listing our former rental house for sale, we didn't think too hard before scooping up another little rental across town. We signed an 18 month lease, with a month to month option after that, and moved-in over the month of October. We calculated a year needed to design and finance our Varina home, then another 6-8 months for construction.

Now that we're here, in this little house, with no land and no home building project in the works, we've decided to just cool it for the next year. We looked around some for other available properties, and it really is such an investment in time and energy, we are feeling ready for a break after all the excitement and dashed hope. Our original intent was to wait until next year to get serious about finding land, anyway, but when a chance opportunity presented a large, reasonably priced, ideally located parcel of land, we wanted to go for it.

Fortunately, the location of this new house that I've affectionately coined our "little dump", is central to all our favorite places, and we're back in the general neighborhood we lived in when we were in college. Happy memories!

Less than a mile from our new rental, I can run by the river every day!

Despite the nickname, we are feeling quite happy with this place. The floor plan is much better suited for life with two kids, who still require so much attention and assistance with their activities. We can hear and see each other from almost anywhere in the house, and they seem happier to play independently because I am always nearby.

It is a single level with two bedrooms (the kids are sharing with bunkbeds!), 1.5 bath, a laundry room (major upgrade from the laundry closet in our last rental), an office for me, a sunny playroom for the kids, a central kitchen/dining/living space, and a huge fenced in backyard. The detached garage and finished attic provide a lot of storage space and so we quickly went to work filling it all up with the stuff that we don't regularly use or need. Much of our furniture is in storage, and most of the clutter is stored in the attic.

I've been practicing a toy rotation so that the kids can enjoy all of their things in a way that is more meaningful, and I'm pleased with how well it is working out for all of us. The attic space has a great pull-down stair, which has made it so convenient to move toys into and out of storage every week.

We also have all wood floors so there are no carpets to stain, and we purposely left our floor rugs in the garage so that all we have to do is a quick sweep and the house is tidy. No more vacuuming.

It is our dreaming nature to always have something in the works, and both Andy and I feel like relaxing for a bit. (But of course, last night I brought up that I'd actually like to have another a baby, pretty sure! And I realize that would be quite another project, but...we will have to feel that one out.) We're streamlining, and simplifying, and it feels good so we're going with it. If a magical property appears perhaps we will consider it, but we've turned off our searches for now.