A Whole Year...Are You Kidding Me??

Wow...I can't believe a whole year has gone by since I have added to my blog. I always thought I was a Mom who savored the small moments, took time out to have fun & not worry about getting the housework done or the lawn mowed. Those of you who know me well know this is very true. There is always at least three dirty dishes in my sink. I don't care about that....I'd rather sit on the deck & watch Ty and Abby bounce on the trampoline. Those dishes aren't going anywhere.....they will be waiting for me when I come back inside.

That is why I'm so surprised I let a whole year pass without checking in on my blog. I started this when we were making the big move from St Louis to NC and I needed a fun release for all the tension that goes with selling a house & moving across the country. It turned into great fun & I really enjoyed it.....

I want to start again with a fresh outlook....no longer frazzled from the move....no longer looking back at what was & how much we loved St Louis....but looking forward to all the little moments and enjoying each one as it comes....moment to moment....day to day!

The Dirt.

Spring has sprung & summer is around the corner. We are creeping up on our one year anniversary here in NC. I can't believe how the time has flown by. Abby is already dug in with her school work and making the high school soccer team (Go West!!). She completed her soccer referee recertification so now she is on the fields as player & ref. She makes a nice piece of change for a 14 yr old & I'm really proud of her. It takes a lot of spunk to make the calls when all the parents are yelling & the coaches are fumming. She is a rock solid kid & I couldn't ask more of her!!!

Ty is growing like a weed. He is perpetually filty, with holes in the knees of every pair of pants he owns. To sum it up....All Boy!!! I try to keep him all spiffed up with the coolest clothes & sneakers but he always manages to find a puddle, patch of dirt, greasy spot, or other manner of impending grime & dives right in. I love him in spite of the fact that he appears to be a homeless kid 50% of the time. What is a mom to do??? Keep the laundry machine going at full power at all times......that's what a mom does.

A few weeks back, I was out on the back patio & I heard this terrible banging/thumping sound. I ran in the house and was rushing around trying to figure out what the heck was happening. I realized the sound was coming from the laundry room & went I attempted to open the door I realized the washing machine was out of balance and the whole machine was thumping and banging and whaming it's way around the room. I believe it was sick of all those disgusting little kids clothes & decided to make a break for it. I'm not kidding in the slightest here....You know in movies & on TV when the washing machine is coming down the hallway (think Mr. Mom). That is exactly what was happening one fine day at my house!! And people say the life of a stay-at-home mom is dull.....How is that for excitement!!!

Well, the dryer is buzzing....time to fold another load. So long for now....

Santa Rides Again...

Well, Santa has outdone himself once again. Abby & Ty had another wonderful Christmas & I was treated like a queen by my husband. We had gifts o' plenty. We were missing our family though. Every year we travel to NY to be with all manner of relatives, hauling suitcases & gifts through airports or fighting the traffic on the I-495 beltway around DC. This year we opted to stay here, at our new home in NC. It was very relaxing spending a leisurely morning opening presents in our pjs and having a late breakfast still wearing our slippers.

No dinners to rush off to, no schedule to keep. We were going nowhere and had all day to get there. It was a nice change of pace. Unfortunately for Tim, a bit of duty called & he had to run to the hotel for a while in the afternoon to manage some minor disaster but it wasn't too bad.

Ty was overwhelmed by all the gifts including a shiny new bicycle from Santa! He is already an expert at whizzing down the hill in front of our house & I'm sure he will have those training wheels off by springtime. Abby got lots of clothes & gadgets befitting a teenager and was very happy with everything. Santa brought Tim some camping equipment that he can use when he goes off to his BBQ comptetitions this spring & I was treated royally to everything I put on my wish list and more!!!

This seems like a great time to count all of our blessing and remember how fortunate we all are for our families, our friends and all the trappings of the good life. Happy New Year!!!!

TTFN STL!!!

Well....It has been a hundred years (at least it seems that long) since I updated this blog. We have finally made the move to NC. After looking at over 60 homes we finally found one that wanted to call our own. Less than one week after we went under contract on this new house, our house in St Louis finally sold.

It was bittersweet since we all loved living there so much. It was heartbreaking to watch Abby say goodbye to her friends & our neighbors. I was deeply bummed out!!! But like the title suggests, The G's Are On The Move. I think we all really miss the old house & the friends we had their. Even little Ty is still asking about the kids on our street & when we will see them again. It is so difficult to want to make new friends & new relationships but we are doing our very best.

Abby is working super hard at school & is getting ready to try out for the High School soccer team in February. Ty is now attending pre-school two mornings a week. I'm trying really hard to make this house feel like a home for my family. It will take time though. A home is made of memories & we haven't been here long enough to have any really special moments in this house. I know they will be coming along soon. We just have to be patient & thankful for all that we have. Especially during the holidays when there is so much to be thankful for. Tim is working very hard at his new job but has the new benefit of a very short commute. Only 15 minutes to work is a real treat for him especially when he has spent the last 5 years traveling at least 45 minutes everyday. That extra half-hour can translate into some quality family time!!

I know this house will be home for all of us when Santa is able to find us here!!! Happy holidays to all!

We are still here !!!!

Well...Fourth of July is almost here & we are still sitting tight in St Louis. I can't believe it has been almost 8 months that our home has been for sale. It seems as though it will never sell. The one positive thing to come from this whole debacle is that I may have developed a new habit. I think I could now be officially labeled as "Neat". That is an adjective I never would have used to describe myself pre-house sale but, as they say, it takes 30 days to form a habit & have been compulsively "Neat" for 240 days!!!!

We headed to NC to search for a new home & looked at 44 houses in 3 days. WOW!!!! That is lots of houses. Three counties and at least 20 different neighborhoods. They all became a big blur but the one thing that remained crystal clear in our minds was that fact that we didn't see anything that we loved. Maybe a few things we kind of liked but nothing that really was special.

It was great to see all our family. My parents & Tim's mom all came down to meet us. We had lots of quality time together at places like the zoo and Mt Airy (the home of Andy Griffith). In case you were wondering....yes, they do have the theme song playing along the main street as you shop. It's a bit twilight zone for my taste but my mom thought it was the cats pajamas!!! Good times.

Happy Easter...

Right now, it is just a waiting game. This is the most frustrating thing I have ever done. We are so ready to get our lives in motion in NC but we are in limbo here in MO. Things are picking up and we've had a few more lookers in the last 2 or 3 weeks but nothing major has happened. We recently lost a buyer who was VERY interested, they bought a model home. How on earth can we compete with that??? We actually live in our house. We don't have chess sets with a match in progress sitting on the coffee table & our beds aren't covered with massive amounts of throw pillows perfectly poised. Our bathrooms aren't accented with silver trays of organic soaps yet to be used. My bathrooms have rubber ducks in them. My bed is made but lets get real....who has time to arrange 13 throw pillows on it every single morning !!!

I wish it would just sell already. Maybe the Easter Bunny could have brought us a signed contract in our basket. The kids got lots of great stuff. Ty got bubbles, candy, a baseball hat & an Easter coloring book. Abby got candy, lip gloss & a fun new pair of sneakers. We had a nice Easter & Ty enjoyed the Egg Hunt but it would have been better if we were all together again....

If It's Broke....We Will Fix It !!!

Now that we are coming into the real estate season, all hands are on deck to make sure the house looks great for any prospective buyers that might grace our front porch. Unfortunately, it seems like things are breaking faster than I can repair them. Not long ago we had to deal with the last minute faucet mishap. Most recently, my large wooden backyard playset experienced a minor disaster & now my front door handle is on the fritz !!!

What is a girl to do? Get out the tool belt, that's what! We have a lovely wooden playset in our backyard with a green tent top. During a recent rainstorm, along with the ever present midwest wind gusts that rival Wizard of Oz scenes, the tent top broke. I came down the next morning and looked out the large window on my stairway landing to see the tent top waving wildly. Oh crap !!!! Luckily I was able to replace the broken board and, along with Abby's help, fix the whole thing for under $30. But not before I had a minor anxiety attack.

Trying to sell your house is like waiting for a baby to be born. You can't wait for it to happen but you are in a total panic about when exactly it will take place. Will the baby be born in aisle 3 of the supermarket? Every prospective mom has that thought tucked away in the back of her mind. Same thing with prospective home buyers. We can hardly wait for them to come here but we panic at the thought they might show up at the most inopportune moment. Like when your playset is in shreds or when the door knob is broken and they can't even get in the front door, much less buy the whole house. The only thing to do is your very best. Keep that vacuum revved up and those paint brushes at the ready.