For Sale

(Yes, a sign, in front of our own house. Sigh.)

You know that kid's rhyme game: "can't go over it, can't go under it, gotta go through it"? That's how I feel with this whole moving thing. There's no way to side-step or short-cut this long, hairy, complicated process. Just gotta go through it, step by step.


(The first sign is our own. How many can you see behind it? Hint: a blue one, another brown one, and a red one)

As the first part of the process we've got our house listed for sale. This makes life a little exciting because people can come look at it with as little as 30 minutes notice. I've never cleaned so much in my life. I tell you, it's unnatural. You know the video of the house on the realtor's website (http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1941060&sk=6) that shows our spacious, white counters? Frankly, no one can live with counters that cleared-off. You guys who have kids and have sold houses--how do you even do it? I'm so ready to get back to my usual laissez-faire housekeeping.

We also did a couple little repairs. I know, why should a house need repairs after only one year? But it's like this. In the spring--before the heat and flies got out of control--I would leave the doors open and let playful breezes blow through. Sometimes, though, the breezes would get overly fiesty and slam the door so hard that it knocked part of the door frame loose (that little strip that the door rests against when it's closed). Oops.

So we had our friend Brian, an expert woodworker, come help us put it back together. I learned all kinds of little tricks, like drilling a guide hole for the nail to avoid splitting the wood. And hammering the nail in most of the way, then setting it and covering it over with putty. Now, the door is not only secure and sturdy, but looks totally smooth and professional. You know if I'd been in charge of that repair, it would be all split, with obvious nails surrounded by hammer indentations. I love learning tricks of the trade.

We also discovered the virtues of recaulking. A sink goes from stained and deteriorating to fresh and new in a matter of moments. But watch out--that caulk splooges everywhere, and once it sticks it won't let go.


(This is actually a picture from a couple of months ago, when Uchenna fixed a leaky, squealing faucet.)

We had the missionaries over for dinner the night we re-caulked the kitchen sink. Of course we couldn't let the caulking get wet for something like 24 hours. It's a little tricky making dinner, especially for guests, when you can't use your kitchen sink. I'm just saying.

I also did a little beautifying of my own to get the house ready for its photo shoot. We bought a couple of pots for our mantle months ago, intending them for flower arrangements. I don't really get around to things unless I have a deadline, though. So that morning before the realtor came over to take pictures, I bought silk greenery and flowers, foam and moss. I think they turned out pretty nice, considering I'd never done anything like that before--and in spite of the huge mess the moss made. I got it cleaned up just in time. Shwew.

So those were the fix-ups we could take care of ourselves. Today I've got to call a couple of roofing companies for bids on fixing some roof issues. Hail damage--no big surprise, but grrrr.

I suppose this work would need to be done whether we were selling the house or not. But if someone would just come buy it, it would make it seem so much more worthwhile. We've had two appointments to view it and 27 people at the open house. So far no nibbles, though.