House Still for Sale

Yup. It's still for sale. Yesterday we got our first offer and we just couldn't accept it. I know this was the right decision and I feel good about it but still...

Wes has a feeling that it will be sold by Christmas.

I really hope he's right.

A Few Pictures

These are a few pictures of our "model" home. They look so lovely!

Perfection

By this time tomorrow, my house will be perfect. Every surface dusted, all light fixtures shining, every hole and chip filled and painted, no clutter, stove clean, fridge clean, laundry caught up...

This place has never looked this good, ever before.

I want to buy it all over again.

The Things I Have Unearthed

There are definite advantages to cleaning, culling and organizing. I have come across many interesting items from my past. I am not a pack rat but when it comes to the music I have accumulated, I don't believe I have ever thrown anything out.

Today was different. Our local thrift store will be getting original copies of the following:

I Honestly Love You (Olivia Newton John)

Put Your Hand in the Hand (as sung by Anne Murray)

I'm All Out of Love (Air Supply)

Wind Beneath My Wings (as sung by Roger Whittakker)

Love Story (Andy Williams)

...as well as others which I am too embarassed to publish.

One fabulous find was this:

It's hard to see but our house is in the bottom picture, on the right. This ad ran in the Free Press in April of 1924. I don't think the house was new at the time because we believe that the house was built earlier than that. I think I'll frame it and hang it some where so people who come through to look at the house will be able to see it.

Thursday Thirteen

1. It's still cold. Will Spring ever come?
2. I've been busy. Culling, cleaning and organizing. We are interviewing Real Estate Agents this week and hope to have a "For Sale" sign on this old house in a couple of months.
3. My hope is that the house will be sold in a couple of weeks (keeping everything neat, tidy and dust free is going to be a challenge) with a possession date of August 31.
4. People ask me what our plans are after we sell this house. Uh...no plans. We may be "of no fixed address" for a while but we will not be homeless.
5. The housing market is hot here in Winnipeg but our house is unique in a number of ways. That may make it harder to sell.
6. I am feeling quite a lot of anxiety about all of this. Now that the time has finally come, I worry, constantly. Will it sell by the summer (I surely hope so), can we keep it neat and tidy enough for showings (our international students keep their bedrooms in good condition but don't seem to care about cleanliness in toilets and showers), will we get enough money for it (to pay off the mortgage and have enough left for something nice)?
7. Emotionally, I am ready to leave this place. I will miss it. There are many happy memories here but I'm ready to move on.
8. My laptop is still out of commission. That's why I haven't been posting lately. The LCD display is cracked and needs replacing. Dell, which claims to have great customer service (NOT!) has informed me that it will cost $400.00-500.00 to repair. I know that the replacement part can be purchased on ebay for less than $150.00. What gives?
9. I will NOT purchase a Dell computer again.
10. The desktop computer is now upstairs in the TV room and is not as available as the laptop. I need to share it with everyone else in the family.
11. Kristen has not yet heard about "Ottatown" but we are optimistic that she will be accepted and will be in South Africa by this time next year.
12. Had a seriously clogged bathtub drain last week that resulted in a $400.00 plumbing bill and a new and unneccesary hole in the bathroom ceiling. I won't go into all the details. There are some things about this old house I will not miss.

I just had to get rid of that picture on my last post and my only option, besides deleting it, is to write another post.

My brain isn't working too well these days. Lack of sleep is the major culprit but when you live with 4 teenagers/young adults, there is often a fair bit of activity happening after one retires for the evening. I had the pleasure of a nap on the couch this afternoon. I love naps.

A friend came over earlier this week and we talked about my kitchen. I have a huge kitchen, with lots of cupboard space but it isn't set up in a very organized manner. When we first moved in (13 years ago) I didn't give much thought as to where things should go. Over the years I've made a few changes but things are still disorganized. It will be good to utilize my friend's suggestions. I just wonder why I waited all these years to do this, especially when we are planning to put the house up for sale in the spring?


It won't be easy to leave this place. It is a beautiful, old house with gorgeous woodwork, lots of windows and lots of space. It's in a great location and there are huge trees all around. We're trying to prepare ourselves for the reality that our next house will be very different. I'm not usually too attached to things but this old house has seen some of our best living. It will be strange driving by it one day and pointing it out to my grandkids as the house we used to live in.

The real estate market is sizzling in Manitoba. I used to be more worried about selling our house than about buying another one. Those worries have been turned around. I think we'll be able to sell more easily than it will be for us to find something that's right for us.

But now is a good time to move and while my heart is not ready, my head knows we need to do it. Besides, we got bitten by the travel bug when we were in Italy and we want to do more of that. A smaller house will make that easier.

There's a new coat of paint on most of the inside and outside, the carpets have been replaced and other repairs have been made. This house is the spiffiest it's ever been. In a few weeks, the kitchen will be organized, as it should have been years ago.

So, if you live in Winnipeg and are looking for a gorgeous house, with lots of room and a to-die-for-kitchen, give me a call and we'll talk.

I just may have to ask you for visitation rights.

Our Home

I live in one of the most beautiful houses in this city. It is about 100 years old and as solid as the day it was built. It withstood the flood of 1950, while nearly all of the city was under water. It has also withstood fire, renovations, and the comings and goings of numerous people and various pets including a rabbit, 2 cats, a few fish, and 2 dogs.

This old house has a turret, a 3rd floor with windows and dormers, 10 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, a front porch and a screened-in back porch. It has lots of good sized closets and a huge eat-in kitchen. It has a dining room and a big living room that houses a gorgeous piano.

Today, there are 7 people living here. Until last fall, we had a guest bedroom that was used exclusively for guests (and insomniacs). I love the fact that we've always had enough room for family and friends to stay with us.

Even though this is the best place to live, we know that our days in this home are numbered. Tim is hoping to move out before too long and while Kristen will be living here while she goes to university, it won't be long before we won't need the space we have. That time will be coming sooner rather than later and we are considering putting up the sign in the spring of 2008.

I will be sad to leave this home. It has been big enough to have lots of people here. We've had pool parties and other gatherings that many other people couldn't have because their houses aren't as big as ours.

The next house will be smaller and my common sense tells me that it will be easier for us to move now, or at least within the next few years, before Wes retires. It will require less time and effort to clean and maintain. We'd like to do some serious travelling and it will be easier to leave for a couple of months with a house that is smaller. It will be good to downsize. I know that.

But in my heart I know that it will be hard to leave this place. There are so many memories here and when I consider my list of things I want in a house, this one has almost all of them. My kids "grew up" in this house. This is our "family home." No home we buy or build will have the touches that make this house so beautiful and comfortable.

I didn't think that I would feel quite so attached to this place mostly because I have never held a great attachment to possessions. But I suppose there is something different about a house. I have never felt that I owned it; I have just had the luxury of living here, of making sure that it remains comfortable and ensuring that it remains solid and strong. I feel that we are preserving a part of history by using this place for the purpose it was built, as a family home.

So for now, I will continue to care for it until a new family comes here and calls it their own. And I will leave blessings for them and pray that they will enjoy life here as much as I did.

It's the right thing to do. I know it.

Yup.

Gotta do it sometime.

Roto Rooter

We recently renovated a bathroom here at our house. Brand new bathtub & shower, sink and toilet. It looks great and most of it works well except for the bathtub drain. It would literally take hours for the water to drain and of course, the tub, in my brand new bathroom always looked dirty.

Jeff came and had a look at it but was unsuccessful in unplugging it so he suggested I call the office and get Tim to come as he has more experience. Tim came at 8:00 this morning so I was up, dressed and quite cheerful when I let him in.

Well, Jeff was right. Tim was able to clear the drain and now it's working like a charm (to borrow a phrase from my dad). I was thrilled.

The cost? A "mere" $161.25. Ouch.

Renovations

Well, we're renovating again.

The great thing about renovations is that you (usually) end up with something better than before.

Another great thing about renovating is that now you have an excuse for all the dust in the house.

We have a beautiful, big, 95 year old house. I am "decorating challenged" so I have trouble trying to find paints and fabrics to make my house look unique. Those things are not necessary here. The high ceilings, wide baseboards, interesting lines and funky closets make this place different from any other.

There is something about an older home that connects me to the peole who lived here before. If only these walls could speak! What stories would they tell! What secrets would they share?

I think the dining room walls would have the most to say. What have they seen and heard as people lingered over a glass of wine after a meal? I'd like to think that there's been laughter, tears, heated political discourse (after all, these walls have lived through two world wars), and discussions about renovations. These walls have heard engagement announcements, seen newborn babies fussed over, listened to prayers of thanksgiving and hope. And music. These walls have heard plenty of music and song.

Every family that has lived here has left its imprint upon these walls. Like a tapestry, the lives of each family has been woven into the fabric, making this home unique, different from any other.

I wonder what these walls would say about my family.

What do they think when they see children participating, even directing the discussions around the table? Shouldn't "children be seen and not heard?" Do they think of the starving people when they see food left on plates? Do they frown down on us when we excuse the children to go and play while the adults finish up? They must have wondered what was happening the first time the men got up to clear the table after dinner, a sight to which they have now become accustomed.

Like the other families who have called this place home, we are leaving our mark. This is something that cannot be covered with paint and paper. It is an indelible spot that will remain with this home long after we move away and our voices will be added to the symphony of sounds, smells and feelings that make up this old house.