We have a sign outside our house.
There are signs inside our house as well. Our home for almost 8 years is now on offer for other inhabitants.
Working down a long list, we’ve sought to present our house as presentable as possible. From cleaning carpets to staining nicks, we’ve dealt in details. We’ve played “If you give a mouse a cookie…” as one thing led to 3 others when we attempted to fix drywall cracks and ended up painting whole walls and rooms.
Our kids have been processing throughout the phases of cleaning up and clearing out. Andi offered up her new alarm clock weeks ago and just this weekend said we could pack up her calendar. She’s not keeping track of time while the house is pulled out from under her. Eli is on a 10 visit karate Groupon experience right now and wants his ninja Halloween headband.I affirm it would add to his look, but told him the Halloween box is buried too deep in the storage we’ve stocked full at GG and Poppy’s garage.
I wasn’t aware quite how much Eli had picked up on until he told Andi last week, “Andi, sorry to tell you this, but you went to Kalidescope at kind of a bad time. You brought home a lot of crafts and stuff and right now, Mom is getting rid of everything. Not getting more stuff.” Turns out, he knows exactly what is going on!
Some before and after shots of the prepping for sale phases:
A usual day in the family room
Welcome to the wide open spaces…
kitchen busy in February
Cleared out in March
Oakley is aware only of the fact that things are moved around which makes whatever it is more exciting and worth exploring anew. Saturday, we turned the book shelf in their room 90 degrees. Oaks now feels full access to reading as well as unshelving the “new” books.
Drew and I have traded to-do lists and challenged, cheered on, and cajoled each other. As a team, we don’t always align on the what (“I only want the utensils left out. ” vs. “The utensils are the thing I want hidden the most.”), the when (“NOW?” “NOW!”), or the who (“You e-mail the realtor and I’ll tell your mom we’re bringing over MORE stuff…”), but we share the same goal. We’ve worked hard together and helped each other out, and we’ve done it all during TAX SEASON and the CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE for goodness sake! Let’s just say the Lindsey and Drew of 2008, never would have made it through, but 2014 Linds and Drew love with more patience, trust, and respect. We’ve built our family in this house and together, we’ll move it on.
The clean out has eliminated lots of excess. Trips to dumpsters, thrift stores, and the generous garage storage at the O’s has left our house, usually busting at the seams, pretty empty. Without all the extras, the essentials of our lives are illuminated.
Osborne essentials:
-beds for 3 kids in one room (we cannot declutter their beds no matter how smushy it looks in that little room!)
Kids room for show
-box of blocks
-shelf of library books
-bucket of balls (Oaks has a deep passion for balls of a variety of sizes and weights- there is a bucket on both levels)
-kiddo basketball hoop, hockey sticks, and plastic golf clubs (see: “bucket of balls” above)
-princess dress-up dress box
-shoe boxes of treasures for Eli and Andi’s “collections”
School papers will now transfer straight from backpacks to recycling or save boxes. Unbolted is the swing beam that swung our kids from the deck and tree in the backyard. Closed the toilet, shower curtain, and closet doors will stay. Gone is the desk (the computer lives under our bed unless being used in the kitchen or atop the washer), un-stuck are the words that read “Love One Another” in our bedroom and “You are Liked and Loved, Prized and Precious, Capable and Curious, Blessed to be a Blessing” in the kids room. The writing is off the walls but etched in our heads and hearts. We’ve taken down our touches, inviting lookers to see themselves here.
Eli ran from the backyard on Saturday and saw the sign just planted in the front yard. He stopped dead in his tracks, his skinny shoulders slumped, and his face dropped as he sighed a heavy sigh. Not seeing me watching him at first, my voice startled him when I asked, “What do you think Eli?” “Bummed.” he said.
Indeed, we’ve loved living here. The excitement to sell and move is tempered by trepidation and regret of what moving will cost us- in terms of neighborly friendships especially. To have brought three kids home here make the place holy. We’ve hosted family and great friends, making major memories in the meager spaces.
It’s offered up now for someone else who can live their life here.
We’ve cleaned and cleared it…Let them come.
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