Yes, the house did sell. Closing was last Tuesday, although the funding and finality weren’t ours until Wednesday.
Ten years ago, we bought our first home, and five years later, we sold it to buy this house. We’ve done a lot of work to this house: replace the termite-eaten wood under the front window, replace the window over the front door, new exterior paint, new roof, a gutter here and there… By “we,” I mean the men we hired to do these things…or the men the insurance companies hired. Our personal involvement was more limited: new paint, little fix-it jobs, moldings in the dining room, and the piece de resistance, the built-ins Jason made for the den.
On Tuesday morning, after delivering the boys to school, I did a last walk-through to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. The day before, we’d discovered two kitchen drawers that had been overlooked, and a paintbrush soaking that Jason had used for some touching up. On Tuesday, there was nothing left.
My stripes are still there, though. I wish I could have brought them with me. I’m sure you can’t tell, but they exactly match the stripe in the fabric of the roman shades. I love doing that: choosing a fabric for a window treatment that draws in the furniture I don’t have the budget to change, then basing every paint color in the house on that piece of fabric. It’s a simple and fun approach, and it usually turns out stunning.
Painting the stripes certainly wasn’t simple. It was a true team effort between my parents and us. I love those stripes. I was happy and relieved to learn that the new owners love them, too, and they won’t be painted over any time soon.
So where does this leave us? The boys and I are very comfortably ensconced in (and slowly taking over) my parents’ house. Mom and Dad rearranged their lives to make room for us, moving offices and beds. It’s quite a nice arrangement. Jason heads back to Seattle tomorrow, where he will find a just-right job before sending for us. The old phrase Dad used to tease me with as I left the house holds entirely new meaning for me now: “Write when you find work.”
We are houseless now, and it feels weird, but we’re not homeless. No matter what occurs, we can take comfort in the fact that home really is where our hearts are, and our families hold our hearts.
For the time being, however, I still feel mildly unsettled. I doubt that feeling will abate before we are firmly settled in our own new home, whenever that may be.
5 comments
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April 5, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Laux
Wow, I love those stripes. So bold, and the colors are great.
Hope he finds exactly what you’re looking for! 🙂
April 5, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Lauria
I LOVE those stripes! They really look fantastic. I think too often people get locked into one color and one accent color. I saw houses while in Stratford, CT with yellow, blue, red, and teal. It was so pretty and visually interesting!
April 6, 2009 at 2:19 am
Sheri
Aimee, I love those stripes too. When we move to Seattle, you get to paint my house. I am so afraid of color, it’s silly. If you have a moment check out my blog. I have a project for you 🙂
April 6, 2009 at 10:05 am
aimeewrites
Sheri, I’ll help choose colors, but I’ll leave the actual painting to you and Brian!
😉
April 8, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Angelina
I am always in love with stripes. I also love it when people get bold with color and pattern. I’m actually envious. We haven’t even started painting the walls in this house and it exhausts me to think about it even though it makes a big difference.
So this is a very exciting time for you guys but I would probably be even less calm than you. I hope your husband finds something really soon and a house too so you can get to the next new chapter!