It started out as a whim. Both of my grandparents recently passed away and I have always loved their house. One day Dan and I were joking around saying things like; "Wouldn't it be nice to live the small town life?" and "I could finally be a stay-at-home mom!" We were sick of the traffic. We were tired of feeling alone in an overcrowded sea of people. It is amazing how many people live in the Chicago suburbs and yet nobody expresses any interest in getting to know their neighbors. I remember what it was like to grow up in Milledgeville. A small town where everyone knew everyone (and everyone's business). I also remember how in high school my friends and I would talk about how we were going away to college and NEVER coming back. Amazingly, over the years I have discovered that Milledgeville has always been the one place that seems like home to me. Even while I lived in Decatur, Rockford, and Aurora, I always felt more connected when I went home to see my parents. So the whim turned in to a "Let's do it!"
Once the decision was made, we couldn't wait to make it happen. We did some fixing up on our house and put it on the market. The move started out gradual. I packed up all the things that the kids and I would need to survive on our own and during the first week of August we moved into my grandparents old house. I was SO excited to start remodeling! With help from my mom and my cousin Courtney, I painted the entryway, dining room, and front room during our first two weeks. Now I really do enjoy remodeling. However I learned the hard way that remodeling, while unpacking, and living in a house by yourself with 2 kids is NOT a sunshine parade. Chaos reined supreme. I had someone come in and refinish the hardwood floor in the dining room. It turned out beautiful. Unfortunately for me, being pregnant, I could not be in the house for three days due to the smell of the varnish and sealant. It is a good thing my parents live here! And I am sure they LOVED having Lauren, Alec, and I camping out in their house for those three days! (Can you sense my sarcasm?!) Next on the project list was putting in ceramic tile by the front door and having the carpet installed. But I saved the most fun thing on our to-do list for last...the bedroom that Lauren and Alec would be sharing. Yes, during the whole first month of living here, my children slept either in sleeping bags on the floor of the front room or in my bed. And on the many nights that they slept in my bed, I was sleeping on a mattress on the family room floor. Talk about fun. The reason their room took so long was due to about four layers of wallpaper and a layer of paint that had to be removed. Then we discovered that under all those layers were walls that needed some real serious patching, along with a small section of drywall that had to be replaced. Happily, I can now report that their bedroom is finally finished.
Good news! After two and a half weeks on the market, our house in Aurora sold! It was time to move all the rest of our stuff (and Dan) into our new home. Since I did all the first phase packing, I figured it was only fair to make Dan do phase two. On moving day he had help from his parents and brother. Now I should have been happy to finally have all of our things in one place. So why wasn't I? I was right back in the middle of chaos!
Well I am happy to report that after eight weeks of living here, only a handful of boxes remain. This house is finally looking like a house. We have wonderful neighbors that talk to us. Our kids play together after school. I walk to the post office or the library and people drive by and smile and wave. Our family has settled into a routine and I am beginning to be able to enjoy this first taste of being a stay-at-home mom. Now it is time to start working on the baby's room......