Overwhelmed

You, dear readers, are the most patient blog readers ever.

I admit that the posting frequency has gone downhill in both quantity and quality over the past month. Oh, sure - there's lots of excuses (some even valid): yours truly is still adjusting to a new job and work schedule, it's too hot and our brains are melting, we've been spending lots of time shuttling girls to/from swimming practices and meets, having different gardens in different parts of the city is time-consuming, etc.

That's life, and life is busy.

But during this time when we should be weeding and canning and canning and weeding there is a sudden, unexpected, circumstance that has taken up a generous portion of our time and energy over the last few weeks.

Readers, it looks like we could be putting the Rational Living house up for sale soon.

This was by no means a action that was on our radars a month ago. We bought this house a little over seven years ago and, initially, considered staying here for the rest of our lives. It's a beautiful, 100 year old American Foursquare that managed to escape with its oak trim and staircase intact. It has a huge kitchen, cute yard and a little greenhouse on the property. It's cozy and happy.

As the girls grow certain limitations of the house become apparent; only one full bathroom (remember - we will have two teenage daughters very soon), limited gardening space, no "play/create/make a mess" space. Still, we thought that the earliest we would consider selling/moving would be in two years - after we've had time to get back on our feet following TMOTH's illness but before Sissy starts middle school.

And then a little less than a month ago we got a phone call from TMOTH's parents. A friend of the family's elderly mother just passed away. The family needs to sell the house that they've occupied since the mid-1960s, but want to make sure it goes to a nice family - and preferably one that they know. We got some details on the house: 1930s bungalow, four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, larger backyard. And it's one one and a half blocks from TMOTH's parents (that's a good thing).

So we went and took a tour.

The house is great. There's some fixing-up involved (the last time it was cosmetically renovated was during the U.S. bicentennial), but nothing that would scare us away. It meets all of the items on our "future house" list - both the necessities (bedroom for each girl, at least two full bathrooms) as well was the wants (crafting room, family room, wood-burning fireplace). And since the family still needs to empty the house and doesn't have an interested in doing a bunch of work before selling it, they're willing to deal a bit and drag their feet for a few extra months.

But that means we have to get our house on the market and sold.

In the worst housing market since...well...I don't know when.

We met with a realtor on Friday (also a friend of the family) who was very encouraging about selling the house (and not just because it would be her commission). Of course, now we have a punch list of must-do's with a deadline.

All the while the tomatoes are turning red, the beans are setting on and the canner sits on its shelf, waiting.

Goodness, gracious.

We're a bit overwhelmed.

--Rational Mama