Monday, June 29, 2009

In A Nutshell...


Whew, what a week it's been! I'll bet you're wondering how things went with our house hunt last weekend. So here it is, In A Nutshell....

We flew to the Chicagoland area (where we'll be moving to) and gave ourselves 2 1/2 days to find a new house. Thankfully we've lived in this town before so we were at least familiar with everything! We looked at everything in our price range, over 25 houses, and were just filled with uncertainty. The housing market there is just so expensive compared to most of the country, so we knew we'd be downsizing, but didn't realize it would be quite like this!

Hubby and I had been praying that God would let us know when we'd found the right house for our family. We tentatively settled on 2 houses. One of which was in the town we wanted, and in a very nice neighborhood with the space we needed, but it would need to have the bathrooms and kitchen gutted (things were literally crumbling & falling apart) not to mention tons of other work done. And we didn't want every spare penny we earned going into the house.

The other house was in a different town than we wanted, but was in lovely condition. We were thinking of putting in an offer, but since I was having funny feelings about it, Hubby decided to look up the town's information on the internet. He saw a link for area Sexual Predators, and clicked on it. Well, had you been there you would have had to pick up our jaws from off the floor, because there was one RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from this house! Needless to say, with me home during the day and 2 little girls, this one was immediately crossed off the list!!! We are so thankful that we found this out beforehand! Praise God!!

So here we were with only a few hours until we had to leave for the airport to fly back home to NC. Feeling exhausted and anxious, I asked my friend we were staying with to do some "Shopping Therapy" with me! :) We went to a favorite local shop and I found this great vintage wire letter/in/out basket (see pic above)!! I don't have room in my kitchen for a planning desk, and was tired of the little paper pile on the counter. You know the one...where you have important school papers, invitations, etc. But it just doesn't always look the neatest. Well, hello, little wire cutie!!! Add in my important papers and top it off with a too cute paperweight, and my kitchen counter is now thanking me in it's stylish, organized glory! :)

The day after we got back home, I was looking for some temporary housing for us to stay in until we found a new house. You see, we are closing on this house here in NC in a couple of weeks. I was having NO luck, since most places either don't accept pets or don't do short term leases.

Wouldn't you know it, just then our realtor called us to say that a great house just dropped into our price range! (OH, the timing!!) She sent us the listing, plus 74 other pictures she took of the house to give us a better feel for the flow and layout. Funny enough, we were at complete peace! Hubby flew out to take a look a couple of days later, and they accepted our offer! Whoo-hoo!!! Thank the Lord!!!

So, In A Nutshell.....
(and believe me, this story above IS the short version!!)

Went house hunting,
found nothing,
learned to ALWAYS check for predators beforehand,
got depressed,
thought we'd be homeless,
found a house online,
felt God's peace,
bought said house,
are moving out of here in 2 weeks,
staying with my parents for a few days,
then moving into the new house!
Whew!! :)

ps....I've heard the phrase "In A Nutshell..." SO many times this week from various people! :) It always reminds me of Mike Myers as "Austin Powers"...curled up in a little ball saying, "This is me in a nutshell....How did I get into this nutshell?"....looking all trapped and trying to get out! Too funny!!!

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, Praise God you listening to that "funny feeling!" (I'm sure Holy Spirit laughs at the number of times she's referred to as a "funny feeling"!) I will be praying as you continue to search for your new casa. Meanwhile, enjoy that peace that truly does pass all understanding. Grins and clutches, Pamm

Anonymous said...

I meant "LISTENED"! (Brain still not too sharp even at this late morning hour! Must be the nightgown . . . LOL!)

Shilo said...

Praising God for his protection, leading and blessing!

Decor To Adore said...

Oh I am so thankful you have been so richly blessed! May your move go smoothly.

Nancy Rosalina said...

PTL, Stacey!!! He's An On Time God! You all will be in my prayers and I will be praying for a smooth move!!!! Nancy

duchess said...

Things always work out when God's in control, don't they?
Congrats on the new house - can't wait to see pictures.

Margo said...

I love this story, and how you "felt" wrong and then "felt" write. So glad you checked the predator list, Whew!!!!

Glad you found a home, can't wait to see how you make it "yours".
Margo

Melissa Miller said...

Congrats Stacey and family!

~Whew! I'm so happy it all worked out for the best. You are blessed.

I'll miss you in NC! ~Waving!
~Melissa :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I forgot to tell you . . . "In a nutshell" reminds me of what I've told my preacher friend to say at my funeral . . . "Here lies the shell but the nuts gone!" (And actually, I don't want a funeral, just a party!)

Anonymous said...

Hi Stacey,
Boy do I know how expensive Chicago is. We moved from there 12 years ago, we lived in Plainfield which is now so congested, I hardly recognize it.

I am happy that everything is falling into place for you.

Hugs,
LeAnn:)

Leigh Ann said...

So happy the Lord has the housing situation under control and you have peace. Wanted to let you know I borrowed an idea of yours and added a link to your blog on my post. Thanks for the inspiration, I love how my project turned out!
Blessings~
Leigh Ann

Shannon said...

Wow. Thank goodness you found that link!!

I'm so glad you found a house! I can't wait to see how you decorate it. :)

Diana Ferguson said...

Wow! God is good, isn't He?

NicNacManiac said...

Congratulations...one of life's most stressful moments taken care of!!
Good luck with your move and enjoy the rest of your day!
Blessings, Nerina :)

SoBella Creations said...

Congrats on finding a home.

Stacey said...

I'm so glad you found the house. I can't believe the funny feeling you had turned out to be something so frightening. Thank goodness you listened!!

Unknown said...

Praying everything goes smoothly for your family in changing homes.

Cheryl said...

PTL for answered prayer and peace. Moving is such a stressful time. So glad you found a home. Praying the move will go smoothly. Look me up when you get settled. It would be lovely to meet up with you. Drop me an email at glory2him111@gmail.com

frillsfluffandtrucks said...

Oh my Heaven, thank the Lord you found that out before you bought that house!

~ Sarah

LuLu said...

I am thrilled for you! Congrats and many blessings in your new home,
LuLu

LuLu said...

I am thrilled for you! Congrats and many blessings in your new home,
LuLu

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Yay, Stacey!! Don't you feel relieved that God gave you that nudge to check the sexual predator list??! I'm embarrassed to say I wouldn't have thought of it. So excited for you, and can't wait to see what the new place looks like. :)

Leigh Ann said...

Stacey,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the sweet comment. I would be honored to have you post my pinic basket project. Thanks again for the idea!
Blessings,
Leigh Ann

Nancy @ Live love laugh said...

Congrats! I hope all goes smoothly from now on!
~Nancy

Kristen said...

Isn't it fun to see how He reminds us of His faithfulness? Now we'll be praying for your move - hope all goes well. Can't wait to see what you do with the new place!

Melissa Lester said...

Yay! What a relief that you found a house, and it sounds like the right place for your family. I hope the transition is a smooth one.

Carrie said...

Congratulations on the new home!

A Bit of Colour said...

Isn't GOD good??? HE knew every little thought & feeling that you had, & even felt your heart!

Lanette of Cottage Elements said...

Stacey, God's timing is perfect isn't it! Glad to hear your moving a little closer. Chicago isn't so far from MN. You'll have to make a trip again to the Bonanza (be sure to let me know if you're coming!). This time you can drive :) Take care and happy packing!

Lanette

The Pleasures of Homemaking said...

How wonderful! I'm so glad it all worked out for you! How scary about the Predator! I frequently check my town's list just to be sure!

Hope you have an easy move!

Manuela

Bonnie said...

Stacey, Im with you - we just moved last year and had to wait quite awhile before we found the right house. It was a God thing for sure - our current house dropped 70,000. and right into our price range. Even when we don't hear or see God the way we want He's still there and still has his hand on our lives.

Tanya said...

What a great story. I'm so glad you found the right house for your family. Can't wait to see it!

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

We had the same thing happen with the house we've now lived in for a few years.

It had JUST slipped into our price range the day our realtor sent me the website showing all the houses in the area where we were looking.

It is perfect for us. :)

Happy moving.

Our Complete Family said...

Whooo hooo! So glad things are working out for your family!
Wanted to stop on by and wish you a happy 4th of July weekend!
Hope all the moving adventure just gets better and better and better!
Hugs, Les