House Sweet Home

So, its almost official--all over but the actual signatures on paper--we're going to live in a house for the next three years. I am ecstatic, giddy, over-the-moon excited.

As with most things that God plans for us, this wonderful little place kind of fell into our laps and said, "Hello; love me, please." We started looking around for a little house a few weeks ago (I love our apartment; I do not love carrying Gracie up three flights of stairs to get there), and came across the cutest little place on a property management site. Problem? It was $100/mo over our absolute maximum price range. So we moved on, looked at some other places, and periodically glanced at the listing for the little dream house because we tend to pine occasionally. And I started thinking... Maybe $100 extra isn't that much.

But of course, it is. Especially over the course of a three year lease. And just as I was rationalizing myself into thinking the house was too cute to pass up, we had a lesson in Sunday School about not idolizing the things of this world. ....Does that include really cute houses that are out of our price range? Erg.

So I finally buckled down and told Steve that we had to stick with our original budget and just be happy with it. Anyway, we figured, there are so many cute houses around here, we should be able to find something great that we can still afford.

Lo and behold, the next day Page emailed me that she had found a super cute house (which just happened to be RIGHT across the street from her; how fun would that be?). She had already talked to the owner, and he had told her he would be willing to negotiate a good price for a nice family who would maintain the house. She even gave us some solid price figures, and we started to get really excited. You know what happened next, right? We checked the address. And it was the dream house. Holy cow, I thought, we are ridiculously lucky ducks.

Don't you wish you could really do something to say thank you to Heavenly Father for miracles like that? I mean, things that He obviously does just because it is a lovely thing to do, not because you necessarily need it. Maybe we do, and this house will serve a larger purpose, but still--I mean, how nice is that? I am so excited.

So we took a look at it on Saturday with the owner, whose grandfather had it built in 1925. We walked in and it was like a dream sequence--you know, like when everything sort of sparkles around the edges? It was even better in person, and he obviously loved it a lot and took good care of it, and we loved it, too. I couldn't help it. I am a romantic, I guess, but I really just fell in love with it. And I can't believe we get to live in it and take care of it for the next three years. A brand new adventure (and with Page across the street!). He told us all kinds of stories about it; how his mother had roller skated on the hardwood floors as a kid(!), where he learned to whistle, about the maid's room in the basement and how they had to shovel coal for the original furnace. I love the idea of living in a place with a sweet little family history behind it; it seems like good Chi, as my mom would say. :) Like it will be a special place for our little family, too.

Hooray!

p.s. Don't you LOVE this painting?! I saw it on Design*Sponge today and totally want to get a print to help christen our new home. Can I make our cute little kitchen look like that?!