Monday, January 10, 2011

Our House

I sent Eric a list of improvements I still want to make to the house. They are as follows:
area carpet for LR
new carpeting/flooring in the back room
activity table for the boys downstairs
Zoran paint back room (and dining room?)(which requires new trim)
new doors upstairs and the closet downstairs
redo upstairs bathroom
fence the yard
addition on or above the backroom
move

Actually, the list is quite a bit smaller than it was when we moved in. And it has been shrinking every year, sometimes dramatically. However, so has the value of our house. Our starter house. Which we did not plan on living in forever. Which was grossly overpriced when we bought it, but surely real estate prices would never decrease. Surely not. Maybe plateau for a time, which would be perfectly reasonable. And then, with the thousands of improvements we made to the place, we could sell it for a comfortable price and buy the Right House. The one we envisoned living in. The one which probably was not this house. Really, as I look around now, this house is fine. I don't even know where I would want the right house to be. When we were potentially going to move I started to love this house, and miss it. I can see the kids' school from this house. Our amazingly awesome babysitter lives across the street. Eric can walk to the train in 5 minutes, and I can walk to work in 7. We have a new, open basement for the kids to play in, a nice long backyard for the same purpose, only a few things left on the list to complete and it will be perfect. So what's the problem? Is it that the grass is always greener? I guess so. And I'm just not used to staying in one place for so long. Except for when I was growing up, because we never moved.
Speaking of houses, I never posted the gingerbread house LT, Brando and I made this year.





Or his birthday cake, which he and Brendan decorated (and picked the colors of, though I did write the "Happy Birthday" part:






Here is Brendan, when he insisted on wearing a fireman hat and a knit cap, in that order, to go outside:

2 comments:

Crabby Apple Seed: said...

the frosting on that cake is the most awesome color I have ever seen.

I know exactly what you mean about your house. I feel 100% the same way. Could've said it all myself. though our list of improvements includes "Knock down Schurz HS" and "STOP GETTING $&*(@@ MICE", but other than that, just exactly the same. and I totally get starting to fall in love with the house in a weird way. it's hard to think about leaving the house where you start your family, I think.

Donna said...

That is so poignant and true, Kathy. About leaving the house where you started your family. It sort of makes me want to just do the addition. Sort of. :o) They keep cutting down all the old beautiful trees around here and that really makes the neighborhood look very different, in a bad way. Ah. I'm going to go read your blog now.