...it's something that I am trying really hard to have with this whole house buying/selling process! Probably the best thing for me to do is just not really look at houses till we have a contract on ours so that I don't keep getting attached to houses that I can't buy. (Notice, I said that's the best thing to do...I didn't say I am actually following my own advise...) Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and came home with these...
I keep looking at/daydreaming about houses even though most all of the ones I like (AND that fit in our budget) seem to be either a foreclosure or short sale which means the bank is the one who accepts/rejects the offers and they are not willing to accept an offer contingent on the sale of our home. If I found a home that we wanted to offer on that was an ordniary re-sale by the owners, then they would be more likely to accept a contingent offer so I have been trying to only look at properties that are not bank owned or bank approved short sale. The problem is, I am not having much luck finding anything I like in that category :)
I know in my heart that God has everything under control and He has a plan for us. But, in the back of my mind I have doubts that creep in. I think to myself, what if God doesn't want us to move and I am wanting to move for selfish reasons? Although my main reason for wanting to move is practical (more space for our family to grow) I know that I also have selfish reasons as well. The truth is, it's not impossible for us to live in this house with another child, I just don't want to. I don't want toys taking over my living room (or the kids' bedrooms) and I don't want to have to keep some of my small kitchen appliances in the garage because I don't have enough cabinet space. I don't want to make the extra bedroom a nursery and move all of Jeff's clothes and shoes into 'my' closet. I don't like feeling like we can't host parties at our house because we don't have the space.
The selfish reasons continue...I can't wait to get started on projects in a new house. I want to give Hayden a 'big boy room' but I am waiting until we move so that I don't have to re-decorate it twice. I want a fireplace so I can have a mantle to decorate with the seasons. I want a playroom for the massive amount of toys that you accumulate when you have kids. I want a house that we can make our own, mabe even a 'fixer!' How fun to have a project to work on together and make beautiful. There are so many ideas floating around im my head that I can't wait to put to use in a new home.
I may have a lot of selfish reasons for wanting a bigger home, but I justify it by the fact that I am not necessarily wanting a much more expensive home, just a bigger one. I am willing to get a house that needs TLC. I am willing to paint, change out flooring, fixtures, hardware, etc. In fact, I would prefer a house that needs a little work so that we can get more for our money. And I am still not willing to give up being a stay-at-home mom in order to get a huge, expensive house. Even if it means staying in this house, I will not sacrifice my life at home with Hayden in order to have nicer things. We decided long ago that we would give up certain material things and have a different lifestyle in order for me to stay home and that is still the plan. And I know that God is capable of working within that plan to give us what our family needs and keep us within our budget.
*Sigh* And then there's this little blog...it will take on a whole new life with the blank canvas of a new house to decorate and personalize. I will get to post about all my new projects, decor and ideas!
But, for now I will continue to daydream...and look at real estate mags.
When I look through these things, I always get distracted by all the $1m. + homes and start drooling over them. And there are so many of them! I didn't realize we had that many rich folks here in East Tennessee :p
I know that God has the perfect house picked out for us, we just have to wait on Him. We don't want to settle for any less because we know what He has for us is so much better than anything we could try to find on our own. I feel like if we rush and try to do things on our own, we will end up in the wrong place and I certainly don't want that. It's just difficult (for me) sometimes to be patient enough to wait for God's best.
All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!
