Stuff and Stuff

The other day I wished someone a good weekend. Then I hung up the phone and heard Peyton chime up: "Christina. It's eight a.m... on Tuesday morning."

Proof that the past few weeks have been a mind-melding whirlwind of activity.

Landscaping, painting, window washing, pressure washing, packing*- all after two weeks of SXSW and company. We're ALIVE, and to top that off I'm typing in the slick new abode, but we aren't even close to the end.

*Full disclosure: All of these have occurred, even if they were not occurring through our personal hands. We called brother and said screw you DIYness.*

About three weeks ago we almost lost this house (which of course took me back to this post's title.)

Three days before closing our lender pulled out. Luckily we have an amazing realtor and local lender who joined forces and made it happen, held the deal together, and got funding in about 2.5 weeks. But along the way were a few bumps, such as tax documents needing to be sent over but the fraudulent one someone filed for Peyton being sent instead, thus resulting in HOURS communicating with the IRS on the phone and in person. Or the fact that our new house's mail carrier who had been working on our street for 10+ years was rerouted 2 days after we met her, thus causing all our mail to be returned to sender instead of held in her safety. Domino effect to when the underwriters wanted our new credit card info but we couldn't supply it because we didn't think it had been sent and found all of the above info out.

I'm not complaining though, really. By the end it was comical and I'm documenting it so down the road we can relive the joy of what was looking so easy. (I think any time I encounter the thought "this is SO easy" there need to be red blinkers and screaming sounds warning me to STOP THOSE THOUGHTS.)

And then there's the issue of stuff.

{exhibit a} 

I. HATE. STUFF.

We "moved" on Sunday. Why the ""? Because it is ne-ver-en-ding. There is still stuff oozing out of the cracks. Stuff that just keeps needing to be packed up and shuttled over. Small stuff and big stuff and stuff we don't need and stuff we can't get rid of.

Our old house is being held hostage by said stuff for a little longer, giving us another week of prep time before listing. Then I like to think the stress will be over, but even while typing this laugh at myself. All that STUFF that we moved over here?? Still needs to be taken out of its disorganized box and put away into an unknown spot. We have less storage, and my mind can't fathom picking and choosing through what we need and don't yet again. So forgive us if you visit two years from now and are sitting on unpacked boxes. That simply means the stuff won.

{exhibit b... along with a kitchen sneak peek}

So this was just my wordy heads up that we are alive and well. Declan has made it through masterfully- overcoming missed naps, possible feedings (whoooops), and lack of parental guidance. The dogs come today, we slept here last night, and it has and will all get done. I've missed the internet and my blogs and my time a lot, but right now the stuff must be conquered.

Dang stuff. If only I could find that book on minimalism* in all this stuff...

*Disclosure: I sat trying to remember this word for about five minutes before looking it up. Either that says I am so not ready, or far overdue. hmm...*

Happy weekend folks! ;)

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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Housing a Secret

I've got a little secret...

We put a bid in on a house yesterday.

Wanna see...?

It may not be everybody's cup o' tea, but we think it's adorable and charming and drips Austin out of it's mortar. Plus it's in the city, walkable to parks, a library, and a drive-in movie theater. Because, as we all know, walking distance to a drive-in is clearly an important key to house-hunting.

Anyway, we were pretty hooked. So much so that we offered loads of money to someone right now while promising to pay LOADS more for the next thirty years. I might be freaking the freak out if I thought this was actually going to go through. But you know, I'm sure we will get the call that five other people want this same house and are willing to give up their third and fourth children to get it. (And peeps, that ain't an option here. We are having a girl come hell or high water.)

In reality... I'm more than a bit antsy. You know, checking my email like a fat kid hit the stores when Twinkies went under and losing sleep over whether or not there is a spot for a refrigerator. (Because it makes total sense to gut and redo a house without a spot for a fridge. Sane moment, Christina, sane moment.)

After not taking pics during our pre-listing glimpse the other day, I sat around all morning refreshing the computer to see if dream house number 1 had been listed. It, of course, had not, and our realtor still had no word. So instead of eating good, healthy food, I drank coffee and chewed my nails and refreshed, refreshed, refreshed.

Nada.

By 10:30 the caffeine had hit and I was like a hamster on a wheel. Except sitting. And not being productive. Or releasing any nervous energy. So when the call came in that it was time to go, my jittery, coffee-filled, empty-stomached self was barely containable. Not the best way to start your second date with the house you're trying hard to woo, but it seemed to take it in stride. We looked good together, even it could see that.

So we bid. And now sit around waiting to hear that we didn't get it. Or that we did!! That can happen too, right?! I mean, people live in houses so it MUST happen on occasion. It's totally nerve-wracking, but probably not even close to as much as it will be if and when we realize we have to actually move. That's the hyperventilate, procrastinate, and become a hoarder type of nerve-wracking.

Fingers crossed over here! What about you? Remember the first time you bought, or tried to buy, a house?? Was it sweaty palm induced panic or hours spent perusing Pinterest for decorating ideas?

Cheers to happy weekending!

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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Should I Sty Or Should I Go (Clean the House?)

Way back in the days before I was a mama bear I wrote these new year's resolutions. It might seem to those twenty people who glanced at them that I've forgotten and put them aside, but that is simply not the case. I have remembered them every day that I fail to live up to their incredibly high standards. Next year is simple- eat breakfast and love on Declan. Done and done.

In truth, I have given some attempts at following through. I've walked more, sent some birthday cards full of x's and o's, and blogged lots of pictures. I'd forgotten about a few, such as work on our landscape and join a CSA, but luckily enough hit those nails on the head this morning when we picked up our first veggie box and later raised the backyard from an F to a D-. So not so bad I'd say. It's good to still have goals, right? Keeps life interesting.

The resolution that I have really focused on is keeping the house clean. Since many people do this automatically, I thought that it was time I give it a go. Let's start by clarifying: Peyton, no comments allowed, for obvious reasons. Apparently men have ridiculously high standards of clean, like more than one room at a time be orderly or have folded laundry. As I said, ridiculous.

So anyway, you fine folks, I think I'm getting this cleaning thing down. I've realized that keeping the house orderly ties in with my happiness and productivity, which then keeps it more orderly. Viscious cycle. So in my research on how to obtain this dream while keeping sane, I came upon six techniques that really help.

1. Make the bed. Here's a two-minute strategy that pays back ten-fold. Seeing it neatly made makes me want to tidy the rest of the room, which leads me to return the dirty glass to the dishwasher, put in some laundry, you name it. Plus it keeps me from lying down in bed, because who likes to make a bed twice in one day??

2. Always leave the room with one item. Anytime you leave a room, take an item with you. Obviously this only works if you are going to the room where it goes, so don't just grab any item for any room. It is mind blowing to me how lazy I am about carrying a plate in to the kitchen. Yet clearly, once I've accomplished such a feat I deserve some cookies. Some extra motivation never hurts.

3. dishes.laundry.bath.bed.living. I stumbled upon this lovely "Chaos Control Cycle" via 4SmartyPants and decided to give it a whirl. While I still haven't made it to bath yet, the bed is luckily done because of #1 and the living is often tidier due to #2. (Clearly, it would be wise to use the bathroom before coming over here.) The idea is that when you are starting to clean, begin with making sure dishes are in the dishwasher, the sink is empty, and counters are wiped down. Once accomplished, pop in a load of laundry, followed up by quickly cleaning items in the bath, bed, and living rooms. If at any point you are sidetracked, start at dishes and you will find where you left off. For me, it just breaks it into manageable chunks instead of a whole overwhelming mess of things to do. And it also makes me feel accomplished when I get even one done since I know it's something off my list.

4. Vacuum. Ok, grossness alert- I'm not great at dealing with dog fur. Poor Peyton dislikes fur so much that he has not only owned dobermans for this reason (among others), but has chosen the particular type that goes bald. Enter Tegan, a ninety pound mass of fur with four seperate coats; my sweet shepherd that I neglect in the grooming area a tad and only brush every few months. (Was going to add to resolutions, but honestly? Not going to happen.) So you can only imagine the fur buildup that occurs. I still have some improvement in this area. I'm thinking our spiffy new vacuum will help since it won't sound like a cat in heat, but that's putting a lot of pressure on the poor thing. When the house is vacuumed, it inevitably looks better and more put together.

5. Wash windows. It amazes me every, single time how much clean windows improve a room. It's a bit embarrasing how dirty they can get before I even notice they need cleaning, but I give myself a pat on the back every time that I do. Because yowzers. A little alcohol-vinegar water and a good scrub is all I need to take a room from musty hole to show house appeal.

6. Just do it. There are always quite a few little projects in each room that are waiting to be done, from paying the bills to posting on craigslist to popping dishes in the dishwasher to hanging up a mobile. I've found that as long as I'm not doing something important, if I come across a task that is under five minutes in length, I should suck it up and act. I get a quick accomplishment fix while tidying up a space. More productivity ensues, and voila, little Martha Stewart over here.

So there you have it. Six little tricks that I've found really help me succeed in keeping this house slightly above pigsty status. All starts with a made bed people. And a sound night of sleep. I would love to hear some of yours if you have any! Any help is major over here. :)

My bed's a-callin'. Good night!

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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The Tour of Our Home

It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes pictures to start improving on your house. "Really?" You might say. To which I would respond, "Absolutely! Positively!" and then add in quieter tones that I certainly hope so. In fact, I've already caught myself in a bit of a fib, because we have made some changes to our nest prior to pictures (sadly, because they would be nice to show.)

You see, two and a half years ago I pulled up to my new home after a thirty hour drive from Baltimore and unpacked all my belongings in a house of black, white, and orange (strange combo, I know... more on that another time.) I made a cozy, colorful, Christina haven in my room. There was blue, purple, green, orange, pink. It was a bit too wacky for me even, so I then toned it down and painted the walls brown. I was convinced I would make my single room Austin home "me," and was going strong until my world expanded.

As Peyton and I progressed, my decor kingdom grew immensely. Once we were married, I was given my half share in the upkeep and design of the house, about ten more rooms than I was managing before. It became clear that what housed my temporary room now would be home. This house has progressively become more akin to my spirit, but sill has quite a ways to go.

Now don't get me wrong here, I didn't get married with plans to change all things B.C. (Before Christina... My name is so convenient in times like this.) The first real project Peyton and I did together was redoing our bedroom, and that is the one room we are fully content with (at least for now!). Through that transformation Mr. P caught some of my excitement towards decorating and now is on board for the long haul. We make our design decisions together. The difference is he is content in many types of spaces while I feel the need to nest, to create, to feel one with my surroundings. For instance, the shower curtain we use (a relic of my Baltimore life) was once described by a friend as "Christina in shower curtain form!" And it's true. It will be a sad day when I have no place for that anymore. So, like my curtain, we have been gradually adding and creating things that embody "us" throughout the house, which is why the pictures you are about to see are not the true beginning. Some of these rooms are "In Progress," but for our blog I will keep them all as "Befores."

So without further adieu I give you the grand picture tour, as long as you leave your judgement and shoes at the door. Enjoy!

I've decided to start from the back of the house and work forward. Just as if you woke up in the morning (in the bathroom apparently?) and then started heading to the door. This is the master bath that holds the storied s.c. 

The bathroom is connected to our bedroom, seen below. The first pic is from the hall door; the second you can see the bathroom entrance. Plus, though sliding glass doors may not be the most attractive, they are oh so helpful for a dog that wakes you every day around 7:00 to use her facilities.

That dog, Tegan, decided to make an appearance.

Our amazing fertility goddess statue created by our wonderful friend Jenn.

So now we will take a peek down that hall in the above right. 

Exciting stuff that was. So let's take a gander to the immediate right in the hall, where we have our spare bedroom. This somehow, as you will clearly see, has become a hoarder's haven. I feel that this blog needs to be full disclosure though, so please shield your eyes if you are scared of carnage.

Whew! Glad we made it through that one. And on we go to the guest bedroom, down the hall to the right.  This also is not in its normal working order, but more on that with our goodbyes.

See Clementine making a guest appearance in the mirror.

Next to this bedroom we have the guest bathroom. We decided to paint it a deep, intense yellow and actually kinda like it. Either that or we've been too lazy to paint. (Small, low-light bathrooms are hard to capture accurately, so put your imagination to work a bit.)

And onward march to the living area! We have a big open dining room/family room space that has had to work with a semi at home movie theater arrangement. It's tough to make such a large space feel homey, but especially difficult when you have a wide expanse of room that has to be left empty. 

You've just stepped out from the hallway.

To the left we have our second war zone: the office.

One thing that we really love about this house is that its fireplace, the white wall behind the foosball table, is basically in one giant pillar that is between the living room and the kitchen. This picture is the little passage on left side of the pillar (between it and the office.) Two fireplaces in one. Woot woot!

And finally we end in our kitchen/dining area. It is also one long room broken into a few shots.

Just walked in from right of pillar.

Home through the back door , with Athena there to greet you.

So there you have it! Our humble abode. We are so excited to share our effort and progress with you. Even more exciting are that change is a'brewin this very weekend. Maybe not major ones, but enough that you might think we don't keep rooms in pig sty shape. You see, next week our house becomes the fabulous Hotel Murray and we have nine guests visiting. You heard me right. Nine extra adult humans will be added to our space for Austin's South By South West (SXSW) music festival, so we have our work cut out for us to make every room livable. I should go get my cheer on to pump us up for the work ahead, but stay tuned and we'll keep ya posted!

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

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