Would you like to take the Grand Tour?

In response to all the requests, I have spent the last few days taking pictures of the new house as I cleaned and prepared for hosting this years family Christmas dinner. Looking through all of the pictures as I created the post for the blog tonight, I am once again humbled by the fact that we were blessed with this beautiful home to call our own. I hope you enjoy the virtual tour and remember that friends and family are always welcomed at the Auburn Burrow.

 Step right up, come on in......
           The Foyer...                    

The Formal living room (or as I like to call it, empty space)....

The small hallway that leads to ......






The office (which was formally known as the formal dinning room pre-Weasley).....

The hallway also leads one to......The kitchen.....

 








The breakfast nook....

The Family Room:

And now we have the Upstairs level:

The Master Bedroom:

                  Master Bathroom.....

Jacks and HayBugs rooms:

Their bathroom.....





















And the Basement (AKA the pit) complete with the playroom, the twins Bath and their room (which I will only show a smidge of because I really do not want to scar anyone for life.....)

 
 

An open invitation

I can not believe that my last blog entry was in August! Has my life been so hectic and out of whack that it has taken me three months to realize there are people out there pining for my wit and sarcasm? Wow, talk about messed up!

Things have been a bit more chaotic than usual for the Weasley clan. The transition to Jr High was a little harder than expected ("What do mean you mean they expect us to study??"), Jacks has stepped up his independence level to an all time high (the kid is gonna drive me to drinking) and we have been working on the Oak house every weekend for three months straight (except time off for Thanksgiving) painting, refreshing and repairing.  I am excited  to announce that as of December 1st, we are officially on the market! Whoo hooo! The house looks marvelous, and actually I am quite jealous that it never looked that good during the eight years we lived there. Someone will definitely be reaping the benefits on that one.

But as we have focused on the Oak house and life in general, things have quickly slid down hill at the new house. Weekends are generally my catch up time to focus on chores and children I neglect during the week, but that hasn't really been happening. Mt.Washmore is about as tall as my laundry room is wide most days, and we seemed to be content to live with boxes yet to be empty.  CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) has hit a new level, which to be honest, I expected to take longer in the new place.

But as I am moving things around this morning in an effort to make it look like I am accomplishing something around here, I realize that it shouldn't matter how messy and disorganized the house is. My children are fed, well dressed (for the most part) and are happy. They have great expectations for Christmas Break and are excited at the idea of two weeks off from school. We have been blessed beyond measure with a fantastic house that reflects the personality of the family ( large, a bit shabby, and lovable), food on the table and family and friends that like to come visit. So what if the couch is buried under mounds of laundry? Anyone that knows me knows I loath laundry, so is it really a surprise?

My house isn't meant to be a showplace...unless its the Little House of Horrors, but as of this moment, I am gonna try hard not to let it bother me so much anymore. Trying to keep a perfect house on top of every thing else going on is a lost battle and it only causes stress for me. Daddy Weasley and the kids could care less if the house sparkles and shines, so why do I get so worried about it?

 I, like so many other moms, need to realize that our worth is not measured by the sparkle of our counter tops, the lack of laundry in the living room, or the organization of the spice cabinet.....Our worth is measured by how much we love our families, our ability to put others first and our drive to give 100% no matter how tired/frustrated/completely frazzled we are. We need to stop feeling like we are only as good as our house keeping skills and realize that there is more to life than clean laundry (not that clean laundry isn't important, well, except for nudists) and floors that are pine fresh.

If you can stand the chaos and total disorganization of the Wealsey Burrow, feel free to drop in and finally get the tour of the new house you are dying for. I promise not to cringe, cry or beg for your mercy and understanding... after all, if you 're my friend you love me for who I am, not for the quality of my housekeeping. Cut me some slack in my supermom abilities and I will do the same for you. After all, it's a crazy messed up world and every one of us needs all the love and support we can get!

Boxes and bunnies

We have arrived at the two week mark since closing on the new house and things are moving along. Maybe not as quickly as I would like, but moving forward all the same. My worst fears of having the closing delayed time after time have somewhat come true as we juggle preparing the Oak House (our former house which is located on Oak Street....simple, huh?) for the market as we deal with nightly homework dramas, demands of  3 schools and the blessings of 2 jobs. Time is limited and Momma Wealsey is starting to deal with more guilt and anxiety as the bulk of our moving/prep work has to be handled on the weekends. 



Evidently my subconscious is trying to sort and analyze how to handle it all as I rest up for another day of  box mazes, work and debates of starting prices and market stability. How else would you explain a dream of Evil Dustbunnies dressed as wizards, a fuzzy Darth Vader and boxes that multiply with just a touch? (need an explanation as to just what are the EBs? click here )


The dream opens in a dark part of the Oak house; it appears to be the master bedroom closet. Imagine, if you please, a twitchy voice as you read the next line:


"It has happened my Lord, the muggles have moved out." 


Grabs your attention, right?!? How I wish I remember more! However, the rest of the dream is a blur of vacuums, dust rags and boxes under the Gemino Charm - a spell that makes things multiply when touched, but the copies are useless (that describes our last few boxes to be moved to a T!). I awoke this morning bemused and making a mental note to skip the milk and oreos before bed tonight. But more importantly, I also realized this morning that I am trying too hard to handle the situation by internalizing the stress and strain. I have lost sight of the wonderful adventure we are getting to experience, and I should revel more in discovering the magic and wonder of our new home.... Time much better spent over fretting on how much work is yet to be finished. 


 I spent time waiting for a repair man at the new house this morning moving boxes and sorting through all the stuff crammed into our formal living room. My mind is clear after spending time identifying who owns what junk, talking things out with myself (yeah, I talk to myself, and some times I answer myself too!) and saying a few prayers.  I now have some perspective, some organization and a reminder that despite what I might think, it is all under control. 

The AU Weasleys' New Burrow

8 years ago, our current home was the perfect house for us to buy when making our return to Auburn. Little did we know that the next year would welcome another addition to our family. :0) And even though our home has slowly been becoming more and more cramped since the kids are so determined to grow up, I haven't been one to complain too much or despair over the lack of space. Three bedrooms, 4 kids.....


I am fond of saying that little houses make for happy families.


And while we have been content with making due,I won't deny that I haven't entertained daydreams of a bigger house. Oh, nothing grand or ostentatious,because that is not us, but big enough to give Jacks his own room. Somewhere big enough to accommodate 4 growing children that in a blink of an eye will be married and visiting with families of their own....


Unnoticed by us, even though looking back now I can see some of the signs,  God has been setting a new path for us to follow (as He is well known to do). That path became clear in the middle of June when an amazing opportunity for a new home sort of fell into our laps. It's an incredible home with room to grow and breathe. A new home where Jacks will finally have a room to call his own, the kids will have their own space in the form of a game room to retreat to and we will be able to spread out, yet still be close knit due to the foundation our current house has given us. We weren't looking for a new home, we never expected an opportunity like this, but yet here we are, 2 months after it all began, owners of a new home.




I have no doubt that God has had a huge role in making the new home a reality. Every stumbling block has been moved out of the way, every piece has fallen into place.... without Him this new chapter in our family's story wouldn't be a possibility. The whole adventure has served to remind me that I am not the one in ultimate control, He is. He alone knows what we need and when we need it, and we should trust in Him to provide. Through all the prep for the move and all the obstacles and hurdles that go along with arranging a new mortgage, I have been reminded repeatedly of Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 


As we face the beginning of a new school year, we have a very busy schedule ahead of us. Moving on top of  the back to school chaos is definitely a first for us. Not the best way to go about it, but I know we will survive. Once we are moved, we then have to focus on getting our current home ready for the market. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit worried, but when the fear starts to trickle in and I start to doubt, I remind myself that God is control and He won't let us fail...... as it is written in Psalm 20:4: May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.


We haven't really shared the news up to this point because there were so many hoops and hurdles to jump due to the house being sold as a foreclosure. As you all well know, once the government gets involved with all their red tape nothing is ever simple. We had our closing delayed time after time as one more thing needed to be verified, added or fussed over, and honestly there were times we doubted the deal would ever be completed. We will be glad to share the whole sordid tale with you....it's an adventure story fraught with mystery ( we still don't know why they had to do all they did), anger (try having your life put on hold for over a month), drama (don't even get me started), and thankfully a happy ending. 


If you are  near the new house this weekend, feel free to stop and chat, but don't be surprised if we try to recruit you to move a box or two. :0)  

Another first

How can it already be the first day of  the 2011-2012 school year? Didn't we just have 5th grade graduation, the tears of no more Weasley kids to go to kindergarten, the insane experience of the 7th grade celebration?? I feel like I have suffered a huge blackout for the last two months and completely missed summer! Thank goodness it was just two months of lazy days and freedom. I would hate to not have total recall of any amazing adventures we might have taken, but thankfully we just stayed close to home this year. Nevertheless, I do believe our summer vacation disappeared way too quickly.

The kids were all excited and ready to start their new adventures this morning. I am pretty sure the nerves were there just below the surface. Alecam are headed off to start at the Jr. High school (and I just have to say that place has change so much since I haunted the halls!), Haybug is experiencing her first day at the Middle school and Big Man Jacks is now a first grader.

(Evidently Jr. High kids do not have to smile......)

Thank you, Harry

It's hard to believe that the end of the week brings a ten year journey to an end. After midnight Friday, there will be no more anticipation for the next  Harry Potter movie; no more wondering if the story will stay true to the book. The twins and I will be attending the midnight show (something they are quite excited about) and then Haybug and Jacks will see it over the weekend at a more decent time.

 I am excited and grieving all at once.We are wrapping up eleven years of reading, discussing (we began reading the books in y2k) and watching the adventures of Harry Potter and his friends; I would be lying if I said the end didn't hurt just a bit. No other story has been the top topic at dinner more nights than I can remember. How awesome to hear your children (as early as first grade) give you their theories and thoughts of where the story would go and how they felt it should evolve. No other book has gotten the whole family out to a midnight release party (3 actually) to score the newest installment of the saga.  No other story has so deeply captured the family's full loyalty as that of Harry Potter.

In celebration of the final movie I am posting pictures from the midnight release party for book 7. I hope you enjoy the walk down my memory lane.....

 

 

 Thank you, Harry.