Settling In

It's been a crazy week for us!  The move went well, thanks to the help that we received from our family and friends.  We couldn't have done it without you!  I'm so thankful that we decided to bridge the two houses for the week.  We are still moving the last few things over and I can't imagine doing it all in one day!  The new owner will move into 72 Union tomorrow, and I hope they are as happy as we were there.

In my last post I talked about how I was feeling uneasy about the change.  We've been in this house for almost a week, and it's truly been amazing!  Although the amount of work that needs to be done is a bit overwhelming at times, I keep reminding myself that we can take our time.  It doesn't all have to be done immediately.

On our first night in the house, we began removing some of the heavy drapes that they had covering the windows.  I still can't believe that they had covered the amazing stained glass!  Having the drapes down lets so much light into the house, and we get some pretty awesome light spectrums shining on the floors and walls as the sun comes in through the coloured glass.

                                                     

With the electricians starting their work next week, we have left as much in the garage as possible and we're basically living in just a few rooms for now.  Even our closet hasn't been unpacked because we know that next week will be a dusty one in the house.

I spent a lot of time this week working in the gardens, and had some help from Jeremy's parents today.  I can't believe the progress we have already made.  On Monday we could barely pull into the driveway because the trees and bushes were so overgrown.  Many people have stopped by to ask us about our plans, and it sounds like the gardens haven't been tended to for many years.  We've been working on digging up the shrubs along the driveway and in front of the porch, and we have created a "holding bed" in the back for some of the perennials that we're hoping to reuse elsewhere.  Jeremy has also been busy ripping vines down.  What a difference that has made!

 

We've really been enjoying the front porch.  Having our coffee outside every morning has been a great way to wake up, and with the addition of the palms and ferns that we bought for the wedding, it's really starting to feel like a cozy space.  There's an awesome breeze that blows through, and even on a hot day it was still a cool place to sit and take a break.  I know we'll be getting a lot of use out of this space in the years to come!

   

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Well, the office that I usually write my blog posts from now sits empty.

It's been a very long day of packing boxes and loading the U-Haul and other vehicles.  Many thanks to my parents and our amazing neighbour who came to help out.

This is what the moving truck looked like this afternoon.  Filled to the brim with all of our furniture and belongings.

The library was packed to the brim this morning.  Jeremy worked hard all week, bringing everything up from the basement which meant fewer stairs today. This room is now practically empty!

It's hard to believe that it was almost 10 months ago that we put our first offer in on our new house. It's been a long process, but I know that in no time, we will feel like it has all been worth it.  I know that right now I'm feeling uncertain about this big change, but as Jeremy says, "it's going to be home."

Tomorrow we will say our goodbyes to this house that has played such an important part in our relationship.  We worked on so many projects together here and have made so many memories over the past 5 years.  When I think back five years, I had the same feelings of uncertainty when we bought this house, and it's been AMAZING!

So, goodbye 72 Union.  My next post will come to you from the house that truly is the reason for this blog adventure.  Hello 220 Cochrane!

SOLD!

About 14 months ago, Jeremy and I noticed that one of Port Perry's famous century homes was up for sale.  They always say to buy the worst house on the best street, and that was what this looked like. At $699,900, it was listed way over our budget, so we looked at the pictures online then didn't think much else of it. Fast forward a few months, and the house was still on the market.  They dropped the price a few times, but nobody seemed to want it.  Maybe it was the overgrown gardens, the miles of wallpaper, or the knob and tube wiring that was scaring everybody off...who knows? But, it just sat there.

 We love the Magnolia tree!

It was around the beginning of October that I finally convinced Jeremy that we should go and take a look at it.  They had dropped the price again, to $549,900.  The moment we walked through the front door, we were in love.  Everything about this house screams "character" and we wanted it all! Jeremy immediately fell in love with the large dining room.  For me, it was the four original stained glass windows that captured my heart.  We knew that the price would still break our budget, though, so we left broken hearted.

The stained glass window in the living room

A few weeks later, we noticed that the price had been dropped yet again.  This time it was down to $524,000. With some good negotiating, we could actually make this work!  We went for a second visit, and knew that we were still in love with this place, possibly even more than the first time!  To our dismay, so were two other couples.  We lost out.

Around the middle of February, we received an email from our realtor asking if we were still interested in the property.  Are you kidding me? Of course we are!  The couple who had purchased the home in the fall were unable to fulfil their conditions, and had backed out.  That started a whirlwind of activity for us - doing the few small repairs that our current home needed to get it ready for the market, staging, checking insurance and banking, etc.  The past two months have been hectic, to say the least, but we are pleased to say that we officially own 220 Cochrane.  Our current home sold last week, and we can begin packing.  Our official moving date is June 30, which seems so far away!  We know, however, that time will fly and moving day will be here before we know it.  Then, the real work begins.