Tour De Olsen East

We have this thing going with Steve's two brothers. We've titled our residences Olsen West, Central and East.

We are a creative bunch.

Since we are located in the eastern most part of the country, our home has been dubbed Olsen East. The eldest of the Olsen clan resides just just a hair to our west, hence Olsen Central. 2,800 miles even further west lives Steve's younger brother Dan. Process of elimination = Olsen West.

Now that I've bored you out of your gourd >>> {insert fall shout out here}, let's move along to the house tour. Compliments of my sister-in-law's sweet camera. Side note: these were taken at our housewarming party, hence the food spread in the dining room. Stay tuned for more on the party...it was a success. Also, I may have never been as tired as I was following that shin dig. Four words: a lot of tours. It didn't take long to change out of my flats and into my flip flops. I've still got a bad case of summer feet. They need freedom and fresh air. Also, I have self diagnosed case of the bunions. You're welcome.

As you can see we've pretty much set up house. Scratch that, we HAVE set up house. I'm OCD like that.

^^^la familia room

^^^view into family room from the kitchen. love the tile flooring :)

^^^where i cook

^^^great views from the dining room. and, I know....the chandelier needs to go.

^^^formal living/we don't use room. the theme is travel. it's a work in process.

^^^finished walk-out basement, gas fireplace included. sold!

^^^guest room. come stay with us! I'm serious.

 ^^^where dutch ovens are perfected and Olsen night terrors are common

 ^^^rear view from the patio

 

^^^the patio and backyard and four Olsens looking confused.

^^^there's a reason we have a recycling bin on our patio. i'll give you one guess.

Many more pictures were taken that night. You can check them out here. I'll also be posting about the party soon. Soon is such a broad term, isn't it? I'm just impressed at how much I've accomplished so far this month. And it's only been one day! For example, I woke up at 6:15 to work out...and I liked it. Shocking I know, said the most non-morning person ever. I even had time to make myself scrambled eggs. Because one who works out needs protein. And last but not least, I blogged! This merits attention due to the fact that I only blogged once in September.

Feeling good, people! Here's to October. The best month ever. At least that's what everyone on social media is saying.

I'll be back

Insert Arnold Schwarzenegger voice here.

It's been crazy busy. But, I wanted to let all yous{yes that's a grammar error, and yes I'm from Lancaster county. #dutchy} know that I will in fact be back. Give me a couple of days. Say, like, the beginning of October! 

Reasons for the temporary absence:

-we moved 

-we unpacked and set up new house

-we went on vacation

-we are planning a huge party for this weekend(eek!) at said new house. 

=Hollys brain turned to mush

So get ready my friends! There's much to catch you up on. 

Such as...

I thought I'd end this post with you longing for more. Admit it, the conglomeration of photos above have you a bit confused. As you can see, my blogging skillz have gotten a bit rusty.  Cut me some slack, will you? Also, she made me do it. And there's always the wine to blame.

This is me pretending to have a green thumb

Humor me. I'm trying! Okay, so clipping off Black Eyed Susans then placing them into a vase is not exactly considered gardening per se.... Buuut, I thought it'd be a great idea to take advantage of these cheerful wild flowers overtaking growing in my back yard. I'd say my thumb turned one shade greener today. 

^^^see? we've inherited a lot of Susans

^^^one of the happiest flowers if you ask me

^^^not too shabby, am I right?

^^^I just love that view

^^^this is where you say ohhhh and ahhhh

As you can see I was feeling outdoorsy this afternoon. So, right after work I went to Target to purchase spider pesticide spray stuff, as well other various items{this is not the outdoorsy part fyi}. Just in case you were wondering, we have a spider problem. This is to be expected they tell me. After all, half of our lot is wooded. And, since you are also probably wondering, yes, I am indeed arachnophobic. At an alarmingly high degree. I refuse to go outside at night. That's when they come out of their hiding places. The spiders around these here parts aren't your average run-of-the-mill spiders. I'm talking large and in charge big ass{literally} eight furry legged demons friends. It's safe to say they will be invading the home in no time at all, unless something is done. So, I came home, swept the deck of any cob webs, leaves and debris, and sprayed away to my hearts content. I also feel it's important to note that I used pet friendly spider spray. Just in case you were wondering whether or not I was a neglectful goldendoodle mom. I know you were wondering...admit it.

Spider saga to be continued...

Dream Home Becomes a Reality!

We did it! It's been five days and I can't get this silly grin off my face. Yes, this is how happy I am about said dream home turned into my home. Eek! It has been a whirlwind of a week, but boy oh boy, did we accomplish a lot!

First, I just wanted to take a moment to say how truly grateful we are to all of our friends and family that helped out during the big move. You guys rock! Seriously, though. Our new neighbors were very impressed with how many were here to support us. Nosy neighbors, I tell ya what. ;) No, but really. You are also the reason I am sitting here with a glass of wine, reclined on the couch and typing away. You see, there's really nothing major and/or urgent left for me to do {as far as unpacking is concerned}. So, thank you!

It was very odd saying good bye to our first house. After everything was moved out and cleaned up, Steve and I stood in our empty house with feelings of both relief and nostalgia. It didn't take long for me to make a beeline for the door in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing. I needed to get out of there, pronto! It was just too emotional.

So, in memory of and for your viewing pleasure...

^^^good bye first house. you've been good to us.

I will say that once settlement was over and the movers were gone, it has been nothing but smiles ever since! I keep asking myself, "is this really our house?" Or I'll tell Steve, "I can't believe we're here!" followed by "I love our house!" Needless to say there are no regrets. We have already met and spent time with several of our neighbors, and let me tell you, we seem to have won the neighbor jack pot if you will! More on that later. :)

Without further ado, here are some snapshots I took with my trusty side kick, the iphone.

^^^"why yes, i will indeed relax here, thank you very much." -me talking to my deck chairs

^^^preccciousss

^^^new house calls for new bedding, I say! from target, of course.

^^^enjoying the sunset from the deck. *happy sigh

^^^view of patio from the deck. hello future party space.

^^^view of the back yard from the deck. that's pinot grigio fyi.

And there's much much more where that came from. Stay tuned!

Where I sort of freak out a bit

 

And just like that, I begin to legitimately panic.

 

We're moving in one week. All of our crap, my four legged child, and my two legged husband, relocating five minutes down the road. Will it rain? Will it be sweltering hot? Will we have enough help? Will we have too much help?{nah} Will we get it all done? Will our bank account shrivel away to nothing?{precisely}

 

If you haven't already noticed, I tend to err a bit on the side of obsessive compulsive. Just a bit. I worry and fret things won't go according to plan...ha! The first step to recovery is admitting your weakness, am I right?

 

Oh goodness gracious, we are literally moving. This weekend we mean business, people. It's business time. On the agenda: pack up bedroom, bathroom, closets *yikes* and kitchen. That is all. Oh but with the anxiety comes the excitement! We are so thankful our home sold so quickly and effortlessly. We are so grateful we found our dream home not long after we sold our home. My lucky stars aligned just right. As far as real estate lucky stars go, I suppose. No, really. It sounds cliche, but it was totally a God thing! So, Thank you God. We know this was all You.

 

There's much to be done. So, quit pressuring me to post on the blog more, gosh! Just kidding, that's just my inner voice telling me I need to write more. Because I'm Oh. Cee. Dee. And apparently there's an unwritten rule somewhere in the blogosphere that says one should blog on average 3-5 times per week. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere. Regardless, I break that rule quite frequently.

 

One thing's for sure. There will be a box of chardonnay at my disposal at all times. Is it strange that wine motivates me to get things done? Okay then, I'm just strange. Now if you'll excuse me -you readers are SO demanding- I have some packing to do.

 

Eek!

 

Random Thoughts Tuesday

So, I wasn't feeling very inspired to write today. I was planning to skip RTT and save all my random thoughts for NEXT Tuesday. Wouldn't that be something? But then, as I'm sitting here on my couch sipping some boxed chardonnay {from a glass mind you} and feeling the cool breeze making its way through our open windows I thought to myself, yes, yes I will write! I can sense your relief. So get ready for a bunch of nonsense! I'll blame give credit to the wine.

There's a frozen pizza in the oven right now. Steve is mowing the lawn. It's an exciting Tuesday evening at the Olsen residence! Jake is moping beside me on the couch. You see, he about gave his momma a heart attack as he went into a barking frenzy. That jogger, I'll tell you what. Scary stuff. The same jogger that passes by our house every. single. day. Also, I may have suffered from a minor ear drum injury during the whole fiasco. TBD.

It feels like fall outside today. You can even see it in the clouds. The sky has a touch of gray and the air feels cool. I dig it. I'm SO ready for fall. But, isn't that how it goes? At the end of each season we long for the next. And before you know it you are wishing away the very season you longed for in the first place! Hmm, I'm feeling a life lesson moment here. 

Longing for fall may have something to do with moving into a new house. May. We are about to begin a new chapter in our lives. It's a chance to stake our claim on new territory. Start out with a clean slate...make new memories...annoy some unsuspecting neighbors with a very voicetress goldendoodle..etc etc. 

Furthermore, what's not to love about fall? The colors. The decorations. The boots and sweaters. The sitting around a fire with loved ones. Fall is the gateway to all things festive! Thanksgiving, my birthday{naturally} and Christmas! I already informed my mom I would be hosting Thanksgiving AND Christmas this year. And the next year, and the next. She just chuckled. I need to learn how to cook a turkey eventually! She thinks this "I got a new house and I want to play hostess with the mostess" drunken stupor will eventually wear off. We'll see about that, Ma. 

And speaking of the house...it appraised at value! Meaning, it's pretty much ours!!! Not many more hoops to jumps through now! Seventeen days, baby! But, who's counting? ;)

WHAT THE WHAT, IT'S AUGUST!

August is a big month for us. Big as in moving our selves and all of our belongings a whole five minutes down the road. Lord willing, we'll be in the new place in just three short weeks! I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic as we have been packing away the memories of our first place. Sniff. It's true that I have already mentally checked out of our house. She's treated us well, but we are feeling more ready than ever to settle into something a bit bigger with a bit more privacy. I've been imagining us lounging on our covered deck while taking in the view of our beautiful back yard. Happy sigh. I think I'm most excited that the yard is fenced in. This will make our lives as dog owners a bit easier. I don't mean to sound like a grinch neighbor, but I also don't appreciate the neighbor kids driving their power wheels through my yard as if it were public property. #townhomeproblems. That's right, I just used a hashtag in my blog. I like to keep things interesting around here.

I'm sorry to say I don't have any more pictures of the new place to share{some of you have asked}. I stole this one from Zillow. But, don't you worry. There's plenty more where that came from!{hello home alone 2 reference}

We're starting off the first weekend of August with a bang. Two birthday parties for some of my most favorite people...my niece and sister-in-law. And! Steve surprised me with tickets to see Hillsong Live in concert on Sunday evening! "Now you can check it off your bucket list," he said. He's a keeper that husband of mine. He sure spoils me! It'll be one of those crazy non-stop fun busy weekends. We will somehow manage to get more packing done in between.

Here's to August!

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Randomness. That's what I will write about on Tuesday's. Whatever is going through my mind I will attempt to spill out onto my blog. I know the excitement is hard to contain! Apparently this is what bloggers do. Pick a day of the week. Write about a certain subject or topic. I thought I'd create my own. Only difference is there's no specific topic OR subject. Bear with me.

Last night we had the whole house/termite inspection for our new home{eek!}. Overall it was very uneventful. Although, I may or may not have skipped around in the yard and did a ballerina twirl or two throughout the home. Other than some minor issues, and the fact that we couldn’t find the switch to turn the gas fireplace on, I’d say all went well! No signs of termite damage, either. Phew! I feel it's worth noting there was a 1990’s radio/cassette tape player mounted under the kitchen cabinets. The tape inside was the dirty dancing soundtrack. My only question is, since it’s attached, does this mean it’s ours?

Here’s another sneak peak of our future home. A lovely view into the backyard. Happy sigh.

Moving on...

What I’ve been listening to as of late: Fleet Foxes. I will say I have to be in the mood to listen to them. It will look as though Steve is in pain as soon as I mention them. It’s really not that bad, people! Steve is just critical and does NOT appreciate my taste and variety in music. Oh but his voice! {the singer, not Steve’s} It’s beautiful. SO WHAT if it’s a bit over the top in the “mountain music” genre?! {is this even a genre? I do not know}. My sister Allison introduced the band to me while I was visiting her in big, beautiful Montana. Ding ding ding! Now things are starting to make sense. ;) I will ALWAYS trust my sister’s taste in music. After all, she introduced me to The Lumineers. Enough said. Fleet Foxes' sound would be best enjoyed on a long road trip, or while enjoying nature on a hike in Glacier National Park with a granola bar in hand. Kidding! Sort of. I’m really into their album “Helplessness Blues” right now. A favorite song that I’ve had on repeat is this. I'm loving this album. Oh the sweet harmony! It's just pretty. Easy to listen to. My ears are happy. I’ve been singing it to myself all week. I just love music.

image via pinterest

The End.

we bought a house! almost.

What started out as a spur of the moment crazy idea on the deck at my parents house, turned into the pending sale of our home and pending purchase of our dream home! All within six weeks, mind you! Who says the real estate market is slow, anyway? Ha!

Preparing your home for the market is no easy task. I thought I was organized. I thought we didn't have clutter. I thought we would stick a for sale sign in our yard and call it done and done. I thought wrong. There was lots to do, people. I wanted to heed my agents advice and purge, minimize, and de-clutter. That was the beginning of May. Fast forward four weeks and our home is ready for the market! Not only did we organize and make our house look as "model home like" as possible, we added tile back splash in the kitchen{thanks Jordan!} and a brand spanking new faucet to complete the look. When all was said and done, we were proud as can be of the result. Only regret? Why didn't we do this sooner?!

Fast forward to mid June. No showings. No interest. The end of June rolls around and all we can account for is one measly showing. Frustration sets in and our minds get geared up for the long haul. And then, bam! We got four showings within one week! We were encouraged by the sudden interest in our home and prayed and hoped someone would love it enough to buy it. July fourth weekend I got a text from my agent saying a buyer wanted to look at it a second time! Long story short, our home is under agreement and we couldn't be more thrilled at how quickly and effortlessly it sold! All of our hard work paid off.

And so, the fun part begins! House hunting! I've spent hours and hours of my life watching House Hunters on HGTV{just ask Steve. Or my mom}. It was finally our turn to nitpick, tour homes, and enjoy the ride{at least this was the goal}. After looking at some not so perfect homes that we sort-of-kind-of convinced ourselves we liked, along came a new listing that would soon be deemed our dream home! As in never thought we could find or afford kind of dream home. We are over the moon in love with it. Steve and I both equally. And that's saying a lot. Of course it's not for sure yet...we need it to appraise, we need our financing to come through, we need inspections etc etc, but we're on the right track! And we can hope and pray and dream that it all works out.

A little bit about said dream home:

-The back yard is freaking amazing...a covered deck AND a huge patio. It backs up to a mini-forest{half of the lot is wooded} so there's lots of trees and privacy.
-The yard is fenced in. You're welcome Jacob.
-There's not only one, but TWO fireplaces. One in each of the TWO family rooms.
-It's move in ready...maybe needs paint in a room or two? Hallelujah!
-There's a rocket room. You're welcome Rocket Man.
-It has that warm-fuzzy-I-want-this feeling as soon as we walked through the door. This is important, my friends.

Okay, I'll stop now. I'm sorry if it appears that I'm showing off. I'm just very excited{!!!}. It's only the most expensive purchase of our 20 something lives. I can't tell you how many times I've texted "eek!" to my family and friends this past week. Just ask Laurie.

Here is a sneak peak of the back yard. The rest will have to wait until we are holding the keys in our hands.

Stayed tuned, so far things have been progressing without a hitch. Fingers crossed!

Next up, packing.

Happy weekend! :)