Surrey Lane is Under Contract

Last Friday was a good day and a bad day all rolled into one.

At 9 a.m. we received a very respectable offer on our house with a clean contract and a quick closing (before June 30th!).  It was more than we could ever hope for after being on the market for almost 5 months.  We quickly made an appointment with our agent to revisit the property that motivated us to put our house on the market in the first place.  We had a contingency offer on it through March, but unfortunately our house didn't sell in time and the contract expired without renewal. 


House For Sale

Then I drove past the house to "check it out" again, I was so sad to find a contractor's truck in the driveway.  He told me that the house went under contract two days ago!  We just couldn't believe it!  It was swooped up by another buyer in this unfortunate market.  What are the odds?!! 

I immediately called Bo to tell him not to e-mail our counter offer to the buyer's agent just yet because at the moment, we didn't have a house to move into.  He hurriedly said, "I'm glad you called when you did....my finger is on the send button!" 

Must Sell.  Lost job. Can't pay mortgage.  Wife left.  Took dog.  House a gem.  Except for asbestos.  Best offer.

We asked for an extension to our response to the buyer which left us with 24 hours to decide if we were going to
a) decline the offer on Surrey Lane so we could continue to live at home while we search for another house, or
b) counter the buyer's offer and find another house asap so we would have a place to live after our quick closing, or
c) counter the buyer's offer and rent for a while while we take our time searching for another place to live.

Option C would require us to pack up twice and not only find our dream home, but a temporary home as well to live in for an unspecified amount of time.  Sounds undesirable, right?  That's what we thought too.  But to us, it seemed like the right thing and the best choice for our family.

We spent a good portion of Saturday looking at houses.  I plan to blog about our experience and some of the houses we see house hunting, as well as what I learn from packing up 6 years of living in less than 30 days, so stay tuned.   Exciting stuff around the corner.

Today (Sunday) we got an e-mail from the buyer's agent saying that the buyers accepted our counter-offer.  We packed up the baby and headed to Bo's office to print out the contract, sign, and fax back to the agent.  (Thank you Jennifer for being our witness!).  Poor McCord, he's along for this entire house-selling/renting/buying adventure whether he likes it or not.  Here's a picture I took of him today hanging out in Bo's office at the bank while we finalized the contract.  Thank goodness he's easily entertained!

We are so thankful...
1- To be Under Contract (let's hope all goes well with the inspection!)
2-To be finished with showings.  When we first listed our house, McCord was 6 months old and had just learned how to sit up on his own.  Now he's crawling and getting. into. everything!  It's a much more challenging job to prepare our house for a showing with an almost 11 month old as opposed to a 6 month old. 
3-To find someone who loves our house and wants to live here.  But let's be honest here, Bo and I will probably both cry when we hand the keys over to the buyers. 

Are you still reading this?  Maybe you're wondering about McCord's maple....I have to admit as soon as we got the offer, I called the nursery right away to discuss the likelihood of it surviving transplantation during the summer (about 50%).  And of course now that we've decided to rent, we don't have a yard to plant it in regardless.  So, we've requested that the buyers allow us to remove the tree in the fall (restoring the yard of course) so we can move it to our new house.  They agreed.  They must be nice people.  I can't wait to meet them and welcome them to Surrey Lane. 

A Dress for Bess

My friend Kasie throws spectacular parties (if you've been reading for a while, you might remember this post about our baby shower with more pictures here) and I know that her daughter Bess' 2nd birthday will be nothing short of fabulous! 

Kasie asked me to sew a dress for Bess to wear to her party.  The criteria was turquoise and orange, goldfish, and ric rac.  She sent me this dress on etsy as inspiration.   

...and here's what I came up with

The goldfish's body is tacked down, but the tail is loose so that it can swish on it's own as Bess skips about.



Ric rac peeking out of the pockets

Box pleats and buttons on the neckline

and buttons up the back

And this morning on our early morning walk, Bo spotted this beautiful tiny birds next.  It was abandoned and fell out of a tree in our front yard last night. 

It's hard to tell from this photo, but our little resourceful bird even incorporated the twine that wraps up pinestraw into the bricks and mortor of the nest! 

McCord and Aiya

What we've been up to

This picture sums up life with a 10 month old...

So, if you've wondered why I haven't blogged lately, we've been on the go!  Here are a few pictures of what McCord's been up to. 

Playing with my toys

Watching Daddy work in the yard from the nursery window



Checking out my baby pool toys

Getting repeatedly smooched by my parents

Watching Daddy bathe Rocky

Playing in the back yard



Swinging in my cool hand me down hat from Cousin Bayer



Waiting on the water to warm up

Watching Daddy work in the yard from the deck {we also watch Daddy work in the yard from the driveway, the front porch, the front lawn, and wherever Daddy goes, I want to watch him!}

...and today, McCord saw the coolest thing ever after our morning walk: a turtle in our yard eating a snake!  This image is not for the faint of heart.

Today has been a great day for McCord and the turtle.

Not a great day for the snake.

Happy Monday!

Hello Folks!

Georgia Football, Vacation, & A Treehouse

I'm far,far behind on blogging so this will be a catch-up post. 

1. Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there - I had hoped to do a creative Mother's Day post, but it never got done.  Maybe next year!
2. Georgia Football
For all of you who don't know, my husband is a HUGE Georgia fan.  A couple of weeks ago, my in-laws invited us to the Augusta Bulldog Club to hear football Coach Mark Richt speak.  Bo was lucky enough to get up close and personal and talked about the experience for days afterwards.  Here he is getting Coach Richt to sign a jersey for Mc - a gift from my Father-in-law!  Papa, Bo has proudly hung the jersey in the nursery - not in the closet with all of his other clothes - but next to his crib (I thought you'd appreciate that!).

This was my first experience going to the Augusta Bulldog Club - but Bo has been many times before.  In fact last year when I was pregnant, we didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl.  When Bo went to the dinner, his soon-to-be-fatherly role took over and he purchased a print for Coach Richt to sign for Baby Redmond.  Bo said he was so star-struck seeing Coach Richt up close that after waiting in line, Mark looked him in the eyes as he prepared to sign the print and said, "Now whose name do I put on this?"  Bo said he waffled for a second not knowing whether it should be made out to "McCord" or "Eliza" and as he puts it, "pulled the trigger" and guessed.  "Coach, make it out to 'McCORD'!" Amazing that Bo was right about the sex of the baby. 

For our Baby Bulldog

3. Mansfield Plantation
Years ago, my mom bought us a gift certificate to this bed and breakfast in Georgetown, SC.  It is an old rice mill plantation on the Black River and Bo and I immediately fell in love with the place.  If you've never heard of it before, check out their website and plan your trip. 

This is our third year visiting the plantation, this time with a baby!  Here are Bo and McCord sitting down to eat breakfast on our first morning. 

McCord ate eggs, sausage, grits, stuffed French Toast, strawberry blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit, and yogart.  What a good time to be experimenting with solids!

We explored the plantation

 swinged in the hammock (or is it 'swung'?!)

Went to the beach



Doen't he look like a little kamikazi pilot?

  Soaked up the sun

Went for long walks

Bo fished while McCord and I antiqued in downtown Georgetown

We stayed on the second floor of this building - the old kitchen - with close views of the River.  When Mc went to sleep at night, Bo and I spread a quilt out on the lawn and had dinner under the stars (the bugs are bad, so bring bug spray!).

 What a great time we had on our very first Redmond Family Vacation and celebrated Bo's 30th birthday!

4. A Treehouse

For those of you who missed this post, my dad is building a treehouse in my parent's yard for the grandkids.  Here are a couple of pictures of McCord and Doe Doe last week checking out the progress he's made.  I've heard that he just put a roof on it and will continue to post updates.  I am sure it will evolve over time.

That's it for now!  I'm single-moming it this week as Bo is at Commercial Lending school.  We miss him and can't wait for him to come home!

McCord is 10 Months Old

First family vacation with Daddy and Mama to Mansfield Plantation in Georgetown, SC

Dear McCord,

You are 10 months old.  With every day that passes, I am in awe of the little boy God has created.  You are tender and sweet.  Your usual silly and playful side is tempered with shy and serious times.  You are easily comforted and entertained.  I am so impressed by how adaptable you are to whatever situation we're in.  You love smiling at strangers in the check-out line at the grocery store, and you are content to travel several hours in the car. 

As an infant you slept through the night at only 8 weeks old, and you have continued to do that regardless of whether you're in a new environment and sleeping in a pack n' play.  Tonight however, you're cutting your two front teeth and every couple of hours you cry out in the darkness.  Oh!  How I've relished scooping you up and holding you in my arms until you fall asleep.  It's been so long since you've needed me in that way, and I'm treasuring these middle-of-the-night moments.  Lately, you've found comfort in reaching for my hair and rubbing it between your fingers.  And I am comforted in knowing that brings you peace. 

One of your signature smiles

Your daddy and I have so enjoyed watching your personality unfold.  Already, there are things you do that are "so McCord" - like giving us one of your signature looks - a smile so subtle with eyes so full of meaning - you can have us laughing hystarically in seconds flat.  The expressions you've mastered are so grown-up and intentional that sometimes I have to remind myself that you're only 10 months old.  Amazing how your eyes say so much and you can't even talk yet!

You, my son, are a gift and a true blessing from God.  How proud I am to be called your Mama.  Not a day passes that I don't thank God for you.  Remember this one thing: You are loved beyond measure. 

Standing next to your maple with Daddy on Easter Sunday, just a week prior to your 10 month birthday

Look at how much you've grown!

Happy 10 month birthday, McCord!

Love, Mama


10 months:

• your smile: 2 bottom teeth and cutting 2 top teeth
• favorite food: strawberries
• favorite pastimes: getting into the dog bowl and rearranging the records

Expanding your taste in music

• loves: kindermusic, Rocky, Hank, Jackson, and the vaccume cleaner
• signature gesture: throwing your head in your hands when you're tired
• lately: you've been kissing us, Rocky, your grandparents, toys and also sticking out your tongue - but not at the same time
• this month you: experienced your first Come-See-Me, first Easter, and first Redmond Family Vacation to Mansfield Plantation
• I'm surprised you enjoy: going to the assisted living facility and visiting elderly folks
• you've gotten pretty good at: crawling/sliding around on your belly to get places

Watch out world!

• you're still trying to: pull up to a standing position
• we've been trying to teach you: sign language and how to wave

What a joy it has been!