The townhouse is pretty small, although it's advertised as a three bedroom with a finished basement. The sweetheart of a seminarian who has just graduated and is vacating it showed us around.
Here are the facts:
- a tiny three bedroom townhouse occupied by a family of five is, by necessity, going to appear stuffed to the gills with stuff and thus somewhat messy (get over it, Mibi)
- a third bedroom that is going to be the back-from-college room of StrongOpinions is going to seem much smaller than humanly possible by said 18-year-old (get over it, StrongOpinions)
- the buckling faux-paneling in the so-called finished basement doesn't indicate that the front door still leaks, making the wall unsuitable for bookshelves
- the exceedingly lively party at the next-door home of the African-American family looks promising, except when I think how much I've got to read and study
- the vast quantity of small kid detritus in the courtyard and in the back yards means I may get asked to babysit (I have mixed feelings about that)
- the number of seminarians living on this one courtyard guarantees community of one sort or another (I have mixed feelings about that, too, being a private person)
The jury is out on what will actually fit in this place. I think I need to draw some diagrams or something...
We got home, StrongOpinions went out with her friend, I crashed. She came home about midnight and thumped around making herself a snack. I woke up, came downstairs to read on the sofa, and she decided to join me for a long conversation about fears, sadness, etc. etc. Conversation lasted two hours. She will be OK, I think. She's also facing some minor female surgery in a couple of weeks, and I know that's weighing on her mind. All I know is that I need more sleep.
Please, somebody, buy this house?
It WILL be OK, I promise. We moved from rambling Georgian farmhouse, which had more rooms than we had names for (though we certainly found stuff to put in them) to tidy little suburban house, which does have a bedroom for each child,- but the only way that LoudBoy can get into his is because he has a loft bed and his desk and drawers sit beneath it. And we wept and (the children) raged and we got rid of more stuff than we would have believed possible and swore at each other and screamed at God...and then we got here, and it all fitted in somehow and we are still fond of each other and still here..But I know how hard it is. Hugs and prayers for all of you. xx
ReplyDeleteOur kids were young still (8 and 11) when we sold our rambling suburban house on 1/2 acre with the still-as-yet-empty cupboards and closets and moved to our version of 'tiny seminary townhouse' with loud neighbors and toddler-toy strewn courtyard. It was quite an adjustment.
ReplyDeleteGod went with us, though, and God goes with you, too.
(((Mibi family)))
Mibi,
ReplyDeleteI'm having a lot of the same stresses.
Our current home is a three bedroom (our first home together!) with large kitchen, breakfast room, enclosed porch, attic, basement, crawl space, shed, and fenced back yard. It would probably be small for your family, but it's perfect for two people. It's a lovely old house with flaws - um I mean character!
We are moving to an itty bitty apartment in The Big City, a move which will require putting 3/4 of our belongings in storage and being very creative about storage. We also will need to learn to work/study in the same space without driving each other nuts.
I keep reminding myself that simplifying and down sizing is a useful exercise, good for us spiritually, and a way to free up more time for other things. Sometimes I even believe myself... :-)
Now if our house would only sell also...