It's All Happening!!

Well Phill got sick of the house hunting and the runaround he was getting from the real estates up there and true to his word pulled the pin on the whole thing.  I didn't realise how much I didn't want to go until that happened and I felt a huge weight lift off me.
But the fact still remained that we needed a bigger house and to get out of this dodgy neighbourhood and away from the Crazy Landlady.  Rentals are hard to find in this town (which is why we ended up living in this house) but amazingly I found a wonderful place online within our price range.  It's a four bedroom house in a really nice neighbourhood, it has polished floors in the living and dining areas (no more stressing about carpets) and sensible carpet in the bedrooms (not beige berber like here which shows every little stain).  A BRAND NEW KITCHEN, with a dishwasher (ours is on its last legs) and a great pantry etc.  A lovely INSIDE laundry.  Under floor ducted heating, and ducted air conditioning (no more messy wood fire).  The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the rent includes a gardener to tend to the gardens.  The bedrooms are good sized, ours has a built in and there is a wardrobe in one of the others so we'll have to buy just one wardrobe.  The fourth bedroom will be the family/games room.  There is a lovely entertainment unit in the lounge room which will stay, it probably won't fit our big flatscreen tv but it will be great in the family room with the smaller tv.  Also a little bar fridge in the laundry which will be handy.  We have a big double garage out the back and a really nice undercover outdoor area for the bbq etc. 
I'm actually still in shock.  I told Phill about the house on Tuesday and he was still pouting about not being able to move up north and made a crack about the rent (less than what he was prepared to pay in Tamworth).  So I left it and sure enough he rang yesterday and asked about it and then suggested I have a look through it and make an application.  I rang the real estate, not the one we're renting through now, and asked if I could have a look and the guy said "how about now?"  That NEVER happens.  So we scrambled to get dressed and off we went, Kate, Josh and me (Emily, amazingly was at school).  We just loved the house and came home and filled the application out, which was not without its drama as we needed something faxed from Phill at the motel and he lost his temper when I couldn't follow his (typically bad) instructions.  I was just going to give the whole thing up but Kate, being Kate wasn't giving up.  I really didn't think we had a chance at the house with the whole blacklist thing, although I was upfront with the RE guy and explained how it all happened.  He knows the Barretts in Junee so that helped (everyone hates them in this area).  So we took the application down and about ten to nine this morning got the call.  That also rarely happens.  The real estates in Tamworth just didn't bother calling back and we had to chase them up all the time.  I am over the moon.  It will be so nice to live in a modern, nice house with a new kitchen.  The rent is over a hundred dollars a week more than here, but we have had it really good for the last twenty months or so with this cheap rent.  We can easily afford to pay more.  Kids will have to bus it to school when I don't have the car but that won't kill them.

Hmm those last two photos are a bit small but isn't the house lovely?

In other news, Josh just wasn't getting better so I finally took him to the doctor and felt like a terrible mother when he was diagnosed with a really bad sinus infection.  I totally didn't even think of that, I've never had sinus trouble nor have any of the kids.  Poor little bugger, we think sinus problems have been with him for a long time as he has no sense of smell.  So he's on antibiotics and a nasal spray and home for the rest of the week.  He seems a bit better already.

Kids had fun last night playing Monopoly with the electronic version we bought last year.  It has no cash but uses credit cards.  Sign of the times huh?  Much hilarity ensued until Emily had a dummy spit and stormed outside.  She must have been out in the stables and she must have been pretty bloody cold as it got to minus three here the previous night.  She came back in after a while and got up quite cheerful this morning.

We're off to Young after school, for a bit of shopping and dinner out to celebrate this new phase in our lives, finally settling somewhere for the long haul and our lovely new home.

I'm suddenly motivated and energised and am ready for the cleaning and the packing.  Not sure where that puts our Sydney trip now but that's okay I have to go up there to take Kate to the plane anyway.  We're so going to miss her, she's like a breath of fresh air here, so positive and supportive of us all.