Living in Chicago

2010-04-16T10:42:00.001-05:00

How has it been 5 weeks since I last posted?! Yes, the market has been wonderfully busy (two weeks before the tax credit is over). I guess there was spring break in there. Oh, and taxes were started and finished. Question answered.

I am in awe of the bloggers I follow who are able to post sometimes multiple times a day. Rubbing my monitor hoping for some of their mojo.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-11T22:24:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I embarked on a quest to organize my home. I don't know how it happens, but the more space you have the more space you need. We moved into our home almost five years ago, yet I still had boxes that I had never opened or unpacked. After reading a great blog post, I decided to do my own 40 bag in 40 day purge. I committed to going through my closets, garage, office, and everywhere else. At first it was difficult.

I began in my daughter's room. I have been very good about pulling clothes that no longer fit, but had been storing them in large plastic tubs for the day I was going to sell them on eBay or Craigslist. I quickly filled three large bags and moved them to my bedroom, not knowing what to do with them. The next day I attacked my linen closet and both upstairs vanities. It was very easy to part with the old cosmetics, expired medication and sunscreen and dingy sheets and towels. I feel a huge sense of satisfaction when I carried the bags out to the trash (except for the old towels that are now in my craft bin for a great project I will unveil on this blog soon.)

With the bags from the first day still sitting in my bedroom, I felt a little defeated and decided to take a few days off (after all I was five bags for two days). When I started back up, I decided to conquer the evil storage room on our lower level. We are lucky to have a 10 x 6 room that I have managed to cram full of tubs. I spent a good part of two days in this room (and I am still not finished). This room is where we store our holiday decorations, tubs of clothes we hope to fit into again someday, baby clothes, old paperwork from my restaurant I sold in '98 and anything else I don't know what to do with.

I had two tubs of maternity clothes alone in there. What? My daughter is 5 1/2! Because she was born 12 wks early, I had so many maternity pieces that still had the tags on. I told myself for five years that I was going to sell them on eBay, but some how, it never happened. Sitting on the family room floor, going through the bins I realized that getting rid of those clothes was admitting how terrible my two pregnancies were and that I could never have another baby. I have known this for years, but realize now that I wasn't truly ready to let go. Once I get over the emotional hump of parting with these and they were put into bags, I timidly moved on to the tubs with the preemie clothes. This was much more difficult for me than dealing with the maternity clothes. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the pain of losing my first daughter when she was three days old, 17 years ago, after arriving 16 wks early. At the same time, I was clutching the tiny outfits so thankful for my second daughter and remembering how blessed I felt when she was finally big enough to leave the hospital in one of beautiful little pieces. I did it! I got through the teeny tiny clothes! And after a very good cry, decided to keep one little outfit and many, many memories. The one outfit is only so my daughter can see someday what a 4 lb baby wore home from the hospital. I loaded six bags of baby clothes, maternity clothes, and the three bags from my first night of purging into my van and headed immediately to Salvation Army. It took me five years, but I now have a heart full of memories and a third of my storage room empty!

I felt so empowered the next day when I set out to fill my bag that I decided to tackle the two tubs of paperwork from my restaurant that I sold in '98. After 12 years, did I really need to keep this? After searching several websites, including www.irs.gov, I pulled out my little shredder and began shredding. Who would have thought that shredding old invoices, canceled checks (back when the banks returned them) and payroll sheets would be so fun! It was fun to think about old employees, crazy customers, sponsored events, as I fed page after page into the shredder, but it was more fun to see two tubs of useless things shredded into confetti.

After letting go of all the mental baggage, the last week and a half of purging has been easy. No emotions tied to stuff in the garage, food in the pantry or dishes in the kitchen. Today is day 23 of my 40 day purge and I am not nearly done organizing my home and life. While I accept that I will never truly be done, I am now focused enough to never stop trying.

If you want to tackle those boxes, files, bags and kitchen drawers full of old statements, receipts, invoices, etc. but fear potential identity theft if you were to toss in the trash, this weekend you will have your chance to clean house. Check out Chicago Spring Cleaning: Free Shredding and Recycling Day – March 13.

10 After-School Snacks Your Child Can Make

2010-03-10T14:21:00.007-06:00

Heading out now to pick up my daughter from school. What is it about the day of a kindergartner that leaves them so hungry, ready to devour anything is site? I know it has only been a little more than two hours since she ate the yummy, healthy lunch I packed...and yes, yummy can be healthy too! In an attempt to head off the pleas for fruit chews, cookies and other processed, unhealthy snacks, I always have my eyes open for easy to make healthy snacks...even better are snacks she can help me make! I found this link today and though many are already on our list (Ants on a Log, Banana Dogs and Parfaits) I found some new ones today on one of my favorite DIY (do it yourself) blogs. 10 After-School Snacks Your Child Can Make

Being prepared helps us avoid the temptation to stop at Starbucks for a blueberry scone and water quick fix (like we did yesterday).

2010-03-09T20:37:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year! Fingers crossed for nice weather so we can witness the river turn green and the Chicago's only St. Patrick's day parade. It has been many years since we went to the downtown parade (though we live only two miles from it), but now that the South Side Irish parade is no more, we will be wearing our green and joining the proud near Columbus & Monroe.

Here is a great link for St Patrick’s Day Free Festivities in Chicago

Spring is Coming!

2010-03-09T12:38:00.001-06:00

As a mom of a super active kindergartner, I am always on the lookout for unique and fun projects we can work on together. She is not always the most patient (or am I), so I get very excited when I run across fun projects that do not require a ton of prep work. We want instant gratification! I love, love, love this easy project found on the Mod Podge Rocks blog. How can you resist making these?

2010-02-17T15:26:00.001-06:00

With all the tweeting, updating, foursquaring going on these days, it is was only a matter of time before someone began shouting how vulnerable we are when we are willing to share our every moves. Check out Please Rob Me and then think twice about telling me you are at the 7eleven at Diversey & Sheffield picking up a gallon of milk.

2010-02-04T14:01:00.017-06:00

As a Realtor and web junkie, I spend a lot (ok, ridiculous) amount of time reading blogs and websites about home improvement, home staging, etc....and there are a lot of great sites out there! A few weeks ago I stumbled upon one of my new favorites after I followed a link found on one of my old favorites, This Young House. Knockoffwood is a site dedicated to all of us out there who longingly stare at the Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm, etc. sites and catalogs wishing the pieces didn't cost hundreds or thousands. Ana has developed the plans to recreate the pieces we want. Her site shares (for free) all the info you need to make everything from a bench to elaborate entertainment center. The plans and photos are so efficient that even a "never attempted to build furniture" such as me has created a to do list. The thought of making pieces that will work perfectly in my home has become an obsession. The biggest dilemma is what to build first!

I really want to redo my daughter's room and because it is the smallest bedroom in the house, extra storage will be a blessing! I think this twin bed is the perfect solution. I also want to build extra pieces (the bed is just a series of boxes) and make storage/seating for under the windows opposite her bed. A bunch of pretty pillows and I think it will create the perfect space to sit and read.

I get starry eyed dreaming about the project below as a way to organize our backpacks, personal electronic items, outerwear etc. I love the idea of being able to tailor it to fit our needs...something you can't do buying an already built

2010-02-02T13:55:00.004-06:00

I have become obsessed with DIY (do it yourself). I blame/thank the bloggers at This Young House. They have helped me learn that with a little inspiration (and not necessarily a lot of money) I can update my home and help my clients make positive changes to their homes. Sometimes just seeing pictures of what someone else has done is enough to make you grab your keys and head to Home Depot! Here is a link to one of their great postings "Major Makeover-Minor Moolah".

Home Buyer Tax Credit

2010-02-01T13:14:00.003-06:00

If you have been on the fence about when to make a move, it might help to know the facts about the Home Buyer Tax Credit. You can still qualify if you have a binding contract dated April 30th or earlier and you close on or before June 30th.

A tax credit of up to $8,000 is available for first-time home buyers
A tax credit of up to $6,500 is available for repeat home buyers who have owned a home for five consecutive years out of the prior eight years
Home purchases in 2010 may be claimed on an amended 2009 income tax return

For more information, check this out and/or contact me.