I wrote this post on May 29…but for some reason never published it…

Home buyers stay home if it rains in Atlanta. In fact they seem to stay home if there’s even a chance of rain, a hint of rain or seemingly a cloud in the sky. It has been a rainy, cloudy 2009 in fair Atlanta. Mix that with “our current economic situation” and it means the house shopping has been slow, painfully slow.

Being up here in Wisconsin, and wanting so much for our house to sell, I’d started to second guess our decisions. Maybe we were stupid to have bought the house we did, maybe it isn’t as nice as I thought it was, maybe we were totally out of our minds while we lived there….maybe, maybe, maybe…..

After visiting, and staying in our house, I can say, once more with confidence, that our house is fantastic. It is super cute, a great size and layout and in beautiful shape. It is just the house we want, if only we could take it with us. As a neighbor said to us, “You just need to keep the faith.”

I returned from Atlanta with my faith renewed and a restored fortitude to face the fickle home buyers of this summer. It was tremendous fun to see all our friends and family, to stay in our lovely house and to road trip in our new car.

I love those house flipping shows and those home remodel shows. When the TV crews showed up at the foreclosure next door in early February, we couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. A&E’s Flip This House had descended with a flurry of activity.

Two months into the flip I am so ready for them to be done. The everyday workers and the camera crew are very nice but the investors and “stars” of the show make terrible neighbors. I’m tired of coming home to the aggravations of whatever over-the-line thing they have been doing all day while I’m at work.

I’m not sure what a house that was flipped for a TV show really means to the value and integrity of the house. Would you buy a house that was flipped for TV?

Our dining room anchors the middle of our house. You can see it from every other room. When we moved in we quickly realized that what we needed was some sort of bar cabinet. After researching the options, from full-out bar furniture, to sideboards, hutches, consoles and even elaborate shelving, we were stumped. The things we loved were too expensive or too large or both. The things in our price range and size were fiberboard and ugly.

A year later, while peeking in a local store window, we spotted the prefect piece, a mid-century, Scandinavian sideboard. It was on sale and the store owner brought the price down even more when we expressed interest. With the right piece of furniture and some new art work, the room has been transformed into a vibrant and warm center of our home.

This morning, after opening the living room curtains I passed a mirror only to see an ant crawling on my neck. With a little yelp I flailed my fingers at it, flicking it somewhere. A few minutes later I felt something climbing up my leg, under my skirt. Blah! I danced around the room, feeling it move from the back to the front of my leg, where it gave a little nip as I tried to crush it. This was not an ideal start to my day.

Now, with the day over, as I sit at my desk, I am convinced that there are bugs crawling across my toes and I can see them out of the corner of my eye, busy in their little bug lives. Or big bug doings, take your pick, because bugs down here come in all sizes.

Owning a home in the south means battling home invasion every moment. I never realized all the things that are sizing up your home, from the furry like squirrels, rats, mice and even cats, to the armored cockroaches, ants and even bees, to fellow man kind including the religious, environmentalist, beggars and even thieves. All that is just the fauna, I’m not even going to get into the flora.

Being a frugal, organic leaning person, I was appalled to learn of all the use of chemicals and pesticides on, in and around peoples homes. It seems like everyone has some sort of service to keep the beasties at bay. Moments like this morning, make me want to reconsider my stance and instead take immediate action.

However, the first year of homeownership has taught me that nothing can be tackled in one fell swoop, it is all about stages, and plans and slow progress. So I’ll hang in there, trying not to scream out loud when the native critters get too close and keep reinforcing the barriers.

As promised here are few photos of the transformation of our house through paint. When we bought the house the foundation was such a light, bright color, it really popped out, it made you notice the foundation. We selected a color that makes the foundation disappear. We also changed the front steps from the strange blue gray color to a nice terracotta/Georgia Clay brown. I’m really happy with the results.

Thanks to my parents for bringing down their paint sprayer and then actually doing all the work.