The State of the Move: Some Updates

The State of the Move at Just a Girl and Her Blog

The state of the move.

Where do I even begin?! I feel like things have been moving so quickly around here that I’ve barely had time to wrap my mind around them, but I’ll try my best to sum up everything that has happened over the past few weeks!

If you missed it, I recently was able to spill the beans about a secret I’d been keeping for quite a while: we are in the process of selling our little townhouse that we’ve lived in for over 7 years and are building a new place just a few miles down the road!

Sold

When I made the announcement on the blog, I felt like we had SO much time before anything significant was really going to happen, and I don’t even know that the whole moving thing had actually even hit me yet. It all seemed so surreal and almost too good to be true! We have spent years waiting to buy the house that we hope will be our “forever home”… was it really finally happening?!

It’s amazing that sometimes you wait for something for what seems like forever, and then all of the sudden, everything falls into place all at once. That’s what the past month or so has felt like for us.

So what’s up with the townhouse?

Well, our townhouse has sold. Inspections have been completed. Agreements have been signed. We’ve begun taking things off the walls and shelves, and boxes are being packed. It’s kind of sad and incredibly exciting all at the same time. We have to be out of the house in a little over two weeks, so we will be busy organizing, wrapping, boxing, storing, and attempting to keep our sanity all at the same time. 🙂

Wall Art Being Packed Up at Just a Girl and Her Blog

Another interesting twist to this whole moving adventure is that we have to leave our current house in mid-July, but our new house isn’t going to be finished until the beginning or middle of September. Eeek. So it looks like I’ll be a home blogger without an actual home for the next few months!

While it is kind of scary to be in a perpetual state of transition for that long, it really could not have come at a better time. The kids are out of school, Donnie and I have flexible jobs, and we are excited for a different kind of summer break than we’ll probably ever experience again!

We’ll spend some time with our families who are both close by, we have a vacation planned, I’ll be traveling to the Haven Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in August, and eventually we’ll be renting a little temporary place for about a month to tide us over until the house is finished up.

That’s the plan, anyway… 😉

But how is the new house coming along?

As with the sale of our townhouse, the building of the new house seems to be happening fast! They broke ground near the beginning of June, and before we knew it, the foundation had been poured.

Poured Foundation at Just a Girl and Her Blog Orchard House

We can now tell what the layout of the basement will look like and how the house will sit in relation to the houses on either side of us.

Poured Basement at Just a Girl and Her Blog Orchard House

There is a TON of lumber and other materials sitting on our lot, waiting to be put to good use…

Lumber at Just a Girl and Her Blog Orchard House

And the very beginning of the framing has begun. We may even have some semblance of walls soon! 🙂

Beginning of Framing at Just a Girl and Her Blog Orchard House

There is certainly a lot more to be done but things are moving along, and it is so fun to drive by every few days and see new progress happening!

So that’s where things stand with us at the moment! I plan on talking more about how we organized the packing and moving process in some future posts, and I will be sure to share more house updates as we have them. I’ll be giving quick little updates on Instagram in between blog posts, so be sure to pop over and connect with me there as well!

Thank you so much for joining us on this fun journey! There are definitely a lot of unknowns about the next few months, but I’m excited to see how everything plays out!

If you’d like to see the other updates about our new house, you can find them here:

I’ve held this in so long that I feel like I might burst. (our moving announcement)

Our New Home: A Preview

The State of the Move: Some Updates (You’re here!)

New House Update: We’re Getting Close!

Our New House: The “Before” Photos

Have a wonderful weekend!

Abby

26 Comments

  1. Wow Abbey, things are speeding along! But it’s very exciting and fascinating to see the pics of the building as each step is being done. Great learning experience for the boys too!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      It really is! Thanks, Barbara!

      ~Abby =)

  2. I absolutely adore seeing houses being built and coming together into a beautiful home! I’ve followed your instagram so hopefully I’ll get to see more progress photos of the house as it continues to “grow” 😀
    I’m eager to see how this unique summer rolls out for you guys, I bet you’ll have a lot of stories to share with us!

  3. YAY YAY YAY!!! What a fun and memorable summer you 4 will have. A great opportunity to spend some (interesting!) time with each other and with God. You’ll be able to ‘see’ Him from a different perspective – SO SO COOL. <3

    Also, do we see a packing list printable in the future? 😉 hehe.. I made one when we just moved, but I love your designs. xo

  4. Ack we are in the same boat.I posted on one of your previous posts about you moving adventure. But your timeline is faster than ours. I’ll be eager to hear how temporary living goes for you. I am trying to treat it as adventure. we have to be out of our current house July 15 and then our new home won’t be finished until December. Wisconsin must be the land of slow building, even though it should be prime building time right now. We are waiting for permits before they can begin digging. We are spending about 5 weeks each in various living situations. Eeks. I’m almost to the point in packing where I dont know what to pack anymore because we still need it. Stress! I’m trying to act like its an adventure for the sake of my 3 kids ages 8, 6, and 3 but I hate this feeling of life being on hold.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I totally feel your pain, Andrea! I am trying to treat it as an adventure as well, but the planner in me finds it difficult not knowing what the next few months will hold! Hugs and prayers to you on your new home journey!

      ~Abby =)

  5. I love reading your posts over here in Lincoln England and following your lifestyle. Can’t wait to watch it all unfold

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Aw, thanks so much, Jan!

      ~Abby =)

  6. Terry Campbell says:

    I am so happy for you and your family. It’s nice that your new home is close to your old neighborhood, so it won’t be a total shock when you move. You’ll know where everything is. Have a happy and safe summer

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much, Terry! You too!

      ~Abby =)

  7. brenda sanford says:

    Hello: It’s been such a view from here, wathing you and your family grow so strong and independent. What a testemony of faith. Good job Lawson family!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You are the sweetest, Brenda! Thank you!

      ~Abby =)

  8. Hi Abby, I have been following you ever since I googled print your own bunting and up you popped. I love reading all about you guys and am so excited for you to be building your forever home. I live in Australia so houses are very different here. I totally understand how sad you must be to be leaving your gorgeous town house.
    Enjoy every minute of this journey.
    Amanda

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much, Amanda! Have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  9. Christen @ DIYSwank says:

    Selling and building at the same time is a crazy wild ride! We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment for 5 months while are home was being finished last year. The second time we built over the winter so we ran into lots of delays. You should be smooth sailing from here. Our first home we built was over the summer and it went by so much faster. I promise you’ll back and say “Hey we did that, what an adventure!” 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much for your encouragement, Christen! This summer will surely be an adventure!

      ~Abby =)

  10. Wow, congratulations for so quick sale! I can’t wait to hear some moving tips from you 🙂

  11. We are going through this right now too, except we aren’t building. We are leaving our townhouse and moving into a larger house with a bigger yard at the end of the month! I so relate to your feelings of excitement and although I don’t know that you mentioned it, if you’re like me you might be a little overwhelmed too 🙂
    Best of luck in your new home and enjoy the summer with your family!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much, Claire! Excited and overwhelmed… my constant state right now! 🙂 Congrats on your new home!

      ~Abby =)

  12. Amanda-LivingFullyandFree says:

    Wow congratulations on being able to move into your dream home! Such a big accomplishment and exciting adventure! I know moving is crazy (we moved cross country 3 times in 9 months). So do your best to stay calm and excited about the process instead of stressed! I can’t wait to see what your new house will look like!

    Thanks for sharing Abby!

    Amanda

  13. Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com says:

    SOO excited for you, Abby! Cannot wait to see you move into it in a few months! xo

  14. Dean & Hannah says:

    This is very exciting! We’re looking to build a house too, so we’re just trying to find a plot and get the finances together – should be ‘interesting’ as we also have our first child on the way soon… Well, we wouldn’t want it to be easy!

    Thanks for all you do – we’re working out way through Building a Framework, and loving it so far.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Aw, yay! Congrats on your first little one! And building a home? What a fun time for you guys! I’m so glad you are enjoying Building a Framework! LOVE to hear that! Have a great weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  15. Tondeleya Allen says:

    Just found your blog & I’m glad I did. Congratulations on the new home. Your family is beautiful. Thank you for sharing such inspiration.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Aw, thanks so much, Tondeleya! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

Comments are closed.