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Story of Our New House!

May 23, 2017 · 22 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my privacy policy for details.

I have been looking forward to sharing this post with you because it’s been so exciting and so many of you have been following our journey since I shared that we had put our house on the market last year. So today I’m sharing a little behind-the-scenes story of our new house and our move!

The story of moving into a new houseThe way things worked out is truly amazing, oddly coincidental, and I’m still pinching myself and thanking the big man upstairs for everything falling into place the way it did.

You see, we put our house on the market last year. LAST YEAR!!!! We put it on the market a little too late I believe, just as buying season was tapering down (at least that’s what we kept telling ourselves). There were a few tours, our realtor did many open houses, but there just wasn’t any interest.

New Sweetphi houseAt that point, we had really been wanting to start a family, but nothing was happening. It was just the two of us and Clover (our dog) and while we WANTED to move, it wasn’t really a necessity. It was fine, just a smallerish house and hopes of moving before the holidays, so we rented a little storage unit and put all of our knickknacks and holiday decorations in storage.

Well, the months kept on rolling by, and nothing. It was very disheartening. Some of the reasons we were told our house wasn’t selling (makes sense, but still):

  • It was too hot in the summer, people didn’t want to move
  • It was election season, nobody wants to move during a tumultuous election
  • Houses around us – which were total dumps and needed tons and tons of work were being listed super cheap (like for 80k) and bringing the value of our house down
  • People didn’t value the work we’d put into the house (new roof, new chimney, etc)
  • The area is still on the up-and-up but not there yet (there’s an amazing farmers market that is literally 5 blocks away, I will miss that, and a bunch of small restaurants and even a brewery are opening up, but a lot of it is undiscovered by the rest of Milwaukee yet).
  • Our house looked a lot smaller on the outside than it actually is on the inside (this one I get – it is much cozier once you walk through the door)
  • It was too cold in the fall/winter, people don’t want to move in a Wisconsin winter (ok fine, I get this one too).

Then in the late fall, we found out I was pregnant!!!!!! So exciting. Truly amazing. Even at 36 weeks (8 months) I am so grateful to be pregnant (although the pregnancy wasn’t the easiest at first, I was literally sick every day for a solid 3+ months, now it’s so much better).

Philia Kelnhofer - Sweetphi - new house
Here is me – 8 months preggo in our kitchen!

With all the holiday stuff going on and seemingly no activity or interest on the house, we decided to take it off the market over the holidays and relist it in the spring.

Over the holidays we didn’t have any decorations because everything was in storage. I bought this little twig and light tree that I thought would be ‘simple & classy’ but it was just sad lol.

The March rolled around and we put our house on the market! This time around, there was lots of interest, YAY! There seemed to be a tour every other day and sometimes multiple tours on weekends – but sadly no offers. We were constantly cleaning our house because of the tours and making arrangements to go over to my in-laws with Clover. Thank goodness they live close by and are so nice, because it would have basically been impossible without them.

Keep in mind, I am 5-6 months pregnant at this point and starting to freak out a little. The way our house was set up, the master bedroom was upstairs and the 1 bathroom was downstairs, so I’d be going up and down the stairs at all hours of the night to pee the bazillion times one has to while preggo. It would wake me up, and then I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and make for one cranky Phi.

Moving truck - moving dayAlso, I was beginning to get a little anxious (ok fine, maybe a little more than ‘a little’) about where we would put the baby and baby stuff. We literally had nothing for the baby and I didn’t want to buy stuff because we wanted to MOVE! I wanted to NEST (<- it’s a real thing, I wanted to make a baby room and kept freaking out that the baby was going to be kept in a dresser drawer because we wouldn’t have anything ready).

Then, FINALLY, after one tour we got an offer, and after a few days because nothing is easy when selling or buying a house, we had an accepted offer. Then came the always nerve wracking inspection, appraisal, and paperwork.

With the closing date coming up in a month on our current living space, we now were going to look for a house. Previously we had been looking online, but not in person, because in the areas we wanted to move, the houses would sell so fast that our little hopes kept getting crushed.

New house nurseryWe figured we’d start by going to some open houses. And we proceeded to hate everything we looked at in person. Either it was in the right neighborhood but needed a ton of work (now I was 7 months pregnant and the thought of a bunch of renovations did not sound appealing) or it was not quite in the right area and ok, but we felt like it was just a little too much money.

We had just come back from an open house and were feeling hopeless and defeated and went over to my in-laws and were sitting at their kitchen table lamenting the ugly houses we had seen, and my father-in-law was looking at houses on his phone, and he was like “what about this one?” It was amazing looking. We drove by it and immediately asked our realtor to set up a tour.

This was on a Saturday, the house had literally JUST been posted that day. We toured it on a Monday, loved it and put in an offer that evening.It just felt like ‘home’. During the tour I remember a moment when I was standing in the kitchen and just felt like it was ours/mine. I was thinking “these people need to get their stuff out of my house” lol.

The ktichen in the new houseMiraculously closing dates worked out so that we closed on our new house, and then 2 days later on our old house.

A little about our new house: it is our dream house and our (hopefully) forever house. If you think of the letter “L” our old house was located at the very top, and my in-laws were at the bottom end of the L. Our new house is now where the two lines meet. So it’s about a mile and a half away from my in-laws and close to an on-ramp for me. Perfect for me to drop off the baby when he’s born and then go on to work.

The house itself is beyond amazing. It’s like everything we had on our list (even as things we’d ‘like to have’ but not ‘musts’) is fulfilled. It’s open and perfect for entertaining and I cannot wait to have people over. And I’m seriously in love with the kitchen – a must for a SweetPhi kitchen, right?

Unpacking at the new houseThe move went well – only a few small hiccups along the way, like the fact that our bed frame had been put together wrong initially, so my husband had to use a saw to cut the support boards down, which resulted in us sleeping on a mattress in the living room until that was done lol, but Clover kept a watchful eye on us.

My amazing hubby even broke down the boxes, it was so cute and organized lol.

Other posts you might enjoy:

  • Mom Essentials – Summer Edition
  • Twins and a Toddler Shared Room
  • Small Home Office Makeover Reveal

Recycling boxesI will share more photos- a home tour if you will – when we unpack a little and get things set up. If you’re still reading at this point, thank you – I know this is a long post, it is all my excitement over our new house that I just couldn’t help sharing!!!!

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Blog Posts, Home, Lifestyle kitchen, Lifestyle, moving, new house, Story of our new home, sweetphi home, sweetphi kitchen

Did you make this recipe? Hashtag with us! Be sure to follow/tag @PhiliaKelnhofer and hashtag #sweetphiblog – we love to see what you’re cooking up!”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. json formatter says

    May 27, 2017 at 12:50 am

    Congrats on your new home! Keep up your good work!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 27, 2017 at 7:44 pm

      Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    May 26, 2017 at 6:46 am

    Congratulations!! I hope it brings you as much love and joy as it brought us. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 26, 2017 at 6:55 am

      Aw, that’s so sweet that you found my blog, thank you for the lovely comment, we are loving the house 🙂

      Reply
  3. Little Cooking Tips says

    May 25, 2017 at 12:41 am

    Hi guys! Congrats on the new home! What a great story btw! You SO reminded of us when we were trying to move last year lol 🙂 Unfortunately it didn’t work for us (yet), and we put it on hold, but THIS house Phi…oh THIS house looks AWESOME. What a great kitchen space! This counter in the middle is PERFECT for your blogging activities as well, right?:) You can even shoot an awesome YT video on that. Believe it or not we reject LOTS of places ourselves for having a bad kitchen space lol :):):)
    We’re so happy for you guys! Can’t wait to see and read more about the new place:)
    Sending you our love,
    xoxoxo

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 26, 2017 at 6:36 am

      Thank you so much! I remember you saying you wanted to move last year too, hopefully it will all work out for you soon. It’s always so hard to find what one is looking for, isn’t it? This kitchen is definitely perfect for us, and I love cooking with all the extra space, i’ve never had that much counter space in my entire life lol. thank you again for your lovely comment 🙂

      Reply
  4. jess larson | plays well with butter says

    May 24, 2017 at 9:59 am

    congratulations, phi!!! your new home is beautiful. the home buying process is SO draining, i can’t even imagine how you’ve been feeling the last handful of months! the moment you stood in your new kitchen reminds me of the moment i stepped into ours. i was so skeptical of this house & didn’t want to like it, but turned the corner to the kitchen & looked at chris – i must have given him the “eyes” because he said “this is the one, isn’t it?” again congrats, & best wishes settling into your new home!! can’t wait to see a tour! xx

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 26, 2017 at 6:34 am

      It totally is draining, but worth it!! I can’t wait to have everything put away and more organized lol.

      Reply
  5. Wendy says

    May 24, 2017 at 5:51 am

    Love this new house!!!!! Can’t wait to visit 😉

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 24, 2017 at 7:10 am

      Thank you so much – girl, I cannot wait for you to see it in person…it has a movie theater in the basement lol, it’s just our dream house overall, cannot wait to share more photos when I unpack a little more, my bump is slowing me down lol. Miss you, love you.

      Reply
  6. Pam sierzchildki says

    May 23, 2017 at 8:52 pm

    Love the story! Can’t wait to see the new digs!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 24, 2017 at 7:09 am

      Thank you so much Pam, can’t wait for you to see it either, we are loving it!

      Reply
  7. DairyCarrie says

    May 23, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    Congrats on the new home and the soon to be newborn!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 24, 2017 at 7:09 am

      Thank you so much!! I was getting a little nervous with timing lol, but I am so happy it all worked out the way it did, now I can ‘nest’ lol.

      Reply
  8. Denise E. says

    May 23, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    Yay! Congratulations on finding your dream home and moving in. And premature congratulations on the new bambino. Hopefully all goes smoothly and easily!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 24, 2017 at 7:08 am

      Thank you so much Denise, really appreciate it! I still cannot believe how it all worked out, definitely thanking our lucky stars!

      Reply
  9. Shawnna Griffin says

    May 23, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    hey girl- love the post! Congrats on your new home! so cool!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 24, 2017 at 7:07 am

      Thank you so much! Can’t wait to share more photos when we unpack a little more lol 🙂

      Reply
  10. sarajane says

    May 23, 2017 at 9:37 am

    Congratulations!
    Love those Wisconsin booties!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 23, 2017 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you 🙂 My sister in law (who went to Madison) got the for us. My hubby also went to Madison 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Small Home Office Makeover Reveal - Sweetphi says:
    January 29, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    […] we moved into our house 3 years ago, we designated the front small space as my home office, and while the walls were a deep […]

    Reply
  2. Twins and a Toddler Shared Room - Sweetphi says:
    October 16, 2019 at 8:19 am

    […] years ago we were so excited when we bought our current house.  It was so much more space than our first house, we loved the location and thought it would […]

    Reply

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Sweetphi - Philia Kelnhofer - food blogger head shot image

Welcome to the SweetPhi blog, I’m Phi! I live in Milwaukee, WI. I’m a busy working mom (and cookbook author x2) to boy-girl twins and a toddler.

I am all about helping make mealtime a little easier and sharing inspiration for those with a busy lifestyle!

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The twins have been picking out their own outfits, The twins have been picking out their own outfits, weird pantry ingredients that turned into an amazing meal (ever heard of “knödel and more on this weeks’ Catching Up With The Kelnhofers
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P.s.- Frankie’s cute vegetable dress is from @blackbearboutique 
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👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/catching-up-with-the-kelnhofers-81/
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#cookbookauthor  #cookingwithkids #sweetphiblog  #familylife #kids #twins #lifeupdates #recipes #easyrecipes  #lifestyleblog #familyfun #twinstyle #boygirltwins #motherhood #reallife #familyof5  #twinmom #twinmomlife #boymom #girlmom #twinsofinstagram #twinstagram #twinmama #lifewithtwins #twinsandatoddler #momblogger #lifestyleblogger #milwaukeemom #knodel
Want to hear the horrible thing that happened in m Want to hear the horrible thing that happened in my house this week? 🎻 
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First, I ran out of coffee beans 😳😩😢
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Then, as I was washing dishes late at night, my French press slipped through my hands and shattered 🙀😭😫
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I just kept repeating a German phrase my mom used to say “sherben bringen Glück” which means “shards bring luck” (it’s usually applied to like porcelain- which is why plates and mugs are thrown on the ground ahead of weddings... but my mom would apply it to glass/plates/whatever broke) 
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So...I’m going to go ahead and make some sweet cream, bust out my old coffee machine until the new French press arrives <-because apparently now I’m someone who makes French press coffee every morning! 
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I’m going to drink my coffee and make my meal plan and shopping list for the week ahead (if you need some inspo the latest free meal plan and which has the ability to create a shooting list with the click of a button is live on the blog! 
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How are you spending your weekend?
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Clickable link in profile 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/weekly-meal-plan-3-1-3-7/
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#mealplanning #coffee #coffeelover #sweetphiblog #easyrecipes #easymealideas #recipes #icedcoffee #coffeecreamer #sweetcream #breakfast #brunch 
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What would you dip in this pimento cheese spread f What would you dip in this pimento cheese spread first? 
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❤️ crackers
🧡 veggies 
💛 fries
💚 chips 
💙 pretzels
💜 a cheeseburger <- so good
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Recipe here: https://sweetphi.com/5-ingredient-pimento-cheese-spread/
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#pimentocheese #pimentos #sauce #saucerecipe #easyrecipe #secretsauce #dip #glutenfree  #burgersauce #easyrecipes #foodphotographer #foodstylist #foodblogger #milwaukeeblogger #wisconsinblogger #sweetphiblog #mealprep #glutenfreerecipe #mealpreprecipe #mealprepsunday #appetizer #appetizerrecipe
Did you know? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Today i Did you know? 
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Today is #NationalChiliDay !!
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So to celebrate I’m sharing this crazy delicious vegetarian vegan chili!!
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This Instant Pot vegetarian chili (eggplant chili) is definitely going to be you make regularly. 🍅🧅
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It’s full of vegetables and healthy ingredients, plus it makes a generous batch; perfect for leftovers!
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I love serving this with cornbread and avocado as a topping and you can also add sour cream or Greek yogurt.🥑
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Clickable link in profile or 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/instant-pot-vegetarian-chili
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#chilirecipe #chili #eggplantrecipes #veganrecipes #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #glutenfreerecipes #deliciousfoods #foodiepics #yummyyummy #delicious #foodloversofinstagram #healthyfoodie #healthyrecipes #tastytasty #eatsmart #homemadecooking #foodpicsdaily  #vegan #glutenfree #foodblogeats #smallbusinesslove #instantpot #instantpotrecipes #foodphotographer #milwaukeefoodphotohrapher #familymealideas #recipedeveloper
Wanna know a secret? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ P Wanna know a secret?
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Perfectly baked salmon is only 22 minutes away!
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This is my go-to baked salmon recipe. 
1 Lb Center Cut Salmon about 16 oz
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
1 Tbs Mediterranean Sea Salt (or spice mix of your choice)
1/2 Lemon sliced and slices halved
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Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, let rest for 2 minutes, enjoy!
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Clickable link in profile or 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/perfectly-baked-salmon-recipe/
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 #salmon #salmonrecipe #healthyfood #recipevideo #5ingredientsorless #seafood #seafoodrecipe #howtovideo  #healthyeating #healthyeats #mealprep #mealprepideas
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Are you team ♥️ anchovies, or team 🤢 anchov Are you team ♥️ anchovies, or team 🤢 anchovies? 
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I used to be 🤢 
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They sounded kinda gross if you asked me. Canned fish? No thank you. 
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Then I was part of a cookbook club (remember social activities.. 😭) and I cooked a recipe with anchovy breadcrumbs. It completely changed my perspective and thoughts on them as an ingredient. 
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Now whenever I encounter someone who is team ♥️ I rave and rave at them about miraculous anchovy breadcrumbs. 
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They’re awesome on roasted cauliflower or on pasta 😘
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So I gotta know? Are you team anchovies ♥️ or 🤢?!? 
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Head on over to the blog (clicakable link in profile) to read more https://sweetphi.com/what-to-make-with-anchovies-and-anchovy-breadcrumbs-recipe/
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#anchovies #anchovy #breadcrumbs #anchovyrecipe  #easyrecipe  #easyrecipes #cookbookclub #foodblogger #milwaukeeblogger #sweetphiblog #seafood #sides #cauliflower #seafoodrecipes
If you have a sweet potato, a can of black beans a If you have a sweet potato, a can of black beans and some simple pantry staples, then you can make these burgers!
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These easy weeknight sweet potato burgers are done in 20 minutes, and are SO delicious.
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Clickable link in profile 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/easy-weeknight-sweet-potato-burger-recipe/
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#meatlessmonday  #sweetphiblog #dinner #dinnerideas #dinnerrecipes #recipes #easydinnerideas #burgers  #vegetarianrecipe #sweetpotatoburger #easydinnerrecipe #mainmeal  #healthy #mainmealrecipes #familydinner #veggieburger #sweetpotatorecipes #foodblogger #instafood  #easyrecipe #meatlessrecipe  #workingmom #healthyrecipe #foodblogeats  #sweetpotato #recipedeveloper #blackbeans #🍠 #toddlermealideas
Reading material in moms office 😍
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We’ve been loving new cookbooks and lots of family time and delicious food on this weeks’ Catching Up With Th Kelnhofers 
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👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/catching-up-with-the-kelnhofers-80/
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#cookbookauthor #babyfood  #cookingwithkids #sweetphiblog  #family #familylife #kids #twins #lifeupdates #recipes #easyrecipea  #lifestyleblog #familyfun #twins #boygirltwins #motherhood #reallife #familyof5  #twinmom #twinmomlife #boymom #girlmom #twinsofinstagram #twinstagram #twinmama #lifewithtwins #twinsandatoddler #momblogger #lifestyleblogger #milwaukeemom
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