Thursday, February 19, 2009

Here It Is ...

So, I was talkin' to my girl SuperModel the other day and we were discussing the fact that Hubbs and I had just gone to see the house we are hoping to get again. We took some measurements and some pics and saw that, yes, it does need some work but I am still in love with it. I was tellin' her that I have already decorated it in my little head and have my heart set on it. She suggested that I put up some pics for y'all to see. Well, for HER to see, but then you get to see it too.

Then I had a fantabulous idea! I could show all of you (yes, all three of ya) pics of this lovely little house and then YOU could be praying for us to get it as well! So, sit back and get comfy, we are gonna take us a little tour ...


This is the first room you walk into (if you come in the front door). And I must tell you that this is the room that sealed the deal for me!!!! That is fabric on the wall! Oh My WORD, the pictures do not do it justice, it is just lovely!!!!


As you enter from the entry way, you walk into the living room. I LOVE the bay windows, the wood blinds and the cute little Victorian shutters. I also adore the hardwood floors, there is a little bit of a pattern to the laying of the wood - very simple and chic, but very charming!!!


From there you see the dining room ... check out the old style built in china cabinets! OH! Love me a good built it, and back in the 20's (when this house was built) they did the woodwork RIGHT! LOVE IT! (you can kinda see a bit of the floor pattern in this shot!)


And here we have the den/study. Again we have some built in shelves, and the old school, WOOD BURNING fireplace!!! We figure if we cannot pay the heat, just lay some mattresses out in here :) Steve is excited to be able to have his big desk out of the dungeon and to have a little sitting area where all of his beloved books can once again be on display!


As we go up the stairs (well, this shot is looking back down the stairs, but you get the idea!!!), you will see another lovely little shelf as well as the door that leads to the balcony. Y'all this door uses a skeleton key. SERIOUSLY! And we have already decided that our rocking chairs will look so sweet out there! YAY!


At the top of the steps, in the hall way, you will notice this stinkin' awesome built in storage unit! For such a small house (well, small compared to what we have been living in) there is a TON of storage - which is just one more reason I LOVE it!!!


This is "Hattie's Hut" - she immediately picked this room out for herself. That little door leads to a little storage nook. But we would use it as a little playtime hideaway for our sweet girl! And, again, more built in storage!!!


This is "Sophie's Suite" - fit for our little princess (at least it will be with some paint and decoration!). It will be a sweet little fairy tale cottage when I get through with it!


Here is the main bathroom. This is one of the two rooms in need of an overhaul - the other being the kitchen (which is TEENSY TINY!). More storage and charm, but needs to be updated a tad bit. Oh, but I have been watchin' the DIY network, and, friends, I have some ideas!!!


Back downstairs we find the kitchen. And what you are looking at are the cabinets ... ALL of the cabinets. (Well, there is one more small one on the other side of the dishwasher, but it is tiny!) I have ideas for in here too. Some temporary ideas for the mean time and some bigger ideas for when we have saved up enough money for an overhaul.

There is also a mudroom (perfect for up here in the frozen tundra!) and a basement. There is a small 1/2 bath on the main floor and a 3/4 bath and laundry room in the basement. We would create some living space down there for the girls to play in, as well as for the summers - basements are the coolest place in the house!!! It is on a full acre but has a fenced off play area for the girls. It is less than a block away from the elementary school and Jr. high and just down the road form the lake area.

The plan is to lease it for a year and see where we are from there. We would have a better idea at that time what really needs to be done. Most of it, at this time, seems cosmetic, but ya never know. At the end of the lease, if we still love it, we will go from there (probably lease it one more year and then buy once we have built our credit back up), if we think it is too much, we can walk away. In the mean time, the price is unbeatable. The price is just a bit higher than the apartments we have checked out and has the potential for a long term investment.

We have really been praying over this and are feeling that it is the best choice for us at this time. We are still on a wait and see basis. The owner has approved our application, knows our history and is willing to lease it to us, however they do not want to wait as long as we do to start (April 1). They have been looking for other applicants and have either not found any or have not approved any. Our agent spoke with their agent and told them that WE are willing to commit to a year at lease and asked that they would commit as well. It seems that it would be a good idea for all involved, being that WE would know we have a house and THEY would know they have a tenant. They are "thinking about it" and we are just waiting to hear their decision.

So, if you all could please join us in prayer over this it would mean a LOT to us. We sincerely just want God to be glorified in all of this and truly feel that by giving it over to Him we cannot go wrong. If HE says no, we know it is for a reason and there is something better for us out there. So, please pray for His will (we HOPE that this house is in that will!!) and for Him to get the glory!

We just want to follow HIM!

Thank you sooo very much!

Monday, February 16, 2009

I Heart Faces - Oh The Wonder

This week at I Heart Faces, the theme is "wonder". And I love the look of wonder on Elle's face in this shot. It's like she KNOWS that the world holds endless possibilities and cannot wait to watch them unfold!


So, go check out I Heart Faces and see even more WONDERful faces ... or enter your own!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Project 365 - Week 7

Project 365
Well, honestly, I had trouble remembering to take pics this week... so I have to say I cheated a bit. I will let ya know when it is a cheater pic.

Stop by to see Sara for looks into even more people's lives!

Here is our week:

Feb. 9 - This is a cheater ... this pic was actually taken on the 7th! But, it does show how rapidly the snow was melting when we got some unseasonably warm temps. This poor snowman was COVERED on Friday, it had gone down this far by Saturday and by Monday ... well, Monday I just took him down because, Hello IT IS FEBRUARY!!!!

PS - Happy Birthday Emily & Heatheroni!!


FEB. 10 - Not only is this the day that the best mom in the entire UNIVERSE celebrated her birthday (love ya mommy :) ), but it also happens to be the day that Sophie learned to blow a raspberry, courtesy of her daddy ... who says that I am a bad influence!

Feb. 11 - I emptied a box of cereal, Hattie found herself a new hat! Can't say she's not creative!

Feb. 12 - The girls like to mix and match their sets of toys. Some days there are some strange combos to be found through out our house. Like this day ... Not sure what was goin on, but it looks like there was some trouble down on the farm!

Feb. 13 - CHEATER ALERT!!! This pic was actually taken on Saturday. However, on Thursday, since Daddy was at church late, we did get out the special V-day shirts that I found on serious clearance at Babies R us (with a gift card none the less!!!) to be sure that they would fit!

Feb. 13 - Hattie's therapist switched us from Thursdays to Fridays ... which is when the other doctors - who share the waiting room - end their days early. So Sophie gets the play stuff all to herself!!!

Feb. 14 - Valentine's Day. Hubbs took all 3 of his girls on a date. Mexican food is the sure fire way to this girl's heart!! But, I think Hattie enjoyed it too!!!

Feb. 16 - Oh goodie ... NASCAR's back. I. am. so .excited ... NOT!!!!

Nothin' says good TV like a bunch a cars turning left for four hours!!!
So, how was YOUR week?

PS - I totally apologize if I offended anyone with the NASCAR comment ... it is a running joke here in our house!

No, really, I LOVE left turns!