We are officially soon to be homeowners!

Well the house hunt is over. I can really tell that Heavenly Father had a hand in bringing this house to us. Things worked out so easily that I can think of no other explanation. We contacted a realtor a while back and we were just going to narrow down some choices from homes we liked online to view when I got back to the US at the end of July. Well I found a house that I fell in love with and felt an urgency to go back to the US to see it. I mean, I was panicked that someone else was going to buy it before we had a chance to see it. So I checked online to see what airline tickets were going to cost us. I swear, we were taking a huge risk, but I feel we were blessed to be able to find a way for Clayton and I to go without going into debt. Our flight to the states was manageable, my sister drove down from Ohio to keep me company so I didn't have to pay for a rental car (I just covered her expenses), and my friend Jessica insisted we stay with her so no hotel to pay for! Everything just fell into place so easily. The only glitch we had on the whole trip was that Jane accidentally grabbed the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, but we got that easily sorted!

We set out to view 4 properties and after we saw the second one (the whole reason I flew 6000+ miles to the US) I decided there was really no need to see anymore. It was reconfirmed to me that THIS was the house. We are so excited. We made an offer and it was accepted and we are just waiting for closing on July 30th and the kids and I will move in the 3rd week of August. The best part is that we are friends with the sellers and I trust them. I do hope they still like us after all this is over! We will be going to church with them and they have lived in and loved this house and made it their home for 11 years. It seems like a great place to raise a family and the school is one of the top elementary schools in the state. It's in the village of Carrsville and it sits on just more than an acre of flat land, perfect for the kids to play and Shawn to have his garden, chickens and a couple of sheep or goats (not really my idea of fun, but gotta let have Shawn have SOMETHING!).

Here are the pictures...

From the front

The entry hall
The living room

The dining room

The kitchen. I had big plans for the kitchen, but had a wake up call as to what we can actually really afford so we may just have to settle for new counter tops and a new fridge. The floors are about a year old and if we put in new cabinets, they would be inferior in quality to what is in there, a few coats of paint may be all that is really needed to freshen up the room.

This is the den or family room and it is currently being used as a bedroom

The sun room, we'll probably put the kids toys in here for a playroom

Downstairs bedroom, we'll use this as a spare room/craft room

Upstairs bathroom (there is also a full bath downstairs)

Master bedroom
Nursery for Clayton
Natalie and Robbie's room
This may look like a dangerous eyesore, but this was one of the selling points on the property for me. I've always loved old things and I have always wanted to have something old that I could restore and this really excites me! From what we were told, this is the oldest standing commercial building in the southern part of Isle of Wight County. It was Daughtry's General Store in the late 1800s. It has 1800 square feet and has a lot of potential even though it has hurricane damage. We want to get it registered as a historical place and restore the exterior while at the same time making the inside a modern and livable dwelling. I'm thinking 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and an open plan living area with a kitchenette and big enough for me to have a spectacular stamp/scrapbooking classroom and studio. I am sure it is going to years down the road and it's going to cost A LOT of money, but in the end, I am sure it will be worth it.