Home Sweet Home?

I'm not conceited enough to think that anyone other than myself noticed but posts have been a bit sparse around here the last couple of weeks. That's because there have been some big changes going on in my life that I couldn't talk about yet. I hate when people talk about something big that *might* be happening but "I can't tell you yet"...so just shut up and let me know when you can talk about it, right? Anywho, things are official now so I can announce that:  we are moving back home!!!!

I kind of mentioned after the shooting that we had been wanting to move back for awhile and that bullet was the final straw but I honestly didn't think things would happen this soon. After talking about it a bunch we made the difficult decision to go to Shelby's bosses and request an early transfer back. They were already wanting us to move back but they expected it to be another year or two so this completely changed the plans that we all had. The company that he works for is awesome and they have been an incredibly supportive "family" since the very beginning. So we were reluctant to throw this at them and possibly make things more difficult for them.

However, we made it clear that we were willing to do whatever it takes to make this move beneficial to them too and we fully realize that the first year or two will be rough and it will mean more traveling. For us this will still be better than the stress of staying in a neighborhood where we don't feel safe and our closest family is 8 hours away. :( Once they realized that we were committed to making it work they were fully supportive and Shelby's boss even agreed to let us rent one of his houses!

So take a look at our new home sweet home:

Pretty isn't it? Yeah. So the previous renters completely trashed the place and it has been vacant for awhile mainly because he didn't have the time or desire to deal with it anymore. We have come up with a plan that is mutually beneficial though. He is going to make it "livable" by replacing the nasty carpets and making some repairs in the bathroom.

After we move in we will finish the remaining repairs and repaint in exchange for a break on the rent. We can rent for as long as we want and buy it at any time if we choose to do so. Or, if we end up buying something else he will still be left with a house that is ready to go on the market right away. So one way or another he will be able to sell it as soon as we are done renting. So it's a win-win! A lot of people would probably be scared off by this house but I'm sure all of you DIYers can see the potential. This place is going to have some pretty amazing before and afters!

The kitchen has really nice cabinets. I will be losing a lot of countertop and cabinet space but there is a pantry area that will make up for some of it. As you can see it still needs a few minor improvements...like a sink...and maybe a refrigerator.  You know, little stuff. ;)

I'm pretty sure the previous tenants were sacrificing small animals in what is going to be my craft room....

...But the closet space makes up for it. That's TWO four foot wide closets side by side. This house is about half the size of where we are now but it has a ton of storage space which will help out a lot.

The plan for our house is to continue finishing our home improvement projects (major minor panic starts to set in when I realize that I only have about three months to finish this place) and then have it assessed this spring to see if selling it is an option or if we will have to start looking for renters. Honestly...renting terrifies me because I don't want our beautiful home to end up trashed or have several months go by without receiving a check from the renters. So I am really hoping that we will be able to sell and never have to think about this house again.

I was a little worried that Jer would be sad about losing all of the friends he has made at school but he is a resilient little guy and he is excited about making new friends. The distance from family has been really hard on him the last year or so and he is more than willing to make those sacrifices in order to be closer to them. After our last few trips to Illinois he has been in tears the first few days back because he misses all of our family so much. I really can't blame him. He has grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and all kinds of other friends and family to play with. Not to mention that when he goes to my in-law's farm he gets to help drive the tractor and take care of the cows. What five-year-old boy wouldn't love that?!

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