We Chose....

The 3 Bedroom 2 Bath!

There were a few deciding factors in our decision. The yard is larger and more secluded. It also is covered almost all the way around by 6 foot fences. It also has a more defined Master Bedroom with it's own Bath. It also has a larger Kitchen and driveway which is great because of Josh's vehicle festish. All in all this was just the better option for us. It's definetly going to need some work and we can't wait to customize it!

Here are some additional pictures:

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Living Room

The Master Suite

Hallway

Backyard

If all goes well and we close we will be rehabbing this one as well for future sale. It's not a quick flip like the others were. This is also going to be our home.

We will be putting in all new carpet and hardwood flooring, painting all walls (after we tear off the wall paper) and even ripping out the wall that sits in between the living room and dining room. We'll stain the cabinets and install new counter tops. We'll add stainless steel appliances and install a tile back splash. We'll trash the existing island and put in a new one. We'll paint the existing doors as they are fairly new 6 panels. Both bathrooms will be gutted and everything will be replaced. All light fixtures and fans will be replaced. The basement will be finished creating 2 new bedrooms/office and a large living area and washer/dryer room. The entire house will be re-sided and we'll extend the deck and the lighting system the deck has. Add some landscaping and repair the fence and we'll be done!

The Call....

OMG, We just got the call I seriously was NOT expecting. For those of you who know us and have received my numerous crazy calls about our recent house hunting, know that we have been searching non stop for our new home/investment. It seemed like every time we found something it went under contract. Well a couple weeks ago we found two GREAT contenders.

This 3 Bedroom 2 Bath home in St. Charles:

and

This 3 Bedroom 1 Bath home in St. Charles:

Both in GREAT Neighborhoods right off Hwy. K with good profit potential. Both new on the market but we thought we would give it a shot. We decided to write an offer on the larger one first and of course we weren't the only one who wanted the home. So we went into Multiples. We put in our highest and best offer in on the 17th and began to wait.

Needless to say, we never thought we would be the highest bidder as our bid was pretty low. So we decided to take a shot at the smaller one while we waited. We wrote an offer on the smaller one and right as I am faxing it through I get a call from the listing agent telling me there is another offer in! What! Ah! So we sent through our offer and informed the agent that it was our highest and best as there was no way we were paying more for the property. We thought "no way, we aren't going to get this one either"....

Well, we did get the second one!!! After many counteroffers and us refusing to go up on price the Bank FINALLY accepted our offer yesterday and the agent informed me she would be sending the addendums and hard copy counter over this evening.

It gets better...

The call I received tonight was about the first home. WE GOT IT TOO!!! The Bank took our offer over the rest and they just faxed me over the addendums and the counter.

Now what do we do? Well, we are going tomorrow to look at both houses again and hopefully we can make our decision. I am so torn! The larger of the two needs more work but the smaller is well....smaller. They both have about the same potential profit but we think we might be able to get a little more out of the larger one and we know it will sell faster. They both have great backyards and are close to all amenities.

Josh and I hope to make a decision tomorrow and we will update you on the home we chose so stay tuned!

Our Furbabies

These little guys play a serious role in our household and we view them as children. They bring so much joy and love into our home and I cannot imagine not having them there. They are all very well behaved and very well mannered. They are also super smart and have learned more than your basic tricks and commands. Remy even does "Stop, Drop and Roll". They love playing with the boys and cuddling up and watching movies with us.

Madden is our 2 1/2 year old American Pit Bull Terrier.

Remington VonPigBull is our 8 month old APBT/Boxer mix.

Kit/Spunky is a 3 year old Domestic Shorthair.

Mad, Remy and Kit are permanent Furbabies but as you all know we have also had some great fosters that have graced our lives. Trina, our most important foster, has been living in her forever home for awhile now. I still very much miss her.

We survived the Holiday's!

So, I am officially burnt out on turkey, pumpkin pie, shopping, wrapping presents and Christmas related movies and songs. The Holiday's are pretty much over and we have survived another year. We had a great time visiting with friends and family and celebrating what we are thankful for. Now it's time to celebrate the fact that things will be back to normal! I took some great pictures along the way and thought I would share at least a couple of Christmas day.

Enjoy!

We had a great Christmas this year. The boys are now old enough to really appreciate everything they receive. Mushabellies and Rescue Pets were all the craze this year and the boys were given each a Mushabelly from Santa and Mommy and Daddy bought them a Rescue Pet they named Bayne. They also got a million DVD's. Gameboy Games, Books, Card Games, Board Games and both got a youth Skateboard.

We did a Gift Exchange/White Elephant this year and it was a BLAST! I got a hint that Josh's Mom bought 2 of the Oceans DVD's for the exchange so Josh and I teamed up and got both of them! Haha! I also got this great Starbuck's Gift Set and I am so excited to take it to work.

I think we should continue this exchange next year as it really was fun. I am already thinking about what I'll bring next year because it was a blast watching them fight over what I brought this year ;)

I have to give thanks to my AWESOME Mom for buying Josh and I this Serta Down Comforter.

It was, by far, one of the best presents I have received in a long time! She always knows just what to get Josh and I.

Josh and the Boys gave me one of the most precious gifts! This 1/2 c tw. Diamond and Gold Circle necklace:

I also got a Diamond Crown necklace, a super soft robe, comfy slippers, Bath and Body Works products, perfume, a candle set, gift cards and this wonderful book on Baking by Dorie Greenspan:

I can't wait to put all these gifts to use! Thank You Everyone!

Introduction

I have been slacking big time on my cooking blog and have come to realize that I have so much news to share and no where to put it! So I decided to create this blog. I'll share news on our family, the business, the furbabies and just life in general here so make sure to check back regularly to see what we are up to.