addendum

From the link in the post below:

On the left hand bar scroll all the way to the bottom of houses. We are the second from the bottom. White stucco with red trim listed for 199,900.00

Hopefully that works :)

our house listing

http://hollyrealtors.com/homesearch/searchengineloadsearch.aspx?county=203&customerid=39&loadsearch=yes&minprice=100000&maxprice=200000&town=20323

Pre-qual/pre-approval

Well we have applied for a Pre-Approval for a mortgage. We decided the little bit of extra time it would take to get the pre-approval over just a pre-qual was worth it in the long run. Please say a prayer that all goes through ok and we are approved without problem for the amount we want! We are basing it just on Claudio's salary, not including Arx and not including my salary. We decided this for various reasons and we still think it should be fine, but definitely appreciate any prayers!!

Thanks
Jamie and Claudio!

PS stay tuned for pictures of my pink and yellow golashes!

Weaver Rd.

Here is the other property we are thinking about. The house is like a little cottage, but immaculately done and all brand new. Also it has more land than the other house. This one has 15 acres and some really cute features..some outbuildings that would need to be modified for our use, but the house wouldn't need a scrap of work...other than adding an addition since it is even smaller than our current house! One thing we really DON"T like is that it has one bathroom on the first floor (bedrooms on second floor) and no bathtub, just a shower. It reminds me too much of an apartment, but it is really cute!

even more pics.......

Living room


more living room


Chicken coop



other side of house



Original built in pantry/cabinets

More Pics from Chipmunk Ridge

Here is the kitchen sink/counter area..notice the farmhouse style sink



Here is the dining room. Notice the open beam ceiling.



Here are some out buildings. The little end building with reddish roof is the outhouse (and yes the house has indoor plumbing! and the bigger building next to it is just a storage shed



Here is the barn and fenced garden area...obviously the fencing needs some work!



This is part of the kitchen area. This cookstove (and yes there is a regular stove as well) is not staying, but they use it for wood heat. We might install a woodstove there if we got this house. You can also see the wall next to the stove...no paint.

Chipmunk Ridge

Here one of the houses we have gone to see. It is a farm house built in 1837 set on a BEAUTIFUL 7acres. It has a good barn, chicken coop, spring house, sheds, OUTHOUSE!! LOL, Storage shelters, fenced in garden area, root cellar, etc etc etc. But it needs a lot of work inside and out. Structurally it is very sound, but needs work. So many walls are not painted (just drywall) floors need renovating, windows need replacing, siding in the back needs to be put up, some electrical updates are needed etc etc etc. This picture might look like it is in tip top condition, but it is FAR from tip top!

Us!

 

Ad Silvam Ibimus

Just a little introduction so you can all understand what got this whole thing started. This is a note I received in my e mail one morning from my dear husband after many weeks of hemming and hawing about what we wanted to do. I had told Claudio that the decision was his. I could stay where I am or pack up everything in a moments notice I just needed the word from him. Once again prayer worked to soothe and enlighten the soul! :

This morning after my prayers I came to a better understanding of my situation.

I dug down deep into the very marrow of my being, back into my childhood and the essence of who I am. I thought to myself...what is it I always wanted to do with my life? The answer was always obvious. In high school, I thought of living out in the country and being a writer. When I came to college and met my roommate, I told him that I dreamed of moving out into the country and being a writer. After I left college, I dreamed of moving out to the country and being a writer. Then I started a business, then I got married, and more practical considerations came to the fore. But the dream remained.

All my life, I've been looking longingly at the green empty parts of the map. As long as I can remember, I've loved the outdoors, loved the country, loved the rhythms of the seasons. Already when I was a kid, I was already thinking about solar-powered cars and houses. I listened eagerly to my parents' stories about the farmers during the war, about the canning and preparation for winter.

If I have not been bred, stamped, and prepared for the life we now want to lead, then black is also white and down is also up.

I like our little house. I like Mount Holly. I like our church. I like our new friends. There are things about our life right now which are very pleasant. And comfortable. But underlying it is the nagging sense of restlessness that comes with a life of ease and comfort that is not meant to be. I suppose it's like a religious calling--you *could* stay in the world as you are, but you will not be happy there and it won't ever bring you the satisfaction that you crave. That's exactly how I feel.

This life is also disconnecting myself from my existing vocation, because it isn't true to who I am or to you. What I need is rather, a deeper and truer fulfillment of my true calling, my true vocation of marriage and family. That vocation is getting squelched here.

So where do we stand? It's time to put first things first. If you and I are both in agreement in moving out to the country, then ad silvam ibimus--to the woods we will go.

My job, instead of running my life, will now be put into service of that dream. We will move away. And meanwhile, I will get back into the swing of writing and making money that way.

We are done here. We've waited long enough for our dreams to be handed to us by the world. It's time to go out there and get them.