I should be packing...

but there are some things I want to document before we no longer have a computer to use. First, we spent the day painting the walls and ripping up carpet at our new house. It already looks better but there is a lot of work left to do before we can move in. We had been hoping to find someone to refinish the hardwood that was under the carpet but apparently no body wants to do it for the amount we want to pay...imagine that. It looks like Justin will get to dive in and learn how to do it on his own- I just hope he doesn't sand a hole through the floor :). Here are some of the before pictures, I will have to take some "post day one work" pictures tomorrow.


These pictures were taken a few weeks ago and not really for the purpose of a "before and after" but maybe they will give you a hint of what we are dealing with. If not, here are some tidbits we learned form the neighbors today:
- This family was nice but a Korean family that spoke no English so no one really knows much about them.
- In this house they had several dogs, a muskrat and chickens (yes, you read correctly) living in the crawl space. This does explain the odd smell in there and the chicken wire over the entrance to the crawl space from the house. I am glad I am not the one who had to clean up down there! Wow, definitely no regrets in pulling the flooring up. I am soooo not an animal person.
- Apparently this family only owed 50,000 on it when they were foreclosed on. Instead of selling the house for $100,000, they asked over $200,000 which no one in their right mind would pay with it in this condition. Therefore, they were foreclosed on and apparently left in the middle of the night, taking their boiler with them (thanks HUD for replacing that) and also all of the doorknobs, I might add.
- At one point this family had a stove fire that tragically scarred what would be a gorgeous stainless steel gas range. We are left with the remnants of that fire.
- There are planters in the back because the lady was a gardener and there is already rhubarb sprouting up around the yard.

So this is now what we know about our new little house. Aren't you jealous that this loveliness is not all yours???

I don't really want to write about what we did yesterday, I don't have the energy. That will have to come later but here is a shot of the girls enjoying their S'mores.

And because I have had s'mores on the brain lately I finally decided to try a peanut butter s'more tonight. I toasted a marshmallow over my electric stove, spread peanut butter on a graham cracker, put chocolate and that and voila! An amazing- too good for words- Peanut Butter S'more.

A friend suggested I try it with a peanut butter cup and that will definitely be tested out soon!