Soon to be Home Sweet Home

By popular request, here are some details about the home Ev and I will be closing on February 27th. It is located in Nixa, Missouri which is about 10 minutes south of Springfield. We are becoming big fans of the real community feel Nixa has to offer. We had seen some 30 homes with our Realtor before seeing this one. With the market the way it is, there are tons of forclosures out there- and I was getting so annoyed with them that I told him I didn't want to see anymore. Thankfully, he should us this house, a forclosure where the builder just ran out of money. The house was under contract but their loan did not work out. So, here are my top 10 things I love about this house:

10. The jetted bathtub. What a dream this will be! I am so excited to take a bubble bath.9. The doors. I know it seems minor, but I love the doors in the house.8. The deck. It has a great view and I'm sure we will be spending many summer nights BBQing it up!7. The small details. I love that I don't have to change anything about this house in terms of the details. I love the handles, big white baseboards, carpet, lighting fixtures, towel bars, etc. Once again, I know- dork.6. The fireplace. We have plans to eventually (like in 3 years...) make the fireplace even better with some tile and such. It is great that the fireplace has a backup battery power to it- this will be needed for those wonderful ice storms we sometimes get.5. The kitchen. The cabinets and appliances are just what I would have picked out. I just love the rustic off white look.4. Close to Community Center. We have been attending the local community/fitness center the past week and love it. I am not a big worker-outer, so the classes they offer are a great fit for me. Today I went to the yoga class. Let's just say I have a hard time sitting still and concentrating on my breathing... entertaining to say the least. Ev is a;ready recruiting for our co-ed softball team, starting in April.
3. The Cobble Creek community pool/hot tub/courts/playground/picnic area. I had no idea these even existed in Missouri. It is practically in our backyard so we will be taking full advatage of it.2. The project possibilities. We liked the idea of having to put some work into our house and this will be great for us. We need to do landscaping (which Ev has been reading all about) and finish the basement. The walls/electrical/pluming/texture is all done- we just have to add carpet/padding, doors, paint and baseboards. Also, since it is a forclosure we will need to do some touchup work upstairs with the painting. *Notice Ev has added what he wants the outside to look like.
1. The storm room. Yep, if a tornado comes we will be safe!

Player of the week needs more pub

Athlete of the week, Jan. 14, 2009

Class 5A
Isaac Wilson, Wilsonville boys basketball.
Wilsonville High School senior Isaac Wilson, scored a game-high 15 points, including two crucial free throws with 12 seconds remaining to seal Friday’s 51-46 victory over Hillsboro at Hillsboro High School. The Wildcats 12-0 overall and 1-0 in Northwest Oregon Conference play.

Here are a few quotes from coach about the big win for Isaac and the cats: (Pay special attention to the last one)

“That was gutty,” Coach Roche said. “We really competed and overcame some adversity. Our senior leadership and overall focus were tremendous.”

And it was the play of senior leaders Isaac Wilson and Jon Adrian who helped propel the Wildcats to their new school-record 12-game winning streak, which passed the previous record of 11 set last season.

“Isaac’s free throws were clutch and finished them off,” Roche said. “There is nobody in the program we would rather have shooting those free throws than Isaac Wilson.”

Well down Mr. I-Wil, you the man. Continued success for the remainder of the season. Can't wait to see you playing in March next year for the Cougs!

Do you have the POWER of Suze Orman?

This break off of school and work has been very nice. Though I should be studying and preparing more my job, I found myself fully immersed in Suze Orman and "Your 2009 Financial Action Plan" yesterday on Oprah.

Here are some of the wonderful ideas she was able to share with Oprah's educated and brilliant audience across the world:

To start strong in 2009, Suze says you have to get honest about what you have—and what you don't. "You cannot have a plan where you build it on a foundation of lies," Suze says. "We're starting a new year. We're going to start it in honesty."

Suze says there are three ways you can start improving your FICO (credit) score today:

1. If possible, pay more than the minimum every month on your credit cards. "If you're charging on your credit cards and all you're doing is paying the minimum, the credit cards are afraid now that you're not really being very smart with your money," Suze says.

2. Pay your bills on time. "Paying your credit card bills on time, essentially counts for 35 percent of your FICO score," Suze says.

3. Never go over your credit limit. "That's when they start to raise your interest rates, close you down," Suze says.

Another thing to keep in mind: Never close down a credit card. "It will hurt your credit score," Suze says.

Create a Spending Action Plan

Suze says Scott and Carol can curb their spending habits by following a three-step process:
1. Sit down with your expenses and separate wants and needs.

2. Circle all expenses that are wants.

3. If you have debt or no savings, eliminate the wants. "Scott thought he needed to play fantasy football," Suze says. "Guess what? He does not. That is a want."

Are you ready to take control of your finances, but find such a big shift intimidating? Start with a pledge to make three small changes.

Are you ready to take the pledge to take the challenge from Suze? Whit and I are already committed, in fact we started yesterday. Leave us a comment and let us know, if you have the guts to take Suze Orman's 2009 challenge!

1. For just one day, do not spend any money on anything at all.

2. For just one week, do not use a credit card.

3. For just one month, do not eat out at a restaurant.

Good luck!

Chapman Family Photo Shoot

Welcome to The Show Me State

No words are necessary. I love this place!