about our move

Well here it is, I'm sick. blah, blah, blah! I hope that it goes away pretty quick, but ya never know. But it's better now then later cause.........

We found a GREAT house!!

It's going to be ours when we sign the papers on the 18th - completely ours! no payments or anything! We got the greatest deal ever on a 2 story house in Iowa Falls. So our move date is pushed off by a week, but that's ok!

I know we were bouncing a bunch of ideas all year and even after this we had another idea that was all but concreted. But we just couldn't face going into a rental after all these years of owning so we checked out a few more properties and BAM!

We're so happy! So excited!

It's a nice little town, too!

Can ya tell I'm happy? LOL!

So here's our new plan -
Go to our new house, live there a couple of years - somewhere between 1 and 3 - then sell and buy a nice piece of land then.

No we've not seen the house but we've seen about a dozen pictures of it. Right off here some bad points -

1. VERY small lot - like practically the house only
2. outside needs painted
3. siding needs minor repair
4. roof may need new shingles - but that should be all
5. inside walls need painted & updated from paneling
6. most ceilings need new tiles or something - they are the old drop down type
7. kitchen needs new sink (old 1 tub type) - this one may get marked out not sure yet!
8. near a river
9. near industrial part of town

I'm not worried about any of these though! =)

stuff

Well, I crocheted like a mad woman trying to finish #1's blanket - and guess what - I had 7 rows to go and ran out of yarn! And the best part is - they don't sell that color any more =( So I got to tear out 35 rows (more than half!) of a 6 foot blanket to back track and redo in a different pattern BLAH!

I've been working on this blanket for about 5 years. I know I'm dragging my feet but I see all that left to be done and I can't help but be over whelmed!

The other day I started up a blog just for the kids' school things - it's here ---> http://mortonschool.blogspot.com So if you're wanting to know what the kids are up to look there!

Well I still have a million emails to do so I gotta go, might be back later..........

places/landmarks to visit

On this blog I read alot the writer wanted notable landmarks here's what I came up with -

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Only three last things I can think of for Iowa (not lived there for very long!) that has been mentioned -

1. Herbert Hoover birthplace & library
2. Fort Madison, IA (old military fort)
3. the Mississippi River!! all kinds of things along the river set up for that - museums, etc.

Lived in Illinois most of my life so this one is easier =)

1. Nauvoo, IL - historic Mormon town & beginning of the Mormon trail
2. Jacksonville & Roodhouse, IL - both my home towns =) - plus the only place where Eli Bridge Co. makes ferris wheels (along with other amusement rides), with Roodhouse being the place where the co. owner built his very first.
3. scenic Route 66
4. Cahokia & Dixon mounds - native american burial grounds
5. Chicago, IL - probably thousands of things but what I can think of the great chicago fire of 1871 & the Sears tower
6. Springfield, IL - Abraham Lincoln site in & around including monument, library, residence, & tomb

and some things to add about Missouri -

1. Hannibal, MO - Mark Twain boyhood home, said to be the birthplace of tom sawyer & huck finn novels - has Mark Twain caves
2. Mansfield, MO - last residence of Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with husband & daughter, lived there for 60 years
3. the Ozarks
4. Meramec Caverns (kinda goes with the Ozarks)
5. stomping grounds (? can't think of better wording!) of famous outlaw Jesse James
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I didn't realize till afterwards that she wanted landmarks! But these should still work =) It was great thinking up these things!