home-ful

We got it!

My friend Kerry can't say enough good things about it. It's an old farmhouse in a safe, quiet village. It's four doors down from a large park and next to a soccer field. There are trees and deer. And hardwood floors and big windows. And an address for the movers.

I am so blessed to have such good friends around the country looking for a home for us. Thank you, Jen. Thank you, Kerry. Thank you, Juls.

eta pix: (in case you never clicked on the earlier link)

a house to pray for!

This looks VERY kateish!

The owner has been contacted...

(There's a possibility in
Ames, but no details.)

maybe france?

This was on yahoo today:

Languedoc-Roussillon, France. If you're willing to look beyond Paris, (note from kate: I most certainly am) the southwest of this country can be highly affordable. Cessenon-sur-Orb, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southwestern France, is colorful, eclectic, and very open to retirees. (nfk: close enough) The village dates from prehistoric times, but the feel is medieval, with the church dominating the center and the tower of Le Donjon looking down from above. (nkf: sounds good)

Here in this quintessentially (nfk: "quintessential" is always a good thing)French country corner, you'll find many expats of several nationalities. They've sought out this unsung region because it offers everything you need for a comfortable life, yet boasts a small, charming, typically French village atmosphere, with centuries of history and lots to do and see. As a result, this town is growing and attracting both more French people and expats. Perhaps the most appealing part is that the cost of renting in this picture-postcard corner of France can be modest, certainly relative to Continental Europe in general. A monthly rental of 400 to 600 euro is realistic.

Here's one.

And another.

And another that is not really kateish. But it's tres affordable.

And I haven't even started looking here...or anywhere else. Yet.

Lexi has mentioned that we should live in France with Kristina and Zoe (her two-time at-shool babysitter that we both think is fabulous who is moving to Paris this summer).

Wondering about visa requirements...

wait a minute.

another teacher who is returning to the US in june went home last week.
and did some househunting.
and bought a house.
as easy as that.

of course, while she is unemployed as of august 1, she has an employed husband.

sigh.

still looking...

We're back!

Trip details soon. And pictures. (It was sunny and windy. We had a great time and Lexi didn't want to come back to Russia.)

For now, I'm house-hunting.

It's sort of hard to do from here.

Have had a rental home in AZ offered to us...not my first choice of locations, but it is a house...

anybody know anything

about buying houses that are in foreclosure?

We found one online that was built in 1900 and costs...

$30, 000.

Yep. That's all.

It needs paint and carpet-ripping-out. It probably needs more.

But that's the cost of the entire house. Not the downpayment. THE HOUSE.

Friend is doing drive-by's. Suspect friend may be dressing up as foreclosure agent and going undercover. In her maxivan. ;> (Don't forget to slap some magnetic signs on the side before you head out.)

another house for you to peruse

This one has kateish potential...found by my friend, Nif, in the corn-filled state. ;>

I am leery of buying a house in this economy. I don't think it will be as easy to sell when we want to leave again. And, if we head back overseas, I don't think we can manage a renter.

Still looking. Still praying. Still hoping.

Thanks for joining us!

wanted: one lightning bolt

Please will you pray that I know,
very soon and with great certainty,
WHERE it is
that we are supposed to be living
for the next year or two?

I am sure it's in the US. I just don't know where.

And, funnily enough, the movers require a bit more specific address than just a country.

Thanks!

maybe...

the Appalachian postmaster position would come with housing. Then I could stop looking...

(Read this post if you're confused.)

wanna see some houses?

I don't plan to buy. It just doesn't seem wise in this market to commit to a house in a location that I'm not mad-keen on and know I want to settle there. For a loooong time. And, I'm still trying to get excited about the Midwest. But, I can't help looking. ;>

Here are two houses that are near two good friends. The one in Cinci belongs to friends of friends and *might* be able to be rented.

Both have excellent libraries and park 'n' rec activities nearby. Both have nice backyards.

I'm not sure I can take the weather in Iowa or the bureaucracy in Ohio. But, I also think it will only be for two years...and then we'll have to dive back into the international teaching scene. It's not like we're moving somewhere forever. We just need a little tower to get us by for the next little bit of time.

This is in Fairfield, Ohio just outside Cinci. (Doesn't it look like Kerry's old house, friends-of-Kerry and Kerry Herself?)

This is just outside Ames, Iowa in Gilbert (aka the 1950's). I wonder if I have to wear heels and pearls to homeschool if I live in the 50's...

I saw some in Chattanooga (near you, B!) that are possible, too.

And so the search continues!

career change?

I found my perfect job a while back. I didn't tell you because I wanted to be able to post video of it for you...but I can't find it online anywhere.

We were watching Sesame Street, Old School one day (no, it's not being on Sesame Street--that's choice number three. I've wanted to be on the Street for as long as I can remember.) and I saw it. I want to be a postman (postal carrier, postal worker, whatever) in the Appalachian Mountains.

This guy we saw on Sesame Street (who was so old I am sure it's not him anymore) rides on horseback 18 miles three times a week to deliver mail. The rest of the time, I'm guessing, he spends in a cozy little postal shop that is probably in a log cabin with a wood-burning stove...that someone provides the wood for and starts the fire each morning...and maybe is next door to a general store.

How great would that job be? I'd just get Lexi a horse and she could ride along, too.