As we drove by the houses we jotted down a quick note about them. Most of them were “eh’s”. Did we become Canadian or something? There was one “hell no”, one “yes!” and one “look at”. There was also a “don’t understand the neighborhood” note which was for the house below. It was a weird area. There would be one really nice house, and then one horrible looking house. I think Travis said it best, “I can’t tell if my neighbor is going to steal my lawn mower, or have a beer with me.” As in, are they trust-worthy or not. This house below photograph’s horrible though, it really didn’t look bad in person, but we crossed it off the list because it was just a weird area.

One of our “eh, let’s look at the inside” was the one below. After we wrote that note we kind of forgot about it until last night, when we decided to look at the interior pictures and fell in love all over again. I think it was an “eh” because that awful tree in front of the house cuts off the view. We are hopefully going to see this house this weekend though. (4 beds, 2 baths, 1,928 sq ft)

Our house hunting search REALLY got side-tracked by this house. I absolutely fell in love with it because of the wooded lot. I was already plotting mood boards in my head. We had a showing at this house last night, and I was dead-set on being prepared to make an offer. Our realtor was running a bit late, but he told us to snoop around the outside until he got there. I was instantly disappointed when we walked in the backyard, and then when I peeked in the office, and living room and sunroom. I learned a valuable lesson on this day, that pictures make spaces look way bigger than they actual are. Our current apartment felt bigger than this house. The weirdest thing about the house though…. the half bath and laundry were both in the garage. When would you ever use a bathroom in a garage? Also, Travis’ truck would have NEVER fit into that garage.

After we saw that house, we went to see another one close by. It was a green and brick rancher, which I’m not even going to show because the realtors pictures are horrible quality. After our showings, we went home and went back to the drawing board. We searched the MLS listings for awhile, and then Travis’ picked out three houses to drive by, which were a half hour away, and the sun was going to set in an hour. We went and saw one house, which was the furthest away, and it just was not worth that long commute. After this house it started to storm pretty bad, but we were determined to see these other houses, however, on the way to the second house we realized that it was in the same “weird neighborhood area” as a previous house we drove-by, so we nixed it. The third and final house we looked at is now on our list as a must-see. It’s off of a main street, and there is route signs in-front of it, but it’s pretty gorgeous. This house was actually on my list a few weeks ago, but Travis’ vetoed it because of the busy street, and he didn’t realize that this was the same house last night. Hopefully we will see this beauty this weekend along with the other house further up in this post. (4 beds, 1.5 baths, 1800 square feet)

P.S. Could you take a moment and do this reader poll by clicking here. It’s really quick, promise. Just one question. Thanks! ♥

Thank you to everyone that participated in the link-up! Get ready for our 4th and FINAL link-up this coming up Monday! I should see everyone participating because it’s one of DIY bloggers favorite things: Spray Paint. See you all on Monday at the Spray Paint Challenge!

Wit Wisdom & Food | The HumberHome Project | Corner of Main | Mailbox Journey

A SimplyBridal jewelry piece (up to $20) from their website.

In the meantime, check out everything
SimplyBridal has to offer with this discount code:
Code: SBL159MJ
Discount: 15% (shipping not included)
Expiration: 06/14/2013

Note: I was not paid or perked for this giveaway. It’s simply to benefit you!

The first thing I did, was make my straw cute. This was the first time I’ve attempted this, but it came out great on the first try and I just used a post-it note.

Now, onto the recipe. What you will need is:

• Root beer
• Vodka (you could use: root beer vodka, whipped vodka, vanilla vodka or rum)
• Whipped Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Cup, Straw & An Ice Cream Scoop

Directions:

• Fill your cup about half way with vanilla ice cream (or two large scoops)
• Add 1/2 or 1 shot of vodka (whatever your preference level is)
• Fill the glass up with root beer
• Add whipped cream onto the top

all you have to do then, is just sit back & enjoy!

Check out all the drinks we mixed up last year: Scarlett O’Hara, Blueberry Lemonade Vodka, Apple Pie, Peach Fuzzies, Liquid Skittles, Red Wine Sangria, Apple Snap and my favorite SoCo Sweet Tea. Or you can find them all on the adult beverages page. Pick A Recipe Out & Enjoy!

& since this weekend is Memorial Day weekend, you could get a little wacky, and try some drinks with unusual ingredients. Like a Pickleback: a shot of whiskey, chased by a shot of pickle juice! Or a drink called a Fluffy Duck. Yes, these are actual drink names in the bars in Atlantic City!

Wit Wisdom & Food | The HumberHome Project | Corner of Main | Mailbox Journey

Link-Up Rules:
- No linking to shops, stores, giveaways or other link parties
- Must link directly to the specific post
- Link back to your link-up hosts
- Most importantly, have fun!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the link-up! We had an awesome turn-out. Now gear up for this coming up Monday where we share Memorial Day & BBQ project! See you then!

I have crossed some things off the list since I last updated about wedding stuff. I got in contact with a DJ that we’ve always used for family parties back in the beginning of April. Because of everything going on though, I had to ask for a bit of an extension. My future mother-in-law and I sent in the proper payment and paperwork last week, and then I heard yesterday that we were officially booked for the wedding!

And almost a month ago, I booked three photographers. Yes, three. I first booked my absolute favorite photographers, Inspired & Enchanted Photography. I get them for five hours, two photographers, and a CD with all of my pictures and the rights to them along with an engagement session (which is being scheduled for July).

I then booked my third photographer, my cousin Briana. She wants to start her own photography business called Capture Everything. (She’s a senior in high school) So I’m giving her the chance to do some work for her portfolio. She will take pictures before the photographer gets there, and take over again once the photographers leave, since I only have them for 5 hours.

And of course, here is the wedding to-do list, which keeps shrinking and growing, and shrinking and growing…

The Wedding To Do List

While we are in-between realtors, I thought I’d let you guys in on our house wants and where we are looking. We still want to stay in Central Pennsylvania. (Sorry to everyone who wanted me to move to their state and/or country. Ashley, Ashley & Ashley… I will have to visit you guys instead one day!)

And here is the list we’ve been giving out to our realtors along with our pre-approval documentation, our contact information, and how/when it’s best to reach us.

What we are looking for…

• Within our price range
• Single Family: 1200+ sq. ft.
• Beds: 3 +
• Bath: 1.5 +
• Lot size: 10,000 + sq. ft. (looking for as much yard as possible)
• Heating: Prefer heat pump, central air, something efficient (NO oil / coal)
• Location: Within 15 miles of Travis’ work
• We prefer to not have anything in a development or at least not have a visible home in our backyard.
• We prefer rural to suburban areas.
• Pluses: garage / carport, large yard, finished basement

Now I have two questions for you!
1. How long did it take you to find your house?
2. What real estate agent problems did you have, if any?

During the past week and weekend, I couldn’t find anything that was worth buying. I even went to my favorite antique market, but it got rained out. I remember though an owl holder that I received from my future mother-in-law, that she picked up at a thrift shop for me. Travis is kind of upset that I decided to paint it, since he liked the wooden color, but this is something that I’ll use in my one day office/craft space, and I want color in that area.

I started off with a little primer on my little owl holder, and then I hit it with a royal blue spray paint that we already had on hand. The color reminded me of Little Miss Momma‘s house, which I adore. She does a lot of neutral walls, and furniture and then adds pops of yellows, blues, pinks and pales into her rooms, which is right up my alley.

Once the owl was dry I brought it in and set it on the shelf. It’s currently holding our envelopes and stamps, and paired with more blues and some green.

What did you find? Show it off below by linking up your find, and feel free to use the button below in your post to link back to DIY May-nia! And don’t forget to check out the other host’s projects: The HumberHome Project, Wit Wisdom & Food and Corner of Main.

Wit Wisdom & Food | The HumberHome Project | Corner of Main | Mailbox Journey

The Rules:
- No linking to shops, stores, giveaways or other link parties
- Must link directly to the specific post
- Link back to your link-up hosts
- Most importantly, have fun!

At the time, Ashley, Travis & I were the only ones who knew what was happening. During the beginning stages of this process, I was completely swamped and dealing with the loss of my grandmother, but Travis took the reigns in the pre-approval mortgage process and got the ball rolling. We gathered up all of our documents, figured out the amount we wanted to spend, and where we wanted to buy. On Wednesday, we had an appointment with our loan officer to see if we could get pre-approved.

Pre-approved: An evaluation of a potential borrower by a lender that determines whether the borrower qualifies for a loan from the lender, or the maximum amount that the lender would be willing to lend. The pre-approval process involves a thorough look into the income and expenses of the borrower, including a look at the borrower’s credit report and score.

We got fancy badges and all, and met with our loan officer. I was completely nervous the entire time, but the meeting went very smoothly. We had all the paperwork we needed, answered all of her questions, and she told us she see’s no problem in us obtaining a mortgage and that we could actually ask for even more, but we didn’t. We feel 100% comfortable for the amount we asked for. She said she would send our application to the underwriters, and we should receive an answer by Friday morning.

Yesterday we received this… our Pre-Approval letter!

Time to OFFICIALLY start house-hunting! Wish us luck!

I would definitely hang that beauty in my home.

I also want to give a big shout-out to everyone that participated during the Mother’s Day link-up! You guys are awesome. & just a reminder that on Monday we will be linking up our garage and/or thrift store finds.

See you then!