Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Happy Birthday!

Thursday, October 22, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »
Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. Today Scottie turns 26 years old. He is now officially closer to 30 than 20 ... oh boy! I've known Scottie for 11 of his 26 years and I'm still learning new things about him everyday. Happy Birthday monk!

Success!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Posted In Edit This 0 Comments »
We just heard back from Chase, they have given us the final approval for the mortgage! Yes! Now we just have to wait to hear back from the Rural Department (which is backing the loan) and we should be clear to close! I'm hoping it will happen before 10/30. *fingers and toes are crossed*

Our First House Project

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »
Dear JP Morgan Chase,

I know things are tight for you right now. I know you are trying to figure out what to do with the thousands of defaulted mortgages you have on your plate. I get that. But can you please take my word when I say that Mr. Peterson and I are to be trusted with the money you hand over to us? We will make our payments on time, I promise. Believe me, we lived in a yippe Chicago suburb for 1.5 years; this mortgage payment is going to seem like a few bucks in comparison to our rent check in Naperville.

Now that we have given you everything -- and I mean every single bit of information we have on ourselves, we just ask you to hurry on up with a check -- we have a first time home buyers tax credit with our name on it and we have a month and a half before the governmet takes that opportunity from us. Please. Please. Please, oh pretty please.

Back to the topic of this post... Our First House Project. And you did read correctly, we still have no financing but we are working on the house.

Scottie and I came upon a little bump in the road in the form of a garage. Banks today are very picky about the condition of the home. If anything is considered a health risk, they want you or the buyer to fix it. So if we do default on the mortgage, they do not have a house that someone could get sick or hurt at. Well, our lovely garage had *some* paint chips. I stress the word some. The bank decided our financing was contingent on the entire garage being repainted.... Fantastic.

So the past two weeks we power washed, sanded down, and primed the garage. We also had to clean the entire area around the garage to get rid of any fallen paint chips. And that was no simple task my friends. The area around the garage probably had not been raked in a good 6 years. There were tons of old leaves and dirt that had to get raked or vacumed up.

Below are some pictures of our progress. Thanks to our great Wisconsin weather, our painting has haulted. We do have everything primed up, so we can move forward with financing; we just have to wait for it to be at least 60 degrees or so in order for the paint to stick well.
This area on both sides of the fence used to have huge clumps of old leaves and mulch. It looks so much better now that it is all cleaned, I am so excited!
The awning area, again completely cleaned up. Prior to this you could not see the ground at all.
The garage door view. We kept the original garage door color. We are going to wait to see how the main color paint comes on and hope to find a nice compliment color for it.
The next pictures give you an idea of what the garage color USED to be. This is the door to the small patio that is attached to the garage.
This is a window frame right before it was primed.
More of the old color.
Close up of the old color. As you can see in this picture, there was practically NO chipping anywhere. Big bummer. But, the color is pretty retro so I suppose we eventually would have changed the color. Probably not the first project we would have chosen, though.

Fall Recipe

Thursday, September 24, 2009 Posted In Edit This 0 Comments »
I found this recipe on http://www.thenest.com/ and gave it a whirl for my mom and Scottie to try. I think it went over fairly well! Who is this recipe geared towards? Men! There could not be a better soup to serve on a fall afternoon. What would be better? Serve it on a Packer game day in the fall. Mmmmmm. It is VERY flavorful and even MORE filling!

Mac & Cheese Soup
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

10 slices thick-cut bacon (substitute turkey bacon you health-concious people)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup all-purpose flour

One 14-ounce can vegetable broth

3 cups whole milk (substitue 2% milk for healthy folks)

1 tablespoon good-quality chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 cups (1 pound) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni, cooked

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Step 1 Cut the bacon strips into quarters. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove it to paper towels to drain.

Step 2 Add a little oil to the pan if needed, then add the onion. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onion is soft and lightly browned, about another 5 minutes.

Step 3 Add the flour and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often.

Step 4 Add the milk, chili powder, pepper, and mustard. Return the soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the cheese and bacon and continue cooking and stirring until well blended, about 4 minutes.

Step 5 Add the macaroni and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat and serve, sprinkling with parsley.

Best Night Ever!

Monday, September 21, 2009 Edit This 1 Comment »
Ok I know I should say my wedding day is the best day ever. And I promise, it was. But this is the best night ever in a different way. A few months ago Scottie's dad asked us to go a Chris Botti concert in Milwaukee. I have been a huge CB fan for years. He is such a talented trumpet player. He has a great mix of both the old stuff and new stuff. At first I didn't know really where we were sitting.
Then Scottie let the cat out of the bag about a week before the show. We had front row seats. OMG.

So the night started out amazing. We had a great dinner at Mo's Irish Pub. When we got to the show, we found out that not only were we in the front row, but we were directly in front of his mic. Another huge OMG.

When he came out on stage, it was amazing. He was right there, and his beautiful trumpet pointing right at us. During the show he would have small convos with us. It was amazing to see him interact with his unbelievably talented band. He had this guest violinist that when she played, it almost broke your heart.

After the show (like he always does) he took pictures with all of his fans, including us. That was cool -- I already have a picture with him so I was thinking "Been there, done that".

Chris Botti has an amazing drum player. So after the show Scottie went up to the stage manager and asked for the drum stick. Scottie then asked, "Where is the drummer, I'd really like him to sign this". The stage manager replied "They are probably already on their way to the Intercontinental Hotel".

So we stakishly decided to go to the Intercontinental Hotel. The stage manager has probably lost his job now that Chris Botti knows he told some creepy fans where he was staying. The Peterson family walked in and looked around. All of a sudden Scottie's dad turns around and goes "Oh there you guys are!!" And there was the band (without Chris Botti). It was sooo funny that his dad said that like the band should have been expecting us. So Scottie got his signature and all was good. Scottie and his dad decided to walk to get the car, which was pretty far away.

So there was me, Megan, and Scottie's mom all enjoying a drink together. And guess who walks in. CHRIS BOTTI. He then proceeds to walk to our table and SITS DOWN TO TALK WITH US. I'm not making this up, folks. We continued to enjoy an approximately 30 minute conversation with the legendary Chris Botti. It was AMAZING. He is such a nice, and down to earth guy. The funniest part of the night was the part where a server came up to us. The conversation went like this.

Server: "So are you guys from around here?"
Me: "We are from Burlington."
Server: "So what are you guys doing here?"
Me: " We went to a Chris Botti concert" (Remember, Chris Botti was sitting with us)
Server: "Oh I've never heard of him"
Me: "He is an AMAZING trumpet player. The next Miles Davis. You should check him out."
Server: "Sounds good! Have a good night"
Erin (my mother-in law) to Chris Botti: "That server is such an idiot"

It was SOOOO COOL! Towards the end Scottie and his dad were outside so Scottie called Megan and said "Are you guys talking with Chris Botti?" And Megan replied "Yes, don't come in, you'll ruin it for us!" SO FUNNY!

Enjoy some pictures!!
Scott and Erin at dinner.


That person you see at the bottom left hand of the pic is Scottie. Yes, that is how close we were.

What a great expression.

Yep. Chris Botti and us!!

House Inspection

Friday, September 18, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »
Our house inspection is scheduled for tonight at 4:30 p.m. Holy Cow I am sooooooo nervous-excited-happy-anxious-but mostly really really nervous.

Halloween

Thursday, September 17, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »
I love fall. I always say this at the beginning of any season, but I do think fall is my favorite season. It means it is time to hunker down, get warm, watch some football and spend time with friends and family. I went for a bike ride yesterday and just loved the leaves crunching under my wheels and the unbelievably fresh air. SUPER COOL!

Halloween is a good indicator that fall is here. So when I get the opportunity to finally decorate my own home, Halloween in our house is going to be big. Huge. Unfortunately we aren't scheduled to close until October 16. So I doubt that I will be able to decorate for Halloween since I will be focused on making the place a bit more liveable. So the plan is to get some major decoration discounts after Halloween and plan to go wild next year.

So I snooped around on Martha Stewart's website and found some inspirations. This is, my friends, how our house will look like next year.

I love this clock out of everything. So cool and kinda creepy!

They used real pumpkins as candle holders. Is that not the coolest thing??

This is another real pumpkin that is used as a vase. LOVE IT.
I love this mirror. Eery! The pumpkins are white and were spray-painted silver. I love that look. I also love the orange old-fashioned candies.

I love these little pumpkins. Very cute!

Home Sweet Home?

Thursday, September 10, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »

I am too excited not to post about this. OK I know a lot can happen before the ink is dry but I can't contain myself anymore!


We have put an offer in on a house and the owner accepted. Yipeee!!
We have a lot to do.
Most importantly at this time is to get the house inspected. And that task right there folks is what makes me the most nervous. It is an older home and not much has been done to it. Don't get me wrong, the owner has taken great care of her house. The issue is that a lot has probably changed since the time that her appliances, etc. were installed and I'm so afraid things won't meet today's requirements.

So, I know it's not officially ours yet. I won't believe it till I have the keys in my hands. But I want to post pictures anyway!!
Here's the scoop. It has 3 bed rooms and technically 2 bathrooms. The 2nd bathroom is in the basement which needs a lot of work. So we probably won't do anything to the 2nd bathroom or use it for 2 years. It has about 1300 sq. feet. It has a two car detached garage.

Our humble first home! The neighborhood is FANTASTIC! Very well maintained homes, and a very queit street. She doesn't do much yard work so some bushes and nice flowers will make the house look a lot more inviting. I also plan to put flower boxes under the bay window and the window all the way to the right (kitchen window).


The Kitchen / Dining Room. We plan to rip out those upper cabinets to open the kitchen up a bit more.
The Garage. Note that the yard is totally fenced in for Baxter. He is so excited to have his own yard!
The Living Room. The window fixtures will be goners. We will also have to replace the carpet since she was a smoker.
The basement. Needs tons of work. We will hold off on any basement renovations probably for two years or so. It needs a little cleaning. It reminds me of my grandpa and grandma's house on Van Buren which brings back great memories.
The bar will be great once it is all done up.

I was pretty surprised that Scottie went for a home that needed some work. For awhile he was pretty convinced that he wanted little to no work on our first home. I think he saw the potential though for some great equity since it's in a great location.

Our scheduled closing date is October 16, 2009 --- which seems like a lifetime from now. There is so much to do in the meantime. Wish us luck in securing our very first home!!

Good News (Finally)

Saturday, August 15, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »
Well, he did it. Scottie found a job! Mr. Scott Matthew Peterson is the newest Personal Banker at M & I Bank in Paddock Lake. His first day is August 24 and we could not be happier. It has been a long 2 months living apart and in two different states.

Scottie will say a very sad goodbye to Bose after three great years. I'll never forget when he started at Bose in Johnson Creek - it doesn't seem possible that it was three years ago. He will miss Bose incredibly but I am sure he will stay in touch with his good friends.
So, what is next for the Petersons you ask? Well, we are continuing our search for a house in Burlington. Paddock Lake is a short 13 miles from Burlington so it will be an easy commute for Scottie and my commute will remain right around the 2 minute mark. Two minutes certainly is a lot less than the 2 hours I had working in Chicago. We will also be near both Scottie's parents and my parents which will be great so I can help my dad -- not to mention we'll be near some of our best friends.
Our goal is to close on a house by the end of November so we can get the first time home buyer's tax credit. We have a lot of saving and number crunching to do in the meantime. But it will all be worth it when we can finally settle down and put roots somewhere.
Here's to the light at the end of that tunnel!

House Hunters

Sunday, August 09, 2009 Edit This 0 Comments »
Scottie and I have been quite occupied during these past few weeks. I succesfully found a job in Wisconsin. The stress-factor has been high since Scottie has not found a job as quickly as I have. He still is working at Bose in Aurora. Our lease in Naperville ended on July 31. So Scottie has been staying with a friend near Aurora while I camp out at my parent's house. Not the most ideal situation for newlyweds.
Scottie has had some promising job leads this past week and we really are hopng for some good news this week. His one big lead would allow us to stay in the Burlington area. So, I have started a house hunt so we can have our OWN place after what seems like an eternity. I will temporarily use this blog as a list of pros and cons of the homes I'm looking at.

I've seen the home below a few times and I really like it. I'm a dork and did not take a picture of the front of the house. It is a brick ranch with a nice bay window in the front and an attached garage.
The two car garage.
The screened in patio. It is just off the kitchen and the garage. Great space for entertaining.
One half of the basement. I would totally re-do this and make it a family room.

The fantastic back yard.

The shed would be great extra storage for lawn mowers, etc.


The kitchen looking out to the back yard.



One of the three bedrooms. We would make this one into an office.

Hard wood floors in all three bedrooms! The living room and dining room are carpeted, the sellers are almost 100% sure there is hard wood underneath so we would definately pull up the carpet!

This is the other half of the basement. There is a washer/dryer towards the back. Great area for storage.

The master bedroom.

The full bath right by the three bedrooms.

Pros with this house:

It is brick so easy to maintain. All of the main living areas are on the main level. It is smaller, not too big for just the two of us (for now) and Baxter. It is on a great street. The back yard is great. The patio is wonderful for entertaining. The floorplan is very open. The basement is huge, we would add a lot of livable square footage if we renovated the one side.

Cons with this house:

The house is a bit more than we want to spend. We've been approved for more than the asking price, but on a comfort/budget level we do not want to spend that much. Luckily the house has been on the market for awhile so they may be willing to negotiate. Speaking of it being on the market for awhile, I'm afraid they will get an offer before the time we would be ready to put in an offer. The back yard is not fenced in which would be important for Baxter. The living room is a little snug. Appliances in the house would also need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

I have about seven more showings this week so I'm sure I'll come back with some more of our options.

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