A Little Bit of Nothing

I have been up to a little bit o'nothing since the last time I posted.  My K-State girls (and Dallas!) come into town for the New Year's weekend and we had laughed so much that I'm still waiting for my voice to come back!  And it better hurry as I go back into the classroom tomorrow :-/

I feel pretty lame since aside from New Year's there really hasn't been much to report on.  Our company left Sunday afternoon, yesterday I worked at CASA and hit the gym and today I reported back to the school.

However, the other night Mom called to tell me about a website her friend introduced her to.  I'm not sure of the proper name, but it's where Riley County posts all the real estate appraisal information--it was definately my best friend when we were house hunting.  One, I knew the bank would not give us the loan if a house was appraised lower than the selling price and two, it gave me an idea of what a potential first bid should be.  When it comes to making one of the biggest investments in your lifetime it helps to be armed with all the information you can get.

What I didn't know...the site also provides pictures of the home's exterior!  And this is where I got excited.

If you've been following my blog, you know our house is NOT this color...

But thanks to the Appraiser's site, I know what it looked like in its previous life!  And I COMPLETELY understand why everyone says our house looks so much happier and like someone cares...This house looks all alone :-(  And itty-bitty :-(  And like a little bit of nothing.  I'm not sure if I even would have given the house a second glance while painted this color...It's amazing what a different paint job and a touch of landscaping can do.  Don't get me wrong--our house is no show-stopper but it definately grabs your attention a bit more than this would!  With time, things will only get better :-)