Mission Complete??

Is home improvement ever complete? I'm starting to think N-O.

In spite of that, Mission Home Improvement was pretty successful. As I mentioned on Friday, the water heater was put in Thursday night. After my family got in, took some measurements, planned things out a bit, and unpacked tools, we got to work. My dad and I left (I think it was close to 8 pm) to get the water heater, but since I hadn't been able to price out heaters ahead of time, we stopped a 3 different stores! Thankfully they were in close proximity to one another. We ended up going back to the first store for the heater, since they had the best price. Go figure. I knew my mom and brother would be making some preparations while we were out, but I wasn't expecting this when I got home:

My mom and brother managed to get the door-shaped hole cut, plus some, drained the water heater, and dug out some old carpet and crap that was in the tiny space behind everything (left by the previous owner). Whoa. 

 

{Note: the above picture is terrible and wobbly and I'm mildly embarrassed to have it on here, but it does illustrate the full extent of the wall carnage. Oh, for those of you who haven't been IN my basement, I have low ceilings, the door isn't really 8 feet tall.}

Soon after we came home, Dad and my brother got the old heater moved and the new heater installed and running. I ended up moving paint and shelves and pulling out soggy carpet and helping where I could, which included ordering a pizza for a late night snack (actually my dinner). :)

Friday morning I helped make some lists before I left for work. Apparently my crew had another productive day without me! They got the door to the "green room" rehung, 

my bedroom door removed - sorry, no pic...like I'm going to show you my not-so-tidy bedroom!! They also dug out the door in the garage rafters so I can start sanding it.

They got the lattice put on the deck, though apparently my silly Lilly managed to squeeze under the small hole left under the deck steps...so a couple pieces were added later.

But this was the scene when I pulled in the driveway on Friday after work...

my mom and brother hacking away at the gianormous lilac bush/tree/monstrosity. It had been damaged in the blizzard this winter and has never been the same since and I was worried a overhanging branch would fall on my neighbor's car in a storm, so it needed to be yanked out. 

This was what was left when my brother's saw battery died. Poor Mama Bird flew over and sat on one of the remaining branches and seemed confused. Aww. Although I don't have a picture, trust that there's now nothing left but a freakish stump.I'm sure Mama Bird is really confused now. 

No picture, but my brother put some caulk on the outside of the patio door, which will hopefully take care of the leak.  Also, the easily accessible cold water pipes in the basement were insulated! No more drips!

Aside from all of these projects, some other things came up that needed attention...

*my front porch light went out at the most inopportune time (i.e., right after ordering pizza) and is quite tricky, so my brother also took care of that, 

*my AC had a clogged hose somewhere, which also contributed to the watery mess in the basement {still don't understand all that, but it seems better now, so I'm OK with that}. My dad and brother removed the rubber hose and replaced it with PVC pipe, which won't kink and will hopefully not clog,

*the old-school metal weather strip that was on my balcony door was removed and the door planed so it closes (and opens) more easily,

*air vents were cleaned, filters replaced, 

*sewer cover...or plug...or whatever it's called, was a rusty, gross mess and fell off when we were pulling carpet off the basement floor. Now replaced!

Whew. What a busy weekend. My crew worked really hard and I am very grateful for their help and expertise. Much to my brother's chagrin, we {Mom & I} were already planning more projects. I feel like I drove around a lot, spent a lot of money, and helped where I could, but my crew did the tough stuff while I was gone, it seemed! Thanks again, y'all!

A Grand Entrance: Part 1

Remember the movie, What About Bob? You know, Bill Murray plays "Bob"... a hypochondriacal, highly anxious, codependent guy, overly-attached to his psychiatrist (and his fish). Well Bob had to learn to take "baby steps" and he kept saying it over and over: "baby steps to the door, baby steps up the stairs, baby steps on the bus..." Well, I feel like that with my back entryway transformation. Baby steps to an organized, neat entryway.

And so, I wanted to share with you a baby step I took this weekend. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this little thing. I actually get a little giddy when I walk through there now.

But first... some thanks are in order! You guys really got me thinking about some really great ways to make a small space more organized and user-friendly...and pretty. :-)

I love Erin's suggestion:

(The Company Store)

And I would totally do this if I could, but really that bench is a little too big for my space. Sigh. If only I had a little more space. But I am in love with the corner shelf, so who knows. Maybe I'll splurge...maybe.

A couple of you mentioned changing out my light and I really want to do that, I just need to find a cheap light that isn't ugly. So I've been keeping my eyes peeled. I also have some Goodwill mirrors I plan to spruce up to add to the space. What really got me thinking was all that unused space in that recessed area above the coats and going to the basement. So who knows, I may be adding a shelf and baskets there! Thanks for all your great ideas! Keep 'em comin'!

Now, back to my baby step. I didn't really mention it in my last post, but you can see it in my pic:

See it? No? It's that ugly accordian door...

Now? Yeah, not sure why it's there, but it gets in my way constantly since it took away like 4 inches of space in the doorway, so I was always bumping it. And the one time I tried to close the dogs down in the basement they just bent it and went through (I have a real door at the top of the stairs in the kitchen).

Anyway, I decided to take that ugly thing down. It was trickier than I thought because there are these little...brakets? (those gray things)...holding the track on and the "hinged" side, but that was hidden so it took a bit before I realized how that part came off.

Finally, I got it all off! Woohoo! Then I tackled the many, many screws that were in there...I used elbow grease and worked up a little sweat, but I got them all off! Now every time I go downstairs, I am nearly gleeful at that door being gone! I know, it's not that big of a thing, but I feel like it's made a world of difference.

Apparently I didn't take a full picture of the new and improved doorway, but I did think it was funny that once I got the track off, you can see three distinct colors! An orangey one in the basement, white under, and that pukey yellow.

It's a veritable rainbow of color around here!

I Hate Thoroughly Dislike My Entryway

The back entrance to my house drives me nuts.

Pottery Barn

Oh no. No, that's not mine. That beautiful, organized, and gigantic entryway, is definitely. not. mine.

No, this lil' beaut is my pride and joy (sob). This is the view of the back door looking down from my kitchen. It's actually very clean right now. There's usually an extra bag of dog food or something sitting right there in the corner.
 

 Just in case you think you may have missed something, you didn't. Here's another shot... from the basement steps looking up to the door.

Right off the stairs to the basement, there is this little recessed area that has a little ledge and some hooks for coats and whatnot...

This little recessed area is only about 6 inches deep. And it's usually got more stuff hanging and sitting on the ledge, but in a fit of organization, I cleaned some stuff out.

That's pretty much the whole thing, folks. I could barely get decent pictures. To complicate things, there is usually a dog

or two

in the way.

So what are my issues with the space? Good question.

It's small. I can't realistically do anything about the size, but I can figure out some ways to maximize the space.

Usually messy. Like I said, sometimes extra dog food sits there, shoes, stuff to go in the basement or out to recycling, etc. I need some storage solutions for a small area.

Not enough coat hooks. And no one knows where to hang them. That's an easy one to fix.

Poor lighting. (I think the pukey yellow color is partly to blame for this.) The ceiling is really high so the light fixture is too.

Pukey yellow wall color. Not that it currently matches my kitchen anyway, but I probably won't be painting in here until I decide what color the kitchen will be.

That's the list at the moment. (Well, I don't like the floor much either... it's kind of beat up and ugly. I'm not changing the floor any time soon, though, so I'll cover it with rugs or something.)

I do have a couple of ideas... but I'm willing to take some suggestions! Any fantastic small-space organization tips you want to share? Do you have a small space that drives you nuts?

The 1st Annual Black Friday Craftapalooza

I'm not sure I meant for it to happen, but I think I may have started a new tradition! After seeing so many fun projects on the last couple of DIY Days, I told my mom we should try a few projects. We made a couple of fancy snowflakes and decided to make more later. I had also finally decided that I wanted to take a stab at Lindsay's book wreath- check it out at Living with Lindsay.

Here's my take on it...

I'll be totally honest with you, when I first saw the wreath on Lindsay's blog, I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. Don't judge me! After my initial, huh??? reaction, the wreath kind of grew on me. Apparently it kind of grew on a LOT of bloggers out there too!! (We tried something a bit different though... so read on).

Anywho, I showed my mom and we decided we were going to make one for each of us and then we decided that my younger sister would join in on the fun. Ah, little did she know what we had in store for her. We're not big Black Friday shoppers, but we did go out later in the day for a few things and gathered supplies at the dollar store. My sister just kept saying, "We're making a wreath out of books???"

Since there were not very many paperback books (that were in decent shape) at our dollar store, we went with hardcover books. I chose mine because I really liked the font (which really doesn't matter much later) and my mom grabbed the other books, sort of based on font style, but also because they had plenty of pages. Oddly enough, I realized later that my book was a fictional story about Freud and Jung! How fitting! Amber's book was about criminal investigation and forensics, which was also somewhat fitting. Mom's book didn't fit quite so well, but it did have a Polish character. :-)

I will admit my sister and I were a little discouraged at first, since it seemed like the first few rows/layers weren't adding up fast enough, but after a while, the wreath took shape. I really liked using a hardcover- the pages were wider, which was good, though we did end up adjusting the length of the pages. We just simply tore a little off the bottom. I usually rolled/folded my torn edges in, but on some it really added some texture and fullness. I also really tried to fill mine pretty tightly when going through for the first time, which meant I didn't have to fill in a lot of holes at the end. My sister actually ended up using nearly 2 books for her wreath!!

Here's my finished product! I realized this pic doesn't do it justice...

Ahhh, this is a little better. You can get a better idea of just how big and pouffy these things are! Initially, I thought the wreath forms at the store were smaller than the one Lindsay used... gosh am I GLAD we didn't get a bigger one!

Mom ended up helping the 2 of us make our wreaths, then she decided that she would use her supplies to make my other sister a wreath, since she couldn't be a part of our Craft-a-Thon... check out our handiwork on my sister's blog here . I think they turned out really well (in spite of what my brother and dad think!)!!

What do you think?

I'm linking up with DIY Day!

Ta-Da!

Remember this not-so-little "beauty"? My found treasure left behind by the previous owner of my house...

... nice detail though, and lots of potential.

I really debated what to do with the frame, but it came down to a cork board or a chalk board. Although a chalkboard would be really cute in this frame, I'm not sure I would get much use out of it... so I decided to go with cork. At first I was worried I wouldn't find a big enough piece of cork, but eventually I found a roll at the hardware store (oddly, the rolls I found at the craft stores weren't big enough!)

I started by cutting the paper backing off of the picture... by the way, there was a price tag on the picture... $130!! After removing the paper I found staples and staples and staples. I ended up pulling out 46 of them! Overkill.

I cleaned up the frame with some paper towels and light cleaner and started painting it (Parchment White, of course). I wanted to make sure to cover all the details without lots of globs of paint, so I used a sponge brush, then dry-brushed with a paint brush, which meant the paint dried faster, but it was pretty thin, so I ended up doing about 3 coats, I think.

Meanwhile, I cut a piece of cork to match the size of the picture. The mats and picture were all glued together, otherwise I would've tried to salvage and reuse the large mat. I glued the cork to the back of the mat, put it all back together, and used a staple gun to staple it in place... using far fewer staples this time.

Here's a shot of the detail now... Much, much better, yes?

... and here is the finished product!

I hung it in the living room, just to take the picture, but it will be going into my newly remodeled office/craft room (which is far from being furnished and decorated), but I just couldn't bear to pound a nail into the wall yet (check that out here and here).

Anyway, I'm happy with the finished product! I think it's probably the prettiest cork board I've ever had. Woohoo!

What do you think?

I am tickled pink to be linking up again with DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land! Please go check out all the amazing projects over there! I look forward to DIY Day every week!

Thrifty Finds!

Today was all about shopping for some great deals... and running a few errands, like picking up my dry cleaning. Side note: why is dry cleaning so dang expensive? Grr.

Anyway, I finally made it to ReStore, which I've been dying to check out. I didn't find anything today, but they have so much stuff there! Paint too! I need to keep that in mind for future projects. I also stopped at a hardware store and got something for another project, but that is for another post.

The absolute highlight of my shopping was my awesome find at Goodwill. I was trying to find some holiday stuff, but as usual, I checked out the books and frames, and then strolled through the dishes and glassware. And then, there she was, on the bottom shelf... a Fiesta pitcher! (I apologize for picture quality- I only had the camera on my phone).

I think I gasped. My hand shot out to snatch her off the shelf. Price? $19.99. The cost of a brand new pitcher is about $46. I quickly consulted my friend and Fiesta aficionado, Nacole, and she looked it up online. We realized it was a retired color (periwinkle)! Woohoo! I've wanted a pitcher like this for a while. I clutched the pitcher to my chest as I finished looking around the store. What a find! Woohoo!

At the Salvation Army store I found a frame and 2 brand new books (Marie Antoinette: The Journey & The Boleyn Inheritance) for a grand total of $2.87! Yay!

I also saw a cute turquoise typewriter. It was a compact model...with a cover that turned into a carrying case. How cute. I wish I needed a typewriter! Liz, at Mabel's House, would probably love this typewriter!! It would match her cool vintage turquoise phone... and lots of other turquoise stuff...girl loves her some turquoise!

Have you found any great deals lately?

Freakshow Dreams

I had the strangest dream last night that left me feelin' a little panicky. Apparently I had not closed on my house yet, but was scheduled to close within a day or two...regardless, it was near the time the house would be mine. And then POOF! All of sudden, because of some clause or fine print or something, the house was whisked out from under me by someone else. Just. Like. That!

I was pretty upset, but I think I was in shock, so it hadn't quite hit me yet. I needed a place to live, fast, so I agreed to buy a house, sight unseen, in Denver (the city, not the burbs) of all places! Yikes! The place was no house at all, but a nightmarish condo/apartment of sorts, with a giant bathroom in 70s decor that was shared by all. Plus a few other random bathrooms that didn't seem to have all the needed components. Like one had a sink, but no toilet. Huh?! My kitchen ended up being a diner, again, shared by all, which I found out during the lunchtime rush. My family was there to help me move in and was shocked by what they saw, but they were trying to be supportive, since apparently this was what I bought. It started to hit me and I started to panic. I was hoping that I could get out of it, like there was some sort of return policy on property.

My sister, being helpful, offered to show me a house a friend of hers was selling...to the tune of $500,000. Um, a little outside of my price range, but we all went to look anyway. The house had a lot of amazing bathrooms. More than I needed. And a normal kitchen. Meanwhile, I was still freaked out about being homeless and having my house sucked out from beneath me.

That's when I woke up. It took me a minute to realize where I was and that it was my house. Not the freakshow condo, but MY actual house. After getting some distance from the dream I started thinking, maybe I'm starting to feel like it's really my home...enough to panic about it being taken away??? And maybe I have a thing about bathrooms.

What do you think? Any interpretations? Have you had any freakish dreams lately?

Conundrum

Whew! This week is flying by! Maybe that's a good thing...

Anyway, last weekend was Paint Fest USA 2009 at my house. My neck and hands were killing me by the time we were done painting... I realized I really haven't done much painting (of rooms) and so I was a bit clumsy at first. Oh well. The paint is on the wall!

Though, this leads me to said conundrum... I think the paint color is a bit lighter than I anticipated. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty and light and all that. I finally dug out the paint swatch or chip or whatever you call it and compared the two last night and it does appear to be just a bit lighter on the wall. The primer even seemed darker to me than the paint does...

So do I add another coat of paint? (I think my hands spontaneously started bleeding when I typed that.) Will that add some depth and color and weight? Please excuse the painters tape in the picture...

The Itch

I've been itching to do something crafty/artsy/creative lately (besides cooking)... probably inspired by some fun blogs I've been checking out (www.inthefunlane.com also the blogs that are listed there). I think it would be so fun! And I'm still not feeling very settled in my home, nor do I really feel like it's mine. So maybe a project would help a little.

Yet, I hesitate because: a) the in-progress house projects aren't nearly finished, b) I really need to make sure I'm studying for licensure (which I've resumed full force), c) I need to be very careful about my budget, d) I have no idea where to start... or what to start with!

Any ideas?

New Kid on the Block

I didn't know that when I bought my house I was buying my piece of the neighborhood. Not just any neighborhood, but a real, old-fashioned, piece of Americana. The neighbors here have been welcoming and friendly - G and K gave me a homemade loaf of bread, the guy across the street has told me many times that he will lend a hand whenever needed, and, true to his word, helped my move the dirty carpet out to the curb for garbage day.

But the frosting on the cake was when F stopped by and told me they were planning an "Out with the Old, In with the New Party" to say goodbye to the previous owner, and hello to me! She wanted to be sure I could be there and ran the date by me first, then told me about a flyer that would be distributed. Wow, I didn't expect all this.

The party was last night and I was not really looking forward to it, to be honest. I had mixed feelings about meeting the previous owner, especially because of my gross carpet and weird paneling and, most recently, an overdue water bill! Anyway, I made my dish to pass, bought a 6-pack of beer (it was BYO) and walked across the street with my head high (after a few hours of nerves and thoughts about making up a story to get out of it). F, who seems to be the neighborhood matriarch, chided me a little for bringing a dish since I was "one of the guests of honor after all." Meeting the previous owner was a little odd, but it was OK after the first few minutes. We chatted about what she used to clean the hardwood floors, talked about flowers in the yard, and she told me that her next project was the carpet (it was still sitting on the curb because of needing to call a "bulk items truck"). By the end of the night (and a number of drinks) A, the previous owner, was telling me that she was so happy I was living in her house and she had really wanted it to go to the "right person". She told me we would have to get together to talk about the flowers and any other questions I had. She also told me she loved me and hugged me and kissed my cheek, but I'm pretty sure that was just the alcohol talking. :-)

So, I spent a lovely...long... evening with my neighbors who are quickly becoming an extended family of sorts. I was told more than once that people look out for each other and this particular group of people (near the end of our block) are particularly tight-knit. Apparently, Christmas in the 'hood is also a very big deal involving a Round Robin party, lots of food, lots of alcohol, and lots of fun. Something to look forward to, for sure.

Weekend Warriors

This weekend was a do-it-yourself fest. My mom and brother came out to help me rip up the carpet since it still smelled bad and was still pretty dirty. I was slightly terrified to rip up the carpet because earlier in the week I had started taking down the wallpaper in one of the bedrooms (aka the office) and found...paneling. Wood paneling with all this wood trim in the corners, base, and top. Under the wood paneling? Funny you should ask! Looks like it is the original plaster, in rough shape. All the trim seemed to be covering the gaps where the paneling didn't exactly meet. I stopped working and waited until this weekend when I had reinforcements to help me assess the situation. It seems this house has surprised me a few times already, so it was with some trepidation that I faced the carpet situation.

However, we all thought there were wood floors throughout. Did I mention my home is 91 years young? So it wouldn't be unheard of. We peeked under the carpet in the corners, but it was tough to see and in one spot it looked like ... linoleum. Huh? On the other side, it looked like hardwood. So my brother started in front of the front door and cut a 3-foot strip of carpet. Here's what we found...


Nice, right? It looks like at one point there was a half-wall or built-in something there because the hardwood goes up to it... all that black tar-like stuff appears to be glue. For the kick-ass, 1960s, speckled linoleum. I nearly cried. And because we cut the strip right down the middle, there was really no turning back (plus the carpet and pad were disgusting, so it had to be taken out and everything cleaned.)

My living room is this giant 14'x24' room and the linoleum covers over half of it. After we uncovered more, it appeared that at some point one of the previous owners tried to remove some linoleum and realized how tough it would be and gave up. It kills me that the beautiful floors are covered like that!



We worked really hard for hours to get everything cut, rolled up, and bundled for the trash. Then we pulled out the staples, which is really tough work. We washed the floors with a lovely citrus-scented cleaner, which actually did help get rid of the smell of dog pee. I contemplated getting carpet just for the half of the room with the linoleum, but in the end, just couldn't do it (namely, I'm not rich and can't have the wood half refinished AND have carpet installed). So in a few weeks, the lovely wood will be covered up again... as well as the ugly linoleum.

But perhaps we finally exorcised the ghost of Puppy Pees A Lot. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Oh, stay tuned for updates on the office wallpaper/paneling/plaster issue... that's another upcoming weekend project (that scares the bejeezus out of me).

Furniture? Check!!

I bought some beautiful new furniture!! I wasn't intending to buy a new couch and chair right away, but I found out about a warehouse sale last weekend, then another sale, and so my brother and I had to go check things out. Lo and behold, I found something I liked at one place and then found it for a better price at another! Since the second place didn't have it in stock (ugh, who wants to wait 6 weeks?!) and their customer service was not stellar, my brother and I planned our strategy for working a good deal at the first place. And we got it! (Don't you LOVE getting a GREAT deal?!)

Cross one more item off my list!

8. Buy one new piece of furniture for myself.

So now I am the proud owner of a gianormous leather couch and a funky fabric chair & ottoman. I took a nap on the couch yesterday afternoon after it was delivered and it was such a good nap, I forgot where I was!

Speaking of my list... I know I haven't filled in the remaining items. I just can't think of other things that I want to do that are "list worthy." When I think about it, I've done so many things that if I would've made this list as an 18-year-old, they'd be on there. Like "live alone"- done that, obviously; "get a dog"- got 2; "go to graduate school"- check; "travel abroad"- YES; "ask a guy out"-scary, but I did it. So there aren't too many things I'm just dying to do before I'm 30 that aren't already on the list. Hmm... maybe get involved in my community (now that I have one) and learn to fix and/or replace a leaky faucet could be added...

gratitude [grat-i-tood, -tyood]

My family has been awesome always, but especially lately with all this house stuff. Last weekend my older sister and her family and my parents came to help move me in and clean some things up, which was great! My sister even wrote about it on her blog here. I'm grateful that they spent their 4th of July to help me and to share in such a big event! Thanks Mom, Dad, Tim, Kim, Ben, and Tessa. My little brown-eyed girl, Abby, even spent the night and helped me unpack and organize things. That 10-year-old girl amazes me with her selflessness ... she just kept saying, "Whatever you want me to do to help you get settled, Heidi." Thanks, Abby.

This weekend, my brother came from St. Paul, MN to help me too. I rented a Rug Doctor so we could shampoo all the carpeting in the house because there was definitely a lingering pet odor in the house and some spots in the living room. Boy did we work hard! Technically, he did the bulk of the shampooing while I did the pre-shampoo vacuuming, moved a few things around, and shampooed the stairs. I cannot believe how dirty the carpet was. We're talking disgusting, black water, kind of dirty!! Even after going over the carpet a couple of times, the water was still coming out very dirty. Blech. And I'm not kidding when I say the carpeting on the steps was nearly as bad as the entire living room! The smell has gotten better, but is probably not completely gone. It's most likely in the carpet pad, which will be nearly impossible to get out, I'm guessing. The previous owners did a great job of masking the smell when we were here for the showings and inspection... or they let it get worse after the offer was accepted. That would be my advice to a home buyer: if the carpet is staying and isn't new, write a professional carpet cleaning into your offer.

Anyway, my brother and I also ran all over the city looking for some new house numbers (you just can't see mine very well), a new mailbox, and other odds and ends. We didn't find everything, but that's OK. It was fun having him around, as always. I think that we're pretty entertaining for salespeople and whatnot, once we get going. So thanks for all your help this weekend, Brother!!

The Joys of Homeownership

My fingers hurt as I type this. It's a weird feeling. Actually, the soreness doesn't stop there... it continues up my forearm, upper arm, shoulders and back, down my legs all the way to my feet. I've been moving, unpacking, cleaning, and doing yard work since Friday and I'm sore. But it's a good sore that comes with hard work. I'm OK with that.

It's been fun unpacking my things, though it will be a while before I'm actually "settled in." People have asked me if everything fits in my house...um, yes. The furniture that fit perfectly in an apartment and a small house seems like toy furniture in my new house! The carpet needs cleaning, big time, so that will be another project, probably this weekend. I also need to fix a couple of drippy faucets sometime in the near future.

The puppies are back home with me, which is great. They love the new house and yard. This morning I watched Lilly chase Montey in a large figure-8 pattern over and over, stop and pant for 30 seconds, then Montey took a turn being the chaser. They did that about 4 times ... but who knows how long they were chasing each other before I caught them. Silly dogs.

Speaking of the yard... I have a LOT of plants and flowers that I know nothing about. I'm hoping I don't kill them. Maybe I'll find a good book or website that will help me out. I've had to deal with some wasps already, but I'm sure that's not the last I'll see of them. What are wasps' natural predators?

Home Sweet Home

Well, it's all over. I bought a house today! I think I might be in a bit of shock... I mean, I own a house. I have a flipping mortgage for crying out loud!

I'm not sure when this picture was taken (I stole it from the real estate listing). The bushes still need trimming though. But in spite of that, isn't she pretty?

And... I have a front porch swing!! I have always wanted a front porch swing and now I have one! I imagine many evenings sipping lemonade (OK, maybe sometimes something stronger) and being lazy on the porch.

The puppies will soon be home and can play in their awesome backyard and I will be able to sleep in my own bed! For the first time in 4 months!! Well, tomorrow I can sleep in my own bed... I have no furniture right now. AND I can finally start getting settled in this new life of mine. And I get to cross one more thing off my list! Hooray!

Approved!

I got final approval this afternoon! I'm set to close on the house on Friday morning! Whew! I was worried this wasn't going to happen with all that hoop-jumping and whatnot! I know I'm relieved... Tomorrow is the final walk-through and it will be interesting to see the house completely empty...

Does Anyone, I Mean ANYone, Know What's Going On?

So I guess I'm closing on my house on Friday... I haven't heard otherwise, but I also haven't had a confirmation on that date either. This whole process has been ridiculous. I've been asked to provide so many financial documents and verification of those documents (helloooo! you're holding the documents in hand. Isn't that proof enough?) that I actually feel a little naked and somewhat violated. I also have asked a couple of times about a couple of things, and haven't been able to get answers....which is irritating. I mean, I get that people are busy and I'm not the only person buying a house right now, but come on! How hard is it to return a phone call? Especially when I'm asking you to confirm that you got something you asked me to send you??!! Grrr!

Freaky Friday

This is going to be very quick... it seems as though today is going to be one of those "interesting" days.

I finally finished one of the books I've been reading forever, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which was on my list. I will write more about that in an upcoming post, as well as unveil my further revised "Influential Books" list.

I've had a bit of housing drama this week. I'm hoping everything works out, but it looks like my closing date will most likely be pushed back a few days. It's not the end of the world, I know, but I really didn't want to push anything back. I mean, come on already! I want to live in my own house!! The most frustrating part is that this is out of my control and there isn't anything I can do to speed up the process. I just have to wait for the pieces to fall into place...and in the meantime, obsessively monitor those pieces so I at least know what's going on! Ugh!

Inspection Day, Part 2

Well, overall things look pretty good with the house! There are some minor things that will need fixing (a leaky faucet) or maintenance (clean out the window wells), but there were only a few things that we're asking the seller to attend to by closing. The priciest is probably the blown seal in the patio door window, so I hope they agree to fix that.

The inspector was this tall, buff guy with the whitest teeth I've seen! The basement has a really low ceiling, so he had to crouch down quite a bit. He was really friendly and explained things to me. He was pretty impressed with the condition of the house, especially since it's so old. It was pretty interesting and I learned a lot. For instance, here's a fun fact for you.... 2 of my 3 toilets are from 1965 and they're in nearly perfect condition (the 3rd toilet is 1995, I think). When you think about it, that's a lot of usage!

I was sitting in the kitchen while the inspector was crawling around in the attic and I looked around and thought, "This is such a cute home." It's still hard to believe it will actually be mine soon...

Now I just need to get through the appraisal!

Inspection Day!

Today is my home inspection. I've been looking forward to it because it feels like movement of some sort, another step in the right direction. And I'm curious- I get to learn more about this beautiful, old home. But as usual, I'm nervous about it.

I know, I know, inspections always turn up something. And yes, I know that if it's something really big I can negotiate with the seller or walk away. But still. I'm nervous.