Oh you pastel bastards...
So here's the deal...I love me some Easter candy. I hate how those pastel beauties call my name as I do my best to stay away from places like Target, as they are the mecca for Easter goodness. Today I had a serious hankering for sweets. Being the kind wife, daughter, sister I am I chose to spend $27.19 on candy, which was ALL on sale, to place in my loved one's baskets. Now it needs to sit in my trunk until Sunday morning or it will sit on my hips.
A long road ahead of us...
I have always been a realistic person about things that I save, things I donate or throw away. I love shows like Clean Sweep and Hoarders, with the massive amounts of chaos that others live in, which makes me welcome my ability to see things as "things" and what are cherished items. We are working our way closer and closer to the closing date on our new home. With this process of moving also comes the process of renting out our unit in the Triplex so I will have strangers in the house and I don't want it too messy for fear they will think the place/closets/storage is not enough. I've been tired and sick lately so last night we finally began packing.
Kent and I have different philosophies on stuff. He has a need for everything, a purpose that only he can see. I think of the multi-functionality of stuff, yet Kent only needs one function for something. Two years ago we went to Jazz Fest in New Orleans and my Dad rented us a limo that was decked out in beads, beer coozies (no clue how to spell) etc. When we came back home they went into Kent's closet and have stayed in the same spot for almost exactly two years. My brain instantly saw this crap, eh hem, stuff last night and thought, yes, that will go in our trash or donation pile. What must I have been thinking. Those beer condoms will be perfect for sitting out on our new deck in the summer on furniture we have yet to purchase. We started looking in kitchen drawers and I pulled out this weird ghetto beaker measuring thing that Kent bought at IKEA years before I met him. I put it in the donation pile and he saw that and was like, Woah, what are you doing! This is what I use to measure my water for oatmeal. Let me tell you something about Kent's eating habits, he eats the same thing everyday and in no sense of breakfast has Oatmeal been on the menu.
I believe the next month will be a battle of the wills and stuff. I can see the tent in our yard if Clean Sweep showed up and our keep pile is going to be enormous. I believe Kent sees this new house with 2700 square feet, compared to our 1100 we are living in as a mecca for buying and storing things. I'm welcoming the idea of not being so stuffed to the gills. His constant answer about crap I hate is that it is going in his office. His office is so small that I question how the furniture will go in there.
Oh...my TGIF for this week, maybe even this month, will be a way to see through all of Kent's collections and the reward he will receive when 1 percent of his stuff is donated or thrown out.
Kent and I have different philosophies on stuff. He has a need for everything, a purpose that only he can see. I think of the multi-functionality of stuff, yet Kent only needs one function for something. Two years ago we went to Jazz Fest in New Orleans and my Dad rented us a limo that was decked out in beads, beer coozies (no clue how to spell) etc. When we came back home they went into Kent's closet and have stayed in the same spot for almost exactly two years. My brain instantly saw this crap, eh hem, stuff last night and thought, yes, that will go in our trash or donation pile. What must I have been thinking. Those beer condoms will be perfect for sitting out on our new deck in the summer on furniture we have yet to purchase. We started looking in kitchen drawers and I pulled out this weird ghetto beaker measuring thing that Kent bought at IKEA years before I met him. I put it in the donation pile and he saw that and was like, Woah, what are you doing! This is what I use to measure my water for oatmeal. Let me tell you something about Kent's eating habits, he eats the same thing everyday and in no sense of breakfast has Oatmeal been on the menu.
I believe the next month will be a battle of the wills and stuff. I can see the tent in our yard if Clean Sweep showed up and our keep pile is going to be enormous. I believe Kent sees this new house with 2700 square feet, compared to our 1100 we are living in as a mecca for buying and storing things. I'm welcoming the idea of not being so stuffed to the gills. His constant answer about crap I hate is that it is going in his office. His office is so small that I question how the furniture will go in there.
Oh...my TGIF for this week, maybe even this month, will be a way to see through all of Kent's collections and the reward he will receive when 1 percent of his stuff is donated or thrown out.
All is quiet..
I haven't felt like blogging lately. I've had an awful cold and it has pretty much put me out of commission. Kent and I were able to negotiate with the seller of the home we put an offer on, hopefully we will close by April 15th. I'm optimistic, but there will for sure be many hoops to go through. This morning Kent said we needed to come up with a name for our new house. I've been calling it the Money Pit, Kent calls it The Crazy House. Both terms we have decided are not the most positive, but I'm a realist and do I see a boatload of work.
Today we are driving up to Bellingham to see Brandi Carlisle. We have tried to catch her shows a couple of times now, but we have always been out of town when she is in Seattle. Kent has some friends up there as well that we are hoping to connect with. I'm hoping this cold will finally leave me and I can get some rest. I'm grouchy and tough to be around. I'm even annoying myself.
Happy Spring though!
Today we are driving up to Bellingham to see Brandi Carlisle. We have tried to catch her shows a couple of times now, but we have always been out of town when she is in Seattle. Kent has some friends up there as well that we are hoping to connect with. I'm hoping this cold will finally leave me and I can get some rest. I'm grouchy and tough to be around. I'm even annoying myself.
Happy Spring though!
Home is where the heart is....
Please, right now my heart skips a beat every time I find out we need to find a sneaky way around in the home financing world. Kent is awesome, his skills will make my 70's charmer shine, but being that he is self-employed we jump literally hoops to get financed. At this point, we are shady as a palm tree because what shows on paper is not our reality.
We should hopefully be moving into our gem in about 6 weeks. I am looking forward to setting up shop in a new place and Kent finally able to start tearing stuff apart. His hobby is so expensive, possibly I could get him to want to make his own beer, or belts. We have awesome things on our horizon and this home will help us feel like the little family we are.
I'm preoccupied with the home purchase, so little else has been happening. Daylights savings time is Sunday, woo hoo! Beautiful sunshine and late evenings are headed our way.
We should hopefully be moving into our gem in about 6 weeks. I am looking forward to setting up shop in a new place and Kent finally able to start tearing stuff apart. His hobby is so expensive, possibly I could get him to want to make his own beer, or belts. We have awesome things on our horizon and this home will help us feel like the little family we are.
I'm preoccupied with the home purchase, so little else has been happening. Daylights savings time is Sunday, woo hoo! Beautiful sunshine and late evenings are headed our way.
Sun, Sun, Sun
Oh, how I love that it is Friday. My plans this week-end are quite simple, time to clean up the yard. They are predicting 60 degrees and sunny on Saturday and I am hitting the dirt. I am no master gardener, but I'm so tired of being cooped up. Our little trip to Palm Springs invigorated me to get a move on cleaning things up and preparing for Spring.
We put an offer in on the Magnolia house with visions of 70's strewn all over it. Apparently the seller is "really busy" and will get back to us later today. How busy is he really...my guess is he's busy being pissed at the low ball offer we gave him. His inability to view his current property and it's worth should be interesting with the counter offer we are expecting. It's exciting and a bit nerve wracking in all.
Last night I was able to get a mani-pedi with my BFF Susan who I don't see very often anymore due to her new baby. We had a great time and then I came home to find this beautiful box on the counter wrapped with a ribbon. Kent is such a charmer that I instantly hugged him and then whispered in his ear, "is that present for me?" He sort of stuttered and looked me in the eye and said, "that's Stoney, Muffin (Muffin's my nickname). I totally burst into tears because I still miss Stoney so much and hate that we never were able to say good-bye. I was just caught off guard for awhile and eventually I found a nice little place for him in our home with the view of the city that he so loved.
My TGIF for today is that it is Friday, I'm grateful to have a couple of days off to relax and reinvest in my home and myself.
We put an offer in on the Magnolia house with visions of 70's strewn all over it. Apparently the seller is "really busy" and will get back to us later today. How busy is he really...my guess is he's busy being pissed at the low ball offer we gave him. His inability to view his current property and it's worth should be interesting with the counter offer we are expecting. It's exciting and a bit nerve wracking in all.
Last night I was able to get a mani-pedi with my BFF Susan who I don't see very often anymore due to her new baby. We had a great time and then I came home to find this beautiful box on the counter wrapped with a ribbon. Kent is such a charmer that I instantly hugged him and then whispered in his ear, "is that present for me?" He sort of stuttered and looked me in the eye and said, "that's Stoney, Muffin (Muffin's my nickname). I totally burst into tears because I still miss Stoney so much and hate that we never were able to say good-bye. I was just caught off guard for awhile and eventually I found a nice little place for him in our home with the view of the city that he so loved.
My TGIF for today is that it is Friday, I'm grateful to have a couple of days off to relax and reinvest in my home and myself.
A place to call home
Kent and I have been on the hunt for the past month now for a new home. We've toyed back and forth with renting or buying. We have a great Triplex that we are going to keep, but it is too small and we are ready for a change. The market we are in financially is not as high as I would like it to be, but we already have another mortgage and I'm not in the mood to be house poor. It sucks when you have a great kitchen but you are too poor to buy food, or make cocktails for friends.
Last night we went and looked at a place in Magnolia. It is WAY overpriced, the owner is smoking crack if he actually thinks he will get full price. The place is more of a modern home, built in the the 50's and maybe reno'd in the last 70's. What does that mean...green olive sinks and toilet. Gross. But what I love about that man of mine is he knows how to swing a hammer. $20,000 later I will have a better bedroom and bathroom. Not sure where the $20,000 will come from, but something will happen.
We haven't officially sent a price offer over to the agent. Kent was up early, which is shocking, and processing the decision etc. I am actually OK with the fact that this house has major potential and I think we could be happy there. Plus there's a place to hang a jacket AND there is a god damn built-in blender in the kitchen. My margaritaville blender may not need to make an appearance this summer. I kept thinking there might be built in ash trays everywhere too (thank god that didn't surface). We always planned on updating any bathroom and kitchen of the house we moved into. I get that if we move into this joint I will live in dust for months, potentially years. But it will be our hard labored dust, and eventually it will settle.
Last night we went and looked at a place in Magnolia. It is WAY overpriced, the owner is smoking crack if he actually thinks he will get full price. The place is more of a modern home, built in the the 50's and maybe reno'd in the last 70's. What does that mean...green olive sinks and toilet. Gross. But what I love about that man of mine is he knows how to swing a hammer. $20,000 later I will have a better bedroom and bathroom. Not sure where the $20,000 will come from, but something will happen.
We haven't officially sent a price offer over to the agent. Kent was up early, which is shocking, and processing the decision etc. I am actually OK with the fact that this house has major potential and I think we could be happy there. Plus there's a place to hang a jacket AND there is a god damn built-in blender in the kitchen. My margaritaville blender may not need to make an appearance this summer. I kept thinking there might be built in ash trays everywhere too (thank god that didn't surface). We always planned on updating any bathroom and kitchen of the house we moved into. I get that if we move into this joint I will live in dust for months, potentially years. But it will be our hard labored dust, and eventually it will settle.
