Getting excited! Finally!

Ohmigoodness. I'm finally getting excited! I'm finally *allowing* myself to get excited. LOL.

Inspection? Done!

Loan approval? DONE! (WOOHOO!)

Appraisal? Done!

Me? Breathing. :-)

And now? Photos. Hoorah!

Here's the front of the house...

Looks totally cute and quaint, right?! I wanted brick, and I got brick! It also looks small, but it's actually over 2,000 sq ft in one story! :-) I love how homey-looking the trees are. :-) We'll probably mulch the front yard to cut back on maintenance. Plus, it's better than grass in the SUPER hot weather.

Walk in the front door about 12 feet, and you see this...

I actually really like this green color, and we'll keep it this way. I'm going to do soft greens, blues, tans, and browns in the living room. This is the color pallet I'm going for in the living room (vintage, beach cottage decor: no fish or palm trees; no surfer girls... LOL). I'll probably get that striped blanket to take with me when I shop for furnishings. :-) And this fabric from Lee Industries. Oh, yummy. It's kinda pricey to upholster a few chairs, so I may just have to buy a few yards and make some accent pillows. :-D

To the right... see that window thingy? When I first saw these photos, I thought that was a wall... like a really tall bookcase or something... LOL. But it's a window to the hallway, keeping the house more open. You can hop right through that window into the hallway! Straight down that hallway to the left (on the other side of the kitchen) is the master bedroom.

And here is the master bedroom, looking from the master closet, seeing the door to the hallway on your left...

I'm not sure why the photo was not taken standing at the door, so you can get a better idea of size (just over 13x19), but this is it. It has two windows to the backyard. In the future, perhaps we'll make sliding doors to go out there. Or maybe a bay window. Perhaps. :-) I like to dream and think up neat things like that. LOL.

This room will probably be painted in Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware or Prescott Green (like the #1 room, aka "The English Trellis," that I posted earlier) by Benjamin Moore. They are very similar colors. Celing fan will probably be replaced with a chandelier or a white ceiling fan.

The master closet is HUGE! It's 6ft by 12ft, which is PLENTY big for both of us. I'm pretty sure we can even store out-of-season clothes in there as well! You know, and perhaps the state of Rhode Island. ;-) It will definitely be getting some elfa from The Container Store. :-D That's where my discount is going to come in handy. :-)

And the master bathroom... (love that it has double sinks, yay!)

The master bath will be painted cream. I'll probably paint the cabinets cream too. I LOVE that this bathroom has a double stand-alone shower (not pictured) with no tub. LOVE it! We both wanted this for our bathroom, but we didn't actually think we'd get it!

We want to re-tile the shower in the future. It certainly doesn't *need* it now, but the color does not appeal to us, and we'd like something different. I like knowing that we can change it when we want to... and when we save up to do so... ;-)

Standing at the door of the master bedroom, you look down the hall to the other rooms...

Straight ahead is the guest room. Second door to the left is the laundry room, I think. Gah... I don't remember. LOL. Pretty sure though. And then to the right... straight across from the laundry room... will be Jeremy's office. (Which currently has a ceiling fan with DAISIES on it! At least it's not as bad as the baseball-themed one in the guest room... LOL. We close on November 4th, and then go on vacation on the 5th. You can be assured that those will be placed on Craigslist... shortly after we return. LOL.)

That bit of green to the right (the 2nd opening) goes back to the living room. That first opening (is the "window" to the Great Room). And that HUGE (French doors) opening to the left? Yeah, that's my scrap room, and I don't have any pics of that, but it's AWESOME! Or, you know... it *will* be awesome!

Here's the guest bathroom, which is pretty nice, and I won't have to do anything! Yay!

Let's go back into the Great Room. This viewpoint is about 10 feet or so inside the front door. Straight ahead is the door to the backyard...

I was *stoked* when I saw this kitchen. I NEED a big kitchen. I cook... A LOT, and I NEEDED lots of space...

Walls will be painted a light, creamy yellow... that has yet to be decided, though I have a few in mind. Popcorn Kernel by Benjamin Moore, I believe is the current front-runner. All the paint swatches online look different, so we'll have to see it in real life. And we'll see what it looks like when I paint it on some posterboard... ;-) Cabinets are nice, and I don't want to replace them, so I will be painting them white... or you know, white-ish. ;-)

Our sink is the COOLEST! It's granite composite, and oh wow, I LOVE it! I *did* want a gas stove over electric, but we'll buy the flat electric stove that's easy to clean, and I know I'll be singing a different tune... ;-)

The stove and dishwasher are not too old, not too new, which is good because we can save to buy new ones to go with the fridge that we end up buying. It's nice to know we don't have to think about that now. However... I can't decide between stainless and white. I love the *look* of white better, but if we re-sell in the next five years (which is doubtful, but you know, it could happen...), buyers will want stainless. Ack. I should probably just get what *I* want. LOL. But how important is it to cater to the value of the home? Decisions. Decisions.

And I don't have a picture of the pantry, but I think it's a pretty good size!

Then you go outside...

And the backyard has a big oak tree! Totally fun and climbable! LOL. The landscaping in the backyard was pretty much the *only* thing we didn't like about this house (save the stove), but we felt that was the *easiest* fix.

So... we'll probably put 6ft hedges up along the perimeter for privacy. Not sure if they'd let us build a new fence because we're in an HOA (homeowner's association). The deck we will probably paint the green to match the trim of the house. We may paint it cream to match the siding of the house. We'll build a covered patio and put furniture, a hot tub, and weather-proof curtains out here... and it will be perfect. :-)

Choosing colors and style.

If you had to choose a bedroom to have for your own, which would you choose?

Room #1: Warm colors, white bed frame, pastels, florals, soothing feeling


Room #2: Dark furniture, cozy, comfortable, elegant

Room #3: Blues, creams and tans/beiges, white/natural furniture, comfortable (edited to add: style would be *quite* different)

Photos are from the hotel I used to work at, The Chanler at Cliff Walk. These were my three favorite rooms. I *really* wish you could make the photos larger, but for some reason, they make them itty-bitty on their site. You'd *think* that at over $1,000 per night, they'd want the photos to be *at least* 6x6 on your screen. But I digress...

Thanks so much for your help! :-D

Feeling SO much better!

Wow, thanks for letting me get *that* off my chest yesterday. That, a good cry, and a chocolate cake, and I'm feeling SO much better! LOL.

Well, those things and the thought of margaritas after work tonight with hubby... Tee hee.

Oh! And here's a new layout...

I pretty much just used the August Studio Calico kit. Basic Grey, Sassafras and Maya Road yummy-ness. :) This is my friend's daughter, Lily. She is SO much fun! We did a photo shoot, and this was one of my faves!

p.s. Check out Craft Critique this week! We're doing some awesome giveaways!!!

Changing too many things.

Too many changes... too fast.

We said goodbye to our cars.

We said hello to a new car.

We're under contract (inspection DONE!) on a house.

New house (BIG for us) means we'll need furniture. Pretty much all we own currently: bookshelves, a loveseat, small table, and my scrappy storage stuff. I'm thinking that will NOT fill up a 2,000+ sq ft home. LOL. We don't even have a BED! I did buy one the other day though... it will wait at the store for us until we move. Then again... I do like wide, open spaces. I mean, seriously, how many homes do you know that you can rollerblade in the Great Room?! ;-)

House needs landscaping and deck add-on (pergola or something similar)... so that I don't have to stare into my neighbors' backyards. LOL.

Hubby is the lead on a multi-million dollar project... taking him away from home A LOT.

I've been sick too long, causing me to cut my work hours.

I decided to cancel my subscription to Studio Calico. (Though I'm still getting the papers each month... tee hee.) I'm not sure yet if canceling was the best thing. Though I'll feel better about spending less and accumulating less, I do feel like I'm missing out. And that just might be as much stress as keeping it. LOL.

At SC, we're saying goodbye to Scarlet, Kirsty and Tina C. *sigh* That's a tough blow for me. I can't BELIEVE how tough. I'm really bummed about SC being without a clean and simple style like Tina C. I really felt like she rounded out the group. And Scarlet and Kirsty... two of my favorite designers EVER. I'll definitely continue to stalk all their blogs. :D

Welcoming Celine and Lisa to Studio Calico. These two women are AMAZINGLY talented! And I'm very excited to see their work with SC kits each month!

Ack. On top of that, I'm TRYING to get over the stress of the past year, and so many changes... eek... does not help stress. LOL.

Oooooh! A good change! I cut my hair short...er:

Though when I look at this photo, I see that I'm really stressed. LOL. Where's my color? Where's my REAL smile? Umm... they're on hiatus. But I'm hoping they will return VERY soon.

Maybe I need something new and different in my life. A new happiness... that's not really "bad" stressful, but fun. Maybe I should apply for a design team. LOL. Or maybe I just should do something fun... to get my mind off of being stressed. I could...

Scrap.

Read Eclipse.

Upload the layouts I've finished.

Listen to fun music.

Jump around.

Dance.

Stand on my hands! Holy COW! I haven't done a handstand in like... over a month! Maybe two months! Okay, that should be first on the list!

Till next time...

... here's hoping for a little less stress. :-D

Laughing at hubby.

So... this morning, I put on a pair of jeans, and I felt kind of dumpy as soon as I put them on. I thought I'd ask hubby. He was sitting on the floor in the bedroom.

I turned around, so that my back was facing him...

Me: Honey, do these look like Mom Jeans?

Jeremy: Gross! Throw those away!

I was horrified! My own husband thought I looked dumpy! I was kind of bummed at his reaction. I was not looking forward to the expression on his face.

And as I turned around, he was holding out to me, a few pieces of Kleenex that were drenched in our dog's vommit.

OH!!! He was talking about the Kleenex! And dog vommit! NOT my jeans! :-D

Me: So, Honey, what DO you think about my jeans?

Jeremy: They're GOOD! I like 'em!

Phew.

*Photo from SNL.

Feeling a bit better.

Holy C0w! I haven't blogged in SOOOOOO long! And when I say "soooooo long," I mean fifteen days. LOL.

And SO much has happened in two weeks! Okay, since we all know I'm a long-winded blogger, I'm going to try to do this in as little words as possible...

First thing's first...

I'm still sick.... went to the doctor. He was clueless. Referred me to someone else. Idiot.

I got worse. Woke up with a HUGE bulge in my groin (like 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch high!)... decided I needed to go *back* to the doctor (yesterday). Saw nurse practitioner who said, "Yeah, you're really sick! Probably an intestinal infection. You need anti-biotics!" Sheesh. Anywho, I'm hoping to feel better soon. Good news: my energy is FINALLY coming back! WOOHOO!

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Was able to go to the flea market with my friend Stephanie and her BEAUTIFUL daughters, Harper and Sadie. Ohmigoodness, I love them! Could just eat them up! We had so much fun. :-) I only spent SIXTEEN dollars at the flea market, and I was *stoked*! Here are my finds...

Super cute watermelon and apple for decoration. Watermelon is for me since that's my kitchen decor, and the apple is for a friend.

Loved this cute little, vintage jewelry box. I'm sure I'll put it in our bedroom... maybe to hold chapstick! :-D And these great brooches; four are actually earrings. :0)

These tins are SO cute! I haven't decided to put them in my scrap room or kitchen yet, but I LOVE them! The pair for a buck! The cute, yellow doily for a buck. And the drawer insert for a buck-fifty! YEAH! :-D (I bought a large one too, but it's still in the car...)

A super-fun-filled day! Can't wait to see Steph one more time before she moves... :-(

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Next up...

We got a new car! Well, new to us. ;-) See, HUGE hail storm (sheesh, I need to post those pics!) in March totaled both our cars, so we sold them to State Farm and bought just one car (hubby has a work vehicle he uses). The great thing is that this car was TOTALLY paid for by State Farm. Yay. It's a blueberry-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee, and we LOVE it! I'll post pics soon!

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We're house-hunting! We were approved for a loan last week, and we just JUMPED in to finding a house. We've looked at TWELVE houses already! GAH! Put an offer in on one. That fell through due to the listing agent neglecting to tell us it wasn't able to be sold... GAH. Then we found two more we LOVE. Put an offer in on the larger of the two. Waiting to hear back...

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Was feeling kinda down, and my sister was feeling kinda down, so to cheer her up, I decided to buy her a new wardrobe. She got it in the mail yesterday and was SO excited. Seriously, she hasn't bought new clothes in like... 8 years. She deserves it! She's such a great mom, and she needs to look and feel confident! A few things didn't fit, so she'll send those back, but all in all, she's happy. Yay. :-)

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Buying a house makes me want to look at TONS of decorating books, mags and websites. Makes me want to look at furniture galore. Craziness. I'm seriously needing sleeping pills to sleep because I have so much on my mind! LOL. Think I found the perfect bed, which would be awesome because we've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for over four years... because our apartments' bedrooms have all been too small for frames. YAY!

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Our "vacation" is in a month... from yesterday. Goldthwaite, Texas. LOL. Doesn't sound like a good vacation destination, but... every year we go to Goldthwaite for four days. It's our Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family. We eat A LOT, play dominoes A LOT, hike A LOT, and sleep A LOT. We hang out and tell stories and play with the little ones (his two cousins each have a child under four). It's the best four days of the year. Yay.

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That wraps it up. Fairly quick and painless, no?!