Happy Christmahanukwanzaakah!

Part smile, part vent. Part random. All me.

The smile:

I say Happy Holidays. I prefer it that way; until recently, the majority of people in my life were not Christian. OK, so it's politically correct. Whatever - we all know I'm not very PC. I just like the inclusiveness of the term "holidays" and I love that it encompasses more than one day. And I can say it to whomever I want.

The vent:

People implying that my choices in phrasing are wrong...and CORRECTING me on, say, Facebook or email.
I believe how you choose to wish someone well is a personal choice. I say Turkey Day instead of Thanksgiving; in MY world, it's not just a day of thanks. It's a day of family, friends, food, laughter, memories...and maybe a turkey ;) I say Happy HoliDAYS for a few weeks straight. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, sure, say "Merry Christmas!" all you want. But for me it's more of a seasonal thing from mid-November through the first of the year.

............

Sometimes I feel like beliefs are being pushed on me from all different directions. I can't help that I choose to say things to my friends, family, coworkers, and clients that is a little more friendly to ALL of them, if not directly related to each and every one. I just don't understand why some people act (or truly are) offended if I do things differently than they do them...that's part of the beauty of being ME, not someone else!

OK, vent over...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

And to my favorite Jewish friends and readers...Happy Chanukah! (which, coincidentally, is spelled using the Hebrew letters chet, nun, vav, kaf, hey.
When trying to write a Hebrew word in English, the result is not always clear. Did you know...the right pronunciation of Chanukah is neither "ch", nor "h", but a consonant that doesn't exist in English...and therefore, the spelling debate is a moot point, so long as you can understand the intended meaning.)

Let it be said that this adorable guy above, who frequently drives me nuts, is about as supportive as they come. This time of year is overwhelming, to say the least...peak time for everything that comes in and goes out...and I'm in charge of BOTH. So when I get to the office at 7:30 AM, don't stop for lunch, and am still here well after it's gotten dark outside, I'm never thrilled. I hate to open AND close the office, but I do it, and I work Saturdays on occasion, because it's my job and it's important to me.

I'm not much fun to be around come December. My attitude's a bit "Bah Humbug, get-the-eff-out-of-my-way" to say the least. I'm not a grumpy person, I'm just frazzled!

There's nothing quite like coming home to his smile, bear hug, and kiss hello. I'm not sure he knows how much those little things mean to me. It almost never fails to melt the day's frustrations away...

Mr. P makes me crazy, but I'm also crazy about him :)

(This sporatic blogging is for the birds. I can't wait to get internet at home.)

Functional BATHROOM!

Nobody ever talks about how hard it can be to actually make decisions.

I never would've thought how difficult it could be to decide on a bathroom together. Mr. P and I have (slowly) begun to mesh our two (rather different) style preferences together...this has NOT been an easy undertaking, to say the least!

Our bathroom is finally (almost) finished. It wouldn't be us if it were actually complete, now, would it?!

You may (or may not) remember the tile we chose for the floor...quite some time ago :) Tile floor, 13"x13" square:

The walls are tiled halfway up with a 6"x8" white tile. We know that 4.25" square tiles are much more common, but we chose to go with something just a bit out of the ordinary...and do a vertical pattern rather than typical horizonal or square. So white tile about halfway up the wall and as an entire shower surround (Mr. P even made a built-in shelf!), the neutral tile on the floor, and the following items have now been installed:

Glass block window (YAY!) was put in place of old, see-through, single hung, rotted wood window with broken counter balance (YUCK).

Toilet and Pedestal sink (both installed quite some time ago):




With this faucet:


Towel bars & TP holder:




(You do NOT want to know the intense discussion that ensued while deciding between a spring-loaded TP holder and a simple ring...but in the end, this one was "FINE" because it curves up a bit and there's "less concern about the TP falling off.")

Medicine Cabinet, but in white (why couldn't I find a picture in white???):


Shower Curtain:


I gave in on the shower curtain. I was prepared to fight for something that I felt was more spa-like, and Mr. P kept pushing much more colorful options. In the grand scheme of things, and in all senses of the phrase "pick your battles," I gave in to the vertical stripes. He has a point - the curtain DOES work with all the towels we currently have. And I've got this concession in my pocket for further renovating/decorating battles ;)

Left to do: cap tiles around the edges of the wall & shower, sand the walls, prime and paint the ceiling (blech!) and walls. Pretty sure I'm going with a light shade of brown...of course I'll be keeping with the Valspar paint in the Earth Elements collection. I'm thinking Dust Storm will be my color of choice, but we'll just have to wait and see...

Contractor Recommendations - LONG

This post is well-deserved. We've had SO many different contractors to meet with, get bids from, and have work done in such a short time that I've really learned what makes me tick and what makes me swoon with delight when hiring someone to work on the house.

Roof: Mississippi Valley Roofing. 314-838-4451
Without a doubt, the most polite, friendly, and prompt folks out there. We set a date to have the roof done. And then I had to call Brent and reschedule due to the sellers. And then I had to call Brent AGAIN to reschedule. And then, when the sellers wanted to use a no-name "guy they knew," I called Brent yet again to see what we could work out. Based on the fact that their price was almost exactly what the no-name guy bid, and we have a warranty on top of it, and that when we finally got the go-ahead, Brent sent his crew out and they were done with a complete tear-off and re-roof in a single day, AND they cleaned up after themselves (I can't even find a single roofing nail leftover!), these guys are superb.

HVAC:
The owner of this company was wonderful. Polite, charming, willing to work with us. When his crew came out to do the installation, not so much. Two guys; one didn't know he was supposed to work that day, and he showed up after lunch. The first guy clogged our brand new toilet. (This sucker's supposed to be able to flush 20 golf balls; how the hell you clog it, I may never know.) And left the problem in there. Side note: Mr. P had been working on bathroom renovations that morning. Needless to say, he was unable to complete much that afternoon.
The guys did NOT remove our old units; they left them in the basement. Ultimately, the new furnace and air conditioner are in. So while I will not recommend them, I can't trash them completely. At least I can laugh about it now. But I will not give their name as a reference.

Electrical: Reinhold Electric, Inc. 314-631-1158
I have nothing but amazing things to say about everyone we worked with at Reinhold. We had to do some serious electrical updates. Their customer service (over the phone) is great; they know how to handle complicated questions from unknowledgable homeowners. The guy who came out to do our estimate was friendly and super-professional. And the man who came to do the actual work (after we signed the contract) was just as professional. These folks know what they're doing. They take pride in their work. They treat their clients with respect. Reinhold will see us as a return customer, and we will happily refer them to family and friends.

Carpet: Lowe's. (Maplewood location - 314-450-1000)
Lowe's contracts out their installation. That's why I'm including the specific store location in this review. The folks at Lowe's managed to find enough carpet for us in one location. They scheduled the installation with one of their contractors, who drove to pick up all the carpet, showed up, and actually did the job. I'm frustrated that I can't remember his name, but I believe the company was Dynamic something-or-other. Lowe's was great, nothing less than expected. The installer (Mr. Dynamic?) was slower than I had hoped, but took his work seriously. If there was a spot that seemed less than perfect, he took care of fixing it. Very impressed with him.

Plumbing: Gloeckner-Melville Plumbing Co. 314-644-2818
If you remember our kitchen sink situation (mentioned here), you'll know that it was pretty pressing to get it fixed. In addition, we needed to replace the soil stack under the kitchen sink (all the way down to the basement). It was solidly caked all the way through with at least 30 years of grease and other grossness that need not be mentioned. We relied heavily on recommendations, and received some pretty pricy bids. My boss recommended G-M and we decided to give them a shot based on her referral. I'm glad we did. Professional, quick, and well-done. Another happy recommendation.

Down the road, we'll be doing even more to update the house. For now, these were immediate-must-be-done-before-inhabiting situations. Mr. P and I are both learning on our feet; we never expected to gain this much knowledge in such a short time. I'm happy to share what I've learned, what I would and definitely would NOT do again, and what frustrations can turn into good laughs (but only after sufficient time has passed).

I believe (and hope) that tonight is our official move-in night ;)

w00t!

As of THIS VERY MINUTE, we have been granted conditional occupancy. We have 90 days to do a couple of final things, but we are allowed to LIVE in OUR HOUSE starting right now!

I.am.exhausted.

And I need to buy a shower curtain :)

BIG(ish) News!

Our re-inspection is scheduled for Monday...we could potentially be living in OUR OWN HOME as soon as Monday night!

That is all. Keep your fingers crossed for us ;)

Super Easy Crockpot Meal!

I'm not much of a crockpotter...this was actually my first foray into the world of crockpot cooking. And the result was a completely empty pot :)

I picked this up from another blog, and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember whose it was! I think it was called Salsa Chicken, but my attempt and a couple of additions led me to modify the name.

Creamy Salsa Chicken:

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup salsa
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
shredded cheese
extra salsa

Put frozen chicken, soup, salsa, green pepper, and seasonings into crockpot. Cook on low 5-7 hours (I think mine was more like 8 or so, but that's what work does to recipes).

Just before serving, mix in sour cream. Serve over rice with shredded cheese and extra salsa, if desired. The rice really absorbs a lot of the juices, and it was extremely delicious ;)

Changes/ideas for future:
~ serve with jalapenos on top
~ mix rice into crockpot and scoop into tortillas
~ add an onion

Other ideas? I'd love to hear them. And now that I know I'm capable of crockpotting, keep the (easy and simple) recipes coming my way!

Small updates

OK, so we're still not moved in yet. Getting antsy, frustrated, and worn out. We're so close, bust just not quite there. All of our stuff is moved in, practically everything we own (minus a few outfits, shoes, and a dog) is already in place. But we've got about one full day's worth of tiling left to do, and weekends are incredibly busy.

In other news, last week our new couches were delivered. Much smaller than our older ones (which are still in great condition if you're interested in buying them!), and fit much better in the space.

Here's the stock photo that I split up in the previous post:



The pillows that came with the furniture have just enough green in them...we'll stick with them for now. I guess our living room is more brown and green than any real blue (except the area rug).

The rug is there. I wish we could have gone with a larger version, but I'm happy enough for now. I'm still looking for the right curtains...but technically our living room is good to go.

I guess EVERYTHING is good to go, except for having full use of the shower, which is our setback right now. And for anyone who's done any tiling, you know it's just not an option to do a little bit at a time. It's a time-consuming project, a small space, and a whole lot of tedious attention.

As soon as that's done, we should finally be moving in to OUR home. I'm ready. And on a positive note, at the very least, we know we've added quite a bit of value to the house already. It was in such serious need of help that even just a fresh coat of paint was helpful, but some of our simple renovations thus far are well worth the time and heartache involved.

Long time no blog :)

Just a short, sweet intro back into blog-world. Haven't been here in over a month now! Lots of crazy to be shared at a later date.

Meanwhile, my very first ATTEMPT at some sort of design board. I swear by nothing :) But here's a glimpse of what we're going for in our living room:



Not my best work ever, but a start, nonetheless. Ready for another busy weekend ahead...

short and sweet(ish)

Friday:
Movers came to rental, moved heavy furniture.
Carpet installer came to house, installed carpet.
Timing of Movers and Carpet-man overlapped.
All heavy furniture currently piled up in living room of house.

Saturday:
Lots of packing at rental. With so much time and effort put into the new place, we pretty much didn't pack anything before the move. Oops.
Began trips between rental and new house with full car loads.

Sunday:
More trips. More moving.

Monday:
All day deep cleaning at rental.
Behind schedule a bit more than anticipated.
Final trip from rental to new house: lawn mower.
New "For Rent" sign in window at rental.

Tuesday:
Mr. P realizes he's lost his wallet.
Ignore previously planned day off to work at new house.
Run to DMV, bank, SSA office.
New house in afternoon to stage bedroom furniture.
Remaining furniture still in living room.
I find lost wallet at 9:30 pm.

Lots of sweat. A bit of blood. Resisting tears. Happy to know I don't have to do this again for a long time.

Staying with my folks for now. Hopeful we don't get in the way.

Moving right along...

Last night, Mr. P and I became grown-ups. We made our very first applicance purchases together, and visited our third home to do so. Found some pretty good deals (guess it doesn't hurt that we're approaching Labor Day Weekend, a.k.a. Super-Retail-Sales-because-it's-a-long-weekend) and feel good about our decisions :)

Our new fridge (Whirlpool):

Our new range (gas - woohoo! also Whirlpool):


We also made our carpet purchase at Lowe's. The bedrooms and hallway will be carpeted, the bathroom, kitchen and dining rooms will be tiled, and the hardwood in the living room will remain. (The ONLY room with hardwood...and not crappy asbestos tile or linoleum.) Obviously this doesn't say much, but here's a swatch of our carpet, made by Shaw, color is "Pale Clay":


Guess we're sticking with the earthy names, huh? ;)

Electrical at the house has been completed by the electrician (for the big stuff) and me (for the easier stuff). I feel pretty damn proud of my amateur electical skills, and yes, I'll admit, a bit sexy :)

The glass block window has been installed in the bathroom (no more janky old wood window!) and looks fabulous.

Mr. P and I have plumbing quotes lined up, and are hopeful that will be completed within the next week. Once that's done, we should be pretty close to actually living in the house.

Tomorrow (Friday 9/4) is our BIG moving day - Part 1. We're working with Simple Moves again, who did our last move from the apartment into the rental house. Very pleased with both their level of service and (most importantly, perhaps) their price. Once our big stuff (furniture and such) is moved in, we'll be staying with my folks until we have the official occupancy permit and go-ahead from the Webster Groves inspector.

Best part of all - Mr. P and I received a housewarming gift from my boss and her husband (who are also old family friends). For those of you interested in eco-friendly living, this was awesome because it's a super-practical gift and extremely fun at the same time. We received the Starter Kit from Better Life:



Super cool, and definitely the highlight of this post :) The Starter Kit includes the following Better Life products:

~ what-EVER Clary Sage & Citrus all-purpose cleaner (32 oz)
~ I Can See Clearly, WOW! glass cleaner (32 oz)
~ Simply Floored! ready-to-use floor cleaner (32 oz)
~ Even the Kitchen Sink gentle scrubber (16 oz)
~ Collapsible six-compartment cleaning caddy

And the following TWIST products:
~ Euro Sponge
~ Loofah Sponge (2 – pack)

"A sponge is a sponge, right? Not quite. Look around and you’ll find that durable, biodegradable, and (dare we say it) stylish sponges are few and far between. Use your Twist Sponges for everything from spills to regular kitchen cleanup, and help us realize our vision of a clean world."

Not to mention, Better Life is a St. Louis-based company. I love all things local. I'm learning to love many things green. Could this possibly be any more exciting? I think not :)

So, as the title mentions, Mr. P and I truly are "moving right along" in the process. We've got a long road ahead, but it's looking a little less bumpy than it did a month ago. I'm not sure I could be in a happier mood right now (as long as I don't think about the actual stress of moving itself...).

Life is good.

some good news :)

We've had more work to do than we realized, which is delaying our move, and in turn stressing me out!

We just got back in touch with the Webster Groves inspector, and the following can all be considered positive :)

1. Good: The downstairs half bath does NOT have to be functional. We can cap it off for now, and redo it at a later date.

2. Better: Most of the electrical is being done today. We were told we needed to ground all of the outlets in specific rooms, which was going to require drilling through concrete (all the external, load bearing walls), and was going to cost an arm and a leg. Mr. P found an alternative solution and the inspector OK'ed it.

3. BEST: We can move all our things in ASAP, as long as we're not "living" there until we have the occupancy permit. Obtaining the permit may take less time than expected, as we've really busted our butts lately...BUT, in the event it takes a while, my folks have (generously) offered to let us use one of their spare bedrooms until the permit is issued. SOOO, we won't have to pay both rent AND mortgage come September.

Other: Did I mention that Pop, one of my resident rock stars (Mom P is also included in this list), was able to fix our fence and save a couple hundred dollars?

Teaser

It never hurts to look at everything together just to see what a mess I'm creating :) But really, our color scheme seems to be working out quite well.

Before you gasp and call me crazy, keep in mind that the house is fairly small, and we're working to lighten the space a bit to make it feel larger and more cohesive.

COLOR SCHEME:


All paint is Valspar, from their Earth Elements collection.
1. Winter Sky (being used above the chair rail in the dining area, will be used in some of the kitchen)
2. Blowin' in the Wind (being used below the chair rail in the dining area, will be used in some of the kitchen)
3. Oasis (this is our living room color, which was completed this weekend and turned out fantastic! Especially with the fresh white ceiling and trim, along with the wood floor)
4. Shadow ("master" bedroom color...master being more of a descriptor than an actuality - love it, which I may have already mentioned)
5. Swoosh (second bedroom/guest room - I have big plans in here, but not sure yet how they'll pan out)
6. Whirlwind (hallway, third bedroom, and probably bathroom - these all need to be painted something fierce, but I'm sticking with something very simple and easy to work with until we have a better idea of what we want)

Our true goal is to create a living space that is both attractive and calming, which is much-needed after the past few months. I'm looking forward to living in a cozier, friendlier environment. One of my fears was this was all going to appear "tan, tan, and tanner" in the house, but each color has a distinct shade, and we've broken it up with some fun in the living room. So far, so good...my favorite aspect so far with the paint colors is that they all change depending on the amount of light in the room.

Today, the new furnace and A/C are being installed. Wednesday, electrical. Plumbing to be announced soon :)

House-related Rambling...

Our neighbors have 11 chickens (used to be 12, but a possum ate one), raise bees, have 4 cats, 2 dogs (Rhodesian Ridgebacks - I love them!), and one adorable adopted daughter. Not to mention the heirloom and organic gardens that take over a large part of their yard. Amazing.

I have to wonder whether every home-buyer, at some point or another, wonders whether they bought a lemon. Not seriously, of course, but right now things are definitely frustrating. We're still trying to get a lot of stuff done before we can get our occupancy permit and actually LIVE there.

New HVAC system being installed on Monday morning. Met with electrician #1 yesterday afternoon, #2 is coming this morning. We'll have to weigh the differences. Still need to find a plumber, but now a much more pressing issue...our kitchen sink pipes fell apart on us last night. The sink was stopped up, pipes weren't sealed correctly, water EVERYWHERE. Finding the humor in it all.

Last night Mr. P and I decided that a good motto for us would be "Are you F***ing kidding me???" just because of the situations we've been in over the past 7+ years. We always make it work, but also know the next obstacle is just around the corner.

Mr. P's been busy during the day at the house, and I've been there every evening since we closed (minus Friday nights) working on things here and there. Painting trim is a bitch, but it really does look a lot better than the 50s style boring wood underneath...and it brightens the space quite a bit.

I'm hoping Mr. P can get the living room ceiling done today, so I can get started on the walls. Painting walls excites me, painting trim annoys me, and my one attempt at a ceiling was an epic FAIL, though highly amusing. I looked as if I had pigeon poop all over, including chunks in my hair. BRING ON THE WALLS :)

Overall, as each room starts coming together, the place truly does feel like ours, and I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. It's like when you do a deep-clean, and things always look worse somewhere in the middle of the process.

Need to find good, inexpensive carpet for the hall and bedrooms. Gotta cover the nasty asbestos tile. Recommendations?

My hope is that people will find the humor in all of this along with me, laugh with (or at) us, and know that this is nothing if not a labor of love. Would I do this again? Probably not...but ask me down the road years from now when we're buying our next home after we've turned this one into something worth writing about :)

County =/= Country

I've been spending a few hours each evening after work doing a few things here and there at the new house. This evening, Pop was helping out with a new deadbolt on the front door, Mom P was there to help with some trim.

All of a sudden, Pop starts speaking. (I was in another room up on a step stool so I have no idea what's going on.) He's kinda chuckling, and I was confused. After coming down from my up-high painting perch, I talked to Pop to figure out what was up.

Apparently, some of our new neighbors have chickens. Yep, CHICKENS. In WEBSTER GROVES.

Neighbor-man casually asks if we've seen his chicken. Mentions that sometimes one will get out, and if we see it, to just holler. Um...OK?

I should add that, growing up, my neighbor had both chickens and a couple of roosters. She also raises bees and sells the honey. This was also in the county.

I never thought I'd be living so close to domestic fowl ever again...and it's somewhat comforting.

Post-weekend house update

Lots of good, some bad, but all in all, still exciting.

I left my camera at the house, so unfortunately, no photos today. The GOOD:

Master (I use that term loosely) bedroom: painted. Valspar "Shadow" which, depending on the light, appears a grey/blue/green color. FABULOUS. Also, trim has been primed.

Dining room/area: painted. Valspar "Winter Sky" above the chair rail, and "Blowin' in the Wind" (I think!) below. Trim primed, two coats Ultra-White semi-gloss, and tape will be taken off this evening. It'll be nice to have this room (pretty much) done - at least everything but new flooring.

Living room: was painted a light grey by sellers. I'll keep it for now, until I have enough time to give thought to it. Trim has been mostly primed, and I'll finish priming this evening.

Bathroom: tile floor complete. We went with a clearance tile from Lowe's called Keyera
which has a bit of brown, a bit of grey, very neutral and should work with whatever we end up deciding to do color-wise. Chris has done a phenomenal job on the floor and tile baseboard. Today, the toilet and sink should be installed.

OH! And on the sink note, we returned the vanity and went with a pedestal sink. There's a goofy vent that was hidden in the original vanity, and for better air flow we decided to go with the pedestal so as not to have to install new duct work to move the existing vent.

The BAD: we already have a neighbor issue. Due to the grading of our lot, water from their property flows directly onto ours. It's not that big of a problem yet, except they have multiple gardens in their yard...which they watered continuously ALL WEEKEND (literally, at least 10 hours on Saturday and at least 8 on Sunday), and all the runoff came directly to us. We've got a bit of standing water, and a small spot in the basement that needs to be fixed ASAP. All this after we had a french drain and window wells installed on the west side of the house, only to have their crap affect the south (front) of our property. FARK.

I think that just about covers this weekend. Keep an eye out for more updates, and pictures if I can remember to bring my camera home!

What were we thinking?

Well, WE were thinking that I love a good project. And we're pretty sure that Mr. P's happy to be along for the ride. Looks like a bright future of sharing some ideas, tackling projects together, bickering like old married people, and share our love with...a building?

I've decided to whet your appetites with a few of the listing pictures of our house. Some of you have seen these already, but they're new to the blog. I can only imagine the reactions we may incite, and Mr. P and I are totally prepared for any comment that comes our way - we remember the reality of these pictures all too well.

The house - getting sick of this one yet?


The front door, ugly screen door, and itty-bitty mailbox:


The living room...in all its glory:




The kitchen...from the side door/living room:


...from the dining area:


The dining area/eat-in kitchen:


The bathroom:


I've only got a few more of one of the bedrooms and the back deck. Nothing too exciting. But some of these are downright scary, to say the least!

At this point, the house is pretty much a blank slate. The roof has already been done. The plastic tiles and most of the wallpaper in the kitchen have been removed, plaster fixed, and primed. Dining room carpet gone, walls primed. Living room (ghastly) has had carpet removed (we discovered great hardwood flooring in here!), the mirrored, red-painted panels removed, and painted a light grey. The bathroom tiles (also plastic) and swan shower door have both been removed. Again, plaster repaired and primed. All bedrooms are primed - one was originally turquoise, one fuschia, and one this weird peachy color. All had wallpaper trim.

The fact of the matter is that cosmetic work can do a LOT to change a place. We couldn't be more excited to have bought in Webster Groves, and even more so to begin the long road ahead of turning this house into our very own home.

Homeowners!

Mr. P and I finally own the home we offered on almost two months ago.

Keep in mind, it's a bit of a fixer-upper. I'll show some pictures here and there, but for now there isn't much to see! So far, we've got a new roof that I couldn't be happier with.

Mr. P and I have a lot of projects in mind, but we're trying to keep things less overwhelming by taking everything one step at a time...in this case, our first BIG project will be the bathroom.

Pretty much going to demo everything (see if we can salvage the tub - fingers crossed!). New tile on floor and walls, new vanity, new toilet, etc.

Last night was our first foray into the world of potty-purchasing. There are way more options than necessary! We knew what we wanted, but it was on the third shelf up, so we needed help from the folks at Lowe's. Unfortunately, the one person who could help us was working with another couple...for 45 minutes :( So I sat and waited. In that time period, I determined that most of the easily-accessible models were bisque/biscuit colored...I can't help but wonder why anyone would purchase a toilet that's already the color of a dirty toilet? (No offense intended if that is your choice, but I would love to hear the reasoning.)

We finally walked away with this:


While waiting for the guy to help us out, we ran over to the vanities and grabbed this sucker:


It's nothing fancy or special, but the bathroom is pretty small and we wanted something simple and effective in the space.

My goal is to purchase this medicine cabinet to (somewhat) coordinate, but I'm not in any hurry:


For such a small room, there will be a lot of white to try and lighten up the space. We're having small disagreements about the paint color (once the rest is done), but I think we'll have a fair compromise soon.

So that's it. Our first house. My first home-reno post. Expect more projects to come, lots of frustration through the learning process, some pics here and there, and lots of excitement through it all :)

Some of you may remember my discussing my aunt "C" last year. We received the first news of her illness in early April, followed by a delay in surgery.

I haven't mentioned much about Christine since then, but I never stopped thinking about her. We were thrilled when she went into remission, heartbroken when she relapsed, continued to be proud of her fighting spirit even amid so much pain, and laughed with her positive attitude through it all.

Last week, Chrissie lost her battle with cancer. She suffered a pulmonary embolism on Thursday morning, was put into a coma to help regain her strength, and did not make it through the afternoon.

The shock of it all has been sudden and unexplainable. There are no words to describe the multitude of emotions that rush in and out at any given time.

I haven't been blogging much in a while, as there are so many things going on and I haven't wanted to post any downers. I've made an exception in Chrissie's case. The post is a downer, but her life was truly something worth celebrating. The never-ending flow of family, friends, and neighbors was overwhelming these past few days, and though we all knew it in our hearts, it is more obvious than ever that Christine made an impact on the lives of everyone she knew.

She is and will continue to be loved greatly and missed by us all.

Deep thoughts.

The SUV next to me on the way home decided to all-out blast his bass.

My ears vibrated.
My car vibrated.
My seat vibrated.
My arse vibrated.
My tummy vibrated.

This has led me to determine the following:

My brain just might actually rattle around in my head.
My car isn't created for hydraulics.
My seat still isn't all that comfortable and my bum had no choice.
My tummy shouldn't jiggle. Gotta work on that.

Oh, and not all vibrations are created equal ;)

A weekend well-deserved

Mr. P left town Thursday evening for a THREE DAY BACHELOR PARTY. That concept alone induces panic. Luckily, all arrived home in one piece, though I'm not sure all their livers returned with them.

Since he was gone, it was just me and Miss Bailey to fend for ourselves. On Thursday evening, I had dinner with an old friend and his family while he was visiting from Denver. Homemade (completely) grilled flatbread pizzas! One had chicken and caramelized onions with garlic, feta, and pesto. The other had spinach, proscuitto, yellow tomatoes, and a little jarlsberg cheese. YUM. Not to mention homemade melon mojitos. Phenomenal food and much-missed company.

Friday was hectic as always at work, but I knew I could look forward to a fun evening with friends and pups. Bailey got to go to Fritz's for her very first taste of custard. I think it's fair to say she loved it, and I enjoyed letting her devour her cone :) Another fun night to get away from it all.

Saturday's Girls' Night was perfect, though it could have been a smidge cooler, no? Great food and drinks, lots of laughter, and I was thrilled I could make it this month.

Sunday was K's bridal shower, which was wonderful and we were all thankful for the gorgeous weather. When I arrived home after, Mr. P was there waiting to greet me - it's cheesy, corny, and cute, but we really do miss each other when one of us is gone for a whole weekend!

On the "home front" there's nothing new. We're working on getting an extension for our loan commitment, and potentially we close on July 15, provided everything goes smoothly. Fingers crossed and stomachs knotted...

I'm glad it's a short week this week. We're all headed to my folks' lake house for the weekend, and potentially some much-needed R&R.

It's not all rainbows

Mr. P and I are finding ourselves jumping through all sorts of hoops to make this house work.

Each time we get one step further, there's yet ANOTHER road block. I'm stressed beyond belief.

In the long run, I know in my heart that this is the right thing for us to do. In the short run, I'm on the verge of tears.

I desperately need continued good thoughts, because as of today, we finally hit a road block we may not be able to get over.

WE GOT IT!!!

Think of this as an edit to Friday's post...

As you know, the seller counteroffered. We accepted.

Fast forward two hours...our agent speaks to listing agent. We find out that the counteroffer was, in fact, signed by the lienholder...so no more waiting! It's OURS!!!

Now the tricky stuff starts, and making sure everything's A-OK. Mr. P and I are definitely up for the challenge.

Very nervous, very excited :)

In case you haven't been following...

...I lied. I decided to post just ONE picture.



Sellers have accepted our offer (well...we accepted their counter, which was pretty much the same as our offer). BUT, since it's a short sale, we're now waiting for the lien holder's approval. That could take some time. And they can come back and say absolutely not if they want to (let's hope they don't do that!), so it's still a waiting game.

Just one step closer :) Needs a new roof, but most other things are looking good. Please continue keeping your fingers crossed and sending those good vibes! I swear, you all have some special powers!

Is the hunt over???

The house-hunting, that is...

We put an offer in on a house last night.

Fingers crossed! It's a short sale, so we don't expect to hear anything for a while. For my own sanity, I'm not posting pictures until it's all said and done ;)

The place needs a bit of work - mostly cosmetic, but some stuff that Mr. P and I won't be able to do ourselves. We'll just have to see, right?

Oh my Lord, I'm anxious!

(And fingers crossed that rates don't continue to skyrocket! Grand scheme of things, they're still historically low, but every penny counts, right?!)

It's only Tuesday???

You know those weeks where you think it'll be nice and slow-paced, only to turn around and realize that you've got a billion things to do that needed to be done...oh, I don't know...YESTERDAY?!

OK, a little over-exaggeration. But all of a sudden this week has become killer. Last night was the only respite, and I didn't even realize it until after I'd completely wasted it all!

Between work, doctor visits, everyday chores, house-hunting, a concert, and heading out of town again this weekend to do more manual labor at the lake, this week has kind of disappeared from me. Is it Friday yet???

Speaking of manual labor, there was some severe damage this past winter and our dock and boat lift were both completely destroyed. With some help from a friend, we managed to demolish all portions of the dock this past weekend, get the debris hauled back to the drive, celebrate a birthday, play some games, have a few drinks, and prep for part 2: re-doing the stairs. I only have a few scrapes and bruises to prove that I actually busted my butt last weekend. We'll see whether I can remain relatively unscathed for two weekends in a row :)

I try not to talk much about my job. I am a private person and I respect both what I do and the people I work with. Today, though, I feel the need to share.

As part of my job, I work with scholarships every year. It's NOT an easy process. Not every applicant will receive a scholarship, and though it's business, it can also be an emotional experience.

Essays tell you a lot about a person. And sometimes, they make you laugh so hard you fall out of your chair. Recommendations sometimes make you wonder whether the "recommender" has ever even met the student. Need evaluations can be confusing and leave you searching for more. There is nothing cut and dry about the process.

I literally finshed evaluations on Tuesday for this year's awards. This morning, we received an opportunity to fund ONE additional student based on very specific criteria.

It was a scramble. There are so many deserving students who have been through so much and still keep pursuing their goals, yet we were actually having trouble finding a single individual to fit all the parameters. Until the very last application.

And it was one I had been upset about earlier this week for being unable to award the scholarship they had applied for.

I'm touched. I feel like I learn so much about the individuals who apply, and I become emotionally invested. I'm also reminded that I have been given a lot of opportunity in my life that many others have not, and I have to smile knowing that I have the chance to offer other people opportunities through what I do.

I am proud of my work. And through it, I am reminded to step back and take a look at what I have, what I have acccomplished in my life, and how much I admire those who have supported me along the way. It may not be much, but it's mine. And I can only hope that I am able to provide some sort of positive reminder for others as they strive toward their goals.

This morning's scramble made my Friday. Things may not be perfect in my life right now, but they're a lot better than they could be. It's the little things that keep me smiling.

Monday Funny and Potential TMI

My office building has been renovated over the past few years. It's an old, OLD building, but let me just say the reno'd restrooms have the.thinnest.walls in existence.

Not a pleasant thought. But not the point, either.

I had too much coffee too quickly this morning, and all of a sudden, the flood gates are feeling the pressure. So I hightail it to the ladies' and it seriously sounds like there's a super-hamster wheel in the men's room next door. And it made me laugh, but more importantly, got me to thinking...

I have a feeling it must look something like this in there:



All in all, it just adds to my theory that men just never learn to correctly ration their toilet paper. I mean, I'm not saying you're limited to four squares or something like that, but seriously, it shouldn't take an.ENTIRE.roll to take care of business, right?

And getting them to put a new roll on the holder is hopeless...not to say that I wouldn't re-do it anyway because the TP is supposed to go OVER, not UNDER :)

That said, do you have a preference?



Just a little thought to ponder to start your week right...

Long weekend!

My 3 1/2 day Memorial Weekend turned into an unintentional 4 day weekend, due to the fact that I completely forgot about a doctor's appointment on Friday morning. So after the doc, Mr. P and I headed to a home for a second showing. We're VERY interested in this place, but it needs quite a bit of work. Rather than making an offer right away, we're getting a few estimates to see whether it's even worth our time. If this one slips away, it'll be alright. I'm not emotionally attaching myself anymore :)

Friday afternoon, Schmoogie came and picked us up. It was Miss Bailey's first trip to Indy. She panted the entire drive, and I felt awful! But totally worth it once we got there. She and my aunt's dog, Isaac (a rescued golden retriever), played ALL.WEEKEND.LONG. Generally it was a game of "bite-my-face" between the two of them while lying on the floor or running outside. Unfortunately, I didn't get any doggy pictures. But let it be said that Bailey was a VERY good houseguest, and I'm proud of her!

On Saturday, Mr. P went and played golf with some of the guys, while Schmoogie and I relaxed and got pedicures. Can't complain there, right? The afternoon and evening were spent at another aunt's home - small family reunion (30 or so), bbq, and all sorts of good stuff.

Sunday was Race Day. I could give you the entire rundown, but instead I'll direct you to Classical Geek Theatre for my cousin Ben's explanation. He writes is much more eloquently than I ever could.

It was Schmoogie's first race, and we had a blast!


Pop seemed to enjoy himself, too.


I'm mortified by this picture of me, but it's with my two favorites, Schmoogie and Mr. P, so I can't complain too much!


Sunday evening was a gathering at yet another aunt and uncle's home complete with Wii American Idol played by some of the younger cousins. An 8 year old singing Stayin' Alive? I'm in. And it was hilarious :)

Schmoogie, Mr. P and I left early to call it a night. The three of us were completely exhausted after a long day. Monday morning, we were about as active as sloths and didn't exactly hurry ourselves trying to leave Indy to head home to STL. I think we finally hit the road around 2:00 pm, and I'd be lying if I said I changed out of my pajamas all day.

So now we're back home, back to the grind, and back to normalcy. There's much to be said for getting away and seeing some awesome people, but I can't discount quiet time at home. Hoping to get some soon.

And just to throw in something fun, Schmoogie and her roommate have two kittens. I am in love with this pic of them :) Izzy is on the right, and Bella is on the left.


Edited to add: I hate that I keep cutting off pictures lately, but I'm also well aware that I'm too lazy to figure out how to change that. If you want to see the full shot, click on the photo. Otherwise, I'm not offended. You're probably just as lazy as I am :)

Requesting Good Vibes...

Mr. P and I have a LOT going on right now. We're headed to Indy for the weekend (Indy 500 family tradition). Miss Bailey's joining us for her first trip to meet my extended family. She's going to go nuts :)

There are some other exciting things that will occur in the next day or so, and we just need fingers crossed for us.

I'm a bundle of excited nerves lately, and wondering whether I'm biting off more than I can chew???

Friday laugh

This made my day, minus the fact that I now have THAT SONG going through my head :)



Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend!

Buying a house is an emotional roller coaster!

This is turning out to be quite an experience. We keep finding places to see, and when we get there, it's just an "oh" feeling. Blah.

"Gee, that listing was misleading."

"Whaaa??? There's a full staircase to an attic the size of a closet?!"

"Umm, it says two bedrooms. That's a PORCH with doors to a back deck...and there's no closet. Can they do that?"

"Can it be called a bedroom if there aren't any windows and it's in the basement?"

"Oh, sh!t. You gotta see the back." And I see that the neighbors' place is half-burned out and they have dogs on chains :( Um, no. (And I get home and immediately look up city ordinances to see what I can do to help the doggies...)

I absolutely hate that we found a place we LOVED, and couldn't do anything about it. Then I found out that the guy who had owned it didn't do any of his renovations with a permit, and most of it wasn't up to code (among other issues). Poop.

This morning, we were supposed to see a house I'm VERY interested in, but the seller postponed our appointment. Our fabulous agent is working to see how soon we can reschedule. Pffft. (On the other hand, I still got to sleep in a little this morning before work!)

Getting anxious. And frustrated. And hopeful. And excited. And disheartened. And determined :)

Mr. P and I are extremely aware of compromises we are and are not willing to make. We completely understand that our first home is not intended to be our dream home, and honestly, I don't think we necessarily want it to be. But at this point, we're so ready for our OWN home. We're keeping a lot in mind and just believing that the right place for us will come along...I'm just wishing it to happen sooner rather than later.

Sidebar: wish Mr. P luck on his final exams this week!

Quick 6

I woke up feeling better today than I have in quite some time. I attribute it to the following:

1. The sun's out! Woohoo!

2. I worked out last night. Sure, it's only the second time I've done the video (seriously, seriously sore all weekend), but I definitely did better than the first time around. It can only get better! Plan to do it again tonight.

3. Mr. P and I had a very impromptu grocery trip, and bought a whole lot of veggies and fruit, which we've been severely lacking lately. The only (quasi) unhealthy thing we purchased was cheese :)

4. We ate a healthy dinner. Pretty simple - entire meal on the grill - chicken, asparagus, and small tortillas - but very tasty. I can't take credit for this, though...Mr. P is in charge of the grill.

5. Mr. P and I were in bed by 10:30. I got a decent night's sleep, which is pretty cool.

6. Did I mention the sun's out? I'm very happy to see it :)

Jillian kicked my butt!

Instead of whining about my weight for the umpteenth time, I trying to start doing something about it. I've tipped the scales at a number that scares the crap out of me, and my work pants don't fit!

Since I'm deathly afraid of the gym and don't want to pay for a membership right now, I purchased Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD last weekend. And it stared at me from the coffee table for the entire week.



Her face on the cover is a little bit taunting, a little bit intimidating, and a whole lot challenging.

I called Mr. P this afternoon and told him that no matter how hard I try to get out of it, I want to do Level One for the first time when I get home.

And I did :)

I kept up for the most part, but I'm pooped. I feel like jelly. I think I'm OK with that.

While the reminder that I'm severely out of shape isn't all that pleasant, the fact that I'm trying is pretty cool. Mr. P was kind enough to do it with me this first time. We'll see if that continues, but I'm hoping that I keep up with it as much as possible.

I need a LOT more at-home practice before I'm anywhere near ready to step foot inside an actual building where other people work out :)

In honor of Schmoogie

Check out the new Ampersand website! Schmoogie's been busting her butt on the newest issue of the Webster University student magazine. As previously mentioned, one of her photos was featured on the Fall '08 cover.

Click on the bobbed blonde in the second row, middle to find out more about the most adorable features editor, photo editor, and web designer I know :)

I might be biased. But Schmoogie's my seester, it's allowed!

Monday Surprise

The first car we ever bought together...a 2005 Toyota Corolla. Nothing special, nothing fancy, but a big sign of our ability to work together. (Mr. P's old car died the day before Christmas 2005, and on December 28, we drove this baby off the lot. Money was [almost] as tight as it is now, but we found a way to make it work.)



When we're hanging out with friends, and decide it's time to head home, it's usually a good idea to know where the keys are. I almost always ask whether he has his keys when we get out of the car...I always thought it was just because I'm an anal-retentive wife, but now I know it's for my own sanity.

Since my husband is Mr. P, I automatically assume that if the key is missing, it's locked in the car.

I'm usually right. And tonight was no exception. So at 10:30, when I was already starting to fall asleep and it was time to head home...suddenly it became time to call a locksmith.

Those guys charge an arm and a leg after hours! But I was very thankful for the man who helped us get into the car to retrieve the keys. And I'm more adamant than ever that Mr. P has to have a spare key made (we bought the car used and only have one key).

As we were driving home, Mr. P noticed a whooshing noise and realized that car door had been BENT. We pulled up to a stoplight, and he turned and could SEE OUTSIDE BETWEEN THE DOOR AND FRAME. So when we got home about 10 minutes ago, we bent the door back into place. Stupid? Maybe. Logical? Of course.

I might be hobbling around for a while until my leg grows back. Even money trees lose a limb every now and then :)

(Not so) funny story

As a result of some more-than-normal stress and anxiety, my body's fighting with me. Yesterday, I had a stomach ache that was just uncomfortable. Got over it, went on with life.

This morning, I got to work, and had an ocular migraine/migraine with aura. For those who don't know, this doesn't always mean that there's head pain, but it messes with my vision. I've only had a couple in my life, and the last one was a year and a half ago, right before the wedding. Scared the crap out of me - thought I was going blind! I get normal migraines here and there, which suck, but these are particularly frightening just because they're so different.

Well today, I had some more severe side effects than I've had before. My vision blurred and I ended up having some numbness in my left arm (forearm, hand) and left side of my mouth. My balance was off. Again, scary.

Left work, had Mr. P take me to the doctor. Went through all sorts of balance tests, cried from being nervous and scared, and eventually was diagnosed...atypical migraine with anxiety. Prescribed meds and - get this - reduce stress.

Why do docs always suggest reducing stress, when there's really not a whole lot that can be done at any given time? It's not like they ever say "go do such-and-such" to actually accomplish the goal. They just say "do it" like it's that easy!

Oh well. I'm doing much better now (obviously, since I'm blogging), but a little weirded out. Bailey sat on my lap for a little while to make sure I don't go anywhere for a while :) The good news is these are so few and far between, I shouldn't have to worry too much as long as I take better care of myself.

After a very rough roller coaster of a day, the previous post isn't going to work out. I don't want to get into details. It's a LONG story, and I probably won't be sharing too much more house-related stuff on here until it's worth it.

Thanks for your support, though.

I'm going to go cuddle up with Bailey and Mr. P.

All the good vibes in the world...

Seriously. I need all the good vibes you can possibly muster. Mr. P and I are making an offer on a house this morning.

Did you hear that?


WE FOUND A HOUSE!!!


I am such a bundle of nerves, I can't even stand it. My heart is racing, my stomach is in knots, I can't sit still...

Good thoughts, please! Lots of 'em!

Just one step closer...

I just needed to scream from my hypothetical rooftop for a moment:

WOOHOO! MY VISA IS PAID OFF!!!

ONE STEP CLOSER TO BUYING OUR OWN HOME!!!

That is all. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I recently read a list on N's blog, where she shared 10 of her favorite things all starting with the letter H. I decided I'd play along, though I teased her that if she gave me Q or Z, we might not be able to be friends ;)

Who knew I'd get something as difficult as J? I never thought it'd be as hard as it was! So, after much deliberation and in no particular order, ten of my favorite things starting with the letter




Jigsaw Puzzles...like the one that Mr. P and I finally finished! It really is a great way to spend time together and work toward a common goal, and a great feeling to be able to see an end product


Jicama...in a salad with lime and cilantro, sliced and eaten raw like carrot sticks, YUM! This is one my father introduced me to, and it's the perfect addition to spring and summer appetites.



Jen Lancaster...author of such witty tomes as Such a Pretty Fat and Bitter is the New Black...I'm anxiously awaiting the release of her newest work, Pretty in Plaid (May 5!) Oh, she's got a cool name, too.



Jeans...there is nothing quite as comfortable as the perfect pair of jeans. I've had great luck with GAP's Essential Fit - finally a wider leg that's not just for Mom jeans! My tree trunks worship these jeans :)



Jarlsberg cheese...the perfect flavor, light, a little nutty, and makes one killer grilled cheese sandwich!



Jammies...I live for my comfy jammies. My favorites are a soft ribbed cotton cami-and-short set, but these are looking pretty tempting.



July...the month of my birth, Independence Day, and all things summer-related. How can you go wrong?


Junior...Mr. P is named after his father. Generally, I'm not a fan of same names, but since he's just so dang good to me, I'll let it slide this time :) For those who pay attention to things like this, there will not be a PJP III if I have any say in it.


Jalapenos...nothing like a fresh homegrown jalapeno to put a little spice into life. I'll eat them in pretty much any form, and nachos at a ball game just aren't worth it if I can't load them up with the good stuff!


Jack Johnson...don't need to say much here. Dreamy? Check. Beautiful voice? Check. Amazing musician? Check check check. I'm sold :)


So these are a few of my favorite J things. If you're interested, leave me a comment asking for a letter, and I'll send one your way!