And lo, the angel said unto him, Behold the third blog of the day

Something's missing from my mantel. Can you find it? Turn to page 47 for the answer. Or just read the next sentence. I don't have a stocking yet. I think my original stocking at my parents' house finally disintegrated. But I felt weird shopping for 1 stocking. Santa won't be coming to fill it up anyway. And won't it be kind of pathetic? One lil ole sock dangling from the fireplace? Or would it be more pathetic to have mine plus 2 little stockings for the cats?

Reason #354...

that I'm glad I don't have a kid right now (probably the lamest of them all). I can put out my nativity set, and I don't have to hide baby Jesus until Christmas day.

Apparently some parents leave out the baby until closer to the actually holiday. So the porceline, or wood, or plastic (if you have the lil' tykes holiday nativity set) Mary and Joseph are left to stare at the empty space until the big day arrives. Something about how we all need to sit back and anticipate the gift that is to arrive to light the world.

But I am an adult, and I don't really need a reminder about when Jesus is to arrive and since God is timeless, I'm not sure about all this linear calendar thing anyway. And no matter how many times I try to recount the nativity story to the cats, they always insist on putting baby Jesus out before Christmas. They just don't get it, and I don't think they ever will given their tiny feline brains.

Holiday Cheer

Oh, Tannembaum! Here's my tree. All 7.5 feet of chewable pine needles (Tigger likes to chew on the tree. I'm forseeing a large intestinal blockage in the future.)

I'm just glad I didn't have to go to a lot and strap it to the top of my car and all that mess. It came out of a box as God and sweet little baby Jesus intended.

I'm debating the topper: a star, an angel, or a bow? Or naked?

I heard all the rage among the rich and tasteless is to hang trees upside-down. Apparently that was the way the Germans did it when they first came up with the tradition of decorating a tree. Kinda weird.

GrillMaster 6500 XRPS120 Deluxe Edition

Well, here she is in her shiny metalic and black glory! This is the grill that was so generously bestowed upon me by my coworkers. I made up the name, but it is a Weber. This is impressive (for all you non-grillers that weren't really impressed).

You also get to see the tiles that my dad and brother added to enlarge my patio. You can't really see the design on the tiles, but it is cool. It's hard to tell, but it is December in Texas. I haven't even had to bring in all my plants yet for the winter!

I planted iris bulbs this weekend. Hopefully, they will bring beauty to my yard come spring. That is unless scraggly stray cat named "Trash" doesn't decide to use my flower bed as a litter box.

As an animal lover, or at least animal co-exister, I'm having a real crisis with this cat. It is a pretty cat, and friendly. In fact it demands attention with a shrill meow that would make the Wicked Witch cringe. But it also instigates all kinds of chaos when it prances around my front window inciting the boys to be all tough and macho and defend their territory. So everyday, I waffle between taking it to the pound (no collar although it tends to call my neighbor's garage home) and adopting it as an outside cat. What we end up with a confused cat that either gets fed or water sprayed on it, depending on my mood.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

No, I will not be hosting turkey day in my new house. That is what everyone is asking. Despite the title of my blog, I’m still a kid when it comes to holidays. Not responsible for a thing, except to show up. That may change at some point, but for now I’m enjoying it.

As I’m enjoying my house. It is somewhat fallish at my house. There are leaves in my yard. I have my fall decorations out. But it is 83 degrees today. My first attempt at planting flowers (pansies) almost completely failed. I will blame the unusually warm weather.

Did I tell you I got a great new grill? My coworkers got together and bought me a Webber gas grill! It’s very nice. I tried it out on Sunday, and I managed to grill chicken kabobs without sending lethal amounts of propane into the neighborhood or starting a fire. The wooden skewers did burn, despite soaking for 30 minutes. I will invest in metal skewers. It is awesome. I hope I can learn to marinate and to touch a steak to know if its done.

I will post a picture soon. Still no home access to the Internet. I’m considering getting satellite internet, but it’s $50 a month! I’m way too cheap for that. I’m waiting for my techie friend to install his external modem to see if the problem was my modem. Then I will see if I can live with dial-up again. I don’t know what I could give up to make up for the $50 a month. On websites discussing ways to cut back, they always say you should stop going to Starbucks everyday and that money adds up. But not fair! I’m not a coffee drinker! Maybe I will become one, so I can give it up, and I will feel like my budget is not getting hurt J Of course, I would probably get addicted to the coffee. Maybe I can train my cats to go potty outside, saving me cat litter money. Or maybe I will stop giving them their daily latte.

Update: I have locked myself out of my house

Upcoming Project: Find a hidey hole for spare key.

Long Time, No Nothing

What's a month between friends. Hey, it's not my fault. Really. I don't have internet at home. Long story. Ok, not really long, but I don't what to bore you with technical details. When I only blog every 36 days, I don't want to waste it on how my dial-up modem doesn't work. Yes, that's correct, dial-up.

Let's see what's been going on. Oh, yeah. House. Or as I like to call it, fun little project that never ends. A few landscaping things have happened. I have mowed the grass all of 3 times. I have been carpooling the last few weeks, so that makes me feel all grown-up and environmental. In fact, carpool is the reason I get to write this post. I am ready to go, but my ride is not, so I'm doing this while she needs an few extra minutes.

My electric bills have been reasonable, almost the same as my apartment, so I'm excited about that. My water bill...not so much. Hopefully, it is so high because of my need to water the lawn every day for a while to get it going. Hopefully it is not because I have a leak in my sprinkler system. I have purchased some accessories, which is fun, but I'm not very decorative, so not sure about placement. I have met a few more neighbors, but have not become instant best buds with any of them.

I'm having a house-warming party this weekend for work people. Feeling the stress of the house needing to be perfect for that. Not only is my boss invited, but my boss's boss's boss is coming. He was the first to RSVP. Hopefully that goes smoothly. I'm thinking about refinancing to pay for all the liquor and wine and beer I need to buy.

House survived weekend with kids. It comfortably (at least comfortably for me) slept 5 adults, 1 teenager, 2 kids, and a baby. It was fun to have a backyard to sit in. Weather has been great. They started building a new house 2 down from me that has already been sold. 2 unsold houses still sit on their little lots. Hopefully they won't be vacant for long.

Any other rambling thoughts? Hmm...still haven't locked myself out of my house, but am waiting for the day. Oh, I thought I short-circuited my whole house this weekend. While trying to edge my lawn, my 50 ft extention cord was just too short. So I bought another 50 foot cord, thinking that makes 100 feet of cord (yes I was a mathalete). Only after connecting the two cords and trying to start my edger, and then trying to start my mower, and not having any electric power, did I read the extension cord label, and see that it says do not connect 2 extension cords together. Ooops. I'm sure everyone else in the world knows not to do that, but I didn't. Anway, after trying to find the circuit breaker that covers the outside of the house unsuccessfly, I found a reset button for the outlets. With electric power restored, and a trip to Lowe's to buy the proper 100 feet of extension cord, 100 feet connected in one bundle, I was able to start on the lawn. Edging is an art, my friend. And I don't like that art. Stay tuned for more life lessons, and kids remember...never fly a kite around a power line. But I don't have lines, they are all buried underground.

Long overdue pictures.

No house payment this month!

I was hoping I wouldn't fall into not blogging after moving into my house. Certain people, ok 1 person, stopped blogging about their house as soon as they moved it. I promised myself I would keep it up. At least for a while.

Just a quick recap until I can really post a thoughtful post. Yeah, right. Ok, the move and closing went incredibly well. Nothing major to report, except I think there is something wrong with my sprinkler system. At first it wouldn't go off at all. So we set it to bypass the weather sensor. Came on immediately. But now it goes off at 1pm, even though I have checked the programs and there is no 1pm setting. It does go off at 5am like I had programmed it. So now everyday I have to remember to turn it off before I leave for work, and turn it back on before I go to bed. Hopefully I won't have to water the grass everyday for very much longer. Oh, and the extended fence that I asked for messed up the sprinkler arrangement. Now one patch of grass gets no water, so I have to water that by hand for awhile. My dad can move that around though. He will be a busy man :)

The house looks great! All boxes inside have been unpacked. The garage needs to be tackled, but I'm the only one who sees it. I have an edger, but no mower yet. A big project that my dad will do in the future is to add a covered patio to the back. It is way too westward facing to enjoy the patio in the evenings without shade. My parents are probably coming up this weekend to plant some more shrubs and crepe myrtles. I have not had the house to myself for a weekend yet. I'm having some friends over for dinner Saturday night, and I have a party scheduled for work friends on Oct. 6th (I have to not only invite my boss, and his boss, but my boss's boss's boss (the owner of the company...that is another story).

The phone company is coming on Saturday, so I will finally have a landline. And can finally get internet access (dial-up in all its glory). I don't get great cell reception in the house. I will have to get satellite because I can't get cable :( So I am missing all my favorite summer shows on FX and TBS and etc.

So far, all is right with the world, although the grass really is greener in my neighbor's yard. Well, one neighbor, not the other side. Ask me again after my first payment is due Oct. 1st.

A House Closing and a Funeral

It has been an emotionally draining day. I closed at 9:30, was done by a little after ten, then drove straight to a funeral. You take the good, you take the bad, and then you have the facts of life, the facts of life. I almost refused to sign my credit card slip at lunch because my hand was already tired from all the signage from the morning.

I've had a happy hour(s), therefore it is official. No turning back now. I am a home-owner. I am a home-owner. Let me say it one more time and maybe I will believe it. I am a home-owner. Nope, didn't work. Still don't believe it.

I can't run around my house neck'd like I planned because the mini-blinds are not in yet...but otherwise I can do as I please on my "homestead." As if I am pioneer or something.

I feel like a new parent must feel when they leave the hospital. Someone else has been taking care of my newborn, but lets me look and hold and touch, but when I am tired, I have been able to send the baby back the nursery. Now, I have to figure out how to take care of the house myself. You get so much information in such a short time. I have to figure out the water sprinkler system. Something about an air conditioner in my attic, and changing the filter every 9 months. Something about applying for a homestead exemption. Something about a security system. Something about new grass and trees have to be watered. And you have to water your foundation? What the crap? All I really heard was, here's the keys to your house and you don't owe a cent until October 1st. Well, aside from the really big check that you just wrote. I ran out of room writing out one-million, eight-hundred thirty-seven dollars and 92 cents. Couldn't they have rounded up or down? Ok, it wasn't that much. But it might as well be. I won't have that much money saved up again for a long, long, long time.

It really has been a cool experience. But I'm sure it would be awesome to share it with someone. Sure, I have talked with lots of people and shared my joy, but I don't it's the same thing as actually "sharing" the experience with someone. Being able to look at someone and say, this is ours! For better or worse. I have a sneaking suspision that it won't quite be as cool when I walk in the house tomorrow for the first time with my parents. But maybe it will feel even better, because I know that I have done this all by myself. No one else helped me save the down payment. No one else could make the decisions for me. It's all me, baby. For better or worse.

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

Ok, I'm not leaving on a jet plane. But I am almost all boxed up...to the point I don't like coming home to my apartment anymore. I can barely walk around. I took all the pictures and curtains down last night, and it looks so bare:( I'm a little sad, because I loved my apartment. It was definitely my favorite one. But onward and upward!

I can breathe a little easier now. My agent sent a note saying that everything looks good to close on Friday, so I can hopefully start moving in Saturday! I just have to put faith that everyone involved has done their part and will be ready.

The fridge is supposed to be delivered Saturday, my parents are coming up Saturday afternoon, and the movers are coming Sunday morning. So I can be BBQing on Labor Day. Ok, maybe not quite.

Prayer for my piece of mind and my carpal tunnel as I sign all the paperwork.

(insert interesting text here)

7 Days=1 Week = Eternity

In 168 hours, I will have a house. Hopefully.

I went during my lunch break to look today. The builder happened to be there. We were talking about the progress, etc. but I finally had to pin him down. So I said, so will it be ready on the 30th? And he said, sure if you want it to be. Like I would choose not to have it ready as soon as possible. Then he said, what day is the 30th? And I was like Thursday, duh. So he said sure.

I don't know the details yet, but I guess I will schedule a walk through around Thursday, and assuming no problems, sign paperwork and close on Friday? And move all weekend? ??? That is my life these days, big question marks.

The carpet guy was there today. Then they have to finish up some of the trimming. Put in the closet hanging rods, put in the blinds, finish staining the edge of the cabinets, and then any paint touch-ups and door bangs. And I think that is it for the inside!

The driveway was poured. He said they should be digging the posts for the fence today, do the fencing tomorrow. The sprinklers Monday, and I guess it only takes a day for the lawn? Remember the tree in the backyard? The fence will probably run through the middle. I think it will look kinda stupid to have a fence, tree, and then more fence. So much for privacy. And also, it might be too late for the fence request I had. I wanted my backyard fence to come closer to the front of the house so my dining window would be in my backyard. But he said they had already ordered the fence, and that would require 3 more panels. So not sure about that :(

So we will see!

Sometimes I dream...about my house

The other night I had a dream about my new house. I drove by just to look at the progress, and I thought it looked completely finished. The yard was in (but had major bald spots), and the fence was up. I thought "The house looks ready, it must be time to move in. I wonder why the builder didn't tell me it was time?" For some reason I had the garage door opener, so I pressed the button and walked into the garage. Then I realized that the door was locked, and they hadn't given me the keys yet. But when I closed the garage door, they had taped the keys to the inside of the garage door. Cool. So I opened the door and walked through my house, amazed at all the details and that it was my house. Finally, I went to the side of the yard to see if my electric meter was accessible to the electric company (that came from a real life conversation I had...how am I supposed to know if they meter is accessible...as far as I know I don't even have one yet). That is when I noticed the fence wasn't completely done. So then I said, that is why they haven't told me to move in yet, because it is not done. So I put the keys back and left. That's it. Not sure what it says about me.

Pictures worth a thousand words, so I don't have to blog.

A post to end speculation

Perhaps I have not mentioned that the two neighbors on either side of me, as well as the one across the street, are all retired men or couples. With that being said, no I do not expect much neighborhood romance a la Wisteria Lane. No handsome plumber that I have seen so far. Only 1 possibility...a youngish man who walks his dog. More details as they unfold.

I just wanted to throw this out there, and to set a personal record for a three-peat post in one day.

My feet are dirty

Every time I go to see my house, I'm wearing sandals. Since I don't have a driveway, walkway, or even grass yet, I have to trek through dirt on a good day, or mud on a not a good day. Today was no exception.

I picked out a very similar tile for the shower. Probably, a wasted trip, because any of the three that I chose from would have been fine. And to be honest, I didn't even really remember picking out tile in the first place.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped by the house, and it was open. The painters were inside. It looks sooooo different already. The walls are a light beige and the trim is white. The mantel really stands out now. The closets shelves are up and many of the doors. The cabinets are stained, as well. Some real progress! My closet is awesome by the way! It has one of those built in shoe or pants shelves thingy.

Sorry, no pictures :( I was in a hurry, and I felt like I was intruding in my own house.

I have already established a waving routine with my neighbor across the street (he showed me his house when I was still deciding). Almost every time I come by he is on his patio or in his yard. It is weird, because I usually don't know my neighbors and couldn't pick them out of a line-up. And I'm not even officially moved in, and we already know each other. Of course, if he was in a line-up and not on his property, I might not be able to pick him out either ;)

And don't get spoiled with two posts in one day. It won't happen again. Probably.

I don't need no stinking tile

The builder called me before I left for work this morning. Apparently the tile that I picked out for the bathroom is no longer being made. There is another tile that looks exactly the same, but a different maker I guess, but it is back-ordered for at least a month. Not an option. They have picked out 3 that are similar, and I need to go and choose one of them. It is somewhat of a hassle, as the office is a good 20 minutes away, so that will be my entire lunch break. But again, if this is the worst, then so be it.

For those of you at home playing along, here is my updated problem list:
1) Brick looks the same as neighbors.
2) Tile is discontinued.
If you can name all the problems at the end of this home building exercise, then you may win a fabulous prize!

Locked Out of House and Home

I went to show my brother the house, and we couldn't get in. For the first time I've been there, the house was locked up, and all the windows were closed. I guess they are getting ready to put the fixtures and other stealable stuff in. Kinda disappointing. Peeking in through the windows, I couldn't see much progress.

I did see baseboards and the mantle up. They moved the big piles of dirt. I hope they are able to get a lot done this week. From what I could tell, the electrician hadn't dug up the concrete to put the floor plug in.

So no new pictures today :(

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams

Last night after work, I took my co-worker friend to see my house. We walked into the front door of my completely bricked house (more details of the house later), and before I could say, this is my living room, 5 other co-workers jumped out from behind the kitchen counters and yelled "Surprise!" They even had a bottle of champagne to toast my new place. They had all conspired against me to leave work a few minutes before and surprise me. Sure enough it worked! They parked in the shopping area around the corner. I work with some pretty cool people.

The funniest part was that they were all sweaty because they had to wait a few minutes for me to get there. In case you are not familiar with Texas weather, it is mighty hot at 6pm in a western facing room, with no air conditioning in August. They had planned to hide in the master bathroom, but it was way too hot. So they moved to the kitchen that at least had a window opened for breeze.

After the surprise entrance, I gave them the grand tour. There wasn't much progress since Monday night. The brick looks completely finished to my untrained eye. They also finished the cabinets (still unstained). I think that was all that was done. I will be back on Saturday when my brother comes to town.

Afterwards, we went to a bar, that I was informed by new neighbor co-worker, will be my new hangout and had dinner and drinks. The bar was alright. Kinda old, but maybe it will win my heart and become like my Cheers.

A week without rain...someone alert the media! I hope they take advantage of this good, hot weather. I have locked in my interest rate, and must close by Sept. 4th. I told my apartment that I would like to stay through Sept. 8th, to give myself a cushion. Now all I need to do if finally pick an insurance agent, cancel all my utilities, set up all my utilities, do the change of address form, keep packing, hire the moving company, start being nicer to friends so the will help me move, get new checks printed, buy a fridge...and many many many other things, all the while work all week. Let the stress begin!

What A Difference A Day Makes

Or 4 days to be exact.

It took me seeing the bricks and touching the sheet rock with my own hands, but now I am a true believer that this house just might get finished before September comes. On Tuesday, I showed the house to my sister and her family. Sure, it was cool and you could tell what the rooms were, but it seemed no where close to being done in 3 weeks.

Then, bam! Sunday rolls along, I take my parents to see it, and the builder made a liar out of me. I was complaining that the brick hadn't even been started yet. But we turn the corner, and I exclaim "I have brick!". It is more than halfway done, I have a garage door, and all the sheet rock is done. It seriously is all coming together. And I even stopped by Monday night, and the cabinets were in the kitchen and bathroom. The vanity that we discussed is in - I was afraid that since we just discussed it in passing, that maybe it would have slipped the builder's mind, but no, it was there just as we had discussed. Progress is a good thing.

Why you may ask would I feel the need to go back Monday night when I was just there Sunday? Normally, I am not that interested in the day by day progress. But I had been talking to the builder, and I discussed wanting an electric outlet in the middle of my living room. I will most likely have my couch laid out in the middle of the floor, so if I want to put a lamp near the couch, I didn't want the cord to be dragged across the room. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do that since my dad said they probably needed to know that before they laid the concrete. But I asked. He said they could do (for a small fee, of course). The electrician would just dig a little trench through the concrete and put the wires in it. And it wouldn't put them off schedule. So I took the plunge and said yes. So to answer my original question, I had to go the house to mark the spot I wanted the plug. It was hard to do since I'm not exactly sure where my furniture will all go. But I think the vicinity will work. I'm sure I'm the only one who finds it exciting, but it's my blog, so that's all I care about.

There has been one disappointment for me though. The brick and stone look almost exactly like the house next door. The builder was supposed to guide me and tell me if it would look too similar. I guess I shouldn't trust a color-blind builder. Anyway, I think going with a dark brown trim instead of the light tan color will make the brick stand out and make a difference. If that is the worst that happens, then I will count myself lucky. But if I were my neighbor, I would kind of be mad at me.

I am supposed to go back on Wednesday to show a friend. I wonder what surprise is in store for me then? Carpet and paint? Keep dreaming.

Yesterday's News, Out of Date, Old Hat, Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know

This picture was taken on July 14, less than 2 weeks ago. Already it is out of date. Now I know how Eastern European map-makers felt in the 90's.

Future neighbor and co-worker called me this evening as she was walking through the house. She said the roof is complete - the shingles are already up. The shingles that are nothing but a pile in the above picture. All the rooms have walls. The backdoor (with built in blinds - nice!) is in. There is a front door, but it is just the temporary construction door. She could see the insulation in the roof. All in all, it seems to be looking more like a house. I can't wait to go see it again.

I've started thinking about landscaping. I have no idea what plants are called...I guess I need to start researching that stuff. And how to take care of a yard. My parents said they can start me off with some hydrangeas and banana trees (not sure about the latter). I know I like Bradford Pear trees, but I have no idea how much they cost. I have also seen a lot of small trees (bushes?) around that have pink blooms. I thought I knew the name of them, but it just escaped me. I wonder if the apartment people would notice if I just dug one up and took it with me?

On another note...same friend went to Shreveport last weekend. I gave her $5 to bet on black. She said if I won, she would play the winnings on craps, which she said she was good at. I just figured she would play (or not), and the money would get mixed in with her winnings or losings. But no, she is honest. She played, it was black, and then she turned my $5 into $27.50! I told her if she had made it to $50, I would have upgrade to marble counter tops :)

More progress, and a vacation

I'm afraid now comes the point where all I do is post updated pictures of my house. Nothing exciting to say, just that it is beginning more and more to look like a house. Sorry. But you choose to come to this site. I'm not forcing anyone.

Well, actually you won't even get any new pictures for probably a week. I did drive by the house on Saturday and walked around and took several pictures. But whenever I try to upload them on to this site, it doesn't work from my home computer. I can only do it from my work computer (shh). But....I won't be at work at all this week. Yes, that is right, I'm actually taking off a whole week. I can't remember the last time I took off for a whole week. Lately, I have been taking off for 2-3 days plus a weekend. So this should be fun. But sadly, that means that your life will be boring without my semi-weekly updates. You can do it! Be strong.

So let me use my eloquent writing style to convey to you the progress. I have windows! I have a fireplace! I have 2 bathtubs and a shower! And I have solid walls all and a solid roof! I have litter all around and in my house. Dr. Pepper bottles, Skoal cans, Big Gulp cups, a half eaten Twinkie (someone must have run for cover during a rain shower because I can think of no other reason to abandon a Twinkie). I have neighbors. I think retired couple #3 on the block moved in next door.

Next picture I hope to post will be of me relaxed and freshly tanned. I know you will be bored without me, but go read a book or something.

On Schedule

The builder said that we are still on schedule to finish this puppy by the end of August! I hope he doesn't mean the literal end of August, giving me 1 day to move. My apartment hasn't been very excited about the possibility of extending my lease for a week or so. Apparently, with them, it is a full month or bust. I'm hoping that I don't have to pay the month-to-month rate for September as well as August. Although moving in slowly and leisurely is a nice way to go.

After saying that I can do no more upgrades, I am at the top of my budget, no I don't want any fancy marble, (I'm broke, how many more ways can I say it, Mister) I did cave in on one thing. But it is to increase the energy-efficiency of the house, which should pay for itself over the course of X years. So I'm forking over another $500 for extra insulation in the walls of the house. I guess the gas grill will have to wait.

Drink your milk, little house

Seeing my house being built reminds me of those milk commercials that shows the little boy growing up into a man from 15 years ago. It is pretty neat to see the progress, and being able to see the skeleton of the house. Just a few short weeks ago, this was nothing but a plot of land. It's as close to the miracle of birth that I've experienced personally ;)

Speaking of birth, I watched Knocked Up today. It was funny, but I don't know if I would say it was the funniest movie I've seen in the last 5 years (which someone else has said). But it was cute and sad and funny and gross.

As requested, here is the floorplan.


I don't know how easily it will be to read. The living, dining and kitchen are lined up, and the bedrooms are on the other half of the house.

ensam och övergiven

I've heard it is most hard being single around the holidays and at weddings. I've experienced that. Company Christmas parties are always a trying event to go to alone. However, I think the weekend after a break-up is probably more difficult...the moment you realize that you have nothing planned with your friends because you had gotten into the habit of spending almost every weekend with that guy. Even if you didn't do anything special with him, you knew that you had someone to be lazy with. That was one of the good things - you didn't have to plan - weekends are couple time.

All that being said, I have found yet another event that makes being alone feel lonely. Going to Ikea. To be more precise - going to Ikea on the 4th of July. Maybe it was because it was a holiday (see first point). But going to Ikea is not a holiday tradition in my family. Maybe it is for the Johannsons or Gustafssons. Whatever the reason, every young married couple, and some not so young, decided like me to go celebrate our nation's birthday by purchasing cube-shaped furniture in "easy to get home" boxes. Who said men don't like to shop? You couldn't tell by the number of family men there today. I guess it makes sense. Ikea's reasonable prices and modern furniture are a good pairing with young couples furnishing their first home or apartment, or new parents getting ideas for their nursery. And nothing like a day off in the middle of the work week draws busy husbands and wives to shop together.

Virginia isn't just for lovers - Ikea is too. The whole store concept practically screams the need to shop in pairs. Take for instance the convenient "self-serve" furniture area. Unless your self is a 6-foot Swedish man named Lars, the self-serve section is not that easy to maneuver. A kindly lady did help to me put the 2 boxes into my cart. For some reason my entertainment center required not 1 but 2 heavy boxes. Then, after checking out, comes the delima of how to put the 2 boxes into my car. Outside of the store, they have a loading dock, which your husband (or that seemed to be the designated driver) can drive your car to, and then supposedly there is help to load your car. I never saw anyone to help other than already claimed and married men. Besides, am I supposed to leave my 2 boxes there while I go get my car? I don't think so. I mean I got the last of the entertainment centers. Someone could slowly steal it from me.

I decide to take the cart to my car and attempt to load myself. While walking the trek back to my car (I parked in J lot), I noticed a kindly man helping a lady and her girls load something in her truck. He then moved on to go home with his lovely wife and kids. It seems that Ikea brings out the best in others. Except for me. It took me a few minutes to load these bad boys into my car, but no one stopped to help me. Don't cry for me, Argentina. I survived. Just a few scrapes and I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow. But I did manage it. On my own.

I can't decide if I should put it together now, or wait until I move. I want to see what it looks like, but I'm not sure if I have the patience right now to handle the assembly of 2 boxes. Or the room.

If you are dying to see what the 2.5 hour and $6 in tolls hassle was for, please click here:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10116910

Thursday Thirteen: Revisited

I know it is not Thursday, but I am bored today, and can think of nothing else to blog about. I was skimming through my old posts and came across this little checklist, and thought I would compare how I did in choosing my house.

Thirteen Things that I want/don't want in my new house:

1…. I don't want the garage to be the dominant view from the front of the house. (not off to a good start)
2…. Crown molding (I think there is some...not sure. But that is something I can add later)
3…. Built in bookshelves and nooks (umm..nope)
4…. 3 bedrooms (1 an office with french doors) and 2 baths (It is 3/2 but no french doors)
5…. A utility room big enough to put the litter box. I'm tired of it being in my bathroom (I'm hoping I can swing this, but won't know until I move in)
6…. A fairly new house...less than 5 years would be awesome...less than 10 great...less than 20 acceptable...less than 100 - better be free (A whole-hearted Yes! - it's not even born yet, in case this is the first posting you've read)
7…. No formal living area/dining - would probably be wasted on me (I'm on a roll!)
8…. Not too big of a yard (Uh...understatement of the year, which my dad was quick to point out)
9…. Not too small of a yard - don't want to be looking into the neighbor's windows from my window (Hey, I'm not Goldilocks, can't have everything just right)
10…. Big bathroom. And I want a window in the bathroom. And a window in the kitchen (Yes, yes, and yes again)
11…. Big master closet! (Yes! I'm not even entirely sure I will have to spill into the guest closet)
12…. Hopefully the yard will already have some basic landscaping done. (Well, the builder has to put in a little bit in the front yard. And I have an old tree in the back!)
13…. At least 1 bay window. I would love to have a sitting area in the master bedroom. (maybe on my next house!)

Now I need to figure out which of these are must haves, and which are negotiable. (I guess the proof of that is in the pudding)

A strong foundation

Somehow during the downpours that have happened every day in the last 2 weeks, I now have a foundation! I would have a picture, but it was raining when I went to take my parents to see it (and besides the batteries in the camera were dead). It makes the yard seem so small, which it really is. But at least it is progress. I was half expecting to see nothing new, and really who could I blame? The news said that some builders were reporting being 4-8 days behind. Others said as much as 4 weeks. Yikes!

8 Random Things

I read this on a few blogs, so thought I would share 8 random things about me that you may or may not know.

1 - I have my credit card number memorized, including expiration date. I guess I buy too much online. Or else I have a hereto unknown ability to remember number sequences.

2 - I have 2 birthmarks. I used to think that made me special, that somehow I was born twice.

3 - I like to make lists, and I will even write things on the list that have already happened so that I can mark them off.

4 - Things I wanted to be when I grew up in order: teacher (I was waaaay young, that has changed), a nurse, a vet, a cartographer (until I figured all the land had been discovered and everything would be done on computers anyway), and then an architect . Then just someone working in an office, but I didn't know what. I guess that part came true.

5 - I think my bellybutton looks like an eyeball - therefore my stomach looks like Cyclops.

6 - I watch shows on the Disney channel when nothing else good is on. Currently, I'm trying to figure out what The Naked Brothers Band is about. (Please don't tell anyone)

7 - I like Dr. Pepper that has been sitting in a hot garage.

8 - I don't really like tomotoes, but I love tomato juice, tomato sauce, and I like ketchup.

I saw the sign

SOLD! In big, bold letters. Ok, not so big letters in this picture. But they were really big in my mind. They were referring to my land.

The ditches for the plumbing have been dug, and passed the first inspection. The slab should be poured very shortly. Once that is up, the framing can be done, and then apparently, the rest is a piece of cake.



Who would have thought I am such a decisive person? In less than 2 hours, I picked out brick, stone, trim and mortar for the outside, as well as carpet, paint, vinyl, and counter tops throughout the inside. It wasn't quite as over-whelming as I thought it would be. It felt good to know what I didn't like, so I could eliminate half of the little swatches to go through. And once you pick one thing, like the counter tops, you have to pick things that match - which eliminates many more things. I am glad I brought my friend with me, but I felt like I made almost all of the decisions. It helped that we had similar tastes on most everything. It was nice to hear reassurance that the things went well together.



It felt good, and it's starting to feel like my house. Finally.




(This is what my house will look like when finished. Well, at least the brick and stone combo. Please ignore the exquisite architectural detail in this at least half-million dollar home. It is for reference purposes only. Actual results will vary.)












(And here is a close-up of the brick. Let's hope it is in stock!)

I have a really messy signature.

And it will be witnessed for all to see in triplicate in so many forms, if today is any indication of the near future.

I made the decision and bought the lot! Things are starting to happen. I met with the mortgage lady today, and had to sign mucho stuffo and this isn't even the real paperwork. I don't have a fixed interest rate yet, and they can't do the appraisal until the house is built, so this is just preliminary stuff.

I drove by my lot, yes MY lot, this morning too. Not much progress has been made this week, except for big piles of dirt have been shifted. I really think the builder was overly optimistic when he said a closing date of Aug. 15th. Especially with no end in sight to this rain.

Now the beginning of the real decisions start now. I'm meeting with the builder on Saturday morning to at least pick out the brick and stonework. If we have time, we will start on the carpet, paint, vinyl, cabinets, counters, and all else. Is it bad that I already don't really care about all this? Maybe it's just not real yet until I see the samples. Or maybe it is just too overwhelming for me. I'm bringing an opinionated friend with me on Saturday. I'm not going to let her make the decisions for me, but I want a second opinion, and someone there who can make a decision if it is something that I really do not care about.

A personal distraction is now gone (well not gone, but decisions have been made and some closure has been had, so let the healing begin!), so I hope that I can focus more on the good news of the house.

Speak now or forever hold your peace

I'm sleeping on it to decide if this is where I want to sleep for the indefinite future.

You will have to use your imagination, cuz I wont' be sleeping on dirt obviously. In 70 days, they can turn this lot into this.

Does 70 days sound reasonable for you experienced new home buyers? Sounds soon to me. That pushes back my ideal moving date by at least a month. But for a new home, I guess it is worth it. One more summer month that I will have my apartment pool available to me.

Anyway, I told the builders that I would think about it over the weekend. And barring any angels coming to me in my sleep tonight predicting 7 years of drought and desolation, I will most likely go forward with this plan. Honestly, there are many appealing things about this house and builder, and location. Of course there are also drawbacks. I keep telling myself that this decision does not have to be for the rest of my life. But it can be if I want it.

Under Pressure

Sorry for the pathetic lack of blogs lately. It seems that now things have started to move forward in the house department, my desire to discuss them has waned. Maybe its because it is all (well, almost all) I think about these days. And I'm tired of it already, and it is just the beginning! I mean literally tired of it. It is emotionally draining for me.

Let me explain...no, not enough time for that. Let me summarize. The prince is in the castle and is to wed the princess in little less than half an hour. The castle is guarded by... Oh sorry, that is a movie and not my life.

On Friday, I called a mortgage lender to discuss steps for financing. I gave a few pertinent details - name, SSN, 2 previous addresses, how long I have been at my last 2 jobs, the amount of money in my savings, 401k, etc. In less than half an hour, the lady had called back and told me my credit was excellent, and I was pre-approved for a loan. She emailed me a Good Faith Estimate, with an estimated payment that was just what I had figured it would be! I guess researching before hand was smart. So with that information, my agent and I were on our way to looking at houses in my now approved price range, which we did on Saturday, me and my saintly sister.

I met the agent at 1:30, and we proceeded to house #1. It was a small, garden lot, zero property house. Which means next to nothing yard. The neighborhood was immaculate since the HOA fees paid for front yard maintainence. It was built in 1990, and owned by an old lady - who was there when we walked thru her house. It was well kept, but pretty tiny. It was small, and at the higher end of my price range. So it just didnt' seem like the best value. But still an option.

House #2 was built in '82. Very affordable, but not well kept. It would have required a lot of work both inside and out. I liked the front of the house and had a nice yard. But it was out of the question.

House #3 was the same age, but in much better condition. It had a unique floorplan. Great neighborhood with lots of big, established trees. But it was fairly expensive.

House #4 wasn't really a house for sale - but it was a new construction home that has already been sold. We looked at it to see the type of house this builder builds. I liked it. It didnt' really stand out, but it seemed a good size for me, and pretty high quality. The negative was a small lot, and apartments around most of the cul-de-sac. There is one interior lot available that wouldn't back into the apartments. We called it a day, and I got home around 6pm. So exhausting, and that was just 1 day!

Since I showed some interest, the builder has hounded (well, not hounded, but definitely been persistent) my agent to talk to me. It seems they want to pour all the foundations for the remaining lots this week. He said he needs to know soon if I want it. So that is where I am now. He is giving me some prices for some of the upgrades to see if this house would be too expensive for me.

It feels too soon! I didn't want to be rushed in this decision. But I am leaning towards building. Even though I dont' want the hassles of building, and it will be several months before it would be ready. I'm sure this Old Testament amount of rain would not help the process. We'll see. I will see how I feel about it in a few days. But wouldn't it be dreamy to live somewhere where no one else has lived before? And I found out that a friend at work lives .5 miles away, so we could carpool. It would be about 25-30 minutes from work, so more than doubling my gas bill. Maybe I need to draw up a pro/con list. But I think I'm going to do it! So scary. Maybe tomorrow I will change my mind.

?

I'm 29 years old, and I still manage to get deoderant on my shirt. Perhaps a house is too much for me.

I'm hoping to go with my agent to look at some houses on Saturday. She hasn't replied yet, so not sure if she works on the weekend.

Step 2 accomplished...my savings is now out of my CDs, and is in a more liquid state in my savings account. So I can write the biggest check of my life.

Alphabet Soup

Let's see, what has happened since my last posting?

I met with an agent a few weeks ago - I'm hesitant to call her "my" agent just yet. But I think she will be. We talked for about an hour...just general things of what I want, where I want it, when I want it, and how much I want to pay for it. It was all about me, me, me! Which is hard for someone who can't make up their mind.

She was nice, an older lady 20+ years of experience. She had the initials ABR,SRES by her name. The first means Accredited Buyer's Representative - which sounds like a good thing. The second is Seniors Real Estate Specialist. That's right. I picked an agent that old people go to! I think I really am an old person stuck inside a young person's firm, fit body :)

Since I do not want to/can't really buy until mid-summer, she said that I do not have to sign with her until probably mid to late May, when she will get busy sending me listings. Until then, I am to surf on the net and drive around neighborhoods to get a feel for what I like, and what is out there. She also gave me the names of 2 mortgage people. I have yet to call them.

On Friday, she sent me my first listings. So Saturday I drove around the area for almost 2 hours trying to find the houses. Don't tell Al Gore on me. I actually surprised myself by liking most the house that is in a HOA and that is a zero-lot property. That means that I would have to pay to live there (beyond the mortgage of course), and would have to live with someone else's rules. AND I would have a yard the size of a postage stamp. But what do I need a yard for? And there is a community pool. So now I think I will not exclude HOA and zero-lots from my short list. Which doesn't help when you can't narrow stuff down.

Milestone

Woohoo! I've had over 1000 hits on my blog - how exciting. I'm sure at least half of them are my own, but I will not let that fact diminish my accomplishment.

I'd like to thank Blogspot for creating this wonderful place for us to gather. I'd like to thank 4andcounting for inspiring me to start a blog. But most especially, I'd like to thank you, the reading public, for making this all worthwhile with your comments. Without your feedback, I wouldn't know that anyone was evening reading this, and I would have stopped a long time ago. You know who you are - Just Stuff and Embracing the Moment and no no don't play the music, I'm not done yet! Thank you, everyone!

Three Things

Well, it is really more than three. 4andcounting tagged me to do the 3 things meme. And I need another excuse to postpone the inevitable.

Three Things That Scare Me:
1. Fire
2. Speaking in public
3. Not knowing my future

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. Will Ferrell
2. Steve Carroll
3. The guys from Whose Line Is It Anyway - except Drew Carey

Three Things I Love:
1. sports
2. babies
3. napping

Three Things I Hate:
1. vinegar
2. when people yell
3. being late

Three Things I Don’t Understand:
1. men
2. why I do some things I do
3. why my cat keeps pooping on the carpet...has stopped recently...hopefully for good

Three Things On My Desk:
1. Dwight (from The Office) bobblehead
2. Dallas Cowboys cup
3. 3 types of body lotion. Not sure why 3.

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:
1. thinking about work
2. looking at the mess on my desk
3. thinking about someone

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. travel Europe
2. be a better person
3. buy a house!

Three Things I Can Do:

1. run fast, though not as fast as I could
2. make some people laugh
3. play tennis decently

Three Things I Can’t Do:
1. sing in key
2. spell very well
3. rubix cube

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. the silence, whenever it comes in your life
2. your inner self, even if you don't want to hear
3. Compliments (I agree)

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
1. loud music
2. other people's conversations
3. the voices in your head...am I on the only one?

Three Things I’d Like To Learn:
1. how to invest my money better
2. how to be a cook who doesn't need a recipe
3. myself better

Three Favorite Foods:
1. pizza
2. bacon
3. chicken fried steak

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Today's Special
2. Pinwheel
3. Fraggle Rock

Three Things I Regret:
1. letting a friendship fade
2. not being more social in high school
3. buying clothes that I know are the wrong size just cuz they are on sale and might fit eventually

Three People I'm Tagging (no pressure, just if it seems like fun to do):
1. Just Stuff
2. Running a marathon even though she hasn't updated her blog in forever
3. Embracing the moment

Sure Sign Of Spring

I have an appointment to meet with a potential agent tomorrow!

29 going on 92

I hope my first full day of being 29 is not an indication of the rest of my life...as i was in bed by 9:30pm on a Saturday night! I guess I should preface that by saying I didn't go to bed until after 3 am on the previous evening (or same morning), and I didn't get much sleep. And it's also true that I had invitations from people (2 explicit, 1 implicit) to hang out last night that I chose to say no to. That makes it a little better, right?

And I did sleep until after 9am, almost 12 hours of sleep. I heard that old people can't sleep late in the morning. So I guess I am old enough to go to bed early, but not too old where I can't be a lazy bum. Whatever - still lame.

On to more important matters. I will call a real estate agent this week. It will happen.

That's all for now. I need to go take my osteoporosis medicine and investigate hip-replacement surgery.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

No, this is not a post in hopes that everyone will give me well-wishes. Rather I wanted to say how cool my friends and co-workers are. My birthday is only less than half-way over, and already it has been a great day. Yesterday in the mail was a card from a friend - it was a very cute card and early! Then I come to work today and my whole office is decorated with a tennis theme. There is an actual tennis net up and green felt with lines on it to look like a court. And a life-sized Andy Roddick on my wall! There are tennis balls hanging from the ceiling - so many that it smells like tennis balls in my office. There is even a tennis ball cake to eat this afternoon. My team at work took me to Pappacitos (yummy). And there is still happy hour tonight, and dinner tomorrow night with friends! Turning 29 hasn't been so bad...I might even allow myself to turn 30!

You can pick your realtor, but you can't pick your realtor's nose.

How do you go about picking a real estate agent? I asked co-workers on our intranet recommendations page. Out of 200 employees, I got a whopping 2 responses. But both were people who worked for Ebby Halliday. Maybe that is a good sign. I always thought that name sounded snobbish, so I wouldn't have picked that agency out of the phone book. It is now officially spring (my internal deadline), so I shall be making the call soon. Not sure if April is too soon to meet with an agent if I couldn't buy a house until July. But better early than late.

Also, I picked up 2 real estate magazines in the stand outside of Blockbuster, and it made me surprisingly upbeat. After driving around my first choice in neighborhoods and not finding anything in my price range, this magazine offered many homes below my budget. The exact locations weren't given, but at least I know that there should be something out there for me. I may have to give up on one or two ideals (brand new home, in the zip code I want, below my budget, ready to move in when I am, ocean-front property in Arizona, etc.), but at least I feel reasonably confident that I won't have to sacrifice all of my top criteria!

You know how when you are thinking about something, it seems that all you hear about on the news or in others conversations is that same thing? Well, lately, the news has been revolving around interest rates for homes, the foreclosure rates, and the housing market slump. All signs are pointing toward a good time to buy a house, but not sell one. Is this bad to pray that someone else's misfortune can be my gain? I figure that I did not cause someone to lose their house, so if I can get a good price on a foreclosure, then I will. If not me, then someone else would. I'm not happy the local economy is showing these bad signs, but I was already in the market for a new home so....

Since I am a pessimist, I keep waiting for something to happen to prevent me from buying a house. These are all scenarios that have gone through my head: getting fired, getting laid off, having a heretofore unknown congenital heart disease, having a fire destroy everything in my apartment (even though I have renter's insurance), someone stealing my identity at the last minute and giving me a bad credit score by buying furniture to fill up their new house. But since I am a true pessimist, I know that anyone of those things may and will happen, but not until I have signed on the dotted line, and I am financially responsible for a 30 year mortgage.

A few personal notes (as if all above where not personal notes):

• My passport came in!
• I finally sent my tax return in on Saturday night (you don't have to read between the lines to take note of my exciting swinging single life!). After adding in my measly interest from another account, my total that I had to pay went up even more. Makes me not want to put my money in the bank if 30% of the earnings goes back to pay for someone else' Fannie Mae home loan, or goldplaited seat in the White House or wherever it goes.
• Both cats were succesfully bathed yesterday. They didn't like it, but took it pretty well.
• I was very much considering joining someone in a 5k race in a few weeks. I went for a jog this morning, and could barely run a mile. Will keep considering.
• Tennis league starts up again on Tuesday! Time to kick some more old ladies' butts.
• I had decided to really kick up my savings as I head towards the finish line of down payment savings. Then I started adding up costs that are coming up: semi-annual car insurance in April, the tax payment, I need to go to the eye doctor for an exam and get more contacts, the cats just had their yearly exams, my dryer really needs to be replaced, and I have a vacation planned to Galveston in July. I think I will be fortunate to keep to my usual amount.

Not yet...

This is not it. I am taking a short break from my spring cleaning. I had the itch to clean, so I figured I had better take advantage of it, since it comes along as often as the time changes. Even though no one else would probably notice, I feel like I have gotten a lot accomplished. Thank you friend for calling me and waking me up this morning, or else I would have got a late start and probably wouldn't have been motivated.

1. I have switched clothes in my closets - winter/fall out and spring/summer in. I LOVE being single and having 2 closets and room for storage. I really don't see how couples share 1 closet. I now have a decent size stack of clothes to donate.

2. I have done/am doing all the laundry that had been sitting a while. Except for the small stack of handwash stuff. I have one sweater that I did not wear all winter because it sat at the bottom of that stack. How sad is that. And I actually love the sweater. Too lazy. But not today!

3. I have conquered the living/dining room. I dusted the fan, all furniture, cleaned the windows & blinds (does anyone have a good way to do this? cuz I don't), vacuumed, and most impressively wiped down all baseboards - even behind the furniture I can move.

Up next: kitchen, and giving the cats a bath. Pray for me! Tomorrow will be bedroom and bathrooms and hopefully guest bedroom. Maybe this insanity will be a 48 hour bug and my house will be thoroughly spotless.

Thought for the day: How on earth will I keep a whole house clean?

Slap in the face

I was not so subtly told that I am a lazy blogger :( If it were said by most people, I would just ignore the comment. But since it came from a blogger who updates hers at least weekly, sometimes several times a day, then I will take notice.

In the spirit of using a blog and my blog readers for accountability, I will now type these words in hope that they will be fulfilled:

This weekend, I will take some time to write a new posting.

I suppose this one does not count. Do not get your hopes up...it will not contain very exciting stuff. If I get bored at work today, then it may be up sooner than this weekend.

Hmm..using a blog as accountability to make sure I update my blog. Talk about circular logic. But that is how my brain works. Round and round she goes, where she stops, no one knows.

Mc-Fil-A?

After a morning of bike riding, I needed to stop and get a quick lunch. I thought what better way to completely void all the good that was accomplished in those 7 miles than stopping at McDonald's, right? However, I was going to be good (comparatievly) and get a Happy Meal with nuggets. Who needs a bucket of fries? I know the nuggets are not really chicken, but I still love them.

So I pull up to the drive-thru and see something new on the menu...Southern-style chicken sandwich. It looks good, so I ordered the value meal instead of the Happy Meal. Apparently I need that bucket of fries. I asked if mayonnaise comes on it, because I don't like that creamy sauce. The guy said no, only butter on the bread and 2 pickles. I'm thinking, that is weird for a McD's chicken sandwich not to come with a sauce. I manage to get home before tearing into the food. First bite, first smell, and first appearance - all scream original Chick-fil-A sandwich! It is a total rip-off of that yummy goodness that you can only get Mon-Sat! Maybe if I had both sandwiches next to each other, the comparison wouldn't have been that exact, but in my state of complete calorie dehydration, it was a very good stunt-double.

I would sue if I were Chick-Fil-A. But then again, it must feel good for a "little" chain like that to have the #1 most recognizable fast food giant to copy you. After a little research, this sandwich was rolled out in the southern states sometime last year. It is just now reaching my neck of the woods, so sorry if this is old news for you, dear reader. And to relate this to my blog, I will somehow tie this into house-purchasing. I will only buy a house if it is within 2 miles of a McD or Chick-Fil-A. How's that?

To my loyal reader(s)

Just a quick note that I am still alive. I've just got nothing to say right now. No progress on the house-purchase front, except mentally, and a slowly building down payment. Work has been keeping me busy, so I haven't even been able to go back through the first time home buyers workbook again. I did renew it at the library, and it's probably already overdue. Subtract $2.50 from my savings for that. I guess I didn't really need that second bathroom ;)

My brother has already said he is busy the day I move - nice! But my friend has volunteered to do whatever needs to be doing, painting, etc. She may regret her open invitiation later.

The nice weather is make me a bit panicky, as one of my deadlines is to find an agent in the spring and get the process rolling.

Incredibly Lazy or Genius?

You decide.

For the past several nights I have been sleeping in my guest bed (there is no guest in it ;). It is a very comfortable bed. But that is not the reason. The reason is that I have not changed my sheets in my regular bed. Sure, they are clean enough to sleep on, but I thought there is a perfectly good bed with fresh, clean sheets already on it just a few feet away. The first night was because I got in really late, and didn't feel like changing sheets, and I had just gotten out of the bath and felt clean. So I slept there. It was good. The cats were all excited - something new in their routine. The second and third nights, I thought I already slept in this bed and should wash the sheets any way for the next guest, so I might as well sleep in them a few more days to make it really worth the trouble.

On a sadly similar note, I felt like taking a hot bath after a strenuous night of tennis. And while my shower is clean enough for a shower, I wasn't sure about how I felt about soaking in the bath. You guessed it, I used the guest bath. I know that it hadn't been used since I cleaned it last.

I know in the long run, it will mean more work for me - extra load of sheets and scrubbing two baths, but when it was 10 at night, it felt oh so right.

It's starting to feel more real.

I went house-hunting for the first time! Not with the intent to actually find a house, but more to see what is out there. A friend drove me around an area that has some newer housing developments between 2-10 years old). It was close to the Trinity River and railroad, so not exactly sure that is a plus and in the area I want, but it was fun anyway - aside from the slight feeling of carsickness after an hour.

There were several houses for sale, but not many had the little fliers out front so I could see details. I think if I can find one with about the square footage I want, it should be in my range. But hard to tell as none really matched my needs.

Also, I had a short talk with a friend's father, who is a financial advisor. We didn't go into detail into my whole financial decision, but I just asked him one question that I wasn't sure of. I was half hoping and half not hoping he would laugh at me and say that I shouldn't buy a house, silly girl. Thankfully or not thankfully, that didnt' happen. My main question was whether I should take some money out of my previous job's retirement account to supplement my down payment so it would be 20%. Of course, there was not an easy answer. He said I should take the old account, put it in my new job's 401k, and then take a loan out to myself. While that sounds cool - borrowing from yourself and paying the interest back to yourself - the loan has to be paid back in five years. So now, I need to figure out how much I should take out and if I can affort to pay both a mortage and a loan payment to myself. Depending what kind of house I can find, I might not need to borrow too much, so it could be doable.

I am also in another dilemma, as he said two things that contradict my situation. He said he highly recommends putting 20% down. But he almost never encourages people to borrow money from their retirement plan. Unless I win the lottery in the next few months - which I don't play - I will not have enough for 20% and closing costs and money for any minor things which I will need. Some might say that then I shouldn't buy a house, but I dont' like those people. They aren't living in an apartment right now.

Thursday Thirteen: Feb. 15th.

Thirteen Things that I want/don't want in my new house

1…. I don't want the garage to be the dominant view from the front of the house.
2…. Crown molding
3…. Built in bookshelves and nooks
4…. 3 bedrooms (1 an office with french doors) and 2 baths
5…. A utility room big enough to put the litter box. I'm tired of it being in my bathroom
6…. A fairly new house...less than 5 years would be awesome...less than 10 great...less than 20 acceptable...less than 100 - better be free
7…. No formal living area/dining - would probably be wasted on me
8…. Not too big of a yard
9…. Not too small of a yard - don't want to be looking into the neighbor's windows from my window
10…. Big bathroom. And I want a window in the bathroom. And a window in the kitchen
11…. Big master closet!
12…. Hopefully the yard will already have some basic landscaping done.
13…. At least 1 bay window. I would love to have a sitting area in the master bedroom.

Now I need to figure out which of these are must haves, and which are negotiable.

They don't give me enough credit.

I just did my taxes, and I owe a lot of money this year. I don't know how that happened. Last year I got back an almost equal amount of money, and nothing major changed in 2006. I had no credits to speak of this year: no college expenses, no dependents to claim - I wish I could claim my fat cat who insists on eating twice a day - and certainly no homestead exemptions or deductions.

I'm looking forward to doing my 2007 taxes next year. God willing, it will be the first year I will realized the American Dream of itemized deductions. Everyone always raves about the deductions and credits that come with a house. They use big words I don't understand, like points, equity, escrow, mortage interest, capital gains, and something called a tax refund. I'm going to spend so much on improving my house that my tax credits will be more than my income. Don't know how I will afford to eat, but I'll worry about that later.

But still, it does seem odd that people talk about how spending $100,000 on a house is worth it to get a very small percentage back in tax credits. That's like telling your husband that it was a good thing that you just spent $500 at Anne Taylor because you saved him $100 since it was all on sale. It's all about how you word it. The government has been doing it to us for years. Getting us all excited every April about getting money back that we rightfully earned, that was in error deprived from us monthy, that we have not been able to earn interest on because good ol' Uncle Sam is capitalizing on it for us during the year. All this talk about taxes is making me feel a little patriotic. (Cue Pollyanna singing with the Stars and Stripes in the background...."from sea to shining sea".) I guess we don't have it so bad. Ask me again next year when I have to pay real estate tax. Maybe there's a credit for that.

Saving myself...for my first house

I am proud of myself for the amount of money that I have saved for the down payment when I look at the total in my savings accounts. But then I divide that by the years that I have been working, almost 7 now, and consider the very good salary I make (I think I am way overpaid, but I won't let my employer know that), and it doesn't seem like enough.

I think of the times I have blown my money away on stupid stuff that I didn't get much enjoyment out of. I think of the idiotic financial advisor at the bank who lost almost one-third of the amount I invested in the stockmarket. I could be so much closer to my goal of home-ownership. However, since I cannot go back in time and change my choices, I can only look to the present and change my current behavior. I need to enjoy my life now, spend where I will get the most benefit, and keep on saving.

The only "savings" grace I can find in this came in the mail yesterday. I received the yearly statement from the church with my donations for tax purposes. (Sidenote: I give a regular amount monthly to the church. It is nowhere near a tithe. That is a personal goal I am working on. I have always given a regular amount, no matter what is going on, and it has gone up as my salary has gone up, so at least there is that.) I'm not telling you this to brag or so that someone will say, good job. It is what is expected, and the least I can do. I'm only telling you this because it made me feel somewhat better about my savings. While the amount for the year was not 'build a new family life center in my name' worthy, it was a pretty good chunk. If over the same 7 years, I had not been making a check to the church, but rather to my savings account, I could have been living in a house by now, probably. However, would He have blessed me with a continually increasing income and a new job? I don't know..probably. I don't think he works that way. But would I feel good about myself in my new house? I don't know...probably not.

Check

another item off my life's to-do list. I went to the post office and applied for my passport today! I was going to do it last year before they increased the rates, but just never happened. Passport applications were very popular today during lunch. There were about 5 others (that I know of) doing the same thing in the 30 minutes I was there.

I'm just glad that I didn't need an expedited one...the charge was $185! Yikes.

My picture actually didn't turn out too bad, either! Much better than my driver's license. I didn't smile, so maybe that is the key for me. Apparently no smile looks better than fake smile.

So in 6 weeks I will be a free woman! Free to go anywhere that doesn't require a visa! Or American Express ;)

Boring Post

I keep getting freaked out. Every article about home ownership keeps saying, "...this will be the single biggest purchase you will ever make." I get it. I know. It's scary enough. Stop pointing it out.

So I did a little home work to get prepared for my home purchase. I went to my library and checked out 10 Steps to Home Ownership: A Workbook For First-Time Buyers by Ilyce R. Glick. That sounds like a made up name, doesn't it? The book was actually very good, I thought. Easy to read and even had worksheets to fill out. Of course, since this was a library book, I couldn't write on it, which diminished some of the fun. But it had formulas on how much you can afford, how much to estimate for the closing costs, different types of loans, etc. I read almost all of it, cover to cover.

But I did skip over the emotional issues (deciding if you are ready to be a home buyer, how to decide what is important in a house - how to resolve if there are 2 people making the decision, etc.). I skipped over it because I don't want to be talked out of buying a house. For once, I don't care if Suze Orman says that you have to have 20% down and 8 months worth of expenses saved up. I'm ready for this. I have to keep telling myself. If people way less prepared and with way less savings have done this, then why shouldn't I?

And I must admit, I did skip over the appendix of amortization tables. I know, I know - I must not be that serious about home-ownership if I can't read a 50 page data table showing different interest accumulation with different interest rates. Sue me. But you had better wait until after I purchase the house, otherwise I have nothing you can sue me for.

Betch your bottom dollar...what the heck is a bottom dollar, anyway?

I'm not one to normally sing show tunes, but this morning I was belting out the theme from Annie. That's right, after what feels like weeks of hiding, the sun finally made a grand appearance today! It was a gorgeous day, above freezing temps and not a cloud in the sky. All day long. And the amazing forecasters aren't predicting rain for at least another 48 hours - which means it will be flooding tomorrow :(

The only sadness was that the sun finally melted the two snowmen. Somehow they had managed to survive as shapeless masses all week. But that was a compromise I'd make anyday. Rain, rain, go away, come again another day - as long as it's not tomorrow, cuz Mondays are bad enough as it is. Or Tuesday, cuz that's tennis night. And stay away from the weekend, while you are at it.

P.S. I looked it up. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/62100.html:

"Bet your bottom dollar"

Meaning: Bet your last coin.

Origin: Unsurprisingly, this in an American phrase. First cited in the La Crosse Independent Republican, September 1856:

"I'm goin' to vote for you [James Polk] - you can bet your bottom dollar on that!"

The only difference between kids and adults...

Well, I don't think there is much of a difference. We get excited about the littlest things.

For the few brave employees that managed to come to work today in the snow/slush, the owner is ordering pizza for us. It is sad that he thinks that ordering food is an incentive to make us happy that we risked life and limb to come to work (during a day which not much will get done due to the novelty of the weather anyway). But it is even sadder that it is working. We are excited. Don't know what it is. We are all gainfully employeed and can afford a $5 pizza lunch. So obviously the free lunch is not a big driver of excitment. I guess it is the party atmosphere that company lunches provide. Pizzas connotate images of birthday parties and slumber parties and all things kid.

I can't wait the estimated 30-45 minute delivery time. I hope they save a slice for me!

News Flash! I am lazy. More details to follow at 10pm.

I had a whole weekend stuck at home, and I got nothing done! Threats of ice and sleet and frozen rain kept me inside for 2 solid days. Perfect time to do a thorough cleaning. Perfect time to organize my misc. closet. Or more accurately, perfect time to laze around watching movies, tvs, napping and reading.

Want to know what did get accomplished, besides those monumental, herculean feats? Two, count them two, loads of laundry, and going through a stack of papers. I didn't even do my regular weekend cleaning routine. I feel like a bum. Finally at about 9pm on Sunday night, I felt slightly motivated, so I dusted a bit.

This does not bode well for my future home-owning, which will encompass a bigger floor plan (hopefully), a garage to contend with, and a yard to conquer. I will probably be the house that will bring down the re-sale value of the neighborhood.

Thursday Thirteen: Things That Make Me Laugh

Thirteen Things that make me laugh 1…. The Ricky Gervais Show, a podcast from the creators of 'The Office' - British version 2…. The Onion - it's hilarous 3…. Headlines on Jay Leno 4…. The Simpsons, previously established 5…. Stupid movies, like Airplane!, Robin Hood-Men In Tights. I can't help it. 6…. David Letterman 7…. Found.com, although some of the articles can be disturbingly sad 8…. Crazy things my little nieces say, e.g., "We don't have any marshmellows because they are out of season right now" 9…. Playing board games with slightly intoxicated people 10…. Wes Anderson movies (Royal Tennebaums, Life Aquatic) 11…. Some programmers at work. When they get bored, they come up with some crazy stuff. They have a journal for one guy that the others all contribute to. Won't try to recreate here, but very funny. 12…. Mockumentaries (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, Spinal Tap) 13…. And I can usually laugh at myself. In good times, when I say something funny. In bad times, when I do something stupid.

Game. Set. Match.

Just have to brag a little. My doubles partner and I kicked booty last night. It was the first match in our winter tennis league. The team that we played usually beats us, though normally the games are competitive and the scores are close. Not last night! We won 6-0 and 6-1. I guess the stars were aligned. Normally, Partner and I don't have good nights on the same night. Maybe the other team couldn't handle the cold weather. Whatever reason, we'll take it.

It does douse my joy slightly when the other people start talking about their age. Last night they were 46 and 59, I think. Of course, they only bring up their age when they lose. I hope to be as active as the 46 year old one day! I don't mean I hope to be as active as her when I'm 46. I mean I hope to be as active as her now! She runs all the time, and talked about jumping on the trampoline with her kids before the game. It is good to have role models who show that you don't have to give up on life once you hit 40.

Age doesn't stop me. I marched my 28 (very nearly 29! yikes!) year old body to the scorers table and wrote down that very nearly perfect score without any qualms. Who cares if I'm half the age of the opponent. She's got twice the experience of me, but I don't bring that up when I lose ;)