My Domesticated Blissticated Life

PB Guest Room

2010-12-17T11:47:00.001-05:00

PB Guest Room by alicat2 on Polyvore.com

Serene Living Room

2010-11-22T15:37:00.001-05:00

Serene Living Room by alicat2 on Polyvore.com

Checking In

2010-01-26T13:05:00.003-05:00

Hi all,

I haven't blogged that much lately, but not a whole lot is going on at the ole' decor homefront right now. I am starting to work on a few organization projects that I hope to post about before long. Also, I ordered some sage green draw up blinds from overstock.com for my bathroom to replace the AWFUL plastic blinds that are in there right now. I'll be sure to post photos once Mr. Domesticated has installed the rod for me. Let's see how long that takes! :-)

Have a great week everybody!

I love my friends!

2010-01-08T13:54:00.002-05:00

Jason and I are friends with an older couple, and when I say older, I mean they are old enough to be our grandparents. Anyway, Jason stopped by there yesterday afternoon and came home with a bag of goodies. The “grandmother” knew that I was starting a collection of white dishes, and she had some serving pieces that she wasn’t using. When Jason told me he had some white dishes for me, I assumed he meant some plain old white dishes. Imagine my surprise when I got home and found these beauties!

They are a bone color with a decorative border and the are beautiful!! Each piece sits in its very own stand and the stand has places for fuel cans. I can picture using these to keep food warm, or just to have them sit of the tabletop for a more decorative look. I’m so excited over these! I need to have a small dinner party so I can put them to good use.

Although not the same, they look similar to my everyday dishes, so I think the effect will be nice when they are all used together.

Yay for our kind and wonderful friends!

Martha, Martha, Martha!

2010-01-07T13:23:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'll admit it. Aside from her criminal record, I'm kind of obsessed with Martha Stewart. I recently got her Homekeeping Handbook (it's HUGE - 700+ pages) and yes, I'm actually reading it! But as much as I enjoy learning from her, I'm also insanely jealous of her. I'm jealous of her ability to waltz into a perfectly appointed room and make it seem that the room is always perfect, every single day. I want to be able to whip up a batch of perfect chocolate chip cookies at the drop of a hat. I want to be able to make my bed without the slightest wrinkle so that it could be in a magazine. I want to be able to pick fresh flowers everyday from a garden to arrange and put on my table. I want to have perfectly voluminous closets and shelves so that I have a perfect place for every single thing that I own. I want to.....wait. Who the heck actually lives like that? Who has staff across the country whose sole job it is to ensure that every corner of your world is perfect and ready for you at all times? Oh yeah, Martha Stewart, that's who! So while I love browsing through all things Martha, I think she has created a standard that no real woman can reach, let alone maintain!

Sigh... I must stopping dreaming, at least for now. I now return to my regularly scheduled life, filled with all things that are sort of Marthaesque, but then again, not really.

Martha, you rock!!!

Football Fever!!!

2009-12-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

I meant to blog about this sooner but alas, that thing called life got in the way. I had the GREATEST Saturday this past week! The hubs and I were fortunate enough to get our hands on tickets to the SEC Championship Game, with my Alabama Crimson Tide playing the Florida Gators. And the best part is we were able to get them FREE through my employer (Corporate America has its perks!)! Our seats were in the section adjacent to the Florida end zone, on the 13th row. It was a great view! The game was predicted to be a 4 point spread, with the outcome going either way. I’m happy to say that my Crimson Tide played like champions and easily won the game 32-13, earning a spot in the BCS Championship Game on January 7th!! Yay!!! Alabama dominated the entire game. From Florida’s dropping the initial kickoff return to throwing an interception in the fourth quarter, it was all Bama, all night long. That was only my second live football game ever, but what a great one! We had SO much fun yelling and cheering on the team! It took two days for my voice to fully recover!

Pasadena, here we come! ROLL TIDE ROLLL!!!

Here are a few pics:

Dish Deal Love....

2009-11-20T09:05:00.044-05:00

For a long time I fought the white and ivory dish trend. I figured, color is always better! But then I started seeing more and more place settings online and at the homes of friends, and I began to have a change of heart. I realized how that the dishes had a wonderful "pop" when foods were placed on it, and how great they looked against a dark table or on top of colorful placemats. And I started to cave. I began what would be a long search for the perfect white dishes. I looked everywhere but could not find a shade and pattern that I truly loved AND that fit my budget. I simply could not justify spending $200 on a set of dishes. Even $150 was pushing it for me (yeah, I'm cheap like that!). Enter Big Lots. I love Big Lots but hadn't even thought to search them out for white dishes. So one day I stopped in and perused the housewares section. Then, I saw them. There, on the bottom shelf. A box sitting off by itself, the cardboard lid half open and partially taped down. A 16 piece set of beautiful ivory dishes, with just enough scalloping on the edges to keep them from looking too plain, but not enough to put them over the top. And the best part was the pricetag - $20.

The maker was Thomson Pottery and the color and pattern was Bianca. Bianca. Sounds great I thought! I immediately snatched those beauties up and headed off to the check out counter. Later that afternoon at home I admired my new dishes as I took them from the box and loaded them into the diswasher for their very first wash. Then my heart sank. One of the bowls was completely broken in half and had a chip on one of the edges. I was immediatley bummed. I knew that glue would only work for so long, but even so I pulled out the Gorilla Glue (LOVE that stuff!) and had my hubby help me glue it back together and secure it with rubber bands. I let it cure for a couple of days and the glue held! However, I was a little hesitant to put very hot food in that particular bowl, or to put it in the dishwasher. I wanted to keep that bowl intact -I mean a 15 piece set isn't nearly as fun as a 16 piece set, right? :)

I loved my new dishes. I loved the way they looked on my mahogany dining table, on top of my colorful red and orange placemats, with a heap of pasta and colorful veggies. That's when I knew I had to have another set. Service for 4 - what a bore, but service for 8 - that is great, I thought!! So back to Big Lots I went. It was then that I realized that Big Lots is Big Lots for a reason. They get in a big lot of something, sell out, and then that's it. There were no more Thomson Pottery Bianca dishes to be bad. Bummed, I left the store. However I was not going to be defeated so easily. I jumped online when I got home. Thanks to my friend Google, I was able to find replacements.com, a website that carries replacement pieces of all kinds of dishes, old and new. I found my pattern and discovered that I could order additonal place settings for $15 each plus shipping. That would have cost about $80. Well, the budget was a bit tight at the time so I held back on ordering the extra place settings, but I did order a replacement bowl for $2.99, plus two more for good measure. I figured extras are always good, even if I use it as a serving bowl. Three days later I had my bowls and I now had a complete set of service for 4.

Ordering the additional place settings rolled around in my head for the next couple months, but I never did seem to have the extra cash to spend, just on that. Then one day, out of the blue, I decided to do another Google search to see if I could find my dishes anywhere else. And wouldn't you know it - Macy's carries them! AND they were on sale for $40, half of the usual price. I was thrilled - how I missed that the first time around I'll never know! The dishes weren't in stores but had to be ordered online. In anticipation of the next payday, I put a set of the dishes in my online shopping cart and left them there. Amazingly, they were still on sale by the time I got paid a few days later and I happily purchased the dishes online. So now I FINALLY have my service for 8, a total of 32 pieces, plus a couple extra bowls. Total spent - $75!! AWESOME!!

But back to replacements.com. If you are fortunate enough to live near McLeansville, NC, they have 400,000 square feet of china, crystal, silver and collectibles! A dish lovers haven I'm sure!! They will even help you locate discontinued items. How cool is that!

So now I am in dish bliss, with my 32 pieces of Thomson Bianca! Welcome to the white dish club!

Drooling Over Drapes!

2009-11-19T17:15:00.007-05:00

I'm in the process of getting window treatments for my house, one room at a time. I got a great deal on curtains for my living and dining room at Wal-Mart, but it seems that the good deal well has run dry for me! I haven't been able to find anything I really like for the bedroom for under $50 per panel - THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH FOR ME! But lo and behold - I just found these on Pottery Barn's site on sale for $30 per panel. That would still cost me $120 to outfit one bedroom, but that's certainly better than $200!

However, being the queen that I am of champagne taste on a beer budget, I also ran across these herringbone beauties for $70 per panel at Pottery Barn, which I honestly like better than the other ones.

I can't help but think that if I hold out for a while, these will go on sale too. Oh Pottery Barn people, is it possible for these to go on sale like the others? .........pleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyes!!!

Pantry Time!

2009-11-18T11:44:00.011-05:00

I'm so excited, I finally got my pantry set up! My kitchen does not have a built in pantry, and not enough cabinetry to spare to create an in-kitchen pantry. However, our utility room has an empty closet that is just perfect to use as a pantry. We were concerned that the walls weren't thick enough to support installed shelving, so we opted for a free standing unit. For $90 at Lowes and a couple hours putting it together and organizing it, I think this baby does a pretty good job!

Before pic:

The photo above was taken before we moved in. I don't have any photos of how it looked after we moved in but before it was all organized. Just picture boxes of boxed goods, spices and all sorts of miscellaneous items sitting on the floor and outside the closet door. It was pathetic!!

After pics:

Although you can see the door, this first photo is of inside the closet. Here's how I have organized it:
Top shelf - alcohol and mixers
Second shelf - baking goods
Third shelf (actually a drawer) - pastas and rice
Fourth shelf - oils, cooking wines, vinegars
Bottom shelf - misc cooking items
Sides - There are hooks on either side. I use them to hold plastic bags (I keep these only to reuse for small carrying jobs - I really can't stand them though!), plus the reusable bags from Publix that I use when I do my weekly shopping.

Floor - you can't really see it but there's a small wine rack on the floor, and we also put bottled sodas on the floor, at least for now.

This is an over the door unit from Target that I already had. For now, I am using it for overflow items that won't fit or don't have a place on the shelves. It holds powdered drink mixes, large containers of rice, bread crumbs, nice dinner napkins (I use these for regular dinners at the dining room table) plastic plates and plastic eating utensils. My plan is to work on this a little more while I'm off work later this year, just to get things a little more tidy and "together".

You can see in the first photo that there is an electrical outlet. I would LOVE to have a small wine cooler in there, if I can arrange it so that it works spacewise.

Thanks for looking, and please feel free to comment if you have comments or suggestions. I love to hear other ideas!!

Housewarming Party!

2009-11-12T12:35:00.009-05:00

We FINALLY had our housewarming party this past Saturday. Everything went great! Most of the guests were there, the food was great, and I think everybody had a good time. We were not asking people to buy gifts, but we got several bottles of wine, about a dozen candles, and a couple of gift cards. One guest even gave me a very nice white serving platter. I was so busy entertaining and giving house tours that I didn't get any photos taken after the party got started, but I did take a few of the dining room where the food was. We served pulled pork BBQ sliders, cole slaw, potato chips, Chex Mix, and veggies with dip. For beverages we served wine, beer and sodas, and for dessert we had a large cookie cake from Great American Cookie Company. Here are the photos I took beforehand.

This is my buffet table. I set the sodas on one side and wine on the other. Beer was in the galvanized tub sitting on the chair.

This was the food on my dining room table - pulled pork BBQ sliders, cole slaw, potato chips, Chex Mix, and veggies with dip. Yum!! I created a pretty and inexpensive centerpiece by taking an oval baking dish and filling it with leaves from the yard, then I set a large scented candle in the center. It worked great!

These are a couple of views from the living room, with two different lighting scenarios.

Lookie what we planted!

2009-10-07T21:26:00.001-04:00

So our yard is a very slow work in progress. A little history: the bones of the property are great, but 25 years of renters living here resulted in the yard being neglected. The owner/landlord planted a bunch of ivy because it requires virtually no maintenance, and would periodically toss a fresh coat of pine straw over everything. So we were left with a whole lot of natural, but really old stuff that needed to replanted. Over the summer we ripped out the old walkway and reused the same stepping stones to rebuild a new one. Jason had earlier built a small parking pad off the driveway, so he built a walkway of stepping stones from the parking pad to the front porch, and then built a partial walkway extending from the driveway. It actually joins the one extending from the parking pad, so from an aerial view, our walkway looks like the letter ‘Y’. Kind of cute I think!

Anyway, so last Saturday while I was out shopping with my mother, Jason went to Lowes and bought a half dozen small baby Boston Ferns and a few Hostas - we have a very shady yard so we have to be very selective with our plants! I rolled up my sleeves and helped him get them planted before it started raining. So the pictures aren’t the best, but you get the general idea. Unfortunately I missed taking a photo of the Hostas. Oh well, perhaps in an update.

And finally, this is the center of our front yard. It was at one time a very nice bordered flower bed, but time and a whole bunch of ivy killed that. We have gradually ripped out the ivy by the roots and started to clean the area up. Before the weather gets too chilly, we are going to plant some cold weather plants like pansies to add some color. Here is Jason digging around in the flower bed. Ain’t he cute? :) I wish I had a before photo. It doesn’t look like much but it is a HUGE improvement from what it looked like when we bought the house.

Fall is HERE!!!

2009-10-01T10:52:00.005-04:00

I'm in love! With Fall! And to celebrate I'm joining the Fall Party over at Southern Hospitality! I'm so happy that not only is it here but that it actually looks and feels like fall, even down here in the South. I've been wishing fall would get here since around August 1st! I have happily worn long sleeves every day this week, and last night I even broke out the flannel PJ's!

So back to fall. I just love it. It is by far my favorite season. Summers in the South can be too hot to really enjoy and Winter is just depressing. I like Spring too, but not as much as fall. Fall just takes the cake for me. I love the crisp air, the changing of the leaves, cozy sweaters, big bowls of chili, and COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! I think football is the very best part of fall in fact. I grew up watching football and can't imagine a year without it.

Here's a tribute to everything I love about fall.

Walks in the crisp air:

The beautifully colored leaves:

Fall flowers:

A big bowl of hot and spicy chili (don't forget the beer!):

Wrapping up in a cozy sweater:

Hot cocoa (with extra marshmallows!):

Apples and apple pie:

And no tribute to fall from a Georgian would be complete without a few photos of beautiful Georgia in the fall.

The Falls at Amicalola Falls, one of Georgia's beautiful state parks, situated at the foot of the Appalachian Trail:

The Georgia Mountains covered in fall wildflowers:

The Mountain Top Lodge in beautiful and charming Dahlonega, GA - our favorite B&B for a quiet, weekend getaway:

And as an Alabama native, I simply CANNOT fail to mention one of my FAVORITE things about fall: Alabama vs. Auburn football - simply the BEST rivalry in college football (don't argue with me!)!!!

VERSUS

Bad Blogger, Bad! And a house bio too!

2009-09-30T19:34:00.004-04:00

I’ve been terrible and haven’t updated in weeks! I’ve been busy, but also I haven’t had much to really blog about. However I did recently add some new decorative items to my living, dining and bedrooms that I got at Old Time Pottery (LOVE that place!). Let’s see:

I bought a few prints that I originally intended for my bedroom,but when I got them I realized the colors weren’t right and put them in my dining room instead. My dining room is done in shades of red and orange – a very warm look – and the prints add a pop of teal green that I really like! I also got a couple of nature-scapes that I put on the wall opposite this one.

I got some silk flowers and put together the two yellow floral arrangements that you see in the wall sconces here. I bought the wooden shelf at a flea market and picked up the gold plate at Old Time Pottery as well. I LOVE how this turned out!

I also got new floral arrangements for the green and white vases on my dresser. I added a decorative clock as well (you may need to click the photo here to see the whole thing).

I also got a gorgeous floral print that I placed above our faux fireplace. I switched around a couple items I already had, like the golden glass vase, and I think this creates a very nice vignette here. Very appropriate for fall!

I really like how my house is turning out so far. Of course I spend WAAAY too much money on decorative stuff, what the hey. I go for the bargains, but trouble with that is, I buy ALL the bargains! :)

Green Bathroom Escape

2009-09-16T16:56:00.006-04:00

I love a green and white bathroom, I really do. I was fortunate to buy a house with a freshly renovated bathroom. It has white subway tiles, white floor tiles, white bead board and chrome fixtures. So taking it from there was easy. I bought all white towels and a green shower curtain. and added a green bath mat and hand towels that I already had. I'm now trying to add a few decorative touches as well as paint. My husband has the half bath and he only uses my bath room for the shower, so I have free reign to do whatever! Today I put together this inspiration board. I LOVE the medicine cabinet with the basket - I seriously may have to bring that home with me. Other than that, I'm looking to add some wall sconces, a piece of artwork, a bamboo shade and a few candles. I want it to be a relaxing, clean and inspiring room. Am I headed in the right direction here?

PS: I added the black cat because our Bombay kitty loves to sit in the doorway and stare at me while I'm getting ready. :)

Green Spa Bathroom by alicat2 on Polyvore.com

More Childhood Nostalgia

2009-09-14T13:43:00.024-04:00

Ok, I'm not sure where this childhood nostalgia is coming from. First Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and now this. Perhaps it is the weather beginning to change. Fall always makes me yearn for all things warm, cozy and nostalgic. After I blogged about Mr. Jeremy Fisher, I remembered the series of childrens books about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I think I had most books in the series, and I read them over and over and over again. I loved them so much that I actually snatched up a compilation book at Borders Books a few years ago. And yes, I read it! The kids in these stories were all typical kids that did typical kid things. But the things they did weren't really 'bad' in the same sense that we see today. Not picking up toys, gossiping, talking back, shoving on the playground. All things that kids shouldn't do, but so much more innocent than taking a knife to school or beating the crap out of some kid because you want his sneakers. Thanks to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the parents of these neighborhood children went to her, were given a 'cure' and poof, the child malady was gone. Oh what a simple concept, even if it is only fiction!!

The Wonderful World of (Stuffed) Frogs

2009-09-14T13:08:00.012-04:00

I love frogs - at least the stuffed or ceramic kinds! When I was a kid my nursery/bedroom was decorated with a Beatrix Potter theme. I wish I had pictures! Sitting proudly front and center was Mr. Jeremy Fisher. Man I loved that guy! Over 30 years later my mother still has him. She's saving it for her granddaughter, if she ever gets one! I mentioned to mom recently that I'd like to bring Mr. Fisher home with me, maybe get him cleaned up and repaired, and display him in my guest bedroom. Mine was very similar to this one.

Sniff. Now I'm feeling all nostalgic! Somehow I feel that recapturing Mr. Fisher will somehow recapture my childhood, or bring back a slice of innocence. Maybe I wouldn't have to work any more, or pay bills and a mortgage any more. SMACK!! WAKE UP!! I guess not. Oh well, I guess I'll be satisfied with just having the little guy in my house for my enjoyment, and maybe later on, that of my little girl. By the way, if anybody reads this and knows how to go about getting a stuffed animal restored, please leave a comment!

Thanks for letting me walk down memory lane!

New York in the Fall

2009-09-12T01:18:00.007-04:00

I've been to NY in the fall only once. But all it took was once to know how it is simply gorgeous there. With yesterday being 9/11, I've been thinking about NYC and the inhabitants, wondering how they are coping with the memories. Coupled with the fact that fall is nearly upon us, I began to think specifically about NYC in the fall. I recently watched You've Got Mail, one of my favorite movies featuring two of my favorite actors - Hanks and Ryan obviously.

Which leads me to what I think is one of the best movie lines, EVER, straight from that movie: "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." Classic.

Father of the Bride House - My Favorite Movie House

2009-09-09T13:54:00.031-04:00

I love the house from the movie Father of the Bride, especially the inside of the house. If I could fit that house in a box and take it with me for my very own I would!! I just love the calm and homey feeling the house gives off. It is classy but not stuffy, casual but not too much so, designer yet comfy. It is perfect!

From the outside, the house just says, "Come on in, get comfortable, and have a hot cup of tea." Oh can I, pretty please?? I can only hope that my own home has a similar appeal!

Here we can see the foyer leading to the living room and dining room. I like the contrast between the light oak colored floors and the darker furniture finishes. The room mixes styles and colors without looking sloppy or careless.

I absolutely LOVE that round leaf table in the corner of the room! I wish I could find something like that for my house, but then again, I'm not sure where I would put it. Sigh, maybe one day!

One of my favorite spaces in this house is the kitchen - that huge, sprawling kitchen. I get so jealous every time I see that kitchen in the movie, but then I feel better once I remind myself that it is only a Hollywood film set.

To me, the kitchen is one of the first rooms in a home that will 'date' the home. However this kitchen is just classic. I love the wood floors and the deep butcher block counter tops. Oh, and that HUGE butcher block island with the hanging pot rack is to die for!! For my own kitchen, I bought a small white kitchen island with a faux butcher block top at Big Lots. It has two open shelves and two shelves behind a door, plus a towel rack at the end. I also got a round granite potrack off of Overstock.com to hang over it. It works, but obviously on a much smaller scale than the setup in the FOTB kitchen. I love the little touches that the kitchen has, like bowls of spices and candles. The kitchen looks well used but well cared for. The perfect combination!

Okay, moving on. I think my favorite room is George and Nina's bedroom. This room doesn't get near the screen time as the rooms on the main floor, but I still love it.

I love how the bedroom isn't matchy-matchy. For example, the bedside tables don't match. The one on George's side is a simple round table in a honey finish. But the one on Nina's side has two drawers, plus a shelf at the bottom that is piled high with books, and the finish appears to be a pale green coat of paint.

I also love the cedar chest at the foot of the bed. I was inspired by this photo to do the same thing in my bedroom. I moved my cedar chest out of my guest bedroom and into my bedroom, where I placed it at the foot of the bed. I'm now looking for a couple baskets to put on top of the chest to store magazines and such.

In this photo the dresser looks like a great flea market or antique mall find. It has such great character!

Also worth mentioning is Annie's room. The style that permeates the rest of the house is present here too. Classic but casual. I love the touches of yellow!!

The backyard of this house is simply lovely. Not only did it create a beautiful backdrop for Annie's wedding reception, it is the perfect place to kick back and relax with family and friends. What I wouldn't give for that hammock!

So that's it. A tribute to my favorite movie house ever. Try as I may, I doubt I'll ever recreate this for myself, but hey, a girl can dream and try!

Still shot photos are courtesy of hookedonhouses.net. Thanks!!

Welcome, Autumn

2009-09-02T14:48:00.007-04:00

I don't do seasonal decor, but since owning my own home, I decided it would be nice to put out a door wreath in autumn colors. I found a really pretty one on sale over the weekend at Hobby Lobby. It looks really nice against the background of my red door.

Hi Autumn, come on in!

Commence Fall in Three Weeks!

2009-09-01T11:03:00.031-04:00

Here it is September 1st and I'm seriously dreaming of fall. Actually I've been wishing fall would get here since around August 1st! I love fall. I love the crisp air, changing of the leaves, cozy sweaters, big bowls of chili, and COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! I think football is the very best part of fall in fact. I grew up watching football and can't imagine a year without it. The hubs and I are actually going to an Alabama game late this season. My very first live college football game ever - I can't BELIEVE it took me this long but I'm so excited to finally get to experience it!!!

So back to fall. I just love it. It is by far my favorite season. Summers in the South can be too hot to really enjoy and Winter is just depressing. I like Spring too, but not as much as fall. Fall just takes the cake for me. Here's a tribute to everything I love about fall.

Walks in the crisp air:

The beautifully colored leaves:

Fall flowers:

A big bowl of hot and spicy chili (don't forget the beer!):

Wrapping up in a cozy sweater:

Hot cocoa (with extra marshmallows!):

Apples and apple pie:

And no tribute to fall from a Georgian would be complete without a few photos of beautiful Georgia in the fall.

The Falls at Amicalola Falls, one of Georgia's beautiful state parks, situated at the foot of the Appalachian Trail:

The Georgia Mountains covered in fall wildflowers:

The Mountain Top Lodge in beautiful and charming Dahlonega, GA - our favorite B&B for a quiet, weekend getaway:

And as an Alabama native, I simply CANNOT fail to mention one of my FAVORITE things about fall: Alabama vs. Auburn football - simply the BEST rivalry in college football (don't argue with me!)!!!

VERSUS

Pepsi

2009-08-21T14:23:00.005-04:00

Pepsi. I hardly ever drink Pepsi. I'm a Diet Coke gal. But today I had a craving for a Diet Pepsi. So I pop 0.75 cents into the drink machine at work and.....ahhhh...Pepsi. It takes drinking a Pepsi for me to realize that I actually like it more than I think I do. While sipping, I remembered the scene in Back to the Future, where Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly goes to Lou's Diner and tries, unsuccessfully, to order a Pepsi.

Lou: You gonna order something, kid?

Marty McFly: Ah, yeah... Give me - Give me a Tab.

Lou: Tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something.

Marty McFly: All right, give me a Pepsi Free.

Lou: You want a Pepsi, pal, you're gonna pay for it.

Finally, Lou gives him a cup of black coffee when he asks for something without sugar.

I loved that movie. They just don't make em' like that any more!

My Drunk Kitty

2009-08-16T10:31:00.005-04:00

I've warned him of the dangers of tipping the bottle, but he won't listen!

I love being a homeowner!

2009-07-31T12:19:00.006-04:00

Well, we closed on our house on June 26th and moved in on June 27th. I LOVE LOVE LOVE our house! It is 3BR, 1.5 BA,, with a full sized LR and DR. There's a new addition on the back that we will use as a utility room - perfect since the washer and dryer are already located in a closet back there. The closing process went well. We met the seller, and he wasn't nearly the jerk I thought he was. Just a guy who inherited the house when his mother died (she owned and rented the property), put some money into fixing it up and finally wanted to sell it. We are so glad that he decided to sell because it really is the perfect house for two newlyweds (are we still newlyweds after the 1st year??). The backyard is huge but it needs to be landscaped. We were working in the yard this past weekend and discovered part of a nice red brick patio that had been built before the deck was added onto the house. We also discovered some nice, although randomly scattered, flagstone. We will get to the backyard later but we plan to use those materials to build a new patio and flagstone walk. In the front yard, we have ripped out a bunch of monkeygrass andwe started flower bed in its place. We plan to get some azalea bushes as well to plant right under the front windows. Jason ripped up the brick walkway and he is reworking it so that one part of it extends to the driveway, and the other part extends from the gravel parking pad (that Jason also put in) to the front porch. It is taking shape and really starting to look nice! I will post pictures as soon as I have the opportunity to take some. The great thing about being a homeowner is that you don't have to get permission to do anything to your house, you just make up your mind and do it. I love being a homeowner!!

The poor McMansion owner...

2009-06-23T16:38:00.003-04:00

Just a little satirical story I wrote on my feelings about the McMansion house boom. Enjoy!

Hi McMansion Owner! So you bought a house! Good for you! What’s that? What did you say? Oh, you can’t really afford it so you went with an ARM so your payments would start out low? But you are sure your husband will get a series of 10% raises over the next ten years, so the ever increasing payment is no problem! Wow, I’m so glad you can be so confident in your future and I hope you enjoy your new house!

Hi McMansion Owner! Long time no see! How is the McMansion? Really? Your husband’s company went under and he was laid off? He’s been out of work for 3 months? How are you keeping up with living expenses? Oh, I see. Well it is a good thing you have such a high limit on your credit cards. I hope your husband finds a job soon.

Hi McMansion Owner! Long time no see! How is the McMansion? Really? Your husband is still out of work? And your hours were cut at work? How are you managing? Oh I see. How nice of your relatives to pitch in and help you meet your obligations. I hope your husband finds a job soon.

Hi McMansion Owner! Long time no see! How is the McMansion? Really? Your husband found a job? That’s great! Oh, I see. He is making half what he was before. That’s too bad, but at least he has a job.

Hi McMansion Owner! Long time no see! How is the McMansion? Really? The bank took it back? And sold it for half what you paid for it? Why couldn’t you make the payments? Oh I see – your maxed out credit cards and paying back loans to relatives. Well tell me - why did you buy a house you couldn’t afford? Oh I see. You wanted to have a house like the ones your friends have. But now they have lost their homes too? Wow, that’s too bad. Maybe next time you buy a house you should just stick with what you can afford.

Health (they don't) Care Vent!

2009-06-11T17:27:00.001-04:00

So I have been dealing with vertigo for the last few weeks. I went to my regular doctor last week and he said I would have to deal with the symptoms until the vertigo goes away on its own. A week later I am not at all better. I called my doctor back to see if he would refer me to a specialist. He referred me to both and ENT and an audiologist. I called to make an appointment with both and was told that I can't see either doctor for 6 weeks! Hello! Vertigo is debilitating and every aspect of my life has been affected by this condition. I can't work like I normally can, my normal activities have been greatly reduced and cooking and cleaning is just about out of the question. So how am I supposed to go on like this for 6 weeks?? I told the receptionist that I would be moving in a couple of weeks and really need to see a doctor before then so I can handle the move and she didn't even respond. So I have an appointment for July 20th, and I may not even be symptomatic at that time! And it doesn't change the fact that I'm going to have to pack and unpack with this condition! I know doctors are very busy, but I don't get why it takes six weeks to get in with a doctor, especially with a debilitating issue like vertigo! And on top of that, the receptionist acted so uncaring, like my phone call was a complete bother. Why and how do these people get employment in the health care field???!! I don't mean to sound ungrateful to those in this field who really do care, but it just bugs the crap out of me when a) I can't get the care I need when I need it, and 2)my request for health care is met with apathy and indifference!! UGHHHH!!!

Knife Me!

2009-06-02T12:48:00.004-04:00

While browsing in the housewares section at TJ Maxx recently, my husband and I stumbled upon the funniest thing - a large butcher knife in a package that says "Try Me". What the heck??? We thought it was insanely funny and couldn't resist the photo op. See below and enjoy:

Offer accepted!!

2009-05-22T13:59:00.006-04:00

WHOOHOO!! For the last week, we have been going back and forth with the seller of the adorable red brick bungalow/ranch shown below. I really didn't think we would come to an agreement. However late yesterday afternoon the seller countered with a price that is 10K off the original asking price. It is within our budget, so I have informed my real estate agent that we are accepting the offer!! I am a total bundle of nerves but I suppose that is all very normal at this point! We are pre-approved for the house's full asking price and the house is completely renovated, so I can't foresee any financial or inspection issues that would cause the deal to fall through, but you never know. I just hope it all works out because I TOTALLY ADORE THIS HOUSE! :-)

The wheels in my head are already turing and churning with ideas to decorate and make the place our own. I'm looking at paint samples online. I daydream about furniture placement. I'm looking on craigslist for goodies for the deck/backyard. The one thing I WONT allow myself to do right now is look at dogs (we want a dog now that we will have a backyard). I'm such a sucker for those cute little faces that I'd bring one home with me before we even move into the house!!

If I can just survive the closing process, I'll no doubt have a blast decorating!!

The Offers Game

2009-05-18T12:15:00.004-04:00

Well, we have tentatively moved on from the house I blogged about below. We found out that the adorable and recently renovated house mentioned in the previous blog was back on the market. There was a contract on it but it fell through. So last week my agent calls to tell me this, and we arranged for a second, more thorough viewing. We decided to put an offer in on it and are waiting to hear back from the seller. In retrospect, I think our offer was too low, especially since we asked him to pay closing costs (as much as I like our agent I am a bit irked that she did not tell us this). He originally was not going to respond, but as of now we are expecting an offer by 1:00 today. Once we receive his counter offer, we plan to counter with about 93% of the asking price and inch up from there. My agent tells me the seller's agent indicated that the seller has an ego, so this guy may be expecting to get full asking price from us. As much as I want this house, I HATE the stress that goes with all the offering and counter offering. I just want to get my house and have it all be over!

Is this our house?

Have we found our house??

2009-05-12T15:14:00.011-04:00

We saw 5 houses this past weekend. The one that I was totally in love with was just as great as I thought it would be (except for this weird shared driveway situation), but it already has a contract on it after being on the market about a week. I'm not surprised, the place is a move-in ready at a great price. Three of them were not homes we would put an offer in on - one had a mold issue, another a drainage issue and another had a wacked out floorplan and was pretty darn ugly on the inside. Then there was the last house - the house that I had to talk myself into seeing. At first glance it isn't pretty. It is outdated but structurally in good shape. It needs some cosmetic work and a few appliances. My father in law went with and I think if it had not been for him I would have passed this house over. He pointed out that the simple structure of the house gives it a lot of potential and would be easy to maintain. So the more I've thought about this house, the more I'm thinking about this house! I'm starting to see our stuff in there and imagine how it will look with new paint and window treatments. I could take it from drab to fab in a matter of months. Right now I am busting my butt trying to get our financing finalized so we can make an offer with a pre-approval edge. I hope I hope I hope that we will be closing on a house soon! Is this our future home?

House Hunting!

2009-05-06T11:41:00.008-04:00

Wow it has been a long time since I blogged here! Am I the only one who loves blogging but can't seem to find the time for it?

Hubs and I have decided to buy a house this year. We had not originally planned on it, but with the low interest rates and the $8K first time buyers tax credit, it is a really great time to buy. Not such a great time to sell though! I've been doing a lot of reading on the home buying process (currently reading Home Buying for Dummies by Eric Tyson and Ray Brown) and I am intimidated by the complexity of it all. I'm so afraid that we will get screwed over and get stuck with a house that isn't worth what we paid for it, or with one that we think we can fix up ourselves but then it turns out to be too big a task. We know what price range we are comfortable with and we are sticking with it. We are not looking at houses that we cannot afford the first time. Location is key for us, because neither of us like a long commute into work. Besides, we like the area of town we live in now and want to stay in the general area. We will probably get less house for our money than we would if we bought in the 'burbs but that's OK. A bigger house in the 'burbs means more to clean and more time in traffic commuting back and forth to work. We will likely end up with a 3/2 ranch or cottage style single family house. Aside from location, it is really important to us to have three bedrooms. We are currently in a 2/1 apartment. We use the 2nd room as the guest room/hubby's music studio. His equipment doesn't take up a whole lot of space, but I would love for him to have his own space that he doesn't have to share with anybody - a man cave, if you will. I have seen a lot of 2/1 houses on the web, but I just can't imagine paying a thousand dollars a month for such a small space. For that we may as well stay in our apartment! I'm sure for some that is exactly what they want, but its just not my cup of tea.

We have an agent and have gone out with her twice already and have seen a half dozen houses, and we are going out again this weekend. It is really hard to resist putting in an offer right now. We don't quite have our down payment together, but we should soon. Another fear I have is that we will find the perfect house and put in an offer, only to be outbid. A part of me thinks perhaps we have started looking too early and another part of me says you really can't start too early if you are serious about buying, which we are.

Of the half dozen houses we have seen, we really liked two of them, but they both had potential trouble spots. One was a brand new townhouse (we have since decided to stick with single family homes) that was gorgeous but hubby spotted some things that makes him think the house was thrown together by the builders. Heck, it probably was. It went straight from the builder into foreclosure with a bank. The other was a really cute ranch. It needed some cosmetic work but otherwise looked okay - that was until hubs spotted a sunken spot in the floor of one of the rooms. Not a good sign considering that the house isn't on a slab but on a crawlspace! We don't want to deal with structural issues.

This weekend we are going to see 4-6 houses. All of them are older. One of them really stands out - it is a 3/1 cottage that has been completely renovated and just came on the market. It is basically move in ready! But it bugs me that we can't make an offer because we don't have the down payment together yet. I'm scrimping and pinching to find every spare penny possible!

So, for the next few months we are going to be house obsessed (well mostly me!) until we find Our House. I can't help but be excited!!!

Small Space Decorating

2009-01-20T12:33:00.009-05:00

So my hubby and I are in an apartment right now but my heart yearns for a home of our own! I thought it would be helpful to throw out my thoughts on how to make the most of boring white apartment walls and beige carpet.

To me, the best way to tackle decorating a bland apartment is to just imagine how you would decorate if you had a house. Then from that, pick the elements that you can make work in an apartment. Give it your personal style stamp and don't be afraid to use color, even if you don't paint the walls. For furniture, scour local flea markets and even yard sales for great furniture finds so you can avoid the whole college dorm look. Don't be afraid to tackle painting or staining an old piece or furniture to give it new life. And although you need to exercise care in this area, it can be interesting to mix styles, fabrics and patterns.

To decorate, think photos, artwork on the walls, baskets, cozy chenille throws, curtains, clocks, candles, area rugs, a seasonal wreath on the front door, green plants inside and out, a patio table and chairs on your balcony/patio and colorful pillows on the sofa and bed. Decorate in layers and use lots of texture.

The best part of approaching decorating from this angle is that you then have a basic decor style and flavor set in place. Once you have a house of your own, all you need to do is transfer it to your new home!

Thoughts on 2009 Resolutions

2009-01-06T14:50:00.014-05:00

I'm not big on the whole New Year's resolution thing. For one thing, I never could seem to accomplish what I set out to accomplish. For example, I've always said I would lose weight. HA!! Is the reason that the scale creeps up 5 pounds every year because I resolve otherwise? If I resolve to gain weight, would I actually lose weight??

For another, what is it about January 1st that turns us into these highly motivated, emotionally charged and physically driven human souls? Human souls that know that THIS is the year that we will turn things around and do what we have resolved, be it to lose weight, get out of debt or whatever. I prefer to set goals when I feel ready to attack them, not when the calendar says I should. I think part of the reason that some don't achieve their goals is because they weren't personally ready to pursue the goal, they just set the goal because it was January 1 and it seemed like a good time. Some may say that if it seems like a good time to start something you may as well start it. But the problem with that is that if you are not mentally psyched up to work towards a goal, you are setting yourself up for failure. Some may disagree, but those are my thoughts.

That being said, I resolve NOT to resolve. Rather, I will set my goals as I feel ready to take them on, one by one. Out!

Confessions of an Organizing Freak

2008-12-29T08:38:00.008-05:00

Ok, I admit it. I am an organizing freak!! I love to organize. It gives me a natural high. I love taking things that are a complete mess and transforming them into a state of heavenly functionality. I actually get excited when I learn of websites dedicated strictly to the art of organizing. Recently I discovered organize.com and organizedatoz.com and have found way too many products that I just "have to have!" I can spend hours roaming through the housewares aisles at Target or through The Container Store. And recently I found on the shelves a special interest issue of BHG, simply entitled 'Storage'. I'm in heaven!! It will be on the shelves until March 3rd.

What drives me nuts is these ads you see for customized closet systems. Now I am all in favor of closets that are designed to serve your needs but it is the ads that irk me. Recently I saw one for a closet company that shall remain unnamed. It had wide shelves and drawers in the middle, and 3 clothing rods, which were on the end. The rods held about 6 articles of clothing altogether. Now I ask you, who in the world that could afford a custom built closet would hang only six articles of clothing??? It makes it look as though you can get only a handful of items in a closet that cost you several thousand dollars. Not very good advertising if you ask me! Now, for a closet that I would kill for (not to mention the things in said closet):

Here it is: the closet in the movie 13 Going on 30. A perfectly appointed closet with plenty of storage for purses, shoes, undies, and of course, CLOTHES. I share Jennifer Garner's sentiments.....Ahhhhhhh.

Rediscovering the 80's!

2008-12-22T21:21:00.005-05:00

So I am a child of the 80's and early 90's and love most of the music. I love it when radio stations have an 80's hour or an 80's weekend is even better! Anyway, recently my husband introduced me to listen.fm and I' m hooked. The really cool thing is that you can rate the tracks that you like and it will remember what you like and search for similar artists, genres, etc. You can find songs you've never heard of or have forgotten. I've had all sorts of fun listening to all those great 80's and 90's bands that I had forgotten about. Just a minute ago I was listening to Level 42 and before that was Eddie Money. Now it's the Wallflowers. My brain is full of flashbacks to junior and senior high right now. Eeekk, let's don't go there! I'll just be happy with building my library of faves on listen.fm so I can relive those decades only when I want to.

My Talented FIL

2008-12-22T14:15:00.025-05:00

I want to brag on my father-in-law Ben Brookes, the super talented family musician. He performed professionally for around 20 years until leaving the industry to start his own construction company. Being from Kentucky and West Virginia, his style is country and bluegrass. But unlike a lot of typical guitar players, he has a unique finger picking style that adds depth to the music. Listening to him play the guitar is like listening to two players at the same time. Check out his videos. If you like bluegrass, please give him a listen - you'll be glad you did! This photo is of him singing at my wedding. Oh, if you are in the Chamblee area of Atlanta, GA on the first Saturday evening of any given month, stop by a little coffee shop called Get Coffee - you just might see him there!!

Kitty Bites

2008-12-17T21:45:00.022-05:00

Here is an animated .gif of my cat Spencer attacking my husband's foot. So cute!!