ask and you shall receive

I got what I asked for. A house. And I love it. There is no buyers remorse. There is,  however, SO much work to be done. Not that this is surprising, I knew what we were getting into. Its just once the reality of it hits and you have a full time job, a dog who needs walking, a new cat that needs adjusting, a sweet sweet husband who works hard on the projects and a house that needs some serious love and attention you realize how short your days are, in fact.

This is what our list looked like this weekend:

mow

fence

rewire dryer

washer leak

upstairs molding

updstairs doors

bedroom ceiling

laundry room molding

bathroom wallpaper

bathroom ceiling

change light bulbs

Yes, its as glamorous as it seems. I know, be jealous. I love that its ours. Its such a HUGE blessing that Brian and I have the means to purchase a home and now I'm so excited to make it our own. I just wish I had a bottomless pocket book and lots of free time to make it move faster.

As a person living with Obsessive Compulsive Personality, the idea of moving is a horrible thing. Boxes are everywhere. Drop cloths are on all floors to get rid of this god forsaken shade of yellow on our molding.

I mean, honestly, who paints molding that color? And not only the molding in the hallway...but everywhere. I told B this weekend that my next shirt purchase would be one that read, "Wet Paint" because I am usually covered with it on the weekends and then at work covered in dry paint because the darn stuff won't come off my legs!

We have made amazing progress already! We had 2 weeks before the carpet was installed to get some serious work done upstairs. B redid the popcorn ceilings upstairs himself (I told you the man is a handy dandy saint), primed them, painted them and then painted all the bedrooms. A huge curtsy to my parents who came in for a 'paint party' the weekend before the carpet was installed. We managed to get almost all of the painting upstairs done before we had to worry about drop cloths. That was such a luxury!

So now we attack the rest of the house room by room. Fixing things, personalizing them and then one day purchasing furniture. Craigslist has become me and my mom's best friend. I get a minimum of two emails a day from her of good finds in her area or mine. I've only made one purchase thus far but its a good one. I'll be sure to show you as the project comes along!

I got what I asked for, and its blessings and memories. B and I will always have the memories of walking into our very own home, repairing fences, painting over plum colored walls...and molding and electrical sockets (ugh...people), eating off a card table at nights we worked until 11 p.m. before returning to the old apartment and seeing Ringo figure out how to navigate his very own backyard. We are blessed. Now if you could lend me some time and money, that'd be awesome. :) Please be advised: future projects to be posted!!

baby jackson

Jackson Garrick Harman was born August 8, 2012 at 10:29 p.m. He weighed in at 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. He is a big boy and he is adorable. He also looks just like my husband's family. Crazy!!!

My sister in law is recovering after a c-section after pushing for several hours...she's tired, to put it mildly. She is healing up and Jackson is at home figuring out how to live, eat and sleep. He has really long fingers and really long toes and we love him already.

Jackson with Uncle B

My computer isn't agreeing with me to turn this...but Jackson with his Aunt Katie

Welcome to the world, Little Man. You are so loved already :)

a lot can happen in a week

The last post I wrote we were stumped as to what direction we would go with the house. A matter of days later, B suggested we put an offer on the house that we kept coming back to. We love the  layout, we LOVE the neighborhood, the schools are good for farther down the road, there is work to be done, but nothing as far as gutting. More like painting, carpet, fixtures, the normal stuff.

After two days we reached a settlement and are buying a house! I mean...how does that happen? Most adult thing I've ever done. Ever. Getting married costs $75 and is a piece of paper. Having a child...well, a child can have a child (not that they should), but buying a house. Well, let's just say I had anxiety attacks for the first week we pulled the trigger. I know we are making the right decision, its just intense. Conveniently, we have friends three houses down one direction and more friends a half mile down the other. So I think we will be having a great block party!



Stay tuned! We close on August 3rd. The same weekend that I will be co hosting my best friend's bachelorette party at the river (YAY!!) and my nephew may make his debut! It will be a very exciting time!

Then we'll begin the home improvements. Future posts include: paint...the master is a brilliant TCU purple. All that's missing is the fathead of Andy Dalton. Getting rid of a little bit of popcorn ceiling, other paint choices, furniture shopping and the joys of learning to garden. We have so much to learn. 

outdoor living

As summer is WELL under way, we are melting in the 100+ degree weather. Everyone's posts of their car thermostat have loaded up facebook so just in case you forgot it was hot, someone was there to remind you. Isn't that sweet? Bless their hearts...

B and I continue our house hunt with little luck. For this being the season to buy a home, the listings are starting to be few and far between. So in the mean time, I am dreaming of our future home and all the ways I would love to create outdoor living to enjoy the evenings when the weather trys to cool itself down and we can enjoy a glass of wine while Ringo runs around in a yard. Oh, to dream!!!

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Have a good weekend, everybody! Tomorrow we are going to see Blue Man Group as a late birthday party for B. He's never seen it and I couldn't be more excited to see it again! In between celebrations I'm sure I'll be checking trulia again for new listings. Ciao!



girls' fiesta weekend

I'm leaving the boys behind and heading west tomorrow. I'm practically bouncing to get to a girls weekend at a friend's ranch. They put in a pool so the girls are meeting from Dallas, Fort Worth and Wichita Falls to squeeze in some quality time. It comes few and far between these days, it seems, so we are living it up!

Who doesn't love a theme? Well, my girlfriends love them. So this weekend we will be throwing a fiesta, since that's what it is anyway. And I like any excuse to drink margaritas, sangria, eat chips and salsa and wear my favorite muu muu, because yes, I have more than one.

So this weekend will consist of some of this:

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A lot of this:

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A rendition of this:

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And of course to round out the theme:

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I hope you have a lovely fiesta for your weekend and some rest and relaxation in between busy work weeks.

tapestry

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Carole King. Songwriter. Legend. Artist. Perfect. And the cover of Tapestry has a cat. In general, this album has everything going for it.

Work has been insane. Yesterday my office was sun drunk after being out for thirty hours last week working with fire fighters for, what we hope to be, a successful Fort Worth Fill the Boot! But we were all a little on the wack a doo side. When I stumbled on this album in my co worker's office yesterday my world turned upside down.

My parents have this record framed in their house and my mom has always talked about how it is one of the greatest albums ever. That's a pretty bold statement...I mean, have you heard the original NSYNC album? I would, however, have to agree with her now. I listened to it all yesterday afternoon and was in a near euphoric state. That is a difficult task these days with my work schedule being that of a worker bee constantly in motion.

Isn't it nice to find something, something as small as a cd, that can turn your day around and make you feel warm, fuzzy and happy to be in the life that you are? But, I guess that's what the hippies were all about when this album was released. So maybe I have a little more free child in me than I thought.

house hunting

B and I are at the beginning phase of purchasing our first home. As in, we've met a realtor we like, who has worked with friends and they had a great experience with her. We are planning on going to get preapproved at the end of the month, and have already been going on showings with her.

Here is the problem:

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The housing market here in Fort Worth is a "buyers market". Which is delightful. The problem is I have inherited a fine palette from my mother who has impeccable taste. I have a desired neighborhood. I like some of the houses that are currently on the market, but they seem to have stopped adding new homes for sale. I feel like I am constantly looking at the same houses over and over again. There are two homes in which B and/or I deemed acceptable but would, of course, still require adjustments.

I am a reasonable person. I do not expect to be moving into this house for our starter home.

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Not that I'd complain! But I know that is not really in our reach at the age of 27. All I ask for is a 3/2 or 3/3. If you can give me a 4/3 that's even better - that means we can stay longer when we decide to grow our family. I also know that no home will be perfect. Each homeowner has their own personal tastes and preferences that must be adjusted to fit their own needs.

I would, however, love for some more reasonably priced options to appear on the market. Everyone keeps telling me summer is the time to buy! So, we're ready. Let the games begin...or, as Hunger Games would put it, "May the odds be ever in your favor" :)

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