My Blog

Jim is outside mowing the lawn before we skip town. Can’t have the place looking a wreck while we’re gone, right? Speaking of curb appeal, we were told during our last visit from the warranty department that we’ll probably need to have the whole house painted within 3-4 years. Apparently paint sucks right into new stucco, and we’ll see some fading from that. (Makes me wonder why they didn’t just use colored stucco, but what do I know?)

When we lived in our first home, Jim and I painted it on our own. I was out there in the yard, 6 or 7 months pregnant, slapping paint on our garage door. It took FOREVER, and that was for a small, one story house. I can’t imagine how long it would take to paint a bigger two story house if we were to attempt it on our own. Too long! Not to mention it would require renting ladders and such to reach the tippy top. So here’s what makes sense to me – hiring painting contractors that employ young college students to do the work for me.

Don’t get them wrong – just because it’s a “bunch of college kids” who come to paint your house doesn’t mean they won’t do a good job. They’ve been in business for darn near 40 years, and you don’t last that long if you don’t do great work at a great price. And if you’re a student, you can pick up summer work from College Pro Painters – they provide you with the training you need to be a house painting pro.

End result? I get eye candy to look at, save money, and avoid back breaking labor. Win, win!

Tonight we realized that we closed on our house a year ago today. It doesn’t even feel like it’s been a year, the time has just FLOWN by. I still have a few boxes in my closet to unpack…whoops! But for the most part, we’re very settled. We love our neighborhood, and our town, and the neighbors, and just being here. I’m so glad we made the decision to move when we did – we were able to take advantage of a seller’s market and now we’re in here for the long haul, and enjoying every minute of our home sweet home.

Happy 1st Birthday, House!

Y’all know that I’m addicted to the real estate shows. House Hunters, Buy Me, Flip This House, Moving Up – you name it, I watch it. I love seeing what people do in their homes, and how they decorate once they move in. One of the big trends I’ve noticed in bathroom remodels is glass tile. It looks amazing – there’s sort of this high end look to it that you can’t get with plain old ceramic tile. Another trend? Real marble. I saw a home on TV where the kitchen island was done in marble and it was so neat looking. We did some upgraded marble in our house and I love the color and veining in it. You can see the glass tile I’m talking about online at GlassTileStore.com – huge selection, and low prices. You’re not just limited to your bathroom either. Use it in your kitchen, your foyer – even your swimming pool – for a completely custom, one of a kind look!

When we built our home, we had recessed lighting put in almost every room. It’s been great, not needing lamps to be placed in the bedrooms and family room. We have one lamp in our family room, and I usually only turn it on at night. More and more though, I’m thinking that the room could use another lamp or two. My daughter lounges on the couch with a book a lot, and the mother in me wants to tell her to read under a lamp! I love, love, LOVE these contemporary table lamps. The Tiffany style is so much nicer than just a plain lamp with a shade. It’s not just a lamp – it’s a focal point for a room. I always forget how much selection can be found when you shop online for things like this. Yes, it’s easier and cheaper to buy a lamp locally, but those lamps won’t make a statement in your family room like these will.

My sister has a pond in her backyard that her husband built. It makes a really neat focal point for the backyard, and turns it into a little oasis of sorts. I’d love to do something similar in our backyard, but I’m not really sure where to start. This website on water gardens seems like a good place to get some general information on what’s required to start your own water garden, and where to find and buy pond supplies. I think our climate would really lend itself to having a tropical pond with lilies and maybe even a few koi swimming around. As long as I can train the dogs not to drink out of the pond, we’d be good.

Have you ever thought about doing something like this? Or have you already done it? Was it hard to create a pond, and did you bite off more than you could chew?

I’m trying not to jinx myself, but I *think* I may have found a deal on homeowners insurance. I just moved money from my Ing Direct savings account to my checking account so that I can get the policy and pay in full on Friday. Until then, my fingers are crossed! (Which makes it a bit hard to type.)