Sorry I'm Not Sorry

Gawwwwwd, isn't that the most annoying saying? Almost as bad as "Just sayin". I'm cool with 'just sayin'' in most instances but when people use it as a way to say something rude and then slap "just sayin'" at the end like it erases their lack of tact? *rolls eyes*

Anyway, a couple weekends ago, Cashley, D and I were sitting around talking and the conversation turned to what annoys us MOST about our significant other.

Mine for D was that he walks in to a room talking. He doesn't walk in, evaluate the situation and THEN start talking. He ends up waking me up from naps (the real reason this annoys me so much), interrupting phone conversations, interrupting OTHER people's conversations... and it drives me UP. A. WALL.

He used to sit down next to me on the couch while I'm watching TV and make a phone call. Sitting next to me on the couch. I KNOW! WHO DOES THAT?!? I'll tell you who. Daryl. But not anymore.

According to D, I leave lights on and I eat loud snacks while we watch TV. Doesn't that make me sound so precious and adorable??

Total BS. I mean, no, I know, I do those things. But I also do like 900 million other annoying things. He was just being nice. Or maybe I've brainwashed him in to thinking the annoying little things I do are normal?! Study at my feet, ladies.

So, in the most annoying post ever, I thought I'd write a list of things I AM sorry for (to D and other people in my life) that I know are annoying but I can't won't don't stop.

We'll call it 10 Things You Hate About Me (have you guys went back and watched that movie lately? AWFUL. But no regrets that Heath Ledger was my childhood heart throb).

1. I ask the admin setting up lunch for a lunch meeting what we're having for lunch at 8:30am and insist she make special accommodations for me. I can just feeeeeel her disdain when I knock on her office doorjamb and smile.
2. I say I'm going to do something and never do it/be a total flake
3. I like... NEVER clean out the fridge.
4. I make smoothies in the morning while D's still asleep
5. I turn in to a hermit crab at precisely 6pm on Friday night and insist on not moving from the couch no matter what friend calls to invite us somewhere.
6. I screen phone calls.
7. I post selfies on Facebook (this even annoys me)
8. I listen to the Fergie station on Pandora in my office.
9. I compare my dog to other people's children.
10. I'm really, really not germaphobic and I have little concern for personal hygiene. To a fault. I'm really borderline gross.

You guys. These were just the things I could think of right off the top of my head. I had to STOP MYSELF at 10.

Thank goodness I've tricked you guys in to being my friends and loving me. XO!

Read More

She get it from her mama

You guys, I'm flying high on a thrifty shopping buzz.

I feel just like how I imagine K feels when we let him stick his head out the sunroof (at stoplights).

So, over the weekend, we had a to-do list of painting, hanging a garage door opener, yada yada, yada. Point is, we didn't do any of it. D ended up having to work and I ended up appliance hunting! Thursday night, we made a scouting trip to Lowe's to price out some appliances that met our needs and were in our price range (well... in the price range that didn't make us faint).

Washer - $824
Dryer - $824
Refrigerator - $998
Subtotal - $2646
Lowe's 10% off Appliances promo - $2381
Lowe's 5% off if you open a credit card - $2262
Price with Taxes - $2442

And these were BY FAR on the cheapest end of the spectrum and the fridge was a side by side and the smallest we thought we could manage with. We've got a spending hangover from inspections and were definitely in the mindset of Must Haves. No bells and whistles.

But after talking later that night, we agreed one place we could save some money was to buy an old Craigslist washer and dryer set for the time being since it's tucked away in the laundry room and it didn't need to be pretty.

Apparently, boom town Craiglist is kind of awesome. People were selling super decent stuff for next to nothing! This must be the silver lining balance to having to wait 1.5 hours to be seated at Chili's on a Wednesday night.

So, Friday night, we were able to take these pretty blue, high efficiency, Energy Star Samsung washer and dryer WITH the storage boxes that goes under each ($200 value) off a lovely couple's hands for a cool $700 for the pair.

They are definitely scratched up a little but they're really nice appliances from last season. If we had tried to buy these brand new, we'd be looking at $954 each. Savings = $1208 (63% off)

The dryer had a dent in the very top but D assured me he could fix that. He just unscrewed it and took a rubber mallet and block to it. And yes. I told him this would have been 1000 times easier if he did it on the kitchen tile instead of the living room floor but he didn't listen. He got it fixed right up though and the pair are beauts!

My big bad dog that barks at Pit Bulls and tries to chase trucks when we go for a walk was less than fond of the hammering in the living room Sunday night. He decided to hid under his bed the guest bed until D was all done.

We shoved them to the front of the Jeep side of the garage and it fit like a very, very tight glove.

The back spare tire is basically touching the garage door but it'll do! 

Next up, was a refrigerator. Since that appliance sits front and center in the kitchen, I wasn't as open to a used one. All the nicer ones I found on Craigslist were 3-5 years old and out in the boonies. I found a very newish one at the ReStore that had been donated by a boom town woman but it was that shiny stainless? The ones that show every fingerprint? And while the proceeds go to Habitat at the ReStore, the $900 price tag was still too high for a used fridge for me.

So my mom and I swung by Home Depot after a quick trip to Target on Saturday morning and lo and behold. I spotted a gorgeous price reduced Frigidaire Gallery fridge juuuust out of my budgeted price range. It was the brushed nickle that doesn't show finger prints, it had the french doors with the freezer drawer that were WAY out of our price range during our initial pricing trip to Lowe's and it was NEW. The clearance tag had it marked as a "Slow Mover" (not "Scratch and Dent"). The store manager said it had been priced incorrectly during inventory (Score!) and Home Depot had the same 10% off promo as Lowe's. After a heated negotiating battle with the store manager, my stubborn mama convinced him to price match Lowe's promo to give me 5% off if I opened a credit card and boom boom bang, the fridge was mine.

Doesn't he look happy to be coming home with us?

Original price of fridge: $1619 

Accidental Inventoried Price: $1398 

Clearance Reduced Price: $1100 

10% Appliance Promo: $1000

5% Credit Card Promo: $950

Price after taxes: $1026

Savings: $593 (36% off) 

So, we were expecting to spend $2500 on new, bare bones appliances and we ended up spending $1726 on higher end steals! $774 under budget and even BETTER quality appliances! The savings I got ($1208 + $593 = $1801) is what I like to call A MORTGAGE PAYMENT!! (way more than a mortgage payment, actually) Gah, I love saving money. Seriously. I'd call it a hobby. 

I get it from my mama. 

Read More

Fridays are for Packing

It's the weeeeeeeeeeeeekend!!! The first weekend of fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Fall! And while all of you are out traipsing through pumpkin patches and raking leaves, WE are going to be doomsday move day prepping!!! There's a garage door opener that needs installed, some painting to be done, some blinds that Kanye destroyed that need replaced and of course... PACKING! HOORAY!

I'm an un-hoarder through and through. I rarely have more than 10 emails in my inbox. I delete people on Facebook if they become irrelevant. I have a pretty strict 350 Pin rule. Total. I don't want thousands of pins that don't really inspire me. My DVR very rarely has 'my' shows on there for more than a day or two. I really don't even own THAT many clothes! I go through my closet multiple times a year. I'm even pretty insensitive when it comes to nostalgia. I don't buy souvenirs or keepsakes, and photos are really my favorite childhood heirloom. Having less has become kind of vogue, actually, I think. Like gluten-free and hot yoga, it's cool to own fewer processions? Well, I'm on board with this.

Now, do not read this as "I'm a neat, organized person." Au contraire mon frere. All of the possessions I do keep are in one big pile on the guest bed. (Kidding. There's also a pile in the office)

One time, Kellie of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning mentioned how much she LOVES purging closets. She, at one time, suffered from Bulemia and she made a connection between the two that was gross yet totally insightful. It made me realize the psychological connection I have to keeping things lean and mean. I've never suffered from an eating disorder, but I do get a high from throwing things away! I feel lighter and I just get a sense of relief from getting rid of "stuff". Is anyone feeling me here? Are you all thinking I'm a nutcase? Say it ain't so!

D and I differ on my manic purging. He likes to keep things. All kinds of things. Just in case. I, on the other hand, regret throwing things away on a regular basis. Daryl actually COMPLAINED about how often he has to take out the trash, which upsets me because I'd like to minimize the inflow in to the house and even the trash!

However, we do agree that we want our *fingers crossed* new house to have a minimalist vibe. Of course we want it to be cozy, by all means, but minimalist cozy. I'm all for a designed, decorated bookcases and mantles here or there... but other than that, I prefer surfaces to be completely clear. I'm just not a nick-nack girl.

So we're moving forward into this weekend with an 'A place for everything and everything in it's place and if it doesn't have a place, it goes!' mantra. And by 'goes', I'm sure I mean, it goes in a box that Daryl will cling to and insist it goes in to the attic... which is fine. That's "a place for everything". The attic is a place.

Also, it's Little Miss Peyton's FIRST BIRTHDAY TODAY!!! Shut the front door, I know. She was just born like 2 days ago! But the world's most perfect niece is indeed having her birthday party tomorrow and I'm just so proud of what a rockstar baby she has become. I'm crazy about this kiddo and can't wait to steal all her kisses from her tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Peytonium! Aunt Ricci loves you too much!

Look at that grumpy old man face!

OMG, peanut sized indeed! 

A total ham these days for an iPhone camera!

Training for Saturday! 

Happy weekend blog-loves! XO!

Read More

Poor Me

So... I'm in over my head. Please bear with me as I indulge in a little B and moan session.

First of all, my hair is greasy today so I'm feeling especially uncertain of my ability to handle life.

I've been conducting a house-buying orchestra as of late. Between finding insurance, handling the financing, scheduling inspections and working with our Realtor, I've somehow misplaced my mind. It's lost.

We're in the middle of option on our house and found out that the roof is in ill repair and will need fixed in order to be eligible for home owner's insurance. So we are going to have to discuss this with the sellers because they, technically, are responsible for the repairs.

Kanye's birthday was yesterday and the poor little guy had the lamest birthday ever. The only thing special was that he got some ground beef for dinner because we were making tacos and I let him up on the bed with us that morning when I was saying goodbye to D.

I've been unceremoniously handed a new, HUGE project at work, not to mention my FOURTEEN other projects I'm managing (that's not an exaggeration) two of which aren't exactly small. This is a little, one sentence complaint but in actuality, it's what consumes 50% of my life.

We have a short list of things we need to get done around the house we're currently living in, not to mention... uhm... packing? Because we could be moving in... uhm... 19 days?

And if there was any question as to just how frazzled I've become, I had a contractor in my office this morning discussing a project and he proceeded to shut the door and express his concerns about the fact that I'm always "overly-energetic" and that I have a hard time focusing on one thing and my hands are shaky. At first I thought he was accusing me of substance abuse!!! He assured me that he just thought I may be overdoing it and that people around his office are talking about "when my flame is going to burn out". Sweet of him to worry... but kind of frightful that he noticed! I seriously doubt anyone at MY office is worried about me burning out. I'm here at 8:00 8:03am every morning and my butt's in the car by 5:05 every afternoon. Mama don't do overtime.

It should be noted that D has been a verifiable saint through this process. Flexible, positive, capable. I'd have quit and decided to just rent the house across the alley from my parents for the rest of my life if it weren't for him.

D and I have been running on empty for a little while now and are looking very forward to a weekend of recuperation. And by recuperation, I mean housework. Housework and football. Never too busy for football.

Thanks for reading me complain about all my blessings. I'll be back to being overly-enthusiastic about things unrelated to Real Estate in the near future. Pinky promise. Really, as soon as our option period is over (Sunday) and stuff is out of our hands, I'm sure my brain will take a big shift to decorating, holidays, and crock pot recipes like the rest of the blogosphere.

XO!

Read More