Cabinet Upgrade.

Gracias, Danka, Thank you... pinterest for helping find this wonderful blog MonicaWantsItAll.  This wonderful blog post helped me transform my ugly honey oak cabinet in my bathroom to a beautiful rich espresso modern cabinet.  I am in love. 

Yayyyy for Yardwork!!

Well, who does yardwork over the weekend in the brutal heat? ME, that's who!!! Ok, I wish I could say that I did everything this weekend but the truth is I have been working on my landscaping project in the front for the past couple of months. Ahhh, the joy of being a homeowner and making home improvements.

These are the yucca plants that I pulled up in May.
They were a pain in booty to remove....
I am glad they are gone and if I miss them too much there are still some in the backyard.

Out with the old & in with the new.

In June, I planted six box woods that will stay nice & green year round.

  

Finally, in July I finished my project.
Better late than never. This weekend I added the rock. I love it!

It's the little things in life...

These are the first bloomers at my new house. Yayyyy for spring!

Doorknobs. Done. Done. Done.

Well, I guess that changing the light switches in my house wasn't enough learning for me for one weekend... I decided to change all of the doorknobs. Although there were no sparks flying and I wasn't screaming at the top of my lungs scared of electrocuting myself it was still quite the experience. The guys at home depot will tell you, "Sure, it's easy! Just unscrew this here, pop this one out, and put the new one in and wallll-laaa!!" Two words: Yea right!!! I can honestly say that after that I have no desire to work on my house for a while. At least my knobs look nice... one step at a time, one step.

The before:

The after:

Light Switches & Outlets 101

For as long as I can remember I have had a love for learning. I'm talking about the love for learning that goes beyond the classroom. The "real" love for learning not just academics but learning the little things. Learning how to ride a bike, how to speak another langauge, or how to find your way home without using GPS while getting yourself lost.

Today, I got myself a healthy dose of learn a lot. Today I learned how to change light switches and the outlets in my house. I decided that my house needed new light switches and outlets, I thought that this would be an easy task. . . WRONG! Apparently, changing just the plate isn't how it works. So, today I learned what each breaker controls in my house. I learned that you should plug something into the socket to check if the power is really off or sparks will fly, you will scream, and a perfectly good screw driver will be ruined. Once, all that happens you can learn how to change the wires on an old light switch to a new one. It felt good to learn how to do something I never in a million years would have thought I could or even would be doing.

Ahhhh, the joys of being a homeowner. It took me nearly four hours but they are all now white instead of ivory. It's amazing what such a little thing can do for a house.. such a little change gives each room such a modern look. This love of learning how to do new things is going to get me in trouble. I'm already thinking doorknobs next. . . . Stay tuned. :-)


The old ivory colored light switches & plates.


The new white switches & plates.

Good friends are hard to come by....

Throughout this whole first-time home buying experience I have really been humbled by how many truly great friends I have. Buying a house for the first time is a milestone in one's life.

This is such a SPECIAL moment in my life and it means the WORLD to me that my friend's want to share this milestone with me. I am so truly blessed to have such amazing people who are exited for me. When I look back on this time in my life, I will never forget those who shared this with me. Good friends are hard to come by and through this experience I really understand this. Thank you to all of my amazing friends.

On a side note: I wrote this a LONG time ago... I guess I forgot to hit the publish post button. Opppsss :)

The JOYS of being a homeowner!

So, I closed on my house last Wednesday and since have been a busy busy lady. I knew that I was in for some work, seeing how I purchased a foreclosed home that had not been occupied for over a year, but I don't think I really understood what I was truly getting into. Needless to say, it's a lot of hard work. It is exciting to see it coming along. Here are a few pics to see the progress.....

Step-dad & Tito fixing the guttering.

My bro using a caulking gun to touch up grout in the kitchen.

Dad rebuilding my front deck.

Nicci rolling the ceiling in the basement.

My nephew attempting to assit Papa with hooking up the icemaker waterline.

Joyce painting the sitting room ceilings.

Mom & Mark ripping up the carpet in the basement.

This is NOT an episode of HOARDERS!!

"Hoarding is a compulsive issue in which a person continues to obtain belongings and is unable to get rid of useless items. Even the most useless items that most people would describe as junk, is unable to be thrown away for the fear that it would be needed in the future. The compulsion can seriously affect a person's standard of living, with the home sometimes becoming unable to be traversed because it is extremely full of clutter." -Hoarders

This my friends, is NOT and episode of the show HOARDERS on A&E TV!! Although, if you were to walk into my apartment at this very moment you may think that were witnessing an episode first hand.

The disclaimer: I have never claimed to NOT be a pack-rat.

The past three days I have loaded box after box to be moved from my apartment to my new house. The sad part of this whole process is that I am not even close to being done. The kitchen, the closets, and the office have all been packed up and I am finding it is so hard to get rid of things! Can't it all go with me?

One day, I am going to be able to fit into my size 6 jeans and so therefore I need to keep them. It's the financially responsible thing for me to do so that I will not have to purchase new ones. Ohhh, and the size 4 jeans? Well, I need to keep them for inspiration to lose more weight, so of course they'll need to make the journey to the new house as well. Books from my college years. They are making the trip in case I need to make a reference. Tupperware, seriously, Can one really have enough tupperware? It is ALL making the trip. Non-matching lids and all.

This is NOT an episode of HOARDERS. Truth be told, I am getting rid of a lot of things. Seriously, I am tossing and trashing, Craigslisting & ebaying away. The things I am keeping, most of them, are with good cause. Tomorrow, I will pack up the belongings in the bathroom and I will not be keeping bottles of shampoo that are a less than a fourth full even though it's still be good for a few good washes!

Finally.

So, buying a house has become the biggest pain in my arse to date. After a billion mistakes made by Bank of America. *cough* *morons* I am finally going to be a homeowner. I'm not going to lie. It's pretty flippin exciting!!!

Holy Appliances!!

Geeze appliances are expensive!!! The stress for this new home buyer continues yet it's still an exciting stress. Yesterday, I went shopping, ok pricing, for appliances at three stores: Sears, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and some little appliance store off of I-152.

After hours of shopping, looking at model after model, analyzing feature after feature -- french doors vs. top/bottoms, stainless steal vs. black or white. I think I have found the perfect little stove and refrigerator for my kitchen.

Eeeeeee for excitement! I have chosen to go with G.E. models for both appliances. I have done my research (thank you consumerreports.org) and I am positive that I have made the right choice. The other appliances in my new kitchen are black. I think the black/stainless steal will be a perfect match! I can't wait to put up pics of the new kitchen toys when they are in their new home!! Stay tuned.

Here comes the stress!!

There are two really big commitments that I must make if I am ever going to be a "Grown-Up".

1) Get married.
2) Buy a house.

Seeing that one is not option for me right now, I have proceeded with number two. I have done it. They accepted my offer. I have bought a house. I am officially a "Grown-Up".

Now.....

I feel the ulcers brewing. There are no major problems with the house. I just got my contract back. I am sending it to my loan officer on Monday. There have been no hangups in the process; everything is going smoothly. So why is this still so stressful?

Well, I know finances are one big stress...every time I walk through my new house I see more and more things that I need to do!!! My mind goes wild; this needs painting, that needs to be replaced, this needs fixing. Cha-ching, Cha-ching, Cha-ching. The dollar signs are adding up quickly.

Not to mention, it seems like any spare minute I get in this already crazy life of mine...I hear, "call this person, sign here, send this, fax that, call again, oh wait--sign again". Why can't you just get everything you need all at once? No, that would make it too easy. There are honestly, just not enough hours in the day!

I am happy about my house. Really, I am. It's exciting but between the jumping through hoops act with the house paperwork and the budgeting for the houses' expenses... I am stressed.