Reality Check!

    Well, the high of owning our own home lasted a good while, but alas, the reality of being a homeowner has smacked us in the face (twice)!  To begin with, one of the largest items on our to do list, the flooring in the four bedrooms, seemed to be costing us a bit more than we budgeted for.  Fortunately, after speaking with some people at work (thank you kind, smart people), I realized that we were jumping into a price that was insane.  While we knew it was high, we never had anything to compare it to.  Since that was settled, we felt a lot of relief!
   Dun, Dun Dun....after enjoying a day at Disney, Steve and I went to the new house to do some painting....we walked in...to 86 degree heat.  Now, for Florida, that doesn't seem high, but it was in the 70's outside.

image found here

   Yep, you got it, the AC is not working properly.  Now, we have to wait until Monday to see about a repairman to come out.  A very nice friend came over and, after speaking with her brother, an AC repairmen, told us that it may be the compressor motor.  We are hoping, praying, that the fix is cheap.  Our pockets have not had time to recover from the money put down on our house.
   While we sweat it out, literally and figuratively, how many of you have dealt with similar scenarios?  Any advice? 

Sooo, sooo close!

     Latest news is......our inspection went fine (I may or may not have posted about this).  The biggest issue is an outlet which could probably use an electrician (he said 220V and death and it scared me, being clumsy and all) and the garage door opener needs replacing.  So, no deal breakers.
     The next step was the appraisal.  It came in 5K less than our offer soooooo, now we wait for the seller to agree (done!) and then the Bank (since it's a short sale!).  Ahhhhhh, again, I'm losing my mind, lol.  This is the last big hurdle (at least we hope so).  I have been "dreaming" endlessly about this house.  It didn't help that both the inspection and appraisal report had more pictures for me to look at, droll over, remodel in my mind, lol.  I am soooo much more in love with this house and sooooo ready to move in.  Please say some prayers, hope for us, wish on stars, whatever it is you believe in.  Me, I will be doing all of the above!!!!

In the mean time, here's my short list of things that we want to do semi-immediately or HAVE to do:

• purchase refrigerator (the only appliance not included) We like the french door but are def looking for a bargain, let us know if you have any suggestions!!!
• remove magenta (yes!) carpet from master and replace (bamboo floors? suggestions?)
• remove all wallpaper borders (almost every room)
• paint (bedrooms for the most part (but also a lavender bathroom that is connected to the pink master, lol)
• re-tile master shower/wall
• ENJOY COMPANY!!!!

So, any pointers, tips?????? Any good jokes to help me keep my mind off the fact we are waiting to hear???? anyone, someone?  ha ha!  Send me any good links that go along with my to do list too!!

Decorating Dreams!

Oh Boy Oh Boy!  Since I've arrived in Florida, I have become pretty much obsessed with decorating blogs.  It all started because we had no television!  So, what's a girl to do, all my scrapbooking supplies are packed up, no vehicle to explore with, plus, everyone stays inside in July and August!  So, I turned into a blog reading freak!  I saved some to my favorites tab and the list has grown.  Here's a list of the ones I'm currently following:

• http://www.decorchick.com/
• http://goingalittlecoastal.blogspot.com/ (the first I found!)
• http://thriftydecorchick.com/
• http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/
• http://www.younghouselove.com/

All of these exciting blogs have gotten me even more pumped to have my own home.  I am so excited to be able to stake my claim on my own house.  I am not sure exactly what my style will be but, I've been attracted to the use of color in each of these spaces and the clean look of the projects these bloggers use.  Once I have my house maybe some of them will help me with design ideas ;)

Oh, I almost forgot, my obsession has already spread to purchasing magazines about home improvement (thanks to a friend who just bought a house and told me all of the cool projects she's done since reading Better Homes and Gardens).  She's actually like my twin so, I figure, if she can do it, so can I!  The storage magazine caught my eye simply for the reason that I've always had an issue with keeping that "clean" look while remaining functional.