Monday, July 30, 2012

On My Mind

You know what's annoying? When you can envision a dress perfectly in your head but can't find it anywhere in stores. Anyone else experience it?

Moved

So remember when I said I wouldn't be posting another blog until after our big moving day?! Yes, I kept my promise. We only have a couple of miscellaneous things (our Brita, some tomato sauce, and a couple of cups) to get from the condo tomorrow after we deep clean the carpet. It's a rewarding feeling, for sure. We definitely still have a lot of "settling" to do at the house, which will cause me major anxiety until most of it is done, but we're mostly moved-in, unpacked, and halfway done with the bathroom!
Ah, that's right, the bathroom. You see, it all started with our shower faucet/pipes. Every time we took a shower the water would come from the shower head and tub faucet at the same time. It wastes water, causes less pressure in the shower, and can lead to a dirtier tub/not as god drainage. Our main issue moving in was the shower. So we decided to replace it. And then, at 5pm on a Friday (With a weekend of work ahead of both Scott and me), I said, "well if we're going to replace it, which will require taking those tiles out, let's just do the whole effing bathroom and not have to worry about it again." That one sentence got us in a whole lot of trouble. We are mostly doing it ourselves, which is fine and fun even. We're enjoying putting in manual work for an awesome outcome.
But we ran into a problem. The shower faucet (you know, the thing that started this whole mess in the first place) can't be easily replaced. It's, oh I don't know, fifty years old, has dated pipes, and doesn't fit any new fixtures. We had a plumber out today to look at the job, quote a price, and do the labor. A THOUSAND BUCKS. Yeah, we shopped around a little and found something a little less expensive, but still. We're in a bit of sticker shock. We're not completely naive. We knew this would be hard, more expensive than we 'plan', and we'd hit unexpected bumps. We can afford it. We saved and accounted for overages, but we were not intending the "simple" part of the job to be the most expensive and complex! I mean, we are ripping out tile, putting up PVC board paneling, putting down a new floor, adding a new sink, and putting up new shower walls! We definitely were not intending running into this particular problem, but we are so grateful that we are at a place to pay for it, and we aren't foolish enough to believe that we control everything enough to not hit snafus. I mean, this is what owning a home is like, right? Thankfully we can ease into it, since we are not owners of the home, yet. Thankfully my father did offer to help pay for it (though we turned him down, since, as I said, we have the money and gave ourselves a big margin). Thankfully, we are savoring all of these moments. In 20 years we will hopefully still be in this house. Hopefully we will be able to say, "honey, remember when we took a hammer to the wall in the bathroom? Remember when we jumped in together and learned as we went?"
I am incredibly blessed, and I don't forget it for a second.

I'm really optimistic that I'll be able to post pictures of the finished product later this week, but for now, here's a shot of the bathroom after the demo. It's about a week old, but it will have to tide you over!



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Haul To Fall

My blogging has been pretty sparse this month. Here's why:

In the beginning of July Scott and I took our "summer vacation." We went to Avalon with a majority of Scott's family for about four days. We paddle boarded, kayaked, swam in the ocean, ate crab cakes, laughed, drank sangria, and had a generally awesome time. 

When we returned, I got started on cleaning out my parents' house so that we could move in. We will be renting my childhood home starting in August =]. It's a very long complicated story as to the whole arrangement, but we are so excited! We fully intend to buy the house in the next coming years, and since my parents own it, we are able to do small (and a bit larger) renovations. Moving has been so taxing-physically and emotionally draining. To add to our 9 day deadline to move out of our condo, we have started our bathroom remodel, which has to be done by the time we move in. Yes, if you know me, you know I don't do anything half-assed. If I decide to do something I go balls to the wall and get it done. So by Saturday we have to be mostly moved in and have the bathroom 85% finished! 

Our New Favorite Place...

After those tasks are complete I will probably go insane setting up the house with all of our stuff (I HATE living in chaos). I'll give myself about a week to feel fully settled in. After that, I know I will want to do our "little projects" like painting the hallway to match the livingroom, painting and adding shelves to the laundry room, painting some trim, and adding some decorations. 

That all being said, it is a Haul to Fall. It is a more than hectic summer, but it's been rewarding and one for the books. 

I will probably not be doing any major blogging for most of the summer, but I am SURE I will be showing pictures of before and afters as they happen! Also, I'm not blogging again until we are moved in! 

Enjoy the last bit of July!!!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Update: PJs for Kiddos

The day after I wrote about the Pajamas for the kids in Morocco, I went out to buy some pajamas.
I returned some items I had previously bought for the house. (Yes, you heard me HOUSE. Not condo...) That day I also attempted to be cool and drink sparkling Voss water (the only kind available as I was dying of thirst). I also came to the realization that when you detest carbonated drinks, sparkling water is NOT for you.
Anyway, here are the pjs I got:


It was kind of difficult to find cute pajamas for older kids (remember, the sizes have to be between 5t-12), but I eventually settled on firetrucks in size 5t from TJ Maxx and Flowers/plaid in size 8 from Marshalls. Both sets are 3 pieces. The trucks has a long sleeve top and a short sleeve top with long pants, while the flower set has a short sleeve top with either shorts or long pants. I included a red child's toothbrush/toothpaste package with the firetrucks and a green one with the flowers. In total, the purchases set me back only about $25. Hopefully by getting more family and friends to do it, we can split shipping costs, too! Also, you can keep your receipts and count it as charitable donation in your taxes!

While shopping for these items, I sported my new favorite look, the top knot.
Did I mention I got super tan while on VACATION?! Yes, so much to catch up on. Soon, soon!

Hope you guys are seriously considering/working on the pajamas!

Friday, July 6, 2012

WOW.

I've been MIA recently due to some major changes coming up, but I promise to inform you all soon! 
For today, I just wanted to share something from another blog. 

This wonderful blog has started a bit of a commotion about a special thing called "Eden's Pajama Project." Eden, a compassionate five-year old, decided that she wanted to celebrate her fifth birthday this year by sending pajamas to poor children in Morocco. 

You can read the original post here, but I'm including it here, too. I'm asking my friends and family to join in, too. 

Hi everyone! My name is Eden and I’m going to be five years old on August 15th. I am very lucky. I have lots of clothes, toys, books and I even have my own room. But I have been to Morocco where my Grandma Saadia lives. Lots of the kids there don’t have very many things. No toys or art stuff. And not very many clothes to wear. Some kids smaller than me have to sell tissues on the streets for money. It makes me feel sad.

I was surprised when my Daddy told me that hardly any poor Moroccan kids have pajamas. I have lots and lots and lots of pajamas. I wear a fresh pair every night. But not Moroccan kids. They just wear their school clothes when they sleep.

I don’t like bedtime very much. I’d rather stay up and play or do fun things. Sleeping is boring. But I am happy that I have nice pajamas to wear. I put them on and then I brush my teeth and then I go to bed. I want Moroccan kids to have these things, too.

My birthday party is on August 11th this year. I am asking my guests to bring presents for kids in the countryside of Morocco instead of presents for me. My mom asked me how many pairs of pajamas I’d like to collect. I said 30. Then I asked her how many poor kids there are in Morocco. She said a few million. Then I changed my mind. I would like to collect presents for at least 300 kids in Morocco. Wouldn’t it be crazy if we got 3000?

If you would like to help you can send a package directly to my Grandma in Essaouira. In the package, please put:
  • 1 pair of brand new pajamas (for hot weather or cool weather) for a school-aged girl or boy (size 5-12)
  • 1 new kids toothbrush (most kids don’t get to go to the dentist in Morocco)
  • 1 new tube of kids toothpaste

And take it to the post office and mail it to:
Saadia Sabour
Rue Chbanate No. 118
Essaouira, Morocco

tel: 0666 25 20 84

After my Grandma gets these packages, she will give them to my Uncle Omar. He is a teacher in a poor school in the countryside. If he gets lots and lots of pajamas, he will give them to other schools with kids who need things. If you want to add some school supplies in the package for the kids, that would be nice, too. But I really want lots of kids to get new pajamas this summer.

Please help my birthday wish come true!

I will be hitting up TJ Maxx for some returns tomorrow, and while I'm there I will definitely pick up some Pajamas!!!! I hope you all join, and anyone who personally knows me should talk to me about sending them all together to ship.