Tis the Season!

Well, everyone seems to be posting pictures of their Christmas tree.. so here's mine!

It's not the best pic, but it works for now I guess.  I wanted to put it in front of the window, but I just didn't want to rearrange the furniture, so it's in the corner of the dining room.  Still pretty.

I really like Santa and Snowmen ornaments.  I have lots, but I'm starting to diversify.  As you can see, there's a reindeer above in gold, and a silver one somewhere too.  I love my new Frosty ornament though!

I may change my mind about the snowmen idea though...after all of my recent experiences with snow.  I'll write about that in just a minute!

Tis the Season!  Have a Merry Christmas!

Still working...

Still working on the house... just when I think I'm making progress another room gets messed up.  I feel like nothing is getting done, but it really is.  Progress is slow, but at least it gives me something to do!
Cleaning out the apartment this weekend and checking out.  maybe I will take one last nap on the floor there.

Hard work...

Wow, what a weekend!  Mom came to town to help me unpack and clean, and we even ended up building things!  What a team we were... who woulda thunk the two of us would have done all of this ourselves in such a short time period.  We just about worked from the time we woke up until the time we went to bed.  Although we did manage to get some great Italian food! :)
Here's what we accomplished... hopefully I won't miss anything!
Mom unpacked boxes upon boxes.  Installed wireless door bells at the front and back doors.  Washed windows.  Cleaned, dirtied, cleaned, then dirtied the house yet again. Caulked a few widows. Installed privacy film on the front door and stairwell window. Put cold weather film on a bunch of windows.  Installed the dryer vent cover.  Built a kitchen island. Trimmed down the bathroom door so it could close better.  Removed the bathroom shower door.  Installed a new curved shower curtain rod.  Installed a new shower head. Put curtains up in the kitchen and living room. Tried to put cabinet and drawer liner in... again and again and again. Put an AC cover on the central air unit outside.  
Hmmmm... I think that's it?
Thanks mom for all of your help!  Love ya!

Home Ownership

So it's been a while since I've posted.  I guess it was fun for a while then it sort of wore off.  So, I'm here to start up again.
I closed on the house on Friday and quickly moved on Saturday with the help of 4 very great friends who worked their tails off!  I couldn't have done it without them.  I went quite smooth actually.  I still have some things to move from the apartment, and clean that yet, but that will get done later this week and weekend.  Of course, there is still a lot of unpacking to do here!  In due time I guess.  There's so much to do - I'm not one that likes to wait for any of that, so it's kind of driving me nuts.  I guess I will learn some patience.  
My first priority was... setting up the living room and getting the tv/internet going.  I'm canceling my cable and cable internet.  I bought a digital tv antenna and that works great.  You can watch most shows on the internet anyway, so why should I pay for cable?  I then went to Sprint and got their 4G wifi hotspot.  Works great, and it seems faster than the cable I had!
I slept on my air mattress the first night (or tried to anyway).  The cats were going crazy exploring and all that.  And it was freezing.  Because I put priority on tv I didn't know where the extra blanket was.  I wasn't about to get up and see what awaited me downstairs in the dark.  (I'm a bit of a scaredy cat - who knows what the cats were getting into).  
After my sleepless night, I decided bedding was a priority and set up the bedroom on Sunday.  I slept much better last night - in fact I don't think I moved, I had the heavy blankets and one cat on each side of me.  I think they're a bit timid yet in this house as well.
Today after work I made what will be one of many trips to Home Depot.  Priority today was weather proofing materials:  window insulator film, water heater insulation cover, outlet insulation, air conditioner cover, caulk, foam, and what else...hmm...
Oh, so my first home improvement project:  replacing the standard lightbulb in the back porch fixture to a compact fluorescent that will go on at dusk and off at dawn.  A bit of a safety thing for me I guess.  Success!
Second project on the list tonight - install the dryer vent cover.  Failure.  Wrong size pipe.  Back to Home Depot later.
Third project attempt - wrap the water heater with insulation.  Failure.  Some pipes are in the way so I need some additional advice, and just didn't feel like putting in that effort tonight.
Fourth project - pushing some steel wool into some cracks to help keep the mice out.  Success (at least getting it in there, we'll see about the mice later)  I will have to do some more in daylight with some caulk and foam to complete this task.
Speaking of mice... I'm really afraid that at some point I will come across one.  After the above projects, I headed back down to the basement to search for evidence of mice.  None found, but let's be honest, I didn't look that closely for fear I would find something, and knowing they're there may just be worse for me than letting them be in peace as long as they stay away.  So, I turned on the dryer, just incase they were in there.  Nothing so far.  We shall see.  Wishing me luck on that front!


Will keep you posted on progress on unpacking, setting up, decorating, and all those adventures!

House

So it's been a while... quite a while.  I just haven't been up to blogging for some reason.  Anyway, the summer went by quite quickly.  Fall is quickly approaching, and the crisp air put me in the mood for two of my favorite fall comfort foods:  chili, and sour kraut casserole.  Yummy!  So, I've made them both today.  Now, what will I eat first?  hmm...


Anyway, I've been house hunting.  I know, I really wasn't expecting to, or even planning on buying a house, but when you see rates at 4.25% and the housing market depressed, price-wise, not emotionally :) I started to think it may be a good idea.  Especially because I could essentially buy a home for what I am paying in rent, or in my case, less.  


I've looked at dozens and dozens of houses, and I think sniffing so many basements filled with musty air, mold, and whatever else has put my allegies into hyperdrive, and I've since been battling a sinus infection that just won't go away.... it's exhausting.


So, I went looking last weekend, and added a new listing to my see list last minute.  It ends up it's what I've decided to go with.  I put an offer in earlier this week, and followed by accepting their counter offer!  (they countered with what I was expecting, and fully prepared to pay) They are paying all of my closing costs, and a home warranty too.  The city of St Paul is contributing 2% down payment assistance through a first time homebuyer program (it's been more than 3 years since I owned my house in Texas, so I'm a born-again first timer!)  


The inspection was next.  They wanted it very quickly in case I backed out they could still put it on the market this weekend.  I did inspection the very next day.  Nothing very out of the norm, for a house that was built in 1914.  Mechanically and structurally very sound.  Just a few minor things to take care of - I asked them to do, and they agreed.


So, after all that, we were scheduled to close Oct 15.  But, I asked if I could close Oct 8 instead, because Thomas is supposed to be here that weekend, so that would be great.  So, we're shooting for Oct 8.  Oh boy, that's less than 3 weeks away now.  didn't I just move last year at this time too?  Well, at least this one will be ours and can do whatever we want!  


Here she is... 

More to come later.  I've got the "oh my, I have to get so much stuff now" syndrome.  The list is already long:  new toilet seat, cleaning supplies, shovels, rakes (a big beautiful oak tree in the back) hoses, lawn mower, snow blower, a kitchen island, plus some work to do on the house like an exhaust fan in the bathroom, additional electrical outlets in the bedrooms, and.... 

Not to mention furniture... until Thomas moves in in June, I have furniture for the bedroom, and living room.  Oh well, that will come in due time.  More updates later!

Goal update

My mood has been up and down lately.  And now I feel like a cold is coming on.  I just took a great hot bath, hopefully I can sleep well tonight!


Anyway, it's time for a goal update.  It's my 6 month mark since I started my debt reduction plan.  Drum roll please... after 6 months I've managed to pay my debt down by 11.1%!  That is so close to my 15% yearly goal, that I should be able to reach my stretch goal of 25% within 12 months.  Woo hoo!  It can be done.


I'm happy, but a bit disappointed too because I could have exceeded 15.6% but I ended up having to use one of the cards I paid down because I lost track of my disposable spending money.  I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself for that though, I just need to continue to focus and pay closer attention in the coming months.  


How are you doing with your goals?

Basil Basil everywhere!

So... a few weeks ago I was at my sister's house and she made an omelette with fresh basil.  Yummy!  So, I bought a basil plant.  I've never really used basil, at least fresh basil so I had no idea what I would do with it... but, it does smell good!
On Sunday I made cheese tortilini with grilled chicken, sauteed with fresh basil and other veggies from the farmers market.  I mixed that with roasted red pepper and sun dried tomatoes.  I was so great, and healthy fresh too!  
Tonight... after working out I wanted something lighter.  I had a can of albacore tuna on multigrain toast (with extra fiber), avocado slices, and you guessed it... basil leaves!  It was surprisingly delicious.


What to create next?  Basil in my oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow?  Nah.