Meanwhile...Back At The Ranch

It's so fun to go by the house each week to see what changes have been made from week to week.  They have been building since February 13th and it has come so far.  I can't believe that NEXT MONTH we will finally be moving into that place!!  I stressed out so much about getting the loan and now we have two offers.  We found out about two weeks ago that the builder preferred lender WAS going to offer us the loan we wanted after all.  They really put us through the ringer asking for letters and documentation and paperwork over and over.  Talk about exhausting especially considering we were working with two at the same time so we'd have a back up just in case. It was never ending.  After all that stress it was a relief to finally know for sure that we will be getting that much needed $6,700 towards closing costs.   I have stressed about each and every step in this process because that's just what I do.  I can't help it.  Thank goodness everything has worked out so far.  I wish I could just save myself some heartache, be more like Mj and stop being such a worry wart all the time.  

OK.  I'm going to start now.  Do NOT worry about not getting a tenant for the condo by the time we move out.  DARN DAMN....It's not working!

April 17:  Counter tops  & Driveway Paving

April 24th:  Flooring, Appliances, Garage Door & Landscaping

House building progress con't

Out and About Saturday

Mj jumped right out of bed this morning and into the pile of laundry that was beginning to take on a life of it's own in our overflowing laundry basket. Bless his heart because I just didn't have the strength to tackle it. My mind is already on the luxury of an upstairs laundry room that we are going to have in our new house and after years and years of lugging laundry back and forth to laundry rooms I just didn't have the heart to do it again. I am all for teamwork so I was right there to help with the folding.

We stopped by our ever changing new house then it was off to the rec center. As Mj played basketball and I set out for my walk the conditions couldn't be more perfect. The air was crisp and cool with a nice breeze, the sky was a clear blue, and I was full of energy. All of the little lizards that dart back and forth across the pavement really started to freak me out. I saw some really big ones which startled me and got me running. Once I got started it felt good so I just kept on going. The moment I got tired those little lizards were right there to get me running again too! I got in some good stretching after that.

Luckily I am a a fairly low maintenance kind of gal because by the time we got home I only had about 40 minutes to shower, get dressed and be out the door for our little outing that Mj planned for us. We went to the Science Center Museum in this beautiful park close to downtown to watch "The Greatest Places" in IMAX. It's kind of a tourist thing to do but those are the things you sometimes forget about just because you live nearby and miss out on. It's this amazing theatre with a huge screen that surrounds you so that it made me actually feel like I was right there in Greenland and paddling down the Amazon River myself. It's basically a total immersion with sound and sight all around you and was pretty cool to see.

This park was bustling with people and activity every where you looked. There were probably about 4 quinceaneras, and at least two weddings going on. I saw brides in white and teenagers in elaborate bright princess dresses with their well dressed entourages and waiting limos. There was a puppet show going on somewhere, kids running around with newly won medals around their necks from who knows what, random people in various medieval costumes, and girls in dance wear. It made you feel alive just to be in the middle of it all.

I thought I had already earned my dinner with all my running from lizards earlier but apparently not. We aren't afraid to get out there and walk so with me in my Uggs and Mj in his flip flops we left our car where it was and walked about 40 minutes on foot to get downtown. Not sure how many miles that was but after my run earlier I was really feeling it in my thighs by the time we reached our destination. We just sort of wandered around until I found a restaurant that looked good and we went in. They get bonus points for having a Saturday happy hour. My Filet Mignon Quesadilla and Signature Cocktail were only $5 each. I am such a cheap date!! It's the Earn then Burn diet program. Earn your calories then burn them off!!

Mj was literally dragging me along by my hand by the time we made it back to the car. We walked in the door at home and were both in our jammies faster then you can say pajamas. We had such a fun day just going to that hour long IMAX movie and hoofing it to dinner. Mj has ants in his pants and doesn't like to spend too much time sitting in the house. This is good because I am liable to let life pass me by while sitting in the house and it gets my homebody self out too. We had a great time but it feels so good to be home and warm and ever so cozy in my plaid flannel Joe Boxers.

Next we plan to cuddle up and watch whatever cheesy horror movie we find in On Demand. It will be the perfect end to an already quite perfect Saturday.

Let Them Eat Cake

Cake tasting yesterday! I made back to back appointments for us at two different places.  Bakery #1 had some really tasty cakes all lined up for us to dig into.

We both like butter cream instead of whip cream for the frosting. I like the smoothness and rounded edges that you get with a fondant frost but that is more expensive and apparently it's very very sweet.

Our favorites were:

*Chocolate Peanut Butter: Chocolate peanut butter cake with peanut butter folded into the mousse, and a layer of fudge to top it off.

*Chocolate Mousse: Amazingly light chocolate cake with an airy chocolate mousse.

*Pudding Chiffon: Our moist yellow cake with our light Bavarian cream, one thin layer of raspberry & one thin layer of lemon, cherry or strawberry jam.

As we started to get into looking at Cake Designs Mj turned into a YES man which I hate. He felt he got shot down on his ideas so just started saying yes to everything I asked about. I want his opinion even if I don't always agree. This is OUR cake and I want us to both like it so I told him he better stop it. The cakes there would run us about $393 for a 3 layer that feeds 75 or $443 if we need to add an extra sheet cake to feed an extra 25. The delivery fee is $40 and they charge a $50 deposit for the cake supports which we have to give back in order to get refunded for it.

At bakery #2 the prices were certainly right but we did not like the cake flavors as much. They were only charging $275 for a 3 layer that serves 100. They add $25 if we want to make our cake pink and there is a $35 delivery fee. For tasting they gave us the cake and the fillings separately. They were not actually pre made with all of the layers and fillings put together like the first place. I fell in love with their Peanut Butter Mousse and it tasted really good with their marble cake. We also liked their lemon cake. I don't remember with what filling. We only want to offer two different flavors to guests.

They had some really great designs.We both prefer simplicity and elegance. I really like the first one. We'd do pink with black decoration and black ribbon around the bottom. Mj likes the bottom one in pink using black ribbons around the bottom and pink flowers branching down the cake. He likes how each layer is off center.

I haven't decided if I want to freeze the top layer for a year later. It's traditional but unless we come up with an airtight freezing method it really doesn't sound all that appetizing to me. I'm not really sure what we are going to do. We didn't book either one. There is still one more place I am going to visit on my way home next week. I can get prices and he will send me home with some cakes to try and then I guess we will just have to make a decision from there. Ideally we need to decide by the end of this month. And yes, you really can have too much cake. We were both "caked out" by the end but it was fun.

Meanwhile, the RSVP's have been trickling in.  It makes it so real that we are really having a wedding.  And pretty soon too.  We have guests!  And we definitely plan to let them eat cake.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Date night this month was a Baseball game last night. Mj is an Atlanta Braves fan and has been looking forward to this for a while. It took me about 20 minutes to devour my hot dog and finish sucking down my bud light with lime. That first sip of beer was cold, refreshing, and perfect. I'd been thinking about it all day at work and it was even better then I imagined. Then, it took me about 25 minutes to get out my gloves and beanie. It was a night game so it got pretty chilly.

I have a really bad habit of burning my mouth because I can't wait so Mj was in charge of holding onto the hot chocolate and letting me know when I could have a sip. We had some mini donuts with it. It was actually more fun watching the crowd act crazy on the jumbo tron and scramble for the foul balls as it was watching the game but I made an effort to follow along with what was going on and enjoyed it. We had great seats. Neither one of us had been so close to the action before. I don't know what it is about baseball players but most of them looked old and portly. Is it their baggy uniforms or all of the standing around? I don't know but they just don't seem as athletic and fit as the NBA NFL set. We had a good time, his team won and we left around the 8Th inning.

We took the trolley back to where we parked our cars and got home around 11:30 pm which way late for a work night. I can barely keep my eyes open and Mj has already fallen asleep. Guess we're going to bed early tonight.

The Reluctant Landlord

I held onto the property management contract as long as I could but they told me they recommend 45 days out to properly market my unit so I had no choice but to get it together and send it out. I signed the contract. I made copies of my keys. I took photos. I Inquired about a landlord policy. Mj finished up a few minor repairs. All of this in preparation for something I never wanted in the first place.

When I bought this tiny condo 5 years ago I fully expected that I would live there for the rest of my life. No balcony, no in unit laundry, and street parking but it was affordable for me on my own and I'd never have to move again. While frustratingly small at times and suffocatingly hot in the Summers it was brand newly renovated and it was enough for just me. I was tired of crappy apartments and never knowing how much my rent might go up year to year and this seemed like the ONLY way I might ever get even a small piece of real estate in an outrageously priced housing market. Yes, it was settling a bit as I have done with rentals in the past but I am no stranger to making sacrifices for budget. I had no intention of meeting anyone, falling in love and totally outgrowing said studio. But it happened and I have to adapt accordingly considering there was no way I could convince Mj to stay there forever with me or buy the house and get a roommate. Not that I necessarily wanted to.

I have had passing visions of how wonderful it would be to live in a house again some day and not have to settle. I left quiet suburbia of my parent's home for city apartments in sometimes questionable neighborhoods about 6 months after college graduation and have not made it back there yet. I envision myself washing my car in my very own driveway and doing my laundry inside my very own house. I would have a garage to park my car and a bike if I want one. There are extra closets to store things. I could have guests over and do a little entertaining. I'd sit outside in my backyard reading a book with a glass of wine and be able to take walks in my own neigborhood. Seeing as how I have saddled myself with a condo and a property value that has dropped more then 50% since I bought it the only way for this to happen is to rent it out. Selling is not an option and neither is paying two mortgages.

In preparation I started a condo fund. Over the last year once I accepted that this was inevitable I began transferring what I could spare into this account to cover any expenses that might crop up. I contemplated renting it myself but decided that at this point it's not something I want to undertake on my own.

I have three major fears where this is concerned.

1. Not finding a tenant.
2. Having said tenant destroy my property or stop paying rent causing me to have to evict them.
3. Having to rent it at a huge deficit.

Rental rates are down and there is so much competing inventory out there for renters. Ideally, I'd like to rent the place for an amount that would cover my mortgage and HOA but realistically that might not happen. This is the last piece that I need to fall into place.

The place is listed and I have a little over 30 days for someone to decide they want live there.

Birthday Shopping

Shopping is not something I do on a whim, for the heck of it or just because I saw something in a catalog that I like. At the beginning of each season change if there are things I need to update my wardrobe a bit I make a list and usually don't have a problem getting just those items. I already have my list of things that I missed out on this year that I want to get next Fall/Winter. There are three typical scenarios that will cause me to hit the mall:

1. I receive a coupon without a minimum purchase requirements. When I get these my goal is to walk in and buy one single item to maximize the discount to money spent ratio. If I can walk into a store and buy a $25 shirt and get $10 off I'm all in. This is my excuse to shop at The Limited and The Express which are stores I love but usually don't frequent because they are not cheap.
2. There is a gaping whole in my wardrobe. There might be a top or a pair of pants that I'll keep trying to wear but can't because nothing looks right with it and/or I don't have the right shoes. I finally get sick of this and go out searching for the item that will allow me to wear that piece.
3. I have an event to attend and/or a trip planned and there is absolutely nothing already in my closet that will work.

There are some exceptions here and there but that is typically my shopping profile and it helps that I generally avoid malls unless I have a specific purpose. It's not because I don't love shopping and new clothes. Oh, how I do. I just don't necessarily have a budget that is too forgiving when it comes to casual shopping, I don't use credit cards and like it or not that's that. For my Birthday my favorite stores were kind enough to send me coupons and of course I have to use them-see #1 above. It's my Birthday and I don't allow myself splurges too often so even though I am in the middle of buying a house, planning a wedding and have car registration due next month I decided to use all three.

Victoria's Secret sent me $10 off so I got these adorably soft yet lacy Angel's hip hugger panties on sale at 3/$30 (regularly $14 each). These keep me in my comfy cottons that I like but are going to be visually appealing to the hubby.

Express sent me $10 off.  I am always cold so I'm always looking for cute lightweight sweaters and these stylish tanks immediately caught my eye. I said what the hell and decided to get them anyways even though at $29.50 each not a single one was on sale (I got the ruffle top in Ivory). With my coupon the average cost per shirt was $26.17.

The Limited sent me a $15 off coupon so I did a little power shopping at lunch today.  I meant to only get one single item but I fell in love with both of these AND they were on sale. I got the drop waist one on the left in gray for $24.50 (regular price $44.50) and the peasant top was on clearance for $39.99 (down from $44.50). With my coupon the average cost per shirt was $24.75.

All together this shopping spree was $156.44. The last time I had a shopping spree of any kind-which for me is more then two items or $60 or more-was October of last year which just so happened to cause a ridiculous shopping mini melt down that I am all too happy not to repeat. What good is it trying to look good doing me if I don't allow myself to enjoy it? Wardrobe cannot live on Target, Kohl's, and Old Navy alone. Not that I can't find some darn good pieces there but I have learned over the years how important it is to mix it up with some classic, quality, nicer pieces as well.

I was given another $15 coupon with no minimum at the Limited and I'm not going to use it. At Express I earned $25 worth of fast cash with a minimum $50 purchase. I mentioned to Mj that I don't think I should use it yadah, yadah, yadah because of all that I had spent. He said "jeez, just do it I would." Some men try to keep their lady out of the mall but mine apparently has to talk me into it. I plan to go back and get this adorable $54.50 dress that I would never pay full price for.

Incidentally, it will satisfy all three shopping requirements above. I have a coupon and a B day Gift card to use, it will fill a gaping whole in my wardrobe as I have little to no summer casual dresses AND it will be perfect for my upcoming honeymoon. Even I can't argue with that!!