Requirements for a House

Hi there!

Today is my day off, and the only one I will be able to enjoy from home for quite some time. The last time I had a day off I was traveling and the next stint of days we will be traveling again. So nothing will get done around the apartment, but I'm okay with that.

I planned on building some homes for the hideous 5 gallon buckets that currently adorn my balcony, but I forgot to charge the battery for the saw. So I moved onto a different project, but now I'm waiting for paint to dry...so I decided that maybe I should blog.

I haven't taken any photos lately, so I'm pulling some from my ever-growing inspiration folder.

Joe and I can't wait to live in a house. It feels like it's been so long that we've been wishing this. We're in our 4th year of apartment living and have spent almost $40,000 on rent. We are so ready to be done with it! It will happen, soon, but still feels so far away. Our goal is to be in house by September/October. But since I'm picky, we'll probably end up looking at lots of houses before finding the right one.

My top 10 wants for a house, in no order:

1. A big yard. With some privacy. That thins out our options quite a bit.
2. A garage...I can't wait to have a garage! I already have a color theme picked out and have been collecting tools, boxes, etc in those colors so I can get to work right when we move in. And I don't want the garage connected to the house, if possible, for various reasons.
3. A dressing room...wishful thinking, I suppose.
4. A kitchen AND dining room. I have a huge "table in kitchen" pet peeve.
5. A sunroom...more wishful thinking.
6. A window in the bathroom.
7. Wood floors.
8. Somewhere that I won't hear the damn highway all the time.
9. Two bathrooms, because I've gotten used to having my own. Semi-wishful thinking.
10. Lots of windows.

Here's a nice garage. I like the floor and potting bench! Joe and I have different opinions on what the garage should be used for. I vote tools, etc. He votes car housing. I suppose we could do BOTH but only if the garage is big enough. So I guess we'll need a 2 car garage.


And here is my ideal dressing room. Except I'd have 5 hooks.

When I work at American Girl in the fall and winter, I have to wear nice clothes. It would save me a heap of time in the morning if I was able to hang things and make them look pretty in advance. I have this idea that every Sunday I would get my clothes all ready and ironed and hung, waiting for the week to come. And then when I got home, I could rehang my stuff right away. This would be a lot better than my current situation, which is: run around frantically trying to find things to layer. Putting on and taking off about 6 different ensembles, mismatching here and there, until I finally shuffle my way into something that matches and layers well. Only to realize that it's wrinkled (since I never hang my clothes after work, but put them in the "clean, don't wash, don't touch (Joe)" pile instead) and maybe a quick fluff in the dryer might help. And then forgetting where I put the necklace I want to wear and the shoes that I swore were sitting by the door last night. I somehow manage to make it to work on time, but if I had 5 pretty hooks and a floor length mirror, I would be so much better off. So that's why I need a dressing room.

(as always, i don't know where those images are from. i'm one of those people who is highly unorganized even though i go through great lengths to get things just so...aaah!)

UGH this damn bird keeps coming on my balcony and yanking the leaves off my tomato plant! I have watched her do it 3 times today...no wonder that one doesn't seem to be growing! Is that normal? And there's bird shit ALL OVER my balcony. I hope it rains so it washes off, because my downstairs neighbor probably doesn't want water all over their stuff for no reason (although I have never seen them outside before...so maybe I don't even HAVE a downstairs neighbor.)

Okay well Joe gets home in 20 minutes, so it's time to speed clean the apartment.