Yellow Guy

I saw this guy when I was downtown last week and it made me smile.



















We only have 123 hours to go...but who's counting?

Joe woke me up at 6:45 this morning and one of the first things he said was "Is it okay if I start taking down the decorations today?" I told him no, but that he could clean his bathroom if he wanted. I'm sure that when I get home from work tonight at least 1 thing will be taken down, because it's probably eating at him that I haven't begun to do this part yet. Actually, I know it is. Maybe I should take a few things down before I leave for work, just so he doesn't go into busy-bee mode and take down the wrong things.

Soon.

217 hours to go.














My excitement is slowly turning into an assortment of emotions...mostly all of them being good ones...but of course there is a sense of nervousness, among other things. My biggest hangup right now is that almost everyone is asking me WHY we would choose to move where we are moving, while they look at me like I have 3 heads or something.

I can understand where they are coming from. But I feel like they don't understand (nor care to understand) where I'm coming from. It's not the curious "why" that people ask...it's more of the demanding sort.

I don't have any regrets, because I know we are doing what we need to do to be happy. But you know how it goes when people rain on your parade.

I Want This

I'm pretty picky when it comes to kitchen utensils and gadgets.

Most things you really don't NEED. Which is why I gave half of our kitchen stuff to Goodwill recently. (Everything I gave away had been a gift, but really- I don't need a smoothie maker when I have a blender and I don't need a pizza maker when I have an oven and don't make frozen pizzas anyway...)

But there are 2 things that I really want.

One is a juicer. I've wanted one of those for a long time now.

And the other is one of these:


















(A Chef'n VeggiChop, via Amazon.)


For one, it's cute, and I usually only bring things into the house if they are cute (which is why Joe gets to come in.) Ha. Okay, just kidding- but seriously, it looks really well designed rather than just another cheap gimmick, which is a big reason why I want it. And two, I really like to cook, but lately I have been short on the time that I once had for that. My favorite meals all revolve around lots of chopping and dicing, which takes lots of time. So something like this would go a really long way for me. And at $29.99, I think it's a fair price for as much as I would use it.

I haven't bought anything new in ages, so I think it's time. When I get paid on Friday this is going to be shipping to my apartment with a quickness.

+++++++++++++

What are you up to today? I'm shopping around for homeowners insurance. Then I am doing some other house stuff, like packing and cleaning the apartment a little bit more and probably making a few other phone calls. I should go do that!

I need to start taking more photos.

I blame it on not having the camera that I really really want (used to be Nikon D70, but I'm sure I will have changed my mind by the time I can buy one...).

Yesterday we went to a festival (Atwood Fest) and it would be been really great to have had a camera.

The day before was Joe's birthday, and it would have been nice to take photos of my nephew who was mesmerized by the cake that Joe's mom made.

I don't know. I just need to start taking more pictures and stop caring about my shitty camera!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our house buying process started out great (as most things do.)

And then things started to suck. Joe has spend hours (seriously, hours...) on the phone each day with our loan company, trying to get things sorted out.

Long story short, our appraisal is finally scheduled (for tomorrow) so I guess we're finally moving along!

Trying to pretend none of this is happening and just move ahead with my thoughts, ideas and dreams. Which is totally not me...I don't tend to get excited about something until it's definite.
























I've been thinking about the basement a lot and what I can do to make it feel like an area I want to be in. Our goal is to set up a glamorous space to entertain and hang out. It's the first area we want to work on and hope to have it finished sometime this winter.

Only 18 days till we move in!

Links for above photos:
1. Wallpaper by Graham & Brown, from the Umbra collection. $60/bolt.
2. Linear Strand Crystal Chandelier at ZGallerie, $349.
3. Pebble Table Lamp by West Elm, $149.
4. Selenite Tealight candle holder by Burke Decor, $25.
5. Woven Pendant at Clayton Gallery, $160.
6. Recycled Glass Candleholders at Clayton Gallery, $45.
7. Pablo Table Lamp at 2Modern, $220.
8. Bridges Floor Lamp at Chiasso, $328.
9. Circuit Clock at Chiasso, $58.
10. Kiki Table at Chiasso, $48.
11. Diamond Sculpture at Chiasso, $28.
12. Armitage Cocktail Table at Chiasso, $748.
13. Glam Pendant at Chiasso, $298.
14. Rustic Pedestal Table from Pottery Barn, $299.
15. Galerie Coffee Table from Crate and Barrel, $249.

I really like the linear chandelier and the Kiki table, so hopefully they come off backorder soon! I would buy them. The Armitage Table is way out of my league, and probably always will be, which is fine. Just trying to get some stuff together so I can show Joe how I want the basement to look.

Well that's all! Have a good day, see you soon!

So

Basement Lounge

Originally uploaded by JAGwired


This is what I was talking about yesterday...a basement that's painted dark and actually looks like it has a place in the house without feeling forced. Nice and cozy and not cave-like. I really like the lighting, too!

I want to buy this lamp for the basement, which on sale over at Lamps Plus right now. But alas, I have to wait.

My mom and aunt are coming for a visit today, they should be here in about 2 or 3 hours. Am I ready? Ha, no. I still have lots to do. Then 2 of my good friends who I have known since grade school are coming the next day. So I'm sure between now and 2 days from now I will acquire a few new (or, new to me, at least) things. I decided that I can finally buy some stuff after months of saving all of my money for a house...because now we have to start getting things FOR the house. And thankfully I have an awesome mom who is a school bus driver and gets the entire summer off. She's been going to rummage sales galore and returning home with lots of great stuff for us. Which is so nice.

Okay, off to finish a few things before they get here!

Countdown Begins.

Hey everyone!

I hope that your summer is going well. Mine is flying by, and we haven't even done anything worth writing about.

Only one month until we close...I can't wait!

How pathetic is it that the only thing that I have worried about during the house buying process is paint colors? Haha, yeah. I know. It's bad. But there's still a whole month for the craziness to set in. Bring it. I already have my mega-long list made, so I think I'm ready.

I'm hoping my "collect as many design photos as humanly possible" addiction goes out the door just like my "real estate stalking" addiction went. I never thought I'd be able to kick the real estate stalking problem, and I was worried that I'd find something way better after we made an offer, and that I'd regret my decision, blah blah blah. But instead, the opposite happened- I no longer stalk real estate sites and I haven't been on one since we put the offer on the house, and I don't even have the desire to look. Neat.

So I'm hoping that the same thing happens to my design photo hoarding issue when we finally move into the house- because my inspiration folder is about to bust at the seams.

But anyway, my current obsession is our basement.

As you've probably heard me bitch before, I really REALLY dislike basements. For more reasons than I can count. But I think I have figured out why...it's because, in general, people try to make a basement something that it is not- light and airy. And, to me, it usually looks hideous. The light paint colors look so drab. The massive amounts of lighting doesn't lend much of a favor to the issue, either. Which is why we're going to go against the grain and paint our basement dark. Why not just go with the fact that basements are dark and will be dark no matter what? I guess that's just what makes sense to me. I've googled the heck out of the issue (haha, to "google" something sounds so funny) and so many people say "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!", that it makes me want to even more. So I'll show them. (And then I'll probably end up hating it...)

Anyway. I have the next 2 days off, after working a damn long stretch of 7 days, and I will have company over on both. So off I go to get ready for that.

Have a good week!

Style + Colors

Urban
Industrial
Sophisticated
Modern
...With a touch of Farm House

That's what I'm going for.

Urban being the style of artwork we put up.
Industrial and Sophisticated being the style of lighting and accessories.
Modern being the style of furniture.
Farm House being the style of some of the artwork, accessories and furniture.

++++++++++++++

Color Scheme #1:
Color Scheme #2:
I'd like to get more pink or coral things in the house, because red is too predictable and everyone has red things.
+++++++++++++++++++

I really like the Annex sectional from CB2.

The living room is long and narrow, so I think this could work fairly well.

Table

Do you think that Joe will let me start buying furniture yet?

Yeeeahhh, me neither.
Too bad really, because I can't think of a reason why this table isn't perfect. And it's on clearance at Crate and Barrel....limited quantities available. Eek!

I'm a firm believer that you should live in a space before buying any furniture. Well, I was, anyway...until I saw this.

Proof that I follow this rule to a letter: we've been living with furniture that I really dislike for the past 4 years, just waiting till we have a house so we could replace it. But I suppose we kind of have a house now...

I wonder if he'd notice that $500 was missing from our house-savings account.

Ha, who am I kidding.

I suppose I should just email him and ask.

We're getting really excited about the house!

Next year we should be able to see the fireworks from our backyard, if they light them at the same park that they had them this year...that would be neat.

We're really looking forward to being able to grill out whenever we want! And it will be really nice to have friends and family over.

Well, there's not much else to talk about right now. I have the next 2 days off so hopefully I will do something worth blogging about.

Shot from the back yard.

So let's see...what can I check off my "must have in a house" list?

1. A big yard. With some privacy. That thins out our options quite a bit. check.
2. A garage...I can't wait to have a garage! check. And I don't want the garage connected to the house, if possible, for various reasons. not check.
3. A dressing room...wishful thinking, I suppose. check...sometimes wishes come true.
4. A kitchen AND dining room. I have a huge "table in kitchen" pet peeve. not check...dang.
5. A sunroom...more wishful thinking. not check. dang again!
6. A window in the bathroom. check.
7. Wood floors. check.
8. Somewhere that I won't hear the damn highway all the time. check.
9. Two bathrooms*, because I've gotten used to having my own. Semi-wishful thinking. *Make that three, check.
10. Lots of windows. not check, but it's in order.

Things that are cool that weren't on my list:
1. Sliding door that walks out onto back deck from the master bedroom.
2. Hot tub that overlooks a beautifully landscaped yard.
3. Workshop in the basement (printmaking studio, what's up!!!!)
4. A window over the sink (overlooking that huge yard....)
5. Fireplace.
6. 5 miles away from the Wisconsin River.
7. Near the train tracks (to me, this is cool. I spent the first 19 years of my life near train tracks...i've always loved the train).
8. Great area for a hammock (childhood dream of mine).
9. Lots of potential to be way cool.
10. A very happy husband.

Oh....did I mention we bought a house?

Art and Plant

I wanted to hang out on the balcony before getting ready for work today, so I decided to make this:
Definitely not my best attempt at anything creative, actually probably one of my worst, but I had an extra frame hanging around (not literally) and I didn't want to put much fuss into it. So, for now, it will do.

I just bought that Jade plant from Johannsen's. If you live in the Madison area and haven't been there yet, I recommend a visit. They've got lots of great stuff...I could easily drop $1000 there. If I had an easy $1000, I mean.

Anyway, since I name all my houseplants, this one's name is Pinkett. After Jada Pinkett Smith, duh.

Well it's time to get ready for work. Have a good day! Today is supposed to be 90 here! Hopefully people still want to come to Rutabaga and try out some boats.

House Hunt Number One.

Hello.

So I already changed the grey to a gold color on the bird house...

That's the 5th time I've painted and repainted. But at least it's done now.

Here is the new corner for the summer, to replace this corner from the spring.


House hunting went well. Joe and I definitely have different ideas, but when it comes down to it, his really do make more sense and I'm just being Erin stubborn, making everything more difficult than it has to be (yes...i give in...i am a very difficult person to please, especially long-term. But I have been good lately and have bit my tongue a lot.) Sorry that I like character! Which translates to secret rooms, doors and passage ways. Okay, so this house turned out to be as awesome as it was creepy. It would be a really great house to have roommates and throw lots of parties in. There was a really cool secret attic thing upstairs and then we went down into the basement and the first thing I thought was "haunted house"...it was CRAZY! A concrete basement, with doors that led to more doors, locked by a nut and bolt (loved that) that you had to duck to get into and then we got to this crazy weird tiny circular room (probably 6 feet wide by 6 or 7 feet tall) that may have been a bomb shelter or a hiding place for a war or something. Who knows. It had a built in bench that went around it and the walls were slanted all the way around, it felt like a UFO! Even though it was an awesome house, there was a lot of wasted space and the layout was really random (but that's what made it fun). I just wouldn't be able to feel at ease in that house, as beautiful as it was...there's way too many hiding spots! And I freak out about home intruders on a regular basis and I don't want my sleep paralysis to come back ever again, so for my health, I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to live in such a house.

So before we saw that home, we went to this ranch.

It was beautiful inside, very sunny in the kitchen and bedroom in the evening, the backyard is HUGE (about an acre and a half) and had lots of nice gardens, there is a workshop in the basement (i hate basements........but joe loves them so this is one area where i may give in) and a utility sink adjacent to the workshop. Um, can you say printmaking studio? YES. Annnd the reason I would say okay to this particular basement is because it has a walkout into the yard, so it's not as dark and dingy as most basements tend to be. The downstairs was just really great and would be perfect for guests because it has separate living areas and a fireplace.

The problem is that...it's a ranch. And I'm not into mid-century design like I used to be (way too trendy right now and very stark and cold) so I'm a little concerned about that. And it's a ranch. The typical American house. BUT the more I think about it, the more I want to see it again, because was really cool, for a ranch. So we'll see. It also has great potential for an exterior facelift. I've already rethought that whole process.

Anyway. I'm sure by now you are bored of my house adventures. I know I would be. But I've been stalking realty sites for over 3 years now and it's finally time to buy one! So I'm just a tad bit wound up about it all.

Okay, off to the balcony I go. I'm going to plant some wildflowers.