I read a quote today from this post on Apartment Therapy and it really struck a chord with me! I am going to keep these ideas in mind going forward.


“When you live in a small home, you must ruthlessly edit.” I’ve heard this, and it’s true! Whatever you own, takes or it gives. So surround yourselves with things that fill you. Only bring things into your home, that delight you. Be patient and watch for what makes you smile, or takes your breath away. That is how we learn our style. 

After a pretty terrible moving experience, (Movers to show up between 1-3 but don't and we don't hear from anyone until 7pm after calling and calling and calling! That, and our previous landlords calling to whine that I needed to come back over and *dust the walls.* WTF!) we are now completely moved in and most everything is put away. It took movers, a Uhaul, and about 20 car trips (thank goodness Andy could take a day off and work all day) to get everything. We've made a few ikea trips for shelving for the basement, Andy's new desk, and a few odds and ends. We've also made about 10 trips to Goodwill. It is amazing how much crap we have that we don't use and don't need. We set up the shelves in the basement and they are now our overflow pantry and canning supply area as well as a place to store extra dishes. Andy was able to hang all the camping stuff so that is off the floor. There are a few more items to deal with and things to put away, but we are on our way. So far, I am really liking the house. I sometimes think we should have held out for something a little larger, but when I can walk to the grocery store, the farmer's market, countless restaurants and bars, the bank, and a ton of other places, I feel like we picked a great location. I'll probably always want to live in this area of Seattle it is that great.

Cable guy is here today as well as the electrician. Progress!

Yes!

After a roller coaster week of begging and waiting, we closed on the house this morning. A last minute issue came up because the seller had not gotten a permit for the electrical work that was done and we had to wait for that to be issued by the city and then inspected. It basically came down to the last minute while we waited for FHA to approve all the loan paperwork. Our Realtor somehow worked a miracle and the title people were able to squeeze us in for an appointment this morning. Then there was the race to the bank to get the money wired in time before the hurricane shut down the east coast. Luckily, we had no problems and everything has gone smoothly. We pick up keys this afternoon and we move tomorrow!

Phew!

And then the fun begins with decorating, buying new furniture, and moving.

I can't wait to cook in our new little kitchen and put dishes in our very own dishwasher!

No news is good news, right? We have been mostly packing this week and waiting for things to happen. Hubs finally broke down and emailed to make sure we were still closing next week. Our loan guy says as long as there is a final inspection to make sure the repairs have been done, we should be fine. I'm still in defensive mode, waiting for the closing to be pushed back for some reason.

We took a break from the worry and went to the hardware store just to look around tonight. First on the repair agenda will be putting in a few new grounded outlets, replacing the thermostat, and buying a ladder so we can get on the roof for cleaning purposes. Fun stuff! We also looked at fences, refrigerators, and bought a shop vac, activities that are a little more my speed.....

Finally something good!

Got insurance today

Heard the bank appraisal went well

Electrical panel installed

Stucco being fixed next week!

Getting Homeowner's Insurance

Just might be harder than I thought it would be. I've only called one company and the lady audibly sighed into the phone when I told her the house was stucco, had a flat roof, and that the pipes were older than 2 years. She said they would give us their decision by today, but the fact that they need to discuss it makes me think she is just delaying the inevitable. She was completely clueless about the fact that stucco has been used for 100's of years to side houses and the stucco we have is not the stuff from the 90's.

As a last resort I can call my Realtor and have her find out who the owner is using for insurance. I don't really want to do that, but that might have to be what we end up doing.

There seems to be a roadblock at every turn!

A few things we have been looking at

So last week I was a Crate and Barrel picking up a wedding shower gift when I saw a very cute white table that had been marked down since it is meant for outdoor use. I snapped it up and we are planning on having a very nice place on the deck to eat outside or contemplate life. We have been going back and forth about chairs, but do have some cute red folding ones we could use and I also bought four of the Karim Rasheed Umbra chairs also in white. Those will either be for the kitchen table or they will get used outside, whatever seems appropriate.

I also had my eyes on a few of the Tobias Ikea chairs, but I am worried they might get too scratched up with time.

We've also decided on a dresser for our bedroom, a few decorative items, and I am trying to convince Andy that we need a black and white striped rug for the living room. He isn't buying into that yet, but there is still time!

As far as a kitchen table, we will probably use the one we have for a bit, (it would look nice with white or clear chairs) but I do have my eye on an Eames table that is aluminum. I'm just not sure if it will end up looking too industrial 1970's office building for our little Spanish house. The choices are endless.