2013 in Review

UPDATE: I FORGOT TWO IMPORTANT THINGS!

I feel like I need to write a post about my year in review, but I can't remember half of what happened in 2013. It's all a blur. One year simply fades into the next. But from looking at my 2013 calendar, here's what I could compile about the year.

Bought a new car.
My husband sold his condo from the bachelor days.
I did a handful of photo shoots and interior design consultations for friends.
Had a great district convention.
Went to a couple of concerts.
Formally recognized myself as a photography and design consultant.
Signed up for the Regional Building Committee.
Adopted the most adorable puppy.
Designed and built a closet in one of the spare rooms.
Had a relaxing family reunion vacation.
Built a wonderful relationship with a new couple.
Participated in a few beautiful photo shoots with hubby.
Witnessed the release of a new Bible translation!
Went to CT and NY with my family.
Got out of jury duty.
Did some territory assist field service.
Traveled to San Francisco for work.
Went on a cruise to the Bahamas.
Partied and had dinners and outings with all kinds of friends.
Ended the year in Alabama with my family (grandfather, grandmother and uncle included!).

I'd say I had a very fulfilling year. The highlight of it was being with friends in all different kinds of capacities (shows, concerts, anniversary parties, restaurants, gatherings at each others houses, etc.) and doing more for Jehovah while witnessing Jehovah doing so much for me. Serving in a territory that needs assistance and signing up to help build Kingdom Halls makes me feel happy. Being a part of a special program in which we are given a new Bible... there are no words to sum up how incredibly historic it was. I was so honored to witness that.

Next year, I look forward to continuing my friendships and having even more great dinners, outings, gatherings, etc. Becoming one with the new Bible that I received is imperative. I so badly want to show my appreciation for this gift, but have such a hard time doing daily Bible reading. So I want to try hard, very hard, to make it happen. I want to go back to sitting in the front of the Kingdom Hall so as to block out distractions. By maintaining my spiritual focus, I know I'll have an even better relationship with my husband than I did last year. Continuing to grow with him is exciting as well. My husband is my best friend and my boo, so doing everything with him is my desire while still allowing time separately. Speaking of 'separately', I need to figure out how to do something. On a daily basis during the week, I am either working or trying to recuperate from working. There's no in between and there's nothing else. Work, recupe, work, recupe. I feel like I don't have much personal happy time during the week. There's no reason why spontaneity and fun has to be restricted to the weekend. So that's what I want to try to do for myself. Find energizing, happy, fun, spontaneous moments during the week. Yeah, that sounds good.

If anyone is reading this, what have you learned about yourself in 2013 and where do you see 2014 taking you?

Man Cave Update

We updated the man cave this weekend. I know it's not my go-to room being that it's the "man cave" but boy was I glad to see something happen to that room. You see, I want guests to be comfortable when they come to my house. And since MJ likes to invite guys over to hang, I was really feeling like the man cave needed to be filled out a bit more.

So here's what we did. We went to Ikea looking for this one George Jetson looking chair, but decided against it when we sat in it and felt the coldness and hardness of the thing. After 40 minutes of deliberation, hubby decided on a less expensive alternative in a black leather finish. Half of the time we took was to figure out how to match the chairs with the bright blue sofa that hubby already has in the man cave. To add the inexpensive flair that the room needs, I mentioned needing pillows so we mosied on over to the pillow section which had nothing. On our 3rd or 4th time going back through the same sections at Ikea, hubby looked at the model of his sofa that he has at home and says, "things would be so much easier if the slipcover was this color". Excited by the idea of being relieved from having to decorate an entire room around electric blue, I encouraged him to buy the more subtle but cool grey slipcover. So with the location and bin numbers for the new slipcover in hand, we went BACK to the chairs to reconsider our chair choices. With the slipcover being $250, he decided to downsize from the leather to the cotton chair. So 2 hours after walking into Ikea, we left out with a new look and feel to the man cave sofa and two new chairs to fill out the room.

The next thing we should probably do is paint. I really want this room to start taking shape so paint would be the natural step. Paint makes everything feel different. Hubby wants to go with a greyish silver so we should be able to scope some paint choices out in the next two weeks or so. After that comes the sawhorse table. That thing is going to be cool. Hubby said he wants to build it from scratch so I'm interested to see how it turns out. It should be fun though. I'm thinking we should paint the table that electric blue that was on the sofa. Talk about a PoP of cOloR! And then if we can find a really vintage stool... a workman's stool of sorts...that would be nice. Later on, we can add some storage components, throw some art on the wall, include some accessories and wa-la. Finito!

I wish I could post pictures but my blog has reached it's photo-uploading-capacity. I may need to create a new blog huh?

I'm excited about hubby's man cave. When it's finished and more homey, I'll be able to chill with him down there more often. Not too often, but more often. =)

Home Maintenance Stuff

Yesterday, my boss' boss asked me if the house we're trying to buy has a steep roof or a flat roof. While he went on explaining that steep roofs lead to more work in the gutter-cleaning department, I started to wonder what else I don't know about home maintenance. So here's to educating myself...

"Homeowners can't simply call the landlord when the appliances need to be replaced or the hot water tank stops working. All these home maintenance tasks - and even the larger home renovations - are the responsibility of the homeowner. Whether you're planning a large remodeling project, or just to cover the necessary repairs, it is suggested that homeowners budget at least 1% of their home's purchase value per year towards maintenance. Therefore, if your home is worth $220,000, you should plan to set aside at least $2,200 towards maintenance costs. Some sources even suggest you should budget for up to 4% per year, which would be $8,800 on a $220,000 home."

Read more: http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0411/7-Homeowner-Costs-Renters-Dont-Pay.aspx#ixzz1g3S8w8nl

Exterior Tasks

1. Maintain your gutters.
   Remove all debris from your gutters so water can properly drain. This minimizes standing water and slows the freeze/thaw expansion process that occurs in cold weather. Clogged gutters can cause landscaping, lawn and shrubbery, walls, foundation, basement, crawl spaces and existing gutter system damage. Consider installing “gutter guards,” which will prevent debris from entering the gutter and direct the flow of water away from the house and into the ground.

2. Maintain Your Lawn, trim your trees and remove dead branches.
   If your home has a yard, you will definitely need to budget for landscaping and lawn care costs. Paying a landscaping company to care for your lawn could run you about $30 per week. That adds up to between $120 and $150 per month for a basic lawn. If you choose to do the work yourself, your costs will undoubtedly be lower; however, you'll still need to consider expenses like fertilizer, tools and maintenance equipment, tree maintenance and seasonal plants for the garden. Although you might want to think it is free if you do it yourself, you do need to think about the time cost of mowing the lawn, or shoveling snow, if you are in the higher latitudes. Inclement weather can cause weak trees or branches to break and damage your home, car, utility lines or someone walking on your property. Keep an eye out for large dead branches in trees; detached branches hanging in trees; cavities or rotten wood along trunks or major branches; mushrooms at the base of trees; cracks or splits in trunks; leaves that prematurely develop unusual color or size; and trees that were previously topped or heavily pruned. If you see any signs of hazards, call a professional tree service.

3. Maintain your steps and handrails.
   Repair broken stairs and banisters to prevent falls and injury.

4. Inspect your roof.
   Be proactive and prevent emergency and expensive repairs. Things to look for include damaged or loose shingles; gaps in the flashing where the roofing and siding meet vents and flues; and damaged mortar around the chimney (especially at the joints, caps and washes). If you see any signs of damage, call a professional to repair the damage.

5. Inspect your home’s exterior walls.
   Look for possible weather-related damage, like cracks and loose or crumbling mortar. Wood trim and siding can suffer from deteriorating paint or become loose. Windowsills may be cracked, split or decayed.

Indoor Chores

1. Check your home’s insulation.
   Your attic should be five to 10 degrees warmer than the outside air, otherwise too much heat escapes and causes frozen water to melt and refreeze which can result in a collapsed roof. Don’t neglect your basement and crawl spaces, and well insulate pipes in those spaces to protect against freezing.
    
2. Maintain your pipes.
   Wrap your pipes with heating tape every winter and insulate unfinished rooms such as garages, if they contain exposed pipes. Check pipes for cracks and leaks and have any damage repaired immediately to prevent costlier repairs later. Keep your house warm — at least 65 degrees.
    
3. Check your heating systems.
   Be sure to maintain your furnace, fireplace, boiler, water heater, space heater and wood-burning stove and have your heating system serviced every year. Check smoke and fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and change your heating and air conditioning filters regularly.
    
4. Know your plumbing.
   Learn the location of your pipes and how to shut the water off. If your pipes freeze, the quicker you shut off the water, the better chance you have of preventing pipe bursts. Check weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors and replace or repair as needed. Caulking helps keep your house weather-tight, lowers your heating and cooling bills, and can also help keep insects and rodents out of your house. Also look for chipped or peeling paint around window frames and trim. Repair broken glass and loose or missing putty. When needed, use a modern glazing compound instead of putty for a waterproof seal.
    
5. Clean and vacuum dust from vents, baseboard heaters and cold-air returns.
   Dust build-up in ducts is a major cause of indoor pollutants and can increase incidences of cold-weather illnesses. Check all your faucets for leaks and repair any you find. Replace washers if necessary. Many types of heating and air conditioning systems contain filters to remove dirt and dust from the air. A home owner should change these filters when necessary.

And here are two additional tips that I thought were useful.

- When you bought your home, you probably received a warranty from the builder on workmanship and materials. This warranty applies to problems related to the construction of the home, but it does not apply to problems that arise because of failure to perform routine maintenance. For example, if your roof begins to leak after six months because of faulty workmanship, your warranty would cover that. If you develop a problem because water backed up in clogged gutters that you should have cleaned, the builder is not responsible for repairs. Also, some items, such as appliances, may be covered by manufacturers' warranties and are not the responsibility of the builder. 

- You should fully familiarize yourself with the terms of your warranty soon after you move into your home. With all the excitement surrounding a move into a new home, most people have little desire to curl up in front of the fireplace and read a legal document. Nonetheless, you should not wait to read your warranty until a problem arises. Set aside an hour to learn what your rights and responsibilities are from the outset.

The Hunt for a Home

We put a contract on a house! Yaaaay! The seller has already given us our congratulations speech, but I'm still holding my breath. We have inspection and appraisal to go through first. So while we chug along to our closing date of December 29th, here's some design and inspiration thoughts I've had. I really pray that we get this house so this blog isn't in vain!

So, the first few things we need to do when we get in is put in hardwood floors, paint, and get new appliances.

The floor I keep thinking about the most is the first floor which has the living room and kitchen. Since MJ is going to have his man cave in the basement, I really want to own the look and feel of the living room. That's going to be my sanity room. My woman's den.

Here's the current living room.

And this is my inspiration for the final transformation. This room is so me. I love the comfy look of this sofa mainly because I could curl up and fall asleep on this thing. My mom and I agree that that rug is to die for. Look at the texture! Can't you just imagine the feel of this rug on the soles of your feet?! And those Crate & Barrel chairs. Ugh. I love them but they are entirely too expensive. I'm going to need to find my chairs at thrift stores or antique shops.

I'm thinking I want to go with grey walls and dark hardwood like the picture below since the furniture and rug will be light. I'm actually going to go for a lighter grey than this.

And here's the other room I keep dreaming about. My kitchen. Here's how it looks now.

And here's how I want it to look when it's all said and done. We were thinking about granite countertops like everyone else does, but the more I think about it, the more I become interested in concrete countertops like these. MJ wants the sink built in just like the picture which I'm in total accord with. We've already researched how to paint the cabinets ourselves. It's going to be a cool project. Think about this kitchen with dark hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances. Ooooh yeaaaaaaaah.

Here's a look at the space right next to the kitchen. This picture is taken as if you're standing in the kitchen looking out.

I'm thinking of doing this since I've always wanted a window seat/bench.

Or this... I don't know how this would work in the bay window, but if I find a way, I'm doing it.

I'm looking for a curved bench for the bay window area. That's going to be my prized win.

I pray we get the house! More on where the house is, etc after December 29th!!!