Three Hours Later...

Our main bathroom is painted light green. I want to buy a new shower curtain that will go with the current color.
As you can see, our current shower current is a little...odd. I found it at Urban Outfitters and loved it so much that I bought it when I lived in the dorms and didn't even have a place to put it. We have candid shots from our wedding displayed there, but since we've been married over a year, it's probably okay to move on.
Scentsy is all the rage, at least with my mom. She gave me this cute one just in time for Halloween.
A random shot from months ago. This is our Expedit at our old place, the carhole. Makes me want to go tidy up the shelves right now!
On our first real trip together, Mr Oh and I stayed in a really cute carriage house. I loved the tiny kitchen, especially the tomato print.


Well, there, I posted pictures. None that really showcased how much cleaning I did (hrrmmm, wonder why), but still , it's something. :)

A Fun Sunday Evening at The Oh House

It's time for some hard-core cleaning.
Will post pictures in three hours.

Wish List

Found here via ohdeedoh
Found here via somewhere else...

Favorite Couch

This sofa, the one I've been crushing on for almost a year, is now available for $500. This is a floor model and includes the two ottomans.

I'm trying to convince myself that we need it, but I fear I'm losing the battle.

Big Purchases

Obviously, I haven't posted recently. I think owning a home makes dreaming about one unnecessary. I do want to get back in the groove of posting what I'd like to eventually see in my own home, though. Until then...feast your eyes of what we've already done:


Now that most of our big purchases have been made, I'm ready for fun small ones! Accessorizing will commence soon.

All Moved In

Well, we've been homeowners for a little over two weeks now.

Signed the papers and forked over the cash on June 29th.

Mr Oh and I slept ate pizza and slept on an air mattress that first night. It was honestly one of the happiest moments of my life. I'm so excited that we have a home together.

We lived with the very bare essentials (like cable) for that first week, and had two trips with the UHaul on July 5th.

Now we've got everything in our giant house (giant because it's three times the space of our last place), and we're adding more.

Dropped a pretty penny on dining room furniture and a king-size mattress set today.

Here's one little glance of the house...


Bought that at an antique place not too far from here. Saw it before we moved, and thought $40 wasn't bad for something cute and useful. Then, it dropped to $28. Mr wants to paint it black, but I think it just needs a good cleaning. We'll see...

Future Purchase?

I would really like to maybe possibly buy this for a wall in the kitchen.
Yippee-ai-kai-yay.

Alphabet Fun

I read all of the sites on apartmenttherapy.com. Even though I don't have kids yet, I like ohdeedoh.com a lot. Recently they've featured some neat alphabet prints.

This one is my favorite:

The link they give isn't really helpful, but they also state it's "Animalphabet by Sigrid Martinez."

Another animal one:

I like the primary colors. It can be purchased at this etsy shop.

A personalized one:
made at another etsy shop.

This final alphabet image, isn't just a cute print, it's an AWESOME cabinet, with 26 little drawers.


Sold here. Discovered here.

To-Buy List

Mr Oh and I don't own a lot of furniture. This will be more obvious when we move into a place three times as big as our current abode.

Major pieces we have and will move with us:

• couch
• coffee table
• small dining table with five chairs
• desk
• small bookshelf
• giant ikea shelf
• tall chest of drawers
• headboard
  
• long dresser w/mirror
• small vanity
• cedar chest
• futon
• two kitchen carts (probably will be repurposed...)
• tv stand

One major item that we're missing...

a bed!

We currently sleep on a full-size bed that has seen better days. It came with our garage apartment, and it will be left here. Not only is it old and ratty, it doesn't have the best support. We tend to roll towards the middle, which doesn't help the small bed issue. Our dog (a fairly large lab mix) sleeps with us during thunderstorms, and it gets tooooo cozy. We plan to buy a queen after we move. Or maybe a king...? That seems a little too big, but it also has its appeal.

We might use our current headboard for a guest room, and buy a new bed after we buy a mattress set.

Mr. Oh likes massive, ornate beds & sleigh beds.
I like fairly simple ones & hate footboards that are taller than the mattress.


We've been furniture browsing a few times recently, and we've agreed on a few. Hopefully when it's time to buy, we'll agree AND find a good deal!

A Place to Eat

The house was appraised yesterday, next week there will be inspections...it's all rolling along.

We're thinking about how we want to use the space, what furniture we'll eventually want.

There's not a huge dining space, but there are two living areas, so one could be a designated dining room, but I'm afraid it may look awkward. My grandmother owns this console table that pulls out into a full-length table. It can probably sit 7-8 people. It even has folding chairs that store inside! If we did something like that, it would keep the room very flexible.

Googling "console dining table" gets a couple results, but I need to look a little more.

Our first contract...

We are currently negotiating an offer on this house:


Kinda crazy to think that we could be moving in a month!

Online browsing

I have a recent thing where I want to own a chaise lounge.


Here are some I found online:

The Delta Storage Chaise Lounge. This one is available in two colors - brown (shown) and tan. I think I prefer the tan. Cost + shipping = $389.99. It got good reviews, and who doesn't love extra storage?
Custom Lincoln Chaise from JCPenney. Tons of color choices and can be either microfiber or velvet. Also can be either right-armed or left-armed. It's $499 + shipping (which is free today).The Taylor Chaise Lounge. Totally different, but perhaps more versatile. Tons of color choices. I dig this "pool" one. Cost (with shipping) is $519.99.

Maybe this is it??

Although we don't have our 20% yet (it's so close we can smell it!), Mr. Oh and I got sucked in and have had two appointments to see this house:





I am really liking it. We're pre-approved for the mortgage. Now we've just got to really talk about it. If we made an offer really soon, we'd most likely borrow some cash from my in-laws. We would be able to pay them back in just a couple months. Or, since the house has been on the market for over three months already, we may just sit on it awhile. Who knows? All I know is that this could get exciting.

Bookends

I've been a fan of bookends for a few years now. We have several sets, but it's always fun to look at more...from Target
from Targetfrom Amazon

A Bicycle Built for Two

Mr Oh gave me a red tandem bike as a wedding present.

Someday I'd like to create a piece of artwork similar to this:(picture via AT via PB)

One idea is to take a photo of the bicycle and then let Kinko's work some magic.

orange

My favorite color tends to be a blue/green variation, but orange is also fun...


this is an amazing price ($36) from urban outfitters:


etsy people also have the cutest things:


I came across both items via apartmenttherapy.com.

Macy's Sofa

When Mr Oh and I shopped for a sofa a few months ago, Macy's was out of our price range.

Today we walked through their furniture department after buying a gift for my mom (Mother's Day is coming up soon!), and I saw that one of my favorite sofas was on sale:


Only $599.



Ours was $260, but it's not quite that pretty. Here it is, in it's old spot, right after we bought it:


It's now sitting along another wall, and has a much more fun rug at its feet.

Someday I'll get a new couch. Maybe even a fun "Oasis"-colored couch.
We'll see....

Future Project

This post, from my new favorite blog, is something I want to remember when I have a kitchen with more wall space.

(photo and brilliance courtesy of this woman)

I'd love to be able to write the menu on such a pretty chalkboard!

A Little Premature

I know Mr Oh and I are waiting awhile before we try for a Baby Oh, but I still can't help but keep my eyes on the lookout for things that would be great in a nursery.

Like this:












































from etsy

Home and $$$

Mr Oh and I are officially aiming to buy a house before December 1, 2009. One huge incentive is the $8000 tax credit for home buyers, of course. There was much debate and discussion between the two of us, as well as with family, about whether buying this year is a smart move. We can see the pros and cons to both, but have just decided that it is now our goal. Hopefully, if it's the right thing to do, we'll still feel this way in the fall.

Now that we have this lofty goal, we are determined to save like madmen. We've been tracking our money for the past three months, and I feel like we've been smart with our purchases. But now it's time to kick it up a notch. Now we're actually BUDGETING! Odds are that our first month of budgeting won't look too pretty, but I'm confident that we'll still be able to put a nice chunk away into our "Let's Buy a House" fund. Because we need around 25% of the home's value (for the down payment and other closing costs), we have to be diligent every single month. The faster we can stock our fund, the sooner we can seriously look for a home.

Another big factor in this decision is our tax refund. Yes, I know I'm supposed to hate tax refunds because giving the government an interest-free loan is not financially smart. But it's hard to hate when you get back $150 PLUS all that was withheld. What the $#@^$#@?? In the very near future, when both Mr and I are bankin' it up, I'll be furious with the fact that there are people who make sufficient income, yet pay no federal taxes. Our system is seriously screwed up. But, like I said, this year it benefits us GREATLY and I'll keep my mouth shut.

This isn't really a blog for me to write about finances, but since I got a little off-topic last post, why not keep it going?...

As Mr Oh and I sat down to go over our April 2009 Budget, we decided to open a few more accounts. Originally we had the following:

1. Primary Checking Account - Mr's checks are deposited into here and this is the money we live off of. Rent is paid from this money. Groceries are bought. Etc etc.
   
2. Primary Credit Card - I say that we hardly ever use this, but we did charge my tuition in January (and paid it off in full that month!) and we did use it a lot in March (to buy plane tickets and almost all of our travel expenses for another trip - lodging, food, knick knacks). We paid it off in full again. The reason we've used it for some more expensive items is because it has a rewards program. It's nothing terribly fantastic, but we can redeem points for fun stuff like restaurant gift cards and movie passes. I'm so frugral that paying for meals out irks me, and this is a nice way to treat ourselves. (Our primary checking account is tied to this rewards program, but only earns half the amount of points.)
3. Secondary Checking Account - My measly paychecks are deposited in here. It's considered our emergency fund, but it's not so funded, so hopefully no emergencies arise!
4. Checking Account We Need to Close - It's my old account (under my maiden name). There's only about $100 in it. You know, I think Mr has an old account too...but with around $1.00 in it! :) We should really close these and throw the cash into....
5. Let's Buy a House Fund - This is through ING Direct. I still love ING, but the interest rates are so pathetic now. :( Why, oh why, were they great when I had NO money??
6. Europa 2010 - This is where we keep the money (through ING) that we'll use when we go on our trip to Spain and Italy (hopefully in January 2010). It's sitting pretty good, thanks to the generosity of wedding guests, but still needs a little more for cushion.

The new accounts we opened are:

1. Insurance/Travel Savings - We pay for our auto and renters' insurance every six months, so needed a place to stash the cash as we go. Also, it was just a convenience place to include money for travel plans other than Europe. (There are two out-of-state weddings we hope to attend this year.) The convenience stems from the fact that it's linked to our primary checking account & primary credit card, so if we do make semi-big purchases for traveling purposes, we can quickly re-locate the money.
   
2. Car Fund - Yet another ING savings account! I am a huge fan of paying cash for a car, so we've gotta save. You never know when your ride will up and die. We'll set aside a set amount each month (only dipping in it for repairs/maintenance of our current cars) and hopefully it will be funded by the time we need to purchase.

New account we will open at the end of April:

1. Gift Fund - Don't you hate it when there are eight weddings in May? PLUS Mother's Day and graduations? Some months are much more costly than others (think December & Christmas versus March). In order to spread out the expenses, we want to start a gift fund.

Wow. I hadn't even counted them up. Nine (technically) separate accounts. Might seem like a lot to keep up with, but I love the organization.

In an effort to actually tie budgeting into homes/housing/this blog, let me conclude with this:

I think it is very very important to have control of your finances. If you don't, it's harder to enjoy life. I'm not saying you have to be rich. Just have control. If you dictate where your money goes (for having a nice home, cooking meals for friends) rather than always owing (student loans that last longer than your career, credit cards that paid for unnecessary purchases), you've gotta be happier, right?

And if you're happy, your home is happy.

Cohabitating

Oddly enough, the discussion of living with a significant other before marriage has come up quite frequently in recent days.

• A family member is quite concerned that an in-law has plans to move in with her boyfriend.
  

• A lifelong friend answered on a questionnaire: "What’s your goal for the year? move in with ______ and get married in the near future"
  

• A fun blogger that I read is considering the positive financial aspects of moving in with her boyfriend.

I've always had the thought that living together before marriage increases your chance of divorce by 50%.

Maybe that's the old rule of thumb? I just googled it and learned something new. Click here for loads of info. Apparently, odds do increase in certain scenarios, but might DECREASE in others.

I'm against cohabitating before marriage regardless of what it does to your risk of divorce. But that's not that surprising, because I'm against sex before marriage (for multiple reasons).

However, if you're fine with sex before marriage, why not live together? It's a good question. What's the difference, really?




Mr Oh and I have been married for almost six months. That means we've lived together for almost six months. It's neat to share something so important. We both live here, so we both have to contribute. It's OUR place. And even though we're just renting (for now...), it's important that we share ideas so that we're both happy here (for now....).

I think being married makes the whole living together process much more exciting, special, and comforting. So many things are new, but they're new to both of you. It's a fun experience. I recommend it. :)

Living in 600 sq ft

"Since 1950, the average new house has increased by 1,247 sq. ft. Meanwhile, the average household has shrunk by 1 person."

(For more fun facts, click HERE. It's actually a little outdated, since it's from a 2005 article, but just google the topic to find lots of information. Oh! And click HERE to check out where we got our cute painting.)

We currently live in a detached apartment converted from a 2-car garage. Part of the space was left unfinished to serve as storage and a workspace for our landlord (my brother-in-law). The actual living space amounts to 600 sq ft. This includes a living room, a narrow bathroom with a shower/tub combo, a life-saving linen closet/pantry/catch-all, a cute kitchen, a bedroom "area", and a walk-in closet/laundry room.

Since there's just two of us (and the dog, of course), it works. Sometimes we do feel cramped, of course. I really just think that's because we have too much STUFF, not that we don't have enough space. Although, it would be fantastic to have room to actually sit down at the table for a meal.

When we look at houses, with the idea of buying one someday (maybe this year??), I wonder about the size. We've kind of settled on 1500 sq ft as a minimum. We'd like 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Is that crazy? One bedroom would be for us (and the dog, of course), one would be reserved for guests, and the other would probably serve as an office. Not that either one of us really "work" at home. I guess it would just be a place to stash the laptop and my craft stuff. Maybe that's where we could fit a piece of exercise equipment, too. (Anyone wanna buy me an elliptical machine??) The 2 bathrooms would be ideal for when we have guests stay over. But how often would that happen? Once or twice a month, tops?

I probably scare my husband when I think about living in a small-ish space when we move. I just worry about the costs of heating/cooling, plus the upkeep, plus the money it will take to fill these rooms with furniture! Plus, I dunno. Small = cozy. And it's hard not to spend time together when you don't really have anywhere to escape! :)

Game Time

Someday, I'd like a playroom for my (future) kids. And on the floor, I'd like this rug...



..but on the rug, I'd prefer a Lab over a Dalmatian, of course!

Scrabble is the best!

The rug is available here.

Must-haves

If we were to buy a house today...what are some things it must have?

1. A garage. Preferably two.
2. A nice backyard, one conducive to entertaining. Even if we have to put in a deck or patio.
3. An open-feeling.
4. A basement or storm shelter.
5. A good location, of course! We still have no clue regarding the area where we want to buy, but I just hope it's convenient for everything: visiting family, work (for both of us), a couple stores, church. It's not fun to spend lots of time driving every day.

The Spring Cure

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with apartmenttherapy.com.

I love the beautiful photos and learning about new products or ideas.

I hate that there's so much content it's hard to keep up with and the fact that a lot of comments are snobby or rude.


However, I did receive this book for Christmas and will be participating in the so-called "cure".



I sure hope it helps -- Mr and I need motivation to live here longer!

The Pop In

Mr and I popped into a couple of open houses today.

The first one intrigued us both a little. It's located in a decent area, and it's very close to where I may end up working in a few months.

$120,900
4 bed, 2 1/2 bath
~2000 sq ft
The hall bathroom had double sinks and a swinging door separating them from the toilet and bath. I would definitely change the swinging door into one that was a saloon-style. Those are so fun in bathrooms.The kitchen, like most of the house, needs updating. Almost everything is original to the house (circa 1962). The second oven, which you can't see in the photo, is a lovely turquoise that matches the sink. Actually, I kinda like the sink. We would have to basically re-do the entire kitchen, though, and that would cost a lot of moolah.

We said if the price were closer to 100 grand, we'd make an offer, but we're not really serious. We don't even have 20% of that saved yet!

Breaking Ground

I've always loved houses. When I was younger I wanted to be an architect or an interior designer. Too bad I grew up and chose a different career.

Fortunately, there's always room for creativity at home.

This blog will hopefully serve a few purposes:

• encourage me to improve upon our current living situation
• document our journey into homeownership
• keep organized design ideas for future use