it's our anniversary

Aiight, aiight...so I've been slacking. Many things have happened within the month, but I will just concentrate on J and I celebrating our first anniversary in our home. I hadn't reinstated my blog back when I was in the process of buying my house, but trust me, it felt like I was PMS'ing for a whole month until closing...my email gal pals know. In fact, witnessing S23 go through it is exciting b/c I'm on the other end this time. When she visited, she asked me if I pictured myself in the house that I bought before I bought it. I believe that my response was a scrunched-up-nosed-"Naw".

I looked at many houses online for about a year while I was trying to get my credit and finances straight. I knew that I would have to make some compromises within my price point b/c VA presented a bit of sticker shock for me in comparison to the N.O. pre-Katrina. But there were certain things that I refused to budge on. My JJ enjoyed his social life within the county t-ball league and his before/afterschool daycare so I wanted to keep him within the same vicinity as my apartment. I had only 2 schools that I wanted him to attend BUT I didn't want to have to drive on a major street to get to them. I absolutely HAD to be closer to an interstate on-ramp and preferably close to everywhere I needed to be...grocery stores, Home Depot, restaurants, fast food joints, shopping, etc. As far as inside, the normal 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, and if my master bath did not have a tub in it, it was immediately stricken from the list. Oh, and my baby said that he wanted a vegetable garden and one of those play houses in the backyard. I have yet to get to either of these projects, but I saw how some of the houses in my area had backyards that sloped straight down and told my then realtor that we didn't have to continue looking around those. I bet she was hot with me when I did that.

Never in my life had I seen so much wood panelling, to' up carpet, and bedrooms that could double as walk-in closets. I would constantly mumble to myself, "Is this all that I can get for the money?" I finally saw this great home in a nice family-oriented neighborhood within a 5-minute walking distance from the school that J went to. The colors were not my taste and the carpet had a lot to be desired but it had several bright kitchen windows, 2 and a half baths and a jetted tub. I was feeling it...but not for the seller's price. I asked my realtor about negotiating the price and she straight up told me, "I wouldn't offer them anything less than what they're asking for." I looked at her like she had lost her mind. I walked off to think about it and then I overheard her on the phone with my mortgage broker, her girl, shoo-shooing and whatnot. It was then that I realized that she was not working for me. I quickly let her and her girl go after a verbal disagreement...and I also let go of the idea of living in that house. It was a nice house, but I didn't get that butterfly feeling that my momma got when she walked into the house that I grew up in. So I kept it moving.

I got another realtor, who is incidentally one of my girlfriends now, and another mortgage broker, who I admired for her business savvy....this hea became my home glam squad. The pickings got better as time grew closer to summer and I started having to think on properties for a little longer than my quick dismissal. Then one day, I saw 2 houses for the same price...and liked both of them. Both were located within cul-de-sacs. One of them didn't have an eat-in kitchen, but DID have a dining room. It also had a clean, level, and small front yard and a tree-less backyard facing a street. Some of the perks were a fireplace and it was only 10 years old. It was 5 minutes away from my apartment and J would've been able to stay at his school. J LOVED this house.

The other one was located within a neighborhood that had a park-like setting...it had a huge treed front yard and a jungle in the back. It also had a nice country porch, skylights, a cute sunroom, a loft, and a window in both bathrooms (for some reason, that was important to me). It lacked the fireplace and was around 20 years old. It was about 10 minutes away from my apartment and J would've had to change schools. However, it was within a 5-minute drive from all kinds of grocery stores, fast food joints, nice restaurants, a Home Depot, shopping (including a Pier One), his new school, and an interstate on-ramp. Oh and another thing...it gave me that butterfly feeling upon opening the door. I LOVED this house. This house was different and not at all what I pictured myself in...it was better, even with the compromises. So, I bought this...

...my country abode. Although J changed schools, he ended up going to one of 2 schools that I had in mind...which turned out to be better for him. He still remains at the same before/afterschool care and plays within the same t-ball league.

It has taken much time, money, and work over the past year to get this place feeling like home but it was worth it. I have much more to do but here's my progress so far.

The #1 reason why my funds are low...despite J's pleading to save the trees and the birds, those trees had to go.

I have all kinds of plans for my front porch and yard (and it is so dangerous living this close to a Pier One), but I think that this a huge improvement. Hey, I JUST installed my pole and Welcome flag (pictured at the top...ya'll can tell that LadyBug lives there,right?)...after a year! I had a lovely Welcome mat with the breast cancer awareness logo on it at my apartment...that somebody STOLE from my front door. I figured that I'd go about things differently at my house...

I couldn't find one that said "Jump crazy if you want to, but we'll kill you!" (Maybe you can knit me one, Leezarus). Anyways, my home, sweet home...

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER (downstairs livingroom)

AFTER (upstairs loft/office)

BEFORE

AFTER

Mayne, I've accumulated a lot of stuff in a year. I guess that not having a lot of things in the beginning was good, since I was able to decorate the house taking its bones and original character into account. My dad will be here next week, so I already have a list of things for him to do tacked to my board. I hope to paint both JJ's and my bedrooms next month and get going on Operation Curb Appeal. My neighbor down the street, while walking his dog, said, "Hey, things are looking good over there." I told him that I had a ways to go. He said, "You'll soon learn that you'll run out of money before you run out of ideas."

LOL, he ain't neva' lied! It's been a good year.