December - Mid Month Confessions

December

Mid month confessions

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I truly can not believe it's almost 2017.

Not sure where the year went....

Oh yeah, had a baby, sold a house, moved in with my mom, bought a house.

Yep. That's right. 

It's been a busy 2016.

I'm HAPPY to move on to 2017...

That being said, I haven't really been keeping track of all my mishaps, but I know I have SOME confessions, so here we go.... 

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I'd rather buy 2 1/2 gallons of milk than 1 gallon because I hate how heavy and awkward the 1 gallon of milk is to pour when it's full. This is weird but I honestly get annoyed with a full gallon of milk.

Austin is 9 months old (yesterday) and I much prefer him napping ON me still. It's not the best habit but I just don't care.  He's only going to be napping for so long and napping on Mama even shorter. He's just so perfect and peaceful.

I'm averaging a shower every other day lately. With the amount of time I'm on the phone or running to a lawyers office or lenders office or realtors office all while keeping Austin on his schedule, I don't prioritize showering. Luckily, I'm not necessarily dirty and dry shampoo works wonders.

I had become obsessed with Starbucks recently. To the point where I was spending like $7 a day on a venti drink and a cookie. I had to re-evaluate whether or not that was an actual priority or not. Turns out $50 a week on things like that shouldn't really be a thing. Also.....CALORIES?!

Lol so I've cut back and decided it's only going to be a treat now. That was just crazy. I've also switched to rook coffee which is a local shop I've talked about before. They truly have the best local organic coffee and it's waaaaay cheaper! A $12 bottle of cold brew lasts 7 days. And I don't have to lug a baby in and out of Starbucks. #keepingitreal

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Buying a house is probably the most stressful thing I've ever done. Ted bought our first house before we met (well, re-met) and so I didn't know what all in entailed. I thought selling a house was a pain but man was I wrong!! I've never done so much leg work before in my life. It's exhausting but so going to be worth it.

We are being super aware of our finances til this house deal is closed and Ted and I talked about not spending a lot on each other for Christmas this year. However. I told him I want a Roomba and an Apple Watch. Haha nothing says don't spend a lot like $700 on two items! But hey, one can dream.

If you don't follow me on Pinterest, you're probably lucky.  Haha. I have been a pinning FOOL as of late. I'm obsessed with this new house so I just can NOT wait to get in and make it our home! Follow me on Pinterest here if you're interested...

Every night as I'm going to sleep I think about the new house. I feel like a little kid about to go to Disney or wake up on Christmas morning. I'm just do darn excited. I can honestly say for the last couple of nights that is how I fall asleep.

A rerun of Friends and "day" dreaming about our house.

And for fun... here is another glimpse at the house... 

I'm gonna be painting forever 

Have a good day!

#tryingtobeabetterblogger

#wheredoestimego

#mamaneedsavacay

~Tiffany~

House Tour ~ Show & Tell Tuesday

House Tour

Linking up with Andrea for Show & Tell today...

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If you've been reading my blog, you know that our current house is for sale so the pictures I'm going to share and from the listing because well, they are great shots of my house and the house looked great when we shot them.
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It's pretty plain and boring, again because we're selling so
most of my "personal" things are packed up.
There isn't much on the walls.
At the end however, I'm going to share a few of the pictures of the house we have a contract on to move to as soon as we sell this one!
Ok - so here is my house....

This is what you see when you walk in the front door

 

This is the flip side from above looking at the front door

My couch area view from the hallway

Looking into the kitchen eating area from the entrance

 

 My kitchen table and slider to back yard

 

My kitchen - small but it works for now :)

Another view of my kitchen

 

 And then the view from the kitchen looking at my table and into the den

Looking in to the living room from the kitchen area

Living room again with view of the front door and down the hallway

 

 Hallway to the bathroom

 

 Our bathroom

 

 Master bedroom - Ugh, I'm just so not a fan of how cold and un-decorated it is!
I can't wait to feel like I'm HOME in our next house.

 

 This is the front - This picture drives me nuts because the door mat is crooked!

Back yard - Before the patio was power washed ;)

 

~So that is our house now~

 

Hopefully someone sees the potential and charm it has to offer so we can move...

We found our next house and we love it

We can't wait to make it ours and call it home.

Here is a sneak peak...

 

View of the kitchen from the opening from the great room

 

 Fireplace - this is so dreamy, I can't wait!

Back of house and deck

Park-like back yard (and this is just a small part of it!)

 

 Dining room - the kitchen is to the right

 

For now, we're living day to day and showing to showing.

I can't wait to settle down and stop dealing with house showings, and realtors bla bla bla.

it's going to be so nice to just be home and settled!

 

Happy Tuesday - See you tomorrow for a new recipe !

 

~Tiffany~

 

Show & Tell Tuesday ~ Yards

Show & Tell Tuesday ~ Show us your yard!

 

 

 

Ok...so currently, my backyard is pretty straight forward...

 

We have a fire chimney thing and two chairs and a table back there with it.

We have a little bistro set that we sit on quite often, and we have rocks and grass.

 

We don't LOVE our backyard in the warmer months because it's a bug sanctuary.

I mean, you have to commit to being covered in bugs....it's gross.

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So on that note, since we're going to be moving, and since Pinterest is the be all and end all of every girls fantasy world... I'm going to share some things I've recently "pinned" for our new house.

Which, by the way, I think we've found.... so with that house in mind (pix when it's official) here are some of my plans....

Find me on Pinterest here

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The house we like has a deck and window in a location that would make this option completely do-able. I love this and think it's so fun!

 

 

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We also would have room for a pool....WAY down the road... but it's on "the list"

Something small and practical but nice and functional too...

 

 

 

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Also in this yard, we would need a privacy fence because it backs up to a large concrete wall.

Which upon debate doesn't seem all that bad in the long run.

So a nice fence to replace the older one would make the appearance a bit nicer...

 

 

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And I love to grill...that's no secret!

I would LOVE to have an amazing outdoor cooking space...

 Something like this would be so cool to have, maybe a little over the top, but awesome.

 

 

Something a bit more practical and do-able would be this...

So clever...

 

 

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Since there is a beautiful two level type deck, I'd love to add soft outdoor lighting.

Something like this would be perfect

 

 

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And a fire pit is also a must.

I love spending time outside when it gets cooler out.

My cousin has an awesome yard with a huge fire pit and lots of seating around it.

I'd love to create something like that as well.

This is ideal...

 That lake as your backyard wouldn't be too bad huh?

 

 

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If we can't do the pool thing right away, which most likely we won't...

I'd love to get a hot tub.

Who doesn't love a hot tub!?

 

 

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Another thing that we saw which we both thought was genius, is turning a small shed into a bar/hangout area. Whoever thought of this is seriously amazing.

This looks so easy to do and such a fun thing to have in the yard..

With or without the pool of course

 

 

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I could make the most amazing yard if I could magically make all my pins a reality.

I can't wait to get into our new place and start decorating inside and out!

 

~Tiffany~

 

Linked up with Andrea for Show & Tell today..

 

 

Pinterest is taking over!!!

...And I mean that in the most loving way possible.

I absolutely LOVE Pinterest! I do. But dang. Where on earth am I ever going to have enough money and time to create all these amazing things that I've "pinned" !? (haha)

So Obviously, we're selling our home, Oh - I just purchased a St. Joseph home selling kit by the way - so yea. Haha Anyway, I've been a pinning machine lately because I can't wait to get in to a new house and make it OURS! ALSO - We've been talking about babies and so I've been pinning ALL THINGS BABY....like a dang champ.

 

 

Check me out on Pinterest: Here

 

After the fiasco that was "THE" house from a few weeks ago, we are now talking more seriously about new construction. There just is no competition with it. Everything is new, and you just have to move in and unpack. AND - the homes we're looking at are 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom colonials with a 2 car garage so what else do ya need really?

 

Remember this kitchen....

 

 

Yes. Please.

 

Oh to have enough room for all my "kitchen" stuff!!

 

And the amazing master suite with huge walk in closet it exactly what I need :)

 

 

Speaking of closets....

 

#Amen
 

 

I'd really love to hear from anyone who recently bought a house...

My husband bought our house we're in now almost 6 years ago....

So this whole buying/selling thing is new to me.

I love the buying part but the selling part is killing me!
I'm so anxious to get out!!

 

I dream to do this in our new house...

 

Have a cool "mudroom" entry into the house from the garage



For the gust bathroom

For the pantry door - love this!

For my Jakey boy under the stair case!

 

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Go check out my Pinterest page and see what I've been pinning lately ;)

 

Happy Tuesday

 

~Tiffany~

 

 

What matters in a new house....

It's another muggy rainy day here... humid and oddly warm for the end of November here in Jersey. I kind of hate it because I'm loving the scarf/coat/sweater weather...not this "it's hot when I'm driving home and need to open windows" I'll take the cold over warm (this time of year at least) any day!
 

Since it's a bit crappy, I figured it was the perfect day for Andrea's almost famous, insanely delicious Pulled Pork !

Excited for dinner tonight!!
 

 As I've mentioned before, Ted & I are selling our house and will be moving closer to my mom & brother/his family. And by closer, I mean 20 minutes north of where we are now, but trust me, it feels further! Ted purchased our home in 2009 so he's done the whole "buy a house" thing. I on the other hand have never done this. So it's all new and exciting as well as a little overwhelming and kinda crazy trying to figure out what will work best for us now but also be good to grow into with children. SO... on that note, what is important to look for?

Things to Consider

 

We're pretty much leaning toward new construction. The ability to make it what you want from the start is extremely appealing, but the price tag? Not so much. Not that it's far out of reach, it's just not necessarily comfortable.

It's so pretty though, it's hard to resist!

I'm hoping this is the road we go down. Because we've looked at "older" homes.

We've discussed buying a slight fixer upper that needs cosmetic fixing. But I have this fear that behind the walls we'll discover major problems or something. I don't know.
Maybe it's just a little paranoia.

So when you DO build new, what actually matters as a "must have"
I'd say an amazing kitchen. Large enough to function in and host guests, because we all know that women gather in the kitchen

I need enough counter space to cook, bake, serve, and just "work" in my kitchen.
Right now, I have limited space. It's enough and I make it work but the above would be amazing to have. It's even bigger than the picture shows too....

That being said. I also want a large enough master with a bathroom.
I'd like 3 additional bedrooms and a place for storage whether it be a basement, garage or both. Right now we are limited on storage so I'm using a bedroom to store "stuff"
We actually NEED a garage for my Austin Healey.

Another major necessity is MORE BATHROOMS! haha
We share one right now, which is OK for the most part, but can be a bit frustrating at times.

 

Oh Hey fireplace near the tub.... amazing.

Doesn't this look like a page out of a log cabin home magazine or something fabulous!

I'm not really needing anything that elaborate, but another potty would be super-fab!
And by the way... how awesome is this drawer set up.... keeping this in mind...

So to me, those things are the most important.
I need a great kitchen. A garage. And more bathrooms!

Anything else is just a bonus.

The house goes on the market officially this Monday.
We're excited and hopeful that it sells and we can move before the spring!

And if I truly had my way and life allowed, I'd be living in something like this:

On a totally different side note, we got our professional wedding pictures back last weekend.
They came out so amazing!

These are pictures of pictures because I didn't have a scanner handy.
But you get the idea.... love them!!
:)

Happy Tuesday...
Recipe Club/What's Cookin' Wednesday tomorrow
Give-Away at the end of the week!

PS: I welcome any thoughts or suggestions on buying/selling houses and building a new house from the ground up!

~Tiffany~