Never Trust A Man to Pick Out A House!

 

Not too long ago I mentioned that I had never seen the inside of this house we are moving to. Many of the comments told me that I was brave and that I must have complete trust in my buddy Art.

I blindly responded to almost all of you that I did trust him, the house looked great from the outside and that he knows what I like, so it will be fine.

SMACK.ME. If I ever fall to such naive lows ever again.

Here is our new cottage

Cute, right? Now, think of the words you think of when you think cute….words small, tiny, miniature, etc. No where near cute do the words spacious, rambling, open floor plan, etc come to mind. Right?

Can you see where this is going?

I finally got to see the new pad on Monday and have been in a bit of a shocky state ever since. I am not sure if my couch is going to fit and the idea of a coffee table is a pipe dream. The closets are those narrow ones that are more like the hall closets of yore.

The kitchen? Well, it isn’t too bad, but it is going to need some serious decorating to make it look less like a galley.

Don’t you love those peel ‘n stick tiles? My mantra all week has been, “At least there will be less to clean.”

My favorite part of the new house is the back yard. There is a seasonal creek that runs behind the house, sort of a ravine and it is a beautiful jungle of plants and trees.

That is the view from my bedroom window. I know some may not like that jungle, but I love it. Jungles mean no cars or people and just letting nature do what she does. It is calming and inspiring to me at the same time.

So, the house is compact, but the yard is uplifting. I can live with that. I sure won’t be signing my name on the dotted line again without seeing a house for myself, but it could have been much worse.

The big move is happening Monday. I can’t wait until it is over!

Never Trust A Man to Pick Out A House!

 

Not too long ago I mentioned that I had never seen the inside of this house we are moving to. Many of the comments told me that I was brave and that I must have complete trust in my buddy Art.

I blindly responded to almost all of you that I did trust him, the house looked great from the outside and that he knows what I like, so it will be fine.

SMACK.ME. If I ever fall to such naive lows ever again.

Here is our new cottage

Cute, right? Now, think of the words you think of when you think cute….words small, tiny, miniature, etc. No where near cute do the words spacious, rambling, open floor plan, etc come to mind. Right?

Can you see where this is going?

I finally got to see the new pad on Monday and have been in a bit of a shocky state ever since. I am not sure if my couch is going to fit and the idea of a coffee table is a pipe dream. The closets are those narrow ones that are more like the hall closets of yore.

The kitchen? Well, it isn’t too bad, but it is going to need some serious decorating to make it look less like a galley.

Don’t you love those peel ‘n stick tiles? My mantra all week has been, “At least there will be less to clean.”

My favorite part of the new house is the back yard. There is a seasonal creek that runs behind the house, sort of a ravine and it is a beautiful jungle of plants and trees.

That is the view from my bedroom window. I know some may not like that jungle, but I love it. Jungles mean no cars or people and just letting nature do what she does. It is calming and inspiring to me at the same time.

So, the house is compact, but the yard is uplifting. I can live with that. I sure won’t be signing my name on the dotted line again without seeing a house for myself, but it could have been much worse.

The big move is happening Monday. I can’t wait until it is over!

The Downside of Thrifty Treasures

 

Have a great Thrift Store in town? Know where they have THE BEST garage sales? Haunt the free sections of Craigslist or subscribe to freecycle.org?

These things became an addiction and up until about a month ago, I visited them all often, bringing home everything from dinette sets to cheese domes to store displays to candle holders to what is now a collection of over 50 frames in various sizes. (Yes, 50. If I put a solo picture of everyone of our relatives in one, I would still have at least 30 leftover.)

The haul was mighty even while the actual cash outlay was very low. Out comes the sander, the spray paint, the varnish when they come home to help in my quest for transforming them anew. It was great fun.

Then……dah, dah, dah, dummmmm comes the idea of moving. The excitement of a new pad is quickly replaced by abject terror. I have to pack & then move all of these extra mirrors, tchochkes, vases, shadeless lamps, etc.

I am buried by months of week after week of thrifty treasures picked up for a song, but most likely languishing in closets, cabinets, to do piles and don’t forget under the beds!

That brought on the dreaded sentence words that I have avoided for my, cough, 29 years. “I will hold my very own garage sale.”

The thought of being trapped out front of my house for hours on end, having to chat with people, face their scorn of my offered knick knacks, dither and dicker on prices, and even worse, deciding on time, date, & amount of change needed has always made me cringe.

The thought of an influx of cash and the sheer determination not to have to pack and lug the crap, I mean treasures, to the new pad spurred me on.

 

That was me last weekend. My first and hopefully my last garage sale. The things that didn’t sell finally left the house today thanks to donations and free listings on Craigslist.

I didn’t make a lot of money, but that wasn’t really the point. The whole idea was to get rid of the treasures and that, I did indeed, achieve.

I NEVER WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN! No more buying stuff just because it is a good deal. No more buying something that is ugly as sin and spending hours sanding and painting only to have really no need for it or place for it.

I need a nap, but am left packing what I felt that I couldn’t live without. Which, by the way, is still too much stuff!