2014 Goals

We are already (almost) a week in to the New Year already! I’m not going to be totally cliché and say how it feels like “just yesterday” we were starting 2013, because honestly it doesn’t. This year has been crazy. Looking back at pictures, mainly of Harper, it does seem like it went by very quickly. I’ve shed a tear or two thinking about how much she has grown in such a short amount of time. But so many amazing (and not so amazing!) things have happened in a year, as a family we are so far from where we were last year! I wanted to share some of my personal goals for this year. Settle in with that hot drink, this is going to be a little word-y.

i. This may seem like a silly goal to most/all of you, but I seriously NEVER made the bed growing up, like, ever. I hated doing it. I probably just spend too much time looking at pictures of other people’s bedrooms (creepy?) but it makes the room look so much more together. If I can walk into a room and not feel the chaos, it’s a win in my book. So, 30 days makes a habit, and I’m going to try and keep it up!

ii.      This one isn’t a diet related goal, at all. It’s more of a financial/stop-being-a-gluttonous-pig goal. Nick and I both eat crazy serving sizes! Like, if an extra large pizza can barely cover dinner, you’ve got a problem. Well, we have a problem. We just really like to eat! I want to start cutting out seconds, and having left-overs to save some money (ok, and it will undeniably help the waistline but that’s 100% afterthought!)

iii.  I need to get better at this too. I like to read, but I’ve found my attention span just isn’t what it used to be. I need to work on focusing more, and I think reading a good book is a great way to do that! I’ve read a few in the past couple months that are part of a series, so I plan to continue with those.

iv.      Harper and I actually went on quite a few walks, especially when it isn’t -8 degrees out! Once we’re moved in and live in a neighborhood instead of off a busy freeway, I’d like taking walks to be a daily thing.

v. I love Belle Isle! I actually only went, maybe, 5 times this year. I’m excited that it is now owned by the state. Hopefully that means the bathrooms will be open! Ha! I’d like to get a bike seat or trailer for Harper to ride on, so that we can ride around the island. Definitely would like to go at least once a month this year.

vi.      This is an ongoing goal for me. Notice the earlier mentioning of how I need to “work on focusing more”. Yeah. I am the best at finding projects that I want to do, and starting new projects. Just not so great at finishing them. I think part of this is if something isn’t turning out the way I had pictured, I have a tendency to abandon it, but not get rid of it. I’m getting better at letting stuff go and therefore having less unfinished projects lying around.

Well, there you have it! I’m sure there are a bunch of other things that I’ll work on changing throughout this year, but these are things that really stuck out in my head as far as personal growth goes. Obviously, this list doesn’t include any of the house projects that we’re planning. Save that for another day.

Do you bother to make New Years Goals? I guess lots of people think that they’re silly, or are you like me and you like the idea of “starting fresh”? Let me know in the comments!

XOX

Sam

Roller Coaster of Emotions..

I didn't get a chance to pop by yesterday and with everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope that you all had a fantastic day with the ones you love. I know we had a wonderful low-key day with our little family. 

Now, on to the really exciting stuff!

The title says it all, really. We have been on a complete whirlwind of emotions with this short sale. There has been a lot of crying (mostly me) and quite a bit of arguing (that one is on both of us, this home buying stuff is STRESS-FUL.) 

Well, all of this waiting has finally started to pay off! We heard from our relator and our offer was (finally) accepted. There were some stipulations that went along with it, of course, but we are happy to oblige. Okay, maybe a little bit less than happy, but we still obliged.

We had a few issues, it being the Holidays and all, with the city inspection. But Nick worked some magic and we managed to put that on hold for the time being. That along with one other, kind-of-huge, issue popped up before we were able to schedule a closing date. 

Nick got the phone call this morning, and we officially have the green light, GO GO GO! 

It feels like we can finally breathe again. *sigh* Feels good. Obviously we're both ecstatic and can not wait to bring in the new year with such huge changes! 

I took a screenshot off of Google Street View of the house. We don't have any pictures, but don't worry, once we're in, there will be an entire Virtual House Tour and floor plan reveal. 

Can I get a HOORAY?!

XOXO 
Sam

Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Just wanted to drop by and share a few family pictures of our little hot stuff's first Halloween!

We did all of our festivities the weekend before, because of Nick's work schedule. It was a busy day, but we managed to cram last-minute-costume shopping, a zoo trip, and pumpkin carving all between Harper's nap time and bed time! Woo!

See ya later!

XOXO Sam

The world is quiet here...

Seriously, I can practically hear crickets chirping as I type this. Things have been progressing at a snail's pace. We knew that this would happen, but it doesn't mean that we were prepared for these long periods with no changes to report. 

Believe me when I say that, I haven't lost the fire behind my blogging motivation. I am bursting at the seams with ideas and projects that I want to share with you.

However, I think that I'm going to let that roaring fire die down a bit for the time being. Really let those embers do their thing. (What a beautiful mental image, no?)

In all seriousness though, I'm planning on taking a hiatus until things actually start happening again with the home front.


I'll be periodically dropping by to do some write ups about the goings on in the Detroit area though. Some really great things are happening right near our future neighborhood that I'm pretty excited about!

Oh, also I'm going to learn how to install a toilet. So there's going to be that to look forward to.

XOXO 
Sam






  

Soon to Come...

I know I'm a little late in posting this, but Nick took a day off of work so he could spend some quality time with the family. 

So, I just wanted to stop by and say, "hi" and get you excited about our next post! Let me explain, Nick and I have been talking, and we've decided to start a little, uh, experiment. Really it will just be another platform where we can express our ideas and dump all of our inspirations.

We're each going to create a mood board (via Polyvore) for each room in the house. We have been discussing design options almost non-stop since we did our first walk through of the house and things have began to get a little muddled between our two separate brains!

We think this will be a nice way to show each other exactly what we're envisioning for each individual space, and how we can make those spaces work together as a whole. Plus, it'll show where our differences of opinion are, and hopefully help us come to compromises when necessary! *fingers crossed*

Because we are still so far out on any of the renovation processes (I mean, really, we haven't even had the lender accept our offer yet. YIKES! Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket!) I'm sure that things will change and evolve as we actually get into the house and start getting a real feel for the rooms on a day-to-day basis. Once we get an idea of what it's like to live in the house we'll have a much clearer idea of how we're going to utilize the space to the full potential.

But until then, we'll just continue to share all of our design dreams with you guys! 

Check back later this week to see our moods boards!

XO Sam

Gettin' Started

So, I'm new to this whole thing. 
I wanted to do a post where I can introduce myself, in case any one else ever reads this! 

I'm Sam! I'm a 20-something year old who really loves DIY projects and crafts! I also have general anxiety disorder and Bipolar II Disorder, but I'm learning to make the best of it. I channel a lot of my anxieties into craft projects, which helps a little. I'm a full time stay at home mom to my beautiful daughter, Harper, who is eight months old. She has completely changed my life and I really don't know where I would be without her. She is the reason I get out of bed some mornings. Partially because I love her dearly and don't ever want to let her down, and also because I can't just leave her in her crib. Just kidding...but seriously, I can't. You're most likely to find me jumping up and down in the Halloween isle of the craft store, or wielding a nail gun. 

My fiancé's name is Nick. He's just starting to get into some DIY projects because we're in the process of buying our first home in Detroit, Mi. You're most likely to find him in the kitchen, cooking up some awesome vegan food for our family. 

I'm passionate about home improvement, learning, sewing, painting, interior design and decorating, Halloween and Christmas, good coffee, and everything pumpkin or peppermint scented. 

I plan on using this blog to write about the home buying process, and hopefully keep track of all of our DIY projects and struggles along the way! 

We're a young family, just starting out, and things are going to have to be completed in "real time". Meaning, we have to save all our extra pennies before we can do any big projects. 

I'm really looking forward to learning everything I possibly can about home renovation on a small scale, so that in the future I can possibly do it on a much larger scale. Let's get started!

XO Sam