http://www.ifoundahome.com/Search/Graphic.cfm?vuid=2646082

+ big lot
+ terraced backyard could make for awesome landscaping
+ room for a garden (with good sun exposure)
+ beautiful street
+ architecturally interesting
+ spacious living/kitchen/dining area
+ front porch with skylight
+ decent trees
+ good, central location near upscale shopping and FANCY neighborhoods
+ LOTS of potential

- no mineral rights
- some cracks in front steps and lava rock facing on front
- weird tiny hot tub left behind (this could be a + if it works)
- on a steep grade, which may create foundation issues
- unprofessional remodel done to turn a utility room into a bathroom
- stackable washer/dryer in other (not the former utility) bathroom
- bad, cheap tile (all rooms)
- weird ugly tile (bathroom)
- bad paint
- out of date fixtures and cabinets and appliances
- older A/C and water heater
- no garage doors, garage gets western sun
- kind of out of our price range
- no landscaping (not even grass in some places)

It's been on the market for something like 150 days. So, being as I am my mother's child, I think I'm going to make a hopefully-not-insulting lowball offer on it. The house needs to be completely redone---landscaping, paint, new flooring, new kitchen, plus a professional remodel to unscrew the totally screwed up bathroom/utility room situation. We're talking a pretty hefty chunk of change. BUT we've talked about it and with the space and neighborhood being like it is, it's somewhere that we think we could stay for a substantial length of time and just renovate as money comes available.

Plus, I've looked at the comparable recent sales for that neighborhood, and they're asking way too much for that area. Houses with substantial updates (and no horrible decor issues) have gone for $10/sq ft less than they're asking.

Our realtor gets back from vacation on Saturday. I'm going to see what she thinks about the line between hard negotiating and totally insulting and then we'll decide accordingly.

Hiatus. The power cord to our laptop broke a few weeks ago. Again. As we have been too lazy to set up either of our 2 desktops until this week, we have been without internet for nearly a month. Seamus's iMac is now occupying a corner of the coffee table until the laptop cord gets replaced or until we move to a new house and set up an office (whichever comes first).

House. We made an offer. Someone else made a higher offer the same day. Our offer became a backup, and then later became irrelevant because the other people bought the house. We're going to look at another batch of houses tomorrow, including one that may be too expensive and another that may be in a shitty suburb-type location (i.e. nothing to walk to, no sidewalks, no independent businesses nearby).

Accutane. Month 1 is complete. Pimples are down, cholesterol is up. The dermatologist increased my dosage on my visit this week, so I'll be starting on the higher dosage as soon as I finish the pill pack I'm on (later this week). As yet, no sweaty eyebrows or hair loss. In fact, the other night I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and thought that my skin looked suspiciously beautiful and radiant. I was too far away from the mirror for the dry skin flakes on my nose to be readily apparent.

Work. I got a weird meeting request from the big boss's assistant asking me to go to lunch with the big boss on September 4. Sources close to big boss suspect that this is a "getting to know you" type intelligence gathering mission on big boss's part to try and figure out where I will best fit in her organization. Considering big boss has already felt comfortable enough with me to ask for book recommendations and to explain the difference between transvestites and transsexuals, I feel that I am in no immediate danger.

Play. Seamus and I have blocked off some time at the end of the year to take a vacation. I'm thinking December 26-January 6 or so. I'm thinking Paris. An apartment in Paris. And celebrating our first married New Year in my favorite city on earth. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of introducing S (who has never been out of the US) to international travel.

Money. The cost of this trip will set us back a little on our housebuying savings, but I'm hoping we can find a house where we'll get the seller to pay a significant portion of our closing costs and then take advantage of the $7500 IRS Tax Credit that is being offered this year to replenish our savings or to invest (as it is an interest free loan). Speaking of investments, how awesome would it be to own a little apartment in Paris and rent it out most of the year, but still be able to go stay there whenever you wanted? I'm adding that possibility to our "future investments" list.

If all goes well, we will be making an offer on this house on Monday.

+ Beautiful hardwoods under carpet
+ Awesome curb appeal
+ Big lot
+ Lots of mature trees
+ Most trees are PECAN TREES (my favorite!)
+ Well maintained (has cleaning/filter change records in the A/C closet!)
+ Cool front door with sliding green screen over the window
+ Awesome 1950s flavor
+ Room for a giant vintage stove
+ Good sized bathroom
+ Double closets in the master bedroom
+ Big bedroom
+ Partially enclosed breezeway off the kitchen would be a great outdoor dining room
+ Sweet brick planter on front corner of house
+ Cute flowerbeds around the front of the yard
+ Great, established, stable neighborhood
+ Neighbors have good landscaping and nice houses
+ Well situated (is on the "good" side of the street with front facade facing south)
+ Corner lot
+ Room to make additions if needed later
+ 2 car garage
+ Has a good, happy feeling inside (like a well-loved home)
+ Good floor plan
+ No cracks in exterior brick, despite being built in 1952 with no foundation repairs since

- Heat/AC is nearly 20 years old
- Big cracks in the bathroom wall
- Priced way, way higher per square foot than neighborhood comps (I'm estimating this house should cost $74,000-77,000 based on recent sales of comparable homes)
- No stove
- Older dishwasher
- Weird paneling and ugly wallpaper in dining area
- Any additions would be a MAJOR renovation - not just dropping a half bath into a closet
- Only 2 bedrooms (we wanted 3)
- Only 1 bath (we wanted at least 1.5)
- Is an estate home, meaning the heirs are going to probably be pains in the ass

I think we could be really happy there, and I'm enjoying thinking about all the little projects and decorating and nesting and arranging everything.

Fingers crossed for us, please!!

Do you have $250 that you'd like to put in the bank?

Would you like to have another $25 just for putting that $250 into said bank?

If so, please leave your email address in the comments and I will send you an ING Direct referral. I've been using it to automagically save money (just a little from each paycheck) for a house downpayment and I love it! The money is totally hidden from me, and I only rarely remember to check it. When I do check it, it's a wonderful surprise!

Comments will be screened for privacy, Mr. Pennybags.

- DO NOT DISTRUBE TENANT.
- daimond in the ruff!!.
- Great curve appeal!
- home resides on heavily wooden lot

Also hilarious? Street names.
Long Rifle Lane
Pack Saddle Street
Snaffle Bit Trail
Hoedown Way

Not to mention the absolute NIGHTMARES of neon paint (BRIGHT DECORATOR COLORS, the realtor calls them), clutter, ill-advised remodeling, cheap and hideous tile, and the clutter OH GOD THE CLUTTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

In an effort to see how much money we can save for a house downpayment, Seamus and I are doing a "Buy Nothing" challenge for the month of July. We're allowed to buy groceries and necessities (toilet paper, soap) but no new clothes or housewares or anything else.

I've bent the rules just a little and allowed us 1 restaurant meal per week as we really enjoy eating brunch together on Sundays or going out to dinner on Saturday nights. That extra $20-30/week is already built into our budget, and I would expect to be able to keep that luxury even after we bought a house, so I thought it was fair to leave that in.

He's bent the rules by going to the store on the first Buy Nothing day, buying beer and a basket to keep his books in, and then surprising me with Muchacos from Taco Bueno when I came home for dinner last night. Maybe he doesn't get it? It's going to be really hard for me to stick with it if he's not going to.

( More house-buying financial talk )

Apparently, my new cough medicine is highly prized in the Southern hip-hop community.

Who knew?

I understand the concept of a stay at home mom.

I do not understand the concept of "housewife" when said housewife is a 22 year old woman in good health and the husband is a public school teacher of approximately the same age.

She's not a student. She's not handicapped or disabled or in otherwise ill health. They are not wealthy. Without kids, keeping house should occupy (at worst) 2-3 hours a day.

WTF does she do for the rest of the time her husband is at work? Play video games and watch cartoons?

Know who else does that? CHILDREN.

Ugh.

I have now been awake for 27 hours.

I have to be at work in 4 hours.

I do not have high hopes for today.

Still waiting on the pro photographers to send me some stuff, but I found some snapshots!

Now that planning the wedding is no longer eating our brains and spare time, Seamus and I are going to focus on eating better and living a more health and fitness oriented lifestyle.

Toward this end, we're looking at starting the Couch to 5K program together. Also, I'll be going back to the gym 3 days a week (either to work on C25K goals or my old cardio + weight training regimen) and will be planning a week's worth of healthy dinners and lunches for us both.

Apparently, he's tired of eating fast food burgers and tacos for lunch several times a week (and I know after a week of being out of town, I am sorely exhausted with beer and restaurant food).

So. For this week we'll be starting slow and easy, reviving easy favorites that he already knows how to cook and quick things that I can make for lunch before work. Scheduling our healthy meals is a little dicey since we're on opposite schedules, but we do have time to eat together at least once a day (though can only cook together on weekends).

This week we're looking at:

Chiles Rellenos (stuffed with black beans) and Green Rice
Cucumber Mandarin Salad with rice noodles and tofu triangles
Spicy spaghetti with garlic, white beans, and broccoli
Greek Salad
Chile Garlic Seitan Stirfry with rice
Avocado Rolls with Sesame-Miso salad
Broccoli Mac
Spaghetti with Zucchini and Chevre


Obviously, this is more recipes than we can eat, but I like to plan extra meals so that we have more choices each day.

( Meal prep plans... )

Dudes. I totally have a HUSBAND.

This is weird.

In other news, I'm in Austin! I would like to eat Indian food and a vegetarian chicken fried steak (or chicken fried mushroom) while I'm here. Recommendations? Anything else I shouldn't miss?

We're planning to hit Home Slice, Amy's, Hey Cupcake! (as usual), Kerbey Lane... But we'll be here for a week instead of just a day or two like usual, so we'll have time to explore!

But starting to panic a little from lack of assistance.

I don't mind doing things, but you can only do so much with 2 hands at one time. Time is getting short, and my schedule is getting more hectic...

I think I'm going to buy him this ring, so that every time he looks at it, he's reminded of me and my red hair (even when I'm old and grey).

Not that the fact that it's a wedding ring isn't reminder enough, but it's pretty personalized this way, no?

I think I goofed up the ratio of items:guests on my registry or registered for too many fun things.

I'm getting 2 peppermills, but have no dishes or towels!

We really wanted
- iron & ironing board
- dishes (I have had the same Kmart clearance dishes for 10 years)
- microwave (our microwave SUCKS and is probably irradiating us every time we steam broccoli)
- toaster oven (one that won't burn every piece of toast on one side)
- towels (a set that matches for the first time ever?)

I just checked, and we're getting 2 peppermills, but no dishes or towels!

Last night, I had a mini-epiphany.

I would rather go home after work and spend an extra hour with Seamus before he goes to sleep than spend that time working out in an effort to fit into the "best" dress. Those few weeks of extra quiet hours are more important to me than wearing that dress on May 11.

I think this is a realization that is more about marriage and less about wedding.

I feel good about this decision.

Nevertheless, I'm watching what I eat and trying to do some extra walking during my shifts at work, and if the dress fits, it fits. If not, the backup dress is also very lovely, and I'd rather wear it than miss 5-8 hours of cuddle and chatting time every week.