Couch Potatoes

Yes, yes we are.

E & I watch TV in our Family Room almost constantly. We spend more time there than we do in our own beds. We also eat dinner on the couches.

For the past four years (how have I lasted that long?!) we have had hand-me-down couches from E's aunt. Her decor style is country. And these couches were purchased circa 1985. You can't even begin to imagine the sort of blue and white gingham and flower pattern that threw up all over this 1960's-style wing-back couch and loveseat. I wish I had a picture but, alas, the camera is afraid of these couches.

I have them covered with slipcovers. Currently, they sport a chocolate brown microsuede. They look unoffending, for about five seconds. Once you sit on them, you realize that the regular slip-covers don't fit wing-back couches and loveseats. And, no one makes slip covers for wing-back couches and loveseats. My guess is only two people in the world own wing-back couches and loveseats: us and E's aunt.

Anyway, the point. We recently went shopping for a new couch/loveseat set. We went to several places and ended up purchasing at Roomful Express. We bought this set:

We were told that the couches would be in our house between mid-to-late June. But the salesperson hinted that it was more likely to be there mid-June. Apparently she lied.

I got a call today that the couches would not be delivered until mid-July. Putting them at slightly over a month from the purchase! I was not OK with that. I had already had a goodbye party for the ugly couches and was fantasizing about the dog not having a slip-cover to tug on. So, I complained. Not angrily, just in a disappointed way. I mentioned that, had I known it was going to take over a month, I would have purchased from somewhere else. Less than a minute later, I was offered free delivery, meaning the delivery charge we paid for would be comped. Deal!

I will gladly spend an extra two weeks with the gingham and flowers (covered by brown microsuede, of course) in order to have any extra $110 in my bank account.

Now, it will be a different story if the couches take ANY longer than that!

Kitchen Upgrades- Part 1

We have a big kitchen. The room is roughly 11 x 14 with a lot of wall space. It feels roomy. And bright.

When we moved in, the kitchen only had one wall of cabinets, original to the house and painted white. Between the fridge, the sink and the dishwasher, the wall only had enough room for two over-head cabinets, two under-counter cabinets (one under the sink), one drawer, and one hard-to-reach over the fridge cupboard. Read: no storage.

The previous owners left a big bulky fake-wood cabinet that served as a pantry, and we brought in a kitchen cart that houses our microwave and pots and pans. Everything had a place as long as we kept all of our small appliances in the dining room, the dog food in the basement steps, and our baking items in a hard-to-reach cabinet obscured by pot lids. It was not efficient.

Last weekend, I packed up half of the kitchen and painted the walls a beautiful light grey color called Plantation Moss (Valspar matched into Behr). And moved the wood cabinet, with our canned goods, into the garage. What do you think of the progress so far?

Painted new-cabinet wall

Next chapter: assembling and installing extra cabinets and a counter top.

So much for the summer!

I cannot believe May is already gone! I have so many updates to post, please bear with me.

1. Running Update: I injured my knee after my awesome four mile run at the beginning of May and have been sidelined ever since! Every week I start off hopeful that I will get to run again, but then a short run with the puppy in the backyard has me limping... Maybe THIS is the week!

2. Rowing?!: Although I have not been able to run, I joined my work's corporate rowing team and am rowing every Wednesday until late July. I am so excited for this adventure! I had always wanted to try rowing, and now I actually get to do it for half the summer.

3. Puppy: Big Boss has been a joy to have in our house. He is a fantastic little pup and is learning fast. There have been a few hiccups along the way with his training, but he's getting there. And, he definitely is the sweetest pup around!

4. House updates: We have started purchasing furniture! Soon, I will blog about our bathroom re-caulking project that turned into a month-long saga rather than a weekend DIY. I also have to share a post about cutting down an unsightly dying tree in our front yard. I just need to take some after photos to share with you, otherwise the afters are not all that exciting.

Our first big update is coming up this weekend: the kitchen! Stay tuned for a few posts about the before, during and after of this mini-remodel. New cabinets are being delivered as I type! After the kitchen, we are tackling the dining room, then the living room, and finally adding a patio to our backyard.

We hope to be fully done by Labor Day weekend so we can throw a housewarming/wedding anniversary party and get to enjoy our house with our close friends.

Friendly Neighbors!

On Saturday, we headed to Ikea to buy this. It is going in our Master Bedroom to help hold E's clothes.

On Sunday, I spent all afternoon building the wardrobe. While I built it, E was unpacking our bathroom things and kicking the empty boxes down the stairs onto a heap.

Right after I finished, I heard the doorbell ring. I ran down the stairs to find a wall of empty boxes blocking my way to the front door. So, in the interest of time, I kicked them and they scattered all over the room into random piles and on-top of furniture. I opened the door breathless, in sweats and with no make-up. And there stood our next door neighbor in a suit and pearls.

She came in, and I was mortified! Our house looks like hoarders live there. With a pile of coats that covers the entire couch in the living room, extra furniture placed precariously where it doesn't go, and a random 3-D puzzle of the Black Pearl on the mantle. We are pure class!

Bless her heart, she brought us a basil plant (E already set it up, watered it and claimed it as his new pet) and a folder filled with delivery and take-out menus from the area, with special notes on places that only offer take-out. It is such an awesome and thoughtful gift. I will definitely file it away for future use. And now we have to invite them over once the house looks livable. Just so they don't think they have hoarders for neighbors.

And while we are in the topic of friendly neighbors, I got to talking with our neighbor from across the street. They have a puggle and I told her about our new pug, and she went into her garage and gave me a free crate! It is the perfect size and in awesome shape. Just needs a hose-down and a doggie bed.

I think we lucked out! We'll be sure to keep mowing our grass and tending our yard so our neighbors don't think we're the sorry people.

Morning Running

I knew I needed to get in another run before the weekend so I decided to run first thing this morning.

So I woke up at 7 am, got ready and headed out to the park. I hit the trail and ran the first quarter mile when I realized I had dropped my car keys. Frick! I found the keys and ended up running that same quarter mile three times in my search.

I ran the loop I had chosen with no major problems and made it back to my car after 2.25 miles and a new personal best on the mile (9:30). Lance Armstrong congratulated me and everything.

Then I looked in the mirror, and I saw how dehydrated I was. My face was super puffy, and my eyes looked like someone had punched me. And it was then that I discovered my issue with morning running. I don't drink enough water at night. Because I would pee the bed if I did.

During the day? I am a water-guzzling machine. And I also pee once an hour.

I vow to try morning running again soon, since it energized me and didn't cut into my schedule at all. But I need to figure out how to hydrate either before or during the run.

Running Update:
May- 6.25 miles ran, 33.75 miles to go
Year- 26.25 miles ran, 173.75 miles to go

May is National Runner's Month!

After a fantastic and exhilarating four-mile run yesterday, I have decided to set a 40-mile goal for the month of May in honor of Runner's Month.

Cheer me on as I strive to complete it!

Running Update:

May- 4 miles ran, 36 to go
Year- 24 miles ran, 176 to go

Growing into the house

Slowly, things are beginning to fall into place. The amount of boxes is diminishing, or maybe it is the same amount but my husband keeps hiding them in the basement. The amount of time we spend looking for an item is decreasing. And we have mastered the art of the recycling bin. Soon, we'll have a fully furnished home with no visible cardboard. That's the dream.

This weekend we had our first adventure into adding something special to our home. We went to meet this guy.

His name is yet to be determined. But he is a six-week-old black pug. We get to take him home in three weeks, once he's had his shots and all his papers come in. He is the runt of the litter. And his little mouth is curved into a smile. He'll join his big brother Mojito (a hairless guinea pig) in filling our house with love.

Who needs furniture when you have a perfect pup?

Kidding. Furniture is coming and, hopefully, the pup will be somewhat housebroken before we give him the chance to pee on the new couches!

Running Update

Ran another two miles around our neighborhood. Passed the ice cream truck twice. Not quite the best motivation tool!

180 miles to go!

After one week...

It's been a pretty pleasant first week in our house. Lots of unpacking and organizing and cleaning. Lots of shopping for house stuff. Lots of figuring out ways to get places.

We love our house. Mostly because it is all ours (and the bank's). However, we do not love moving and leaving behind some key items.

Tip for movers: take your plunger!

We (I) clogged the toilet on Sunday morning. No plunger. Left it in our old apartment. Crap!

Thankfully, we live just two minutes from a hardware store. The problem was fixed by a $1.69 plunger.

Running Update!

Two more miles! My feet have healed, and I am stomping around in a new park. First run was fun!

182 miles to go!

Shiny and New!

Whoa it's been busy! We moved last weekend and for the most part, all of our furniture is currently made out of boxes. We have gotten some semblance of real rooms in the Family Room and Master Bedroom, which are about 60% complete.

The Master Bedroom is missing a new bed (the current one is E's college bed), drapes, artwork and another dresser/wardrobe. And the Family Room is missing a dinette, sheers, and the artwork. We are waiting for our nice fat tax refund to buy all the new furniture, so I expect our house to sport the air of college-chic for a couple more months.

Even in progress, we LOVE our bedroom. We got some fantastic Dwell bedding for a steal on RueLaLa, and paired it with some pillowcases (hidden in the pic below) and some toss pillows from Target. Then I added a wall mural I bought on Etsy for some drama. I can't wait to finish the room with the new furniture and drapes. It will be our own little relaxing cove.

Oh, and we bought a new stove! Here she is right before we installed it. I was too hungry and forgot to take pics after it was set-up. We bought it from Daniel's Discount Appliance in South Park for about 20% under what it was listed for elsewhere.

Our first house fixes

We spent a busy weekend painting the new house and making a few small fixes.

First up: Mastering the Caulk
People often don't realize how easy it is to fix window trim and baseboards with a little bit of caulk. In a lot of older houses, the wood trim likes to separate from the wall, creating an ugly gap. A tube of caulk is just $3-4. It is also super easy to work with. Just make sure to buy paintable caulk if using it on trims and baseboards.

Before:

After:

Next: Painting
We painted our Family Room and our Master Bedroom, the two rooms we will use the most right away. We still have to do some touch-ups and we have to paint the trim in the FR. But both rooms are ready for us to move in!

FR Before:

FR After:

Bedroom Before:

Bedroom After:

Finally: Testing the New Lawn Mower

Our ILs gave us a nice lawn mower as a house-warming gift. Here is my husband taking it for a test run (note his shorts and boots).

And here is what our lawn looks like now since he decided not to finish the job. Our neighbors love us already!

Paints: Valspar Spa Pool, Olympic Applesauce Cake (matched into Valspar), Olympic Delicate White (for ceiling).

Running Update!

I have been slacking with updating my running progress.

Since I last posted, I have run an additional 12 miles.

I had a bit of a set-back last time and will be off running for about a week until I rest my feet. It is perfect timing to move though, so I won't feel like I am wasting precious running time on lugging boxes around.

Next time I run, it will be in South Park!

184 miles to go!

While we wait...

While we wait to start moving in and making renovations to the house, I thought I would blog about this awesome slow-cooker pork recipe I made yesterday (original recipe). It seriously was the best thing I have made in the crock pot so far.

3lb Pork Shoulder Roast
1 1/2 C Chicken Broth (I used water with a bouillon cube)
1 Yellow Onion
1 Package Green Maggi Sofrito (awesome product, also available at Giant Eagle in the Latin Foods section)
Adobo (I like Goya Adobo with Pepper, available at Giant Eagle as well)

Directions:
Brown the pork shoulder in a separate skillet.
Add chicken broth and chopped onion into the crockpot. Mix in sofrito.
Season the pork with Adobo (can also use salt, pepper, and garlic powder if no adobo is on hand).
Place pork in crock pot with skin/fat-side up.

Cook on Low for eight to ten hours.

After cooking, you can thicken the liquids with cornstarch to make a sauce, or serve them thin.
I served the pork over white rice with the pork liquids.

I also plan on using the pork leftovers to make some pork tacos tonight.

Note: If you ever want to cook Puerto-Rican food in Pittsburgh, the two products linked above are must-haves! If you promise to buy them, I will post my recipe for rice and beans.

We own a home!

The day finally came. We closed on our house yesterday. It is a little unbelievable that we are homeowners now.

I could hardly sleep on Sunday from the nerves and excitement. What if I forgot the checks? What if I didn't have my ID? What if the sellers trashed the house? All fears were unfounded. Of course.

We arrived at our house for the walk-through and did a quick scan of the house. Everything was in order and looked fine. We noticed how big the basement is, how old the kitchen is, and how nice the fireplace looks. We also noticed how dirty the house was left, how many things were not fixed to our standards, and how stained the caulk in the new bathroom was. It was wonderful to be in our house, but anxiety crept in as the list of fixes and projects grew exponentially.

We locked the house with our new keys and headed to the closing. A quick 30-minutes of signing, verifying names, numbers and addresses, and we were ready to roll. It was scary how easy the process to become official homeowners was. And how our mortgage will be paid off in 2040!!!

We then headed back to the house to make sure everything was locked up. And we baptized the house. By peeing in the toilet for the first time. Mazeltov!

No worries, we flushed.

Next up: home renovations!

Things you don't think about until you are at the bank...

E: (Calling from the bank) Who do we get the cashier's check made out to?

N: No clue. Call you back.

After three calls, one to the loan company, one to our REA and one to the closing company, I had the answer. The check draining most, if not all, of your savings goes to the closing company.

Also, you don't know the total until the day before, if you are lucky, or the day of closing.

We were lucky and heard our total funds for closing today, with 3 hours to spare in the business day. Even luckier, our total came in lower by a lot. Almost 15% lower.

As of COB today, we will be ready to close on Monday, followed closely by shopping for paint and buying a new stove.

So close...

Our closing got delayed. Sigh.

We had signed to close on March 31st originally. Then, the sellers asked to close on March 26 to allow them to use the funds to close on their new house. We accepted, but didn't sign anything new. We went ahead as if closing was the 26 and set up our insurance this way.

A few days ago I get a call from our REA. He says the sellers thought we were still closing on the 31st. Huh?

Turns out the seller's REA never informed them that we had agreed to this. So they planned their move for the 27 and couldn't close without having vacated first.

We are now closing on the 29. It is just three days, but we lose a weekend in between. Still... we are so close.

Delays... and Cancellations

The past few weeks have been crazy! E was out in the West Coast for business, and I flew to Puerto Rico for my niece's baptism. We were apart for a long two weeks. The longest we had been apart in four years.

After four days in PR, I was ready to come back and see E. Unfortunately, my connection flight home was canceled. The very-rude Continental check-in agent didn't originally tell me the flight had been canceled. I had to run back after I realized I was missing a Boarding Pass. She, reluctantly, put me on stand-by for the next flight (it was sold-out) and muttered that it was not the airline's responsibility since the cancellation had been due to weather conditions. I was appalled that she had been so mean, and that she had not even bothered to tell me my flight was canceled.

I arrived in my connecting city to see the flight had been delayed. I ran to the customer service desk where a nice agent, for a change, told me that all flights that day were sold out and that my chances of getting home were slim. And I broke down in tears. I was in a strange city, all alone and could not get home. I wanted to be home and see E, and I needed to get to work for a very important meeting the next day.

Thankfully, the cancellations and delays had cause some people to miss this flight and, five minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, I was able to board and head home. I arrived over four hours later than expected. Drained. And sleepy. But I was home.

A Post for my Husband.

I love my husband. I've loved him for five years now. From the time he made me watch a scary movie in his college apartment and didn't laugh every time I covered my eyes. I've loved him ever since he held me upright as I slipped in ice.

It all started with a kiss. A single perfect kiss. The kiss of your dreams. Fully in-sync, matched in rhythm, perfectly together. It was amazing, and I couldn't wait to keep kissing him. For the rest of my life.

I love his kiss.

I love his eyes, because they twinkle bright green when he is happy. I love his smile because it is guarded, and unleashed only when he is truly happy. I love his laugh. His eyes twinkle when he laughs.

I love his arms. They are strong and defined and tanned. And his shoulders. And his back. And his newly-chiseled stomach. His hugs make me swoon. And I love his wispy beard.

I love how guarded and meticulous he is. Every decision made after much thought and deliberation. Never flying by the seat of his pants. I love how sure he is of everything he does. Of our future.

I love his sense of humor. There is laughter in our house every single day. Multiple times a day.

I love his drive and his loyalty. How hard he works and how passionate he is about his work. True devotion for everything he does.

I love that he likes all my Puerto Rican food and eats enough for two of him. I love that he loves to cook, and is not shy to experiment in the kitchen. Most of the time he is a good cook.

I love that he is traditional. And sentimental. And caring. I love that he indulges my need for compulsive planning. And embraces my "life plan". Even holds me to it.

I love how he goes out of his way to make others happy. To make them laugh. To make them comfortable.

I love that he loves me too.

Happy Birthday Husband. I am so lucky to have you.

Done and Done.

The appraisal came in...

...at $500 more than we are paying. And, there were no repairs needed for the FHA loan.

And... five minutes later we received our Loan Confirmation Letter. Which means...

...we are definitely officially buying a house!

Off to design change of address postcards!