La Petite Chic

An Update on our Home

After a couple of late nights at the house last week (think 10PM, and that's after a full day of work), I think we can finally say that we're done with the demolition! Woo-hoo!!! The only thing left that Jon and I will be doing is removing the rest of the carpets, refinishing the hardwoods (which I think will be fine with just a buff and a shine), the laying of the tiles (in the kitchen, foyer and bathroom) and painting.

Our kitchen cabinets are due to come in the first weekend of March and we hope to be moving into our house by the following weekend. That's just a little over a month away! Out of all the rooms in our house, I am most excited for the kitchen. We really took our time in coming up with a beautiful, yet practical and affordable design for it and I can't wait to see our plans come to fruition. Here's a sneak peak of our cabinets:

 

They're maple with a cognac finish in a square panel. Thankfully, Jon and I both like the simple and clean-line look because, my goodness, do cabinets get expensive the more little nooks and crannies and glazes that you add to them! We did splurge on the cushion close for all of the drawers. That's the clever little catch that doesn't let your drawers slam. It's so cool! We still need to order hardware for the cabinets, but we're leaning towards doing something like this on the drawers:

 

with a matching simple round knob. Cabinet hardware can also be very expensive so we might wait a bit to add them on.

 

One place where we managed to save A LOT of money was on our appliances. There's a Sears outlet just north of Baltimore where we bought our refrigerator and (drumroll, please) my double wall ovens!! Jon has been teasing me throughout this whole renovation about how my insistence on double ovens was blowing our appliance budget, but we managed to buy it for over 50% less than the retail price! Oh, and did I mention that they're convection? SWOON.

 

Jon had strong opinions about our refrigerator so I let him lead the way in that selection. The one he picked is truly awesome...it has a shaved ice option! I'll bet we rarely use it, but the little boy in him got slightly giddy over that.

 

We also bought our gas cooktop from the Sears outlet, but we had to travel to the store in Virginia to purchase it, in a snowstorm I might add! We got the biggest size they make (36 inches) because I wanted plenty of room for pots and pans. I'm already thinking ahead for hosting dinner parties and Thanksgiving!

 

The only appliances left to buy are the microwave hood, dishwasher and wine fridge and then we'll have everything we need! The farther we get into this renovation, the happier I am that we bought an older home. It's been so much fun to play a major role in the demolition and the design and yes, the blood, sweat, bruises and meltdowns that have gone into it! It's so wonderful to finally be able to see a light at the end of the renovation tunnel.

The Other Side

Almost exactly five months after selling our condo Jonathan and I are finally ready to begin house hunting for our second home.  Can I get a collective "HOORAY!" for that, please? 

This has been a long and eye-opening experience for us.  We borrowed from our 401(k) and depleted our savings to avoid a short sale.  We scrimped and budgeted every penny that goes in and out.  We got creative with alternate ways of bringing home some extra bacon.  We moved in with my parents to save money and replenish said 401(k) and savings accounts.  We have grown as individuals, as homeowners and as a couple and though it was an experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone, I'm grateful for the lessons it taught us. 

The funny thing about all of this is that the few trolls I've had on my blog have all come out from whatever nasty bridge they live under when I post about this subject.  Well, and the one who commented on our completely unrelated financial situation on my baby post, as if they really know anything about our finances except that which I decide share.  (Which is very big picture, mind you).  (Also, note to trolls: You get deleted).  It's absolutely puzzling.  We have never asked for pity or a handout from anyone and the only reason I decided to share our story is to show a different side of the housing situation from the ones they usually highlight on the news. 

We pay our mortgage every month, on time and in full.  We don't keep a balance on our credit cards.  We have a very strict and elaborate budget that we stick to every month which tracks every last cent.  The vacations and travel that we love?  They're all saved for, usually a year in advance.  The little things that we buy?  Jon and I each have a monthly budget that we're allotted to buy whatever we want, no questions asked.  Both of our cars are paid off, we use coupons and we shop secondhand or discount, first and foremost.  Financially, we do everything right.

Truth be told, we adored our little condo.  We lovingly made it our own by tearing down walls and installing granite countertops and bamboo floors with our own hands.  We painted and hosted parties and decorated it for the holidays.  It was close to work and Washington D.C., close to great shopping and restaurants.  The only thing it couldn't do for us was make room for a baby, nor was it near our families, whom we are very close to.  And above all else, family is most important to us.

We bought at the tippy top of the inflated housing market, never expecting it to crash so hard and so quickly.  When we sold our condo, the market was nearing bottom.  If we knew then what we know now, would we have bought back in 2006?  Of course not.  But we did and there was a price to pay if we wanted to move to start our family and that was a price we willingly paid.  

We're at a place now where our savings account is replenished and we've made a significant dent in Jon's student loans.  With the current mortgage rates and the difference in home prices between D.C. and Baltimore/Annapolis, we can afford a home with four times as many bedrooms as what we had, with a lower monthly payment to boot.  People are still desperate to get rid of their homes so we'll thankfully get a break on this side of the deal. 

We're in a good place, a very good place.  I've learned a lot about saving and patience and need vs. want, lessons I won't soon forget.  Our goal is to be in a home by the holidays, though we're being non-specific on whether that means Thanksgiving or Christmas.  We're going to take our time and slowly dip our toes into the housing market the second time around and hope that we'll find our dream home, the one we'll eventually bring a baby home to.  HOORAY!

Make Your Own Chic Cocktail Toothpicks

There is a really cute preppy and beachy store near my parent's house that is my go-to place for hostess gifts or any girly gift.  I absolutely love their merchandise and to Jon's chagrin, I can never leave that store empty-handed.  They sell little packages of cocktail toothpicks with seashells on the top, but they're a little overpriced in my opinion.  Rather than pay their price, I decided to make my own toothpicks with mini seashells and starfish (to go with the bridal shower theme) and was thrilled with the way they came out.  The toothpicks were so easy to make, yet they really dress up an appetizer plate.

Seashell and Starfish Cocktail Toothpicks

Supplies

• hot glue gun
• large sandwich toothpicks
• mini seashells or starfish (we found ours on Ebay)
  
  

Directions

1. Squeeze a small amount of hot glue onto the flat end of a toothpick.
2. Quickly, before the glue dries, stick the gluey end of the toothpick into the seashell, or for the starfish, press the gluey end onto the center of the starfish.  Be gentle; little shells are fragile!
3. Place in a small cup (shot glasses work great) to allow to dry. 
4. Stick in your favorite appetizer (that would be cheese for me!) and voilá!  Instant charm!

Note:  Since our seashells were so teeny tiny, I had Jon hammer the end of each one to flatten them out a bit.  This allowed them to fit into the seashell opening and also made it easier to stick to the flat starfish.

Amanda's Bridal Shower

All that talk about amazing cocktail toothpicks and guess who forgot to upload those photos?  I'm blaming the one and a half glasses of wine (yes, I left a half glass behind) I had with our anniversary dinner last night.  Apparently three months without any alcohol will make you a lightweight.  I'll just post those pictures tomorrow with a quick (and terribly easy) tutorial on how to make them instead.  Onward to the bridal shower recap!

I daresay it was a smashing success.  We had just about fourteen people in total which in my opinion was the perfect size for a bridal shower.  Everyone was able to mingle with the bride, have a good view for the gift opening and split up into manageable sized teams for the games.  My mom and I got rave reviews on everything from the food to the favors to every last little detail that we made sure was perfect.  We live for party planning!  It was such a fun-filled day and the best way to officially welcome Amanda to our (crazy) family. 

Mike and Amanda are getting married on a beautiful beach in Naples, Florida.  When we started planning this party, my mom decided that starfish would be an ideal theme for the shower.  She found a bulk lot of starfish for sale on Ebay and we decorated them with ribbon and rings.  We finished them off by sticking them in a sand-filled large antique-y tub for guests to grab on their way out.  They were simple, yet elegant, favors.

Rather than doing a cake, I baked two batches of cupcake bites for dessert, half in chocolate with devils food cake and the other half in vanilla with funfetti cake. 

Since I had over a hundred of them by the time all was said and done, I individually wrapped some in cellophane bags (found in your local craft store), tied a ribbon on them and set them out for guests to take home.  They were very well received!

Here's a wider view of the favor table.

One of our favorite ways for Jon and I to spend time with Mike and Amanda is to go to all of the local wine festivals in the fall.  They are our wine partners in crime!  Again, my mom found the cutest starfish wine bottle stoppers online and bought them as the perfect game prizes for our wine-loving bride. 

You can't have a bridal shower without games, so we played three: How Well Do You Know the Bride? (guests answered questions about Amanda), Famous Couples Match Game (guests provided the name of a famous person's better half) and a simple drawing of a guest's name out of a basket by the bride. 

As I mentioned before, I didn't want to do a cake for Amanda's shower.  I wanted something cute and delicious and bite-sized.  Last Christmas, I baked wonderfully easy mini cheesecakes and thought they would look so darling on the dessert tray.  I baked a double batch and topped one third with fresh raspberries, one third with mini chocolate chips and the last third with a raspberry and chocolate chip combination.  They were delicious and taste just like the real thing!

Here's a close-up of the two versions of cupcake bites I baked.  It was so much fun to play around with the colors of the meltable candy!

And finally, the guest of honor, Amanda, opening a package.  She had on the most gorgeous, flowy dress and was such a graceful bride-to-be.  Notice the "sea" of starfish hanging on ribbons of tulle behind her.  Another one of my mom's idea.  She is so crafty!

My favorite part of any bridal shower is when the groom comes to pick up the bride.  Men are always so afraid to enter the realm of bows and ladies and estrogen!  Mike was a good sport though and even donned the ubiquitous ribbon bonnet.  These two are adorable together!

As promised, here is the recipe for the white sangria we served.  We had a red one too, but the white version was definitely the belle of the ball.

Just Peachy White Wine Sangria

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of white wine (Riesling, Albarino, Chablis, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc)
• ½ cup of Peach Schnapps
• ¼ to ½ cup of sugar (depending on how sweet you prefer your Sangria)
• 2 sliced peaches (frozen peaches work well)
• 1 sliced orange
• ½ mango peeled and sliced
• ½ liter of ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine and Peach Schnapps into a pitcher and add sliced peach, orange and mango.  Next add sugar and stir gently.  Chill mixture for at least one hour.  Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

If you would like to serve your Sangria right away, use chilled white wine and ginger ale and serve over lots of ice. 

Addition Ideas: 

Sliced strawberries, a handful of fresh raspberries, kiwi slices, a shot or two of triple sec, a cup of citrus soda pop.

 

The Hostess with the Mostess

I'm a born hostess.  One of the things I hated most about living in our tiny condo was that there just wasn't enough space to host a proper party.  Sure, we entertained friends a lot in our home, but we were never able to host a big soirée, much to my chagrin.  Christmas parties, Halloween (my favorite!) parties, birthday parties...you name it, I have suppressed my inner hostess urge for way too long.

Now that we're living in a house (albeit, not our own), I already have three fabulous parties in the works.  The first is a bridal shower that my mother and I are hosting for my cousin's fabulous fiancé.  We adore her to pieces and are thrilled to be able to show our love for her and my cousin in this way.  The party isn't until the end of August but we already have favors purchased and a theme picked out.  We're way ahead of schedule!  I'm working on a design for the invitations and will post a picture once (and if!) they're done.

The second party I'm hosting is a graduation party for Jonathan.  He's taking his very last class for his MBA this summer and has just seven sessions to go.  Working towards his MBA has been a huge time commitment and I think we'll both be relieved when it's over.  Since I'm so proud of him (and selfishly, so happy he's done!), I wanted to celebrate him by hosting a fun graduation party.   Since we're skipping the anniversarymoon this year to save money, I'm throwing it the Sunday before Labor Day when we're normally on vacation.  The invitations went out yesterday (I wanted to get them out early since it's a holiday weekend) and I'm so pleased with the way they turned out.

As you might know, Jon and I are huge Parrotheads so I designed the invitation after the label on Jimmy Buffett's brand of beer, Landshark Lager.  The party itself will have an island theme and already I'm having fun deciding what we'll eat.  Jerk chicken will definitely be on the menu, as well as Key Lime Pie, but the rest is still undecided.  Here's a photo of the actual label and below it is a crappy iPhone photo of my invite. 

And last but certainly not least, I'm throwing my wonderful parents a party in September to celebrate their 40th anniversary.  (They are, after all, letting us live with them and host all of these parties in their home!)  For those of you doing the math and wondering just how old my parents are, they actually were married while still in high school so they're just in their fifties!  That's simply amazing to me.  I discussed the party with them last night and they would like to have an Oktoberfest theme.  I love it and have so many ideas running through my head already!  Of course there'll be würst and my famous hot German potato salad and I plan on making the backyard look like a beer tent, and my god, the ideas just keep coming the more I think about it!  This will definitely be a fun one to plan. 

Hopefully soon (we're thinking November), we'll have our very own home in which to host parties.  Heaven knows I can't wait!  I'm thinking a housewarming party would be the perfect way to celebrate being homeowners again, don't you? :)

Last year, I recapped our amazing trip to France (and since I missed it last Thursday, here is my recap of Germany).

Magical Omelettes

Otherwise known as omelettes in a bag.  I do indeed think they're quite magical and I've taken to calling them as such, so feel free to follow suit.  My mom told us about these magical omelettes a few months ago (I think she watched it on Paula Deen) and Jon was reminded of them while researching easy breakfast foods for camping. 

For each omelette, you will need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 quart sized freezer bag
• various add-ins, such as shredded cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes, ham, mushrooms, etc...

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  You will need enough water to cover the bags and a pot large enough to hold several bags without them touching the sides.  We used a large crab pot (stock pot) and cooked about 4 omelettes at a time.

While the water is coming to a boil, crack 2 eggs into a freezer bag.  Smoosh the bag until the eggs are thoroughly "beaten", then add any toppings you like.  Again, smoosh the bag to mix the ingredients then seal the bag, making sure to get all of the air out. 

Drop the bag into the pot of boiling water, but be sure the bag doesn't touch the side of the pot as this will make it melt.  Boil for about 5-10 minutes until the omelette is cooked to your liking.  Remove the bag from the pot with tongs then let cool for about a minute before opening the bag and sliding the omelette onto a plate. 

Voilá!

Like I mentioned, we cooked our omelettes in a pot over a campfire and they turned out great!  They were a big hit and everyone was amazed at how easy they were to make and how they taste like the real deal.  Minus the time it took to get the water boiling over the campfire, they were a cinch to make because we had all of our ingredients pre-chopped and ready to go.  The only thing I would do differently is to cook the onions and peppers just a bit before adding them in, but they were still cooked and soft without doing that.  I just tend to like the taste of sautéed veggies better.

I think these magical omelettes would be wonderful at an early morning tailgate or a sleepover where you have many mouths to feed in a short amount of time.  Plus, it's fun to let your guests get involved with the smooshing and ingredient add-ins.  Enjoy!

Welcome To Our Home!

The photos are finally up!  I'm not completely happy with them, but I think they'll do the job to get a potential buyer in.  I'm especially not thrilled with the bathroom photos because you can't even see our gorgeous vessel sink nor the granite countertop.  Le sigh.  Also adding to my frustration is the fact that another condo in our community went on the market a day before ours at $60,000 less than our asking price!  It's a short sale, however, and frankly, Jon and I have no idea how or why they're asking for so little.  I just hope it doesn't have too big of an impact on the sale of our condo.  Again, le sigh...

We'll start our tour in the kitchen:

It features all stainless steel appliances, an above-range microwave, granite countertops, fresh paint, new hardware on the cabinets, upgraded track lighting/above sink lighting and ceramic tile.  We did all of the upgrades above, minus the stainless steel appliances (except Jon installed the microwave) and the ceramic tile.  Remember the before pictures?

Here's a view of the kitchen from the pantry:

For some reason, our cabinets look really washed out in the photos, but they're a birch color.

Next, you'll see the bar area:

And here's a panned out view:

The bar is one of our proudest features because it used to have a really high backsplash that doubled as a bar so tall that only giants could sit there.  We made it all one level and extended and curved it out a bit to make it more sitting/dining friendly.

The bar area leads right into our living room:

If you remember, we installed those beautiful bamboo floors all by ourselves.  The paint is our handywork too.  I love our red accent wall, the venetian blinds and just how cozy it is.  We used to have a leather "man chair" to the right of the sofa, but removed it for staging purposes.  We also had the leaning desk to match the bookshelf, but also removed it for staging purposes. 

Our living room flows right into the dining room:

We (rather, Jon and my dad) installed the new chandelier and a new programmable thermostat.  We had to move our beloved Crate & Barrel wine towers as part of the staging process, and along with them, a lot of our wine and liquour.

Next, we'll walk into the bedroom:

We originally had a gorgeous palm leaf ceiling fan in there that we installed when we moved in, but our realtor advised us to put a smaller one in there that was more in scale with the size of our room.  I love the sea glass blue and chocolate accents.  We were also advised to move our crucifix off the wall which we politely declined. 

Here's a view from the bathroom looking in:

Finally, here is our bathroom:

You can barely see the granite countertop and vessel sink, but I assure you that they're beautiful.  We also installed the mirror (which I adore and wish we could bring with us), the new light fixture and the hardware on the medicine cabinet.  Oh, and yes, the paint!  I picked it out and painted one weekend when Jon had class.  He doesn't love it quite as much as I do. 

Here's the rest of the bathroom:

We (rather, Jon and his Dad), installed the shower doors and new light/fan.  If you're really observant, you might have noticed that this is the only room that doesn't have a popcorn ceiling.  We got ambitious one weekend after watching Designed To Sell in which they made it look super easy to remove a popcorn ceiling.  It wasn't.  AT ALL.  Therefore, this was the only room we did.

And that is our home!  They didn't take pictures of our entry hall, but you're not really missing much anyway.  We're already having an open house on Sunday...cross your fingers for a quick sale!

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are!

I ADORE our realtor.  We walked through our condo with him yesterday morning and then chatted for a few minutes so that we could discuss our expectations of him and the sale of our home and make sure that we're all on the same page.  He left us with a big packet of information to review on his sales record on other one bed/one bath condos in our neighborhood and leafing through it left me with a much better feeling in my stomach than I had a few days ago.  

In the past year, the majority of the condos he has sold have only been on the market for a month.  A MONTH.  That is remarkable not only in good times, but especially in the housing market we find ourselves in now.  The one exception to that was a condo that took four months to sell.  Even that is reasonable to me!  The sales prices are a bit (okay, a lot) lower than what we expect to get for our place, but since we have some time to play with, I have no qualms with listing it for what we want to receive. 

He advised us not to replace the carpet in our bedroom since it's still in decent shape and we've already put so much money into our place, but he did recommend replacing our bedroom ceiling fan, which, it turns out, was a bit over-sized for our room.  A quick trip to Home Depot yesterday and a short hour of my hot, handyman husband installing a new, smaller one and it was done.  Now we just need to put a back-splash in the kitchen and we will be all set.  We sit down with him again on Wednesday to discuss all things financial and his recommendations for listing and staging (which his agency does for us!) and what-not, but oh, I'm just feeling so much better about it all!  And guys, he has a blog!  True, it's a real estate focused blog, but still...our realtor is a blogger!

Oh, and thanks to a reminder e-mail from the awesome Chris, it turns out that today is Delurking Day!  I love comments just as much as the next blogger, so please, take this opportunity to expose yourself (hee hee) and say hello.  Don't be shy!  And for fun (since I'm daydreaming about summer on this crisp January day), tell me what your favorite summertime activity is.  Mine is going to the beach.  And cook-outs!  Ooh, and outdoor concerts!!  Go ahead, what's yours?

The Lovely Housing Market

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Jon and I went on an exploratory house hunt the weekend after Christmas and we were very excited to find that we can afford a lot more house than what we originally thought we could thanks in part to the falling interest rates.  After the past couple of years of living in a cozy one bedroom condo, we are obviously thrilled at the prospect of having more than 690 square feet of living space.  Just the thought of being able to cook in the kitchen at the same time or not sharing the bathroom sink or having a spare bedroom for guests tickles me pink. 

Before we can even consider buying a new home, however, there are a few obstacles in our way.  The most glaringly terrifying and important one, of course, is selling our condo.  We bought our home right before we got married in the summer of 2006, when it was still a seller's market, which means that we paid a whole lot more than what they're going for now.  As you might remember, we've done a lot of upgrades in the past 2½ years: installed granite countertops in our kitchen and bathroom, installed stainless steel hardware on all of the cabinetry, installed a beautiful vessel sink in the bathroom, installed gorgeous and eco-friendly bamboo hardwood floors in the dining area and living room and have painted every room except for our bedroom. 

There are still a few to-dos on our home improvement list such as replacing the carpet in the bedroom and putting a backsplash in the kitchen but before we put any more money into our condo, we want to meet with a realtor to see if it would help with our home value at all.  We have an appointment with a local realtor tomorrow in which he'll do a basic walk through of our place and then we'll meet with him again on Wednesday so that we can talk numbers.  Cross your fingers that we'll get positive feedback!

If selling our condo turns out to be easier than expected, then the only other worry we have is finding new jobs for the both of us.  I've been casually looking for the past couple of months and so far the job market seems to be pretty dismal.  It's just our luck that both the housing market and the job market is down just when we need to delve into them!  I'll be sure to keep you all posted along the way, but for now I've been preoccupied with decluttering our place and pre-emptively searching for a new home.  It's kind of disheartening actually...I've found several gorgeous houses with a big yard and everything else we're looking for, but we can't do anything about it until the other pieces fall into place.  Le sigh!

P.S.  I think those of us in the "hair grows back coarser and darker boat" totally won this unofficial poll, but it seems there are some lucky girls out there who don't share our problem! 

Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging...

• Sticking my cold feet under Jon's bum to warm them up.  Our house is pretty darn cold because we have this little rule of not turning our heat on until Thanksgiving.  That's usually not too uncomfortable, but it has been reallllly chilly this week so I've resorted to the old icicle toes to warm tush method of warming oneself.  Who needs socks?

• Baking amazing homemade cakes in my baking class.  I think I forgot to mention that I was taking a baking class.  It's one of those adult education classes and was only for two nights.  We made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting the first class and a chiffon cake and vanilla cake with chocolate frosting last night.  They were all delicious!  I'll post the recipes later if you want them.

 

• Collecting a plethora of pine cones while walking Lola.  I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with them yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something!  Last year I just stuck a bunch of pine cones in my glass centerpiece and they looked gorgeous!  I have enough collected this year to make a wreath, but we'll see how motivated I am to actually make one.

• Finishing up my first week of pre-natal vitamins and Omega-3 capsules.  I've also cut out caffeine from my diet, which really wasn't hard to do considering that I don't really ever drink soda and my cup of tea a day was easily replaced by decaf.  I drink it for the flavor and not the caffeine anyway so it was a piece of cake.  I will not, however, cut wine out of my diet until I know I'm pregnant!

• Making delicious warming chilis and soups in the Crockpot.  This week's soup was Goulash Suppe, and oh my goodness, was it delicious!  I was very proud of this effort because the chicken stock I used as my base was one that I made and froze from our roasted chicken a few weeks ago.  Betty Crocker, eat your heart out!

• Being amazed by my former college teammates.  Two of my Richmond teammates ran the Marine Corps Marathon Sunday and they finished 2nd and 14th overall for the women!!  That's out of the 18,260 people who finished!  How incredible is that??  I am so proud of them.  Makes me wonder what I could do...

• Working verrrrry long hours.  It's college recruiting season and this madness won't be over until next Friday.  In fact, it's almost 8 PM and I'm still at work.  I figured I should sneak in a post so you all won't think I disappeared!  Hold me.  And please send more wine.  And possibly a pizza.