Oh, my gosh. Those comments! This: Thank you. Really. From my heart, thank you. Oh, I’m HAPPY. Hey, did I tell you? I have a HOME!
Huge happy sigh.
And now, more pictures! Bethany‘s in town for the weekend (all right, my weekend, since I suppose Tuesday doesn’t usually count as such), and she’s in my tub right now. Surprised? Bathany never misses an opportunity. We’ve been running around all day and I’ve been a grump from HELL. I *love* being in my new place. But I *hate* all that crap and literal dirt that is still left in the old apartment. I used Beth for good ole slave labor today, so she deserves the bath. After she gets out, I’ll jump in and then take her to the airport before I go to work. There’s still junk at the old place, but it’ll get sorted yet, right? Right?
All righty. Here’s moving day:
Yes, that’s the Desk of Doom standing up behind us. The best thing I’ve done in a long time was hiring those movers. They actually got the desk out of the bedroom and into the front yard, where it’s still sitting with a tacky “Free” sign flapping from it in the wind. I couldn’t watch them move it out the front door — I was positive it was going to kill someone.
My first bubble bath:
The tile is real, but kind of dirty looking. They’re 2X2 white tiles with white grout, and some of them are dark with what looks like car grease. I’ve scrubbed with the regular cleansers, and I just bought some industrial peel-the-inside-of-your-nose-off stuff that I’ll try later, when I’ve fully unpacked and feel up to the challenge. That bath, though? Sublime. Really. Insane. The shower? Not so great. I’ve changed the shower head and that helps, but the pressure just isn’t good enough to get a good flow of water. Eh. I like baths better anyway.
Something else I had to be philosophical about was this: I propped up a shelf in the bathroom temporarily and then heard a great crash. It had fallen right on the toilet tank cover and whacked a great chunk of porcelain off the corner. I know it’s fixable, or I could just buy a new cover, but jaiz. I would have liked to have waited more than an hour and a half to break something in my own home.
So then, looking from the bathroom through the living room toward the bedroom:
And out the front windows:
Standing in that spot, the kitchen is to your right. Here’s one shot:
And looking back toward the living room:
The flowers are from Lala. They made me feel much better about the cracked porcelain. And the toilet tank that ran (I fixed it with Paton’s Classic Merino, orange). And the heater that’s off for safety. And the living room windows that don’t open. Lordy. But do you hear me complaining? Nope. You won’t, either. I’m so frikken lucky that I’ve been afforded (used loosely here) this opportunity that if you DO hear me complaining, report me to the Cry Me A River Police. Really. Remind me of this then, okay? (I’m also lucky I have friends like the Dude, who fixed the toilet, my shower, my outside light, and rigged my Tivo to talk to my fabulous new DVD player (also from Lala — tell me I ain’t spoiled to hell).
Goodness! I started this post this afternoon — it’s now almost four in the morning and I still can’t remember half the things I was going to write about. Not even a quarter of them. Random snippets: I’m on the freeway, but semi-trucks aren’t allowed on this section of it, so the traffic only goes whooshwhooshwhoosh soothingly, along with the occasional scream of a motorcycle going by at the speed of light. My next-door neighbor is nice. I don’t like my upstairs neighbor’s boyfriend who parks in my spot. There’s a hibiscus outside my door. I keep getting my junk drawer mixed up with my cutlery drawer. The bedroom gets warm in the afternoon sun. It is quiet. Opening your own door and inviting someone in is infinitely more enjoyable than opening someone else’s door to do the same thing. Plus, some people get annoyed when you just open their doors like that.
Egad, I’m sleepified.
Your living room looks so warm and comfy! If I wouldn’t live tousend of miles and an Ocean away, I would pass by.
It’s so lovely! The string of lights in the corners give the living room a really nice ambience.
I used to have a clawfoot bathtub in my parents’ old house and I loved it even though it always remind me of “The Death of Marat.” Yours looks great–congrats on the new house. Enjoy!!
Reading this entry was a little ray of sunshine on a gray, gray morning. Your new place is truly lovely.
Now I have to go stew some more about frickin’ Ohio.
Welcome to the joys of home ownership. Try some GOO GONE on the tiles. Of course, nothing removes it like good ole elbow grease. 😉
Love the pictures, don’t use the utility knife to slice your toast.
It looks like you’ve made yourself a wonderful home! Congratulations!
Congratulations! Its beautiful! I’m so glad you’re in – and how do you get the house looking that good that quickly?
Hi… just thought I’d pass along something I’ve heard before that might help. If you put a free sign on something, people won’t take it (I suppose they think that means it has no value). If you put a price tag on it, someone will inevitably come steal it. So, go out and slap a price tag on your desk 🙂
Congratulations sweetie. Your new home is fabulous.
Beautiful yes you have wonderful friends! and you did a great job of unpacking looks like everything is done! your kitchen is adorable and it looks great with that table.. i love white tiles in both the bathroom and the kitchen.. maybe try that mr clean on the tiles.. i really am surprized by it.. it got some nasty red dye off of my white bathroom counter.. toodles all the best in your new happy home! Karola
Well, now you don’t have to worry about breaking anything..it’s done. Sit back relax and enjoy it all for awhile.
Um, it looks like you’ve been there forever already! It looks really great. So when’s the house-warming party? Maybe we can all get hammered and beat up the upstairs neighbor’s boyfriend’s car (just kidding).
hey, we have the same tea kettle! i knew there was a reason i liked you. 🙂
the place is a beaut. well done!
I can’t believe you’ve already set up house! It looks so nice! You wanted to replace that toilet anyway, didn’t you? 😉
Oh hooray for you Rachael! I love your new digs! I can feel your serenity even with all of the things that are going on right now in your life. Hugs from me!
ON white tile, straight bleach with a nail brush. Worked on my 1″ hexagons in the shower…
So happy happy happy for you!
I have been tuning in EVERY DAY of this saga, dying to know “did she get approved, has she gotten the key”. I am so excited for you. Living east of the Culture Stop tunnel, I can vouch for the amazing amount of guts it takes to make the leap into ownership. I am so excited for you!
What a pretty house!! Congrats on everything. On the broken porcelain– isn’t it pretty cool that your first thought wasn’t “there goes my security deposit”? And the living room windows not opening– get yourself a rubber mallet and whack away (carefully)! You don’t have to wait for the landlord to come do it! Yaay!
Isn’t it wonderful? That chipped toilet top is yours. It’s fixable. No worries.
On my first day, the dog knocked a ladder over which left a nice dent in the wall. Just a bit of spackle before the paint goes on and all is well. Now, if I can only get around to painting before I have to seal myself up against the NE winter.
Kat
Yeah Rachael! What a BEAUTIFUL home you have! I’m glad you’re moved in safe and sound and I can paint like an anal retentive pro–keep it in mind…That picture of you sisters in the tub should be blown up and framed in a Tiffany frame–perfect.
Looks so darned inviting and cosy with those lights and candles 🙂 You are one hip chick in my book, not only are you sweet, talented, smart but you are an independent HOME OWNING woman! Yeah!! It must feel so good to have a place of your OWN that YOU bought. (Somehow home ownership with hubby is not as IMPRESSIVE, you did this ON YOUR OWN!)
i LOVE the lights in the living room, that’s a fantastic idea! i may just have to borrow it. what did you use to fasten them?
i’m going through something similar, but renting, not owning. the difference, though, is this is my first time ever living on my own!! it’s been ever so exciting every step of the way, and i absolutely cannot wait to buy a house of my own some day down the line.
Here is another cleaning suggestion: Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I don’t know how these things work, but they clean EVERYTHING. Scuff marks from football shoes on the floor, fingerprints from the walls, blue paint off the oak coffee table (long story), etc. Even if they don’t clean between the tiles, they will clean the rest of your home.
Ohhhh – you have a tub with feet!
Everything look fabulous!
xx
every room looks gorgeous! just lovely.