-Snapshot Of The Week-

"You don't have to be married to have a good friend as your partner for life."

-Ms Greta Garbo
 

*Photo Credit Google Images*
 

   

There’s No Place Like Home

I’ve been debating back and forth on when the best time to reveal my big news would be. Finally I decided waiting is best kept for Christmas and the doctor’s office and I’m tired of not talking about it.

 

As some of you may already know, my fella and I have been on a treacherous hunt for a house over the past few months… 4 to be exact! (You can read about our many trials and tribulations during the process of our ‘first-time home buyer’ adventures here) Well, the days of grumbling and groaning while we traipse through other people’s homes is over! We have officially purchased a genuine bon-a-fide home of our own. What’s funny is the post I shared about our crummy experiences house hunting was published exactly one month before: A. We closed on our home that we love and B. My birthday!

 

This has all been an intriguing time of lessons for me in a number of ways and I feel the need to share what these said lessons are:

 

#1: Quit complaining! We are so fortunate to even be in a position to consider buying a home. My fella is fresh out of University and hasn’t even been working a year when there’s millions of other people that don’t have the same blessing to own a home their whole lives. Of course, it wasn’t handed to us; we worked our rear ends off sacrificing and saving to do this all on our own but that’s one small factor in a much greater big picture. On top of getting our first home we also get to fill it with love and laughter and friends and family, so gratitude is certainly in order here and in all tough times to come. 

 

#2: I learned a good deal about perspective. Throughout the gruelling process- that I had originally entered into with high hopes and bright eyes- I’ve come out the other side with the knowledge that what is suppose to happen will happen and it’s for a darn good reason. After many grumpy  phone calls spent complaining to my Mom about how it would never happen for us and it just isn’t in the cards *wah wah wah* she reassured me that if we haven’t found it yet, or an offer got declined, or a home sold out from under us etc. etc. it can all simply be explained as ‘it wasn’t what is meant to be.’ From the start of our search to the end, OUR home was quietly waiting for us to come claim it. And as you can imagine, we were more than happy to do so. Looking back now I should have relaxed and let the cards fall where they may.

 

 #3: Don’t compromise when it really counts. Buying a house is not like trying a new dish from a menu. There are consequences big and small to everything. If it doesn’t feel right then turn and run for the hills! Of course compromise has it’s place and does come up a lot in the home buying process. You can be flexible in many ways that won’t matter much to the bottom line and still result in a dream home. We gave in on some things we wished for to get the ‘no compromise priority list’ checked off. But when the agent is done and the sellers move out, you’re left to live there and you have to love it. Our agent was great and really wanted us to be happy but it was a long process to get it right.  Our situation was we really wanted a house, not a townhouse or apartment but were working with a small budget and tight timeline. We desired a house because we’ve had years of shared walls and strata and no yard and lugging groceries through elevators etc. They have a lot of great qualities too but we wanted a big yard with room for a dog and BBQs and freedom to do the whole she-bang as we pleased. After feeling bested by the process we caved and viewed a few townhouses. We contemplated settling but I’m so thankful I stuck to my guns because I know now I would not have been happy living in anything but a house. (No offense to anyone who lives in them, they just aren’t suited for me.) So keep looking and don’t settle on the big stuff just to get it over with because you will regret it after the dust has settled.

 

  Now let me share just how it all came to be that we found our little home. After the trying times we faced we were pretty well at the end of our mortgage period with about 5 days left to find a house or bust. A few days before seeing or ( knowing about the existence of) our current home we casually dropped into an open house just up the street. My fella and my mom, who tagged along for the open house, both loved this home and felt it was absolutely ‘the one’ for us. Although, it was beautifully redone and in a nice location something just didn’t feel quite right about it to me. I am typically a bag of nerves in any situation though so I chalked it up to me just being me and if Mom and fella were convinced then I’d get on board eventually. There was no obvious reason to not love the house yet, I was perpetually luke warm. Regardless fella called our agent right away and set a time to go back and see it that same night, whilst my mom danced with excitement (possibly because it was within walking distance to her house). I hadn’t seen either of them that gleeful in a long time so I tried to hide my nagging reservations as best I could. We went back that night and met with our agent outside of the home. Before we went in she said, “I’ve never encountered this before but I’ve spoken with the sellers agent and they’ve already accepted an offer three days ago. The house is sold.” Our hearts sank. So we went home with our tails between our legs, licking our ‘never gonna happen’ wounds. Needless to say, we were also a tad tiffed that they would have an open house AND have us come back for a second showing when the home isn’t even for sale anymore.

 

So, with about 4 days left and no prospects in sight we happened to catch a glimpse of a new listing featuring a little white 3 bedroom rancher house. The listing left a lot to be imagined but we both agreed to go down fighting and if this was the last house we saw before time was up at least we can say we tried our best. (I’m sure that wouldn’t have been much comfort every month our rent checks went down the proverbial drain but I digress) So we met with our agent outside the little white home, fingers crossed and breathes held. Almost the moment we stepped inside I felt a rush of warmth and a feeling of home. Don’t get me wrong, the house was pretty outdated and not well decorated but it just felt like OUR home.  I thought it was a myth that a buyer decides within the first 30 seconds of being in the home whether or not they will make an offer but for me it was very true. I knew I was going to try my hardest to land this house long before my fella ever turned to me and asked the same question he had asked in every home we had seen, “whaddaya think?” When I said, “I want it,” he was rather pleased because I admittedly had been a stubborn obstacle in a few other prospective homes so for me to come right out and say ‘this is it’ was big. The offer was made the next morning (with some natural fears of just having signed our life away) and after some back-and-forth we finally came to mutual terms. I was on cloud nine, the hard part is over right? ….Wait, what? Ohhh right, that pesky home inspection. Well, I’m sure that’ll go just fiiiine.

 

If only it were that easy... 

 

We got our home inspection, confident we had paid our “bad luck dues” and were destined for smooth sailing from that point on. Then the word I think feared most by home-owners alike came up. Any guesses? Well, if you guessed “MOLD” you would be wrong but only on a technicality. The word was never actually said. Apparently a home inspector isn’t legally allowed to use the word “mold” because he can’t prove for a fact it is mold solely based on the inspection. So instead he said, ‘immense amount of black sticky substance all over the attic beams, probably caused from moisture due to poor ventilation.’ AKA: MOLD!

  

I thought this got easier once you found the right house?!

 

Long story short (that ship sailed around 3 paragraphs ago!) we worked out a deal with very reluctant sellers for them to cover the cost of fixing the ominous ‘blacky sticky substance’ –later to be confirmed in fact as mold from the company sent in to address it- and we would cover the extra expense of ventilation additions to the attic so our mortgage folks would be satisfied. We’ve faced a few other hiccups and sleepless nights regarding details to seal the deal but this Saturday April 30th,2011 we pack up our teeny apartment, hang up our “renters” hats and walk off into the home ownership sunset. 

 

Since securing the home, air has smelled sweeter, food tastes better and our obnoxiously loud neighbors suddenly don’t bother me so much knowing it’s all almost over. I will miss our little apartment for a lot of reasons, mostly because I am a sentimental fool. So part of me is sad but it’s a small part. I’ve dreamed of owning my own home for as long as I can remember. As a design nut it’s excruciating to be in a space that isn’t my own to be creative with. I want to paint and decorate and renovate and make mistakes and mow a lawn and hang Christmas lights and grow a garden and hand out candy at Halloween and get a dog without having to ask a landlord if it’s ok and yes I even want to pay property tax because that tax means I own property! So I look forward to sharing my home excursions with you; I plan on blogging a lot and sharing our new adventure in life with my lovely readers.

 

*Photo credits Google Images & Pinterest*

-Snapshot Of The Week-

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

-Princess Diana

 

*Photo Credit Google Images*

What Makes You Smile?

  Because it’s Tuesday, and I’m eating warm goat cheese biscuits, and watching TV with my fella, and my kitty is sleeping beside me, and life is good, I thought I would pass along my smile to you through pictures. Enjoy:

 

 

  

  

 

 

    

 

 

Did I make you smile? Hope so. Feel free to share what makes you smile too. Happy Tuesday! 

*Photo Credits*

-Snapshot Of The Week-

 "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."

-Ms Jane Austen

 

*Photo credit Google Image*

 

 

It’s Coming…

 

 
Many of us have been waiting a long time…

 

   
a VERY long time…

 

  I mean seriously, like ages…

 

OK maybe I’m exaggerating a little on the “ages” part but still long…

 

but soon it will be upon us in all it’s glory…

 

 

and when it does, I’ll be bringing home some of these babies:

 

and plenty of these puppies:

 

Because:

Next month an “Anthropologie” will officially be opening up shop 'round these here parts (these parts being BC, Canada) This tickles my pickle like it’s Christmas morning. Even though I can’t afford much from such a fancy store I do look forward to moseying and roaming the store as if I could.

 

Do you have an Anthropologie in your town? If so, do you shop there much? Or more of just a dreamer like me?

 

*Photo credit Anthropologie*

-Snapshot Of The Week-

 

 "Women must pay for everything. They do get more glory than men for comparable feats, but, they also get more notoriety when they crash."

-Ms Amelia Earhart

*Photo credit google images*

 

  

“The Good Wife” House Tour

Although I don’t have a lot of time to watch much TV I have caught a few episodes of the hit CBS show, “The Good Wife” on occasion. It stars Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, a lawyer trying to get her life back in order after a very public scandal involving her husband played by Chris Noth. Now into it’s second season the show is doing pretty well in the ratings and I think (only because I focus on decor before plot) it may be in some small part attributed to the very attractive apartment Alicia and her daughter reside in. It has a great family oriented classic style with plenty of rich color and comfort surrounding you. So let’s take a little tour through "The Good Wife"’s set decor.

 

The set decorator for the show is Beth Kushnick. She has been in this biz for over twenty five years and has a rather extensive and impressive resume behind her. Not only is Ms Kushnick talented but she also happens to write for a blog where she personally answers your questions about “The Good Wife” set decor and where to find the items that tickle your fancy. I love it when designers take the guess work out of it so if you see something you like I would drop her a line post haste.

 

I should also mention the production designer Mr. Stephen Hendrickson who should also get due credit for creating this beautiful set.

 

I read a lot and my collection of books grows all the time so when I see something as magnificent as this photo I tend to let out a little sigh. I would marry built-in book cases if it were humanly possible and/or sociably acceptable. They make me as giddy as a school girl and this apartment is overflowing with them.

 

I think this eggplant colored room is an interesting shock of color from its more subdued neighbors palettes in the living room and kitchen on either side. I also like that the designers went with a rounder oval table to break up all the square and rectangle shapes around it. Isn’t that botanical themed picture collage an eye catcher?

 

I found this kitchen to be a really interesting take on contemporary meets traditional. Dark wood tones and sleek appliances mixed with a robins egg blue adds a lot of visual interest to the room. The palette coordinates to the living room so the flow is easy going on the eyes.

 

I don’t think I would be brave enough to try to two-tone look in my own kitchen but that’s what living vicariously through television is for.

 

This cool color palette for Alicia’s bedroom is a calm feminine escape for the hectic life of a lawyer and mom to retreat to. I love the bedding and sconces over the bed. The color on the walls is Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass.

 

So how does this compare to your other favorite sets? Are you digging this look or do you fancy another? I’m always intrigued to hear your thoughts and comments.

 

If you would like to see more of “The Good Wife”  set click here or if you would like to see more Reckless Bliss tours of some of your favorite Hollywood sets like Modern Family, Cougar Town and many more then visit me here.

*Photo Credits CBS*

 

Nantucket Style Oasis

Sea Meets Sky in this beautiful Colorado home built with the inspiration of summers spent on the coast of Maine. At a spacious 5500-square feet, the structure was designed by architect Don Ruggles with ‘New England’ style in mind. This 17th-century shingle style home was featured in Colorado Home and Lifestyles Magazine.

These homes always remind me of the Hamptons, in particular the glorious house in the movie “Something’s Gotta Give.” So beautiful and relaxing.

Are built-ins ever a bad idea? There’s certainly no evidence to suggest it.

I’m loving this coastal bright kitchen with glass tile backsplash. It feels like a day at the beach everyday.

So what do you think? I really love this style of home, it seems like the perfect dream Summer getaway. Are you a fan of the coastal shingle-style of homes? If you are check out my other post on these stunners.

You can see more of this home and other beautiful homes at Colorado Home and Lifestyles.