Dream House

The Mr. and I have been house shopping for about 6 months now. We’ve had offers in on 4 different houses, but all fell through for different reasons. I admit I am getting so tired of looking at real estate websites and house advertisements. But looking at them has helped me get a good idea of what I would do in my dream home.

• Island in kitchen with seating – The kitchen is such a gathering place. A big island with plenty of seating and lots of space for food serving and preparation is a must for me. Bonus points if the island is built in with a veggie drawer and knife holder.

• Soaking Tub – I love baths. It’s relaxing and I always end up feeling soft and smelling good. Plus, it’s a great place to enjoy a paperback.

• Walk-in Closet – I need a large closet. I want one with plenty of hanging space and one that has shelves for storage as well so I can get rid of the chest of drawers in our bedroom. Shelves make it so much easier to find things. I will also use lots of lights in my walk in closet so I can see everything.

• Upstairs – I like the idea of having an upstairs. When we lived in the townhouse in Tallahassee I admit I got tired of going up and down the stairs, but that was mainly because the bathroom was upstairs. The houses that I tend to especially like are the ones with stair and a banister that can be seen in the main room. It just looks so grown up.

• Fireplace – I know I live in Florida, but I love having a fire going just about any night of the year.  We had fireplaces in our apartments in Tuscaloosa and Tallahassee. I loved starting up a fire and reading in the living room. It was so relaxing. Plus having a mantle to decorate feels homey and grown up too.

• Screened-In Porch – I love nights when you can enjoy the outdoors, but mosquitoes are pretty bad around these parts. That’s where the screen comes in. And preferably a porch swing.

• Doggy Room – Steve and Wil would be so pumped to have their own space. Complete with a soft bed, built in water bowl that automatically refills, custom height food bowls, hangars for their collars, leashes and shelves for their other doggy paraphernalia.

• Sewing/Craft room – a room with several tables for lots of projects to be going on at once. And room for Matt too so he can work on his own projects with me. This room also needs a good sound system so we can listen to music while we work.

• Great backyard – We def. have kids planned at some point in our future so a good backyard with space for a play set is def. a must. We’d love to build a treehouse. Plus we both like being outdoors so we’ll need a space for our chairs and firepit. Matt will also need a good corner for gardening.

• Great Neighborhood – We’d love to live in a place where we can be close to friends and fun stuff like restaurants and parks. Double bonus if we could actually walk to them. We have a park in walking distance right now and we use it all the time for jogging and dog-walking.

• Trees – I like shade in my yard and on my street.

• No Carpets – When you have pets you get tired of constantly vacuuming. Sweeping is much easier. And spills are MUCH easier to clean.

• Mini fridge for beverages – our drinks take up way too much space in the fridge. Also, I like having bottled water and canned drinks on hand and already cool.

• Storage – I’m a collector (nice way of saying pack-rat) so I definitely want space to store my Christmas decorations, Fall decorations and other décor items. Just because I’m not using them right this second does not mean I have to get rid of them. I like changing things out now and then and it’s fun to go “shopping” through the boxes in our storage room. Plus we have tons camping stuff to be stored as well.

• Gas stove – I cooked on a gas stove when I babysat for a family in college. I really understand the phrase “now you’re cookin’ with gas!” – It’s true. The heat is even and strong.

• Driveway space for multiple cars – my dream home will have plenty of room for parking

I don’t expect to find ALL of these qualities in a house. Especially one in our price range. J But it’s nice to dream. Someday we hope to be able to build a house and when we do, I will make sure this entire list is considered. It’s a good thing I have it all here online for posterity.

Spring Break (I wish)

\

Remember when "Spring Break" meant vacation?

Now it means I'm excited because there are more parking spaces on campus for me when I come to work.

(Momma, I can hear you laughing at this statement all the way down here in FL...)

Everybody knows
It sucks to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

-Ben Folds

Afterwhile Crocodile!

Plans for the weekend include:

1. House cleaning
2. Pedicure
3. Possible manicure??
4. California Grille
5. Dog boarding
6. Night in hotel
7. Homemade Pizza
8. Pat O'Brien's
9. Kindle reading
10. Library
11. EPCOT
12. Tea, milk and biscuits (the English kind)
13. Time with Matt
14. Outlet shopping
15. Leave work early

Matt and I have been looking forward to getting out of town to relax and continue to celebrate my birthday. We've has some stressful times since our last vacation in late December/early January. It will be nice to relax, shop and just pretend that it's more than a 1 night getaway.

Happy weekend to all of you!!

Below: Scenes from EPCOT

 

 

Happy Birthday to Me.

My sweet husband made this for me. Thank you sweetie. Life is a happy song!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/crockett.ashley/AshleyBirthdayVideo?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK_nqNP1koTeSQ&feat=directlink

Books....

My favorite books?

In no particular order:

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry - I think I had to read this for school or I found it on those Scholastic book orders the teachers would pass out in Middle school. The book is set in the future, almost like Logan's Run, where everyone has a designated job. There are jobs like doctors, nurses and teachers, but the names are different. Your job is assigned to you when you are around 12 and the job of the "Giver" is very rare and special. You have to read the book to find out why. The story is about the main character, Jonas, a 12-year-old boy learning his job/fate and what that means.

2. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - This book is HILARIOUS. It's set in New Orleans and Ignatius, the main character, is just hilarious to me. He's pretty rude, obnoxious, gross and all around an unpleasant fellow. The funny part is that Ignatius has NO idea he is any of those things. This book intertwines several stories of other characters he interacts with. I can't help but chuckle when I read Ignatius inner monologues and actions. The writing is amazing.

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling - I love all the Harry Potter books, but I have a soft spot for the first three. They were so innocent and easy. I picked the first book because that is where you are introduced to the magical world of Harry Potter for the first time. In fact it's the first time HARRY is introduced to this world. J.K. Rowling describes every detail. I remember being so happy when I saw the first movie because everything from Diagon Alley to Hogwarts was so close to how I imagined it would look when I read the book. Give this book a chance if you haven't already and see what all the fuss is about.

Speaking of fuss....
4. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I borrowed this book from a friend. At first I disliked it. I didn't like the teenage drama. But when I thought I didn't like it and put it down....well I couldn't stop thinking about the story and wondering what would happen next. So I picked it back up. Finished it in one night and now I can't wait for the movie. It's set in the future as well and is a great story of determination and bravery. It can really be enjoyed on many levels which explains it's popularity in adults and children.

5. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb - I don't know why, but this is one of those books I can pick up anytime, open up to any page and just start reading. I love the way Wally Lamb writes. He describes events and settings in great detail. His characters are very deep and nuanced and I discover small things every time I read a passage that I didn't notice before. He's also written The Hour I First Believed and I Know This Much Is True. Both are also great books. The subject matter is rough and I don't condone any of the character's actions, but they are all great stories.

6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I could also throw in Little Men and Jo's Boys to this list as well, but I'll include them all here. I love reading about how the ladies in the March family handle the good times and the bad. I think there's a little of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in all of us. Love the way Louisa May Alcott describes children, how they interact and why they do what they do. She had such insight into their minds. It makes you love kids and makes me in particular want a house full of boys (after I read Little Men).

7. Any Nancy Drew mystery - I love a good Nancy Drew mystery. I love how Nancy is ALWAYS prepared (i.e. suitcase of extra clothes in the back of her stylish convertible, extra flashlight with extra batteries in the glove compartment, raincoat and galoshes in her back seat if she needs to do some sleuthing in the rain...always prepared). I love trying to figure out the motive and criminal before the end of the book. I love how polite all the folks are in these books (except for the bad guys of course). I'm trying to collect as many of these as I can (hint - birthday and Christmas presents, folks!)

8. Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding - Another book I can pick up and read anytime. Bridget is hilarious. I think any girl can relate to her. She worries over her weight, smoking habits, relationships, parents and job. The diary is her record of a complete year in her life. Very funny, set in England. If you enjoyed the movie you will LOVE the book.

9. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - This is a true story about an amazing family. I actually read Half-Broke Horses (Jeanette Walls' biography about her great grandmother) before I read The Glass Castle. It's hard to believe this story is true, but I know it is. Jeanette and her siblings overcome amazing obstacles and live an extraordinary life with her unusual parents. When I read the sentence I just wrote I realize it sounds like they're some sort of sparkly magical/Richie Rich sort of family and it's actually quite the opposite.

10. New York by Edward Rutherford - I actually listed to this book on CD instead of sitting down and reading it. It's a huge book and details the history of the city of New York from the time it was called Manahatah by it's native inhabitants all the way to the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001. It has so much history and I loved learning so much about my favorite city. The story follows several families and their lives in NYC. I like historical novels because I like understanding about what real life was like during these events you read about in your history books. This book does a great job of just that. Definitely worth the time to read or listen to.

Ok, that's 10. I could go on and on, but I think I've hit the highlights here. Give me your recommendations below. I love to read and volunteer at the library once a week. The best part of volunteering is leaving with the stack of books I found.

Happy Reading!!