Big News!

No, we aren't having a kid, but...

We bought a house!!

In desperate need of some curb appeal.

I was waiting to blog about it until after it was 100% official and as of February 28 at around 12:30pm, it became official!  All the papers are signed and we are now the proud owners of beautiful-but-in-need-of-a-lot-of-cosmetic-work house.  Woot!  It's a 4 BR, 3 full BA house with a two car garage on a quarter acre lot.  Originally built in 1953 as a 900 sq ft house, the previous owners built a huge addition in 2005 expanding the square footage to 2400 and building a huge master suite on the second floor. 

I don't want to post the address on here, so I'm going to refrain from linking to the real estate site, but I did take some pictures at our home inspection, as well as pulled the ones from the MLS for the rooms I neglected to photograph. 

 

We don't officially have access to the house until April 1 since part of our contract was to let the sellers remain in the house for the month of March.  But, our move is scheduled for Thursday, April 4, and I cannot wait to get in there and start making it our own. 

Picture Montage:

Master Suite

Kitchen

Two front bedrooms and the back bedroom, which will be the office.  Yes, paint jobs are desperately needed.

Front bath, back bath, and laundry room.

Entryway and dining room area.

Family room.

We actually just purchased a wide angle lens attachment for our camera, so I plan to take a lot of "before" pictures once the house is empty and not filled with other people's stuff.  ​I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on how our projects go.  As I'm sure you could see, there is definitely a lot of cosmetic items to fix.  

High Priority Items:

-- Paint: because it's an easy fix and makes a huge difference

-- Build gym in the garage:  Because I've been a slacker the past few months and need to start working out more regularly.  

-- Hardwoods throughout the first floor: right now there are 4 different flooring choices on the first floor, five if you count the plywood transition between the the newer hardwood and tile family room.  Yup, plywood (and I can't forget the pencil filling one of the cracks).  

A few other projects off the top of my head: 

-- Paint window trim white

-- Paint doors: perhaps a dark gray?

-- Front bathroom makeover

-- Back bathroom makeover

-- Master bathroom makeover

-- Closet system in the master

And the list goes on and on... as we make it our own! 

<3

K$

 

Savannah

I know... I've been MIA, but I've been busy (and maybe a bit lazy... it takes time to put these posts together, you know!).  :)

I've not only been to Savannah once, but have now been there twice, so once again ladies and gents, you get a little twofer.  

First Trip Recap
As I mentioned in my migrating south post, I went down to visit one of my best friends, Heather, and her super cute two-year-old daughter, Grace.  It was a perfect low-key weekend.  We had high ambitions of a DIY/craft-filled weekend, but had little to show for it at the end. 

I arrive on Saturday morning just in time for lunch at this cute seafood place overlooking a marina.  I don't have the faintest idea what it was called, but it was delicious -- though I always say it's hard to mess up fried food.  :)  After nap time (for Grace), we headed to the park, where I was able to take some great pictures of Heather and Grace on the playground. 

Isn't she just the cutest?  Heather always has her looking adorable (the girl is better dressed than I am!).

Slide montage.

For lunch on Sunday, Heather made grilled cheese with this amazing crock-pot tomato soup recipe (Heath, you need to post it!).  It was delicious.  While Grace was down for her nap, we started with our first DIY project -- painting Grace's new big girl room, which she would be moving into after the new babe was born.  However, we failed miserably and only completed about 10% of the room before the babysitter arrived.  Needless to say, Heath opted to hire a painter to finish the job, so it's not like I left the pregnant lady to finish it herself.  Well, I guess I did...but she didn't.  Smart woman.

Heather had set up a babysitter to come for Sunday evening, so we could go walk around historic downtown Savannah.  We hit up this really cute store called the Savannah Bee Company, where we taste tested various honeys.  Yes, honey taste testing. 

Heather and I both ended up picking up a few Christmas gifts.  While checking out, we asked the two cashiers if they had any restaurant recommendations.  The one said his favorite place to eat in Savannah was hands down, the basement of the Olde Pink House.  He just loved the ambiance.  He was so emphatic about it, Heather and I said, why the hell not, so to the Olde Pink House we headed.  We were kind of awkward (me? no way!) when we first arrived, because we seemed a little under-dressed for the first floor of the restaurant, but we awkwardly walked in and requested a table in the basement.  As we got down the stairs, we finally understood what the cashier meant by ambiance.  He meant, it's perfect for a romantic dinner, because the basement was only lit by candle light and fireplaces.  Ohhh, that kind of ambiance.  Ha!  So Heather and I proceeded to have a romantic dinner together.  And it was a delicious dinner.  I ordered the shrimp and grits to start -- when in Rome the South -- and the pork tenderloin as my main dish.  Both were unbelievable.  To anyone going to Savannah, I would highly recommend the Olde Pink House.  Plus, it's allegedly haunted and was owned by the founder of the girls scouts.  

Sadly, the weekend flew by; Monday morning had arrived and it was time to head back to DC.  Since we realized we hadn't gotten a picture of the two of us, we attempted to get a picture before I left for the airport:

Yeah, the shirt I was wearing was not flattering at.all!  But isn't Heather's house beautiful!

It was so great to hang out with Heather and Grace.  And man, the weather in Savannah was unbelievable!  I could definitely get used to that!  Grace was adorable.  My favorite thing was that she called me Tara.  It was the cutest thing.  Heather would ask her if she wanted to go upstairs to play with her kitchen and she'd ask: Tara too?  My.heart.melted! :)  

Second Trip Recap
The second trip to Savannah was about a week ago (so, I'm actually "on time" for posting it, shocker).  This time it wasn't just me visiting Heather -- Jackie and Ali, my two other best friends from high school were also there.  Jack's currently finishing up her MBA at Duke in NC and Al's still living the good life in Houston, so I don't get to see these girls often either.  It was a wonderful reunion weekend.  Once again, Heather and I had high hopes for craft projects and this time around, with two extra hands to put to work, we finished both projects! 

An early flight to Savannah was much cheaper, so I got in again before lunch.  Since Grace was at daycare, Heath and I had the afternoon to eat and run errands before Ali and Jackie arrived.  Heather and I had been chatting for some time before the trip about doing an alphabet wall.  Heath bought cardboard letters from Land of Nod:

via

She had also picked up a variety supplies at Michael's to wrap and paint the letters with, but saved Jo Ann's Fabric for when I arrived.  And boy, it was overwhelming, so I think having someone else there to bounce ideas off of was a good idea (i.e. I would not have wanted to do it alone).  While there, we also opted to pick up some extra fabric to fill embroidery hoops with as wall art for the new baby's room -- which has a gray and yellow theme (love!).  There is some really cute fabric out there, which made me wish I was more crafty and sewed things (did I just put that in writing?). 

It was a full team effort, Ali painted, while the rest of wrapped the damn letters in yarn.  I say damn letters because it was a lot more time consuming than we thought it'd be.  After we busted out the hot glue gun, things started moving a bit quicker.  Last, but not least, was tracing, cutting, and Mod Podge-ing the fabric to the remaining letters.  We were strategic, sadly probably too strategic (i.e. I spent a little more time than I'd like to admit planning out the random mix of mediums and colors, so they were random, but still spaced out), in picking which letters would be yarned (the similar letters, like L), which would be painted and fabric covered (the more complex letters, like Q). 

In Progress...

Completed letters with fabric-filled hoops on top.

Finished Product!  Doesn't it look amazing!?!  It's hard to see the textures and pattern in this picture,  but there was a very good mix. 

We didn't spend the entire time crafting (have I used that term enough yet to make me sound like an old lady?!  Yeah, that's what I thought.).  Again, Heather got a babysitter for Saturday night so us girls could go out on the town.  We conveniently parked about a block away from Banana Republic.  Ali had been searching all the BRs in Houston to find a pair of cognac pumps to no avail.  Unfortunately, this BR didn't have them in Ali's size, but they did in mine.  Don't feel too bad for Al, the lovely lady who helped us was able to find them at another local store and offered to ship them to her house (Ali was a bit perturbed that none of the stores near her offered to do that!  Southern hospitality, perhaps?).  After BR, we went into a handful of cute shops.  I picked up supplies for a little craft project of my own.  More to come on that once I get around to putting it together. 

For dinner we tried another top-rated, historic, and haunted restaurant -- 17Hundred90 Inn and Restaurant -- but this time, it was not quite as good.  Heather, Jackie, and I all got the same thing -- crab bisque and filet.  The crab bisque had very little flavor, it was like we were drinking straight cream with crab chunks and our steaks came out cold.  Ali ordered both the soup and entree special.  The tomato and basil soup special tasted like marinara sauce.  The tasteless food combined with the very slow service made the entire experience, well, meh.  Oh well, you can't win them all...

Sadly, we did not take a single picture of people, let alone a picture of the four of us.  So bummed!  It was a great weekend and I was so glad to catch up with my favorite lady friends.  I love that we can jump right back into things with each other even after not seeing each other for so long.  Sign of great friends, I hear.  :)

<3
K$

Operation: Accountability - Week 4 & 5

Well, it's time again for a twofer: the Week 4 and 5 updates.  These two weeks were all about maintaining and making minimal progress, which considering we celebrated two holidays, I'm actually pretty happy with the results. 

Although maintaining and minimal progress is great, it's not going to get me to my ultimate goal:  bikini ready by April 15.  So in Week 6, coinciding with the new year, things are going to get serious!  Really monitoring the diet and making sure I get in the time at the gym.  Starting with Week 6, my plan is to include a gym count tally in the weekly update to add a little motivation when the alarm goes off at 5:30am on gym days.  :)

I'll hopefully be back soonish with Christmas and New Years recaps, but that first requires uploading and sorting through the large number pictures I took. 

<3
K$

Kairo Versus Opossum

There was an attack last night!  G$ was taking Kairo out for his pre-bedtime tinkle and just let him out front unleashed.  As Kairo was doing his business, a possum was trying to sneak by unnoticed.  Kairo said, "No way, not on my watch."  Then pounced towards the possum, grabbed the possum in his mouth, and started to shake it.  The possum fell out a few feet away.  Despite the death shake, the possum survived and started hissing and pawing at Kairo.  G$, knowing that possums are known for being extremely vicious and willing to fight back, swooped in, picked Kairo up, and brought him back into the house.  While not an official kill, we are counting it as one since the only reason the job wasn't finished was because G$ intervened to protect his puppy. 

Hissing opossum via

Fun Opossum Facts
brought to you by Wikipedia

• Opossums are marsupials
• The Western Hemisphere marsupial is technically called an opossum (but is colloquially called possum).  However, the Eastern Hemisphere marsupial is actually called a possum.  
• Opossum fur is soft
• Hissing or squawking is a defensive process that helps the opossum deter other animals from approaching it.
• When threatened or harmed, they will "play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. This physiological response is involuntary (like fainting), rather than a conscious act. (We weren't so lucky to experience that last night.)

It's snowing here in DC!  Although it's a wet snow, it still looks pretty coming down.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

<3
K$

Operation: Accountability - Week 2 & 3

Better late than never, right?  Well, get excited!  You are not only going to get the Week 2 update, but the Week 3 as well.  Woot!

The Week 2 measurements were taken after I returned from my trip to Savannah to visit Heather.  I still haven't uploaded the pictures off the camera, but I plan to do a separate post on that.  And although it was a great weekend with amazing company and delicious food, it probably was not the healthiest... So you will see some slight increases.  I also want to add the disclaimer that these measurements were taken with wet hair.  Just saying. 

And the Week 3 measurements were taken earlier this week.  I actually saw some decreases in the actual tape measure measurements, which is encouraging.  I was really trying to make a concerted effort to be healthy this week at work and let me tell you, this past week was not the easiest week to do that -- with lots of holiday treats from cookies, candy, bagels, and even peanut butter filled pretzels.

I recently learned that I have more loyal followers than I thought!  Hey guys!  Thanks for reading.  I will say that knowing more people are reading this does add a little more pressure encouragement to write blog posts more frequently.  I can't make any promises, but I will do my best. 

Anyways, it's Friday night, Christmas is only a few days away, and the kitchen and I are going to be spending some time good quality time together baking cookies.  Assuming all goes well, recipes will be posted.

<3
K$

Migrating South...

...for the weekend.  Saturday morning I'm flying to Savannah, Georgia, to visit one of my best friends Heather, whose husband is deployed to Afghanistan for nine months.  I'm excited for a little girls weekend with Heather and her daughter, Grace, who is one of the cutest two-year-olds I've ever met (check out Heather's blog for the proof).  Oh, and did I mention that Heather is also pregnant with numero dos?!  Yeah, single-parenting AND pregnant while her husband is deployed.  Impressive! 

Heather and her hubby purchased a house when they got stationed in Savannah, so Heather has been on a nesting, decorating, and DIY kick (and as I'm sure you all know, I'm very jealous, since I cannot wait to turn our future permanent house into a home with various DIY projects!).  But, lucky me - I'll get a little taste of what it's like this weekend and I couldn't be more excited to earn my keep for the weekend! 

I'm also super excited about visiting Savannah, which from what I hear is a super cute southern town with fun little shops and great restaurants.  I'm bringing the new camera, so I'm hoping to take a ton of pictures while down there and I will most definitely be doing a weekend update post upon my return.

And since a picture-less post is no fun and you can't go wrong with more Kairo pictures (or can you?), here is one of my cutie pie. 

<3
K$

Operation: Accountability - Week 1

Well, the Week 1 results are in.  With all things considered (i.e., no working out this past week due to the back injury, plus my holiday party), I'm actually pretty happy with the results.  I more or less maintained with a little forward progress! :)

Drum roll, please:

And I got back on the horse this morning for a doozy of a CrossFit workout:

3 Rounds of:
4 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)
 - 10 Jumping Lunges (5 each leg)
 - 7 Kettle Bell Swings
2 Minute Rest
4 Minute AMRAP
 - 10 Hand-Release Push-Ups
 - 10 Ring Rows
2 Minute Rest

So it ends up being 24 minutes of work, 12 minutes of rest.  What a workout to come back to!  I think it's safe to say I will not be able to walk tomorrow due to the jumping lunges, which a few rounds in were switched to regular lunges due to me being so.out.of.shape.  But... it feels so good to have gotten up and worked my butt, rather than snoozing for longer with the K-Man (as tempting as that sounds). 

<3
K$