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Last I left you, our living room was still the pit of despair,

 

Mike worked really hard and really noisily re-framing the joists or re-joisting the frame or something like that. It was hard to hear exactly what he was doing over the sound of the skillsaw and nailgun





And now, finally, something resembling a floor!  $300 bucks or so, and a lot of sweat equity later, problem solved


It is now in a presentable state, not fit quite yet for pictures as it is currently the home for wayward furniture and unmatched chairs, but livable all the same.

The room was full on PINE when we bought the house, If you'll remember, this is day 1:

Orange-y, country cabin pine. I had pangs of guilt about painting it. I'm much more about "making it work" so I wanted to make it work, I really did, which is just as much about challenging myself as a (self proclaimed) designer and keeping the integrity and character of a house as it is about pure laziness. In the end, it is a big dark room, and just needed to be painted


We tried to keep the ceiling, thought it would look good if we just did the walls and had this big wood peaked ceiling, a defining moment in the room. A merging of classic and au courant. 







But it did not look good. At all. It looked silly and weird and made a very big room look as short and squat as a hobbit. Back up on the ladders


I'm not sure why I am adding this extremely unflattering picture of myself except to prove (to whom, I'm unsure) that here I am, past 10pm, 1 month postpartum, on a ladder, about to paint the ceiling of our new house. Dedication, I tell you, sacrifice, selflessness. Also perhaps sleep deprived delirium and maybe an oxytocin high


And here it is, painted a cool grey neutral, with a new sturdy subfloor, a blank canvas of possibilities


No regrets

And another...

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The market isn't what it was 6 months ago, let alone 2 years ago. We were viewing properties every other day listed around $25,000, crazy. Now the real steals are a little harder to find. The market is in an upswing. When you come across a gem, you have to jump on it screaming "MINE" while baring your teeth. This is one of those gems. Grrrrrrr

First off, it's already green(ish)



With all original hardwood floors


A decent layout


and three bedrooms


Which would in and of itself be a pretty good deal for the asking price of $55K, but what makes it a steal is that it has..............wait for it..................a 2 bedroom guest house




Potential rental income: $1800-$2000/month 
Also, it's a Fannie May property and we can finance it. Scha-wing! Offer submitted.

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We put an offer in a few months ago on a house, a short sale, and it's been chugging along. We know from experience that short sales are never quick, this one being no exception, but patience pays off. Just got a call and we should close in 30 days or less! I just high fived myself!

It's on 30th street in West Palm, a few blocks from the intercoastal in a relatively nice neighborhood. We went to go check on it this past week and took some photos.











We offered full asking, an astoundingly low $30k. It definitely needs work, new kitchen, bathrooms, the whole nine, but has sweet curb appeal, well, once the jungle-esque landscaping is machete'd back into submission. It's a 2/2, but we're going to shift some walls to make a 3rd bedroom. I'm super pumped to get my hands on this one, slap a coat of green paint on this puppy and add it to the collection!


Shit my dad brings over

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A trio of amphibious yard art which may "accidentally" hop right out of the yard:



Some wood feathered friends, just dust collectors, but cool enough to earn a spot somewhere in the house

And.... Dad so thoughtfully redecorated the landing on the stairs. A shrine to my sister and I. Not weird for an adult to have multiple pictures of herself as an adolescent displayed prominently, not weird at all.



Our new Swedish Son

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So I have been totally blog-lazy and it was pointed out to me, which means I have a fan, yeah!! Been super busy being a mom, managing our properties, and it's placement season for the student exchange organization I work for. We place international students with host families for a cultural exchange year, and somehow I have become a wayward home for international teens. Lena from Germany spent three weeks with us while her host family was on vacation, then we were meant to be a temporary landing pad for Max from Sweden. Mike was fairly adamant about our hosting being a temporary situation. He wasn't sold about the idea, and I spent a fair amount of time reassuring him that it was transitory and I was working on it. Max wasn't here for more than a couple hours, however, before Mike turned to me, grinning with fatherly pride, and said "we're keeping him". This happened immediately after Mike asked Max what his favorite American football team was, and Max rightly responded with "the Eagles". I, of course, had nothing to do with that answer. I firmly deny any coaching or bribing attempts on my part. Now Mike is busy living vicariously through Max, signing him up to play football, and taking him to jam sessions to play guitar, and I am busy finding out if I bring a Swede into an Ikea, can I get a discount?