appliances galore (thank you kelly ripa)

I nearly hyperventilated as we walked into the Lowe's yesterday. We were there for appliances. Appliances are expensive (as is, apparently, everything house related). Panic ensued.

I never thought I would be the one to freak out when it came to spending money that we had planned, but it turns out that I had a harder time swiping the credit card than Brandon did. Strange! And it's not like we didn't know exactly what we were going to get when we walked into the store. Bran and I are frugality researchers... we find the best price and then we torture over big decisions until we finally pull the trigger.

But we did it. We ordered an entire line of beautiful Electrolux appliances: p-touch dishwasher, french door freezer-bottom fridge, 18000 BTU capable stove/range, and an over-the-range microwave. We were in for a fantastic surprise when we went in to Lowe's to open a credit card (zero % for the first 12 months, which gives us time to pay it off!) and they told us that we would get 10% off for opening the card! Plus Bran gets a discount because his company sells Elecrolux, plus there was an additional $350 back with the purchase of 4 appliances. Thank you, Black Friday!

All this... to put in our not-even-conceptualized kitchen. The possibilities are endless, but I'm petrified about making a mistake. I know about the kitchen triangle with the sink, fridge, and oven, but beyond that, my kitchen is oddly shaped and now that it's bare, I have the option to change it into just about any layout I want. It's almost too much power.

The appliances are set to be delivered at the end of December... so we have about a month to get our shit together. Can we do it?

it's ours!

**blink blink**

I CAN HAZ... HOME?! It has been an absolutely frantic, stressful and intense month, but we are emerging from it as homeowners! I picked up the keys after dark yesterday from the seller's agent and Bran and I drove immediately over to the house. That sweet, sweet husband of mine picked me up at the sidewalk and carried me across the threshold of our new home. We walked around from room to room (because of course, there is nowhere to sit down) trying to absorb the enormity of what we had just done (and I only mean enormity as in weightiness of the situation, the house itself is not even 1200 st. ft!). We held hands and took it all in until Brandon looked at me and asked "now what?"

Well, now comes the time to tackle the beast! She's not going to be an easy conquest. I'll be honest, I have a ton of help. My dad is a handyman, Brandon works closely with tools at work, we have wonderful family and friends, but the house is in such a condition, from top to bottom, that everything will need to be touched by our loving hands. We are dealing with leaky pipes, a non functional kitchen, smoke smells, popcorn ceilings, dirty carpet, disintegrating roof ... and so much more. I think we're in for an adventure!