Tag Archives: home

I Feel Like I’m Always Buying Stuff (or Some Small And Big Upgrades)

Posted on October 20, 2022 | Comments Off on I Feel Like I’m Always Buying Stuff (or Some Small And Big Upgrades)

When I moved, there were obviously a lot of things I needed to buy. I tried to limit what I bought and wanted to find ways to repurpose what I already owned, but I found out that wasn’t always working for me. I would have loved to have not bought as much as I did, but also I know that the things I got made my place feel more like home and less like an unsettled space. For example, I loved my old couch but it felt so weird in my new living room and it always made it feel unfinished because there was so much extra space. Getting a couch that fits the space really made a difference. And even though there are other things I would like to upgrade, if they are usable and fit the space, I’m trying to wait to get them unless I find an amazing deal. I know I have spent a lot of money in the past few months, and I need to slow that down.

But there are 2 categories of things that I feel like I’m still buying a bit of. First are things that I didn’t have in the old place that I wanted for the new one. And the other are things that are cheap improvements or upgrades (although those can add up and be a lot of money if I get too many of them). I’m still not trying to rush into any purchases, even if they are cheap ones, because I know that’s a waste. But I’ve gotten a few more new things this past week that are helping to bring my place even more together.

There are a lot of things I have wanted to get for my guest room/office. The biggest one will be the bookcase murphy bed that I will get eventually. I thought I would get that before the end of this year, but I think it will be pushed back until next year. I have decided to hire someone to put it together, and I need to find a good handyman who will do that and make sure I budget for that as well. I also think that I would like to get a new desk eventually, but I’m in no rush to replace the one I have now. It’s just something on my mind whenever I’m looking online or at different stores to get ideas. But one thing I knew I wanted to try to find soon for that room was some additional seating. I like the idea of also making the room feel like a den or reading area since the bed I will put in there will mainly be a bookcase and only rarely used as a bed. I found a style of chair that I liked, but the chairs were pretty pricey so I wasn’t sure when I would get them. And I wanted to get two chairs just to make things look balanced, so that added to the cost.

When I was doing some online searching the other day, I was looking at the chair I was thinking I would get and decided to try to see what else was recommended if I was considering that chair. And the store suggested almost the same chair, but this one came as a pair. It was the same price as the single chair I had been looking at, so basically, each chair was half the cost. I decided that was worth it and I didn’t mind the differences, so I ordered them. And I got them and put them together the other day.

They weren’t as easy to put together as I thought they would be because the instructions were missing some steps. So when I put the first one together, it took a few tries to get everything right. But the second chair was much easier to do and now I have some nice seating that I can use in that room or in my living room if I need more chairs. And I think once I get more stuff in that room, it won’t look as stark and bare. But that will come in time.

I’m also getting ready for my family to visit me this weekend and part of what we will be doing is working on my backyard. I needed to go get some plants for a planter my dad is bringing for me, and I decided to get that plus see what other plants looked interesting. I don’t have the best track record of keeping plants alive, but at least they aren’t too expensive so if they don’t make it I didn’t waste too much money. But I only wanted to get one additional plant since I wanted to see how I did with taking care of it. I looked around the garden area of Home Depot and ended up finding these peppers that looked cool. I won’t eat these peppers, but at least I think they will add some color to my patio.

I hope I can keep these alive, but if I can’t, at least they will be nice for a month or so. But I’m really going to try to take care of them and I did get some of those watering globes so I can make sure that they are getting the right amount of water. I know that I probably over or underwater plants I have, so regulating that should help me not kill them.

I’m sure there will be more things and upgrades I buy in the near future. I know I’ll be doing some shopping when my parents are here, and those are things I have planned for. But I also know that if there are inexpensive things that I see that I know will improve my space, I will probably also be getting unplanned things too.

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Default ThumbnailMaking My House Look Fancy (or Doing Some Upgrades For The New Year) Default ThumbnailStill Preparing To Move (or Getting Rid Of Some Things And Buying Others) Default ThumbnailBrunch and Shopping (or Helping A Friend Make Some Upgrades) Default ThumbnailMy New Computer Is A Game-Changer (or The Stress Of Buying Was Worth It) Default ThumbnailMinor Remodeling (or Putting My Parents To Work On Their Vacation) Default ThumbnailA Busy Family Weekend (or Continuing To Set Up My Home)

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Still Learning More About Being A Homeowner (or Observing Another HOA Meeting)

Posted on September 29, 2022 | Comments Off on Still Learning More About Being A Homeowner (or Observing Another HOA Meeting)

I know there is a ton to learn about being a homeowner and I’ve been slowly learning things. I’ve always been pretty handy with little repairs around the place and I used to fix things on my own at my rentals if they were really easy because it was normally simpler for me to do it than to wait for someone to come. But I have had to learn more things now that I don’t have a landlord since I don’t want to pay for someone to do things that I can try to do on my own. For example, I’ve had to learn some basic plumbing things to try to fix a slow drain. I’m also looking at replacing a bathroom faucet since that wasn’t done in the renovation, but that will need to be done by a handyman since that is a bit more involved than what I’ve been figuring out.

But besides the homeowner stuff that I’ve been learning regarding maintenance and repairs, I’m also learning about being in a condo building and having an HOA. I know other people have complained a lot about HOAs and how they micromanage every little thing, but I think I’m pretty lucky with my HOA. I did have to get their approval for the renovation and it wasn’t the quickest process, but it wasn’t too difficult. And I’ve had to get approval to replace my front door lock since that needs to match the existing lock, but I was able to find almost an identical match and got it approved so I can either try to replace it myself or hire someone to do that. We don’t have a lot of amenities here, but the HOA does a good job of maintaining common spaces like the courtyard. And they do the gardening in the little backyard area that I have.

I know there are a lot of things I can learn about how the HOA works, and I have plenty of time to figure things out, but I want to know as much as I can so I can understand how things get done. And the best way for me to do that is to attend the HOA meetings. I’ve only been able to attend a few of them, including the meeting I attended where they discussed my renovation plans so they could be approved. Sometimes the meetings conflict with other meetings, and I just can’t attend. But just like the different union meetings I try to go to, I make every effort I can to attend the HOA meetings.

So when an emergency meeting was called earlier this week, I made sure to make time in my day to be a part of it. I don’t know if any meetings before the pandemic were done in person, but every meeting since I bought my place has been over Zoom so at least it’s usually easy to attend even if I have other things I need to do at the same time. This meeting was an emergency meeting because the HOA board was looking to hire a new HOA management company after ending the contract with the current management company. There were a few different issues with the current management company, some of which I experienced myself. I had delays with getting my renovation approved because of the management company. I also had delays with other responses I had been waiting for from them. I tried to not be frustrated, but I did want to get faster responses so I could get things done and not keep waiting. And it was actually reassuring to hear that others had the same issues as me so I wasn’t odd for being frustrated with the waiting.

I didn’t really say too much in this meeting since I don’t know anything about HOA management companies. But it was interesting hearing about the different options and what exactly the management company does versus the HOA board. And by the end of the meeting, a new management company was agreed upon and we have all been emailed to set things up with them so we can have a smooth transition. Even though it’s only been a day, I’ve already had a good experience because I asked for approval for something I have been waiting on and it was approved within an hour! So I think this is a good sign of things to come!

I’m sure I’ll continue to learn more and more about home ownership and the HOA as time goes on. I’ve almost been a homeowner for a year now, although I’ve only been living here for just under 6 months. I’ve learned a lot so far, but I can’t wait to see what else I will learn about because I know it will only be things that benefit me going forward.

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Default ThumbnailMy First Real HOA Meeting (or This Felt Like A Union Meeting) Default ThumbnailOne Step Closer To Moving (or My First HOA Meeting) Default ThumbnailObserving a Board Meeting (or Finding A New Goal) Default ThumbnailObserving The Local Board Meeting (or The Beginning Of My Second Term As A Delegate) Default ThumbnailStill Waiting To Get Things Started (or Continuing To Work On Patience) Default ThumbnailNow Things Are Feeling Real (or So Far, We Are Ahead Of Schedule)

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Finding Some New Awesome Art (or Still Celebrating My Liver)

Posted on September 22, 2022 | Comments Off on Finding Some New Awesome Art (or Still Celebrating My Liver)

I knew when I moved into my new place, I would need to get some more things to decorate since it’s about 3 times the size of my old place. I felt like my old place had a good amount of art and fun stuff around, but that was because I had so little space to put them up. So ever since I moved into my new place, things have felt a bit sparse. But I also don’t want to just buy things to fill up my new home, so I’m always on the lookout for cool things to get or add to my wish list so I can buy them later.

I know I will want a lot of cool things to decorate when I eventually get the library bed for my office/guest room. There will be a lot of shelves that I want to decorate and I’ve added so much to a wish list already such as books with decorative covers to make them look more like art than books. I never really got into the idea of styling bookshelves until a few years ago, but now I love the idea of finding creative ways to set up bookcases. And one of the things I love seeing on styled bookcases is fun pieces of art that can feel a bit random. You can’t exactly just go shopping for random things, but it feels like you found a treasure when you find something that happens to be perfect.

I was scrolling through TikTok a few weeks ago and came across someone who does embroidery. One of the things I love about TikTok is how you can discover someone you might never have found otherwise. And this person not only does cool embroidery, but she makes different organs out of embroidery. And the video that I saw was her making a liver. Of course, I needed it so I could celebrate how amazing my liver has been and to commemorate the tumors shrinking. I immediately went to her Etsy shop and looked for it, but I couldn’t find it. So I commented on the video and she said it was going to be a part of a release coming up. I made a mental note to look at her shop again when she released new items and just hoped that I would be lucky enough to get it.

And on the release day, I guess I forgot what day it was until very late that night. All of a sudden, I realized that the liver art was going to be for sale that day and there was only one available. I was worried that someone else got it before I had a chance to buy it, but somehow it was still available. So I clicked to buy it and made sure I finished everything before anyone else got a chance to do so. I was so happy when I got the order confirmation because I really wanted this piece as a part of my office. And now I knew I would be getting it.

Because it was coming from overseas, I knew it might take a while to get to me, But it was only about 2 weeks later before there was a package in my mailbox and my new amazing art was here!

I think it looks even better than it did online! Every time I look at it, I smile. It’s really beautifully done and I know it sounds weird to say this but I love the colors. When I saw it online, I knew immediately that it’s a liver, but I think some people might think it’s a mushroom or a tree. But that almost makes it even better. It’s something so random and cool but also so meaningful to me.

Since I don’t know when I’ll be getting the library bed so I can decorate my office, right now my new embroidered liver is leaning against things on my desk. But I think I’ll get a little stand for it so I can have it upright next to a stack of books when I do have that new piece of furniture. I don’t have many things yet to put on those shelves when I do get them, but I am so glad that I have something so perfect already to put on there in the future.

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Default ThumbnailI Do Enjoy Valentine’s Day (or Celebrating All Love In My Life) Default ThumbnailCelebrating Some Anniversaries (or Remembering Awesome Family Moments) Default ThumbnailMedical Miracle Anniversary (or A Year Of My Liver Being A Badass) Default ThumbnailDot Art Mugs (or A Pinterest Win!) Default ThumbnailStarting To Move In (or Taking The Roadrunner To The Condo) Default ThumbnailGetting Ready To See My Liver Surgeon Again (or My Annual MRI)

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Feeling Very Lucky In This Heat Wave (or I’m Totally Spoiled Now)

Posted on September 7, 2022 | Comments Off on Feeling Very Lucky In This Heat Wave (or I’m Totally Spoiled Now)

I’ve gotten used to being pretty miserable during the summer at my old place with my window a/c doing what it could, but still living in a very hot house. I have had to figure out ways to stay cool when it’s unbearable inside. I have sat on ice packs while working, gotten extra sheets so I could keep a top sheet damp on top of me to try to cool down, and taken multiple cool showers to try to feel better. It was a lot better with my window a/c than it was before I had it, but that’s comparing being over 100 degrees inside my house to it being 85 degrees inside my house.

For most of this summer, LA has had a relatively mild summer. I haven’t been miserable while I have been home. I’m not overheating while working or sweating and feeling sick while I’m trying to sleep. I’m still getting used to having central a/c and making sure that my electric bill doesn’t get too expensive, but I think I probably use it less than many people would since I’m used to things being so warm inside. Plus, I’m much better insulated in my place now than I was at my old place. I don’t have the same issues with direct sunlight that I used to, and I don’t have all the walls exposed to heat. So while the summer was mild, I also thought it might be because of being in a much better home than I was in before.

But right now, LA is in a heat wave. It’s really hot and shockingly muggy here. When I’ve been leaving my place it’s almost a shock how different it feels. I’ve been so comfortable in my house and don’t always check the temperature before leaving. I haven’t had to leave too much lately to do things and I’ve been trying to rest at home as much as I can, so I am glad that my time in the heat is limited. And as soon as I get home, it’s seriously so nice and cool and I feel instantly more relaxed. I don’t leave my a/c on while I’m gone, but I can set things from my phone so when I’m heading home from a workout or running an errand, I can start cooling off my place before I arrive so it’s not as warm when I walk in the door.

I know how lucky I am to have a/c and to live somewhere that is comfortable. I haven’t had this luxury before. I had a/c at the last two places I lived, but neither of those places had efficient a/c units. At the place I lived before the house I was in for 12 years, we had a unit in the wall that only faced the kitchen and had no way of cooling down any other space. And it wasn’t that long ago that I was living at my old place so I very clearly remember how bad it was, especially in a heat wave. So I have put it out to my friends that if they need a place to cool down, they are welcome to come over here. Nobody has taken me up on that offer so far, but it’s an open invitation to my friends. I didn’t have many places I could go and cool down in heat waves before, and I don’t want anyone to feel as miserable as I used to during the summer.

I remember when my parents and I were looking at condos and one of the non-negotiable things for my parents was that my new place needed central a/c. I said that wasn’t a must-have for me and I would be ok with a window unit. But now that I’m living in my first place with central a/c, I’m feeling very spoiled and know that I won’t be able to go back. And I’m grateful that it was something my parents required for a new place because they were right that it is very worth it!

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Default ThumbnailDealing With Heat And Humidity (or I’m Very Lucky The Pandemic Didn’t Happen A Few Years Ago) Default ThumbnailHeat Wave In LA (or Another Post About The Heat) Default ThumbnailAnother Post About The Heat (or I’m Not Getting As Upset This Time) Default ThumbnailOut Of The Heat (or Finally Getting A/C!) Default ThumbnailUpgrading My House (or Feeling Lucky) Default ThumbnailI Hate Complaining About The Heat (or Can It Be Fall Now?)

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Getting Back Into Good Routines (or Healthy Eating And Cleaning Up)

Posted on September 1, 2022 | Comments Off on Getting Back Into Good Routines (or Healthy Eating And Cleaning Up)

I feel like August flew by and was such a short month! I felt like I had more time in August so I was putting off getting some of my birthday freebies like the free products at Sephora. But I guess the month slipped by and I missed getting to do that. Oh well. Some months are just faster than others I guess. And since it’s now September, it’s time to recap my August monthly challenge and plan out my September one.

Last month, I wanted to make sure that I was eating more fruits and vegetables. And as it normally goes with my challenges, I wasn’t perfect but I had some great progress. I know in the past, I was better about eating fruit than I was about eating vegetables, but this time it felt like the opposite. I did get some fruit in my meals, but it didn’t feel as often and it felt much more deliberate when I was doing that. But with vegetables, I was able to make plans for meals that just included them and didn’t have to think about it as much.

I made sure that I always had some frozen vegetables so I could easily microwave them and add them to a meal. I also got a new veggie chopper so I could prepare things easier. I had a similar one before, but I can’t find it. I think I lost a box or two during my move because I keep finding random things that I am missing. But having something to make vegetable prep easier is a nice tool to have. I know I could just cut things with a knife, but I like having things that are about the same size, and using a veggie chopper is the easiest way for me to do that. And if that’s what it takes for me to eat more vegetables, that’s an easy thing for me to do.

I’ve been trying to prepare a big salad once or twice a week so I can just have it in the fridge and ready to eat when I’m having lunch or dinner. This has been so helpful with my goals this month and I know I will be keeping it up. I’m also trying to get back into making smoothies with fruits and vegetables, but that hasn’t become as much of a regular habit for me just yet. But I’m in a much better spot with my eating now than I was at the beginning of August.

After making some great progress in August, I’m hoping I will have the same results this month. And I’m doing a challenge this month that is new to me, but also similar to a past challenge. This month, I want to work on doing a nightly reset of my home before going to bed. In the past, I have made it a challenge to do a quick clean every day, and I’m still doing that and it’s very helpful. But something that I’ve discovered in my new home is that it is much easier for me to leave things dirty or not put away.

For example, in my old house, I couldn’t leave things in my sink or on my counter because I wouldn’t have any space left in my kitchen. This also made it hard to be motivated to cook sometimes since I knew that everything would need to be put away. But now, if I leave something in the sink and not put it in the dishwasher or if I leave some things out on the counter after cooking, I still have space to use my kitchen. I don’t feel the same urgency to put everything away. In a much smaller home, every little bit of clutter was magnified. I’m still a pretty clean person and I think most people walking into my house will say it’s clean, but I know that I’m not as clean and tidy as I would like it to be. So I want to do a bit of a reset every evening.

This will be different from my daily cleaning. This will be more about taking a few minutes in the evening to put away things that I took out. Sometimes it might be things I need to put away in my kitchen and sometimes it might be something I put on my dresser in my room that should be hung back up or put back into a drawer. I know if I just spend a few minutes each day doing this, things won’t pile up like they have the potential to do. And it should continue to help me figure out what other organizational things I need in my home. I know I still need more things like some shelving in my bathroom. But until I really focus on resetting my space every day, I know that I will still be a bit unsure of exactly what I want.

I know that when I started doing these monthly challenges several years ago, it was all about helping me become a better person and improving myself. And I feel like recently I’ve been really embracing that idea again after having some struggles with the challenges and goals I’ve set in the last year or so. But I’m really feeling good about what challenges I’ve been setting and so happy to see the positive results from them each month.

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Default ThumbnailTrying To Refocus On Goals (or Doing Another Reset This Month) Default ThumbnailFinding A Balance (or Eating Healthy And Fun At The Same Time) Default ThumbnailSpring Cleaning (or Feeling Pampered) Default ThumbnailAlways Cleaning (or At Least The Pandemic Helped Create This Habit) Default ThumbnailGetting Rid Of Extras (or Cleaning House) Default ThumbnailAnother Bombshell Partnership! (or Doing A Healthy Detox)

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Still Finding Little Ways To Upgrade (or Figuring Out What I Want To Save For)

Posted on August 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Still Finding Little Ways To Upgrade (or Figuring Out What I Want To Save For)

At the start of the pandemic, I bought a lot of new things. I think a lot of people did that, probably because there wasn’t a lot to do when everyone was staying home and a lot of people were out of work. Some of the things I bought were things I needed because I was staying home, such as stuff to work out at home. And some things I bought because I wanted to upgrade the place I was living in. I got things to organize my kitchen better, new decorations because I was bored looking at the same walls all the time, and other little upgrades of things that I didn’t need but wanted.

And when I moved, I didn’t take all of those upgraded things with me since many things were bought specifically for my old place. I didn’t need any of the kitchen organizers I got because I have 4 or 5 times the storage space in my kitchen and the organizers I’m looking at are different dimensions. I upgraded my curtains and bedding, and those wouldn’t fit into my new room. I did bring all my workout stuff with me, but they are currently in my closet since I’m not using them.

But there have been some things on my list that I wanted to upgrade for a while that I never got around to at the beginning of the pandemic. And when I found out about a year ago that I would need to find a new place, I stopped focusing on finding those things since I wanted to see what my living situation would be like. Most of these things I put on hold were for my kitchen. I’ve been wanting to get new dishes and new pots and pans for quite a while. But I also didn’t want to just get anything and not make sure it was the right thing or something I loved. I also had wanted to get new silverware, but I lucked out and found a new set that I loved right when I was planning on moving, so I didn’t bring my old ones with me in the move and just had the new ones. But I haven’t been as lucky with everything I wanted to find.

And now, I’m feeling much more settled and I have a better idea of the things I need and want. It’s probably better that I didn’t get things before I moved because I can plan out better. For example, there are some baking pans and dishes I was looking at before, and I found a new set just the other day that would fit in much better into my space that I never would have gotten at my old place because there would have been no room to store them. If I’m looking at pots and pans, I can take the measurements of my drawers and find a set that will fit in perfectly. For the dishes I will eventually buy, I can find a set that goes along with the colors of my condo instead of what colors I had at my old place. I think when I finally get some of these new things, it will feel like a big refresh of the space and I know it will be a huge upgrade since some of the things I have now aren’t in the best condition.

Of course, everything costs money, and if I’m going to invest in nice things that will cost more than if I just got something cheap that I didn’t care about. But I don’t want just buy whatever I can find on sale or for cheap. Even though some of the things I have now aren’t perfect, I can manage. Some of my dishes are chipped and can’t go through the dishwasher, so I just handwash those items and put the rest in the dishwasher. It’s not perfect, but it works. And it is giving me time to save up so I can get some very nice things and continue to upgrade my amazing home.

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Default ThumbnailShopping More To Shop Less (or Finding Ways To Be Less Wasteful) Default ThumbnailFinding Ways To Treat Myself (or I Wish Money Wasn’t An Issue) Default ThumbnailA Bit More Technology In My Home (or Continuing To Upgrade) Default ThumbnailAnother Small Upgrade (or Making Things Easier To Watch) Default ThumbnailCleaning Up And Giving Things Away (or Finding More Space In My House) Default ThumbnailDoing More Cooking (or Maybe It Does Save Time)

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Taking Advantage Of Having Extra Space (or My First Overnight Guest In My Condo)

Posted on August 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Taking Advantage Of Having Extra Space (or My First Overnight Guest In My Condo)

Ever since I lived in LA, I have always been happy to have guests stay with me. When I lived in the dorms, I had friends who slept in a sleeping bag in my room (with my roommate’s permission). I actually don’t think I had any overnight guests in the first apartment I lived in, but I only lived in that apartment for a year and I wasn’t very happy when I lived there. In my second apartment, I had friends who slept in the living room or in my room, depending if I was between roommates or not. And in my last place, I had friends who needed a place to stay and slept on an air mattress in my living room. Having guests in my last place was always a tight fit since it was such a small space. But I made it work by either moving my couch around or rearranging my living room so that there was enough room for an air mattress to fit.

I have never minded having guests stay with me, but at my last place, it was always a bit awkward. The air mattress took up almost all the space in my living room and the only bathroom was accessible only by going through my room. So if someone needed to use the bathroom during the night, they had to come into my room and the bathroom was only about a foot away from my bed. Fortunately, anyone who stayed with me was always just grateful to have a place to stay without having to pay for a hotel, so they never minded the awkwardness. But it wasn’t ideal for having people come to stay with me.

When my parents and I originally started looking at condos about 5 years ago, we were only looking at one bedroom condos since those were in the price range we wanted to stay in. I don’t think we ever looked at two bedrooms until when we started looking again more seriously about a year ago. And when we got serious about finding a condo, my parents and I set some requirements. And my parents said I needed to find a two bedroom condo. And while I was happy to find any place, I knew having a second bedroom would be nice to have since I work from home. Plus, then I could have guests stay with me and it wouldn’t be as weird as it has been for the last 20-something years I’ve lived in LA.

When my mom and I started to plan out what furniture I should look at, setting up the office/guest room has gone back and forth quite a bit. Originally, we looked at murphy beds since those would take up the least amount of space. Then we switched to looking at sofa sleepers. And I think we finally landed on a very cool (but not cheap) murphy bed that has bookshelves so the space will look like an office and have a lot of storage but will also have a full-sized bed for guests when they come to stay with me.

I won’t be getting this new piece for a few more months, but I had my first overnight guests at my condo this past weekend! A friend of mine was coming to LA for a wedding, and they needed a place to sleep the night before their vacation rental was available. I let them know that I didn’t have a real bed in the room yet, but I did have an air mattress, and they were fine with that. I did realize before they came to stay with me that I didn’t have sheets for the air mattress anymore, but I lucked out because I was at Costco after I realized that and they had sheets on clearance so I was able to get some.

When I was getting the air mattress set up, I discovered that the wall color in that room matched pretty well. I picked this color because I want to be able to self-tape auditions without needing to use a backdrop. So it turns out that self-tape blue and air mattress blue are almost the same.

It was awesome having my first guest in my new home. First, I hadn’t seen this friend since the start of the pandemic because they moved away right after things shut down. So getting to have some time to hang out in person and catch up was so great. And I know she was grateful to have a place to stay, even if it was on an air mattress. She had seen photos of the renovation as it was happening since I was texting it to people, but she got to see everything in person. I am really proud of how everything looks, so I do like to show off my new space. And of course, it was so nice having someone stay with me who had their own bathroom to use and didn’t have to always go through my room.

Even though I have always enjoyed having friends or family stay with me, it will be so much better now that I have a guest room for them to use. It will be nicer when I have a real bed in here, but at least it’s still a separate space for an air mattress and doesn’t feel like someone is just staying out in the open in the middle of my home.

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Default ThumbnailMaking Condo Hunting More Fun (or Taking Advantage Of Ways To Be Social) Default ThumbnailStarting To Move In (or Taking The Roadrunner To The Condo) Default ThumbnailA Transition Of What Feels Like Home (or Getting Even Closer To Moving) Default ThumbnailNot My Typically 4th Of July (or Taking Advantage Of A Day Off) Default ThumbnailCleaning Up And Giving Things Away (or Finding More Space In My House) Default ThumbnailAnother Busy Condo Weekend (or A Working Visit For My Parents)

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Busy Building New Things (or At Least Some Of This Was Easy)

Posted on July 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Busy Building New Things (or At Least Some Of This Was Easy)

I’m pretty familiar with building different things for my home. I have done this as long as I have lived alone and had to build different storage things for my college dorm. I’ve gotten so many things over the years from places like Ikea, Target, and Amazon that require to be put together and I feel like I have gotten pretty good at doing that. Sometimes, it does require a second person, but usually I can figure out a way to do it on my own. Sometimes that means I’m holding things up in weird ways, but I’m always really proud of myself when I complete a project and I have something new in my place.

I have had to build some random things for my new place, but I haven’t had to do a lot since so much was done in the remodel. I used to have to build things for storage or organization because my old place lacked it, but the new place has been much easier to set up. But that doesn’t mean it was perfect. And we didn’t want to ask the contractor to build things that I knew I could get at a box store and could likely put together myself. And that’s what I’ve been doing most weekends.

I’ve been searching online for the perfect things that I wanted to get, and I waited until the floors were done before I ordered things. And now, they have been coming in.

The first thing that I built was actually 2 different pieces. I wanted to turn the closet in my office/guest room into a bit of a pantry or storage area. At my old house, I had the utility room that I used for this idea. I would mainly store things like extra cleaning supplies, toiletries, and my tools. And I didn’t have a great place already set up in the new place to do that, so I wanted to build some shelving. There were a few ideas of what to build, but I settled on some nicer-looking storage shelves. I didn’t like the idea of just wire shelves, and I found a strong shelving system that looks a lot more finished and complete than a lot of what I found online. I ordered 2 units because I wanted to fill half of the closet.

They arrived about a week apart, so I build one before the other. And despite some of the reviews online saying they were hard to put together, they were pretty simple. I finished the first one in about 20 minutes and the second one only took a bit longer because I wanted to make sure I got the shelves to match. But I think they look exactly what I was looking for now that they are in place.

I still need to organize the shelves a bit better, but this got a lot of stuff out of boxes that I’ve had on the floor and that makes me very happy. And when my parents are visiting me this fall, my dad will help me make these a bit safer by attaching them to the wall so they won’t fall over if there is an earthquake.

And this past weekend, I worked on a new bookcase for my living room. I will be using this as a way to display different things I have and not really for books, but I wanted something to help to fill out my living room space. Originally, I was going to get a new entertainment center, but the ones I was liking were very expensive and would be something I would need to take time to save for. So I got this bookcase knowing that it might be moved to a different spot eventually, but it would be a good thing to have for now.

This build ended up taking much longer. It didn’t come with instructions, so I had to find them online to figure it out. And I don’t know how I did this, but I actually built it incorrectly. It’s fine the way that it is, but each side was flipped. So where the shorter section is now is where the longer one should be. I think it’s fine that it’s this way, but I think it’s pretty funny that I managed to do that. And once it was completed, I got it next to my tv so I could see how it looks. I still need to move the tv a bit further over (and get a new tv), but I think my living room looks a lot better!

I want to say that I don’t think I have any more things I need to build for a while. I will eventually have the bookcase bed for my office/guest room that my dad and I might try to put together, but that might also be something that needs to be done by a professional. I’m not going to worry about that for now since I won’t be ordering it for at least a few months. But even though I think now that I have no other projects to build, I know that something will probably come up and I’ll be doing another project soon enough.

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Repeat Birthday Presents (or This Really Makes A Big Difference In My New Home)

Posted on July 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Repeat Birthday Presents (or This Really Makes A Big Difference In My New Home)

Now that the renovation on my new place is finally done, the work I have left is the fun stuff like decorating and getting new furniture. I put off getting quite a few things since I didn’t want to have stuff in boxes all over my place while work was still happening. But I have been doing a lot of browsing online and saving links for things that I wanted to get. There are a few things that I will have to wait to get because I need to save up for them, but it’s been fun to plan things out.

One of the few things that I ordered ahead of time was a new couch. This was something that I wasn’t originally planning on getting. I thought I might add an armchair or something else to my living room, but when my parents saw how my old couch didn’t fit well into my new living room, they said we should at least go and look at new ones while they were visiting me. And we found something we could customize a bit so it would be perfect for my new living room.

My old couch was a birthday present from my parents back in 2014. It was really the perfect couch for me when I was living at my old place. Since it was such a small space, I had to be very careful with how things were set up and the size of anything I put in my home. I was very lucky to find such a perfect couch that fit everything that I needed and I loved how my living room looked in my old place.

But my new living room is several times larger than my old one, so when I had the movers move my couch, it really didn’t fit well. Even with the original plan to add an armchair, it just didn’t seem right. I couldn’t figure out why until someone pointed out that the color seemed off now. In my old place, the walls were a yellow-based white and my couch looked gray. In my new place, the walls are a blue-based white and the couch almost looked brown. It just didn’t fit and I figured I would just keep my old couch until I found something I liked. I didn’t think I’d find one while shopping with my parents, but that’s how it all turned out. I put the purchase on a store credit card because they had an offer for a gas card with the purchase, plus there would be no interest for a year so I would have more time to pay it off without having extra charges. But after I got that all set up, my parents said that they would like to help me pay for the couch for my birthday present this year. I think that is so generous of them and I love that I will still have a couch that is a birthday present!

Since I was going to have to delay the delivery of my new couch, I had some time to find a buyer for my old one. I posted about it online and a friend of a friend needed a new couch and was willing to pay close to what I was asking. I wasn’t trying to make a lot of money off of it, but I did want to get something for it. So taking a little less than asking was fine with me. The old couch was supposed to be picked up a few weeks ago. Originally, it wasn’t going to be here when my floors were redone. But the person buying it off of me was delayed, so it was here until this past weekend. I think that worked out perfectly because I was able to arrange for the delivery of the new one to also be this past weekend. And that way, I was only without a couch for 1 day instead of several weeks.

It was sad to see my old couch go since I did love it for so long. But I know that it wasn’t going to be the right thing to have in my living room to have the look I wanted. And I only had to be sad for a day before the new one was delivered. When we ordered the couch, they had a deal going on for the delivery to be white glove service, so they would set up everything and take away all packing material. So I didn’t have to worry about all the plastic and boxes that the different pieces came in. And the delivery people were very nice and willing to let me try out 2 different combinations since this sectional and be adjusted however I’d like. But I went with the original layout that we were thinking and I think that it looks perfect.

I think everyone who has seen this photo agrees that the new couch fits in so much better than the old one.

It was only delivered on Sunday and I haven’t had much time to sit on it, but it is very comfortable. And I can move the ottoman around so I can extend the couch wherever I’m sitting. It’s much better than the little square ottoman I’ve been using that is just big enough for my feet. And if I decide to make the couch a different shape, it’s pretty easy to move the different pieces around. I haven’t really lived somewhere I could do that before since at my old place, everything pretty much only had one way that it would fit into the room. Now, I have so much more space to play with and I’ve been loving it!

Just like I’ve said so many times in recent months, this is helping to make my place feel more like my home. There is still stuff to get and different decor that I want to get up, but at least now I have a couch that really fits the space and makes my living room look so comfortable and inviting.

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Now I Think This Is The End Of The Renovation (or I Keep Thinking I’m At The Finish Line)

Posted on July 13, 2022 | Comments Off on Now I Think This Is The End Of The Renovation (or I Keep Thinking I’m At The Finish Line)

There have been so many points where I said the renovation on my condo was done. When I moved in, there were still a few things to do but pretty much everything was completed. Then when we worked on the fix-it list and discovered the floors had to be redone, getting the new floors felt like the end of the renovation. There were still a few things to get done after the floors, but that was the last really big thing that needed to be completed for the remodel. But now, I think I might actually be done with the renovation.

A few things happened in the past week. The contractor came back with a crew to finish the last few things on the list. These were all pretty minor things such as some paint touch-ups, repairing one broken tile that was in the kitchen, straightening a handle on a cabinet, and cleaning up some of the stuff they had left on my patio. These were all very quick and fast fixes, but they needed to be done so the project felt complete. And all of this work was able to be done in a single day, so it felt like it was done really fast.

The one thing that wasn’t done the same day as the rest of the work was getting the leftover stone from my kitchen counters. I now have that on my patio after it was brought over and we are looking at seeing if we can turn it into a coffee table for outside. But at least it’s off to the side of my patio and out of the way. But it was the last of the leftover materials that we were waiting on (I have the leftover paint and tiles in my storage space in my garage already).

I also finally got my curtains installed last week. This was separate from the contractor because I used a chain curtain/blinds store. I had picked out the curtains about a month ago and I knew the installation would take a few weeks. Fortunately, this was only for the back slider door because the rest of my windows have shutters. So I wasn’t lacking privacy in my place, but I wanted to have this done since I didn’t like having such a big open window that others could see into at night. This installation took longer than expected, but I was just working while they were doing it, so it wasn’t a big deal. And having curtains added really made the space look finished.

I still need to organize and get my new couch (and get rid of my old couch), but having curtains made a big difference. I didn’t know it would feel that big, but I think having something that feels homier and makes my place feel cozy is helping a lot. And I like that the sheers I picked don’t completely obscure the view so I can still see into my patio. Eventually, I’ll have furniture out there too, so that will be nice.

And the last step to the renovation was getting my place cleaned again. I had done this before I moved in, but since fixing the floors got this dusty, we asked the contractor to bring a cleaner in so I didn’t have to pay for another one. I am debating about setting up a monthly cleaning service (it feels like a splurge, but I think it would be worth it), but it was nice to not have to pay this time when the reason we needed the cleaning wasn’t something I was in control of. And of course, it was nice to have a super clean place, which is why I’m considering a regular cleaning service now.

My parents still want to see all the fixes and work before we officially say that the renovation is done and they will be back in LA this fall. So being officially done might have to wait until then, but I still consider the work done. There are no projects left that are not being done by me or by someone I might hire directly (such as building a murphy bed). The keys the contractor had to get inside were turned into me so they do not have access to my condo anymore. I’m making plans to change my locks, which I had to delay while the work was being done. And I’m buying new furniture and storage systems so I can finally get more things out of boxes. It really feels like it is done now.

And I’m so excited to see things coming together. When my new couch arrives, that will be a big change. I’m looking at getting a new tv and some nice display cabinets for my living room to fill out the space. There will be some things and projects that I have to wait on due to finances, but I’m taking steps to get them done. And every day, I’m feeling more and more like I am home and less like my old place is home. It’s been a process to get to this point, but I’m so glad it seems like everything paid off. And even if the renovation process took much longer than expected, I’m so happy with all the choices we made. Now, I think I can finally sit back and enjoy the home I have helped to create.

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