at the theater

This weekend Kyle and I decided to get cultured... we went to see a play at the IRT, Indiana Repertory Theater. We got a great deal on tickets using a promo code Kyle just happened to find online. How great? Well, try $6.50 for tickets that would have been $52. Not too shabby, huh? We didn't do as great a job of picking our seats and ended up in the front row on the far right corner. We had a slightly obstructed view of the stage but it was well worth it.

We saw "The Diary of Anne Frank" It was fantastic. The cast was incredible and the emotion was overwhelming. The entire play took place in the secret annex. We laughed and cried with the characters and for the first time I actually began to think about what it must have been like to live in hiding for so long! I've been to the concentration camp in Germany (Bergen-Belsen) where Anne and her sister actually died but thinking about living in hiding for so long before even ending up at the camps... wow.

Did you realize that Anne Frank was only 12 when they went into hiding? I was super annoying at age 12... ha. This was one fun part of the play, she was crazy! And this particular actress was super high energy.

It is hard to say that we enjoyed our evening based on the subject matter of the play, but as much as it could be enjoyed, we did. I am ready to keep trying random promo codes and getting cultured. The IRT theater is small and welcoming, definitely worth going back to.

If any of you get the chance to see this play, we would highly recommend it!

successful saturday

It is a well-known fact that I am my father's daughter. My love for alliteration is no exception. My blog today is alliterated and a subtle tribute to my dad's delightful dealings with words. :)

Want to know why today was a successful Saturday? Keep reading!

1. Spending time together

It seems like our schedules are busy and not always in sync so today we got to hang out, just the two of us. We started off shopping for work clothes for Kyle. We cashed in on a birthday gift card and our 20% coupon at Kohl's. Success!

2. Scavenging

Last weekend we went antiquing and had a lot of fun. Today we went scavenging at furniture stores, flea market-type places, and Goodwills. We are keeping our new house in mind (still no official closing date, but sometime on or before March 25) and trying to find cool treasures we can use. Last weekend we found a cool stop sign at an antique mall but decided that sinage for the garage should be lower on our shopping list.

3. Surprise!

We were about ready to head home from Castleton this evening when Kyle suggested we stop at the Goodwill. Traffic was horrible (apparently nice weather and sunshine means everyone comes out of hibernation and goes shopping...) but we sat in the turn lane for a few changes of the light and then finally made it there. We went straight for the furniture and found .... da da da ... a ladder bookshelf! I've/we've been wanting one for awhile. It wasn't exactly the wood we wanted, but we had an idea. We couldn't turn down the $17.99 price.

Here it is at home (after step 4...) before ... 

4. Stuffing

Oops! We drive a VW beetle and had just bought a ladder bookshelf. It took some creativity to get that into the car and drive the 30 min home. We opened the sunroof and the back didn't latch but we made it. Our heated seats were on and the heat was blowing full force but it was still a cold ride home!

Look closely to see our stuffing strategy!

The back hatch wouldn't close...

5. Studying

We've never refinished any piece of furniture before, and that was our brilliant idea. Once we got home we got on the internet like any responsible DIY-ers would do to figure out what we needed to refinish this bookshelf.

6. Shopping (again!)

Off to Lowe's we went. That place is confusing but we found all the items on our shopping list INCLUDING a power sander. Kyle used some more birthday money for that and was thrilled to finally own his first power tool.

7. Sanding

With our tools in hand, we laid a tarp on the ground in the garage and got to sanding. Kyle did most of the work but I did get to use the power tool. :) It was loud and I was kind of concerned about the neighbors but it wasn't too late on a Saturday so we got it all sanded.

Let the sanding begin! Kyle at work

Jonni getting in on the power tool action

Sanding, check!

8. Staining

We like dark wood stain and had settled on a Dark Oak Satin stain WITH the polyurethane in it. (Sweet! one less step to complete). We started staining and loved it! We put on one stain and then let it dry for almost an hour before heading out to put the second stain on. Mind you, our garage is COLD because it is still winter but we had fun and wanted to get the job done.

Stain on the bottom 2 shelves, we love the color!

Completed first coat

And second coat on here

9. Satisfied

It looks great! We are super excited to have finished our first furniture project. It will be a great thing for our new house. Not sure of where its new home will be but can't wait to find it.

We did it!

We like the metal detail and, of course, our stain color choice :) 

So... that was our successful Saturday. Hope you enjoyed the alliteration and the pics of our project from start to finish.

... and now we're homeowners!

The search is FINALLY over! We have a house!

Ok, so I realize the above is helpful information, but you might want a few more of the details (maybe?), so here goes.

The ranch we blogged about last Saturday kept us intrigued. It didn't fit all of our criteria but it felt like a breath of fresh air when we walked inside. The more we talked and debated the more we realized we'd like to put an offer in on the house.

We had an appointment set with our realtor, Rich, for Wednesday at 5pm. When we arrived he knew we were planning to put in an offer, but didn't know on which house. He wasn't too surprised when we said 847 Eastgate Dr. :) He was surprised, however, when we said how much we wanted to offer on the house. He talked us into $5,000 more than we wanted, but still almost $14,000 less than the asking price. We asked for closing costs, for the sellers to pay the title insurance, and for a home warranty to be included. We submitted it and asked to hear by Friday at 5pm.

Thursday came and went, no news. No big shocker since this house is currently owned by a corporation we were told they usually take all the time they are given.

Friday came and Kyle and I both went to work. We were just waiting for the phone call to let us know what the counter offer was. Well, the phone call came, but the news wasn't what we were expecting ... IT WAS BETTER! They accepted our offer as it stands! No counter, nothing!

We realize that there is more ahead of us as far as passing the inspection, actually getting approved for our loan (we are pre-approved already), and closing BUT it seems so much closer! Lucky for us, the house is currently empty and so we get possession at closing.

So that's the story. Here's a view of OUR house, pending any further unwelcome developments.

Thanks for going on this journey with us, I'm sure there will be lots more davy doings to come! :)

the search continues

Today we braved the weather to go out and see more houses. We decided to look at the Edgewood house again, a house that our relator wanted us to see (now $15,000 less than when we started our house hunt), and a third house we'd found just perusing listings in Anderson.

We started at a 2 story, 4 bedroom home that'd we'd seen back in December. It's empty now and easier to like without the weird furniture and decor that was there before. It is a huge house with lots of wallpaper, funky paint colors, lots of closets, and an outdated kitchen. I guess it we had to live there we could make it work but we aren't really interested in making it work.

Then we down the street and to the left a few blocks to the house we'd found while looking online. This was a 1 story brick ranch. For those of you who know us well, you know that is not the kind of house we were looking for! But... as Kyle says, it's a "modern" ranch. :) Anyway, from the minute we walked in, I really liked it and I could tell Kyle liked it, too. There's a big great room open to the kitchen and dining room. The three bedrooms all have walk in closets, not a necessity but a nice touch. The attached garage is big and clean, and the only thing I'd really change is the color in the kitchen (though Kyle likes the "southwest" feel...). Check it out at the link below!

Virtual tour

From there we headed out to Edgewood, the house I blogged about last time, in a much more excited way than I am now. It was... old. Charming yes, but old. We still like the house but the basement wasn't like we remembered, the breezeway that I'd dreamed into a mudroom needs a lot of work, and the garage is unwelcoming and small. Funny how your perspective changes!

So, the latest davy doing on the house hunt front, is leaning toward a neighborhood and house style we thought we didn't like... and so, the journey continues. No offer yet, but we'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, if anyone has any influence on the weather and they'd like to bring out the sunshine and 40 degree weather, do what you can, please! Hopefully our house hunt in the snow today will have been worth it but I'm ready for spring.