I am doing well with my all water, all the time goal. I did have some champagne on New Years eve. Speaking of new years, pretty low key for us. We didn't go to The Nutcracker because we didn't want our lovely to talk through the entire performance. So we stayed home, watched the countdown with my 2 fave hosts, The Silver Fox & Kathy Griffin.
There was a bunch of fireworks at midnight. Liv totally feel asleep and we spent Saturday cleaning the house and we visited Antz sister Debra *she had Christmas presents for us*
I have been thinking about our plan to sell this house. It's such a catch-22 getting out of this house and into my Dream House. We can't sell at a profit in this current market because we need to have enough to pay off our mortgage. Yet, if the market does improve, we won't be able to afford to buy a new house in our ideal neighborhood. I sometimes wish we weren't so quick to buy in Highland Park and maybe we would have been better off to wait until we could afford Atwater Village but overall, I'm sure we made the best decision because, at least we have a house now. Talking to Antz yesterday, as we were dropping off his niece and nephew, we were in Atwater Village and all the shops were closed *as they usually are on Sunday* my biggest concern is that if/when we do move to AV, the economy may get so bad that the shops would close and one of the biggest factors of us moving there would be gone. So far 4 of our fave shops have closed and I don't see how these Mom & Pop shops will substain. I am also concerned with the house on the right of my Dream House, it's in pretty bad shape and I don't want to make the same mistake twice and end up with undesirable neighbors *no fucking way* If the house is an indication of the people who live there, that will be a total deal-breaker. I refuse to live near any assholes that don't maintain their house. I was in the area last week and I drove down Glenmanor *I'm such a stalker* I noticed barricades were in front of the house, I saw the rain caused the giant tree branches to break off. SCARY!
The greenery provide privacy but overwhelm the house
The lawn is getting lost in the forest of bushes
I like the space but this is too much shrubbery. I would love to take out a majority of the trees and bushes and plant cream peonies. I also really want a raised garden but I need to have a landscaper design the right plants so we don't end up having to replant every 2 months.
Alright, I need to stop being lame!! Crazy person alert, planning the garden of a house I don't even own. So my point is, the house and the neighborhood is starting to lose it's charm and that was the conversation I had with Anthony. We both agreed that if the Atwater house ends up not being our best option, we need to look in other areas *North Eagle Rock, Franklin Hills, Silverlake, even Larchmont Village but it's a bit too far from Antz job* The criteria is:
Must be close to Antz job *less than 15 minute drive*
Must have 2 bedrooms/2 baths and an office/den
Must have a pool and grassy, private backyard
Must have a guest house *preferable with a bathroom*
Must have a wood-burning fireplace
Updated kitchen with a dishwasher or room to install one
Built before 1965
Must have a driveway
Must be on a quiet, residential street with plenty of guest parking and NO crappy houses!!
We would like views in the backyard
A 3rd bedroom
Hardwood floors
A breakfast nook in the kitchen
Covered patio
A garage *attached would be great but not a must*
An ensuite master bathroom
A spa attached to the pool
Would like orginal fixture, windows, door, crown molding
Walk in closets *big enough for a tiny island or a dresser and stool would be dreamy*
This may seem feasible if we wanted a new construction property but the California Bungalows or Spanish style we like never have closet space or ensuite bathrooms. I actually found a house that may fit the must have and some of the like to have lists in prime Eagle Rock *not my #1 choice but close to everything and 10 minutes to Antz job* location. It's a foreclosure, 2 story Spanish with 4 bedrooms *could possibly turn a bedroom into a master bathroom and closet of my dreams* 2 bathrooms, 2,184 square feet *we currently live in 883 sq ft* and, from what I can see from Google maps, has a large pool in an 8,000 square foot grassy backyard.
I am not happy with the lack of curb appeal and no security fence but I'll tell you what makes me extremely happy...the price. This mansion is $524,900. Now being a foreclosure, we would have to submit an offer higher than that amount to the bank and it could get rejected several times as well as take months to close. Then there's selling our house...sigh! I don't want to dwell in negativity. Positive thinking makes postive actions, my new mantra for 2011. We will....make repairs, remodel this house, spiff it up nicely, list this house in 2013, sell this house *and hopefully make enough profit to have money for renovating our new house*, buy an amazingly rad house in an awesome neighborhood!! 3 years from now I'll be posting about how much I love our new house and I know giving up the London trip will be a drop in the hat compared to having a safe, stable environment for Liv. Now, to apply this motivation to my fitness routine. I'm gonna jump on the wii and hula hoop my fat away *yay*
we love you more than words can say
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