Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Accepted!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The seller accepted our offer!  :)  After some negotiating back and forth (and pretty big sacrificing on our part) we are finally under contract!  We asked the seller to include the washer and dryer (which we can tell was recently purchased) but because of her financial situation, she was not able to include them since she is renting and not sure if her rental will include those.  She also excluded the home warranty (which we asked her to include) but again, because of her situation, she was unable to include that.  But we are not worried about that because the house is still young and if something were to happen, we definitely would not ask her to front the funds, anyway.  No chance!  We have some kind of heart! :)  But we are so relieved about finally getting the show on the road.  Now, the only things that need to be done are the home inspection and having an appraiser come to the home.  The tricky part is that with an FHA loan, the house must appraise for at least the purchase price . . . if it doesn't, the seller must lower her asking price to the appraisal value or we walk.  Boo.  We are praying that that doesn't happen.  If all goes well, hopefully we will close in about 30 days! Eeeeeek!!!! :)

We have already picked out all of the paint colors, too!  That was probably the easiest thing Josh and I have done.  Don't most couples have a hard time compromising with paint?  We had more issues registering haha! 

And just for kicks and giggles, I am going to show you our house!  There are 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, living room, family room, dining room, and unfinished basement.



The front of the house
 
Here is the formal living room


And the dining room

The kitchen
 
The family room and fireplace! :)

The master bedroom with a walk-in closet and full bathroom
 
This is one of the guest bedrooms (future nursery hey!!)

This is another guest bedroom (future nursery #2 heeeyyy!!)

This is the view from the kitchen/eating area to the backyard

And this is the backyard . . . big enough for our reception! ;)
 

Posted byAshley C. at 5:57 PM 2 Love Notes  

Labels: , ,

The offer
Monday, May 16, 2011

Josh and I have been house-shopping the last few weeks and finally found one that we could really see ourselves (and future family) in.  It's so beautiful!  It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a living room, family room, dining room, unfinished basement, and really nice, big backyard.  The funny thing is that when that home was first scheduled for a walk-thru, I asked Josh and the realtor if we could just skip it; I didn't want to see it because the acreage that was listed was "too small;" but I'm beginning to think that that was a mistake because it is rather large! :)  I am so, so glad that we actually went to see it (twice!).  The first walk-thru, Josh whispered "this is the one" to me as we were walking up from the basement . . . that didn't happen with any other home. 
So, here we are three weeks later and we finally have been able to put our offer in.  The first offer we put in was Friday and was pretty low because we wanted to see what the seller would counter-offer.  We got a call back on Saturday morning from our realtor saying that the seller's husband recently passed away and that with her financial situation, she cannot go any lower than the listing price; we don't believe that for a single second.  Who lists their home at the lowest they are able to go?  On top of that, we have a paper saying that she refinanced her home about 5 years ago at $16,000 lower than her listing price.  We know that she is able to go that low.  So . . . Josh and I offered $5,000 lower than her listing price.  If she doesn't want that, we will walk away and find something else. 

Obviously, we are really praying that the seller accepts our offer. :)  We'd love for that house to be the one that we raise a big family in. ;)

Posted byAshley C. at 12:16 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

D90 desires
Thursday, November 11, 2010

It was a glorious day when I got my long-awaited DSLR.  I waited and waited for it . . . and my Lover made me a deal and said that if we could leave the mall, I would have my camera in 15 minutes. Deal!

But . . . I am now selling the body so that I can upgrade to something a little more "high grade."  The awesome thing is that I am still sticking to my philosophy of only spending business-made money on business desires to keep me clear from debt.  I am going to put my other lens purchase on hold until I am able to purchase a new body.  Wanna see the new body I want? 

Pretty, huh? ;)

Posted byAshley C. at 8:32 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

First business purchase
Thursday, October 28, 2010

I told myself from day one that I would not make a business purchase with my own money; if I wanted a new camera, lens, strobe, bag, or whatever else, I would have to save the money that my business earned.  Well, after some time now (and shopping around and debating!), I have been able to purchase a new lens!  Last night, I purchased a Nikon 85mm 1.8 AF and a strobe diffuser!!  I am so excited because I thought that my awesome 50mm was a one-lens miracle; there was nothing that lens couldn't do.  Until I shot Errika's labor and delivery.  I was able to really know and admit that I could have used an 85mm.  Then I shot April's newborn session.  I realized I needed a 35mm.  It's just a really cool and legitimizing feeling that I know what I need.  Heck, about 4 months ago, I couldn't have even told you what any of those numbers meant or how they could benefit me.  Need me to explain (because I definitely can!)? ;)  I have a family session booked for next week, so hopefully I'll be able to pull out the newbie for it! ;) 

Next purchase on the list is the 35mm 1.8.  :)

Posted byAshley C. at 4:36 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

Perfect magnolia
Sunday, September 5, 2010


Today, I went to the Jubilee Days with my mom.  It's an annual Labor Day celebration in our town with local arts and crafts vendors, food, a parade, fireworks and lots of other fun things.  As we were leaving, I saw this painting.  Wait . . . I fell in love with this painting.  I have never, ever seen a painting that I had to have.  When I saw this, I immediately thought This is the perfect painting for me and Josh's future bedroom.  I don't know what color scheme we will have, but no matter what it is, this painting will go beautifully with. 


The woman selling her work was in her late 80's or maybe even her 90's.  On every single piece of art she had, she had her signature along with a Bible verse.  As I was standing, staring at this painting, deciding how I Earth I was going to be able to pay $40 for it with a $10 bill in my pocket, people were walking by making comments on her work and she told them that on each piece of her work, was a Bible verse and when people complimented her on a painting, she recited the verse.  For the 5-10  minutes I was standing there, she must have recited about 5-7 verses.  Her reciting the verse wasn't the only beautiful thing, but just by her glancing at the painting, she knew what verse she chose for that piece.  The verse placed on my piece is a reminder of how awesome God is; how perfect He has made everything.  Her work had me sold.  Her being a Christan woman made it even better.  With there being Bible verses carefully placed on each piece made them perfect. 


Genesis 1:31a -- God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Posted byAshley C. at 1:45 PM Post a comment (1) Love Notes  

Labels: , ,

I'm good. :-]
Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I had the guts (and coupon knowledge) to stand up to the lady at the register today at Target.  :-]  I bought 2 Air Wick air fresheners, 1 razor for my boo, and a tube of toothpaste.  I found the toothpaste on clearance (why? I don't know!) for $2.07, because of my coupons, the razor was free and the Air Wicks were $1.99/each.  I had 2 Air Wick coupons: buy one, get one free and a $2.50 off of one.  I gave her both of the coupons and she said that I can only use one coupon for the Air Wick.  I told her Well, I bought 2 fresheners, so I should be able to use 2 coupons.  And she told me "no, you can't."  Yes, I'm pretty sure I can.  2 coupons and 2 fresheners.  "Wait, how much did they cost?"  So, she realized that she just had to adjust the price since the coupon was for $2.50 off and they only costed $1.99.  So, the cool thing was that that extra .50 rolled over to my other items.  I ended up getting all of that for $1.93 and saving $14.99.  :-]  I'm good. 
Yesterday, I mentioned to Josh that we needed to grab some groceries.  He was joking with me and told me, "We don't have money."  I laughed and told him I can get all we need for under $60.  So we stopped at the ATM and he gave me money for groceries (and even threw in an extra $20 just because).  The funny thing here is that he always pokes fun at me for being able to buy stuff and spend all that I have without going over by even a penny.  Yes, it's a talent of mine.  :-]  So . . . I bought all that we needed from Walmart and the total was $61 something and after coupons it ended up being $56 something.  Haha, I had to laugh when that happened.  :-]

Posted byAshley C. at 1:04 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: , ,

The perfect heel
Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Me and Josh's love is tried and true.  I know that he loves me for sure after this weekend.  I had to find something nice to wear to my interview tomorrow and I didn't expect it to be so difficult!  We went to one mall and were only really wandering between 3 stores.  Back and forth, back and forth.  Then, after two and a half hours, I finally decided on a shirt and pants.  Then, it occurred to me that I still needed heels to match.  And, if I got heels, I needed a scarf to match.  Well, the mall was closing in 15 minutes and we were both frustrated and annoyed with each other so I was a bit nervous to say hey, honey, I still need to find shoes and a scarf.  He gave me a slight huff and smile and said "Alright, let's go."  The problem about this, though is that I've got a very specific heel in mind.  Brown or nude, pointy, thinner heel, and doesn't show the top of my foot.  So, I wanted to check Payless before anything else.  Nothing there.  We left and just window shopped on the way out. 

Sunday came and we I was determined to find this perfect heel.  We went to a different mall this time.  One that I absolutely hate going to on Sundays because it is way too busy and the people there just seem rude and inconsiderate.  I knew the row of stores that I needed to go to.  We went to about 5 stores.  Nothing.  So, we went back to the boring ol' Payless at this mall and I settled for these boring flats that were nothing like what I wanted.  At least they were BOGO.  Then, a shopping miracle happened.  We went to a movie and got ice cream afterward and decided to just walk around Target before going home.  Right when we walked in, an announcement saying that they were closing in 15 minutes came over the intercom.  Josh was in the electronics, so I grabbed Errika's arm and ran over by the shoes and low and behold, I found the perfect shoe for my pants!  On top of that, I found the perfect scarf, too!  :-]  Thank goodness for our spontaneity!

Here's to cute shoes and great friends! 

Posted byAshley C. at 8:33 AM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

When will I get really good at this . . .?
Sunday, March 7, 2010

I woke up today with eagerness.  It's Sunday, so that means coupons day!  I was excited because my mom and I made plans to make some homemade laundry detergent.  I also have a big bag of clothes that I no longer like or want, so I needed to go drop that off.  And I also had to drop something off at the Post Office.  Josh was still sleeping, so I didn't feel rushed.  I stopped at Jewel to pick up some things (including my paper) and then headed to the Salvation Army to drop the clothes off. I wanted to get a receipt for 2010 tax purposes but no one was there because, duh, it's Sunday; they are closed!  Then, I went home, totally forgetting about the post office. Bleh. 
But, when I got home, I cut all of my coupons (and there were some really good ones!)  When I finished, I checked my coupon inventory and then started looking through the sale ads to see if anything caught my eye.  Of course there was!  :-]  But only at Jewel and Walgreens.  I was so excited to use my coupons . . . and in the end, did not save as much as I thought I would.  Here's what I came out with:

Old Spice Deodorant: $3.99
Old Spice Body Wash: $4.99
   (Buy one, get one 50% off and $1 off coupon)
Gillette Fushion Razor Cartridges (4 pack): $14.99
Gillette Fushion Shaving Gel: $4.29
Gillette Fushion Razor: $8.99
   (MFG coupon: Buy cartridges, get razor free. In-store deal: Buy cartridges, get shaving gel free.  So, I only paid for the 4-pack cartridges)
Venus Razor (3 pack): $8.99
   ($2 off coupon)
2 Packs of Orbit Gum: $2.99
   (In-store: 2/$1)
2 Nestle Crunch bars: $.99
   (MFG coupon: Buy one, get one free.  Catalina: $.49 for 1)
                        Total: $53.21
                       I Paid: $27.54
                     I Saved: $25.67

I thought I had some really good coupons, but obviously I spent a little much.  When will I get really good at this whole couponing thing?  :-/  It's kind of frustrating, but I guess it takes a little bit of time to learn, eh?

Posted byAshley C. at 5:18 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

Wardrobe redo
Sunday, December 27, 2009

I guess now that I am a college graduate, that makes me a "grown woman."  Josh's sister, Tiffany told me the other day that I need to start adding things to my "professional wardrobe."  She didn't mean it in a mean way, just telling me that I should dress professional now (or something like that haha!).  So, for Christmas, Tiffany and their brother, Micah bought me a bunch of gift cards to nice clothing stores. 
I guess when it comes to clothes, I am a very simple chick; I like jeans and a plain shirt.  I like to be comfortable and plain shirts make me feel most comfortable.  I don't like those shirts with the writing all over them, frilly, too-girly stuff.  Just plain stuff.  And the cool thing about plain shirts is that you can layer and wear any fashion scarves, etc. with them.  Okay . . . as you can see, I do like plain shirts.  BUT, I think I am going to attempt to change that.  I want people to take me more seriously and I need to dress my role (whatever that means).  Over the next few months, I am going to change my wardrobe.  More nice clothes . . . no more holey jeans and plain Jane here.  I am going to try my hardest to stray away from the same ol' stores and try something new.  Hopefully this works!

Posted byAshley C. at 6:50 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

Oh, Christmas tree . . .
Friday, November 27, 2009


My family always puts the Christmas tree up either the night of Thanksgiving or the day after Thanksgiving.  My sister and I were talking about the tree and how we needed to get new ornaments and decorations because we've been using the same color theme and decorations for the past 4 years.  We had a sneaky trick: we would wake my mom up (she works third shift) and ask her for money to get new things.  Of course she said "yes, just go."  So, we just went.  We took a handful of money and headed to the store.  Ann-Marie thought it would be cute if we decorated the tree in light blue and pink.  "Oh man, mom is going to kill us," was the only thing I kept telling myself.  Sure, I agreed, it would look nice, after all, my favorite color is pink.  So, we filled that cart up with sparkly pink and blue ornaments, ribbon, ornament picks, outdoor lights, and sticky door decals. 
"You spent how much?!"  "Shh . . . Ann-Marie, don't tell mom the colors.  She'll get mad if she sees them before they're on the tree."  Turned out she wasn't mad; she actually adored the tree, it was very festive and sparkly.  AND, with the lighting, the ornaments look red, not pink.  Bad for us, good for the family, I suppose.  So, here is a tiny glimpse of the tree.  I'll have a better picture of it when I actually put makeup on and stand by it with my Lover.  :-]

Christmas music, Yankee Candle's "Mistletoe" candle lit, popcorn, and cuddling with my best friend.  Not much is better than this. 

Posted byAshley C. at 7:46 PM Post a comment (1) Love Notes  

Labels: , , ,

Yummy Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 25, 2009

For the past 3 years, I have gone to Josh's family's house for Thanksgiving.  My mom works third shift, so she goes to work, step-dad goes to his family's and I am left home. By myself.  But I cannot complain, I am welcome over Josh's with open arms and his mom is the best cook I have met (psst, I only want to marry Josh to inherit his mom's recipes!).  Food, family, "The Christmas Story," and sleep . . . perfect Thanksgiving. 
How many of you are going shopping on Black Friday?  Josh and I decided that we are going but only to get a couple things . . . and I do mean a couple.  We thought it would be fun to hang out all night and just head to the mall really early in the morning, crash from exhaustion and eat leftovers. 

Oh and side note, Josh and I went out to take our fall picture that I was telling you about.  You won't be seeing it.  We went through a tornado, hurricane, and a snow blizzard to get it and we failed.  Okay, not really, but we faced some extreme circumstances for a bad picture. :-[ 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and shopping trip!

Posted byAshley C. at 4:25 PM 0 Love Notes  

Labels: ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)