Welcome Home Pickles

We finally got the majority of our unpacking completed.  We still have to figure out where the piano is going and get the table dissembled and stored under our bed (they're both still in storage).  I also have a stack of boxes in a corner that probably just need to stay there because I really have no place to put the stuff.  It's just knick-knacks and odds and ends or holiday decor.  My sewing machine and supplies are still boxed up too.

With everything pretty much squared away we decided to go get our cat.  My co-worker's kitty got out and of course wound up preggo so she had two kittens she needed homes for.  We originally planned on taking both of them but now we live in 500sq feet and I didn't feel we had room for two.  Which made me sad.

We brought Pickles home last Tuesday and we were warned that she is quite vocal.  She does meow/talk a lot but they are more like chirps and trills.  She doesn't have a loud/annoying meow.  Or at least it doesn't annoy me.  My husband might disagree.  I'm completely deaf in one ear so if I hear a lot of noise while sleeping I turn over and sleep on my good ear.  She pretty much just wants attention or food when she is being noisy.

I like to think she is pretty happy.  She is definitely my husband's cat though.  I'm not at home as much as he is but she does hang out with me in the mornings when I'm getting ready for work, although I think she just waits for me to get done so she can lead me to her cat bowl.  She doesn't like it when there is only a few pieces of kibble left.  I usually change her water and add an ice cube to it too.  She loves that ice cube!

With all the leftover boxes hanging around I decided to create a cat tower for her.  I found the instructions on the Martha Stewart website and it was so easy to create.  Our lil kitty loves that thing!  I love it too because it was free. I'll probably add some paint to it later on when I finally find them.  I also want to sew some cushy pillows for cat naps.

I look forward to coming home everyday and getting to see Pickles and snuggle up with her (when she is willing to oblige).  She is so pretty and so soft she makes my heart go *squee*.  She makes Peter happy too so of course that makes me even more happy.

Welcome Home Picklebarrel Kumquat Cherry-Chimi-Changa!

A Dream Deferred

Just an update to let everyone know whats what and where I'm at...

As some of you know me and my husband recently embarked on a house buying journey.  It's been full of ups and downs and ultimately was not successful.  We were so close to owning a house that just seemed like it was meant for us.  We had put an offer on it once and then had to withdraw our offer so when it came up again we jumped at the chance to try again.  The whole subdivision was named after spices and the house itself had plenty of room to grow with us!

New Apartment: Living room

We were supposed to close on the 15th of this month so we put in our notice at the apartment complex because they required 60 days and 2 months rent.  They told us that if things fall through just to let them know and retract the notice. Sounds good, right?  And it would have been except that the title to the house took too long getting to our mortgage lender and he had to run a new credit check because it expired. Lesson learned: Don't use your credit card at all while searching for a home!  My credit changed due to using it to purchase a home inspection which then maxed out my card and also because another bank checked my credit for home loan purposes.  I still have an  excellent credit score but something about the change triggered an error message with the computer system that decides weather you qualify for the loan or not.  So our loan was denied, no reason given.  Really!  That's what it said: 'no reason given'.  *sigh*

New Apartment: Living room/Kitchen

So of course we found out that, no, we can't stay in our apartment because they leased it out already.  Let me tell you finding an apartment last minute is almost impossible.  Every place we went had a waiting list till October!  We finally found a place and moved in on the 30th of July.  It's a 500 square feet 1 bedroom apartment.  Not happy about that but at least it's a roof over our head.  We had to live in a motel room for four nights.  I have an aversion to sleeping at motels.  Bedbugs.  They scare me!  We survived bug free thank goodness and we are all moved in and almost unpacked.  I think we have a few unopened boxes to unpack and Peter's piano and a kitchen table in storage. 

New Apartment:  Bedroom/Closet

I'll have to post some before and after pics because storage has had to be creative.  We are also getting a cat.  My co-worker offered us two when we thought we were getting a house.  Thankfully she has been very patient with us and is also alright with us only taking one off her hands instead of our committed two.  Her name is Pickles and I can't wait to bring her home.  I hope she loves us.  Peter has been wanting a cat for ages but since we had a roommate we didn't want to bring an animal in to the mix.

New Apartment: Bedroom/Bathroom

So that's where I'm at.  It's been a journey and a half.  Thank god Peter's Momma came to help us move because we couldn't have done it by ourselves.  Everyone says these things happen for a reason.  I'm hoping that it's because we are supposed to win the lottery.  I hear the jackpot for the next drawing is huge=)