Feeling Much More Like Home

Now that we're moved in to our new place, we first wonder how we ever lived in a place less than this.  It is AWESOME...wicked awesome at that.  When we first got the keys we were surprised with a goody bag! A goody bag?! Why Thank YOU!

We got a koozie, snacks, shampoo, water, take out menus and a VIP card to a local Mexican restaurant.  We get 15% off every time we go! Hellloooooo perks :)

And now for a trip around our new place... we like to call it...Home :)

The first stop is not actually in our apartment... it's the Trash Room, yes we have a Trash Room and it's right next door to our apartment.  You can never smell it and it is SUPER convenient.  

Down the shoot it goes!  Another great thing our complex has is recycling, which we learned it rare for Houston.  We're really glad they have it because it cuts down our trash bag usage by a lot!

Next you arrive at our front door...#4349

Step inside and our kitchen is on the right.  It's not huge, but it's got plenty of cupboards so we're not complaining.

Across from the kitchen is a hallway that has a huge closet for a washer and dryer.  We chose not to rent them and so we have a great space for the dog's crate.  We also have shelves in there for all the pet stuff, tools and reusable shopping bags we can fit in there.  Trust me, there are a lot of them!  At the end of the short hallway is a door to our bathroom.  In here we decided to go with a chemistry theme. I like it because it's different... Jarrod likes it because... well he's my mad scientist/engineer :)

As you can see there is plenty of counter space...

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a shower curtain with the actual periodic table on it, so we found this one with squares and added a bunch of elements ourselves.  It's much more artsy this way.

We found chemistry sets online and so we're using test tubes to hold our toothbrushes, a beaker to hold toothpaste and flossers and a special beaker (can't remember the name) for our mouth wash.  So fun!

Now on to the bedroom.  As I mentioned in my other post, it's not huge, but with such a big closet in the bathroom we actually don't need that much space.

Love this bed spread :) It's kinda girly but my wonderful husband said he didn't mind.  It works really well with the grey we ended up going with on the wall and the curtains.  I feel so grown up with a real bed set.  Matching pillows, sheets and even a bed skirt which Portland has deemed the best hiding space in the house!

We decided to go with a sort of outside/far east/mediation theme in here.  We love buddha statues and trees and all things foreign so we found several fun pieces when we go our new couch and at Pier 1.

This photo will hang over our bed eventually.  At least as soon as we are certain it will stay, don't need it crashing on our heads!

Now onto the living room, my favorite place :) We have a much better couch now and many shelving units for all our books.  Even with all the furniture we got it still does not feel crowded.  Thank you ultra high ceilings.

And here is Roosevelt's favorite place in the apartment....

Lounging in the sun on the window sill of course!

And last but not least the loft.  These pictures make it look clean even though for awhile it was our dumping ground for things we didn't know the home of.  It will be great for guests one day and for me to get some work done if needed.

And more shelves! Built in ones at that!

OOoooo and last but not least our new spice rack!  haha I forgot this when I wrote about the kitchen...oops!!  

Very handy I must say :)

Well I hope you have enjoyed the tour and you get to see our new place in person sometime soon!

  

Good Day M'Lady!

Towards the end of October Jarrod and I went to the very famous Texas Renaissance Fair.  We did not dress up, not really our thing, but there were plenty of people who were.  It seriously was like going back in time!  There were shows, food, goods to buy and many, many fairy wings :) 

Mmmm Turkey leg!  Sadly we didn't have one, they're just too much, but I don't think you could have a Renaissance fair without them.

 These guys were AWESOME! They were like the a Renaissance Rock band :) Really the only time bagpipes have sounded good to me.












Mmmm meat on a stick!  Not sure Miller Lite was around back then but it was good on a warm day.

Over looking the entrance.  It was a permanent set up that is used for the months of October and November and then not again until the next year.  And note the fairy wings... it was Fairy weekend.  Each weekend the fair is open there is a theme :)










Overall a good time.  We'll probably go again next year just to see what there is to see.  It will definitely be more fun with kids some day.

New (Empty) Apartment

Still playing catch up here so bare with me...

So here are the photos of our new place before we filled it to the ceiling with all of our stuff.  The location is much better even though it is a little further from school, mostly because we can walk to so much stuff.  Almost anything we could possibly need we can find within walking distance.  The only time we really need to drive is when we need a lot of things at a cheaper right (read: Target) or specialty things for the apartment (read: IKEA).  There are lots of restaurants, bars, and stores.  It has the best downtown feel we could ask for in this still up and coming city.

And so the photos begin...

 Jarrod was clearly excited about riding an elevator to our new place.  While we are only 4 flights up, and the stairs are just fine, it is nice to have the elevator as an option.  Especially late at night when the dog has decided once again that he hates stairs...

Ensuring that all the drawers work.  Our kitchen is small but it's open to the living room so it doesn't feel too tiny.  And we can both be in there at the same time which is a change from the last place.  We have a dishwasher, a full fridge, a fully working oven, a microwave over the oven and best thing ever.... A GARBAGE DISPOSAL!!! Yeah, it's the little things :)

This is looking into our living room from the front door.  The metal staircase curls up to our loft and yes we have two HUGE windows.  We have yet to put curtains up.  I am afraid that putting curtains on the bottom window will look strange because the wall will be chopped up.  So for now, it's just the plastic blinds that were already here.

Ah yes, the ever important bathroom.  We have one sink but the counter is very long with plenty of space and drawers!  That open door leads into the hallway that is across from the kitchen.  It was really important to us that we could get into the bathroom from a way other than the bedroom.  We didn't want guests to have to go through the bedroom every time they needed the restroom.  And the pressure in the shower....AMAZING!!  Also our closet is in the bathroom which is pretty awesome for Jarrod's new schedule.  I can get ready for the most part without going back into the bedroom.

This is our bedroom.  We have a sliding door with a tiny Juliet balcony which we can't really sit on, but it's good for fresh air and the dog really likes it out there :)  The room it's self is not huge... and with the slider and two other doors it's hard to use all the walls but for now it's good and everything we need in there, fits.

And last but not least, the loft!  It's quite a good size space with a huge closet.  We were able to take the doors off and put a desk inside the closet so it didn't take up extra space.  There is also a built-in-bookcase which is AWWWWESOME! Jarrod and I could never have enough bookcases :)









Well stay tuned for the photos of the apartment all filled up!  Soon, I promise.  Winter break is quickly approaching so I should have a few hours here and there to catch up with this ole blog!