My Love-Hate relationship

So like I said earlier (like 4 or 5 months ago) I love pretty much everything about our house.  I finally decided I would follow through on my threat to post about my favorite things, so here we go:

1. Skylights

These babies are seriously the best invention ever.  You can read my ramblings about them here, but the main reason I love them is for all the light the put in our upstairs, especially the bedrooms.  They make them feel spacious and welcoming.  I also love that we have had them open all summer to have a breeze!  The downside, is that they let bugs in and so I have to sleep with a "bug bracelet" next to me to prevent being eaten alive.  To be honest, I still think it's worth it.

2. Our dining room table

You already know about the great table debate, but maybe you don't know how happy we are with our choice of dining room tables.  We love it.  My awesome in-laws brought us some "loaner-chairs" so that we could actually sit at it, and we now have proper dinners in our dining room.  Each time I sit at the table, I notice another little bit of character in the wood.  What I love most, is that it will get better with wear- kind of like a good pair of jeans!  Another added benefit, is that when I spill, or drop things on the table, it's no big deal, and if you know me, you know I have a gold medal in the Olympic sport of spilling.

3. Chris' Man chairs

These were not an "Ashley purchase."  They are squarely in the man territory and Chris had a mission to set up his office as his man room.  When we found the dining table, we also happened to find these guys and with the 50% off sale, we couldn't resist.  They are super comfortable and ever since we have moved the coffee table and rug in there, it feels a lot more like a finished room.

Chris has visions of men drinking scotch in these chairs

 4. Having 2 bathrooms

I grew up in a 1 bathroom household with 4 women....not sure how we did it.  In the new house we have an upstairs "personal bathroom" and a main floor "guest bathroom" which is such a novelty for us.  What is great is that the upstairs bathroom is with all the bedrooms, so you don't have to run up and down the stairs all the time, and the downstairs bathroom has the clawfoot tub, which I love.

5. Having our own laundry room

I use the term "laundry room"  loosely, meaning a 1982 washer and dryer sitting in one corner of our basement. Back in the condo we used a common laundry room.  I had to haul our clothes down the hall, babysit them and then haul them back.  Now, I just go downstairs, throw a load in and when I remember to check them, I toss them in the dryer.  It is amazing.  Last week I totally forgot and left our clothes in the dryer for 2 days!  Nothing like simple pleasures. 

6. Our gas range

We're cooking with fire... literally.  I am yet to set anything on fire, which I see as a plus, and I am boiling a pot of water in 1/2 the time.  I'm still getting used to the temps, but I think the old adage is true "once you gas you never go back" (or something like that).

7. The neighborhood bar

Welcome to Targy's, the local dive bar (that isn't so divey).  This bar is smack in the middle of our neighborhood and only a block and a half walk from our front door.  Their drinks are super cheap, they have a big screen, a pool table and darts, everything you want from a neighborhood watering hole.  We have already hit up Targy's on a few occasions, with many more Targy's memories to come.

8. Our guest bedroom curtains & headboard

I found these great aquamarine silky curtains at TJ Maxx for $19.  Since the window is small, it only needed one curtain, leaving me with a perfectly good piece of fabric that I loved.  I decided to make a headboard out of it (you can make one too).  I love how the pop of color really brightens the room.

9. Bedroom closet Jeans shelves

I love jeans.  At one point (back in the hay day) I had nearly 30 pairs.  I think I have paired down to a manageable number somewhere around 22.  When I saw the closet in our master bedroom, I knew that they built the shelves just for my jeans. 

10. Dimmer switches

It's what mood lighting dreams are made of.  The old owners installed a dimmer switch in both the kitchen and dining room and we are tempted to put one in the living room and pretty much every other room.  Not only are they energy efficient (at least that is what the dimmer switches sign at Home Depot tell me), but they make everything look softer. 

And now, since everything can't be sunshine and unicorns, I have compiled a list for the things I hate about the house:

1. The Dishwasher

I will go on record and say it is the WORST. DISHWASHER. EVER.  I am trying to control my hateful feelings while I type this, but it is just a horribly designed appliance.  It makes me miss our amazing Dishwasher at the condo.  I would really like to do a swap!  The reason for all my hate is because the shelves tip forward when you try to load or unload them. the shelf height is all off and tall things can't be put on the bottom shelf.  The utensil holder is way too small with itty-bit compartments.  BTW, did I mention it doesn't actually wash the dishes??  UGH it just sucks.  Trust me.

2. The Fridge

The fridge is not nearly as bad as the dishwasher, but I have decided that there is an ultimate design flaw in all fridge/freezer combos with the freezer on the top.  Since most normal people use the fridge more than the freezer, it makes more sense to put the fridge on top, at eye level.  With this fridge, I literally have to bend down to the ground to get to my veggies. AND the door swings closed really fast, so I'm constantly getting hit by the door when I'm grabbing items out.

3. Unpacked boxes

They are my nemesis.  The 3 boxes that are still packed, are ones that hold items we don't use very often (or they were small enough to hide in closets when my grandparents came over).  I have no energy to unpack these boxes, it seems I've missed my unpacking window.  They may stay packed until our next move.

4. Geometric beige carpet

It is beige, it has squares all over it and I hate it.  I am hoping to cover most of it with area rugs, as replacing all the carpet would be a huge expense.  Why didn't they pick something simple, without shapes on it?

5 & 6.The Carport & Black Beauty

Most useless waste of space ever- both of them. Thank goodness they are both gone- we took them down as part of the stay-cation project! 

So there you have it.  I love most things and only hate 6 things (2 of which don't exist anymore). 

In my book (and Charlie Sheen's), I'm winning.