House Hunters Winternational

I've been away from you guys for way too long, and I know it. I've been itching to write and tell you allllll about my life, which hasn't been too out of the ordinary these past few weeks, but noteworthy in at least the smallest amount.

[By the way, have you checked out my recent Awesome Mitten post? Click here to join me on a weekend stroll through Detroit. :) ]

Anyway. As I was saying.

Remember when I told you guys about that house Brad and I put an offer on? Well, it's no more, sadly. I mean, the house is still there, but the offer/contract/whatever was on all that paperwork has evaporated. Long story short: we had the inspection, there was a lot of repair work to be done (and a lot of money to be spent), we put in a counter-offer, and the homeowners didn't budge. So, we walked away, and that was that.

Now, it appears as though we are back to house hunting. All over again.

Guys, if life was an HGTV show, we could have all of this knocked out in a weekend. Three choices--bing, bang, boom--voila. New house, and probably a free, brand-new TV hanging on our living room wall. But we'd probably have to move to Canada.

Us with our dream home that doesn't exist. Probably best, since I'm no architect.

Real life isn't like that, though, and I know we're in good company when it comes to house-hunting anxiety. In fact, we have several friends who are going through the same thing, have been through the same thing, will go through the same thing soon (and don't know it yet) . . . it's just inevitable. But, I guess that's good news for the seller's market, even though I wish it would've held off just a few more months so we could find something that wasn't immediately snatched up by fifteen other people. ;)

We're thinking of building a house. I dunno. Maybe. Some people say to go for it, some say to avoid building at all costs. I have to admit that I'm kind of leaning in the direction of the first option, although the amount of available, empty lots around southeast Michigan seems kind of limited and scattered. Also, I kind of don't want to rent month-to-month for another half of a year while we're waiting for our new place to come together. But at the rate we're going, month-to-month may be inevitable, regardless of whether we choose to wait on a new house or wait on a "perfect" old house to fall into our laps. We'll see.

For now, it's a race to see which will actually happen first--finding a new place, or the arrival of spring in Michigan. I've been wearing my winter coat since October, so I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up with two new houses and a few cars before it's tank top weather again (fingers crossed that my sarcasm doesn't become reality).

Where do you guys stand when it comes to building a new house from scratch? Is it worth it, or would you rather renovate something that already exists? I'd love to have your input!

MIA: Easter, Bunnies, and ALL the Things Edition

Happy Easter! - Love, all us chicks.

So, I know I've been lacking in the blogging department for the past of couple weeks, but I have a good reason for that. Or--reasons. Basically, lots of stuff has been going on, and while it's kept me busy (and temporarily away from you good people), it's all worth sharing.

Excuse #1: I got a new job.
Yes! It's true. Many of you know how long and hard I've been searching for an on-site job, because as nice as it is to work from home, I have a strong need for face-to-face human interaction on a daily basis. And for those of you who were wondering, yes--it will be a marketing/advertising/I-knew-there-was-a-reason-I-went-to-college type of job. So, I am very fortunate and very blessed. God's definitely tested my patience, but He's been good.

Excuse #2: I went home for Easter.
Whenever I go home to visit my family for holiday breaks, I always bring my computer. And my camera. And yes, I mentally write out everything that happens to me as a precursor to creating new posts for you all. But then, life happens, and suddenly there's people to visit, eggs to dye, dinners to attend, and sunshine to bask in. Then, I remember: vacations are pretty nice. They're also worth enjoying and devoting complete attention to, so I hope you will all forgive me for postponing my return to reality. :)

  

Above: Carolyn and the Easter bunny.
Okay, just a regular bunny, but this one's cuter and has fuzzy feet.

Excuse #3: We got a house. Almost. Kind of. Sort of.
Actually, we put an offer on one, and it was accepted (whoop, whoop!)--but it's a short sale. For anyone who's not House Hunters-obsessed, this basically means that the bank has a final say in what we pay and when/if we can move in. Technically, they could keep our paperwork in a stack of forms that never see the light of day, but at least we're a little closer to getting away from a life of shared walls and grumpy neighbors. Please and thank you.


Now, if you'll be so kind as to excuse me, I'm going to go do more grown-up things, like putting dishes away or re-potting my houseplants. Really, I'll probably just be eating leftover ramen noodles and dancing around my living room to obnoxious Taylor Swift songs, but I thought I'd give you all the alternative image just in case you were expecting to imagine me as the super adult that I am.

Hope you all had a great Easter, as well--enjoy your weekend! :)

Brand of the Moment: Threshold by Target

Lately, I've been loving the look of Target's new home brand, Threshold. It seems that everywhere I turn these days--the inside cover of a magazine, a web video, or a TV spot--there's that familiar pop of spring and color. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a look at the amazing fold-out ad as featured in this month's Real Simple magazine:

The first two pages of the ad open outward from the middle on both sides (see the crease down the center where the two pages meet?). The effect is as if the reader is opening the front door of the house to reveal what's inside.

Above and below: The first and last two pages of a four-page, connected fold-out.

A beautiful afterthought:
Closing the fold-out leaves the reader with two pages to linger on before leading into the magazine.

Of course, when Target's most recent Threshold commercial popped up on my TV the other day, I immediately knew what it was for. I have to admit that I've been a little slow to pin down Target ads since JC Penney's rebranding initiative last year put the two companies into very similar visual categories, but the compilation below carries over seamlessly from the print version.

Ourrrrr house . . . is a very, very, very fine house . . .

I actually realized the other day that one of my throw pillows (and possibly my bedroom comforter) are Threshold brand, and I've been mentally debating over whether or not to get a Threshold rug I saw in the store a few weeks ago. I knew Target's stuff was getting prettier . . . somehow. I didn't think such a wonderful thing was possible.

What do you think of the new Threshold brand? Does it set Target further apart from the competition, or is it just one more store line to you?