Checking Out Homes For Sale In Orlando, And Everywhere Else

Have you ever dreamed about what you would do with the money if you ever won the lottery?  I would have to win big, I think, for it to change my life.  I would be happy winning even $100 right now, simply because Christmas is coming up and I have only done a little bit of shopping.  If I were to ever win millions, which is impossible because I don't even play the lottery, I would pack up the kids and start over somewhere new.  I'm not sure if I would leave South Carolina to move to somewhere like orlando Florida, but I would buy a house.  A brand new house that I would have built to my specifications.

I would spend some time looking at homes to find inspiration, but in the end, I would want to sit down with an architect and have him or her put my dream home on paper.  There would have to be at least five bedrooms.  One for me, one for each of the kids, and then a guest room.  Each bedroom would have a huge closet and it's own bathroom.  Of course, with millions of dollars at my disposal, I would hire someone to come in and clean all those bathrooms, since that is the chore I hate doing the most.  My dream home would also have a huge kitchen.  I love to cook, and being able to design the perfect kitchen would be amazing.  The house would also have a formal living and dining area.

The room I would most like to design would be the family room.  It would be full of video games and computers, a massive television with surround sound, and the most comfortable furniture I can find.

Of course, I would take some of the money and make sure that my family is taken care of.  I would pay off my mom's house, and maybe buy her her dream home.  I would make sure I helped all the people who helped me after my husband left.  It would be nice to give back to those who gave to me when I had nothing.

Are You Thinking About A Kitchen Remodel Delray Beach?

Two summers ago, my mom redid her kitchen.  She ripped out all the cabinets and started from scratch. The finished kitchen is beautiful! She went from a boring, outdated kitchen with a bar and wood grain counter tops to a beautiful country kitchen complete with open shelving instead of cabinets and an island instead of a bar. Even though the kitchen is the same size as before, the new layout gives it an open feel, making the room seem bigger. 

I have an idea of what my ideal kitchen would be, and I hope someday I will have a home where I can make that idea a reality.  I want a more modern kitchen than my mom, because we have very different taste when it comes to decorating.  I was looking at pictures on a kitchen remodel Delray Beach website, and I fell in love with their use of stainless steel. My favorite picture, if you go check out the website for yourself, is the one with the stainless bar with the stainless diamonds behind the stove.  I love this kitchen!  There was one with black counters and wood cabinets that I liked also, which should come as no surprise to those of you who know me well. 

I could spend hours looking at pictures and planning what my dream kitchen will look like someday.  I just hope that someday comes, and I'm not left just dreaming about it.

One Of My Dreams

On the 20th of this month it will be an entire year since my husband left.  Some days it feels like he has only been gone a few days, and then there are days I can not even remember what my life was like back then.  Weird, I know.  I'm not that person anymore, and I am excited to see what my future holds.

I do a lot of dreaming about that.  My biggest dream is to have a place of my own for me and the kids.  I know that will not happen anytime soon, but someday, I want to be able to buy my own home.  I have ideas about how I will decorate it, too.  Some days, I browse the internet, looking for inspiration.  This morning, I found this light fixture, and I fell in love with it. What do you think?

I know it's very modern lighting, but it also has an almost castle-like feel to it.  I think it's the look of the candles. I can see it hanging in my foyer, right inside my front door.  Of course, my foyer will have a very high ceiling, with a window above the front door so this fixture can be seen from outside the house as well.  I'll also have to find modern outdoor lighting to compliment it, but that shouldn't be too hard.

Dreaming Of What Could Be

I am so bored.  I got up this morning and cleaned my house from top to bottom.  The kids had half a day of school yesterday, and it amazed me at how fast they messed up my house.  I cringe when I think about them being home for the next two weeks.  I cleaned this morning and pretty much threatened their lives to keep it this way.  We'll see what happens.

As I was scrubbing toilets this morning, I started thinking about what my dream bathroom would look like.  I would want an old fashioned claw foot tub, and a vanity to match.  Some bathroom vanities can look modern and old fashioned at the same time, kind of like the one in that picture.  The bowl sink gives it that old fashioned look, while the sleek mirror and faucet give it a modern flair.

My entire dream house would be a mixture of modern and old fashioned furnishings.  My kitchen would have huge stainless steel appliances, but my bedrooms would have four poster beds with frilly bed skirts. It would also have a wrap around porch and huge picture windows. Now, if I could just find the money to build it!

Someday, Maybe

I would love to someday own my own home.  Of course, that would mean I would also have to someday win the lottery, and since I don't actually play the lottery, I guess I'm out of luck.  But, if I did ever have the opportunity to have a home of my own, I would want it build to my specifications. 

Of course, it would have a huge kitchen.  The rest of the house wouldn't matter too much to me, but I would be very adamant about what my kitchen would be like.  First off, it would be huge.  I would want room for a huge table and lots and lots of appliances.  I watch a lot of food shows on television, and I love the big stoves that the chefs use.  Yes, I realize that that might not be practical in a regular home, but I want one anyway.

Second, I would want lots of counter space.  I have seen some beautiful  Marble Countertops, especially the ones that are dark in color.  The kitchen counter in my apartment are almost white, and every little thing stains them.  I spend more time cleaning the counters with bleach than I do cooking.

Third, I would want a huge fridge.  I used to have a beautiful, big black fridge, but when I moved here I had to sell it.  The one I have now is tiny, and it doesn't hold much, which stinks because I used to food shop once a month, and now I have to go once a week because I have no room to store food.

Lastly, I would want to hire a maid to clean my kitchen after I cook a delicious meal for my kids.  It's more fun to cook than it is to clean.

Dream Living At Valencia Reserve

Every now and then, I dream about what it would be like to live my life without having to worry about money.  I have lived paycheck to paycheck for so many years, and while I am not complaining (I know there are people who don't make enough to live) it's nice to imagine how the kids and I would live if money was no object.

I found these pictures of Valencia Reserve, and it looks like a wonderful place to live.   The houses themselves are beautiful, though I am not a big fan of having the front door pushed back.  What I mean is, the garages come out further than the front door, so there is a path leading to the door that has walls on both sides.  I am sure there are some models that don't have this feature, so I'm sure I would be able to find something I love.  Check out all that they have to offer:

• 41,000 total sq ft grand clubhouse
• Full time staff
• Planned for Manned entry gate
• Resort style outdoor pool / Lap Pool and Spa
• Fully equipped fitness facility
• Nine lighted Har-Tru tennis courts
• Grand Ballroom
• Card rooms
• Billiards room
• Internet Cafe
• Basketball Court

If you know me at all, you know the pool would be where I spend most of my time.  I would probably take advantage of the fitness facility as well.  I am desperate to get the rest of this extra weight off of me.  I like the fact that it has a manned entry gate as well.  These days, you can never be too careful. And between the billiard room and basketball court, I'd probably never see my kids.

Living in Boynton Beach Florida would definitely be a change for the kids and I.  They would love to live close to the ocean.  I grew up on Long Island, so the ocean was always around us (obviously).  My kids have never even seen an ocean.  I keep saying we need to take a trip to Myrtle Beach one of these days, but it's hard to find the money.

New Florida Homes

I got the call today...my kittens are ready to come home.  My friend's cat had babies about six weeks ago, and they are ready to leave their mama.  I love that I am able to have pets here, even though I will have to pay a non-refundable pet deposit.  I miss having cats in the house. 

It would be better if I owned my own home, but right now that is not an option.  It's fun to look at new Florida homes online and dream about owning one, someday.  I would love to live close to the ocean, and be able to watch the sunset over the water every night.  I bet that would be beautiful.  But buying a home is a huge decision, and one that I can not make right now.

Maybe someday, when I meet and marry a rich man, I will be able to have the home of my dreams.  For now, though, I am going to make this apartment "home" for me and the kids.  I think I am doing a pretty good job.  We are settling in, and are almost completely unpacked.  I know we will be happy here, and that is all that matters right now. 

My Dream Home - West Palm Condos

 I need to get away.  I have been extremely stressed about money and not being able to find a job.  I know eventually, my landlord will get tired of waiting for my rent, and we will be asked to leave.  I plan on moving the kids and I to my moms house for a while.  I am not sure how much I will be paying her for rent, but it will definitely be cheaper than what I pay here.

I wish I could find a rich man who would move us down into the West Palm condos.  Living in Florida would be awesome.  I could spend the day lying on the beach, working on my tan. These condos look amazing, too. You can go on their website and take a virtual tour of every floor of the building.  I was going to, but they ask for some personal information first, and I didn't want to give that out. 

Until I find a rich man, I will go live with my mom.  I am so lucky that I have such an amazing support system, because I have no idea what I would have done this past month without my family and friends.  I know I am going to need them even more in the upcoming months, and I know they will do all they can to help the kids and I.

I am so blessed.

My Dream Bathroom

Have you ever seen those showers that have jets positioned at different heights so that you are getting sprayed from all over?   I can't even begin to imagine how awesome they must feel.  If we ever decide to remodel our bathroom, that's the kind of shower I want.  I was looking on www.betterbathrooms.com and found that one in the picture, and I am seriously drooling over it.  It has six jets that shoot water from the sides as well as a hand held shower head that has several different spray modes.  I can just imagine how relaxed I would be after a shower in that.

I would also want a jacuzzi tub in my bathroom, that is not necessarily wide, just deep.  I want to be able to sit in it and have the water cover my shoulders. The way our bathroom is set up now, we could easily remove our garden tub and shower stall and put both of the new shower stall and jacuzzi tub in.  I wonder if our landlord would mind?

Of course, we would have a regular tub/shower combo in the other bathroom for the kids to use.  I mean, I wouldn't want to spoil them or anything.

Decorating

Most of the time, when it comes to my decorating style, I would think I lean more towards modern designs.  I like clean lines, and bold colors.  In my dream home, every room would have a touch of black, especially the kitchen.  I already have the black appliances, and I would love to add black and gray swirl marble counter tops, and black cabinets.   Add a black and white checkerboard floor, and it would be the perfect kitchen.

The only exception would be the bathrooms.  For some reason, I prefer white bath vanities and floors.  I think it has to do with white looking cleaner.  Does that make sense?  Besides, painting the walls purple and having black accessories would be a bit much, even for me.  I would have to have two sinks, though.  One for me, and one for my messy husband.  In fact, I would not be opposed to having two separate bathrooms. 

Yes, he is that messy.  Of course, I would then have to hire a maid, because I hate cleaning up after him. I hate cleaning up after myself, too.  I guess I need to start playing the lottery so I can afford not only my dream home, but the maid to clean it.

Finding The Perfect Place To Live

There are so many decisions to make when thinking about moving. I just mentioned how Junior and I have decided to look into finding a "rent to own" house, and I am getting excited about the idea. This is not the way I envisioned us buying a house when we first got married, but there are things on our credit that need to be fixed, and even though we are working hard to do just that, we still have a long way to go. By finding a rent to own home, we know we are not just throwing away money on rent; we are working towards buying a home.

I wish we could go and have house plans drawn up; that way we would have our dream house built. It would have six bedrooms, one for each kid, one for Junior and I, a guest room, and a craft room. Oh, wait. I also want an office, so that would be another room. The house would also have a huge kitchen, with a center island and a bar. There would be a formal living room, as well as a huge den, where we would hang out as a family. Game nights would be awesome, and much more frequent. In a perfect world, we would also have an indoor swimming pool, and a home gym complete with a personal trainer.

But, I guess we will settle for what we can afford, which will hopefully be a three bedroom, two bath home. I'll be praying we find the perfect place, and that it's affordable.

Lighting Fixtures I Love

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lighting by Lux. All opinions are 100% mine.

When we decided to move two summers ago, we were all excited to find a nicer, better place to live. In the past sixteen months, we have learned that we made a horrible choice. The decision to move was the right one, we just picked a horrible place to live. When we were looking at apartments, this place was wonderful. The kitchen is big, the living room fit all of our furniture, and it was in a great location. What we didn't know was that the roof leaked, the bathtub faucet didn't turn all the way off, and the yard turns into one huge mud puddle with the slightest amount of rain. We also discovered that the lights turned on by the wall switches did not illuminate the entire room.

This is the first place I have ever lived where the room lights were sconces, and only sconces. Sure, I had seen them in the past as decorative lighting, but never as the only source of light in a room. They are beautiful, don't get me wrong. I just wish we had overhead lights, too.

As most of you know, we plan on moving again in a couple of months. Our experience here, and dealing with the management company, has not been a pleasant one. I would love to find a place of our own, and we are currently looking onto some rent to own places. This would be perfect for us, because right now we do not qualify for a mortgage, and this is an alternative way to home ownership. It also means I can decorate and make some place our home. This, of course, means finding the perfect lighting for each room. I fell in love with these sconces from Lighting by Lux, and want to put them in my bathroom. I know, it's weird that I want these in my bathroom, but that is the only room in the house that Junior will agree to let me paint purple, and these sconces will fit right in.

I also want to pick out a nice chandelier. This is proving to be a little difficult, because there are so many beautiful ones to choose from. I have narrowed it down to one that has the lights facing up, not down. I also don't want on that is too fancy, with all the crystals hanging on it, and I definitely don't want a brass one. I think those are so tacky looking. I found this pewter finished one, and I love it. It is simple, which you all know I love, and it is not too big. I think it look perfect hanging above my dining room table.

Now I just need to find the perfect home to put my light fixtures in. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

My Dream Kitchen

Now that Junior and I have decided to move, I am excited about finding a new place. I wish we could afford to buy something of our own, but that's not a possibility right now. Hopefully in a few years, because I am tired of paying rent every month, when that money could go towards owning our own home.

When we do finally buy our own place, I know exactly what I want. It must have four bedrooms, and a large kitchen. Actually, a huge kitchen. I want stainless steel appliances, stainless steel kitchen sinks, white cabinets, black marble counters, and a black and white checkered floor. I want enough room for a huge table, with at least eight chairs. I want a center island, with bar stools and a pot rack hanging from the ceiling.

I want my kitchen to be the place where my guests hang out when they come over.

I want it to feel "homey".

And now we need to win the lottery so we can afford to buy my dream kitchen, I mean my dream house.

Room Makeovers

I love redecorating the house. I will rearrange furniture and repaint the walls. Living in this apartment I haven't been able to do too much. I am really looking forward to helping my mom redo her house when she moves in. I know she is talking about removing wallpaper and repainting a lot of the rooms. The most difficult part of a room makeover is envisioning how the room will look when you are finished.

With Weekend Project, you can see exactly what each room will look like, and you can play with different colors and textures. You can even get tips from TV personality Kristian Cunningham. You just make a model of your room as it is now, and you can add and delete features until it is exactly the way you want it. This way, you can see for sure if that shade of green you love so much will look as good as you think it will on the walls of your living room. If it doesn't, you can just change the color on the computer, instead of having to repaint the entire room.

I can not wait to try this out with my mom. I want her house to be perfect for her, and making it her own is going to be fun!

New Landlords?

Some of you may not know that Junior was married once before me. It didn't last long, and it didn't end on good terms. A few years ago, we ran into his ex-in-laws, and discovered that his ex-wife, their only child, had died. I think they were looking for someone to love, and my kids filled a void in their lives. I know some people will think it's weird that I let them have a relationship with us, but I am a firm believe in the fact that my kids can never have too many people loving them.

For the past year, this duplex we live in has been for sale. The other night, Junior's ex-mother-in-law called and asked for the number, because she is interested in buying it. She was asking us all kinds of questions about the condition of the apartments, and we told her that they would need Home Improvement Help. The roof desperately needs to be repaired or replaced, and the ceilings fixed where there is water damage. She was talking about removing the wall between the apartments, and making it one huge living area. She said we need four bedrooms, which is true enough. Of course, to make a hallway between apartments, we would need to remove the bathrooms. That means we would need a new Bathroom Design for the other side. It would be pretty cool deciding the new layout. Of course, she wants Junior to do as much of the work as possible himself. He is even looking into a Do It Yourself Home Inspection . I just hope she is able to get on touch with the people who own it, and they accept her offer. It would be awesome to make this place more of a home.

Dream Home

Writing about bathrooms got me really wanting to look at some houses that are for sale. I know it will be difficult to find the exact house of my dreams, so I was also looking at home builders Winston Salem NC. Salem is not too far away from where I am in South Carolina, so I want Junior to drive up there with me to look at some of their model homes. Who knows. We may find plans for the house of our dreams. I just hope they can recreate the bathroom I have fallen in love with, and the kitchen I can see in my head with the white cabinets and the black and gray marbled counter tops. The floor in the kitchen will have to be a black and white checkerboard.

I'm not going to be too picky. Or am I?