Casa Craving

Not so much my dream house

You know how people are baby hungry? (Like me, every other day, interspersed with thinking, "Two kids is the dumbest idea since Lunchables!")

Well, I'm HOUSE hungry. Like, I get a warm, cozy feeling when I think of walls that can be painted, parking spaces that aren't shared and roofs without neighbors clomping around above. I get a little sweaty when I drive past "For Sale" signs. I get a little giddy when I walk into someone else's newly remodeled digs. And I totally, totally stalk the real estate listings in hopes of finding my dream house.

Unfortunately, my dream house and my real budget are two different things. (I mean, who doesn't want a modern ranch house overlooking a beach?) But even my realistic self can't find anything within our price range that doesn't require commuting from Iowa or selling Miss Dub on the black market. And I can't decide which would be worse.

I know, I know, the market is crashing, but it would take a long fall to accommodate our needs. It's not that we're poor. (I actually don't know the definition of poor, but I don't think my Target habit fits the description.) It's just that houses around here aren't cheap. And we're not willing to move out to the boonies to buy an affordable tract house because face time with Mr. Dub is more important to us than a bonus room. (What the heck is a bonus room, anyway?)

Also, student loan debt sucks. Especially when your husband decides to go to a prestigious, private university where his quarterly tuition cost more than my entire college education. Combined with tithing (paying 10 percent of our income to our church), we're already paying out what amounts to a mortgage payment ... and we're still renting a TWO bedroom apartment!

It's times like these that I wish for a real estate fairy. (Heaven knows that SFG is good for nothing!) Someone who could tip her wand at a listing and magically reduce the asking price by a couple hundred thousand. But I've yet to find one, despite all the wishing on stars I do each night. And when I carry around a magic wand, I tend to get strange looks. (Also when I wear an outfit that I think looks hip, only to realize that I look like a hostess at a Mexican restaurant. Seriously, it happened to me the other day - at a Mexican restaurant!)

Anyway, I'm not really sure if I'm venting or looking for advice or secretly hoping someone has the number of a good fairy and/or real estate agent.

I'm just saying that I thought by 28 I'd be a homeowner. Then again, I also thought I'd have five kids. And that's the dumbest idea since Squeeze-its.

What about you? When did you become a homeowner?

And how did you decide on your home?

The SFG

The seasonal fashion genie came to me in a dream last night and informed me that he would be granting me and my blog readers three wishes today.

Unfortunately, my SFG is uptight and set out some pretty strict guidelines that almost took the fun out of making my wishlist ... almost.

He said we had to select the following for our three wishes:

1. A pair of shoes

2. A piece of outerwear

3. A smashing accessory

And all of them must be fall fashions.

So after much debate, and way too much time online, I've finally made my wishes:

1. Nine West 'Alyn' flat

2. free people 'Russian Trapeze' coat

3. kate spade 'Montserrat - Jocelyn' clutch

Now, it's your turn. Share your wishes below, or link to your blog in the comments so we can see them in all their fall-tastic glory.

I will warn you that my seasonal fashion genie is terribly slow at wish delivery. I'm still waiting on some banana clips and Units clothing I wished for in fourth grade.

(And I already asked if I could just wish for more wishes. He said that's "cheating." Jerk.)