Bobbi, no snow, shoveling pollen. It's coming down like snow! *L*

I hear you creeser! I'm having serious allergy issues myself this morning, and it's not even daylight yet. How was your weekend?

It was very wet here, so a laid back weekend which was nice since my fur baby is up all night coughing. I take him out when he gets bad at night and last night I took a flashlight with me. The high beam picked up the pollen coming down and it was amazing how thick it was. Calling the vet when they open and going to try and get him in today.
What do you take for your allergies? Have you ever tried eating local honey for allergy? They say that the honey has just enough of the local pollen that it builds up your 'immunity' to the allergens.

Oh wow, I didn't know that about honey! I does make sense, tho, doesn't it. I feel so bad for your dog. Have you tried using a vaporizer? I wonder if that would help him breathe. Good luck with the vet, let me know how it turns out, ok?

MP, you can only if you take me with you. I'm so freakin' tired. Someone around here has been sick since Christmas. It's time for all of us to be well again!
bobbi, I have tried the vaporizer. I use one when I'm sick and it seems to make him cough more, but the first night it seemed to help him. So I used it during the day as well and after that, he seemed to cough worse at night. I'm just out of ideas. Have a vet appt. around lunch time and I'll peek in after that. Thanks for the concern. :)

MP, that looks like heaven!

Creeser, good luck to ya!

i just walked outside to take the garbage out and the wind is unreal. it would take about 5 minutes for me to be frostbitten on my nose! I cannot believe it's almost april!

Glad it's just raining here this morning; wonder what it's like in north Jersey .. haven't had the TV news on yet.

I've been looking for newer "Design Dilemmas", hoping to find where I can offer some common sense assistance, but it's still frustrating to see where people are & what they want. Talk about just landing from another planet! How can people be in the middle of a new home construction or major reno project, and need info NOW, because they're meeting with a contractor tomorrow & have no clue what they want .. lighting, tile, etc. Do people not think they should be out hitting the major tile/stone superstores near them, to get ideas of what's available & relative costs? Or like the person with the small BR; shouldn't you be out there getting an idea of furniture sizes, making little cut-outs & moving them around on paper, to see what fits? That sounds so basic to me .. is it laziness, or do people not have a clue where to start?

lol.....you are right astraea!

Both when I was moving temporarily into a townhouse, and after I bought my house, I had every piece of furniture & every box labeled as to where it was going, and by level in the house. I'd measured the rooms, and laid everything out on paper .. then taped those diagrams to the walls outside each room. The moving men loved me, and it went a lot faster (which means cheaper too). Do people think stuff happens by magic & without effort?

Astraea, you're so right! It's frustrating sometimes. My favorite dilemma today was from the man who pretended his English was.....limited......when in fact he commented on another person's post, in PERFECT ENGLISH. Turns out he's in Turkey and is looking to sell his lighting products. Maybe I'm tired and cranky, but this really annoys me.

Well, last week we had a looooong list of things we wanted to accomplish while R was on vacation. I am happy and proud to say we completed the list. There is no room in this whole house that we didn't paint, all the 'little' things are done! Now I have to look for a new project......just kidding, I think R would really kill me :))

Hi guys!!

Been a while since I've had time to check in. (Hopefully you remember me and its not too random I'm here lol)

Thought I would introduce myself this time. I am American, but currently living in Japan. We will be here until about 2016. Female with 4 kiddos. Design stupid. :p Which is why I like this site. Lots if inspiration. I don't get too much time to upgrade my space, but when I do I enjoy it. I mostly enjoy the discussion section (how I found you nice "olld ladies" :) )

No fear, I don't get the chance to get on much, so I won't infiltrate your threads too much. I did want to reappear so you didn't think I was posting and running last time.

Not sure where all of you are in the world, but I hope you have a nice day/night wherever you are.

Hi preds17; son of a friend of mine just left for Japan .. teaching (English) job. Not sure exactly where he'll be, but he's been there before, and loves it.

Hi preds17! I'm in California, beautiful sunny and bright here today! Perfect bbq weather. Are you in Japan because of the military?

i'm in south carolina.....hi again preds....don't stay away so long next time. :)

Hey, preds, I remember you, because my daughter lived in Japan for a few years/Navy Nurse Corp. She loves Japan and has been back twice ($$$$$$).

yokosuka naval base

mp. the solution!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/can-you-imagine-what-this-could-look-like-dsvw-vd~410656

I think Linda missed my question to her yesterday :>(

my gosh...it's snowing! I cannot believe this!!!!!

judyg...are talking about your house that you were thinking about redoing for the retiremant house for you and CP?

jude...i looked at that link you posted above...those things are a dime a dozen around here! lol! I think they should just give it away for free if they don't want it. There was a free house around here not long ago, that was actually a decent house....but moving the thing would be pretty expensive and then redoing the foundation and everything would be a pain. I often have wished that I could move my house to California and sell it there! lol....now we would be talking some profit!

I am meeting some weirdo after work about renting a bedroom possibly. Dont ask...I have no idea what I'm doing!

MP, good luck! How did you meet this weirdo and why do you think he/she's a weirdo? You're scaring me!

don't be scared yet! I have a feeling it's not a good fit, but i am meeting this "he" anyway. If it could possibly work, then I could get on a better track financially.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that paying off my school loan and credit cards is a bad idea through refinancing my house. I just can't understand how that is a bad idea. But everyone seems to against that for some reason. I don't think my situation is normal though. My house is worth twice as much I owe on it basically. Or close to that. If I got $10,000 added onto my home loan through refinancing and pay off all my credit cards (high interest) and my school loan (so-so interest)...and get a lower interest on my home loan.....i don't see the down side????? But I started looking into alternate ways of bringing in more income. A room-mate? not a lot more money in my hand, and possibly a pain in my neck and paying off the debt slowly. I don't know what to do anymore.

MP - it's a good idea to refinance a home, IF 1) The new morgage is no larger than the original one, and at the lower current rate the savings every month are put towards paying off higher rate credit card debt, 2) This isn't a "repetitive cycle", where the homeowner starts building up new credit card debt, once they begin paying off the old debt.

Be very careful about a room mate/boarder. Find out if there are any realtors or professional services that act as intermediaries .. if only to ask how they could protect you, in a way that you can't protect yourself .. both financially & literally. Also find out if you'll need to raise/modify your homeowner's insurance, and consider paying for a background check of the person .. both their finances & criminal record. It's deductable from reportable income, and probably worth every penny.

gotcha A! thanks....

I've decided against the roomie thing for right now. I'm not ready for that quite yet.

MP, not everyone is against refinancing your home to pay off your cc's and student loans, I'm not opposed to it at all. In fact, I happen to think it's a smart move. It allows you financial freedom, freedom from worry (that's a BIG one!), and it's doubtful you'll be adding that much to your home loan. If I were in your shoes I would certainly look into it. If you decide to go this way, keep a clear head and let your brains do the talking not your emotions.

I would skip the roomate thing unless I knew them well. Nothing like serving an eviction notice to the person sitting on the couch next to you, then waiting the required time period for them to finally leave.

A good Monday evening to all.......well, at least it's not raining here, but it is cold and grey. Haven't done anything much of importance today, just haven't had to much energy.

MP, I would forego the rommie thing. I had a friend who went that route. He and a life long friend had bought a house together. The plan was to restore it. It was an old Florida "Cracker" house, part of an old orange grove processing plant (think grading warehouse, shipping docks and the house that the supervisor lived in), while they finished up their undergraduate degrees and Master's work. Then they were planning on turning turning the warehouse into an artist studio space and gallery. When his friend was killed in an auto accident (drunk driver hit him), my friend took on a room mate when he entered his Master's work. Had checked him out for both criminal and financial background check..........everything checked out clean. Turns out the guy was a partier and a Rave promoter. My friend came home one night to find about 300 people in the warehouse with a full rave going on..........had to walk almost a half a mile due to the cars parked along the road. Not to mention the legal entanglement that were thrust upon him as the property owner by the County when the Sheriff's department arrived.............no permits. The next afternoon when he returned from a day at the Sheriff's office and the County DA's office, his room mate was gone.......as were many of his possessions including his Master's thesis art exhibit portfolio...............turns out the guy he thought was so clean wasn't so clean after all........used a stolen idenditiy as was his usual habit.........not to mention the number of warrants out for his arrest for previous illegal raves.

oh lordy STK......that's awful!!

Alright, color me dumb, what is Rave?

mp, your home is worth twice what you paid for it. Great. That is amazing. But, subtract what you owe and that is what you have. Refi that amount, at a lower interest rate, and now you own your home and are spending less to live in it. If you should you have to sell, all of that equity is yours.

Treat the credit card bills and the student loan as a totally different situation. Refinance, if it gives you a lower monthly payment; do not put your home up as collateral for your other bills.

What if you did put your home on the market. What could you buy, maybe smaller, for less?

jude i've thought of all angles and am still pondering what to do. I will figure this out. I haven't gone totally insane yet! :)

bob, a rave is a big party with techno music blasting and usually there are drugs involved like esctasy etc. A huge dance party where everyone is high and usually half naked by the end of the night from sweating to death! oh yea, and laser light shows going on all over the place sometimes.

mp, what does your Dad suggest? I don't think you have gone insane. I think you have been throw a curve ball and you need to rethink your situation. You have a job, you have equity, you have control.

i don't think my dad would suggest this, but i have to share it. maybe this will clear my mind! ha!

oops pic didnt attach

Hi all, lost my internet this morning for some stupid reason so am way behind today. Been busy shopping too and having a ball.

mp - you have to do what feels comfortable and right for you. The bills you have, have to be paid one way or another, there is not an option so now it comes down to paying them off the cheapest possible way and that sounds like refinancing - depending of course on how much in fees you have to pay to do that. If you are struggling to pay the credit card especially, then you have to take steps before you ruin your credit rating.

Can I suggest that first you go back over everything you have spent in the last year, itemise all the necessary expenses and have a separate list for non-essentials. This will give you a clearer picture of your needs. The non essentials will help you prioritise the importance of them too and the sort of things you need cash reserves for. Once you have a list of all your essential outgoings - taxes, rates, food, car running expenses, insurances, etc. plus your home mortgage repayments, your student loan repayments and the minimum amount you need to put on your credit card each month then you will know exactly just how much you need to earn to meet these. I have no idea what your interest rates are like over there or how much money you are talking so I can only grab a couple of figures out of the air. If you had $20,000 on your student loan and saved 2% interest that would only be $400 over a year ($33 a month) but you either have that extra to pay down the debt or extra in our hand to help balance the budget. On the other hand $20,000 on a credit card if you were to make a saving of say 12% interest is $2,400 a year or $200 a month. That sounds a healthy amount to make life a bit easier for you, certainly less stressful, and as you get on your feet you can build an emergency nest egg and then start to put a little extra on the loan. Don't forget too, as you pay the loan down the interest will reduce so more will go onto reducing the principal.

I have every confidence you will be super sensible about it all and not go beserk once your credit card is wiped but you will need to ensure you pay it in full every month and not fall behind again. Once you make a decision and know your income will cover your needs, you will be able to relax and think clearer too and make better decisions to help you in the long term, especially in terms of increasing your income. Good luck with it, but just do what feels right and comfortable for you.

I have a room, and Id like to paint it. What color should I use?

Hehe :p

Evening!
Yes I am here bc of the military. USMC. I was born in Cali. I'm a southern Cali girl. :)

Had a nice day exploring some furniture shops in the area. You guys would flip out if you saw the prices for old furniture here. I'm not talking "vintage" nice stuff. I'm talking "I have to pay someone to remove it" stuff. The military gives out loaner furniture to families living here since we can only bring a small amount of stuff with us. Well every 10yrs or so they have a big sale of the old stuff. Sell it dirt cheap. Well most of this stuff is now in their shops in town and they want the equivalent of 600$ for the stuff!! It's crazy. Some of it is kind of cute in a vintage way, and maybe even worth throwing 100$ at, but never more than that.
Anyways, just sharing my day. Thought some of you might get a kick out of that. I'm sure at least a couple of ya like furniture shopping. Maybe even help others do it for a living?

Hope all your guys days go nice today!

Dear preds

Re colours for you room

Perhaps you might consider consulting Kutchie and borrowing his paint ball pistol. I think well aimed shots of coordinating colours on a Revere Pewter background would add rustic charm to your room.

Hey, guys, I just had a great idea, that will probably get me thrown off here. When posters come up with vague or crazy questions or are trolling for advertising why don't we give it the Beef Wellington treatment. We would have an eternal party happening here.

I'm starting 3/26 - got something exciting to show you.

Roo - I just started 3/26!

Roo! I'm totally doing that paintball thing!

Surprised you didn't think of it yourself. Your ochre colour???

Oh to be that creative. I'm wanting a beachy theme for my lounge room - maybe some sand and surf, a flock of seagulls flying overhead ............... splatter.