Okay I know.  I love my bulldog and maybe that is why I love this so much but how cute is this!  Now if I can find out where I can get this immediately!

Found via SwissMiss

 Update:  You can buy one here at Humunga Stache!

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After all of the house drama we found a house that we love and had our offer accepted.  That means we are about 45 days away from having the house of our dreams!  I am so excited.  I just hope that the inspections and appraisal go without a hitch.

Here is a couple of things I have been eying for a long time that I would love for my new home!

 I am going to need some pretty pictures for my wall.  Maybe I could have a custom silhouette made by
sweetcarolinadesign, $22

I have always wanted this comfy looking velvet poof pillow from Urban Outfitters, $28

For entertaining, this Polly George cake stand, £100.00.  I have my eyes on the matching butte dish, teas pot and sugar bowl too.

Side table from West Elm, $129

These are just a few things I have come across in the last few months but I am sure there is a lot more to come.  Any places that you look for decor ideas?  I am going to need some.

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Anyone remember this toy from the eighties?

It was called the “Pocket Rocker” (not to be confused with the Pocket Rocket, which is a whole other “toy”).  It is a cassette player that plays mini cassette tapes of your favorite eighties pop songs.  You get one song per side and I had tapes of Debbie Gibson, The Jets, and my all time fave, Tiffany.

I somehow managed to hold onto the cassette player all these years but I don’t have any of the cassette tapes.  I wonder if the thing even works.

Until I saw this commercial I had totally forgotten that the tapes clipped to your clothes.  LOL

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Remember I mentioned that we had an offer on a house?  Well, we pulled out of the contract.  When I tell you why you are going to laugh and then write to me in the comment box below that I am the biggest idiot ever!

So biggest rule when you buy a house I have learned …

Look at the house as many times as you can!

We went and saw this house only once before we put a contract on it.  We knew we loved it, we knew the price was right and we were stressing about it getting snapped up by someone else.  Well four weeks go by and we still hadn’t heard anything back on whether our offer had been accepted and decided, to go look at it again.  We had driven by it numerous times but had only been inside once.

So stupid!

We scheduled a time to meet up with the realtor to check out the house again.  I am driving there when Mr. Juicefairy calls …

“We have a problem.”

“What! What’s wrong.”

“The garage is too small.”

“What do you mean the garage is too small?  It’s a two-car garage.”

“I thought the garage looked kind of small so I had the realtor open the garage door and I tried to pull my car in and it wouldn’t fit.  The car hangs out the back of the garage and you cant close the door.”

“How is that possible?  It’s a two-car garage.  Aren’t they a standard size?”

“Apparently not.”

After further inspection we realized that the builder had built into the garage to make room for the hot water heater and the AC unit.  Big mistake on their part because unless you drive a VW bug you can’t get you car in the garage all the way. We pulled out of our contract immediately.

Moral of the story folks:

Always look at the house more than once.  Look at everything.  Open every cabinet, every garage door, look in every closet look at every vent and ceiling.

We are still looking for our dream house now.  Sigh.  Mr. Juicefairy says that pulling out of the contract on that house we had loved felt like ending a long term relationship.  It was a little sad.  But he also said “we dodged a bullet!”  So true … so true.

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 Circle Bird Necklace - $41

  Loving this super cute necklace at Figs & Ginger.  It’s made from at least 50% recycled silver and no polishing is required.  For $20 more you can get these super cute matching studs.

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 Becoming Green had a similar problem with these dishwashing soaps. Image: becoming green

The following story is about how my dishwasher almost drove me to the edge of insanity when it stopped cleaning my dishes.

A few months ago we caught a deal at Walmart on Palmolive Eco Gel Dishwashing Detergent and bought two big bottles.  I generally don’t buy the “eco” or “green” detergents.  Not because I don’t care about the environment, but because, as you have read in this blog, I am cheap.  If it wasn’t for Walmart’s 2 for 1 deal I probably would have bought the cheapest generic box on the shelf.  And I should have!

A few weeks after using the soap I started noticing a white build up on all of my dishes.  I cleaned the trap for the dishwasher, ran the dishwasher empty and even tried a citrus dishwasher cleaner.  None of it worked.  Frustrated, I went online and found out that you can put white vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser and use baking soda as detergent.  After a few washes this seemed to help a little but I was using about a 1/2 cup of baking soda per load.  That is a bit much when the stuff comes in a miniature box.

Finally, after a lot of my complaining, Mr. Juicefairy and I decided to just replace the dishwasher, assuming something was wrong with it.  Now before I get chastised for making such an expensive decision, the dishwasher was one of the appliances that was ready to replaced when we redid our kitchen.  It was old looking and the granite installer never really properly replaced the dishwasher so the door has gotten cracked.  I figured that the dishwasher had just outlived its use since it was so old.

I assumed that the problem was solved as soon as the dishwasher was replaced.  I had to scrub all of the pots, pans and dishes with Brillo pads to get the scum off (a task I am still working on because even Brillo was having a hard time getting this soap off).  The problem was better with the new dishwasher but I could still feel soap on the outside of my glasses and dishes.

I finally realized that I had switched to the new soap when this problem started and went to Publix and bought some name brand Cascade.  Instantly the problem was gone.  My dishes are clean again. I am still working on getting some of the leftover soap under the lips of my pots and around handles which is a tedious task but overall the dishes come out sparkling.

So that was a lot of aggravation just because of a dish soap.  Heed my warning readers: don’t buy Palmolive Eco Gel dishwashing soap!  I complained to my sister about this recently and she claimed to have the same issue with the Seventh Generation dishwashing soap.  No more eco friendly dishwashing soaps for me.  I will save myself a few cents and some hassle by sticking to good old Cascade.

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I have always known that I LOVE a bargain but lately I have been realizing I have a cap on what I can reasonably spend on items.  Beyond that cap I am almost incapable of making the purchase.

For instance if I am shopping for tops at the mall, my cap is $30.  If the top is less than $20 is is a great deal and I can buy it no problem.  If it is $20-$25 I am pretty much debating in my head whether I will wear it enough to make it worth the money spent.  If it is $25-$30 I will only buy it if I absolutely LOVE the shirt and the quality is excellent so I know it will wear well.  Beyond $30 I will always wait until it goes on sale, because a top is not worth $30 to me.

When I wanted the Dyson vacuum I realized that it was a very expensive purchase and I pretty much wouldn’t buy it without the discount I got from putting it on my registry.  But at one point I had considered buying a refurbished one at Big Lots because of the unbelievable value.

We got a Big Lots near my house about 6 months ago.  I am not a big fan of Big Lots.  It never seems like there is any quality items there and I am not into driving out of my way to save $.50 on a bottle of soap.  But I do peruse the circulars once a week just in case there is something that jumps at me.  I had never noticed before that they sell high end vacuums and steam mops for about half the price.  The catch is that they are “Factory Reconditioned”.

For instance the ad claims that the Shark Steam Mop is normally $99 (no model number listed) and is on sale for $55. But it is “Factory Reconditioned with Manufacturer’s Warranty”.  Can you trust that the product is still reliable?  The warranty makes you feel like it is a better deal but it is a hassle if the thing does break?

In the Big Lots ads I have seen hand-held vacuum cleaners, mops, high end vacuums like the Dyson and electric brooms all at unbelievable prices … but all reconditioned.  So is saving the money up front worth taking a risk that is will break?

Have you bought a “refurbished” or “reconidtioned” item before?  What was your experience?  Do you think taking the risk of buying something refurbished is worth the savings you get in return?

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We all have certain milestones in our life that we are hoping to make … graduate from college (check), get a real job I love with my own cubicle & business card (check), get married (check).  Now I want to buy a house, something Mr. Juicefairy and I  are in the process of doing now.

OK, so technically I own a house already.  Mr. Juicefairy bought it before we met so I never went through the home buying process.  I have never had a deed to a house in my name.  This is the milestone that I am about to pass.

Our cozy little 2/1 in downtown Orlando is starting to feel a little suffocating and limiting.  We love to entertain but when more than 4 people are in the living room at a time the room is just uncomfortable and we can’t fit a dining room table.  Mr.  Juicefairy and I  have to keep our clothing and belongings in separate bedrooms because there in no room in our “master” bedroom.  There certainly is no room for a baby if one of those were to come along eventually.

So after saving and saving and saving we decided once we got married we would buy a house.  I was ready for the most exciting romantic adventure of our marriage!  It would be fun and like shopping at the mall of your dreams for the biggest and most expensive handbag you have ever bought.  Yeah … doesn’t really happen like that.

House shopping is really just giving me a lot of anxiety.  Even though we have been researching in preparation to buy a house for over a year I have been filled with a lot of doubts as to whether we were picking the right area to buy, whether the house is too big or too small, and whether in the end we have picked the perfect home for our needs.

Also the market is flooded with short sales and foreclosures.  That is great when it comes to price, but it causes this horrible waiting game to find out if your offer was accepted by the lender.  You have to be prepared to fall in love with a house and then lose it just as easily.

We have been waiting since December to find out if the offer we put on a short sale has been accepted.  Now the lender says it will be another 4 - 6 weeks to get an answer.  They are flooded with paperwork for short sales and they don’t have the man power to get to all of them in a timely manner.

Meanwhile the federal government put a home buyers tax credit on the table.  It is a hefty chunck of change making the market competitive because while all buyers want it they lose out if they wait too long — to get the credit you have to have a contract on a house by April 30th.

This week we saw a house we might even like more than the one we have an offer pending on, but it is another short sale.

Do we give up on the house we put an offer on and gamble that we will get the other house in time to get the tax credit?

Which one needs more repairs or will have better resale value?

Are we going to still have our sanity if we have to wait three months to hear if an offer was accepted on this new house?

And what if it doesn’t pass inspection?  We will be giving up the house we have an offer pending on now?

Maybe I am just an impatient person and that is why it is hard.  Why does this make me so anxious?  Did you go through this when you bought your first house?  I will get to the fun part soon right?

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My wife and I have been doing some home decorating projects the past few weeks. Which means she has been telling me what to do I have been temporarily obliging. We updated some family pictures hanging on the walls with new frames, painted the family room, and added some new decor to our bathrooms. We didn’t spend much money doing these things. We do all the painting ourselves and pick up a lot of our wall decor and various home decor at yard sales, thrift stores, and at Target.com or All Posters.com. Here are a few of my favorite ways to decorate without breaking the bank.

• De-Clutter and Organize - I walked into a friend’s family room a couple weeks ago and said, “Wow, I like what you guys did in here. Is this coffee table new?” She said, “No, we just organized and got rid of a lot of clutter.” It totally blew me away. Before you do anything major to a room, first simplify the space by getting rid of clutter, toys, dust collectors, and knick-knacks. I think you will be amazed at the difference it makes. As it turns out, their coffee table was not new, you could just see it now!

• Find The DaVinci In You- One of the frugaliest ways to change the look of a room is to paint it yourself. If you have a Home Depot in the town you live in, go there on weekends (typically Saturday mornings), and take advantage of their free paint classes. They teach techniques like faux painting and how to pick the right supplies and colors for your project.

• Try Re-Arranging First - Instead of going out and buying a bunch of new stuff, first try re-arranging the furniture and wall decor that you do have. You just may be amazed at how much you like the new look.

Please feel free to add to my list! Looking forward to your ideas and comments. Here are some online coupons that hopefully can save you some money on your next decorating project.

All Posters.com

Save 22% Off your Entire Online Purchase

Coupon Code: GRAMMY

Expiration: 2/06/10

See All: All Posters Coupons

Art.com

Save 15% Off your entire online order

Coupon Code: WIND Expiration: 2/06/10

See All: Art.com Coupons

BlindsGalore.com

Save 15% Off your Online Order + Free Shipping

Coupon Code: COMPLETE15

Expiration: 2/08/10

See All: BlindsGalore Coupons

Home Depot.com

Save $50 off your $500+ Bath Product order

Coupon Code: BATH50

Expiration: 2/28/10

See All: Home Depot Coupons

Linens N Things.com

Save 14% Off your $99+ Online Order

Coupon Code: CUPID14

Expiration: 2/14/10

See All: Linens N Things Coupons

Mikasa.com

Save 20% Off any 1 Item in your Online Order

Coupon Code: TWENTY

Expiration: 2/15/10

See All: Mikasa Coupons

Smith + Noble.com

Save 20% Off your Online Order w/ Free Shipping

Coupon Code: SAVE-OPCM

Expiration: 2/28/10

See All: Smith & Noble Coupons

Target.com

Save $5 Off your $50+ Online Purchase (Discount Appears at Checkout)

Coupon Code: None Needed

Expiration: 2/28/10

See All: Target Coupons

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 Pack your loved one’s lunch and leave a note on their food. It just might be the sweet surprise they need. Idea via GiversLog.  Photo by essellessell

Use one of Twig & Thistle’s printable bag designs to package some sweet treats for your sweetie. Baked goods are always a crowd pleaser. Valentines bag for brownies here and floral

Give your loved one daily reminders of why you love them so much.  You can buy the jar and reminders at Pixie Dust Gifts but I think making your own with handwritten notes and a tag could be just as lovely.

Make breakfast in bed with love.  All you need is a heart shaped cookie cutter.  See instructions here.

I love this easy to make Valentines Day kit from Design Sponge. Take it to go for a romantic picnic together. You can find the instructions on how to make here.

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