Moving Weekend

It has arrived. I am so excited.

Signing off until next week in order to put my "lifting boxes & moving furniture" muscles to work...or, really, in order to make T a big glass of lemonade while he puts his muscles to work :-)


(images: 1-saying goodbye to the view from my Manhattan apartment; 2-one of our very first photos together).

Weekend Blinks

T and spent the the entirety of last night buying the more mundane "necessities" for the new apartment. I thought I was going to be way more bummed than I actually was about spending a large chunk of change on things like a vacuum cleaner, knife set, pots & pans, sheets, shower curtain liners, etc. (you know, things we actually need).

Surprisingly, buying these items was more fulfilling than dropping cash on fun furniture and wall art has been. It made me realize how decorating isn't nearly as much fun as nesting. I know, I know--I'll 100% change this tune as soon as all of the "boring" stuff is bought and we're actually moved in, but for right now, it's oddly refreshing to stand in front of the vacuum cleaner display together, trying to figure out the best-but-not-most expensive brand to buy.

Oh and it probably helped that T convinced me that we needed the $100+ gourmet coffee maker over the $35 normal one. It must be stated that this assertion came from the guy who 1). Doesn't drink coffee, and 2). Is good with money and tends to keep me in line with my budget.

It must be love.

Now the weekend awaits. We obtain the keys tonight(!!) and then figure out exactly what needs to be painted/cleaned/etc. and go make those lists for next week. I'll spend the rest of the weekend organizing and packing up my place, while T attends a low-key Bachelor party on Saturday. Hopefully, I'll find some time to relax, but I'm not all that worried, since I'm still on my extra long spring break and every day is kind of like the weekend right now.

That being said, I hope you enjoy your weekend and be sure to check out some fun blog links:

DIY: Cocktail Shaker Flower Vases

Soft, luxurious comforts to indulge your feminine side

Sweet dreams await under these magical, whimsical cloud lights

Totally digging these vintage MeasureMe Sticks

A Banana on Wheels!!

I learned a few things with these French etiquette tips

image is one of favorites, via the (always inspiring) Mary Ruffle

City in a Bag

Since I will no longer be a resident of NYC after April 1st, I am in need of New York City in a Bag to put on my desk or windowsill.

Signed, Sealed & Delivered!

Well, figuratively speaking. We found a place! And signed a lease!

Let's break this down...

Location: Ridgewood, NJ (in Bergen County, about fifteen miles from my beloved NYC).

Type: Duplex apartment (two floors) in a large, white Victorian-style home(!) Two bedrooms + office/den, huge living room, eat-in kitchen, 1 bathroom

Other awesome things (i.e. reasons we signed a lease so quickly):

PRICE (A super steal, coming in at $300 under our monthly budget);
AMENITIES (Laundry room in the finished basement, a parking space across the street; outdoor maintenance);
OUTDOOR SPACE (large patio in the back for grilling);
LOCATION (two blocks from the center of the village of Ridgewood with an 8 minute walk to the train [45 min to NYC]);
STORAGE (both the master bedroom and living room have walk-in closets, and each of the other rooms have closet space (including a separate "bonus room" for storage!);
AESTHETICS (French doors, tons of windows with great light, authentic wood moldings and cabinetry)

Things we are changing (i.e. DIY projects mostly taking place the first weekend in April):

Kitchen updates: (the kitchen has slightly ugly floor tiling. We will be figuring out a more aesthetically pleasing alternative, perhaps through the use of a rug or temporary tile replacement).

Painting: The bathroom is currently painted an icky salmon color, so we will painting that a more neutral tone. The second (guest) bedroom has interesting wallpaper that doesn't quite jive with us, so we will be stripping and repainting that room to match the rest of the house (a creme color).

I think that's it. We are so excited to have found this gem and can't wait to get the keys to "our first place together" on April 1st.

Now, on to a crazy six weeks of packing and furniture/decor shopping...

Cohabitation

Tiho and I are moving in together in April (ahh!) and I am (clearly) so.ridiculously.excited for this next step in our relationship.

I am also positively giddy about the fact that we get to search for, select and decorate a new place together. I've been having dreams about area rugs and accent chairs, wall art and sheet sets (and of course, waking up to my terrific man every single day).

So, all this being said, I'm fairly certain that in these weeks leading up to and surrounding the big move, 'Exquisite Banana' will be dominated by moving-related posts (i.e. me trying to organize all my crazy bookmarking of every single design-inspiring item/image/idea I find online).

I found the following tips helpful as I begin all of this madness (via Apartment Therapy LA): Deciding How To Keep Or Let Go Of Things When Moving. Check it out!

(Image via The Frisky)