House update

We've finally agreed to the bank's counter offer and are waiting for them to officially ratify the contract. In the meantime, we started researching appliances this weekend since we'll need to get a refrigerator, washer and dryer. I think I've figured out which refrigerator and dryer we'll get, but am still researching washers. Originally I was thinking of getting a front-loader since they are more energy and water efficient, but there's a lot of work that's involved in their upkeep. Since the tub is on its side, the water doesn't completely drain after a wash, which means you need to leave the door open to allow the water to evaporate. Then every month you have to wipe down the interior and door seals and run a bleach wash through to prevent mold and mildew. It sounds like a lot of work (and is), but it could potentially save us a lot of money in the long run. So I'm still on the fence.

We also started looking at paint colors for the house and settled on the living room and nursery colors. In case you forgot what the living room looks like now, here's a refresher:

We'll keep this room two colors, but we're going for more muted colors. Here are the colors we've chosen from Behr. Popcorn ball will be the top color with cracked wheat on the bottom. We'll probably continue the Popcorn Ball into the eat-in kitchen space, hallways and family room.

We've decided to go with a light and airy blue for the nursery (and no, we still don't know what sex the baby is). I think this color will be nice with the zoo theme and will work for many years so we won't have to paint again and again.

We're still deciding on colors for the master bedroom and other rooms. The guest room will probably be a light yellow, like it is now.

As soon as we close on the house, we'll get started with the painting. If you're an expert painter (Tom's meticulous) come on over to help and we'll feed you.