Shopping Mania.

Saturday was crazy.

The shopping extravaganza was even more than this pro could handle.  I was completely wiped out when we got home.  Thankfully, Dominos delivered pizza for nourishment, so I could daze off into space for the rest of the night as my brain (and feet) recovered.

Good news:

I think we narrowed the refrigerator choices down to one (or two... cause there is a Samsung that I keep looking at too...).

I think we found great mirrors for the master bath.

I think we a good options for the guest bath mirror situation.

Bad news:

Blinds are expensive.

Refrigerators are more expensive. 

They STILL haven't broken ground on the house.  grrr.

We are most interested in purchasing a refrigerator from Best Buy (if possible) because we already have a credit card through them - and they offer 18 months no interest on large purchases.  We love the 'same as cash' kind of financing... so we were hoping they would have the goods we needed.  

We also looked at Lowes and Home Depot.  Lowes had an great deal on a Samsung refrigerator we really considered... but using our 18 months no interest ended up outweighing the extra savings of the Best Buy fridge. (Plus, I later read online the Samsung ice maker is like a "jet engine")  

And here is our winner:

The LG LFX25976ST, 3 door Refrigerator with Ice and Water Dispenser.

"Smart and Handsome.  If you've ever been frustrated with a refrigerator this LG unit may be your answer.  We freed up that valuable top-shelf space by moving the ice maker to the refigerator door.  The water dispenser is extra tall so you can fill nearly any size container.  And it comes iwth a 4-compartment crisper system for extra convenience.  Oh, an dit comes with your own Exterior/Interior Styling Package, so it's quite stylish too"

(says the LG website)

We didn't purchase today, because The Husband and I love a good sale.  With Memorial Day being just about one week before we close on the house, we're hoping they will knock a couple Benjamin's off the price during that holiday weekend.  It will also give me some time to be sure, sure, it's the one. (aka: obsess about the comparisons between it and the Samsung) 

I stopped by the model home this morning and took some measurements of the mirrors in the bathrooms and made my best guess on scale of what individual mirrors should be.  Armed with my 'best guess' we hit the stores to find something as close to my numbers as possible.  

Here's what I found:

Guest Bathroom Option #1:  Hemnes Mirror (Ikea)

It's 23 5/8'' x 35 3/8'' and I could hang two of them, vertically.  My only real hesitation is the 'black-brown' color they show.  It looked black in the store - but it was difficult to tell.  However, it's 100% wood - so I could (theoretically) stain them if it really bothered me.   I think I'm going to keep looking before I pull the trigger on this one.

Best part:  $49 each.

photo from ikea.com

Guest Bathroom:  A non option... but I love it (Lowes)

It is an espresso finish (makes me happy!), and is 32'' in diameter.  Sadly, it is about 1.5'' too large, and won't fit in the guest bath... but it too small for the master.  This photo doesn't do it justice... I wish I had a place for it. It is $79.98 each.  Ouch.  But it's so pretty. 

photo from lowes

Option one and only for Master Bathroom:  Martha Stewart, Saranac (Home Depot)

It's 30''x36'' and I would hang two of them, vertically, over the sinks in the master bathroom (photos of the model home set up).  These are a little longer and just about 2 inches thinner than I imagined... but I think they will work really well.  And I love the color.

Also something awesome:  $49 each!

photo from Home Depot

We were so overwhelmed with the blind pricing/options - we're unsure.  All I know is the Lowe's people were super nice to us 'newbies', and that sure counts for something.  We were so tired, I think we'll attack the blinds another weekend.  We're also starting to wonder if it's not just cheaper to pay the builders to do the blinds.  With the cost of installation - we may come out even, and we *could* just bring that extra money to closing to make up the difference.   I need to do more measurements and math (not my strong point) to be sure. 

I feel really good about mirror and refrigerator selections.  I'm going to hold of on buying until I see sale.  I've done my spreadsheets - and the 'decor' budget we have set over the next year or so is going to be tiiiight... and I want to spend as little as possible on items like this.  

(As I'm trying to ensure we can squeeze a mac daddy sectional and some master bedroom furniture into the budget, eventually).