This morning when I was looking in the pantry for breakfast ideas, I saw a box of macaroni and cheese and immediately wanted to break into the box.
Mac and cheese before 7 a.m.? You guys would think I’m off my rocker.
I reeled in my cheesy craving, but knew I wouldn’t last too long before I cooked up a batch of the pasta.
I ate the mac and cheese for lunch today and doctored it up a bit with some sliced ham and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
I loved the bug-shaped pasta. It took me back to my childhood when I would get so excited about Kraft macaroni and cheese in the shape of the characters from Rugrats.
Chuckie was my favorite Rugrat and macaroni noodle. His crazy hair soaked up the most cheese sauce.
After lunch, I ran out to look at a rental house in the area.
Ryan and I are considering moving closer to the “hub” of Ocala when our lease is up. We love our house, but we’re a little wishy-washy on whether or not we want to remain there for another year.
The house, yard and pool are all wonderful, but the location is a little too removed from things for us. It takes me nearly 30 minutes to get to the nearest Target and the main shopping area in Ocala. The 15 minute drive to the gym actually hasn’t been too bad because its become habit, but there’s basically no “running out really quick” when you live 20 to 30 minutes away from everything other than a Dairy Queen.
If I was a betting woman, I’d say we’ll probably end up sucking it up and staying in our house because moving is horrendous (and Sadie is no help).
We’ve been browsing craigslist and HotPads and doing so reminded us just how hard it is to find a house to rent in Ocala. I think we got spoiled when we lived in Orlando because there always seemed to be a plethora of places for rent. The good places close to downtown got snatched up quickly, but there was always something available to see. Not the case in Ocala! At least we have a home we like right now, but if we can find a nice, affordable place in a better location, we’re all for it. We shall see!
Question of the Afternoon
- What are your “must haves” when you’re looking for a place to rent or buy?
Since we’re just renting right now, our main requirements are a stand alone home with a yard for Sadie, a safe location, lots of windows and a place with no mice. We’ve learned how important some of those things are the hard way. I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about the mouse house!
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I used to love Rugrats too, but Tommy was my favourite. Must haves in homes: a spacious kitchen (a non-negotiable!), a parking spot, plenty of windows, and a good location (reasonably close to the gym, grocery stores, etc.) I don’t hink I could ever live in a too-rural area!
Ah Rugrats!!! I used to LOVE that show!!
Must haves: kitchen is huge for me, and a lot of natural light. outdoor space as well!
I was deprived as a child and we didn’t get cable until I was like 8 I think. I remember all my friends watched Rugrats and I couldn’t and I thought my parents were the worst parents in the world! Then eventually we got cable and I watched it, of course 🙂 Nothing used to beat the themed Mac ‘N Cheese boxes! I’ve only rented apartments so far, but my requirements would be a nice fenced in yard for my dog, a decent sized master bedroom, and a decent neigborhood. Hope something wonderful pops up for yall!
I was obsessed with rugrats when I was younger! Chuckie all the way!
I think I’ll be eating some mac and cheese for dinner tonight, haha
Omg I loved Rugrats going up…Tommy was my fave! What were the names of the twins- I can’t seem to remember!
Phil and Lil!
That is my favorite mac and cheese… Bugs and all! It is so cheap where you got it! I pay like 3$ a box almost. Anyway, everything you added looked delicious; I can’t wait to try it out!
In order of importance, 1 and 2 are almost tied.
1. Metro accessibility – (I am not a licensed driver)
2. Safe Neighborhood
3. Price
4. Square footage
Our must-haves for renting are:
– Pet friendly (not always easy to find in NYC) and
– Dishwasher (or we might end up divorced, LOL).
NYC is tough with renting because apartments vary SO much. Some might be spacious but have no closet space. Or the opposite way around – not overly large but tons of closet. You learn to get creative 😉
My boyfriend & I are thinking of moving now too! We want more of a “community” feel, so very similar to you guys! My priorities are that the place be clean, have laundry, close to a gym or have a gym in the building, a walkable community + close to work! Looks like I’m tough to please! Hahah
girl, i was already planning on having Annies mac and cheese tonight for dinner – but you have only confirmed my meal plan. yum!
Another site to check out is padmapper.com. It was really helpful when I was looking for my last place.
Requirements for me are adequate storage, especially in the kitchen and closets!
I actually just went through this (searching for a little rental house!) in the West Palm area. It was ROUGH because we had a hard time finding a house in a decent neighborhood/overall area to walk the dogs – but we did! Our must haves were: Fenced yard, 2 bedrooms min, a better kitchen, more open, and all appliances (i think i learned this from one of your other posts?!)
Right now, we’re looking to buy a house, and it’s hard! We don’t have a dog yet, but we want an enclosed yard so we can get one eventually. Hardwood floors (or nice hardwood under the carpet), 3 bedrooms, at least 1.5 bath, and we want to stay in our neighborhood. Luckily, we have a flexible lease in our current apartment and an “all we have is time” philosophy on the matter, because this could take a while!
We’re considering moving this fall. We love our apartment but we have the slowest internet ever. Our main priority would be upgrading our internet speed. I also have a washer and dryer in the unit and I would not want a place without them!
Lots of light, a regular-sized oven (believe it or not, half ovens are not uncommon in NYC), and cockroach/mice free!
A fenced yard is definitely a must for us, too, with a dog!
Random questions- do you have mint Dilly Bars at DQs in Florida? The only place I’ve ever seen them is Oregon, and they’re amazing.
We have them in PA!!
Mmm… your mac and cheese pics are killing me!! Looks amazing!
As for the moving thing, I hear ya. We are thinking of finding someplace nice to rent also, which is a chore with a German Shepherd mix! Most places have breed restrictions, but w/Sadie you’re lucky there since Vizlas are hardly known to be ferocious (my dog is a total sweetie). 😉
Must haves for moving…
Must be closer than 30 mins from a Target! Safe and upscale looking neighborhood, dog friendly, near parks or running trails is a plus, near grocery store (cause I practically live there!), and somewhat modern and low maintenance. Good luck! Hope you find someplace more near the “hub”. 🙂
Brightness, which in Ireland you’d be surprised is hard to find a nice bright house. Clean, some sort out of outside space (again hard to come by!), a parking space (yes again…paying for parking outside my house is not my idea of fun) and the kitchen has a to have plenty of counter space! 🙂
Just curious, why don’t you look into buying a house? Not thinking you are staying in the area that long? It’s just such a great time to buy with the interest rates and usually the availability of houses, I had to ask. 🙂
Aw, Rugrats mac n cheese brings back so many memories. Also, the spiral-y mac and cheese was a hit in our house too.
When it comes to renting, our own laundry room, two levels, and a large kitchen are key for us. Also, our own garage and clean, up-to-date appliances are crucial as well!
Good luck with the house hunt!
My house must haves are: safe neighborhood, 2 bathrooms, a nice and decent sized kitchen (a pantry is a nice bonus), natural light, 2-3 bedrooms and at least 1400 square feet. We live in a condo now that has all of that except the kitchen – it’s pretty nice, but too small. I may be moving in the next 6 months (from Ohio to the Raleigh, NC area) & will definitely be keeping my wishlist in mind!
Oh, and I Loved Rugrats! I also liked Doug, Hey Arnold! and Rugrats: All Growed Up (even though I was past cartoon age for most of them 😉 )
Ugh. Moving is the worst. My must-haves are lots of natural light, safe neighborhood, lots of storage, and (if I can get it) a nice, big kitchen!
We just bought a new house last month and our “must haves” were completely different from when we were renting…and even from when we bought our first house 7 years ago! This time we wanted extra bedrooms for guests, as well as a big yard for our 4 year old son, in a neighborhood with families and sidewalks. Quite a far cry from basing it on proximity to the bars when we bought our first house 🙂
Yes, sometimes the MAC and Cheese craving just HITS YA! Love it 😉
I like your must haves for a house–ours is enough space to work, play, and have some fun 😉
How often do you use your pool? You don’t seem to talk about it much. 🙂
HA! If you had eaten mac and cheese for breakfast I would have made you my hero! That would have been awesome!
As for renting…I remember always wanting to feel safe. I would check out the neighborhood all around and look at the types of cars in the driveway and make sure it was a place where I felt comfortable.
I don’t think mac n cheese in the morning is too crazy! A restaurant in my home town serves up breakfast “mac n eggs,” complete with eggy, cheesy goodness.
And my must-have is a dishwasher. I’ve lived the last year without one, and washing dishes every single day has been a pain in the neck.
We’re in the process of looking for a new home right now. Two big “must haves” on our list are: a good school district and a fenced in yard for our crazy weim.
You should also try PadMapper! It is a really great resource when searching for a place to rent. My must haves are pretty basic… a clean place, washer/dryer connection, AC and clean running water. My house right now currently lacks the third on that list…. sigh.
When I lived in Chicago, my must-have was a washer and dryer. Hard to find in major cities, but I worked 60+ hours a week and NEEDED to be able to leave my laundry in the dryer just in case!
omgsh Rugrats was my faaaaaavorite…haha. I watched it in Spanish in Argentina! They sound really funny.
And as for the house search, I hope all goes well for you guys! I agree that moving can be so tough but at least it means transition, and transition is most of the time a good thing. A must have for me would be a presentable kitchen with at least a decent/good stove and oven.
i like a house that is a little newer so we don’t have to drop a bunch of money on maintenance and remodeling, in a safe neighborhood, and has a backyard for our dogs. i don’t mind driving & i’ve always grown up having to commute to places, but it’s nice to be in a location that isn’t wayyy to far out from shops and stores.
I will never again live in a place that doesn’t have a washer/dryer in house or a dishwasher. I’m spoiled but I hate washing dishes more than anything. And I totally get the no quick runs anywhere thing, even though we live in a very populated area its the opposite because there are too many people/too much traffic which causes the issues with time errands.
I loved Rugrats too and also got so excited about character shaped pasta! I just signed my first lease ever for my senior year apartment up at school! While not the same as looking for a house, I was primarily concerned with location and safety. How close would I be to the necessities and how comfortable would I be sleeping in the apartment alone in the even that my best friend was out for the night! Good luck with your search, your setup looks pretty nice for the time being 🙂 ESP the pool!
I have never eaten mac and cheese :-O
As for moving… I like a nice clean simple bathroom. And kitchen. And bedroom. 🙂 I’m currently living in a house that was once a holiday home and the decor is terrible but I can’t afford to do anything about it at the minute. The curtains match the sofas and that is not a good thing!
You’ve got me craving mac and cheese!!! Oh my goodness that meal looked soooo good especially with the ham and broccoli on top. mmm! We are sticklers for an updated kitchen and nice floors.
I just moved to a new place!!! I find the hardest thing about finding somewhere to live is finding a place that allows dogs!!! I live in CT and most apartment complexes as well as private renters are wary about leasing to people with pets. Thankfully my new place is much closer to shops (Target is two minutes away =)), unlike my last place which was 20 minutes away from everything!!! Good luck with looking for a new home to rent!!!
Do you remember Blue’s Clues Pasta by Kraft? I was obsessed!!! And I swore it tasted different from any other pasta! Mmmmm! I wish I had some right now!
The shaped macaroni always tastes better than the regular kind 🙂
My husband bought our house before I ever met him. And you can totally tell a man was in charge. The kitchen is laid out well, but it’s small, and it’s a galley-style, which means if you’re in there, you have *no idea* what’s going on anywhere else in the house. My “must-haves” are an open floor plan, hard floors everywhere but the bedrooms, a large yard (for our Corgi, since she loves nothing more than chasing rabbits and birds), and a good location. Our house now is about 20 minutes from everything, which is good and bad. Good because we’re sort of close to a lot of stuff…bad because we’re not really close to anything. Except a frozen yogurt shop. Which I guess is really all I need.
I just moved 2 months ago and when my boyfriend and I were looking the major things we wanted were a decent sized fenced-in backyard for our dog Eloise, a garage for some DIY projects, counter space in the kitchen, and a palm tree in the yard (ok, that last one wasn’t a must-have but rather a would like to have). And thankfully we found an awesome place that had everything we wanted, including the palm tree!
Chuckie was my favorite rugrat! I even got my red-headed college friend to dress up like him for Halloween one year. ‘Twas awesome 🙂
Moving is a pain, I’m moving at the end of the month – I still can’t seem to get out of the move-every-year phase like in college! Currently living downtown in a college-type town but I made the decision to finally move out to the suburbs for more space for my money.
Wishlist: in-unit laundry, open space, decent kitchen, parking garage, close to the gym. Central heat/air is also a plus!
I don’t have too many needs, haha since it’s just me and my goldfish, but I’ve been in the same apartment for 2 years in Chicago and I’m staying another mostly because it’s worked out fine, I LOVE the location, and I hate moving! And that pasta looks sooo good.
How fun! i loved rugrats too — Tommy was my favorite:)
When I was looking to buy my house I wouldn’t walk into a place that didn’t meet the following:
1. 3 bedroom/ 2 bath- and all of the bedrooms had to fit a queen sized bed! (I live in Tampa and I was dead set on a historic neighborhood, so the bed thing was a BIG deal!)
2. Fenced in back yard- my puppy Noah wouldn’t have it
3. Distance to work (I work crazy hours sometimes, and driving more than 15 minutes at 6am wasn’t happening.)
Good luck on your hunt! I found mine just by driving around in the evenings, and couldn’t be happier!
PS: you are my new favorite blog! I look forward to the email every day!!
Since I have kids, the main requirement is living in a good school district. While I don’t want to live in a really rural areas(the SNAKES!!) I don’t want to live right on top of my neighbor either. I need a little privacy.
I pretty much love our house right now!! It has all the above requirements and nice upgrades in the inside, too. Of course, it took saving up for a while and living in a little 1500 sq ft house (a family of four) for seven years before finally making the move.
By the way, Chuckie was my fave, too!! He was too cute!!
it’s amazing how spread out everything is in florida. my parents live in a community about 20 minutes south of the villages (my grandparents live there), and it just seems to take forever to get anywhere. i grew up in rochester, ny and everything is so centrally located. i could get basically anywhere within 10 minutes from my house, which was a real luxury compared to central florida!
After living my entire life in Manhattan, and soaking up the city and what it has to offer, I can’t tell you how profound the joy is to live for the first time in a real house with a yard, 35 minutes outside the city. When we moved to Brisbane, everyone was shocked that we moved so far outside the city, considering I’m a “New Yorker”. However, I find it so joyful to wake up to bird song, have a few bedrooms, room for our puppy (who joins us on Friday!!!) and a real kitchen.
You just made my day – I used to do a MEAN Chuckie impression back in the day…LOVE the Rugrats!!