Design on a Dime

I love finding a deal, but I am also always drawn to things that are above my budget. The other day was no exception.

One of my favorite stores opened right down the road from my office.

So, of course, I took a trip on my lunch break to browse around. I had barely walked through the door when I saw a couch that I fell in love with.

I sat on it and made sure it passed the "comfort" test and THEN I looked at the price (which is what I should have done first) and discovered it had a pretty price of $1,600. So, I sadly walked away trying to forget about it.

I perused the rest of the store and also saw these really cute hanging vases.

But, I walked away with only one purchase ... a replacement pepper grinder (because we broke our other one).

Fast forward a few days to my IKEA trip I told you about last week. I didn't have any intention to look at furniture, but since I had to walk through that section to get to the next, I let my eye wander. And then I saw this ...

It was almost just like the Crate & Barrel version except that it was leather and half the price! Also, the headrests in the above photo are optional (and not an option I would choose). So, this is officially on my "wish list," which seems to be growing larger every time I go to IKEA! But, in all seriousness, I think I've told you all about my Rooms To Go couch that is falling apart, so this may have to replace it soon.

I also found these at IKEA.

They aren't quite as unique as the hanging vases, but they were also more than half the price at only $5.99 a piece! In addition, you'll see they are sitting on my new yellow tables. Having these blue vases is really what sold me on the yellow tables. The colors are great together.

I'm planning on filling them with sand and shells and hanging them on the wall in the sunroom. I think they will give it that great beachy feel for which I'm hoping.

Annuals

Saturday just happened to be a gorgeous day in Texas! It was a little over 80 degrees and sunny. So, Landon and I took the opportunity to clean out the weeds from our flowerbeds to get them ready for new plants.

I'm very thankful that the owners before us put in amazing landscaping and even more grateful that many of the plants were annuals, which came back. So, we really don't have too much to do this year except for a little trimming here and there and adding a few additional plants.

So, we got rid of that plant beside the pool, which was clearly dead, and cleaned out the area around the banana plants so they could come back through.

And, I took a look at the rose bushes and discovered this beautiful rose already blooming, which made me so excited about the rest to come through!

They are going to look amazing in a vase!

We haven't decided what will replace the "dead" plants, but will be working on that in April. If you have any suggestions, I'm open!

"Last Chance" Purchase

I went to IKEA the other day for one simple purchase and walked away with so much more. I always get myself in trouble when I go there, especially when I'm by myself! Okay, I didn't go too crazy, just a few decorative things here and there. 

One of my most exciting purchases were discovered as I was walking out. I saw these marked as a "Last Chance" purchase for only $4.99, and I just couldn't resist!

I normally wouldn't go for yellow tables, but I thought they gave the perfect sunny feel for the sunroom. Plus, did I mention they were only $4.99? How could you resist!

Estate Sale

Landon and I went to an Estate Sale on Friday. I loved it! I think I'm going to make this my new hobby.

This particular sale was for a couple who clearly didn't throw anything away. There were so many great finds, though many were overpriced for us. But, we did come away with a few new things. 

Landon found some authentic German nutcrackers and smokers. His grandmother began a tradition of giving him a nutcracker when he was younger. Now his collection is quite large, but when he saw these, he decided he needed to add them to his collection.

I actually found a lot of things I would have loved to have but held back. What I did find though, were these perfect things for my sunroom.

These shells are huge, and I can't wait to display them in some vases and bowls. I think they will be a great addition.

I can't wait for future estate sales. Just walking through someone's home, you can discover great things about who they might have been. It's pretty fascinating.  I actually signed up to be on the company's email list for future sales so I really do expect to go to more.

One Small Step

I was privileged to have a long, three-day weekend, and I stayed busy the entire time. One of the many things I did was take the time to get a small step closer to having a finished dining room table.

Thanks to my friend and co-worker, Susan, I was able to sand the table down with her borrowed electric sander, which is officially my new favorite tool. It made this job so much better.

The table had quite a few scratches and dents, so it took some work, but after a about an hour and a lot of sawdust, I finally have a sanded table that's ready to be painted! 

Leprechaun Visits & Green Things

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is always one of those holidays that sneaks up on me. I usually don't remember it's upon us until I've already left the house without green on ,and pray that I don't run into that one person who pinches really hard. But, good news, this year I remembered so I am wearing green today.

This is not really a holiday I celebrate, but I do have one fond memory of it ... and it happens to be from kindergarten. I know, strange, but I'll never forget walking into Ms. Moorehead's classroom on Feb. 17 to see that a "leprechaun" had visited our classroom. Not only had he visited, but he had left green footprints all over the classroom. He even decided to walk on the toilet seat in the bathroom. As a kindergartner, this was hilarious. So, for any of you teachers out there, you might want to ask a "leprechaun" to drop by next year, because your students will forever remember it!

In addition, since today's all about green, I thought I'd show you something green I bought this past weekend.

Now, to most of you, this is probably not a big deal, but I tend to have a history with plants. I just can't keep them alive. My "mema" once gave me a plant that she said, "You can't kill this." I promise, it didn't take more than a month and it was gone. Actually, I think I've killed every plant I've ever owned. The problem is that I forget to water. It's so easy, yet so hard! So, I'm determined to keep this one alive! Actually, I might plant it in the backyard, where the sprinklers can make sure it gets water everyday. Then, it is sure to stay alive! Now, I think I may have to try growing some tomatoes next to go with all my fresh basil ...

Bedroom Switcheroo

I decided to change up my bedroom this weekend. When I originally told Landon this, he gave me one of those looks. You know the kind ...

See, when we first looked at our house, the previous owners had their bed up against the window. When we officially gained the keys and began moving things in, I was pretty set on not having it that way. I wanted something different, but because of the shape of the room and the various doors, there was only one other option. So this is what we settled on.

This is taken from the doorway. The door in the back is my side of the Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

This angle is taken standing in front of Landon's side of the bathroom.

Well, we lived with this configuration for five months before I decided maybe the bed in front of the window was the way to go! When I told Landon this, he asked how I thought I was going to move our big, heavy furniture. After reading a couple of other blogs, I realized the furniture sliders were the way to go.

I had my doubts. Matter of fact, after we put sliders under all four posts of the bed, I looked at Landon and said, "Do you think this is going to be as easy as they say it is?" His reply? "No." I felt the same, but to my surprise, that bed slid right across the floor with ease. I'm officially sold on sliders! 

Here is what the room looks like now:

The pictures just don't do it justice (still need to work on my photography skills with all my free time ... ha!). It actually really opens up the room. Plus, I now have a great empty wall to hang up my pictures and perhaps some new art.

Best Purchase of the Weekend

I must show off the best purchase I made this weekend ...

That's right - furniture sliders. These aren't the exact ones I bought. I found some at Wal-mart that work great.

The reason I made this purchase was because I decided to change up the dynamics of one of my rooms. These sliders were lifesavers! I couldn't believe how great they worked. I'll have a post tomorrow about the my newly reconfigured room, but in the meantime, if you are looking to move around your furniture, be sure to get some of these. They will be your new best friends!

California

I'm sorry I've been so sporadic in my posting lately. My work travel has been keeping me busy and so I've haven't had much time, but I have the entire weekend free, so I hope to have some good new projects to post about next week!

Until then, you may remember me telling you about my trip to California for work. I wrote this post last night before receiving news of the record earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It's amazing that now that I post it, the California coast is bracing for a possible tsunami. It makes me grateful to have been in California on such a peaceful weekend. I'm praying for all those impacted in Japan. The devastation is heartbreaking.

Usually when I travel for work, there is little down time, but this trip was slightly different. Matter of fact, I had Saturday late afternoon and evening completely free, so rather than staying in my hotel room, I decided to get out and explore.

I took a trip down to Laguna Beach, which was only about 30 minutes from where I was staying. It was a gorgeous 80-degree day! So, I spent about two hours walking the beach and exploring the shops along the shore. 

One of my favorite shops was a beach decor shop called Cottage Furnishings.

If I had, had room in my suitcase, I definitely would have snagged something to bring home!  Check out their website to see all the fabulous things they offer: www.cottagefurnishings.com.

I must say that I do love California. It is truly unique, with the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I couldn't live there, but I definitely enjoy visiting. I'm hoping to one day go with Landon, so we can explore California together (Oh, and take a trip to Disneyland!).

Crime Scene

One day last week, Landon came home to find a crime scene in our dining room. Take a look ...

That little green monkey didn't stand a chance. My dogs, Bug and Mitsu, fully gutted it. This is about what all of our dog toys eventually end up looking like. They just love to pull out stuffing, squeakers or anything else which might be inside.

The Best Six Years of my Life

Six years ago today I married my best friend! I honestly can't believe six years have gone by, but I can tell you they have been the best years of my life!

Landon and I met in seventh grade English class. We sat across the room from each other, but as is typical of most seventh graders, we didn't talk much. Landon's family had just moved from Florida, and a few months after the school year began, they began attending my church, Tulip Grove Baptist Church. That's when I really started to get to know Landon. 

We grew up together in classes at school as well as church and became good friends. Throughout high school, we watched each other date other people -- many of which were our friends. Our senior year of high school, we became even closer friends, partly due to leading a discipleship group together at our church. To be honest, we didn't have many in the group, so many Sunday nights were spent talking with each other. 

Landon asked me to senior prom "as friends" because he wanted a date he "could have fun with" (those were his words). I'll be honest and say at that point, I did not want to be "just friends." But, when I brought that up, it just didn't go well, and that's when Landon went from a great friend to someone who frustrated me. My college roommates can attest to this, because I shared this frustration in our freshman year -- even though Landon and I went to colleges two hours away. Clearly, he was on my mind. I laugh at this now!

By spring break of our college freshman year, I came home to Nashville only to find that the only other person with the same spring break as me was none other than Landon. We spent most of the week hanging out, and before we knew it, those sparks were back. The timing was finally right, and we went on our first "official" date. A couple of months later, it was clear that Landon would be in my life for a very long time.

I think our parents had been hoping this would happen for a while. My mom used to tell Landon, "I have three daughters, and I don't care which one you marry, but you need to marry one." In addition, Landon's dad had tried to get us together many times, including bribing Landon with some really good hockey tickets if he would take me (which he did). His dad told him I was a "good catch." 

Well, their wishes came true, because within just over a year, Landon proposed to me on my family vacation to the beach. He had already asked permission from my parents, and I'm pretty sure everyone knew this was happening, because I recall them all telling me how much fun they hoped I had. 

Landon's intention was to wait until the Fourth of July, but he was too nervous. So, a few days before, we took a walk on the beach, and he got down on one knee and popped the question. I'll never forget a group of people out on the balcony of a condo behind where we got engaged began cheering at the site. 

Over a year and a half later, due to my needing to finish college, we got married at the same place where our friendship blossomed - Tulip Grove Baptist Church. 

A lot has happened in six years. We have ...

• Lived in five different homes
• Moved more than 700 miles away from our friends and family in Nashville ... twice
• Changed jobs ... many times
• Grown our family by two ... dogs, that is
• Dealt with death
• Made some difficult decisions
• Cried a little
• Laughed a lot

The list could go on, but that said, I'd do it all again with Landon by my side! I can honestly say that I could not have married a better man! I love you, Landon!

Home Sweet Home

Well, I made it home from Nashville on Tuesday evening around 9 p.m., and in about an hour, I am leaving for California - the Orange County, to be exact. My work travel goes in ebbs and flows and this just happens to be a busy time. So, I had a bit of time at home but not much time to get to any of my projects. It looks like it will be another weekend without any work, but I'm sure I'll make up for it next weekend! 

Perhaps I'll have a little time to shop around for some inspiration while in California, if I can get a bit of time away from working. Here's some of my past "California" inspiration, which may come in handy for my "beach" themed sunroom.

Have a great weekend!

"Lost" Lampshades

I have a pair of "lost" lampshades that I bought over two and a half years ago right before we moved to Nashville. I say they are "lost" because I have never found a home for them. 

They are from IKEA and were originally bought with the intention of going in my living room, but when I got them in there, they just seemed too small. Since moving to the new house, they still have not found a proper "home." 

I think the best place for them would be the sunroom, but I'm not sure that will go with the "beach" theme I had envisioned. What do you think?