I want it

Glenn and I went to Asheville, NC for the weekend and stopped in a few of the fun stores they have downtown. I really wish we had bought this ottoman/coffee table, but I could never justify the $1295 price tag! Now I am on a quest to recreate it!

What color?

I've been avoiding painting because it is going to require repainting the trim in much of the house because the painters were terrible. The all beige is starting to get to me but even more so is the flat paint and all the marks that moving furniture and washing hands has left. There isn't any tile behind the sinks so when water splashes behind the sink, it sometimes leaves a mark. So, help me decide which color to paint the downstairs bathroom. Here is what I'm working with. Leave a comment please!

There is a small window in the shower but it is only about 12" x 24".

"New" Couch

Well, I didn't get the job that I interviewed for so....the house posts continue (cause there isn't a whole lot else going on)! Of course they would have anyway, but I was hoping for some moolah to help. Oh well, the job hunt continues. I guess I know now that the facts about military spouses having a higher unemployment rate and making less than their peers is correct. Good thing I have a supportive (financially and otherwise) hubby.

One of the main reasons I drove 6 hours in one day to IKEA and back was for a new slipcover for our sectional couch. The layout of the living room here wasn't very conducive to a sectional. Because of the doorway, it required the couch to be too close to the fireplace and with the TV above the fireplace, I felt like I was staring at the ceiling. You saw the new couch already.

We disassembled the blue sectional, crammed it up our tiny staircase and now it has a shiny white slipcover!

The white couch, white wall and white carpet are clearly in need of a little color. Hence, the paint swatches taped to the wall. I'm leaning towards the blue/green on the far right. It's a darker shade, but I think I'll only paint the vertical walls and not the angled walls. This picture shows the "Norfolk swirl" that textures every wall and ceiling (except for one wall in the living room) in the house.

Here's what you see from the other sides of the room:

Oddly enough, I think the couch makes the room feel bigger, adds some scale to the space. Last night, I folded laundry while Glenn laid in bed, it was so nice to have somewhere to sit up there.

Some paint is next, then I am thinking an upholstered headboard. Perhaps in a textured, natural fabric like the pillows with some nail head trim. I need to sign up for some coupons from Joann's before I buy that foam though. Last time I looked, it is crazy expensive!

Now we just have to figure out what to do with this section of the room. We are thinking a treadmill or maybe just a spot to do our at home workouts...which start on Monday. Eek.

Thanks Kara!

Look what arrived from Germany today!

Packing the Prius

The closest IKEA to us now is a 2.5-3 hour drive. Boo. I needed a few things for the house, namely, a new slipcover for our IKEA couch and chair so I knew I'd have to make the trip at some point. Yesterday seemed like a good idea because if all things go right, I might start a new job on Thursday!

My friend Marcy, baby Isabel and myself loaded up the car and headed to northern Virginia. We left at 6:30 am to avoid the traffic in the tunnel and we timed it right to arrive right when they opened and left right when Isabel was getting sleepy! Shopping with babies is so much more difficult, btw.

 

Marcy wasn't convinced that everything would fit in the car, but I had faith in my little hybrid. We fit rugs, shelves, lamps and all sorts of goodies in the Prius and still left room for Isabel although she was packed in as tightly as my Ektorp and Karlstad boxes.

I think my worries that a future jogging stroller would fit in the Prius were unnecessary. This little car is ready for another road trip!

Hot pockets

Anyone seen the Jim Gaffagan sketch about hot pockets? Glenn and I quote him at least once a week.

"your act is bologna..."

Anyway, we used hot pockets as the inspiration for last nights dinner, except bigger and not so frozen.

We've actually made several of these calzones before. I love them because we can put all sorts of leftovers in them.

This time we had some roasted chicken from last week and broccoli from a few nights ago (plus a little more from the freezer. Add a little cheese and some ranch and roll it up in a premade pizza dough and you've got a yummy dinner!

Stella likes it too

The new chair comes with a view!

New furniture!

We took advantage of the end of year sales at all of the furniture stores around here and bought new living room furniture! We have had the big blue couch since my first apartment in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Which, somehow, mom an dad fit ENTIRELY in their minivan. It's a sectional! Impressive.

Anyway, we bought a new armchair, ottoman and couch. I love the herringbone texture on the couch and that it shows Stella's hair a bit less! With the couch vs. sectional, we were able to back things up a bit too so we aren't so close to the big tv, too. Of course, now I want to buy a new rug, end table and coffee table.

We moved the sectional in to the master bedroom and somehow it makes the room look bigger! Pics of that later!

Look Mom, no holes!

Glenn's mom came to visit this week and because of her trip, I finally got around to hanging the last few pictures on the wall. Since we are hoping that the two downstairs bedrooms will get rearranged sometime this year, I didn't want to put a ton of holes in the walls. Especially since the walls here are textured plaster.

Luckily, the two bedrooms still have the original picture molding around the top of the room. I tried to find the hooks at Home Depot and Micheals, but I didn't have any luck so I ordered some from House of Antique Hardware. I also bought 25 lb fishing line at the Navy Exchange and I was able to hang all of the pictures without putting any holes in the wall!

 The fishing line disappears pretty well unless the sun catches it.

Wordless Wednesday: My Family