Wine, cheese and sunsets.

Ever decided one morning your weekend was worthy of a fun trip? Well, we did just that this weekend. We woke up one morning and said "hey, let's go to the lake." We didn't have any unfinished projects and to be honest, we just needed a break. So, we packed up the pups and headed for fun in the sun!

The trip there was not as much fun as we had anticipated, mostly because the furbabies were restless and the torrential rain drenched our tools (yes, we [by "we" I mean Gregory] did a little work there. We can't help it, it's an addiction at this point.), but needless to say we arrived at our destination just in time for a beautiful sunset. We sat at the end of the dock and enjoyed adult beverages, cheese, fruit and crackers. It was just what we needed.

We thought we would try and catch dinner for the next night, but that too didn't turn out like we had hoped. It was fun trying though :)

The sunset was absolutely beautiful and the lake was super calm. It couldn't have been a more wonderful evening.

Since we were unsuccessful in our fishing attempts, it was chicken on the grill for us the next night. We fixed up the fruit/cheese/shrimp cocktail plate once again with alcoholic beverages in hand and enjoyed the evening.

The boys most definitely enjoyed their time and any chance they got to go inside and rest they

took. It was super hot and if you weren't in the water, you felt it...

Before we all headed to the water on our last day, we attempted a semi family photo. Alas, it was another failed attempt. I thought it would be nice to get a pic of the three of us for Gregory, but it wasn't in the plans. The boys were too excited to get in the water and to be honest, it was too hot to be wrestling with them. Nonetheless, we got some fun action shots, which are usually all we can hope for with rowdy teenagers :).

My weekend was complete after I finished my latest book, Summer at Tiffany's by Marjorie Hart. It was a great throw back to the 1940's and it was so fun to read about the way things used to be. I highly recommend it those who enjoy those kinds of things. And I'm now 100% sure that I was born in the wrong era...I would have loved the 40's and 50's. Things were so much simplier back then...

On the way home they boys conched out as usual. Except this time they made makeshift pillows (well, duke didn't makeshift anything, he stole my pillow...)



That was our weekend in a nutshell and it was a great one. I hope you all had as much fun with your weekend activities. We had an exciting "project brainstorming" session on the car ride home, so hopefully we'll have some fun posts in the future.

Oh and "Happy Father's Day" to all the dads out there. Most importantly to the men in our lives! We love you so much and thank you for all that you've done for us throughout the years! Night all!

If you build it...well they won't come, but I'll sure be there :)!

Happy Hump Day! Is anyone else really happy that we are halfway to the weekend? I know I'm super excited!

Anywhoo, today's post is about a "first time" project. By that I mean this will be our first attempt to do a project like this; well kinda. Gregory built his chair, so we decided "what the hay, why couldn't we (and by we I mean Gregory) build something else?" So, what's on the ambitious agenda you ask? A sofa table.

My inspiration comes from the pictures below. (I apologize to those whom I am not giving credit, i can't remember where I found them.)

This isn't really a sofa table, but it could be used as one.

I think this table was from Ikea. And as much as I love Ikea, their quality isn't so hot. So, with pencil and pad in hand (and Gregory informing me that plans were a must), I proceeded to draw out my own Ikea-like table.

After the plans were drawn, it was time to go to our second home, Lowes! In the truck we go, plans in tow and super pumped about our new adventure and then...

I got distracted by some cute baskets (who knew Lowe's carried such cute stuff??)

Anyways, back to the wood for building the table. While at Lowes we realized they didn't have what we needed, so we headed down the street to our 3rd home, Home Depot. We debated for a very long time.... and looked at wood:

And laid it on the floor...

And tried to figure out what size we wanted the top to be....

And tried to imagine the boards cut into small sections because we want to piece them together, beat them up and stain them to look like old wood.

We finally got the top figured out, but what about the rest of it? Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, but it looks like we are going to go with inspiration photo number one. We thought we had this all figured out, but turns out...not so much.

So, stay tuned for our ongoing saga of trying to make a table. It may or may not actually happen...

Oh and I almost forgot. If you are looking for a fun weekend warrior project like this one:

Check out this website. They have some awesome ideas!

Night everyone!!

The Dog Days of (almost) Summer

Happy Sunday everyone! Let me preface this post with an apology. Because we haven't been in "project mode" lately, our posts are coming few and far between. Hopefully, the next few months will bring inspiration and will excite us to do something fantastic. In the meantime, I have a recap of our weekend to tide you over...

First, let me just say how RIDICULOUSLY hot is was this weekend! I mean really? Did we move closer to the sun? Ugh! I'm pretty sure everytime I walked outside, I immediately turned into a melting snowman. Official or not, summer is here and I am not looking forward to August.

Even though our projects are on hold, it didn't keep us from being active. It's just too hard for us to sit still! Friday morning began with our normal routine; Rhett whines to go out at about 5:30am and Gregory let's them out. At about 6:30am Rhett is whining again because he's hungry. I sluggishly roll out of bed onto Duke (the not whining dog), who is passed out on his bed below me and I stumble on fighting dogs while trying to walk through a dark room to the hallway.

I slowly walk to the rec room, being careful not to trip on the sea of spastic, hungry creatures that are WIDE AWAKE below my feet, and I feed them (all). After everyone is settled, I then begin my turtle-like rise from the dead (mornings are not my friend). Once everyone eats, they want to go out. So, out they go and all of a sudden I hear barks of suspicion. I go to the side window and see Rhett barking and skittishly walking towards a big orange balloon that had made it's way into our yard. Rhett is by far the biggest baby in the world! He's scared of a fly! Anyway, I went to get my camera and on my way to the back door, I was greeting by Duke with what? Yes, the orange balloon.


For those who aren't familiar with Duke's personality, he is the complete opposite of Rhett and not scared of anything. So leave it to him to grab the helium(less) filled balloon. Needless to say, it popped about 2 seconds later.

Later that night, I was in for surprise number 2 (what is it with boys and their "hey mom, look what I found" stuff). I was sitting in the dining room surfing the web for inspiration and in comes Gregory with "I don't want to scare you, but you gotta look at this!" (See below)


EXACTLY!!! I'm pretty sure you just reacted the same way I did. I jumped about 30 ft into the air. I was lucky I didn't wet my pants! I can deal with spiders, but spiders that look like that with a million babies on their back? NO-THANK-YOU! I'm good. Anyway, we keep Charlotte until the following morning (I'm not really sure why, but I assure you she slept outside). He let her go in the morning because he felt bad and said she would "kill misquitos." "Whatever," I said, "as long as it's away from me." For those who are curious, we are pretty sure she was a Wolf Spider. Either way, not a fan...

Saturday morning I was up and on the hunt. Remember, we have a guest/ebonn bathroom to remodel, so I'm on a mission to find a vanity (among other things).

I found some good stuff (I'll get to that a little later on), but after I got back....


we (by we i mean me. i must have been on a junkin' high) thought it would be a great idea to wash the cars, HA! Note to self: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wash/clean your car in 1000 degree heat. Not fun at all. However, the furbabies had a great time hanging out with us, battling over a toy.


After I lost about 20lbs, I decided to take the little energy I had left to paint Gregory's bathroom. Don't worry, I not totally crazy. It only took a quart of paint to finish, so it wasn't big. I still need to hang some artwork, so I don't have any after pictures yet. In the meantime, please enjoy the horribly boring, pepto pink, closet of a bathroom below...


After a good night's sleep, I was up once again at the crack of dawn because of our very demanding children and I got a wild hair to drive to Sumter for their flea market. It's about 45mins away. Let's just say...well I don't really have words for what we encountered. First, we went to one that was SUPPOSED to be open, but nope. 100% empty. No one. 45 mins of driving and nothing, how lovely. But thank goodness there was a second one, or so I thought. The other had people, but not many and boy, oh boy was it an experience. I took my camera thinking I could find some great stuff, but once we arrived, I just couldn't make myself take pictures. I sure regret it though, the people were amazing. One guy said "hey she's got a camera" like he'd never seen one before. It's was too funny.

To give you an idea, when we got there Gregory was like "This is great. People are just happier here..." By the end of our journey, his comment was "I will not be letting you come back here alone." It was an experience for sure. The only picture I took was the one below and I'm pretty sure this was a person's house; behind the flea market.

Even though the merchants at the Sumter flea market we toothless and most likely showerless, I managed to get a couple of things. After we returned, I analyzed my weekend goodies.

Junkin' finds recap:

• Sideboard: Yes, I know it looks like it should have stayed at the yard sale, but I couldn't pass it up for $10.00. Again, I saw Behr's Cotton Knit all over it. Stay tuned for that transformation.
• Chandelier: Yes sir-e. I got myself a fancy little light for our bathroom reno. Not a steal by any means, but I knew I'd be sick if I didn't buy it and if I went to look for one in the future I wouldn't be able to find one. Sometimes you gotta do that; buy it when you see it.
• Frame: It was a buck, can't beat a great price!
• Nesting tables: I got these gems at the Sumter flea market (remember the toothless/showerless folks). They were $15.00 bucks and again I'm thinking Cotton knit, but we'll see.
• I also got a globe (of the world) and some pottery barn linens - not pictured.

To celebrate, I made my new specialty, Shrimp salad. It's great for the summer and super simple to make. Mmm, delish (especially with avacado).

Finally, (and them I'm done. I promise) I wanted to post about a great chair I found a few weeks back. I saw it as soon as I pulled up to the yard sale. I hopped out, asked how much and the lady said "I can't take any less than $10.00." I almost choked! I thought she was going to say like $30.00 or something, but $10 bucks? Who couldn't pass it up? It's got great lines and the fabric was pretty awesome too. However, once I got it in the car and my "are-you-kidding-me?" excitement had calmed down, I started smelling a smoky smell. I then realized I had just purchased a indoor smoker's chair. Yep that's right. My adrenaline had gotten the best of me and I spent $10 on a chair that smelled like it had been in a tabacco factory for 50 years!

Needless to say, I had to roll down the windows for the rest of my trip and once home, it lived on the carport for several weeks. The smell is gone now, but it took FOREVER! Anyways, here it is. I think it's great, but one day I'll probably recover it. Until then, it's hanging out in the den to add a punch of color.

That's all for tonight. I hope that tides you over for a few days. Stay tuned for the sideboard makeover, the reveal of the pepto bath and a project I have Gregory working on ;). Nighty night and have a Happy Monday!

Rubba dub, dub!

Yes, you read right, the reference above has something to do with a bathroom renovation. Well, actually one renovation and one makeover. I know! We are officially insane, but I will preface this post with saying, our ideas or merely that. We have no immediate plans to start tearing down tile and ripping out our tub to find squirrel nests! (I don't think I posted that picture when we remodeled our old bathroom, so feast your eyes on our discovery...)

Yep, folks. That's exactly what you think it is...a squirrel tail and nest. Underneath our tub in our old house bathroom. I always heard Templeton (that's what I named him) under my bottom while taking a bath, but I never dreamed he was THAT close! It was an incredible nest! And certainly a scary find. It looked like the squirrel had eaten his own kind!

I know what y'all are saying..."They must be insane for thinking of another bath remodel." And to that I will answer, "yes." I will agree we have lost our minds, but I sure do love the thought of new, fresh bathroom!

So, to further confirm our insanity...let's talk bathrooms!

We have 2 1/2 baths in our house. Gregory uses the pepto pink bathroom in our master and I occupy the pea green guest bathroom in the hall. Both of which are far from being sexy but mine is in some serious need of a renovation.

I mean look at that floor! You could play checkers on it! Anyway, to continue our convo... The pea green, not so awesome bathroom has the following issues:

• The obvious, pea green tile over 75% of the room (that was inaccurately matched by the previous owner, so the blue-green tiles that they bought do not at all match the pea-green tile that is currently there)


• A peeling bathtub (that was reglazed by the previous homeowner to save money - not recommended)


• Rusty old bath fixtures


• An updated light fixture with some 1960's wallpaper stuck around it


• And finally some kind of terrifying caulking, tub/tile separating thing going on...

These my friends are not the kinds of things you want when you are a bath connoisseur like me (well I'm not really a connoisseur, but I sure love my baths).

So, here is the idea for the not-so-soon reno.

• A whirlpool tub (for soaking, drinking red wine and indulging in a good book.)


• Subway tile tub surround


• New flooring (I'd love Hardwood, but not sure I can convince the hubby of that.)


• A old piece of furniture for the vanity


• Some antique sconces to replace the solitary fixture over the mirror and possibly an antique chandelier


• And last but not least (and certainly the icing on the cake) a small flat panel TV for me to catch up on my latest episodes of Grey's Anatomy (or Private Practice or Mercy or Castle or, well you get the point. I watch A LOT of shows).

But, like I said before, this is a "back burner project." We have decided that we can't do the "hey honey, what have you been doing while I was out shopping?" "Oh, just ripped out the ______." conversations anymore. We need to have a serious plan. And the bathroom plan is going to begin with the old piece of furniture we find to use as a vanity and a good deal on a whirpool tub. Once those bad boys are purchased, it's game on.

So, be on the lookout for a great deal on a vanity/dresser. I know I'll be on the hunt :).

I will say I LOVE this bathroom that Sarah Richardson re-did in her country cottage...

In other news. Since you all know we can't keep our little bums still and we have the bathroom redo itch, our next plan of attack on the house is going to be in the 1/2 bath. This little jewel is the perfect size for a weekend warrior project and we plan to do just that in the next few months. Our inspiration photo comes from County Living and I knew as soon as I saw it, that was exactly what I wanted to do in our bath.

{ Source}

Our powder room (as they are usually called) is set up the EXACT same way and I can't wait to get to work.

Well, that's all for now. I hope I've inspired you to start a new project. I'd love to see pictures if you have 'em! Good night everyone and I'll post again soon!

Smorgasbord - Part Dos

Happy Sunday everyone! Well again, we don't have any major project posts, so I decided to do another post of randomness...

First, we'll start with another frame/picture makeover. I found these frames (we got 2 of them) when I went with my mom to the mountains a few weeks back. I loved the print, but the burgundy frame was not at all in my color scheme. So I brought them home, did a little sanding and priming, then spray painted them black. They turned out super cute. Here is the before pic:

And here is what they look like after. Love 'em!

Ok, remember the little table I made over in my previous post. Well I did another switch-a-roo after I came back with a super cute lamp and some vintage cameras from my yardsaling yesterday. It was out with the black lamp and apples (I move them to the corner of the bar) and in with the new lamp, cameras, a chair I had in another corner and some plates I had laying around. I think it looks much better than the lonely nook before.

Next on the smorgasbord we have our very unused formal living room. For those of you who don't know, we have a den, a rec room and formal living room (way too many seating rooms for me, but I suppose it will be good one day...). So the only things we have in that room are this little seating area, the pictures from the beginning of this post and the table ensemble shown below.

Most of the items in this picture are from a yard sale. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a deal. But note to self, I do have to have those chairs recovered one day...

Next, I'm back to the dining room. I got some good input from a friend about moving my chairs to either side of the hutch, so I did and it looks great! She also suggested I get some upholstered chairs for the ends, so I'm on a mission to find those...I sure wish I knew how to cover furniture it would make my life so much easier, not to mention cheaper!

Anyway, other than the musical chairs, I did some switching around inside the hutch, added some things up top and did a little centerpiece. I still need to get some things on the wall, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled at the markets and sales. (I do have some white plates that will be making their way in there soon...)

Finally! (And I'll stop with all the randomness...) I am revisiting the front door. We had some blank space on the left side of the door and it was driving me crazy! I couldn't think what to put there. So eventually my brain woke up and I realized I had these really strange, metal thingys that I bought from Hobby Lobby a while back that I had no use for. I decided they would look great against the brick, so I put one on the front porch and painted one for the back.

For the front, we paired the metal thingy with a planter basket that I found at my trusty Tuesday Morning, added some cute plants and wa-la! Instant floral decor. It turned out great!

For those who don't remember the before, view this post...

And here are the afters. Oh and btw, I found a new light fixture at a yard sale for a buck! I gave it quick coat of black and it was the perfect fix to our old broken one.

Ok, enough with the rambling. It's time to go take it easy for a while, something we don't do very often. I will say this though, we are getting bathroom redo fever....

It's all in the details...

Well, there's nothing new to post in the major projects department, so I figured I would just post a smorgasbord of stuff :).

First, we'll start with my quick and easy table makeover. A few weeks back I went yard saling and found this great little occasional table for $20 bucks! I know, I know, the leg is broken, but other than that I saw Behr's Cotton Knit paint all over it. So, I paid the cute little man and lugged it to the back of my "deal-mobile."

Gregory added a new screw and some wood glue and it was as good as new (well actually, it could have been refinished, but since I was going to paint it, there was no need). So I took my handy little mouse sander to it and prepared it for paint.






After two good coats, it came out pretty good. (It's pretty hard to see, my lighting wasn't too good and I hate a flash, but it'd'll do.) I found some good coffee table books at another yard sale and made a cute little nook display. It's not my favorite, but it replaced the piece of furniture that we moved into our entrance hall for bills and mail (see second pic below.)



This is now what you see when you walk in our carport door. It's a great place to walk in, take off your shoes, sort you mail and keep all you coupons/invitations in order. I hated seeing all those things on our fridge door, so I did a little rearranging. I thought we would use our office for bills and whatnot, but turns out that the office/craft room doesn't get a whole lot of use. Hopefully, I take up some new hobbies this summer...


This is a close up this neat sorting metal thingy that my mom and I bought at a flea market years ago. I love the rustic look of it and it's perfect for housing bills, coupons, etc.


Anywho, on a completely, non-decorating related topic...I'm super excited about my recently purchase nail color! It's kinda bold, but it's a perfect and fun color for summer. I figured "hey, if I can sport pink, why not turquoise?" So, I grabbed it from Target and came home immediately for a homemade pedi/mani. It's great! The color is Mint Sprint by Sally Hansen and it's great because it dries in no time!


Again, totally not related to this post at all, but I just had to share in case anyone else is looking for that "new hot thang" for summer (well I don't know if it's "new" or "hot," but I liked it :)).


Ok, well I'm out for now. Hope everyone is having a fun and relaxing weekend! I hope to post more tomorrow! Night!