Where They Live

Thought I'd post a picture of the wicker chest I found yesterday that is now where my baby girl's toys live. I wasn't able to locate a Valpak coupon, but a generous donor in my mother-in-law's office did give me a 30% off coupon which brought the total down from $24.99 to $17.50. Such a steal!

Once I got the toys in there I realized I didn't have anything to put in these plastic and metal cubbies (I had gotten them at Costco a few years back) that up until earlier this week, housed my shoes (I am attempting to bring some organization to my closet). I had thought they might make a home in Ella's room to store some of her things, but then started putting some of my magazines in them and so that is where they will live! I am so glad to have found them a home as I now do not feel pressured to get rid of them.

The magazines were supposed to be recycled, but I've been hanging on to them as I have a hard time parting with them. I really like the way they look in the cubbies so I think they'll stay for now.

Welcome, please come in.

Sha-bam. Here they are, the newest members of the family:

And there they are sitting pretty in our garage on top of the pedestal Michael made for them. And yes, that's a speed limit sign poking out of the corner of the pic. We found it. Not guilty!!!!

Pretty Clean

So! A lot has happened in this house since I blogged last week. The washer and dryer came yesterday. Yay! Today I found a beyond awesome hugemongous wicker basket with a lid at the goody goods Goodwill. It has been johnny rigged so that the lid is attached to the basket on one side enabling it to open and close like a chest.  Like the amazingly bright and ever-remembering person I am, in my excitement I forgot to take a snapshot. It is waiting for me at Goodwill, and I will go pick it up tonight as soon as I can locate a Valpak Goodwill coupon ('cause I'm cheap like that).
In other house news, on Thursday I bought the shower curtain I had written about last week. I brought it home and noticed there was a stain on it but ran it through the dryer (my lazy girl trick for getting wrinkles out), then hung it up. I decided that I couldn't live with the stain, so I returned it and got one without a stain the next day. I also got a new heavy duty mildew resistant shower liner for $10. We have gone through 3 of these and the last 2 I bought for only a buck fifty each, but they got super icky and gross within a week so we needed one B-A-D. Without further ado, for your viewing pleasure.

Gorgeous, no?

Our Choice

We chose our washer! And... our dryer! We decided to take the plunge and get both now since our local Home Depot had the set we wanted ( the LG wm2101hw and the dle2101w, where we learned that the dryer has a 7.3 cu ft capacity) and on sale for $598 from $699, and were having a 10% off all appliances sale, plus they were willing to match Best Buy's price ($10 less, at 529.99) and give us an additional 10% off of the matched price in order to 'beat' Best Buy's price by 10%. So after all the math, we ended up with the washer and dryer at $476.99 a piece. They also offered (after we asked) to match and beat by 10% the price of the matching pedestals if we could find a competitor who had them for less. Home Depot's price was $229 a piece. We came home and did a little internet digging but couldn't find a viable contender that was at a good enough price for us to rationalize spending $300+ more on top of what we already did, but since we wanted to have an extra lift and have to bend down less, and because we have our in the garage and we're pretty sure it's the law around here to have 'em at least 12" off the ground, we decided that we would make a wooden pedestal ourselves. Well, Michael would. So there you have it. They are coming to install them on Tuesday and I will take pics of the pedestal step Michael is making on the cheap as well as our new washer and dryer set and more info on this set in case you are interested.

Airing Out Our Dirty Laundry

Oh em gee. Our washing machine broke down Sunday night and left a nice wet slick watery mess on our garage floor. The mister took it apart (there has been a problem before with it that he was able to figure out and buy the part and replace it himself) and determined that we are getting a new washing machine.
UGHHHHH. Not that I don't want a new one, I'd l-o-v-e a new one, but I was kinda/sorta hoping we could put it off until we could do other things such as remodel our bathroom, reside the house, paint the exterior, and finish the trim, oh and maybe get that couch and some new nightstands.
I tried to convince him that we could craigslist or thrift find one but my argument was weak. So a new washer it is. We will buy the matching dryer and pedestals (we decided to rule out top loaders)when we find a good deal on them since time is not of the essence on those, but we definitely would like to have a matching set.
Wish we had the luxury of waiting for a screaming deal but oh well. I'm sure I'll fall in love with it after that first load and forget all about my price anxiety. It sure will be nice to have a washer that might actually get some stains out! Here are the two we were looking at:

Image from LG.com

Image from ConsumerReports.org

The top washer is the LG 4.0 cu ft capacity Extra Large Front Load Washer in white, model: wm2101hw. The bottom washer is the Whirlpool Duet 4.4 cu ft capacity model wfw955wl.

The Whirlpool model definitely is the snazzier of the 2, with a silk cycle, steam wash option, and larger capcity. In it's defense the LG has a sanity cycle, which we are assuming is close that the steam option would have. However, the LG has a slightly smaller price tag at $598 plus 10% off at our local Home Depot, with the Whirlpool model being $594 at Sears.com.

Decisions, decisions! We'll keep you posted on which we choose!

Paint the bedroom Gray! ....?

Went to Home Depot today to check out their selection of paint color cards. Found a couple keepers and stuck them on a wall in our bedroom. I'm leaning towards a lighter grey color but am also thinking about a cool light aqua blue. Will have to see what the mister thinks about my color selections when he gets home!
Not sure when we'll paint yet, the mister wants to wait until after we have remodeled the bathroom to get the trim up and painted as well as the walls painted in our room... I'm thinking now is a good time to paint since the bathroom remodel may or may not happen within the next few months. The goal of the light grey or aqua is to create a lightness in the room. Overall I'm hoping to create a calming, spa-like feel to the room. At the moment, the room is semi-dark, and our heavy cherry wood bed frame really doesn't help.
To help contribute to a lighter, brighter feeling I am aiming to add very light colored or white sheer drapes, and light aqua blue bedding and white sheets. If we go with blue walls though, we'll probably switch out the colors so that the bedding is grey. We also need new night stands and I'm thinking metal, maybe brushed nickel with glass tops, only because I don't want to add to the heaviness of the room with more dark furniture.
Here is a peek at our wall color now with the color cards up above our bed frame. What do you think?

The colors from top to bottom are: Harmonious, Sparrow, Pewter Mug, Pebble Grey, Light French Gray, Rocky Mountain Sky, Gentle Rain, and Purpoise. Pebble Gray is by Glidden, all others from the Behr Premium Plus Collection.

My Finds

So, I know this isn't house related, but I was so shocked, I had to blog about it. ESSIE nail products at Walmart. Walmart. Can you believe it? I couldn't. I took photos of the display to share with you all and in hopes that it would make it more real.

For home-related products, I found a couple 2-packs of gold stocking holders that I am going to spray paint to a matte silver finish and use for next year, and I scored 4 of them for only $2.00 total.

The last thing I came across was a new shower curtain in an aqua/Tiffany blue color that I had looked at previously but wasn't sure about. The curtain itself is pretty light and see through, but the color and detailing are really pretty. I didn't buy it this time, because I want to show it to the hubs to hear his opinion, but I totally want it.

Unrequited Love

So... let me tell you my recent sad sofa story. 2 days after Christmas, I decided to look at Craigslist's furniture section... just for kicks ya know? Not really thinking I'd find anything that would be a good match for my living room to replace our current love seat/sleep sofa. Well man oh mighty was I wrong! Lo and behold, a gorgeous, modern looking, Pottery Barn love seat in charcoal colored velvet upholstery for a measly $125 beans. No, that was not a typo. The Pottery Barn Greenwich love seat in Grade D fabric, which retails for $1749 plus $80 shipping plus taxes. It was beautiful and I was in love. To make it even more perfect is the fact that between the trim separating our wood stove, and the trim separating the tile and door leading to our garage we have exactly 74 3/4" to work with. Our current love seat is 58" and rocks some massive armrests, leaving our seating space between them at 40". The Greenwich love seat is 71" and sports some sleek and slender armrests which would give us 13" not including all the extra space between those armrests, which would be much more comfortable than our current hand me down couch.
Back to the posting, I emailed the seller even though I highly doubted that the love seat of my dreams at my dream price would still be around since it had been a whopping 6 days since the seller had posted it. Well, 2 hours later, she emailed me back. It had just been picked up that day. I was devastated. Unrequited love.

Which has lead me to scouring Craigslist every night before bed in hopes that someone, preferably within an hour's drive of me, will post a new couch I fall in love with that will be mine someday.

Pillow Love

I just visited the Design Sponge blog and oh my goodness fell in love with one of their featured textile designer's products. The designer's company is called Bluebellgray and her collection is gorgeous! I am especially head over heels infactuated with the "Modernity" cushion.  I think they would go great on a modern velvet couch or settee which I am currently hoping to replace our tired old hand me down love seat with. What do you think?

A Fresh Sheet

A Fresh Sheet

Welcome! And Happy New Year! To start things off I think I'll begin by sharing my "resolutions" of sorts for the new year.

1. Start a blog (done!)

2. Work on my abs and drop 10 pounds. After giving birth in April, my stomach could definitely use a little toning.

3. Spend more quality time with Ella and Michael and remind myself that it's quality that's important. Quantity will only get you so far.

4. Spend time expanding my knowledge and quality of life. Whether that includes a Pilates class, taking a photography course, or going to a Bible study.

5. Read more books. The library is a great resource that many of us don't tap. Instead of buying that celebrity biography, why not check your local library's selection online and reserve a copy for pickup? It'll save money for those awesome coffee table books you really want that will get looked at time and time again and add style and interest to your living room.

6. Watch my mouth and think before I speak. 'Nuff said.

7. Make our house our home. I've lived with my husband in this house for about 3 years now, and after commuting 5-8 hours each day to school in Seattle the first year of our marriage, commuting 1.5 hours to work the second, and finally being home most days now raising our 8 month old, Ella, I now have the time (and hopefully the resources) to further furnish and remodel this house of ours the way that will work best and be a place we can relax, tidy up with ease, and entertain.