Welcome

I added a new pot to my front steps.  yep, the flowers on the right are completely dead..but let's ignore that.

and I stole the branches out of a vase inside

I know the pot won't fit once we put up hand rails..but it works for now!

oh, I also spray painted my pink flamingo silver!

Do you like apples?

How do you like them apples?

*Sorry for the lame joke!  I've been watching a lot of The Office lately.. and my sense of humor is a little off!  I love that show!*

I picked a bowl full of apples off of our apple tree..  They seemed to be the most sensible (and cheapest) way to fill my new bowl.  I don't think they are ready to eat but they look good.  Brady and his cousin keep eating them..but I think they just want to look cool, b/c they are too sour for me still.  Yes, I'm sure that is the reason they've been eating them..

You may recognize the pattern on the bowl.. it goes with the plates I have hangin out on the kitchen wall.

I even cut down a branch to put in our living room.  It smells good but probably won't last long.  The branches that were in this vase have found a new home on my front porch.  (pics coming soon!)

Not Bahhhhhd



I bought this 100% sheep hide from a garage sale!! Yes, a garage sale :)..  It was only $20, which is a killer deal in my mind!  Of course, I know nothing about sheep, but it seemed like an incredible price.  The people selling it were in some sort of sheep competitions and each time they won, they received a sheep hide... Kind of a cruel gift.  They didn't know what to do with them, so they sat in boxes, until they made it to the garage sale... and I picked it up!!

I had to fight Brady on this purchase because he just does not understand my obsession with white furry things.   And since I just threw out my big white flokati rug(from the living room), this was a good trade off to mend my broken heart!  I have learned never to buy another white rug.  They just do not work with 2 dogs and every man in my life (husband, dad, father-in-law) who think it is necessary to always stand on said rug with their dirty work shoes on..

Another angle and Koko modeling for the pic.  weirdo

closet update

Since Brady is the only one who is capable of installing siding or sheet rocking a basement, I was in need of a project of my own over the weekend. I have always loved the look of black and white stripes, and actually wanted to paint either my future laundry room or 2nd bathroom in stripes..but I figured it wouldn't hurt to test my skills on a less obvious area. So, I headed off to Walmart to get groceries and some paint. (FYI, Walmart's paint department isn't that great, but it was convenient).

Here is the messy peach colored closet I started with

Then I measured every 10 inches and added a white stripe with a roller (might have been easier just to paint the entire closet white..but I like to do things the hard way)

Also, I have ADD when it comes to blogging.. b/c I have to post a pic of the flowers I picked from my yard.. you know, since they were peaking up in the previous picture :)

Then I remeasured.. taped, and started with the black paint

and here it is almost complete!  (still needs base board trim)  It turned out really nicely, but it was so much work that I may not have the patience to do an entire laundry room or bathroom..

With the closet full of our coats and cleaning supplies, you can hardly see the stripes.. but trust me it looks a lot nicer that the old peach paint :) 

Basement Furniture

I am a little sensitive on the subject of our basement still not being finished, so I don't really blog about it!... but I have some cool new things that I feel I am over due with posting about.  1st, here is one of my favorite things.... a dresser that once belonged to Brady's Great Grandmother! 
About 7 months ago, we received a call from Brady's Aunt, Diane, asking if we needed a dresser.  She had it in a spare bedroom for a long time was attempting to make room for some new furniture.  Of course, I am a little crazy and jumped at the opportunity for old furniture...  I had to beg Brady to let me take it home.. He just didn't understand how cool this dresser really is..

It was almost impossible to take a picture without Koko getting in the way.  She has this toy that to she insists on throwing in front of me everywhere I go in the hopes of getting to play fetch.

It really is such a cute toy though, right?  It's a balloon animal :)

In case you wondering what the black thing leaning up against the wall is?  Well, it is my new desk.

it has gorgeous angles..

and legs..

Here is a pic I found online of what it looks like assembled.  Yes, it is a large dining table.  I have the worlds smallest dining room, so this will work as a desk until we get a bigger house someday. 
I should explain why I would buy something that I don't really have room for.. I got the deal of the century.  This $500 table was marked down to $99 at Pier 1.  With my discount, I bought it for just $75.. be jealous :)

here is a pic of a the same dresser with the faux wood part painted black.  This dresser was featured on  Apartment Therapy for $500 on one of their "scavenger roundup" posts.   (After sharing that info with Brady he began to believe me that this dresser is in fact cool)  Isn't it strange how only the drawers are real wood?  I plan to do the same thing to my dresser, only with white paint. 

That's all for today.. I'll leave with a pic of Cujo.  Here's what he was doing during my photo taking.  He was upstairs being anti-social, as usual, hiding under the dining table.  good thing he's cute