Dear James Dyson- We Love You!!

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We are excited to announce that we are now the proud parents of a Dyson vacuum! Our former "old faithful" vacuum bit the dust (literally, ha!) about a week ago.

My sweetie was kind enough to offer to vacuum the house one night that week, so I went into our bedroom with the doggies. (For us, it is an act of Congress to vacuum with them in the house! Daisy barks & bites at it incessantly, all why you're trying to move it through the house, then that stirs up Cosmo.) I noticed he didn't run it very long, then he came in the room & said it "just didn't work anymore." So sad. We've had that thing for forever- he had it way before we got married. I guess it's not so bad, to not have to make a vacuum purchase until your fourth year of marriage, right? :)

We had actually looked at some new ones months ago, because we knew this day would come, and sooner rather than later. We only dreamt of buying & using a new one though, since we hated to just do away with ours. But, the day has come.

So, my sweet momma showed me an email she got from Big Lots a few days ago. There it was. The exact model we had in mind, and for a better price than what we had found even on eBay, since it was factory refurbished- and it still has a warranty!

My sweetie headed to Big Lots this week while I was at choir rehearsal (the night I showed him the ad actually- ha!). When I got home, he was so excited. He already had it assembled, and was ready to clean! I am not even going to go into any detail about the volume that was picked up by that thing. Our old vacuum had obviously been on its last leg for a while, because of all that it didn't pick up. I will definitely be using my time off over the long weekend to thoroughly vacuum the entire house- I mean picking up & moving furniture & all. We have four years of what an old vacuum didn't catch to make up for.

It's crazy to think we may actually argue over who will get to vacuum the house next. So, word of advice to you ladies, if you want your sweetie to clean the house, buy a new, tech-y appliance. It obviously works. Hehe.

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!! We are so pumped for Alabama football, we can't stand it! I'm so ready for the games & for cooler weather! I am also excited because I'm scheduled to keep the nursery at church this Sunday, and I have the infants. So fun to keep them for a while, then hand them back to their parents! :)

We will spend our long weekend watching the game(s), cleaning house & getting ready for our anniversary trip!!

Walt Disney World- here we come!!

3 Things For Under $10!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We enjoyed our last Saturday before football season with a trip to see Zach's mom. We had a wonderful lunch with her at The Boathouse, one of our favorites, then shopped a little that afternoon. We then had a wonderful service at church on Sunday morning, followed by a great lunch, then we spent the afternoon getting things done at home.

Lately, we are very excited about some home improvement projects in the works around here!! We are having ceramic tile put down in a couple weeks in our kitchen & two bathrooms, so tile is one of the things we shopped for on Saturday- it was so fun!! That project is going to be so awesome once it's done! I would love to say that we could tackle that project on our own, but we're not that brave. Might as well have it done correctly the first time, right?
I will post some before & after pics once it's done!

Other than that, we are counting down the days to our 4th Anniversary vacation to Walt Disney World!! I am still in disbelief that we are coming up on 4 years of marriage! We can't wait to spend it at our favorite place on Earth!! :)

So, I wanted to kick the week off by posting about my lunch break thrifting trip last week, because I am still so giddy about it!! I scored 3 items & paid $9.00. Yep, I got out for under 10 bucks. Woohoo! That's what I call a successful thrifting trip.

I wanted to also share somewhat of an "After" pic of each item, showing where it is in our home now (kinda' like what I did in this post), but I haven't really found a place for all of it yet- ha! I always want to show what I've done with my finds, but I also have to find the time to do that. Two of these things will more than likely be used at Christmas time, anyway. If you want to check out some other thrifting posts of mine, I'll make it easier for ya': there's one here, here and here. :)

Before we get to the important part though, I want to share what I scored at my first stop, The Dollar Tree, that day...

I am surprised every time I browse through that store. They really do have some cute things, not to mention the everyday bargains that save you a trip to the lovely Wal-Mart.

I just loved these little ceramics! If you remember, I bought these ceramics there last year, and set them out again this year...

Yay for cheap, but not cheap-looking, seasonal decor! Seriously, these could pass for a Kirkland's purchase- easily! My sweetie even mentioned how nice they are for a $1-a-piece purchase, so you know it's noticeable. :)

Now, back to the good stuff...I only had about 10 minutes of my lunch hour left, but wanted to stop by the thrift store right quick. And I am so glad I did!

I grabbed up this little beauty first...

 This was $1.00!

I have in mind to use this in my crafting area in our basement. I am wanting to just leave it as is- the chippy wood is so pretty,

I don't want to cover it up! 

I spotted this next...

This was $3.00!

Now, I KNOW I don't need another wreath form, but I couldn't pass this one up. (I've said that way too many times before.) The last wreath form I bought is versatile, and can be used for anything. This one is just a Christmas wreath only. This one is very heavy & filled with lush branches. It was definitely not a cheap-o wreath in its past life. (FYI, the first thing I'll do is take off the apples & bow.) :) 

I am planning on dressing this baby up with some deco mesh!

Lastly, I came to this...

This was $5.00!

This was a dusty little thing when I first spotted it in the store. But, you can easily wipe that right off. I am also not really happy with some of the items stuck in this little arrangement, but that is also easily fixable.

I have big plans for this beauty- I am wanting to mix & match a lot of different things to dress the arrangement up. I am hoping it will be my go-to arrangement for my dining table, which I've never really had before. This is mainly because of the expense of most of them & I have never really found anything I'm in love with...until now. You can add & take away to make it fit every single season and occassion... Yes, please!

I am just loving the heavy urn too! It is crazy how heavy

& sturdy it is!

I will keep you all posted on our home improvement ventures! I may not be posting much for a little while, with our vacation & "remodeling" projects going on, but I hope to still keep working on little crafting projects in the middle of it all.

And, just in case I don't  have a chance to post again before the weekend... ROLL TIDE!!

A Bench For Dad

Here's my favorite project that I wrapped up over my super productive weekend...

I started this project back in April (the post is here where I got the bench from the shop), which is sad, I know. Months ago, my sweetie got back into golf, and he tried to play atleast a couple times a week. He would usually work all day, then play golf in the late afternoons, so he would not be home when I got there. I used a lot of that time at home "alone" (Daisy & Cosmo were still there to keep me company) to start and/or wrap up my craft projects that I  had in the works. You know, we really need to take advantage of this extra time while we can, and I keep reminding myself of that...(and of traveling, which, speaking of, we're really excited about our anniversary trip to Disney coming up SOON! Woohoo!)

So, Zach playing golf = crafting time for me.

Thus, I used one of these afternoons to finally finish repurposing the bench that I swiped from my granddad's wood shop forever ago. I had already painted this little bench blue months ago, and finally got around to stenciling & painting letters. I hate when I get excited about a project, start it,
then it sits on the back-burner for a while.
Oh well...it's done now!

 First off, I knew I wanted to paint the bench a solid color, then add text to the border of the bench seat in brown. I went with the Peekaboo Blue from Krylon. (I've posted these next two pics in this post once before)...

I went back & forth about quotes to put on the bench. I had several Bible verses that I love & wanted to use, but it is SO hard to narrow down a verse, since they're all so meaningful & poetic. I then found the quote that I used just by accident one day. It's a Winnie the Pooh quote, and so beautiful...

It reminds me of my dad.

As usual, I took a few pics here & there showing the steps I took to transform the plain little wooden bench into what is now one of my favorite things in our living room.

Some step-by-step pics...

I used two stencils with different letter sizes and penciled in the entire quote, so that I could make sure it was laid out how I wanted. I then went back & used a brown paint pen to finish the text.

I just used the penciled letters as a guide, and added a little flair to make it more like handwriting.

I went over the letters a second time with the paint pen, just to thicken them up a little.

You can see from this next pic that I was a little off from the original pencil mark, but the spacing still turned out great. I was glad that my perfectionist self did well on the lettering & spacing-
that could have turned really ugly.

I waited a day for it to dry, erased any pencil marks that showed through, then covered the top with several thin coats of Mod Podge for protection...

This bench will only be lightly used for seating, and I may even place a potted plant on it to prevent seating, if I see that it wears easily. Either way, it is so cute in our living room, and it really adds a pop of blue in the once-bare corner. I also distressed the edges for a more natural look. You know me-
I can't pass up an opportunity to distress!

At the end, as usual, I wondered why in the heck I waited so long to finish this up, because it didn't take long at all!

Now, here goes...the Before & After...

BEFORE



AFTER

It was a little difficult to get a full shot of the entire bench, but you get the idea. I'm excited about this being my third piece of furniture to paint...my first being my side table makeover, and the second being my rooster table re-do. I noticed from the former link that I painted my first real piece of furniture in June of last year, meaning I have been at this for a little over a year now. I'm happy about the experiences I have had with painting, and excited about some new ones that I'm already planning out. I am glad that I've had the opportunity to begin with small pieces, and I'm hoping to work my way up to bigger pieces of furniture very soon.

I've learned so much already!

I wanted to include these next two shots to give more of an idea of the color. It was a little hard to grasp the full effect in photos, but trust me, it's a cutie!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!!

Family "Chair"loom

Well, I will have a stream of posts stemming from this weekend, that's for sure! I had a lot of free time this weekend (my sweetie was away for a big chunk of it, so that's why), and I found myself really getting things done! In addition to the usual housework & laundry that I accomplished, I "got my craft on"
in a really big way.

First off though, I want to share with you a new addition to our home that arrived over the weekend!

I am so excited to show you our new (well, new to us) chair!! This is a family heirloom (thus the cheesy term "chair"loom), and it came from my grandmother's house. It was hardly ever used in her second living room. It is now in our master bedroom, and I am definitely going to put it to use. I already have it in place by a window, with my magazine rack close by. All I need is a cup of coffee & a throw blanket, and I'm good to go.

I love the way this little throw pillow looks on it too. It was one of the things I registered for, and remember being so excited when I opened it at my bridal tea. It has a clear slot on the front where you can put a picture. I chose the one of us cutting our wedding cake. :)

Look at those sleek, curvy lines. Love them!...

I love the little armchair covers too...

My momma & I hauled this out of the house & into her vehicle all by ourselves. We then unloaded it- just the two of us- at my house, and put it in place in our master bedroom.
Yeah, that's how we roll. :)

I love the elegant, vintage style of this chair, and can't wait to enjoy it! My favorite furniture pieces, after the ones Zach & I bought, of course, are these hand-me-downs from my grandmother. It is so awesome to know that she used & enjoyed these pieces, and that they were once a part of the house where my dad grew up. I hope that I can keep them in their stellar condition, so that my little ones can enjoy them for years to come too.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We did- even though my sweetie was absent for some it, we were each having a good time where we were. I spent time with family over the weekend, talking & laughing as usual. He spent a lot of time with friends out of town for his best friend's wedding, where he was also the photog...I'm so proud! He then spent Saturday with his dad at UA for a scrimmage...Roll Tide Roll!! Can't wait for football to begin! Just one more boring Saturday left, then our Saturdays are booked for months! Yay!

Our trio also sang on Sunday morning, and I enjoyed it so much. Three sweet kids were baptized that morning, so that started the day out right. We spent the afternoon at home, just relaxing.

Here's to another great week! I will post soon on my
weekend projects!

Framed Fall Wreath

Is it Fall yet??

I think the older I get, the more I love Fall. It has also been the hottest Summer ever, so that may be why I am longing for cooler weather. I am so excited for not just the cool, crisp air, but also the Fall colors, Fall decor, Fall scents (I just stocked up on my favorite, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candles & soaps, this past weekend!), and- most importantly- football season. :)

We had an eventful, but exciting, week last week. My Zach had Lasik eye surgery last Thursday. He went for his pre-op exam that Tuesday, and they were able to book his surgery for Thursday. He took it! He was a nervous wreck (as I know I would have been even worse), but he made it through like a champ! Not gonna' lie, the night of, it was a little rough. Obviously, the med dosage they gave him was not enough (he's a big guy, you know), so it took him a long time to go to sleep. When he finally did, he slept through the entire night, and awoke the next morning to great eyesight!

He told me that next morning that he could now see better with his own eyes than he did before with his glasses. Praise the Lord!! I am so thankful that he had the opportunity to have the surgery- he has talked about it for years!! He can now look at me with his own big, handsome brown eyes- no glasses or contacts needed anymore. I'm so proud of him for going through with the surgery,
and I'm so glad it was worth it!

Now, enough mushy stuff... :)

...So, I committed a cardinal sin and set out my Autumn decor this week. (Zach just had to get over it.) I know it's August, but I couldn't wait any longer. It saddens me every time I have to pack away my Fall stuff, because it never stays out long enough. (Well, that and the fact that it means Christmas stuff will be replacing it, and it takes me forever to put out all of my Christmas stuff.) Either way, poor little Autumn only gets a couple of months, and then it gives way to Christmas. (And in some households, there isn't a Fall at all- just a big blob of Christmas stuff smack dab
at the beginning of November.)

I did a little Fall-ish project while Zach was away one night, and I'm really happy with it. I just used things I already had around the house too, which makes it even better!

This was what our computer desk area in our living room
looked like before...

I love the Noah's Ark print, but I was wanting a change.

Zach's mom had given us this beautiful frame a while back, and ever since, I have been dying to use it somewhere, so I just placed it here to begin with...and loved it! But of course, it needed a little pop of something else...

I had bought this wreath last week at the thrift store for $4. I mainly wanted it just for the wreath form itself.
It was in perfect condish!

I took all the florals off of the wreath (and like a good thrifter, I'm keeping those for future use). I just attached the wreath

to the frame...

...and the wreath already had a handy hook attached, so it made that part easy...

I had this really pretty red peony wrap that I once used, but it's been housed in the guest room for a while (sadly). I took it, wrapped it around the wreath, and voila!...

I like having a little change in the house, and the pop of red on the bare brown wreath just looks like Fall to me.

As mentioned earlier, I did set out more Fall decor this week. I used a lot of what I had last year around the rest of the house...

This included my podged and painted pumpkins from last year...

I also hung up my dollar store leaf wreaths from last year...



I was in a crafty little mood back then, wasn't I? Never fear- I have some things lined up for this Fall too...thank you, Pinterest.

I also couldn't forget my pumpkins on my thrift store candlesticks, used last year also...

I will post soon a project that's been a few months in the making. Total time on the project really only took up a couple hours, not including paint drying time. I'm excited about it!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I will be doing housework for the most part, and hopefully squeezing in a few more crafts. Our trio is also singing again on Sunday, along with three baptisms,
so I am looking forward to that! God is good!