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A new member of the family room

2011
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You know those big-ticket items you come across while shopping that you just can’t justify buying at the time? Then, months go by and you find yourself thinking about that item more and more? That means it’s meant to be, right? Thought so…

Well, here’s my most recent splurge (thanks to Woodstock Furniture Outlet!):

a coffee table…

…that seconds as an office!

Ok, I don’t really sit here 9-5 Monday through Friday. That would bring a whole new definition to couch-potato. But it is a perfect after-work blogging, web searching, snacking and reading spot! (say hello to Conner!)

Now I get to have some fun dressing my new coffee table! See, decorating my house is my non-techy creative outlet. As much as I love that my job allows me to be creative day-in and day-out, sometimes you need a shift in thinking to keep things interesting. Here are some well-dressed coffee tables I’ve been eyeing:

via pottery barn

via house beautiful

Who doesn’t love a new addition to the house? Something to switch things up — you know, that thing that provides just enough change to make you stop and think when you walk into the room. What was your most recent splurge?

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Welcome, Summer!

2011
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For us Southerners, the summer has been here for quite some time now — but to OFFICIALLY launch off the days of warm hot weather, cold drinks, and lots of sunshine here are a few inspiring images to get you in the mood!

Wouldn’t you love to sit here…

via

…eating this…

Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

via

…and looking at this…

via

…while maybe playing with these?

Pinwheel Seating Cards 550x365

Photo by Jessica Stout via Style Me Pretty

 

That’s what I thought. I would too! Welcome, Summer!

 

 

Filed Under: Design, Food, Great Finds, Home

Fast Food

2010
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When life gets busy, there’s nothing better than having some fast food on hand to keep your day going.  As a “work-from-homer”, I’ve created my own solution to fast food — it’s healthy and cheap, too!

Rather than hunting for ingredients and making trips to and from the fridge when you’re ready to prepare lunch — why not make them one trip away?  Let’s use a wholesome sandwich as an example.  When sandwiches are on the menu for the week, I keep a container in the fridge filled with all the necessary ingredients to make my favorite sandwich.  If I’m feeling extra motivated, I slice the tomatoes and lettuce Sunday before the week begins.

By keeping turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo together, all I have to do is grab bread and a plate and I have lunch in under 5 minutes.

This goes for non-work-from-homers, too!  If you’re trying to save money on lunches during the work week, keep your ingredients neatly stored together in the office refrigerator for easy preparation and clean up!

Bon Appetite!

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More planting…

2010
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OH, I can’t touch on landscaping without telling you about “this guy”.  No, not Chase…the little guy he’s placing on the ground — the rock.  You see, this rock didn’t seem so little when we found him in the ground RIGHT were we wanted to place a plant.  He is now our newest addition to our rock garden and is now surrounded by some lovely ornamental grasses.  I’m hoping to get a nice picture of the grasses in the spring :)

Filed Under: Home, Landscaping

Update on landscaping

2010
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Remember this day?  Oh, we definitely do. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this 1 acre yard back in May.

Well, five months later the summer heat finally faded enough to tackle another landscape day.  The bank we created the day we laid sod has now gone from this…

…to THIS!

We planted three Muskogee Crape Myrtles (which we search far and wide for).  I was determined to get lavender blooming crapes to bring a softer color into our already very red spring blooms.  The smaller shrubs are Encore Azaleas.  They have an amazing sunset red bloom, and despite the 40 degree weather this week, are still holding their blooms.  Chase and I tackled this planting job ourselves, which proved to be a long day, but it was definitely worth it in the end.  I can’t wait to see how everything is going to look in the Spring!

Filed Under: Home, Landscaping

A great new place to dine

2010
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Nope, it’s not a new restaurant.  I’m talking about our new dining room!  Chase and I have been on the hunt for a “modernized” farm table for our dining room for quite some time now, and we finally made a commitment to one.

We found the winning table at our favorite furniture store, Woodstock Furniture Outlet.  They have amazing inventory and great prices.  It’s always a one-stop shop for us.  If you decide to check it out, make sure you ask for April!

We still have many more plans for the dining room, including a coffered ceiling, wainscoting, recovering the chairs in a bolder fabric….the list goes on (and it’s just ONE room).  I’ll keep you posted on any future progress!

(I know, I know — we still have to take the tags off the chairs!)

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Happy Halloween!

2010
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Yet another Halloween and come and gone, but this one was a bit more special than other years.  This was the first Halloween we spent in our neighborhood!  Yes, we were homeowners this time last year, but we didn’t spend this haunted holiday at home last year.

This year we carved pumpkins,

baked some festive treats,

set out our bowl of candy for all the of neighborhood kids (and there were a TON),

and spent time with neighbors around bonfires.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Oh my sod

2010
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Finally, three days after laying sod my body has finally recovered.  I can honestly say our Saturday of landscape work has been the most rigorous workout I have experienced in a long time.  When we first moved into the new house back in October, we inherited a side yard that I liked to call the “red sea”.  It was an area in the yard that the builder tried to seed, but the seed didn’t take.  Rather, it left a large open area of red clay.

Since we moved in we’ve been anxious for the Spring to arrive so we can finally wash this red sea away.  This past weekend was the planned “sod party”, and OH was it a party…

The event began at 1:00am Saturday morning.  Yup, we didn’t expect to be awoken to the sound of a flatbed truck outside out house in the middle of the night, but sure enough…there it was.  We were told the sod would be delivered at 7am Saturday morning.  The truck driver was told 7pm Friday night.  So why 1am in the morning, you ask?  Well, in an attempt to arrive at 7pm, the driver set out from South Georgia late in the afternoon Friday, and didn’t make it far before his transmission begin giving him trouble.  There he sat on the side of the road for FOUR hours waiting for a tow truck.  To make matters worse, he had his 5 year old son in the passenger’s seat thinking he would get some good father/son bonding time in.

The tow truck finally came to give the truck driver a hand, and soon enough he was off again…headed to Forsyth County 5+ hours late.  Now, any of you who have been to our neighborhood know that we’re almost a mile into the subdivision.  That mile consists of some turns and hills — turns and hills that a flatbed truck carrying 18 palettes of sod doesn’t appreciate.  Sure enough, the grinding gears and screeching tires at the front of the neighborhood caused an unhappy neighbor to file a noise complaint with the police.  That poor driver — that’s the last thing he needed.

At 1:00am our doorbell rang.  In a foggy confusion, Chase checked the window by the door and sure enough, he muttered, “Ali, sod’s here.”  I was at a loss for words.  It’s 1 in the morning!  But there we go, headed outside to watch 18 palettes of sod stack up on our curb.  Two of our neighbors heard the truck as well, and stayed outside with us during the delivery.  Let the party begin.

7am rolled around…when the sod was supposed to be delivered…and Chase began laying each puzzle piece of sod.  His dad, brother, friends and neighbors joined within a few hours, and things took off.  Our yard was beginning to look beautiful!  ”Instant grass”, Chase said.

Hours later of laying, edging, patching, rolling, and laying more sod, the side yard was done!  We still had two and a half more palettes.  We can’t let that precious sod go to waste, so we started on the side yard (another area that needed a fresh coat of grass).  Needless to say, by the end of the day we were exhausted.

We were unbelievably blessed that the rain held off long enough for us to finish, and even more blessed that the rains came down the next day to water our new green carpet outside :)  Today we’re just hoping everything stays in place, the roots take, and we’ll have a yard to play in this summer!

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WD-40: the new Duct Tape

2008
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From de-squeaking doors to shooing flies, you’ll never think of WD-40 the same… or use it for the same thing.

WD-40…

  1. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
  2. Protects silver from tarnishing.
  3. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
  4. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
  5. Gives floors that ‘just-waxed’ sheen without making it slippery.
  6. Keeps flies off cows.
  7. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
  8. Removes lipstick stains.
  9. Loosens stubborn zippers.
  10. Untangles jewelry chains.
  11. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
  12. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
  13. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
  14. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
  15. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
  16. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
  17. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
  18. Removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor.
  19. Gives your kid’s play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
  20. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers. (tell your man about this one)
  21. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
  22. Makes an umbrella easier to open and close.
  23. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
  24. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
  25. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
  26. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
  27. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running.
  28. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools. (Another for your honey.)
  29. Removes splattered grease on stove.
  30. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging. (Nice!)
  31. Keeps pigeons off the balcony. (They hate the smell)
  32. Removes all traces of duct tape.
  33. Some say it can even relieve arthritis pain!
  34. Protects the Statue of Liberty from natural elements. (Interesting New York trivia)
  35. Attracts fish if sprayed on the lure. (Impress your man with this one)
  36. Takes the sting away from fire ant bites and stops the itch.
  37. Removes crayon from walls.
Filed Under: DIY, Great Finds, Home

Remembering a loved one

2008
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A very unfortunate occurrence caught me by complete surprise today. My sweet, sweet kitty (well, 13 year old kitty) had to be put down today. About a week ago she came inside from one of her daily outings with a gash on her back leg. I never once thought that her injury would lead to worse things, but it all went down hill from there. By Sunday she was incohearant and frail. Needless to say, upon a visit to the vet today we were told she was very ill and her vitals showed signs of oncoming kidney failure and diabetes. The decision was made to put her to sleep, and so it was done.

Everyone was very considerate today, and I appreciate it more than you know! In the midst of my mourning, one of my coworkers, Debi, mentioned an adorable idea that she had come up with when she lost her pet a few years back, and I had to share it!

In remembrance of a pet, use their collar or tags to create a Christmas ornament for your tree! This way, every Holiday season when your whole family, pets included, are gathered, you can remember your passed pet and smile :)

Filed Under: Dear Diary, DIY, Home
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