old + new = our office

Howdy! It has been a while since I have posted due to the overtake of my schooling. These snow days came at a great time. I am getting ahead with school and have time to update the blog. What a treat! Although there was a request for the kitchen, my camera needs batteries, so that post will come soon. So for now, I will show you all the office because I already took pictures of it. There isn't much to it, but just enough to keep me organized and provide me with a work space for studying. Adam doesn't use it much except for sitting on the coach while I work. So without further ado, here she is:The coach is from Ikea, and we bought it originally for our first rent house. We lived on the second story of a house and we couldn't have a normal couch so we bought this little beauty! The desk is from Target and I bought it during college. The chair is a garage sale find. I bought for a $1 and painted it as well as recovered the seat. I will document that process later.

Where I spend a lot of my time!


Some of my textbooks. All but one of those books is for ONE of my classes! That's right eight books for one class! So there you have it! Our humble little office. Stay safe everyone in the snow and ice. Enjoy time with your family, and from what I can tell enjoy all the food everyone is making! Yummy!

table + 5 chairs = one great craigslist deal

Here is the one sneak peak of our dining room table/chairs that will be shown before I sand, paint, and refinish my $200 steal of a deal! Not to mention it came with two surprise leafs underneath. Instead of seating four, this little beauty will be able to seat 8 comfortably! Go us!

Furniture + Love = Living Room

Tomorrow begins my second semester in graduate school and I'm not sure that I am ready for the stress, lack of sleep, and lack of free time that is about to take place. Although the break was extremely relaxing it wasn't until this last week that we have finally settled into our new town, had our things all in one location, and had running water each morning! Well, I will begin the tour of our rent house with the living room. I decided that I would only unpack one box of living room decorations and this is the box that got opened first. When you open the front door this is the scene that greets you. (Luna will probably more than likely be jumping on you and barking to get your attention).


I noticed that once all my things were put together I have a lot more modern pieces of furniture than I realized. The coffee table will be going shortly (it is too high) and I would like to get more white pillows on the coach to replace the blue ones(which will eventually find their way back into the office where they belong). I want more of a cottage feel throughout my house and seeing these pictures actually helped me realize only pieces of my furniture fit this bill. The majority of these things (excluding the coach) were bought on clearance, from an antique store or from a garage sale. So I don't have a lot of moo-lah invested into then.



This sofa table is from Target and I got it for $30 on clearance! Originally it is $129.99. When I saw that red clearance sticker I just knew I could not leave the store without this little baby. The candles are from my wedding and the wire thingy is from an antique store.

This elephant is from Africa and makes me think of my 6th grade years when I collected all sorts of elephants.



This coat rack was purchased at Ikea for $29 buck-a-roos. It has been perfect because we don't have to nail in a coat rack at each rent house we move into. It is coming in handy at this house because it blocks our TV from anyone who looks into our house from the front door.


This little beauty is probably one of my favorite pieces in my whole house. It has served as a "welcome center" (aka, where Adam would put his keys when he came home), as a magazine holder, and now is being used as an end table. I bought it at one of my favorite antique stores in Fort Worth.



Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures. I will show a new room next week!

one candle + oil burner = no more stink

Moving day ensued yesterday and all of our precious belongings have landed in the rent house with little to no incident. It is fun to see our coaches, table,bed and various other garage sale finds in new surroundings. It has been like rediscovering and falling in love with my furniture all over again. However, despite seeing the beauty of the furniture, the house (due to not being lived in for a while) has a funky odor! So I have burning a lot of candles and an essential oil burner from The Body Shop with Lemon Basil scent(thanks Juliana) to help rid the house of its' musty odor. If it wasn't the dead of winter I would open up all the windows and let the house air out.

I did spend the greater part of Wednesday cleaning all the baseboards and blinds in the rooms we will be living in (the house is 3 bedroom, 2 bath which is way to much space for the three of us). As always my faithful companion kept watch at the window for any intruders. Not only that, but she helps me keep my sanity when I have to spend days alone. (Doesn't she look so cute with her new hair cut. Sorry boys she is already taken!)


More posts to follow on the simple decorating that will be taking place. Leave a comment on which room of the rent house you would like to see first! For now I leave you with one small sneak peak:

(Pictures are courtesy of me and my new camera that my sweet husband bought me for Christmas)

frozen pipes + extreme cold weather = homelessness

As mentioned previously, our adventures in searching for a house has been anything but calm, cool or collective. We are currently homeless! Our sweet cabin in the woods has had frozen pipes for the last 5 days and will hopefully be thawed out today or tomorrow with the warming of the weather. Over the course of living a gypsy lifestyle we decided at the end of last week that we will rent from our pastor a little rent house that is in the hub of this thriving metropolis. The carpets are getting cleaned today and moving is slated for one week night sometime this week. This does not mean our house search is over though dear friends, quite the contrary! By renting from the pastor we do not have to sign a lease. God has even blessed us with appliances (stove and refrigerator) for free since the rent house did not have either. Both Adam and I feel so blessed that so many people within our church family have taken us in and made us feel at home during this unique period in our lives. Thank you all! Once we have moved I will post pictures of our humble abode and the minimal decorating that will be taking place. Plus you will be able to see my sweet Craigslist Finds!

1 + 2 = 3 i don't think so

Well, everybody, I am sad to say that the beautiful 194o's casa did not meet the bill of inspection. Many of you maybe wondering "why? it is so cute!" well...don't be deceived by its antique, alluring exterior. You will only end up getting hurt! Here is a list of all that is wrong with it that the inspector found last night. Remember, this is on top of all the aesthetic work (refinishing all the floors, redoing two bathrooms, tiling and redoing all the cabinets in the kitchen, painting every nook and crany both inside and outside, new windows, reframing outside windows due to rot, guttering and possible bracing of the house due to settling).

• None of the outlets were grounded except those used for appliances and some of the electrical was circa 1940
  
• The floors under both bathrooms were rotted
  
• The rot in one of the bathrooms had reached a jost and thus that part of the house was starting to collapse
• All the electric in the attic was not up to code meaning FIRE hazard
  
• Their was a moisture point found by one of the bathrooms (not sure why, but not good)
• Woodfloor by one of the back doors was rotted and needed to be replaced

Although we were going to get the house for a phenomenal deal, all the work and money we would put into the house would be well over what the house is worth. So, I bid you ado sweet house #3. So for now the bunkhouse (cabin in the woods, little red barn) is where we will call home!

one chai tea + one nap = I cannot sleep

Tomorrow marks moving day and Adam and I only have a few things left to pack up! Seeing as how we will be residing far from any thriving metropolis I have been making my last minute Craigslist purchases. Not only did I score a complete queen size bed frame, for $50 smack-a-roos, I also purchased a dining room table with 5 chairs for $200! I will post pictures soon of my incredible finds! I am still searching for a lot more pieces, but realized that I want to refinish anything I purchase so I better slow down on the buying or I might just start to feel overwhelmed! I also managed to sell my previous glass dining room table, that although nice, just wasn't meant for entertaining. Here are some of my favorite, current inspirational pictures from some of the blogs I love to read. Enjoy the eye-candy and Happy New Year!

Source: Life in the Fun Lane

Source: A Lettered Cottage

Source: A Beach Cottage

Source: A Beach Cottage

Source: A Beach Cottage

Does anyone have a favorite design photo they have used as inspiration in a room or have a blog (home or food) that they love to read. Leave me a comment with the link!