God Sent Me to Big Lots Yesterday.

Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. God has blessed me immeasurably, but I'm not sure he has a vested interest in me saving 70% on a dining room suit. Ask and ye shall receive, right?

A little bit of background on the subject of my dining room. You can read more about my chronic lack of dining room furniture here. We have a beautiful formal dining room that up until yesterday, held an old couch.

Jason and I had decided to spend some of our income tax refund money on a table at least. For the past 3 months we have been "looking" at furniture. Jason's looking includes just that, looking. No action. We picked out something we liked at a local furniture market and considering the price, figured we could have it made into coffins when we die because it would be the LAST table we ever bought. We didn't even entertain the idea of buying the gorgeous china cabinet because we hope to send our children to college one day.

Fast forward to yesterday. No table...still waiting. Here's where the story gets tricky. Completely unrelated to everything you just read: Jason's office chair has scratched the hardwoods under his desk until he is one tiny scratch away from working in a bean bag. He finally got sick of me curling up into a ball and crying in the corner about it and suggested that I go to Staples and get him a floor mat.

For some crazy reason, (I didn't even fuss) I said okay and planned on going all the way across town to Staples to purchase said floor mat and then continue my day with grocery shopping. As I was leaving Staples, I decided to go in Big Lots because my Mom saw in their sale paper that they had Crocs for $10. (I hate crocs, they were for Joe)

Please note that in the 2.5 years I have lived here, I had been in Big Lots only once.

So I walked over there.

And the most amazing thing happened.

The dining room suit I fell in love with but had resigned myself to the fact that we would never get....

WAS SITTING IN THE BACK CORNER OF BIG LOTS FOR 70% OFF OF RETAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BROYHILL people!!!

I may or may not have shed a tear or eleven.

We were able to get the table, 8 chairs, and the amazingly gorgeous china cabinet for less than I would have expected to pay for the table and chairs. AND we may still be able to afford coffins one day!

It weighs about a million pounds and is completely disassembled, but maybe by Thanksgiving we can have it put together!!

I capped off the day by spending $71 and saving $85 at Publix. I'd call yesterday a success!

The Ugly Side of Weight Loss

Losing your pants in Lowe's, that's the ugly side of weight loss.

Now, it takes a lot for me to get embarrassed, but let me tell you, this morning, I was embarrassed! I was in Lowe's and I squatted down to pick something up....when I stood back up, my pants stayed down low! OH MY GOODNESS! It was absolutely traumatizing! I made NO eye contact the rest of the (short) time I was in there. The good news is that these shorts are a size 10 and fit me like a trash bag. They are going to be donated to Hannah Home TODAY!

*Segue alert*

Why was I at Lowe's at 8 this morning? Because I needed a few little things to finish Jason's first woodworking project. Jason is not known for being extremely handy. He has taken it upon himself to remedy that. He got some ridiculously expensive tools for himself for Father's day and put them to use immediately. He has big plans for the future....we'll see. I've already made him a list.

Here is his first project. He built it, I'll finish it. This is a shelf for the wall in Joe's bathroom. It's not quite finished, I'll add some pictures of it when I finish it this afternoon.




If you're ever unsure.....WEAR A BELT!

Show Us Where You Live Friday-Bathroom

Normally, I probably wouldn't share pictures of the bathroom with the internet. Today, I am willing to make an exception because Jason and his Dad recently remodeled our half bath. My other two bathrooms are very uninspiring. This one, however, is a masterpiece!

Somehow, I have lost the "before" pictures of the bathroom, but it was very, very plain. Tan walls, plain mirror, cheap pedestal sink....

Now, the only thing that's the same is the toilet.


We added the new vanity, wainscot, paint color, framed the mirror..... (that's a little sneak peak of what's in the foyer in the mirror's reflection)


Jason has lusted after this faucet for years. We never got around to buying it before because it was quite the splurge....Everyone who has washed their hands in our half bath comments on it! I totally love it!


These were the inspiration for the black and white bathroom. We bought them months ago when pier one was going out of business and they stayed in the closet until we were able to do the remodel.


I got these at a yard sale for 50 cents. They held votives but I hate unlit candles as decoration, it just doesn't make sense to me, so I put black and white towels in them. The wall color is actually dark grey, even though it looks kind of blue-ish in the these photos.


I also kind of LOVE these things! They are plastic flowers that are magnetic so once you have the nails in place, you can move them around. One of the only times I have actually liked Bed Bath and Beyond!



I love this bathroom so much! Thank you so much for your help Big Daddy and Big Mama!

Show Us Where You Live Friday--The Office

Once again, I'm letting strangers in my home to see my office and a creature in its natural habitat.

Jason works from home, so this is where he spends a lot of time.

Oh look, there he is! Sssshhhhhhh......don't want to startle him.

Working from home poses great occupational hazards such as looking at your computer screen for too long and getting a pinched nerve in your neck....hence the heating pad.

If we're very quiet, we may be able to sneak around the side and get a close up of his natural working environment....

He finds it very efficient to work with 2 monitors. We seem to have caught him in a state of deep thought. He is a very productive worker and cannot be distracted by the likes of me.

Moving on....

This is my corner of the office in which I refuse to sit until I get a better chair. That is the desk that Jason and Joe got me for Mother's Day. See all those books? Alllll of those books plus three in my bag are what I have to read for this semester....yep just one semester's worth of books!


This is a close up of my awesome curtains I got super cheap at JCPenny.


They frame the window that gives us a fantastic view....of the neighbor's house.

Since I didn't post about my dining room...I thought I'd show you why.

This is my dining room. One day I'll get some dining room furniture. One day.


I love the light fixture.


And the wainscot.


Y'all come back next week and see my bathroom! No one will be in it...I promise. The exclamation point is because I'm so excited to show off the remodeling job we did!

Show Us Where You Live Friday--Joe style

This Friday is all about the kids...no...wait...that's every day. How could I have forgotten!

Joe's room is actually my favorite room in the house.


We painted the walls this awesome color on the day we closed on the house, before we even moved in.
Jason bought this bed on a whim...I think he secretly wanted a baseball bed for himself :)
The star came from old time pottery and the painting above the bed was painted by one of my college friends Holly. I miss you Holly!


This is a shot of Joe's dresser, which holds many of his accumulated treasures, including: shakers from his first Alabama game, a whale tale necklace from Sea World, His graduation tassel, lots of photos and some frogs I colored for him when I was teaching.


Some of Joe's decorations....gotta have that Alabama rug.


What's that? A secret room perhaps?


Why...yes, yes it is a secret little nook where Joe likes to hang out. A playroom inside the bedroom, if you will.


He likes to catch a few cartoons and play with his toys in this sweet little room.


This is a hand painted rocking chair that my Memaw and Pawpaw got him for his 3rd birthday.


We think Joe's room is definitely the coolest in the house. And, Yes, it is almost always this clean. He's a pretty good kid :)

A Terrible Way to Spend a Sunday

Do me a favor and think of your LEAST favorite room of your house. Hmmmm....not the living room, that's where I watch TV. Not the bedrooms, that's where I sleep (I've been known to catch the occasional guest room nap). Definitely not the kitchen.

So, what is your least favorite room?

Mine is the LAUNDRY ROOM, and guess what.....Jason and I were lucky enough to spend our entire day in our laundry room.

Now to some people, like Amanda, this may not sound so bad, but let me tell you a little about our laundry room.....

CAT POOP.

Is that enough? Jason's cat's litter box lives in the laundry room. Since the litter box is Jason's job and he washes a lot of laundry, I don't spend a lot of time in there.

That came to an end today when my dear sweet husband decided that TODAY would be the day we mutilate fix our dryer.

You see, for the last few months, our dryer has had trouble drying our clothes, it has also had trouble NOT sounding like a rabid fox being hacked to death with a chainsaw. Sorry for the visual, but if you've heard it, you know.

First, I sat in the doorway and took pictures of the anarchy.


This is when I stayed back on my side of the threshold and offered only moral support.


Good job baby! You got this!


The internet offers a wealth of knowledge on home dryer repair.....NOT!


Here is where the project started to get dicey:

Yes, those are feet.

I had to intervene at this point and offer my expertise.

There was grease involved, white lithium grease to be precise.

My nails will never be the same, but the good news is that now, our dryer.....makes things DRY and doesn't make me want to stab out my eardrums with a dull pencil!

The old Jason would have taken himself right to Best Buy and bought a new dryer right then and there, but then Jason married a girl whose Daddy owns a 25 year old dryer that works like a charm. Thanks Daddy, for talking us through this debacle.

I'm looking forward to warm towels again.

Show Us Where You Live Friday--Guestrooms

Welcome to the Chateau Robinson. Here, our guests will be treated with the finest of accommodations. Guests have the choice between two luxurious rooms.

Choice number one is the Green Room.


The green room features a handmade twin sized bed with only the finest Dollar store linens.



The Green Room is not merely a room, but a luxury suite. In it, one will find a business center with free internet, and workout equipment for the fitness-savvy guests.

If a twin bed does not satisfy your lodging needs, visit our Tan Room.


Our Tan Room features a Queen sized bed with the most upscale Bed-in-a-Bag that Bed Bath and Beyond offers...ahem....200 thread count, if you please.




The decor in the Tan Room has been described as "relaxing" and features leftover wedding gifts and paintings by my Grandma.

We hope you enjoy your stay at the Chateau Robinson. The self serve kitchen is open 24 hours a day. For reservations, please hesitate to call us.

Show Us Where You Live Friday

Oh my goodness! What are y'all doing here again?

Show you where I live? That was today?

I didn't even clean up!

A gift?!? You really shouldn't have!

Well, since you're already here and you have taken your shoes off.....

If Kelly says it's okay, then it must be okay.

Here is my living room in all it's glory.Here is where I spend a great deal of time.



Here is the view from my spot.



This curved wall with it's plethora of windows is one of the reasons I bought this house. You may have read my dramatic tale about these exact windows here.




Here's the view from the top.



This is my one attempt at decorating (thank you Pier 1's going out of business sale!)
It's not much, but you see, I'm a minimalist....you may call it boring, but I call it 2700 square feet cleaned in an hour!



This is one of 2 (yes only 2) pictures I have on my living room walls. These were taken at our wedding in July 2007.



And...this is the other one...we were much younger in the bottom picture :)



One last thing before you go. Take a good long look at these pillows...They were 5 DOLLARS! Yep, only 5 dollars from Pier 1. I certainly wasn't the reason they went out of business.


Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you again soon, but next time, I'll be decent. I promise.

Thoughts on Paint

I learned some things about myself and paint today. The first being that paint and I go together about as well as brownies and tartar sauce. I was dumb enough to spend my day shut in my tiny half bath with a tiny roller and a gallon of paint. Here are some helpful tips for your future paint project.

1. When your husband is picky...ahem, particular, just let him pick the paint color. Don't try to save time by just running up to Lowe's yourself. He will ultimately pick a color that is a slight variation of the color you chose, but your eyes deceive you apparently. You should have known that "Shark Fin" and "Elephant Gray" couldn't have been that similar, as they come from different realms of the animal kingdom. (We went with "Almost Charcoal." PETA, you're welcome.)

2. NO room is small enough to warrant using only a 3 inch roller. NO ROOM. Even rooms that can only fit your butt and a ladder using very creative geometry. 3 inches equals 3 hours longer!

3. Don't paint when you're mad. It results in tiny splatters everywhere. You know what? Yes, you deserved that job, and they all but promised it to you....right? Right.....their loss......anyway, where was I? Oh yes! Always be in good spirits when you paint!

4. Always leave a little paint somewhere on your body or clothing so that when you have to go to the tee-ball game, your friends will say, "Oh, you've been painting!" And you can be like, "Yes, my goodness, I have just been painting all day" and they will be totally jealous of your awesome bathroom!

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. I will probably never paint again, so feel free to come on over and put them to use in my foyer.

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain"--Longfellow

Do you ever have those days where you feel like you are a jar of mayonnaise that someone has left out in the sun? Or maybe you have fallen down 100 flights of stairs into a cactus patch?

It hasn't been the best day for me. I have a big test tomorrow and I have to beat my 105 so I better save all my good writing.

Here are some pretty spring flowers that I photographed before all this rain knocked them right off their stems as a testament to my day.

The Everlasting Flowerbed Saga

Jason, Big Joe, Little Joe and I have been diligently working in the yard for four solid days now. It all began with the front flower bed. I am convinced that when we bought the house last year, D.R. Horton gave us (and everyone else on our street) what I affectionately call "The Poverty Package" for landscaping. Now, bear in mind our poor plants have been pretty much neglected for the past year anyway so that all adds up to some pretty sad flowerbeds. Well, the stars have finally aligned and we have managed to have enough time, money, and help all at the same time to give our landscaping an amazing facelift...Joan Rivers style! Here are some before pictures of what we had to work with. Click any of the pictures to enlarge them.Have you ever seen gray pine straw? I have!

*hangs head* How embarrassing!

Notice the moldish-weeds that even roundup can't kill....This is a "rock patch" in the back yard that I turned into a beautiful bulb patch.
That beautiful rock patch again. Joe and I scooped these rocks out by hand.

Now for the progress. We started at 3pm on Sunday and finished around 6pm on Wednesday. We have moved 2 tons of rocks. Yes, that's 4,000 pounds of rocks if you trust the math of the English major! Even after that many rocks, I didn't break a single nail! WOW! Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

Lots and LOTS of rocks!Hard at Work!

After 4 days, 2 tons of rocks, 3 truckloads of mulch, about 30 plants and an embarrassing amount of money spent, I am so proud to say we have the most awesome yard in the neighborhood...or at least on our street! Here are the after pictures.

This is our bulb patch after. It has 3 colors of tulips and daffodils.
Here is where we created a flowerbed where there once was none.
These gardenias will be blooming soon.I think it looks so good!
And finally, another impromptu bed with our new patio furniture.
I am so proud of all our hard work. You really have to see it to appreciate it so come on by sometime!