Birthday Girl!

Big Sis is 8! I can't believe it. She was such a tiny peanut weighing only 3lbs at birth and now she is this silly girl full of energy! 

Her birthday wish was to go to "DC cupcakes" from the TLC show. We each got a delicious cupcake (that we forgot to take a picture of). Then, we came home for presents and cake.

She had a great day!

Chair redo

Monday I snagged an old chair from Goodwill for $8. It was really rough but had a good, strong frame. 

Here it is when I brought it home - 

Nice huh? That soiled cushion is my fave.

I removed the cushion first. Everything got a really good cleaning with good ole' fashioned soap and water.

After sanding and 4 coats of paint (ugh), she looks great. I picked a fun fabric with lots of blues to go in the family room. A yard cost me $2.00.

That back corner needs to be stapled...I ran out. The front corners were easier than I thought. What do you think??? 

DIY table and Pillows

We need to furnish pretty much our entire house. With a restricted weight limit leaving Okinawa, we were able to bring our bed, dining table, ladder shelf and a tv stand. Those were the only heavy pieces...and they still aren't here. 

To save money, I've been scouring Craigslist and clearance departments for furnishings. 

Here is the coffee table for  our family room. Hubs picked it up on his way home from work for $15. (Craigslist)

I sanded and painted the trim and legs Satin white. It took me quite a while to sand the top...it had writing, some deep scratches and a lot of markings. I stained it but wasn't happy with the color...it was a lot lighter than I thought. So I spend 4 days scratching the stain off and trying a new color. I went with Ebony from Giddeb. It was a sample for it was only $3. I liked it better but I'm still not thrilled. I may cover it and make it an ottoman. 

Here's the before 

Here's the after

I made some pillows this weekend. (The butterfly one was from IKEA)

Blue and white stripe and a textured beige. I have a few more to make in the same navy blue as the butterfly pillow. I may even try to paint it.

BabyCat does not like when I sew! 

We ended the weekend with a delicious breakfast for dinner! YUM!

House Tour

We've  been in our house for about 3 weeks now. We are atill waiting on our shipment so it's pretty empty. We scored a little round table (for the breakfast nook) from Craigslist for $30. We also got a set of couches from Craigslist that cleaned up really nice. I shopped around at about 6 different furniture and just refuse to pay $2000 for a couch and love seat. Here are aome pics of the place. 

This is the front of the place. The 2 car garage is attached but I couldn't get a good picture since the entire front of the house is woodsy. 

I love how the kitchen is so light. And I finally have a window in front of my sink!

 

Two views of the family room that is right off the kitchen. Great lighting and fireplace!

The Sunroom. I plan to put a comfy chair and a bookcase out here. LOVE!! 

The entryway

Formal dining room

This is the biggest of the 4 bedrooms so it will be the girls. I didn't take pictures of the other bedrooms because empty bedrooms are boring >.<

Master bedroom. Love love love that there is a fireplace in here. I just want to smack down one of those bear rugs! 

Master closet. 

Master bath...couldn't get the tub in the photo but you can bet your butt I've used it several times! 

This is the photo from the realtor. 

There is also a finished basement with its own bedroom and bathroom and well as a sweet man cave that I've slightly invaded already. 

I hope you've enjoyed the tour! Next up is some homemade pillows and a table redo that I screwed up and thankfully semi fixed again. 

Have a great rest of the weekend! 

The Blog is Back in Town (or the USA!)

WOW!!! It's been almost 2 years since I blogged last. I'm not even sure where to start! Well, I'm back. We're back...in the States that is! We had another 3 amazing years in Okinawa and have since moved to Virginia. The hubs decided, after almost 11 years, to separate from the Marine Corps. Big Sis is about to celebrate her 8th birthday. I still haven't wrapped my head around the fact that she is almost 8! Lil Sis is almost 6...again...can't believe it. I have so much to play "catch up" on. Our time in Oki, our trip back (it took a whole month of state hopping to get to VA), our new place (that I am drooling over trying to decorate), and just so much more. I am so excited to be back to the blog world!!