I'm Having a Love Affair...

WITH MY HOUSE!! I've been dreaming of this day for years! Now that I finally have my own home I want to sit in it all the time.  Ok, not all the time.  I've been stuck on the couch for four days now with a bad bacterial infection.  I finally gave in today, got a shot in the booty and some antibiotics.  Normally I would love to sit on my couch without a care in the world, but I only have one week before I go back to school and I have TONS to do.

I only have a few pictures of the new house.  Chris got me an adorable bedsheet set from West Elm for my Birthday/Christmas present.  I love their stuff, but it is super expensive.  Since I'm not gifted with the thread, I have to give in when it comes to any DIY projects that would require extensive sewing.  So this is our new comforter set.  I still want to buy new decorative pillows, but this will do for now.  I might attempt to make some cute decorative flower pillows using fabric and hot glue.  More on that later!

 I'm in love with turquoise/aqua right now.  This paint color looked ALOT lighter on the paint swatch, but Chris and I have adjusted to the color just fine.  We I keep adding little details around the room to help soften the bright blue.  I covered our lamp shades with burlap for now.  Eventually I want new lamps, but I'm searching for the right ones with the right price.  You can kind of see the nightstands by the bed.  I scored those babies off of Craigslist for $35.  I painted them a light cream color and distressed them.  At first they felt too big, but now I love them.

 This picture shows the curtains we had when we first moved in.  They worked well in our old apartment, but I couldn't stand the length of them.  They had to go.

Thanks to a giftcard from Mom for Christmas I was able to purchase these babies.  They make the room look SO much better!! I'm in love!

I got my first comissioned project!  I painted an adorable antique side table for my sister-in-law for Christmas and she asked me to do her bedside tables the same way! Hooray! A real project! Things were going smoothly until I got sick.  Stupid little microorganisms.  I don't have a photo of her side table, but I am trying to be good about taking before/during/after photos of all my projects.

Speaking of, I have decided to start a new blog with all my fun furniture/craft projects. It is called Craptastic.  I know, classy!  You can find it  HERE. I wish I had started this earlier.  Since I start back to school in one week I won't have a lot of time to for DIY stuff, but I'll do what I can.

Remember this cute little side table I got at a yardsale this summer?  I scored it for $2 as is.  Chris helped me put it back together.  I liked the imperfect look of it, just not the wood color.  So I filled all the screw/nail holes and painted it yellow then antiqued it.  It is now on display in our hallway.  I love it!

I have quite a few projects to complete between now and next Wednesday.  I'm sure some of them will overlap into next weekend.  Since we only have a two day school week I figure I don't REALLY have to get into full swing just yet! = )  Here are some projects to come:

1.  Finish the S-I-L's bedside tables.
2.  Finish Start the kitchen stools I'm refinishing for Mom's Christmas present.
3.  Build a bookcase for my office.
4.  Paint the BEAUTIFUL antique desk I scored off of Craigslist this week.

I'll be a busy gal this weekend!! Cheers to antibiotics and a New Year!!

I'm Alive!

I am so terrible at keeping up with my posts. I always stop by and look at my blog, think about doing a post, them get too lazy to do it.

Chris and I have had a lot of exciting news lately though! He started his job at the Murfreesboro Correctional Facility on August 31st. The only reason we had not purchased a home yet was because we were waiting for a job so we could qualify for a loan. Before he even started his first day I knew exactly which house I wanted... and it is the same one we're closing on this Tuesday!!

I am so excited... all I think about is the day I get the key and get to start decorating!! It is going to look fantastic! There is a lot of natural light in this home and it just feels so cozy! I'm very grateful that my Mom let us stay at her house for the past six months, but I'm very ready to be in my own home again!

I finished a new buffet to put in the living room last month. I found it off of Craigslist and painted it purple, then antiqued it with a brown glaze! I love it! This picture makes it look like a bright purple due to the flash, but the second picture shows the true color better. I'll have more pictures of it in the house once we get moved in.

Months ago I had mentioned a dresser I got off of Craigslist for $20. My sister-in-law and I worked on it with a little help from Chris. It ended up being a little more work than we anticipated. We had to rip the top off because it was particle board that had been left in the rain. Lowes cut us some board and we replaced the top. Not fun. It turned out great though!

I have a dresser in the garage now that is drying! I'm selling it on Craigslist tomorrow!! I wish I had more time to play with furniture, do well in school, and work on the new house, but for now I'll just have to balance it all the best I can. I'm definately ready for Christmas break so I can catch up on everything and be able to truly focus on school. Although I've been very busy and preoccupied, I'm still doing well in all my classes. I even made a correct diagnosis on Untold Stories of the ER today! = ) At least I know this stuff is sinking in a little bit.

Well, hope everyone has been having a great weekend! Mine always go by too fast!

School, school, school!

I am officially a PA student now; and officially exhausted! We are starting our third week today and I am already ready for the last week of month 27! = ) On the plus side though, I have some awesome classmates. I can already tell some of these people are going to be stuck with me after school is done!

Right now my least favorite part of school is Anatomy lab. I have a nose like a beagle and cadavers just do NOT smell good. I also despise studying and now my life is consumed by it. At least I can study in my pajamas on the weekends! = )

School is not as consuming as I had orignally thought though. I spent yesterday afternoon on the boat with my Dad. That is until the rain came and broke up our party! It was still nice to get out of the house and close the books for awhile.

The job hunt is still on for Chris. Franklin PD finally notified us that they too will be making a budget cut. Translation - thanks for applying but we aren't going to hire you. Unfortunately this seems to be the trend right now. Chris still has other options available so we just hope one of them works out soon!

My sister is coming home at the end of the month for her 10 year high school reunion. The old fart. Hard to believe ours will be in two years. Where does time go?

My dead camera has been sitting in my purse for months, so I don't have any fun pictures. My sister-in-law finally finished the dresser we bought off of craigslist. It looks SO good. I'll have to post pictures so you all can see it. I painted and antiqued a wood computer chair she was going to throw away. It turned out awesome! I'll put pictures of that up too.

Since I don't have any of my own cute pictures, I will post one from my friend up North @ The Two Chicks Farm. She purchased some Alpacas last year and one of them finally had its baby.

Isn't it so stinking cute?! They are so soft too.. I'll be waiting for my Alpaca fur bear soon, Mary!!

I guess I better get back to studying!! I'll do my best to keep this updated and let you all know how school/life is going. We have three exams next week, so you might find me huddled in a corner pulling my hair out! = )

Ta da!!

So my desk is finally completely dry and moved into its (temporary) new home. While Chris and I are staying with Mom I'm taking over the upstairs guest bedroom to use as my study/office.

I got the desk off of craigslist for $25. It was antiqued red with old black handles.

We took off all the hardware, cleaned off the cobwebs and sanded it down. Red dust was EVERYWHERE!! What a mess. I was leaving red fingerprints all over the place for days! Here are the old handles. You can kind of see the antiqued detail that we had not sanded off yet.

In total it took two coats of primer and two coats of paint. I think in the future I will use spray paint primer. Priming took a whole night in itself. Anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a fan of painting. I think it turned out awesome though! The white paint with black hardware will match the corner desk I already have. Once we move into a house my study will be painted a much different color than what Mom has. I think the desk will look even better then. I love how the bottom drawer looks like two drawers but is just one large one. That will be a nice storage spot for paper and binders. Too bad the desk will NEVER look this nice again. Next time you see it I will probably have it covered with books and papers. *SIGH*

Below is a chair I got from The Pink Porch in Columbia. It was originally an off-white color that was kind of boring. I spray painted it an aqua blue color and distressed it a little bit. I love it now!! The pictures on here don't portray it's true color very well.

I got this picture frame at a yard sale for 25 cents. It was also a creamy color. Although I actually liked the way the frame looked, I thought the cream might clash with the white desk so I spray painted it the same color as my chair. Once it dried I ran over it with some sand paper and I think it looks awesome. I'll put a photo in it eventually.

This is an awesome painting I got from Pier 1 Imports. I had been eyeballing it in New York and couldn't wait to buy it when we got home. The picture makes it look strange in color, but in person it is much more vibrant. I'm on a big purple kick right now so I adore this painting!!

Below is the telephone talbe we got for $2 at a yardsale. Chris helped me put it all back together. All I have to do now is decide what color I want to paint it. I think I am going to antique this one when it is done. I think it will look awesome!

So that is what I've been doing for the past week. I just picked up an awesome dresser this afternoon for $20. It is a nine-drawer solid wood hunk of a dresser. My sister-in-law and I are going to fix it up over the next few weekends. I think it will look awesome when it is done. I'll probably want to keep it for myself! = ) Too bad I don't have more time before school starts to work on more projects!

Yardsale Salvages

I spent Saturday morning driving around Murfreesboro and Smyrna looking for a desk. Instead I found Harry Potter Scene-It, an old telephone table, some serving platters and canvases. I had been eyeballing an antiqued desk on craigslist, so I drove out to Mt. Juliet to look at it. I loved it and brought it home!!

Chris and I spent most of this afternoon sanding down the desk and table, prepping them for primer and paint tomorrow. I had purchased an old chair a few weeks back at the Pink Porch. It was a cream color, so I spray painted it a pretty light blue color. I think they are all going to look awesome once I'm done!! I'll put up pictures when I'm finished!

Finally an update!!

My whole purpose of creating a blog was so I could keep in touch with all my New York and other distant friends while here in Tennessee!! I have been slacking just a little. = ) I will try and do better. Once I arrived back in Smyrna I started working at Southern Vet again. Today was the last day of my six weeks with them! It's hard to believe six weeks flew by so quickly. I have one week of relaxation then I start PA school!! I've been matriculating my supplies for school slowly, but I think I finally have everything. Now if only I knew what to do with them! = )

That's really all I've been doing. We are still waiting to hear from Franklin police department. They originally said they were going to hire in late April or early May, but I think all the flooding issues have delayed the intended schedule. We are still crossing our fingers and hoping they call soon. In the meantime Chris has applied to a few other police departments. He also received a conditional offer of employment from the DEA pending an interview, PT test, and a physical. However, as most government jobs go, it could take up to a year to complete that process.

Fortunately Mom is letting us stay at her house, free of charge! If we don't hurry up and get out she might start charging us rent! = ) Although we can't move into a home until we know where Chris is working, I look all the time. I keep buying decor and small furniture pieces for our non-existent home! It's all just piling up downstairs.

Chris and I are going yardsaling this weekend. I have high hopes of finding some cool pieces of furniture that I can paint and update for our house. If I find anything worthwhile I will post before and after photos. So that is a summary of our lives for the past six weeks! I will try to be better about keeping you all updated in the future. Hopefully I can post updates about how school is going once I start!!