Our Bedroom Furniture Remix

I just finished up a mini-makeover in our bedroom, and I have to say that I find the results quite satisfactory.

For months, my big mental design goal was to get rid of the awkwardly placed/used console table which held our old-school, but perfectly functioning TV. When I couldn't sleep at night, I'd play out different scenarios in which I'd paint it or refinish it or replace it all together. But, in real life, it just sat there, annoying me. Until I realized it was a perfect fit between my side of the bed and the wall. Interesting.

Beyond this discovery, I knew we weren't using the space (or the furniture) in our bedroom well. And preparing to put our house up or sale or on the rental market was just the catalyst I needed to try my hand at a "style remix." (I'm totally paying homage to a show on HGtv, when it was still really cheesy, where they did a couple of room makeovers over the course of 30 minutes, including one for no money at all.)

Baring in mind that I'm not at all quite yet a lifestyle photojournalist, here are the before shots. It's not bad, per say, just a little dark and uninteresting.

And here are the after shots. I did purchase the quilt from West Elm (which I've obsessively mentioned on the blog), but otherwise everything was ours - just shifted.

It's not going to get us featured on a home decorating show any time soon, but I'm super pleased with the different that 30 minutes of furniture shifting made.

 

 I just noticed the shoebox my husband shoved under the dresser. Also, yes, that is a piggy bank featuring Pedro from South of the Border.

This is my favorite part. A lovely desk/reading spot right by the window.

And because a woman's brain is never finished redecorating, if I could convince B to do a couple of DYI projects with me, I would love to emulate this high chair railing meets photo wall on the wall opposite the bed.

Source: christopherandanne.blogspot.com via Sydney on Pinterest

I'm in love. Maybe in the next house!

A Semi-Weekend Update and New Shoes!

I have the best husband ever*. His patience for my antics is unwavering. Sometimes, it baffles me. This weekend, I was pretty down on myself. A bunch of stuff is piling up on my plate at work, and our life is filled with an atypical (albeit, temporary) amount of uncertainties that I have a (bad) habit of letting myself get weighed down with. So, that being said, he was especially thoughtful of me this weekend. On Friday, I came home to one of these. (I always say I'm not a flowers girl, but it still gets me every time.)

That night, we stayed home (my choice) and played Scrabble. (I totally kill in that game (unless I play my dad, who taught me all my tricks). Also, I'm slightly addicted to Wordfeud on my phone. Would you like to play with me?)

On Saturday, he had a carwash fundraiser for work, so I ventured to the movie theater to see Crazy, Stupid, Love. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon here - perfect for a solo movie viewing.

Source: flickr.com via Barbara on Pinterest

My review is as follows: I really enjoyed the movie, although I enjoyed two of the interrelated story lines more than the others. It wasn't "dirty," but it had very mature themes, so I'd hesistate to recommend it wholeheartedly. I do think that, for better or for worse, it was a very real (with a few exceptions) take on a very real situation. Ryan Gosling is quite the hottie, and Emma Stone is one of my favorite twenty-something actresses.

We had some fun times with friends on Saturday night, with a little not-for-profit poker.

But, here's the clincher. This weekend was "tax free weekend" in South Carolina. So, after church, we headed out to run some errands, and I came home with these bad boys.

Vibram FiveFingers KomodoSport

(image via)

I have an odd running style, so I'm hoping these might actually help my form. Initially, I won't be running in them at all. I'll stick to walking and then gradually introduce running. They are awfully ugly, and I joked with my husband that it's slightly ironic that we're now wearing shoes designed to mimic the human foot. Couldn't we just walk around barefoot and get the same effect?

I'll keep you posted on my Vibram adventure. Have any of you made the switch?

*I fully expect you to disagree with me, and argue that your husband (or significant other) is the best. In fact, I hope so. Because if we had a world full of the best husbands and significant others (and brothers and dads and uncles), I'm pretty sure the world would be a more awesome place.

Joining up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday.

Family visits and touristy adventures

This weekend was simple and full. We snuck in a Friday night "date" before the hubs' dad and stepmother arrived to hang out with us the rest of the weekend.

Here is my hot husband with a cart full of groceries. How about that for a date night?

After we finished shopping for food, we window-shopped for new TOMS - also at the grocery store.

(Yes, we went to Whole Foods; no, that is not our normal grocery store.)

We took his parents to the Charleston Aquarium. It was Shark Week, so the afternoon feature at the big tank was a game show called "Sharkelogy 101".

Oddly, he didn't think an afternoon at the aquarium warranted a picture.

The view from there.

We had an early dinner at Fleet Landing, which I highly recommend for mid-priced seafood if you ever visit our lowcountry location.

A Saturday night of games.

Church on Sunday.

This is my favorite picture. The hubs and his folks headed back downtown after church on Sunday while I stayed at home feeling a bit under the weather. I asked him to "bring me something back," and he brought home this ornament. It was a perfect choice because I've been collecting ornaments from places we visit, but I didn't have one for our current hometown yet. I did tease him about that being an "old man" purchase.

Gratituous dog picture. You're welcome.

I very much enjoyed playing tourist in our own town this weekend.

The icing on the cake was when my sweet better half found out he was selected for a promotion (in miltary terms, he made rank). Woo hoo! I'm SO proud of him. 

(This post brought to you by "Sydney got a new smartphone with one of those picture apps, and she's still really excited about it." Ha!)