Need your Help...To spray paint or not?

Now that we have a car big enough to haul items, we went and bought our patio table for the back porch. We have had our chairs and umbrella for a year now but didn't have a table because we couldn't drive it home for the store. We spent this morning putting it all together. Below are a few pictures of what it looks like all set up on the deck. There is where I need your help...

• We know we are spray painting the table brown. I want to spray paint the chairs brown as well. Colin wants to leave them blue. So we decided we would take it to a poll on the blog to see who wins. So I am asking you all to look at the pictures and help us decide if we should spray paint the chairs or not...we need your opinions. Please take my poll to the right....thanks!

We finally have lamps...and a few other updates!

We have been slowly but surely adding some decorating touches to the house so I wanted to update you all with a few pictures.

First, Colin added molding to the bookcase and made the shelves more sturdy. It turned out great. We also cleaned out all our DVDs and are storing them elsewhere now and cleaned out the books we have already ready. All we have to do is find a few items to help accessorize the shelves and we are done. I think my handy husband did a great job!

We have been looking for lamps for our living room since we moved into the house over a year and a half go and we FINALLY did! I made Colin go to TJMaxx with my on Tuesday and told him to cross his fingers that today we might actually find some lamps...and we actually did! We have disagreed over lamps for so long I was so relieved to find ones we both liked. I love the green ceramic. We got two of them for our side tables. At night having just the lamps on instead of the over head light is so nice! Yay for lamps!

We have been working on the kitchen. You can see in the pictures that we painted the walls and also added new hardware to the cabinets. I have hated the color of the cabinets since we moved in until we finally painted and the new hardware, now I like them. We also hung up the new family sign above the sink that my mom got me for my Birthday. I think it works perfect in the space and love it! We are still waiting on Colin's bonus at work to come in so we can buy a new sink and kitchen faucet. Once we get those bought and installed the kitchen updating is done. Here are a few pictures to tide you over until it is finished.

Next on the list is hopefully getting the hallways painted and some artwork up in the 1/2 bath!

Birthday/Valentine's Day Recap

Ok, so I didn't take ANY pictures on my Birthday or Valentine's Day. That is something that I wish I was better at...capturing moments with pictures!

My Birthday was on the 12th and it started out perfect! Before I had even woken up Colin had gone to the store and came back with a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, the ingredients to make my mom's waffle recipe and flowers! What a sweet husband I have! After breakfast I had to go to work (we had a basketball game vs. UNC). While I was working Colin took my car to get the oil changed, put new windshield wipers on and got a new break light. Am I lame that I think that is romantic that he did that for me on his day off? HA! We went to the basketball game but lost by 2, oh well. After that we tried to go and buy a Honda Pilot (we have been researching SUV's for awhile and finally decided on the Pilot, we decided to trade Colin's Mustang in for something more practical). Our first attempt at buying the Pilot did not go well and we left without a car. But that was ok because we knew we could get the best deal for us by going elsewhere. We then went to PF Changs (yum) and to Yogurt Mountain for dessert. Let me tell you, that place is awesome! I turned 26 and now am officially closer to 30 than 20 but I think that 26 is going to be a good year!

Now on to the Valentine's Day recap...we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day and it was a beautiful day so we planned to grill out. Well plans changed when I wanted to try another Pilot dealership. Once I know what I want I have to have it then, I'm really an impatient person. So we tried a new one and we successfully negotiated a great deal and drove away with a pretty new SUV! I wanted to take Colin's picture with his Mustang but he said no. I know he will miss it but he seems pretty excited about his new car. Here it is below:

Thanks to everyone who made my Birthday special with phone calls, texts FB messages, cards, flowers and presents! Love you all!

Getting Lost in a Book...

This weekend Colin was in Indiana visiting his family and I really didn't have many plans so I picked up a book off our bookshelf on Friday that I bought this summer. This book was on the clearance rack at Boarders in I had never read anything by the author just was intrigued by the book jacket.

It was a well worth $6 I spent on the book. Kristen Hannah's True Colors sucked me in and I couldn't put it down all weekend. The book is about three sister's who lost their mother at a very young age. During the book they go from being very tight knit sisters to being torn apart by a tragedy. The book is about family and what it means to be a family. I don't want to give anything away because I recommend that you read it.

I forgot how much I love to read because I haven't read a book in a few months. I really need to turn off the TV more and pick up a book. My next book is going to be Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult...another one from my bookshelf. Has anyone read it? If so, did you like it?

Kitchen Preview

Colin and I decided it was time to spend some money and muscle in the kitchen. We haven't done anything to it since we moved in. We have always hated the blah color and the sink. So here is a preview of what we will be doing in there until it is finished to post pictures. To update you on the progress we have the walls painted and we are buying new cabinet knobs tonight.Here is the color we painted the walls. It is called Blue Arrow by Valspar in satin.

Here is the sink that we want to get.

Here is the new faucet we want to install into the new sink.

Here are the kind of knobs we are looking to update our shiny ugly gold ones.

I am also wanting a hand painted family name sign to go above the sink and then the kitchen will be finished! I can't wait to see it completed and post pictures!

A Random List of Thoughts

It's been awhile and we haven't done anything real exciting in the last few weeks so this blog is just a bunch of random thoughts.

• I have the home decorating bug again. First on the list is to finish painting the house. Hopefully we can get the hallways and maybe kitchen done this week. Fingers Crossed!
• I'm really excited for tomorrow night because Colin and I are going to dinner with Brian and Ashley. Brian was Colin's roommate for 4 years at CU and they are totally in love with each other! Brian and Ashley are getting married in April and we can't wait!
• I am itching for a new car. I have wanted an SUV forever and hopefully this summer we will get something new. We both have small cars and can't even buy a table for our porch because it won't fit in either car. We even had one time at Home Goods where we couldn't buy a piece of art work because it won't fit in my Accord.
• I rediscovered my Chop Wizard over Christmas break. My mom was using hers when I was home and I remembered I had one. This thing is amazing if you chop a lot of veggies. It was perfect for chili and when I made texas caviar. If you don't have one but hate chopping up veggies...go out and buy one! You won't regret it!
• Colin and I have been looking for lamps for our living room for what seems like months. We don't have any lamps in there and we really would like to find two side table lamps and maybe a floor lamp. Does anyone have any good suggestions on where to find some good lamps that won't break the bank?
• Right now is starting to be my busy time at work. I am working hard to schedule and coordinate 11 Prowl and Growl meetings. It is where we take the coaches around the state for basically a pep rally. As much work as these meetings are it is one of my favorite things I do in my job. I hope to one day add more event planning to my job, I think I would really love it.

Hope my random ramblings didn't bore you too much!

Snow Day Southern Style

We officially have over 7 inches of snow in Liberty, South Carolina. I know all you people from home don't believe me so I am going to provide picture proof. They announced that Clemson was closed last night so I knew I wasn't going into work today but I still got up at 6 AM. You think I love snow, well I married a kid trapped in a man's body. Colin was up at 6 AM opening the blinds in the bedroom to watch the snow and he even had on the TV to track the storm along with the news anchors. Colin's drive to work is through back roads and the country and we knew it wouldn't be safe for Colin to go to work so he stayed home as well (they ended up closing early).

Today has consisted of taking Bella out to play in the snow multiple times today...she LOVES the snow. She runs/jumps through the snow and eats as much snow as possible when she is out. We loved playing with her today outside and it was the first time she has played in snow. She is a snow bunny just like her momma! We also just finished the first season of Dexter on instant watch on Netflix. We just started watching this show and we are already HOOKED! On to season 2...

Tonight we plan on cheering on the Auburn Tigers in the National Championship while we eat chili and texas caviar as long as we keep power. Ice is supposed to start around 6 pm tonight. We are loving our snow day in the south today!