in the house this week.

What a week! It started out with such small details. Someone would be by to spray for bugs. Someone would be by to change the locks, since the office's back-up keys had been lost. I changed my few plans and arranged to be home in the morning for the spray and the afternoon for the locks.
Nobody came. EVER!  
I was home the entire day. Stuck there, waiting. By the middle of the afternoon I was going insane. I needed to run to pickup a few things for dinner and some hangars (as I am cleaning laundry from 1 1/2 years ago I am finding more things to hang up and ran out),  but I didn't want to leave in case they came while I was gone. I didn't want to sit there another whole day.

The next day, nothing. I went about my day - running here and there, doing this and that.

The next day, puddles in my basement. Calling the office - as they instructed, because this had happened before - I changed my plans for the morning, so I would be available to let them in and so they could change the locks. No one ever came. Apparently they had to wait til the rain stopped. Noon was bright and shiny. I had made plans for the afternoon, and no I wasn't waiting around for no one to show up.
Someone showed up. FINALLY!
And I wasn't there.
The next morning I called the office asking what time they would be out. Within the hour, my locks were changed, maintenance with the water had been addressed and I was on my way. No sitting around for me!

The next morning I tripped over some tools, slicing open my toe and the side of my foot. I used my get-out-of-jail-free me card and made a huge pot of coffee and went antique shopping. Yes, I needed my shopping therapy.
This cute little trinket box was very therapeutic!

befores and afters

While this "before" picture has the unfair advantage of already being cute and accessorized quite nicely, you have to realize I got this for $22 ( after a 30% discount!) and I am too cheap to spend a lot of money. It's bargain hunting for me, baby! But I might have to make my own letter blocks!

This is the rough draft "after" picture. I am still hunting thru totes so the end result will probably be a bit different but...
I have my blue bottles from Spain.
my black frame that is barely holding on.
Some antique books from El Rastro in Spain.
My favorite $2 chair from Goodwill.

and fresh flowers- It's a must!

who would have thunk??

I did not think I could have a good time in Bass Pro Shop... they have hunting and fishing gear, right? I haven't fished in years and I have never hunted animals, so I was kinda dreading it but I was humoring my husband because he had humored me and some of my stops.

Boy was I in for a surprise!
Sadly, all the things I wanted to buy weren't for sale.

Like this baby!

Or perhaps this adorable blue cabinet! 

Even though it wouldn't have even fitted in the car. I'm sure I could have found a way.

Of course there was plenty to buy. oh, they looked so good, so now that I'm home I will start making my pantry look like this.

I will most definitely need one of these too, maybe add a spot for toothbrushes and toothpaste.

more treasures...

After the past 2 weeks of endless decorating... I started today with a can of paint, yet again, but this time it was for the wall I've been waiting for. well, a color for that wall. I have a little bit of touching up to do, but it's almost done. If only he could settle on some furniture soon. I would like to take an "after" picture, but it is so not "after" yet.
But I took a breather after the first coat, and found some ridiculously cheap inexpensive finds, at the downtown antique mall, it was refreshing to find items in my price range... not that I have that much difficulty finding them.
I spray painted the candlesticks ($5)- they had a sorry paint job- nothing that a $1 can of spray paint can't fix.
The pitcher was on sale for a whopping $2!!! Thank goodness, ones a little bigger that it around the corner were starting at $7.
I was also the first purchase for a newcomer to the antique mall world. This gal was literally putting the first dozen items up as I walked by... loving the colors ahem- whites and creams - I stopped, of course, and found another much larger candlestick for $7.50. 
Yup, my total for the day $15 and some loose change. LOVE IT! Now I just need to figure out a way to make some more money!!!

shutters

all in favor of not spending money on shutters! I mean really, I bought a cute little one at an antique store last year for like $10. I really had to talk myself into that one... I didn't buy the identical one (in another part of the store) for $12. A friend very nicely left a shutter behind when she moved out of the apartment I am currently in. I am still trying to find the perfect spot for it because it looks fantastic next to my white curtains but it gets no attention there. my sister helped me go dumpster diving for more shutters (shown in the picture) which I saved from their home in an empty lot (full of trash, i might add). We got some curious looks but no one stopped us, thank goodness! So now I have 3 shutters that I need to find perfect spots for. The hard thing about decorating my current home is the fact that I have wires, computers and other such electronics runny ruckus in my house. I love that I have a very talented husband but I wish God had also blessed him with organizational skills, alas He has not. (of course my collection of organizational magazines is not helping) I am currently trying to go through them and absorb their wonderful wisdom. this house looks nothing like the pictures in the magazines, even on good days!