Maaaann! I can't believe it's been two and a half weeks since my last post...that's SO unlike me;) haha. Does this mean that my new year's resolution is busted?

NEW Resolution...don't beat myself up about everything and be psyched about second chances! I like this one a lot:)

At least I can say that for me, this one was worth the wait...I got some pretty "thrilling" finds from good ol' Thrill of the Hunt. I've got awesome news, but sad news about my new favorite store--I'll need to find another:( They're no longer gonna be selling furniture, just jewelry. Now how am I gonna decorate my house with costume jewelry?--actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I could find some good use for a little bling from Preen;)

Ok, on to the finds, and the awesome news--because they're no longer selling furniture, that means that they needed to get rid of everything in two weeks = STEALS!!!

This little beaut started as $80, but when I went in for round 1 she was willing to go to $50 if I bought it with a couple other items I was looking at. Well, after some unexpected car expenses (perfect timing, huh?;) ) I went back for round 2 with the hopes of being able to possibly just get the stool for $50 alone, and to my pure delight she was willing to come up off this thing for 20 bones!!!

I had a hard time capturing the color and texture, but it's just a lovely blue velvet, and it's refreshing to have the slim, spindle legs, when I feel like all I've selected furniture-wise for so long is chunky and straight. I still love the clean lines, but I love adding a little "spice" , something unexpected, here and there:) It's the perfect height for the desk between the shelves. AND that means that now my beloved damask chair from TJ's can be seen in all it's glory:) (Have I mentioned how much I love this chair?)

This great little side table was the second great deal during round 2. After saying she'd do 20 for the stool, we walked over to the table, which was originally $75, and she says, "I'll do this one for 25." Woo hoo! I said, "DONE AND DONE!"

So I got them both for less than I was hoping to get the stool for--woo!

And now, the mantle...

Many of you know that Anthropologie is my very favorite store, does this baby not scream "Antropologie"?! The moment I saw this mantle I could envision it in our "Master Suite":)

I have a vision for a sitting area at the opposite end of our room from the bed. complete with an upholstered "fire screen", comfy yet stylish reading chair, and a delicate chandelier to light our morning readings, oh and of course, it's all pulled together by the perfect rustic mantle;) One piece complete!

I've been eyeing this bad boy for months! Every time I'd go in the store I was so excited to still see it there, as if always whispering, "Brett, take me home". The original price was 165--not too bad to begin with if you ask me--but it wasn't until round 3 when I called midway through their final week to see if by some wild chance it was still there...well, it was, and for a mere $50 this old mantle had a new home! We did offer $15 to have them deliver it which saved us a whole lot of hassle, and basically made the decision for us.

So here we are, coming together, piece by piece...

Casual Elegance on a Budget. part deux

I'm excited to say that we're making a little headway into our decorating "to-do" list! And I'm even more excited to say that we made it out of Pier 1 before the cops showed up, cause we straight-up stole 4 of their dining chairs!

But first, here are a few NEW additions to the dining room--only a few more accessories to add before the BIG REVEAL, yay!

A huge thank you to Auntie Gay and Uncle Dennis for their awesome Christmas gift used for our rug! Loving it! Picture's a little dark, but you get the feel--dark chocolatey-brown base with a bold botanical design. After getting it home, I couldn't decide which room to put it in...it was perfect for all of them! I'm also just realizing that I never posted our gorgeous new dining table that was a fun find from a great store in town called "Thrill of the Hunt".

Got these great picture hangers in my stocking from the Redgates--always wanted to add a touch of the pineapple motif in our home, symbol of southern welcome and hospitality:)--so I was so excited to get them and had an itch the first day we were home to pop them up, seems to fill the space on that empty wall nicely.

Ok...back to the kitchen. Though we don't have tons of space in that area, we knew that the bar area would be the perfect place to get some extra seating when we have a larger crowd. Think these barstools we found at Garden Ridge are the perfect solution--no backs keep from cluttering the space, and the stained tops pull in the cabinetry in the kitchen, while the black legs tie in the darker woods we have in other areas. And, this exact same style of stool was at Target for $79, but only $29 at Garden Ridge!

And last but not least, our new chairs!!! After searching and searching we realized that there was no way around spending WAY more than we'd like for a nice set of chairs that wouldn't be wobbling 6 months from now, so we're seeking out deals left and right, but not finding anything. We received a gift card for Christmas to a great shopping center in town, so we figured we'd find some chairs at Pier 1, hopefully on sale, and put the card toward them, and get them to a more palatable price for our checkbook. So off we go, and after scoping out the options and not finding anything we like under $99, we decided that wouldn't be terrible...and then, as if divinely led, our eyes fall upon one lonesome chair sitting along the upper display that was only $69! We find out that the High Point store 30 min. away has 4 of them!!! Jackpot:) (It'd be a bit of a drive, but worth the savings.) And then the angel in a Pier 1 apron, says the most glorious words to a furniture shopper..."and they're marked down..."

...wait for it...

"Waahhooo!" And the choir sings "Hallelujah!"

And our fabulous chair model shows the extreme comfort of the cushion--look at that face...hi, cutie!!! I glanced over it multiple times in the store, but it couldn't be more perfect for the space--the wood stain matches the new stools and the cabinets, the soft sage of the upholstery pulls in the lighter leaves from the rug, and the curved, solid wood back really streamlines the whole area and takes it up a couple of notches;) Exactly the find we were hoping for!

Stay tuned for more...

New Year's Resolutions...or not.

Ahh, I love a good New Year's resolution! For the perfectionist in me I love nothing more than a "clean slate", a fresh start. One of my favorite promises from the Lord, "that His mercies are new each morning"--yes! Each new week, a new turn of a page in my "Month-at-a-Glance"...Gets me giddy! But man, a whole new year! What could be a better place to start all those things that I put off every other day. So needless to say, my list of resolutions is usually about a mile long. For the past couple of years, Shaun and I have made lists that consist of our resolutions/goals for the year in all areas of life, spiritual, physical, relational...We'd post the list to keep it in front of us, then without fail, I'd find the list 6 months later stuffed between papers in the office. But at least we wrote it down, right?

Oh, and how I love a good list! Sometimes the need for lists is so great that it demands a "list of lists". So, this year I made a new resolution...No resolutions, just one grand "To Do" List! Weee! I have a feeling this will be a pretty dynamic list, growing as the month goes on, but here's for starters...

*Grow closer to my Lord and Savior and get to know Him more

*Be a better wife

*Be a better mommy

*Fix healthier meals and snacks for my men and myself

*More Fruits and Veggies

*More Water!

*Read 6 books

*Streamline business systems for more productive "work time"

*exercise 3-4 x week

*Run a 5K

*Less daytime TV (blasted 5 hour long Today show!)

*Connect with friends and family more

*Find glitzy sheer drapes for dining room

*Find a few accents for dining room--FINISHING TOUCH--yay!

*Put fabric behind glass on cabinet in office

*New knobs on cabinet in office

*Redo/organize closet

*Let go of clothes I've been hanging onto for who knows why! "Let it go, Brett"

*Transform master bath into a spa escape

*New reading chair for Master

*Finish decor in Trey's room to complete look

*Start a veggie garden

*Organize garage before it gets out of control!

*Pretty much just organize every drawer and closet in house;)

I guess that will do for now. Can't wait to start scratching these babies off!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Wow, how is it already 2011?! Were we supposed to be flying around in spaceship cars and wearing silver jumpsuits by now? I suppose if you're a true GaGa fan, then you've got half of that down.

2011 is the year that the love of my life turns 30!! My baby boy turns 2, I thankfully will still be a youthful 28, and holy cow, it will be my 10 year high school reunion!!! yikes! I can remember hanging out with Brookie after cheerleading practice talking about our latest edition to the "saga" that was high school. oh the shananigans, haha, so ridiculous! I'd love to tell that "high-school me" a few things--I don't think I ever dreamed that I'd be where I am in the next 10 years--married to the most incredible man that loves the Lord with all his heart, my very best friend and man that I adore living life with, parenting with, and becoming a better "us", AND Mommy to the most precious, adventurous, best-sense of humor little 18 month old boy ever, sweet baby Trey:)

And without further ado, here are some pics of the big guy...

My two favorite men looking so festive in front of one of my favorite Christmas trees yet! We did a little family photo shoot care of Mom and the camera timer. It was quite the adventure trying to get Trey to say "cheese!" without lunging forward to grab the camera before the timer went off.

Christmas card contender from the first snow of winter...we took about 15 of these, and I changed like 5 times. Shaun looked perfect (and the exact same) in every one of them:) It eventually didn't make the cut, but totally blog-worthy though, I think!

haha, can we get this kid a snowsuit or at least a winter coat that fits?