Coming Together...

Well, we've been doing some shopping for the house recently. I got a little distracted from my guest bedroom shopping just long enough to buy this beautiful rug from Pottery Barn! I have had my eye on this rug for a long time! I even remember talking about it in a previous post! It went on sale, and I discovered that I didn't need the largest size...all of that working together - I got it!!!! Here are some picture below (the pics are blurry, but they were taken early morning - not the best time of day for me or for photography in this room:-)

I have also got all the stuff for my guest bedroom laying around in piles. I got the bedding which I discussed at the end of this post, and I was able to find polka dotted sheets for much cheaper than the ones shown (yay!). I now have to go pick out a pretty mustardy-yellow color to paint the room, and we can get started! I'm excited to see what it will end up looking like.

As for what we've been actually doing to the house lately, we've hung pictures, hung curtains in the master, and finished installing all our door hardware (better late than never, right?). Pictures to come... Kevin is in the process of ordering white switches/outlets and covers, and (I hope) he's going to get someone to install those for us!

Side Note: I also got my painting (which I bought in Paris) back from the Hobby Lobby frame shop, and I cannot wait to hang it up...I think it's going in the foyer.

I feel like the little engine that could as far as settling in to our house goes - I think I can, I think I can...slowly, but surely it's coming right along.

Mattress Mania

So, we've been trying to slowly but surely get our 2nd guest bedroom ready. We have never had room for a 2nd guest bedroom; therefore, we had zero stuff to put in said bedroom. It is for this reason, I have been hunting good deals on bedroom furniture recently! I found an iron headboard for a mere $20 at a thrift store. The plan right now is the paint it black and have black and white bedding with yellow walls - some inspiration...

{Picture black iron headboard rather than drapery}

Anyways, that's the plan at least.... Next, I tracked down a bed frame to attach to my steal of a headboard for $24 at a different thrift store. So far, I had the parts for the bed frame and spent under $50! Not bad!

Next comes the mattress. I've been shopping around for a while checking out the least expensive mattresses in town. Apparently, there is a forever sale going on in Mattress Land, because nobody had truly great sale prices, and yet they all had HUGE "SALE" signs in their windows. I found a store I was comfortable with, and took Kevo over there yesterday to help me decide.

I must say that mattress shopping is one of those awkward experiences in life. This experience is so awkward that Hollywood even feels the need to capture it. Yesterday I was reminded of the movie "Two Weeks Notice." The scene where Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock discuss the optimum level of mattress tension...I laugh every time I picture Hugh Grant bouncing around on the mattress telling her to "Have a bounce." I'm also reminded of House when Wilson is shopping for a mattress.

First of all, there is always a salesman breathing down your neck...waiting...on edge...

How are you supposed to truly test a mattress in the first place???? Do you want the 2 other customers in the store to know that most nights, you end up sleeping like this....

...so no matter how great these mattresses are, you'll probably still have back pain?

Or do you take the opportunity to make the other couple uncomfortable and start spooning?

No, you usually just lie side by side on your backs, and therefore have no idea what the mattress will actually feel like!

Well, luckily this was just a guest bed, so we tested a few and decided pretty quickly on the next to cheapest mattress in the store which was far better than the cheapest

It is my hope that our guests feel like this...

rather than this...

Now it's time to start looking for some bedding!!!

UPDATE:

I found this beautiful bedding on EBay for a pretty affordable price! It's reversible, and I think I like that idea...that way my guest room won't always look the same! NOTE: That headboard looks a lot like mine...I bet mine was cheaper though!

I also found these adorable black and white polka dot sheets to go with it (the ones pictured are not included...)! Too bad they are almost as expensive as the comforter set!!!

Puppy Love

Ready or not, here comes a puppy!!!! Kevin and I are well on our way to having our very first pet, and I am SOOOOO excited! We have been wanting a dog since we got married over 3 years ago. However, we wanted a larger dog, and our living space has not been conducive to having a big dog until now, yay! We've put a deposit down on a male chocolate lab puppy from Brassbrigade Labradors in McDonough, GA. Here are pics of the mom (Charlie) and dad (Brody)...

...and....I couldn't resist -baby pictures of Charlie - the mom.

Unfortunately, puppy will not be ready for pick-up until mid-November! That gives us 4 months to think of some great names. We really like short names. Here are some possibilities:

Our Top Picks (so far):

Buddy

Bo

Huck

Others We Like:

Ray (I won't use this one, Amanda, but I do like it)

Jack (in honor of Michael Jackson - JUST KIDDING...I do like the name Jack, though)

Please send any name suggestions you might have - we'd love to hear them!

UPDATE:

Some other names I've found today are:
Shug

Jake

Chaco (too cutsie? maybe...)

Sam (after Samford Hall @ AU)

Sawyer

Quick and Yummy!

You know those days where you are running late, and you don't have time to make your lunch? Yeah, I have those all the time. Unfortunately, eating out is not really an option for me at all times (at least that's what Kevo says), so I have to come up with other options. Here are a few of my favorite grab-n-go items!

Main Course Items:

Side/Snack Items:

Dessert Course Items:

Grab a few of these things, and you've got a meal consisting of pasta, a side, and a dessert (possibly with a midday snack mixed in :-) Unfortunately, the healthiness of most of the above items is not amazing (although I guess it could be worse!!).

While I'm talking about snack foods - one little treat that I cannot get enough of is:

That's right, Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes are my FAVORITE! Kevo puts these in my stocking every year....one of the many reasons I love Christmas!

Have you found any grab-n-go items that you love (healthy...or not!)? I'd love to expand my pantry!

PS - Yes, I still eat like I'm in elementary school :-)