Goodwill Find!

I finally found something great and cheap at Goodwill...yay (and yes I am doing a happy dance)! 

I am constantly reading about other bloggers finding great pieces of furniture at thrift stores for dirt cheap and I have been so envious!  I have been unable to find anything that is in decent condition or isn't an outrageous price (I mean it's a thrift store so I definitely want something that's pretty much free).

The other week I found these AWESOME end tables at Goodwill.  I wasn't exactly sure where I would put them in my house but I knew I couldn't leave without them. 

Seriously...I really need an SUV!  But it is amazing what I've been able to cram in the back seat of my Accord.

Yep, you're reading that price tag correctly...only $12.99 each

I know I want to paint the end tables since they're in rough condition.  And I'm pretty sure they will go in my living room (which is a work in project).  The big question is: what color should I paint them?  The living room has tan walls and opens up to the dining room.  Currently, there are two plaid sofas in there along with other hammy downs from our family - basically this is the room where furniture goes to die. But I'm hoping to change that soon!  I already have a seafoam sectional picked out (notice I said picked out...hopefully it will be all mine one day) so I'm thinking metallic or grey end tables would look great in there!

Here are my inspiration pieces:

Metallic Nightstands from Recaptured Charm

Nightstands with Panels from Recaptured Charm

Grey Dresser from Before Meets After

What do you think?  Which finish do you like the best?

~Julia

Full House...you got it dude!

I hope everyone had a great time with their honey last night.  The hubs and I made creamy shrimp and mushroom pasta .... it was delicious!!

Speaking of good food - we got to enjoy some great food and even better company this weekend.  My husband's step mom and her husband came to visit along with 15 other family members - it had been 2 years since we had seen his step mom so everyone jumped at the chance to see her. 

Here are some pics of the weekend!

We enjoyed AMAZING barbeque at Hog Heaven on Friday.

Then we went bowling - next time I might need the bummers...I think my average of three games was 68 :)

Saturday we had a house full - 19 people total.  It was a great time!  The kids had their own area and the adults stayed in the den by the fire to catch up.

We had tons of food!  We had burgers, broccoli salad, baked beans, chips, mac n cheese, cookies and oreo balls!

We felt so blessed this weekend and are so fortunate to have such an amazing family!! Thank you everyone for coming to visit!  I'm glad to know that our house can handle 19 people!

~Julia

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year the BF and I are celebrating our 2nd Valentine's together, it's crazy how time flies!  Last year I made him dinner ~ chicken & dumplings.  So this year he is surprising me with a homemade meal.

Over the weekend we did some pretty fun things: we did Friday Happy Hour at SweetWater.  If you have never been, you must go!  For $10 you get a SW beer glass and 6 drinks tickets (each ticket gets you about 3/4 glass of beer).  Or you can do what I do and get the "driver's glass" - a small punch cup and you get 6 refills.

After happy hour we headed over the Park Tavern for Yacht Rock's valentine concert.  YR is a smoothe rock band that plays covers from the 70's & 80's.  I didn't know as many songs this time, but it was still a ton of fun to dance with the BF. 

Saturday I made the BF breakfast ~ biscuits and sausage gravey!  The gravey was incredibly easy to make, just cook the sausage, add 2 tablespoons of flour, let it dissolve, then add 1 cup of milk and simmer. 

I added some of Emmalea's Apple Butter to my biscuit and it was delicious.  The apple butter had a strong cinnamon flavor and reminded me of apple pie.

Later that day the BF and I enjoyed a couple's massage at Natural Body.  I found it to be very relaxing and enjoyable.  However, I don't know if the BF was 100% sold.  He told me he would have preferred to be on the beach while having the massage ~ I'll keep that in mind next time ;-)

Enjoy your Valentine's!  Stop to smell the roses and eat some candy!

~Elizabeth

Valentines Wreath

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Only one more day until Valentine's Day! 

 

 

I've seen so many cute holiday wreaths on Pinterest lately that I had to make one for Valentine's Day!  All you need is a styrofoam wreath, felt and twine.

Step 1: Wrap twine around styrofoam wreath - hot glue the twine in place every couple of inches

Step 2: Add a loop so you can hang your wreath - I hot glued mine in place then wrapped twine around the ends

Step 3: Create Hearts on computer (I used Microsoft Word), print them out and then cut them so you can use them as stencils

Step 4: Trace paper hearts onto felt and cut out

Step 5: Hot glue felt hearts to wreath

Pin It

 I hope everyone has a fun evening planned for tomorrow night!  The hubs and I are staying in and making dinner. 

What plans do you have for Valentine's Day?

~Julia

What I'm loving Friday!!

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone has had a great week.  Who else is celebrating Valentine's this weekend?? The BF and I are getting a couples massage Saturday, it'll be his first massage.  Then we'll probably go out for a nice dinner.  We'll probably stay in on the actual day and cook a fun dinner together, I'm not a huge fan of the over-priced prix fixe meals.  And it's nice to be in the kitchen with the BF!!

What I'm loving Friday:

this Tory Burch tote

bowling with the BF

yummy food: Jalapeno hummus

upcoming trip to NOLA

pretty flowers



fun cocktails

Have a great weekend! 

~Elizabeth

The Boyfriend 15lbs.....

Julia and I really try to focus our blog on DIY crafts, recipes, and southern fun.  But I would like to switch gears a bit.  Sorry in advance to the BF - but I am going to blame him for my weight gain! 

The BF and I have been together for over a year and in that time I have gained 6lbs.  I attribute this to our dates which seem to be focused on food and drinks.  And the fact that I think I can eat as much as he can.  My clothes are snug and I just feel unhappy with how I look.  

In an effort to keep my self accountable for everything I do and eat, I am going to add a "Weight and Fitness" tab to the blog.  I will keep you updated on what I eat each day and how much I exercise. 

Stats:

I am a petite person, only 5'3".  Last year I weighed 108 lbs.

This year I weigh 114 lbs.  It's amazing how an extra 6lbs can make you feel.

Monday, February 6th:

Food for the day: chai tea (TJ's mix with hot water); 2 cuties; fat free cottage cheese and pineapple chunks; romaine salad with garbanzo beans, peanuts, cucumber, carrots, swiss cheese and sundried tomato dressing; and a Healthy Choice chicken primavera. 

Workout: 45 min Spin Class, 17.5 miles

Tuesday, February 7th:

Food for the day:  chai tea; 2 cuties; maple & brown sugar oatmeal; white cheddar rice cakes, wheat thins & laughing cow cheese

Workout:  40 mins. on the eliptical, about 3.1 miles

I am not an expert in healthy diets or work out routines.  My goal is to figure out a balanced/healthy lifestyle that works for me.

~Elizabeth

Super Bowl Nachos

What better way to enjoy a football game than with some nachos!! The hubs and I love nachos so we decided to make some for the Super Bowl. 

Ingredients:

Ground Turkey

Onion

Green Pepper

Salsa

Cheese

Pinto Beans

Instant Spanish Rice

Tomato

Pickled Jalepenos

Taco Seasoning

Sour Cream

Tortillas

Step 1: Saute ground turkey, onion, and green pepper
Step 2: Add taco seasoning to cooked meat mixture

Step 3: Layer ingredients on an oven safe tray

Step 4: Cook at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until cheese is melted)

Yummo!!  These nachos were delicious!  I can't say they are the healthiest but they are definitely the perfect thing to enjoy while watching football!

~Julia