4 Dogs + 2 people

This weekend was the first weekend in 6 weekends that we did not have people in our house

 (besides ourselves) so we were really looking forward to it!  

Then our friends asked us if we could dog sit their two dogs for one night... we were like sure!

Then our other friends called because she going to be induced early and they needed us to also help watch their dog.

So dog party at our house!!!!

4 dogs + 2 people

Sleeping was very interesting!

All and all it was a very good weekend and I do not know who was more tired (after multiple long long walks)- Joe or the dogs. 

Man Desk

Part of our energy this year is making our house more functional.

We found while we loved our living room, it was totally not functional.

I blogged previously, after one night of drinking and watching Shark Tank, Joe rearranged our room.

We loved it but it was missing something on the far wall.

After much consideration, we decided to make this a desk that way we could conduct all of our "living" on the main floor and not have to run up and down the stairs.  

Looking for a desk was not easy. 
First, I thought we would try to match the browns of the current wood but that proved to be too hard.  Then  we both wanted different things in a desk. 
I wanted it to fit in with the rest of our furniture as we may not always live in this house and Joe wanted something big enough  and make of good wood that he could spread out all of his stuff on it.  

As we looked everywhere, and yes I mean everywhere, we both loved the idea of a little hutch and decided that going with black finish was the best options because all our furniture in our bedroom is black, as well as the new guestroom, and all of the basement furniture.  

After looking everywhere, we headed back to Belfort Furniture in Dulles.  

We went in and were out with our desk in our car in less than 30 minutes.

It was heavy but both Joe and I carried it upstairs and but the legs one which took all of 5 minutes.  

WAHOO!!!

Our new living area!

Joe is in love with his new man area and I now need to find something to will do as a better chair. 
For right now we are just using the leather cube that went with our leather chairs which actually works well but I think we need something more long term.  

 

A little bit of Sunshine

I am on a quest to find Gloria Jean French Vanilla K-Cups.

I am in love with this coffee.  

It is like a little bit of sunshine to get my day started at 5 am!

However, I have not been able to find it anywhere!

I have looked at Target, Walmart, Macys,  Costco and Wegmans.  

So on Saturday I was running some errands and I decided to stop to look for my K cups at Bed Bath and Beyond when I spotted the most perfect pillows to go into our new guestroom down stairs.  

We ended up ordering a gray coverlett and decided to use white sheets and then to find some pillows to add some color.  These pillows were perfect and with my 20% coupons (I bought two so used two coupons) + a gift card I recieved for my birthday.  They were the perfect price.  

I brought them home and they matched perfectly to the yellow chair which Joe painted last week.

So while I am still on the hunt for Gloria Jean French Vanilla K-cups, 

I at least found some pillows to let some sunshine in. 

Color of Summer!

Joe has been doing alot of projects for me lately which I love.

Now that we have a new rocking chair in our bedroom,
the old green wicker chair needed to find a new home.  

I had the perfect space, the additional guestroom we are working on in the basement. 
We already have a guestroom upstairs but decided to make the little room downstairs into another one. 
The color scheme will be gray and yellow!  

The walls are already gray so I thought it would be fun to add a pop of yellow coloring with the chair.

Of course, Joe was very hestistant because we tend to not have that many bright things in our house.  

So I went to Home Depot and picked up Rust-Oleum 2X Painter's Touch 12 oz. Satin Sun Yellow.

I decided to test it out on a little pot that I was also planning on putting in the room.  

 I put it in the room and had Joe think about it.  

We decided we liked it if we kept most of the room with themes of gray with maybe some yellow pillows on the bed.  So Saturday I went off for a girl date with my friend and her two year old and came home to a finished chair!

 Just for the record, I am becoming a spray paint lover!!!

Making Chores Less Hassel

One of my jobs around the house is laundry.  

I normally do it every Tuesday or Wednesday night.  

Joe's job is to bring everything down for me, and then when I am done bring it all up.

(In our dream house, our laundry room will be on the same level as our bedroom!)

However, lately Joe has been helping with the laundry in order to let me workout in the evening, which I totally appreciate.  That being said I came upon two products that are making our life easier, more organized and less cluttered, and also less messy.  

Product 1:  Bounce Dryer Bar

Instead of buying dryer sheets and having to put one in each time and the have to take it out before Clemson eats it because for some reason he loves them.  You just placed the the bar in the dryer and in our experience it last about 3-4 months. It also means I do not have to store the dryer sheets.  

Of note you can also get coupons online for them =0)

It is about 50cents more expensive when you do the math but one less thing we both have to think about!  That and I love the smell. 

 Dryer bar holder

 Dryer bar.  

Product 2:  Tide Pods

I HATE how washing machine detergent is sticky and always makes a mess and that you have to measure it.  So I got a major coupon for these Tide Pods and decided to give them a whirl.  

Basically it is the same concept as our dishwashing soap- one package, one load. 

This product is still in the experimental phase so right now I am loving it.  

It is cost effective if purchased on sale or with a coupon.  And now they carry it at COSTCO!!!  I need to compare their prices though. 

Fun Storage Idea

So I was given a beautiful hydragea by my hubby that came in a cute little pale. 

After we enjoyed the hydrangea inside for a while,

 I decided to place it outside with our other hydrangeas to help it come back each year.    

This left me with a pretty blue pale and nothing to use it for!

Then my sister-in-law and some other friends gave me bath products for my brithday because they know I loves baths and anything girlie.  

That being said with it being so hot lately, I am not in a bath mood.  

Blue pale comes into the picture as a cute way to store all these products in our bathroom next to our bath until I am ready to use them!

And yes those are birthday cupcakes bath salts!  

=0)

Mid-Year Review

You may remember that I published some 2012 life goals for myself in January.  

Well since it is now July, I thought it would be a good time to reflect upon them and see how I was doing.

New Year 2012 Goals

1. Embrace a healthier lifestyle
1. Eliminate sweets
2. Limit to 1 alcohol drink a week- At first this was hard but now but now piece of cake!
3. Increase vegetables and fruits We have pretty much cut out as much processed foods as we can and are eating more fruits and veggies
4. Decrease carbs and increase protein
5. Continue to take multivitamin and calcium supplements
6. Lose 5 pounds. -  So far I have lost 3 1/2 which is great!
2. Exercise more
1. Participate either in a Marathon or a Tri- I was entered to run a Marathon a couple week prior to my getting in to an accident and being re-ended and having a lumbar strain.  So following doctors orders I did not... well there is always this fall?
2. Make time for exercise at least 4 times a week  Pretty much running 3-5 miles 3-4 times a week and walking Clemson at least two miles a day
3. Try to incorporate stretching and yoga into running routine. -  Attempted Yoga and failed- I hated it, but I do regular core and stretching exercises now.
3. Broaden my cooking
1. Attempt 1 new recipe ever 2 weeks.   We are trying 1 new recipe every week!
2. Update recipe book
4. Broaden my knowledge
1. Read at least 3 books a month- trying to pick 1 fiction, 1 non-fiction, and 1 medical.
2. Keep a spread sheet of books you have read
5. Spend more time with others
1. Keep date night regularly with hubby
2. See friends and family as much as possible  We have been so busy this year that I am actually looking forward to the month of July when we don't have much scheduled. 
6. Be financial smart
1. You the want vs need system to help eliminate unnecessary purchases
2. Decreasing eating out
3. Use gift cards- We have used most of them but still have some left over
4. Put $X to savings each month
5. Put $X each month into investments
7. Travel
1. ENJOY LIFE!!!!! 

Now some Goals that I have added since then:
8.  Mangage Work Life better.
9.  Say NO to Drama!   
10.  Stop worrying about thing that can't change
11.  Be yourself.  

Now these goals are more personal stuff that is not measurable like the ones above but I have found since both Joe and I have started encorporating these into our lives, we feel better.   


Have you met all your goals?