let it snow!

It was a snowy night in Duluth. Henry and I awoke to the rumbling of the neighborhood snow blowers. I didn't get any photos because I was snuggled in bed, but Henry scurried outside with his shovel. Then scurried inside when some friendly neighborhood fellows offered to take over the job with their machines.  I was comforted by the feeling of being a part of such generous community. Henry's feelings were a little different, he is dying to get himself one of those snow blowers.

Although I didn't take part in the snow removal in the wee hours, today happen to be our annual women's snowshoe outing at work. Timing is everything.

Picture our Progress

Although we have not ripped out any carpet or stirred up any paint...yet, progress is slowly being made. This weekend we tackled putting some of our art work on the walls. Nothing helps a place feel cozier than familiar decor. Plus, how I have missed my treasures.

Sunday Morning Blues

Henry and I bought this together in Memphis and I love it!

 We replaced the kitchen light with an Antique Store treasure below.

(The photo sucks because I was always trying to avoid the fixture in my shots, if it's your style, let me know and I will get it to you. Otherwise, you can find this beauty at the GW)

I think this is the perfect light for any kitchen!

The print is another piece of art we got in Memphis, signed by the artist. 

A wedding gift from my dad. This clock is perfect for our new living room.

"Welcome Home, Treasures"

Side Note:

Two gals I work with bought me these festive little creatures.

Can you believe they didn't plan it and it was a surprise to all of us?

Is my taste that transparent?

tweet tweet

 I plan to paint the back of these shelves for a pop of color, in time:)

Lastly, Henry's corner of the house, his office

I scored this map case while visiting a junk shop with my mom.
 It has 7 pull down, very fragile maps of the world.

'Twas a Steal! 

Wall size map of Lake Superior.

For gigantic size idea, this is the only wall in the house, without obstacles that this map would fit.
I bought it from my workplace, let me know if you want one.

 If you ever need your coordinates, call Henry!

See, I am not just sitting around watching Home Alone and Christmas with the Krank's, things are getting done and we are feeling more at home with every bit of progress.



Trick or Sheet

A couple of years ago Henry and I left town and our Stella sitter, Danielle, laundered our sheets. I was so amazed at the way she packaged them up into a neat little pile...you know, folding a fitted sheet is a nightmare. So, although Danielle is the brilliance behind the sheet, I claim this trick as my own.

 6 Easy Steps to Manage your Sheets

First, the mess of sheets

 Second, the fitted sheet eye sore

 Third, the trick...

fold the straight sheet until you can snuggle the fitted sheet inside

 Fourth, fold

 Fifth, fold again

 Sixth, enjoy the crisp look of your sheet package

 Linen Closet Bliss

Am I the last to know how to neatly fold up a set of sheets?

P.S. Giveaway winner, the real news of the day, randomly selected by random.org is number 2...KATHY! Thanks for participating:)

GIVEAWAY!

I love it when bloggers host giveaways so, 'Tis the Season...

2 burlap pillows with garage sale pillow guts!



The Giveaway low down:
1. Anyone can win!
2. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog letting me know where you would throw your new pillows!
3. I will ship them, even to Alaska!
4. Bonus Entry: Become a follower and let me know by leaving an additional comment
5. Winner will be randomly picked and announced first thing 12/17

a sunnier sun room

First order of business...Anyone notice my new blog header? Anyone? My friend Tracy made it for me and I love it! Thank you thank you thank you!

Progress is being made, this weekend, I put together our sun room. No purchases were made to make this happen, I just scrounged up all the things seen below from my decoration stock...



I made all of these pillows seen in the photos below.

The guts are garage sale pillows!

 Pillow forms can be pricey, but people put their old throw pillows in the "free box."

I scored the metal table (spray painted orange:) for a quarter, I repeat a quarter, twenty five cents!

I slapped some paint on an old piano bench, how charming!

I am dying for Stella to get comfy on the big floor pillow. I just lurk around with my camera waiting to capture the moment.

Easy storage, with room to grow.

A cute basket for our hats and mittens, some greens, Stella's food and of course more pillows!

The art work is the homemade program I made for our wedding. I just slapped some chalk board paint on a piece of wood and got busy laying out the events of the ceremony.

Cord tip, wrap it up and bind it with a pretty bow! No cord chaos allowed in the Lovely Residence.

I will get to that outlet later, yikes.

Oh, the places we have gone...Henry and I mark our travel destinations on this map.

The chair, I love the chair! I local shop was going out of bizz and I took this chair of their hands.

If only all of our rooms could magically be this sunny!

P.S. Tune in tomorrow for my first blog give away:) How exciting!

Paper Poinsettia

Not having my decor in order for this year's Christmas Season, I was elated when my friend gave me this cheery house warming gift, a homemade paper poinsettia. How cute? If I knew where my ribbons were tucked away, I would throw a big green gingham bow around the pot..

There is nothing I like more than a homemade gift

Amy, thanks for the long lasting, maintenance free holiday gift! 



Spin Cycle

Knowing we would need to purchase a washer and dryer for our new home, I jumped online to do some homework. I looked at consumer reports, customer feedback and comparison charts, time and time again Samsung seem to shine, boasting the best quality for the price. I felt convinced, but still shuttered at the thought of handing over our credit card number! As time crept closer to our moving date we took a trip to the appliance store.



This is what our laundry room looked like last week

 and this is us trying to remedy our piles of dirty laundry, with good spirits
so many brands, colors and settings
electric or gas?
steam dryer or not?
front loaders or the new top loaders (they claim to be just as efficient)?
white or red or silver?

Considering our shortage of funds this month,

 it was a challenge not to tell the service folks to load up the cheapest set in the store.

Naturally, I was attracted to the prettiest set, but prettier equals pricier.

We quickly became tired and overwhelmed.

So, I did what I always do, I found a sales clerk and asked,

"where is the best set for the best price?"

The gal marched me right over to the Samsungs, no joke.

Of course we didn't pull the trigger on our first visit, like any good consumer we waited until the last minute and drove all the way back up the hill to buy the exact set that we settled on the first trip.

Thanks to Grandfather Bill for our new washing machine!
We will do your laundry any time!

Tada!

Now for some quick facts, that we learned along the way. Perhaps making your washer/dryer purchase more efficient.

1. Love the pretty colors, me too...there is probably a white option for less money. Plus, consider where you are doing laundry.

2. Steam Dryer, hmm no ironing? Much more expensive and the Internet claims that unless you have a job that requires a suit, then the steam option is probably not worth it. I believe everything the Internet says:)

3. Front Loaders vs. New Style Top Loaders? Both energy efficient but now the front loaders are cheaper than the fancy energy efficient uprights.

4. Front Loading pedestals? Save your money, they are about 230.00 each...bend at the knees or build your own.

5. You know the Sears commercials that rave about "same day delivery"- FALSE

6. If you have a gas dryer option, it will cost you a little more up front, but save you lots of money and energy over the life of your new dryer.

Happy Shopping!

It's official, we are living in chaos...

and we have a new address.

Henry and I arrived home late Tuesday from our Oregon Vacation and spent every waking minute (that we weren't at our "real" jobs) packing and moving, now we are busy unpacking and arranging.

You might have expected to see pictures of Henry, my mom and sister, my friend and two college fellas laughing and enjoying the day moving. Not the case, we were all exhausted and there was not an ounce of energy left in me to pop around snapping photos. I am not even going to show you photos of our crap scattered around the house.

Here is a list of accomplishments:
1. I organized my closet
2. Henry organized his closet...kind of :)
3. Henry set up our new washer and dryer
4. I set up our new microwave, you know, someone had to plug it in
5. Stella manages to find her food and water bowl, move after move
6. I cleaned the bathrooms
7. Henry figured out how to use the gas fireplace
8. The cable guy came this morning...AMEN!
9. We happily shared our first night with my mom and sister
10. I organized some of the kitchen, and snapped a few photos...

 it may appear that we eat a lot of oatmeal...

think again, one is rolled, the other instant

 our new microwave, my favorite way to cook, everything!

2nd Street Interior No. 3/3

The Nooks and Crannies Tour

I thought I would show you the last of the house pics before the big move tomorrow. This is my chance to show off the house without all of our junk treasures cluttering the photos.

A Double Car Garage

one of our musts

 There are three windows in the top floor, if you can't remember, take a look

Bedroom, Bathroom, Bedroom

(I like to call it the Bathroom Sandwich)

Henry calls this the 'wine cellar',

I like to call this 'the creepy stairs to nowhere'

 Remember the laundry chutes?

Here is the destination, a laundry bin the size of Lake Superior

 Oh my gosh! What happened to our washer and dryer?

That's right, the house didn't come with them.

Stay tuned for my tutorial on buying a washer and dryer...

 The very last visit to the house before it was officially ours we found this little present.

A Brand New Dehumidifier.

We don't know who left it, but we sure do appreciate it.

Grand Finale

Stella's very own backyard

The next time you hear from me we will be official residents of our new house.