Vision revision

Frequently this happens to me - I come up with an idea of what I would like to do to the house and once I start the project, things begin to change. Yesterday, Joe and I made a trip to Ikea with the in-laws. We were going for chairs for the living room. I also wanted to look at nightstands for the bedroom because the ones we had were just terrible, but I'll save that for another day. Back to the chairs, I had researched what I wanted and I had settled on a nice pair. A nice slim lined chair that was a great dark grey color and a wicker chair to add a little texture to the room. Joe was not on board for the wicker chair from go. Once we made it to Ikea to try out the wicker chair, I had a change of heart. Turns out it was not as sturdy as I was looking for. It's always good to have sturdy items with a Newfy around. Sweets has a tendency to rearrange our furniture and it needs to last.

The change of heart left me with a small dilemma; I needed another chair. Just as I was about to settle on a twin set, I noticed Sharon and Joe enjoying this very modern chair. I took it for a spin and really enjoyed it as well. I also loved the great floral pattern that made up the fabric. It was the texture I was looking for. After some more wandering through the massiveness that is Ikea, we finally made our way to grab our furniture. Unfortunately they were out of the fabric that I really enjoyed, so I settled for plain old black. It's growing on me, but I'm still quite sad about the lack of pattern. I know I can spruce it up with a vibrant pillow and all will be well :).


Furniture acquired, on to the house for setting up. Here is where the vision revision really comes into play. Not only had I changed my mind about the wicker chair, I got a very modern chair for our living room that I feel has more classic lines. After everything was set up last night, I started having doubts about the modern chair. It just looked so misplaced. I woke this morning convinced it would be going back. After sitting in it for a while, I really started enjoying the comfort of it. I mean, it doesn't look like much, but it is a really comfy chair. Joe and I ventured out today for a few more accessories, and I have to say I am really enjoying having a space to sit. With the addition of the chairs, I can finally say that I am done with the living room. It's cozy and it has changed from a very cold space to a much warmer space to be enjoyed.


Cheers!


***As usual, I must apologize for the terrible photos. One day I'll break down and get a real camera**

Homey Touches

Since my last post about the house, I've continued to add some "homey touches" to our living room. The most recent adds have all been free :). I've been digging around the house looking for lost items that I once enjoyed, or thought I didn't have the space for them and put them up today.

About a week ago, I was discussing with Joe about how I still felt like the living room needs a bit more. I had suggested we get the sister to the white bookshelf. The sister shelf is a three-shelf bookshelf. I thought the big grey blob was still lacking a bit. To me, there was no clear line of definition between the eating space and the living space. His response was OK, but let's wait till next paycheck. Well, in that waiting time I already had changed my mind. Good thing he's not as impulsive as me!

We are planning a big trip to Ikea next weekend, so I was searching chairs and such, and that's when I started getting antsy and needed to move things around. So move things I did. Recently I had moved the antique sewing machine under the stairs. I didn't like it from the moment I moved it, but I dealt with it. Having the sewing machine and the radio in the small space by the door was just too cramped for  me. It had to be moved. This morning I was even considering getting rid of it. I don't get too sentimental about objects, and I can get rid of something in a heartbeat.

After several minutes of moving furniture and me asking Joe's opinion and then changing things again, I am happy to say I am quite pleased with the results. Not only did furniture get moved, but I dug up some photographs, posters, and a great painting that my brother got me on a trip to Argentina.

 Oh, and the best add of all, which was not free- but the labor was, is a great light above the table. We got rid of that craptastic ceiling fan and now have a nice sleek light. Our eating space actually looks like a nice place to have a meal (not that we have very many at the table). 

Cheers!

What we started with.

What we started with.

A view of the "craptastic" fan.

The old set up. 

Sewing machine and radio in a tight space. 

Making progress...

Making progress...

Making progress...

Things have been moved!!

Print I picked up at the Market in Charleston, SC.

A better place for dinner.

Argentina painting. Eventually I am going to have it re-matted with a softer color.

A few things to note:

Along the wall with the door, behind the table, were three plaques. One said "live, laugh, love." One said "love is spoken here" and the last one read something super lame about happiness. They were a purchase from my youth that I thought were sooo cute. Turns out they were sooo lame. Not that they are bad mottos, but I don't need them on my wall. I can't tell you how happy Joe was when I told him they were hitting the road. In their place hangs a poster from a Ryan Adams concert we attended back in our college days. Flanking that is a signed print of the band My Morning Jacket.  

The old school desk chair used to reside where the sewing machine is now. Placing it next to the bookshelf gives that definition of space I was looking for. Adding the artwork on either sides of the shelves hanging finishes off the grey blob. 

We will be adding two new chairs and getting rid of the green chair. I do love that chair, but it is too overwhelming for the space. 

Welcome to Nerdom

Joe's current obsession...

 For years I have known deep down that I was a nerd. I usually hid this fact from many people and struggled to "fit" in, all the while there was always a pull from my inner nerd screaming to be released. Then, I met Joe, and my inner nerd found its nerdy soul mate and all was set right.

There are many types of nerds. There are those that play board games, those who play video games, those who worship movies and T.V., those who get lost in comics, and those that incorporate all or some of these things. I think Joe and I fall into the latter category. While we are not video and board game buffs, we are comic, movie and T.V. nerds. I might add that I myself am more of a movie nerd than Joe, and he more of a comic book nerd than I, but all in all we are pretty nerdy. I mean an epic Friday night for us is taking a trip to the mall in search of sweet T-shirts and then hitting up the local comic book shop just to "browse." We frequent re-runs of T.V. shows we've seen millions of times, and our basement is basically a shrine to the Muppets (OK it's a shrine).

Luckily, for our tiny house, I also suffer from a slight case of OCD and we (Joe) don't get to keep a lot of clutter.


As of late, I have been tapping in to my inner child and embracing the comic book nerd. Growing up my brothers and I were fans of The X-Men. We watched the cartoon religiously, we'd trek down to The Cluttered Closet to purchase various trading cards and sometimes frequent the comic books. I also have vague recollections of Thunder Cats, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and He-Man playing in the background. Joe has told me that while he was growing up his mom would have to tape Batman for him just so he'd go to school. I'm talking about the Adam West Batman, folks. Oh and then there was his WWF (WWE) stage, which I'm not convinced is actually over...

I've recently started joining Joe in his comic book nerdiness.  Trying various recommendations and even gaining comic book crushes. I'm being serious folks, crushes. I'm not alone in this though, Joey suffers from his own nerdy crushes, too.

Joe's love, the beautiful Pearl Jones...

Sarah's current crush, Marko...

The most exciting thing we have planned this year is a birthday visit to the Baltimore ComicCon in September. Just last night we were making our plans and deciding if we were gonna spring for a 2-day pass. Last year was a first for us, and I remember thinking, "Why haven't we been before!"

If you'd ever like to chat nerd, feel free to hit us up!

Cheers!


**Images courtesy of GoogleImage**