Hurry Up Summer!

Even though it has been a solid week of dark clouds and rain I somehow managed to peel myself off the sofa and get some things done. We went to a couple of yard sales on Saturday and found a couple cool things. Kenny had duty on Sunday so after a picnic on base Nelly and I went home to watch a day full of the Harry Potter marathon on TV.

Yesterday I did a little gardening. No, I am not a gardener, my mother is, but I don't think I got the gene. So worse case scenario these plants die a painful death from anything from being too crowded in a pot or dehydration. Even if this is a fail I am giving myself an A+ for effort.  I also planted some lavender and some tomatoes. Do it big, eh?  

Here are our two garage sale finds. We found this chest for $10. Kenny knocked the legs off, painted it white, and distressed it. We ran out of white paint, tragedy!, so it needs another coat but you get the idea!

Garage sale find number 2 from a different garage sale is this stained little booger. It was fifteen dollars and we snatched it up, painted it white, and we thought the fabric looked brand spanking new so we didn't even have to change it!

Kidding! It looked like the man trained his dog to use the bathroom on it! Graphic and dramatic, my apologies, it really wasn't that bad. But it was definitely a must that it be recovered. So boom shacka lacka-

  Here are a couple of shots of the living room-

 I finally found a lampshade for the lamp I recovered a few months ago. My friend Whitney gave me the super cute and totally chic frame, and the books well, let me tell you. Kenny and I like to torture ourselves by going into Restoration Hardware; we drool over everything and can afford next to none of it. We saw these cool books (first picture) for $30 a stack and decided to try to make them. At a garage sale a couple weeks back we bought 8 books for $2 and ripped the covers off and beat them up a bit. Then we bought some stuff to tie around them for $3 and boom boom pow we saved $55!! We have the other set on our shelves in the hallway.

 I know I already posted a picture of the armoire but we put some clear knobs on it and sanded it a lot more, so now again here is the finished product.

Yes, I just took all those pictures from different angles to cut out our sofa. The slipcover was a total flop and Kenny and I are now pinching our pennies to save up for a new ektorp sofa from Ikea. Once we get it, then you can expect some full room shots! 

I hope this video works. Last night Nelly was a total diva. Before bed, just like every night in the last year and eight months of her life she goes into the kennel. Last night she played dead (a trick she has not been taught) when I said "kennel." Normally she walks right in, not last night. She knows roll over but she did not wag her tail and roll right back over like she normally does. So, enjoy.

 Sunny days like today remind me of how ready I am for summer. VA is so much more enjoyable when I can spend it outside in pretty weather. I even decided to cut the grass today. Believe it or not, I have never cut grass, and I have certainly never cut wild African mosquito fest grass. Here is a picture of half cut- half not. I spent two hours cutting, raking, and cutting again. And then quit. So sure Kenny will have to finish it after work, but let me tell you, the hardest part has been done.

This weekend we are headed to bring home puppy! Kenny hasn't decided on a name yet. His tops are - Kashi, Bear, Rambo, Nugget, and Chaco. What do you think this sweet thing's name should be? 

As of now Kenny calls him our little Cadbury Creme Egg. So appropriate.