It's surprising how much excitement a table brings me.

It's funny because just the other day I was talking to my sewing guru, Mrs. Dent. We discussed the projects she was working on and the fabric I had just bought. And we laughed about the fact that I didn't have a sewing area.

My sewing machine stays stored in our office/guest room until I pull it out and place it on either our coffee table or dining table and work away at a make-shift station.

A couple weeks ago I saw this beautiful table at my favorite antique/resale store. I fell in love instantly. I mean, it has a 36" ruler carved into the wood! But one look at the price tag and I walked away. It's not that it was extraordinarily priced - it was, after all, a lovely table - it's just that I couldn't really justify the purchase.

For one thing, where would it go?

So I went home. And for the next three weeks I thought about that table and where it could go and how I would use it and how my sewing machine would love it.

Yesterday I decided that enough was enough. I had just received the store's monthly newsletter with a 10% off coupon. So I figured, I would call them and see if it was still there (things move so quickly in their store, I thought for sure it would be gone).

I left a message before work asking them about the table and then for the next 3 hours I got really anxious. I just knew that someone had snatched it up. When I got off there were no missed calls which in my mind immediately meant that it was gone.

But I drove by the shop anyway. Just to see. I walked in and was called over by the owner who was eating her lunch. I told her I called earlier and that I was sure it wasn't there but I just stopped by to check if it was...

"Oh it IS, dear!" She said. "A woman just walked out of here with measurements of it to see if it would work for what she needed. But I asked her if she wanted me to put it on hold for her and she said no that she would just come back at another time..."

"I'll take it." I jumped in quickly. "I've been thinking about that table for weeks!"

I managed to get that thing in my little Cavalier and off we went. I then spent the next 3 hours rearranging our bedroom so that I would have a place to put it.

I couldn't be happier with it. I can't wait to start sewing our new quilt.

Happy Friday!

Departures

This week we've said quite a few goodbyes. None were permanent, but all were sad regardless. We said goodbye to Dan's parents last Sunday, goodbye to my parents and grandma Tuesday, and yesterday we said goodbye to Chris.


Dan's known him since high school and by a weird twist of luck (fate? God's wrath?) we all ended up here in North Carolina. He's Army, and about two weeks ago he found out he was deploying this month.


We're sad to see him go. Having a face from back home makes NC feel more like home (the humidity quickly reminds me that it's not). All this to say: goodbyes suck.


Return safely, buddy. 

thrifty finds

Except, it was antique-ing which, as we all know, is way more expensive than thrifting. When my in-laws came out a couple months ago, Lisa and I went to a few antique stores and ever since I've wanted to go back and explore. There is a huge antique community out here that I haven't noticed as much on the West Coast, probably because the East Coast has way more history than the West Coast and therefore more old stuff. I went to a few shops today looking for some type of trunk or chest that I could store blankets in since we have zero closet space. This proved difficult since, as previously stated, antique shops tend to be expensive. 

And then I found that beauty. He was residing in an old church turned antique store. He was hidden under tons of knick-knacks and stowed behind an old rocking horse. I fell in love. It's blue and distressed. It traveled the Cunard Line. It's huge. And it's just beautiful. Best part? A good $50-100 cheaper than other trunks/chests that I have found that were smaller. I was actually expecting to find an old wooden trunk, and there were some fabulous ones, but this steamer trunk has my heart. 

p.s. I am considering changing my name to match the initials of the original owner. Suggestions are welcome. 

Why I love Pinterest

Because my fabulous friends (in this case Brandilyn) find amazing ideas and share them and then I steal the idea and feel much better about my home. I didn't do a before picture, partly because I forgot and partly because nobody wants to see the disaster that was our refrigerator. Disaster like hadn't cleaned it since we moved in disaster. Gross. I just shared that. Well this idea inspired me to get to work. And then magic happened. My refrigerator was clean and organized. That just happened. We need to go shopping, that fridge looks way too empty. 

Good Ole' Fashioned Bedroom Makeover

Remember when you were a kid and you were bored or your room was boring and so you moved everything around to give it a new look? Maybe that was just me. Well, I did that the other day. Our room was getting just a little frustrating because we had mostly moved in but I still had two big plastic storage boxes that were acting as Dan's nightstand and clothes were still everywhere. So, I buckled down and put the full storage box in the closet and the empty storage box in the office for when we finally buckle down to organize that room, I moved my mini-chest over to Dan's side of the bed so he would have a night stand and moved my little book/storage shelf over by the window where it was more out of the way. After hanging up clothes and vacuuming, the room looked so nice and comfortable. But today. Today I got some unused wedding gifts out of the closet. In the summer it is so humid and hot we only need sheets and maybe one blanket and our needs are met in this beautiful orange quilt from Crate & Barrel that I love. 

More recently the temperatures have dropped and I freeze in the middle of the night so I brought out the queen sized down comforter and the shabby chic duvet cover that has been sitting in the closet lonely. Oh My Goodness. I love it. It totally changed the look of the room. Don't you love little makeovers? We still need a headboard and I am planning on making it once we get back from California but I just love the new look. It feels like a little cottage B&B.

I was so excited about using it that I didn't wash it so it's still wrinkly,  oops :)

Do you have any fun ideas on how to spruce up your living space?

and we're back

Dan graduated from the Naval Justice School on Friday morning -- it was the shortest and most pleasant military event I've been to to date! They were sworn in and Dan was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He looks so good in his uniform! 

We had packed everything in the truck the night before so after the ceremony we jetted to the car and got on the road. The trip is a 13+ hour drive without traffic, but seeing as we were going to pass through NY and DC we were expecting traffic somewhere on route. We wanted to make the whole trip in one big drive, we just couldn't stand the idea of sleeping in another hotel room. Dan accomplished it like a pro. It was a long drive and we didn't get home until about 12:30 am (that's about 15 hours in the car). We made it home and crashed pretty hard. But when we woke up in our apartment the next morning, it was alll worth it. 

going home :)

The old adage is "Home is Where the Heart Is," and I totally agree with this in theory. RI has been great and the fact that Dan and I were together made the time go by faster than had we been alone, and I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait to get back to North Carolina. (It is doubly odd that I even consider North Carolina as home since I've spent more time here in Newport than I have in Wilmington.)

In my mind home is:

*where our super comfortable bed is

*where the rest of my clothes are

*where our couch is

*where our kitchen is (stove, refrigerator, and all)

*where my future job is

*where my future school is

*where my cat will be in just a few short months!

The list goes on but you get the idea. I'm super excited to get back. I'm even looking forward to the 13+ hour drive to get there. I get where the writer

was going when they said "Home is Where the Heart Is," but they obviously weren't cramped in a tiny hotel room for two and a half months. James Taylor had it right when he said "In my mind I'm going to Carolina..."

Teeny, tiny room in Newport, RI

Our Kitchen in Wilmington (This is what we missed the most)