A Compromise

If you'll remember, I redid the guest bedroom with new bedding and a lamp. You can see the entire post here. 

The finished project looked like this: 

We lived with it for a while, and Chris mentioned that maybe we could tone it down a bit. So I went on the hunt for a woven blanket or quilt that I could use to break things up a bit. 

Finally, I found one from Peacock Alley that was tremendously discounted, and I snatched it up!

Here you can see the sheets, blanket and comforter.

I think the added layer really works.

Porter still likes it too. 

A Compromise

If you'll remember, I redid the guest bedroom with new bedding and a lamp. You can see the entire post here. 

The finished project looked like this: 

We lived with it for a while, and Chris mentioned that maybe we could tone it down a bit. So I went on the hunt for a woven blanket or quilt that I could use to break things up a bit. 

Finally, I found one from Peacock Alley that was tremendously discounted, and I snatched it up!

Here you can see the sheets, blanket and comforter.

I think the added layer really works.

Porter still likes it too. 

How do you suck it up?

Vacuuming is big business in my house. 

We vacuum every day. 

This is not an exaggeration. 

If I don't vacuum the downstairs by the time Chris gets home, he does it. The upstairs gets vacuumed at least once, or twice, a week. 

So, vacuuming is a big deal. Almost six years ago, when we got married, we chose a canister vacuum. It looks like this one:

Before we purchased it--actually it was a gift. Thanks!--I did my due diligence in research. At the time, we lived in a one-story, all-wood-floors home. From my research, canisters are the best vacuums for hard-surface flooring. 

Today, the vacuum is slowly falling apart. There are tears in the electrical cord, where we've run over it with the canister. The carpet-rolling part only works when you turn the handle all the way to the right. And, Chris took off a piece of the handle cover so "it would work better." 

Now that it's falling apart, Chris declares it a piece of crud and says we should buy something totally different. Just for the record, this vacuum has vacuumed approximately 2,190 times. It's survived 3 moves, and it DOES still work. SIX years later!!

With that being said, I agree it's time for a new one. But what should we buy? 

I may be the only person left, but I love bagged vacuums. I really don't think I want to dump out all the dirt and hair. It seems like it would make another huge mess. Also, remember, we have a lot of hair in our house: a cat, a dog and me. Doesn't all the hair get tangled up in those "filters"? Currently, I like just taking the filled bag out of the vacuum and throwing it away in its nice, contained package. 

Chris thinks an upright would be easier to manage than chasing around the canister and cord. I don't entirely disagree. However, most of the uprights I've seen weight a minimum of 25 pounds. I can't imagine lugging that up and down our stairs almost every day! And, most uprights are bag-less. 

So this is where you come in, dear readers. 

What vacuum do you use? Do you like it? Are bag-less vacuums gross? 

I'm up for any and all suggestions!

Oh, and I don't want to pay $500 or something crazy.....so go!

A place for everything

And everything in its place!

I've been after Chris for quite some time about the sideboard in our dining room. 

I knew in my heart that it actually belonged in our bedroom. The wood and lines would go with our bed perfectly.

However, the only kind of change Chris likes is the kind in his pocket. 

The movers had put our dining room table facing into the window. In Chris' mind, the table was put in glue. Now, we couldn't turn the table without moving the sideboard. Soooo...we just lived with it.

The really good thing about the sideboard in the dining room was that it offered incredible storage and a nice place to serve or place cakes and presents.

Finally, I broke. I wanted to purchase new chairs for our dining table, and I knew the table needed to be turned to make that happen, AND the sideboard would finish out our master bedroom. 

SO, I cleaned out the sideboard. Turned out that if I reorganized my other cabinets, all of our things would fit.

Empty sideboard...minus the cat.  

With the sideboard empty, I asked Chris to move it into our bedroom. And then I left the house. Somethings are better done without me there. 

When I returned home, I asked Chris to help me move the table 180 degrees. He obliged. Then he said, "that looks better already." 

Yes, sir. Yes, it does. 

Now, we just need a small cabinet of some kind for the space on the right. And we need to rehang the mirror to be centered. And we need new chairs and really a new table. And we need some more art. 

Maybe this is why Chris isn't a fan of change?

Then Chris went out of town. So I went shopping. 

I found these two canvases for our bedroom and the box lamp. I wanted two of the lamps, but there was only one. I think it looks good, but I may hunt for a matching one. With a few more touches, our bedroom may actually be finished!

Now back to shopping. 

Practice makes perfect

Our neighbor, Amy, had her birthday party last weekend, and she asked me to make her a cake. I was so flattered and happy to do it. 

She requested the strawberry cake and icing from Nicole's shower...you know, the cake that almost killed me? 

But, instead of the crazy vertical layers, she just wanted strawberry. Piece of cake!

And, for the icing that speckled my entire kitchen last time, I decided to make the batch in two parts. I made half the batch of icing, and then the other half. This technique changed the entire experience! The icing was easier to manage and mixed better, making a nice consistency. It didn't overflow the mixing bowl, and we won't be finding specks of it until Christmas. Miraculous! 

So it turns out that The Cake That Almost Killed Me actually taught me something. 

I feel like there is a life lesson in there.