Here we go again

Change is coming to our household: the sweet hubby is coming home for good.

I am trying to not get too overly excited about this, after all I have six more days until he graduates. So I am trying to keep my cool. If I don't it will mean six more sleepless nights. And I am trying not to make a repeat of my first trip to pick him up, which involved a fourteen hour car ride on five hours of sleep. No good.

He has spent the last two days "in the field", and in army terms that means camping without any means of showering and communicating with your family. Oh, and they shoot guns and eat crappy food. Sounds like fun? Not my kind.

Anyway, it's a bit late, but I figured I would post some photos of when we went to the city during his holiday leave.

 

Keeping Going

It's finds like these  that keep me thrifting.


Priced at 50¢ each. Oh yeah. I couldn't scoop these babies up fast enough. Oh, did I mention PERFECT and UNUSED condition?!

Just think...somewhere out there are a whole set of these dishes..... YUM!

Ahoy Mates?

I found this interesting framed fabric at the Goodwill today. It looked old at first glance, but the frame was only oldish. It seemed promising for the mantique booth, and the plaque at the bottom reads "R14 Spindrift".

When I pulled back the older backing a bit and peered inside I could tell the fabric was indeed old, and the R14 is appliqued on the back also. I am thinking this is a part of a sail from an old sailboat? Perhaps a sailboat named Spindrift? Whatever it is...it has a cool look to it.

Anyone in blog-land have any ideas on this?

Our 1st Military Birthday

As a newly-minted military family we are experiencing our year of firsts.

First time skyping...
First Thanksgiving apart....
First time being a single parent...
First time driving on a road trip alone....

Some of these firsts (and there are many more small and big ones) are harder than others, but this next first will be one of the hardest.

This will be a first time that a birthday in our family is occuring and we are not together. The Sweet Hubby is turning 31 today, while in army training. No birthday cake for him. =(

He did get the present I sent. And I am so grateful that I will be able to wish him a happy birthday via skype or over the phone. But it just isn't the same.

How could I not miss this cute soldier?!

Happy 31st Birthday Mr. V! We are so very proud of you. Only 18 more days until we are back together as a family again!

You can't keep everything

But sometimes you keep tables with really great legs.

I found this great little table while thrifting this week. I sent the hubby a picture and he likes it. A lot.

And when he likes something A LOT that usually means it is not to be sold. Oh darn... =)

But it was missing something.
A quick trip to Lowes (the sweet MIL helped me pick out the newest girl orchid) and we have a smartly decorated little entryway table. You can't open the door....but who cares about that little detail. (We don't open it anyway).

Some more cabinet love...

Here we are with all the Christmas put away.....

I decorated into the wee hours of this morning... and I find that the cabinet is, well, quite empty.

As much as I'd like to keep my orchid girl up there, I know she will protest and stop blooming.

I guess all those empty shelves mean some more collecting is in order! =)

Style Crisis

I got a fabulous new cabinet last week. I should say that the sweet hubby pushed me into getting it....

But I kinda don't mind, because it really is fabulous....

 

It's got perfectly crackled 80 year old paint and the curved glass sides are unbroken. We couldn't resist.

I mean, not that I really had a place to put it. Because I didn't. I REALLY didn't. And I hate that feeling when you find the perfect piece and just don't know where you will put it. And I hemmed and hawed about this one in particular, so the hubby made the executive decision and went for it.

Here's the problem: I'm trying to go through a style makeover of sorts right now. I LOVE all the retroey-chic-aqua-mustard yellow-geometric printed stuff right now. You know, that modern-country look. And this cabinet SCREAMS shabby chic. It bleeds it.

If I could have two houses one would be straight out of Ashwell's shabby chic book. And the other would be modern-country heaven. But I don't have two houses. I have one 950 square foot small-roomed cottage. Sorta cute, but cramped. And sorta cluttered. But here we are, with this cabinet, in this house, with a decorating style conundrum.

Am I just going through a phase with this modern-country look? I don't even know what to call that look really.... like these prints:

Orla Kiely wallpaper

And then I found this awesome damask couch and wallpaper combo....

But then I thought....that cabinet goes with those two pictures perfectly.

Maybe I don't have a style problem after all.....