Getting to know YOU!

Keely is hosting Getting to know You Sunday's again and so I am going to participate.  I missed out on last Sunday but I am linking up today.
So todays questions are:

1. what inspires you?  I love looking online at different decor website for inspiration for my home.

2. what was the last thing you bought yourself?  Just yesterday I bought myself a maxi dress.

3. would you rather watch a movie in a theater or from the comfort of your own home?  In a theater because then I would actually watch one.  (I don't care for movies)

4. household chore you don't mind doing?  Laundry.

5. coffee or tea?  Both.  I have to have coffee in the morning & sweet tea during the day.

6. what could you eat every day and not get sick of?  Steak.

7. what's the last book you read?  I have about three books going right now but one that I read and loved is Still Alice.

8. do you think you "look" your age?  I guess I do.  I am 43 years old so y'all tell me:)

Happy Sunday everyone.  Have a great day.

Melanie

Couponing.

I've been couponing for the last few months.  I started slowly and just went to one grocery store.  I just took a class this past week from a girl here in my town that teaches some of her tricks.  I think that I needed to take the second class because I knew most of what she talked about.

So today, our Harris Teeter was offering double double coupons.  This is what I got.

Total spent $17.45!

My total before my coupons and store sales was $64.57!

Here is a break down:

2 Jello Temptations   Free plus .41 cents back

Kraft Shredded Cheese   4 bags @ $1.15 a bag

2 Smart Balance Milk  Free

Starbuck's Coffee  $3.00

Philly Cooking Cream Cheese  Free

Wisk Detergent   2 for $2.00

Lysol Cleaner  2 for $3.00

Dawn Detergent  .50 cents

Uncle Ben Rice  2 for $1.00

McCormick Inspirations  Free

Coffee Mate  2 for $4.70  That was the only thing that wasn't on sale.

That's a pretty good day if I do say so myself:)  It does take a little bit of time to match up the sales and the coupons but when you see the savings, it is so worth it.

Here is my little stockpile of stuff.

I'm off to a pretty good start.  I have found a lot of deals on cereal, deodorant, and shampoo.  I won't become like those people on Extreme Couponing:)  Have y'all seen that show?  It's really unbelievable.  They have another show coming up next month and I will be watching.

Do any of you coupon?

Mel

Project Life.

I am keeping up with my Project Life but most of the pictures are happening with the IPhone.  I don't have the book caught up yet but I am working on it.  I thought I'd share a few photos from the project.

A pretty sunset from the window of the office.

Caden's SAT Admission ticket.

Mama got a new phone.  I am now known around the house as the IWife since I have an IPhone, an IPod Touch, an IPad, and a MacBook Pro:)

Having lunch with my guy while in Florida.  See, we are outside in the nice warm weather!  Florida, I miss you.

My trip to Sam's Club.

Our crazier than usual dog with his big ole butt hanging off the back of the couch.  He is for another day, another blog post I tell ya:(  The cause of much stress in my life right now.

So there are a few of the pictures that are in my Project Life Book.  I was looking at a friends PL book (Monica of Without Filters) and her book is gorgeous.  She has a little one and a baby so she has a lot more going on in her life than I do.  She is layering her book and I really love that.  I am thinking of trying to do that but not sure what I would put in between the pages.  We'll see what my creative brain can dream up.

Caden is out of school today because they are decorating for the prom so we have a date for lunch, shopping (for him) and then the gym.  Hope you all have a great weekend.  We are suppose to have some warm weather so I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

Mel

PS. Thanks for all the comments on the dining room.  I will post the finished room whenever I get it completed.

American Idol.

Can we all just take a moment to soak up this talent?

He is hands down the best talent that they have this year.  I am really pulling for him.

Enjoy!

Mel

The Partially Finished Black Dining Room.

I know that everyone has been wanting to see the black dining but it's not finished.  As I told you before, I haven't been working on the house much.  I am kinda living in it and seeing what needs to be done and what needs to be bought.

The one thing that this new town doesn't have is good shopping.  It's certainly not Cincinnati so I am just having to take it slow.  I have some ideas but they aren't coming together very quickly.  I decided to show you the dining room as is and then when I am finished with it, give you another tour.

This was the chandelier that was up when we moved in.  It was nice but I brought all of my lighting from my other house so I am going to give it to my realtor.  I replaced it with this one.

I also changed out the foyer light.

So here is the half reveal:)  More will come when I get it finished.

This is what it looked like last week.  I have now taken the rug away and moved it to the family room.  That rug has been busy because it has lived in the family room, then the dining room, and now it has found a home (again) in the family room.  THIS is exactly why I am not rushing the decorating thing.  Let's face it, this is not my favorite house that we have lived in and that is for multiple reasons.  But one of the reasons is that none of the rooms have come together right.  Our furniture doesn't fit right and it has been a challenge needless to say.

I am going to change the color of the mirror and I have a friend that is making me two pieces to put on the buffet.  The black is a gorgeous color but you do have to decorate with it differently.  I will also be moving that centerpiece off the table.  It was on the table in the other house but it doesn't go with the dining room now.

The rug matches the walls but doesn't match the feel that I am going for.  The table also is now on an angle and that looks really good but I don't have a picture of it to show you.

So now that you have seen it, really the only thing that is staying the same is the furniture;-)  I have angled the table, taken the rug out, and haven't hung up one thing yet.  I had the windows tinted in the room and I am going to have a cornice board made when I find some yummy fabric.  I didn't want to cover the windows up but I had to have something done because the sun sets on the front of our house and it will ruin the furniture.  I think that a wonderful fabric will really pop against the black.  I am not going to do a lot to the room.  I think that the black walls, the cornice board, and the coffered ceilings will speak for themselves.

There you have it, the UNFINISHED black dining room.  I knew that y'all were dying to see it and I wanted y'all to but you will have to see the unfinished version.  I promise that it will be finished one day and when it is, I will give you the grand tour.

I'm off to a rousing start....a post up on Monday;-)

Melanie

linking to Met Monday Diddle Dattle Sumos Sweet Stuff  Type A Decorating No Minimalist Here

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Savvy Southern Style Elements-Interiors  The Shabby Chic Cottage

At The Picket Fence  Romantic Home  Fingerprints on the Fridge  Handy Man Crafty Woman

The Charm of Home  Designer Garden  French Country Cottage  Funky Junk Interiors

House of Hepworths Thrifty Decor Chick 

Ramblings.

Happy Friday morning.  Just some rambling thoughts this a.m.:)

*I got my hair cut last week.  I showed up at an appointment that was scheduled for today and so I let the girl that was working that day cut my hair.  (you can do that when you move so much and don't really have a hairdresser yet;-)

It is a modified bob like I had last year.  After having the cut for about a week now, I am not tickled with all the layers in the back.

*On Sunday, Gary took me to Myrtle Beach to do a little shopping.  We headed to HomeGoods and I can now say that it is not worth the drive.  It just isn't as good as the one in Cincinnati.  We only found one picture and nothing else.  Next time we are going to go to Charleston to that store and see what we can find.  Anyway, we ate lunch at P. F. Chang's and I have to say that I have found a new love....fried string beans!  YUM YUM!

*On our way home, it was raining and we saw a rainbow.  I shot this with my IPhone out the window.

*I joined the gym.  Lord help me!  I have never even been inside of a gym in all of my 43 years.  Caden really wanted to join but I didn't want to commit to a year but I did.  My first visit by myself was Tuesday and I did pretty good.  I went back yesterday after I picked Caden up from school.  I am sore today but  I hope to lose a few pounds and tone up a little;-)

*This weekend I am going to be working on my Project Life.  I am WAY behind in my book but I am taking the photos.  I have to say that I am taking a lot of pictures with my phone but that's ok.  At least I am taking them.

*Last Saturday we were shopping for Gary some new clothes for work when we passed a really cute pink coat.  In passing I said "that is a really cute coat but I wouldn't have anywhere to wear it."  He bought it the next day and had it wrapped in a bag sitting in my bathtub.  You girls know I love my bubble bath every night and that was the perfect place to put it.  I squealed like a teenage girl.  Not everyday that I get a surprise like that.

I love it!  It has ruffles on the pockets, cute buckles on the sleeves, and the color is blush pink.  Love, love, love it!  (sorry for the bad pictures but they are all taken with my phone and trying to take your own photo is hard to do)  I knew that he would go back and buy it for me. Don't ask me how I knew, but I knew.

So that kinda wraps up my week.  The last two weeks have been very busy and I am hoping to get some things done this weekend and then pray for a slower week next week.  Hope everyone is enjoying a little sunshine and some warmer weather!

Happy weekend,

Mel

I've become a driving instructor.

Last week I became Caden's driving instructor.  Not by choice, mind you, but by need.

MY need for Caden to start driving.  He has had his license since last October and he has only driven one time.  I told him to take his license to school because he was driving home!

Gary could not believe that I was going to let him drive that far (and in so much traffic) since he has never driven more than a mile;-)

But you know what?  I am tired of taking him to school every day and he needs to learn how to drive before his senior year.  You know it's bad when the mama is telling the child to drive and being the one to teach him.  When I had him almost 17 years ago, I told Gary that HE would be the one teaching him and not me.

Well, that didn't happen.

He was concentrating really hard here.

Hands tight on the steering wheel:)

And finally home safely parked right in the garage.

I'm going to make him drive home from school every day when we don't have somewhere to go other than home.  It will be a lot of experience for him.  I have to say that I was more proud of myself for staying calm than I was for his driving skills:)

And a big THANK YOU for all the condolences about Caden's math teacher.  She was 68 years old and just couldn't pull through.  The kids did fine and some went to the funeral.  Caden passed as he doesn't like to see the bodies but she was on his mind a lot last week.  He even got upset that some students got out of school to go to the funeral and they didn't even have her for a teacher.  It made him mad that they just wanted to get out of school:(  But thank you again for all of your comments.

Hope everyone has a great week this week.

Mel

Sad Day.

Last night Caden came in the bedroom and said that his math teacher had passed away.

We just met with her a couple of weeks ago to talk about Caden's progress in his pre calculus class that he had been struggling in.  She was a very sweet lady but she meant business.  She had been at the school for years and was highly regarded.  She told us that Caden's grade would not go up for the rest of the year as it would be getting harder and harder so for us not to concentrate on that.  She said that the tutoring was helping so he needed to keep that up.  She also said that he should have been put in Algebra 2 instead of pre calculus because of all the moving that we have done in the last 5 years, he had just missed out on some fundamentals.

She just got Caden.  I was very impressed after we left the meeting.

Then Caden came home and said that she was in the hospital with pneumonia.  Then he came home the next week and said that she was still in the hospital and was in ICU.  It didn't sound good.

So, yesterday morning she passed away.  He is shocked.  I know that the kids are going to be very upset.  She was loved by the students.  This will be the first time that a lot of these kids have experienced losing someone that they know.  It will be a tough day for them.

The school is a small college preparatory and all of the kids know each other and have a lot of the same teachers.  Just this year, Caden has lost one teacher that got fired, one that moved away to be with his sick sister, and now Mrs. Carter.  The school also lost another teacher but Caden did not have him.

So today, if you think about it, could you say a prayer for the kids.  I am really sad for them and know that it will be a very hard day at that little school.

Thank you so much,

Mel