Rantings of a Creole Princess

JNY Style Miles - Lloyd Boston

Did we have fun?

What do YOU think?

So...carving and painting pumpkins is a messy job indeed.  Because of...I put a big, black, plastic paint tarp down stretched across some parking spaces.  Then...I put those vinyl tablecloths you get at the dollar store on top of all of those tables and tied them down with balloons from the dollar store too.

This way...all you have to do is roll em up completely and put everything in the garbage can for a quick cleanup cuz TRUST...this is MESSY!

Each table had a pack of baby wipes and a roll of paper towels as well as tins with paintbrushes in them.  I got the tins from the $1 bins at Target and there were 25 paintbrushes in a pack for $4.99 at Michael's.

The big kid's table had the carving tools in a plastic bowl in the center.  (Notice all this plastic and vinyl right?  RIGHT.  T-Monnie KNOWS KIDS.)

All of the snacks were inside and I basically played server to make sure the kids had some outside with them.  The party was just PERFECT.  It wasn't crazy, over the top and exactly what kids who want to have a messy fun time wanted. 

LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!

The kids had a blast.  I had a blast and the parents had a blast!  Afterwards we all cleaned up together and everyone was long gone and my home clean by 7:30pm. My kinda party!  Oh...and there was face painting!!!!!

I believe we should know who our neighbors are.  Some of my neighbors have lived here over 7 years and never even KNEW a lot of the people they met today.  It was just LOVELY and I was really glad that I was able to make that connection for them.  The funny thing was they all knew me.  ROFL!  "Oh yeah...we know Monica!"  Why?  Because Monica makes it a POINT to get to know who her neighbors are.  Grownups, children...et al.  Ain't nuttin wrong with knowing who you live next to and to consider them "friend."

I promise!

Question...

Do you have window treatments? in the room you spend the most time in at your home?  How long are they? Valance?  Windowsill height?  Between windowsill and the floor?  At the floor?

Where'd you get them?

How HOT is this?

Accenting the Positives!

We moved my dragonfly chair into our office since we now have a television in there thanks to Verizon Fios.  (The Comcast cable dude told me he'd have to run the cable wire crap all over the damn house in order to get cable in the office and guest bedroom but the Fios installer did it without one iota of tacky going on upstairs.  GO ME!)

I needed a footstool, however, and when we went to Target...we hit up the TJ Maxx too.  I found this nice leather cube footstool for $49.99.  GO ME!  I was VERY, VERY HAPPY!

Now...when I'm proofreading or doing the gamillioneth re-write I can put my feet up and do it in comfort!

How cool is THAT?

Oh yeah...check out this plant I bought at Safeway today for $12.99.   It looks like I nurtured it to that size huh?  A grocery store plant!  A NICE ONE!  For only $12.99!  I will be properly planting and positioning it this week.  GO ME!

 

Have YOU ever bought a piece of furniture fro TJ Maxx?  What?  How is it holding up? 

Have YOU ever bought a plant from the grocery store?  How'd it work out?

Basic Bookcase for the Needy

A couple of weeks ago I got tired of tripping over the two stacks of books next to the overflowing bookcase outside of our office.  I shared with Robby that we needed to get a new bookcase.  Dude looked at me and said..."Um...then get one."

Duh.

(Have I told yall how much I hate him sometimes?  ROFL!)

So I'd been thinking of going to Pottery Barn and getting a new bookcase.  You know...something that will last.  Cuz...um...erra...bookcases get a lot of wear and tear right?

*CRICKETS*

So I looked at Pottery Barn.  Found nothing.

Went to Restoration Hardware.  Saw this:  Palladian Tower / Bookcase

Checked out Crate and Barrel.  Saw this:  Windham Bookcase

And was SERIOUSLY considering going pick up the Windham this week even though I was MUY annoyed we'd have to put it together but hey...it was cheep and I needed a new bookcase.

Yesterday I did something I hardly ever do anymore.  I checked the sales papers in the Sunday newspaper and saw this:  5 Shelf Bookcase Espresso

I grabbed the husband unit by the collar and rolled out to Target so he could load it up in the truck for me.  GO ME!

I felt AWESOME thinking I'd saved us $200.  Robby was skeptical and looked at me oddly cuz he knows I'm not usually one for Target furniture.  I explained to him that it was JUST a bookcase and it seemed just as good as the one at Crate and Barrel for way cheaper. 

Today...I took it out of the box and took it upstairs piece by piece and put it together.  Surprisingly...it was very simple to put together.  It's pretty sturdy and I have a whole lot of extra room to play with.  I moved the smaller bookcase into our bedroom (not sure if it will live there forever) and put away the stacks of books.  GO ME!

The bookcase looks good.  I elected to not put the back on it because I like the color of the wall behind it and since I decided to put it at the top of the stairs I didn't want it to be this big dark space.  It's hard getting a good picture of it since my cameras sucks unless the picture is taken outside (yeah...figured this out...ROFL!) and I'm standing on the stairs below it looking up. 

N E WAY...me likey it.  Now...we just gotta get rid of all the crap that is was packaged in.  Grrrrrrrr.

Have YOU ever bought a piece of furniture from Target?  Would you?  Even something like a bookcase that doesn't get "touched" much?

Splain this to me please...

I'm looking for footstools online and ran into this:

 

Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on this mystery.  Footstool

Some people can...some people can't...

Can Solange pull the big chop look off?

Window Treatments

What kind of window treatments do you have in your bedroom?  Where did you buy them?

Red and Orange with a tad bit of Pink Phlox!

I went way heavy with red this year on the deck.  The cutest outdoor pillows I saw that I liked were deep orange.  Since I had other deep orange accents as well...I felt that it would work out okay.  The thing that is making me smile the most is the Irish moss in the red and orange lantern that I'm using as a centerpiece on top of a red and orange melamine plate.  I think I paid collectively $10 for both the plate and the lantern sometime last year:

I'm extremely happy with my choice for plants this year.  I like the nice tightness of verbena.  I chose some with red flowers and mixed in some orange flowers as well in all the pots and the boxes too:

 

I'm thinking it's starting to look like Spring folks!  Folks know I LOVE spending time on my deck ESPECIALLY since the doctor told me I was Vitamin D deficient and needed more sun.  Now I COMPLETELY soak it up!  (I protect my face...of course.  The kid is NOT trying to wrinkle prematurely.)

Are you doing your outdoor living space this year?  What are you doing?

Beautiful Floral Designs

I was just having a conversation with pinkdes2ny and I remembered something that I used to do before I knew exactly WHAT I LIKED flower-wise.  I'd go here:  Telaflora Glossary of Flowers and find a flower I liked and then looked to see what arrangements they used them in.  Then...I'd copy it using grocery store flowers!  :)  Waaaaaaaaay cheaper and just as FABULOUS!

Oh yeah...and you can pretty much use anything that holds water as a vase/container.

Be creative and funky!  Let you Decorating DIY Diva shine through!

CreoleInDC TV: Easter Centerpiece Dilemma SOLVED!

Me think me likey!

What say you?  Wisteria by Ilan Dei

Decorating 101

What room in your home are you most proud of how you decorated it?

Scenario...

Oprah just sent Nate to your house. 

What room would you want made over?

The couple that works together...

...stays together...or either kills each other with hammers, electric drills, levels and other blunt objects. How in the world do we think we're gonna work in the same space if we can't even hang a dang piece of art without threatening mutilation and other aspects of SEVERE bodily harm is beyond me. Seriously. My poor mother-in-law is going to have her hands full burying both of us because, OF COURSE, we'll have to be buried TOGETHER! LOL! (I wanna be cremated but that's another story ya know?)

So...the his and her office is DONE! Well...mostly. We still have to install the TV/DVD...have the Fios set up along with setting up the printers wirelessly. Oh...and we need some SERIOUS cable management and I've decided on bamboo shades. Robby didn't initially think we'd be able to fit two desks in here but I knew Mr. Elfa would have just the thing for us and I'm glad I wasn't wrong. I can't believe how well everything fit and that we have floor space for the doggie wonders too. GO US!

Don't sleep on Elfa...that stuff is DA TRUF! Now installing it? WHOLE NUDDER STORY! Trust me when I say SEVERAL words of disdain to character have been slung up in here today. Hell...we STILL mad. Before it's all over tonight we might be done tore it the hell down and slung it out the winder. Yeah...I said winder. Yall know when I'm mad I gets mighty country. Why? CUZ I'M COUNTRY HELL! DON'T SLEEP AND DON'T LET THE BOURGIE FOOL YA! I WILL COME UP OUT A DITCH QUICKER THAN BARRACK CAN WORD SLAP AN IDJIT.

Seriously.

It almost went DOWN-T up in here ya heard me? Why you ask? Why would a couple who love each other as much as we do get to whupping out 10 inch utility blades? THIS DAMN SIGN RIGHT HERE! IT ALMOST WENT DOWN-T UP IN HERE BEHIND THIS DANG SIGN!

NOW I AIN'T GONNA SAY NO MO' ABOUT IT YA HEARD ME? I ain't gonna say ish else cuz I know TECHNICALLY it's his side of the dang office and he could put whatever the hell he wants up there and I should say nothing cuz it ain't MY side of the dang office just like TECHNICALLY if he comes home tomorrow from the office and finds it slung the hell out the winder with a big, HUGE gash in the screen in the office...HE CAN'T SAY ISH CUZ HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE IOTA OF PROOF THAT IT WAS I WHO DID IT. Hell...Ms. Olga got keys to 13700, Cojoe does, Tsiporah does and Becca does. ANY.ONE of them coulda broke in and saw the HIDEOUSNESS of that dang sign and been offended to the very CORE of them right? RIGHT.

I've said my peace.

(Must go try yoga, meditation or something cuz it's too dang late to have another glass of wine AND ROBBY ATE ALL MY DANG LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.)

Humph.

Me: Robby ain't ISH!

Robby: Like you ish? Whateva.

Tell the TRUTH...shame the DEVIL!

If you don't have a headboard on your bed...may I ask why?

Best colors for a home office!

http://www.behr.com/behrx/inspiration/emotional_6.jsp

Decorating 101

A lot of people  don't think they have good taste or that they aren't good at decorating.  To that I say...fooey. 

Why? 

Cuz you should know what you like.

Say for instance you're thumbing through a magazine and you see something pleasing to your eye.  If it made you stop...that's most likely your steelo.  So this is what you do.  You cut the page out of the magazine and you start keeping pictures like that in a folder.  Do this for about a month.  Don't go looking at them again until then.  Clip what you like...and stick it in the folder. 

After a month, pull the folder out and look at the similarities in the pics that caught your eye.  Is the furniture dark wood or light wood?  What were the types of colors  you found yourself drawn to?  What is the common denominator in those pics?

Focus.

Now think about the elements from those pictures that you could REALISTICALLY incorporate into your home.  And then...DO IT!

Two of my favorite places for inspiration are www.HGTV.com (search the designer's portfolio) and www.calicocorners.com (their designers are off the CHARTS!).  Go to those sites and pick what you like...and then...use the ideas of EXPENSIVE TO HIRE DESIGNERS to recreate your own space within your budget.

Okay?  PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME TASE YOU.  (I miss BC...*sigh*)

Question...

What furniture store did you buy the majority of your furniture from?  What's  your furniture "style?"

Question...

If you won a contest that would only re-do ONE ROOM in your house by someone as fiya as Candice Olson...which room would it be?

Monnie Sewing WHAT???????

I ever told yall about the time Robby came home and I'd ripped up the sofa? LOL! Yup...I decided I was going to reupholster it. I went to the bookstore...bought a book, came home and read it. Then...I ripped up the sofa. LOL!

Say what you wanna say about Ethan Allen...they make a good dang sofa. It's like a sofa UNDER the fabric cuz they wrap it up really well before they but the fabric on...so that...my friends...made it easier.

I took it apart piece by piece and used the old pieces as patterns to make the new pieces:

And then...I put em back on:

LOL!

See...this is the kinda stuff I do that makes Robby look at me cross eyed.

Robby: Um...how did you know you could do this?
Me: I didn't. (big grin)
Robby: Who ARE you? (walk away shaking his head)

LOL! I love being me. I on't care what NOBODY says! Who else woulda done something this outlandish without experience and a clue? If yall knew how much that dang sofa cost...yall would smack me around taking those kinda chances. ROFL!

Window Treatments

When we were at the home show on Saturday I got really excited when I saw the work of one of the booths. WINDOW TREATMENTS! FABULOUS, CUSTOM, BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS WINDOW TREATMENTS! WHOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!

I've been wanting to do some new stuff at our place for a while now so I signed up for them to come out and give me an estimate on getting some stuff done.

THEY WERE AWESOME! If you're in the area and looking for a custom look...holla at em! CPDC Decor, 301.972.2696, http://www.cpdcdecor.com/

Don't I look hot as helz??????

Why you ask? Cuz I didn't sit my butt down somewhere like I said I was that's why. Aw well...whatchall think? They are gonna look a bit sparse till the plants grow in some and I'm looking for this ivy that has light green leaves.

The plants I chose were False Heather, Persian Shield, Garden Mum and Coleus.

First Coat

Whatchall think? Keep going? Or abort mission and find another color?

If you have this in your bathroom...

...Jen and I are gonna fight you:  http://catalog.robern.com/onlinecatalog/product_similar.jsp?im=aaa50100.jpg&QS_0=All&QS_1=All&cat_count=2&module=Designlogic+Series+M+Cabinets&ids=658509|658409|658309|658609|&count=4

This SPEAKS to us.

*sigh*

**UPDATE** Opinion Please! Planter Urns!

I've been looking for a couple of footed urns for a while now. Not too big...not too small. But, of course, the just right ones ALWAYS cost a maaaaaaad grip.

Today...I found these for a STEAL OF A DEAL and loaded them suckers up. Now...I don't know...cuz the color seems to lose itself with the background of the bricks on the house so I'm confucious.

I got out a can of black paint and thought about doing something with it. Hmmmmm.

Whatchall think?

Do they get lost there?

Should I paint em?

If so...what color?

UPDATE: Okay...look at this urn in the different colors. I'm thinking the wrought iron color. Whatchu think?
http://www.simplyplanters.com/urns/fiberglass/classicalurn.cfm

The Potterybarn Home

Now don't get me wrong...I lubs me some Potterybarn.  I also like Williams Sonoma Home and Restoration Hardware.  I PROMISE I do.  I mean ya gotta give it to em for getting everyone to appreciate cool, clean lines and crisp, serene colors to create a space of meditative quiet.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  (Oh...and take off your shoes.)

Can I vent?  Just for a few?  Just for a minute? 

WHY IS IT THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE EVERYONE'S STYLE NOW IN THEIR HOMES?????????

I love going to my girl Shelly's home.  It's warm and welcoming.  You can plop down and put your feet up and the rich colors envelope you in warmth.  Makes ya wanna talk loud and laugh.  Get up and put some music on and start dancing.  She  has sophistamacated and eclectic tastes and it shows throughout her home (Yeah I called you neo-soul woman!  ROFL!).

I think...I HOPE...that our home is the same when it comes to making you feel welcome enough to put your feet up and relax.

Prolly the past 5 houses I visited were all Potterybarn homes.  I felt too big in em.  Too noisy...like I was gonna mess something up and even if I KNEW the person the decor was for...suddenly...I started thinking of them in a different way.  Started looking for their budda...their bamboo.  Started speaking in hushed tones and quietly admiring the coffee table book making sure I wiped my greezy hands on my pants first so I didn't leave fingerprints...feeling all clumsy and in the way itching to take my butt back to my VERY ploppable home.

Five different houses for five different people...that looked damn near the exact same throughout.

In other words...I didn't see ANY of their OWN personality in their home.  Sure...it was beautiful.  Neat...clean...everything dress right dress...but I was looking for a glimpse into who they WERE...and not at the finely tuned portrait of what Potterybarn told them they should BE.

I've always thought someone's home was a reflection of who they are as a person.  Yet another way we can express our personalities.  Another...OUTFIT if I may...and I wonder if I'm an oddity in this thinking.  I think it's really, REALLY odd for your home to look EXACTLY like a catalog! 

If you were at our home I hope you look at all the family and friends pics and think...wow...they are loved and love alot.  I hope the colors make you smile.  I hope you sit back and ask for a pair of socks so you can put your feet up on the sofa and reach for one of the throws on the back of the sofa...in other words...I hope you're COMFORTABLE and that our home tells you without us having to say it...that we welcome you being there.  At least...I HOPE so.

Do YOU have a Potterybarn home?  is it indicative of YOUR personality?  Or did you decorate it that way because it looked good?  Do you know any Potterybarn home owners? 

From Horchow: How to create a tablescape!

http://www.horchow.com:80/index.jhtml

Grandin Road: EXCELLENT deal on sconces!

Only $23 for the sconces. UNHEARD OF!

http://www.grandinroad.com/jump.jsp?item=25734&maincatcode=null&subcatcode=null&itemID=3036&itemType=PRODUCT&outlet=1&path=1%2C2%2C172%2C738&iProductID=3036

Free Decorating Class at PotteryBarn!

http://a293.g.akamai.net/7/293/5910/0010/email4.potterybarn.com/email/pb/aoltest/decorat_29jul_v1_US.html

No reason not to go.  It's free and we could all use some professional help when it comes to putting our "mark" on our personal space!

Behr Paint Sale!

If you've never visited www.Behr.com and played around with color...you're missing out. I've had an account with them since 2003 and they let you save all of your paint colors there which is pretty dang cool if you ask me. Dr. Punkin and I were online last night picking out paint all night because she's wants to paint while my nephew is visiting his father this summer and I thought about painting a few rooms in my own house. But hey...maybe not. LOL!

Do you do the painting in your house yourself? Or do you hire someone?

Are you ready?

For 2007?  What are you going to do different?  Are you going to resolve to make any changes in your world?

I'm going to make one Saturday a month "HOME IMPROVEMENT" day.  On that day I'm going to get up early and the Robinator and I are going to do things around our house that we keep saying we want/need to do.

That's my third resolution.  My first is to finish this dang book I've been struggling with and the second is to shop less.  Note I didn't say to STOP shopping.  Baby steps folks...baby steps.

I want to finish our bedroom.  I couldn't wrap my brains around the feeling I wanted for it so I just stopped.  I mean...it's fine..it just needs "finishing."

So...that pic up yonder is our bedroom as it currently is.  What you CAN'T see are the super tall wall and weird arched ceiling in it and I'm not going up to take a pic b4 I post this so...I'll hit yall later with that. 

But...back to my dilemma.  I need to figure out window treatments.  I have wide slat wooden blinds but I was thinking about doing something like this: 

A bordered cornice with a coordinating panel to the floor.  These are from, of course, Calico Corners.  There are three windows in the room and I need a big expanse of fabric to bring more of a cohesive style to the room.  The only problem is Jaru's bed is right under one of them and I'd hate for him to Jaru-up the panels. 

I have already bought a mitre saw and some crown moulding to put in the bedroom.  I'm going to box it off to break up the wall color.  When I post a pic of the wall facing the bed...you'll understand why I need to break it up.

I've already purchased two pieces of art I would like to put in the room but I need one more significant piece.  Heck...hold on..might as well go up and take the dang pics....okay...back.  This is the best pic I could get to show you what I'm talking bout.  The wall was super dooper high so I broke it up by painting up yay high.  I want to put a moulding along the top of the yellow to give it some direction and depth.

I think I'm going to mount the television on the wall, move that dresser over to the wall on the other side of the bed and create a seating area where the dresser currently is. 

Or...I could put a seating area next to the entrance to the bathroom:

But that might look cluttered that close seeing as though I have a bench right inside the door:

I'll need to put a HUGE rug in the room to break up the color of the carpet that I detest and I'm thinking of something bodacious.  Like this one:

http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=cprod22950130&parentId=cat000023&masterId=cat000017&cmCat=cat000000cat1590731cat000017cat000023&index=0

I'm also thinking a substantial plant in the left corner of the bedroom.  Something huge.

And I need to change the ceiling fan.  Currently it's white...I need a fixture that ties in with the room...which means I'll have to chance the fixtures in the bathroom which won't be easy since I've wanted something FABULOUS like a mini chandelier. 

Crap...so NOW yall see why I haven't finished the dang room.  Cuz I can't make up my mind and I want to do too much.  Cripes.

Well...those are my ideas...whatchall think? 

Here is one of the pieces of art I've purchased so far...can't find the other one...two words.  Ms.  Olga.  No telling where it is.  It's probably in one of the guest bathroom bath tubs.  Geez.

Little Splashes of Life

Of COURSE they were no help!

 

The biggest helper of them all!

CHRISTMAS TREE PICKING!!!!!

First off...measure the space we wanna put the tree in.  For us...we needed a tree between 6.5 and 7 feet so that you could see the full outline of the tree in the window.  Because of the size of the tree and furniture ...it couldn't be wider in it's widest part than 58 inches.  So...off we go.

Trees, trees, trees!  I point and Robby holds up for a better view.  We liked the first one that caught my eye and brought that baby home with us!

Of course we each took turns holding it while the other looked at it when we got it home before we were sure it was right.

Stoopit Imaginary Person:  Why yall dang near dressed alike?

Me:  Those are our paint balling pants and are best to wear when dealing with anything outside punk.

Stoopit Imaginary Person:  Tell the truth...yall be dressing alike huh?  Yall got matching "I'm with him/her" t-shirts?

Me:  You pushing it...as always.

So, OF COURSE, we argued about the dang tree.  OF COURSE!  Men and women just do when it comes to stuff like this. Ours went something like this:

Robby:  Dangit...it's not all the way in the stand.  We're going to have to take it out and start over.

Me:  Why not just lift it and thump it in?

Robby:  No. That won't work (backing out from under the tree).

Me:  (taking hold of tree, lifting 6 inches off ground and thumping it real good) 

Robby:  (Pissed cuz I picked up the tree by myself cuz he hates when I pick up heavy stuff and ALSO pissed cuz it really worked) Guess that worked.  Humph.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  MEN!  ARRRRRGGGGGHHH!  Women have good ideas too ya know.

We had to thump it twice...but it was done. 

(Reminds me of the Patio Paver fiasco!)

(Stoopit Imaginary Person:  About that...when are yall gonna finish that?

Me:  Why you worried bout it?  We ain't.

Stoopit Imaginary Person:  I'm not worried about it. It just looks odd is all.  I mean this piece of real estate yall own ain't cheap ya know and I just wondered how it got like that.

Me:  Go to the side of my site and google patio...you'll get the story.

Stoopit Imaginary Person:  Why can't you just tell me?

Me:  Cuz I'm too busy wondering how it would look if we paved it OVER you.

Stoopit Imaginary Person:  *sigh*  Why you always gotta resort to violence?  Are you a caveman or something?  OKAY, OKAY...I'M LEAVING GEEZ!)

Now I'm waiting for it to reach room temperature so the branches will fall and then, of course, Imma get to decorating it!  WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Patio Paver Post 1

Patio Paver Post 2

Patio Paver Post 3

Oooooooooooooooooh...FUN!

My friend Erik just did this to his wall with these www.whatisblik.com. Cool huh?

Halloween

I've started my Halloween decorating.  I couldn't get the ladder out to finish.  I will later.  Maybe.

Happy Halloween!

Too early?  Oh yeah...it's only September 24th.  Halloween is Oct. 31st.  Dilemma folks. Dilemma. 

Ya see...I have a neighbor that has already decorated for Halloween.  It's nice.  Not ghoulish or garish...very classy.  Nice.

See...I have some NEW stuff for them this year and I'm ITCHING to put it out.  JUST ITCHING!  But it's not time yet.  Is it?  IS IT?  Can I? 

What do YOU think?  Is it too early for me to put in on 'em?

Everyone Thinks I'm Evil These Days!

So...my girlfriend and I went to Joppatown, Maryland yesterday to visit C-Mart (http://www.cmartdiscount.com/).  It's a warehouse that liquidates high end stores...mainly furniture.  I'd been meaning to buy a new coffee table for a while and hadn't because I had yet to find anything that interested me.  The last time I went to C-Mart I bought a $3,800 Bernhardt sofa for either $699 or $899...I can't remember.  I'm old.  I wanna say $699 though because I was VERY proud of myself for finding it.

It's about an hours drive away so girlfriend and I got up early, grabbed some bananas, nectarines and bottles of water and rolled out to be there as early as possible.

When we got there...girlfriend is VERY overstimulated.  She walked around with her mouth open not believing I'd never brought her there before.  I kept having to remind her to close her mouth as it looked extremely undignified for a lady of her standing.  LOL!

So...we roam around...I find a coffee table and an end table I wanna buy.  Girlfriend finds some FABULOUS clothes (liquidated from the Neiman's of the world) and we checkout and drive over to the receiving doors to pick up my tables.

One of the things I love about my truck is that I can fold the seats down and flip them up so that pretty much any major purchase I make...I can take it with me if it's available then.  So...I get out and prepare my truck for the tables when Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum come out looking like they just walked off the set of "Deliverance."

I proceed to tell Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum the best way to put the tables so they fit properly (CUZ I'VE HAULED CRAP A DOZEN TIMES IN MY DAMN TRUCK!) and they did everything but what I told them to do for a full twenty minutes.  I'd gotten out $4 to give them $2 each for loading the truck and was holding it in my hand. *SIGH* Becoming increasingly frustrated but not wanting to blow up at these guys...I opened the door and told girlfriend, "These guys are dumber than rocks in a box!" in a tone where only she could hear.

As I was saying this, I was removing four quarters from my bag to put in my coin compartment in my truck for meters...girlfriend looks at me sharply, her eyes getting as big as the tires on my Rover.  Her voice gets husky as she is trying to stifle a laugh and is, quite frankly, in shock.

My usually EXTREMELY cultured girlfriend:  "Monnie."  She starts sharply.  "You gon give dat man fitty cents?" in a voice reminiscent of the big guy in "Life" asking..."You gon eat dat cornbread?"

Me:  What the hell?  NO!  I wouldn't do that!

Her:  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Girl...cuz if you were I was gonna get out so I could see his face once that transaction transpired.

Me:  What the hell do you think of me GEEZ!

Her:  I KNOW you're a good tipper...that's why it's soooooooooooooo funny that you would give the man fitty cents.  And you KNOW you've been evil lately.

Me:  Humph.

Her:  (crying laughing at this point)...But Monnie...you gotta admit...it looked like you were...(to which I doubled over and HOWLED laughing).

I gave her a hard time about thinking the worst of me...but it always ended with both of us laughing like crazy, gasping for breath.

We get back home and meet Robby who has just returned from golfing (oh by the way....GO TIGER WOODS!!!!!!!!!  WHOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!) and start telling him the story.  Before we could finish he looks at me sharply:

The Robinator:  Monnie...you didn't give those men fifty cents did you?

Me:  WHADAHELZ?  Come ON now!  YOU TOO?  Geez.  You guys must really think the WORST of me!

Robby:  Well, ya gotta admit.  You've been kinda evil lately.

I hate them.  Humph.

Here are the tables and the progress of the "formal" living room thusfar (I say "formal" cuz we ain't formal kinda people and that sofa is actually Jaru's favorite nap spot...lol!).  I have to do something significantly different on the walls.  I'm thinking of a grouping of different shaped mirrors in the same pewter colored frames along the wall above the painted chest.  Also...I gotta do something major to the left of the sofa as well as get a significant piece of art for above the sofa. Whatcha think?  Any ideas? 

Oh yeah...Robby's take on the new tables:

Me:  Do you like them?

Him:  Do YOU like them?

Me:  Yes.

Him:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Me:  Yeah RIGHT!

Outdoor Living Room!

I'm an outside kinda gal and am anticipating spending lots of good old quality time on my deck this Spring.  I'm already getting started getting my area together.  I can't wait till the leaves are on the trees in the preserved wooded area behind our house and all the seeds I've planted start growing.  It's going to be soooooooooooooooooooooooooo pretty!  All I need now is a chaise.  (Maybe not...I'd fall asleep....lol!...wait...that's not a bad idea!)