IKEA Here We Come....

We are heading to IKEA this morning. Do you have an IKEA where you live? Man, I LOVE that store. It is so much fun to walk around and look. They have so many awesome little things....and I love little things. Lots of little decorative things and kitchen things....not that I spend much time in the kitchen cooking, but I do love the cute little cooking things....lots of candle things and plant things and towel things.....just lots and lots of things. I hope to come home with some things today.

Last week when we went to get the chairs and the drapes...if you recall...I was in extreme pain. We walked in, got our chairs and drapes and walked out. That was all I could handle. It was so sad to be in IKEA and not be able to look at all of the little lovely things.

My list today says:

One more pair of drapes since one pair isn't quite enough for the front window. So cute and dirt cheap at $14.99 a pair! Here they are.....

Candle holders that I saw in my Country Living magazine. I think I want about a dozen or so. One side is a candle holder....flip it over and it's a votive! Love them for 49 cents each! Here they are.....
Some white candles for the holidays

Black picture frames....I'm going to frame lots of black and white photos for the shelf in the living room. I think I just want thin black metal cheapies from the dollar store, but even something like this would work for $2.99....A little round table for between the two new chairs. This is so darn cute for $19.99, but I might want to shop resale for my table and find something old and beat up for even less!

A couch cover....even though I can't find one online at IKEA that would fit this couch right, I'm going to look. I don't think they have quilts and that is my next option. I really want to find something this weekend.

And any other fun and funky little things that I might just have to have because we are going to IKEA and I love little things!! Chee Hoo!

I Love Socks

Yes, I do! I wear socks with just about everything I can wear them with and even some things I probably shouldn't wear them with....like yesterday. I had on a pair of black cuffed slacks and a gray striped sweater AND my pink, gray and black argyle knee socks from the Gap!

I will dig deep into my messy sock drawer daily until I find a pair of socks that works with what I am wearing that day, and I don't like nylon knee highs. They feel awful in your shoes. I want socks!


I have solid socks, striped socks, tweedy socks and argyle socks, Santa socks, Halloween socks, knee socks, boot socks, white socks, black socks, green socks.....you get the picture.

I am a bit distraught right now because 1) last spring I tossed a couple pairs of my favorite shoes because they were literally falling apart and they felt so good with socks and I haven't replaced them yet and 2) I have a number of pairs of socks that are getting very thin in the heel and a pair that has holes and darn it....they don't feel good when you try to sew them up!

So, here is the plan:

Dear Santa,

I have been a really, really good girl this year. Pleeeeeease, leave me some new socks this Christmas!

Love,

Kathy

Couch Covers

Okay my friends....I am on a mission to find a great couch cover this weekend. We have had covers before and rarely have we ever found one that actually fits the couch we are putting it on. I have been frantically searching online and when I find one I think might work....the reviews are horrific. I found one and all the people talked about was how every little piece of fuzz, lint and pet hair stuck to it...never to come off again! I don't want a hairy couch cover.

I don't want the fake suede stuff, and I don't want anything fuzzy, I'm not sure I want the stretchy ones either....I need sturdy and pet proof!

I think because the chairs are a solid khaki color, I need something that would go with that, but not khaki. I would love to get a stripe of some kind, but I'm not seeing many of those.

Have you bought couch covers in the past? What worked? What didn't work? Where did you buy it? I'll be on my computer searching and searching until I find something....then I have to go and buy it. HELP!!

Back update....it's slowly getting a bit better and I see the chiro again today! Chee Hoo!

The Office Holiday Party

Our office holiday party is fast approaching and once again I find myself in a quandary. I love the people I work with. Everyone gets along well, we laugh a lot and it's just a great place to work. This year the party will be at the same Italian restaurant that it was at last year. It's a nice place with good food.

Problem is.....I don't want to go.

We all have to buy a $15 grab bag gift, and I have a big issue with that. Last year I think it was $10, and I suggested we take all of that money and donate it to a charity or to the local food pantry, and no one liked my idea.

No, I am not a volunteer at any organizations, but I do donate money wherever and whenever I can. I feel that when you have an opportunity to do good....you should. :)

I understand that the holiday party brings the staff together for some fun away from the office. I understand that it is once a year. I understand most of us are already making a donation to a local charity through the school district. I understand it's okay to spend money even though others can't....believe me I do spend money. I understand that we can't help everyone. I get all of that. I really do. For some reason this just bothers me. I just think spending $15 on a senseless gift that no one probably wants or needs is truly a waste of money....and in this economy, with so many people out of work and local charities crying out for help....it just doesn't feel right to me.

It would be so awesome if we all walked with with bags filled with $15 worth of food that we could take to the local food pantry, or if we all came with bags filled with mittens, hats and scarves for the homeless. That would feel so good.

I know if I don't go I will be missing out on a nice evening with people I really enjoy being around, but I honestly don't think I can do it. If I do buy the gift and go, I know I will sit at the party and be very unhappy with myself for doing it. I would much rather take the $20 for the dinner and the $15 for the grab bag and stuff it into a Salvation Army kettle, or buy that food for the food pantry or the mittens, hats and scarves for the homeless...and I might just have to do that.

Have you ever been in a situation like this? Were you happy with the decision you made?

So Tired

I got home from work today and immediately started listing items in FourDogDay. I had listed a few things this morning before work because this was the first day I could actually sit for more than 10 minutes at a time and I wanted to take full advantage of that!

So, list I did. I think I got 18 things listed today....wine bags, brooches, totes and coasters.

I still have some pins to transfer over from MyOtherShop and I would love to transfer all of the coasters and aprons over this week if I have time...but I'm not sure that's going to happen.

Now I am so darn tired that I think I am going to head to bed. Be sure to check in tomorrow when I talk about the dilemma I am having with our office holiday party....

Making Progress

First, the back update....I saw the chiro today. We have decided that I will have three treatments this week and maybe next week if necessary. It seems to be a disc issue and no one can "fix" a disc. It has to fix itself. I don't do drugs, so seeing an MD that will only prescribed muscle relaxers is a waste of his and my time. The chiro will keep my spine in line, he will do a treatment to take some of the pressure off the disc and do e-stim which helps with the discomfort. Discs take anywhere from 1 to 3 months to heal....and mine will heal all by itself. :)

Yesterday, I accompanied Irv to IKEA to pick up two chairs for our "new" living room. They were very inexpensive little things, but cute and will look great. The sad thing was that I could only do a little walking, so we sat in the chairs to be sure we liked them, picked up some drapes we wanted, picked up the chairs, paid, loaded it all up and left. I didn't get to look at anything. :( What a bummer.

I love the little chairs because the covers can be removed and washed....just what you need when you have a Sparky, a Wrigley and a Maggie.

Now I am looking for a funky little round table to put in between the chairs and a fun lamp of some kind. I also want to make a footstool to go with them. Just a rectangular one with legs or casters and covered with some cute fabric.....another winter project. We aren't exactly sure how we are going to arrange the furniture, but once the TV stand is done, we will figure it out.

The little toy chest turned coffee table is almost done. We want to spray the top with a matte sealer to protect it a little bit and then the hinges can go back on and it's good to go. Here is what it looked like before.

Here is what it looks like now! It's so darn cute. I just love it!

What did you think of Amazing Race last night? I was bummed. I really liked the dad and son team. I really want Miss America to take a hike! Next week will be intense before the finale!

Well, I have a bunch of new pins, coasters and wine bags to get listed tonight if I can sit long enough. Have a great evening and I will chat with you tomorrow!

He Did It!!!

If you read yesterday's post, you know that Irv and I could not find a TV stand that we liked that didn't cost a bazillion dollars. So, while I was writing yesterday's post, Irv was taking our big TV cabinet apart so he could take a saw and cut it down to the size TV stand that I wanted. Well, my friends, he did it! We are going to paint it white and give it some awesome new handles too.

Here is how it went...


The cabinet was just too big for our living room so we wanted a change.....



We wanted it to be just the bottom part.....



Irv started to take it apart to see if it was even possible to cut it down to size...


He took off the top, the doors and the back.....


Then he had to lay it down to get the legs and the bottom off so he could get at the sides...



One side off....
Irv doesn't even own a table saw, so he had to use this kind.....

Ready to reassemble.....


Putting the sides back on....



Tah Dah.....
What do you think? Pretty crazy huh?It is exactly what I wanted! I'll post a picture when we have it painted!