Favorite Things...radio edit

{I just wanted to say 'raido edit'}

But I did forget a part of my kitchen...

See my first favorite post here and the second one here.

...I have two ovens!!!



I used my oven at my old house mostly to store pans and to make cheesy bread. I am actually looking forward to learning how to use my oven well enough that I will need two!

What's your favorite oven recipe? Trust me, I need all the help I can get!!

A few of my Favorite Things!

About our new house of course!!

I took these pictures the day we closed while I was here cleaning...so there is basically nothing here except what I brought in my mini-SUV and what my parents brought in the trunk of my Mom's Caddy... Prepare yourself. Just kidding. :)

First off! Check out my kitchen window!

Not really the ugly valance or the outdated back splash... but the window! There is all this space between my sink and the window...stuff, plants, herbs (wait, I'm not much of a cook). You can sort of see through the window that it looks out over our backyard...and I love it!!

Then, I have this cute little nook.

In the foreground, you see the bar/counter in the kitchen. To the right are the french doors that go to my sun porch (more on that another day).

Much better without those dang curtains!

Here's the view of the back of our house through the trees.

I was walking back from Jj's shed for his tractor and decided that I like this view... a lot!!

I'm going to show you some of my favorite things about our upstairs/main level living room next. It is a post ALL to itself!!

I'd love to hear about your favorite place at your home!

Today is the DAY!

As you are reading this, I am pretending to be Cinderella...I'm cleaning and shampooing the carpets at our new HOME!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, I'm yelling. Nope, I'm not mad!)



I just wanted you to see that darling little dormer one more time!


Lots more New House pictures to come I am sure. I am just dying to show you guys everything!!!

My Love Affair...

...with suitcases. Oh how I love thee!!!

Several, several years ago, in a magazine somewhere, I saw a bedside table created from vintage suitcases and so the love affair began! I think I have close to ten and I stash them all over.

When we first moved to the Rental, I had two conundrums. The first: where to drop off the mail until mail opening day (Friday). The second: where to stash that stuff you need in the bathroom but you don't want people to see when your bathroom is only this big: (not even joking...I was standing in the hallway).

Enter Juanita's House Antiques at Main and Ohio in Sedalia, MO (I just love that woman! She invited me to my first auction in my new work town, her shop was one of the fist downtown shops I discovered, her shop has this sweet little entry to the second floor, and to top it all off! She is just sweet as pie!)

So, down to see Juanita's House I head on a random lunch hour in July...after Jj already said we couldn't get anymore stuff until we had a new space to accessorize...well, this one needed just a bit. And, suitcases can help us in the moving process :) and...really...they can "go" in any home that I'm in. State law!

First, I found this little cutie:
It had a luggage tag with someone's name on it; I thought that was cool. Juanita said it belonged to a local doctor's wife...kinda neat. I just knew that with a little elbow grease, I could get that thing slicked up and it would be a great mail holder!

Wouldn't you know! I walked upstairs and look what jumped into my arms!

I know! Hopped right in! (Look! Someone's initials! MC. How cool if it would have been LJ??)

I just used hot water and Pine-sol.

Cleaned up like a dream!



I decided this blue one would have to go in the bathroom.

I was afraid the white one would just disappear with the white walls, white throne, white, white, white!

I just tucked it right down next to the wall.

I feel like the cute little case is kind of hidden but... it's the Rental...it's only temporary.

The white one is in the living room next to our entertainment center...err...coffee table that's holding up our TV. :) I forgot to snap a picture of that...sorry. I promise to show you their locations in our new house; when I find the perfect location!

And! It was the white mail holder that busted me. Jj saw it the second he walked into the Rental. I said sorry but explained that we NEEDED it and that he knew how much I loved suitcases and didn't it look great sitting there? He laughed, hugged me and made me promise that we didn't need anymore stuff. Man he's a keeper!

Come here, sit down. Let me fill you in!!!

Ok. You are not going to believe this!!! In May, we decided it was time to put our Columbia House on the market. You read all about it! Well it sold crazy, crazy fast. We closed on June 17, 2011. Less than 30 days after I (yes me, we sold it ourselves, no Realtor helped me at all, one stinking bit, it was all me)!!

So... we moved to a rental... no pictures. You wouldn't even believe it!! I think I will just forget now. Because our offer was accepted today for our New Home!!!

Yep, you heard me correct. Pending inspections, we purchased a new (to us) home! Holy cow!!! I can't wait to show all of it too you!


Taken from my iPhone. When we went back for a second peek, the people were home so.... yeah. Anyway, when I was looking on the internet, the house had me at the front porch!
I mean just look at the banister, the hanging pots, our Nation's Pride hanging in the breeze!

Hello, Home, it's me Laura Jones!


And that cute dormer. Eeekkk! I could just spend the night tonight!

I also loved that the garage door had a slight arch at the top...a little hard to see in this picture but... it was my phone afterall.

I should also tell you that the house had me at the mantle, the balcony and then again with the property! I can't wait to show you all about it!

What about your home had you at hello? Or how have you made it have you at hello?

Peg!! I thought I lost you.

Imagine my horror when I went to visit Peg last night and her listing was gone! GONE!! Ahhhhh! (You can read about my new house wanderings here.)

We had decided that I wouldn't call the realor until our home sold, or was at least on the market but... yep, you guessed it, I called her this morning.

(I didn't take this picture...it's horribly fuzzy, I know. I borrowed it from here.)

The house is still available, it's just off the market for a bit I guess. Last I checked, it had been on realtor.com for nearly 500 days so maybe they are just taking a break!

Wishes for my New Home... I'll call her Peg.

I follow a girl called MeganDVD on a blog called Beauty in the Attempt. She's house hunting (check here, and here for a few) and it got me to thinking... I should make a Wish List for my new home. I am a first time home buyer; JJ had our house when we met. When he was 21, he bought the first house he was shown...turns out he did pretty well. Let's just say we both would like to do a little shopping this time.

Anyway, I decided to call my new home Peg (because she doesn't have to be fancy except through my mind's eye) and here are some of the wishes I have for her and I.

1. Split bedroom floor plan (the kid's room away from ours...away from the living space)
2. A front porch
3. A mantle. Note, I didn't say a fireplace... that would be ok, but the mantle is what I wish
4. A bigger kitchen to make my JJ happy
5. Outdoor living space or the potential for such
6. JJ would like an outbuilding/shed...or we could just have the space for such building to ensue
7. I would like for my main entry for guests/front door to not open right into our family room (I guess that means I would like a foyer of sorts)
8. My kitchen/everyday dining area to be where the main TV doesn't bother us from sitting and chatting.

What do you think? If you were shopping for a new house, what would be on the TOP of your list.

And... I have a favorite...all picked out...but it's a leap because it needs some serious love!!!

Christmas Clearance DEALS!!!!

So, I went out just today, January 7 and found some great deals... on some things I had been wanting anyway...even better!!!!

First, I recently saw a post from Melissa at 320 Sycamore which reminded me that while it's not exactly right after Christmas, there should still be some clearance, very good clearance might I add, deals to be found! She made a haul from Target with cute ideas for her finds.

Now for my haul!

So first I went to Kohls (to return some shoes but I was there so might as well look around right!?!). I found these three cuties!

I had the perfect idea for this little tree... I looked for one this year but never really found a deal. Snagged this sweet thing for $3.99 (that would be 70% off).

I couldn't resist this jack-o-lantern pail/candle holder/cutie.

At only, $3.99 (Ok, that's pretty sick that Halloween has the same clearance as Christmas) I decided it would look fabulous sitting on my porch steps while cute little trick or treaters head to my door.

(Which may have been a bit premature on my part since hopefully, we will live in our new house by then. But whatever, it will have a porch right!?!)

(Ok, so the bird on a sphere wasn't exactly on clearance but it was on sale...that counts right???)
I have been seeing cute little birds, especially those in white, around blog land and was just pretty smitten. So, when I saw this one, I immediately thought of Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. (Hop on over and visit...she has great style!!)

I am just dying looking at that bird...and the burlap on the tree OH MY!

Anyway, kinda makes me snicker to see my Christmas/Halloween/Spring/Easter vignette. Well, I couldn't resist, I had to show you my finds!

Oh! And, I stopped off a Hobby Lobby too! OH MY GOSH! LET ME JUST SAY 90% OFF!!

I got these two sets of stocking holders.

Now, if you have been around here for long, you know it's just JJ and me. So why, you ask, do I need to be able to hang 8 stockings? Well... I'm not sure. I have visions of a mantle in my new house. I see the PEACEful beauties perched in pretty greenery with red berries and fancy white lights... maybe not even holding stockings at all! {Gasp!} And the Joy, well, I don't know...maybe as actual stocking holders. Eek!
Anyway, I got the Peace for $7 (regular $69.99) Joy for $4.50 (regular $44.99).

Now this Christmas tree/filigree stocking holder had me at hello!

There were two but the other one was pretty beat up... I put it in my cart because I was thinking I could mix up some paint and some Distress ink and try to make do... then I thought...ummm, have to move contents of current house. So, I put the sad looking tree back--I miss her. Ok, just kidding, I am loving this girl!! And, regular price was $24.99, I got it for $2.50... Now I am thinking for $2.50 I could have at least tried my hand at rehabing the broken girl. Dang!

Here's my thought... the hanger part is pretty wimpy looking. I am thinking I am going to take it off...

WaaaLaaahh!

Just kidding I turned it over. But you get the point.

I'm just saying-- I can't wait for Christmas!!!