Ok, strike that, reverse it....

Work in progress....

So I received the new Pottery Barn catalog and when I walked back into my dining room, I realized that the rug from my inspiration room is very similar to my rug in the living room. Quick fix, right???

Ten minutes later, I like this a lot better. Love the plushy feel of the Craig's List rug in my living room, and I love the look of the red bordered Walmart rug under my dark dining table. Simple, but definitely a good start to this room.

Let's look again at PB's inspiration room...
Price breakdown so far:
PB Evan rug $379
PB casual drapes $ 78
PB chandelier $399
PB table (our size) $699
PB chairs (4@ $239) $956

Grand Total $2511 plus shipping
And here is my dining room...
Similar drapes, similar rug, pseudo-similar table...
Actual cost.....
Walmart rug $ 80
Sheer cream curtains $ 0 (they came with the house!)
Chandelier $ 0 (Came with the house, will be changed soon!)
Lacks Table and chairs $259

Grand Total $339

Here are the additions that I am hoping to make in the upcoming months:
1. Chair cushions
2. Chandelier
And speaking of said chandelier, this PB one is gorgeous and is $399
And this one, which shall be mine in the near future, from Overstock is $134!!! IT WILL BE MINE. OH YES, IT WILL BE MINE!!!!

Ode to Craig's List

Dear Craig's List, I love you. You are slowly but surely helping me achieve my dream of a Pottery Barn style home on a Generic Grocery Store Brand Beer budget. Thank you for the service you provide. Love, Amber.

Tell me, don't you love Pottery Barn? Who doesn't love Pottery Barn? Now tell me this...who loves Pottery Barn prices? Not me! Not a chance. There is just no way that this one-income family of 4 could possibly afford the gorgeous decor that gives me such a high as I look through its glossy pages.

Little by little, I am trying to transform each room of our house into my version of a Pottery Barn catalog room. Of course, I don't want each room to look EXACTLY like the catalog, but I do want to achieve the overall feel...the essence if you will...

Originally when we moved into our home 3 years ago, we purchased an inexpensive and small dining table from a local furniture chain. I believe that it cost $259 for the whole set. The hubs and I agreed that with a then 2 and 4 year old (BOYS), we could not justify purchasing our dream furniture, because, as anyone that has has boys can attest, boys can be destructive. One year later, the top is covered in scrapes and scratches from who knows what. We didn't have a rug either, because spills abound at the table. Now that they are a little older, 5 and 7, it is time to search for a rug.

Having flipped through the pages of PB, I found several rugs that would be beautiful, but not one that I thought was graphic enough. Here is the rug I have been pining over and wishing that it came in a slightly darker color. Beautiful lattice pattern, but a whopping $379 plus shipping for the size we need. AGH!
SOURCE

Hello my love...the dining dream

While perusing Craig's List, I found this PERFECT rug....like, PERFECT in Houston. Did I mention it was PERFECT???

Long story short....$125 listed rug, purchased for $60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Before
And After

43rd Anniversary

Wednesday is my parents' 43rd anniversary. I can't even imagine being married for 43 years. What an amazing achievement. Anyway, the kids chose a cake they wanted me to make for the anniversary...complete with their decorating skills.

All I did was bake and ice the cake and they did the rest. Thank you so much to another blogger who made one...and now for the life of me, I cannot find her blog. As soon as I find it, I will definitely give her the credit. Ugh, I hate that.

But here is our masterpiece of the day!






PS!! I found the blog I got it from!!! She has the BEST ideas...and she's from Texas, so you have to love that. Go check out her blog! Now! No wait, NOW!!!

Date night with Kathy Griffin...

This weekend my husband and I spent some quality time together in Houston, and although we were gone only 24 hours, it seems like 3 days. We had a fantastic time.

On Saturday afternoon, we loaded up the children into the car, grabbed their backpacks full of clothes and toys, and dropped them off for an slumber party at their grandparents' house. We were quickly on the road, and after losing 30 pounds and happily knowing I would not be on my diet this weekend, I was ready for a Burger King stop. We had cheeseburgers on the way to the hotel, the Crowne Plaza in downtown Houston. We checked in and took a quiet nap. It's the little things in life! We got dressed for dinner (and I got a chance to wear my gorgeous new heels...
.)and went to Brazos restaurant, ready to eat something new and exciting. Josh likes to eat the same popular standbys, but I am a little more adventurous.

So we ordered calamari for Josh and fried goat cheese with walnuts, cranberries, and candied figs. Holy hell, that was delicious. Then Josh ordered a NY strip steak and I had shrimp and crab capallini.
TO DIE FOR! After full tummy and a glass of wine we were headed to the theater district. We got there a little too early, so we hung out at the bar of a local Italian restaurant. While we were waiting, and old friend texted me asking if we were going to the Kathy Griffin show as well. It turns out we were going to the 6:30 show and they were going to the 9:30 show. We agreed to meet up for drinks in between and catch up.

So into the theater we go, waiting patiently for Kathy to come on stage. We had really good seats on the floor about half way back. She was completely hilarious, and I would definitely pay to see her again ASAP. Afterward, we met up with our friend for drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe and hung out until their show started. Realizing that we do not get out much and needed to take advantage of this time alone, we decided to go see a movie....The Other Guys with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. You KNOW how I love a Wahlberg!!! HILARIOUS. We will be buying it as soon as it comes out on DVD. We rolled into the hotel around 1 am and set out our breakfast requests.

8:22 came very early this morning to get our breakfast. I am not used to being up so late anymore. But it is a beautiful thing to be able to enjoy breakfast in bed in peace and quiet.

Such a wonderful weekend and I am sooooo glad we made time for this.

Cream cheese and strawberry jam goodness...

Oh beautiful day. I got this idea from HERE to make this braid...oh boy!

This is a super easy recipe, very quick, and people will think you spent all day in the kitchen working on this one. I like cream cheese, so I really loaded up the center with it. It could be made bigger, smaller, thinner, or thicker, and you could put any flavor jam or preserve on the top of this. Strawberry just happens to be my favorite.

So here is the series...





Too bad I can't eat any of it, since I am still on my diet. Hopefully one to two more months and I will be done....hence the no cheating :)

It's that time again...

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!!!! It's the most wonderful time of the year...said very tongue in cheek. But really, school is such a God-send for Caleb as he just CRAVES the routines that I just cannot constantly provide for him. Jansen adjusts in any situation so I am really looking forward to his first year in the big KINDERGARTEN.

On to back to school shopping, of which, I did very little of. We bought pre-made school supply packages for each kid in May and are anxiously awaiting their arrival. :) We are incredibly fortunate to have extended family (Nana, Mimi, and great grandmother MeeMaw) who provide both of our kids with clothing a few times out of the year, school time being one of them. So this year, I only had to buy shoes and backpacks, and given the choice, Caleb decided to stick with last year's Super Mario backpack. They both have lunchkits and containers that are still in great condition after last school year. JOY!

So, Caleb's 2010-2011 begins with the following....

And Jansen's begins with...
Counting down the days until school and the hectic schedule begins....school, soccer, piano, PTO. BRING IT ON!!!

PS....Mommy got a little present as well...SQUEEEEEEEE

T-shirt playdate

A homeschooling friend of mine hosts a creative playdate each Wednesday afternoon and invites a bunch of other moms and kids to join the fun. Some of the activities have included jewelry making, cake decorating, painting, crescent pizzas and games, and today...T-shirt decorating.

The kids really enjoyed this because it really wasn't messy. Caleb does NOT enjoy getting dirty in any way, shape, or form. My friend found some really cool transfer papers that the kids drew all over using oil crayons. Once they finished their artwork, the adults just ironed it on and they turned out great! It doesn't have that bubbly iron-on look...it just looks screen printed onto the shirts. My boys gave it two thumbs up.

Here is us working on our masterpieces

And here is their works of art

And here are the kids' finished pieces (including my two boys on the far left, front and back row)

I even made one for a bib for my friend's daughter.

This is just an easy, fun, non-messy activitiy even for little kids. We could make shirts, bibs, aprons, hand towels, hats, tote bags, pot holders....the possibilities are endless!