"Antique-ing"

"antiquing. The use of flour thrown in a sleeping victims face to make them appear to be a dusty old antique."

No, no that's not the one I mean Urban Dictionary. (ha) I mean the antiquing when one goes searching for old historic items for their home and spends entirely way too much money...yea that one! In this case however, I found the gem of all antique stores- Old Nottoway Antiques is about 10 minutes from my house and right on the side of a busy road. It is super small (about 900 sq feet) but constantly gets new pieces in almost weekly. The owner is fabulous and really knows the area and here's the best part- I was able to pick the pieces I wanted, put something down almost like lay-away and as long as they are paid for and hauled out within 3 months you are in the clear! (owning people isn't always fun but this was the deal for me!) 

Basically he wants you to take the pieces as soon as you can so he can make room for more since the shop isn't super big. I'm a huge fan of antiques and Mom and I like to go browsing whenever we can! If you're in the area you should go visit them!

6254 Old Nottoway Rd, Crewe, Va, 23930

Below are the pieces I've gotten so far. I still need an entryway/console table that is anywhere in the 30-34 height range. (it is beside a tall radiator so the 29 inch tables and below that are so common get swallowed) If you know where I should look (antique or not, help!!) I also got a super cute side table/desk but didn't take a picture for some reason!

Love the ceiling in the shop!

Whirlwind!

WHEW! I have been to FL and back to VA, spent time with family at the lake and done a little housework in the midst of 5 days. Things have been crazy busy and honey just got back from an overnight work trip on top of it. I have another short week at work this week and I'm really looking forward to yet ANOTHER girls reunion this weekend! (I have a big surprise weekend planned for my bestie Heather and she has no idea- even though she reads this..haha so stay tuned for the news!) Our friend Sierra is also coming in town so honey will be surrounded this weekend.(bless his heart again)

The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride! They had perfect weather and I only wish we were able to spend more time in Florida! I adore being able to see all of my friends and keep up with them. LOVE them all! I was also able to do the hubby Q&A and need to dig that one out of the car hahaha (needed a longer one for the amount of time we spent in that car...) Anyway, here's to another great week but I got to get out of here- our mantel is being delivered today so the living room will be complete! Pictures to follow of course!

Also- there is still time to enter the Tone It Up giveaway so get to it & good luck!

Love it!

My swimming machine!

Pretty girl!

I had to jump in too

:: The Modern Tulip :: Kristal Strong :: Make Me Up Mia :: Birdie To Be :: 

Southern Style :: Jess's Designs :: Erica Jacquline :: Kids and Cabernet ::

The giveaway ends Thursday May 29th at midnight. 

Winning entry will be verified so please be honest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meal Planning + Tone it up giveaway!

If you are looking to make a slight change towards a healthier lifestyle with yummy recipes, supportive women and workouts you can do from home, this could be your plan! Even if you are skeptical, entering the giveaway won't hurt! You could win a $110 prize package including The Beach Babe workout DVD, Tone It Up apparel and... well the rest is a secret! Who doesn't love a good surprise?

Myself and these 7 gorgeous bloggers have brought this giveaway to you, so please make sure to check each of them out. You'll love them as much as I do!

:: The Modern Tulip :: Kristal Strong :: Make Me Up Mia :: Birdie To Be :: 

Southern Style :: Jess's Designs :: Erica Jacquline :: Kids and Cabernet ::

The giveaway ends Thursday May 29th at midnight. 

Winning entry will be verified so please be honest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, Week one of meal planning was a success and surprisingly I LOVE it! It was definitely nice having a plan, knowing I had what I needed from the ONE previous trip to the grocery store and the meals were simple and so good! I shared the broccoli tetrazinni which was the first meal but here are a few others we tried from last week! Honey Lime Pork Chops, Roasted Veggie Mexican Bowls with Ground Turkey added, Penne Rosa with Bay Scallops and Spinach

Happy almost Friday and I'll be taking a short break since we are heading to Florida tomorrow for a fun wedding weekend! Hope ya'll have a fabulous weekend!

 

Weekend Recap

Good morning and happy Monday! Why is it a 'happy' Monday you might ask?? BECAUSE MONDAY'S ARE OFFICIALLY BACK! (ya'll know me and my obsession with ABC's the Bachelor and tonight Andi starts her run as the Bachelorette!) Ah, finally Monday's are cool again (cool enough for 2 hours of reality drama and most likely a polished off bottle of wine haha) I'm going to continue to live tweet so join in (you can follow me here) but the service at the new house is prehistoric so I'm starting to panic....

Anyway- on to what this post is really about. I didn't do an update on the house reno last week because things were so hectic so I'm excited to share some of the things that have been going on lately. We are so used to sheet rock dust that my allergies and sinus' hate me and I'm immune to paint smell and Kilz heavy-duty primer. But, without further ado, here is the new progress so far:

We hired someone to take the mantel down about 10-11 inches. Don't freak out- this way, the ugly 'not original' red brick will be less visible AND we can fit the television comfortably on top without neck strain or an added corner unit. It should be done next week! 

Sanding the brass to possibly change

La la la...starting the four coats of paint to cover the red brick with white

SO much better!!

Master is patched and sheet rocked

Ready for paint!

Ok I promised a master closer preview since I was finally able to unpack! Some accessories still haven't come in and the floors still need their final finish but I am SO excited with how it has turned out!

Shoe Heaven

My re-purposed from the bathroom diva mirror haha

We have clothes!

 Remember the closet and mantel before below???

Also we have had some progress with the new metal roof going up despite all of the recent rain

The shiny metal is the new part

Look at this guy!

Living room color?

No sheet rock dust....for now...

Friday 5 + Weekly Favorites!

Happy Friday Y'all! Let's dive right in shall we?

 Linking up with Christina, April, Darci, Natasha & Amanda

 If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen my favorite flowers from this week. Who doesn't love peonies? (Don't raise your hand!)

I just bought these adorable fruit and cheese shape cute-outs from Pampered Chef and cannot wait to use them! Also, they are only $11.50 and are going to be so great for entertaining (& kids one day! Can we say shape sandwiches??)  Get some here!

So I've told ya'll about the wedding we have coming up in 2 weeks in Florida and I wanted a budget friendly new dress. Since the wedding is at 4:30 it isn't super formal and it is beach-esq so I scored this bright yellow French Connection dress for a steal! It has slight shoulder pads for shape and pockets too! What do ya'll think for shoes and accessories?? 

Also spotted this week: My new favorite skirt! How cute is this guy from Alice + Olivia? Way over budget but I had to share! You can find it here!

Favorite SIMPLE recipe of the week? Avocado Chicken Salad! Yes Please! (recipe here)

Meal Planning: Week 1

Ah! I'm back! I feel like its been awhile even though it was only Friday... I hope everyone had a great weekend! I don't have a formal weekend recap regarding house reno status simply because we were so busy! Saturday I went out of town to Norfolk to my friend's housewarming party and then of course Sunday was Mother's day so I spent the day with Madre! However, we were off yesterday and I spent the entire day unpacking the master closet- yes unpacking and organizing finally! It is BEYOND fabulous not living out of suitcases and the folding chair with all my work clothes draped over it in the living room.... (pictures to come don't worry just needs a little more organizing)

I do however want to talk about my new adventure in 'formal' meal planning. I started plotting out the weeks before our kitchen was done and just held on to the planners until now. I promised myself that we would try it once the kitchen was completed and here we are! Its nice being able to cook at home and save a little money (we definitely went out way too much but only because most of the kitchen was gutted!)

The original template that I found on pinterest I can't seem to locate (So I'll have to find another one anyway) but I like this one here http://www.mindfullyfrugalmom.com/2012/05/meal-planning-101-printable-meal-plan/  because I like having the long grocery list plus each day of the week and a note section. What I did was make sure I got everything I needed for all 7 days in one grocery trip! (its not that bad- alot of the stuff you'll already have!) I am one of those people that will go to the grovery store daily if not planned this way! I also tried to make sure each meal was on the healthier side if at all possible. First up? Broccoli and chicken tetrazinni. (I also attached each recipe on the back of each week so that I could rference it easily and secured with a binder clip for each!) I also through in a "Wild Card" night each week so that I can give myself a day off! Haha. Anyway I'm looking forward to keeping it up. I plotted out 4 weeks so by the time we get to the end of week 4 we can just repeat right?? Sounds good. I'll share a full planner later in the week!

Finally meals in the new kitchen!

Like my little boy chicken scratch handwriting??

YUM!