My Favorite Paint Color...

Melissa at 320 Sycamore is hosting a Paint Party today where everyone is linking up and sharing their favorite paint colors. I have been so excited to share my "secret" paint color, until Melissa shared it a couple of days ago as one of her favorites. Well,the fact that Melissa likes it just proves how great Monroe Bisque by Benjamin Moore really is! It is that perfect gold-khaki-neutral that is just warm enough and can be used everywhere. I used it all over the house, along with Quincy Tan (also by Benjamin Moore.) Here are a few pictures...

From the Living Room to the foyer, I used Monroe Bisque on the walls, and Quincy Tan below the chair rail.

In the Kitchen, I used Quincy Tan above the cabinets, and Monroe Bisque on the walls.

In the Family Room in the back of the bookshelves:

Dining Room:
Hallway:

When we bought this house, I was trying to spend every penny wisely, so I had EVERYTHING painted these colors because I could buy it in bulk and save a ton of money. I knew I loved them and they were nuetral but warm. I have lived with it for almost a year now, and we still like it. I hope if you choose to try it that you will love it too!

Now head on over to Melissa's paint party and get some inspiration. I can't wait to see everyone else's paint choices.

Weight Watchers Wednesday, Week 18

It is Weight Watchers Wednesday, Week 18 and this week I lost 1 lb. for a running total of 28.7. This is nothing short of a miracle since I did not eat healthy or count my points. The only reason I can come up with is that is has been in the 90's here for days now, and I have been busy busy so a lot of sweating and no extra time for baking! I have also been sticking with my standard 3 point breakfast and a light lunch, so I guess that is paying off.

I am gonna be on family vacation next week, so the eating will be a challenge. We are actually gonna have a "staycation" and my parents and sister and brother in law are gonna come spend the week with us. We will be tourists in Charleston, Savannah, Edisto, and the River. I am sure it will be a lot of fun. My Mom will be around to make sure I exercise, she's an exercise NUT! I will probably have a huge loss knowing her.

This week's recipe is for a Frozen Strawberry drink. It is kind of like a slushy, and only 1 WW point. YUM!

Servings: 2
1 CUP FROZEN STRAWBERRIES

1/2 PKG. OF SUGAR FREE STRAWBERRY JELLO

1/2 TSP. OF LEMON JUICE

1/2 TSP. OF LIME JUICE

1 CUP OF DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/DIET SPRITE/ DIET 7UP/ OR STRAWBERRY WATER (CHOOSE ONLY 1)

BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS IN BLENDER & SERVE!

Delicious, refreshing, and only 30 calories. (I found this online a while back, but can't remember where. If this is your recipe, let me know and I will give credit due.) I hope all my WW buddies had a GREAT week!

Rockin' Details...

Today I am gonna join in on the Trash to Treasure Tuesday over at Reinvented. I have posted about my 2 rockers that I got for free before, but I have made a couple of changes to them, so I am gonna share them again.

First, I cleaned them and then sanded the rough spots. Next I primed and painted them.

I thought they still needed a little something, so I got 2 cushions from Target. They were on sale for the bargain price of $8 for the set.

Then, I was thinking accessories. While at Hobby Lobby I saw their little knobs on sale. I got them half off of $3.99. What lady doesn't love a few good accessories, right? Well, I just bet my rockers were feeling the same way. I just had Lon drill a couple of holes in the rockers and we screwed them in. They were just what the rockers needed.

Here is the front porch with my SWEET rocking chairs!
And, just in case you missed the embarrassing before picture of my porch, here you go!Now hop on over to Reinvented to get a glimpse of some other treasures.

Junk Draw Re-Do...

Everyone has a junk drawer, well I tell myself that anyway. Ours is in the kitchen. It is always a nightmare to try to find anything in it. Sort of like a black hole. Things get put in and never taken out.
In my recent quest to get things more organized I decided I had to clean out that drawer. After lots of brainstorming, I finally had a lightbulb moment, and here it is...
I hung a shoe organizer on the inside of the linen closet. It works so perfectly! Everything is visible, and easy to find. Best of all, it is out of sight when the door is closed. No more searching for batteries for all the boys toys. Now they are right here in the pockets, separated by size.

Works for me! I hope it works for you too!

Garage Sale Update...

Since I received such wonderful advice from y'all regarding my garage sale, I wanted to update you on how it went. I MADE BANK!! We made right at $1000 on Saturday, and still had enough stuff left to make a donation to Goodwill and get a tax writeoff.

(Signs available at this link. )

Just in case any of you feel inspired now to have your own garage sale, I will pass on the tidbits of wisdom that worked and were so generously shared with me.

1. ADVERTISE! I put in on Craigslist, in the newspaper, and on the little "Swap Shop" radio program that they have locally. I also put out signs and put up a balloon on the signs at the intersections.

2. Price fairly, and negotiate. I tried to price things so they would move. I did all of my shirts, pants, skirts, and pj sets for $1. I priced shoes at $2, and kids clothes were mainly $1, but they were in great condition and name brands.

3. Towards the end of the day I started slashing prices. I went half off on most items. I also started a "Bag Sale" per some advice I had gotten from a cousin. I told people everything they could fit in a bag was $3. I laughed hysterically at how full some of these people were stuffing their bags.

4. I made BIG price signs on posterboard with all the prices listed so they were clear. I also tagged all the individual stuff, like dishes and bed linens.

5. I got plenty of change ahead of time and kept it on me. I also did not let people use my restroom. I felt bad about that, but was way too busy to go inside with them, so I figured better safe than sorry.

6. I also told friends and relatives that I knew would be interested in clothes, etc. that they were welcome to come over ahead of time and get what they wanted first. I had several people take me up on this offer, and it was a win win situation.

7. I set things up very clearly. All kid and baby stuff was together. All the bed linens, curtains and pillows were together. Clothes were seperated by size and labeled. We hung a rope between trees for a clothesline. I had a table for the kitchen stuff, a table for the electronics, etc.

Lon and I put our signs out at 5:30am and we had advertised that it would be from 7am-2pm. People were watching us put out the stuff and were completely shopping by 6:15. I had planned on taking pictures once I got it all set up, but we were swamped the whole day, so I am gonna show you the pics of my garage on Friday afternoon, as we sorted and priced.

Now catch your breath. I know those pictures are shocking and you are wondering how all of that stuff was in my house. It wasn't. Lots of it was in the garage or a storage building from when we moved almost a year ago. Point being, it is all gone now! I am still doing the happy dance. I hope this inspires you to have a garage sale of your own. If you do, let me know how it goes!

Lampapalooza...

The Nester is having her Lampapalooza, and since I LOVE a good lamp, I thought I would join in.

I think I will just share a few of my favorite lamps. First, this is a lamp in my formal living room. I got it in a set of 2 from Kirkland's a few years ago on sale. I just tied a tassel around it.

This is my little lamp on the kitchen counter. She is my favorite lamp. I got her from Ross for $14.99 and I move her from place to place.

This is a lamp in Walker's room. His room is western, and I fell in love with the cowboy silhouette. I got it from Target.

Here is the lamp I just put in Connor's room. I got it for $10 this past weekend at Hobby Lobby. I have been watching for it to go down and it finally did.

This is the lamp on the armoire in the formal living room. I have a set of 2 lamps, and the other is in my bedroom on the armoire there.

This is the lamp on Lonnie's nightstand. I had a different shade on it originally, but could not pass this shade up at a sale. The tassel was an afterthought, but I like it there.

This is a lamp I am gonna put in the office/craft room, but that room is a disaster area right now, so I'll spare you the trauma and just show you the lamp.

And this lamp is in my garage, waiting to be given a new outlook on life. Walker loves this lamp for some odd reason. I hope to get it painted and recovered next week. I will probably paint the base lime green and put a loud print on the shade. It is for a corner in the office too.

Now head over to Nester's party and enjoy some more lamps.

Cry for HELP...

It has been another rainy day here in SC. You won't hear me complaining though. I have so much to do with the upcoming garage sale this weekend, and the rain forces me to stay home and get it done. I have been busy all day trying to sort, price, and arrange stuff but I have barely scratched the surface. I have decided to ask all of you garage sale pros in the blogosphere a few questions.

1. Do you actually price EVERY.SINGLE. THING? Or do you just put signs up and group like priced things together? (This picture is about half of the stuff.)2. Next, I have a ton of really nice clothes. Name brand stuff that is still in style, but not the right size, etc. What do clothes go for? I was thinking $1 each piece. Is that accurate? What about kids clothes?

3. And finally, how much change do I need to start the day off with?

I have advertised in the paper, on Craigslist, and put it on the local "Swap Shop" radio program, so I feel like getting the word out is done. Am I missing anything? Help a sister out!

My 2 little men don't really know what to think about all of this. They just keep pulling out all their old toys I am gonna sell, and trying to sneak them back in the house. The only real distraction came when Connor napped, Walker wanted to play in the rain. It was so darn cute, and he had so much fun.
As you can see from the standing water, it rained hard and fast. Perfect for puddle jumping!

Okay, I will be anxiously awaiting all the garage sale wisdom you are gonna bestow upon me. Now it's your turn. Go on, answer my questions in the comment section.