Run...
don't walk for this deal because it probably won't last long:


Right now on Amazon, they are offering one of my very favorite magazines ever,
Real Simple,
for $5 for a whole year!
Think gifts, think thank you-s, think moms, sisters, grandmas, girlfriends, teachers, aunts, think you. I haven't ever seen this magazine for under $20 for a year. You'll love it. If it's a gift, ship it to the address you want the magazine to go to.
GO!
Thanks to the ladies at Fishing for Deals for this one~
Oh, and if you want to renew your subscription:

To renew your magazine, just place an order for it, and ship it to the same address you're using for that magazine now. We'll send your renewal information to the publisher, who will renew your subscription.

Good luck!

Nester is having a Price My Space Party! Love this party because I have the annoying trait that I can remember where I got almost everything in my house and how much I paid for it. I'm so glad others do as well...

Let's take a look at the dining room, aka eat in kitchen space:

Skip to #2: (I put #1 and #5 below)

2. Made an 80's framed print into a chalkboard with a few coats of chalkboard paint. $5 for the framed print at a yard sale, 3.00 for a can of chalkboard spray paint at Walmart. Total: $8

3. Curtains are Pottery Barn's Harrison Stripe. They sell on their site for $69 for each panel, but I found them on Ebay for $29 for the pair. Score! Love the thickness and rich color.

4. Dining Room table~we bought about 6 years ago in Idaho from the classified ads for $450. The oak wouldn't have been my first color choice, but it's solid wood, heavy, sturdy, includes 2 leaves that can make it huge. It's been a perfect family table for us. If I get ambitious, I may give it a new finish one day.

6. The light fixture came with the house. Not the prettiest, but at least it's black and not brass :)

Here's a close-up of #1 and #5:

1. Pottery Barn picture ledges: $10 for both from a yard sale in Idaho. They were white and I spray painted them black.

*the black frames: my sil, Kristine picked them up for me at $1 a piece at a bargain outlet called Market Square in Utah, and they came with the mats!

*the bigger black frames in the middle: one is from a yard sale for $1 and the other from Walmart for $3. I've put pictures of all seasons in the frames so I never have to worry about switching them out.

Total for both ledges and frames: $23

5. Little kitchen corner:

*little white table is from a yard sale~haven't done a thing to it and I love it. $8

*accessories on top of the table:
lamp from a yard sale $1, green enamelware bowl with green balls $10 from some shops in Utah, little picture frame .25 yard sale, and the red and white striped dishcloth was from Ross for 1.99.

* The black ladder back chair is from a yard sale for $5 and the wreath was free from my mom.
Total: $21.24

So, my grand total with furniture and all accessories: $530.21

Not too shabby...
Have a great Monday!

Thank you for every vote, comment, thought, link, word of wisdom and advice!
At one point, I was pulling out my blue swatches and neutral fabric in preparation for a more subdued palette, but in the end, green won out by just 18 votes! Thanks to all 482 of you for giving your two cents.

Now, if my house doesn't sell because of my laundry room, I'll blame the 250 of you that said green and the other 232 of y'all that said go with a soft blue can say, "I told you so..." :)

Here is a sneak preview of what I'm gathering:

This girl is off to figure out a fresh, green laundry room.
We're supposed to get up to 106 degrees today--uggghhhh.
Not so fresh and inspiring.
Are y'all dressing up like a cow today and going to Chick Fil A for your free food? We are :)

Have a great weekend and try to stay cool, especially if you're in Texas~

Oh, how I wish you could just come on over and paint for me! My next project to tackle is our laundry room:

It is dark, dreary, ugly, and makes me dread going in there. Right now, this room is a catch-all for future projects, a place for things I haven't figured out where to put yet, empty boxes, decor from yard sales for this room, you get the idea. I started to clean it up, but thought it make for a better before picture if I stopped and took a picture now.
There is just a small window with a metal cagey thing on the outside (for tornadoes, I'm guessing??). It has very little natural light.
I'm ready to tackle it, but here's my dilemna: I can go two different ways and I'm not sure which route to take.

Should I go a fun, fresh, bold green like Stacey and Rhoda??

Stacey's laundry:

Rhoda's Laundry:

Or a soft, subdued calming route like Tracey and Wendy?

Tracey's Laundry:

Wendy's Laundry/Half Bath

I could go either way and love it, but this is where you come in. If you were buying my house in the next year, would you prefer the fun green or calm blue? I'm putting the poll up (look right above this post) for a few days and will go with whatever y'all choose for me. I've got accessories to go either way and I haven't purchased the paint yet.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and see your votes~can't wait to see what I'll be doing with it :)

What is summer without some classic movies??

Top 10 Summer Movies in our House:

Finding Nemo


The Parent Trap (original version)

Pollyanna

Summer Magic

Sound of Music

Everyone's Hero
Quest for Camelot

Mary Poppins

Field of Dreams

What About Bob

I also have to share with you a great resource for parents for wanting to know exactly the type of s*xual content, violence, and profanity in movies before your family sees them. It's called

Kids In Mind: Movie Ratings that Really Work

I have little faith in the standard movie rating system these days and it seems they are going downhill faster and faster, but this site gives very detailed and unbiased info about the content so you can make an informed decisions and avoid seeing something you wish you or your kids hadn't. I have no affiliation with them, but wanted to share it with all of you.

Oh, and speaking of movies, I just have to give a shout out to Julia at Hooked on Houses:

She featured my favorite movie house on her site:

Father of the Bride and again in Father of the Bride 2.
Who doesn't love this classic house and who didn't want to be Annie sliding down that banister? :)

Check them out if you missed it..

What summer movies would you add to the list? Have a terrific Tuesday~

Well, hello friends!

I'm back!
Kind of.
I'm here, but I feel like my brain and body haven't quite caught up from a week at a family reunion and then the 4th festivities. I did manage to find some treasures though~I have to show you this:

We had a family reunion with my husband's side of the family in Allen, Texas. (Any of you from around there? It was beautiful!) Anyway, they rented out a big house with a pool for us all to get together and as we were driving in, look what I saw:

Okay, and now look at the houses that were having the sale:

Aaaahhhhhh! Stop the car! Stop the car!