Quick Couch Fix

This month I've kind of started "fixing" some little issues around the house that have been bothering me. A couple of things in the living room have been particularly frustrating to me lately. Being cooped up in the house all winter, I guess you tend to notice these things that normally wouldn't bother you, or anyone else for that matter.

One of these things.... The couch cushions. Any guest who walks into our home is probably not going to notice this, but it irks me every day. Usually, when you look at our couch, you'll see this:

Nothing out of the ordinary, right? But, the issue comes when you sit on it for an extended period of time. This happens:

It never normally did this, but lately it's been happening everyday. So after sitting on the couch, I've had to tuck the cushion back in every. single. time.

So I thought about what could fix this, and it came down to the lovely, Velcro:

We picked up some Velcro (a couple of 3-packs) and I had Trent stick some pieces on all of the cushions to try to keep them in place.

We did a couple of pieces on each cushion. The result? The side cushions seem to stick really well, but the middle cushion is still stubborn and won't stay in place. I still have to push it back in place pretty much every time (I think it's just really gotten worn out over the last couple of years). It's not as bad with the velcro, but still  bugs me! We do have a couple more pieces left, so I think we're going to put them under there as well and see if it helps!

Good news is, you can't see the velcro, and you can't tell there's any issue if no one is sitting on it...

So I guess it's only something that bugs me because I sit on it everyday. Oh well...maybe I will have a genius thought one day and I'll think of something better than velcro.

I have another little living room "fix" I tried as of late, and it's scheduled for tomorrow's post, so stay tuned!

Spring Cleaning Day

I've been waiting for this day all winter! Today the stars seemed to align. Trent had work off, and it finally felt like spring! We spent the entire afternoon cleaning the house, the yard, and my car. It was breezy and sunny and got up to around 60 degrees. A perfect day to do some spring cleaning.

With the weather starting to warm up, it's getting us more motivated to start on house projects. Which is always a good thing. We cleaned the living room, vacuumed, dusted, cleaned and waxed my car, took the recycling out...

And we're still working. Rounding up cans and bottles to take in for deposits. I decided to take a short break to pop in here though...needless to say I'm pooped!

Aries: Fiery-Inspired Decor

Happy Friday, all! Each month this year I'm sharing a post with decor inspired by a sign of the Zodiac. Today marks the first day of the star sign Aries (March 21 - April 19), and today I am sharing my decor picks inspired by this sign.

According to Astrology.com, the symbol for Aries is the Ram, and its element is Fire. Aries is a natural-born leader, and is independent and fearless. Its ruling planet being Mars, this fiery sign's decor inspiration includes accents of red. Style at Home also states that Aries gals gravitate toward trends and need organization in their homes. Here are my picks for Aries Inspired decor (sources at the bottom):

 

From top to bottom: 1) Red lacquer cabinet from Style Hive 2) Faux ram head from Etsy 3) Jacquard-weave throw from H&M 4) Ram skull pillow from Scout Mob 5) White and gold ram head from Etsy 6) Ottoman, found on Pinterest 7) Patterned Pillow from Serena and Lily 8) Red dining chair from Wordans.

And as always, here is a room I think fits the Aries style well:

(Image from here)

Red accents, a cozy fireplace...the only thing missing is a Ram's head on the wall. You know that was my favorite decor object to search for while writing this post, right? :) I guess this one will have to do (antelope, maybe? Close enough!):

(Image from here)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh, No They Didn't!

But yes, they did! My favorite bloggers, John and Sherry from Young House Love are now coming out with a product line available at TARGET! I was so excited when I found out that I had to share. The line includes a bunch of cute hooks for around your home, all for less than $15. It's available now online, and in stores March 31!

I have to say, I was not looking for any hooks, but now I feel like I seriously need one of these:

I love the octopus and the bee, both in white. This will be a tough decision! I'm off to the Target website, pronto! First their Shades of Light line, now Target. So proud of my favorite blog couple. Not to mention, they are also in the process of writing their second book, building a show home for Habitat for Humanity, and have bun #2 in the oven. Sherry and John = amazing.

You can view the whole line on the Target website here, and read the deets here on their blog. Is there anything these two can't do?!

P.S. - I had to share this article that someone posted on the YHL site - It is absolutely true, and hilarious!

St. Patrick's Day 2014, and Some Randoms

Happy St. Patty's Day, and Top O' the Morning to ya! As you may know, every year Trent and I celebrate St. Patrick's Day downtown Davenport and Saturday we did just that. Here's last year's, a recap of years past, and a fun little eCard St. Patty's Day dump if you're interested. We usually watch the parade, but this year we were a little late, so we just decided to eat a St. Patty's Day lunch downtown and have a couple of drinks. 

We ate at Me & Billy, a fairly new restaurant downtown. We had eaten there last year, and thought it was ok, so we decided to try it again, since they had a special St. Patrick's Day menu. I got the pretzel bread with Guinness cheese dip. It was ok, but I didn't think it was as good as the beer cheese dip from Applebee's!

Trent got Corn Beef and Cabbage, and he wasn't impressed...We also both got Bloody Mary's and I thought it was ok, but really different. Trent didn't like it at all and ended up getting a beer instead. So needless to say, this was probably the last time we'll be going here!

Despite our less than average meal at Me & Billy's, we headed over to Brady Street Pub, our usual hangout, and, like the rest of downtown, it was a bit busier than usual due to the St. Patrick's Day festivities. It was just the two of us, but it was fun to take a break for a while and just hang out.

I'd say compared to years past, this year's St. Patty's Day was much more low-key. I kind of wished we had made it on time to see the parade, but then I wasn't too sad to miss all of the crowds and braving the cold weather for an hour.

Other than the holiday fun, this weekend has been pretty laid back, full of watching movies, including the latest Rachel McAdams movie, About Time, which I had been wanting to see for a while.

We ended up renting it, and I LOVED it! Trent really liked it too. I highly recommend it!

In other random news, I recently captured this photo of Saleen cheesing for the camera and thought it was too cute not to share:

She was in a very happy mood that day. As soon as she sees Trent getting ready and putting on his shoes, she thinks she's getting to go for a walk and starts going crazy with excitement. Then he has to grab the leash and walk her around the house for a couple of minutes. Ha. Her hair has grown back pretty much all the way, and her allergies have been a lot better since summer. She's back to her happy furball self, so we're hoping she stays this way for a while!

Finally, I'll end this post with the cutest note ever, which I came home from work to Friday night:

I love his notes. They always put me in a good mood. :)

Target Shopping and a Rug Story

Oh my, I really need to start posting more. This past week was much nicer weather-wise. It actually felt like spring this week, and all the snow melted. But now today, there's another fresh new blanket on the ground. Story of this winter, completely.

On to more exciting things, though. I went shopping at Target twice this week. The first time I got some cute shirts and some new earrings. No photos of those, unfortunately. But I got some good deals on them. The second time I decided to check out the home decor selection, since there were so many sales going on this week. I snapped a few photos of my favorites!

The baskets below were super cute, and on sale. I actually spotted these the first time I was in Target this week, then went back the second time and there was only one left. I was completely thinking about buying one, but I just don't think I have a place for one right now. A shame! Can't remember how much they were on sale for, but they were a good deal.

I don't usually go in the kitchen aisle, but I do every once in a while just because Target has the cutest kitchen stuff. And the selection of cookie jars (of all things) was super cute this time around. And they were also on sale.

Too bad I don't really need another cookie jar. And I already have something similar to this one on top of my fridge:



I also thought this print was adorable but don't have a place for it:

It would look really sweet in a nursery or kid's room though, and there was only one left of this particular print in the store. The framing and matting is even cute.

I didn't end up picking up any of those items, although it was fun to browse a little. It seemed like they were clearing out all of the old decor and getting ready for the new spring stuff! They also had all the new patio furniture out - totally wish we could get some new ones this year. I have a feeling we'll be busy on other projects, though - of the structural and kitchen-renovation types.

So what did I end up getting? This rug, which was on sale for $11:

The old one was looking a bit tired, and I thought the green in it would match the kitchen perfectly.

These aren't the best photos, but I'm glad I did take photos. Because about 10 minutes after I set the rug down, it looked like this:

I had taken Saleen outside, and apparently it was quite muddy out there! She hadn't been inside more than two minutes and had already destroyed my brand new rug.

I know it's just dirt, but I say "destroyed" because I mistakenly tried to get the stain out with some multi-purpose cleaner that happened to have bleach in it. So a stain that I could have gotten out by throwing my machine-washable rug into the wash, I made 1000 times worse with bleach. I did end up putting it into the wash, and it's drying now. It doesn't look horrible, but there is a bleach stain or two now. SO, it's still usable, but needless to say, my beautiful  new rug ended up lasting about 10 minutes before it was ruined! Live and learn....

I'll have another post up tomorrow about our weekend fun - St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow! Don't forget to wear your green!

My Birthday Weekend

So Thursday was my actual 26th Birthday! I didn't do too much this weekend, Trent and I just went to Applebee's for dinner Thursday night, which was really yummy. My strawberry mojito was amazing, and we got pretzel bread with beer cheese dip for an appetizer.

It also happened to be "Trivia Night", so Trent and I decided we would join in just for kicks. This was my first time doing a trivia night, and it was pretty fun. Although, we didn't do too well compared to the other teams there, who were actually pretty serious about it. People go all out at these things, and there were teams of like 10 people. Taking into account that it was only Trent and I, I'm pretty happy at how our team, TDubbs did.

Even though we were so full with our appetizers, drinks, and main entrees, I also got a free dessert for my birthday, which I didn't eat until the end of the night so I could make some space for it. So we kind of ended the night with food comas, and the trivia night lasted quite a while, until 10:30 maybe..So since it was a week night we were both pretty tired the next day.

I still had to work Friday and even yesterday, so I was happy to relax today. I got a lot of laundry and dishes washed this weekend...and, I won't lie...even the occasional Hallmark movie watched. :)

It's also starting to kind of feel like spring! Finally! Today was Daylight Savings Time, and tomorrow I think it's supposed to get into the 50's. Super excited, and hope it stays that way. I have a few ideas for blog posts so when I have some time I'm hoping to get some fun ones written this month. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Update: I forgot to post what Trent got me for my birthday:

1) Cupcake wine, 2) Safe Haven on blu-ray, 3) an owl necklace, 4) a Target gift card, 5) A cookie cake (yum!), and 6) Vanilla bean ice cream. He did good. :)

Early Birthday Celebration

What a crazy weekend! First the Mallards game Friday, then Saturday night I celebrated my birthday a little early with the family. Of course, we got another snow storm Saturday night into Sunday. I'm going to say again that this is probably the worst winter weather-wise in history! I'm so over it. It's supposed to be March! Today the low was -12 degrees here, which broke the all-time record low set in 1884! It's actually supposed to be around 40 degrees by now. Will it ever warm up?

Back to this weekend though. Saturday night I decided to go to Azteca, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants to celebrate my 26th birthday (which actually isn't until Thursday) with my family. It was a really fun time. Margaritas..burritos..even cake! How can you go wrong?

Mom and Dad were both there, although I accidentally forgot to get any pictures of Mom! Oh well!

Haley and Dan also both go to join us. And they brought a yummy cake....

It was as delicious as it looked (we actually still have some here leftover - better get on that!)

But the highlight of the night was perhaps when I got to sport this lovely sombrero...

Totally should have knew it was coming, but I was hoping they would just skip it all. Haha. The waiters sang in Spanish and I could feel everyone looking at me. Really embarrassing! But then they brought me a tequila shot and that seemed to make everything a little better.. ;) Ha!

Anyway I'm looking forward to my actual birthday this week. Hoping it's not as cold and miserable as the weather has been lately, and hopefully Trent and I can go out somewhere nice!