Year 2 - Day 280 - October 8

For a very long time, I have wanted a North Face winter coat. Last year seemed like it was really going to be the year it happened, but everyone was out of the good colors in my size. This year I decided to jump before winter gets here. Problem? All the coats at stores near us were not colors I wanted. A weird green, a super bright orange/red, and a white were all I could find. After visiting two Dick's Sporting Goods, a Sports Authority, two Macy's, and a random sports store in the mall, I needed to dig deeper. The internet told me to go to either Tyson's or King of Prussia because they had North Face stores. Off I went, and finally, I walked out of a store with a North Face coat. Silly? Probably. But I have 2 jobs and work my butt off, so if I want to buy a coat that I'll keep for a long time, then I'm going to do it!

P.S. I'm sure I just ensured 10 warm winters in a row with no snow. You're welcome, Baltimore. :)

Once upon a time, (fall 2000 & spring 2001) I saw bedroom set at Macy's. It was Tommy Hilfiger brand and looked just like the flowered pattern you see above. (Not those stripes though.) It was super expensive, since it was Tommy at Macy's, so I didn't buy it. Over the next few years, the pieces were retired from the Macy's collection and showed up at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and other stores in that genre. I started with the comforter and (sort of) matching sheets from Kmart. Then my mom found the sheets and a couple shams. One day I came across the pleated valances. It was a lovely set. Then, I got married. We got a new bed and flowers weren't really on the top of our list for a bedroom set. The Tommy set got relegated to guest room status. So that was a really long way of saying "WOAH-LOOK AT THE PILLOW I SAW IN MACY'S TODAY!" Unfortunately it wasn't on sale like all the other Tommy patterns so I couldn't justify buying it, but it was a random fun find. :)

Year 2 - Day 111 - April 22

For the last couple days on and off and for several hours today, I worked on my second bedroom transformation.  This is my new crafting zone - far away from the computer room & desk we've been sharing for quite some time.  Here's the transformation from their house to our guest room version 1 to what it looks like today.

Their Version (Their son's room):

Our first version (Following their footprint, because it made sense at the time)

I don't have pictures of the other half of the room, but that's because it's pretty empty with no curtains, just the shades that were left behind.

The new version: (The walls are still white - but the iphone camera changed the colors every time I turned my body.)

I have most of my things within reach of the crafting desk (it's small, but it'll work for now).  With the current layout I do have the Cricut & Big Kick on the other side of the room but that's ok.  The room is a weird shape - where the dresser & 3rd window live is the space left between the stairwell and front wall of the house.  The 3 windows are evenly spaced, even though these pictures wouldn't have you believe that.  We don't completely love the bed in front of the window, but the closet doors swing out, so it couldn't go between the windows and this was the only other option to give me the crafting space.  Considering people sleep in there less than once a month, we can live. :)

Day 224 - August 12

About 8 years ago, I purchased this comforter set for my first "all by myself" apartment.  I had my eye on it a year before that, but it is Tommy Hilfiger brand and was at stores like Macy's and was super expensive.  I bought mine at either TJMaxx or Marshalls.  It started with the comforter, and then I started stalking the clearance racks at Macy's as well as the "random packages of sheets and pillowcases" areas of every local TJMaxx and Marshalls until I had a full set.  For years, my mom or I would find one little piece.  Eventually, I had the comforter, 2 sheet sets, 4 pillowcases, and 2 matching valances.  (Of course now it's in a room with 3 windows and is almost a decade old pattern. Doh.)

When we got married, we registered for a Nautica king size set from a store.  We were lucky enough to get the whole bed set from my school as a group gift - which was spectacular.  We also got the matching bathroom rugs and shower curtains.  It made me happy.  Plus, we got a set of sheets that is a diffrent brand but matches really well.  Still, I suppose out of habit, I always keep my eyes open at those types of stores.  Yesterday, I came across a whole aisle of Nautica old patterns at Burlington Coat Factory when I was at Arundel Mills.  At first I could only find a small set that matched our comforter, but then I hit the jackpot and found one that's our size. :)

Day 137 - May 17

This is the wall above our bed.  It's huge, because our room has a cathedral ceiling.  And it's blank.  Completely.  We can't figure out what to put there and we don't want to randomly bang nails in the wall only to change our minds later.  So we do nothing.

Day 116 - April 26

This is about 1/3 of the front bedroom.  (AKA My favorite room.)  It's really big, but it's the weirdest shape room, and not particularly useable due to that fact, but I love it.  It's basically decorated like my room pre-marriage. :)  It has my Tommy-Hilfiger-I'm-Too-Poor-To-Buy-This-At-The Real-Price-So-I'll-Hunt-Through-Bargain-Bins-At-Every-TJMaxx-And-Marshalls-Until-I-Have-The-Full-Set-For-Less-Than-The-Sheets-Alone-Cost-Regularly bedding, the headboard my mom made for me, my pictures (There's us with the dolphin on top!) and my Mini-Me.  It also has 3 front facing, afternoon sun getting, huge windows. 

And thus ends a lot of run on sentences. :)

Day 115 - April 25

This is the back corner of the back bedroom.  As you can see, it's where things go to die. :)  The stuff in this room falls into the category of "can't get rid of, but don't use once a week."  Some stuff we don't even use once a month!  But the bookshelves are in here to hold our old picture albums, my children's books, stuff like that.  Also all the junk I took from my parents when they moved like my American Girl doll stuff that I'm not going to give away.  The room is a dump because every other room is put together and we never go back here, so it's hard to be motivated to care.  Eventually I'll have a weekend where I'm not gone both days and I can at least semi organize it!