the happy homewrecker

So I really, really want to get a new cover for the couch before the party. They’re out of stock in the IKEA warehouse, so even if I ordered one today it wouldn’t be here for five or six weeks. The store in PA has them in stock as of right now, but they don’t ship store to home, you have to go pick it up. I’m thinking I might go over there on Saturday. There are some dressers for our room and Ginger’s room we were thinking about getting later this summer, and a big girl bed for Ginger, so I’d be able to check those out. Road trip, anyone?

I've never quite found one company that offers home furnishings/decor that matches my decorating style. I picked up a free copy of Cottage Living magazine yesterday at the library and it had an ad for Maine Cottage. Drool.

Our couch needs help. We could probably use a new couch, but I don't want to buy one until the kids are a bit older, so we're making do. It has two issues: the cushions in the back have gotten squished down over the years (absolutely NO MORE pillowback couches for us; from now on the back is going to be built right into the couch), and the cover looks really worn. I'd love to get a new cover before Spencer's birthday party in five weeks. IKEA sells the covers, but only at their stores, not via the catalog or online. Anyone live near an IKEA or going to be there soon?

I didn't find the exact fabric I'm using for the laundry room, but I did find this, which is just as cute:

Have you ever spent four hours in a Home Depot?
You should.
House renovations are fun, and fun is good.

Spencer loves cutting out coupons, so we save the Sunday ads and whatever comes in the mail for him to play with. Just now I was checking my email while he was cutting coupons out of the Gold Clipper, and he pointed to an ad and said, "Is that the same kitchen?" I glanced at it briefly, saw the words "Before" and "After," and said, "Yep, they made it look better." He pointed to the ad and said, "What happened to the windows?" I looked more closely, and darned if it isn't our kitchen! He was pointing at the weird shelves that used to hang over the counter, they kind of looked like a bunch of little windows. I guess if I can't be famous, then having my kitchen seen by everyone in the Cleveland area is the next best thing.

I'm looking for shelves. We're in dire need of some storage in the playroom, mostly for game and puzzle boxes. I want something like this, only deeper (I'm thinking at least 10 inches deep). Doesn't have to be super fancy. I've been all over Target.com and Walmart.com and Ikea.com with no luck.

I'm back! You probably didn't notice I was gone, eh? We stayed in a hotel Monday night to avoid the worst of the floor refinishing fumes. No one slept well; Spencer woke frequently because of the strange room and bed, as did Gary and I. Ginger's 2-week old cold suddenly got worse; she may have slept better than anyone because of the Benadryl we gave her. Twenty-four hours in a hotel room with the kids was more than enough.

So it's pretty much officially spring here, which means my thoughts are turning toward gardening and the garden we left behind.

I had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend.