Our Long {Valentine's} Weekend + A Mini Home Makeover

If I had to choose one word to summarize our weekend it would be expensive productive.

It all started on Friday morning.  We had planned to take our kids to daycare and spend the day running errands, but Holden came home sick on Thursday so we were forced to keep him home.  It was probably for the better because we had an electrician at our house for four hours on Friday morning installing seven outlets - three in the pantry, two in the {unfinished} basement, and two outside (covered deck + patio).  We wanted the pantry outlets to plug in things like a coffee maker and toaster...so naturally, we needed a table to set said appliances on.

We headed to Ikea that afternoon and came home with the Forhoja cart.


And yes, our pantry is big enough to house this thing.  It's like a small room.  One of the best things about this house, in my opinion!  Speaking of, the reason we wanted a place for our coffee maker is because we were both using four to five K-cups every weekend.  We decided that it's silly to waste the money on the convenience of K-cups on a Saturday when we have the time to make a pot of coffee.  When I first got my Keurig 4+ years ago, Craig was not a coffee drinker, so the convenience of one cup of coffee was well worth it!  I still think it's worth the convenience on weekdays, but we both felt there was a better weekend option.  Anyway, our coffee maker is a coffee/espresso combo, so I re-taught myself (via YouTube) how to make a latte!  I'm not sure why it took me so many years to re-discover this thing!  My latte rivaled a $4 cup from Starbucks and I have a feeling it will be my new go-to comfort drink!


 And speaking of coffee, I also had high hopes of adding a "coffee station" to our house.  There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest.

Follow Sarah's board Coffee Station on Pinterest.

But in reality, our coffee station should probably sit next to the actual coffee maker...which is in the pantry.  So we lose the cuteness/design factor.  Nonetheless, I found a few cute pieces at Home Goods, but I can't decide how I feel about them.  Cute?  Yes!  Functional?  Probably not.  What do you think?  It is cute enough to justify keeping next to our Keurig, even if they're never used? 



Back to Friday evening at Ikea...we also got a new rug for the play area part of our basement.  It's not the prettiest of rugs, but it's very playroom-ish (surprised Craig got past the Denver Broncos colors!), and considering it was on clearance, it was about the cheapest we had seen for its size.

Mejlby Area Rug


Oh, and also new dinnerware.  Because Ikea is like Target in that you can't just go and get what's on your list!  Besides, our old plates were in major need of replacing.  They were chipped and red.  But mostly just red.  I'm so over anything and everything red.  Dinnerware sets are so inexpensive at Ikea so it was basically a no brainer.

 Moving on.  My parents also came to visit this weekend.  They arrived late on Friday night.  We didn't do anything major, which means I didn't take any photos.  Just lots of hanging out and playing cards.  My mom and I did a little shopping--we discovered the store Versona and fell in love!  I would describe it as a trendy store for non-teenagers!  My parents also gave us a much-appreciated break from the boys' bedtime routines on Saturday night.  It felt so nice to relax on the couch, while someone else read books for a change!

Our Valentine's Day was pretty low key.  I attempted a festive breakfast, but the idea worked way better in my head than in real life.  Isn't that always how it goes?  These were the best of the best in terms of the pancakes that actually turned out heart-shaped.


After breakfast, we took my parents to the church we have been attending and then said our good-byes as they left the 50-degree weather and headed back to snowy Iowa.  Later that evening, I baked a homemade heart-shaped pizza with heart shaped pepperoni (inspired by Liz).  It turned out way better than the pancakes and this might be my new Valentine's dinner tradition!


Craig and I ended our Valentine's Day in the most romantic way possible - watching The Bachelor at 20 special!  I mean, I'm sure that's exactly what Craig had in mind! ;)  Good thing neither of us care about celebrating this "holiday"!

On Monday, we took our kids to daycare so that we could run the errands we didn't get to run on Friday.  But first, breakfast!  Just the two of us at The Big Biscuit.  It was so nice to sit and enjoy each other's company (and hot coffee) without whiny, needy kids in tow!

(By the way, I really do love my kids, but without family around, we rarely get a break from the norm!  So I apologize for what seems like an under-appreciation of my mama status!)

After breakfast, we headed to World Market in search of the globe/orb light fixture I had my eyes on.  We came home with each of the two fixtures I linked to on Friday...and then some - a light fixture for our breakfast nook, a new wall clock, and a wire organizer for above the Ikea table in our pantry.


 
We fell in love with this light fixture because it matches those we added above our island (from Lowe's--see below) about a month ago!  We still need to add an old fashion bulb, but we love it in comparison to the boring, old, builder-grade fixture from before!  (Here are the Lowe's above-island pendants.)


I also love this wall clock!  It gives our house the perfect farmhouse/fixer-upper feel without having to buy all new things!




And finally, the rack above the table in the pantry.  I really love this new space of ours, even if it is hidden inside the pantry!


Like I said, I was quite the weekend!  Expensive, as my husband would say, but productive in my mind!  We have yet to hang the orb fixture, but I already feel like our house got a mini makeover, which is always fun, right??   There were a few more highlights to our weekend but more on that to come!

Four-day weekends are the best!  Except when four days turn into five because of a sick kid.  Again.


I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's and/or long weekend!

15 comments:

  1. Which church are you going to? We need to find one.

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  2. Ok expensive or not what a fun weekend!! Wish we were at church on Sunday and could have met your parents (we were in Wichita). You got some awesome stuff!!!! I must have just missed you at IKEA on Friday too- I have a rather expensive weekend too- combo of hobby lobby + IKEA though! Love the table and rack in the pantry so much and your choice in lights is on point! Hope Holden feels better!

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  3. I always come home with way too much from Ikea. You guys ended up with some great finds though. I love that cart and I'm so jealous you actually have a pantry big enough to house it! Our pantry is teeny tiny. I love both coffee station set ups that you have! And those light fixtures - love!! You guys had quite a weekend of house updating! Hoping Holden feels better soon!

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  4. Love the coffee station idea! We make giant pots of coffee on the weekend too and leave the Keurig for weekdays. I need an espresso machine so I can make lattes! And how cute are your Valentines meals! Love!

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  5. Your panrty is phenomenal!!! Can I move in?! We had red dinnerware from our wedding lol. All the plates and bowls are gone but the mugs are left but I can handle 4 of those. We replaced the red with white Ikea plates! Are we related or something?! ;)

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  6. Ok, I don't even know where to start, I have so many comments lol. Umm, SO jealous of your pantry!!! First of all, you have one and I'd kill for one. And second, it's big enough for a table?? So jealous!
    We have a Keurig and Seth uses what would be like 2 k-cups per day. BUT we bought the re-useable one from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and he just fills it with coffee grounds and makes his cup and then throws away the grounds and then fills it again and makes another cup. Less waste and totally cheaper than pre-packaged k-cups!
    LOVE your valentine's day meals!!! The pizza turned out so cute, I love that you made it heart shaped too and I love your breakfast too! We went out to breakfast instead and then we watched the Bachelor 20 as well. TOTALLY romantic if you ask me lol, but I don't really care about the "holiday" either so it was ok!

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  7. I went to our ikea on Sunday. Only spent $100 which was my goal and got a ton of stuff. Love it! The cart you got is greT and your coffee cart in the pantry looks awesome! Holy pantry btw!! I hope the sickies get out of your house. Yuck. :( the chandelier you found is awesome and looks great with the other lights. and I agree that clock gives you a little fixer upper look. Man I love that show!!

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  8. FUN!! I love that pendant you got!! Super adorable!!

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  9. You guys did good!! Now all you need are some Einstein lightbulbs and you're good to go!!! HA! ;) Can't wait to see the orb up too! And feel better soon Holden :)

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  10. Productive weekends are my favorite kind of weekend. They really set the stage for the week and make you feel so good going into it. And your pantry sounds dreamy. That’s one thing our home lacks is a good pantry. Okay, question – how did you share your Pinterest board in a post? Did you just select ‘make a widget’? I tried that the other day and it only gave me text. Maybe it displays the board once you hit publish? Or is there another trick to it? We haven’t been to Ikea in years. It’s almost 2 hours from us, so it’s a day trip. We need to plan one soon! Your festive Valentine foods are perfect!! I love the clock, the organizer for above the coffee station and the light fixtures. They are all awesome. We are slowly converting our home to a Farmhouse/Fixer Upper style. I can’t get enough! Hope your sweet boy is feeling better.

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  11. I love the coffee nook ideas! I wish I could do that! I wanna get one of those K-cup holders, right now I just have a lil basket that I put the cups in that sits right next to the maker.

    I love all the productivity! :)

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  12. New to your blog. :) sounds like a productive weekend to me! My husband & I are the same way. Keurig during the week & regular ole coffee pot on the weekends. :)

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  13. New to your blog. :) sounds like a productive weekend to me! My husband & I are the same way. Keurig during the week & regular ole coffee pot on the weekends. :)

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  14. First, I'm jealous of your huge pantry, next I want that clock!! I shouldn't get it but I want to!

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  15. Loving your home improvements! So I'm working on my coffee bar station this week and just put in an order for some custom floating shelves for about a small buffet i got at The Home Store thats in our dining room but now I'm wondering if the basket system you got would have been a better solution, love love love it!!

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