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!
