Making a House a Home: Used Furniture

We were blessed to be able to purchase some nice used furniture for our new abode.

These bar stools would cost $150 new, but we paid $25 each....cool.

They also match our dining room table chairs that we already had.

Not only did we get some sweet deals, but the furniture matched what we already had, which added to the seating in our home, inexpensively. Nice quality stuff, too.

This burgundy leather couch was ours already, then we added the used loveseat and chair for $150!

This great brown leather loveseat matched the furniture we had in our basement for only $50!

These two wrought-iron pieces (plus matching desk, no pic) were $75.


Back in the day, I would only tolerate 'retail furniture', but after a few months,
all furniture looks used. Why pay more money than you should, for a depreciating asset no less, only to lose it all. Cars fall into the same category, but that's another post.

FYI, a depreciating asset is something that never increases in value, only loses value over time.





What are some ways to score some good buys on gently used furniture?

1) Keep your ears open for those who may be moving soon - People often purge and get rid of things that may not fit into their new home and/or they don't want to move. This is how we got this furniture.

2) Furniture Consignment Shop - We have an awesome furniture consignment shop in town and I am there at least once a week, looking to land a 12-seat dining room table. I can't believe that some of the furniture there isn't new!! Every 30 days that the furniture stays on the floor, it drops in price 20%. Is that the coolest? Maybe you have one in your town.


3) Goodwill - Once again, loads of great deals if you'll be patient.


4) Garage sales - This is how I found a very nice bunk-bed set for the girls. The couple was going through a divorce and the prices were rock bottom. One tip for the best deals, you MUST get there early. The hot deals go by 8am.

5) Road-Kill furniture - I must refer you to Infarrantly Creative for this one. Never done it, but hope to one day. Restore, recover, resurrect!

Any other ideas??

Making a House a Home: Color

For the most part, I have minimized the effect of color in my life.

I was afraid of it, I think. Afraid of making a mistake, afraid of my rooms looking weird, afraid to waste money on the wrong color paint. White was just easier. Later, I graduated to beige, but still staying very safe with my colors.

Then, one night about 5 years ago, I was summoned by my totally-hip, decorating friend who was in labor. I was on the 'call list', so I made my way to her home so that she could go and have her baby.

I didn't have anything to do at 3am, TV was terrible at that hour, plus I was all hyped-up about the baby coming. So I paced. And paced some more. My friend's house, which is like something out of Better Homes & Gardens, is just gorgeous and well-coordinated, yet each room boasts of it's own individuality. How did she do this? I went in circles around her main living area, studying each wall, furniture and window treatments. I just couldn't figure out what her secret was, and I couldn't wait to ask her.

In a nutshell, she explained to me that she had selected two basic colors to work with, they were like a coral and a sea green. They really look great together. She works up and down the paint color strip of the shade she likes, because they all match. She combines them in different ways to give her home that effect.

For example, her guest bathroom near the front door was done in a dark brick color, the darkest shade on her coral paint strip. Then, in her dining room, she painted a very light shade of coral above the chair rail, then sponged a lighter shade of coral and some metallic stuff below the chair rail. She made it look like wallpaper. Then in her kitchen, she features a light sea green, followed by a darker shade of the green in her family room, with a dark teal leather couch, with coral lamp shades and picture frames. Can't you just feel the coolness of her house? Of course, she custom made all her drapes and accessorizes beautifully. She finds all kinds of great deals just checking clearance racks, etc. and really has an eye for design and color.

I'm not that brilliant. But I am teachable, so you can see my paint colors above. I took several shades from one paint strip that included a color I really liked for the main walls, "Latte".

I used the lightest shade on the strip for darker areas, like hallways. I'll also use it to sponge over darker colors. Latte went through most of the house. The darkest shade went in the large entry, which I will sponge or stripe, jury's out.

Everything flows together as you walk around, but each area has it's own little 'pizazz', you know? My kitchen walls don't really separate in a distinctive way, so I just painted a light sage green on two walls of the kitchen. It has about the same energy as the 'Latte" and they work well together.

Upstairs, the rooms are all different because I can close doors, they don't need to work together.

One bedroom got the "Latte", the master bedroom kept the light olive paint from our previous house (LOVE that color and it matches my spread) and then a funky blue in the other bedroom. I am not a 'blue' fan, but it was more of a psychological strategy than anything else.

The children going in that bedroom felt 'united' in that color.....sold.

And what kind of Ohioan would I be without an Ohio State bathroom?

Did you know that there is really an "Ohio State Red"??

Yep, it's the guys bathroom. I'm on the hunt for cheap OSU paraphernalia. Garage sale season is upon us.

I have a little more to share about colors and other rooms, but I'll do that another time.

By the way, all of my colors are Sherwin Williams and we use the Duration paint, which is awesome, used it for years. Sherwin Williams will send someone out FOR FREE to look at your place and recommend color coordination. Check that one out.

Embrace color today!!! God didn't make the world black and white, why should our lives be?

Settling In and Our First Dinner

This view makes it all worth it. The sunrise on our first morning in the new place was spectacular. We are so blessed, thank you Father.

I bought this big, honkin' griddle at Aldi for my new kitchen, isn't it cool? It's the biggest one I've ever seen. Anyway, here's the recipe for the Pumpkin Pancakes we had for dinner. Yeah, I know it's a fall kind of thing, but I was using what I could find. I'm headed for the grocery today.
Besides, my tribe will eat breakfast anytime and for any meal.


Pumpkin Pancakes

5 cups flour
8 tsp. baking powder
8 tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. ginger
4 tsp. nutmeg
4 tsp. salt
5 cups milk
1 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
8 tbsp. melted butter (sometimes I just use oil)
4 eggs

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix milk, pumpkin, butter and egg. Fold into dry, fry up and enjoy!

Military Wives: I salute YOU!

I did not grow up in a military family, nor did I marry a military man. I cannot truly relate with what our military families go through on a daily basis to preserve the freedoms we enjoy in this great country.

With that being said, please forgive my naivete as I stumble through what is intended to be a great, big THANK YOU!

Throughout this move, every exhausting minute of it, I couldn't help but think about our military families. I really feel that it was a God thing for me, I have felt such a burden for these families the last few days.

From disorganization, poor packing, fatigue, OCD attacks, over-eating fast-food, boxes to the ceiling, aching muscles, irritable children and lost basset hounds, I think one of the worst parts of this has been my hands.
They are raw, I'm sure I have no fingerprints left. My skin is cracked and bleeding from opening and dealing with these cardboard boxes. My hands are so sore that I can barely handle one at this point and no amount of lotion is helping the pain. They just need a break.

My gosh, how do you military wives do this every couple of years?? Or anyone who moves frequently, for that matter??? I suppose it's like most of life, you just "suck it up" and do it.

Getting to the point here, I am feeling led to do this. As a small and inadequate token of my appreciation for what military wives go through to keep their families going, I want to give you a bottle of "Look Ma, New Hands" by Bath & Body Works.

I will send a bottle of lotion to the first 50 military wives who live in the US until Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 9pm EST. Two things are necessary.....

*Become a follower of the Morristribe.

*Send your shipping info to morriskelly62@yahoo.com.

Feel free to send this link to your military friends, I hope to bless as many as I can.

You are strong and courageous women!

Giveaway Winners of "The Pioneer Woman Cooks"

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed everyone's comments and stories about their favorite foods! If you haven't already, take a glance through them, it'll warm your heart.

I wish I could send everyone of you a copy of this very cool book, but only two winners will get it, and they are.....

Cheryl and Tricia

You have both been notified by email and I'll need your shipping info within 48 hours or another winner will be drawn. Congratulations! You're gonna love it!

What To Keep, What To Pitch

I hate moving, really hate it. OK, no more whining about it.

Good things come when we are forced to change, and one thing I appreciate about the process is purging. We are not pack rats in this family, believe me.

Yet, I am declaring winners and losers with my possessions, here are a few examples.

I am keeping what I love and parting with the rest.

I love decorating with metals and wrought-iron.

My overall style leans towards Old World, so I love rich colors and textures.

White walls absolutely drive me nuts, I paint with warm, comforting tones.


Love my clock, keeper.

Love it, keeper.

Excuse the mess, but this is my homeschool desk.

This monster is 6 feet long and weighs a ton. I really love this piece of furniture

but I'm not sure it will fit in the new place. It's on the chopping block.

Now I know there are those of you who would want to slap me silly for getting rid of this set, it's an Ethan Allen dining room set and hutch from the 70's from my mother-in-law.

My father-in-law was gracious enough to leave this for us when we moved in and I am grateful because we didn't have anything else at the time. But after 18 years of marriage, I want to chose my own dining room set. If I were a 'real woman', I guess I would strip and re-finish it to my liking.....naaaahhhhh.

Love my rug, it's a keeper!!!

I hate, hate, hate this bedroom furniture. This was Mark's bachelor furniture and I have looked at it for 18 years. I'm done. It's gone.

There's just a glimpse into our move. I'm to the point where I'd rather save up for what I want and do without in the meantime. Fortunately, the new place has wonderful built-in closets that will allow us to do away with most of the dressers, thereby allowing more square-footage to live in.

The other thing I'm dealing with is that I'm going from a family room/living room floor-plan to a great room. Some things fit and others don't. We'll just take it one day at a time, enjoying the change and embracing the new.

Do you have furnishings and decor that

wish would disappear? Do tell....

Motivating Children with Daily Recognition

A while back, during a devotional series on Joseph with the children, we marveled at his ability to be a leader despite his dire circumstances. The poor guy was sold into slavery by his own brothers, put into prison for something he didn't do, falsely accused of rape, and the story goes on and on. One would think that Joseph's heart would be full of bitterness, however, he continued to be a leader wherever he found himself.

I decided to challenge the children to be leaders at home everyday, giving them practical application ideas. For motivational purposes, I bought some kid-sized candy bars. Every night, for a week after dinner, I announced who had won the "Leadership Award" for the day.

You can't imagine how hard these little guys worked all day to win the "Leadership Award"! They put coats and shoes on the smaller ones, they ran to set the table, they gave direction and correction to each other, and the list goes on. Some days, they all did such a good job, I would have to award a tie.

Once the week was over, I forgot about it. I was surprised when the kids asked me at dinner who had won the leadership award for that day. Stammering over my words and trying to remember what all they had done that day, I called a three-way tie and decided to continue the contest indefinately. I had planned to change the character quality, but they really love the leadership thing.

At $3 for a bag of candy, I think it's pretty cheap bribery, uh, I mean, motivation for my kiddos to remember and reflect on what it means to be a leader, regardless of what their emotions are telling them.

Serenity Saturday & "A Pioneer Woman Cooks" Giveaway

Serenity Saturday is going to be full of gratitude at the Morristribe. I want to encourage you to find a minute or two today to clear your head. Find a quiet spot (yeah, right!) and just thank your Creator for what you have.

Gratitude is a state of mind. Remember that even the poorest Americans are considered wealthy around the world. One statistic I read stated that if you have any kind of hobby, you are within the top 2% of the wealthiest worldwide.

Personally, I am thankful for shelter, a wonderful home that keeps me comfortable. I am also thankful for my family, and while imperfect, are the most precious thing I have besides Christ.
I have clothes on my back, I have food in the cabinets, I have choices about what I'll do today.
I have doctors and dentists that I can see if I need to (a luxury in the world) and even have health insurance.

I have much to be thankful for. In the midst of moving boxes, disorganization and disruption of the normal routine, I am thankful for it all. It's called life.

YOU ONLY HAVE THREE DAYS LEFT...

to enter the "A Pioneer Woman Cooks" giveaway!

I am giving away two of these and YOU WANT IT!!! YOU REALLY DO!

To enter:

Become a follower, if you aren't one already, that's one entry

Tell us about your fav comfort food that either you make or someone made for you!

How did it make you feel? That's another entry.

Post this giveaway on your Facebook! (one entry)

Post this giveaway on your blog! (another entry)

Winner will be chosen by random.org. Contest ends midnight 3/8/10.

Positive, Encouraging Stuff: Friday's Wrap-Up

I read some great stuff on blog-sphere this week and I want to share it with before the moving boxes literally drown me.

Fox & Friends interviewed the second family EVER to have paid off their mortgage with Habitat for Humanity, and 7 years early no less! Listen to how they did it and KUDDOS to them!

For a major belly-laugh, check out Ree's Prodigal Dog post and make sure you go to the bathroom first because you'll pee your pants laughing if you don't.

"The Happiness Project" has a great post here, I love Gretchen's blog.

Frugal Hacks must have been inside my brain this week. I have wanted to post something to this effect but she has saved me the time !

Have a great Friday and remember, tomorrow is Serenity Saturday. Think about how you can be nice to yourself tomorrow, but the planning must happen today. I'm not sure that I'll find much serenity this weekend as we make a 'full-court press' towards getting our home set up. Maybe I'll hide in a closet for a minute or two.

Kelly's Sweet Deal of the Week

I am always on the lookout for cheap, but yummo cereal. Although we have other foods besides cereal for breakfast, my older kids love eating it for snacks and I go through a lot of it.

Aldi had it's cornflakes on sale for $1.19 for an 18 oz. box, that's 6.6 cents an ounce! My rock-bottom, stock-up price is about 10 cents an ounce, so you can imagine my excitement!

Once home, Trev grabbed a bowl of it and said it was better than the store brand. THIS from Mr. Picky.

I'm going back for more tomorrow.

Friday night: Went back for a case of cornflakes, still on sale for $1.19. Look here for a billion or so recipes for cornflakes!!