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Monday, February 25, 2013

Weekend Recap!

Happy Monday, Darlings! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful weekend! As I mentioned on Friday here, we didn't have any huge plans which was more than welcoming considering we have some jammed packed weekends coming up! It was nice to sleep in, lay around, and just soak in the laziness for a bit!

Friday evening we attended a beer tasting at Bon Vivant Market, a wine and beer shop, in nearby Smithfield {home of Gwaltney bacon}. Now, this was our first beer tasting and visit to this location. Bon Vivant also has a location in nearby Suffolk, which is closer but they weren't having any activities for the evening! As I had made a priority here, I've really wanted the hubby and I to have more adventurous-outside-of-the-box date nights and stray away from the typical dinner dates we are known to have! I thought the beer tasting would be a great first outside-of-the-box date, especially since the guest speaker was Kevin O'Connor from the local O'Connor Brewing Company, which the hubby's employer distributes and to which I just picked up a six pack of, for the hubby, at the beginning of last week! Coincidence? I think not!

Our beer glasses! 
The hubby was on board for the tasting so I made the final decision to attend. I was home by six {the wine tasting started at seven and the location was thirty minutes away}but of course I had to change clothes, touch up my makeup, and tend to the dog. We left the house at 6:30 and made it to Bon Vivant at 7:10 {ten minutes late} and from there I knew why they said arrive promptly at seven. The parking lot was full and this store looked smaller than my old 700 square foot apartment. We walked in to about 25 people staring at us in a area we could barely squeeze through! We were given our complimentary glasses and a pour and stood cramped and close as we listened to Kevin O'Connor explain his different beers, the types of hops used in each one, and how he immensely enjoys his beer craft. We also learned the story of how IPA got it's name! If you don't know definitely check it out here!! It's very interesting and being that Im not a huge beer drinker, I enjoyed learning something new! After some more tastings and Q&A, we picked out some beers to purchase and headed out! We ate dinner at a Thai/Asian Fusion restaurant close by and continued on home! Once home we headed to bed as the hubby had the sniffles and wasn't feeling well, not to mention he was exhausted from his work week! Waking up at 3 a.m. every morning, working till 1 p.m., and then coaching baseball the rest of the afternoon until 6 p.m. can wear a man out! To say I worry about him getting enough sleep is an understatement!

Saturday we spent much of the day catching up on sleep and relaxation! We woke up/ rolled out bed at... noon... yes, call us pathetic, but it was raining and we didn't have plans! What else was there to really do?! Once we were out of bed, we plopped our tushies down on the couch and recliner for more laziness! I did give myself my weekly manicure and the hubby ended up napping some more! After a few more hours of all that laziness we had to get ready for dinner with his family. The hubby's Uncle and Aunt had some slight renovations done on their home and wanted to show us as well as have the family all together for a nice meal and conversation. His Aunt made chicken curry which was heavenly and apparently his grandmother's recipe, which I am going to need to add to my recipe book and so we can continue to pass it down through the family! The wine was flowing, the conversation going, and the food spectacular! It really was an incredibly fun evening! While enjoying the fire after dinner, I noticed that Pippa, one of the house kitties was enjoying staring into the smoldering fire. I HAD to snap a photo of her just sitting there, so sweet and still, just staring!

Sweet kitty Pippa staring into the fire!  
I felt like taking a selfie! 
Yesterday, we slept in a bit and then enjoyed cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The hubby had baseball practice at noon so after he headed out I decided I would get myself together and venture out on an area rug hunt! I've been looking for an area rug for the office/library since I began redecorating and haven't had much luck! I knew I wanted a lighter colored rug to offset the dark browns of the furniture, the curtains, and the floors but I hadn't been able to find one within my budget or taste. At the recommendation of Todd's Uncle and Aunt at dinner the night before, I decided to check out Ollie's Bargain Outlet, which is on the same spectrum as Big Lots, but BIGGER! I had never been but, after they told me of their massive area rug selection, I decided I didn't have much to lose! I am beyond glad I went, because I found a rug! I actually found five and had to make a decision on just one! The best part?! It was under $100!!! I'm unsure if I am going to keep this one as I think a few of the others that I picked out would look better but regardless I now know where to go when I need an area rug or runner!

Please don't mind the quality of the majority of the photos as some are Iphone photos! And don't mind the mess of this room either! It's still in the works! 

Laying out the new rug! 
View from the front door. 
When I left to head out to Ollie's I noticed the owners of the town home next to us were cleaning it out and had a few pieces of furniture sitting by the side of the road. One piece was a really great looking antique hunter green upholstered chair and the other was a a light mintish green velvet tufted bench! I immediately fell in love with the bench but noticed it was stained in some areas and needed some tlc. So, I did what any blogger would do... I snapped a photo on Instagram and asked my followers if I should snag it up! I had fourteen YES comments and twenty-one "likes" and considering I couldn't get the bench out of my head as I was looking for the rug, I knew I had to have it! I came home praying it would still be there {you'd be surprised at how quickly things go when they are on the side of the road} and when I saw that it was, I quickly scooped it up and carried it into the house! After rolling out the rug and having my neighbor Catherine's opinion, I set the bench up as a coffee table and displayed a few books and other decorative pieces on it! I have to say I love it! I need to work on cleaning the stains but for now it doesn't look terribly bad!

Bench and Chair being trashed! 
Now it has a perfect place in our home!

Close up. 
Details
Top view
So honestly, what do you think of the new additions?! I'm digging the bench 100% but I'm still unsure on the rug. I have 30 days to return it so I may give it a week OR I may even go purchase the other two , bring them home, and see which one looks best! No harm in that right?!

Any of you do any home decorating or serious sleeping this weekend?! Enjoy your Monday! If you stayed up late watching the Oscars like myself, you're probably walking around half awake today!! I've got to give myself a legit bed time!! XoXo!



5 comments:

  1. The beer tasting sounds so fun! I am always trying to plan more adventurous dates and take advantage of everything around us!

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  2. You look gorgeous in that selfie my dear!

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  3. Beer tasting sounds wonderful:) Love the bench and the way you styled it!

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  4. I love wine tours they are so much fun, not so much a fan of the beer I leave my BF to that task :) Looks like a busy weekend x

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  5. That bench is beyond fabulous - I LOVE the vintage vibe!

    XO
    Pearls & Paws

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