Choosing New Furniture is a PAIN!

So my newly remodeled livingroom is almost done.  It's time to pick out new furniture.  I never knew how hard it was going to be.

First up is the new couch and recliners.  I knew I wanted La-Z- Boy recliners, so my daughter and I headed out there to test some recliners out.  Hard job, but someone's gotta do it!  I had looked them up online and saw how you could get them made in practically any color or fabric design you wanted.  I think there was over 600 different varieties of fabric to choose from.  I had visions of a purple couch with rose recliners to go with my newly painted green walls.

We arrived at the La-Z-Boy store and started looking at some beautiful couch and recliner sets.  It didn't take long for a salesman to zoom in on us.  I asked him the appropriate questions and soon found out that if you wanted those special colors you were looking at a much higher price and a good 6-8 week wait and since the holidays are coming it would be closer to 10 weeks...  There went my dreams of lovely purple and rose furniture.  So as reality set in, since there was no way I was going to wait that long I want my living room done before Thanksgiving, we started looking at all of the lovely furniture in browns, tans, blacks and other dismal colors.  *sigh* After testing out a few reclining couches and chairs we decided that maybe those colors weren't so bad if they were that comfy.  Believe me they were comfy.  I'm talking about nap time comfy!  ZZZZzzzzzz  We chose a beautiful tan colored couch that had recliners on both ends and matching recliners in a dark, chocolate colored brown.  My daughter said it felt like resting on a cloud, they were so soft!  One of the recliners is even better because it's a power recliner.  You push buttons and your feet go up, head down, lumbar supported and so on.  So absolutely sinful, including the price...well there is a 5% discount, to take into consideration.  That certainly makes it all good!

I asked how long it was going to take to deliver this little bit of heaven and he said it would be at our house by mid next week.  That seemed reasonable, since we were still finishing up the floor trim.

A few days later we started searching for the perfect TV console and matching bookshelves.  I don't want one of those huge, all connected entertainment centers.  I just want a nice TV console that I'll put in the center of one wall and then two 6 foot bookshelves that I can place on both ends of that wall.  It will store our major collection of cds and dvds, as well as a few decorative items.  I did not know what a chore this was going to be.  I found something I liked but it was going to take several weeks to get delivered and I need to get this cluttered mess of a house, somewhat organized ASAP!  That wouldn't do for me.  Other places we looked had little to nothing that I liked or that looked like it would hold up for a while.  We went home discouraged and a lot disappointed.

The next day we decided to try Arnold's.  Another furniture store here in town.  Within minutes I saw the TV console I wanted and they could deliver it in two... only 2 days!!!  I was all over that.  They had some very nice bookshelves as well, but since they were made to order it was going to take several weeks.  By now I was just happy to have a place to put our TV and other electronic devices, so I was okay with waiting a few weeks for some quality bookshelves that would work with the other furniture.  At least now we can get the house a little organized before the holidays.

Our next purchases will be an area rug for the center of the room and a new floor lamp.  I have a feeling that those might be significantly easier finds, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high just in case.

To wrap up this post these are the most important things I've found out when it comes to furniture shopping:
1. It's not cheap!
2. It's not going to get to your house in a timely manner.
3. It's not all going to match.
4. No matter how much you spend, delivery is not free unless you do it yourself.
If you go out there shopping with these 4 things in mind then you'll be prepared for most anything and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised when one or more of these things doesn't come true for you!

Happy Furniture shopping!

Favorite Finds Part 1

I love to shop, especially when I get a good deal and find something I end up loving.  Here are a few of my favorite items that I've found and love in the past year.  I'm sure that there will be more things that I find and I'll share them in later posts.

This is the front of my Duraflame electric stove heater.  It is fantastic!  My Mom had one that I had admired, so when I saw it on sale on QVC as a TSV I had to order it!  I used it all last winter and it saved me approximately $40 a month on my electric bill, which is fantastic!  My electric furnace is not very good at all and we tend to heat with a woodstove, but my living room always seems to be cold.  This little heater was the perfect solution to that.  I turn it on high and watch the LED flames flicker and it heats my room right up.  I would and have recommend this to anyone!  I tried to get a good picture of the embers glowing and the color of the flames in the background, but the pictures just didn't show up right.

This chair massager from HoMedics is great!  As someone that tends to have a lot of backaches I find this works fantastically.  It has shiatsu and rolling massage options as well as heat.  You can choose whether you want it to stay in one position or roll up and down your whole back.  I can't really remember where I ordered this from but am pretty sure it was one of my QVC finds.  I've also seen similar models at Costco.  It is well worth the price and so far has held up really well.  I've been using it for at least a year now.

This is one of a set of 2 Berkshire soft fluffy throws I ordered from QVC.   Another great find, that I can't get enough of.  This throw is so light and fluffy and warm.  I love cuddling up in it while I watch my favorite shows.  It is so soft!  They wash up really well and stay nice and soft even after multiple washings.  This is also a great gift.  My daughter got one last year for Christmas and after I felt it I had to have one too!

I've mentioned before how one of my favorite things is an olive and feta mix that you can find at the Safeway deli.  When I saw this Greek Olive Salad at my local Costco I had to stock up!  First of all the price was considerably less than the deli mix and it not only had olives and feta it had pepperoncini and lemon slices in it!  Two other items that I really love!  Yum!  The only downfall was I didn't think it had quite enough feta in it but it's still very tasty and you can always add more feta if you want.

I have always loved chocolate covered caramels and when you add sea salt to the mix it goes over the top!  Imagine my joy when I found these little gems at Costco.  The price was very good, under $10 and there are plenty of caramels in the tub.  Enough to share, if you want.  I have one or two a day and enjoy every delicious chocolatey, caramelly salty bite!  Mmmm Mmmm

Last but definitely not least is this company.  After you eat too many salted chocolate covered caramels, you will need to wear larger clothes.  It's hard to find decent very large sized clothes in the shops near where I live.  I found this company online and started ordering clothes from them.  They fit well, wear well and look nice.  The prices aren't bad, they have a large selection and they usually have some good deals.  Now I can find jeans that are long enough and tops that cover my fat.  No, they don't hide it but they do cover it!  One day I truly hope to lose all my extra weight, but until that day comes it's nice to know I have some clothing options.

That's it for this round of my favorite finds.  I'll be scoping out some new ones to bring to you next time.

Halloween Candy

It's that time of year when everywhere you go there are piles of candy bags, just waiting to jump into your shopping cart.  I managed to ignore them until just the other day.  I thought that I'd better buy a couple bags, meaning four, just in case we get a few trick-or-treaters this year.
Now the trick for us will be trying not to eat all of that candy before Halloween.  It will be hard because I always have to buy my favorite candies.  The one year, I was actually sticking to my diet, I bought the candies that I don't really like.  Yes, there are actually some candies I don't like and can easily pass up.  One of those candies is Smarties.  When I mentioned last year to someone at work that I didn't like Smarties, they ridiculed me.  They said that is the all time favorite treat and that everyone loved them.  So I had to set out on a mission to ask everyone at work if they loved them or not.  Truthfully, most people did like them but there were a few that didn't.
Another candy that I can do without is the Three Musketeers bars.  Not sure why, but I just really don't care for them.  Candy corn is not a favorite.  Anything that is cinnamon flavored like red hots...ugh!
Now for some of my favorite Halloween candy treats!  I love those little snack sized Take Five bars.  The only problem is I can't find them in very many places and so far I haven't found them at all this year!  *sigh*
I also love Mounds, Butterfingers, Milky Ways and Peanut butter Snickers and a whole long list of other chocolaty treats.  Those were the four bags I bought the other day.  So far I've managed to only eat one Mounds bar, although just writing about them is making me think I might need another one.

  I like to go to my Mom's on Halloween and help hand out candy.  The best part is she hands out full sized candy bars and we get to bring some home for ourselves!  That is very good incentive to go up and visit her on Halloween.

Do you have a favorite Halloween candy?  Are you able to keep enough for those little trick-or-treaters or do you need to run out and buy more before they show up at the house?  Or better yet, do you just keep your porch light out and sit inside and eat all the candy yourself?

I love the dollar aisle!

Whenever I go to my local Target I have to make sure I pass through the dollar aisle.  There's something about finding some little treasure or another for a dollar that just makes my day.  Sure, I could go to the dollar store and find a whole bunch of treasures for that price, but it just isn't the same to me.

At Target I might find some of the sticky note pads or shopping lists in my favorite Hello Kitty designs.  Or I might find the perfect little gadget to toss in someone's stocking at Christmas time.  I've found pens and calendars or assorted holiday decorations, all for just one dollar each!  One time I bought a bunch of those microfiber dust mitts.  I love those things!

The same goes for my grocery store, when it has dollar days.  They'll have a bunch of bins with kitchen and household gadgets for a dollar each, although sometimes they try to trick me and they're more like two or three dollars, so I have to be careful!  It's just not the same if it costs more than a dollar.

When I get home after making these purchases I am excited to add them to my notepad stock pile or put them in my kitchen gadget drawer.  I feel like I've gotten such a good deal!  I think that's what it's all about.  Feeling the satisfaction of getting a good deal!

Costco

I have a love/hate relationship with Costco.  I love it because there are so many wonderful things to look at and buy!  I hate it for the same reason.
 I have a small house, so finding room for those jumbo boxes of practically everything is not always easy.  But who can resist those great deals?  We all  know if it's something you really like  they may not have it next time you go.  So stock up!
Another reason to hate Costco.  They make me fall in love with a delicious food item in their deli area and then suddenly they no longer carry it.  Like those delicious shrimp wraps they had the summer before last.  I couldn't wait for last summer, sure that they would return because they must've been seasonal, but alas they did not come back.
 I buy my dogs jerky treats there and stock up whenever they're on sale.  Next time I go they're not there! My dogs and I are in a panic! Luckily they restock those fairly often.

I love looking at their book section.  A great place to find gifts for everyone, especially me!
Their refridgerated area, where all the fruits and veggies are kept is a great place to hang out on a hot day.  When you come out of there you're glad it's hot out!  Brrrrr

Oh and when I get the coupon book and they've got a sale on post it notes in the mega 24 pack I can't resist stocking up on the limit.  After all they might have a color I don't already have.

I've got stacks of their Christmas tissue paper because it's so pretty and of course, such a good deal!  Same with the hand made Christmas gift tags.  Although, they are so cute I have a hard time giving them away.

What better place to buy batteries? Jeans for the hubby?  Giant stuffed giraffes for my daughter that collects giraffes?  Freshly baked jumbo muffins?  Alka Seltzer?  My favorite garlic and jalapeno stuffed olives?
So many things to look at and such good deals.  So little space and money!

Perhaps the best deal of all is one they've had for a very long time.  Their giant hot dog or polish dog and a soda for $1.50.  The cheapest and tastiest meal around.   It's also a good way to end my shopping trip.  Load up my car with all of my "good deals" and then sit down and enjoy a yummy polish dog and tall soda.
Sounds good to me!

The Delights of the Deli.

As I've mentioned before, I like deli food.  Unfortunately, as far as I know, we do not have any of those wonderful delis like you see in the movies or on TV or read about in books.  The delis I frequent are in my local grocery stores.  Each one of the three, that I go to, has at least one item that I crave.  I'm not sure if it would be a good or bad thing if one of those stores had all of the items.  Of course each of these items is incredibly healthy and nutritious.  Okay, I'm lying.  I have a feeling if they were healthy and nutritious I probably wouldn't crave them.
So I'm sure by now, you're just dying to know where I go and what I get there. Well, I can pretend you're interested anyways.

The Safeway deli has pretty good Chinese food.  Not quite the quality of my fave restaurants but good if I need a quick fix of General Tso's chicken or potstickers.  This deli also has my favorite olive mix.  It's Greek olives and green olives mixed with chunks of feta cheese.  Yum!

The next deli on my craving list is at Albertson's.  Albertson's fried chicken is the best!  I'd take it over KFC any day!  I like to stop by there, on my way home from work, and pick up their 8 piece mixed meal that comes with the chicken and a pound of your choice of salads or jojo's and a 4 pack of rolls.  It's a good, inexpensive meal.  Definitely, finger lickin', artery clogging, good!

The last items, I get a hankering for, are from the Fred Meyer deli.  I love their seafood/shrimp salad.  They also have great sandwiches and an olive bar as well.  Their spicy olives are delicious!  My daughter can not get enough of their macaroni and cheese salad.  You should see her face when we go there and they don't have it.  Talk about a frown, like the one she'll have when she reads this. hehe

So, there you have it!  One of the reasons I'm overweight and several of the things I crave when I try to lose weight.  Just what you always wanted to know. ;o)

My shopping addiction!

Over the last year, I have acquired a new addiction.  QVC!  I used to watch it about 20 years or so ago and found out that those hosts could talk you into most anything.  I ended up with a few pieces of very nice, but not expensive jewelry.  The trouble is, I don't really wear much jewelry.  I decided my hard earned dollars needed to go elsewhere and so I gave up watching QVC.  Fast forward to last fall.  I just happened to be flipping through the channels and low and behold there on QVC was the portable heater I had been admiring that my Mom had.  Better yet, it was Today's Special Value (TSV)!   Since that fateful day I have bought many more items.  I'm not interested in the jewelry, so I can easily pass up those shows.  I like watching the clothing, but because of my super sized body I don't really think most of the items would fit.  I did happen to buy a couple pairs of Quacker Factory dream jeans and they do fit, but they'd fit much better if I lost about 20 pounds.  When I first tried them on and showed them to my daughter, she assured me that they looked good and made my butt look smaller.  A couple days later, when I showed her again before we went out shopping, she looked at me and shook her head.  I looked at her and said "what???"  She said she was sorry but she hadn't been wearing her glasses when she looked before.  *rolls eyes*
My downfall, when it comes to QVC, is kitchen gadgets and bakeware.  My cupboards are now overflowing with beautiful Temp-tations bakeware.  I have the Kitchen Aid stand mixer I've always dreamed of.  The George Foreman grill, with removable grill plates adorns my counter, because my small kitchen has no place to store it and the Ninja 3-in-1 cooker is on the way, as I speak.  Speaking of Ninja, their little Ninja storm mixer works great at whipping up those smoothies. Also a TSV.
I've also, thanks to my sister-in-law, become a fan of Philosophy body washes and just recently purchased my first WEN hair care products.
Oh and bought my first pair of shoes online, Clarks and they weren't even TSV, but they are very comfortable!
My husband, gem that he is, has not complained about all of the empty QVC boxes piling up around the house, after all they were TSV!  He has also enjoyed the Kansas City steaks and burgers and Cheryl's cookies.
I know that sometime, in the not too distant future, I will be retiring (I hope) and then the days of QVC shopping will come to an end because my income will be limited.  So I had better stock up on all of those wonderful TSVs now while I can!