Overstock [Amazing] Dot Com...

Is it just me or am I the only person in the world who is new to Overstock.com?  I've seen the commercials, read about deals found on Overstock on other blogs...  what kept me from looking myself?  Maybe I secretely knew of the "danger" that would ensue.

Between emails from places like IKEA and West Elm and my crazy searches for Mid Century Modern furniture on Craigslist, do I really have the time to check Overstock.com hourly daily?  Why yes I do!

Look at this adorable bedding I found...   I have a thing for bedding. 

This rug has been staring me down for a few days now...

Do I even need to mention this fabulous sofa for $399?

Please tell me I'm not the only one in love with Overstock.com  Please share your fabulous finds with me!

Mid Century Modern...

I have a new obsession with mid century modern furniture.  I've stumbled upon many fabulous mid century pieces on Craigslist and have become a crazy bargain hunter for these particular designs.  Apparently I'm not the only one because most of the furniture is quite expensive, so I'm hoping to find someone who is selling a great piece and is unaware of its value...  wish me luck!

Below are a few of my favorite Craigslist mid century pieces...  yes, I've been eyeing these for several days now:

These pieces are gems!  Can't you see why I'm obsessed?  Mid Century Modern is so simple and chic.  I adore! 

List of New Favorites...

Craigslist is awesome...  we just sold our sectional sofa, Mike sold an old calculator from high school and I was able to find a pet adoption agency in need of dog crates [they got Morgan's old ones] all via Craigslist.  I know of several people who stalk Craigslist and now I can see why...  it's awesome!


Canon Rebel T1i...  this is our new camera!  I'm not a gadget girl so I didn't understand why this camera was so much better than my Canon Powershot.  This camera is amazing.  The picture quality is unbelievable.  

Morgan's cameo on the new camera

Fish tank photo featuring El Camino [yes, our fish have names]

We also love Amazon.com.  Michael purchased the camera on Amazon while I've made much smaller purchases.  I recently ordered magazine subscriptions for SUPER cheap on Amazon...  LOVE it!

Seventh Generation...

Meet Seventh Generation:

As much as I love to clean [yes, I said love], I hate the harsh, chemical smells of most cleaning products. My eyes and nose burn, my allergies act up and the smell isn't pleasant.

On my agenda was to find a cleaning product that was all-natural and non-toxic. Target carries this wonderful line called Seventh Generation. All of their products are hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, biodegradable, zero harsh fumes, not tested on animals and kosher certified [blessed by a Rabbi?].

I absolutely love the Natural All-Purpose Cleaner. It's amazing and smells like plants! Read more about this cleaner HERE.

The Container Store & Marshall's

Last night we had an appointment with our tax guy at 9 pm! He's a busy man... to pass the time, we visited The Container Store and Marshall's for the first time.

Allow me to start with The Container Store... I really wasn't impressed. As much as I love containers, boxes, files and closet organizers, I didn't find The Container Store to be anything special. Did I mention the prices? I knew IKEA was down the street and I could find the exact products for much cheaper.

I did manage to find 1 item we needed:

sponge holder w/ suction cups for the kitchen sink $6.15

Now on to Marshall's... I know I've expressed my love of HomeGoods in the past and I must say it is still a front runner, BUT, Marshall's is a close 2nd! They have great prices, great items for the house and great everything else!

Here's my little purchase from Marshall's:

soap & hand sanitizer for the kitchen sink $5.75

...I also may have purchased a cute purse :)

Lady Luck...

Meet my favorite cleaning appliance of all time: the Dirt Devil Kurv vacuum! I've been meaning to buy this at Target for the past few months and every time we go, I forget. Talk about meant to be...

On Christmas Eve we celebrate with my mom's side of the family at my Grandma's house. The adults do a White Elephant gift exchange. After a few packages were opened, my uncle opened the Dirt Devil Kurv! [White Elephant Rules: You can steal the same gift up to 3 times]

A few more people went and no one stole the vacuum from my uncle! I couldn't believe it. Along came my turn and BAM - robbery in progress. I stole the darn thing and put it next to me. I crossed my fingers and by the end of the exchange it was mine!

I absolutely love it. It's great for quick and simple jobs around our place.

My West Elm Shopping List [for now]...

Retail e-mail lists can be fabulous when it comes to sales. I've found really great deals this way and been able to retrieve spent money. E-mail lists become dangerous when I am ready to purchase the entire online catalogue of fabulosity.

Thanks to an e-mail from West Elm, I'm left wondering if Santa Claus will visit me in January.

All Grown Up [Kinda]...

Meet Chongo...

Chongo is my stuffed animal chimpanzee that has traveled with me since I was a little girl. My late grandmother Barbara gave me Chongo. He has been with me at my parent's house, he survived my college days at Cal State Fullerton and now he is residing at Our Condo Space. Why did Chongo make it with me all these years and not any other toys or stuffed animals is a mystery. Something about him has always been special to me and always makes me think of my Grandma Barbara.

What do you still have from your childhood? Baby Blankets? Toys?

The IKEA trip...

We finally made the trip to IKEA to purchase the Expedit bookcase, Hemnes dresser, file folders, storage boxes, power strips, an accent light & photo frames :)

The bookcase looks great in the corner next to our sofa. I now have plenty of storage for my owl collection. We will eventually move the storage boxes into the bookcase, but for now, they remain up top until we can trust Morgan not to chew.

The Hemnes dresser is a match to the larger dresser we already have. This 3-drawer dresser appeared to be much smaller at the IKEA store. When we got it home it seemed too large at first, but we made it work.

Target & Television...

Mike's agenda when it comes to electronics is the bigger the better OR the more expensive the better. I, the frugal one, am just fine with my 6 year old camera, 3 year old T-Mobile Sidekick and 4 year old MacBook computer.

After much convincing, Michael won the battle when it came to our most recent purchase. Target [the danger zone] was having a sale on most of their LCD flat screen televisions. The 46" Sony Bravia was on sale!

We were so fortunate to receive Target gift cards for our wedding and we were able to purchase the television almost entirely on gift cards [Thank You]. I must admit it is amazing. I truly enjoy watching my trashy reality shows on a much larger screen. The Real Housewives of Orange County are practically life size! We've yet to play our Wii but be sure the competition is on [when Mike is ready to accept the challenge].

Mmmm... BBQ!

We finally used our new BBQ! Michael put it together a few weeks ago but one of the parts was missing [the axle to connect the wheels]. We called Crate & Barrel and they sent us the missing part.

While I was at a meeting with our wedding florist, Michael was working hard at the BBQ! He picked up steaks, corn, coals and propane [it uses both] and he prepared a FANTASTIC BBQ dinner :)

Apple Green is our Fav...

We finally moved our apple green Weber [Crate&Barrel] BBQ to the condo. I absolutely love it... it's a more functional version of the "old school" BBQ. My aunt & uncle Cris and Caryl bought it for us from our registry. They also bought EVERY accessory for it... matching green bowl, matching green platter, matching green grilling gloves, grilling spatula, grilling tongs and the cover. CLEARLY we will be having them over for an awesome BBQ dinner.

On the Up & Up...

Michael and I recently started purchasing from the "Up & Up" Target brand product line. So far, so good. The apple scented dish soap is great... the trash bags are sturdy... now I'm going out on a limb and trying the Up & Up lotion, shampoo and conditioner. I will let you know how it goes.

Mama Always Said: "If you can read, you can cook"...

So I've never been one to cook but that doesn't necessarily mean I can't cook.  Much to my own surprise, I'm doing okay in the kitchen.  Michael and I are huge fans of my beef tacos... the must have ingredient is the Tapatio sauce!  I've posted a picture as proof that I CAN cook!

My Mom Always Said:

"If you can read, you can cook!"