me and my mama

While the guys worked in the kitchen on Sunday, my mom and I went out shopping to find a shelf for next to the fireplace as well as one for by the stairs to hold mail and whatnot. I've found a few over the last few weeks that I liked, but I'm cheap and most of them were around $100 a piece... and I knew I could find something for less than that. I mean really, Caili doesn't call me the Queen of Deals for nothing! :)

Luckily, my mom is just as much of a bargain hunter as I am (I had to get it from somewhere!) We headed out to Menard's first, and found a gorgeous "mission-style" bookshelf in their ad on sale for $39.99. There was also a smaller one (perfect for by the stairs) for $29.99. YES! Unfortunately... they didn't even have the small one in stock, and the tall one only came in a light wood, while I was hoping for a cherry finish. We left with the ad and decided to check out staples, who carries the same shelves and will usually price match competitor ads. At Staples, we found what we were looking for right away... but also found out that they didn't want to price match for us since their prices were currently $79.99 and $59.99. Well, my mom and I don't back down on a deal and after talking to a manager walked out of the store with BOTH shelves for $76 total! I've said this a million times but I will say it again - i LOVE a good deal. And, I love the shelves even more just knowing that they I didn't break the bank buying them.

Here's the tall shelf in the (messy) living room. Also note the beautiful mantle that Dan finished staining a couple weeks ago!! (Sorry for the dark picture)


Another project my mom has been helping me on is recovering the dining room chairs with the fabric Manda and I picked out at Ikea. So far, even the guys that see the finished chairs are complimenting them, so I think the pattern worked as well as I was hoping!


I've really loved having my mom over to help me around the house. She has been a HUGE help with cleaning and getting things organized, and I definitely couldn't get the chairs done without her. We're both antsy to set up the dining room set and see it all put together... I think she'll be the first person I'll have over for dinner when it's finally all done. :)

One last picture... the bathroom all finished with the new vanity and medicine cabinet!