Why I hate going to Lowe's

    Remember when you were a kid and you'd be in a store and look up and panic for that moment because you can't see your mom anymore? The same feeling occurs when you go to Lowe's with my husband, Aaron. For some reason, I'll never understand why, he feels the need to "disappear" around corners and somehow never have enough cell service to answer his phone to tell me of his whereabouts. That leaves me standing in the bathtub aisle with a 5 foot tall box with our new tub walls and cart filled to the brim with goods.

   Some good came of this Sunday trip to Lowe's. We were able to purchase about 80% of what we need for the bathroom remodel (begins Saturday Aug 6th) and Aaron will go back for the rest. I got to pick whatever I wanted for tile, faucet, shower head etc. (which is how I like things done, of course). The issues began when Aaron placed his half closed water bottle on top of the light fixture for over the shower we had just chosen.

   Note the area where the red signage is on the box. That's soaking wet. Also worth noting that the water went down into the box riiiight where the opening is. Lucky for him, it's a water proof light. haha

   Then we grabbed the tub (by "we" I mean "small man on a hydraulic lift", of course we didn't pick on on the bottom shelf) and that's when Aaron vanished.

  So I sat in the aisle like a lost puppy wondering when he'd come back. Called him, nothing. Then I waited. For 10 minutes. He came sauntering back around the corner. I yelled and stomped my feet. He huffed away again carting the giant 5 foot bathtub wall box on a cart. I scurried like a rat to catch up to him in the tile aisle.

   So now we're both in a bad mood, but we have to just pick tile and get outta there. He refuses to grab the toilet we need because he insists the truck will already be filled. *me rolling eyes* He gets angrier. He tells me to get out of the way after I find the first box we need.  I decided to lighten the mood I'd take his picture.

   His reaction "why don't you get over her and help instead of just standing there smiling? *eye daggers*". I tell him he just asked me to move and now he wants help? Can't have it both ways, champ. He likes that even less. Then something happened nearby with another person that made us both chortle (I don't even recall what it was, sadly) and that snapped us both out of it.

   40 Minutes and over $1000 later we are loading the truck. Aaron was 100% right. The truck is completely filled and we seriously could not have fit the toilet box in it anywhere. I do not admit this aloud, not my style. We head home, load all the crap into the garage and he  looks at me and says "now just so you realize, sometime before Saturday all this stuff will end up IN the spare bedroom and I don't want you to panic when you see it all there " awww!! He remembered how much the demo incident freaked me out and didn't want a repeat offense. That I appreciated!

   Aaron relaxed and looked online at kitchen remodel pictures, to which I had to say more than once "baby steps, please". I took the opportunity to remake this wall behind our couch. It was graced with an antique mirror which had been in my bedroom growing up that my Mother let me have (yay) and some pictures from our engagement session.

  
   I thought we could use something more "statement-y". I had purchased two enormous and very cheap frames from IKEA for two vintage posters I used to have tacked to the wall in an old apartment. I die for vintage ad posters. They are my absolute preferred item for home decor. If you look close in the picture above you can see a vintage giraffe add for "safaris".  While I didn't have any more safari themed decor, I thought I could squeeze the two posters I had framed next to the mirror. Normally Aaron doesn't like when I use the hammer in our walls. I'm assuming he thinks I lower the value on our home every time I pick the hammer up...

  

   We were left with the above image. I dig it. I thought they'd be too much with the mirror, but they aren't. And man did I miss those classy ads!

Here is the angle to see into the dining area.

   I have to draw your attention now to the only real point of contention in decorating. The giant Mickey Mouse next to the table. See him there? He was a gift I requested last year for my birthday. My amazing Aunt Tina got him for me. He's actually an outdoor piece, but Aaron, even though he hated it upon first sight, feeling strongly that neighborhood kids would vandalize him. How anyone could hate Mickey enough to hurt him, I don't know. Aaron said that if "he were a neighborhood punk" he would "destroy that mouse". Yikes. we'll just keep in by the table then. He's safer there. Also easier for me to change out his awesome hand tabs that let you know what season it is. Admittedly, the mouse statue is kitschy. But I love that mouse and I love kitsch. So I win and the mouse is on display. FOREVER.

Are those manatees?

   Weird title right? It's probably worth noting that Aaron likes manatees. He Thinks they're cool. He wants to swim with them. I'll pass on the swimming with the water creatures. I attempted that on our honeymoon to prove I was a good wife. Swimming with the sting rays in a totally controlled environment...still too much risk for me when one of those 4 foot suckers came flopping up to me in the waist deep water. Instead I just sat on the sidelines and photographed my new husband having the time of his life. Now I get why my Mom always takes pictures (side note: she IS a professional photographer). She's clearly afraid of theme park rides, sting rays and perhaps of having her own picture taken. Anyway, this is what that sting ray fiasco to me, adventure to he, looked like.

  I said all of that to tell you Aaron loves sea life. I opened a pack of Orbitz gum today and didn't yet have the chance to show him the WEIRD design on the box. I get that they have revamped their "look" and I dig it. But I wasn't expected to rip open the groovy plastic to be greeted with this...

   Yes, those are manatees. A mama and her baby. With some sea grass. OK...what does that have to do with mint gum??? I will have to share it with Aaron later. He'll think it's cool and not at all nonsensical.


   In other news I told Aaron to keep his eyes peeled for my bronze and pewter colored Old Navy flip flops. They've been missing for at least 2 weeks and I've been surving on the other one or two pairs I have. I really wanted the bronze ones the other day and changed my clothes because the silver back up's just didn't match. His reaction was to open the coat closet in the livingroom referenced here and start pulling shoes and flip flops out like a rabbit digging out an underground lair for himself. There were ALL my flip flops. Even a couple pairs I didn't know were missing! I tried to take a photo of this happening but he was onto me and stopped burrowing. "It's for BLOOOOG!" I proclaimed. He glared.


   The following is why I avoid stores like Marshall's and Homegoods. Because I want everything in their furniture department. Nothing like a good interesting statement piece. If it were up to me they'd ALL be statement pieces. Aaron isn't into that though. He loves beige. If I had ever gotten an apartment by myself, I like to imagine that I'd have dinign room chairs that looked like this:

                                                                      *SWOON*
   But alas, I got married, thereby giving up my right to own pink zebra chairs (It's in the marriage by-laws for Connecticut, I swear). I saw these babies from across the room and it was love at first sit. Sadly I knew that even though our living room is "safari themed" it wouldn't work. Plus we have a brand new dining room set we got as a shower gift. Sigh. Rather than pining more at Marshall's I stopped by Kmart to pick up some new cat beds. I simply had to stop and snap a shot of this image. This is why I want daughters. No one gets it...

   Baby girl bathing suits. Nothing is cuter than these. And if these are from Kmart, imagine what they have at baby Gap?! Yes please. (hint hint to my pregnant friends. Please ONE of you have a girl!) C'mon, so cute! Then I came to what will become my cat-pic of the day.

                                           Yes, that's my water. Oh and p.s. HE is a SHE. Turk's a girl.