out with the old...

Lest you think we have stopped making improvements at the ol' Bates homestead...well, let me assure you, we have not.


I know that very few of you have actually been here. It's not your fault. It's a combination of us being really awkward about inviting people over...and people living far away and/or having busy lives (how dare you?). In my head, since we live "far away" (even from people in Athens), people can never just drop by. I mean, you don't drive half an hour to just drop by. I need to feed you, and well. And I need to entertain you. And probably lots of other stuff too. I don't want you to have wasted all that time and gas! And therefore...people don't come over that much. (Exception: our neighbors) But it's okay. That's not what this is about, anyway!! I'm talking about-- what's new at our house? I will show you, since you may not get to see it in person!


First off, since most of my life revolves around food, let's discuss our dining room table. We have a separate (but attached to the kitchen) dining room that houses our one and only table/chairs. There's no 'eat-in' part of the kitchen, so the dining room is it. Anyway, our current dining room set was something we inherited right before we got married from...Matt's grandmother? Great aunt? Someone who had passed away and had a farmhouse full of furniture available in South Georgia. So we went and got it and it was really nice, but old. But still, nice! Definitely 'dining room' material, too nice to be 'kitchen table' style. So that's what we got, and we loved it and have used it daily, but let's face it: time is taking it's toll. The top of the table got so bad (water/heat/scratches) that we've had it perpetually table-clothed for 2 years (which is NOT my favorite look. I prefer to see the hardwood.) And it's...uh...falling over. Really. It's got a definite slant on the top. Here's what it looks like if you put a level on it:

Yeah...roll-y food (like peas) will uh...roll off the table. :) It's rather amusing. But we have become so paranoid about the table literally collapsing that eating on it isn't much fun of late. (Note: it has 2 'pedestal' thingies...not 4 legs...if that helps with a mental picture of how it could possibly be this slanted) The chairs are suffering a similar fate. It's really not their fault...we should probably invest in a step-stool or something and quit using our dining room chairs to stand on to reach things. But they too are creaking and falling apart one at a time.

So we've known a new dining room set would need to be our next investment. We've saved our monies up and have spent the last few months perusing furniture stores, trying to get something we like and are excited about, but can afford. Oh, the harsh realities of only buying what you can afford with cash. :) Anyway, today we made the purchase!! And it will be delivered on Thursday!! Yippeeeeee! I am so excited that I tracked down some pictures online so that you wouldn't be subject to terrible phone-pictures.

They were having a sale that gave us the bench for free! Since the table comfortably seats 8, we wanted to have 8 spots because we find it to be super ghetto when you have like 6 'real' chairs and then 2 folding chairs or something. So we bought two additional chairs...so we will have 6 chairs and the bench!! (Which, the bench could easily seat 3 adults. If they had small elbows.) Anyway, I am SO pumped up and excited!! I love that the seats are (fake) leather...so easy to clean! And it's made of solid hardwood so that if it gets scratched or something we can sand it and stain it. Surprisingly, most tables we looked at were NOT solid wood (even at really nice furniture stores), they had veneer tops, which means if you scratch it? TOUGH.

We did not get a china cabinet or anything because...well, we have no china. So that would be useless to us. :) Also, we have not the money for it.

Just think-- now my beautiful new chandelier will have a pretty table to illuminate!! Wahoo!! That won't have to be covered with a tablecloth!

The only other big change of late has been the (oh so sad) retiring of the bed in our guest room. The bed I've had in there I inherited from generations of my mom's side of the family...it was the first thing my great-grandparents purchased when the immigrated to the U.S. from Italy! And it's cast iron and beautiful and I wanted it my whole life and got it about 7 years ago when I got my own apartment in college. However...like the table...time takes a toll on furniture. It's had a broken thingamajig where the rails attach to the footboard ever since I got it. It sat in a iron-welding shop for the first 3 months I had it where they attempted to repair it, finally giving it back to me saying they had no way to work with that kind of material anymore. (???) So I've had it rigged up with an elaborate series of cinderblocks, duct tape, and prayer for many years and it's been just fine...but the last move wasn't kind to it. Our rigging isn't what it used to be or something, because the poor thing more or less fell apart a few weeks ago when my parents tried to sleep on it. So...until I can find someone to FIX it again...we have removed the bed and our mattresses are just on a boring old plain bedframe (BOOOOO). No pretty iron. No history. But...a lot safer, I guess. If that kind of thing matters to you. :)

So, to those who tend to be overnight guests (STINE. AMANDA.)...feel free to come visit again without fearing for your life while you sleep. :) Your safety is my #1 priority. Promise.

Anyway...I think those are the all the major changes of late. Now I just need to figure out what to do with our old dining room table.

So that's been my Saturday thus far...helping furniture salesmen make their sales quotas...trying to not get frostbite...the usual. Oh, and we cancelled our cable service (BYE Comcast!) yesterday. It will get cut off on Tuesday (blast, the DAY OF Biggest Loser!! Horrible timing!!) so we will be TV-less for an unknown amount of time until we decide whether to go ahead and get DirecTV or try our luck with the digital antennae thing. We've been a few places where people actually get really good reception with just an antennae...anyone have any experience with this? Or do you know any way I can watch the current season of Biggest Loser online for free? Or do you live in Athens and we can come watch it with you on Tuesdays? Haha...sort of.