Bringing it back Old School

Did I ever imagine we would own a record player again? Not in a million years. I grew up on my parents old vinyl from the 50s, 60s and 70s. A few favorites would be Diana Ross and the Supremes and Jim Croce. If I could get ahold of those records now I would be stoked! Mr. Fitness, however, grew up with vinyl of a different flavor - Hair Metal.

We are digging the new record player. It's circa 1970s from JC Penney. The table is from a local thrift store that sells vintage furniture too and we found this table that holds the records inside!

Mr. Fitness also recently purchased about 150 records. Johnny Cash, John Denver (we love this one), Elvis, 5th Dimension, the Beatles, and my new favorite band, Boney M, a german pop-disco group. Think the African American ABBA.

Stacks and stacks of vinyl:

More stacks:

We are so bringing it back old school.

Bee-ah Right Hee-ah

Had a blast at the Braves vs Mets Spring Training game yesterday! The Braves lost but it was still such a fun experience.

We were surrounded by New Yorkers and thus we really only saw a few Braves fans!

There was a guy selling beer and peanuts and instead of saying "Beer right here" it came out "bee-ah right hee-ah" - it was awesome!

Okay, I know you are all tired about me talking about our bedroom decorating but I have to mention a few more things. I finally did purchase the three Euro shams for cheap cheap at Homegoods! Chad also had a brilliant idea for a headboard that was all of $12 that you can see in the second image. AND, this is the cool part that I have to tell you. In the Apartment Therapy book called Real Homes, Real People Hundreds of Real Design Solutions - on page 68 it features David's Andersonville, Chicago Home AND (here is the cool part) he has the same endtables as we do in his bedroom! Heeeeee!

Vintage Orient

After 6.5 years of marriage, begging, pleading for new bedroom furniture, refurbishing what Chad brought with him when we got married, NOT bringing that with us when we moved, I finally have furniture that I absolutely love! I've decided to call it 'Vintage Orient' because that is what it looks like to me. I'm trying to figure out what decade it was from, but alas have no clue. I'm thinking 70s. On the inside of the drawers it says 'American of Martinsville', which is interesting in itself because I'm American and a Martin (from my dad's side).

Okay blah blah blah...here are the pictures!

Eventually, I want to take the dresser mirror down and put a small flat screen in the middle. Because having a television in our bedroom has not been bad for our marriage - even though the salesman at Haverty's has a different opinion. We have mirrors all over the place in the condo and really do not need a dresser mirror right now but when we aren't living here, we will need it.

I love love love it! What do you think?

Other nonsense

More randomness...


Meet our pelican friend, Lucky. He has a hurt foot so that's what Mr. Fitness named him:




So after all that yip yapping I did on figuring out our bedroom furniture on my last post- we did end up buying some yesterday. I guess in an effort to be green, and many other reasons, we decided to look at thrift stores, flea markets and the like for possible furniture options. So, our first stop was a furniture consignment shop called "Furniture Consignment" (everything here in the little strip malls are named for the obvious). Chad was on the phone with our car insurance to get his windshield replaced so I went ahead and went in. It's a large store and I was in heaven because I like to take old things and make them new again or heck just leave 'em old and grimy looking and make up a cool history for it. I'm wandering through the place and was happy that I found several possible headboards and was rifling through them. Then, I looked in one of the rooms located in the very back and I saw it - a bedroom set. I thought wow now that is different looking. Now, we were only looking for a dresser and 2 nightstands and possibly a headboard, but this set had everything including the chest of drawers and a full size headboard. Well that wouldn't work and it was priced for the set. I went up front to see if he would separate it and he said yes and told me the new price for the pieces I wanted. Mr. Hunka Hunka fell in love with it too. So, it will be delivered on Monday. I was gonna wait and post before and after images together but I wanted to go ahead and post something - mainly because I have no patience.

Here's the new bedding in which I love, I'm gonna take away the two Euro shams and add 3 new Euros hopefully soon once the ones I want at westelm.com are not on backorder. So basically this is the best side of the room:



And this is the bad side. It looks like a college dorm:

I can't wait for our 'new' furniture!

What do vampires and bedroom shopping have in common? Nothing.

Hola! Here are just some random thoughts.

My father-n-law and his girlfriend, Kathy, came down for the weekend. I had to work all but one day they were here. The first day we went to eat seafood and then to a play called The Sugar Bean Sisters. It was hysterial - even the second time. I think they enjoyed it.

I'm glad I get my weekends back. I'm off for 4 days, which will be nice. We had originally planned to go to the Keys but I don't think the water is warm enough to enjoy snorkeling, plus I want to just hang out at home in our freakin paradise. We have made some new friends who is Mr. F's guitar teacher and we go to church with them and they had talked about going to the Keys in a few months so maybe we can go with them.

Been bedroom furniture shopping...I just want to get something already! We went back to Rooms to Go and found a few new sets that we like. We've also been looking at thrifts store and consignment shops. I found a king headboard that was really cool and vintage. I couldn't find the price or size (to make sure it was in fact a king) and she said it was for display only. What the hell. Leave it to me to find something I really like that is for "display only". Ugh. We are trying not to be so "matchy matchy" with buying the exact set of everything (bed, dresser, nightstands) that all go together. Our style is really ecclectic - but it would be easier to just go ahead and buy the set. I don't want a dresser mirror though so we can get a flat screen tv to put on top of the dresser. At Rooms to Go, it's cheaper to buy the set than individual piecess - so who knows I might cave.

I did get the bedding from Crate and Barrel and I LOVE IT. When I make the bed today, maybe I will take a picture of it.

One of the beds we like:

One of the other beds we like - Mr. F checking it out:

In Stuart at the Sailfish Capital of the World fountain. Yes, I did make a wish:

Paradise, my friends, absolute paradise. Taken earlier this week:

MY Valentine's Day present:

Here's the Rooms to Go image of the set we like - I love the bed. It's 'winged':


Here's the other bed we like - it's the one Chad is sitting on in the image above. I really like the bed. The wood grain alternates on each panel. Nice detail. I like the dresser and other pieces to this set. The dresser and nightstands have a 50s/60s mod look to it.

I said this was random thoughts and it certainly is. I've been thinking about writing a book. Or a play or just something. I also thought a musical about vampires would be neat. Have to think about it some more. Could be a comedy. Dunno. Any ideas you would like to pass on? I may dedicate the book/play/thing to you. :o)

I'm excited that next weekend we are going to see the Mets vs. the Braves! I just bought a tshirt and cap off of mlb.com. Go Braves!!!!! I might be the only person there supporting them - oh well. At least I'll look cute doing it - the cap has rinestones on it!

We are going to Orlando the first weekend of April to see my cousin. I am so excited. He said I saw him when I was ten, but I don't remember. So, I'm glad we are 'reconnecting'. It will be a blast!

And then at the end of April, Fort Walton Beach here I come! I get to see my Christine get married! Awwwww! I'm gonna cry. She has given me the most awesome priviledge of singing in her wedding. Maybe Mr. F will let me bring a baby turtle back. (I know V and S are laughing about this).

Okie Dokie - peace out - love you all - J

Home Tour

Okay. Before you go feeling sorry for me that I worked for 12 days straight (which, by the way, I've never had to do in my entire life - not even in college), I have to show you some pics of the showcase home.

You can put away your violins.

Frances Langford was a singer and Hollywood film star in the 30s and 40s. She was beautiful and a Florida girl through and through. She was married to Jon Hall (the first Tarzan - I wonder if they ever role-played?), to Ralph Evinrude (who invented an outboard motor, like I know what that is), and to Harold Stuart (who did nothing cool that I know of). This is her beach home. She didn't actually live here as she had a place on the river (about 3 miles west of here) but she entertained here and let her friends stay to get away from it all. Her friends included Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason and Perry Como. One of her still-famous songs is "I'm in the Mood for Love".

Forgive the low res images - it's all I have right now

The room with the view. This is the ocean room as the new owners call it:

I love lamp:

Beachy decor in Kitchen area:

Original fireplace to home. Frances Langford wanted a huge fireplace so she could place a sailfish she caught over it. The brick is from the London Bridge.

As soon as I saw this artwork, I had to have it! I ordered it and now have it hanging in our living room. Happy Valentine's Day to me!

The Jackie Gleason suite. Mr. Gleason had one of his honeymoons here.

Beautiful outdoor lanai:

Again, outdoor lanai (nice, huh?):

View from the Bob Hope suite (the bedroom):

Place setting on the dining room table:

I think I took about 5o more photos but you get the gist of it. Absolutely gorgeous, beach chic.