Buffet lust

I have a love-hate relationship with West Elm. I love their stuff. I hate the prices. I've been really thinking lately now when I get a new job is the time to buy a buffet because I'm sick of not having a place to store certain serving items and they're stealing room in my regular cabinets that I could be using more efficiently. I realize this isn't a real problem, like say, running out of wine, but I have an addiction to bookcases and storage furniture. Oh, and I love decorating flat surfaces, especially during the wintertime. People tell me I should look at thrift stores and garage sales, but people, I can't look online at those buffets.

Source: westelm.com via Jessaca on Pinterest

Narrowing down the buffet

The dining room area is still in need of a buffet, and finding the perfect one is, well, it's perfect so of course it's gonna be hard. Every now and then I peek around online to see if anything new has turned up that fits our budget and has both drawers and shelves. In the drawers, I'd like to store our current can't-stick-in-the-dishwasher silverware. It's a pretty set, but it's a pain the hiney to have hand-wash them every week. And with a baby on the way, I think replacing that set for a cheap set that can go quickly be washed in the dishwasher will save me some time and sanity. I need the shelves to store my rather extensive platter and serving bowl collection. I do love me some Pampered Chef!

Here's what I found in my latest scavenger hunt. I would rather the wine glass area be another drawer, but I think I could put a basket in that area since I don't think the hooks could hold all my wine glasses. And they have a happy home in my cabinets anyways.

The plus is that the look matches my new dining room table, and should I ever get tired of the color, I think it could be changed up a bit with a coat of paint. And for $365, it's not as pricey as some of the other options I've looked at.

Forgive me, but I'm new at this

We're in. We're happy. We're homeowners. It still doesn't seem real. And I think part of us is still living like we did in an apartment. So forgive me for not having a post up that gushes about our home and has all sorts of pictures to drool over. The fact is, we've been busy and my camera is, uh, packed away somewhere.

But in the two weeks we've been in our home, I've fallen in love with my kitchen. It's my favorite room in the house. It might be something to do with the fact that I have two lovely windows over my sink so I can people watch. Make that construction-worker watch. Not that any of them are hot, but it's still interesting to watch a house go up and think about our house having gone through the same process. It's all, "So that's how they did that!" We've also discovered that the homeowners of that home are more excited than we ever were. They come by just about everyday to check on the progress. I waved at them once, and they waved back rather hesitantly. Maybe we'll friends! If I don't scare them away first.

Until I get some pictures up (coming soon, I promise), here's a picture of the new section we bought over the weekend. I'm in love with the softness of the corduroy fabric. Next on the shopping list: a new dining table. Won't be a for while though. Our expenses need to recover.