Favorite Thing #56: Shelves.

OK, its slightly ridiculous (and perhaps alarming) how happy the picture below makes me.  

So life has been pretty much crazy around here since before I left for Vancouver Island...

[Did you know I spent 5 weeks on the Island helping my Mom out after her knee replacement surgery? She came through with flying colors and is now gearing up for the second knee replacement  in July 2012. We will go to help out for 3 weeks at that time as well, but this time the entire family will go, Rob included. The poor man was left to work and fend for himself for 5 whole weeks. I think it was a fairly traumatizing experience, that sudden transition back to bachelorhood]. 

So I left the last week of the Winter Semester, and got back a few days before the Summer semester started. So I am just now feeling like I'm actually caught up on everything (3 weeks later). Which is precisely why when I heard about these bookcases, I jumped at the chance. MY DIY self was withering within...

These are the IKEA Billy bookcases. They sell for $49.99 in the store, but I got these through a friend of my cousin whose parent's were downsizing for $25 each. Shazam!$50 for this little piece of organizing heaven. Sigh. Its a beautiful thing. Not to mention I have 6 empty shelves that still need to be filled. Drool.

Rob also hung up his picture that I bought him for his birthday last year (His birthday is in October. Ahem).

We were in IKEA months before and he spotted this and said, "Wow, that reminds me of Amsterdam." We then read the fine print, which said, "Amsterdam." So then fast forward a few months, when I'm in IKEA with a friend and I spot the same picture in the As-Is section. She figured I must have rigged the whole thing, seeing as how the one thing I was looking for was in the clearance section. Nope, no rigging, just plain luck. Not to mention, there was minimal damage, just a few nicks on the bottom of the frame. Regular $49.99, I get it for $34.95. IKEA love! My favorite thing about this picture is the red bicycle. I have a love of all things red, and this picture is no exception.

 Slowly but surely our little basement is coming together. We tend to spend all of our time down here these days, although that may have more to do with our newest Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy, than anything else. Rob and I enjoy playing it, and the kids love watching...a good combo if you ask me!

There are still some pieces that I am hunting for, or waiting for money to fall from the sky for. I mean how much can a hideabed sectional couch really cost you ask? Oh, just a mere $1099. Of course, there's the question if it will actually fit down the stairs (which I haven't given much thought to). The one couch I picked up at a garage sale Rob says will only leave the basement in pieces now that he's framed in the stairwell. Fine by me really, I only paid $20 for it. I keep the futon for that small chance of overnight guests (t is a really comfortable futon in my opinion). But really, I just want my sectional. One day soon I hope!

Anyway. The moral of the story? Empty shelves make me happy. Really, really happy.