My apologies to my readers (if I have any left!). The post below was written on June 30th, and I flat forgot to publish it!  The total living room reveal will be disclosed this weekend (unless I forget to write about it) :>{

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The living room chairs arrived yesterday. UPS always delivers to our house late in the evening, so we just left them, unopened, in their boxes after they arrived.

Now it is time for me to fess up. I have secretly been hyperventilating over those chairs ever since I have pushed the “confirm purchase” button online. In fact, I was so sure that I would hate them, that before I even got out of bed this morning, I had an online “chat” with an Overstock rep, just to find out if the return shipping would break the bank! (Please note: Self-flagellation over decisions made seems to be my favorite pastime, lately ;>} When I was told that it would be all of $16.31 to ship each chair back, a flood of relief washed over me!

But you know I just had to peek inside one of the boxes. Greg told me that one of the cardboard boxes had a hole in the side, and one of the top flaps was open, anyway. Being careful not to disturb the wrapping inside (no problem on that front, since someone had removed the chair, and then replaced it in the box, and not in a very neat fashion, either!), I pushed aside the packing material.

What I saw of the chair totally exceeded my expectations! The wood carvings on the arms and legs were beautiful, and the upholstery was well done. I had pictured a muslin-type fabric (why? I have no clue. It’s part of the “why on earth did I order that” syndrome!) The reality is that the chairs are covered in what looks like an oatmeal linen, but is probably more akin to a duck cloth. What’s not to like?

So Greg screwed the legs on, and we sat in it. Now, comfort is a personal thing. The chairs are quite stiff, so your posture definitely improves when you’re seated. Dad loves a stiff chair, so after taking it for a road test, he pronounced that he could “deal with it” (which, in Dad-speak, means he loves it!) Greg said he thought they were uncomfortable; his tush prefers a nice, soft cushion, so he chooses to occupy the loveseat.

Clearly, the chairs have found a home. The second one will be sprung from its box and the legs will be assembled. They have not been Scotchguarded (why the heck not?) so, before anyone starts using them on a regular basis, that is job one!

Speaking of the loveseat, it has been half disassembled, in preparation for the big reupholstery event. Am I nervous about tackling it? Hell, yes! However, in the spirit of thrift and timeliness, I watch the same online video every day that shows step by step how it’s done. Of course, my loveseat is much more complex than the video diva’s (mine requires sewing; most are no-sew re-dos).

The upcoming long weekend is “do or die” for the loveseat project; it will be finished (successfully or otherwise), by Sunday. The good news is that the fabric I chose for this job is a natural denim, so pattern matching and directional issues won’t be factors. In fact, it should look very similar to the material on the new chairs. The only difference will be the addition of contrasting welting on the loveseat’s arms and seat cushion.

And now for a “Flynn” update…you remember my “Howdy Neighbor” post about Brian Patrick Flynn? Well, I saw him yesterday, sitting outside the Cantaberry restaurant in downtown Ellijay. There was no, mistaking that it was him. I was so excited. My daughter was driving (I can’t drive anymore :>[). I yelled “there he is”, but of course she had no idea who “he” was. Maybe, my next sighting, I will be able to say hello. The good news (for me) is that he clearly still lives here!

Finally, since this is a true confessions post, I must admit that I love the Minions! Pinterest is full of hilarious quotes by those funny little whatever they are.   For me, the draw is that these cuties are able to say the really politically incorrect things most of us think, but are afraid to utter. So these adorable creatures speak them for us!