My Treasure Trove of Deals at Cato

I'm back today with another steals and deals post. I shared this on Instagram this morning, but wanted to post it here too. This time it's all jewelry (well...all jewelry and one dog...you'll see what I mean at the bottom of the post) I got to thinking that I needed some more statement necklaces. ;) I didn't want to pay a lot, so my first stop was Cato. 

You can click HERE to see the Cato website. 

Y'all...I cleaned up!!! I got everything in the pic below for $30!!! That's SIX statement necklaces and FOUR pairs of earrings!

Everything was on the clearance rack and ranged from .99 cents to $5.99!

I really wanted to find a navy blue one and a turquoise one and you can see those above and below. 

I love those pink earrings!

Did you notice how this one is a "two in one?" So cute!

I was pretty well stocked up after that Cato run, but I still had $5 in Kohl's cash burning a hole in my pocket. So off to Kohl's I went and here's what I came home with...

Yes, that's The Poky Little Puppy in stuffed animal form! Lol! That was my favorite book as a child and when I saw him for only $5, I had to get him. It'll be so neat to read that story to my future grandchildren one day and have the pup they can play with! :) 

Oh yeah, I also got that little necklace too. With my Kohl's cash, I got both for about $15. 

P.S. I introduced Holly Joaquin to Poky and she was not amused. She actually got up and moved far away from him. Ha!

~Lisa

Moving Things Around

After the Easter decor came down, I took a look around and decided to make a few small changes. I don't know why, but I've always arranged things facing toward the middle of a table. Like this...

See how the items are all turned in instead of facing straight out? The candle holder on the left is diagonal. Yeah, that started to bug me. I looked around my home and almost every table had items facing in toward the middle. Why did I always do that? I have no idea. Anyway, this is prob the most boring post ever, but I think it really did make a difference when I turned everything to forward facing. For some weird reason, it has a more "traditional decor" look now. Well, to me it does. :) 

Here are some shots of my new "forward facing" table decor...

My great grandmother illustrated that book and the little trinket bowl was handmade by my son in elementary school. :) 

I used to have an orchid on this bathroom counter. I moved it over by the tub and I like the cleaner look of just my jewelry box and my hubby's valet box. 

I brought my bee vase back out and this potpourri container was in my bathroom where the orchid is now. Did ya follow all that? Hee hee! 

That bee vase was a JoAnn's clearance find for about $6.

I still can't believe how inexpensive these tobacco baskets were. I love how this one looks under my San Fran pics. I really hope to get back to Cali soon.

I also added in a few more books to my decor. I love stacking things on top of books for height and added interest. 

I also brought out this pretty vase my SIL gave me...

Here's a closer look at the Bombay cabinet in the living room. This is where my smaller tobacco basket ended up. :) 

Well, that's it for now. Hope y'all have a great day!


~Lisa

My New Favorite Things

This post should be titled as a PSA, stating that y'all can finally expect my pics to improve on here. Y'all know I'm not known for my photography skills. I'd been hanging on to my ancient iPhone 5 for some time now and I finally splurged and got a new iPhone 7 Plus and a MacBook Pro. I probably could have gotten new kitchen counters for what I paid for these, but I'm extremely happy with them. 

Check out this cute Tech 21 Gem case I got too...

I got the rose gold color iPhone and I like how the green case looks with it. I got a glass screen protector for it as well. 

I LOVE the camera on the iPhone 7 Plus! It has a portrait mode with "Depth Effect" where it tells you how far back to stand for a pic, then it automatically blurs the background for you. Case in point...

Isn't that neat? I actually feel like a "real photographer" for the first time ever. Lol!

Here's another depth effect photo...

The depth effect is only available on the iPhone 7 Plus, not the regular iPhone 7, just in case you were wondering. 

I was a little worried about the Plus being too big, but I'm really enjoying it. I use my phone all day long and it's so nice to have the bigger screen. The only problem was that it didn't fit in the little phone holder on my treadmill. Lol. I temporarily fixed the problem by putting my phone inside an old fanny pack and hanging it over my treadmill. I have no recollection of ever purchasing a fanny pack, but apparently someone in this house bought one at one time. Anyway, I even cut a hole in the side of the fanny pack (because let's get real...I'll never use that thing) to thread the ear buds through so I could listen to my music. Ha ha! It was a true MacGyver moment. ;) But don't worry, I'm getting a Command Strip phone holder for my treadmill soon. 

My MacBook Pro is equally amazing. I love that it's so connected to my iPhone. If I take a pic on my phone, it automatically appears on my Mac (no more transferring pics from my phone to my computer) It's also very easy to airdrop photos to my Mac. I love how it's all connected like that. My boys can airdrop photos from their iPhones or Macs to my Mac now too. (We always had the convenience of airdropping photos between our iPhones, but it's so neat to be able to do it with our Macs now too.) I pretty much exclusively take pics on my phone now, and this all makes blogging super easy on the Mac. You could say I'm a very happy customer. :) 

Oh, and FYI...I ordered my Mac online from B&H Photo to save on tax. I saved $125 in tax by ordering from them. We've ordered computers and photography equipment from them lots of times. They have free shipping and our items usually arrive in just a few days. 

Just a few more examples of photos taken with my new iPhone 7 Plus...

The one on the left was taken with my old iPhone 5 and the one on the right was with my new iPhone 7. See how clear the bunny is on the upper shelf? And the bunny on the bottom on the cake pedestal? 

Anyway, I'm really enjoying my new toys. Hopefully my blogging will become more consistent now. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa

Update on DIY Pergola Cover and Backyard Changes

I promised to let y'all know how well our $18 DIY Pergola cover held up and I'm here today to share that with you. Click HERE to see my original post with the tutorial. It's been about 9 months now and it's held up surprisingly well. 

We live in the Houston area and it's very hot and humid, mixed in with regular rain showers, so I knew mold and mildew could possibly be a problem. After almost a year of constant use, the cover did show some mold and mildew. I was going to get a "before" pic, but my hubby was so fast in taking it down, I didn't get a chance to. The mold wasn't bad, but there was some present, so he untied the corners and took the cover down. We just soaked it in a plastic tub with water and a little bleach overnight and it was good as new in the morning! We draped it over a few chairs to air dry a bit before hanging it back up.


These are the "after" pics...

It just took a few minutes to tie the corners back up and it was good to go. 

Just a few more backyard pics...

We also did a little project back here. See this mulch covered spot below?

It used to house a wooden deck that originally held our hot tub. We got rid of the hot tub years ago, but kept the deck. Over the years, the deck wasn't looking too pretty. It was in bad shape and the only thing we had on it was our grill and that little table and chairs. 

So we dismantled the deck, put down some weed guard, and topped it with mulch for a little seating area. 

Don't worry...we always pull the grill out in the open when using it. I am married to a fireman, ya know. ;) 

We wanted to keep it easy to mow around with the riding mower, so we made big curves that the mower could easily maneuver around.

I should have gotten a "before" pic of this table too. We've had it for many years and it has always been our "Easter egg dying table" as well as our "Carving pumpkin" table. If we were doing a messy craft project, it was always done outside on this table. The table started looking a little rough with the paint flaking off in several spots as well as some rust showing up.

I was ready to get rid of it, but my hubby had the idea to just paint it. Genius! Can't believe I didn't think of that! Once again, paint to the rescue!

 These are "after" pics because once again, I failed to get a "before." 

My hubby first used a wire brush to remove loose rust and paint. Then he used phosphoric acid to neutralize the rust. Next, he sprayed it with Rustoleum black spray paint. Good as new, I tell ya!


I decided to replace a few Lantana with Indian Hawthorns and Boxwoods for a more "evergreen" look in the yard year round. I still have the option of adding in colorful annuals if I want, but I'm kind of liking the "green" look for now.

I replaced more Lantana on this side (below) with Hawthorns and Boxwoods too. I still have a few Angelonia left from last summer, so I'll have to see if they bloom again. If not, off with their heads. :) 

My tried and true Blue Plumbago never disappoints. It bloomed almost the entire year, save for a few weeks in February...

It's just gearing up and will be full of those pretty blue blooms soon.

So that's it for the backyard update. Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa

Steals and Deals

Just popping in very quickly to share two spectacular deals with y'all.

First up, this adorable Liz Claiborne wallet I got...

Liz Claiborne "Dolly" wallet at JCP. Click HERE for the link.

I mean, come on! Isn't it darling? I was in desperate need of a new wallet and I saw this one at Penney's and couldn't resist. Those scallops sold me. :) It's regularly $45, but on sale now for only $22.50! My last wallet was a Liz Claiborne too and it lasted a long time. There's also a $10 off $25 purchase coupon online and in-store right now, but it ends April 15th. 

Okay, one more deal to share. I blogged about these inexpensive Aldi chair cushions last year and I heard from a lot of you who got in on the deal...

Aldi Chair Cushions, click HERE for the link. 

Well, they're back in stores now! They're just $12.99 and they come in a variety of colors. Last year, I got a striped set, but I picked up this red set yesterday so I'd have some extras on hand. I'm loving how the red looks with my Ballard rug I got on sale awhile ago. 

I originally intended to only get the cushions out if we were having people over, to keep them looking newer longer. Well, that didn't last long and it was so much trouble to keep getting them in and out of the garage, so I left them out all year and they did great! So far, no signs of wear and tear or fading. 

The cushions are one piece and cover the back and bottom of the chair. I have two side by side in the pic above for my loveseat. We live in a very hot climate and I'm very pleased with how they've held up.

* I regularly share these deals on IG, so feel free to follow along @texasdecor 

Have you seen any good deals lately?

~Lisa

Easter Decor 2017

I'm really behind this year. I finally got out a little Easter Decor yesterday. Since it'll only be out for a week, I decided to pare it down to just a few of my favorites. :) 

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking and try not to ramble too much...

This bundle of carrots is the only new Easter item I bought this year...

Mr. Cable Knit Sweater bunny always makes an appearance...

 I've had this carrot car bunny for a long time...

You can see my past Easter Decor HERE, HERE, and HERE

And that's it! Happy Easter!

~Lisa