Having Kids Teaches You Not to Buy Glass-top Furniture

I just recently got a lot of extra junk cleaned out of my house, and so I decided it would be good to get some new furniture.  I only had my awesome overstuffed brown couch, which I love, but only seats 3 people.  I planned on having a bunch of people over for a big Easter dinner; more seating was a necessity.  My friend Cheryl got a new living room set, and was planning on selling her old set.  She was happy to give me this really cool chaise lounge. 

Yes, I realize one of the legs is turned the wrong way...I just keep forgetting to fix it.  This chair is really comfortable.  I plan on spending a lot of time in it with a book.  I also keep finding children in it. 

I also got a fantastic new dining room set...the other one didn't seat very many people.  Not to mention this new one is GORGEOUS.  It expands out and has two leaves that you can insert.  I had ten people sitting at it during my Easter dinner.  A total of 15 people came to the dinner in all.  Cooking Easter dinner for 15 people was a new challenge for me, but I think I managed pretty well. 

This table also came with an attractive protective cover you can put on it.  I don't have it on in this picture, but it might be useful in keeping small children from scratching up the new table. 

The old table went out to the newly cleaned up and organized front porch.  Now, if we want to have dinner on the porch when the weather is nice, we can!  It is a good use for this glass-top set, which I have always liked, but I bought before I had kids.  Now maybe if you are not as neurotic as me about fingerprints and smudges and stuff, this wouldn't bother you.  But in my case, it seemed like I could never keep this thing clean.  I would clean the top, and then notice there were fingerprints on the UNDERSIDE.  How the heck can there be fingerprints on the underside?  My son probably waited until I left the room, clamored under the table and madly pressed his fingers against the glass....laughing gleefully all the while. 

I picked up a little Easter cheer while I was out getting groceries for the dinner.  I have some of these hyacinths in my yard this year, and they are gorgeous.  Ive been coveting some black ones in a catalog snce last year.  These purple ones are so pretty, but I don't like the way they smell.  I can smell them as soon as I walk into the house.

I made a centerpiece for the table using some Easter eggs we dyed using natural ingredients.  I had partial success with this...some colors worked and some didn't.  I couldn't get blue to be blue, no matter how long I soaked them.  I gave up and added a few drops of blue food coloring.

Next year I will try it again, except I will not do it the same night I'm trying to make 3 pies from scratch. 

Since I started this post, we got the hutch put together.  It came with the dining table set, and I can't believe what fabulous condition it is in.  It is kind of crammed in the dining room for now, but when I move eventually, it will get more space to itself I hope. 

It even has pull-out drawers for silverware in the bottom, with material to keep your silver from tarnishing.  How cool is that? 

I am definitely not psyched about moving this year; moving is always such a pain.  But I am psyched to have my new dining room set.  Not having glass smudges really makes my day!  Come back next week, to read my post on signs you may be a mother with OCD tendencies.