Some questions answered, more raised

There were a few questions in response to my last post which Tina answered in one of the comments but since I'm not sure how many go back to read those, I thought I'd re-post her answer here:

We took that photo on my MacBook so it reversed everything which makes it look like the ring is on my right hand :)

He proposed nice and quietly, a day earlier than he'd planned because he was worried that too many people knew and that I'd catch wind of it! He thought I had an idea, but I actually had no clue it was coming at all!!!

He proposed by driving out to Winona Lake (where mom and dad got engaged!) and asking me to read the email he had sent my parents (8 pages long!). Then he asked, and I said yes (all in the car because it was raining) and then I quizzed him to make sure he'd really gotten mom and dad's approval!

It was sweet and unexpected and wonderful and sooo exciting!

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Another commenter mentioned the possibility of me turning into a MOBzilla, and I told Dana she definitely has my permission to call me on it if I start exhibiting symptoms :)  Tina and Kyle have pretty definite ideas of what they want -- or don't want -- so if there's a problem, it will be because I'm trying so hard to make it perfect for them. I can be a little *ahem* anal-retentive when it comes to details.

[The howling you hear in the background is my family laughing at that understatement.]

I wanted to share a couple more photos of the happy couple. First up from Tina's graduation from college in May...

I'm pretty sure the next one was taken in Jonesville, Michigan, where we lived for eleven years before moving to Argentina. It's the place Tina calls "home" since she lived there longer than anywhere else while growing up (before Jonesville we lived in the next town over for 9 years).

Anyway, Tina goes back frequently to see friends and "family" (church family) and I think this was at the annual Concert in the Park that Countryside Bible Church hosts every year around the 4th of July. Free food (this year it was pulled pork and all the fixings) and homemade ice cream plus plenty of good music.

Don't they make a cute couple? They met in March when a mutual friend introduced them. For their first date, Kyle took her on a picnic lunch. According to an e-mail she sent us at the time: "He set up his grill down at a pavilion at Center Lake Park and made beef fillets with garlic bread and roasted potatoes, then we got coffee and dessert at Cerulean and walked around the Village and checked out the shops, it was very adorable."

That was her first mention of Kyle, and I remember thinking he sounded like a very thoughtful young man. That has been borne out in subsequent months. Before proposing he wrote and asked for our blessing, and shared his thoughts about what marriage means. Since we haven't had a chance to meet him in person yet, that and letters that followed helped set our minds at ease. As other parents know, it's not easy letting go of our kids unless we're confident they'll be in good hands.

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff :)

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We've lived here almost two years and we're still using a folding table and plastic chairs in the dining room. Lame, I know. But we just hadn't been able to find chairs we liked at a price we were willing to pay. Actually, we haven't found many chairs we liked at all. But recently we made a more concerted effort and finally succeeded!

Last week we got around to visiting a used furniture store here in town. Ivan had stopped there once and thought the prices were rather high, but I'd never been. When we went last Thursday we found a wide assortment of chairs on the second floor. Everything from ornate antiques to newer metal stacking chairs. These caught our eye because they have the clean lines we like; sort of mid-century modern, don't you think? But more importantly, they are surprisingly comfortable.

Right now they need a good cleaning after sitting in that big dusty building for who knows how long. I want to recover them but they're usable in their current condition. I like the detail of the nail heads that match the color of the fabric but with some missing and probably impossible to replace, I'll use new metal nail heads when I recover the chairs. 

Now I have a question for you: After looking at fabric, I'm leaning toward using two, a print on the seat and a coordinating solid on the back. Do you think that would look weird? Something like these two: 

 

This fabric would look great if we build a house where the living area is open, and our couch is near the dining table. The same chocolate brown and cream, even if the design is different:

Which would go with either a light or dark...

Or we could even go with something a little wild and crazy like these:

Give your honest opinion, do you think I should stick to one fabric for both seat and back or can I get away with coordinating fabrics? If I just use a single fabric, it will be something like this:

...or this:

Obviously I really like that pattern :)  I'm looking to go with either brown and/or light aqua, no matter what fabric I end up choosing.

We also bought a couple of nightstands. This one I'm going to try sanding first because the lighter wood color would work well where I plan to use it (between the IKEA chairs in the living room) but it may be necessary to paint it.

I actually didn't mind the missing door; I like the idea of a basket -- or two tucked in. I saw some smaller baskets at Wal-mart last week and two would fit perfectly side-by-side in the space. We'll keep various cords in one basket (phone chargers, camera-to-computer cord, etc.) and my stuff in the other one. I'm a little high maintenance in some ways, and I like to have cough drops, a nail file, pencils, my eye mask, and a notebook right by where I sit. Do you notice the $48 price sticker? That translates to about $12 U.S.

The other night stand is currently blue but I'll probably paint it an off white and distress the edges a little.

It will be going into the guest room. It cost the equivalent of $18 U.S. I'm quite proud of my savvy, bargain hunting hubby for being willing to negotiate the price of everything. I am TERRIBLE at that! But he's a pro from way back. He will ask for a lower price anywhere, even big retail stores. He saved us 25% on already decent prices :) 

Now we just have to find a dining table.