I have been looking for an area rug since before we finished building the house. It was not a successful hunt. We found this rug for super cheap at IKEA and decided it was better than nothing and IF I do happen to find one I like in the near future, I've already gotten my monies worth. The table is a similar purchase ($12.. and I painted it the same color as our dining room wall) for the same reason. It is more difficult to find a 30 x 30 coffee table than one might think. (Sarah- I looked for a trunk and couldn't find one the right size!)
I did make a trip to Home Goods. Found a clock and some napkins..both on clearance! The new napkins motivated me to finally sew together the table runner.. I had the cloth sitting on the table for several weeks now... And while I was crafting I decided to finish my chalk board and picture board and got them hung up as well! 
And one more purchase I'm excited about... We finally have plastic plates (and other stuff) for when the kidlins come visit! Another IKEA find for super cheap. I never thought I'd say this... but I'm finally an IKEA fan....We had a great time on our trip up north but decided that in the end it probably would have been cheaper to buy a plane ticket to someplace warm and lay at a beach all week! Next year is looking bright! ;)
