Deal of a Lifetime!

This past weekend my parents and I scored the deal of a lifetime at the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Alexandria. I have been on the hunt for a new dining room table ever since we redid our dining room in late December. Yes, I don't make decisions quickly or easily, I get that from my mother. The dining room is the room where we eat all of our meals, where the girls do craft projects and where they will likely do homework for many years (until we transform their playroom into more of a study/work space when they are much older). So, while I wanted something stylish and beautiful, I knew I needed something durable. Aah, the great form vs. function debate! I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a super nice table and be so concerned about it getting scratched and banged up. I have to be realistic - I have a 4yr old and a 19mth old!

I looked around and really had my eye on the  Crate and Barrel Basque table: (of course the picture isn't showing up properly). But I couldn't pull the trigger because I was worried that it would be too big for my room and it doesn't extend and therefore wouldn't be great on the off chance I host a huge dinner party one day.


So, back to the drawing board. I  then decided on an Ikea table. I figured that while it looked nice it wouldn't break the bank and therefore I wouldn't be heartbroken if by chance a munchkin attacks it with markers (not likely!). (UGH! None of the pics are working properly on blogger right now. Sorry). Long story slightly shorter, I couldn't pull the trigger on that either - something just wasn't sitting well for me.

Fast forward about 3 months...My parents were in town this weekend and I decided we should go to the Crate and Barrel outlet in Alexandria. I was hoping there might be a Basque table for some reason. Well, there wasn't that kind of table but there was the Arbus table. A beautiful 54" round table with 2(!!!) 18" leaves marked ridiculously down. I mean ridiculously down! We got  it for less than 90% of the original price! Holla!!

We got it home, ran to get some chairs the next day and here it is.  Drum roll please...

I am in love. And, me being me am slightly neurotic about anything happening to it and the chairs. So, to keep it real, we have a towel covering my older daughter's chair and we don't even allow the baby to sit in one of these chairs. She is in her booster on the old chair! My parents are trying to convince me to put a vinyl tablecloth on the table, but I am not ready to go that far!

Here's a little before and after of the room.

I *think* it is finished, well, maybe!