Omaha's Home Show

A couple weekends back (before I got disabled for awhile from the flu), I visited Omaha's Home Show with Tom's mom, who is currently getting ready to update her kitchen and was looking for some kitchen inspiration.

Me? I just wanted to go and see what all the hubbub was all about!

I was impressed at all the work the vendors put into their displays - just for one weekend! They set up gas lines and build crazy patios and pergolas indoors for a 3-day show.

That being said, I wouldn't mind having this in our backyard!

How cool is this? Fire coming out of a rock. Neat-o.

At the time I thought this crazy lion that was on fire and spewing fire from it's mouth was pretty cool. Now I'm positive that it's tacky, ranging on gaudy.

However, I do love the fire and surrounding seating setup (minus the lion) - very fun and cozy!

There wasn't just boring house stuff at the Home Show, either, there was plenty to keep everyone entertained - including an animal show for the kiddos, face painting, free food samples from culinary art school students (yuuumy!), and free plants. Yes, I grabbed some. What? I figure at least I won't feel so guilty about killing these guys, because after all, they were free.

Another gorgeous backyard fireplace setup. I know this vendor wants to come prettify up our backyard for charity... right?

HOT TUBS! One day, Tom, one day....

Now THATS what I call backyard landscaping! Lounging in the shade under a pergola-thing, watching the waterfall change colors from the LED lights, and watching TV. All in the comfort of your own backyard. Wowza. (Don't let Tom see that one!)

Some vendors went through a lot of work to setup full-scale, working water fountains.

Only in Nebraska can you get a large letter "N" inlaid in your backyard deck.

I loved this dining room setup. Check out that pendant light! Swoon. Sidenote: See that lady cut out of the photo on the right? Yeah, she was giving me the stink eye the whole time I snapped this photo! Guess I know who I won't be calling next time I need a interior designer... er, if I ever do, that is!

This display was just over-the-top. First off, you hear the blaring country music coming from this direction, and then you look over to be absolutely over-stimulated by all the motion that's going on. Multi-hued Christmas lights blinking in fake trees? Check. Fire everywhere? Check. Excessive waterfalls? Check. Absurd number of decorative moving objects? Check. Fire in the water? Check. Pretty much the only thing it was missing was a couple of lawn chairs and a six pack.

Despite being totally random and excessive, it was tons of fun to walk through, though. What? I never told you I was a little bit redneck?

Here's another interior display I really liked. I loved the modern and clean lines, but my favorite was the two chairs sitting by that stunning wooden sidetable and chandelier. Gorgeous!

Hands-down the most awesome golf cart I've ever seen. Can't you just picture a bunch of golfers sipping on drinks and rolling down the green in this baby?

I loved everything about this one. A nice, cozy little seating arrangement (with a dash of fire, just to keep things interesting) surrounded by a half-pergola.. thing. Not sure what you call it, but this one is sporting a waterfall of cascading lines of water down into the basin below it. Um, yes, please!

And last but not least, for the 3-day home show one vendor brought in an entire mobile home. And then landscaped the cement around it.

While I didn't buy anything (thanks to my mother-in-law for picking up the ticket tab), and I probably won't ever use any of these vendors for anything, it was really interesting to see the different types of vendors/businesses and their displays. Oh, and the free food samples and free plants were pretty sweet, too. In short - home shows aren't quite as boring as one might be led to believe.

Have you ever been to a home show?

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