My Treasures from Washington

One of the most important things I do while visiting Washington is shop visit my family.  Aside from that, I do a lot of shopping with my Mama.  We usually hit the Seattle Premium Outlets but since I was just there the month before, we skipped that this time in favor of Hobby Lobby, Home Goods (just opened there) and assorted antique stores, used book stores and thrift shops.  Here a few of my scores.

 I’m collecting a lot of ornate frames and getting away from all my sleek black ones.  I just think they look more interesting around the house.  I’ve also starting showing them off by using frame stands instead of propping or hanging them all.  This frame was purchased at Hobby Lobby and I bought it when frames were half price.  The stand is also from Hobby Lobby and purchased when metal things were half price (only buy during half price time or when you have a coupon!)

 This blue star was purchased at an antique store in Monroe, Wa.  I have several stars throughout my house and picked this one up for a couple of bucks.  My husband hates the stars (he claims they’re dangerous with all their pointy-ness)  My mama snagged one too.  Yay twins!

These old painted tin things were also purchased at the antique store in Monroe.  I carried them around the store for awhile because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pay asking price for them.  I ended up asking the woman at the counter to call the dealer and ask if she could do better.  She gave me 10% off.  Sold.

I have our initials all over my house.  My kids’ rooms are fully of Js, my craft room is full of Rs and our house in general is full of Ps.  And guess what was half off at Hobby Lobby?

My mom had this old painted tin on top of a cabinet in her house for years.  I’ve always loved it and it just so happens that my mom decided that it just didn’t go with her decor.  It also just so happens to go perfectly with mine.  Hello.

 I have this large round basket that I often use for photo sessions with babies.  When it’s not a photo prop, it sits in my house on top of our entry way lockers.  Empty.  It is screaming for textured balls of whatnot.  So I grabbed these at Home Goods because of the brightly colored green ones.  Then I started thinking, and my mom might have mentioned, I should just fill it with balls of yarn?

I found this old book at the antique store for a buck or two.  I liked it because of the green-ness, the hardback-ness and the old-ness.  The knob is one of six that I bought from Hobby Lobby (always half off!) to go on an old dresser that I’m refinishing.  Unfortunately, I need 8 of them and in spite of searching two different stores in two different towns AND looking online, I’ve yet to find the last two that I need.  Boo.

Another Hobby Lobby score (metal was half off!) this cute kitchen sign.  Guess where I’m hanging it?

And the last purchase from the antique store, was this glass Pyrex measuring cup that I grabbed mostly because I’ve never had a glass ones and the one in the antique store was cheaper than I have ever seen them new.  Yay!

Since I’ve returned home, my mom has contacted Hobby Lobby about those missing knobs and they are ordering me some.  WOOHOO!!!

The Great Big House Flip

Before we left for Washington, we turned our house upside down.  Hubs and I moved from the master upstairs, into the playroom downstairs.  The boys moved from their downstairs bedrooms into the upstairs master and now share a room.  Jordy stayed put but got a different bed.  The boys’ rooms downstairs reverted to a “man” room and a craft room respectively.

Our living room during the big flip.  It became storage central.

Jake’s old room (now the man room) lost the toys and gained the refrigerator.  The fridge used to live in our laundry room/craft room but since that room is now our closet....buh bye.

Jakey, packing up his stuff.

Downstairs playroom mid upgrade.  It actually looks pretty nice like this but it NEVER looked like this.   Getting a fresh coat of paint before it becomes our master bedroom.

The above pictures show the craft room right after it was finished in 2007.  My mama had come to town and helped us create it.  It was crafty perfection for me for many years.

Now...

This is my craft room as it becomes a catch all during the project. We are adding shelving for closet goodness.

During the move, the kids declared war on each other.

Since we’ve returned home, we’ve accomplished more the flip and added a another nice big project.  We remodeled the downstairs bathroom.  Not a HUGE remodel, but we are definitely making some changes that require plumbing and electrical skills, as well as carpentry skills.  More on that later.

More Washington!

 I almost forgot about this one sunny day in Washington!  We went to the park.

Down on the Farm

 Our tradition!  Every summer Washington Grandma takes us to Remlinger Farms and it is one of our very favorite places to go.  This post is very photo heavy so it might take awhile to load.

The canoes are always the first ride of the day.

I found a friend!  In all the years we’ve been visiting the Farm, I’ve never seen anyone I knew (being that it is in the small town where I grew up, it’s strange that I never run into anyone).  This time I found Marisa!  She doesn’t live anywhere nearby anymore either and just happened to be in town visiting HER parents.  She has a cute baby.

Riding the train!

Up until last year, we’d never ridden these crazy bike car things before.  They are complicated and unwieldy for small children.  But now they are a big time favorite. 

They had a “big” bike for Daddy to ride.  It had flat tires so he was quite exhausted after it was all said and done.

Aw, poor Daddy.

I love all the old barns and farm stuff they have sitting around. 

A family photo taken by my Mama.

The “old car” ride.  We had a girls car and boys car.

The boys decided to shoot us every time we saw each other.

This is what happens to Jordan when I point a camera at her.

Staring at some chickens or something.

Waiting in line for rides.

I think he liked this ride, in spite of this face.

I tried real hard to get a picture of Daddy and Doobie on the super fast spinning ride.

Grandma, spectating.

We’ve made it to the roller coaster!  Doobie was pretty nervous.  It usually takes him awhile to warm up to this one.

On the other hand, Jordy and Jake are good to go.

For the second ride, all three kids sat together in the front car.

Time for lunch!  We tailgated it in the parking lot.

Back at it, this time, Pony Rides!

And then more roller coastering.  I cannot get enough of these hilarious shots.

Obviously, Doobie is having fun now.  Not as much fun as Daddy....

Headed home.  It was a great day on the Farm!