Shopping...and some great finds!

I had some fun last night at Michaels Crafts store, searching up and down the aisles for some inspiration! Usually, I go there with a definite idea of what I need, but not this time. (My good friend was really sweet and went with me, even though she didn't need anything!) It's a funny thing, but sometimes you find the neatest things when you don't even know what you're looking for...



I love the metal signs with words! I had the idea they were for scrapbooking, and couldn't think of anything I could do with them otherwise. But last weekend, on my daily blog rounds, I stopped by Cherry's Jubilee and saw what a cute and original craft she made with one of these metal signs...make sure to check it out! The link to her blog is on the left of my main blog page under "Blogs I Love". But it got me thinking, and I think I have a cute idea for the little sign that says "Things to Do"...we'll see if it works! :) The package of assorted metal pieces could come in handy, too! It could perk up a scrapbook page, if nothing else!



And I guess it's obvious I like black and white patterns...so when I saw the gingham and the polka-dotted paper, it went in my cart. The little package that is a little hard to see is actually full of black and white gingham brads! I am not exactly sure what they will be used for, but they are oh-so-cute! I think they will be a cute decoration, all in a little glass container.

But I have to say, hands down, the funnest part of my little trip to Michaels was in their dollar section! Imagine a kid in a candy store, and you'd have it just about right! :) Am I the only one who loves the dollar section in stores? Some of the BEST things I have ever discovered have been in these sections. So, in honor of these great bargains, I am going to show you my best DOLLAR FINDS whenever and wherever I may find them, beginning today! :)




When I saw these, I could picture them as a way to organize little things in my kitchen. Things like paper clips, pencil erasers, and the like. I'll admit, the green really caught my eye, but they also had them in a great turquoise color, as well as a beautiful cornflower blue. Each of these little cans was just a dollar.




Of course I did pick up a few of the turquoise ones, because they are the color of my bedroom walls. These will be great for organizing the miscellaneous craft items on my little hobby table in our room. Cute and functional~ could it get any better than that? The pink ribbon was also a dollar deal.




And although the picture does not do these justice, these are just the sweetest notecards ever!




And what's not to love about these adorable little magnets that say the days of the week? Oh, let me tell you, I was in such bargain heaven last night!

So that concludes my first edition of DOLLAR FINDS.

I must say that I have been busy with a little something that I absolutely cannot wait to tell you about! But that's all I can say until tomorrow... :)

Salt and pepper shakers

Please tell me that someone else out there has an addiction...to salt and pepper shakers! Oh, I try to keep it under control, I really do...but then I'm in a cute little shop or a garage sale, and there will be the sweetest pair just waiting for me. I counted them today and it's not as bad as I thought, although I will admit this "collection" is still in it's infancy! However, I think that once you count and you have about ten of anything, it's time to admit you have a problem. And what a fun problem to have! (So easy on the eyes, too!)






















And although these next little jars are not technically salt and pepper shakers, they really, really want to be! (Honest!) :) They remind me so much of them anyway, I just had to include them!



So tell me, what is your collection of? :)

Happy Birthday

Today we celebrated our son's birthday. I cannot believe he is ELEVEN! It seems like only yesterday, he asked me to sing the lullaby "Baby Mine". This was a very important ritual to him. And you never really know when it will be the last time. It just comes, and that part of your mothering your child is over. Everyone keeps reminding me that soon he is going to be a teenager. (Sniff.) I just want him to stay our little boy FOREVER! I am a little afraid of having teenagers. They are taller, smarter, and quicker thinking. There is such a sweet innocence that children possess, and sometimes they surprise you with their simple wisdom. They are small, and definitely not ready to be in charge of things, but sometimes they are better than me at knowing what is important. I guess I have something to learn from my children, too.

They know how to play, and definitely know how to have fun!





And they know just when to kick back and relax!



They may still be learning to remember to say "please" and "thank you", but if you smile at them, they always smile right back at you!





And it never seems to take all that much to make them happy.





And they seem to know, that when it all comes down, spending time together as a family doing fun and crazy things, is a whole lot more important than anything else.





So, here's to you my sweet boy~ for being one of these three special children in our lives, in our home. You have taught me so much, and I love you! Happy Birthday!

Dream homes...and a volkswagen bug

Pictured below is one of my "dream houses". (I have a few of these.) There are two of these dream homes near my own home on a street I have to drive on often; and yes, that would be me, gazing wistfully out the window at them...This particular house is in Leavenworth, and every year, I drag my husband down this street just to see this house we found on one of our walks in the residential area a few years ago.





Isn't sweet house amazing? Wait until you see what she has in her front yard...no, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a vintage volkswagen bug you see!



When I first saw this, I was so inspired! The owner of this house actually took just the frame of this car and grew a garden around it! I have always loved volkswagen bugs, and REALLY wanted to buy a yellow one when I was in college, but my dad was worried for my safety, like most fathers would be. The engine is not in the front of the car like most other vehicles, so you are less likely to survive a head-on collision. I didn't want him to worry about me. Oh well, I thought at the time...you win some, you lose some...but now I'm thinking, why NOT just put the frame of one in our yard instead? I already have a vintage washing machine out there...why not a old car?

Our neighbors are very kind and quiet and I guess you would say, traditional. The houses are all painted neutral colors, and if they garden, it is very orderly and, well, normal. Then we come along and upset everything with my eccentric nature...and with our bright-as-can-be blue house. When we painted the peaks farm red last summer, one of our neighbors remarked to his wife, "Well, it looks like we're going to have a red house next door." Indeed. Although, in all fairness, it is red AND blue with white trim. Kind of like an American flag, but it looks really nice. (Of course, next year, I am going to repaint the house yellow, because this blue isn't exactly what we had in mind, and I wanted it to be yellow in the first place! ) Here's a tip: ALWAYS test paint a very large section before spraying your entire house! You might find it's just a tad bit brighter than you had anticipated...

...Well anyway, what do you think of what this talented lady did in her front yard? I definitely wanted to have a picture of it before trying to explain it~ a picture is worth a thousand words and all that~ because I know it would sound crazy otherwise. But I KNOW I could make it every bit as cute as it is in the picture! It could go in the front side of the house, and have a beautiful garden all around it! Oh, car junk yard, here I come...at least as soon as we finish the inside of our home! Which will probably be about the time we pay off our mortgage. Just joking! (I hope.)

Seriously though, I have way too many irons in the fire right now, but this is something I'll keep in my "maybe someday" ideas.



Here are a few pictures we took down by the river that runs though the park in Leavenworth. (Another place we walk through.) The beauty of this place just amazes me every time I visit it.




I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that it will be a great week ahead for you all! :)

Four wonderful lazy days

We just got back from our mini vacation to Leavenworth last afternoon, and now we are doing our little vacation at home...only I really AM supposed to be working on this house. I have done a little, but it took half of yesterday just to get back into the swing of things. I did, however, bake some chocolate chip cookies from a recipe given on One Woman's Cottage Life. They turned out wonderfully! If you want the recipe, I have the link to her blog site right on the left hand corner of this page. I am always on the lookout for a new chocolate chip recipe, because it's my favorite kind of cookie to bake...and eat!

Anyway...I thought I'd share some pictures of our trip over the mountains...
When we arrived at the Enzian Inn, we found this in our room. Martinelli's sparkling cider and two stemmed glasses, with a little note that said "Happy Anniversary". How sweet! :) We thought that was really thoughtful of them.



Every year when we arrive, it's like taking a breath of fresh air. We know we're in for a treat...time together, sleeping in, time for relaxing hobbies like reading (and sewing for me), and A LOT of good food. The breakfast at the Enzian is amazing...omelets, eggs, potatoes, a variety of fruit and pastries...the list goes on. I am not a big breakfast eater, but even I enjoy the fruit and a little something sweet! (And I love their oatmeal. I know, it's weird to choose oatmeal when you can have almost anything, but I REALLY like it!)
I have to say for me it's the most "vacation like" vacation we take. Imagine sleeping in...and getting only one person (that would be myself) ready for the day! It's a strange feeling, actually. But I enjoy a week of it every year, and then I'm ready to have our munchkins back again. I think it would take a lot to get used to the total quiet of this house if I knew it's how it always would be. My husband says he's ready to hear little footsteps running around the house again. I will be ready for tomorrow, but I'm determined to enjoy today's peacefulness because there will be plenty of running around the house again tomorrow! :)

I wanted to show you around the town of Leavenworth~ do you mind?



This is the hotel, taken from across the street, but I am afraid it doesn't really capture the beauty of it!


This is the miniature golf course that is free for all who stay at the Enzian (or $12 if you aren't staying there). It's always a lot of fun, although I must admit, I never take games very seriously, and this one is no different. I'm too busy enjoying the beauty around me and being with my sweetie~ besides I am TERRIBLE at games involving balls. For the life of me, I cannot get that little white ball into the hole! I eventually just "cheat" and pick it up and put it in. My husband is so used to this, he just laughs! But truly, once you whack that ball five or six times per hole, you're ready to avoid any further humiliation. It's always so much fun, though!



Now we'll just walk downtown, which is always overflowing with flowers! First stop is the Danish Bakery, where they have an amazing selection of all the pastries you can imagine, AND Seattle's Best Coffee...




It's become our tradition to buy these pastries every day for our dessert that night.


I thought I'd bring you with me inside my favorite "decorating" store here. Come on inside and I'll show you around!




These are such adorable kitchen containers.



More cute vintage looking canisters!



And of course you can't leave here without a couple of their sweet dishtowels and taper candles! (At least I can't!)



I love jadite, whether old or replicas. And since the price was right, I brought these sweet salt and pepper shakers home with me. There's just something about salt and pepper shakers!





Now here is The Taffy Shop, where they have almost every imaginable kind of saltwater taffy.



We even got to see the taffy being pulled, which looked kind of fun! (I'm sorry for the poor quality of the picture; I don't quite know what happened!)






More flowers...





Thanks so much for coming with me on our little tour of Leavenworth, Washington. If you are ever up this way, make sure to check it out! It's such a sweet little town! Next time, I'll show you what we found while walking through the neighborhoods here. We "discovered" it a few years back, and revisit it every year now!