Our Unconventional Life

Sweetheart Sale

2013-01-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

just thought i should let you know :)

Seventh & Stone... an artist showroom

2013-01-13T10:19:00.003-06:00

If you didn't already know, I am a jewelry designer and have been for roughly five years. When I began making jewelry, I learned the basics from a friend of mine and mostly made earrings for myself and relatives using pretty beads from our local bead shop. It wasn't long before I decided to sell my items so I could save up for my first 'real camera'... a DSLR. I participated in a local craft show and opened and Etsy store, but soon after, I decided my work needed something special to make it stand out among the other thousands and thousands of jewelry designers. That's when I began using Lake Superior rocks in the majority of my work.

I soon saved enough money for my camera and then put my art on the back burner. I did a few more art fairs, had my second child, and then we moved out of state. Over this entire time period, I expanded and evolved my skills into what I am today, and I continue to learn new techniques and add to my collection of tools and equipment, . There's always something new I want to try, a new tool that would improve my product, or a class I'd like to take. It really never ends, and you will continue to see my product evolve in the years to come... I can guarantee that. :)

Since moving back to MN and buying my parent's house, I knew at some point I was going to use the commercial space in our basement to open my very own studio/showroom for my jewelry as well as other artists work... I just wasn't sure when. With a huge outpouring of positive feedback and a nice following of supporters, I knew my plan was going to be as successful as I wanted it to be.

I've been saving my pennies over the last year, and I'm happy to report that the renovation has begun. There's still a lot of work to be done, but the rooms are empty and the floor is ready to be resurfaced... something that my husband Scott will be doing next week. We took a trip to the home improvement store (Menards) to price out supplies and found that all of my lighting was on sale... I was extremely happy since my savings is quickly disappearing.

I have a meeting with a friend next week to talk about sign designs, and I think I found a local sign maker (Silver Creek Signworks) to construct it. I've began scouting out other artists that would possibly be interested in showcasing their artwork with me, but that has proven to be harder than I anticipated. All in due time I suppose.

Because my savings is quickly disappearing, I have decided to list several pieces of jewelry on my Facebook page Seventh & Stone. I'm hoping to sell off the remaining inventory from last summer so that I continue to make the necessary improvements to make my showroom impeccable.

I also sell my items at Trail Fitters in Duluth's Fitgers Brewery Complex, so if you're in the area, stop in and see what's there. I would love to get a call from them saying that they need another order. :)

I have a trip planned to Tucson, AZ in February to check out the HUGE gem show they have every year. I'm hoping to find lots of beautiful beads to bring home to add as accents to my designs. It will also be a chance for me to get away, visit family, and relax before coming home and working my butt off.

My projected Grand Opening is Memorial Day weekend. I'm hoping that still gives us plenty of time to get things completed, including LOTS of inventory. As of right now, I'm completely overwhelmed and see no end in sight.

If you are a fine artist and are looking for a place to sell your artwork on consignment, send me an email at seventhandstone@yahoo.com or send me a message on my Facebook page Seventh & Stone.

Also, if you feel so inclined, head over to Seventh & Stone and like my page to stay updated on any new developments. You can also check out my FOR SALE album to see if anything tickles your fancy.

another renovation is in progress

2013-01-04T13:53:00.002-06:00

I thought I'd share with you a little bit of the renovation process for my studio/gallery that will be opening this summer. There is still a lot to be done and finding a nice stretch of time for Scott to work on it hasn't been so easy... but a lot of progress has been made.

These first two photos are where my studio will be. I am able to access the shop by heading down our basement stairs and going in through the back door... that is the position I was in when taking this picture. This space used to be a beauty shop that my dad had, and before they left town my dad removed the sinks and the majority of the cupboards. Scott took down all of the existing paneling and barn wood that was covering much of the walls throughout the entire space and anything else that was left behind.

and he managed to get all of the linoleum and carpet out as well. I'm considering a dutch door to separate the studio from the gallery area... we'll see.

The next few photos are taken from inside the gallery space. I haven't quite figured out what the layout will be, but I have quite a bit of space to work with.

White walls, lots of lighting, and a refinished stained/painted cement floor are what I'm envisioning.

It's a bit overwhelming to be designing a space from scratch. I tend to have too many ideas so it'll be challenging to edit them all out and choose what will work out best on my budget.

Scott says that once the floor is done and the walls are painted, things should come together easier. I think we'd better get on that if I'm planning on a Memorial Day weekend grand opening. Yikes!!

**I am looking for a great graphic designer who would be able to help me out with a design for my outdoor sign, business card, and a simple website. Please feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email at seventhandstone@yahoo.com if you know of anyone. thanks!**

some seasons have come and gone....

2012-11-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

Spring came with sunny skies...

chartreuse leaves...

and eighteen cups of rhubarb.

summer was spent canning pickles...

taking Polaroids...

and developing film.

we caught Monarchs in vintage coffee jars...

and took impromptu dips in the surprisingly warm lake.

we assessed the damage of the 'big flood'...

and spent several days with family relaxing by the lake.

there was outdoor dining on our new patio table that Scott built...

several outdoor art shows (Facebook page here)...

and lets not forget that a certain somebody turned three. :)

Autumn brought us a kindergartner...

more apples than we knew what to do with...

a sky that was on fire...

some autumn knits...

Halloween...

and another room made 'liveable'

these last few months have been a wild ride with our share of ups and downs. it feels good to be sharing here once again.

Maria's special day

2012-05-02T09:51:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to quickly share a few pictures from Maria's birthday... a couple weeks late I might add.

On Friday (her actual birthday) she opened gifts bright and early and reveled in all her new goodies, including some new washable markers and a set of pony sheets.

Later that day we went to a park in Duluth with Maria's cousin Luke and second cousin Zhaina. The kids had a blast running around and afterwards we took them all to Bridgeman's (Maria's favorite restaurant) for dinner.

On Saturday we spent the day at home with family... lots of family. It turned out larger than planned, but was fun nonetheless. We visited, opened more gifts, ate lasagna, sang happy birthday, and enjoyed rainbow cake.

After it was all said and done, Maria confided in me that it was 'the best birthday ever', but I think she says that every year. :)

what i've been up to

2012-04-19T09:06:00.001-05:00

This time of the year can get quite hectic with birthdays, graduation parties, baby and bridal showers, and the onset of 'wedding season', but all the excitement really gets me going.

I recently returned from my first trip to Las Vegas. Four great (and long time) friends from high school joined me for a weekend in the city that seriously NEVER sleeps. We stayed at the beautiful Paris hotel for three nights, wasted away the afternoons sitting by the pool, and danced, laughed, and talked the nights away at some of the city's hot spots.

We all had such a wonderful time together and we're all looking forward to our next girls weekend... this time maybe a bit closer to home. ;)

We received our new rug from Overstock yesterday. We had originally ordered it several weeks ago, but they sent us the wrong one and then claimed that it was sold out. Scott somewhat surprised me with this when he got an email saying it was back in stock. I love it and I now feel like I have something to work off of for this room.

I've also started a new knitting project for Maria and have been busy sewing in my new sewing room. It's sew nice to finally have a permanent spot for my machine without having to drag it out every time I want to use it, especially when it comes to repairing clothing.

And tomorrow is a VERY big day in our house. Maria turns 5!!! I can't even believe how fast she's growing up.

It just so happened that Scott had the entire weekend off, so tomorrow we will travel to Duluth with her cousin Luke, and meet up with my cousin Stacy and her daughter Zhaina at a local playground. Afterwards we will treat them all to dinner and ice cream at Maria's favorite restaraunt, Bridgeman's. Yum!

On Saturday, Scott's mother will be here along with some other guests for an afternoon of talking, laughing, and playing. A lasagna dinner and my version of the 'Super Epic Rainbow Cake' will follow. It should be a fantastic weekend.

Oh, and one last tidbit of information... I have finally upgraded to an iPhone! Seriously what was I thinking two years ago when I didn't think I needed it! What a great device! I have completely fallen in love with the Instagram app for taking pictures and have used some of them for this post. My mother mentioned that I'll never use my real camera again, and I think she may be right. :) My username is lateniteknits if you choose to follow me.

Lots to do today, so I guess I'd better get crackin'! Enjoy your weekend folks!!

pieces of home

2012-04-01T09:09:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd share some pictures of our newly decorated living room. Scott got some shelves up a couple of weeks ago so I was finally able to bring out some things that have been packed away. The room still isn't finished, but will it ever be?

I'm still trying to sell our recliner that I've tried to crop out of the picture, but no bites yet. Our coffee table (which was left here by my parent's) used to be about a foot or two taller, but I had Scott cut it down so we could use it here. It has a drawer on the other side where we currently store all of the DVDs. The table on the far right is actually a record player that I found at an estate sale. However, We need to take it to 'the doctor' because the sound coming out is really quiet. That's on my to-do list. :)

The plaid chair was a $20 steal from Goodwill. It's one of my favorites.

I made all the pillows except for the one with the bicycle. I intend to make one more yellow chevron pillow but haven't gotten around to it. The quilt was an Arizonian birthday present to myself last year. I love it!

The sea fan (or whatever you call it) was purchased at Hunt & Gather in Minneapolis.

Our shelves are made from some old barn wood my Dad had in the attic of the garage. We had them in our old house too. The Angelus picture was another Goodwill score for $1. My mother had the same framed print while she lived here, so I think it's kind of funny that I found one that's almost exactly the same. The black framed photos are of my Mom and Dad.

And this is our current mantle. I'm sure it's something that will always be changing, but it currently holds the pussy willows that Scott picked for me last week...

a couple of vintage cameras, a bird's nest, and an old photo of my Grampa. And you can see our new gray carpet!!

It's a work in progress and I'm hoping to get a lot more done this spring before the weather gets nice and warm outside. Once that happens, I know I won't want to be inside too much. I still need to finish up the east room, both girls' rooms, and the sewing/playroom.

We're in the process of painting Ginger's big girl bed and I'm on the hunt for a retro school desk for Maria's room... one with the flip up top. :) The majority of our walls still need pictures hung too. I swear it never ends. :)

Wishing you all a joyous Easter week.

I painted my parent's hutch

2012-03-29T08:42:00.001-05:00

My parent's had intended on taking the hutch with them when they permanently moved down to Arizona, but it was either unable to fit in the trailer or my mother couldn't figure out where to put it in their new house. So, I told them they could leave it here. I knew I wanted to repaint this and another shelving unit in the kitchen to match, but I didn't realize what a pain in the butt this project was going to end up being.

I originally bought this color paint to use on these two pieces as well as Ginger's dresser, but right away I knew it was the wrong color for the kitchen. I ended up loving it for her dresser, but now I have a full can of paint that I don't know what to do with.

After that mistake, I knew I needed to go lighter in color so I 'quickly' picked out a new color (paint choice #1) off a paint chip. After painting two coats I realized I didn't like it. There wasn't enough contrast between the wall and the hutch. I ended up taking the can back to Menard's to have them add more color. I came home with paint choice #2.

I put one coat on and it was definitely darker and a lot better, but the color was still to blue and 'cool' for the rest of the colors in the house. Now you are probably going to say to yourself "but the last color and the final color are the same", but trust me, they weren't.

I made the decision to go to my local hardware store and get a new can of paint, this time with more green in it and with a warmer tone. This is the final product that I'm fairly happy with, but mostly I'm just so sick of thinking about it that I'm leaving it as is.

Don't get me wrong, I DO like it. :) It was so hard to get the color right in the pictures, but it closely resembles a teal colored Fiesta mug.

The room in which the hutch sits is still pretty sparse. We just bought this 7 ft. circular rug (which should be here tomorrow) to go in this room and once I find someone to help me recover some box cushions and reupholster a couple of chairs, it will look more full. I plan to put a large vintage school map that we found in Minneapolis in this room as well.

I filled the hutch up with all my pretty things and a few sentimentals as well. I found the Taylor Smith & Taylor dish set at Savors before we moved into the trailer. It was a steal of a deal and I've slowly been adding to the set every time I see a matching piece.

This is a photo of my mother's parent's when they were young and in love... new love. :) I love it!

This is my first Polaroid picture I ever took. It's of our rose bush from our old house. I loved that place.

This photo is of my Grandpa (my Dad's dad), not sure when it was taken, but I'm going to guess he was 18 or so. The tin was an estate sale find. I remember my mother having the same tin when I was young, only it was square and a bit bigger.

And here we have an handheld antique mirror and one of my many bird's nests. The nest sits atop a collection of old children's books that I found at an estate sale.

I believe the books date back to 1880 or something like that. Completely adorable too!

I'm relieved that the hutch is done. What intended to be a couple day project turned into a project that dragged out over a week or two.

Scott's planning to paint the kitchen mid April and I'm hoping to paint the kitchen 'unit' fairly soon as well.

I'm heading out today for a solo trip to Duluth, which is always so nice, and a lunch date with my older sister. We haven't done that in ages!

Enjoy your day!!

Cilantro Pesto... it's good on everything

2012-03-11T09:53:00.001-05:00

We love basil pesto, but rarely make it because of the massive amounts of basil needed. I came across an excellent recipe last year for a chicken panini that called for cilantro pesto. Not only did we fall head over heals for the panini, but we realized that the pesto is good on just about everything. It's also cost efficient and quick to make.

Start by washing and patting dry one bunch of cilantro and place it in your food processor (stems and all). Add in 3 or 4 garlic cloves and half of a diced jalapeno (seeds and membrane removed). Squeeze in about a tablespoon of lime juice (I used lemon here), sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and pulse it until it's all chopped up into small pieces. With the blade running, add in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until it reaches a nice consistency. That's it!

We love to eat the pesto on turkey sandwiches, fried eggs, omelets, chicken breasts... seriously just about everything.

It keeps well in the fridge for about a week, if it even lasts that long!

I hope you give this pesto alternative a try, you'll be happy you did.

our fireplace transformation...

2012-03-08T15:39:00.000-06:00

To be honest, I never really did like the fireplace in my parent's house. I always thought it was a bit big and the color of the mantel wasn't my style. However, when it's cold outside or there's a chill in the house, it's nice to be able to turn it on with a flip of the switch.

When we decided to purchase this house, I knew immediately that painting this thing was going to be high on the priority list.

I was initially planning to go white (again), but decided to mix it up a bit while still keeping the color neutral to go with the other furnishings in the house. As you can see from the pictures, the kitchen still needs to be painted along with the green kitchen 'unit' as we like to call it... that will be a pale blue/green.

So, last week I spent a few days transforming it. I sanded it lightly, wiped it down with a wet rag and proceeded to paint it gray. The paint had a satin finish but turned glossy after I put on a few coats of clear coat. I'm not to fond of the shine and thought about painting it again with a coat of gray, but I was so excited to finish and pull that painter's tape off!

The gray matches the marbling in the black part perfectly and it gives it a much more modern feel, in my opinion.

As for the mantel, it's quite large and I wasn't sure what to do with it at first. But when Scott and I made that trip to Minneapolis a few weeks back, we found these really cool marquee letters that were so fitting for our home. The mantel is still in limbo as I still have lots of things packed in boxes waiting to find a home, but for now this is what it looks like.

Tomorrow we're getting new light gray carpet installed which will hopefully brighten things up even more. Scott is currently in Montana on a snowboarding trip, but when he returns he will finish putting up the baseboards, something we were waiting to do until after the carpet was in.

Today I made some new colorful pillows for our sofa and I'm looking forward to getting some shelves up and some pictures on the walls. I'm finding it hard to commit to anything considering there are no longer holes in the walls. Anyone else ever feel like that after you've just freshly painted?

Still so much to do...

snow, soup, and a painted dresser

2012-02-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

It finally snowed! A few days ago roughly 4 or 5 inches of that fluffy white stuff fell from the sky and greeted us when we woke up. I couldn't wait to send the kids outside to play. They lasted outdoors for about 45 minutes before they wanted to come back in. I told Maria that when I was a kid, I would play outside all. day. long. I think she found it amusing and impossible. Those were the days....

As you can see, we have painted all the walls and radiators on the main floor white... well, minus the hallway and the kitchen. It was a pretty big job but we managed to get it done in one weekend. It feels so bright and fresh in here now. The 'carpet guy' is coming this afternoon to measure out the square footage and we should have some new gray carpet in the next week or two. No more Berber! After the carpet is installed we'll reattach the cedar trim and hopefully start getting some shelves and pictures on the walls.

We've also made the decision to paint the wood fireplace... my dad will be so disappointed. sorry dad. :( I will most likely get that done this weekend before the carpet is installed.

We're still searching for some odds and ends furniture. My friend Jake is helping us out in finding some tree trunks for either end of the couch. I'm planning to do this to them... minus the legs.

I finally got around to painting Ginger's dresser too. Over the summer we found it for free on the side of the road. It was dark wood and the top of it had a big burn hole in it like someone left a candle burning or something. I asked my dad to attach a new top and now you can't even tell that it's been replaced.

It was my first time using Floetrol mixed in with the paint and I really like the results. Less brush strokes and no drag marks.

The color turned out different than I thought it was going to be but I still like it. I intended to use the same color on two hutches on the main floor, but the color just isn't gonna jive. :)

I replaced the old pulls with new glass knobs that I found at Target and I think it adds to it's vintage charm.

Last but not least, I HAVE to share this amazing soup recipe with you too! If you've ever had the Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden (and liked it), then this recipe is a must have for your recipe box. It tastes just like the real thing. Next time I will increase the bacon and decrease the sausage and pepper flakes. Yowza it was spicy! Scott ended up having to eat most of it because it was too hot for my liking, but the flavor was incredible! And! last night I made Peach Lacquered Chicken Wings for dinner and they were so good that it was hard to stop eating them. I'm going to suggest you add that one to your recipe box as well.

That's all for now. Hope you all enjoy your weekend. I'll be painting... again!

2012-02-03T09:10:00.000-06:00

Well, we're back from our trip to Minneapolis and let me tell ya... we had a REAL good time. It was wonderful to get away for a night without the kids and do some long overdue 'kid free' shopping.

We went to Hunt & Gather and we were both completely BLOWN AWAY but what that store had to offer. It is by far the best place I've ever laid eyes on and I plan to stop in every time I'm in the area. There were so many unique and one of a kind items. We found the BEST piece for our mantle, a school map for our wall, and a few other items that I'm not going to show you until the time is right. :) I'm already itchin' to get down there again.

The following day we took a trip to IKEA. Knowing that it's possible to waste a whole day there, we got there as it opened and headed into the showroom to take it all in. As we approached the kitchen area, we began to daydream about our own kitchen remodel. One thing led to another and a few minutes turned into a couple hours! We ended up building a kitchen island with doors that were 75% percent off. It was a deal we couldn't pass up and an island was definitely something we needed and wanted. We picked out an oak butcher block top with enough overhang for a breakfast bar.

We got our cabinets for the playroom as well as a butcher block counter top for a 'semi' floating sewing station. The cabinets are already installed and partially filled and I love how perfectly they fit into the space. I'll show pictures as soon as the room in completed... soon!

I still can't believe we spent over EIGHT hours in that place! By the end, our think process was clouded and we couldn't wait to get out of there.

While we were away I received a call from the upholsterer that our couch was finished. The call was two months overdue (he took forever!) but we're extremely happy with the finished result.

This is a picture of the couch before it was done. I had been on a witch hunt to find a Danish Modern style sofa and was lucky when I found this one for free at a garage sale. I actually didn't mind the color, but the owner's cats had gotten to it and ruined the from panels. Scott wasn't too happy about refurbishing an old couch when we could buy a new one for practically the same price.

In the end though, I think he was happy with the result... I know I am!

The fabric I chose is commercial grade which is pretty heavy duty and should last another 40 years at least. The overall color is light gray with bits of gold and green. It's perfect!

This past weekend has completely motivated me to get things finished around here. I'm looking forward to painting the entire downstairs and replacing the carpet. Just those two things are going to make all the difference and make it feel like our home and not mom and dad's. :)

Today, I'm planning to finish painting the bedroom doors as well as painting a few pieces of furniture. Scott's planning to take Maria on her second snowboarding trip to Spirit Mountain which makes for a fairly quiet afternoon for Ginger and I at home. Hopefully I can get a lot done.

Enjoy your weekend!

long overdue

2012-01-24T19:13:00.000-06:00

Crazy to think it's been exactly one month since the last time I posted about our somewhat crazy life. I hope you all had a great time ringing in the new year... we stayed home... and have been enjoying the month of January. No snow and mild temperatures doesn't make it feel much like winter around here. It makes it hard for the girls to want to go outside and play too. But, we did get four or five inches yesterday and they both went out and got some fresh air. They came inside with rosy cheeks and thoroughly enjoyed their hot chocolate.

I wanted to share with you a Christmas gift that Scott made for the girls. I saw the original design on Pinterest, and knew Scott could pull it together quickly. I found the sheet at Saver's, trimmed it to size, and sewed on the elastic.

After Scott built the frame, I draped the sheet over the top and wasn't happy with how it was laying. It kept sagging into the center, so Scott attached to wooden dowels to each side.

And because the tent wouldn't stay upright on the wood floor, Scott decided to put to wooden pegs into the tops of each X. They're removable, so putting the tent away is still easy to do.

Unfortunately, they haven't been playing in it as much as I thought they would. Not sure why. Either way, it's cute to look at!

Last weekend Scott removed the cabinets that my parent's installed nearly 15 years ago. They worked well for them, but they just weren't our style. We are planning to re purpose a few of them elsewhere in the house, one as a TV cabinet downstairs and another in the upstairs bathroom.

The room will one day become our dining/sitting room, but until we add some wood floors and remove carpeting in another room, it will just be a sitting room. Besides Maria's room, it gets the best light in the house and make a great knitting room. We're hoping to get the entire downstairs (besides the kitchen) painted in February... we'll see.

Scott and I are planning a very important trip down to Minneapolis on Friday. We're dropping the kids off at Grandma's and then making our way to into the city for a one night stay and a whole lotta shopping! We're going to make a stop at Hunt & Gather to see what vintage goodies we can find for our home, as well as a much needed trip to IKEA to pick up this, maybe this, and some other things. I also love this idea for using spice racks as bookshelves.

The cabinets and bookshelves are going in the playroom upstairs. I am anxious to get that room organized and decorated.

I gotta go get the kids in bed, so hopefully I can get around to sharing more later.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T14:14:00.000-06:00

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas filled with peace, love, and joy.

See you in the new year!!

progress pictures

2011-12-17T17:47:00.000-06:00

I wanted to show you (but mainly my parents) some of the progress we've made upstairs. I know that my dad has been dying to see pictures of the floors and I'm sorry for making him wait so long. Now, do keep in mind that no decorating has been done so it looks a bit bare. All in due time.

This is Ginger's room

didn't the floors turn out nice dad?!

This is what the playroom/sewing/craft room used to look like with wallpaper and that's Ginger's yellowish bedroom through that doorway.

Operation 'take down wallpaper' was the pits!

Here it is after we painted it white. As you can see, we've painted the ceiling pink.

This is Maria's room, which gets the best light in the whole house.

As I have said before, I still need to get around to painting the doors but so far we all love the results.

The hustle and bustle

2011-12-11T23:03:00.000-06:00

I can't even tell you how many times I've thought about blogging, but time restraints have kept me from doing so. So happy to be posting here once again. :)

First of all I'd like to fill you in on Maria and Ginger's speech therapy. They are both currently enrolled every Wednesday with separate therapists. During their evaluation several weeks ago, they had hoped to get them in two times a week, but scheduling them at the same time is proving to be a bit of a problem. Maria (as we already knew) has a later developing speech problem... can't pronounce her r's, l's, sh's and so on. Ginger basically doesn't say anything... however she's taken more interest over the past couple of weeks and can now say Dada, sister, bird, and hot. All those words were learned on her own with the help of myself or Scott.

The girls both had their first official speech session last Wednesday. They're hoping Ginger will learn at least 25 words in the next six months and I have little doubt that she won't. Maria's therapist told us afterwards that she was "a delight", eager to learn, and a very bright individual. What mother wouldn't be proud to hear those words. :)

Next, I would like to mention that we have the majority of three rooms (still need to do the doors) painted upstairs and Scott started putting up the rough cut cedar trim in all the rooms. It really looks amazing and bright. Unfortunately things aren't moving as quickly as I'd like them too. With Scott's schedule and Christmas approaching faster than I can type, we're finding ourselves (okay, me) caught up in other things. But, Scott did install a new light over the kitchen sink. For several weeks there was only a chain hanging from the ceiling, but now we have light! I love it too.

I've been doing some of what I like to call 'elving' these past few weeks. Trying my hardest to get gifts knitted...

and sewed...

and hot glued before Christmas Day arrives.

Today I just finished packing up everything that needs to be mailed out with hopefully plenty of time to get there before the big day. I know the Post Office this time of year can be pretty slow, so I'm not taking any chances.

Tomorrow I plan to bake several batches of cookies, do laundry, and hopefully do something with the tree we picked up today after our church's children's Mass. Maria has been going to church school every Sunday and loves every minute of it. I'll ask her questions about her time there and she rarely shares any information with me... which leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions! But today, a few were answered. Watching her sing (and knowing most of the words!) with all the other children brought a huge smile to my face and tears to my eyes. I couldn't have been more pleased by what I saw. She surprises me everyday.

That's all for tonight as it's getting late and I still want to delve into my bag of chips... I have a serious addiction to those things. Hoping to make at least one more appearance here before Christmas... fingers crossed.

Just a thought...

2011-11-22T13:47:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking lately about how last year at this time, we were spending Thanksgiving in Sacramento with a bunch of people we didn't know. Strangers who opened their hearts and arranged a feast for all of us travelers. It was incredibly warm and thoughtful and I'm grateful that we were able to find such a great place to start our journey.

This year we will once again be spending it at Auntie Carol's house just like in years past. It will be wonderful to once again spend the holidays with the one's we love most.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving with safe travels and delicious food.

Nutella Pastry Pockets = yum!

2011-11-18T11:16:00.000-06:00

I have been on a new recipe kick lately all because of Pinterest. I never thought I'd enjoy that website as much as I do, but it's wonderful on so many levels.

I found this and realized that there was no recipe attached. By looking at the pictures I was able to figure it out, and oh my goodness, these little pastries are divine.

I started by thawing out the puff pastry according to the package. I rolled it out into a big rectangle and cut out 12 smaller rectangles. I placed them on parchment paper and topped six of them with a spoonful of Nutella and a few marshmallow.

I then dabbed my finger in water and ran it around each edge to create a 'glue'. I placed another rectangle on top pressing down all around and using a fork to make a more decorative edge.

I brushed on a bit of egg wash on each one and sprinkled a bit of sugar on the top.

I baked them at 400° for about 12 - 15 minutes and allowed them to cool slightly before taking my first bite.

I couldn't really taste the marshmallow, but just the Nutella alone was good. Perhaps next time I would substitute marshmallows for something else. Any suggestions?

Be back soon with updates about our 2nd floor makeover.

our week in pictures

2011-11-14T09:35:00.000-06:00

I just though I'd pop in quick to share some pictures that document our days from this past week or so. There has been baking and cooking, napping and reading, drawing and painting, along with some slow moving organizing and planning. I really need to get my butt in gear and start prepping the second floor for painting. I'm going with white!

Also, some of my photos have been featured over at habit. Emily and Molly have invited it's readers to participate for the month of November by submitting photos to the flickr pool Joining in has really inspired me to take note of our daily happenings. Please do stop over and check it out.

We hope you have a great week!

Home

2011-11-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

Boy, what a long day.

Scott moved a large majority of our things into the house today while I began unpacking boxes of dishes and other kitchen items. It was like Christmas morning all over again! I had forgotten about so many things that have been packed away, and I'm now wondering where I'm going to put it all. Slowly, but surely, things are coming together. We plan to pack up and move what's left in the apartment tomorrow and intend to build beds and fill dresser drawers. Yay! It's going to feel so nice to not be in two places at once.

I wanted to share a few things that are close to my heart that I found while walking through the house the other day. First, there is this...

Growing up, 'the blessing' was always said before supper and I was pleasantly surprised to see it still hanging on the wall in the kitchen when I walked in the back door. I initially told my mother that I didn't want it, although it did have some degree of sentimental value. I'm happy it was left behind and I plan on keeping it on the wall so my family can carry on the tradition of saying it every evening.

There is also this painting...

It was painted by my aunt (we have another drawing of hers as well) and I always remembered it hanging on the wall in the front room when I lived here. It's a wintry Christmas scene with snowflakes and a bright red sled. The house in which it was leaning upon always reminded me of this house. Since then, it's been moved around from room to room and found it's home on top of these cabinets. My mother had planned on taking it with them down to Arizona, but for one reason or another, it was left behind too. I told her it would be in safe hands if she were to leave it and was touched to see it sitting up there.

Mom also left behind two crucifix's. One above the front door...

and the other was left hanging on the wall next to the hutch. The hutch was a really dark wood for as long as I can remember and not very appealing to the eye. A few years back, my mom decided to paint it, which gave it new life. She had really wanted to take it with them when they moved, but wasn't sure where it would go in their new home. After loading up the Uhaul, it would've been a tight squeeze to bring it with. I'm planning to repaint it. :)

The bath toys were left by the bathroom sink, waiting for the next child to come along and bring them back to life. They ended up being well used tonight in the bathtub. :)

And the rocking horse that my kids absolutely love. As some of you may know from previous posts, Maria is obsessed with horses! We knew this was staying behind, but seeing it here that day, all alone in the darkness, touched my heart.

This glass hobnail cake plate was here too. I love this thing and plan to use it whenever possible.

And then right as I was finishing up taking pictures, I looked at the key rack that is hanging by the refrigerator and I found this...

All of these things were left behind with purpose and love... and all these things will stay here with that same sentiment.

I began writing this post yesterday evening, but became to tired to finish. I decided to sit down once again tonight after the kids were sleeping to finish. We are spending our first night here in the new house. The girls are both sleeping in their own rooms, and Maria is sleeping in her real bed... one that has been in storage for far too long. It feels good... really good. Although there are still A LOT of boxes to unpack and things to put away, it's already feeling like home.

Vacant

2011-11-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

I took some time on the first day of November to walk through our vacant house. It was weird... really weird. My parents weren't there to greet me at the door and when I walked into the kitchen and around the corner, I saw this.

and this

Practically empty rooms except for the few things my parents chose to leave behind, including that love seat in the first photo.

My intention was to come in and check on the progress of the floors upstairs, but I couldn't help but take in the quietness before it was all gone.

I couldn't hear the guys upstairs and figured they were out to lunch, so I knew I didn't have much time. I took some pictures and thought about childhood memories, knowing that my children will make their own memories here too.

I walked up the stairs and found the bare floors, stripped away of all the scratches and wear marks that were once there. I'm sure my parents had always wanted the floor refinished when they lived here, but various reasons kept them from doing it. I wonder how they feel about it now? I wonder how they will feel when they come to visit next summer and find that it doesn't feel much like it used to when they lived here?

We have plans for this house... lots of them. Some of which I'm reluctant to share with my Mom and Dad. They told us that we have our whole lives to get it the way we want, but I tend not to work that way. I'm either 'all in' or 'all out'.

I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed by everything. Packing, unpacking, painting, taking down wallpaper, my jewelry studio, Thanksgiving, Christmas, potty training, getting Ginger into a big girl bed... it doesn't stop. But today I realized that I can't do it all, not at one time. I think I tend to get ahead of myself and my mind starts to race with all the things I want or need to do. All the while forgetting to live right here, right now.

I bought myself a nice journal about a month ago and have yet to make a single entry. Maybe now is the time to get these thoughts on paper so I can breathe.

*I'll be back soon with updates on the girls speech therapy session, pictures from Halloween, and a little something that touches my heart*

Good things

2011-10-30T16:53:00.000-05:00

Good things have been happening around here lately and I'm eager to tell you about a few.

First of all, my parents packed up all their things in the Uhaul trailer and headed for Tucson early this morning. It's bittersweet that they're no longer living there and are now permanent residents of the south, but at the same time we are extremely happy to be moving in and taking over what they've worked so hard on these last 40+ years. We didn't waste any time getting a professional in there today to redo the hardwood floors upstairs. We won't technically be moved in and living there until the end of the week. Scott will probably start moving some things in on Tuesday and maybe I can start organizing the kitchen. It's going to be so nice to once again have a dishwasher as well as a washer and dryer.

Today is Scott's 32nd birthday too! The girls gave him his gift this morning before he left for work... a black, metal vintage lunch box and the David Sedaris book "When you are engulfed in flames". I got him David's other book last year for Christmas and he liked it. From what I've heard, this one is good too. I've baked chocolate brownies at his request and V.I.P. pizza is what's for dinner. Yum!

I also knit him up a new winter hat using the Seaman's Cap pattern off ravelry. I'm calling it "Scott's Seaman". :) He wore it to work this morning, which made me happy.

And, as we all know, Halloween (which is my least favorite holiday) is tomorrow.

Maria's planning to be a unicorn and Ginger will be a skunk. I'm not sure how Ginger will handle all the spookiness considering she can't even look at our jack-o-lanterns, but Maria is EXtremely excited.

The girls also have an appointment tomorrow with a speech therapist. Maria has trouble saying her r's, s's, and l's and Ginger STILL isn't talking. Although she says 'uh-oh' and 'mama' the majority of what does come out of her mouth sound a lot like grunts... almost like humming. We're hoping that the therapist, with a lot of dedication, can get some words out of her because I've tried and nothing is working. She's able to get her point across by pointing and such, but it's frustrating for all of us. Not to mention I'm DYING to hear her little voice! I'll let you know how it all goes.

I finished up a little sweater for Ginger last week. The pattern is pretty easy and would be a great first time sweater project. It's a bit big around the neck (my fault I'm sure) but I'm beginning to think that she's narrow in the shoulders. Perhaps this isn't the best neckline for her. It's still pretty cute on her though.

We went for a walk by the lake the other day. It really felt like fall as I was wishing I had some gloves. The girls didn't seem to care. They ran around, up and down the hill, and posed for a moment so I could get a picture. It's very rare that I get a picture of Ginger with a smile on her face. It's almost like her and Maria swapped personalities for a minute.

I'm currently in the process of knitting up some stocking stuffers and other Christmas gifts as well as a sweater for Maria. I've started pinning on Pinterest, AND I've got a book or two (or three) in the works through Blurb... hoping to get at least two of them done by Christmas. Between all that, moving into the house, and having kids running around, I'm beginning to wonder if I can do it all. Why do I always seem to take on SO much??

I guess it's what keeps me ticking.

More soon!

Our days...

2011-10-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

have been looking like this...

an early morning sunrise

walks through the neighborhood

with pit stops on the hillside

fall colors that once were

quiet coloring

and posing for the camera

we've also been...

~baking lots of desserts containing apples~

~finishing up and starting new knitting projects~

~enjoying our local library~

~trying new dinner recipes, most of which only I liked~

~anticipating the move into our new house (one week left!)~

~spending our days in sweatpants and t-shirts~

~brainstorming ideas for the new house~

~playing 'picnic' and 'zoo' with the girls~

~carving pumpkins (Ginger is afraid of the finished product)~

~gearing up for Halloween and Scott's 32nd birthday~

Hope you're all enjoying these last few weeks of fall.

Our Indian summer

2011-10-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. The cool, crisp air, the gorgeous fall colors, the smell of wet, decaying leaves on the ground, and the fact that you can finally wear that favorite sweater and scarf.

This fall season has been incredibly warm too! The past few weeks have had temps in the 70's and 80's and the sun has been shining nonstop. We spent this past weekend in Bayfield, WI for their 50th annual Apple Festival. It was a beautiful day and we had a pretty good time eating corn dogs and apple torte and browsing through all the artist tents and vendors. We were planning to make it to the orchard this year, but we were pretty pooped out by the time we got back to the car.

I also took advantage of the bright moon and crisp air last night and asked my mother to take an evening walk with me. I had been feeling sluggish that afternoon and taking a walk was just what I needed to feel better. Good company too. :)

Last week we also got a paper bag full of apples from my parent's tree. They are great baking apples so I decided to bake an apple pie. I've always had trouble making a homemade pie crust but this time it worked out deliciously using this recipe and I used Betty Crocker's apple pie recipe for the filling. Yum! I'm also planning to make apple bread and apple crisp too.

But the biggest news of all and also the news that we've been keeping secret since living in Arizona is...

we bought a house!! Not just any house, but the one that I and my five other siblings grew up in. The house that is over 100 years old and that my parent's have owned for over 40 years. The house with the apple tree (shown below) that my parent's planted SO many years ago. The house with the backyard that Maria and Ginger had so much fun playing in over the summer.

I never, in a million years, thought that I would ever move back to the small town in which I grew up, but it has never felt SO right. This house has all the farmhouse charm that I've always wanted in a house and it has plenty of room for us to grow into. It has a bedroom for each of the girls as well as a nice large family/play room upstairs. Scott's looking forward to breaking in his heated garage next month brewing an anticipated batch of beer, and I'm making plans for my own jewelers workshop and artist studio in what used to be my dad's barber shop in the basement. With the house being right on the main drag going up the north shore, it couldn't be more perfect for summer tourism.

There's so many things I'd like to do to this house in order to make it feel like ours and not my parent's... mostly painting. But we're trying not to rush into things and overwork ourselves... again. :) We have our whole lives to make it our own, but quite honestly, I don't think I can wait that long or even until next summer!

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you about this new addition to our lives. Paint chips, furniture finds, and decorating ideas are sure to be in the mix.

We move in at the end of the month and we couldn't be more excited!

The last leg... Maine, Vermont, and Niagara Falls

2011-10-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

So here we are wrapping up the last leg of our summer vacation. I still can't believe it's October and I'm still talking about this damn trip! I suppose it was quite the whirlwind of an adventure with so much packed into just two weeks.

Well, we arrived in Maine knowing that we were going to spend a few days camping in Old Orchard Beach, which is about 20 minutes south of Portland. It's a cute little seaside town that has fireworks and carnival rides all summer long. There were many campgrounds to choose from but most were full. I can't recall where we stayed but I do recall the INTENSE heat wave that was happening while we were there. The temps were above 100° and we trying our best to stay cool... it wasn't working out too well.

I was a little disappointed in our campsite. We were plopped right in the middle of ashy dirt that stuck to every inch of the girls' sweaty bodies. There were other tents set up on grassy sites, but we were less fortunate. The girls didn't seem to care, but being that I'm a bit of a neat/clean freak, it was driving me insane. Luckily we were right next to a water spigot so cleaning off wasn't too difficult.

We roasted marshmallows, grilled some burgers, enjoyed an evening stroll at the carnival, and watched the fireworks.

We went to a local lobster shack where Scott learned how to dissect his boiled lobster and I had my first lobster roll, which are quite popular out east. AND it was air conditioned! I spent some of my time right in front of the fan trying to cool off. I'm sure the other patrons thought I was a bit weird.

The girls really enjoyed camping though. Playing in the dirt and swimming in the pool was how they kept busy. We did however have one mishap early one morning when we awoke to Ginger screaming her lungs out. She had reached into my toiletries bag and cut her finger on my razor. She cried so loud and for so long that I'm quite positive she woke up everyone else in the campground. It was a traumatic experience for her and she did not recover quickly.

I believe it was the second day we were there that we headed up the shore to Portland where we had planned to walk around, take pictures, enjoy lunch, and collect sea shells on the beach. We took a drive through town first to see the sites and then headed to a nice little beach that was covered in shells for the girls to collect. They loved it!

Maria compiled quite the collection in her green panda bag and kept busy and stayed happy through the heat.

We ate a snack on a blanket before heading into the city for some lunch at Otto's pizza. We ate our delicious slices outside the pizzeria and then headed down the street to do some window shopping. It didn't take long for us to realize that we were exhausted! The heat had definitely gotten to us in more than one way. Our bodies ached, we were tired, and all four of us were irritable. We had heat exhaustion for sure.

We cut our day trip short and headed back to the campground. That's when I tried to convince Scott to forgo our last night of camping and head out in search of a hotel room with air conditioning. He eventually conceded and we immediately started packing up our things. When we got into the truck the temp read 104° with a whole lot of humidity. I think it was the best decision we made during the whole trip.

We were then on our way to Vermont. We drove through beautiful New Hampshire and eventually made our way to Killington, Vt. We found a great deal online for a two night stay at one of the ski resorts on the mountain. We had decided to take this time to relax with no real agenda. We ordered take out from across the street and took scenic drives to take in all the beauty Vermont has to offer. It was absolutely lovely there.

After a few days of recuperation, we headed north to Burlington. We loved the city and it in some ways reminded me of Duluth. It was while we were here that we really started to get serious about buying a new car to drive home in. We knew what were looking for and they were abundant out east. So, a bit of car shopping was on our agenda as well as a trip to the popular Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory!

The wait time for the tour was far too long for the girls, so we decided to walk through the gift shop and enjoy a pint of ice cream on the picnic tables instead.

It was crazy busy there and before then, I hadn't even known that Vermont was were B&J ice cream originated. I guess I'm more of a Kemps girl. :)

Vermont was absolutely gorgeous though and I really wish I would've taken more pictures. I think by the end of the trip, I was just so exhausted that taking pictures seemed like too much work. There were times when we'd be driving through the cutest little villages or by one of the many covered bridges, and I was too darn lazy to tell Scott to pull over so I could snap a few. Oh well, just another reason to come back.

We left Vermont a day earlier than we had planned. We still had Niagara falls and a whole lot of driving to get out of the way, so leaving a day early seemed like a good idea.

Driving through upstate NY was stunning. Lots of trees, farms, and hills to keep your eyes busy and stay awake. We stopped somewhere along the way (I can't remember where) to buy our car and found out he seller was actually from Minnesota! It's such a small world.

So with me driving the new car and Scott still driving our truck, we continued on towards Niagara Falls. I couldn't believe my eyes when we finally arrived.

My pictures don't do it justice. We were unable to travel the the Canadian side, which would've made a much better photo op, but I did what I could.

The waters were the prettiest color blue, the scent of the water was wonderful, and the mist coming off the falls was refreshing.

There was a tour boat that took you right into the falls. People were lined up waiting to get on wearing rain slickers and water shoes. I couldn't understand how some people would consider that to be fun.

It was really beautiful there and the water was so mesmerizing.

We walked around a bit and enjoyed ice cream treats that melted way to fast.

Niagara Falls was such a great ending to our enduring trip. It's a memory that will forever stay in our minds because of it's great beauty. If you haven't been there yet, I'm going to suggest that you go at some point in your life. It's truly an amazing site... right up there with Mt. Rushmore in my opinion.