Period.

The point of the Rally, which was hosted by the local MG Club and invited clubs from all around, like our club, PSMini.Org, is to answer the 12 pages of questions (that also contained turn by turn directions), and hopefully answer them right, and complete the course in less than 4 hours. I would show you more pictures of the actual course itself (which had gorgeous scenery) if I hadn’t been so busy being the navigator and looking for the answers to the questions.

Items such as “Two racing horses (you need the house number)”

(We got that one, it was a mailbox with two metal horses on top).

“A black cat sits on it (house number)”

(A black metal cat sitting on a porch railing.)

There were also trivia questions, multiple guess (or Google questions), and items like how many stars (on the house, answer – 7). It was wild. It was fun. We even managed a stop at one of the clues, because hey, there was a wine tasting going on and we were thirsty. We weren’t the only ones who stopped but we did end up being the first. Little trendsetters that are we.

In total there were 250 cars who participated, about 30-40 Mini’s who motored in with the PSMini.Org Club to the start/gathering area. We were a sight on the freeway, and through town, and we made quite the spectacle at the meet-up spot at the rest stop off I5.

What can I say? We are driving Mini’s. We damn well better be having fun! (Papa insists it would have been more fun with the top down. Since it was not even 50 degrees, I told him if he wanted to be married by the end of the day, he’d be leaving the top up thank you. Yep, we’re still married.)

In all it took us 3 hours and 52 minutes to complete the 93 mile course. I could have done with about 30 minutes less, but I’ll be back next year no doubt!

Afterwards since Papa and I had the kids in good hands with their babysitter (aka grandparents) we drove over to Tulip Town since we didn’t see nary a tulip field in all of the Tulip Rally. Slightly weird name for a rally that doesn’t involve tulips.

The pictures (sort of) speak for themselves, but in order to believe it, you just have to see it. It reminded me of the Keukenhof in the Netherlands.

That’s one weekend down. What’s up next?

I’m three video lectures behind on my Democratic Development class, not to mention I haven’t downloaded a single reading assignment. It’s going to be a busy Friday. What are your plans for the day?

This past Sunday, yesterday, the traditional day of rest, we did not rest. We did not sit. We didn’t even do laundry. We did this:

Sounds fun doesn’t it? Well…It. Was. Here’s how it worked. Each car was grouped into teams of three cars. Everyone was given a list of Seattle landmarks to find and photograph. The twist is that each of the three cars had to be photographed with the landmark. For example here we are in front of the Hat and Boots:

I don’t know what the Hat and Boots thing is about but…we had our picture taken with it. The second super cool part about this event was it was a fundraiser for the Make A Wish Foundation. We raised $1500. Not too bad for a morning of fun and frolicking, because Mini Cooper’s just scream to get out and frolic.

Here are some of the 35 plus cars who showed up for yesterday’s event.

We were matched with a great team, Team 5, Team Ichibon, we had The K’s who had a sweet John Cooper Works Mini

And C who had a Pepper White Mini. I never thought I’d like a white car, but a Mini in Pepper White? Totally works.

And of course here’s our Little Mags:

The Scavenger Hunt lasted three hours from the time your team left the dealership (thanks Seattle Mini!), and you had three hours to email or text as many landmark pictures as you could. There were also bonus points for getting the extra items. Like finding a policeman, or say a campus security guard.

He didn’t like us being in his alley. But we overtook him right after this picture was taken. Never mess with a bunch of Mini drivers, alright?

(In all seriousness he wasn’t really excited at first about posing for the picture, but if you enlarge the picture you’ll see he’s smiling. Actually he’s probably laughing about what lunatics we most likely looked like.)  The more creative the picture the more possible points a team could get. It wasn’t all about just getting to the landmarks, points for artistic ability counted too.

If you were following on Instagram, you probably saw a lot of these pictures. Because I couldn’t not stop sharing exactly how much fun we were having. The local Seattleites were also in approval. We even got a thumbs up from this guy!

His friend is probably thinking we’re a bit off. He’s probably right. What else would you think when you see a bunch of Mini’s driving by with numbers on the windshield and a fierce competitiveness in their eyes? There were several landmarks towards the end where we ran into other teams (they were waiting for us to finish our picture so they could move into position in several cases. Words may or may not have been exchanged. I can’t quite confirm that.)

This was the mixing of Mini’s waiting to get photos at the Stalin statue in Freemont. I’m sure we all made quite a few people say ”what the heck?’ But once explained, especially at The Troll, people still thought we were lunatics, but at least lunatics having fun and raising money for an awesome cause.

I have to say, I can’t remember having so much fun in a long time. We met some fantastic people, saw a lot of very nice rides (you know my fetish for cars), and we can’t wait for the next event. (Which is the Tulip Race in April, a day long event where you get clues to discover locations which lead to other clues. A slight Amazing Race type of thing.)

These are some of my favorite pictures I took from the day. I can’t wait to do it again.

Space Needle (personal favorite)

Giving the Let’s Motor Mini sign at the Pergola

At the Globe

Century Link Field

What did you do this weekend?

Yes, it’s the Seattle version of a massive snow. And since we live on a mountain ridge and everything is hills (why do I keep moving to places where it’s all hills??), it can be lots of fun with drivers who are unfamiliar with driving in snow. There’s a strong possibility that instead of going to the grocery today and buying food for dinner, we will be having a fend for yourself, whatever you can find menu. The kids will be happy, we have several boxes of Mac n Cheese.

Tomorrow one of us will be waiting for the delivery of the new washer and dryer (yay!). But we also have a chess lesson that finishes at the exact same time as a birthday party starts. And they are located about 30 minutes apart. You know that’s the time the delivery people will show up.

Then Papa has poker night. So I get the tv and control to watch whatever girly flick I want. I’m thinking James Bond with Daniel Craig…

Sunday morning, early, early Sunday morning (like we have to be downtown at 8 am!), we are participating in the Seattle Mini Cooper Scavenger Hunt. So. Excited. We get into teams of three cars per team and go run around and take pictures of things. It’ll be a bit like The Italian Job I’m thinking. Except we have a convertible and two kids. They’ll have a great story to tell their friends on Monday at least.

Or this:

Then it’s riding lesson time.

Then we will probably all collapse on the couch and order take-out. Just being realistic.

What are you up to this weekend?

*adding that in the 35 minutes I’ve been online, and thus not looking outside, we’ve gotten about 2 more inches of snow. and it’s still snowing. heavily. I was not prepared for this…SNOW

It’s a tall window and the couch has only one way it can fit into the room, which means in front of the window. This system was working well until I happened to want to mix things up. I love the color teal; which would be next to impossible to coordinate with such a bold colored red couch.

This chair, my favorite (and only) thrift store find, inspired me to see if I could create a beach colored space. The beach is my favorite place and the colors of grays, blues and greens are very soothing. They remind me of summer, and in Seattle, we all need a little summer inspiration during rainy season.

I had a weird thought that maybe a shower curtain could work just the same as a regular curtain. Curtains are definitely expensive and I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I found these great Threshold curtains at T@rget. I love the fresh green and the design.

The problem with these curtains is that the design, when they are closed, is crooked along the top. I thought maybe I could live with it but after only one day, I was not happy with the way it looked. Thankfully, I was able to use them in the master bathroom, where it doesn’t seem to bother me much.

I did some research and decided to make my own curtains but instead of using fabric, I used drop cloths purchased at Home Depot. I bought the 6×9 size and used foam rollers to paint on the stripes. The paint I used was Martha Stewart Beach Grass and Valspar Vessel Grey (the same color as my dining room, which is open to the family room.)

The hardest part of the project was finding a place to lay out the curtains flat (the garage on a sheet of plastic since Papa was out of town and thus so was his car), and actually taping on the lines. For me a straight, evenly spaced line is a challenge even with a guide (leftover wood floor piece).

The first thing you want to do after buying your drop cloths is wash them. They are stiff. I wish I’d put them through a few washes to see if they would get softer. I did stick them in the dryer on low/delicate, and then I spent a good deal of time ironing them. There are plenty of tutorials out there that go over every step of the process, just search for ‘drop cloth curtains’.

After taping off the lines with painters tape I gave the stripes two coats allowing a little bit of time to dry between the coats, and peeled off the tape after about 20 minutes. In the tutorial I used they said peeling the tape while the paint was wet is easier and they were right. I left the curtains in the garage overnight to fully dry.

After they are dry you can hang them however you like. For me buying grommets was easiest because I needed to be able to slide the curtains easily with  my windows being so tall. You can buy them at Amazon (link here) or probably at a craft/fabric store (I bought them online.) They are really easy to use and include a template to make sure you cut out the correct size. They snap together very easily.

When you’re finished you have a pretty snazzy DIY Drop Cloth Curtain. Or at least I did:

I’m pleased with how it turned out, and if I was working with a smaller window next time, I’d probably try it again. The curtains are heavy though and a bit stiff but complete the beach look I was going for on the main floor of the house.

I repainted this old Ikea console table we’ve had for over 12 years (which was light wood, then painted blue last summer and is now MS Beach Grass green).

It perfectly complements the Ikea elephant tray I bought in Germany, and the inspiration piece, the blue thrift store chair.

To round out the beach theme I took some inspiration fabric that has a nautical/beach theme and covered a 2×2 piece of particle board with it. It sits on the mantle above the fireplace.

I had a lot of fun with my Martha DIY weekend. This weekend I want to tackle our 16 year old plus nightstands and refinish them. I want to paint them a light gray and add new hardware. I’ve learned you can take anything and make it new and refreshed for not a lot of money, only a bit of your time. And you can actually have fun doing it!

What have you DIY’d recently?

All items linked are not affiliate links of any sort. I’m just helping people find what I used.

But then something started happening. I’d get my picture, edit it to my hearts content with your little filters, I’d click next…and then…you’d leave me.

Unexpectedly. I’d stare at you in shock, forlorn, confused at what would make you suddenly leave my life like an 80′s cover band.

I am sad to say Instagram and I did part ways. It’s only in recent weeks, after a several months long hiatus, that you’ve come back into my life. And up until yesterday, I felt like I’d found my first love again.

But then…

You started back to your old ways. Partying all night, slamming the door on my pictures. With every ‘Next’ I clicked you mocked me and my feeling of happiness by removing me from your presence and sending me back to my phone home screen. I thought after I uninstalled you, you’d learn your lesson.

You didn’t.

I don’t know what to do anymore my dear Instagram. I still want to make things work. Won’t you give me another chance? Give me a reason to trust in you again? Please stop closing every time I try to click ‘Next’ and bring our photo goodness to the world.

This fighting just isn’t worth it.

photo 1, shower curtains as curtains. Great idea but the window just need more…ohmph. So I’m going to oblige.

photo 2, repurposing the shower curtain curtain in the master bathroom. I’m making the second shower curtain into a duvet by using the shower curtain and a white bed sheet. Coming soon…

photo 3, DIY painted curtains. I used the curtains that previously hung in the family room and painted on stripes. It didn’t turn out exactly as I wanted so I’m going to go to plan B, DIY painting drop cloth curtains. Project coming soon. The painted curtains pictured here will jump up to the playroom, where it’s so full of toys I won’t be so picky about the curtains!

Also coming up on the blog (thanks to so much inspiration from other DIY/Design blogs!) I’m going to redo our master bedroom nightstands – which used to be Papa’s parents nightstands and we’ve had them for 12 years! I’m going to work some magic with paint and new drawer pulls. I also did some redesigning in the dining room.

Papa won’t know he’s in his own house when he gets back from California! Hehe.

What are you working on this week?

Big thanks to the following DIY/Design blogs for the inspiration this weekend:

iHeartOrganizing

It All Started With Paint

Megan Brooke Handmade

Mini Manor Blog

Want to see what I’m working on as I go? I’m a big Instagram fanatic. You can follow me here:  BlogMamaAndrea

Because it was highly disappointing.

The best part was lunch afterward and this great Italian restaurant. I mentioned it briefly here.

The pictures were a bit hard to get, especially of the main dancing area because it was on the street level instead of a stage, which the only people who actually were able to see anything were the ones directly in front of the dancers.

Yep, we didn’t see anything. I put the camera above my head and hoped maybe I’d capture something. The crafts tent was all decked out though. Sprinkles made a red paper lantern and drew on a  Snake.

Hmm, what does a snake look like again?

I loved these paper umbrellas that were set p outside the craft area.

I’d really expected more, but maybe that’s my expectation as an adoptive parent instead of the reality of CNY for those who are of Asian descent. CNY does have a lot of traditions that take place in your home, such as foods you make and eat and the traditional sweeping to remove the old year.

Does your town have a Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year festival? What is it like?

I continually forget to watermark my photos until after I get a post up. So hey, just don’t steal anything alright?

Recently, Sprinkles started taking riding lessons from the same instructor I take lessons from. And it’s safe to say she’s in heaven. What little horse loving girl, big or small, wouldn’t love a chance to muck about on a horse for an hour? She does get a better bargain than during my lesson time though. For instance I don’t get to play Simon Says, or ride backward, or touch the letters as I ride around the ring.

I get to post, or work harder to keep my horse on the rail, or do light lines.

Little kids get all the fun.

Every Sunday afternoon, this is where you’ll find us, soaking up some horse goodness.

I love the barn, the way it smells (yes, even that), the nicker of the horses and their eagerness to stick their heads out and say hi…because they think you’ve got treats to pass out. This place is magical. When I was little, I loved to go riding, usually it was as a birthday gift, or if I was lucky enough to be visiting an aunt, she’d take me out on her horse. There is something about being around these gentle giants, something that makes me not even care if I’m filthy before I even get on a horse, covered in horse hair, or that Jake doesn’t really feel like giving me his back hoof to pick…ever.

It’s still the magic place.

I would love to have my own horse/barn someday, but I am a realist. Horses and their upkeep are insanely expensive, like a mini mortgage payment, or that Porsche you always wanted. I know I’ll just be a rider, and likely not an owner. The cost aside, there’s the daily care required. Sure someone can take of all that, especially if you’re boarding your horse in someone else’s barn, but they still need exercise and grooming, love and attention. They fit right in between the neediness of an 8 pound dog, and a 56 pound child.

Still, Sprinkles and I don’t mind all that. We love riding for the sake of riding. And the chance to get up close and personal with faces like these.

Wouldn’t you enjoy a few hours time with this guy?

You lay down on your bedroom floor inches from the bathroom door clutching a water bottle. Don’t let this happen to you people!