Easter Weekend Recap

This weekend we headed down to Eugene for Easter. My edible Easter baskets which I posted about before were a hit! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed them, which really makes it double the enjoyment! HA HA Jack got his own easter basket in the form of an adorable mini wheelbarrow complete with spade, rake, and watering can. I can't wait til we start working in our garden and he can join in with his own tools!

We were blessed with some AMAZING sunshine and took advantage of Saturday and the warmth to get outside and let the family have some fun playing with Jack. Here is our Saturday in review.

Jack and Auntie Kendra


Jack discovered the water fountains with the help of a little girl who declared him "the funniest baby she has ever seen"! Bless her heart, I couldn't agree more!

He was quite put out when the water went away.

But oh the joy when it returned.

Just here he was getting up the courage to run through the water. Hot as the day was (we hit a whopping 70) the water was freezing, so we thought he was quite the brave little man.

Soaked but not about to let Nana redirect him!

We've decided that yellow flowers are Jack's favorite, well Dandelions to be exact. Dandelions ready to spread the love are a close second.

Dad enjoyed the extra fun time with his little man and showed him how to "blow" the little fluffies on their way.

And then of course Justin channeled his inner child and had a go at the slide!

Since our day wasn't finished we headed over to Uncle Taylor's b-ball game where Jack showed us his ball passing skills.

This is Jack's Uncle Hunter who was very excited to show Jack his b-ball skills!

All in all our Saturday was very busy with lots of sunshine, laughter and good food. Though I have yet to find any family gathering that doesn't include the last two of those things. Soon to come pictures of Jack and his GiGi (great-gramma) battling it out over who finds the most easter eggs...and now I've got ya hooked cuz who wouldn't want to see that! :) Happy Tuesday

Chicken update

Just thougt I would share an update on our chickens. We've had them now for three weeks and its crazy how much they've grown. Justin decided that since it was so sunny this last weekend it was the perfect time to move the chickens out to the barn. It has a little door that we can open on sunny days to let them get more accustomed to the outside till they get all their feathers and we can leave them out permanently.

Henry is still quite excited by them and loves to "keep and eye" on them

Jack also takes his job seriously and helps mommy check on the chickens

Here is just a quick video of Jack and the chickens. He is getting much better at saying words and if you listen close you can hear him say "chickens" at the end!

Friends, Edible baskets and a dog!

I watched a friends daughter yesterday, Jack was very excited as he just loves her and her older sister. As I came into the living room to check on the little man I found him perched at his table playing with his Etch'A'Sketch. He got onto his chair all by himself, one more reminder of how quickly he is growing up! Here is a picture of him waiting for Taylor to arrive.

Taylor brought over a shirt for Jack and after we tried it on she decided Jacks hair needed some help as it was sticking up all over the place!

This weekend we went down to the Vancouver Farmers market, I just love farmers markets don't you? While there I saw a clever idea for making edible baskets. The baskets there were hanging ones but I improvised and came up with my own to give away as Easter baskets.

I started with these awesome 2 gal Smart Pots, which we carry at our store!

Then I put together a collection of vegetables, peas...

...of course some Walla Walla onions!

Rosemary, one of my favorite herbs!

And lettuce all put together to make an edible basket.

They were so much fun to make and I'm excited to hand them out this weekend!

(Kendra if you read this DON'T tell mom! )

While I was busy planting baskets Jack was busy making mud pies!
And apparently tasting them!

I just love how pleased he is with himself!

Henry was also very interested in Jack's mud delights.

I just love me some Henry dawg!

Sharing some refreshments after a busy day!

Rubber boots

Don't you just love rubber boots? We do here at our place! Jack decided the other day that he wanted to wear just his boots around the house, thankfully I was able to pursuade him to put on a hoodie as well, but it was just too darling not to share!

Sorry its been so long since I've posted! Our wireless isn't working and I just found out that in order to get technical support I have to pay...SERIOUSLY, our system is that old! Well hopefully Justin can get it figured out or we may just have to get a more updated one! HA go figure. So in the meantime I'm hardwired to our internet, sitting on the floor of our guest room with my laptop perched on a little chest. Hey whatever works I suppose. Hope your Wednesday is going as good as mine!

April showers and all that

April showers bring May flowers as the saying goes. Our own April showers let up today and we got about a 1/2 day of sunshine. What do you do with half a day of sun you might ask... plant flowers that's what! Today Jack and I went down to a local nursery and picked out some plants for my hanging baskets. Jacks favorite part was the little red wagon he got to ride in as we went up and down the aisles picking out just the perfect combination. Geraniums, Starbursts, some deliciously smelling white flower, little Tunis, and some other things, not to mention our fuchsia's. I spent the afternoon getting my baskets planted and we were able to get in just as the clouds rolled in. Here are some pictures of our flowers!

Justin also got us a bunch of Arborvitae to give us some privacy and we are in the process of getting these all planted as well!

Spring is definitely in the air everything is budding!

Lots of people were taking advantage of the sunshine to mow their lawns and the smell of freshly mowed grass wafted to me as I went about my day bringing with it memories of my childhood. We used to play tag as my dad would mow the lawn, but you had to stay in the lines of where he had mowed or you were out. I love how scents can evoke such vivid memories don't you! Well enough reminiscing for today, hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!

Sunshine!

Friday was a day full of sun here in the northwest! Thank you Jesus for small blessings! We made the most of it and headed out to the zoo, as we were getting ready to leave Justin surprised me by getting off work early to join us. This was his first time to the zoo with Jack and I and it was the sweetest surprise. However it is also spring break and apparently EVERYONE had the same idea of a day at the zoo. Once we finally got parked and in though it didn't matter. Jack was having the time of his life sitting up on dads shoulders to get a birdseye view of all the animals.

This face was made the whole time, it was hilarious, he kept saying "wow" over and over much to the amusment of passing strangers.

If you look closely in the background you can see a wild african dog, most of the animals were also enjoying the sunshine and energetic as a result!

Little man and mommy checking out the mongoose!

After we got home to the farm we had to check on the chickens in their new coop and make sure they were doing well. Jack and Henry take their new chore seriously.

So far the chicks seems to be enjoying the increased living space and have been stretching their wings a bit as they attempt to fly. Can you see how much they've grown? I can't believe it. All in all we had a most fabulous day enjoying the sun and some good family time together.

Happy Sabbath!

Chicken coops and kids tables

Happy Thursday everyone! My what a busy week we've had here at our house. Yesterday our chicken coop arrived which I'm sure will make the chickens happy. They've been itching to roost or perch on something and I'm anxious to get them acclamated to their new home. Its made from cedar and our whole garage smells just delicious. I just might have to start stashing cedar boards around our house! :)

Justin loves the wheels to move it around

It has this great little run built on,

so the chicks can roam safely if we are not around to keep an eye on them.

We also picked up this amazing table made for Jack by a family friend. He made it from a wine barrel and it truly is one of a kind! I've seen some taller pub style ones he's made but not a little pint sized one. It fits so perfectly in Jack's corner, definitely adds that special touch. Jack has already climbed up on the chairs to perch at "his" table, something he never seemed that interested in before. All in all the table is a big hit with child and parents!

I can envision an adult version of this little set up in a coffee shop! :) Thursday fun, hope your week is going as well!

I do vintage

I love finding old vintage things. I currently own an old typewriter which you can seen pictured in my header, and I also own a vintage chest that I found at this antique store in Eugene, OR about 8 years ago. I don't know much about it, on top is the makers stamp but its partially obscured, and I've never really done any investigating to figure out how old it might be.

It has some water damage on the top,

which makes me think it traveled on a ship earlier in its life.

This is painted on the inside of the chest and is what I love most about it.

The painted section folds out revealing extra storage.

Which brings me to my story. Yesterday Justin's grandparents came over with one of their friends to see our chickens. In the course of their visit I was showing their friend Cleo my trunk. I opened the top section and as I was looking at it I noticed a piece of paper I've never seen before. As I pulled it out I figured that it went to one of the games I had kept in the trunk, however, as I opened it up I was shocked to find an old bank receipt. It was written March 29, 1909! Now I always knew the trunk was old but not over one hundred years old! Not to mention the fact that I've had this trunk for about 8 years and never before noticed this little gem.

It was made out for $7 dollars, which would roughly be the equivalent of $170 today. I'm still trying to figure out what the writing says, if you happen to figure something out let me know!

I plan on framing this ancient piece of paper, which in of itself is one hundred years old, and maybe someday I will find some traveling antique show to take it too. ;) Findings like this just fuel my desire to discover more old vintage things. Justin's grandpa told me of an old stand-up phone he used to have, Kendra has a vintage video camera of our grandparents. And while we may not always know the story behind each item, its fun to imagine who might have owned it once upon a time and what their life might have been like.

What vintage items do you own and whats their story? I'd love to hear!

Happy Wednesday all!