Field Trip, Part 2

When we stayed at Albion last month for Gary's class field trip, we were able to drive up the coast another 20 minutes to a beach at Fort Bragg.

The goal was to find some tide pools, but the tide was coming in and we weren't able to see the big pools of water or any cool creatures.

We did, however, thoroughly enjoy climbing around on the rocks and watching the huge waves crash against them!

Even though I'm bummed we missed the starfish and sea anemones, it was my husband's and my boys' first experience with something like that. I'm super glad we took the opportunity!

We were either at or right next to Glass Beach, which is just what it sounds like! The small "rocks" that make up the "sand" are mostly small round pieces of glass. We saved a little bit of it and I'll do a post on how we're preserving the memories soon.

This isn't the best family picture in the world, but I'm so glad we have it! I was watching a couple who was exploring the rocks like we were. The woman was taking pictures of everything, just like me. Well, she approached me and asked if I would change cameras with her and take pictures of each other. Great idea! That's when I noticed she had the same Jo's Tote's camera bag as me--even the same color! 

After the beach, we stopped for ice cream at a dairy that makes their own. So fun! We loved the little bit of Fort Bragg that we saw, and totally understood why people live there. But I felt that way about Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Ventura, California, and now that we're not in Iowa, I miss the rolling green hills and picturesque farms. I guess I'm just getting good at empathizing! Do you love where you live? What is it about that particular place that keeps you there?

Field Trip!

Our family went on Gary's class trip in October. We went to the California coast just south of Fort Bragg.  

We stayed at a little place called Albion which is actually the biology field station of the college I went to--Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley. It's all in the same family with our church. This building is the cafeteria.

This is a bird feeder made from a large branch! Fun idea.

The cook--all meals were included, vegan and delicious--rang this bell to call us to meals.

My two little goofballs

with two of their friends whose daddy is going through the same program.

Here's the view down to the water from the cafeteria...

... and the view from the bottom looking back up. The brown buildings are little cabins. Some have rooms that sleep up to 4 people. Our building (below) is such a cute little place! It's split down the center with a door that can be locked for separate families or left open for a larger family to use both sides. Due to the fire code, we got to use both sides of the cabin because we're a family of five. Even though #5 was only 16 months old at the time and was sleeping in a pack 'n play. I would have been greatly annoyed at this if we had been the ones paying. Since we weren't, we thoroughly enjoyed our larger quarters!

Each side had large handicap-access bathrooms, a queen bed and a loft with two twin beds. One side had a kitchenette and a dining table. It was so cozy and comfortable! I'm really bummed I didn't get a picture of the inside!

This is a type of classroom-research center-rec room.

Funny "weather central" sign! Hope you can read it!

We've arrived at the boat ramp! 

There's a pier as well. 

Isn't the water pretty! I didn't learn if it was fresh water or sea water, but I do know the water level changed with the tides.

The center had kiaks and canoes we could use during our free time! The boys got to go canoeing with their Daddy and another Gary from his class--who's from the same town my mom lives in. Small world!

The boys were so excited! Note Jonathan's hands flapping in the above picture, and how they insisted on helping (below).

I stayed behind to see that our youngest got his nap.

And to take pictures.

And read a magazine.

Alone.

(That's a good thing sometimes!) 

So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed our little field trip to the Northern California Coast.

Until next time,

Easy Monogram

A friend recently had a birthday and I wanted to give her a small token for living another year of life. Or for being in my life. Or something like that. Thankfully she doesn't read my blog and won't find out how cheap inexpensive her present was for me to make!

I found several pieces of this super-weathered wood out behind the shop. I love that it's rough and turning gray. Please don't be distracted by the minty green background--it's the original circa 1960 kitchen counters here in our temporary housing. I know you're jealous.

I gave the wood a good scrubbing in the sink and let it dry completely. 

I then painted it in this shocking green BHG sample paint. I knew it would dry grayer than it looked wet, but I wished I had stain or something to tone it down! Oh well! My friend is from the Caribbean, so I wasn't worried about the bright color. It's the color of the sea in that part of the world, right?

I let the paint dry and gave it a good sanding to let some of that gray goodness show. Please don't be distracted by the wood table in the background. It's priceless, I know. 

I found a font I liked and sketched a sample letter on a piece of paper, then grabbed some of my kids' paints and a brush and free-handed the S right onto the board. I made mistakes. I had to let them dry, paint green over them and try again. Justsoyouknow. 

Here you can see some of my patches as I fixed areas I didn't like. You can also see a third enviable kitchen surface, this time in the form of faux butcher-block. I wouldn't mind it much, but it's so shiny! Real would is not that shiny, folks! You might have also caught on that this project took several days, what with the drying time in between each step. So it got moved around a lot and worked on when I could, and photographed rather randomly. I'm sure you noticed the slight variations of color in each picture... Professional blogger, I am not!

When everything was finally dry, I sanded it down again. I like the rough, weathered look so much better! Unfortunately, this is the only "After" shot I have because I was running out the door to go sing Happy Birthday to this friend.

So there you have it! Scrap wood + sample paint + kid's craft paint and brush + sandpaper = easy, inexpensive, totally personalized monogram art!

Have fun!

Wordy Wednesday

Hi everyone! How's your day going? I wanted to take a few minutes and play catch-up with you, as it's been over a month since I shared anything other than moodboards.

Speaking of which, I had so much fun with my 31 Days of Moodboards series! I hope you weren't bored out of your skull. I'm proud of myself for sticking to my goal of posting a new moodboard everyday! Each one of those babies took between 1-3 hours to create, plus blogging time. Our family took a couple trips, including a week at my mom's where I had internet this time! That being said, I felt a tad burnt out, so I took the liberty of a few days NOT blogging. Hope that's ok with you!

My Sweetie and I have been on a let's-get-healthy kick. Not that we didn't try that before, but we're both more committed now. I've been walking everyday and am at 4 miles a day this week with the goal of doing 5 miles a day starting next week. I feel more energetic, I've been sleeping better, and combined with our healthier diet, I haven't been craving carbs and sweets. Weight loss is slow and frustrating, but I keep trying to remind myself that it's about getting (and staying) healthy, not just losing weight. Also, the pounds took about six years and three pregnancies to creep up, so expecting to see major reversals in that trend is a little optimistic.

My husband, though, in typical man-fashion, has lost 20 pounds and runs--RUNS--5 miles without stopping! I'm so so proud of him! He alternates with 2-mile days to try to build his speed. He looks great and has a sparkle in his eye that I've missed.

Gary is also doing very well in his classes. We have a month left here and the job interviews are starting to come in. We're very much looking forward to knowing where we'll be headed, but we're choosing to trust God. He always provides and we know that from experience.

Speaking of which... This little place never sold.

But wait! There's a happy ending! Or development... Our pastor volunteered to be our rental agent and found us renters! We were under a six-month contract with our realtor who is a sweetie and did a great job, but the market is just slow right now. Anyway, the renters wanted to move in on a certain day and when we contacted our realtor to see when her contract was over, it was the.day.before the renter's chosen move-in day! AND, the rent they'll be paying will fully cover the price of the mortgage and needed repairs along the way. God has provided at exactly the right time!

Well, I need to wrap it up here tonight. I have a few small projects to blog about, a couple trips and outings to the beach, and I'll figure out how to catch you up on my Instagram pictures. Because yes, I'm finally a smartie with a smart phone! You can follow me at gibsongirl726.

Have a great day!

Black & Teal Kitchen {31 Days of Moodboards}

 I did it! Here's moodboard number 31, a black kitchen with teal accents. Start with in-stock, unfinished cabinets from the hardware store and stain them black. Staining is so much easier (and faster) than painting! Add butcher block counter tops, white subway tile backsplash, a farm style sink, a schoolhouse light and stainless steal accessories and you're well on your way to a beautiful kitchen! I thought teal or gray-blue would lighten up the space, so I added a teal island and rug and accessories. The stool throws in a touch of industrial-rustic that I love so much. Ta-da! 

I hope you've enjoyed this series! Contact me for details on how to get a customized moodboard.