Fact and Fiction

You know we're planning to move to Scotland, right? I've been searching expat blogs and found a fun one! Mary from My Life in Scotland has become a daily read, and today she posted a fun "about me" post. I thought I'd cheat a little and re-post this one from a year and a half ago. The pictures are even older than that, but still, it's fun. 

Tell me in the comments which piece of trivia is FALSE!

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1) I was born on October 5th, 1975. You can do the math, but I'll swear to you I'm just celebrating the anniversary of my 28th birthday over and over. (And over!)

2) I grew up in a middle class family who settled in California, the older of two children. We both got straight A's and graduated with honors.

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3) I worked at summer camp for EIGHT summers! One camp I worked at for five summers (along with my brother, my best friend and many other school friends) was in Yosemite. I feel I owe a great deal of who I am to those summers at camp!

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4) In college I majored in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Fine Arts and a CA State teaching license. I taught Kindergarten for seven years, taking them on all of the prerequisite field trips.

5) My brother is now a rocket scientist who married my BFF.

6) I have been able to go to London and Paris several times and even spent a school year in Italy.

7) I learned enough French is school to be able to order at restaurants and this Parisian Starbucks.

8) After completing my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership over a few summers, I was able to go on a cruise to Mexico. It was so much fun!

9) But one summer I had too much time on my hands and came home with a splurge purchase: My dream car! Have you ever bought a car on a whim? Hmm. Good thing I was single!

10) Speaking of which... I met my husband, well, the man who would become my husband, in August 2005. He lived in Iowa, I lived in Nevada. We exchanged emails on the 17th, talked on the phone for the first time on the 20th and met in person in St. Louis on September 2nd of the same year.

11) We married on July 2, 2006. Yes, that's 11 months if you round up. We had never lived in the same state or spent more than two weeks around each other. We didn't go on a honeymoon, just moved to a new house in Iowa. That honeymoon has yet to happen!

12) We welcomed our first baby boy in May 2007, our second in May 2009, and our third in May 2011. We didn't plan their birthdays to be in the same month--in fact two of them were actually due in April.

13) Now I'm a stay-at-home Mom who cooks (mostly) vegan meals from scratch while entertaining a preschooler, a toddler and a baby while organizing closets and toys and crafts in the middle of painting various rooms or refinishing random furniture in our fixer-upper house in the middle of the corn fields somewhere in Iowa!

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I guess I'll update it with this:

14) NOW my husband has completed his education and has a job as a dean/Bible teacher at an academy in Ohio. We'll be living there by the end of the month. 

15) Ohio is an awesome opportunity right now, but it also is a gap-filler until we get our funding and training finished so we can be missionaries in Scotland! 

So there you have it!

Don't forget to guess which of the facts about me is actually fiction!

Creating an Entry {Moodboard}

I almost titled this post "Creating an Entrance" but I didn't want anyone to think I was going to divulge any tricks on how to make a grand entrance into a party or something. I certainly have no tips there! I'm more the sneak-in-the-back-door-and-hope-no-one-notices type.

Maybe that's why I like the idea behind this moodboard. I hope I can communicate what I mean, because it seems a little dependent on the room's layout.

But first, the moodboard.

I created this design board with the idea of the entry to the home being in the living room with nothing architectural to give the entry space definition. That means you can create an entrance with the IKEA Expedit unit! What I envisioned was the bookcase coming out of the wall next to the entry door. The Expedit could be used from both sides.

I pictured board and batten on the wall in the entrance, with hooks for coats and backpacks. This defines your space and is useful at the same time. I'm picturing the entry to be too small to put a table or anything larger than the hooks on the wall. Above the board and batten is a mirror to check your hair and teeth on the way out the door. On the floor is an indoor-outdoor rug with darker colors and a pattern to help distract from the dirt that gets tracked in.

The other side of the entrance is the Expedit bookshelf. The bottom two rows can be full of baskets to store gloves and hats, shoes, dog leashes, whatever you want! A family of five could even have two baskets each!

The shelves above the baskets can be accessed from either side, so some decor would face the entrance, other things would face the living room. There could be handy places for keys and a shelf for library books or something like that, so you can grab them as you run out the door.

On the living room side, I didn't want to block the function of the bookshelf by plopping a sofa against it, so I put a chair there and made it a reading nook! There are books stored in the handy bookshelf, as well as a clip-on lamp or two to make sure you have good lighting in your space.

So there you go! I know a lot of these homes with entrances smack-dab in the living room wouldn't have much room for a large unit like the Expedit, but you never know, it might work! It doesn't go clear to the ceiling and you could minimize the amount of articles on the shelves to keep that open feel.

Does your home have such an entry? I've lived in at least three homes like that--no, make that four! How have you solved the problem? Left it open? Divided and conquered? Am I the only person left who doesn't own an Expedit?

Insta-Friday! Limberlost

I'm usually super-careful to put instagram pictures in the order they happened. But this week I'm mixing it up! Hold onto your ... I dunno, laptop? Cell phone? 

Ok, so I got my hair done this week! Yay! I asked a girl at the local/only coffee shop in Salem. She always has cute hair. She gave me the number of the place she goes and the names of four different girls. I just picked the first one on my list, called her and had a cut/color scheduled for the next day!

Here's the before, just for fun. I didn't instagram this one.

Because I know you care so much about all these little details, I had lunch with a friend in town, then had an hour to spare. I ran an errand to get something for my boys, cashed a check so I'd have cash at the hair place (the last two I've been to don't take cards), and was still early! I even took some pictures of downtown Salem. 

This is the county courthouse.

Right across the street is Studio 573 where I got my hair done. 

Speaking of which, I didn't finish that story. I knew you wanted to hear more! Whitney did a great job on my hair. I feel like my color is more natural and the cut is closer to what I wanted. I just got my hair done in December in California where I paid $140 for a cut, weave, wash and style. I wasn't happy about that price, but what can you do? I thought here would be cheaper, so I was prepared for something in the $70-80 range. I got a cut, highlights, wash and style. 

Wanna guess how much the total was? $45. Yup! I love Salem!

Ok! Thanks for humoring me with that. On with the week. 

 This kid! This is Jonathan. He's 5 3/4. He fried the eggs on Sunday morning. Grandma was there to supervise, but really, Jonathan did the work! So proud of him! I'm sure this means breakfast in bed is right around the corner, right?

 We paid a visit to some friends of my in-laws on Sunday. They recently built a house and now I'm in love! It's just the modern-country style I like, with a little bit of glam and a little bit rustic. I love this black kitchen! It was a dark stain, not black paint, so you could still see the character of the wood. Yummy. I'm not sure it's the granite I would have picked, but it was pretty. I don't even mind the white appliances, but I was curious why they didn't do stainless.

 This is the flooring throughout the house. Drool, right? It's just plain pine planks from the hardware store with a custom-mixed stain and matte poly. I think they're 12-inch, but it might just be 10. Beautiful!

It snowed again this week. I think most of the country had snow this week. Did you? I'm so over winter!

My welcome-home roses are still pretty a week later! Love my man!

Oh, this picture! Jared was watching his daddy do something, probably a game on his phone. Love the resting of the cheek, love how he's cuddled right up to him. Love how they love each other.

After the snow a couple days ago, today was warm! Over 50. We all took a walk on Grandma and Grandpa's property. Little Josiah got a ride on daddy's shoulders.

Jonathan with his Grandma and Grandpa.

 

 Josiah and Jared riding a horse.

 Love this mossy carpet. And my toe shoes. (Vibrum five-fingers.)

This chimney was once the fireplace for a bar. It's right on this property. They called it Limberlost, but that's not the story I read with the same name. Maybe I need to get my facts straight!

Jonathan and Jared inside the fireplace. What's cookin'?

Ok, there's our week in an instagram-shaped nut shell! How was your week? Are you on instagram? I'll follow you back, I'm gibsongirl726. Have a great weekend!

Cost Plus | World Market

Since we first met over 10 years ago, Cost Plus | World Market and I have been like _this_. Well, at least I have. I can't say that it's mutual; World Market doesn't know I exist. But I've wandered the aisles, squandered hours and paychecks and even have a few relics (currently in storage) as proof of my love. 

Sadly, there wasn't a World Market close to where we lived in Iowa, and I didn't have much cash on hand during our time in California when Gary was in school. But I got a gift card for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and took the opportunity to go to World Market while I was visiting my nephew last week. Oh, and his parents. 

I couldn't help but take some awful cell phone pictures while I was there. I wanted to buy the whole store but ended up with a few trinkets for myself and souvenirs for Gary and the boys. 

Here's what else caught my eye.

-Industrial shelving with metal storage cubbies? Yes please!
-A side table in the perfect shade of gray-blue.
-A step ladder with a rustic flair. I can see this one in a library.

-I wanted to make one of these bulletin boards with a thrift store frame and pretty wrapping paper.
-This chair could make a living room. Or bedroom. Especially with that blue side table we just saw. Love the accent pillow too!
-This stenciled gray chest was Lisa's favorite. I think it would be great in an entry with a mirror, a lamp and a tray for keys.
-I adored these little shelves made to look like crates! Imagine them as bedside tables! Yum! (They were on rollers too!)

 -This leather chesterfield style chair wasn't very wide or tall, perfect for a small living room. Place it in front of a window and you wouldn't lose any light!
-Another cute display board. Seriously, I need to make one of these.
-Anyone into bird cages? This one would be pretty with an ivy inside, and it's narrow enough to fit on many a mantle.
-Love these pretty blue knobs! Great way to personalize a boring dresser or bathroom vanity.

 -The kitchen section has always made me drool. So much cute stuff, like this blue jug with a bird on top. Think sun tea in the summer, lemonade at a birthday party.
-Jugs and jars and bottles, oh my!
-These cute canisters were for compost. We've composted for years but have always used ugly white plastic buckets under the sink. I'd love to have a cute compost bin, but not sure it's practical as it would be full after one meal!
-I'm not sure if these are giant mugs or mixing bowls or what, but they were huge! Probably 12 inches across! Super cute for the morning pancakes.
-I should have gotten an egg crate while I had the chance! Did you know eggs will keep for over a week at room temperature? If they're farm fresh, they'll last several weeks without refrigeration. I'd love to display eggs on the counter in a cute dish like this.
-Super dark pictures, but that's a bottle drying rack, I believe. I'd love to hang a cute collection of mugs on this and keep it on the counter.

-This velvet dining bench is awesome! It's the perfect cross between a bench and a wingback, both of which I like pulled up to a rustic farm style table.
-Speaking of rustic farm style tables, love this one!
-And this steel side table?! Yum! I see stacks of dishes on the shelves with the mesh doors, baskets of linens on the open shelf, and two lamps framing a mirror on top. Perfect for a dining area next to that rustic farm style table and velvet covered dining bench!
-I love the look of round pedestal tables. I think they are great for small spaces, and this one was great with the metal top!
-World Market has the best price on these Tolix-looking chairs!
-This stool was metal on the bottom with a wood top. I'm sure I could find a place for it in my house!

-I've seen these trolly-style coffee tables all over blogland and love the look. You certainly wouldn't have to worry about your kids marking it up with their crayons and toy cars! (The $999.99 sign was for the sectional, not the table!)

-Oh globes, how I love you. If you can't find old ones at thrift stores, World Market can help you!

-Who doesn't love colorful knobs? They look even better by the drawer-full.

-I tried so hard to take some of these colorful scarves home with me, but none of the colors were right in person. The blues were too green and the greens were too yellow... I know, I'm difficult!

 

Funny how I didn't get a picture of anything I did buy. I got some tea and a pretty manly-scented soap for Gary with a wooden soap tray. For the boys I got a magnetic cars and airplanes toy for church, as well as a harmonica, kazoo and a yo-yo. For me I got  a cute green mortar and pestle which I can't find anywhere on the site! Oh well!

Hope you enjoyed our virtual shopping trip to Cost Plus | World Market! Have you been there lately? What did you get, or what did you want to get?

Homeschool Classroom {Moodboard Monday}

Hey! It's Monday and I had time to create a moodboard! We're pretty sure we're going to be homeschooling our kids, and probably starting sooner than later. I'm not sure if we'll ever have a real classroom, and now when we're needing to downsize to move overseas in another 18 months is not the time to really collect anything for a classroom.

But they're pretty and fun, and I like the idea, so here's what I focused on.

• Collected, rustic furniture that is indestructible during writing, coloring, painting projects.
• Several work areas--a table, comfy chairs for reading, a big rug to encourage sprawling on the floor.
• Lots of storage. File cabinets, cubbies, wall organizational systems.
• Maps, globes and ABCs. I like the organic, collected look of these. I'd like them to be interactive.
• Projects on display. Nothing gives kids ownership to a space like seeing their artwork on display!
• Good lighting, windows, plants... All of these things encourage concentration.

So there you go! My classroom ideas in a nutshell. You better believe I'll keep you posted how the "real" classroom develops. It'll probably be the kitchen table and a stack of books, but hey, that's life sometimes! What about you? Do you homeschool? Do you have a nifty place for your kids to do their homework? Do you put their art on display? Any cool pieces of furniture that double as handy storage?

Hope you like the new look of my blog! If you're in Reader, it might be fun to hop over and see the new look here at Beauty4Ashes. The bright colors were fun, but stuff loaded slowly, wouldn't stay centered and this is just more pleasant for me, so I hope it works for you!

Have a great Monday!

Insta-Friday and My Surprise Adventure

Last Thursday I got a call from my BFF who also happens to be my brother's wife. We were friends first, thank you, and instead of it being awkward or weird, it's pretty stinking awesome! Seriously, my best friend is family! Anyway, she NEVER calls me--we're on Facebook and Instant Messenger and texting all the time, but we hardly ever talk on the phone. So I answer with a question mark, "Hello?"

She asks me, "So Luke and I have been thinking and we're wondering if you can come out here next week. And if you don't want to answer, let me talk to Gary."

Really! That happened! 

Luke and Lisa live in Virginia. I haven't seen Lisa for two years. I saw Luke for about half an hour at dinner in California last October. They've also had a kid! Declan is 5 months old and I hadn't gotten to see him or hold him.

So 20 minutes later Lisa forwarded me an itinerary leaving Monday morning and coming back Thursday! Yes, I got to spend the week in Virginia with Luke and Lisa and Declan!!!

 On Friday I needed to get groceries and a couple last-minute things for my last-minute trip. Jonathan and Jared stayed at the house and played in the snow, while Josiah came with me to the store. 

1. Snowball! Good thing I was on the other side of a window!

2. Boys and their toys-even in the snow!

3. Rockin' the shades, baby!

4. Love this profile! #lovethisboy

5. Reading Dick & Jane with Grandpa. #timeless #dickandjane

6. I spy... Crayons, keys, sunglasses, a spoon, a spork, silly putty, note pad, other pads, pacifier, finger puppets, gum, boys underwear, lotion, pills, trash...   

Monday morning was an early one. Gary took me to the airport and I was off on my adventure! I hadn't had time to mentally prepare for being away from my kids so I missed them a lot, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour at Starbucks with a yummy lunch and my favorite magazines and no interruptions!

1. Headed East into the sunrise.

2. Sunrise in the Show-Me state. #Missouri

3. Good morning St. Louis airport!

4. There's my plane! #STL #Missouri

5. Hello from Charlotte! #northcarolina

6. Lunch time at the airport-$14. #Starbucks #salad #Charlotte #layover

7. Perfect way to wait out a layover! #betterhomesandgardens #countryliving #placetochargemyphone

8. Baltimore! #Maryland

9. Look who's looking at me! #babydeclan       

Two days with Luke and Lisa and Declan! Sleeping in, watching TV, chatting with my BFF, holding a baby, giving him a bottle, not cooking or cleaning, shopping, hanging out at Caribou... Lovely!

1. Enjoying Luke's cooking!

2. Love this baby! #nephewdeclan

3. Lovin' the baby time! #nephewdeclan 

4. Yay! BFF and nephew time!

5. Good little shopper! #nephewdeclan

6. After breakfast chillin' with Mr. Declan.

7. Yay! Favorite brother and favorite friend!

8. Having fun with baby Decs. #nephewdeclan

9. Proof! My bro. #Virginia #Declansdaddy

Thursday morning came way too soon (and way too early!!!) 

1. At the gate before the sun is up. #cantwaittoseemyfamily

2. Good morning from the Philadelphia airport.

3. My vanilla chai latte is really good! #waitingformyflight #Philadelphiaairport

4. Welcome home indeed! #Ilovemyhusband (Seriously, when Gary opened the door to the car and I saw three dozen roses on the seat I started crying! I'm so blessed to have him!)  

Gary and I went to lunch and then drove the last hour home (still staying with Gary's parents in Missouri). I could. not. wait. to see my little guys!

I linked up at Jeanett's. Have a great weekend!