It's good to be home

Josh and I just returned home last night from our little vacation. It was so nice to get away and relax, but it's even better to come back home to the kids.

For those that don't know...I won a contest through the local tv station and my prize was dinner at Anthony's Restaurant and a gift certificate to stay at Shilo Inns. We chose the Ocean Shores location for our getaway and I think you can see why in the above photo!

We had fun just walking the beach, collecting shells for the boys and checking out the wildlife. Lots of seagulls, pelicans and other sea birds. Seals could be seen bobbing out in the surf and the scenery was so beautiful. The weather was really great, too. Especially since it is October!

What a beautiful place! Beaches on the ocean are sooo different than the ones we're used to on the Puget Sound. We will definitely be returning with the kids as soon as we have a vehicle large enough to get us all there. :o)

On the way back we stopped off to have lunch with my sister in Olympia. She works right down the road from the capitol building so we decided to play tourist for a little bit and check it out. It was lots of fun, too! I think everyone should visit their government buildings and learn what really goes on in them. Be an informed citizen!

All in all it was great to get away for a bit. But, I missed my kids terribly. First time I was ever away from Elizabeth over night. She was so cute when I showed up at my mom and dad's to pick her up. She had a look that can only be described as utter shock when my mom opened the front door and Elizabeth saw me. It was so cute!

To see more photos go to my facebook album....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116829&id=827237009&l=41e52a4d4b

Homeschooler/ Trivia Question:

What and where is this place....

Toddler + Computer + Coffee =

...disaster, well not really, since the computer wasn't damaged in the process. It's kinda a morning routine here for Elizabeth to sit w/ me while I sip my coffee and check my emails. Well, that routine is ending from here on out. This morning she kicked my key board w/ such force it bumped my coffee cup and sent it flying off onto the floor of my bedroom. Huge splatter of hot coffee all over me, my chair, the floor and all three of my clean pants I had folded at the end of my bed. Isn't life w/ a toddler so exciting? Off to do laundry and get the apt back in order after being sick for two days. :o)

I've been meaning to blog...

Really I have :o) We've been up to a whole lot of nuttin' around here. Josh is applying for or talking to someone about a job just about every day. Just when we're about to give up and send him off to work at McD's we hear of another job somewhere that just sounds fantastic, but no one has hired him yet. He had talked w/ the job down in TX, but they could only promise him work through the end of the year w/ no benefits and no relocation, so we turned that one down. Then the job in Moscow, ID called and had him come in for an interview and they really liked him, but they have to wait until they get the funding to hire him. In addition to these we've had lots of "not a this time" or "not interested" answers as well as no answers at all. But, we know God has a place for us out there somewhere and we're ready and eager to go where ever He wants us.

We've spent the last month enjoying the last bits of summer. When Josh went to ID, the kids and I went to his brother's house to spend time w/ my SIL and her girls and Josh met up w/ us there. We took in a couple $2 movies, went to Ikea and the Puyallup Fair. The movies were great, we saw Up w/ the whole family and then Trish and I went out to see Star Trek w/ the babies during nap time, it was wonderful :o) Ikea was great of course and we got Eli some new bedding, as her tiny crib blankie was not sufficing anymore. The Puyallup Fair was not so great. Word to the wise...Free admission day is not that great of a deal when you can't do anything because of the masses of people in your way! Here is a pic of the highlight of our experience

$3 for an ear of corn...not pictured is the $5 soda!
Coming up this next month Josh and I will be taking in our first ever vacation alone. We are pretty excited and as a bonus the hotel stay is FREE! I won the KVOS "find Deb at the fair" contest back in August during the Lynden Fair and I won gift certificates to Shilo Inns and dinner at Anthony's. Since Shilo Inns and Anthony's aren't in the same locations we went out to dinner last week and I really enjoyed it since I have recently weaned Elizabeth and was able to eat whatever I wanted w/o having to worry about her allergies. I was fantastic!

My Design Style...

I've always wondered if there was a definition for my decorating style...you know like "shabby shic" or colonial or whatever... Well, sproost.com has a little quiz to help you figure out your style and I think they hit me spot on. Here's my results...

86% Rustic Revival

14% Nantucket Style

Rustic Revival You can take kid out of the country but you can't take the country out of the kid... or is your theme "you can take the kid out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the kid?" Either way you play it, you are one of the unique individuals who loves a mix of modern and country. The clean lines of the modern softened by rustic /vintage elements is the perfect mix in your mind. And can we blame you? You've taken the best aspects of two popular designs and mixed them in a manner that appeals young and old alike. A subtle background of white or light colors provides a nice canvas for all the wonderful flea market, eBay or garage sale finds as well as the classic modern pieces that you love.

Materials: The material palette for urban country runs the gamut because of the two extremes being mixed. On the countryside you see a lot of wood, woven rope, canvas and linen, rustic metals and wrought iron, cowhide and vintage leather. On the more modern side, you see acrylic, satin and polished nickel and chrome, glass, faux fur, refined leather, fiberglass and sleek woods. It's the mixing of these elements that makes the style work so well. Seagrass and other natural woven materials are often used for floor coverings. Concrete and natural wood floors are very popular, and work really well together.
Colors: When it comes to color, think light, casual and airy. White, pale gray or beige, khaki and sage; all of these colors make nice, subtle backdrops for Urban Country style. Think of the colors of natural linen, concrete, and if you'd like to go dark, use the dark brownish-black of iron or the deep burnt orange of rust. The key is to keep the spaces feeling open (go modern!) and yet warm (yay for rustic!), and by going light on the walls and major pieces and more color on the accents and accessories you can achieve this mix really well.

Nantucket Style Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house

If you are into decorating too you should check out the quiz at http://www.sproost.com/