Allegan Antique Market

That is what I did yesterday. Have you ever been? It is an awesome antique fair at the Allegan County fairgrounds. Yesterday’s was the first of the season. They are held on the last Sunday of each month from April until September from 8am to 4pm. It has over 200+ dealers. My sis-in-law’s parents just got into town from Australia and it was a great start to their vacation. Here are some things I enjoyed-

Lots of eye candy!

My eight year old was looking over my shoulder as I was writing this post. He asked, “Are those just a bunch of bottles and jars?”. To which I replied, “Yes, there is other things but mostly bars and jottles”. And then we had quite a good laugh. I seem to do that a LOT. Does anyone else suffer from this? Is it a sign of some deep underlying issue or problem that hasn’t surfaced yet? What’s wrong with me?!

One thing I was on the hunt for was a piece of furniture that could be turned into a kitchen island. I found one that looked promising when I was separated from the group I came with. It was a little primitive- but I was really liking it.

It was from an old Victorian home that had to be torn down. I thought with a little work it could be beautiful. But my husband (after I sent a picture text) and my posse (once we were reunited) did not agree. Which stinks because it was the end of the day and he was offering a great deal- $175 delivered to my house.

Then I saw this one-

- and sort of liked it. But not for $465.

So, looks like I will be waiting. I am not in any hurry, thankfully.

I will have to go again at the end of May and see if I can find my dream kitchen island.

Did you go to the antique market yesterday? Or do something else exciting?

Garage Sale Fun

I am exhausted.

Garage Sales aren’t really fun, but I have money in my pocket for things I no longer wanted or needed.

We got rid of a LOT of stuff yesterday. But we still have LOTS more.

Here was our setup-

Today I will be-

1. Calling my realtor to see what is going on.

2. Picking up Ethan and giving him a big smooch.

3. Wrapping up the garage sale and donating the leftovers.

4. Signing up my kiddos for the Homeschool Track & Field day.

5. Watching War Horse again with my family.

6. Relaxing (in the evening).

Have a great weekend everyone!!

I’m Forgetting Something

Oh right. I only have 3 children for the next couple of days. It feels so strange. For supper last night I was getting FOUR plates of food ready.

My oldest is at 5th Grade camp. They went to Camp Pendalouan in Montague and will be there until Friday. What’s crazy is I remember going to that camp when I was a kid. I don’t remember what grade I was in, but Ethan seems too young!

 

The ironic thing is how I’m feeling about all his independence. I mean, we homeschooled Ethan up until this year. He rarely went anywhere without us and didn’t want to. He spent the night once in awhile at a friend’s house and only started doing that recently.

This year has changed him so much. I don’t think it is just because we sent him to a public school. I think it’s his age and it’s what he wants and what he would have done regardless.

I wasn’t prepared for the ‘My friends are way cooler than you and you don’t really know what cool is’ kind of attitude. He doesn’t have a bad attitude about it, but I can see the subtle ways he thinks that.

Life happens too fast. I wish I could slow it down some.

Last night I was thinking of Ethan before going to bed. I was hoping he was having lots of fun and experiencing new things. But I was also hoping he was missing home, just a little bit.

Thanks for letting me empty that on you!

Photography Fun

My husband’s two brothers recently went to a Red Wings game in Detroit. While there, they decided to visit the local Goodwill Store (it’s a family wide addiction).

I’m so glad they did go because they found some great photography equipment. They sent me a text with pictures and asked if I wanted it. I said ‘sure’!

So, what is a girl to do at 11 o’clock last night?That’s right. I finally hauled out my goods and tried them out.

Here are some shots I got- (Please note: I have no idea how to set this stuff up so I kind of threw things around and snapped away)

These are unedited photos. Or as the pros say- SOOC (straight out of camera). I know, there is some shadows. But my set up was pretty crude and I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of them with what I had. My subject is a lovely little item my mom-in-law picked up at an antiques store that I have been drooling over since and secretly plotting to steal. Oops, she reads my blog. The jig is up.

Here are some pictures of my setup and the equipment I got.

Three lights, the hard case and one stand for $20! Can you believe it?! Thanks so much Dave and Brian for the great find and for thinking of me!

I am going to have fun experimenting. But on inanimate objects for now- I don’t want my children going blind. Those lights are bright!

Still aiming for a garage sale. Looks more like Thursday, Friday, Saturday- but for those thinking of coming I will keep you posted.

Thanks for looking and happy hump day!

**edited to add- I stayed up even later and played around in photoshop.

DEE-licious Soup & News

On Friday I made Pioneer Woman’s Cauliflower Soup. I could not eat any because I was on my juicing fast I mentioned yesterday. No fun.

 

But I tasted the leftovers when I got back on Sunday and it was VERY good. I will definitely be making it again. Not too hard either- except for all the veggie chopping.

My realtor called yesterday afternoon. He hasn’t been able to sit down with the owner but they have discussed our offer. And…… he accepted! We are waiting on pricing for the things we want included with the purchase of the house. Flooring, appliances, and a few modifications. We also have to agree on the property line along the back of the house.

The exciting part is that we may own the house sooner. We may close on our new house as early as the end of May. The house is going to move out of the homestead tax bracket on June 1 and will be more expensive for the owner to keep. So he is willing to sell it to us earlier, but I’m not sure of much more beyond that. I think we would have to let the renters stay there until their house is built. But maybe their rent would come to us? I’m not sure and need to find out all the details from our realtor.

So we might own it sooner but our moving date would stay the same. Make sense?

He said he can meet with the owner on Wednesday. So maybe I will have more news later this week.

Thanks for looking!

10 Weekend Updates

1. My oldest had a baseball tournament this weekend in Battle Creek. They did good for their first tournament. One win/two losses.

2. I still haven’t thawed out from said tournament. Burrrrrrrrrr!

3. I never heard from my realtor. If I still haven’t by this afternoon, I’m calling him.

4. I believe my youngest has developed an ear infection from previously mentioned tournament. I see a doctor’s visit in our future.

5. It was COLD.

6. I am aiming to have a garage sale this Friday. We’ll see how that goes.

7. I started a juicing fast on Thursday night. Didn’t notice too much of a difference except for being very gassy. It’s a good thing I was at an OUTDOOR sporting event all weekend!

8. There are other great garage sales going on in some of the big neighborhoods this week. I’m not sure if that will help or hurt mine.

9. My juicing fast ended abruptly yesterday when we spotted a Don Pablo’s after the bone-chilling, frigid tournament was done. Oh well.

10. I really hate unpacking.

Hopefully I will have some kind of news tomorrow. Stay tuned.

No News

Does it mean good news in this case? I’m not sure. But we didn’t hear from our realtor yesterday. Bummer.

But that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming up the whole decorating scheme for the house. The kitchen is my main focus. I’d like to take out the peninsula and upper cabinets and get an island.

I’ve been looking for islands that I think would work.

Like this one-

But not at over $3,000.

I was thinking about trying to build one out of some barn wood or reclaimed wood like this one-

I for sure want it to be wood topped though. I’d like to try concrete countertops everywhere else. But we’ll see. That is a ways away.

On a slightly similar note- I feel like giving myself a makeover. Maybe a change with my hair. Who knows what the weekend will bring!

Everyone have a great weekend!!!

Happy Birthday to my crazy sister Tracey on Saturday!

Storage Danger

I stopped by our storage unit that contains all of our possessions the other day. My husband takes great pride in his masterpiece.

I, on the hand, am not very thrilled. Especially because things (in my opinion) are precariously stacked with valuable things at the bottom of those stacks. I know he was trying to make good use of the high ceilings and try to fit everything in, but I don’t like it.

See for yourself-

 

It is a 10 x 20 space. We used every square inch.

A close up-

I’m not sure how high the ceiling goes, but it is high.

We met with our realtor today. There were some surprising things said. It’s possible we may close earlier than expected. But I will leave you in suspense until I hear more!

I can’t help but dream about decorating…..

On a different note- My book club book for the month is The Secret Life of Bees. I love this story. Absolutely adore it. I now want to become a beekeeper. There are a few things I’m not crazy about, but overall I recommend it as a must read.

Go out and get it

 

Thanks for looking!

Frederik Meijer Gardens

I love Grand Rapids. It is a great city. It’s where I went to college and met my husband. In fact, the college I went to is right across the street from the Gardens.

My boys love to go see the butterflies. We all enjoy it and have a good time.

I love the colors of the cactus and succulents. The plants are pretty cool to look at.

This thing was huge!

-Not camera shy              -Not tolerant of the camera

We tried to wear bright colors so the butterflies would land on us. No such luck. The boys were begging to go by the end because it is SO hot and muggy in there.

We were happy to go outside and spend some time in the Children’s Garden. It was a beautiful day.

Oops. No climbing allowed.

Where’s Waldo? Nope. Where’s Cole?

I would recommend going if you haven’t yet. As a homeschooler, it was the perfect field trip.

Tomorrow I will give you a sneak peek into our storage unit……it’s scary.