This Fall

I love first day of school pictures and I "liked" every first day of school picture I saw on face book.  The preschool, the elementary, middle school, high school and even a few college.  It's better if the college pics are selfies as those mamas need to let their people go.

I had my first day of school last week subbing in a third grade class room.  Two days this week and five days subbing next week.  Every day I go to a new job.

This fall we have two weddings!  Danny and Jess are getting married in October and having a reception in Grand Rapids. MI over Thanksgiving weekend.  We are all very excited to go to MI and celebrate with them.  Three weeks later Max and Kassie get married on December 16 and we are excited to celebrate with them. 

I had a lot of fun at Sam and Angela's wedding.  A friend told me that all she wanted at her son's wedding this summer was to end up with a photo of her and her son having as much fun as Sam and I were having in this photo.

Hubby and I are so happy for our guys.  We prayed for them to find the right wife from when they were little and it all feels so right.  We are blessed and thankful.

It was my Dad's birthday yesterday.  I miss him.  One of my favorite photos of him is at hunting camp with Sam.  Hunting camp was not about hunting. It was hiking, horseback riding, trail bikes and Honda 90's, sitting around the campfire, the littles playing on a dirt pile with their Tonka trucks, good food, and laughing at Charmae. Trust me, the deer were safe in our noisy camp!

Charmae, we need to go camping!

Yesterday I got Hua'Kai Annie ready for some fall camping.

Yes, those are Sugar Babies in the mason jar.  Nothing says fall like Halloween candy.

Hubby and I love to camp at Silver Lake in the fall and plan to go this month.  In October, I have a girls trip to Mardon Resort and to visit Max.  Annie is cozy with flannel sheets, a little heater and the hot cocoa is packed.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally 2017

The Mt. Baker Rally is held in Lynden every year, on the weekend after Labor Day. It is the largest rally in Washington state.  This year a record breaking 215 trailers checked into the rally.

Since it was less than two miles from our house we brought the tiki bar and our bikes and well, just a lot of stuff.  Because we could.  Every eventuality...

 The tiki bar was a fun spot to sit and visit with friends.

 Jeremy and Rene' ran the rally.  Jeremy's sister Amber was the official photographer and took this picture of them.  Since I was camped across the street I heard them welcome every camper.  They did a fantastic job running the rally.

There was a paint and sip.  Artists, Shelly and Jolene painted their trailers.

Other artwork was displayed around camp.

Rita and Denise ran Trailer Trash Bowling for the kids.  Of course, they have enough vintage bowling trophies and candy for all participants.

I broke out my flamingo jeans.

And my petticoats.

 I love my tribe!

I have pictures of many gorgeous trailers but I think my favorite was the glamping tent.

We had pizza night with our peeps.  We missed Ed and Kathy and Eric and Liz.

Next year!

 Amber took this picture of us.

The hit of the rally wasn't Hua'kai Annie or our tiki bar,  Hubby's Sears Screamer bike stole a lot of hearts.  He got asked, "may I take your bike for ride?" over and over.  They lived their childhood dream on the Screamer. We both rode in the bike parade on Saturday.

It always feels like the end of summer after the Mt. Baker Rally.

Annie and I have one more trip in October.  And Hubby may come home to a hitched up trailer for one more trip to Silver Lake this fall.  It was a wonderful summer of camping, rallies and friends and I am just not ready for it to be over.

Drab to Fab

I talked Shelly into going to Franny's estate sale on Friday morning.  We haven't been junking much this summer.  I don't need anything but I hadn't seen Shelly in a long time so it was a good excuse. Once we got out and away from projectland (our homes) it seemed as though we couldn't stop.  We zipped to Everson (got skunked) and then back to Second Chance in Lynden.  

Shelly found four lamps for a dollar apiece and a huge warming tray for a buffet  (if we have a Mad Men party, it will be perfect) and she bought an iron.  I found three bar stools for six bucks each.  I've been looking for something to use with the tiki bar.  I told the thrift shop volunteers, Shirley and Doris Mae, that if I couldn't make the stools pretty by five o'clock I was donating them back.

I couldn't bear for Hubby to come home and see another half finished project.

Shelly brought me home, we dashed through my fabric stash and then dashed over to the farm to go through her stash.  Obviously, I didn't have time to go to a fabric store.  Initially my idea was to paint them including the vinyl but I decided I liked the brown with fabric.

 When Shelly was leaving my house it was about 12:30 and I told her to come back at five to see the finished project and enjoy a cocktail with me.  We laughed.

I don't have a lot of photos during the project, too busy.  I used the drill and took the stools apart into five pieces plus screws each.  Disclaimer: I am terrible with a drill.

 Peeling off the price tags didn't work so I left them.

 If someone had bought these to use as is they would have been pretty unhappy when they took off the price tag.  The vinyl was thin and came right off with the tape.

Now, a disclaimer, if I'd been doing this project with Gerrit or for a customer I would have removed all of the vinyl. These are for a tiki bar I take to trailer rallies and I only had several hours to complete the project.  Short cuts were taken.

I had just enough fabric for the front of the chair backs and just enough of another fabric for the back of the chair backs.  The seats took more than I thought.  I used painters drop cloth and I tore into some feed sacks that I had in my stash.

 I was just finishing when I saw one of those price tags through the fabric! Grrrrr I took it part and re did the front.

 It was a flurry of activity because when I decide I am going to get'er done that is what I do.

At one point I was bleeding and wrapped a scrap of fabric around the cut.  No time to get a band aid.

I took apart the first stool so fast that when I went to put it back I'd no clue how to get it back together. So, I took apart the second one and took note.  Deep breath.

 I pulled the tiki bar out of the garage, cleaned it, changed into a mumu and texted Shelly at 4:16 to give me five or ten minutes and then come on over.

 The snacks weren't gourmet, but the gin and tonics were icy cold and the new upholstered stools were pulled up to a staged bar.

 Shelly was surprised, dare I say, shocked.

Hubby came home and he was surprised too.

I love a project with a tight deadline and the constraint of using what I have in the house.

So, while Hubby and Shelly were surprised I was smug.  And tired.  And sweaty.

I'll see you at the Mt. Baker Trailer Rally.  The open house is on Saturday afternoon.

There is will be a food truck, a cupcake shop and a car show.

I'll be sitting at my tiki bar because my new bar stools are comfy and they spin!