What I Did on my Spring Vacation

Spring vacation began with Easter.  Dinner was at our house so actually the break started with cleaning and cooking.  It felt good to get the house tidy. Everyone came after church for dinner.

We had beer hunt instead of an egg hunt, since the kids are all adults now and we are always looking for ways to keep their attention.

Hubby was on midnight shift and when he got home on Monday morning I drove us to George, WA to visit Max and Kassie.  It was really fun to see them so happy and to see all the projects they had done at their house. Building fences and painting have kept them busy.  Hubby set their new closet door. Kassie made us a delicious dinner using one her Pioneer Woman cookbooks for the recipe.

I went junking a morning to Franny's sale. 

Huaka'i Annie came out for the camping season.  I gave her a good spring cleaning.

It is amazing how much stuff accumulates in a small trailer.

It gets really messy, working in a small space with way too much junk.  I sorted, cleaned, made the bed and started to restock.

I think I will like having the big coffee pot for heating water when I wash dishes.  When I go alone, I sometimes use Starbucks Via.  I'm not going to make a fire and a big pot of cowboy coffee for myself.

A trip to Dollar Tree where I picked up drawer organizers, a mirror and sticky tabs for mounting, drawer liner, and some smaller perishables.  I like to buy their vegetable oil, small syrup and few other items, that are trailer size.

Then I start playing with vignettes.  I have a new tray and I wanted to try it.

New p.j.'s for camping, yes please!

I think I am really going to like my new to me Hudson Bay blanket.  It may not be an original but it is definitely good quality and warm. I think it's the Pendleton copy.

My train case was needing some work so I traded it for the one I'd made for Max and Kassie's wedding cards.  The drawer liner and some arrows stenciled on top finished it for me.

I also found the refillable travel size containers for my contact solutions at the dollar store.

I had sent for some natural skin care products from Amazon to leave in my train case for the season.
The Mad Hippie, hmmm, I don't consider myself to be a hippie but I'll give this a whirl.

Do you use the nail polish remover with foam in a jar?  I have for quite a long time and I just found a travel size.  Face wipes are essential for camping.

Annie and I are ready for camping!
Spring break already seems long ago.  It was a good time to see family, organize our house, and get ready for camping season.  That is all well and good but next year we are going someplace warm.  The rain is starting to get to me and to Hubby.
Good thing I got ready to camp because now I am camping!

Random Projects and Products

Last fall I went on a camping trip with some of my Sisters on the Fly. We went to a craft and antique show in Moses Lake, where I drank the Chalk Couture kool aid. I started using it in December, and the green leafy border was as far as I got.  Weddings, Christmas, recovering, it all meant I didn't get much done around the house.

 This week I got out my Chalk Couture and got busy.  My chalk paste/paint was really hard.  It never was as soft as what I was shown at the show.  I think the rep had stored it in her garage over the summer.  Just a guess... anywhoo, I muddled through and put together a spring cocktail menu for the sitting room. I still need some practice.

 After living in the Stone House for over sixteen years I decided to sew some kitchen curtains.  I didn't line them and may regret that decision.  It wasn't the fabric I had in my mind when I went shopping for fabric.  Hubby and I aren't sure if we even like having curtains in the kitchen. They are up and I'm giving it through this summer to decide if they stay.

 I may not have liked buying all new kitchen appliances but I am loving the top shelf on my new GE Adora dishwasher.

I'm subbing a lot and my feet hurt.  One of the elementary school secretaries told be about Bzees. They are a super comfortable shoe that is machine washable.  They seem a bit old lady but I am an old lady so I'm going with it.  They are available at Nordstrom and Macys. There are other styles and colors.  I like the black because it is a sandal that covers much of my foot and when 60 is imminent that is a good thing,  Nothing worse than looking at old feet. They come in a large variety of sizes.  I'm giving them a try. Their price point isn't bad either.

No products are paying me to write this drivel.

I promised random and I kept that promise.  Have a good day, friends!

And Then...

I didn't finish my Palm Springs trip in the previous post. Today I'll wrap up the PSP trip and then what followed here at  home.  Let's get caught up.
#poolside

We visited John and Kristen at their place.  Hubby and I got to pick lemons with Kristen.  We love fresh lemons!  These guys...

We bowled.  Well, Hubby, Jeremy and Rene' bowled.  I am not sure what game I was playing.
It had been a long time and real life bowling is different than Wii bowling. 

Jeremy and Rene' started their drive home, Hubby and I had one more night and then he flew home after dropping me off at a Starbucks.  I did some bill paying, correspondence and checked Sub Online while sitting in the sunshine with my coffee.  Sheryl pick me up and vacay part two began.

We did some shopping at the Marriott and then went to her place to prep for some pool time.

We juiced grapefruits for cocktails and they were not only beautiful but juicy, sweet and delicious.

#grapefruitdiet

Brad was playing in a golf tournament.  We went in Sheryl's cart and watched him play.

It was really fun and just like TV, it's quiet, they golf, there's applause and then everyone moves on to the next hole.  Except Sheryl and I were afraid we'd go the wrong way, be too loud or something so we went back to wait at the clubhouse.  Brad was in the top four, so that was exciting.

The next morning we met Sheryl's friend, Kathy and went to the La Quinta Art Show.

No stuffy gallery, just sunshine and pretty everywhere I looked.

 

This painting reminds me of a guy I know and his bike.

Sheryl and I always have fun, talk constantly, and do a lot of shopping.  We love to hang out by the pool and in the evening we are pretty happy staying in for the night.  Thank you Brad and Sheryl, it was another good time in Indian Ridge!

Meanwhile, Hubby came home to a fridge that had died. He did a lot of researching and leg work before I came home.  Of course, our fridge isn't a standard size.  Welcome to the Stone House.

He picked Sheryl and I up at the airport, we ran Sheryl (she came home for an appt,) home, went to see my Mom (she had pneumonia while we were gone) and then returned to Bellingham to buy a fridge.  We ended up buying all new appliances.  Our stove and dishwasher were in the house when we bought it, over 16 years ago. A travel day and a major purchase in one day, a bit out of my comfort zone but Hubby had done the hard part.

By the time everything could be delivered we had been without a fridge for ten days.

I am loving my new kitchen.  I had been thinking about painting the cabinets but it turns out they weren't the problem.  They look better next to new appliances.  I'm even motivated to sew curtains, after 16 years without window coverings.  {Sigh}

By then the lemons Hubby had taken home from the desert were ripe and ready to be squeezed. We freeze the juice in big ice cube trays and then store the cubes in Ziploc bags.  Lemon drops, Bee's knees and lemon bars are so much better with lemons you've picked yourself.

I am subbing a lot and Hubby is on swing shift.  We haven't seen much of each other.  We are both pushing to get a lot done in the house and on the yard.  Felling trees, trimming, fertilizing the lawn, washing windows, pressure washing the patio and furniture, and Spring cleaning inside, it's keeping us busy and sore.

 Once in awhile we sit down and spin a record or two.  We are planning our summer camping schedule and that is always a good thing.

Isn't Spring wonderful?

Palm Springs Modernism

This post should be broken down into several posts but it's all or nothing at this point.  I am very behind on the blog, in my laundry room, housekeeping, and yard work.

I'll start at the beginning and work my way through the week.

First up, Hubby and I arrive in Palm Springs on time, we get our bags and walk out to the curb.  Jeremy and Rene' drive up, pick us up and have already gotten groceries.  It's too early to check in so we went to the Empire Polo Club for lunch.

We check in and get a poolside room on the ground floor.  It was any easy start to vacation.

Saturday morning we go to the Vintage Trailer Show in Palm Springs.  John and Kristen meet us at the gate and then we run into Kathy and Marian. The gang's all here!

The show always includes some trailers that we haven't seen before, some are restored by professionals and some by regular folks.

This truck and home built camper were put together for a trip to Alaska.  It was very clever, mostly original and was Hubby's favorite.

 I loved their lantern, which is the Coleman collectible for 2018.

 I loved this cart, each tray lifts out for serving guests.

 While at the show I am focused on details and come home with very few photos showing the whole picture.  I liked the screen material used in this door.

 This photo was taken for the stove and the lamp shade above the sink.

 Hubby and I loved seeing the Curtis Wright Models 1 and 2.  Steve from Vintage Trailer Supply brought his Model 2 and Dal Smiley brought his newly restored Model 1.

 Our Model 6 needs new window frames so again, I focused small parts.

 That stove!

It makes me anxious to make our Model 6 shiny and pretty!

 The highlight for all of us was meeting Dean Hanson.  His parents had an aluminum company and started the Hanson's Love Bug trailer company. 

His Dad was at a Christian businessman's meeting where he heard about a town in Iowa that was losing it's John Deere plant.  He really felt for the people that would lose their jobs.  He brainstormed with other businessmen and Winnebago was created. 

Fashion at the show is fun too. I love seeing what everyone wears to the show.

The little Girl Scout selling lemonade to Hubby was rocking those sunglasses with her uniform.

The gal that owns the home built camper was dressed to match her rig.  I wish I'd gotten a photo of her and her husband but mine will have to do.

This gal's accordion pleat skirt, denim shirt, hat and her weekend bag were my fashion pick.  She knocked it outta the park.  She looks coordinated without being too matchy, yet comfortable and darling.

The last one is a selfie of moi.  I wore my flamingo print jeans, a coral tank, a sleeveless denim shirt and a coral cardigan.  I got several compliments so I am taking it as a win.

After the show we met friends at the Tonga Hut where we enjoyed snacks and beverages in the hidden back room.

The next morning it was off to the Modernism Yard Sale.

Hubby and I tried on a matching vintage shirt and dress set but the owner was pretty proud of them and wouldn't budge on the price so she kept them.

I will continue later. The blog is a struggle right now.  Don't give up on me.