3.29.2011

Yay!!!!


Yay!

I spent most of the week finishing
up projects...
so that I could fill the booth!
Yesterday
I spent 4 1/2 hours setting up and rearranging. 
Actually, 3 hours....and then
*CRASH*
The screw holding up this
original watercolor of the beach
came out of the wall:(
THANKFULLY nothing else was broken,
and I will be able to repair the print!

But, it did take another hour to 
clean up the glass from the floor
and place the furniture back in its
spot. I will be sure to use a bigger
screw next time!

I think it was worth the work!
Do you?



Click the
  "For Sale at Fresh Vintage Home" tab
to see the other items!!

I also built a cottage stone wall (ok, its only 2 high)
around our patio and walkway.
(Im still too embarrassed to show you... )
AND 
our driveway is coming along nicely.
We should be ready to gravel it really soon!!
I promise to let you see it 
when I get back frrrooooommmm...
THE BIG ROAD TRIP!!!
Its coming VERY soon...
Oh, I hope you are going to come along with us!
Virtually, of course, unless you'd 
like to squeeze into one of these...
along with a 19 year olds closet worth of clothes and shoes!
Yah, didn't think so...
We are going to have so much fun!
I'm really excited because we have sponsored 2 boys from
and so on our LONG trip we are going to collect
post cards from all the states we pass
through and include them
in our next letter. 
If you are interested in learning 
more about COTN or how to sponsor a precious
child too, just click
on the link above!

Next week is my WONDERFUL Father in Law's
70th Birthday!!!
So, on Saturday we are having a big celebration for him.
Me, PaPa and my husband...and Sammy our doggy.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!
*Jodi*




3.23.2011

Knock, Knock!!

Who's There?

Its ME, Its ME!!!
Holy Moley, this week went by FAST!
I missed you all so much.
There's much to share, so lets get started!
I dont know where my hair went, it wasnt even pulled up.
weird

My daughter and I got up SUPER early
on Friday. We drove from our Bremerton area home to the
 Pt. Townsend - Coupeville
Ferry


It was a beautiful crisp Spring morning. 
Here is a (online) picture of Port Townsend.
Image by: 52perfectdays.com

This where the
movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" was
filmed. On a breezy day you can really
smell the paper factory! 
(Do you remember the scene when 
Richard Gere carries out Debra Winger at the end!)
I think of that movie every time Im there.
Its ironic that I, too, am married to an Officer & Gentleman. 
I think it would be fun to put on the dress whites and
re-create that scene...or not...ok, nevermind....

Upon arriving on Whidbey Island, I met up
with my dear friend Shannon.
We loaded up the mini van for our 4 hour tour
over the mountains to Wenachee!
We made a stop at 
STARBUCKS for a java
(and returned a little shoe to a tyke that lost it in
the parking lot)
and off we went into the sunrise!
This is the Deception Pass Bridge...You have to drive
over it or take a ferry to get off Whidbey Island.
It is the most beautiful place I have ever been and 
 I never tire of seeing it.


So, after about 2 hours of driving (and a lot
of laughing, talking and catching up!)
 we decided to stop for lunch. 
We were near the top of the summit and spotted
this place.



It was the most adorable place full of happy
people. We thought at any moment the 
FONZ 
was going to walk in with a "aaayyyy"!

We had burgers that were as good, if not better,
than home made. The onion rings were FANTASTIC!
Ok, gross out warning here....
This is a half eaten burger because I was too hungry
to remember whole food is much more photogenic!


I asked our waitress if I could take her
picture for my blog and she was so NICE!
Turns out she is the new bride to the owner of this 
charming diner. I wish I would have
gotten her name. But CONGRATULATIONS
Mrs. delicious hamburger lady:)

Before leaving, I had to use the little girls room...
These "tubs" on the window sill made me giggle!!
I was in there a long time trying to get a non-glare
picture...luckily no one was waiting outside
the door.  How would I explain the giggling
and all...

"Hands a little dry?" "Make a little stink?" "Hair a little frizzy?"
Bye bye diner, bye bye SNOW.

Just over the mountain pass is a scenic little
German town called Leavenworth, WA.
It's quite a tourist destination. 
I tried to take a picture of my own, but it didn't turn out.
But I found this, and it will fill you in, you may even dance a little!

Next stop....Shannon's Moms house.
Stephanie is moving into her brand spankin new house!

It has been too cold to pour a driveway or
paint the outside of the house, but I can see it already!
It will look fabulous.

I love the new house smell! 
Her house was beautiful. Wood floors, Travortine tile,
Sile stone counter tops in a creamy goodness color.
All the glazed cabinets were "magic" 
No slammin' these doors or drawers to get your point across.
They gracefully close themselves.

My favorite room in the house????
This Bathroom of course!



Marble subway tile, gorgeous silver blue
walls and a basket weave pattern of
black and gray in the shower!
I wanted to pack it up and bring it home with me!

After unpacking for umpteen hours Stephanie 
was so kind to take us out to eat.
We went into town and ate at The Olive Garden.
If you were there that night, I must apologize.

We were only drinking water, maybe it was the lemon,
or maybe it was sheer exhaustion, but
we were NUTTY!!!
See, I never knew how to use the spoon with the fork
to eat this....


but Shannon, being the fine cultured young lady (hee hee) she is,
gave me a step by step tutorial.
Its hard to tell, but the fork is pressed into the spoon to hold the pasta on the fork!
Genius...I say:)


What you don't see is that it took about 8 shots, 
and many very strange looks to get the angle right. I would show
you the one I thought was the best, but I 
promised her I would not put it on here for the
world to see...TEMPTING:)
But I wont, okay Shan!!?
Yummy Yummy!

The next morning we woke up to the sun beaming into the 
window.  What is nicer than waking up to sunshine on
your face?  How about looking into rows of
apple trees?  The back portion of her 2 1/2 acres is
an Apple orchard!

The birds were celebrating, and
the trees are on the brink of blooming. Its a happy place in Spring.
All that mud will be a beautiful lawn soon





Speaking of a happy place, this is Shannon in the muddy
front yard. She is in her element in them there boots and the
sun on her face!

I LOVE this view from the side of her house, the way the clouds
leave a shadow on the rolling hills...so pretty!


Shannon and her mom, Stephanie.



kitchen and closets organized.
We left for home early Sunday morning.
Heading home....going over the mountain pass

We had a time
limit, so we weren't able to stop at the antique malls in
the area.  I think I was too tired to focus anyways.
Don't worry, I will be back!!

Once back in Oak Harbor, I was very happy to scoop up my oldest
son and bring him back home with me for a few days.
Going back to Oak Harbor on THE bridge. Looking East towards
the Cascade Mountains

He wanted to come home and eat real food and work
for some extra cash. Boy did I have WORK for him
to do too.....

Remember Plan B????  
Gravel in the driveway instead of concrete?
(If not you can read about it in my last post)
We needed 4 inches of dirt dug up and moved so that
we could grade the ground for crushed rock.
I am so happy to say that my boys busted out that driveway
in 2 days! Yay!
We should have rocks in by next week.
Thanks guys, all I can say is....
(you see this one coming, right?)
YOU ROCK!

I have not been to Poulsbo to fluff my booth in 2 WEEKS! 
I spent today in the warm sunshine
 getting more things ready, but it will be another few
days before I can get there to add it in.

I realized on Monday that it was that last time I will have all 3 kids
at home at the same time until CHRISTMAS! 
So, in a panic, I made an appointment to have 
family photo's taken. I'm so glad we were able to squeeze that in!
Afterwards, we went to Outback for dinner and had 
a great time together:) 
Mmmm, love me some bloomin' onion!

Just so you know.....

I am preparing to make a huge cross country trip, so...
you may find me a little (or ALOT) sentimental at times these days.
The part of my byline that says "transitioning into this
new season of life...." Well, that season
is now.  Child #2, and our only daughter, is moving 
FAR from us.  We are so excited for her, and so very
proud. But I can't help but feel a big lump in my throat. How
did she go from baby to young woman over night???
Gotta run and get some tissue....
and a hug

xoxoxox
Jodi



3.16.2011

quickie update!


Well, thought I would give you a quick update...
and let you know that the ESTIMATE 
was wayyyyyyy tooooooo muuuucccch for us
right now.  But that is ok.  We often do 
our best work on limited resources!

We also got an estimate for a 6ft. wide
concrete front porch since he was here anyways.
I thought it would be MUCH more than it was.
So...

Plan B:  dig up 4" of dirt in existing driveway
and put in fresh crushed rock. Add cottage stone
around the perimeter for aesthetics...some 
nice plants and a new garage door. That will
help a lot with the mud problem:)

SO...NOW we will save, save, save so that we
can build that porch. (This is where I say BOOOO
to the evil Dave Ramsey...not really, but anyone
who has taken his course knows exactly what I mean)
Cash....no credit.....It will take us MONTHS
to get there, but it helps to have a plan!  But when
we DO have the means...YOU will be the first
to know it!! I promise.

In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan,
I feel so foolish even making an issue of a little mud!
Perspective, perspective, perspective.

I had a quickie ickie (short cold) for a few days,
which explains the sleeping so much  Monday & Tuesday.
I did not feel like painting, but caught up on...
(This is so embarrassing!!)
Teen Mom, Hoarders, Parenthood
... and alot of HGTV.

Please don't judge me on my trash TV phase.
Oh, and isn't this season of American Idol good?
A lot of great talent!

Today...no TV...Im painting for real.
AND I had a suprise visit from my friend Susan.
She came bearing gifts in distress.
YEP...her toss away side tables.
Me love me some free tables to fix up!!!
But more than the tables...I love Susan:)
Thank you friend!

Have a AWESOME day!!!
xoxoxo
*Jodi*


3.14.2011

confession....

Good Morning!
or should I say AFTERNOON...


I have a confession.
I do not like the change in time.
My ENTIRE family woke up an hour late today.
Yep, we set our clocks, but no one seemed to hear
their alarm. Oops!

I went to bed last night with a long to do list and
was very excited to JUMP up today and get
started on a few fun projects. BUT...



Waking up late made everyone grumpy!!!
And somehow....I cleaned the kitchen, put some
laundry in the wash, straightened up...
and ended up back in my cozy bed and pulled
the blankets over my head.
*L.A.Z.Y*
I know...

But I didnt stay there tooooooooo long.
I woke up to a *drip* *drip* *drip*
Hoping it was one of those weird late morning
dreams, I got up to check it out.

N.O.T.    A      D.R.E.A.M.

Water was coming in from the window trim
and dripping onto the kitchen counter.
WHAT THE???
So I pushed in on the wood and it was 
spongy and squishy and rotten.


Hoping its an easy fix. 
I don't know if I have the heart to tell Mr. Fresh
about another job to tackle...

On a good note...the rain stopped, and the sun is
peeking through, so the dripping has ceased for now.

OH, Hey!
This weekend I am very excited to go on a ROAD TRIP
 over to Eastern Washington!

I love the Wenatchee area, and I love spending time with
my friend Shannon!
She doesn't know this yet (she will now)
but I am going to take pictures of our adventure...
ok, driving and singing and laughing isn't REALLY 
an "adventure"...But we always seem to find
a little trouble somewhere! 
WOOOO HOOOOO

Speaking of ROAD TRIPS...My daughter and I will
be going on a LOOOOONNNNG one really soon.
Here is a hint of the location...
No, we aren't staying THERE.
But close enough to check out the cool stuff at her shops!

And OF COURSE,
I will be sure to take you all along with me!
 I would miss you if you didn't join in:)

OK...Time to REALLY get painting now!

P.S.  Still waiting on that Estimate....
Our family has made a bet.
Whoever is closest to the $$ amount $$ gets
a Venti Starbucks!

xoxoxo
*Jodi*

3.12.2011

Cell phone camera tells history...

Today is E.S.T.I.M.A.T.E day...woooo hoooo!
It is pouring rain....like by the bucket!
A good day to stay in and practice taking photo's.....
with my cell phone.
It actually is a better camera than my point and shoot.
This is when the great photographers may
want to turn away and save themselves!
hee hee

For fun...I went around and took some pictures of my
decor.  This is one of the old books on our 115 year
old piano...The piano actually came over in a
COVERED WAGON!
My husbands great grandmother ordered
it from a catalog in the 1890's.
Can you imagine the stories it could tell!!
We don't know how to play the piano, but having it in our
home reminds us of Gramma
Brask *LOVE*

This is one of two bookshelves that flank the fireplace. I
would like to do something special to the backs
of these shelves like beaded board or music sheets. Any other ideas?
 I have my grandma's eyeglasses, my grampa's
Bible, and my husbands grandpa's clock on display.
PaPa Brask collected clocks and often repaired them. I love all
the old clock keys we have that were his too.
When he passed away, each of the great grandchildren
received a special clock.
 Every time it *gongs* it fills
our home with a peaceful presence. When I hear
my husband wind it up, I know he is thinking
of his grandpa. He was an amazing man!
This is a picture of my grandparents when they were first married!
They lived in Centerton, Arkansas on a farm. I
LOVE my grandpa's overalls. He had them on all the time!
Some of my best memories are of feeding calves, riding ponies,
fishing for catfish in his ponds, and finding
kittens under their house when I was a little girl.
This is a cool doorknob my husband found for me at
 Goodwill, ha ha...for just two BUCKS!
 I love it when you find that someone totally
made a pricing error!  I also love that HE was so excited to show
me what he found:)  The Black book is another of
my grandpa's Bibles. It has his dirt finger prints on the pages! I picture him
in the barn, taking a break from milking the cows by hand,
and grabbing his Bible for a quick reflection.
Old books...LOVE old books!  The concrete bird used to be on a
very old birdbath that came with our Whidbey Island house. One
morning when I looked out,  it was in a million pieces in the yard.
I think a racoon jumped on it or something. Anyhow, under all
the broken pieces I found the unscathed bird. I liked it the best anyways!
Just practicing with fading and stuff...nothin special here.

This is the other shelf in the living room. The black clock
belonged to my great grandparents in Arkansas. Sadly,
this one doesn't work...and has crayon marks on the clock
face from either my sister or I. I find that
somewhat enduring, actually. Anyhow, there
are some photo's of our parents and my niece & doggy,
and daughter.  The old finials are from the ugly
fence posts at this house. I kicked out the posts...and
displayed the finials. I was so excited too, crazy
what a weathered finial would cost in a decorating magazine.
And I enjoyed kicking the rotted posts down too:)

What do YOU have in your home that reminds you of where you came from??
Have A Happy Saturday Friends!!

I hope you have warm sunshine and chirpy birds singing at YOUR house!
(and to my mother and father in law...
ALOHA...enjoy your day on the beach! We are soooo glad you
are safe after the Tsunami scare xoxoxo)


3.11.2011

Estimate!!!

Happy Friday!
I am so excited...We are getting an
estimate to have a concrete driveway put in!!
It would be soooo nice to have a dry place
to park!  AND to  not track mud into the
house.  That one little thing will make a
HUGE difference for us:)

BEFORE we moved in! The "lean to" is gone and it looks alot
better..but there is still ALOT to be done.
Ah, yes, the adventures of an 80 year old house!!
yes, that is dirt and grass in front of the door...



THEN, we can put in a new garage door
so the leaves and rain won't blow under
the door and all over the garage.  
Please cross your fingers that it wont cost
an arm and a leg so we can get er done!!
I will let you know how it goes....
Gotta go daydream about a new driveway and
Garage Door. And I dream big!!
Weird??? 

this one is very comparable to the size of our garage and door,
Love the hardware and windows.
Ok, so my house doesnt look ANYTHING like this beauty...but
I like the beaded board look of the door. Maybe if
I get this door, my house will magically be this gorgeous!!
I Love the blue with the crisp white. I think we are repainting our house all white.
and then adding color through shutters and lighting, etc. Oh, it would be so
fun to have a little hiding spot in the eves. I wonder what the view is
from up there?
I love the punch of red! Maybe this combo would be more fun!! hmmmm

I think this will be the most accurate for us. See that concrete driveway?
Im giddy just thinking about the difference that will make!!

*Im a wishin, and a dreamin...and hoping*

Happy Friday, and have a WONDERFUL
weekend!!

**Jodi**