24 Olive Street

bad doggy

We've had a problem with counter surfing in my house. And the overall chewing of things when I'm gone. Never when I'm home...always when I'm gone. Even if I only leave for 15 minutes.

For the longest time I thought it was Copper (my golden). Because Tucker (my lab) has never done that before.

Until now that is.

I ran out for about 15 minutes the other day and came home to a package of flour on the living room carpet (that he grabbed off the kitchen counter).

And Tucker with his mouth & nose full of flour.

I have to say, it was the funniest thing I'd seen him do in a long time!!

I couldn't be mad at him cause I was laughing too hard!

Oh man, this still makes me laugh!

And thanks to this little fiasco I was able to nail down the real culprit...and he now gets to be in a crate when we're gone :(

But don't feel bad for him, it's only temporary. And honestly, he kinda likes it.

I also got some help cleaning up the flour :)

I sure wish that Minnie Mouse vacuum actually cleaned up the floors cause she loves helping me clean!

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I was up in Colville for Junk Drunk last weekend. Great show as always and I had great neighbors from Nebraska Lane. Check out this bag I bought from them.

Totes ma goats!! haha Had to have it!!

It was a great weekend. I wore my apron from craft weekend :)

My hubby made this bench for me out of a headboard. He's made a few now so he's getting pretty good at it! I painted it in Annie Sloan Duck Egg paint.

I got this old table from a sweet customer at Pickin' on the Prairie last year. She said "I know you can do something with it!" Yes I can!

I had my hubby chip away at some of the paint but I left some of it on there (hello, green & blue chippy paint?? Swoon!!). I sealed in the chippy goodness with some poly & added some old fence boards for the top & sealed those with poly as well.

I was a little sad to see this table go because I envisioned it as my new gardening table in my backyard but it went to a super sweet new owner :)

And my son came with me as my helper for the weekend so that made it even more fun :)

This is a dresser I dropped off at the store before heading up to Junk Drunk for the weekend...and my son's photobomb :) This piece actually used to be my oldest daughter's dresser and then we used it as an entertainment center before redoing the new one. I painted the exterior in a mixture of Provence & Pure White (Annie Sloan chalk paint) and it's sealed in clear wax.

After a few days away I couldn't wait to get back to this little one!

Cause these days of craziness and preteen hormones, this little one likes me best :)

And now it's back to baseball, soccer, flag football...and getting ready for the Fancy Farmgirl Vintage Market (name changed from "Chic" Farmgirl) on May 10th!!

Twinkies

The culprits:

Innocent looking, aren't they??

The evidence:

That along with the remains of 2 other boxes.

This is what happens when you accidently leave 3 boxes of Twinkies within reach of 2 naughty dogs! They were supposed to be for my son's class for his birthday on Monday...we can only bring in store bought treats :(

So yesterday he picked out Twinkies. And now I'll be making an extra trip to the store to buy more. The dogs managed to get through 2 boxes and had started to crack into the 3rd one when (I'm guessing) I interrupted their fun. haha

And since I didn't find any plastic I'm guessing the next 24 hrs should be "interesting"...

This had me totally cracking up this morning. I can totally relate!!

Now if I could just teach my dog to "grin" like that! haha

It reminded me of our dog Jesse that we used to have...she'd have that same guilty look when she'd done something wrong. Like, say, destroying a roll of the toilet paper all over the living room! Yes, life with dogs - multiple dogs - is never dull!

On a lighter note, check out my drive this morning...

I love when the sun is peeking through the snow covered pine trees!

Nature sure is beautiful :)

retrievers

Retrievers.

The love to....well, retrieve!

Anything and everything.

Toys. Hats. Clothing. Food. Bags. Keys. Shoes. Stuffed Animals (my dogs' favorite thing to retrieve for sure!)

I'm serious...Tucker recently fetched Addie's corn popper...I laughed so hard I couldn't get a picture that wasn't blurry! That big thing sticking out of his mouth was hiliarious for sure!!

They're goofy. And loveable. And love to snuggle. And sometimes always forget they're not lap dogs :)

Life with a retriever is never dull. It isn't uncommon for them to walk out of a room & walk back in with their mouth full of something!

I've had 2 retrievers who had to greet you at the door with something in their mouth. Kind of a like a "hey, I'm so glad you're home! Let's play!!!"

They love to be where you are. Always. And if you're in the middle of a project they will come over & lay right in the middle of whatever you're doing. Just to be near you.

They're the best. Can you tell I'm a bit partial to retrievers?! Yes, there are other breeds that are awesome. But I have a soft spot in my heart for retrievers :)

around here

This is one of those weeks where I already feel like I want a do over. Ever feel like the universe is trying to knock you down. Repeatedly. Ugh...

It's the first day of spring and I don't know about you but I'm ready for planting flowers, riding bikes, going for walks & bbqing. Of course, we do most of that even when it's cold but I'm looking forward to doing all of that and not freezing!!

We've had a couple days this week where we had some small hail. Usually happens at least a few times a year.

I remember when we were out here house hunting 2 years ago and it happened. We thought it was the weirdest thing!

We got back on Sunday from the archery state championships in Ellensburg. It went great, I was so proud of my Olivia :) She shot well but didn't place (only the top 5 get awards) so that just means more practicing for next year.

I told her I think it's time we invest in a bow & find a local place where she can practice more. That's the only way to get better!

It was fun to just be able to take a little trip & get away, even if it was only overnight :)

When we got back I noticed my pup wasn't acting quite right. He was whimpering a lot, wouldn't get up unless you really coaxed him. So Monday I took him to the vet.

Ouch!!

I don't think I've ever had a vet bill that wasn't painful.

Turns out he had a fever and his electrolytes were off balance (but not enough to cause too much concern of something else). He probably has some kind of tummy bug and/or ate something that upset his sytem. So they gave him some fluids, meds & special food.

I'm not sure I'll be able to get him to eat the dry stuff after eating this for a few days. He gobbles this stuff up!! But man does it stink!!!

He's not 100% but he's definitely feeling better :)

And this little one who loooves her 'Mee Mee' (Mickey)...

I can't wait to introduce her to the real Mickey Mouse next year :)

Happy First Day of Spring!!!

paint

We had an absolutely beautiful day today so I headed outside to get some much needed painting done. Lots of projects to finish for Junk Drunk!!

I have a slight obsession with spray paint :) How is it that with 2 boxes full of spray paint I have no white??!!

My husband - aka my sanding boy ;) - was nice enough to sand down a bunch of furniture pieces for me...including that great buffet/hutch that I picked up a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately I ran out of time & didn't get it painted yet, not to mention I had to run & get my daughter from archery practice & take my son to get a birthday gift. But at least it's ready to go. I can't wait to get it all painted up & purty again!

More pretty pieces getting a makeover...and the reason we have a 3 car garage but can't park in it :)

It wasn't all 'work' today, though. Addie & Tucker had fun outside, too!

This is what my dork of a dog does when you're not looking...

He finds a patch of dirt among the grass...and digs...then lays in it. Dork.

I've also been working on some non-painting projects playing around with lots of fun fabric...

I'm heading out to Ellensburg, WA tomorrow with my oldest for the state archery championships. I have my green nailpolish on & hoping for some Irish luck :)

Have a great weekend peeps :)

weekend happenings

So we had a semi-full weekend which included a sleepover, hockey game, freezer delivery, dog bath, cleaning, and junkin' :)

I hit a couple estate sales on Thursday & Friday & at first was only finding some little stuff.

I love crates. They call out to me :) So does old Pyrex, I don't care if it's worn. I still love it.

Maps are another one of my favorites cause you can do so much with them. Same with old postcards, greeting cards...esp if they have an old postmark on them!

Then I came upon one of my favorite finds...

I can't wait to paint this one! I'm thinking either white, beige or light yellow. I'm also thinking of taking the back of the hutch off and adding some kind of fabric backing to add some visual interest. You know I will share the results when I'm done!

Now if the weather would cooperate so I could actually go in the garage and paint something!!

We keep going back and forth between this:

And this:

I've been holding off on buying a heater for the garage but if I'm going to be ready for Junk Drunk (less than 2 mos away!) then I might not have a choice!

I'm so ready for spring! I don't mind the snow (kinda like it actually!) but I'm ready to get my garden going, open my windows & start doing more outside!

I have most of the seeds I want to plant & now I just need to figure out where I'm going to grow them...where a certain toddler won't get into them! I'm thinking of buying this greenhouse. It would only have to be in my house for a couple months so I think it would work really well.

Although, if you click on the link do you notice anything funny? Like, the dimensions?? Someone needs to tell them that ' means feet and " means inches! Yeah, I just notice stuff like that! lol

Saturday we went to a hockey game. It was a sort of belated birthday gift for my son. I told him he could have a party this year or we could go do something & he chose this. Good choice son :)

Addie enjoyed herself :) She was a bit cranky at times but I think she's teething...that's never fun for anyone!

And the Chiefs won 2-zip!

And my new freezer came on Sunday!

Woo hoo!!! Time to start stocking up on some freezer meals! My extra side by side fridge that we had in one of our previous homes just wasn't big enough. We had an upright freezer before we moved from GA but it was older and we were trying to lighten our load so we wouldn't have to pay too much in extra weight fees (I think we still ended up paying around $500 even after getting rid of stuff!)

Btw, did you know that Lowes delivery is always free?? I had no idea...guess it's been a while since I bought a major appliance!

I just placed an order for chicken with Zaycon Foods which I get to pick up in a few weeks. Then I will spend lots of time packaging it up into small portions & premade meals. Normally I only buy organic chicken but their website says that their chicken is hormone/additive free & I've heard it's pretty good so I'm giving it a try!

I've been trying a few new breakfast recipes (aren't I always??!). Made this pumpkin french toast this morning...

I wasn't sure how it would taste...I mean, I love pumpkin and I love french toast. But sometimes when you put stuff together it isn't always great. But this was! I got the idea from Meg Duerksen's blog and since I was only serving it to my kids I halved the recipe (I would do the whole thing if it were a weekend).

So here's my little alteration to the recipe:

1/2 loaf french bread

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (basically 1/2 can)

1 cup half and half (I prefer half and half for french toast, just gives it a better taste)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla

brown sugar

I still baked it for 40 minutes. I noticed a couple people complaining in the comments and honestly I don't know what they did wrong. The only thing I can think is that they didn't use enough bread, didn't bake it long enough or didn't use a pan big enough and the layers were too thick & couldn't thoroughly cook. Mine was not mushy at all. I served it with some warm syrup and it was yummy!!

I also found a recipe for baked french toast sticks (recipe here) and those were a hit, too. Sometimes my kids don't like french toast because it can get a little soft but I think they really liked these because they were crispy.

And here's a yummy snack recipe - no bake energy bites

These are yummy. And healthy :)

I will leave you with one last pic...

Oh my gosh, that wrinkly face :)

Sometimes instead of buying dog toys I give Tucker one of the kids stuffed animals that they no longer want. This one is cracking me up because it 'talks'...and every so often he's carrying it around & you hear "Aflac! Aflac! AAAAFLAAAACCC!!!" hehe

Addie is napping so I'm gonna try & get some Project Life pics printed!

Happy Tuesday friends :)

determined

 

We have one very determined hamster. The other day we caught her trying to take one of her sticks up into her tubes...very unsuccessfully I might add. But it was cute to watch!

I'm also going to state for the record that I think every child should own some type of pet at some point in their childhood. Yes, the parent does most of the taking care of the animal. But there's just something about calling a pet your own...and caring for it, feeding it, buying cute 'toys' for it :)

Of course, in my house I've told my son no when it comes to reptiles or other animals I deem gross or icky...snakes, spiders, lizards (hey, we had 3 lizards get into our house in GA and they ran all around outside, so it was like they were our pets anyway! lol) I did tell him he could have a hermit crab but he ultimately chose the hamster. And, of course, my daughter still has Bugsy the guinea pig.

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It's grateful, not 'greatful'

'nuff said :)

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My tests went well yesterday. No blockages. Yippee!! I have active Crohn's in my small bowel so I'll stay on my same meds for now. He did take a few biopsies so if that turns up anything that might change. I'm happy about that but at the same point I still feel like crap. So where do you go from here??! I'm hoping in maybe another couple weeks my meds will star helping.

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This week the heater in my truck broke. And yesterday, as I was getting ready to head to the hospital, the dryer broke...with my pants in it that I wanted to wear. No, they weren't dry in time. Bummer.

We pretty much run our appliances & every other big ticket item in our home into the ground. My truck is almost 12 yrs old...so I guess it's allowed to break now and again.

My dryer is I think about 11 yrs old. I think I bought it when my oldest daughter was a baby. And other than a belt breaking one time we've never had a problem.

My husband seems to think he can fix it (fingers crossed) so he's going to stay home tomorrow & work on it. A new washer & dryer just isn't in the budget right now...esp since we have a lot of medical bills coming!

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We've had many sunny days lately. The temps have been above freezing. It's so giving me spring fever...not to mention all of the gardening ideas I've been pinning on pinterest :)

How cute is this watering can fountain?? And I already have the bucket!

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I really want to have an outdoor bbq pit. I don't think it's in the budget for this year...but soon :)

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Love the idea of having a mailbox in the backyard to hold all of my often used garden tools. And you could decorate it up all cute :) I'll be on the hunt for one of these while out hitting the garage sales for sure!

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I love this homemade garden hose holder

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I'm working on making a garden journal so I can plan plan plan for this year's garden. I mentioned last year that my goal is to add a little bit each year...don't want to bite off more than I can chew so-to-speak!

Not to mention, with a new yard (and new climate) you never know what's going to grow well and what's not, and in what part of the yard.

I discovered that my tomatoes didn't grow well and I need to add some lime to the soil this year...not to mention get them in the ground much sooner than last year. But they did like the spot I chose so I'll keep them where they're at.

I'm also going to start my seedlings in the next week or 2. Just trying to figure out where in the world I'm going to put them til it's time to transplant them outside. Cause I have a toddler running around who gets into everything!

I have several boards on Pinterest for gardening...a few personal and a few that are public boards. You can check out my Pinterest boards here :)

what's been going on

Can you believe tomorrow is Halloween?? Wow, it crept up on me again. Funny how that always happens!

I feel like I'm playing "catch up" after being sick the last few days. I'm trying to wrangle up my records from my dr back in GA and find a new dr here because my Crohn's has been on a rampage the last few days. I'm really hoping and praying that I'm not developing a bowel obstruction again because I'm having some similar symptoms as the last time. I can't tell you how much I'm praying that's not what is happening.

So when mommy is sick, what do you do? Well, you make a huge Geotrax train in the living room of course!

I have a bunch of stuff I've been getting ready for a show this weekend along with getting all of the usual Halloween stuff done.

Thankfully we managed to at least get our pumpkins carved. Cause not a whole lot else got done! Whew.

Addie kept trying to put the seeds back in her pumpkin :)

Vampire, werewolf, spooky eyes, Frankenstein

I need to get better pics tomorrow night...

Addie is absolutely cracking me up every single day. She has gotten so into Halloween and I just can't wait until we start pulling out the Christmas stuff. Everytime we see decorations in the stores she gets so excited.

It's gonna be a great Christmas :)

We have a new pet in the Whitlow house...

Such a cutie :) Her name is 'Rhino' (from the movie 'Bolt'). My son didn't care that it was a girl.

Speaking of pets, I've had to make a pretty hard decision about our older dog (not the one in the pic above). I say 'older', she's 6. I don't really want to go into details but after having a long chat with the vet today we both agreed what is best. I've never had to put down a pet that was this young and even though it's the right decision I'm still feeling quite a bit of guilt over it.

I've been working on several furniture pieces along with some other fun things for the show this weekend so I'm hoping to share those tomorrow or Thursday. Tomorrow is a crazy day with it being Halloween so we'll see how much I can get done!

simply beautiful

I managed to catch a few great shots of nature yesterday. On the way to pick up my daughter from a friend's house I spotted a deer. I know, we've all seen deer. But then I spotted her baby!

Oh man, it had cute little spots just like Bambi :) And it was drinking from it's mama...how sweet is that??!

The mama just kept looking over at me like 'I'm ok with you right there but if you get any closer we're outta here!"

And then, on the way home from doing some errands we managed to spot a wonderfully awesome sunset. The rays of sunshine were breaking through the clouds and it was just ah-mazing.

What's funny is that I wasn't the only one stopping to admire God's beauty. I spotted several people on our way home standing outside and just staring at it, too.

Nature is so cool :)

there's a marmot under my car...and other animal stories

Do you see that tail hanging down from under my car?? Seriously, why do all of the animals on the planet flock to me??

I was at a red light out in the valley today and what looked like a groundhog ran out & ran under the car in front of me. I watched as she slowly pulled forward when the light turned green because she saw it too. When she began to pull away the animal ran under my car.

But instead of staying under or running away it ran up and into my van. Another gentleman that stopped to see if we needed help said it's probably a marmot cause I guess they're common around here. And it did look like a groundhog so that's probably what it is.

And 4+ hours later...it's still there. It hung in there for the 10-15 mile journey, through all of my stops and there's no signs of it coming out.

I've tried honking my horn but that just made him crawl up under my car more. I thought about using the hose to spray him out or a broomstick but I'm afraid he's just scared & he'll come out & bite me.

My husband said 'just run through a big puddle, he'll fall out'. Thanks for the advice dear...

So I'm sure he'll get the critter out for me when he gets home.

Oh, and the other day I was running out in the morning and saw a young moose crossing the road. A moose! So cool. Now that's an animal sighting I didn't mind!