Swedish Preschool

I just started watching this video, but after only a few minutes in, I am really loving it.  I love the way those little classrooms look-with the little lamps and the flowers and sticks.  I plan on watching the three part series.  I know some people get all uptight about where their kid goes to preschool.  I kind of tend to lean toward this idea: there is plenty of time to get serious about learning.  It's good to play and explore when children are little.

Here is the second video, and the third
  After living in Sweden for a month, I really was intrigued by their lifestyle.  I loved the way they biked everywhere, and I loved how everything looked beautiful.  I loved it (in a way) that there wasn't a single restaurant open at night.  (It is good for their country and for the food service industry-but rather annoying when you worked every night until 10 and then couldn't find any where to eat)  The whole town shut down on Midsummer's Day.  Their workers had weeks of vacation every year.

Wow, trip down memory lane.  I also remember that I loved the street signs, our backpacks were WAY too overstuffed, and I remember how all the men wore capris.

Outdoor Preschool

This video really spoke to me.  It makes me want to move to Norway (I'm half Norwegian you know)  It also makes me consider wanting to homeschool or something.  I never really thought I'd say that.  I love that they are learning how to light a fire, build, read a map, hike- all at the age of five.  It goes along with my theory that kids are more capable than we think.  There is an elementary school across the street from my house and I'm pretty sure that the kids only get outside at lunch time.

The Similarities of Tearing Up Entry Ways and Giving Birth

We finally finished scraping black tar off of our entry way.  It was a lot like giving birth. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic!   It was fun at first.  I was all proud of myself thinking it wasn't too bad.  I posted these pictures on instagram of my progress (all done during Luna's nap)  

Before the nap:

During:

And after the nap:

Then the rest of it was so hard to scrape.  I didn't think we would ever get it done.  It was the same feeling, thinking the baby is never going to come.  It was painful, my hands, knees, and forearms all hurt from working so hard.  I was super sore the next day from it.  In the end, well it's still ugly right now.  But next week after we get it refinished I think I'll be in love.

It had 2 layers of vinyl.  The first covering was fake stone vinyl.  Who covers their beautiful floors with that?  The smell was awful!

Now we just need to rip apart the rest of the kitchen floor.  That has a ton of nails, it takes strength, but it comes off easily.  It's not tedious.  

I'm pretty sure on Monday we are getting our floors sanded down.  I am so EXCITED for this step.  I think it will really feel like our house after that.  It is the last surface that needs to be redone and then every square inch of the house has been scrubbed, cleaned, and given a new life.  Every surface!

update:
Fast forward- it is all done right now but I am posting a day by day progress of what we did.
Here is a shot of what it looked like after the stain was applied.  As soon as I can I will update with the finished after shots.

Some Outfits...

Awhile back I said I was going to share some outfits I wore.  I've been posting some on instagram just for fun.  The pictures themselves are pretty horrible self portraits, but I didn't have anyone to take them and I am much too lazy to get out my tripod, and do the old timer on the DSLR.  A lot of these are things I've found at the thrift store.  Actually in the past few months I've pretty much replaced my wardrobe with fun things I've found.  If you're in Spokane, the downtown Goodwill is the place to find clothes!

 This sweater I found at Union Gospel Mission on Boone for $6.00.  I love it and it's a lot like my anthro one at the bottom of this post.  The belt is from my friend Ames, I love it, it's so cool!  The leather boots are from Bandolino, and the socks are from Target, skinny jeans from Gap.

 Luna loving her little baby, sporting some Wal-Mart jeggings, a cute hand me down sweater from Gap and a onesie with a birdie appliqued and hand stitched from a friend.  The chair was a shower gift from some friends.

 My mom spotted this ugly, yet great horse sweater in Minnesota at a thrift ship.  It's kinda ugly, but cool and I dig it.

 horses, horses, horses- name that movie- it's You've Got Mail I think, she sings that, or is it Sleepless in Seattle

 Ok, I'm really proud of this shirt I found for Sam.  It is in my opinion the perfect band shirt.  You know, for a concert when the guys are trying to look cool, but trying to look like they didn't even think about their outfit, even though they spent an hour figuring out just the right shirt.  I didn't know if he would like it, but he did love it- score!  This was found at Windfall, a thrift store just around the corner from us on Perry St.

 Here is a sweater I got for Christmas for Ann Taylor and some fun socks with pom poms that I bought at Target a few years ago.

 Here are some more Christmas gifts.  Shirt from Gap, scarf from Forever 21, jeans are Lucky I found at a consignment shop.  They are so comfy, and long!

 Here is one of three skirts I hemmed over Christmas.  I lopped off 8 inches on each of them and now I have some classic wool skirts.  I thrifted the sweater from Goodwill.  The purple tights are from Ross I think.

 Here is the outfit that clashes according to my sisters, I don't care  The blue shirt is thrifted from the Union Gospel Mission in the Valley.  The green pants are from Gap and are years old!

 I'm obsessed with rings, and I love vintage buttons so I had to get this.  I got it at an antique shop in Hopkins, MN over Christmas.

 This shirt is thrifted from Goodwill.

 Here is the second skirt I hemmed.  The shirt is smartwool, and the belt is from Forever 21

 This shirt I bought when I was pregnant at a thrift store near Sandpoint, ID.  I had no idea if it would fit me, I don't love it.  Luna's shirt is vintage and from a thrift store.  It has smocking on the top, I love it.

I love these cozy fleece jammies that Luna has.  They are Carters.

 Here is my girl's idea of necklaces.  Whenever I do laundry she always seems to steal my underwear and layers several pairs over her neck!

 I love this Gap shirt that I found brand new with the tags from Union Gospel Mission

Here is skirt #3 that I hemmed.  This one used to be my grandma's, I love that I can still wear it today!

 Luna's dress is this sweet vintage one that a lady from our church gave her.  I love it!

 Here she is being soooo silly!

 This is an Anthropologie sweater that I got majorly on sale.  I think it was a $200 sweater I got for about $40.  The shoes are Minnetonka Moccasins, and I would love to buy a mini pair for Luna.

There you have it folks, some bad phone pics of my quirky outfits!

Valentine's Day

I have so much to share.  I have been loving my iphone.  It makes it so much easier to snap quick moments.

During the day I went with my friend Courtney shopping at The Vintage Rabbit and Spencer's.  We had a good time.  I'll share some photos in a separate post on all the little treasures I've recently acquired.

Our Valentine's Day was spent scraping the vinyl paper off of our closet.  We hired someone to refinish our hardwood floors and that was the best decision.  We are doing everything else ourselves, but we were in over our heads with the floors, so we knew it would be worth it to hire a professional.  Every night we had "homework" last week to stay a step ahead of Jim (our floor guy)

my etsy order from tboo

picture stolen from Courtney from Monday's Sugar Cookie Decorating Party

  

Luna is into giving kisses lately and it's so sweet!  Audrey practicing being a big sister to a little one!

 I love hanging out with my friends.  The kids all had a great time decorating sugar cookies and playing the day before Valentine's day at Chelle's house.

 This is a silly little vignette I did from some rejects that never sold in my etsy shop.

Here is my little cutie!

I wanted to make a nice Lobster dinner, but since I spent the day out shopping and was totally exhausted from staying up way too late scraping- we decided on the Arby's drive thru on Valentine's day.

 Here is the closet that we finished scraping on Valentine's day.

Here we are...                                                

kissing...

looking tired...

but happy...

and crazy...

laying on the floor out of exhaustion, and because I was loving the newly sanded floors, and so I could snap some before shots of the ceiling before we added texture.  I don't think I got any before shots, or during my popcorn ceiling removal.  That was a mess!

And here are our sweet little Valentine's:

Here is the dinner we ate the day after Valentine's Day, and the pretty bouquet that Sam picked up for me.  I must add that he picked out the flowers himself and got them from a florist.  I usually get grocery store flowers (not that you can ever complain about getting flowers, but these ones were a little prettier!)  I love that he knows me and knows that I love gerbera daisies and dahlias more than red roses!  And I love that he went to a florist, because they suggested adding some flowers with a nice fragrance- pretty and good smelling!

My first time trying mashed cauliflower, Sam loved it, I thought it could be better.