Hello Fall

SO we MEET again.....

Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Mums, Chili, decorating, the color of Orange, September, fall scented candles: Caramel Pecan & Pumpkin Spice, fairs, cool nights, curling up under a blanket, sweaters and scarfs, brown boots, chai tea, reading a book, goldenrod, autumn, October, falling leaves, hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, cuddling, gourds, pumpkin pie, football, crafting, coffee, fall

(although I'm not quite ready to let go of summer)

IT'S so GOOD to see YOU! 

PS:  I must include that when I came home today, I found a card addressed to "Mrs. Vintage" propped up against the most beautiful little pot of Mums just for me, from my sweet boyfriend. And as I sit here discouraged with the craft I'm working on, my little pot of Mums brings a smile to my face :)

Wine & Cheese Please

Hannah & Rachel ~ my friends from Starbucks

Instead of going to the fair as planned, we all decided to have a wine & cheese tasting instead. We bought some fancy cheese and some not-so-fancy wine. (Rite Aid has some great wine for $4.99!!) We spent the night laughing, talking, and trying to find the perfect cheese pairing for each wine.

I'm all about tasting new things. (I'm the type of person, who even though I know I dislike something, I'll keep on tasting it on different occasions just to make sure I still don't like it.) Blue Cheese being one of them. I want to like it: I like Gorgonzola and Feta, so why wouldn't I like Blue Cheese? ...right? Well, one of my unexpected favorites of the night was Green Mountain Farms Blue Cheese & Chive Spreadable Cheese. Great on crackers! (One of my least favorites: BRIE cheese. It tastes like dirty feet!)

When you're deeply crafting and thinking of what to do next...

I recommend not opening & closing your scissors repeatedly in an upward motion. (as you pay no attention to what you're doing)

If you're like me, you'll cut a rather large chunk of your hair!  ...and I'm not going to lie, I shed a tear...that's  a lot  of hair!

Hobby Lobby makes its way to Spokane!!

When I moved here, I was sad to learn that Washington lacked big time in scrapbooking stores. No Archivers. No Pat Catans. And no Hobby Lobby. Michaels and JoAnn's are nice, but there is so much more out there that they don't offer! So when I found out they put in a Hobby Lobby in the Valley, I was ecstatic!! Not only do they carry scrapbooking stuff, they also have a huge selection of home decor, seasonal items, crafts, and fabric. (to name a few) Check it out!

From Post to Post

I think most of you know, but my mom collects Postcards.

She has been collecting them since she was little and

her collection now consists of more than 15,000!

yes, those are Postcard RACKS!!!

and don't let the racks fool you...she has more in boxes!

Every single Postcard has a protective sleeve cover.

She organizes them by State. Ohio by County.

You must always bring back/send postcards if you go on vacation!

Most of her collection is from people giving them to her.

Occasionally she will buy some.

Here are all the postcards she bought while she was here!

You name it, we stopped at antique stores, gas stations & gift shops...

New and Old

I thought I would share some of the old ones with you.

The Davenport

Natatorium Park - Spokane, Wa (1889-1967)

I'm a bit of a nerd (or I just have a love for old history) so I did a little research and did you know in 1889 Spokane had the first heated swimming pool in the state of Wa (it was filled with heated water from the Spokane River)

Long Lake: "A beautiful drive near Spokane"

Bowl & Pitcher

"Bird's Eye View" of Spokane

Manito Park

Stevens Street - Spokane, Wa

Parry Apartments ~ Seattle, WA

"Only Families with Children Admitted"

Labor Day Weekend

Wallace, Missing Bike, Sandpoint, 3yr old Birthday Party & Red Lobster
A little mish mosh of everything... Yesterday we went to Wallace, Idaho for their "Flea Market Under the Bridge". What a cute little old mining town, full of history and Antique stores. :)

Later that night is when I noticed Joe's bike that I bought him for his birthday, in May, was gone. Missing. Stolen. I am so mad, I almost don't even want to talk about it. But, I guess there's not much to talk about...I went to go put the garbage cans back in the garage and that's when I noticed the missing bike. Not sure how it happened, because the garage door was shut. And we're for sure certain that we shut the garage door the last time we opened it (for this reason). So, how someone breaks into a closed garage is beyond me, because it is impossible to open without an opener or key. (believe me, we tried it about 10 times) Ahhhh!!!! so sad.

I took my mom to Sandpoint today, because I really wanted to go to the Funky Junk Antique Show. I was hoping to find a vintage letter 'e' that I have been hopelessly searching for, but no luck. It was a really cute show, a lot like Farm Chicks, but smaller. It only took an hour to go through, so we hit up the super expensive antique stores in Sandpoint and had some lunch at this really cool pizza joint right near the lake. They have the best brick oven pizza and the people that work there (a bunch of ski bums) are always so nice. I heard them saying that tomorrow is there last day open until May. Now they go to work at the ski lifts. ugh, a reminder that winter is coming!

After we left Sandpoint, we made our way back to Spokane for Nolan's 3rd Birthday Party at Jump and Play! I think I might have been the only person there without any kids :) I haven't seen Olivia in awhile and she just cracks me up. I told her that we needed to get together soon one day and maybe color (our favorite thing to do) and that I wanted to hear all about her new school. She responded, "oh yes, we can have a sleep over and do crafts. And then we can eat popcorn and discuss my school over popcorn" LOL I can't make that up! It's like saying, maybe we can discuss it over a drink. But, when your six, I guess it's popcorn. :)

To end the day, my mom, Joe & I enjoyed a yummy meal at Red Lobster. My mom's Favorite place and a rarity that she goes. (she even ordered an alcoholic drink! --gasp!)

Cat Tales, Mt. Spokane & Green Bluff

Yep, I took my mom to Cat Tales! We met Joe's brother, Jeff & his son Aiden there. I'm sure all of you that live in Spokane have been to Cat Tales at least once. For all of you back home, let me just briefly tell you what Cat Tales is all about. It's a mini "zoo" and training center that specializes in big cats. Tigers, Leopards, Lions...even a couple of bears. It resembles nothing of a zoo, but more of small fenced in areas where the cats have really no room. It was actually kind of sad, but apparently a one of a kind training facility.

Lunch time for the retired MGM Lion.

He weighs 600lbs! ~sadly, this type of lion is extinct in the wild.

Look at that mane!!

After Cat Tales I decided to take my mom up to Mt. Spokane. I knew she was slightly afraid of heights, but I didn't realize she wouldn't even be able to stomach looking out the car window to see the view! Maybe it's a good thing we didn't go to Glacier!

So, we headed back down and stopped at Green Bluff where we had lunch at one of the orchards. (you can see Mt. Spokane in the background here)

Mom visits Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

I was really really bummed, because I wanted to take my mom camping to either Mt. Rainier or Glacier while she was in town and show her some Pacific Northwest Mountains. The plan was to go camping Monday & Tuesday while Joe & I both had the day off, but it was snowing at Mt. Rainier and the weather was just as cold at Glacier. {Big sad face!!} So we decided to go to Coeur d'Alene for the day, which I had planned later in the week on a day Joe was working. (you know how boys & shopping go together) ...So, as my mom and I checked out all the stores, Joe sat at a bar, drank some brews and watched sports.

Coeur d'Alene Resort