Mom's Summer 'To Do' list....and a GIVEAWAY!

I know you have seen them....on blogs and Pinterest.....those

cute lists of ALL the  activities/experiences your

kids and family hope to enjoy over the summer.  I give credit to Meg for

starting the trend, cause I happen to think she is 'the bomb' of

a mom and a trendsetter to boot! 

Well, maybe it's because I have older kids {or a bad attitude},

we didn't do a list this year.  Whatever.  I know we will do 

all our favorite things, I don't need a giant chalkboard

reminding me that we need to have ice cream sundaes.....

{but if you DO have a giant chalkboard reminding you

to eat ice cream sundaes - way to go!}

Plus, by mid-August I begin to feel like Julie McCoy

the perky cruise director from the Love Boat {remember her?}, 

making sure EVERYONE is having fun....but me!

So this week, the LAST week of school, I sat down and wrote 

a "Mom's Summer To-Do" list.  

Yes, I did.  

I think a lot of us moms sort of get busy with giving our kids the perfect summer

and end up counting down the days until school begins somewhere around

August 1st.  Don't get me wrong, spending precious quality time

with our babies is important and fulfilling, but some 'mommy time' sprinkled in on a 

regular basis keeps everyone sane - not that I speak from 

experience or anything like that......

My theme for this summer is 'BALANCE'.

My list includes lots of fun stuff - al fresco dates with my husband, 

evenings with girlfriends sitting on my patio, going to the 

farmers market, hiking.......

Also on my list is to GET CREATIVE.

This year, I had the privilege of participating in Jeanne Oliver's

online course Creatively Made {Rediscovering the Beauty of Your Gifts}.

Do you know Jeanne?  I only know her as an internet friend but

hope to be able to meet her in 'real life' someday.  She 

has a generous and encouraging spirit. 

Now mind you - I am not all miss crafty but I do consider myself 

creative and Jeanne's course is for EVERYONE!  I really

give credit to Jeanne for inspiring me to be more

creative, cause like having some summer mom fun, creativity

can also fall to the wayside in the midst of a busy life.

Jeanne is offering the class again - beginning Monday, June 18!  It works like this -

you get a code to access the online videos and can watch them at your leisure .  Jeanne

will keep the videos for this course available to all participants until

the end of October.....so if summer gets away from you, you will have time

to catch up when the kiddos head back to class!

And guess what?  Jeanne has generously offered to giveaway THREE spots

in the online class to readers of Forever*Cottage!  To enter to win:

* Leave me a comment telling me what you would

have on your "Mom's Summer To-Do List".

I will close the comments on Saturday at midnight PST and announce

the winner on Sunday {a rare blogging day for me!}.

If you can't wait to see if you won and want to sign up for 

Jeanne's class go HERE!

Judging a book by it's cover....

Do you do it?

I'm going out on a limb with this post, talking about a subject that doesn't jive with my normal frivolous ramblings about vintage sales and new/old furniture......chalk it up to my age, life experiences....peri-menopause, hell, I don't know.....but it's something that's on my mind and because I believe 99.9% of you are women, I thought I would throw it out there!

 Oh, and it's definitely something I have been guilty of it.....something I am not proud to admit.  So don't go thinking I am all up on my high horse!

What am I talking about, you ask?


Hold that thought.

First, I should share what got me thinking about this.  It was at Farm Chicks, on Friday night.  I looked at the group of women that I had assembled for a meet up at Chaps - we were a Diverse crew - ranging in age from 20-somethings to 50-somethings.  We were midwesterners, west coasters, south westerners, country gals and city slickers.  There were the disciplined skinny girls in our midst and those of us who enjoy a meal {with a cocktail} and are counting on our next workout to lose those 20 extra pounds.  We were blonds, brunettes and pretty silvery-grays.  Who knows what our political views are - probably just as diverse, thank God we didn't go there that night!  The ONE thing we had in common was that we were all there for the Farm Chicks show.  Creative women.  Women who have pure, loving and supportive hearts....for other women.....all collected at Chaps......a restaurant owned and run by one of the most special women I believe I have ever met.  Being in the presence of these awesome women - all so different was a moment of clarity and joy for me - Cause there was a time in my life where I too often 'judged a book by it's cover'.

I made assumptions about other women based on rather superficial things - how they looked, how old they were, where they lived, what they drove, where they shopped, what they did for a living, what brands they were  wearing/or not wearing, their general lifestyle, political beliefs......yuck!  I spent way too much time trying to "fit in" or working hard to maintain a friendship that was truly one sided with far too many.  Thankfully, age brings maturity and a comfort with who you are.

I am grateful that one of the benefits {in the midst of many negatives} of getting older is to appreciate and celebrate differences - I now truly seek out inspiring women, whether they are just like me, or not. 

And what I have discovered while contemplating this post is that I collect friends like I collect decorative objects for my home.  Some of my friends are vintage, some are contemporary, I embrace imperfections, some friends are practical and reliable, some are unexpected with a touch of whimsy, some are colorful, some are safe, many are beautiful both inside and out.  And most importantly, like home accessories, more friends are NOT necessarily better.  My older self prefers quality over quantity.  I aware and thankful for how my 'collection' blesses my life.......I believe it is one of the benefits of moving around alot and having to create relationships - often!

Am I perfect? No!  Do I still find myself wondering why I didn't 'click' with someone I meet? Yes!

But as a mother raising a tween and teen, I optimistically hope that by watching me and how I relate to my women friends, that I will show my girls that you can't "judge a book by it's cover".

Finding what you are NOT looking for.....

It's both the one great thing and endlessly frustrating thing about 

shopping at flea markets......

You most likely find  awesome things that you were

not necessarily looking for and those specific items

you have in your mind to find, often prove elusive!

This was certainly the case for me at Farm Chicks!

I was on the hunt for a great cabinet - preferably painted, with

it's original finish.  It was not to be.

Instead, I found this pedestal table with a GREAT patina -

worn white paint, almost a grey finish.  At the bargain

price of $125 I snapped it up quick.  While this

table might prove too large for most room's scale,

my great room could use the 'hef' this table provides.

Happy Friday everyone!

My girls have exactly ONE week left of school!

Needless to say, momma was busy with her calendar

and the camp brochures yesterday....better late than never!

I took exactly 10 pictures at Farm Chicks....{and here they are!}

First, I must apologize.  I went to Farm Chicks and did not bring a real camera.

{just my trusty iPhone}

I did that totally on purpose.

I went to Farm Chicks for a getaway, to hang with my girlfriends,

to hunt for great finds, see old friends, enjoy some adult

beverages along with some yummy food........and I am 

happy to report that I successfully accomplished all of the above!

Plus, I managed to take 10 pictures with my iPhone.

Spokane is good 5 hours away from Portland, but with girlfriends and a speedy

mini {van NOT cooper - heeeyyy, Kasey}the trip goes super fast.  The drive

is also beautiful - through the great Columbia Gorge and then through eastern Washington.

The photo above was taken in eastern Washington.

When we arrived in Spokane, we headed straight for a relatively new vintage

shop called 'Pink'.  Pink is owned by a friend, the lovely Celeste Shaw who

also happens to own the best restaurant in Spokane, Chaps.  Pink is

just awesome - a mix of lots of industrial pieces along with a bunch 

of chippy stuff with reproduction pieces mixed in.  So good!

My hubby works for a pharmaceutical company so the sign above was tempting

for his office.....

See the moose?  It is a taxidermy form - used to stretch the hides over when 

they were getting....ahem......'stuffed'!

On Friday night we headed to Chaps - where Celeste had reserved primo tables for us.  

We met up with a group of gals from Minnesota - many of whom are Junk Bonanza 

vendors and had come to Farm Chicks for fun, the fabulous Melaine from My Sweet Savannah

who has become a friend {she is real and nice}, Tiffany Dixon {The Fancy Farmgirl} and 

Beth Quinn {from Beth Quinn Designs}.  We were an eclectic group and felt so 

warmly welcome by Celeste who is really the most generous and gracious hostess! 

We ended our night out by posing for pictures in front

of Tiffany 'new' truck - how awesome is it?????

How cheesy are we?

On Saturday morning, it was time to get our shop on!

We were lucky to have Early Bird tickets but unlucky to have

to stand in the pouring rain waiting to get in!  It was horrible - 

cold and wet but it did not seem to dampen {huh!} the enthusiasm

once Serena opened the doors!

Almost my first stop was Uber Chic's booth.  I purchased my bench from them 

last year and I just love that they bring items exclusively from Europe.  This year,

their booth was awesome!  Can you see the dyed grain sacks in the photo above?

They were SO awesome!  Ingenious, I tell ya!  It really gives some

'oomph' to the traditional grain sack.  I purchased a yellow one for my

living room. Wish I would have purchased more!  I think we will

be seeing alot more of them incorporated into contemporary design.

Uber Chic also brought a ToN of crates, demijohn jugs, glass canning jars, baskets and

wooden cutting boards.  Needless to say, we spent alot of time in their booth over

our two days at the show.

If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend The Farm Chicks show.  It's a blast!

And by the looks of the photo above, taken of our full mini, I think

we successfully got our shop-on!