MT and Beyond - Part 1

I am still recovering from our great vacation to Montana and Wyoming! We had so much fun  and it was the kind of trip that I really did not want to be over. I even went through a little bout of sadness when we got home because I just wanted to stay longer and do and see so much more. Our days we filled with activities, catching up with friends and family, and seeing the sights and scenes I so dearly miss from growing up there.  

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Day 1: My mom and I, with Emerson left at 7:30 a.m. Driving, driving and driving some more. One of the pros to traveling with a toddler - we made a lot of stops so that Emerson could run around, get some fresh air and stretch his legs. We used this to our advantage! 

This guy has the biggest junk lot in Ashton right before you start your way to West Yellowstone. The photo only shows about an 1/8 of his property which is packed full. He was a character, to say the least! I got him to pose this way and told him to say "This is my kingdom!"

P.S. Yes, even the bus in the background was FULL of stuff!

Next stop: Bozeman, MT. We finally hit Big Sky country! We stopped at this great antique store. I loved the outside of the building and feeling like I just stepped back into time with the old patio chairs and coke machine! 

Emerson got to run around and play on one of the old wagons. He surprisingly did really well on the trip up there. The trip back is an entirely different story!

We stopped in town and went to my friend Stacie's store called Sugar. She is a long time friend that I grew up with and haven't seen in a long time. Her store is amazing and so is she! If you happen to find yourself in Bozeman, please stop, shop and tell her I sent you!

Finally got into Billings at 11:00 p.m. and had to make a stop at Walmart to buy some of the ugliest pajamas I have ever seen for Emerson. I forgot to pack him some! Got to my brother's house at 11:30. How nice it was to finally lay down and get some much needed rest!

Your Trash, My Treasure

This economy is a tough one and if there is any way to save money and spend less, here is the way to do it: Estate Sales! You can spend very little money and find great treasures and keepsakes with just a little hunting and driving around. I do prefer estate sales to garage sales because estate sales are held in a state of emergency typically due to a family member passing or being placed in assisted living, so the family is eager to sell what they can in a short time to help pay for funeral expenses or housing and they are willing to make a deal. Also, the items at an estate sale are usually in perfectly good condition and were well taken care of since they were used and loved until the day the person had to leave them.

Here are a few samples of what I have been able to find in my scouring through the belongings of the deceased:

This great candy dish which purpose serves as my soap holder in my bathroom. Sold to me for $2.00

These Wiss all steel pinking shears usually sell for around $50 in the store.  The sellers "cut" me a deal and sold them for $3.00!

I am so excited to use this great thermos this winter for our sledding, snowboarding, snowman building adventures! .25 cents! A nice cool price to keep us warm this winter!

I found this great hard bound book that is called "The Book of Flowers". There hundreds of pictures of hand painted flowers in it and I love the embossed flower on the cover. And when I don't have a grabby toddler that enjoys ripping things, It will be a perfect coffee table book for only $2.00!

This amazing serving tray is one of my favorite finds! It is larger than it looks (about 16" diameter and 8" tall) and each petal can be removed for easy cleaning. Another great feature: it spins smoother than a record on a turn table! Turned my head for only $2.00!

Another fave! These trays come in really handy when you have a toddler! E loves that his ketchup/ranch dressing has it's own home! Cool vintage trays - $2.00. Keeping your food from touching - priceless! 

Is it weird that if we ever get around to doing family pictures, that I want a shoot with just this bag...by itself? That is how amazing I think it is! I can't stop admiring it and will use it as my new carry on. Makeup, magazines and underwear are styling for only $2.00!

This may be the greatest find of the summer! I know the mid century modern thing isn't for everyone and I am glad. Leave it for me! I saw this chair and just about died! It is an Eames replica. It is made by Plycraft and is called a Mr. Chair. They are worth way more money than I would ever be willing to pay. However, the family selling this had no idea the value of it or that it is a collection piece and sold me the "hippy chair" (as they called it!) for only $30.00! I found it here for much, much, much more! P.S. This chair was around long before stinky hippys!

Lastly, this great hutch was owned by a lady who my mother in law took care of for quite some time. She passed away and my MIL was in charge of selling her things. We got this for free! Who can beat $free.nintey.free? I drilled holes in it and added some cute knobs from Anthropologie and now it holds all our kitchen appliances and our hearts! 

 Although I tend to migrate to the vintage items in a house and Wes goes straight to the tools, you can find a lot of new items and furniture pieces, as well. 

Tips for estate sale shopping:

-Check your local newspaper or their website under the classified section. (If you are local, ksl.com lists them in the classifieds under "Announcements"). Craigslist is another good way to find them.

-Go early! Some sales start as early as 7:00 a.m.! The early bird gets the worm!

-Take cash (1's, 5's and 20's) not check or debit. Also, the seller probably won't be able to break large bills.

-Always carry hand sanitizer and wet wipes with you! You can clean an item off to see it's potential and then clean yourself off! 

-Don't be afraid to wheel and deal! But, be nice and be polite! People are more willing to see things go to a loving home with nice, respectful  people!

-Make a list of things you are looking for (i.e. table linens, sewing supplies, flower vases, books) because it can be very overwhelming at times and cause a bit of anxiety!  Having a list can keep you calm and help keep yourself focused with your eye on the prize!

You're In My Seat

Next Monday I am leaving for nearly 2 weeks to go to Montana and Wyoming. While there, I will get a chance to spend a lot of time with 2 incredible people that I miss dearly: My grandparents! I don't get to see them very often and when I do, my time is often shared with a lot of other family members that are visiting as well. This visit will be different and I can't be more ready to go! My head is already there!

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When I was just a little older than Emerson, my grandfather made this wooden chair for me. By hand! I remember thinking that I was pretty special since I got my very own chair! As the youngest child, I was often forced to give up my seat or told to move somewhere else so that an older and more dominating family member (you know who you are!) could have it. So, getting this handmade present was a dream come true! Over the years, my little buns grew too big for the seat and my legs too long, and it soon became only a stepping stool for home repair projects and was stored in the garage for further grunt work. I brought it home from my parents house the other day and with a little TLC, I brought it back to life!

Before

After

I found an image of Peter Rabbit online and decoupaged it to the seat of the chair. My grandfather use to - not TELL us this story - but SING us this story with his loud, deep voice and I thought it was the greatest thing a child could possibly hear! I couldn't help but work on this chair and wonder if he ever imagined that one day my child's little buns would be sitting on it and loving it as much as I did!

Free Concerts Rule!

You know summer is officially here when the Gallivan Center starts the free Twilight Concert Series. Last night was particularly in our favor since the 2 bands performing were in Wes and my top 5 faves! Jenny Lewis was the opening act. I have loved her for years, even before her solo career when she was part of the ever so awesome, Rilo Kiley. She did not disappoint! Next up on stage was Bon Iver (pronounced "Bone Eh-Vehr"). Wes has waited quite some time to see this band live. Music from these guys are played almost 24/7 at our house. We heart them so very much! 

I was an idiot and forgot my camera so we had to use the cell phone to take pictures. Blah. I was so mad at myself! The pictures are horrible! 

The place was packed. I would say that out of the 5,000+ people there, only about 500 of them were there to actually see the bands. The rest were there to get in my way, stink up the place with their free flowing farts and act like drunken idiots. The Gallivan Center is waaay to small for these events and the unappreciative party-ers should leave it alone and just make their way to Evanston, WY. 

That's why I was so excited when our friends handed us VIP passes into the gated area! Alas we were free from the mayhem and stench! We had a great view, all the free beverages we desired and we were able to bask in the delightful sounds of Justin Vernon in peace...just like it should be!

This was the first date Wes and I had been on in a very long time! It was so good to get out without Mr. Little Jeans and enjoy our night out on the town! If the picture was taken full bodied, you would be able to see that we were standing on a cloud with the number 9 neatly pinned to it! 

Out for a Drive

Yesterday was one of the few days Wes and I had free in several weeks. A definite "poppy" moment in life! We decided to take a drive to some of the small towns that surround us and check out what they had to offer as far as Tuesday entertainment. We had a hard time deciding to go north or to head east. East won. (Sorry, but west wasn't even an option! Have you been out west of SLC?! No thank you!)

We first started in the tiny town of Peoa. I knew that some of my relatives were buried there and quite honestly, I thought Peoa was somewhere by Manti or Price. It just so happens that the cemetery is right off the main road and I could see a large monument with my ancestors names on it.  After taking this picture and thinking I was pretty lucky to find it among the others, I noticed about 20 other headstones all with the Marchant name on it.  I guess I pretty much own this town.

Next stop: Oakley! I love this place! If I were to buy a vacation home in Utah, it would be here! This may just be the coolest small town next to Cowley, Wyoming. We stopped at the Road Island Grill. It is an old trolley car from, well, Road Island. It has been turned into a restaurant that keeps the 50's vibe alive! 

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They even had real jukeboxes at the table! After dropping a quarter in the slot and selecting B5, we could hear the Beach Boys sing "Wouldn't it be Nice"!

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They even have homemade/handmade milkshakes - my number 1 favorite food of all time! Made with REAL ice cream, not that soft serve crap poured from a spout on a machine! 

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We hit the towns of Marion, Kamas, Francis, Woodland and then ended up in Heber and Midway.  It was a great day for a drive!

We took Guardsman's Pass home. Look at this incredible view! 

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What is it about seeing a steep drop off and wanting to chuck a rock into it? We couldn't resist the urge! F.Y.I. I am a terrible aim.

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I love this man! He likes to do the same things I do. 

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Little E wanted to drive us back home and honk the horn the whole way. Whoa happy buddy! Let's wait about 14 more years! 

Embellish Away!

It came! I am so excited about my newest purchase: "Embellishing - Techniques and Projects" by Kayte Terry. Kayte worked as a Visual Manager in the New York Anthropologie for 5 years and it is made evident in this book. The DIY crafts and fashions are simple, inexpensive and of course, darling! This book has now made me a long list of craft projects to keep me busy during those triple digit temperature days of July! More pictures to come of what I conjured up! Wish me luck!

Saturday is a Special Day

When you are a stay at home mommy and have a hubby that is off work 4 days out of the week, every day is a Saturday! However, in the summertime, this day is a tad bit more precious and we find ourselves doing Saturday things on actual Saturdays. It is on the dark and cold days of winter that I long for the SLC Farmer's and Craft Market. I dream about lemonade, fruit tarts, jars of fresh honey and herbs. I long for the sound of the music being played by the street performers, the smell of the roasted almonds and the sights of all the people from all walks of life. Attending this weekly and culture ridden event keeps me sane in the "square" state of Utah.

Making a stop at Bruges Waffles just across the street. I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious this place is! These waffles are obviously from a place far beyond this world. Angels just may have made these.

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Aside from all fresh fruits and veggies, there are a lot of art and craft vendors. You know how I am a sucker for the crafts!

Easy Keeper is a one gal, one letter press operation. I am in love with Whitney Shaw's seed packets and recipe cards. I have them on my list of must have's for my next market visit! Her vintage/Victorian inspired images are right up my alley! Also, for all the animal lovers out there, she offers "canine and feline announcements" instead of baby's birth announcements! How clever is that, I ask you? I love talented crafters and I especially love local talented crafters!

V. Lou has a great booth where you can spoil your little one's rotten while making them look good at the same time. Yep, I gotta pick me up one of these shirts and totes for my Mr. Little Jeans! The brains behind it all is Kristin Cranmer. She also sold me the GREATEST shirt ever for only $20 because it was a prototype. She is my new Saturday hero.

Don't miss Ryan Perkins! I'm not sure if he will be there every week, but his work is charming and delightful! I absolutely love his colorful notebooks! His pocket-sized one will be perfect to carry around in a purse (or diaper bag!) to jot down any thoughts, ideas and inspirations. Or to just write down how much you love Ryan Perkins! (Sorry, he doesn't have a website or blog to link to but you can reach him at: ryan.d.perkins@utah.edu)

This may be my new fave pic of all time! This photo makes me happy on so many levels! I love Mom. I love lemonade. I love summer. I love Farmer's Market.

After was all said and done and walking away with just one bottle of honey and a new shirt, it was time for a much needed break. It gets pretty crowded and very toasty by noon so it's always nice to find a spot in the shade and just rest. There is a great playground in the park for the little ones. Since the park is a home to transients and meth-heads the other 6 days of the week, it never hurts to watch where you step and to always check for syringes laying on the ground before letting your child play!