Quinn is turning one on December 22nd...we had his birthday party this weekend. I can't believe that a year has gone by since he was born!

Copper Penny Vintage

I have launched an Etsy Store: Copper Penny Vintage. I am absolutely tickled about vintage items...they make me very, very happy. My first weekend open and I was so honored to have my Vintage Polka Dot Glasses included as a Groovy Gal Find

We have had such little snow here that it is hard to believe that Christmas is only a few short weeks away. We had to do something to help us get in the holiday spirit so we went to a local Christmas lighting festival. Our friends told us about this event and we just had to go! They closed the street down and we waited for Santa to come down the street and light the lights. We had candles and hot cocoa and apple cider and lots of fun. The lights were amazing and just the thing I needed to remind myself that Christmas is surely coming. The only good part about it not snowing a bunch is that we had really great weather to be outside enjoying the lights.

I am so very excited for this Christmas. This is the first Christmas in two years that we are not welcoming in a new member of our family. In 2008, we left just a few days after Christmas to pick up Brecken from Ethiopia and last year, Quinn was born on December 22nd. Although we have been so hugely blessed by both of those Christmases, it is nice to have a quiet, non-life-changing Christmas this year!

Halloween 2010

We so love the town that we live in. The town hosts a bunch of events during the year and one of my favorites is the Halloween Chili Potluck. Everyone in town comes dressed in their Halloween costumes and we simply eat dinner together. Our Halloween was filled with...

Carved pumpkins ready to welcome Trick-Or-Treaters,

Mister Rodgers,

Two 50's gals,

A very serious farmer, and

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Halloween sprinkles....not to mention the gobs and gobs of candy we confiscated from our children.

Blake's Halloween costume for her class party today.

Vintage sunglasses for our fifties inspired Halloween costumes.

My Favorite things today...

Absolutely beautiful thrift store find. Inntrax Twig Crayons are from Poland.

These crayons are handmade from found twigs in nature.

Spaghetti sauce and salsa made from 40 lbs. of tomatoes from our farm...

lots of work but it will totally be worth it in March when I am missing summer!

This print was a gift from my mom - Thanks Mom, I love it! You can find the artist here.

Amazing table I got from a garage sale fora whole $4. I heart garage sales!

Getting all three of my kids to look at the same time when I take a picture...amazing.

I love old things. I have been collecting vintage items for the last few years just because it is something I love. I buy items that I can use such as pyrex bowls, hand mixers, butter dishes, salt and pepper shakers, old quilts, etc. I love using these items because they make me happy. I love their design and style. It has become a challenge for me to find unique and fun items...a treasure hunt that I go on whenever I go thrifting or to yard sales. I am always surprised with what I find and that is what makes it so exciting and kinda addicting. A few weeks ago, I went to a garage sale and stumbled on to two boxes full of vintage sewing patterns from the 40s and 50s. I bought them all. They are amazing and beautiful and I want to make them so I can wear them. Aren't they so very cool? Of course, my project list is all ready a mile long, so I am going to sell these beauties and share the vintage goodness with others.

Harvestival

We went to the farm this weekend for Harvestival.

The weather was beautiful and it was nice to get out of town even if it was just for a few hours.

Meet Petunia the Donkey

We had so much fun in the hay maze...i think the girls could have played there all day long!

These cool painted school buses are home to the farm's chickens. They are full of nesting boxes. I love the phrase "Plant Peace Harvest Love"

Enjoying some of the farms Raspberries for a snack.

Sad and Wonderful

My first baby turns five today. I can't believe five years have gone by. I feel sad and wonderful all at the same time. We celebrated her birthday this weekend with all our amazing friends...she felt so loved on by everyone. Where is the pause button so I can just keep her here for a while? Happy Birthday to my Sunshine Girl!

Even though school has started and the days are starting to get shorter and shorter, we are still trying to eek out the last little bits of summer. Last weekend, we went camping in beautiful Salida, Colorado. Salida has been on my list of places to visit for years and years. It is a cute little town with gobs and gobs of opportunities for outdoor fun. There is an amazing river walk area where you can see people rafting and kayaking, fishing and just playing in the water. Along the river there is an area with a bouldering wall and we loved playing on the wall. The town is filled with little stores filled with antique and artsy treasures. I also think that there must be some law that every resident must own a cruiser bicycle and there must be at least one cruiser displayed in every shop in town.

Welcome to my favorite part of my kitchen. Andy and I tore down the cabinets on this side of the kitchen and added these shelves for an anniversary present to ourselves. This is something I had been wanting to do for a long, long time. We are so thrilled with our shelves and our new lights. It just makes it oh so easy to get dished out and put things away. It makes our kitchen feel so much brighter and bigger and it makes me so happy just looking at them.

My biggest girl went off to kindergarten last week. She woke up excited and so ready to go. She hardly touched her breakfast because she was a little nervous so we made a special first day of school trip to Starbucks for a vanilla steamer and a vanilla latte to calm both of our nerves...Starbucks works wonders. We found her teacher in front of the school and she lined up to walk inside with all the other kindergarteners. You would think that with twenty-some five years olds and their parents and siblings it would be loud with talking, but everyone was so quiet, that I'm nervous and trying to hold it together kind of quiet. Her teacher is as sweet as they get and was able to say the words that parents and kids need to hear on the very first day of school.

Before we left for school, Blake asked me to draw a little heart on her hand so she could be reminded of how much she is loved while she was at school...I drew a heart on my hand too just because I will miss my first baby so much while she is gone at school learning and growing.