the move!

The move is finally OVER!  The boxes are unpacked and I even spent a chunk of time on the couch yesterday.  On the couch!  Who does that??  Well, normal people do that, but life was not normal this summer. 

Our neighborhood sign - Norway Hill in Bothell is our new 'hood!

 First order of business was painting.  Purple and Blue! Oh my!  So much sister (and brother-in-law) help made this project WAY faster and more fun than it could have been. More (finished) pics of these rooms soon...

 

 

The neighborhood welcoming committee stopped by several times.  These guys are so much fun to watch, although I'm sure it won't be so much fun come spring when all the flowers are blooming.  Henry is now obsessed with looking out the window to see "Dee!"

 Grandma Mary was here to help wrangle Henry.  There was lots of book-reading, food-sharing, and following him around the yard, right Grandma?

 

 So happy to finally make this place ours!  Big thanks to all the aunties, uncles, Grandma, Grammy, Grandpa, cousins and friends that helped with the process!

sewing table makeover!

Remember how I said I learned how you should use a REALLY BIG drop cloth with spray painting? Well, I learned that in the process of giving my sewing table a face lift.

 Before : cute, but scuffed up / dirty

 During...

After!

 It's a shade brighter, but I like it.  Also, my right arm is a shade stronger - after scrubbing our brick patio for an hour and a half with a wire brush to remove the yellow spray paint over-spray.  I can laugh about it now. 

end of PSA.  Thank you Krud Kutter!

cool august nights in neskowin!

 

We were lucky enough to be able to take another trip to Neskowin - last weekend!

 We had one perfect beach afternoon.  The sun was shining but it wasn't hot, it was just perfect.  Lots of sand, cousins to play with, holes to dig, and waves to chase.

 

 The water was, of course, icy cold.  Did that bother this kid?  Nope! What bothered him was when we took him away. :/

Another highlight was a family hike and picnic at the top of Cascade Head.

Baby-wearing Dads!

 Charlie and Grandma

Henry & Romy held hands almost the whole way up. :)

Shannon & Bernie

(Stole these last pics from Shannon - thanks!)

 

 Goofy family photo

Not pictured: deli treats, Cafe at Hawk Creek, yummy meals at the Green Dragon, bonfire + s'mores at the beach, Auntie Janice, glider flying (attempts), shared baths (kids), and walks through town.  Can't wait to go back!

wrench bench makeover

Raise your hand if you have a collection of furniture made entirely out of old tools welded together.  Oh, hmmm, just me and my siblings?  Bet you are jealous now!  Yes, the Druffel kids are proud owners of several pieces of tool art, created by Mike Druffel.  Now a wrench bench might not be the most comfortable thing to sit on for a long period of time, but this thing's not giving out anytime soon.  Though neither rain, sleet, nor hail can destroy a wrench bench, they will cause it to rust like nobody's business.  It was high time for a wrench bench makeover! 

 Super Blahh!

 My dad always included hearts in his tool art.  This heart needs love.

I started with some good ol' scouring with a wire brush, to get the rust, dirt, and flakes of old paint off.  Then I wiped the whole thing down as best I could.

I learned all about the beauty of a spray paint handle!  These things are like $4 and so amazing!  Would also suggest using a GIANT drop cloth (or three) instead of just one small sheet.  Learned that one the hard way, but that's a different story.

A couple coats of "Royal Red" and this thing is as good as new!  Tip: don't sit on a wrench bench in shorts on a really hot day!  Unless you want a tool shape branded on your....ahem.

I made sure to hit my name-tag as well.  Love this so much! 

 So then I started looking around at all the other items in my yard....

 When I get over my new fear of spray paint I'll tackle one of these. 

totally worth the drive

This past weekend shall henceforth be known as The Weekend of the Longest Car Rides to Portland and Back EVER.  Despite the seriously horrendous traffic, we had a great trip down south!

 Books make long car rides WAY more enjoyable.

 We spent Saturday morning with Grammy, Grandpa, and the Howells at the Lake Oswego Farmer's Market.  All you really need to know about the Lake Oswego Farmer's Market is: Amazing Fresh Donuts.  Would have taken a picture of mine, but I scarfed it down too fast.  Henry was a wild man, wanting to walk all over the market (paying no attention to who or what he plowed into) - but he did stop a moment to look up to his cousin Romy.

 and play on the grassy knoll...

 Then Henry had his first ride on a speed boat.  Trust me, this was a happy face.  He keep yelling "Yeahhhh!"

Then the most gorgeous backyard wedding ever.  (besides yours Emily) So happy for Carsten and Kit, and great to see the whole gang again!

 

Totally worth the drive, but now off to scour the interwebs for tutorials on building a teleportation device....

blackberry harvest

Sooo, we're selling our house.  Which means life is not proceeding as usual.  No more sewing, lots more cleaning and house-y tasks.  It also means I have been finding WAY more time to read (doesn't make a mess :), more reason to get out of the house to find summer fun, and even time to make a delicious dessert or two. 

 We've been keeping a close eye on our blackberry crop.  The time was right last night for a harvest.  We mixed in some other berries, acquired the necessary vanilla ice cream, and BOOM! Dessert!

Recipe for Mini Blackberry Cobblers here!