Lake Chelan House Lust

As promised, here is the perfect weekend home that I just happened to stumble upon one day during a walk at Lake Chelan. I love the large back porch with arched entrances, the way the grassy green lawn slopes down to the blue water’s edge, the oversized adirondack chair, the large trees and beautiful landscape, and the unobstructed views of the lake and mountains as the home sits at the end of a small street almost on a point. The fact that there was an old-school wood-paneled land cruiser in the driveway (my most favorite car!) was a pure bonus! So, homeowners, if this is your beautiful home, I’d love to talk one day when we are in the market for our weekend getaway!

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One of Those March Days…

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.”
–Great Expectations

Saturday. It was exactly one of those type of March days. And, I spent the majority of it outside planting flowers, gardening, playing, reading, and drinking a warm Earl Grey tea latte when the shade covered our lawn. It was pretty close to perfect (would have been better with David around). And, now we have our first lettuce crop growing and the radish seeds planted. Dots of color are popping up everywhere. And, we are all excited to be outside!

We haven’t really been affected by the time change yet as our Sunday was quite gray and drizzly and we didn’t really notice when the sun rose or set…but that’s okay. We spent our day indoors going to see a Pinocchio play and eating a dim sum lunch with friends. We do live in Seattle after all and the gray and drizzly makes the sun even that much prettier!

I hope all of you had a great weekend too. Are there signs of spring in your yards?

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Our Garden Box and Summer Salads

I’ve always loved the idea of gardening, tinkering around in the dirt with a few plants never really understanding the right thing to do, always having a low yield. But, this year, my parents sent us a garden box (a raised bed) and I researched and planned, determined to really test my green thumb.

And, I have to say that if you’ve never tried it you are missing out on an amazing opportunity. There is no gratification greater for me than serving a meal with vegetables that I grew with my own two hands. I love kneeling down with my knees in the cool grass, plucking lettuce leaves, arugula leaves, and kale from the garden box for lunch and dinner…there is something so therapeutic about it, something so naturally fundamental to my being. And, I love how much Jack is interested in the growing, caring for, and harvesting.

This is the time of year when the garden is abundant with its harvest. I love serving fresh, simple salads with every summer dinner, so when we had friend’s over for dinner this past weekend, I knew one of my shared dishes was going to be a mixed greens salad. I chose to keep it simple so as to highlight the freshness of the lettuce and arugula leaves without losing all those delicate flavors. I paired the greens with goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries and then lightly tossed it in olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and kosher salt. It was the perfect taste of homegrown summer time!

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Jack’s “Big Boy” Room

We count ourselves lucky to live in a house that has enough space to be able to create Jack’s big boy room well before he needs it. We loved the idea of taking our time to create the perfect cheerful space where Jack feels free to play and will one day (soon!) be ready to sleep in. So, on a budget, we created this wonderfully bright and cozy room that we spend hours in each day. Jack loves it, and so do we!

Here’s a peak at Jack’s corner of our home:

We opted for 2 twin beds in his room because I’ve always loved the idea of having a “friend” bed. Plus, having two beds has been extremely helpful as we currently use the room for our guests to sleep in. We purchased the beds at Ikea and love how they are close to the ground, making falls not so scary. Our matching transportation themed duvet covers also came from Ikea and I found the sheets at Target…they match perfectly despite being a different brand! We personalized the beds a bit with different pillows…the pillow cover in the above photo was a gift from our dear Aussie friends, it was mine when I was little. And, those alien-looking blue and green things on the table are the most rad night lights given to Jack from our dear friend, Lara. They get played with daily!

We take pride in our vast original art collection. David and I both find that wall art makes such an individual statement and provides just the right amount of uniqueness to a room. The Virginia Highlands sign (the neighborhood where Jack first lived) was purchased by my mom for our home in Atlanta and it fits perfectly right under one of Jack’s windows. The other art is a varied collection of pieces, in order of appearance:
Turtle from Pensacola Arts Festival, David’s when he was little
Live What You Love letterpress print, from dear friends (Thanks, Debbi and Brandon!) when Jack was born, purchased from an Etsy seller as seen here
Hand-painted personalized Jack frame, given my my parents
Framed 1st birthday party invitation, framed by my Auntie Sharon
Jean Miro print, a gift to me from David from our time studying abroad
A hand-painted and penned poem written by David’s great aunt to her little brother, David’s grandfather, Jack’s middle namesake

Another Ikea purchase were the Expedit bookshelves that I arranged as a corner unit using a 2 shelf and 4 shelf pieces. I love the amount of storage space it creates and the fact that Jack can reach all the surfaces for easy access to his things. We use it for displaying books, extra blankets, piggy banks, picture frames and albums, and, of course, toys! The baskets are labeled with handmade tags for puzzles, cars, trains, and tractors, blocks, wooden toys, and balls.

These are a few of the extra special items on the shelves:
An antique mini Radio Flyer wagon, given to Jack by Great Granny on his 1st Christmas
A glass cookie jar filled with Anamalz, one of our most favorite toys- separate post coming for these special guys later
Wooden fruits and vegetables cutting sets, 2nd birthday presents from Auntie Jessica

Probably my favorite part of the room is the tree! This was one of our snow day projects. My dad helped me to find a good branch when he was out for a visit and it’s been drying out in the garage. I made and hung felt apples and pears and an owl on the branches, per Jack’s request, and now it adorns a corner of his room, hanging over the “friend” bed. I think it makes his space even more unique and cozy.

Thanks for looking…more room posts to come.
PS Happy February!

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Things I’m Eyeing

Still loving these Minnetonka moccasin boots for Jack and these beaded ones for myself. L-O-V-E…
P.S. They are currently on sale…!

I love the travel tales of a family of three on this blog. Makes me want to hop on a plane.

Swooning over this 1890 farmhouse right in the middle of LA! I love the modern feel and clean spaces and their use of the outdoors, like the useable zinc tub under the citrus tree pictured above…oh my, be still my heart!

Excited to have a two week stretch of time (perhaps this summer?!) when we can plan for three meals a day together. As soon as that time comes, we’re looking forward to following Bon Appetit’s Food Lover’s Cleanse…the food looks amazing and the menu is put together so well!

These colorful, eco-friendly, non-stick sauté pans.

Moozle makes the most lovely kid’s teepee tents…I especially love this one with the cute red toadstools.

I am trying to find the perfect place for this chalkboard wall decal. Would be the perfect spot for writing down the week’s dinner menu…sure beats my current method of scribbling it down on a tiny sheet of white paper that floats aimlessly on our kitchen counter.

Absolutely love this Tree of Life poster…wouldn’t it be cute in a child’s bedroom or bathroom?

And, I have a craving for this delicious looking food from Skillet Street Food, both a diner and a street food vendor. They have Waffle and Fried Chicken Sundays!!! and Bacon Jam Bloody Mary’s…yes, please!

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