thankful tuesdays

today i am thankful for effianna fay, or miss effie as we call her.

she is:

crawling
standing
playing
waving
babbling
making messes
eating things off the floor

this little girl has our hearts. she is so sweet and cuddly, leans in for hugs and is curious. she's been exploring the house, emptying bookshelves and doing her very very best to get into the bathroom. it is really fun to see her and z interact. they already are playing together (zula likes to crawl around the house with her) and getting into fights (effi will cry and look at me when z does something she doesn't like). i am really enjoying this stage.

thankful tuesdays

today i am thankful for trips.

it is so nice to get out of your ordinary routine, have an excuse to eat out alot and spend extra time with family, use disposable diapers.

so naturally i've been busy trying to get the house ready for our absence. oh i'm sure you know the list: cat sitter, chicken sitter, clean bathroom, clean floors, laundry done, diapers washed, beds made, dishes done, packed, clean car, clean out the fridge. it's ALOT of work to go out of town. by the time we leave i'm exhausted and really really do need a vacation ha! obviously this list is a little overzealous, i do not actually get all of these things done.

ahhh but isn't it nice to think; "this is the last sink full of dishes for 5 days," or "i don't have to make breakfast, or sweep the floor until i get back"?

here's what we've been up to today:

the last pile of laundry

the last sink full of dishes

trip treats

how about you? do you leave your house "as is" when you go, or do you scrub every corner before you leave?

thankful tuesday: in the garden edition

it's finally nice enough to enjoy our yard.  our garden is growing well, if i do say so myself.
we've already harvested, strawberries, and lots and lots of lettuce. so much lettuce i dont know what to do with it all :)

i'm looking forward to more planting and harvesting and relaxing by the kiddie pool.
today i am thankful for our wonderful garden and lawn. did you know when we moved in it was all dirt?

baby pepper plants, in our new raised beds

our new grass

herb garden

thanks to the bestie for my new outdoor table

ps what are you thankful for today?

thankful tuesdays

we got bikes! FINALLY i can't wait to take this baby out for a ride! mine's yellow. isn't it pretty? (she? him? i'm not sure yet, but i'll let you know once i know) we are only a couple of tubes and wheels away from an adventure.

thankful tuesday's

hey guess what? it's tuesday and i'm actually writing a post!!! crazy.
today i am thankful for our new house. it is the exact same layout as our old house except it's 300 sq feet bigger, has a remodeled kitchen, working fireplace, and beautiful hardwood floors. i am planning on doing a full house tour very soon but i have some projects up my sleeve that i need to finish before i show you all how it looks :)
when the bestie was over she was surprised by how set up we were.... i feel like it took awhile but then we got to counting weeks and realized we've only been in our new space about 2 months. so that made me feel better about my progress:) here's is a tiny tour of our house now.

i'm thankful for:
more space
a big kitchen
a remodeled kitchen
chickens
hardwood floors
working fireplace
garden space
new grass
spring

thankful thursday

i keep forgetting my "thankful tuesday" post! its one of my favorites to write and i'm always so bummed when its wednesday and i remember "o man yesterday was tuesday!" i've decided to just do it today anyway.

today i am thankful for spring! its been so nice here. we've been walking, playing outside and digging in the dirt. i also really really dont like to be cold. since our house was built in 1901 and has baseboard heaters (which are expensive and not very efficient) we spend the winter bundled up but still a little chilly. when spring gets here i'm always so excited and ready for a little warmth in the sun.
i'm also thankful for a big space to garden and a yard. apartment living has really made me appreciate our outdoor space. it has taken a lot of work to get it to where it's at but it was worth it. last summer we were outside all day almost everyday. and i'm looking forward to that again this year.

ps do you like my new app i've been using? its called photogrid, if you're interested :) i'm a little lot into my new smart phone. its my first!!!

spring break

for spring break our family went to "the farm" a.k.a. oma and opa's. since the husby had two weeks off from school, we stayed for awhile and enjoyed relaxing at the farm. it is so nice to have grandparents/in-laws that love to take care of your kids! we slept in, stayed up late and squeezed in a few dates. for one of our dates we went to breakfast and then to an antique store in Monroe WA. Luckily i have a man that likes to browse those sorts of stores with me:)

we went to The Hitching Post, a tiny breakfast place that has murals all over the walls.

the food and coffee was delicious, of course, especially since we got to have an adult conversation.

effi slept most of the time, as a good baby should when her parents are on a date.

this was the wall behind the cash register at the antique store. i'm kicking myself for not remembering its name! isn't this cool! it makes me want (even) more suitcases.

someday, when my kids are grown, i will have pretty drinking glasses. but for now we will stick with jars that i dont cry about if they get broken.

we also scored a big wooden "E" from the antique store. it was 4 DOLLARS!!!!! i know right?! it's the one in yesterday's post if you wanna see it:)

what did you do for spring break?

the best day ever

so yesterday i went to estate sales with my bestie, danae. it was so much fun and i got some awesome stuff! it is so nice to get out without the toddler in tow. and it was so nice to have a full day with danae. she brings life to my soul:) when we were out hunting we realized that we hadnt been to estate sales together since before farm chicks last year! crazy. check out gather and hunt's facebook page to see more pictures from our day.
here are a few a took while we were out:

 

1. treasures i found.

2. effi being a champ!

3. a pretty ring i picked up for a buck!

thankful tuesdays

today i am thankful for spring! i hate being cold and this nice warm weather is just what i've been needing. we've been playing outside alot and enjoying the sunshine. zula says, "its nice today" and so we go out and have a snack on the porch.
spring is so fun. its such a fresh season full of dreams and plans for the future.

i'm dreaming of:
vegetable gardens
backyard chickens
homemade hammicks
kiddie pools
daily walks
lots of sunshine
bicycle rides
green grass

ps what are you looking forward to?

thankful tuesdays, V-Day edition

today i am thankful to have a warm house, treats and a thoughtful husby. there's nothing like a little something special to get your day started right.
i am also thankful for boxes. lots of boxes. we are packing  playing over here at the lee household.

i could make a list for you of all the things that have converged at once upon us, but that may make me even more overwhelmed. unfortunately this has resulted in too much time being productive rather than having fun and making special valentines for people :( ahhh next year i guess.
i was invited to a galentine's day brunch yesterday, if you dont know what that is you should need to watch Parks and Rec. it was sooooo much fun and will hopefully become a yearly tradition. at the last second i remembered i had valentines that i made last year in the basement. luckily i tend to save ridiculous stuff like that because most of the ladies had valentines for one another. whew close one! ha

ps what are you doing today?

thankful tuesdays

i am thankful for our house. this house was our first long term home as a family. we have had our first and second baby here, planted our first garden, had a dog, got rid of a dog, played, laughed, stressed, decorated, painted, got in over our heads, lounged in the sun, made a snow-man, survived a drive-by shooting, walked to our favorite coffee spot, chatted with neighbors, barbecued and learned. i am also very thankful to move at the end of the month. dont panic!! we are only moving next door. i'm excited for a new and larger space to decorate and for new neighbors!!!

a few of my favorite things

pictures by zula and how she cant wait to put them on the fridge.

making messes having fun with zula.

 

my built-in 

 

and the pretty things in it.

 

baking

what are some fun things you have been doing?

december is for thankfulness??

i wanted to do one last thankfulness post but wasn't able to find time at the end of november, so here it is for you in december:)

i am thankful for seattle, for all our friends and the time we spent there.

i am thankful for the time i spent in seattle. it was the summer after my 18th birthday and my first time living on my own. aaron and i dated, got married and spent the first 3 years of our marriage in seattle/capitol hill. this place will always have a special place in our hearts.
while there we helped out at church of the undignified. our friends there are gems and the things we learned at that church were life changing. i am so thankful to have had that season in our lives. it really shaped our beliefs and stretched our faith. it was a crazy time; full of fun, scraping buy, exciting things, great worship and healing. i would not be who i am today if it were not for that church and community of friends we had there.

This is Anna Miller and me, (at her birthday party i believe).  this was the year we moved to yakima.

this is victrola coffee, where aaron worked for awhile. almost every apartment we lived in was walking distance to here. we were there alot. especially when he worked there, cuz we got free coffee.

this is at my bestie's wedding, she's the one in the wedding dress ;)

this was our first apartment we shared after we got married. we were in the basement back corner of the building. all our windows had a brick wall about 4 feet out from them, and it was cold! but cheap and perfect for us.

Aaron and i in Saul's apartment, just down the hall from Aaron's first apartment. we were engaged at the time.

Church of the Undignified being undignified