Our (future) Mini-Farm

Remember that super exciting project Audrey and I were working on? Well, while we were up in Oregon over the Christmas holiday we did a little house hunting. We toured a few houses and did a lot of driving around trying to find something that would work for our family, but ultimately we were pretty disappointed in what was available.

That is until we drove by this...

Two acres of beautiful land exactly where we were hoping to find something. It's close to a small little town which I love, but not too far from the city where the high school is and yet still very much in the "country". It's flat, it's irrigated, it's surrounded by pear orchards and vineyards. It's pretty perfect.

So... we bought the farm, so to speak. Technically it isn't ours yet, but it will be soon (fingers crossed everything goes as planned).

We are beyond excited!

All About Felicity

Sorry it was so quiet around here last week. Audrey and I had gone out of town the week prior to work on a new super exciting project, but it lasted a little longer than expected and we didn't get back until just last Friday.

What's the super exciting project you ask? I can't wait to share, but that will have to wait just a little longer because right now it's all about Felicity. Remember awhile back when I mentioned watching way too many episodes while I was sick? Well, I got hooked and am now down to the last three episodes of the series and need to take advantage of a quiet house before I miss my chance to watch them.

Pathetic, I know, but I'm OK with it.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Photo Friday: Playing in the Leaves

One of the benefits of the extremely mild winter we have had so far is that there are still plenty of leaves to play in. Audrey is taking full advantage.

Here's to a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Seamstress in Training

Audrey has become fascinated with my sewing machine lately. She has figured out how to use the on/off button, change the stitch length and type, and the speed. She climbs up in the chair and gets to work.

She sits there for a long time stitching back and forth on the same piece of fabric. Each time it gets to the end of the fabric I turn in around and she starts again.

I'm not the kind of mom who hopes to push my kid(s) into any one activity over another, but I have to admit that it makes me happy that she is showing at least a little interest in one of my favorite hobbies. We'll see how long it lasts.

Audrey's New House

Last week we got insipred to "build" Audrey a new house. So we stopped by a local appliance store and picked up an old refrigerator box. After a little repair work, "remodeling" (cutting out a window and door), and a few coats of paint that we already had lying around she had her new house.

We finished it off by adding a mail slot (pretend there is a slot cut there, for some reason I took the photo right before we cut the slot), some "carpet" (an old blanket), a light hanging from the ceiling, and a few pictures. She specifically requested a "cow", an "eep" (sheep), and "Mama, Dada".

She definitely loves the house and plays in it all the time. And I love it because it keeps her entertained and cost us nothing to make. That's a win-win if you ask me!

Homemade Gifts

I'm going to extend the Christmas posts by one more day because I simply can't miss out on sharing the fantastic homemade gifts I got this year.

The first one I was kind of expecting, considering that I had specifically requested it a few months earlier. It was a pair of spool holders from my mom and dad made to hold both the spool and the bobbin. They were exactly what I wanted. And are so beautiful filled with my colorful thread.

The second gift was from my sister-in-law. I was so lucky she picked my name this year for our gift exchange. She took some of my absolute favorite photos and printed them onto blocks of wood. The effect is amazing and I love how they look sitting on top of our bookshelves.

Homemade gifts really are the best. Not only was the item fantastic, but knowing the thought and time that went into the gift makes it that much more special. I would love to give only homemade items. Maybe if I start now I will be ready before Christmas next year!

Our Christmas Vacation

I realize that Christmas was weeks ago at this point, but our vacation is just now coming to an end. Here are a few pictures of how we spent our time.

Eating pistachios. 

Bryce's family has a pistachio orchard and Audrey couldn't get enough of them. I'm pretty sure she ate her weight in nuts while we were there.

 Trying out new toys. 

 Going on walks. 

 Playing with Play-Doh.

 And terrorizing the cat. 

All in all it was a great four weeks. I'm a little sad that Bryce had to go back to work today, but we have some fun new projects ahead of us that will make these next (and last) few months of living in California fly by.

Checking In

I'm still here. It is just that our Christmas vacation has turned into an extra long (and fabulous) break. Bryce has had minimal work commitments for the last several weeks and we are taking advantage of every minute he's home.

We have spent a lot of time with our families and have just enjoyed being together. But I'll be back soon. I have a lot of stuff I want to share, until then though I hope everyone's new year is off to a fabulous start!