PENDLETON

I love Pendleton! I took a drive over there yesterday. My first stop was the woolen mill. One day I want a Pendleton blanket. I have three favorites: Chief Joseph, Harding, and The Spirit of the Peoples. I just have to decide where it will hang in the new house before I settle on a color. I was born in Pendleton. I spent my first 8 years there, minus time at BYU and in Eugene while dad was in college. Both sets of Grandparents lived there. Grandpa Bert and Grandma Littig lived right across the street from school. Grandpa Lee lived a few blocks away. We spent alot of time with them. We lived with them at times. Grandpa Lee had the neatest old stone cottage with lots of out buildings to explore. He lived against the cliffs and we spent many hours playing on the rocks and running along the path that was covered with lots of trees. It made a good playhouse. The Littig house was different. It was a nice home with a big porch, a paved driveway, a garage for the Rambler, and lots of nice furniture.
We played in the Severe Saddle Shop, we marched in the round-up parade, we could see drive-in movies out our window, Grandpa Bert had a denture shop in a long narrow building, Grandpa Lee always had to go to the post office and carried his change in those squeezy coin purses. I have many good memories of Pendleton and I am drawn back there all the time.

FIELD TRIP

Today we went on a field trip with Hank from Gold Valley Log Homes. We met in Pendleton and drove to Walla Walla. We traveled up to Mill Creek an area outside Walla Walla that I never knew of. It was pretty in the snowy mountains. Then we looked at a home in a field outside of Milton Freewater and lastly we drove up to Tollgate to see a cabin. They were all nice. I'm trying to see some examples of the insides of these log homes with people living in them. I need to know my decorating options you know. It was a nice drive...even over Cabbage which was very snowy. I think we still need snow, it's too early to think about spring.

We really liked this one the best of the three we saw today but it is a "cabin" and we're not sure we want a cabin to live in year round for the next 25 years. It was fun looking though.

This is small, only 565 sq ft, but it gave us an idea of how the inside looks all wood. Love the porch too.

This was a bigger home with two stories and a loft that looks out these neat windows.

TREASURE HUNT

Every time I go somewhere I have to be on the lookout for treasures. I try to hit the thrift stores in every destination town but I will also stop along the way if I see one. I follow several blogs and they are always posting their "finds" so I wanted to do that too. It's fun to see what others look for. In Kennewick over the weekend I went to Goodwill and another thrift shop I stumbled on while trying to find an antique store. I also went to the craft stores and found some excellent buys on christmas items. My sister, Sandra and I ( Sister Shic) have been doing a bazaar twice a year for years now. We started to expand last year and eventually I will have a shop out on the property and we will host our own events. So I have to be gathering inventory. I can't wait til February. Gareld and I are going on a trip to Portland then on to the coast. Last year on this same trip I found a cute dresser and we SQUEEZED it into the back seat of the Neon!

Happy Birthday Phil

Phyllis loved crab. We always got her some for her birthday. Yesterday at Costco we picked some up so we could celebrate her day and remember a neat lady!!

Grandparenthood!

Looks like a new chapter in our lives is about to begin. This little guy called tonight to tell us he is going to be a dad!! Monica and Brandon should welcome their first baby this fall. I've been thinking alot about what kind of Grandma I'm going to be. I can't wait to figure it out. I love little babies. Long distance may be tricky but I'm creative so I am sure this baby will know me! Congratulations...Bonders.

House Hunting....

That trailer is what we had planned on living in during our transition. We want to skip that step now and go ahead and just get the house. So take that out of the picture and see if you can visiualize one of the two houses below sitting up there instead. It's so fun making plans.

This house would be really nice. It's huge. We didn't think we would even be looking at this much square footage. The garage would be great. The entire upper level is left unfinished so we could do anything we wanted up there. In the model home it was so big. I could picture a bunk room or a craft room and tons of storage.

Here's another one we both like. This one has an awesome porch. The front of the house faces the front (or the valley) and the living room is in the back looking at the mountains. How would this look sitting up on the hill? What do you think? These are both stick built houses, meaning they come and build it from the ground up on your land in about 90 days. "Turn key" ready as they say. Everything done on the inside too. How nice would that be.

2010

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all have the kind of year that will bring you joy, peace, happiness, comfort, contentment, and fulfillment. I have big hopes for this year myself. I hope we can sell this house, I hope we can move to the property, I hope I can have my antique store ready for a fall show, I hope to go on some fun trips, I hope to go to the temple every month, I hope my kids are all finding what makes them happiest, I hope Gareld and I have 30 more years together. I hope you all have hope too!