Happy Fall Y’all!

I love the Fall season… however, currently in Dallas it doesn’t feel like Fall at all.(it’s been above 95 degrees everyday this week!) Regardless, I still like to decorate for the new season and pray that the heat goes away!

 

Last weekend I had fun putting a few fall things around our house. Most of it I already had… and the rest I purchased from the Dollar Tree or at JoAnn’s 50% off sale.

I used the same wreath I made last year… And,placed a few mini pumpkins by my porch plant.

Below is my new re-finished Trash to Treasure desk… to see more about it you can look at my previous post, or click here.

Kyle made me this pretty box out of some wood his Gammy gave us! It’s perfect for the mantle. Thank you Gammy!!!

And, we topped it all off with Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Have a great last week of September!

Trash?

So, over the summer I found a new hobby: Dumpster Diving. Okay, not REALLY, but close… sort of…

 

One morning in July, I was taking a jog around the neighborhood and I noticed that my neighbors were placing un-wanted items in front of their houses.  The upcoming weekend was our neighborhood’s monthly “Curbside Trash Pick Up.” Most people put stuff like trimmed tree branches or other un-usable things, but THIS week there were some incredible treasures on people’s curb! I noticed one lady pushing a few strollers to her curb and as I got closer I noticed one was a Jeep stroller and the other a Bob stroller. {I thought to myself – wow, I think these might be worth something?!} So, I asked her if she was really trying to get rid of them and she responded by saying YES, that her family didn’t need them anymore.

Um… what?! Really? You’re just going to THROW them away…?

So, I just keep  jogging and I notice a nice office desk chair just sitting on the side walk by the curb.

BINGO.

I ran fast to get home, got in my little Ford Escape, and went back to pick these treasures up!

I listed them on Craig’s list and sold them in a day without having to do anything to them. The stroller sold for $25 and the chair sold for $50!

 

So, this began my new favorite hobby… “dumpster diving” as I like to call it, ha!

 

A few days later I was driving through a neighborhood on my way home and I noticed an antique, beat up, old desk.

You better BELIEVE I loaded that little beauty into my SUV all by myself and brought it home! I used the $75 dollars I made from the first two Craig’s List sells to buy supplies to refinish the desk! And, here she is. The before and after…

 

 

I just LOVE it. The only problem is that my ORIGINAL intention was to fix it up, then sale it on Craig’s List for some extra cash. Except, once I finished it, I just loved it too much to give it away! So, it now sits happily in our front green room and serves as my “work” desk at home. It is filled with all things speech pathology, so fun-right?!

 

Here you’ll see that the top was in pretty bad shape…

I spent a few hours peeling away the original finish. After that, I sanded it down and then re-stained it! I spray painted the white paint and distressed the edges with my sander. I bought new hardware at Home Depot. And, voila – good as new.  

And, somehow…someway… between my (now) THREE jobs, I found time to put out a few Autumn decorations!  I think it was just my way of un-winding after a crazy week…and, I’ll say, it was certainly fun!

I’ll have to show you our version of pumpkin spice  & the crisp feelings of Fall at our house SOON…come back to visit!

Happy Dumpster Diving!

Adventures in Californ-i-a….

At the end of the summer, we jumped on a plane to San Francisco with a few couples from our community group.  Little did we know what was in store for us in the week ahead! Talk about a trip of a lifetime.  Our church placed us in a community group 2 years ago with some really amazing people.  And it just so happens that a few of them grew up in  some REALLY cool places around the United States…and we get to benefit from that by visiting their families.  We think it works out pretty well! One of the girls is from the San Fran area… and, her sweet parents were so hospitable & were willing to host us all week!

 

Let me just prepare you for picture o.v.e.r.l.o.a.d….this might be the longest post in all of history!

 

Day #1: San Francisco - Lunch at Fisherman’s Warf, Visited the seals at Pier 39, Tour by boat around Alcatraz and to see the Golden Gate & Bay Bridges, Ice cream at Ghirardelli Square, Rode a Cable Car {Probably my favorite part of the trip!} Drove across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, Ate appetizers in the coolest forest along the beach…

 

Day #2: Sonoma Valley- We began the day by renting bikes in Healdsburg, CA.  Then, we rode around Sonoma Valley and visited some beautiful wineries.  Stopped and had a picnic lunch in the gorgeous country & visited the General Store.  That afternoon, we drove a few miles down the road to visit the HUGE Redwoods. And, finally, we were told to arrive in a specific location at a specific time… when we got there, we were greeted by the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen & a private catered dinner by our host family! We explored the beach and watched the sun set. And to finish off the night, we stopped at Yogurt Farms on our way home! Overall, this was probably one of the coolest days of my life- I can’t believe all of the DIFFERENT places/climates we were in throughout just one day!!

Day #3: We packed up and drove from Santa Rosa to Yosemite. Hung up the hammocks, explored around the lake the area & slept just a few hours before we woke up the next morning at 3:45 a.m. for the biggest adventure of the trip…

The Phillips, The Blockers & The Harmons…

 

Day #4: We climbed HALF DOME! I still can’t believe we actually did this.  It was an unbelievable adventure- one that I’ll never forget, that’s for sure. We woke up at 3:45 a.m. and drove to the Valley Floor, hiked about 30 minutes in the dark to the trailhead of “Mist Trail.” After that, it was a challenging 12 hour day full of many challenges mentally & physically, but we did it! We finished around 7:00 p.m. that night… Whew, What a day in the life of a mountain climber! So glad to have my hubby to bring along enough water for the clan and good friends to keep each other going until we finished!

And, I must say… I cannot take credit for the picture above. I found it online and think it’s just unreal that we climbed that big ol’ booger!

Almost there….

The cables to take us to the TOP. No harnesses… just a pair of gloves, some 2x4’s, and a few cables to hang onto while we prayed for our lives that we wouldn’t blow away. Ha!

We made it!

 

Day #4: Explored around Yosemite- fished, swam, played cards, ate S’Mores & camped!

 

Day 5 & 6: Drove back to San Fransisco/Santa Rosa. Went ziplining in the Redwoods & ate dinner at The Santa Cruz Boardwalk!

We flew back home on Day #7 and just about crashed we were so tired from the week!

 

If you’re still reading & looking at pictures, then I am impressed. You must be either my Mom, Mother-in-law, or a grandparent.. haha. Thanks for sticking with me.  

 

What a wonderful trip with life long friends & unforgettable memories!