EGGS!

Green Eggs and Ham......

This weekend was GREAT! We got to see Josh & Sarah (their 3 kids) and Ben & Jen (their 4 kids) up in Seattle WA. Both Josh and Ben are Tom's older brothers and I adore their families (and them). Having 7 nieces and nephews up there that I dotn get to see very much makes me want to soak up ever second I can with them! Here are a few pics of our weekend Adventure:

Step one: Sleep in!!! (no work ) YES. Starbucks...always a must on a road trip, wait its a must everyday! Down my cranberry orange scone because i was starving. GET TO DRIVE all the way there because Tom needs to work and answer phone calls. Did you know that Washington's speed limit is 75!? Heck yes. Maneuver in and out of Seattle like a pro - Check! Stop and get snacks. I will have to add that cheddar popcorn in a bag is my favorite thing in the world to eat! Stay at a house with 4 kids and love ever second of it. Play Uno with the 3 little ones and win2 out of 4 times and maybe be a little too excited about my VICTORY. Go a Giant Easter Egg hunt with hundreds of kids and 6 adults and 7 kids means we are out numbered...NO child was lost or hurt in the making of this! Watch a 2 hour T-ball game of my six year old nephew Jaxon  and watch his team win and him filled with joy as he didn't "strike out and be a loser" (direct quote from him) boy do we raise them competitive...I swear he is not my child, but I have a good feeling that mine will be very similar. drop the kids off at "kids night" at their local YMCA and enjoy an evening with us adults. We had steak and lobster for dinner, cooked by Jen's dad and step mom in their amazing house overlooking Lake Washington....did I mention that it hit 70 degrees and my arm got burnt?! Pure goodness! Arose early for sunrise church service! had brunch with both families. Drove to Woodenville Washington to look at Josh and Sarah's new house they move in next week. I drive home due to the fact that over the weekend Tom's eyes got red and swollen and his contact was scathing his eye. He slept I drove (normally the other way around, and that's how I like it) I cut of 23 min of our drive time....tom calls me a fast drive...pesh posh. To tired to cook after my long 4 1/2 hour drive I made that we called in delivery pizza and I did manage to get in 2 loads of laundry. Follow up by watching my new favorite obsession  TV Show....Army Wives (season 4). To bed.

Ella Brittingham ( Turning 3 in July)

Learning to do the Monkey Bars

Aunt Cole and baby Cason! Enjoying the park

Ella using her daddy as a Jungle Gym!

 

 

 

Jaxon T Ball

 SO me all into my fashion....didn't get one picture of my outfits even though I told Tom to do it and I forgot to remind him. = Fail

Uncle Tom getting some practice in!

Jake and Sophie

Jake! CUTENESS

Cason (not so happy) and Aunt Cole...loving it!

We had a great weekend with the family and celebrating Easter! Now back to the real world!

NIC & COLE

Hold the Floor!!!!

Carpet Squares, Flooring and David! 

A person can get overwhelmed going into a carpet store, see not only do they have carpet but flooring and laminate and well you name it they got it. My OCD kicked in when we walked in and the floor is all different color of carpets and different hardwoods all layed in besides each other...I am pretty sure I would go crazy working there!!  David our sales guy was an interesting fellow. Super nice but had a little quark about him.. was super excited about carpet and flooring maybe that's what the quark was! What a weird job to have, but he seemed to enjoy every second of it and was so helpful and pulled all the stuff we needed and more!

So here is our carpet and hardwood and flooring for the bathroom's and laundry room:

I am more excited then I look ! :)

Craft corner is what we should start calling my table....oh boy its becoming a part of my life...no more "just one project" its almost a full time job in itself (that I am neglecting) Here are a few pictures of my items

My Wreath !

My GOLD mirror....no more!!!!

My Candy Stash...oh opps that's not a craft. BUT I do a reward system....one rose made equals 1 candies....its a good system. 

 

Watch out Color Brigade ....I am all over this! 

Yellow, Denim, floral print (and add in printed tights and boots and a Belt) and you get = None of my cloths matching!!! (big pat on my back from me !!)

                                                   Skirt: Romey- on sale for 5.99
                                                   Belt : Urban Outfitter- 12.99
                                                  Watch: Nordstroms (Gift Card -Free)
                                                   Denium Shirt: Target- on sale 5.99
                                                  Sweater: Target -14.99
                                                  Flower brooch - Sarie June Etsy Shop

My wonderful Teachers Assistant took this picture of me and my "Don't get in trouble look"

I wanted to give a shout out to one of my closest friends! She is amazing and super talented and all around a sweet person oh and did I mention gorgeous?! You should try her food it is amazing Thekiwigirl cooking Kelly! . She went and thrifted this skirt (made my heart proud) and made this outfit on Sunday and look so stylish I needed to take a picture! 

Happy Easter Everyone! Pictures from our road trip to Seattle and the older Brittingham siblings to come on Monday!!

NIC & COLE

How could you not Thrift??!!

 If its half price that means I get more.....right??!!!!

I have found another thrift store I have fallen in love with. "Crossroads Trading Co". It has great prices and a great selection of sizes and all styles. I scored 3 new tops, 2 skirts (Watch out world , I am on a skirt kick right now) 1 new dress and a pair of black skinny's (I was in desperate need for those, because really who wouldn't be in need of another pair?!) If I have 20 dollars to spend I can go thrifting and get multiple items or 1 item at regular price. Why not get more?! I love to go in and hunt for items, my hunter mentality kicks in of: go, find, bag, bring it home, I have conquered, jump up and down with joy, as soon as you get home try it all on AGAIN and make outfits out of them!!!!.....okay so I guess that I am not a true "Hunter" they probably do not do the last few things!

Here are a few of my outfits from my last expidition: 

My New Banana Republic shirt thrifted, White pants: Gap,  Sweater: Gap,  Belt : Thrifted

 

                                                       

Hello first "Real" Day of Spring...ohh how I have missed you!!!

 *I had found a "Color Brigade"(Check out her link on the Right hand side of my blog)  and the rules were you had to wear 3 different colors (patterns only counted as one) so this was my first attempt at it..its harder then you think! I know you are probably calling me a big baby, so you can now attempt to do it! Sarah has completed it and did a great job she is listed as a team member in the brigade!!!

Taking a break from the office to enjoy the kids playing :)

I feel like I should get a recess!!!

I was showing off my  new socks that have rocked my world. They are long enough to wear with my boots and have purple on the top!!! Awesome! 
Oh and I gave myself a bang trim...I am pumped about my hair growing but that means I need a hair cut sooner and my hairstylist just had a baby...so I will be waiting !  But we all know how I wait and how my patience is (non existent) so I trim my own hair!!! And I have been encouraging my hair...Grow hair Grow, you can do it, I know it!!! It seems to be helping!

Nic & Cole

"You are the arm pit girl?!"

Last First!!! 


Today we celebrate our 2 year anniversary of our first date. I know that's cheesy...and corny and probably makes some people roll their eyes. I however, Call me romantic or sappy, but think its a milestone. It was our last first date we will  ever go on. It is a marker for something significant that happened! A date you can look back on and smile knowing just how nervous and excited you were. And how many people know first dates are terrifying most of the time. You mix nerves with the unknown and it could possibly equal disaster. I have a had a few. One I recall I spilled water not only once on that date but twice . . .and tried to play it off like it didn't happen, ohh but it did! I may have tripped while walking and then at the end of the date while talking for hours I leaned in and smelled his arm pit. YES I DID! I mean who does that?! Seriously only crazy stalkers do that, and I feel like I stepped over into that. He stopped talking and was like "did you just smell me?" I began to laugh and heard him laughing so that must be a good sign right?!! But really come on... who leans in and takes a big whiff of someones arm pit (that's gross) but boy did he smell good!!! And luckily that was the story of my last first date. Tom must have seen something in me to look past those weird qualities of mine. And he just reveled to me this year that he noticed I had spilled my water but didn't want to say anything to me at the time. And his family still reminds me that they all knew me as "the arm pit girl" and thought it was the funniest thing ever!  My last first date was the best date I had ever been on and still holds a very special place in my heart. Thats when I started to date my husband!!

                                                                      April 19 2009

   

It is crazy how it seems like you love someone and you cant love them more....but it happens you grow more in love with them daily. I look back and laugh because we had such a great start to our life together and it only gets better!!! So thank you babe for our weekend getaway to celebrate two fabulous years and I am looking forward to so many more and all the new memories we get to make together! And yes I am excited to grow old with you and at the end of the day sit on the porch holding your hand and reminisce over out life together, and watch our kids and grand kids grow up and live out our legacy, there is NO ONE i would rather share my life with, you are the love of my life now and forever.

Nic & Cole

Sun, Sun don't go away....

There are days I want to move to a place warm, Oregon is teasing us with a glimpse of sun and lets face it my legs are not getting any tanner, they are ghostly white, so I apologize in advance for my skirt wearing and the glare of my legs. Tom swept me away for a little weekend getaway! He came home told me to pack a bag and took me to downtown to the Paramount Hotel for the night! Then he followed it up the next day with a shopping day. It was awesome.

Please forgive the blurriness of the picture.....I left my good camera laying on the bed.

Valet is such a great thing...I love it! They carry our bags and walk us up to our room.Makes me feel like a millionaire or country star.

What a wonderful date weekend with my best friend.

I am starting to train for my first ever 10k marathon ! ! I am so excited and nervous and have no clue what to expect from it!!! It is the Helvetia Half Marathon on June 11th. I have 8 weeks to train!! I will be running it with my beautiful Sister Noelle, my brother in law Big Mike Britt and  the very talented Sarah.
 *updates to come on how sore i am tomorrow after jumping back into the running world.

Our house (38 days....which to me feels like FOREVER....) is coming along. They got the doors on and we could not get in. But we meet our neighbors sweet couple and their names are Don and Nicole and I am sorry but that sounds pretty close to Tom and Nicole...:) Our neighbors stole our names! 

Please put your sunglasses on to reflect the sun bouncing off my legs! 

 
This is my new outfit all Thrifted! My amazing husband spoiled me !! :)

I think I  am addicted to Thrifting. :)

Nic & Cole 

Getting my Craft on!

I decided it was time to start creating.....to start to use my Right side of my brain! Get the juices flowing for down the road.

 My very crafty(you just look at her creations it will make you sick with the green Jealousy monster, because no body should have that much talent, but I absolutely love her) Friend Sarah and I had picked up this UGLY little guy from a antique store, I saw little to no value in this, but SARAH on the other hand told me I can make it "country Classy"

** In all fairness I need to confess, that I forgot to take a before picture so I had to Google (p.s. I love Google!!) it and find a similar one. And this pretty much fits the real one, its loosing its "silver color" rust on the side ....you know the "Find" I am talking about.

And made it into this....

  It is a beautiful antique white which gives it character and a little hit of country. And I know exactly where it will go in my house! It is almost finished and I had so much fun turning something ugly into beauty that I got a mirror I am doing today! *Pictures to come. 
I am on a craft kick, I have started 2 others on top of my candle and mirror make over. I am turning my pile of left over wood from the house build into art work. Here is the wood I have been taking, and because I am worried of being caught in the act I only take a few pieces every time I go there. ;) Because you know a little at a time is not stealing (oh the things we tell ourselves to justify what we do!)

The Pile

And I also have take on a vintage wreath to do I am hoping to have it done by May 26th but it turned out to be a little more extensive and detailed then I thought! As I was using a hot glue gun last night (I have battle wounds to show for my lack of using those type of things) I ran out of glue sticks and looked at the clock it was 9:47pm...it was not even a 5 minute drive to Target, I could make it by closing at 10pm.....I looked at my project not even 1/4 into it....looked at Tom, he was all comfy in sweats and watching the Blazer game....I had to get more, I could not wait so I said "Babe, we need to go to Target. Get your shoes on!!"

And this is how the conversation went from there:

Tom: "What? Why?" (a confused, complex look on his face) 

Me: "Because I ran out of hot glue sticks, and I need them BAD for my project, it will only take us 15min max" (please be aware I have never EVER shopped at Target for only 15 min, and he knows that!)
Tom: "Sugar......we are not going tonight, you will just have to get more tomorrow. Its late and they are almost closed." (Mr. Reason!!!!!!! )
Me: "Ugggg, babe I need it now though, I will loose my creative flow if I wait till tomorrow."
So sad and defeated, I finished what I had left and broke my pen trying to get the last little drop of glue out.So today I have a mission: TARGET and GLUE STICKS. 


As we mourn the loss of one our staff members who lost his life in car accident on Monday, the stories are coming in from the kids who loved him and are probably dealing with death for the first time in their life. Monday afternoon after the kids found out, I walked down the grade school hall and it was the saddest moment I have ever seen. Kids cries where heard from almost every kid in every class.  Grader Schooler's learning how to process life and death and loosing someone close to them.

The next day Lily one of our 1st graders said it this way:
" I miss Mr. Turner, but he is in heaven now!." 
The teacher said "Yes sweetie he is" 
Lily: "Ya he is dancing around and free and not in pain." 
Teacher: "you are right!"
Lily paused, thought about it," I am so proud of him"

I love the simplicity of kids, how they love and that loved fills them to the rim they love with no rules, they love with out knowing why and with out fear. They learn to let go and know that there is something bigger and a place better then here, and even if we as adults do not understand it and are deeply saddened, Just look at those kids and they shine with pure love and understanding. I have learned more about love and sadness and forgiveness during this week.  If you need a dose of love, reality, forgiveness, go be around a little 1st grader or hug a 3rd grader. Ask a 5th grader what Love means, watch a 4th grader put their arm around a classmate and just stand there and be a shoulder to cry on, or a 6th grader who is praying for his classmate and started to sing a song of love, The thing that I have watched play out through loss and tragedy is...Grace for each other and love RULE all. It knows no limit! 


Nic & Cole 


p.s- Check out my new clothing website, the link is on the top right hand of my page! :)
 
 

Get Motivated-

  
We had a great weekend. We went to a business conference all weekend 9:00am-5:30pm Friday-Sunday. Tom went all 3 days and I made it Saturday and Sunday, very good but long and a lot to learn, by Sunday at 4.45pm my brain checked out and I got out the good Ipad and started reading blogs! And what a great group to be part of it, it is Christian organization that is faith based and presents it as: Tithe first, make money, then give away. If you are faithful with the little, what more will you get?!! What a great testimony this family has. 

"If it always seems to be about you, and you are frustrated with focusing staying on you and you can never seem to get to the surface, Do something for someone else, pay for their meal, smile and talk to someone you normally wouldn't, share your faith, just TAKE IT OFF YOU." 



House Recap- it is coming right along...day by day!!

Last Week!

inside! This is looking into the living room and back window

Hottie, with out house plans!!!

I love my house!

our mailbox nailed onto our fence...we are not redneck or anything!

Pondering our new house!!

Sign me up, I can be a builder!!!

looking inside the roof!

our bonus room looking down towards the stairs!

he is proud of his new garage!

My dad and Tom "discussing Ideas" :)

Jeff staking his territory, I guess I am glad this is all he did to stake it!

Howie with thumbs up that he loves it!

Garage almost done!

We are ready to move in....

I am building away!! If they knew what was smart they wouldn't leave their tools laying around where I can get them!!!

I love this picture. :)

WELCOME to the Brittingham's! "We are not crazy please come on in!" 

NIC & COLE