Yipee!

Hello there and welcome to my new blog layout. If you are reading this via a reader, come on over to the blog and check it out! There are tabs across the top, just thought I would point that out in case you can't find something that is normally in the side bar. I hope to add some things here and there, but for now, this is what is staying! I hope you like it. I am so excited to have it finished. Petra got so excited she blew you guys all a bubble.

Eww, gross Petra!

Social's Visit Days 3-5

Blooms outside my home. This bush/small tree beside our house has been blooming since mid-December and is still going strong. I can't remember what this is called, but the plant is about 4 feet tall, and the flowers are the size of my pinky fingernail. Do you know what it is?

Edited to add: It's a Viburnum, thanks Sjo!

A Cute Bufflehead Duck pair down on the stream.

Tacky decor. Gotta love small beach cottage towns!

What's in Birch Bay. They recently got a thrift store and a hair salon too, but I guess those aren't on the sign yet.

A home for birdies, complete with a front flowerbed of frilly fungi.

There are tons of adorable summer cottages, but this one is one of the best.

Spring is here!

Pepper Sisters in Bellingham, WA is a great place to eat. They call their style of cooking "American Southwest" but I call it GOOD!

The waiting area. This restaurant has exposed brick walls and old, beat-up wooden floors. There are old doors for tables, tractor seats and auger parts for stools, retro booths and one of a kind decor. Local artists display their work around the room.

Pepper Sisters has so much to choose from, and is an easy place to eat gluten-free.

The next day we decided to spend the day in Seattle. This was a car accident we saw on the way there. Scary! What is it about Seattle visits and vehicles hanging over railings? (Click the link and scroll 1/2 way down.)

A blurry photo, but look at those adorable, colorful homes.

This sign is famous. Read it's history here.

Social. We were eating lunch right beside the monorail at the food court in Westlake Center. I ate at Thai Go. I'm only linking to that website because I think it's enjoyable. "Thailand.... the land of smile!"

The monorail.

Anthropologie

More Anthropologie. See The Mr. sitting on their couch? Don't worry, it's only the Battersea Sofette that costs $2,998.00. Yikes!

A typical Seattle shot. A black umbrella, the Puget Sound and the Market sign.

Social and I.

I never tire of Pike Place Market.

Layers of lit signs.

Hanging pepper and garlic decor.

I've never eaten here, but as I was walking by I saw gluten-free labeling on a ton of their baked goods. I can't wait to try it out someday if it is indeed a safe place for me to eat! I'm not sure yet, because it seemed that they also sold gluten-laden baked goods as well.

My favorite shot of the day.

Convention Center

For dinner we ate at The Cheesecake Factory.

The next morning it was time for me to drive Social to the airport, but we had a little time so we stopped at The Woods Coffee for some hot drinks. I had a gluten-free brownie that was SO delicious that I can't stop thinking about it right now. :)

Mmmmm.

Social's Visit Days 1 and 2

A few weeks ago my youngest sister Social came for a visit. On my way through Custer and Lynden, WA, I caught the most gorgeous foggy sunrise. It is probably a good thing that there weren't any other cars on the road, because I couldn't resist snapping these photos.

At the airport in Abbotsford, BC there was a lot of fog, but her plane landed fine! We went for breakfast at Dutch Mothers in Lynden, WA. They have the best food ever! From there, we stopped at a few of the antique stores in Lynden, and then made our way to Bellingham for some major shopping. This was also the day that the transmission died on my beloved Ford Contour, that car went for ever and ever and then some, but it's time had finally come. The car limped to each new parking lot and finally died at the end of the day so The Mr. came and picked us up.

The next day we were car-less and Dee knew that, so she hopped into her van with Droo and Cake and came over to take us shopping in Bellingham. What a good friend she is!!!! Here is a video of Droo experimenting with lots of different types of laughing. You'd think he had practiced this or something! It is so cute.

One of our stops was Costco. I brought in my contraband Wendy's baked potato and everyone else ate Costco food. :) Here Cake is sharing her hot dog with Droo.

Aww! So sweet.

Cheesy!

Life is so much more interesting when there are kids involved! Kids are so carefree and don't care about what other people think. Who cares if they sing at the top of their lungs while standing on a picnic table bench at Costco? Not Droo!

Back at my place, Social and Droo settle down for a little Beatrix Potter reading. Droo looks so comfy laying over the back of the couch.

That evening, there was a baby shower for Grace's new little boy over at the Nugget's place. There was lots of yummy food and we all got to make our own sock monkeys! I want to say a huge thank you to the lady in the brown for all the prep work cutting and sewing the monkeys ahead of time. What a lot of work. It made things so much easier, and so much fun. And thanks to all the ladies who provided the supplies and especially the host!

Hard at work!

Social and our soon to be cousin-in-law!

Esther climbed into the box of monkey stuffing. :)

Grace opening her gifts with a little help from Ioi's eldest, Dolly.

Grace was gifted with the biggest sock monkey I have ever seen. The kids really like it!

The decor was also sock monkey themed. These little guys were hanging all over the room. They were sock monkeys that belonged to a lot of people that were there. Seems it is somewhat of a local tradition!

My finished product, complete with snaps for all sorts of funny, twisty poses.