May Ramblings

Hello blogger peeps!
I really feel bad for not posting a lot lately.  I just havn't had much going on.  My couch slipcover is in stall mode until I can have a weekend free of plans to tackle sewing the slipcover which I spent three hours pinning as well as the back and seat cushions.

I'm excited about a few things though.  I was a little premature but updated my sidebar for some of our debt.  It's not official or anything but this month we will have not one but two cars paid off.  The ironic thing about this is neither of them are driveable.  How crazy is that?  We are using our tax return to pay off our old daily driver my 1999 Subaru Forester which just went through engine number two and is sitting waiting for the title so we can sell it to someone who wants it for parts (car universe, please grant my wish).  That will be paid this Friday.  Our last payment to my dad for our 1987 Porsche will be a week later.  Problem is it needs a little bit of work to make it driveable. 

We got our new to us Saab back last Friday after it needing a new engine (what is it with us and engines?).  The dealership paid to have a used one with less miles put in.  We had only owned it less than 48 hours when that debacle happened.  I'm really liking the Saab.  It's super comfortable with leather seats, dual climate control (front and back), heated seats all around (the SK's are loving that!), a sun roof (oh how I missed that), a killer stereo system, hand controls on the steering wheel for the stereo and more.  This is more C's car than mine so I will bide my time and save my pennies until I can get this...

I'm not gonna lie.  I kinda dig the racing stripes.  Never thought I would say that.  I DON'T dig the four fog lights on the front of this one and I would certianly love a sunroof too.  This car is so me.  Grey is my go to color in so many ways lately.  We painted the living, dining and hallway of our condo in grey.  Our Saab is silver with grey interior and I want me a grey mini cooper!

By the end of the month I will have put $950 on CC # 4 which is scheduled to be paid off in July.  In fact, all of our credit cards should be paid off by year end.  Yee Haw!  Once that happens I can relax and plan a real vacation.  A vacation to somewhere like Hawaii or Mexico.  Pretty much anyplace full of sun where I can stick my toes in the sand, drink fruity drinks with little umbrellas and relax.

I am starting a career development class in 13 days (yes I am counting) that I am super excited about.  I have a big birthday coming up at the end of July.  I am contemplating going here for the Saturday before my birthday.  Wine and Yurts, what more could a girl ask for?  They have a spa too!

The Yurts featuer King sized beds, sky dome in the center of the roof, private bath, refrigerator, iPod docking station, sitting area, patio deck, wifi and vineyard or river gorge view.

Meanwhile, I am totally addicted to this design blog House Tweaking.  Dana and her husband just bought a new (to them) house.  They have decided to downsize so she can stop working and take care of their two boys full time.  The new house is lovingly named The Underdog.  It's a mess they are remodleing while still living in their old house that is for sale.  I am really intrigued by this because my husband and I are looking at three years until his youngest graduates from high school.  One of our ideas is to buy or build a small open floor plan house. 

Another is to sell our condo and live in an Airstream trailer like this guy (Apartment Therapy is so cool!). 

Buying a rambler we could make our own is certainly something we consider.  We are thinking of moving to a warmer climate so the house buying may possibly be put on hold for a few years.  When I look at photos online of houses for sale in my area I really try to look past the old cruddy kitchen cabinets and hideous flooring to see the potential for the four walls I am considering.  Watching Dana and her husband as they turn their Underdog in to the home of their dreams will be certain inspiration and a great guide.

Speaking of addictions, I am currently adddicted to the TV show Supernatural.  We borrowed season one from our neighbor.  Right now we are on season two which we have to get from Netflix via DVD (how old school) since it's not streaming.

Today was a nice sunny day here in the greater Seattle area.  It got to 60 at least.  I am so ready for the grey gloomy days of winter (and even spring) to be gone.  One thing about our area is even when it's warm during the day it cools off at night unless you are in eastern Washington or it's August.

Well, I have rambled enough.  Hope you all are well and more more consistent posting coming soon.  Like the reveal of my slipcovered couch!

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard of the Twilight series of books. To give you a brief synopsis, 17 year old Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, AZ to Forks, WA and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire. Just a ferry and short car ride gets us to Forks and the surrounding area.

The city of Forks has embraced the Twilight phenomenon. There are websites dedicated to points of interest in the town. The most notable site is the red 1953 Chevy truck Bella drove in the film. The truck below is not the actual truck from the film.

A private home and a bed and breakfast serve as the official residences of the Swan's and Cullen's.



Esme even leaves a daily note on the porch of there house. Wonder if that means they are vacationing in Alaska?

The Dazzled by Twilight store located both in Forks and Port Angeles carry everything Twilight you could hope to purchase from clothing to memorabilia to books to you name it. The inside of the store is set up like you are in the Forrest. Its actually quite cool.


There are a few places around town you can see little Twilight items. Dr. Cullen seems to pop up everywhere. I think its fun the town has a sense of humor.


Forks isn't all about Twilight though. The town was started as a timber town as evidenced by its timber museum. At the visitors center there is a huge nine foot in diameter tree trunk with a hole in the center big enough for a teenager to crawl through.


Just a short drive down the highway you arrive at the Hoh Rain Forest. This area is a protected National Park and include many species of tree and animals including bear, elk, deer, owl, frogs, etc.


From here we went to La Push which is located on the Pacific Ocean and home of the Quileute Native American Tribe. The town of La Push feature prominently in Stephanie Meyer's series.

The beach, like most Washington beaches, was pretty rocky with a lot of trees and drift wood piled up on the sand. The dogs had a great time running around. It was pretty windy as well.

The hubs and the dog on the sand at First Beach in La Push right on the ocean.

Port Angeles is a little seaside town located across the Straight of Juan de Fuca from Victoria BC. A little known fact about Port Angeles, its the birthplace of John Elway, former quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

The town is pretty small. We stopped at the Twilight hot spot, Bella Italia for a photo. I neglected to get a photo of the book store in Port Angeles.

We stopped in Port Townsend and drove through Fort Warden state park. This is where the film An Officer and a Gentleman was partially made.

Finally as we headed towards the Kingston ferry we stopped in Port Gamble. The township really only consists of a few homes and a group of buildings along the main road off the highway. They have a tea house, a Masonic lodge, antique shops, a book store and post office/general store. Its a quaint little town to stop off at or drive through.


The Walker-Ames house facing the water is a really great example of Victorian architecture and boasts the Washington state champion Camperdown Elm.

In 1640 the Earl of Camperdown grafted a Camperdown branch to a Scotch Elm tree. This tree is a mutant and cannot self produce. Every Camperdown Elm tree in the world is part of the original and must be grafted to a Scotch Elm tree to be started. This one is the State Champion in Washington State located in Port Gamble.

You are never far away from coffee.....