The Amazing, Always Joyous 2014 Canton Adventure Begins!

We leave for Canton in the morning - ohh, the treasures to behold! The year 2014 marks 30 years since the Crewe of Canton began their Trade Days Adventures - and the 1st time to have THREE UHauls in tow.
 

{Read about the history of this tradition from Lady Di herself here.} 

 Here's a little photo flashback:

Ladies of the High Court of the Crewe of Canton 2013 in uniform ;) and me - 5 months pregnant!

 We're the kind of ladies that like to STAND OUT! I can't tell you how many times people asked us where we got our witch hats. They really came in handy when you got lost, too.

I will be able to tell Evangeline that she went to Canton Trade Days before she was even born. She is the first born girl of the third generation North Louisiana Crewe that will be able to attend when she starts making her own shopping money! Remember - girls ONLY! Sorry, Hudson and Andrew.

One thing to remember before entering a flea market:

Look past the scratches, dust, and dirt; focus on the possibilities.

Can you believe it has been a year since we moved in? My budget is very limited this year since we just redid the floors in our house. This means it's time to get creative. I'm taking my money to the junkyard and turning some trash to treasure!

Remember last year when I found a bassinet, rocking chair, and bookshelf? There's nothing a little Annie Sloan paint can't do.

View past Canton Trade Days Adventures here!

lately through the linz...

life according to my iphone:

What can I say- pregnancy is tiring! By the time I have done the things, I am too tired to blog about doing the things! I have, however, been snapping photos along the way. Here is a "lately through the linz" update for ya...

We did some house hunting and we played some mini golf. I used this specially-for-me reserved parking.

I've craved burgers, I've watched my belly grow, I bought an outfit for little girl, and I have loved the fall.

We went to the new Dunkin' Donuts and it was so good- the chocolate filled ones are my new favorite, but their lattes are even better than their donuts!

We celebrated Andrew turning one, I visited Mom's Day Outs, I got to see baby girl sucking her thumb. AND we signed our lives away- err- I mean, bought a new house!

We said goodbye to the Dudley- my home for 5 years... we traveled to Canton and found this adorable halloween outfit for next year ;)

 We went on a road trip to Tahlequah, Oklahoma with Russell and Tiffany for Nick and Angie's wedding.

We held a successful work meeting, Tison finished the fence and the boys were welcomed into our new home, and I picked out chalk paint at Milling Around for the nursery furniture!

I read Divergent and loved it- Allison threw an amazing book club. We are currently reading Gone Girl.

We painted the nursery walls and the furniture and picked out bedding...

We celebrated Halloween at Kate's house with delicious treats and pumpkin carving.

 We made smores.

I went to Paul's wedding and watched Maggie dance, I started noticing Christmas items in stores already. We had special visitors from Chicago over for dinner. Aiden is such a precious baby girl! And Tison and I both dressed up for Halloween at work. Aren't we festive ;)

 Our friend Leslie threw a Halloween party and her house was decorated to the nines! Loved it. There was also a pretty heated debate about the rules of beer pong... yep, my husband led the discussion.

 The boys are having a ball in their new backyard. I am enjoying watching them play in this bigger space. We had the family over for 'family dinner' and Tison made homemade french onion soup!

I have been looking around at TJMaxx, Marshalls, Tuesday Morning, and World Market for home decor ideas :)

I am 26 weeks pregnant! Whoohoo!

 And we are still going strong with Movie Night every Thursday- last night we watched White House Down (a very silly movie) while dining on bbq bacon wrapped chicken, bbq beans, salad, hawaiian rolls, and rice crispy treats (a very good meal)!

Well, there ya go! We are all up to date now :) xoxo

Wheeling and dealing outside of Tahlequah...

Tiffany, Russell, T and I traveled to Oklahoma 2 weekends ago for our friends Nick and Angie's wedding. They got married in Nick's mom's backyard. This might have been my first backyard wedding experience and the setting was absolutely stunning. We drove down a long dirt road that brought us to the middle of nowhere outside of Tahlequah in the Cherokee Nation. We parked our cars and began the walk to the most alluring house surrounded by trickling creeks that swerve around the entire property. We arrived at night on Friday, so I didn't get the full experience until the next morning; however, Nick had lit the trees with twinkle lights which cast a yellow glow under the canapé of trees as we approached the home for dinner. When I entered the house I was welcomed in by Blythe Danner's twin (Nick's mother) who was behind an expansive kitchen counter covered with pots of the most delicious spaghetti I've ever eaten. Everyone made a plate and made themselves comfortable - settling into the wedding weekend.

{Tison's dream come true- a library ladder with books up to the ceiling, a case full of old tobacco pipes, an oversized chair in front of a fireplace, and a full bar!}

{Nick, Tison, and Ken}

{the reunited groomsmen}

{giggle fest on the patio- as expected}

I've been nesting, what have you been up to?

We are in the new house! Thanks to many many helpful (and friendly) hands! To be honest, I was SHOCKED at all that happened the first weekend. Tison took off Friday and he and Cory started moving boxes during the day- the movers came on Saturday and by noon all our furniture was in place! Mom, Mrs. Chris, and Aunt Cyn started lining cabinets and organized my kitchen for me. Lauren, Mr. Tim, and Tison went back to Dudley to clean the place up before our final walk through. This pregnant gal with a sinus infection was no help. All I really used was my pointer finger and my brain all day. I was overwhelmed by everyone's kindness.

On Sunday night we had the family over and Dad treated us to Imperial Cathay... later we watched Dumb and Dumber while laying on the couch in our new den and I was in awe at what had taken place in the last 48 hours. I still kind of feel like we are house sitting in a home with our stuff in it, but with every passing day - it becomes more ours. The electrician, the roofer, and the cable guy have all come already. Our list of projects continues to get sliced off while also growing with more and more ideas. Home ownership - what an adventure.

{Lauren and David also brought us lunch from Jimmy Johns that fed us for days! Thanks, y'all.}

{check out that brand new fridge! The newest thing in the house!! We are very proud.}

{I plan to show up updates as we (if we ever have time to) get to each room.}

Two weekend ago was our annual trip to Canton Trade Days. (Perfect timing with a new home and baby on the way to look for treasures!) It was amazing as always. This is my third year to attend and I feel so lucky to be a part of this exclusive group :) It just does a heart, body, and soul good to spend time with these women. I found 2 rocking chairs, a book shelf, and an antique bassinet for baby girl. I can't wait to sand them down and repaint. I am really stumped at paint colors though, ya'll. There are REALLY a lot to choose from. How do you even start? I have been going to Pinterest for ideas, but I think it is making my decision even MORE difficult. I am considering having an interior designer come in as a one time consultant and just tell me what to do with everything, but I guess first-things-first I should get everything out of boxes!

 {The North LA crew aka The Hudson ladies picked up their own UHaul for the first time this year. It is funny that we thought we wouldn't even fill up the smallest one! Boy were we wrong!}

{I love getting ideas of how to paint furniture or decorate holiday displays.}

{beautiful crib ideas for baby girl}

{of course my favorite time is "Quilt Time" where we catch up over Prosecco and yummy snacks}

{Oh, Vals. You never disappoint. Just keep bringing those rolls out.}

{turkey leg lunch - and more evening quilt time!}

{because everyone was insistant I not lift anything- I wasn't much help loading our UHaul with treasures. I couldn't have been more proud of Lauren making it work! Plus-nothing was damaged on the travel back home. Way to go, girlfriend.}

{look at this ADORABLE Halloween outfit Mom got for baby girl- yes, this is for next year, but it might not have been there the next time around!}

See previous Canton adventures here!

a birthday on front street...

Dad's birthday is on April Fools Day - no, this is not a joke! Since we had Monday off for the Easter holiday, Dad wanted to go somewhere different for lunch. He, Mom and I headed south for the day. Why not in Natchitoches?

 {After visiting the oldest general store in Louisiana, we appropriately chose Papa's for lunch!}

 {where's waldo?}

 {does anyone know what this building is that was recently built on front street? Mother was aghast at it's modern shape...it really is an odd placement. Any ideas?}

Happiest of birthdays, Pops!