Ode to Oak

Ever find yourself drooling over oak?

No? Boy that's weird... I do it ALL. THE. TIME.

Case in point: Today I found 2 dressers on Craigslist that I need in my house immediately. Go ahead, ogle them:

Do you need these things like I do? Do you lust after their grainy surface, and wonder "what would he do if I brought home 2 more dressers when we just threw one away last week?"

Do you then say to yourself, "but it's only $100 for BOTH!" And then you post it on your blog hoping secretly that someone might buy them for you?

And if the dressers weren't enough - here is a dining table with chairs:

Oh craigslist, oh Oak. Whats a girl with a slight obsession over your well-priced goods with rich texture to do?

Checking In

Just checking in to say "hi"!

And tell you that I am NEVER MOVING AGAIN.

Packing in THE WORST.

In other news, I bought a hutch!

Sorry about the picture quality, it's from the craigslist posting. This was a big score - $75! And when I e-mailed about it, I used my most friendly typing skills...

Hi,

My name is Mandy, my husband and I are moving into our first home with a dining room - your hutch would be perfect! Not to mention, we can actually afford it.

Please let me know if it is still available.

Thanks!

Mandy

And I provided my phone number, which I don't usually do. You can tell I wanted it, right? She texted me back pretty quickly to say congrats, that she would take $10 off the price, because its our first home (my e-mail was a little misleading) and that it was MINE ALL MINE.

So I've been scrambling for a way to pick it up and get it to Columbia without my dear husband knowing. Buying furniture for a house that we don't live in yet is probably his top pet-peeve right now. Spending money is also pretty high up there. 

Anyway, I got to pinning some hutches and dining rooms that I liked to give you an idea of the possibilities. I might not paint it at all, who knows?!

via Rambling Renovations

via somebody's Photobucket

a bargain at $2,828.00 from ivgstores.com

source unknown

I love the cheerful colors of the last photo, and how they make the space look very casual. It's doubtful that I will paint my hutch this color green - but I love the other colors at work in this room. If there is one important thing to keep in mind about my future dining room, it's the need for casual surroundings. Suppose I have a family someday... I'd like to actually eat dinner in the dining room! I know it's such a crazy suggestion... but it's away from the mess of the kitchen, which reminds everyone to linger and chat. You don't want to eat dinner in a fancy pants dining room, that's for sure... at least I don't. I hate to be in spaces that make me feel like I'm going to break something that is more expensive than my life. 

Anyway, all in time. For now, it's back to packing. 

Yellowstone Trip Days 5 - 6

Day 5: Monday July 12^th, 2010 : Old Faithful Area

Old Faithful Village: Geyser Boardwalk and Hike Map

5:30 p.m. Dinner at Old Faithful Inn $30, Menu

           

Hotel: Old Faithful Snow Lodge

This day was wonderful! We started out with a hike up to lookout point, or something like that to see Old Faithful go off. This was well worth the effort, the hike was short although somewhat steep, but it gave a great perspective of Old Faithful, and all of her adoring fans. After this, we all saw the Geyser basin in the Old Faithful area. Some of our group rented bikes instead of geyser-gazing, but they ended up returning them early, citing a lack "places to go without people in the way."

We also did the tour of the Lodge this day - I think it was at 3:00 or so, and still had time to visit the Hamilton store which was very cool. The older contingent of our group was very pleased to have a day fairly hiking-free, and we all enjoyed a nice dinner at the Old Faithful Lodge dining room. After dinner, we sat on the porch of the lodge and looked at some of our pictures from the day. Once the bar near the porch closed down, we went back to the cabins to play cards. A very nice, relaxing day in Yellowstone!

Old Faithful Lodge in the background

thar she blows!

adoring fans

 

so pretty!

Dan found it helpful to point and say, "Mandy, take a picture" every 5 feet or so.

Debbie Smith and Joey - BFFs

inside the Old Faithful Lodge

Old Faithful Lodge and its namesake

Day 6: Tuesday July 13^th, 2010 : Leave Old Faithful Area, Hayden and Lamar Valley, come to Canyons area in the evening

            Lamar and Hayden Valley

            Explore Fishing Bridge and Lake Village Area

7:15 p.m. Scenicruiser: Lake Queen II Departs Bridge Bay Marina at 7:15. One Hour Ride $15.55 per person – Boat Tour of Yellowstone Lake

Hotel: Canyon Lodge and Cabins 1-866-GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375) or 307-344-7311

On Day 6, we started out going back to Grand Prismatic Spring. Unfortunately, with all of the steam coming off of the vernal pool, we could barely see anything! The temperatures in these pools and springs are exceptionally hot - the bacteria that thrive in these temperatures are what cause the gorgeous coloring. But, if it's real cold and windy, the steam just blows all over the place. After the spring, we drove towards the lake, and took in Fishing Bridge (that you can't actually fish off of) as well as some of Hayden Valley. We did a short hike to Natural Bridge and saw the most sulfurous geysers in the park... it smelled horrendous! 

At night we checked into the Canyon Cabins, which were pretty outdated and in need of repair. The food options were very limited! I don't recommend that people stay in this region if they go to the park - the Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins are only 30 minutes away, and they offer much better accommodations. We did not end up taking the boat tour, because it was such a windy night and the water was incredibly choppy, but I imagine that it would be a nice adventure on a better day.

 

lake Yellowstone

Natural Bridge

Joey shoots an educational video

Joey in Hayden Valley

Hayden valley at dusk - JD and Joey

still some snow in July!

really windy night!