Polka-Dotty Place

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Vintage Gold Chairs

I mentioned earlier that our friends moved this week.

Well we just happened to be down at their house helping pack

and stumbled upon some treasure!

They were loading there truck and there were realizing that it was filling up too quickly.

They decided they were going to have to get rid of some of these chairs.

They had a bunch so two would need to go.

I saw them heading for the curb and I jumped in.

I said I'd love to have them if they were junking them.

Really?!?!

Take them home!!

So I started heading to our car with the chairs.

My husband said, "What are those for? Not for us..."

Well much to his surprise they were for us!

We loaded both up and I assured him that we'd find the perfect spot for them.

*He later told me that he thought I was going to try to make some jewelry out of them.

I'm crafty but not that crafty :)

We brought them home and the boys loved them!!

Yes, Oliver, I know it's shocking!!

We put one in the bedroom

The 2nd in the family room.

I'd been keeping my eyes peeled at local thrift shops for chairs just like these

so I was beyond excited to be gifted these.

I'm thinking maybe in the future I'll paint the wooden part of the chairs

but for now they are staying like this.

Linking up with Mandy @

Goodbyes are Hard

I don't like to say goodbye.

Who does, really?!?!

But we had to say goodbye to our very best friends this week.

Moving day came WAY too soon.

We'd all been praying for over a year

that Layne would find a better job for the coming school year.

God is good and answered that prayer

but, unfortunately for us, it meant they were moving to Iowa.

They were the first friends we made when we moved to Utah 8 years ago.

We met them at church

and they invited to join their Bible study at their house the following week.

We did and the rest is history.

We adore their 2 girls,

love to hang out with Shirley (Erin's mom who lives with them),

spent LOTS of time hanging out with Layne and Erin

and we will miss their faces!

We've been friends through a lot:

hospitalizations, job changes, school changes,

the adoption of Baylee, Erin's mom moving in with them,

their dog dying, road trips, breakfast dates,
birthday parties, backyard dinners, desserts,
graduations, family visits, football gatherings,

took a zillion pictures of their girls, card games,

housesitting, babysitting, playdates, bonfires,
too many Bible studies to count, St. Patrick's day dinners,

school programs, t-ball, and adventures around Utah.

They have lived in Utah for 18 years

and always told us that we could never leave them when Kevin graduated.

They bargained for us to stay often

and little did we know that we should have been talking them into staying!

We headed down to their house with their favorite dessert to do the dreaded thing.

We chatted and tried to pretend that their empty house
and lawn chair seating was the norm.

I served pie, chatted with the girls and then it was time to say goodnight.

I cried...

Kevin and I had a pep talk about this and I thought I could go without crying.
Who was I kidding??

I got it under control and went back to serving pie to the adults.

We talked about the latest happenings

and what the next few months had in store for us.

Then we had to say a real goodbye.

Erin and I both cried.

The boys thought we were being dramatic.
Hugs, crying, reminiscing, etc.

We know we'll see them again but it won't be the same.

We'll be living 14 hours apart.

They won't be able to call us and say, "Come down for dinner in an hour."

But we will see them again... hopefully soon!

Maybe we'll get to head to Iowa next summer.

I've only driven through Iowa

so we're glad to now have a new spot to visit.

See you soon Layne, Erin, Shirley & the girls;

Utah won't be the same without you!

Love, Whitney & Kevin

Friday, July 27, 2012

Hello Friday!

This week went by so quickly!!

Here were the highlights:

1. I figured out my theme for the school year:

LEARNING IS A TREAT!

Topher loved my new theme just as much as I did :)

Thank you Dollar Tree for making this possible.

If you are a teacher,

shopping at the Dollar Tree (or any Dollar Store) is a must!

2. I tried a new cookie recipe and loved it.

Intro SUPER CHIP Cookies!

*Tune back in for the recipe in a few days.

3. I was gifted some fabulous, vintage gold chairs this week.

4. I got a lot of projects done this week - reorganized and ready to go!
I like things best when they are neat, tidy and organized.

Case in point: I organize my dirty silverware in the dishwasher

to make it easier to put away of course!

I'm sure that this is perfectly normal...

5.I finally got to carry my green clutch from Banana Republic!

I've been looking for an excuse to break it out for weeks.

I'm slightly guilty of carrying a large bag so

sometimes it's tricky for me to make do with a smalller bag.

Hope you have a great weekend!!
This is the last weekend in July; make it count!

My hubby and I are hoping to hit a baseball game, go out for dinner,

make an apple pie and get a little work done.

I'm linking up with Lauren for

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Ultimate Guest Book

I knew when I got married that I didn't want to have a traditional guestbook.
I wanted something unique that wouldn't sit and collect dust in a drawer.

My mom and I found this square frame & mat at Kirklands

for a great price and we thought it would be perfect.

I loved the frame and thought it seemed very weddingy.

We put one of our engagement pictures in the picture slot for the wedding

and replaced it after the wedding with one of our real pictures.

We took the mat out of the frame and
had it sitting on a table as guests entered the ceremony

and on another table at the reception.

* I loved my programs! They are sitting next to the mat on the silver tray.
The were light pink, had our engagement picture on the front and
had a big pink bow to bind them.

We wanted it to be classic so we stuck with thin, black Sharpies.

I had my cousins take care of making sure everyone signed.

My mom also went to a local trophy shop and had a little plate engraved

with our names and wedding date to put under the picture.

This is a much cheaper option than going to those plaque places in the mall.

Be sure to add the plaque prior to people signing the mat so that there is room for it.

My wedding guest book hangs in our dining room today.

We look at it all the time

and have fun remembering everyone that was a part of our special day.

I'd highly recommend doing something similar for your guest book!

Our Anniversary

We both agreed to stick to getting each other cards

and going out to a fancy dinner for our 8th anniversary.

I made reservations for

THE MELTING POT

which happens to be a favorite downtown dining spot for both of us.
1st Course: Fiesta Cheese

2nd Course: House Salad

3rd Course: MEAT & veggies

4th Course: CHOCOLATE
We love The Original - chocolate + crunchy PB

The dippers: (in order of favorite)
Rice Krispie treats
Strawberries
Cheesecake
Bananas
Brownies
Marshamallows
Angel Food Cake

Dinner takes several hours, you eat SO much food and it's such a good time.

I also put together a little anniversary timeline

to commemorate the occasion.

I pulled out my planners from the last 8 years

and wrote out the big events in our lives.

I did one card per year, some yellow cardstock

and used sticker numbers to mark the years.

We both had a great time reminiscing.

I'd highly recommend doing a timeline for your spouse

to celebrate your next anniversary.

We ended the night by enjoying a fun walk around the neighborhood.
The 24th is Pioneer Day in Utah
so there are TONS of fireworks to celebrate.
We pretended there were TONS of fireworks for our special day :)