tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22670614032025454902024-03-05T13:38:39.466-08:00The Junk HouseSam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-54595407701747870932014-10-01T07:32:00.000-07:002014-10-01T12:53:40.374-07:00Away She Went<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have big blog-related news to share today! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m changing the name of my blog! The Junk House is in the process of becoming Away She Went! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The change won’t be official for a few more weeks, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up in case you start seeing updated links and pages. I’ve already changed the name on my Facebook and Pinterest accounts. Jess, the lovely lady who created my current blog design, is in the process of creating the new Away She Went design. So, I should have an updated header/logo within the next few weeks. So far I think I have everything redirecting correctly, so you shouldn't have to</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to update any bookmarks/feeds, but I’ll keep you all updated as the change progresses. Oh, but this is the new link <a href="http://awayshewentblog.blogspot.com/">http://awayshewentblog.blogspot.com/</a> in case you have any personal bookmarks you want to update. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, now I’m sure some of you are wondering why I’m changing my blog name. Quite simply, The Junk House doesn’t really reflect the current direction of the blog. Let me explain –</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, let me start with the easiest and most literal reason – travel. Over the past couple of years I’ve been writing a lot about traveling and I see that continuing in the future. Obviously, Away She Went fits the travel theme better than The Junk House.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, now let’s talk about the main reason behind the name change -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I started this blog three and a half years ago (has it really been that long?!) I was a new homeowner with a small budget and little design experience trying to decorate an entire house. The main focus of the blog was finding deals and decorating the house as cheap as possible. That meant I bought a lot of “junk” from the thrift store to reuse/repurpose, hence The Junk House. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, don’t get me wrong – I still love thrift shopping and reusing/repurposing items. Honestly, even if I won the lottery, I’d probably still shop at thrift stores. BUT, as I get older and find my “style”, I see the value in splurging in quality pieces and not just buying cheap pieces to hold me over. For example, I’m at the point where I’d rather just buy a white vase instead of finding something at the thrift store to spray paint so I can save a few bucks. Of course that's not to say that I've given up spray paint - it's still a great way to transform/customize a piece. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe I should just let my blog bestie <a href="http://www.thismessybusiness.com/" target="_blank">Meaghan</a> explain the new blog name since she’s the one that came up with Away She Went (thanks Meaghan!). As she explains, “it encompasses the travel aspect and also the significance of moving away from “junk” and progressing to nicer things, not just furniture, but in general.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always been a <strike>cheap</strike> thrifty person and clearance/sale are a couple of my favorite words, so I don’t want anyone to think that I’m done looking for deals and will only be shopping at (insert expensive décor store here) from now on. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think rooms decorated with a mix of new and vintage, high and low items look the best anyway. I guess this is just my declaration that my style has evolved and to expect changes. Although if you’ve been following for awhile, I’m sure you’ve already noticed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have any of you changed your blog name? If you have any advice/tips/tricks for transitioning everything, let me know! Oh, and sorry for writing such a long post with no pictures ;)</span></span><br />
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<br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-33244933571870794702014-09-30T07:36:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.710-07:00Gray Entry Bench<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d like to introduce you all to my new entry bench:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PoZYEiQ53yRYwjqsIbZakeCEIzX-BUys0c0UnzIe1SgeqBx_n16YamQnzIw09uMzxnCdy5o09-7JvWWDAlhJNlyOhopue8LMbt0pfwbTTUi8VqZdXJLds77TeK4IGalqIJCpRLVwErw/s1600/grey+bench1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PoZYEiQ53yRYwjqsIbZakeCEIzX-BUys0c0UnzIe1SgeqBx_n16YamQnzIw09uMzxnCdy5o09-7JvWWDAlhJNlyOhopue8LMbt0pfwbTTUi8VqZdXJLds77TeK4IGalqIJCpRLVwErw/s1600/grey+bench1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s the Safavieh American Collection Benjamin Bench (in grey) and I bought it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Safavieh-American-Collection-Benjamin-Bench/dp/B00BJ7CO5C/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1411588049&sr=1-1&keywords=Safavieh+American+Home+Collection+Benjamin+Bench%2C+Grey" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. At the time of purchase, it was $172.99 plus free shipping. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s available in four other colors, but the price varies by color. It’s also available on other sites, but Amazon was the cheapest.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLZZCDT5Ot7LXiKIrt15G4gaMQn9_HHyZg7ZFA8DkkcFUa6S6U0e2wK0ZtyvnA7u9USOBdOzgzy0fBw7SQDQhBV4X-6-cewc5hzPCUMsOFNBZNf57W-w3K3A80iCHPq4YxcsG7EXgiks/s1600/grey+bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLZZCDT5Ot7LXiKIrt15G4gaMQn9_HHyZg7ZFA8DkkcFUa6S6U0e2wK0ZtyvnA7u9USOBdOzgzy0fBw7SQDQhBV4X-6-cewc5hzPCUMsOFNBZNf57W-w3K3A80iCHPq4YxcsG7EXgiks/s1600/grey+bench.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had originally planned on a white bench, but I couldn’t find one that I liked, so I decided to order the grey. I don’t love the grey in person, so I’ll probably end up painting it white. This same bench is available in white, but based on the pictures it’s a creamy, off-white and that wouldn’t look good with the rest of my white furniture.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will admit that I’m not sure if I like it in this spot or not. I think it might be too large for the space…or maybe I’m just not used to seeing anything in that spot. I’m going to live with it for a couple days and then I’ll decide if I want to keep it there, try it somewhere else, or send it back. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtD2S6aOAuwaUc9lcfrwwMm-L0ro7TVsFfsnZAoQ72b_q3ubRTvvX490VQAqLOSW2NydmreoTeasbxPargRumSbWHzcI85JcRwGMvb2jXiGuVSvSXro0P1W0peaYSA6RX1n3WZhn4EEU/s1600/gray+bench2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtD2S6aOAuwaUc9lcfrwwMm-L0ro7TVsFfsnZAoQ72b_q3ubRTvvX490VQAqLOSW2NydmreoTeasbxPargRumSbWHzcI85JcRwGMvb2jXiGuVSvSXro0P1W0peaYSA6RX1n3WZhn4EEU/s1600/gray+bench2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you think? Maybe it just needs a couple pillows?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-81522621025617947372014-09-26T07:44:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.818-07:00The Friday Five<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One – Doggies</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjSIOtNVI9Yr0pwYKMYd-icMqOANMd414XRPr5FgRZqEX8H6EZc2EXKFgYV-LetXJE0muvzsHAwrw96Ztl8D_o37DWksJWcgrobkjS4TaX0xTJO5BaRvRgKKn5uCH2Z9_Zq0Vb1QtqaI/s1600/ringo+and+abby2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjSIOtNVI9Yr0pwYKMYd-icMqOANMd414XRPr5FgRZqEX8H6EZc2EXKFgYV-LetXJE0muvzsHAwrw96Ztl8D_o37DWksJWcgrobkjS4TaX0xTJO5BaRvRgKKn5uCH2Z9_Zq0Vb1QtqaI/s1600/ringo+and+abby2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s kick off this post with an updated picture of Ringo and Abby! It took more treats than I’d care to admit to get this picture, but it was worth it. They are just so damn cute!</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two – Bridesmaid</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya5n3x4bhIehpJK4Y8IX47gClO6O84FzXCMhbXRwv_AUORn1m4G5hNSkeemmceHL8nUaoTxvWGMy4m6IR7r1UShee97LLEpb6Uv9uwWKuBlRtgKHRu7bZ2D8IDWB9iiPfO9yGO5mzkfk/s1600/4660be99c91e536eb5be9bba0f9d56b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya5n3x4bhIehpJK4Y8IX47gClO6O84FzXCMhbXRwv_AUORn1m4G5hNSkeemmceHL8nUaoTxvWGMy4m6IR7r1UShee97LLEpb6Uv9uwWKuBlRtgKHRu7bZ2D8IDWB9iiPfO9yGO5mzkfk/s1600/4660be99c91e536eb5be9bba0f9d56b8.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m going to be a bridesmaid! I don’t have that many close girl friends (and no sisters), so I thought it might never happen; I’m so excited! Plus my boyfriend is going to be a groomsman, so it should be a good time. They are getting married in the upper peninsula of Michigan next July, so it’s still a long way off, but exciting none the less. And actually, we’ve already ordered our dresses. They are from </span><a href="http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/fabled-fanfare-dress" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ModCloth</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, so we wanted to get them before they sold out. I guess I can’t gain or lose weight for the next 10 months…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three – Spicy Sausage Pasta</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKByJWDvC-COvqLbAP4Giqc3FKorFcwLO4nO6QVxmPSYNdv87_VtMMb5D3jwsaHhIpEHcx6n8KOO_2aPT7Gn4FbEHu4iAvbghqszSNr5v_mEl9vXaYGU77OaQpHEmsUfR8ZVfUvOz64Q/s1600/spicy+sausage+pasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKByJWDvC-COvqLbAP4Giqc3FKorFcwLO4nO6QVxmPSYNdv87_VtMMb5D3jwsaHhIpEHcx6n8KOO_2aPT7Gn4FbEHu4iAvbghqszSNr5v_mEl9vXaYGU77OaQpHEmsUfR8ZVfUvOz64Q/s1600/spicy+sausage+pasta.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This </span><a href="http://www.emilybites.com/2013/02/spicy-sausage-pasta.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spicy Sausage </span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pasta recipe from Emily Bites is one of my boyfriend’s favorite meals. I made it for dinner on Tuesday and it turned out amazing as usual. Oh, and if you don’t like spicy food, you can use mild Rotel instead of the original kind. I love that it can be made in one pot, so there’s not a lot of clean up. I use my cast iron skillet, so that I can put it directly under the broiler to melt the cheese. Delicious!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Four – Bowling</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6db_Tune3plV9BCbZUiBDhwUFQPGWcE-2r7aR5vJsDGpgStISryXKUcBn7j5Is9aent9jJTBPf5QYoO0r1M8PtAKOcMUPLU9hX880RnVNtH1U_zsmbA3iJ419yGVPEsmc_f6MbwIY6AU/s1600/1348622613329_7586351.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6db_Tune3plV9BCbZUiBDhwUFQPGWcE-2r7aR5vJsDGpgStISryXKUcBn7j5Is9aent9jJTBPf5QYoO0r1M8PtAKOcMUPLU9hX880RnVNtH1U_zsmbA3iJ419yGVPEsmc_f6MbwIY6AU/s1600/1348622613329_7586351.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi0yYTFlMTEyNjhkMjc1MmJm" target="_blank">(source)</a></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just joined my boyfriend’s bowling league! Earlier this year my boyfriend and three of our friends from work joined a recreational bowling league and they ended up finishing in second place. One of the guys doesn’t want to bowl again, so they asked me to join. Luckily they use a handicap scoring system, so I just need to bowl consistently, which is a good thing because I don’t bowl often and I probably only average about 100 points a game. It should be an interesting 8 weeks…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Five – New Girl</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsfEnGlnLkjHiL55bpuTRmHuwaEu6Z8HF0Yxah32_LmLLWWvqAKV0PABTcetuBMP1GjVNmIBsuA4LJbikxLIWF90qbPRVaeb-TstMT9ED2FrhoiPM2rCov6usbAddmdC0ssIhUiyMglY/s1600/658d488750528342cb02b1269615e6c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsfEnGlnLkjHiL55bpuTRmHuwaEu6Z8HF0Yxah32_LmLLWWvqAKV0PABTcetuBMP1GjVNmIBsuA4LJbikxLIWF90qbPRVaeb-TstMT9ED2FrhoiPM2rCov6usbAddmdC0ssIhUiyMglY/s1600/658d488750528342cb02b1269615e6c5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago I started watching New Girl on Netflix and now I’m slightly obsessed, even my boyfriend thinks it’s funny. Although we both agree that Schmidt is the best character and we probably wouldn’t watch if he wasn’t on it. We’re about half way through the third season and we are recording the new season, so we should be completely caught up soon. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will admit that I almost gave up on it after the first few episodes because I thought Jess was the most annoying character ever. I’m glad she toned it down as the season went along. So if you haven’t seen it and decide to start watching, don’t judge it based off the first few episodes. It gets better, I promise!</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://farmerbell.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/karlib83/ohheyfridaybebas_zps27b8c812.png" height="100" width="100" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-29026264916004559682014-09-24T07:33:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.828-07:00Travel Gallery Wall<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago I showed you all my <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/08/everett-foyer-table.html" target="_blank">new console table</a> and I mentioned that I was inspired to start working on the living room again. I decided to start with the wall behind my new console table. I love the <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/12/diy-abstract-art.html" target="_blank">DIYabstract art</a> that I painted, but it’s just not large enough for the space…especially with the new, longer table. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lNcqrysrJ2t7wEp_gt_YCAOn7_omU6HhzyIuErjaBE4TFrqE1o9Fs7uBQMeIiPCwIHXjfr_cxg9M4G1qC-aGXeMqERWaRWu0cEuEJJuXo3yPeHzmbV8NITd00o9ALP3InjSJ81Se4BU/s1600/IMG_2677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lNcqrysrJ2t7wEp_gt_YCAOn7_omU6HhzyIuErjaBE4TFrqE1o9Fs7uBQMeIiPCwIHXjfr_cxg9M4G1qC-aGXeMqERWaRWu0cEuEJJuXo3yPeHzmbV8NITd00o9ALP3InjSJ81Se4BU/s1600/IMG_2677.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I decided to build a large gallery wall to showcase all of my travel photos. Unlike my previous gallery wall, I decided to buy new, matching frames for this project. I liked the idea of using a few different colors/styles, but wanted them to look a little more cohesive. I also wanted to use larger frames this time because smaller frames can look too cluttered. Anyway, as you know, frames are expensive and I didn’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on this project. Well, I lucked out and I ended up finding almost all of these frames on clearance at Michael’s!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmzV1YJ7YcEkcETWXeLWSKFyEqQspqnzW7brlmXI-5Ge9iiKITtkW1cy3fwym9NMsTkgw0VnyHZUTQNaEO1Y6t-8i6yjcnyAeSu0l-779oK_LYidRZM66_EaCYcQrovtAY7Io259yLVU/s1600/michaels+frame+clearance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmzV1YJ7YcEkcETWXeLWSKFyEqQspqnzW7brlmXI-5Ge9iiKITtkW1cy3fwym9NMsTkgw0VnyHZUTQNaEO1Y6t-8i6yjcnyAeSu0l-779oK_LYidRZM66_EaCYcQrovtAY7Io259yLVU/s1600/michaels+frame+clearance.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn’t a fan of the bronze and gold colors, but the small frames were only $6 and the larger frames were only $8. So, I decided to buy them and just spray paint them. The bluish-gray frames were a combination of clearance and sales. I ended up paying $12 for the largest frame and $10 for the others. I also had to buy mats for 4 of the bluish-gray frames, but the rest of them came with mats.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that I had the frames, I had to decide how I wanted to arrange them. I used painter’s tape to mark off how large I wanted the gallery wall to be. It’s a great way to visualize what’ll work on the wall without actually hammering any nails.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrxJTQ6rdIIuWAXxps5A17Y3EUVwnlGxHTVDYsbl6AYXlwdOaee9A8Bt3mjGEmKHqUnpUHDsvGjyBZRLeiR_4xXgj6tseZCwt-jp0Te0d_O_9PfR_g8Td-AkO5qLx5Fl5JNUvYClsTsQ/s1600/IMG_2695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrxJTQ6rdIIuWAXxps5A17Y3EUVwnlGxHTVDYsbl6AYXlwdOaee9A8Bt3mjGEmKHqUnpUHDsvGjyBZRLeiR_4xXgj6tseZCwt-jp0Te0d_O_9PfR_g8Td-AkO5qLx5Fl5JNUvYClsTsQ/s1600/IMG_2695.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I decided on the size, I pulled the tape off and laid it on the floor. It took up almost the entire office floor space. I used that area to arrange the frames into a layout that I liked. It took FOR-EV-ER plus a few trips back to Michael’s to buy more frames before it was full/completely arranged. As you'll see later, I ended up making a couple more changes once I started hanging the frames. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiNUpyR27MkoCnzuCu0X6sJP6qrSbGRnMqUvluirD6YEmrx-TJ81c0bnurMSSuCZOeY2LBzbhci5UdIVdjJAPTY4rCjDkP5buo14tXYU3osoDFLDaOvs-U2bYlMypDoiH5ENW6hScpqM/s1600/IMG_2691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiNUpyR27MkoCnzuCu0X6sJP6qrSbGRnMqUvluirD6YEmrx-TJ81c0bnurMSSuCZOeY2LBzbhci5UdIVdjJAPTY4rCjDkP5buo14tXYU3osoDFLDaOvs-U2bYlMypDoiH5ENW6hScpqM/s1600/IMG_2691.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started picking photos for the frames while they were still laid out on the floor, but I kept changing my mind, so I figured I might as well get them hung and worry about it then. Plus I wanted my office back. I could hardly walk in there! So I hung two of the pieces of tape back on the wall and used that corner to hang my first frame.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1Ez8Q1F5oyI_Ww6W31vRrdCVTg8lP3T2THbYuIUbFfOSakabGRFDoKldGKGw_NFdgbBaoa30GkTUIsbEAAMnKi-aLjE1QhcL4HWvx0xGL6SS_gf8AHvJ4Pw0LxIydg_Twe-bZ0HzJSs/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1Ez8Q1F5oyI_Ww6W31vRrdCVTg8lP3T2THbYuIUbFfOSakabGRFDoKldGKGw_NFdgbBaoa30GkTUIsbEAAMnKi-aLjE1QhcL4HWvx0xGL6SS_gf8AHvJ4Pw0LxIydg_Twe-bZ0HzJSs/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there I just hung the frames going up and over until all of the frames were hung. After that I started picking pictures for the frames and spray painting the bronze and gold frames. I decided to paint the bronze frames black and the gold frames white. I love how they turned out and I love how the three colors look together. They tie the main colors of the room together.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGHB89n7ODcqKi-UbYt5jzmPbeD3Di07gjd7DEfr5M3cGnv95UDbJpEdjCksfc09cSGvdzz1gr_HLMkHh3wDAlN45r-rJEqFwTrCeH-Y5gbG57icOjrJ5hRoHfOSiNOnj-fpqb8oBaXo/s1600/IMG_2802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGHB89n7ODcqKi-UbYt5jzmPbeD3Di07gjd7DEfr5M3cGnv95UDbJpEdjCksfc09cSGvdzz1gr_HLMkHh3wDAlN45r-rJEqFwTrCeH-Y5gbG57icOjrJ5hRoHfOSiNOnj-fpqb8oBaXo/s1600/IMG_2802.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think picking pictures for the frames was the hardest part of this project. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A majority of them are from our trip to England and Paris last year, but I also included pictures from Alaska, New Orleans, Hawaii, Japan, Maine, Colorado, Catalina Island and my most recent trip to England.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yTkSbSMtgqQgin3jhZkLcrUXr3iLJTEGNlAAo8LV18-xQjjYRKcdNg3iCM2_zMtDuGTrOSTl7E6rooyRFVsBIGbs_CxzT8sZ3PwVL9hz4t82D3EpQDXnBseOMm4HzjIom_eihyphenhyphenMh5X8/s1600/travel+gallery+wall+places.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yTkSbSMtgqQgin3jhZkLcrUXr3iLJTEGNlAAo8LV18-xQjjYRKcdNg3iCM2_zMtDuGTrOSTl7E6rooyRFVsBIGbs_CxzT8sZ3PwVL9hz4t82D3EpQDXnBseOMm4HzjIom_eihyphenhyphenMh5X8/s1600/travel+gallery+wall+places.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love how it turned out and I love being able to see pictures from our vacations every day. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lCFoq6fM28d4DX_gpTYo-XJ8AGcMRI8m9YbIz-VrXvlgk6sJE7tz8jqx4OaR_WiqSRo8JR5UlHszyOtklrnVSlHv3zHZGazkoiS9cszZwgGZbvcOoqG3_0yPsXbcxGsaGbLLNJ2GSdo/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lCFoq6fM28d4DX_gpTYo-XJ8AGcMRI8m9YbIz-VrXvlgk6sJE7tz8jqx4OaR_WiqSRo8JR5UlHszyOtklrnVSlHv3zHZGazkoiS9cszZwgGZbvcOoqG3_0yPsXbcxGsaGbLLNJ2GSdo/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I ended up spending about $150 on the frames and mats, which isn’t chump change, but is a killer dealer compared to how much I would have spent on 18 regular price or even 40%-off sale frames. I had all of the pictures printed at Wal-Mart for about $45. Plus the cost of spray paint, this project ended up costing about $200. Not my cheapest project, but I love how it turned out and I’m so happy to have that large wall finally filled. Now I just need to decorate the console table and I’ll finally be done with that wall!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcDJ2CthY2UeIDNaefyl2i4bMcDrHIgTgqAaA6yOgJHTDUG1Y0jQnTNV-Ec3urUczQ1bSt3fvloXfX32ItWYali3RgoqtCU-3BA1ZDbRISStDOVKTDbh7dOj00WWcNNyGU2KLYqNolL4/s1600/travel+gallery+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcDJ2CthY2UeIDNaefyl2i4bMcDrHIgTgqAaA6yOgJHTDUG1Y0jQnTNV-Ec3urUczQ1bSt3fvloXfX32ItWYali3RgoqtCU-3BA1ZDbRISStDOVKTDbh7dOj00WWcNNyGU2KLYqNolL4/s1600/travel+gallery+wall.jpg" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/"><img alt="http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m617/yourfavoritelizard/afm2/ArtsyCornerButton_zps373d38a4.png" height="100" width="100" /></a> <a href="http://www.shineyourlightblog.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.shineyourlightblog.com/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzQYphToU5BhcuzJQdpeXDFP8hIEoRGrXaqtaGB17ypnAtBzOtHKyHirGsBTLwWP9y42Qf1Jfpi_apiv8cz7_lcoH9GjR5ojcq2OdNRsg3TQWr-sDPjADxOLBUfv3gNnq1QvKI-BdiVI/s1600/BOTNlinkbutton.jpg" /></a></div><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-45748945698375775352014-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.882-07:00Tour Through Blogland<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I was nominated by Samantha from <a href="http://designerinteal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Designer in Teal</a>to participate in a Tour through Blogland. It’s really just a chance for bloggers to share more about themselves, their home, and their blog. Plus it’s a fun way to meet other bloggers and find new reads. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I start talking about myself, I want to introduce Samantha from <a href="http://designerinteal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Designer in Teal</a>. Clearly we were meant to be friends because we’re both named Samantha, we both love Mexican food, and we now own the same console table. Anyway, Samantha and her husband bought their first home earlier this year and are fixing it up room by room. Right now they are working on the master bathroom, which used to be a horrible lime green color, but is now a very pretty blue. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjJt-s6XKjgghq5MQMf-hLZYOQkQm4rFziqAcQgYyeH_EHyz_jRdDItPbwAhVjesDtkHNKQFjEE_28Mi4Zi3zgl1l7DDjduUqmXlmYbH3uOfj4zLYv6KC11x75HNsGdFoOo4veTMVjrI/s1600/Horseman+master+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjJt-s6XKjgghq5MQMf-hLZYOQkQm4rFziqAcQgYyeH_EHyz_jRdDItPbwAhVjesDtkHNKQFjEE_28Mi4Zi3zgl1l7DDjduUqmXlmYbH3uOfj4zLYv6KC11x75HNsGdFoOo4veTMVjrI/s1600/Horseman+master+bath.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://designerinteal.blogspot.com/2014/09/our-next-project.html" target="_blank">(source)</a></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, let’s get to the questions:</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) What am I working on now?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now I’m working on decorating the large wall in our entry/living room. I just finished hanging a gallery wall above my new console table (details later this week), but I’m still looking for accessories to decorate the tabletop. I’m also looking for a bench for the entry. After that I have a few other projects/purchases on my list for the living room, but I’m hoping to finish it this year…we’ll see…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the One Room Challenge starts next week, so I’m starting to shift my focus to the master bathroom. I’m currently updating the mood board I put together last year and ordering any items that have to be custom made or shipped, so I’ll have them in time for the challenge.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) How does my work differ from others in my genre?<br /><br />I feel like a lot of bloggers are either full-time bloggers, stay-at-home moms, or work in some sort of creative profession (or a combination thereof). I work full-time as a financial analyst…probably one of the least creative jobs you can imagine. This blog is my chance to work on something I truly enjoy and use all of that creativity that I don’t use during my day job. That being said, this blog is just a hobby so I probably don’t finish projects or write posts as often as some people would like. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, my blog isn’t strictly about one topic. It’s mostly DIY projects and crafts, but I also write about traveling, food, and an occasional personal story. I just write about whatever I want to. You never know what I’m going to post about on any given day! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPjOuqdHJ72dvBAJ0UaMgKzN2upyvSvWeCDRV6lqD6snIbSjPDx4ubrjSDDThvMSiN8tzYPObKjLsVu371A7VSw97JN4GsFD_6UsE_2e29dk7_a_lUcpexeq7cwhJz2-bMsGpmSeXo78/s1600/il_570xN.618423706_msmq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPjOuqdHJ72dvBAJ0UaMgKzN2upyvSvWeCDRV6lqD6snIbSjPDx4ubrjSDDThvMSiN8tzYPObKjLsVu371A7VSw97JN4GsFD_6UsE_2e29dk7_a_lUcpexeq7cwhJz2-bMsGpmSeXo78/s1600/il_570xN.618423706_msmq.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/193165883/grown-ass-lady-inspirational-quote-print?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) How does my creative process work?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In one word: scattered! I have a hard time focusing on one project or one room at a time. I have a lot of supplies for projects I keep meaning to start and half-finished projects around the house. Once the inspiration fades, I’m onto the next thing regardless if what I was working on is finished or not.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A good example of this is the travel gallery wall that I just finished. I started it over a month ago. I spent a whole weekend on this project – buying the frames (multiple trips to Michael’s), arranging and hanging them, and getting pictures printed. I ended up a few pictures short and instead of taking like 15 minutes to pick a few more pictures, I lost interest and it sat unfinished for a couple weeks. Seriously, I only needed to pick/print 3 more pictures and the project would be done. But I lost interest and it sat unfinished for a few weeks until I was ready to work on it again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>That's probably why I only have 1 “finished” room in the house even though I’ve been here for over 3 years.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Why do I write/create what I do?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I mentioned above, this blog is my creative escape from my day job. It also forces to me to start/finish projects so that I have something to blog about. I don’t want to know what my house would look like if I didn’t have this blog to hold me accountable…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus it’s been fun meeting people with similar interests. I’ve met some amazing people through this blog and have formed some really great friendships. Most of my friends don’t care about decorating, so it’s been nice to have people to brainstorm and share ideas with.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And just for fun, here are a few before/progress pictures of my living room: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFekpbTUDx4DI97ZHBFV2e3mPPEX99zd3Ta1HPcQKv3XRaYD1vSFhhuhzXapudPaPQ-ZeANwH1ZQKNDZ01osfs1wj7EqzEK7gu4XsQ6Bw2LGRGUSXSTimj-VziqV-iVLkhyphenhyphenQeio22Dp0/s1600/living+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFekpbTUDx4DI97ZHBFV2e3mPPEX99zd3Ta1HPcQKv3XRaYD1vSFhhuhzXapudPaPQ-ZeANwH1ZQKNDZ01osfs1wj7EqzEK7gu4XsQ6Bw2LGRGUSXSTimj-VziqV-iVLkhyphenhyphenQeio22Dp0/s1600/living+room.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and lastly, I want to nominate Meaghan from <a href="http://www.thismessybusiness.com/" target="_blank">This MessyBusiness</a> and Ericka from <a href="http://erickamarie87.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">This Crazy Thing Called Life</a> to continue the Tour through Blogland.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><br /></div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-39130662859418861652014-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.892-07:00Flashback Friday: September at The Junk House<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you believe September is more than half over? This year has gone by so fast! Anyway, today we’re looking back at some of my favorite September posts from years past. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, let’s kick this off with a flashback to September 2013 –</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A year ago today my mom and I were flying home from our two week London/Paris vacation. We spent the first day of our trip touring <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/09/stonehenge-and-bath.html" target="_blank">Stonehenge and Bath</a>. Surprisingly, Stonehenge ended up being one of our favorite spots. When I was in England a couple weeks ago we drove by Stonehenge on the way from the airport to my hotel. That was pretty exciting!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeEwAasX5rdVd0Ui6bTqLnEGm1szrMYW3MCZ3Txfz7awiWk_f9IiGVTIXKCGKfSnS_jIDWarYF9YJfbZMBAdUYLceL99LZMTVA17Hj7BapzfgC2GvJ4fTE4nCYnjN-DsQCrPNAEIUcMs/s1600/IMG_0749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeEwAasX5rdVd0Ui6bTqLnEGm1szrMYW3MCZ3Txfz7awiWk_f9IiGVTIXKCGKfSnS_jIDWarYF9YJfbZMBAdUYLceL99LZMTVA17Hj7BapzfgC2GvJ4fTE4nCYnjN-DsQCrPNAEIUcMs/s1600/IMG_0749.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year I knocked off <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/09/id-rather-be-fishing-sign.html" target="_blank">this fishing sign</a> for my boyfriend. It’s still hanging on his side of the gallery wall in the office. Although, I had to add a metal hanger to the back because the double stick mounting tape did not hold up. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxle1r4cebGfgDs_pBvhqm81hS7kQEOKl76fBhRNrDgpUykmVcmpNJKE5KcMZwjus_9fmubyg7zBhfvv33n9nFyQoyzlc0myF_hbm4MZFpN5M3g-MRgLhuOQ_c5OsujgMhZ_cOYXcSoQ/s1600/fishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxle1r4cebGfgDs_pBvhqm81hS7kQEOKl76fBhRNrDgpUykmVcmpNJKE5KcMZwjus_9fmubyg7zBhfvv33n9nFyQoyzlc0myF_hbm4MZFpN5M3g-MRgLhuOQ_c5OsujgMhZ_cOYXcSoQ/s1600/fishing.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s rewind another year and look at September 2012 – </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years ago I completed one of my most time consuming projects. I stenciled fabric and used it to upholster a <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/stenciled-upholstered-headboard.html" target="_blank">headboard</a> for the master bedroom. We still use the headboard today, but I’ve been thinking about replacing it. The white in the fabric has not held up well to two dogs. Well, just Ringo mostly. He’s obsessed with licking one particular spot, so as you can imagine, that spot looks pretty dirty.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1IlHGag8gWWMlME4I4PR5T4QUZYC9E11q51a3owmaWvxEbHsLl13ZiPTBQzlxD8OgaUP0TrPgAXwxBkduTI9EXa8Xawb2QgtUG3docaaDllmq_4RA-F6c-zU6JiePuHDUp0ubJhJx5g/s1600/IMG_3151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1IlHGag8gWWMlME4I4PR5T4QUZYC9E11q51a3owmaWvxEbHsLl13ZiPTBQzlxD8OgaUP0TrPgAXwxBkduTI9EXa8Xawb2QgtUG3docaaDllmq_4RA-F6c-zU6JiePuHDUp0ubJhJx5g/s1600/IMG_3151.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years ago I was busy working on <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/craft-room-progress.html" target="_blank">my craft room</a>. I didn’t finish the room, but I painted it and organized everything. Too bad it’s a complete mess right now! Like seriously, it’s bad – possibly worse than the original before pictures. The shame…</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDajyfEtJiT6NW5xOyPh-TxsrVP2lneq0vc_jIUELxkRZnFiHAQs1b2VX9N7Ne406roGc-av-_ooB5OJ7TNvEPq9iFiSTTz55zxjKtdyGjPyC7kzEOG2MoM2PwJ3NkR7NhUMs0-kbqdw/s1600/IMG_3081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDajyfEtJiT6NW5xOyPh-TxsrVP2lneq0vc_jIUELxkRZnFiHAQs1b2VX9N7Ne406roGc-av-_ooB5OJ7TNvEPq9iFiSTTz55zxjKtdyGjPyC7kzEOG2MoM2PwJ3NkR7NhUMs0-kbqdw/s1600/IMG_3081.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to go WAY back to September 2011 – my first year of blogging!</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/reveal-guest-bathroom.html" target="_blank">guest bathroom</a> was the first room makeover that I finished in my house. Actually, it’s the only makeover that I’ve finished…haha! I have been thinking about changing the rug, artwork, and towels for something a little brighter and cheerier, but I figured I should work on finishing the other rooms in the house first. The best use of my time/money is probably not redoing the one finished room, especially since I don’t use it that often. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpS5OXWq_JZREhcQvRwROSEkRce7TLFU2jNdbVrTi3g04F_SFqoVVRSe32SNTkU3BTVzhwmH-qJSf5kiSrOWwYRy_F1FwfkdYff4eEWG6mxcNOZjsOBCaeH8N2zGw_H4oNAJLf1fn2qs/s1600/IMG_1394-guest+bathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpS5OXWq_JZREhcQvRwROSEkRce7TLFU2jNdbVrTi3g04F_SFqoVVRSe32SNTkU3BTVzhwmH-qJSf5kiSrOWwYRy_F1FwfkdYff4eEWG6mxcNOZjsOBCaeH8N2zGw_H4oNAJLf1fn2qs/s1600/IMG_1394-guest+bathroom.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally – Three years ago this month we brought <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/were-expecting.html" target="_blank">Ringo</a>home! Some days I didn’t think we’d make it this long. He was such a shithead puppy, but he’s gotten so much better as he gets older. I mean, he’s still a troublemaker (<a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/08/everett-foyer-table.html" target="_blank">remember my poor fiddle leaf fig</a>), but he’s mostly sweet now. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcgiAuxcCxGsW_wlaeAhB7WBmmaNSpXac9CHjCxBuTeFa1SyGUXpFmOifsSPw-52YYGi6xvluHCJOly4MVsBqivT_b8idBVKjEkbUK9ygn20nc4c_HyLFqDKZBhhBQj_zzcmxgFfYyxs/s1600/ringo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcgiAuxcCxGsW_wlaeAhB7WBmmaNSpXac9CHjCxBuTeFa1SyGUXpFmOifsSPw-52YYGi6xvluHCJOly4MVsBqivT_b8idBVKjEkbUK9ygn20nc4c_HyLFqDKZBhhBQj_zzcmxgFfYyxs/s1600/ringo.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that’s what I’ve been up to in September for the past three years. It’s been fun looking back at old projects and seeing how much I’ve accomplished in our house over the past few years.</span> </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-62203241469104213302014-09-17T07:33:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.947-07:00Yeovil and Portsmouth, England<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that was a whirlwind trip to England! I left Phoenix on Saturday night and arrived back in Phoenix on Friday evening. I stayed in three different cities and drove (was driven) around most of the southern coast of England.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqunuk-No6MGLI9wL9i6suPC90N-8vkWZwdkOSDrliS_QR9KS67LHEJgagtFTV0LMSTUqL9FrSnnE73hKRU8eg4U_VEmP5awcprst9nJ2euxTWhXbmX87PhmZkSefeTSLIDN1qTQJLww/s1600/travel+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqunuk-No6MGLI9wL9i6suPC90N-8vkWZwdkOSDrliS_QR9KS67LHEJgagtFTV0LMSTUqL9FrSnnE73hKRU8eg4U_VEmP5awcprst9nJ2euxTWhXbmX87PhmZkSefeTSLIDN1qTQJLww/s1600/travel+map.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was traveling for business , so unfortunately I didn’t get to do much sightseeing or exploring. Although I did get to fly business class on my way there and back, so that was pretty amazing. Plenty of legroom, seats that recline into beds, better food than coach plus free drinks…awesome!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW7OZ7L0JT77sRZSaE55io5_by4a1siHlqNiaQetGRCea1bgPUzQHkDTLRrg1gyfz7ejBhQLF-9BO1A0P-YZe8yInkOtRfO20GRoBlGleWMuJsLNt1Y3LqkBJXgMxoTJ6Ep4asq0NPe8/s1600/british+airways+business+class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW7OZ7L0JT77sRZSaE55io5_by4a1siHlqNiaQetGRCea1bgPUzQHkDTLRrg1gyfz7ejBhQLF-9BO1A0P-YZe8yInkOtRfO20GRoBlGleWMuJsLNt1Y3LqkBJXgMxoTJ6Ep4asq0NPe8/s1600/british+airways+business+class.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I spent the first two nights of my trip in Yeovil. The hotel wasn’t very close to anything and I was too jetlagged to figure out the bus route or find a cab, so I pretty much just stayed around the hotel after work. I did see some cows…</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAClm1TrABdD1Mkvq6B9G3RU54OrFZjnxd18748NvT8QHM6YlpFOjvo1-OpKM5PXWKK1ScBKJMFAJd9CisiU6PdM0jNJi82-wRnb3naesc2zEQMcwKO0hlgCOldadYYX-cTYToRtwVNA/s1600/yeovil+cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAClm1TrABdD1Mkvq6B9G3RU54OrFZjnxd18748NvT8QHM6YlpFOjvo1-OpKM5PXWKK1ScBKJMFAJd9CisiU6PdM0jNJi82-wRnb3naesc2zEQMcwKO0hlgCOldadYYX-cTYToRtwVNA/s1600/yeovil+cows.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next two days we stayed in Portsmouth. Luckily there was a lot more to do there, so I finally got a chance to get out of the hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t leave work until after 5 p.m. each day, so I didn’t have much free time to explore. However, I finally got some free time after work on Wednesday, so I decided to walk around and do some sightseeing. We were staying near the Royal Garrison Church, so that was my first stop. It was closed by the time I got there, but I still stopped to take a few pictures. It was originally part of a hospital founded in 1212 by the bishop of Winchester. The nave was badly damaged during a fire raid in 1941, but the chancel remains roofed and furnished.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga90AVVBojB7vsJ11wwelJpcRbrnOPYjJt0W7OEF6k8tUhgDhk09vg2t2Fh7327r5SnzEi29MKZGhdS9Nho7l1DfKDtkas33psxtfECH42n5qU-hFAUEnxjGB-PS2Lkuq7-Qdrjyfr_p8/s1600/royal+garrison+church+portsmouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga90AVVBojB7vsJ11wwelJpcRbrnOPYjJt0W7OEF6k8tUhgDhk09vg2t2Fh7327r5SnzEi29MKZGhdS9Nho7l1DfKDtkas33psxtfECH42n5qU-hFAUEnxjGB-PS2Lkuq7-Qdrjyfr_p8/s1600/royal+garrison+church+portsmouth.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">From there I followed the sea wall/walk that runs along the coast of Portsmouth. It was a great walking trail and it eventually lead me through Clarence Pier to the rocky shore. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq_neEl9CiQmwYY9DmGDFLDVIkvk7pl9uLia9hrBUtePcWMtxe1ezBSIwGiZTrn0tM9GAHyAYGfHs7Hk3sncUhdKrhKVPSQ6OYhqwQOGx8MBjOd9P3NO_qdq4NO-MlqEv06u0WnbBLcY/s1600/portsmouth+sea+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq_neEl9CiQmwYY9DmGDFLDVIkvk7pl9uLia9hrBUtePcWMtxe1ezBSIwGiZTrn0tM9GAHyAYGfHs7Hk3sncUhdKrhKVPSQ6OYhqwQOGx8MBjOd9P3NO_qdq4NO-MlqEv06u0WnbBLcY/s1600/portsmouth+sea+wall.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACTwejqsK7YdTtH7RiumY-E23a3yX5SnCO8P2sLzn9YduIjrMNfzT05tIEJAuSVZGjcnlytCaoO7yUuMOmVxj_02uezV4eJq5Cz5C-wtNfKgG_ILFL72QgIX6FWO62MwI-4FR-RZV35o/s1600/portsmouth+english+channel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACTwejqsK7YdTtH7RiumY-E23a3yX5SnCO8P2sLzn9YduIjrMNfzT05tIEJAuSVZGjcnlytCaoO7yUuMOmVxj_02uezV4eJq5Cz5C-wtNfKgG_ILFL72QgIX6FWO62MwI-4FR-RZV35o/s1600/portsmouth+english+channel.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ended up walking around that for a couple of miles because I was determined to see Southsea Castle. I mean, you have to see at least one castle while you are in England, right? Of course it was closed by the time I got there, but I was able to get a peek through the gates and take a couple pictures.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwgJxEuswSpUDV8cZdHnIgdb8bn4V0eouJRG4e0G6aMQrOo4zU_issU5xNxCmphcveFQinHcWAUgkJsz5GuT4CHd2en89DdoZ7B93UPMcI_nlNITTKZY4a0tCs5agZYESL8KiGawuf9E/s1600/southsea+castle+portsmouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwgJxEuswSpUDV8cZdHnIgdb8bn4V0eouJRG4e0G6aMQrOo4zU_issU5xNxCmphcveFQinHcWAUgkJsz5GuT4CHd2en89DdoZ7B93UPMcI_nlNITTKZY4a0tCs5agZYESL8KiGawuf9E/s1600/southsea+castle+portsmouth.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hGZs5XsS6Ca4GtuXpLDiE_YCF5TcGYyRTeiafmZr8LCzptgPnIKFeidFGaleV8QvQoBKyqUU376QcueopVnsxjpRqF7EQTDmKIxkX2Yq8ZMXocWzKtPcMiEAAGrM2eTFeXwPqtRS_jY/s1600/southsea+castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hGZs5XsS6Ca4GtuXpLDiE_YCF5TcGYyRTeiafmZr8LCzptgPnIKFeidFGaleV8QvQoBKyqUU376QcueopVnsxjpRqF7EQTDmKIxkX2Yq8ZMXocWzKtPcMiEAAGrM2eTFeXwPqtRS_jY/s1600/southsea+castle.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I had been there earlier, there’s also the D-Day Museum and an aquarium nearby. I did get to see the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was built to commemorate the members of the Royal Navy whose lives were lost at sea (and therefore have no known grave) during WWI and WWII. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDK2df7H25O4_kVbhQBjxZJWLlpfLTMeBoxaCtCZjeB0owX5EOrdMig0VprJIKtDTRQ-GYsSuDoke5Au1GRdsXpMRV4mvLuTOQjTZXdTV7I4Ut5nq-Kms58axG4p5X-Yv69yBSIe0zaM/s1600/portsmouth+naval+memorial+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDK2df7H25O4_kVbhQBjxZJWLlpfLTMeBoxaCtCZjeB0owX5EOrdMig0VprJIKtDTRQ-GYsSuDoke5Au1GRdsXpMRV4mvLuTOQjTZXdTV7I4Ut5nq-Kms58axG4p5X-Yv69yBSIe0zaM/s1600/portsmouth+naval+memorial+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved the lion and unicorn statues that were guarding the entrances. Someday I’m going to buy a big house and put cement statues out front…I’m sure my neighbors and HOA will LOVE that...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jw8I5TJo5XMt9eeaDQfHythOiEsfZuihSrAXpPzp8L5xmzJdstrBgPlUIF-VDPDDHOqG3kB_xEYoh0psUUWX8McFrOuc_tmUNctbSisD1H1DWGVGkqhXhzDF11fgaL3XK_houyO8Ye4/s1600/portsmouth+naval+memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jw8I5TJo5XMt9eeaDQfHythOiEsfZuihSrAXpPzp8L5xmzJdstrBgPlUIF-VDPDDHOqG3kB_xEYoh0psUUWX8McFrOuc_tmUNctbSisD1H1DWGVGkqhXhzDF11fgaL3XK_houyO8Ye4/s1600/portsmouth+naval+memorial.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent my last day at the Wattisham Airfield and at our hotel in Ipswich, but I don’t have any pictures of those places =(</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I didn’t get to do much sightseeing, I did get to do a lot of eating. Hooray for a generous business travel per diem! I think my favorite meal was the lamb lollipops at Jamie’s Italian in Portsmouth. My favorite dessert was the banana toffee crumble tart with honey and fig ice cream at the Yeovil Court Hotel and Restaurant. I also had an amazing parma ham, fresh mozzarella and pesto baguette sandwich there. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zbwI3ceG5JJO_5K44mOdqQPtie5D0c23fM7w19F3ICYM5rod7X9Y00Uz2KlhbdQ2nDZXFswflwLQnYudnWtgwOA7ACZgLzSolqAETqOUDE3bEgxaHK_HGfCVA02efzWiu5sY5d4m374/s1600/dessert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zbwI3ceG5JJO_5K44mOdqQPtie5D0c23fM7w19F3ICYM5rod7X9Y00Uz2KlhbdQ2nDZXFswflwLQnYudnWtgwOA7ACZgLzSolqAETqOUDE3bEgxaHK_HGfCVA02efzWiu5sY5d4m374/s1600/dessert.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though it was a quick trip I still had a great time and I’m happy I had the opportunity to visit England again. Hopefully I’ll get to make another trip there within the next few years.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-21364880079164825432014-09-16T07:28:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:35.957-07:00Pinterest Recipe Week 6 Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Monday I announced that I was going to cook dinner for the whole week based only on recipes that I’ve pinned on Pinterest - aka </span><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinterest Recipe Week.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Everything turned out pretty good, but not all earned a spot in my recipe binder. Before I crap on any recipes I want to say that these are just our opinions. You might like something we didn’t like or vice versa. That’s what makes food fun; everyone is different. Oh, and sorry for the non-staged food pictures. I was more concerned about eating the food while it was still hot rather than getting good pictures.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Monday</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.afamilyfeast.com/steak-tips-caramelized-onions/" target="_blank">Steak Tips with Caramelized Onions</a> and <a href="http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2014/06/02/grilled-red-potato-packets-with-pesto-ranch-sauce-recipe/" target="_blank">Grilled Red Potato Packets with Pesto Ranch Sauce</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeUa2qjCMa1vxNJNFQGpdiDBuMhehIQ9M4vaQGdGejc5-rHaStfj7N9nSrGFM6CSKvYOYZQnigjtR9nXohcpLvnUPBhROqVjb20YSnsTiBCjPkfNlMN9UcDQSgKKaFsxHFZT6Zrdkmyg/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeUa2qjCMa1vxNJNFQGpdiDBuMhehIQ9M4vaQGdGejc5-rHaStfj7N9nSrGFM6CSKvYOYZQnigjtR9nXohcpLvnUPBhROqVjb20YSnsTiBCjPkfNlMN9UcDQSgKKaFsxHFZT6Zrdkmyg/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I’d say everything was good, but could use a few tweaks in my opinion. We liked the steak tips, but I thought the marinade had too much A-1 sauce and the flavor was a little overpowering. The recipe also makes way more marinade than you need and it’s kind of a waste of ingredients. I could have halved the recipe and still had plenty. I love caramelized/grilled onions, so I thought those were amazing and could have eaten the whole pan. Also, as you can tell in the picture, I accidently cut my steak pieces a little too small, but they still cooked up well. I would consider making these again, but with the marinade changes listed above and I’d cut my steak into larger pieces as instructed.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The potatoes were good and I loved the idea of cooking them in foil packets on the grill, but they were too oily. Butter + olive oil + oil from the pesto was way too much. However, I did love the foil packet method and I would definitely cook potatoes this way again. It’s nice that you don’t have to dirty any pots or pans. Other than that, the flavor was pretty good (although next time I would try different ingredient/spices combinations) and I loved the crispy ones stuck to the foil. Oh, and as you can tell from the picture, I forgot to add the chives. I chopped them up, but just forgot to sprinkle them on…oops! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday</b></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2013/05/creamy-shrimp-enchiladas-and-dinner-and-a-movie-with-the-dating-divas.html" target="_blank">Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas</a> with <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2008/10/cafe-rio-cilantro-lime-rice.html" target="_blank">Cilantro Lime Rice</a> and <a href="http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/11/rubios-no-fried-pinto-beans/" target="_blank">Pinto Beans</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Lsce3GBPO3oLObV_jNuFJvzqpWdOkM9I9ExtMP_PCqNXk9IhEMkudJSZSSpsbe1GzI3p2hrkrqsoCPRIXVCbuCuCHqXNRCQQA575xWWn5uOtzQ1dWEH4dNrCON0m6U_pKSP4vD51hPw/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Lsce3GBPO3oLObV_jNuFJvzqpWdOkM9I9ExtMP_PCqNXk9IhEMkudJSZSSpsbe1GzI3p2hrkrqsoCPRIXVCbuCuCHqXNRCQQA575xWWn5uOtzQ1dWEH4dNrCON0m6U_pKSP4vD51hPw/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s start with the enchiladas – they were good, but really rich. I don’t think you could eat more than two without feeling sick. That being said, the two I ate were really good. I really liked the shrimp mixture and would definitely make that again. I think next time I’d use the shrimp mixture from this recipe and top it with the creamy salsa verde from <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/06/chicken-and-white-bean-enchiladas-with.html" target="_blank">this</a>Skinny Taste recipe.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve never ate at Café Rio, so I don’t know if this rice tastes similar or not, but it was tasty and paired well with the enchiladas. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ugh, now let’s talk about the beans. They were definitely the biggest disappointment for the week. The 20-minute cooking time is WAY off. My beans definitely weren’t soft enough after 20 minutes, so I cooked them another 20 minutes, but they were still kind of crunchy. By then I had to move on and finish dinner if we wanted to eat at a reasonable time, so I let them sit for an hour as instructed, but still no. I ended up just throwing out the whole pot of beans. Next time I’ll just cook them in the crockpot like I usually do.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wednesday</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sharedappetite.com/recipes/stuffed-jalapeno-popper-bacon-cheeseburger/" target="_blank">Stuffed Jalapeno Popper Bacon Cheeseburger</a> with Waffle Fries</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlxOK0tN0fv7FDG2wnElIMcxj38pvdshkAwZrOn1tZVo0_qeeHWeRmZV_ZXWSxAWnouYG3J82nLmoHAkQAbu7WWYtRXI0cU-smNcqK6nuWpJ5JRrRyezMhmcbdU3uFKnkSMAYYSffrHI/s1600/IMG_2760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlxOK0tN0fv7FDG2wnElIMcxj38pvdshkAwZrOn1tZVo0_qeeHWeRmZV_ZXWSxAWnouYG3J82nLmoHAkQAbu7WWYtRXI0cU-smNcqK6nuWpJ5JRrRyezMhmcbdU3uFKnkSMAYYSffrHI/s1600/IMG_2760.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These burgers were seriously tasty! Next time I think I’d crumble the bacon and add it to the cream cheese-jalapeno mixture instead of putting it on top of the burger. And I think I’d add lettuce and tomato too, but those are the only changes I’d make. I really love the idea of stuffed burgers and I loved the ranch avocado sauce. Mmmm, definitely a tasty burger! </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The waffle fries are just Alexia seasoned waffle fries. I didn’t make those – I just baked them according to the directions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Thursday</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.emilybites.com/2013/05/thai-chicken-skewers-with-peanut-sauce.html" target="_blank">Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce</a> and <a href="http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/04/crunchy-asian-slaw.html" target="_blank">Crunchy Asian Slaw</a></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQCNlpF3dYf5ucLwj6WpM_E0P84jXyiCHDZQph5ZY2crW2YW7D59OhmDBlfRwL2DQ_mD3l3tIdUm6vmS17VZ5o0yUAwBFAgoYmPzaOn75_b5PokZUlhBGz7bTXnpHKV2lOscadywzdxI/s1600/IMG_2781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQCNlpF3dYf5ucLwj6WpM_E0P84jXyiCHDZQph5ZY2crW2YW7D59OhmDBlfRwL2DQ_mD3l3tIdUm6vmS17VZ5o0yUAwBFAgoYmPzaOn75_b5PokZUlhBGz7bTXnpHKV2lOscadywzdxI/s1600/IMG_2781.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chicken skewers were good, but they tasted just like every other marinated chicken recipe. That's not necessarily a bad thing and like I said, they were good, just not standout chicken skewers. As far as the peanut sauce goes, at first I didn't like it, but it grew on me after a few bites. </span></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think everyone has their own version of this recipe. I'm partial to my version Crunchy Asian Slaw, but since this was new recipe week, I decided to try a different one. I have to say, this version is really good. I really liked the buttery, seasoned ramen noodles. The dressing is really good too. It's similar to the one I make except this recipe calls for red wine vinegar and I usually use apple cider vinegar. I'm definitely going to take a few ideas from this recipe and incorporate them into my own. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday </b></span><br /><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/02/broiled-salmon-and-roasted-garlic-cream-noodles-with-crispy-cauliflower-toasted-pine-nuts" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broiled Salmon and Roasted Garlic Cream Noodles withCrispy Cauliflower + Toasted Pine Nuts</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3ZeskUIglP4SP5Xv_ayF2Qym04BbHulPmrBh7n8FcICV-aA58EwqWnuxjlfJL72j7PfHchNyZCae_OtzLsbcp_v_mW2jn_t4jv-StThZE_DY3kEIA64P5scOljP91HCIzUVyiovMCM4/s1600/IMG_2770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3ZeskUIglP4SP5Xv_ayF2Qym04BbHulPmrBh7n8FcICV-aA58EwqWnuxjlfJL72j7PfHchNyZCae_OtzLsbcp_v_mW2jn_t4jv-StThZE_DY3kEIA64P5scOljP91HCIzUVyiovMCM4/s1600/IMG_2770.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">We still have a lot of salmon left from our Alaska trip, so I've been trying to find new recipes and tips for cooking it. I usually bake it (375 degrees for 15-18 minutes), but I liked the broil method from this recipe. I'll definitely cook it that way again. We also</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> really liked the roasted garlic cream noodles. Although next time I'd use shell pasta because I don't really like regular spaghetti noodles (I know, I'm weird). Oh, and i</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">f you want to save a few bucks, you could leave off the pine nuts. They are good, but they don't make or break the dish.<b> </b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Breakfast</b> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.missinformationblog.com/recipes/country-gravy-breakfast-casserole/" target="_blank">Country Gravy Breakfast Casserole</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP20GXtwL6KU3BXZPZu6xYklWWR693x4nPMbvqm_H_DGYg4XDvUDOwzCS0y13V31LlV-6r5kOMd96X15ikjDH4PbLh1Q7FINVFCzNuUWMnNWfcPFWOmVH9kb5UiRLd6iVUOhLQi6DwVk/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP20GXtwL6KU3BXZPZu6xYklWWR693x4nPMbvqm_H_DGYg4XDvUDOwzCS0y13V31LlV-6r5kOMd96X15ikjDH4PbLh1Q7FINVFCzNuUWMnNWfcPFWOmVH9kb5UiRLd6iVUOhLQi6DwVk/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know the picture doesn't look that appetizing, but this casserole is seriously delicious! My boyfriend and I ate almost half of the 9x13 pan by ourselves in one sitting. I followed the recipe exactly as directed except I ended up making gravy</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> from the sausage grease using <a href="http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/bacongravy.htm" target="_blank">this recipe</a> instead of using package gravy mix. </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Appetizer</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/07/chicken-enchilada-verde-dip.html" target="_blank">Chicken Enchilada Verde Dip</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl-CdFsvXFVLA1wvSaEZieecdSznPzTufIEyNWTcZdW4JWwzv_-5wkYt2KRPkfQCq1ZahqJb5PKf2yD_RB59FDvZ5VRhAd0u5HqSIGFRAgOQt9V3TzaEmSs2CqJHEXxoi79pFso_ihKw/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl-CdFsvXFVLA1wvSaEZieecdSznPzTufIEyNWTcZdW4JWwzv_-5wkYt2KRPkfQCq1ZahqJb5PKf2yD_RB59FDvZ5VRhAd0u5HqSIGFRAgOQt9V3TzaEmSs2CqJHEXxoi79pFso_ihKw/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was really good! I ended up taking the leftovers for lunch one day – yes, I ate chips and dip for lunch. It wasn’t spicy at all, so next time I think I’d add a couple more jalapenos because I think this would be really good with a little kick, but it’s definitely not necessary if you don’t like heat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b> </b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Dessert</b> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thissillygirlslife.com/2014/04/golden-oreo-strawberry-cheesecake-bars/" target="_blank">Golden Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake Bars</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuOdqnw0KKhb1jONIF8gvOyIVf_tLH8ANrJcoH4UjBrU3g2eeR1oOPbwwVEU3OL_nChqmnYEorwBKrWxLhUdmV6Av3srPQRkfUKcDBVE1GClq7wqUUCTpUewMPPmIElKN7cpDtjmpSvM/s1600/IMG_2778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuOdqnw0KKhb1jONIF8gvOyIVf_tLH8ANrJcoH4UjBrU3g2eeR1oOPbwwVEU3OL_nChqmnYEorwBKrWxLhUdmV6Av3srPQRkfUKcDBVE1GClq7wqUUCTpUewMPPmIElKN7cpDtjmpSvM/s1600/IMG_2778.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's cheesecake so of course it's delicious! I love the golden Oreo crust! It might be my new go-to cheesecake crust. You could also skip the crumbled Oreos and just make strawberry cheesecake. That would be delicious too! Yum!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Has anyone else tried a recipe they've pinned? Leave any recommendations in the comments section - I'm always looking for new dishes!<br /><br />You can see these pins and other food related pins </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/thejunkhouse/yummy/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can read previous Pinterest Recipe Week reviews </span><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Pinterest%20Recipe%20Week" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here </span></span></a></div><br /><br /></div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-9942872271213958352014-09-12T07:45:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.033-07:00The Friday Five<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>One – My New Favorite Pants</b></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">The main reason I’m writing this post is so I can tell everyone about my new favorite pants - the </span><a href="http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1765685/sonoma-life-style-straight-leg-slim-knit-pants-womens.jsp" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">SONOMA life + style Straight-LegSlim Knit Pants</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">. They are ridiculously comfortable, but still appropriate for the office. I wore them working in England last week and I’ve worn them a couple times to work this week. I’ve been pairing mine with my usual work blouses and flats and love how they look. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I already own two pairs, but I’m planning on buying at least two more. Seriously, they are like wearing comfy, stretchy pajama pants. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFV3MYiuTudwjJt6rIYHENg7NJUgjqKP640ULua4HF6QyhJQDiClguMdnJQLi49AhpF8parkao-q4K6zs_VTwcchAuuTEXUHQm_UG8IlNxdp27o2GoQErlzOACJP0vzj_ukkoFCsoTMY/s1600/kohls+knit+pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFV3MYiuTudwjJt6rIYHENg7NJUgjqKP640ULua4HF6QyhJQDiClguMdnJQLi49AhpF8parkao-q4K6zs_VTwcchAuuTEXUHQm_UG8IlNxdp27o2GoQErlzOACJP0vzj_ukkoFCsoTMY/s1600/kohls+knit+pants.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Two – High School Reunion</b></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">My 10-year high school reunion is this weekend...My boyfriend and I are going to the family picnic tomorrow afternoon, but my cousin is getting married tomorrow night, so I’m going to miss the reunion dinner. It should be interesting to see everyone. Although, thanks to Facebook I already know what a lot of my classmates have been up to over the past decade – lots of weddings and babies! </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurauNOgo6CqAteMw8jFHPRpUdztMebJQvrQdw0bod80slzID3jxccaNArxSrRNnTwtkTu5NvxUeT2YGXdafsKregI5N9U5KPA_Im3vFxUjMsU55W6Dik6jXYUfpR35Ffxxf1-teoFMKs/s1600/189651_502766260256_8565_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurauNOgo6CqAteMw8jFHPRpUdztMebJQvrQdw0bod80slzID3jxccaNArxSrRNnTwtkTu5NvxUeT2YGXdafsKregI5N9U5KPA_Im3vFxUjMsU55W6Dik6jXYUfpR35Ffxxf1-teoFMKs/s1600/189651_502766260256_8565_n.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Three – Rainy Day</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It started raining in the Phoenix-area around 2 a.m. Monday morning and didn’t stop until almost lunch time! You might have seen <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/heavy-rain-snarls-morning-commute-in-phoenix-area/2014/09/08/15e1827a-3758-11e4-a023-1d61f7f31a05_story.html" target="_blank">pictures</a>of the flooded freeways on the news. Let’s just say the area was not built for that much rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were lucky because the storm didn’t cause any damage or flooding to our house, but our backyard looked like a lake and our pool was only a couple inches from overflowing. It was pretty crazy! I’m just glad I had my laptop, so I could work from home for the day.<b> </b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEIyYKwtWm5Ytiw2kZELI12NlBGf0dZQExDdiMbL4xkiezFPL4B1oKuY-nCFDMZ68rpvXaHWuGY3zM1xDkXjakAqawWrA1tGuIyjbYS3jLwne5TtaatcVbgAifNnSaULUUJGqTskjQzo/s1600/backyard+rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEIyYKwtWm5Ytiw2kZELI12NlBGf0dZQExDdiMbL4xkiezFPL4B1oKuY-nCFDMZ68rpvXaHWuGY3zM1xDkXjakAqawWrA1tGuIyjbYS3jLwne5TtaatcVbgAifNnSaULUUJGqTskjQzo/s1600/backyard+rain.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Four – One Room Challenge</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the next One Room Challenge (hosted by Linda at <a href="http://www.callingithome.com/" target="_blank">Calling it Home</a>) starts Thursday, October 2<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>nd</sup>. I would definitely recommend joining in if you have a room that needs a makeover and you need some motivation. Participating in the last challenge is probably the only reason my laundry room is actually painted. I’d probably still be procrastinating getting the drywall repaired if I hadn’t participated (although I still haven’t finished the counter). </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m still trying to decide which room I want to work on this time. I can’t decide between the master bedroom, master bathroom, guest room, or pool area. I’m leaning towards pool area (even though it’s not technically a room) because the weather will start cooling down by October and it’d be nice to finally get some work done outside. Regardless, I need to make a decision soon, so I can start planning and ordering any long-lead items.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisaTfumi-b9She2M9utkQLesLxREvFJdvE0AMBtHpjBX7dPLa1eNvr8kTXtjhx1jQv1Xctf3rKhMhCh6KL8fJldkgVvdK3BLZ9fsIYxRrZ0Y3kQZ-OBi3yFwlK6Jo5OUkmhVwJViM61Y/s1600/ORC+linking+event+save+the+date+October.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisaTfumi-b9She2M9utkQLesLxREvFJdvE0AMBtHpjBX7dPLa1eNvr8kTXtjhx1jQv1Xctf3rKhMhCh6KL8fJldkgVvdK3BLZ9fsIYxRrZ0Y3kQZ-OBi3yFwlK6Jo5OUkmhVwJViM61Y/s1600/ORC+linking+event+save+the+date+October.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Five – Divergent</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">I watched Divergent while I was on the plane to London and I loved it! I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t turn it off. I definitely wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. It doesn’t hurt that Four (Theo James) is ridiculously good looking. I bought the movie when I got home and I can’t wait to watch it again. Now I want to read the books before the next movie comes out. Have you seen the movie or read the books?</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmoJ2wXqEu5SC3ZGdTdBEbq3yMMe0Ji4vzkHkJWEEvny9dtkr-3BDH02SVINRodaUhY6Kfzq-0Y1HWJ1E4WhaOYuTqeOBQVzOkb_8hp-NIdg6ZYFqk-2R4knpc8ZLTmnnG8xR6HDh8I4/s1600/813e7ab132c163f0a54e3c14738179c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmoJ2wXqEu5SC3ZGdTdBEbq3yMMe0Ji4vzkHkJWEEvny9dtkr-3BDH02SVINRodaUhY6Kfzq-0Y1HWJ1E4WhaOYuTqeOBQVzOkb_8hp-NIdg6ZYFqk-2R4knpc8ZLTmnnG8xR6HDh8I4/s1600/813e7ab132c163f0a54e3c14738179c1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll be back Monday with the results of Pinterest Recipe Week!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><br /></div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-11909529407626579902014-09-11T07:37:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.043-07:00New and Improved Projects Page!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the past few <strike>months</strike> weeks I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes improving the ol’ blog. Today I’m finally ready to introduce the new and improved <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/p/projects.html" target="_blank">Projects</a> page! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_GJEyKkgqSltvUFGUh2TZAgBsuePWs-C203sZmEsnylY8ptdnsaUMrn2PdWkVFQVB2Fcouqr1fg1ONAPrB15-Q3nFLJ8AXlomfuhBC7jEoDdkrgtcwxKwy9hVY32441yLolxMsU9R9k/s1600/new+projects+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_GJEyKkgqSltvUFGUh2TZAgBsuePWs-C203sZmEsnylY8ptdnsaUMrn2PdWkVFQVB2Fcouqr1fg1ONAPrB15-Q3nFLJ8AXlomfuhBC7jEoDdkrgtcwxKwy9hVY32441yLolxMsU9R9k/s1600/new+projects+page.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You’ll notice that it’s a lot more organized than the previous projects page. Here’s a shot of the previous projects page in case you forgot (or never saw it): </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnteaeBmBpjDEetV_0wIUItDLOl0ER6voX4cMajHImvkpgOViMJvsn4gxlMMdzvP3UmehPVQlSX5j6FZJA1yXguCz92EzyKkDFRZQz8-8YJ1CNIce3Po6dd6kk7VjrwZBvbnmgdokfE-o/s1600/projects+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnteaeBmBpjDEetV_0wIUItDLOl0ER6voX4cMajHImvkpgOViMJvsn4gxlMMdzvP3UmehPVQlSX5j6FZJA1yXguCz92EzyKkDFRZQz8-8YJ1CNIce3Po6dd6kk7VjrwZBvbnmgdokfE-o/s1600/projects+page.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now everything is separated into categories: my favorites, furniture makeovers, art projects, crafts/DIY, sewing/fabric, home improvement, and even travel! I’m also planning on creating a decorating and a recipes section, but I haven’t completed those yet.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotlJEM9d5uTDWGpy0MZjDWVlg9r8AQuyUTu2-BmnRt52Z6eovZjGFKmuZMpx4obiEE941mim2HCKua3IvNEINotV37EQOpKL1DQf5U-VE9xjWNkrxq3mC8zKdvFO4U5u3JujlcLgwL5A/s1600/new+projects+page+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotlJEM9d5uTDWGpy0MZjDWVlg9r8AQuyUTu2-BmnRt52Z6eovZjGFKmuZMpx4obiEE941mim2HCKua3IvNEINotV37EQOpKL1DQf5U-VE9xjWNkrxq3mC8zKdvFO4U5u3JujlcLgwL5A/s1600/new+projects+page+2.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hopefully you find this page easier to navigate than the previous version! Let me know if you come across any links that don’t work or lead you somewhere unexpected. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-22303764879723255782014-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.097-07:00Pinterest Recipe Week #6<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m back from England! I had a great trip, but I wish I would have had more time to explore…next time I’ll plan to stay an extra couple days on my own. Look for the travel recap next week!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, today I’m bringing back another one of my old series – Pinterest Recipe Week! Can you believe it’s been nine months since the last Pinterest Recipe Week? For those of you who are new, Pinterest Recipe Week is my plan to cook a week’s worth of dinners only from recipes I’ve pinned. You can read the previous five recaps <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Pinterest%20Recipe%20Week" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every weekend I plan out our meals for the upcoming week. We usually eat out on Friday and Saturday, so I typically only make five meals each week. This week I’m even adding a breakfast recipe, an appetizer, and a dessert! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I’m sharing my meal plan and next Monday I’ll share my reviews. Let’s hope everything tastes as good as it looks! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Breakfast</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.missinformationblog.com/recipes/country-gravy-breakfast-casserole/" target="_blank">Country Gravy Breakfast Casserole</a> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzedGDBzQUg8OEJvJKFQ4SScqnoBgLGpSsTGJtOl_coOzqXd7TjAfQvGP2lKyCtu5ShC49qt4syGfT7z9iMRCABINHSWg1zaON6ntGEnAySYfTLviEq9c_JOh0WC2k72aDrFnCBD2itB8/s1600/Country_Gravy_Biscuit_Sausage_Gravy_Casserole_cheese_pioneer_Mix_pillsbury_grands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzedGDBzQUg8OEJvJKFQ4SScqnoBgLGpSsTGJtOl_coOzqXd7TjAfQvGP2lKyCtu5ShC49qt4syGfT7z9iMRCABINHSWg1zaON6ntGEnAySYfTLviEq9c_JOh0WC2k72aDrFnCBD2itB8/s1600/Country_Gravy_Biscuit_Sausage_Gravy_Casserole_cheese_pioneer_Mix_pillsbury_grands.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://www.missinformationblog.com/recipes/country-gravy-breakfast-casserole/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> via </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217720963210850788/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Appetizer</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/07/chicken-enchilada-verde-dip.html" target="_blank">Chicken Enchilada Verde Dip</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sn8KQ0r0b9b6JSj9sBOYq9m8ET_8aa-wprfeR6EOZ7ImLiDOVqwgt8wVh5M_ptQO0VtHkqyubuULnBb9A59D-_wqikm00Ogo1EOcr0sErgDD8vyG80xOaZlejErn0eFNg3BXf0QjD5w/s1600/Chicken-Enchilada-Verde-Dip-4-from-willcookforsmiles_com_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sn8KQ0r0b9b6JSj9sBOYq9m8ET_8aa-wprfeR6EOZ7ImLiDOVqwgt8wVh5M_ptQO0VtHkqyubuULnBb9A59D-_wqikm00Ogo1EOcr0sErgDD8vyG80xOaZlejErn0eFNg3BXf0QjD5w/s1600/Chicken-Enchilada-Verde-Dip-4-from-willcookforsmiles_com_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/07/chicken-enchilada-verde-dip.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source </span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">via </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217720963210610508/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Dinner</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2013/05/creamy-shrimp-enchiladas-and-dinner-and-a-movie-with-the-dating-divas.html" target="_blank">Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas</a> with <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2008/10/cafe-rio-cilantro-lime-rice.html" target="_blank">Cilantro Lime Rice</a>and <a href="http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/11/rubios-no-fried-pinto-beans/" target="_blank">Pinto Beans</a></span><br /><br /><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/02/broiled-salmon-and-roasted-garlic-cream-noodles-with-crispy-cauliflower-toasted-pine-nuts" target="_blank">Broiled Salmon and Roasted Garlic Cream Noodles with Crispy Cauliflower + Toasted Pine Nuts</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJRFsS7aAw3M9sJ_NfaNI-1EUMO-CHQjOchqnoyEYQUitLRguKFS3VHN_3uMizQ1euFBVEogzVnKmEqeeEFmrEghjKdDw_KP4ec7yq_kn9bU8belSYDNDglt3CtdZvNAc8n86uKXKfaA/s1600/garliccreamnoodles-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJRFsS7aAw3M9sJ_NfaNI-1EUMO-CHQjOchqnoyEYQUitLRguKFS3VHN_3uMizQ1euFBVEogzVnKmEqeeEFmrEghjKdDw_KP4ec7yq_kn9bU8belSYDNDglt3CtdZvNAc8n86uKXKfaA/s1600/garliccreamnoodles-3.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/02/broiled-salmon-and-roasted-garlic-cream-noodles-with-crispy-cauliflower-toasted-pine-nuts" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> via </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217720963210787414/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.afamilyfeast.com/steak-tips-caramelized-onions/" target="_blank">Steak Tips with Caramelized Onions</a> and <a href="http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2014/06/02/grilled-red-potato-packets-with-pesto-ranch-sauce-recipe/" target="_blank">GrilledRed Potato Packets with Pesto Ranch Sauce</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.emilybites.com/2013/05/thai-chicken-skewers-with-peanut-sauce.html" target="_blank">Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce</a> and <a href="http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/04/crunchy-asian-slaw.html" target="_blank">Crunchy Asian Slaw</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sharedappetite.com/recipes/stuffed-jalapeno-popper-bacon-cheeseburger/" target="_blank">Stuffed Jalapeno Popper Bacon Cheeseburger</a> with Waffle Fries</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3SVsusb7wTJFw_gX72xEfD_5bCsrW3aegSMUT1lO4DfBl7rZEcmmZsEUANzWsoLCMZr4xiwk0gqYiaAilxEwjuuvE7i3iiEMLVCgCEhqNfnEeatmnIOcQ2nSyIIxHQXyamn-dPS6zdg/s1600/bacon-cheeseburger-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3SVsusb7wTJFw_gX72xEfD_5bCsrW3aegSMUT1lO4DfBl7rZEcmmZsEUANzWsoLCMZr4xiwk0gqYiaAilxEwjuuvE7i3iiEMLVCgCEhqNfnEeatmnIOcQ2nSyIIxHQXyamn-dPS6zdg/s1600/bacon-cheeseburger-3.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://sharedappetite.com/recipes/stuffed-jalapeno-popper-bacon-cheeseburger/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">source</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> via </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217720963210850841/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">)</span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Dessert</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thissillygirlslife.com/2014/04/golden-oreo-strawberry-cheesecake-bars/" target="_blank">Golden Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake Bars</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-JzxfTLWZn82LdpyLpLTGZ9sCiS4A73uQ3QNeIu3MD62n-Sm40jKOh1U7euYcaNBC0ugECVRRrjp_goeYmwDpANimtPGFatXjAx0DVPM_FVegHJo2Tu6xJn8DfdwN7gnKkJAqlXE9AA/s1600/s13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-JzxfTLWZn82LdpyLpLTGZ9sCiS4A73uQ3QNeIu3MD62n-Sm40jKOh1U7euYcaNBC0ugECVRRrjp_goeYmwDpANimtPGFatXjAx0DVPM_FVegHJo2Tu6xJn8DfdwN7gnKkJAqlXE9AA/s1600/s13.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://thissillygirlslife.com/2014/04/golden-oreo-strawberry-cheesecake-bars/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> via </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217720963210200694/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t forget to check back next Monday to see how everything turned out!</span> </span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-45718952108421539802014-09-03T07:00:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.106-07:00Insta-16: Take Nine<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sooooo, I’m in England right now! I’m here for the week on business, so I won’t get to do much exploring/sightseeing, but hopefully I’ll still have enough pictures and stories for a travel post or 2 in the coming weeks. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of my trip I didn’t have time to finish any projects over the long weekend, so I thought this would be a great time to share another round of Instagram pictures! You can see the previous eight recaps </span><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Instagram" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />If you have an account, you can follow me at: SAMTJH22. If not, this recap is for you! I’ve rounded up my last 16 Instagram pictures for you here today. This roundup includes 4th of July fireworks, pictures from Alaska, and lots of Ringo and Abby snuggles!<br /><br />As usual, my plan is to share a pretty collage of all the pictures and then pick my top 5 in different categories: Abby, Ringo, Cutest Couple (Ringo and Abby), Yummy (Food or Drink), and Wildcard (Non-Food and Non-Puppy).<br /><br />OK, enough talk! Here’s the ninth round of Instagram pictures: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvmzEQ_MIdnXglLM65xthb30p0dk38uB4hWNjxce7IMQ6Gny9v_NuIrEpW4Qq9o5vdz23Z5y7QogJwJcqHJs4a2cWu4HoRcMxhX4Ht7Z9FocdQ04FIV4kRvHWxOokxkLZEDbQQ95Itjw/s1600/Instagram+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvmzEQ_MIdnXglLM65xthb30p0dk38uB4hWNjxce7IMQ6Gny9v_NuIrEpW4Qq9o5vdz23Z5y7QogJwJcqHJs4a2cWu4HoRcMxhX4Ht7Z9FocdQ04FIV4kRvHWxOokxkLZEDbQQ95Itjw/s1600/Instagram+collage.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are my favorites: <br /> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Abby</u></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKR-PWD1Gtp_aIqQ8VVd8aPb3ngzou-tlw8TRprVeiIN0y_ZZj6ey4yaCmxnHncvb8SzIdGMWmYo3-PcmWsa9HxJ0MbcHmjVMSqLEJTS0wgAjGbf7Z4c4dWe491LIM98kk472CNle0zA/s1600/10535139_724190797619737_2118066252_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKR-PWD1Gtp_aIqQ8VVd8aPb3ngzou-tlw8TRprVeiIN0y_ZZj6ey4yaCmxnHncvb8SzIdGMWmYo3-PcmWsa9HxJ0MbcHmjVMSqLEJTS0wgAjGbf7Z4c4dWe491LIM98kk472CNle0zA/s1600/10535139_724190797619737_2118066252_n.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abby loves rope toys…well, she loves stuffed animals more, but those don’t last very long in our house. My mom bought this one for Ringo and Abby a couple years ago and it’s one of the longest surviving toys we’ve had. Ringo loves to swing it around and Abby likes to take it from him. She also likes one of the rope toys that I bought them during after-Christmas clearance. It’s red and green and falling apart, but it’s one of her favorites. She drags that ratty thing all over the house. We have nice, expensive dog toys all over the house, but she like the 50 cent trashed rope. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Ringo</u></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div align="center" class="separator" style="background: white; clear: both; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv-2oy0lINIqXkXqfJl584LiTI_LGyP1IDDfcJ3q1ZfrDKxMQTA8ZPIXWueZCaeTEvx0NZph5wbynY9mCMxnTXdUoGQkZdFCN4yc0YHG9GtSOMRVkGxLuafetFMouxNE31d19_aszQkY/s1600/10537904_1448416272093850_1833312492_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv-2oy0lINIqXkXqfJl584LiTI_LGyP1IDDfcJ3q1ZfrDKxMQTA8ZPIXWueZCaeTEvx0NZph5wbynY9mCMxnTXdUoGQkZdFCN4yc0YHG9GtSOMRVkGxLuafetFMouxNE31d19_aszQkY/s1600/10537904_1448416272093850_1833312492_n.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like many other dogs, Ringo is scared of loud noises – especially thunder. He completely loses his mind when a storm rolls in. I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AA8ZTI/ref=twister_B007X5MN1E" target="_blank">this</a> anxiety shirt hoping that it would help, but it only really worked the first couple of times. He was so pre-occupied with the shirt that he didn’t notice the storm outside. But now he’s used to it and it doesn’t seem to help much (although he really likes wearing the shirt). During the last storm I built him a little fort using a couple chairs, pillows and sheets and he seemed to like that. I think I’m going to make him one of those tents/teepees that are all over blogs and Pinterest. So far the best solution I’ve found are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dale-Edgar-Calm-K9-Wafers/dp/B00AB7HBVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409586632&sr=8-1&keywords=k9+calm" target="_blank">these</a> K9 Calm biscuits. We got a sample of them in a BarkBox and they seem to help calm him down. Does anyone have any other suggestions?</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><strong>Cutest Couple</strong></u></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div align="center" class="separator" style="background: white; clear: both; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfYXb-U8xRFrtQolGUddwgicZhsAA7r2qperGoUelG78tAhb1Fbd1d478ii4PCNvDHz9C1U9uPCfBU0TGHRcyJNYa9f0ZkFhyqjjWRWPdqRejxYAX2QibWeJTjfKVl19ltaa5goFzMRo/s1600/1172517_1455152951395179_115738703_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfYXb-U8xRFrtQolGUddwgicZhsAA7r2qperGoUelG78tAhb1Fbd1d478ii4PCNvDHz9C1U9uPCfBU0TGHRcyJNYa9f0ZkFhyqjjWRWPdqRejxYAX2QibWeJTjfKVl19ltaa5goFzMRo/s1600/1172517_1455152951395179_115738703_n.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you say swim, swimming, or pool around Ringo he goes insane. He’ll run to the bathroom and stare at my swimsuit hanging on the rack and then look back at me waiting for me to put it on. Then he’ll run to the pool gate and paw at it until I open it for him. If I take too long to get outside, he’ll run back in the house to see what’s taking so long. Abby just follows me around wagging her tail. She’s definitely more patient. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Yummy</u></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-Bjr706eVwmLN34hkUteEethnXg32awaEdI-iW8-QUeKyi28r_yXXDdlOGlu9Sj5NdBG3XN0OxjbGImoqfIYkr4eGgt4roGJ4NlPCC0Qj-adbH_t8Jv8SmWdPHLWRBlWKbq-Yk-sGT8/s1600/10483589_479008502235345_1016495112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-Bjr706eVwmLN34hkUteEethnXg32awaEdI-iW8-QUeKyi28r_yXXDdlOGlu9Sj5NdBG3XN0OxjbGImoqfIYkr4eGgt4roGJ4NlPCC0Qj-adbH_t8Jv8SmWdPHLWRBlWKbq-Yk-sGT8/s1600/10483589_479008502235345_1016495112_n.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago my boyfriend joined a Thursday-night bowling league. That meant I was on my own for dinner every Thursday night, so decided to spoil myself and cook lobster tails for dinner. I found <a href="http://www.lobsterhelp.com/baking-lobster-tails.html" target="_blank">this</a> recipe for baking the tails and they turned out perfect every time. I usually just served them with an avocado or side salad. So delicious! The bowling season is over now, so it’s no longer Lobster Thursdays at my house, but maybe he’ll join another league or maybe I’ll stop being selfish and cook him lobster too… </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Wildcard</u></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div align="center" class="separator" style="background: white; clear: both; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SAz0MZf5ufuFp16nD4j2vg7Ep8iLhpQfy4YPyCZJrLrinN3-JCObpBz_f6rcr01CRddiFq58In1dVAcCbd4oPQSj4fKOPhuev8R57EH90wP-ccSotYsKbnW9nWNPYjOTriResxnKTxw/s1600/10537258_708191302550255_1571253442_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SAz0MZf5ufuFp16nD4j2vg7Ep8iLhpQfy4YPyCZJrLrinN3-JCObpBz_f6rcr01CRddiFq58In1dVAcCbd4oPQSj4fKOPhuev8R57EH90wP-ccSotYsKbnW9nWNPYjOTriResxnKTxw/s1600/10537258_708191302550255_1571253442_n.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This roundup includes all of the pictures from our Alaska trip, so it was hard to pick just one “Wildcard” favorite. I ended up choosing this picture of Holgate Glacier because the glaciers were so beautiful and this is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. I’m currently working on a travel gallery wall and this is one of the pictures that I framed. Anyway, if you want to see more glacier pictures (plus a glacier gif), you can read the travel post <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/08/travel-tuesday-kenai-fjords-national.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />OK, who else is on Instagram? Leave your username in the comments, so I can follow you.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-26673183388374196352014-08-26T07:51:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.186-07:00Weekend Junk #18<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s time for another round of thrift store finds! I’m rolling everything that I’ve bought since early July into one post…I don’t want anyone to think I found all of this in one weekend! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let’s start with clothes! I recently cleaned out my closet and now share the space with my boyfriend, so I’m trying to be a little more selective with my purchases. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1eb0MI3mqZMblm98_rAKkBK_Bzbmc8HJKMUUMoH0z3y_s-avzpoIE26nty6oZBfr8AGua1uSOk-P-YXeaKklsXZP9IAmLkopkQhELVb3sDSbdayrWGA-AvuFeCPDo5pfPlfLj6A9Jvo/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1eb0MI3mqZMblm98_rAKkBK_Bzbmc8HJKMUUMoH0z3y_s-avzpoIE26nty6oZBfr8AGua1uSOk-P-YXeaKklsXZP9IAmLkopkQhELVb3sDSbdayrWGA-AvuFeCPDo5pfPlfLj6A9Jvo/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teal Sweatshirt – Goodwill - $3.99 </span></span></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Striped LOFT Sweater – Savers - <s>$6.99</s> $4.90</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Black Sheer Blouse - Savers - <strike>$5.99</strike> $3.00</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Adidas Performance Long Sleeve Shirt – Savers – <s>$6.99</s> $4.90 (I wore this fishing in Alaska!)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ANA Sheer Blouse – Goodwill - <s>$4.99</s> $2.49</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gap Striped Shorts – Savers <s>$5.99</s> $4.50</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK, let’s move onto home goods/wares. As usual, it’s mostly ironstone. I just can’t help myself…</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF4X4VI3ok0DEVbjtnKBLmC81KpViBV09CaUlj2_C8OyL9DApTf4_7AmM-fwNW_c4kM_5BffK2XNClUzIMo5EFiTmm7FSXFP5aFreJFZ7YQbkLYGko_pPpmy3I3g4VhhD1kcvrWdcGS0/s1600/weekend+junk+18-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF4X4VI3ok0DEVbjtnKBLmC81KpViBV09CaUlj2_C8OyL9DApTf4_7AmM-fwNW_c4kM_5BffK2XNClUzIMo5EFiTmm7FSXFP5aFreJFZ7YQbkLYGko_pPpmy3I3g4VhhD1kcvrWdcGS0/s1600/weekend+junk+18-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lemon Federalist Ironstone Tea Pot – YHS Thrift Shop - <s>$12.00 </s>$6.00 (50%-off coupon)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marlborough Ironstone Tea Cups and Saucers (Set of 8) – Goodwill – <s>$0.99</s> $0.49 each</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Independence Ironstone Divided Platter – Savers - <s>$2.99</s> $2.25</span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blue Carnation Ironstone Sugar Jar – Savers - <s>$2.99</s> $2.25</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Federalist Ironstone Set of 2 – Savers - $14.00 for the set</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chintz Artwork – Goodwill - $3.99</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What have you found lately? </span></span><br /><br /><br /></div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-27621630730690889592014-08-22T07:14:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.195-07:00Flashback Friday: August at The Junk House<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s August! That means it’s time for another edition of Flashback Friday! Today we’re looking back at some of my favorite August posts from years past. It seems like August has been a pretty productive month for me over the past few years, so I better moving if I’m going to keep up the trend!<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK, let’s kick this off with a flashback to August 2013 –<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I made <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/eiffel-tower-wood-shim-art.html" target="_blank">this</a> Eiffel Tower wood shim art in celebration of our upcoming trip to Paris. Now that I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower in person, I love this project even more. I’ve always bought/made a lot of Paris décor, so I’m glad that it didn’t disappoint in real life. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ycMumT_sCCo4eHyGEjTBvJ1xLShB19w7XhZwhZyz1_rijM_Oulw1I9jDaW_gbFyiQp2XbWfZqIsNHaKJ-O71KnHQKRUn5fcf_S3VWdOiwsuw-Dk3dyvu5HXUOebLnOMozvGNtN9-XAw/s1600/IMG_0716-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ycMumT_sCCo4eHyGEjTBvJ1xLShB19w7XhZwhZyz1_rijM_Oulw1I9jDaW_gbFyiQp2XbWfZqIsNHaKJ-O71KnHQKRUn5fcf_S3VWdOiwsuw-Dk3dyvu5HXUOebLnOMozvGNtN9-XAw/s1600/IMG_0716-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last August I added some much needed <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/office-storage-filing-cabinets.html" target="_blank">storage</a> to the office by adding a pair of IKEA filing cabinets. All of the drawers are full now (last year I posted that a couple were still empty) and are still relatively organized. The filing cabinets have held up great and I’m still really happy this purchase. I still want to label all of the drawers – there are so many drawers it’s hard to remember what’s in each one. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWak1YMvg0LgGWudHvziN_V6V4aHg44VjKXdY3Di1rVhxDZVNdpgl10NZ9Dg4Kd5MhmYSXSbdaYxj8QsVSAM9HYNYHvh21UhZt-2Gu23ScTZDBNIPVaIerLpG9nQYuiG1AkG5AjgytvoU/s1600/IMG_0690-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWak1YMvg0LgGWudHvziN_V6V4aHg44VjKXdY3Di1rVhxDZVNdpgl10NZ9Dg4Kd5MhmYSXSbdaYxj8QsVSAM9HYNYHvh21UhZt-2Gu23ScTZDBNIPVaIerLpG9nQYuiG1AkG5AjgytvoU/s1600/IMG_0690-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let’s rewind another year and look at August 2012 – <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-instagram-magnets.html" target="_blank">Instagram magnets</a> have been one of my most popular projects on the blog. They were even featured in a <a href="http://www.craftfoxes.com/blog/inspirational-projects-how-to-display-your-instagram-photos" target="_blank">Craft Foxes’</a> ‘How to Display Your Instagram Photos’ article. I’ve taken a lot more photos over the past two years, so I’ve made a couple more batches since this post. I love having them on the fridge, but I also added some to the metal filing cabinet in my cubicle at work. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIAmcWJlnDu2_Smuhtv8xXslCR4uqyFhLJlzrkqRuF9395iwm7vu_a0xHFPyjhgzHo7qsxI-NMgPnzKcYKa5TK8ErFrJHyMWuo6AhvqFJcpmvaRxlc8au5EyfgaXizMiTDD3iWTV-EcI/s1600/IMG_3061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIAmcWJlnDu2_Smuhtv8xXslCR4uqyFhLJlzrkqRuF9395iwm7vu_a0xHFPyjhgzHo7qsxI-NMgPnzKcYKa5TK8ErFrJHyMWuo6AhvqFJcpmvaRxlc8au5EyfgaXizMiTDD3iWTV-EcI/s1600/IMG_3061.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two years ago we bought some <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/patio-furniture.html" target="_blank">furniture</a> for our back patio off of Craigslist. We love the patio table and chairs, but I ended up selling the conversation set for $50. We just didn’t have enough room for it plus I didn’t want to spend money on cushions for the set. Outdoor cushions are expensive! I bought a set of red cushions for the dining chairs at Garden Ridge and I couldn’t believe how much I ended up spending! Good thing we got a good deal on the table and chairs! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZacZnUVW5bLez_3ph2-ZYdsTFv_h3RUX4d2l2jRPuOghii-a5b8qiymZSrpHYQM8CXMsjGg_GAs_4wfMv-m01e9Q9hPpmPmg1OnM0DOY2gMV-KF2_-KPqDbxEvftntq7O0pb0g0TQ08/s1600/IMG_3072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZacZnUVW5bLez_3ph2-ZYdsTFv_h3RUX4d2l2jRPuOghii-a5b8qiymZSrpHYQM8CXMsjGg_GAs_4wfMv-m01e9Q9hPpmPmg1OnM0DOY2gMV-KF2_-KPqDbxEvftntq7O0pb0g0TQ08/s1600/IMG_3072.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Time to go WAY back to August2011 – my first year of blogging!<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Three years ago I was working on my first room makeover – the guest bathroom. One of my favorite projects was <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/black-dynamite.html" target="_blank">painting the vanity</a>. I still love the black and I’m impressed with how well the paint has held up. Although, I still want to replace the countertop. One of these days…</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqbdzjfZTP-ZM2qMxlRuek2P2cFPpuanTULANJzM77LlGd6ZO5XVU-7wVFi7Lc_z5zeu6BbQ-qsSuI7JSVUfSDq_KQciKJhaCKnH5KfYwtMNWx9OMg43b6tyttjxm_Hs8A0mg6xUN7nk/s1600/IMG_1192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqbdzjfZTP-ZM2qMxlRuek2P2cFPpuanTULANJzM77LlGd6ZO5XVU-7wVFi7Lc_z5zeu6BbQ-qsSuI7JSVUfSDq_KQciKJhaCKnH5KfYwtMNWx9OMg43b6tyttjxm_Hs8A0mg6xUN7nk/s1600/IMG_1192.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/trash-can.html" target="_blank">trashcan</a> was another guest bathroom project. We still use it and I still like it, but I’m thinking about replacing it with one that had a lid. Ringo likes to drop his ball in there and then hit it with his nose until you get it out for him. It’s really annoying. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPJr_IY2sBX-PMHrlFEtTywGwfevn_2FOuQo3e1ktJmSK_mwVog2EPtOAwGItzyP9KK9fc5ECmOuWjmVH0eJO_9zoZqhgg9HYfZM0j38Mim9qrPClkS9tCXlGPlCgVZJSL0gwKGjwrRo/s1600/IMG_1303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPJr_IY2sBX-PMHrlFEtTywGwfevn_2FOuQo3e1ktJmSK_mwVog2EPtOAwGItzyP9KK9fc5ECmOuWjmVH0eJO_9zoZqhgg9HYfZM0j38Mim9qrPClkS9tCXlGPlCgVZJSL0gwKGjwrRo/s1600/IMG_1303.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So that’s what I’ve been up to in August for the past three years. It’s been fun looking back at old projects and seeing how much I’ve accomplished in our house over the past few years. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-4863505371085628612014-08-14T06:37:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.249-07:00Everett Foyer Table<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just a few short weeks ago I showed you the <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/07/navy-end-table.html" target="_blank">end table</a> that I painted to match my navy console table. And now I’m showing you my new console table…yeah, I know… </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TLKsuLzmq4j6273nJqj1gThnkg4pp3eBENMhpC7FAIJPFp6JnmzwV2EJn-P9uqIvgGvXkY5ehv8pbieO6yv0Z-zYX2VStt92UX4qR0vJ1XMm-zC-vAD5akhLFouH0kudr3fMbuuWZUQ/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TLKsuLzmq4j6273nJqj1gThnkg4pp3eBENMhpC7FAIJPFp6JnmzwV2EJn-P9uqIvgGvXkY5ehv8pbieO6yv0Z-zYX2VStt92UX4qR0vJ1XMm-zC-vAD5akhLFouH0kudr3fMbuuWZUQ/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I really liked the navy console table, but it was a little too small for that large wall. I’d planned on flanking it with a couple tall plants, but Ringo vetoed that idea by destroying the fiddle leaf fig that I bought for that spot. Yep, it survived almost a month without even a hint of being touched by doggie lips. Then one day I came home from work and found whole thing completely destroyed (luckily he didn’t get sick). So, the large plant idea was out. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-zOV0TlOEeeQVU-HTyq0Z8SmXxFurHTOYaknHqw_wFjLoQ152f6zMxMZivS1STbCdqo3w5m2F6MyNHjyUB61UI_0fkqgP1Lc8CmTnl0uxHfRncKOlzEjzuTMq7YUZ9B_qbJGXFxggco/s1600/photo(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-zOV0TlOEeeQVU-HTyq0Z8SmXxFurHTOYaknHqw_wFjLoQ152f6zMxMZivS1STbCdqo3w5m2F6MyNHjyUB61UI_0fkqgP1Lc8CmTnl0uxHfRncKOlzEjzuTMq7YUZ9B_qbJGXFxggco/s1600/photo(12).jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ve been casually searching for a longer console table, but nothing in my price range really caught my eye. Until I spotted <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/416583034252896583/" target="_blank">this picture</a> on Pinterest last week (from <a href="http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2013/09/fall-decor-console-styling.html" target="_blank">Honey We’re Home</a>): </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkyiFw2LTZyY_cOMnFGnCJggmgb-He-3EoDvOLN8FqOUblFfOmncp37DuyNQfxAq6ZFkHHg8x9prm_ytLNxnoFguDZDvRmKIWI322HGEhllrdRHllu7EO217xQhQSfeSVtsVTGqt3yyk/s1600/pinterest+everett+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkyiFw2LTZyY_cOMnFGnCJggmgb-He-3EoDvOLN8FqOUblFfOmncp37DuyNQfxAq6ZFkHHg8x9prm_ytLNxnoFguDZDvRmKIWI322HGEhllrdRHllu7EO217xQhQSfeSVtsVTGqt3yyk/s1600/pinterest+everett+table.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I instantly loved it and wanted it. As you can see, it’s from World Market <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/product/everett+foyer+table.do?camp=ppc%3AGooglePLA%3Anone%3Aadwords_labelsCoffee_Tables_and_Accent_Tables&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=Cj0KEQjw6pGfBRD09M-TmYTBzqIBEiQAcRzH54VEazuAcgjonvtq4aR11pPr_0R3FjNv9nHUw1nVhlwaAtM18P8HAQ" target="_blank">(Everett Foyer Table)</a> so it only took a quick search to find the table. And it was even on sale!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM105AVAJ-MZ3GQ8eHSLSj07exDJqp8mD9YjsCOUAX-6CCRPEBr0xjDewXzamkWDE20_bhr3NabvyQHHgXQGavnnW5XxxK0y_7iYS_XuFnTHfwrKF4uUui1geQfEqdXI6IGbeg9nPz-R0/s1600/everett+foyer+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM105AVAJ-MZ3GQ8eHSLSj07exDJqp8mD9YjsCOUAX-6CCRPEBr0xjDewXzamkWDE20_bhr3NabvyQHHgXQGavnnW5XxxK0y_7iYS_XuFnTHfwrKF4uUui1geQfEqdXI6IGbeg9nPz-R0/s1600/everett+foyer+table.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So the following day I took a trip to World Market to check out the table in person. I loved it and there was one in stock, so I bought it. My boyfriend wasn’t home at the time and I was too impatient to wait, so I ended up dragging the box inside and putting the table together all by myself. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you can see, it’s about two feet longer and an inch or so taller than the navy table. It fits the space SO much better. I love it! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi4rSqCWe09jSUxrRPtiQpnks61ImytE2wLIB_NBJo_eqVY1E1Jyp4Ot9plBH9IsuPPW86_Jox8i5bz41Q_THZfet08BIGVb1PJCwIdZ0JHh2lrHsDqAIIj6Zr21oXZLdyL-IBLhIYhg/s1600/IMG_2674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi4rSqCWe09jSUxrRPtiQpnks61ImytE2wLIB_NBJo_eqVY1E1Jyp4Ot9plBH9IsuPPW86_Jox8i5bz41Q_THZfet08BIGVb1PJCwIdZ0JHh2lrHsDqAIIj6Zr21oXZLdyL-IBLhIYhg/s1600/IMG_2674.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because the table is bigger, I probably need to get a bigger lamp (maybe 2) and some different decorations. I also want to replace my abstract art with a gallery wall of our travel pictures. I’d also like to add a white bench near the front door. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-mAcVj0MnZDKRiOOzlJvmRXktNIE5xfPNgTDQSKmAFfnPibGyxJaLnXG4i3A5Oj1TUR0wxJ1kfDlAtBubsMbINDpEHsVijUOv1MwI77jZ8mBppegZHqCmpV6HKVMknLozm1RwjHmz4I/s1600/IMG_2684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-mAcVj0MnZDKRiOOzlJvmRXktNIE5xfPNgTDQSKmAFfnPibGyxJaLnXG4i3A5Oj1TUR0wxJ1kfDlAtBubsMbINDpEHsVijUOv1MwI77jZ8mBppegZHqCmpV6HKVMknLozm1RwjHmz4I/s1600/IMG_2684.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As for the navy end table, for now I’ll probably paint it white to go with the rest of my furniture. Yeah, it’s a bummer that I wasted time and money on a piece just to replace its mate a few weeks later, but oh well. I’ve been stuck on the direction of this room for awhile now (I didn’t love where it was heading), but now I’m motivated again and have a plan! Expect to see more living room projects soon! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-16083602025322079472014-08-12T06:31:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.258-07:00Travel Tuesday: Kenai Fjords National Park<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today I’m taking you all along on a boat tour to see glaciers and wildlife in Kenai Fjords National Park! <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Honestly, my only request for this trip to Alaska was to see a glacier. I promised I wouldn’t complain about spending my entire vacation fishing if I got to see a glacier. This cruise was our solution, so Thursday morning we made the two-hour drive to Seward to catch our Kenai Fjords National Park cruise. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYrxlzV_7qjeqY6lFjmsJGHFgvkBvExCRvuc_0c69svla2lltcN2Q07XRFe6N1InEyB_dWh_5AMlEdOq8niZ7BDEkocgiyL1zlyqzqXcJNv5doFpVGnJ5WmEa5GHvFhMDiyEvbqgwmjE/s1600/seward+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYrxlzV_7qjeqY6lFjmsJGHFgvkBvExCRvuc_0c69svla2lltcN2Q07XRFe6N1InEyB_dWh_5AMlEdOq8niZ7BDEkocgiyL1zlyqzqXcJNv5doFpVGnJ5WmEa5GHvFhMDiyEvbqgwmjE/s1600/seward+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We chose the 7 ½ hour tour from Major Marine Tours. We ended up booking through Alaska Tour & Travel because they offer a deal that includes the all-you-can-eat salmon and prime rib lunch (normally an additional $19/person). The tour was really well organized and we also really enjoyed the food. Next time we’d probably only take the 6-hour tour because my boyfriend was getting pretty antsy by the end of the tour. That might be a better option if you are taking little kids too. Although, we had some kids on our boat and they seemed to really enjoy it…probably because we saw so many animals. Anyway… </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8QbAgS6sNcYNYXIr4-VT9Hexi1Qsj2ZDyDnMkvoIpWnjQrKv0CF03PKw-yKBtW-nypIUWgaUz93Hzn4gJUMJ4QsNDkUew-pBNxRl0WIS9G53P1xaPntmDO17Gs1QSks6_wPa0aok18I/s1600/seward+alaska+boat+harbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8QbAgS6sNcYNYXIr4-VT9Hexi1Qsj2ZDyDnMkvoIpWnjQrKv0CF03PKw-yKBtW-nypIUWgaUz93Hzn4gJUMJ4QsNDkUew-pBNxRl0WIS9G53P1xaPntmDO17Gs1QSks6_wPa0aok18I/s1600/seward+alaska+boat+harbor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While we were walking along the dock my boyfriend spotted a jellyfish. It was just floating in one of the empty boat slips. It was the first wildlife we’d seen on our trip (not including salmon), so we thought it was pretty cool. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpxBVVHLGpuM189cWs1vmFhW9xQGy2AuO-dLPuNl8gQYgiQuHf-3n17GlmuU77xQ4jh4YlM5R9mwdx8U4degZNcu0zcOvLAktRKD6_aZuzuZM9e2i6fvby0kvsClNkGsvyHkO2j9KbsA/s1600/jellyfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpxBVVHLGpuM189cWs1vmFhW9xQGy2AuO-dLPuNl8gQYgiQuHf-3n17GlmuU77xQ4jh4YlM5R9mwdx8U4degZNcu0zcOvLAktRKD6_aZuzuZM9e2i6fvby0kvsClNkGsvyHkO2j9KbsA/s1600/jellyfish.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once we boarded the boat, we found our seats inside the cabin (Major Marine assigns everyone seats/tables inside the upper and lower cabins). We decided we’d rather sit outside while the weather was nice, so we grabbed one of the seats on the back deck (the seats outside are first come, first serve). I’m glad we decided to sit outside because right as we were pulling out of the harbor we saw a couple sea otters. So cute! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQucOWG8_Fp9lP1QMvNTVWAmEz42xzu-Eg2E5eZbKmA7uDNcBI2AwI9IFjMpJNUCwFmCMcgs_AMti6guz_tFukuKAS-K_QNLTjEpiVUMFYdQImgmFXXDahN_rLiC9us3JmuebaXNJC08/s1600/sea+otter+alaska+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQucOWG8_Fp9lP1QMvNTVWAmEz42xzu-Eg2E5eZbKmA7uDNcBI2AwI9IFjMpJNUCwFmCMcgs_AMti6guz_tFukuKAS-K_QNLTjEpiVUMFYdQImgmFXXDahN_rLiC9us3JmuebaXNJC08/s1600/sea+otter+alaska+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72hyphenhyphen7IhykttcZ2VRibliq_1rAj7j0LKQpBq_3lxVQjxGe1qcbaO-eDcCS_SUUnD9KuouOTG1PCzh3wVa_z-vOw7c6aNjgrzBsChtfTD0RNSaxdAO4rwtOSUmDJqwCwg_8SNWxJl1i5T8/s1600/sea+otter+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72hyphenhyphen7IhykttcZ2VRibliq_1rAj7j0LKQpBq_3lxVQjxGe1qcbaO-eDcCS_SUUnD9KuouOTG1PCzh3wVa_z-vOw7c6aNjgrzBsChtfTD0RNSaxdAO4rwtOSUmDJqwCwg_8SNWxJl1i5T8/s1600/sea+otter+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not long into the trip, I saw my first glacier! Actually, three glaciers – from left to right: Prospect, Spoon, and Porcupine glaciers! These glaciers are called alpine glaciers and they don’t extend to the valley or water’s edge like the ones we’ll see later. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7woAJDmgsUaNbHaXJ_nY12zuNXiTCDjWEWlZ_TLxpj3fxdHmZ6clTh0_1BfJkZz4STDF8e39EZKMt3zrq2aDRrwG0HxbcAQ-WtFRSjqwPhz-scUXItPVu4F9P2msCnmWXz-RpmqS_i6I/s1600/Prospect+Spoon+Porcupine+Glaciers+Alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7woAJDmgsUaNbHaXJ_nY12zuNXiTCDjWEWlZ_TLxpj3fxdHmZ6clTh0_1BfJkZz4STDF8e39EZKMt3zrq2aDRrwG0HxbcAQ-WtFRSjqwPhz-scUXItPVu4F9P2msCnmWXz-RpmqS_i6I/s1600/Prospect+Spoon+Porcupine+Glaciers+Alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few minutes later we saw a pair of humpback whales! I’d never seen a whale before, so I was pretty excited. We also saw some fin whales later on the tour!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvatTxjarERpHI55PvQBIp0hwhWmlDxIsof7kZnSVRn-KRGEv9YMLDvyuRfwo8lk3mzGpT7HjRCKe5jqbaUCy6gdowzWU1aW2Vqz7X1PE7Oh6FGO0npAFjCbtF4cvlJMfrTX9rNImOMRY/s1600/humpback+whale+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvatTxjarERpHI55PvQBIp0hwhWmlDxIsof7kZnSVRn-KRGEv9YMLDvyuRfwo8lk3mzGpT7HjRCKe5jqbaUCy6gdowzWU1aW2Vqz7X1PE7Oh6FGO0npAFjCbtF4cvlJMfrTX9rNImOMRY/s1600/humpback+whale+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eventually we made our way into Aialik Bay to eat lunch and see Holgate Glacier. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD8eb2SgqcVM8DM5STXR3hFVxd4_BBisCDnviKix7EGzaoFdJncwHtgWtpqmlowk6BUc2pi1Yv3RdzmEEDFj8Fu8c06JdxjWCFoLE5QnF9VCb32_YXJdKsN1DFkLjoJgogzpbs9-y-WU/s1600/holgate+glacier+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD8eb2SgqcVM8DM5STXR3hFVxd4_BBisCDnviKix7EGzaoFdJncwHtgWtpqmlowk6BUc2pi1Yv3RdzmEEDFj8Fu8c06JdxjWCFoLE5QnF9VCb32_YXJdKsN1DFkLjoJgogzpbs9-y-WU/s1600/holgate+glacier+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The captain turned off the engines while we were stopped in front of the glacier so we could hear the ice cracking and breaking off (called calving). It sounded like loud thunder. We saw a few chunks break off while we were there and I got some great action shots. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcjIJsTWRAlkW5RuuzoRbSKdrqdq_ljT77iLb4tcwUwYog2P5ODa3FngViGxrkO6yxgyejGeEBSDHZ2J5BrYlytKJkQlOFRAH5_AvaYXzTvhTh8XuHCukcipGhekt4XXb9dTr4dF4-TU/s1600/calving+glacier+alaska.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcjIJsTWRAlkW5RuuzoRbSKdrqdq_ljT77iLb4tcwUwYog2P5ODa3FngViGxrkO6yxgyejGeEBSDHZ2J5BrYlytKJkQlOFRAH5_AvaYXzTvhTh8XuHCukcipGhekt4XXb9dTr4dF4-TU/s1600/calving+glacier+alaska.gif" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While we were stopped, the crew pulled up a chunk of glacier that was floating in the water and made margaritas out of it! Of course I had to try one =)<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our next stop was Aialik Glacier, which is a tidewater glacier like Holgate Glacier. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYg-7NRaWTwsdJVCJ1kwfyD2sdhP_R1vkVKqIdvSEU9HycE_wGG61e-oGWrxcta4o06kFkW-ODOZwXTXuNkQf5DDFUFBCNxbCWgsamEQQbc7orLu1hdxxznAcxe-LGKppz20bEBM2ZRo/s1600/aialik+glacier+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYg-7NRaWTwsdJVCJ1kwfyD2sdhP_R1vkVKqIdvSEU9HycE_wGG61e-oGWrxcta4o06kFkW-ODOZwXTXuNkQf5DDFUFBCNxbCWgsamEQQbc7orLu1hdxxznAcxe-LGKppz20bEBM2ZRo/s1600/aialik+glacier+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s always hard to tell how large something actually is in pictures, so I’ve circled a tour boat in the picture below. You can barely see it, but it’s a great way to show scale in this picture and show you how large this glacier actually is. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoMHewAs8V0p8xh_8MxrUBhsK2C4OD6E9vh2Ntq5QqIRsSWtciYn7u5klE5zTYyrwIQEHTkbuTHz7stGxAlY16F0XSUE9E8Z0z7_ChVxlntASSlj9VDUCbSRlGXJSAlv7oUSnX8q61u4/s1600/aialik+glacier+alaska+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoMHewAs8V0p8xh_8MxrUBhsK2C4OD6E9vh2Ntq5QqIRsSWtciYn7u5klE5zTYyrwIQEHTkbuTHz7stGxAlY16F0XSUE9E8Z0z7_ChVxlntASSlj9VDUCbSRlGXJSAlv7oUSnX8q61u4/s1600/aialik+glacier+alaska+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nearby we saw a large group of seals lounging on some ice chunks. We also saw a mama sea otter swimming her baby around on her stomach! It was definitely a great day for viewing wildlife! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPhFE9xExpcScEQJteG-bLKrcnGKBNdrvFAqpVnDuRBoQTV9JbhRVawMKLObf2BJVvRZ42QmoBNNXrnVQFcTDmBySINCV_NFYKFBLNNQKcWOHlHCM6TDtSm3_oCklThZ2sG8CtjzJSf8/s1600/seals+alaska+kenai+fjords+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPhFE9xExpcScEQJteG-bLKrcnGKBNdrvFAqpVnDuRBoQTV9JbhRVawMKLObf2BJVvRZ42QmoBNNXrnVQFcTDmBySINCV_NFYKFBLNNQKcWOHlHCM6TDtSm3_oCklThZ2sG8CtjzJSf8/s1600/seals+alaska+kenai+fjords+.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As we travelled out of Aialik Bay we saw a smack of jellyfish in the water. There were thousands of them in the water! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBr20vLZhr8vkDDgCWksDby5TuQ-NBr0bNbSaYXw47BocNWPRyy4qOVlcyeyyIJQN0V-C2XD7BHgyZAZPiJD1rPeaNaOA5ddj9_vMm9lJ6xy3V7pGarM89IA_8y73Xd6snL4q465kJa0/s1600/smack+of+jellyfish+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBr20vLZhr8vkDDgCWksDby5TuQ-NBr0bNbSaYXw47BocNWPRyy4qOVlcyeyyIJQN0V-C2XD7BHgyZAZPiJD1rPeaNaOA5ddj9_vMm9lJ6xy3V7pGarM89IA_8y73Xd6snL4q465kJa0/s1600/smack+of+jellyfish+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We also had a couple Dall’s porpoises approach our boat. I’d never seen or heard of them before, but they kind of look like small killer whales. They were really cool and it was fun watching them play in the boat’s wake. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPOImK8T66M2bBG4tJQ4Hjrt8x3VsPXcG6NsMFL04igX34pw0_PaSGPD3d0iXmCIPge7Z7T9GWTo52yZr26h6FAdA2KSZiGZTApI3qcKcOm6woW6VNvdrQNwKzkZ7W3AtOdoqhONbEJQ/s1600/dalls+porpoise+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPOImK8T66M2bBG4tJQ4Hjrt8x3VsPXcG6NsMFL04igX34pw0_PaSGPD3d0iXmCIPge7Z7T9GWTo52yZr26h6FAdA2KSZiGZTApI3qcKcOm6woW6VNvdrQNwKzkZ7W3AtOdoqhONbEJQ/s1600/dalls+porpoise+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And finally our last stop, the Chiswell Islands, is home to puffins and stellar sea lions! Now, I’m going to be completely honest and tell you that I don’t like birds (actually I’m kind of scared of them), but I love puffins! I think they are the cutest little things! The park ranger told us that sometimes puffins will eat so much food that they aren’t able to fly! We actually saw a couple struggling to get into the air. How can you not like little fatty birds?!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmipaNyp5ItDVw1IRhc9nA5PBtKjaZo-UAHHahKTnsEUzND4Yhfh_VDlAXEikm9Z9-iT2hWIVAM8OqzC_GXum0QHeRQRg39SXB12lECTKhWMkepNcaUCSy0NTC8VcDhqJNxkes_gRru8/s1600/puffin+chiswell+islands+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmipaNyp5ItDVw1IRhc9nA5PBtKjaZo-UAHHahKTnsEUzND4Yhfh_VDlAXEikm9Z9-iT2hWIVAM8OqzC_GXum0QHeRQRg39SXB12lECTKhWMkepNcaUCSy0NTC8VcDhqJNxkes_gRru8/s1600/puffin+chiswell+islands+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And on another island, a group of stellar sea lions were busy sunbathing on the rocks. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGclPXzDfy5aNOLgrCX3fd85tdiL7zTHmEGNK3bqY2QS7bP1hN7DOpkG_qMHVi0s_0Wbc_vYgQ5-A2sinb5FFFm-ljECna_kirAz69wdDrPYS8FVSOQtU9RTTVzuUs_I5MDRQqW1sbsT4/s1600/stellar+sea+lions+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGclPXzDfy5aNOLgrCX3fd85tdiL7zTHmEGNK3bqY2QS7bP1hN7DOpkG_qMHVi0s_0Wbc_vYgQ5-A2sinb5FFFm-ljECna_kirAz69wdDrPYS8FVSOQtU9RTTVzuUs_I5MDRQqW1sbsT4/s1600/stellar+sea+lions+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Except for this guy – he’s king of the rock and had to keep an eye on things while everyone else rested. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fx3Qs5L5Pknhy338YvdZAsARBpEWuwIS_qIlD3ArYgvH0v0LUh8kJLtCbMeN_9CGZxiay1ntv6lyzLthCUfAmUrzIG0ZJ9EugAH3y2qW1ifV9mNRPyFdyRRQO7ZRMD4hhanRElsFqoo/s1600/stellar+sea+lion+alaska+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fx3Qs5L5Pknhy338YvdZAsARBpEWuwIS_qIlD3ArYgvH0v0LUh8kJLtCbMeN_9CGZxiay1ntv6lyzLthCUfAmUrzIG0ZJ9EugAH3y2qW1ifV9mNRPyFdyRRQO7ZRMD4hhanRElsFqoo/s1600/stellar+sea+lion+alaska+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After we finished watching the sea lions, we headed back to the harbor (we did see more whales on the way) and then drove back to Soldotna. It was a long day, but it was a great way to see another part of Alaska and see some amazing wildlife!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNI9MdQCap0PFwNn8jJJzQnTcrjw6cfu6WmY0qUym46v4hOzs7nseuUyva01wRT2x2QfpHulAVQ0Uya1LVJi_52ASarshEazMF8tILu9hmg2ztE21BGHpbbE1icHAABAJ97-CpgSGswI/s1600/traveltuesday.png" /></a></div><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-15268394571431410852014-08-07T06:37:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.349-07:00Spice Shelf Organization + Giveaway<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I’ve mentioned before, I love to cook and try out new recipes. I typically cook five dinners a week and try to make at least one of those meals with a new recipe. That being said, I end up buying a lot of different spices to use in all these recipes. At first it wasn’t a big deal, but eventually my spice shelf ended up looking like this:</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi_mJh8E73ZnJyRenO9YBl7SW7tRaTjNLVNhDncIw3fK1frZJH6vv8RmHH_3eZuVOzGGqn_p7w-IaXg0qJ0DUs5igTBkUPxITzm44PlJrYCc8DgorrlxZk9NAzWkGfPXsQW3xrymC1hE/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi_mJh8E73ZnJyRenO9YBl7SW7tRaTjNLVNhDncIw3fK1frZJH6vv8RmHH_3eZuVOzGGqn_p7w-IaXg0qJ0DUs5igTBkUPxITzm44PlJrYCc8DgorrlxZk9NAzWkGfPXsQW3xrymC1hE/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Trying to find a specific spice in there is quite the challenge. Plus I could never see what was all in there, so I ended up buying spices I already had (such a waste of money). Seriously, this is not an efficient system. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So when the people at <a href="https://www.spicyshelf.com/" target="_blank">Spicy Shelf</a> contacted me about trying their product, I jumped at the chance to get this shelf organized. The <a href="https://www.spicyshelf.com/" target="_blank">Spicy Shelf</a> is a stackable organizer that increases usable storage space and makes everything easily visible, which is exactly what this shelf needs. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I started by pulling everything out of the cabinet. I combined duplicates and threw out a few expired bottles, which left me with all of these:</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0OcTTd9yaEqC_2haNLtPdyg08m26_adbXwz53JiZhIFYzwxx0c2jdrdUV4287o5OA7spi-73c9-vo7g-Ud91iuW4sbrsrmWEvzLFjTXH3gtCKMUAm6ZdqnyOBuxvcjBJV9DZPR9OA2k/s1600/IMG_2656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0OcTTd9yaEqC_2haNLtPdyg08m26_adbXwz53JiZhIFYzwxx0c2jdrdUV4287o5OA7spi-73c9-vo7g-Ud91iuW4sbrsrmWEvzLFjTXH3gtCKMUAm6ZdqnyOBuxvcjBJV9DZPR9OA2k/s1600/IMG_2656.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While my shelf was empty, I started assembling the <a href="https://www.spicyshelf.com/" target="_blank">Spicy Shelf</a>. Assembly is really easy and no tools are required – everything just snaps into place. The shelves expand to fit different sized cabinets, so they work with narrow and wide cabinets. My cabinet is pretty large so I had to place mine side-by-side, but you can also stack them if you have a smaller cabinet. I also chose to use the legs included with the shelf, but you can also install the shelves using shelf pins.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZfd0CjLt_eafhjZfIFSPmsU1GnhouZKSButIeJe-c54vqTXKXO02NI6ZHbC1FbBhzcQx0q69Gqj7Mw75UvhHmuBYsm2gkflGGWtJbX2Aa7TdL_qGHSFujwiCDCX5GCf7c5O7H_YlpNQ/s1600/IMG_2670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZfd0CjLt_eafhjZfIFSPmsU1GnhouZKSButIeJe-c54vqTXKXO02NI6ZHbC1FbBhzcQx0q69Gqj7Mw75UvhHmuBYsm2gkflGGWtJbX2Aa7TdL_qGHSFujwiCDCX5GCf7c5O7H_YlpNQ/s1600/IMG_2670.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once my new shelves were installed I started adding back my spices. I organized everything by brand/jar, but I’m wondering if alphabetical would be easier? Although, for the most part, I remember which spice is in which jar, so that might be quicker than reciting the alphabet to find where the Italian Seasoning should be. Hmm, I’m still debating that one…</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyway, after putting all of my spices back in the cabinet, I ended up with this organized beauty! Everything fits perfectly and I can actually read each label!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjyeOM4uXf44DlmVPyh-7XksPvBYWF6ebvLsh9qQPH_XuN2Bk4MOyfg512RZ4w2sOQS4mXzmwi76-J34iY5ffcj90ku9DtetXbuwmYeA04L43RL1GDqKAQpbfyr_yuicAhWJ9j9XL3SQ/s1600/IMG_2665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjyeOM4uXf44DlmVPyh-7XksPvBYWF6ebvLsh9qQPH_XuN2Bk4MOyfg512RZ4w2sOQS4mXzmwi76-J34iY5ffcj90ku9DtetXbuwmYeA04L43RL1GDqKAQpbfyr_yuicAhWJ9j9XL3SQ/s1600/IMG_2665.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So although this product was provided to me for review, I’d honestly recommend it and say it’s worth the $19.95 price tag. You could even use it to organize nail polish or craft supplies! </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you would like to order your own <a href="https://www.spicyshelf.com/" target="_blank">Spicy Shelf</a>, you can use promo code SPICE5 to save $5. Or you can enter the giveaway below and win one! Open to anyone in the continental US (must have street address, no PO boxes), please use the Rafflecopter widget to enter!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5e6cab5d1/" id="rc-5e6cab5d1" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script></span></span><center><a href="http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc462/seventhirtythreeblog/Someday_Crafts/Giveaway_Directory-1.png" /></a></center><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-80941694448992060662014-08-05T06:18:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.357-07:00Travel Tuesday: Salmon Fishing in Alaska<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today we’re talking about my favorite part of our trip – fishing! Now for those of you who know me, you might be a bit surprised because I’m not really known for being an outdoorsy person. I go fishing with my boyfriend every once in awhile (he goes pretty much every weekend), but I’m not a huge fan of fishing or any other outdoor activity and I hate camping (I’d rather sleep in my own bed thankyouverymuch). But I do like exploring new places and trying new things, so I jumped at the chance to spend a week fishing in Alaska. And you know what? I had a great time! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK-cDboQKXkygYGvaTPNFZvknAMWUwxqX3h-GjiCjkx3R4UsdGgvfLVP4-5PkVCTm0Cyrl9IpCbbNEVmvdAobe4_Q5JZGnIxtZoiSuctroqucRZKB5uDlJJYI1SwzIRna26Vtn8dzsDM/s1600/kenai+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK-cDboQKXkygYGvaTPNFZvknAMWUwxqX3h-GjiCjkx3R4UsdGgvfLVP4-5PkVCTm0Cyrl9IpCbbNEVmvdAobe4_Q5JZGnIxtZoiSuctroqucRZKB5uDlJJYI1SwzIRna26Vtn8dzsDM/s1600/kenai+river.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We arrived in Alaska late Monday night and then drove to the small city of Soldotna the following morning (read more <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/07/travel-tuesday-alaska.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Later that day we met up with our friends and we joined the rest of our group at the river. I’m so thankful we knew someone who had been there before. They showed us a great spot to fish that we would have never found on our own. It was down a couple dirt roads and then a mile or so hike to the perfect spot on the river. Otherwise, I think we would have had to hire a guide. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uCGDiub-xsLQuI9jZBXDdEuPRodwL0TjvYd5JN4Qw4mAw0FMSNS_T_4m7cL3dTPdaWfbrdhdhauOdo6T9ppi5jL7DASWDX8CV8AEMSKKHmMy7o3kJueLBRDUrFg504_MZ3ymq2yDBzU/s1600/IMG_2332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uCGDiub-xsLQuI9jZBXDdEuPRodwL0TjvYd5JN4Qw4mAw0FMSNS_T_4m7cL3dTPdaWfbrdhdhauOdo6T9ppi5jL7DASWDX8CV8AEMSKKHmMy7o3kJueLBRDUrFg504_MZ3ymq2yDBzU/s1600/IMG_2332.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We fished until late Tuesday night – most of these pictures were taken around 10 p.m. I ended up catching my limit (3 sockeye per person per day) plus one pink salmon! I caught more than my boyfriend…and yes, I rubbed it in a bit =)</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Mm1nWl3TiCIFNWJTmXu0ej5iSPnpgOCPrwX7Vm8A4PPy06j0_uGhVv9vGUnXMItHBHl2qFKGbx6TEWVAG65kkyCWhhnqkrgjsj-oBiwNvamTuptihEo1rZjMp2cLLihAJL73XHDxlAA/s1600/IMG_2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Mm1nWl3TiCIFNWJTmXu0ej5iSPnpgOCPrwX7Vm8A4PPy06j0_uGhVv9vGUnXMItHBHl2qFKGbx6TEWVAG65kkyCWhhnqkrgjsj-oBiwNvamTuptihEo1rZjMp2cLLihAJL73XHDxlAA/s1600/IMG_2339.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following day we tried another spot on the river, but it was really crowded. We had to wait for another group to catch their limit before there was enough room for the four of us. I didn’t catch anything in that spot, so I was glad we didn’t go back there. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoNiBeOQJONYrBxLKeYg_CLxmUYraFuk3PUUl2Evuzu_1Sdo0xSd1KxCpBJmDJxVIyD_tosD1UP3PHgbCDgyohN8eA36XyUS3iOQvpSn5VB9XKwaNN5mJgHFV7URyIU3CyIkDT2WQIlA/s1600/IMG_2351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoNiBeOQJONYrBxLKeYg_CLxmUYraFuk3PUUl2Evuzu_1Sdo0xSd1KxCpBJmDJxVIyD_tosD1UP3PHgbCDgyohN8eA36XyUS3iOQvpSn5VB9XKwaNN5mJgHFV7URyIU3CyIkDT2WQIlA/s1600/IMG_2351.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But my boyfriend caught one of the biggest fish of the trip there, so he wasn’t complaining. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnZxALwuNVEq0NqirG9H0yFOlIcDxiJj4RHWU4cNtoWVeSGnYPQpssDUcR6Gg8_OB2bqQhF-A888EofM8ZODogN2KaR4SPydx_RL75FNP5BON5LctUsKOz126nh4lEAqNYi4u4agX2Ec/s1600/IMG_2342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnZxALwuNVEq0NqirG9H0yFOlIcDxiJj4RHWU4cNtoWVeSGnYPQpssDUcR6Gg8_OB2bqQhF-A888EofM8ZODogN2KaR4SPydx_RL75FNP5BON5LctUsKOz126nh4lEAqNYi4u4agX2Ec/s1600/IMG_2342.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Later that night we tried another spot close to where we fished the previous day. The water seemed way colder in that spot and my legs were freezing by the end of the night (even with the waders and 2 pairs of leggings). I didn’t catch anything there either. That’s what I get for bragging the day before…</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwv1dB3P-npDa_li73nIblrF8Mq_p2KgD4bq7V8K0DjDgkplX7iSUClvT6Jfq5aVE0EnelSP41EeK5hOZCBzNSVimmR0hE4Z6S4pYXEQ_f0vJDGQXWSEURykiLNt8pXqQbwPpOrYlJPA/s1600/IMG_2379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwv1dB3P-npDa_li73nIblrF8Mq_p2KgD4bq7V8K0DjDgkplX7iSUClvT6Jfq5aVE0EnelSP41EeK5hOZCBzNSVimmR0hE4Z6S4pYXEQ_f0vJDGQXWSEURykiLNt8pXqQbwPpOrYlJPA/s1600/IMG_2379.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thursday we had reservations for the Kenai Fjords National Park cruise, so we didn’t do any fishing that day. I’ll share all of the cruise details next week. Anyway, Friday morning was our last chance to fish so we went back to our original spot. I caught four sockeye salmon, but one got away like two feet before I could get it on shore. That was kind of a bummer, but I’m still telling everyone I caught eight fish on our trip…close enough. Everyone else caught their limit too, so it was a very successful morning and a great way to end the trip (despite the rain). </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ot40pj3QC3_6X1HXbkpeJaIu0XQIr0yr1sCNUxzGIyQrC4-qK3Da_RwrXFueb1bhHlE52sT84jgWekGDTKBfHPE3iStSxvLcXjgLqu4TqlTwjt4e7HZzdxzPg2mkN5Ao5S7tzQib2hw/s1600/photo+1(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ot40pj3QC3_6X1HXbkpeJaIu0XQIr0yr1sCNUxzGIyQrC4-qK3Da_RwrXFueb1bhHlE52sT84jgWekGDTKBfHPE3iStSxvLcXjgLqu4TqlTwjt4e7HZzdxzPg2mkN5Ao5S7tzQib2hw/s1600/photo+1(12).jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By now I’m sure you’re wondering what we did with all that salmon we caught…<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After we finished fishing each day we cleaned and filleted the fish by the river. Although, I didn’t do any of the filleting because a couple people in our group were way more experienced (don’t want to waste any meat). Then we bagged up the fillets and took it to the processor. They cut it into meal size portions and then vacuum sealed and froze it for us. They also held the fish for us and packed it for travel.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-IKEsEQhMcAG9ncgGLaXinLJjmEzFmbbT1tfD0lGMq8fcwkcYv_qUow46Y49hxlJbV6tdDocXMrmgtGX9vPNbof1WwAtQEw-RRJUVwiDtUmLmQDttQDxgFjRgz5-VMLrhXNFMOEqRvo/s1600/IMG_2363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-IKEsEQhMcAG9ncgGLaXinLJjmEzFmbbT1tfD0lGMq8fcwkcYv_qUow46Y49hxlJbV6tdDocXMrmgtGX9vPNbof1WwAtQEw-RRJUVwiDtUmLmQDttQDxgFjRgz5-VMLrhXNFMOEqRvo/s1600/IMG_2363.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We ended up bringing home 45 pounds of salmon! Two shelves in our freezer are now packed with fish. We’ve already cooked up a couple portions and it’s delicious. Definitely a lot fresher and more firm than store-bought salmon! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibfitWKwmZZRm71RdcR-0UamaPDQGs_muQjuS7RBD0RibGHAfgGXrb7O3ErtTlE3sDv93_LOvJyjVyCEf5Jms9RTABcBWhQAg5rPiFqo0vy0ii9XOH42xArLvKwVy8uhLJy0N1lUSYhU/s1600/wild+caught+alaska+salmon+meal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibfitWKwmZZRm71RdcR-0UamaPDQGs_muQjuS7RBD0RibGHAfgGXrb7O3ErtTlE3sDv93_LOvJyjVyCEf5Jms9RTABcBWhQAg5rPiFqo0vy0ii9XOH42xArLvKwVy8uhLJy0N1lUSYhU/s1600/wild+caught+alaska+salmon+meal.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Long story short – I’d definitely recommend salmon fishing in Alaska even if you aren’t outdoorsy! And we're going to be eating salmon every week for the foreseeable future! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNI9MdQCap0PFwNn8jJJzQnTcrjw6cfu6WmY0qUym46v4hOzs7nseuUyva01wRT2x2QfpHulAVQ0Uya1LVJi_52ASarshEazMF8tILu9hmg2ztE21BGHpbbE1icHAABAJ97-CpgSGswI/s1600/traveltuesday.png" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-51466699397038179712014-07-31T07:09:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.419-07:00Navy End Table<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As promised, I’m sharing a living room project today! Yep, I finally replaced my random IKEA end table with an end table painted to match <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/navy-console-table_1.html" target="_blank">my console table</a>!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZO2GIaNQJgNC56M59XbTOsqfn_XxGaPNUgufJiZE3Mvre1PI8fI6I0-VR9a8ioo5FMAhLFc71NlkOFVAqP8olDooFLX9cZu3FV-MT9rJDgQrIqiMRcksQZ8qcC6S64UjY18oFhTQqZs/s1600/IMG_2626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZO2GIaNQJgNC56M59XbTOsqfn_XxGaPNUgufJiZE3Mvre1PI8fI6I0-VR9a8ioo5FMAhLFc71NlkOFVAqP8olDooFLX9cZu3FV-MT9rJDgQrIqiMRcksQZ8qcC6S64UjY18oFhTQqZs/s1600/IMG_2626.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had originally planned to order the table from <a href="http://www.wayfair.com/Convenience-Concepts-French-Country-End-Table-6042185-CVC1010.html" target="_blank">Wayfair</a>(where I bought the console table), but I ended up finding the exact same table at <a href="http://www.target.com/p/convenience-concepts-french-country-end-table/-/A-10547924" target="_blank">Target </a>online for $30 less! It definitely pays to do a quick Google search before buying this type of furniture online.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkDbMXOmHlqcuB9QfUBcNcXUgnSaWwq0UZ_f5TK8JWanEyqZHh0IjCwfZ_L32J9G4Zf2XJmpvDPYbDEBAsWv3MjBpcxz94Oa-AXUJh8T472adM2kAKsIZ0wgDL-Ec97wnBEmBPA4SOfE/s1600/end+table+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkDbMXOmHlqcuB9QfUBcNcXUgnSaWwq0UZ_f5TK8JWanEyqZHh0IjCwfZ_L32J9G4Zf2XJmpvDPYbDEBAsWv3MjBpcxz94Oa-AXUJh8T472adM2kAKsIZ0wgDL-Ec97wnBEmBPA4SOfE/s1600/end+table+collage.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The table arrived a week later and required some assembly. I really only had to add the bottom shelf and legs, so it was a quick project. Of course I still had to paint the table to match my console table…</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iJdQVUTZRYcXWGDUysqwyqhKdnWjQ1Ci9aUArna6E83gVjfHJwKZAI78HY8bVD90Kyi0OuqlcaKQuwdu8yv5oh3Z_0okVq2mfGM1dG8Fy9kSdfqi3vARBOB9ikaOmwU0rwtSirwKoVY/s1600/IMG_2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iJdQVUTZRYcXWGDUysqwyqhKdnWjQ1Ci9aUArna6E83gVjfHJwKZAI78HY8bVD90Kyi0OuqlcaKQuwdu8yv5oh3Z_0okVq2mfGM1dG8Fy9kSdfqi3vARBOB9ikaOmwU0rwtSirwKoVY/s1600/IMG_2290.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Luckily I still had paint (Deep Royal by Behr) leftover from my console project, so I just used a small foam roller and brush to apply. It only took two coats of paint plus one coat of wipe-on poly to the top. I also replaced the knob with a matching one from Hobby Lobby.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqU-u7N4tnEjKj8eEqNd9h5wDZzWHkjeq7SsLK8t-rY2AXnhdWM_isGOMRm3uE-qTxEDr-34SjJx-RBpScAtuEydiCUqloyqsgwAm_jFfO_F7e6YVn0M8DaB_ZbYoR0SyOjznUolbxfw/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqU-u7N4tnEjKj8eEqNd9h5wDZzWHkjeq7SsLK8t-rY2AXnhdWM_isGOMRm3uE-qTxEDr-34SjJx-RBpScAtuEydiCUqloyqsgwAm_jFfO_F7e6YVn0M8DaB_ZbYoR0SyOjznUolbxfw/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love how it turned out! I think adding another piece of navy furniture makes it look more intentional than just having one random navy table mixed in with all the other white and black pieces. Although the picture below makes the blue tables look a lot brighter than they actually are. They are definitely navy, not bright blue.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dxpcGC-tlM_uWrlgFR6zaSo_qTr4KANwIJ-Hw7x_rT6L-dt9rdKebxkYD5BPSQCm31eDic01jU8Hy-_2zUowSk_nC858azUjVgMyXR8FpHS70eNxUFRsSx2VsZwZdum80_9bP0t6v8Y/s1600/IMG_2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dxpcGC-tlM_uWrlgFR6zaSo_qTr4KANwIJ-Hw7x_rT6L-dt9rdKebxkYD5BPSQCm31eDic01jU8Hy-_2zUowSk_nC858azUjVgMyXR8FpHS70eNxUFRsSx2VsZwZdum80_9bP0t6v8Y/s1600/IMG_2643.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now I just need to finish the rest of my to-do list! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/05/charcoal-gray-sectional.html" target="_blank"><s>Find sectional</s></a></span></span> <br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/spa-blue-moroccan-trellis-rug.html" target="_blank"><s>Buy rug </s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/12/diy-abstract-art.html" target="_blank"><s>DIY abstract art </s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/navy-console-table_1.html" target="_blank"><s>Re-paint console table</s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/01/white-china-hutch.html" target="_blank"><s>Paint China Hutch</s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/yellow-ticking-stripe-curtains.html" target="_blank"><s>Sew curtains </s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/07/apothecary-cabinet.html" target="_blank"><s>Apothecary cabinet</s></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><s><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-coffee-table.html" target="_blank">Find coffee table</a><br />Buy garden stool/end table</s></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sew throw pillows </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Style entertainment center shelves/top</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Replace missing baseboard </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Replace arm chair</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Buy large plant/pot </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Decorate fireplace mantle </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Accessories</span></span><br /><br /><br /></div>Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-46771385672584332472014-07-29T07:54:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.427-07:00Travel Tuesday: Alaska<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m back from Alaska and I’m exhausted! We had an amazing time, but it was definitely the most physically demanding vacation I’ve ever been on. There was a lot of hiking whilst wearing heavy, uncomfortable waders and sore shoulders from fly fishing for hours, but it was all worth it. I’m still sorting and editing pictures from our trip, so today I’m only going to share the first couple days, including our drive from Anchorage to Soldotna. Next week I’ll share all of our fishing stories and pictures and the following week will be all about our Kenai Fjords National Park boat tour. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxl-8xx07eTLJ-LAyFHKvo8cL3OdpvnIhA-BUjlElwVkukFunyKFA29kOYwEYOu6B3g4zuvTuuGmCdgPS9VhDzhgadbN9SaQ47LH_3WgpP8eboLPpkI9cnelgzO9evKZP2CklxaPL7Qw/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage-Alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxl-8xx07eTLJ-LAyFHKvo8cL3OdpvnIhA-BUjlElwVkukFunyKFA29kOYwEYOu6B3g4zuvTuuGmCdgPS9VhDzhgadbN9SaQ47LH_3WgpP8eboLPpkI9cnelgzO9evKZP2CklxaPL7Qw/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage-Alaska.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK, let’s recap:<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We landed in Anchorage around 9 p.m. Monday night. It was almost 10 p.m. by the time we picked up our luggage and rental car and made it out of the airport…and it was still light outside! We knew it would be, but it was still really strange. It completely messed up my internal clock during our trip and I never seemed to know what time of the day it was. We checked into our hotel and turned in for the night. We were tired from traveling and my right ear never fully popped during our flight so I was pretty uncomfortable. Luckily it felt better in the morning and popped during my shower. <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The following morning we checked out of the hotel and went to Cabela’s to buy some fishing gear. We had bought waders ahead of time and we already had fishing reels, so we really only had to buy fishing poles, flies, and our fishing licenses. Once we had everything we grabbed breakfast and drove out of town. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GkebxrlyRUGoHN1DHtVvoJDa7Dp1Pdc5QSHeFm5IB6VU16qJ_9H3PMIA7_2fEBIqWT6IBLpwY7abkY28uLdq3HSo1QbZWgmEGtPhCaEq9C0jBvHtC78g61Rx_ow_BjQOUtwjv2zXbwg/s1600/IMG_2313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GkebxrlyRUGoHN1DHtVvoJDa7Dp1Pdc5QSHeFm5IB6VU16qJ_9H3PMIA7_2fEBIqWT6IBLpwY7abkY28uLdq3HSo1QbZWgmEGtPhCaEq9C0jBvHtC78g61Rx_ow_BjQOUtwjv2zXbwg/s1600/IMG_2313.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We headed towards Soldotna, where we would be staying for the remainder of our trip. It’s a small city along the Kenai River and is a popular spot for salmon fishing. It’s about a three hour drive from Anchorage. I have to say that it has to be one of the prettiest drives I’ve ever been on. The first part of the drive is along the coast with the bay on one side and mountains and trees on the other side.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ8BaPJfUaUN3u1Adtzr1C5WD97QfsqNHV7G8n_e0KpHiZs7p1FdzkZyFLwCNlI4ZJpF8i2YyCzRIbkd25NyqpxrvB4Z6ZsJEHWaOdBOqzfvuOFOCLvDBc60viNs1RuG36WeOicTxgP8/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ8BaPJfUaUN3u1Adtzr1C5WD97QfsqNHV7G8n_e0KpHiZs7p1FdzkZyFLwCNlI4ZJpF8i2YyCzRIbkd25NyqpxrvB4Z6ZsJEHWaOdBOqzfvuOFOCLvDBc60viNs1RuG36WeOicTxgP8/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of the trip is through the mountains, surrounded by trees and rivers. We stopped at one point to walk down to the river to take some pictures and stretch our legs. Alaska really is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs_ZCuDACRa3Sl_7o0IybdHoamD2n08Bhip0JoIIVtl2oc1uEwxN_CStHNWaluttSQvL0B9M3sAjFABum0nfarioUJTVDsDpaUlf-V5IFSqCknILcnYnnzE6FeQrfkuH8igeLiVJPxmk/s1600/IMG_2319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs_ZCuDACRa3Sl_7o0IybdHoamD2n08Bhip0JoIIVtl2oc1uEwxN_CStHNWaluttSQvL0B9M3sAjFABum0nfarioUJTVDsDpaUlf-V5IFSqCknILcnYnnzE6FeQrfkuH8igeLiVJPxmk/s1600/IMG_2319.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FqrR-oaP0NGSwbaUO94atCvF6LYfkgz6iKcPPalLDsZCRnTnS5GXsagX8CT53Q2sgbiL4PXxJJaBIdbL8KXbk3XRpjnJ91Fw3cl1Vp5qYRlLNM4XXHujjMDMO2eVWt7FYzwbeAMksig/s1600/IMG_2321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FqrR-oaP0NGSwbaUO94atCvF6LYfkgz6iKcPPalLDsZCRnTnS5GXsagX8CT53Q2sgbiL4PXxJJaBIdbL8KXbk3XRpjnJ91Fw3cl1Vp5qYRlLNM4XXHujjMDMO2eVWt7FYzwbeAMksig/s1600/IMG_2321.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We arrived in Soldotna in the early afternoon and explored the town a bit. We also went to check out one of the lakes in the area, but never ended up fishing there. Trout just didn’t seem that exciting to catch once we started fishing for salmon. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtmCllhJoBmZ5ZIhvRa5ZiAnhwZ5UVgpZBbVUwZHbcrKCRROtad3aUxFr5bJMQ3QbVYoWsOVqd2G264fTWS6okK1u2Dgguqyxxi2_zI_utzLbsZZJcG0RFCcbSkkode_Pw1Xz_JD1Whg/s1600/IMG_2328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtmCllhJoBmZ5ZIhvRa5ZiAnhwZ5UVgpZBbVUwZHbcrKCRROtad3aUxFr5bJMQ3QbVYoWsOVqd2G264fTWS6okK1u2Dgguqyxxi2_zI_utzLbsZZJcG0RFCcbSkkode_Pw1Xz_JD1Whg/s1600/IMG_2328.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We ended up fishing that night and Wednesday night/morning. Thursday we drove to Seward to take a boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. Friday was our last day in Alaska so we fished in the morning than drove back to Anchorage in the evening for our 2 a.m. Saturday morning flight (ugh). Anyway, I’ll be sharing more details over the next couple weeks. <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before I wrap up this post, I do want to talk about a couple of my favorite meals while in Alaska. For dinner Wednesday night I had a caribou burger and it was delicious! The following night I had a reindeer sausage chili cheese dog. That was also delicious. Neither was gamey at all. I ordered both of them at Buckets Sports Grill, so if you are ever in Soldotna, I recommend trying at least one of those dishes. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTC7exIT8l4kFNZglNLF01RlfUdz2ykZ7g3-8iwawO6w_vSbaMDjmVYDfd86S3uhaX5CYA6AAkNLazzFK-isHJbalgIEFZbqmTcmiQUtTOcGrYJVvT02o78PdjZFWI-R51YtkeoQ9n30/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTC7exIT8l4kFNZglNLF01RlfUdz2ykZ7g3-8iwawO6w_vSbaMDjmVYDfd86S3uhaX5CYA6AAkNLazzFK-isHJbalgIEFZbqmTcmiQUtTOcGrYJVvT02o78PdjZFWI-R51YtkeoQ9n30/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next Week: Fishing for salmon in Alaska!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-36002633014089374922014-07-22T06:59:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.508-07:0010 Fun Facts About Alaska<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m in Alaska! Our flight left Phoenix yesterday afternoon and we arrived in Anchorage last night. By the time we got our luggage and rental car it was almost 10 p.m. and it was still light outside! I knew it would be, but it still throws you off and is totally strange. Anyway, in celebration of our trip I pulled together ten fun/interesting facts about Alaska. Hopefully some of these are new to you and you can say you learned something today. If not…well, aren’t you a smarty pants!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is 20,237 ft. above sea level. <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alaska is the largest state in the United States (it’s twice the size of Texas). When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEita77XDUDTPs-qT63jxL4D0wecv9W6O2lePVy-UFiS2gHCXYU18sEodUMnPyja0IxcF_CTuoPaS8T1aB54Bmo7X49tBTSVks-WBWY8MeiNWR0dleOeMhh_wtXN1aMIpL1lC8nRvA9ct5s/s1600/Alaska_area_compared_to_conterminous_US.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEita77XDUDTPs-qT63jxL4D0wecv9W6O2lePVy-UFiS2gHCXYU18sEodUMnPyja0IxcF_CTuoPaS8T1aB54Bmo7X49tBTSVks-WBWY8MeiNWR0dleOeMhh_wtXN1aMIpL1lC8nRvA9ct5s/s1600/Alaska_area_compared_to_conterminous_US.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska#mediaviewer/File:Alaska_area_compared_to_conterminous_US.svg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Juneau, the capital of Alaska, cannot be accessed by road. It’s currently only accessible by boat or plane! <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone’s ear while moose hunting. It’s also illegal to wake a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a picture. Although, I think the law is the least of your worries if you wake a sleeping bear! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhJ7NWDqK3FkJM1WCk62QElOx5J8RAtYrto1-6X-KbcvDcVRLKj_mInB3E5RvdnYogUNHelzxjXyxhaoUcMRN_BlJnOnQXwPpX2eskJNDDAKinLScbhdGejzK9kG3Lico4d6WBiYyi68/s1600/sleeping-bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhJ7NWDqK3FkJM1WCk62QElOx5J8RAtYrto1-6X-KbcvDcVRLKj_mInB3E5RvdnYogUNHelzxjXyxhaoUcMRN_BlJnOnQXwPpX2eskJNDDAKinLScbhdGejzK9kG3Lico4d6WBiYyi68/s1600/sleeping-bear.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/12/17/frommers-photo-contest-results/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a> </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alaska boasts the lowest population density in the nation at 1.3 people per square mile. If New York City had the same population density as Alaska, only about 30 people would live in Manhattan. There are more caribou than people in Alaska.<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Giant vegetables are common in Alaska due to the extremely long summer days. A world-record breaking, 138 pound cabbage was grown in Alaska in 2012. The previous record holder (126 lbs) was also grown in Alaska. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0Y9hHthGuQzIK1gUz75DTQBSMeJCTnCLsXQth7-07d_THRoQW0tzsf8yb-QDEQw6DbRt9SnvjOm6PiJNUBA_Ce2WcOPCa_r7-eQ5_NG9l9npJaAGk7UiJwuotU1I_oVWXgkzczSIKak/s1600/alaska+record+cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0Y9hHthGuQzIK1gUz75DTQBSMeJCTnCLsXQth7-07d_THRoQW0tzsf8yb-QDEQw6DbRt9SnvjOm6PiJNUBA_Ce2WcOPCa_r7-eQ5_NG9l9npJaAGk7UiJwuotU1I_oVWXgkzczSIKak/s1600/alaska+record+cabbage.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.alaskastatefair.org/blog/archives/tag/giant-cabbage-weigh-off#.U8viw7HDt-y" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Barrow, Alaska is located just 800 miles from the North Pole. Between May and August, the sun circles above the horizon, but never sets – also known as the midnight sun. The sun finally sets in November, but won’t rise again for another three months. <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are approximately 100,000 glaciers in Alaska, covering about five percent of the state. Alaska has more active glaciers and ice fields than in the rest of the inhabited world. <br /> </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliyoiiZeGpU8B7E3XLkPZFDK23dCwCamOhDIyYb3GLL305oGPt3MeFfUGbDvUBqw3NxAZdLRxLr3kwxCHjxlbmGjrXzdogKCOzWL8XvijjMRi9s06pR9B5zYBD5WjFuejPO6etg6RZj4/s1600/harding+ice+field+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliyoiiZeGpU8B7E3XLkPZFDK23dCwCamOhDIyYb3GLL305oGPt3MeFfUGbDvUBqw3NxAZdLRxLr3kwxCHjxlbmGjrXzdogKCOzWL8XvijjMRi9s06pR9B5zYBD5WjFuejPO6etg6RZj4/s1600/harding+ice+field+alaska.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/KFNP%20EG10.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a> </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alaska has no native snake population. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the only native reptiles are 4 species of sea turtles.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And for my single ladies - about 52 percent of Alaskans are men – the highest percentage of any state! <br /><br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ll be back next week with the first recap from our trip plus I finally crossed another item off my living room to-do list! </span></span><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-86590797480574361192014-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.517-07:00Purging & Adding<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ve been on a serious organization/purging kick lately. So much so that I’ve actually made enough room in the master closet for my boyfriend’s clothes! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTbLdG1pCkHOAvohyphenhyphenZHBnsg63e0GN8Am0tVJQf4NChMSuZInoY2ir5gepBRJNvphsZLtdbAcVWe69NkIqrVeM3R8e1RvqoLRxqHIW0d5garD83GHISdUgjXuahFkCaD9NsChrEmcLXww/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTbLdG1pCkHOAvohyphenhyphenZHBnsg63e0GN8Am0tVJQf4NChMSuZInoY2ir5gepBRJNvphsZLtdbAcVWe69NkIqrVeM3R8e1RvqoLRxqHIW0d5garD83GHISdUgjXuahFkCaD9NsChrEmcLXww/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When my boyfriend moved in three years ago (has it already been that long?), we put his clothes in the guest bedroom closet because I have a lot of clothes/shoes and I’m an only child so I don’t understand how to share (kidding…kinda). It’s been working fine, but I feel kind of bad about being a closet hog. <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a no-holds-barred clean out, I had cleared enough to give the front half of the closet to my boyfriend. Although he doesn’t have that many clothes so I ended up taking back the bottom half of the rack. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDNkyMH_n0WDdA95HdlPfTTVZgqJNCtXasiJ6SBl4Y3yYfoT9xKq2on_Dlff5RctXq23AtP8utB0rEMglHRuFj8xJ9Uz_jH1fypKS6Sb3-XU_GKNcxC2GuhEB8TybAWNDUxwcEdTM6qY/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDNkyMH_n0WDdA95HdlPfTTVZgqJNCtXasiJ6SBl4Y3yYfoT9xKq2on_Dlff5RctXq23AtP8utB0rEMglHRuFj8xJ9Uz_jH1fypKS6Sb3-XU_GKNcxC2GuhEB8TybAWNDUxwcEdTM6qY/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And of course I have to share the pile of clothes, purses, and shoes that are being donated. Actually, these bags of clothes are going to my mom’s coworker. She’s raising her two grandkids and they are about my size. I think they are in high school, so obviously everything won’t work for them, but they just donate what they don’t want. My mom says they are always so excited to get my bags of clothes, so that makes me feel a little bit better about all clothes I buy (and money I end up wasting). </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQjY-xQsQRjQVlIIxi-Ur9ydxx1FkD0x3NFqV83huFh1axWhYlnmoS5KrAmdq_hNxxny2hHouUp9msjGvT-srn-IJVTPjm9UszfPRmHI6UkmD1sKPcs2zSPugP4qbnp32mvxIEuiPyZA/s1600/IMG_2285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQjY-xQsQRjQVlIIxi-Ur9ydxx1FkD0x3NFqV83huFh1axWhYlnmoS5KrAmdq_hNxxny2hHouUp9msjGvT-srn-IJVTPjm9UszfPRmHI6UkmD1sKPcs2zSPugP4qbnp32mvxIEuiPyZA/s1600/IMG_2285.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also ended up moving my boyfriend’s dresser into the bedroom too. It’s been in the guest bedroom with the rest of his clothes. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr7p9zuw34d90_df4Ap5kW2mL6b4uLgMXBfPIMLFbc5Z8LiKwiN0Rla5JrwfYH-dlQIFYMI1Bs8pQ1lNa_9ZdICjf6AbB1wabewhvkspApygglSewzcpkUsk22xvztMlowBcRDg2T-0g/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr7p9zuw34d90_df4Ap5kW2mL6b4uLgMXBfPIMLFbc5Z8LiKwiN0Rla5JrwfYH-dlQIFYMI1Bs8pQ1lNa_9ZdICjf6AbB1wabewhvkspApygglSewzcpkUsk22xvztMlowBcRDg2T-0g/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I definitely need to start looking for a set of dressers to replace our current ones. I think that might end up being my next big purchase! </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />How do you and your significant other divide up the closet?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-48401592905854408892014-07-11T07:39:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.571-07:00Flashback Friday: July at The Junk House<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I have an idea for a new monthly series - I’m calling it Flashback Friday at The Junk House. Basically I’ll pull some of my favorite posts from years past and talk about my opinions now and/or their current status. I thought it’d be a fun way to see what I was up to in a year (or three) ago and it’d be a good way for some of my newer followers to discover some old posts. And maybe it’ll be a wake-up call for me to see how long I procrastinate on projects (I’m looking at you Master Bathroom mood board that I’ve done pretty much nothing with over the past year). <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do you think?<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK, let’s kick the series off with a flashback to July 2013 –<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last year I bought an <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/07/apothecary-cabinet.html" target="_blank">apothecary cabinet</a> from Target for the living room. I still love it and I am totally happy with my purchase. I love having a place to store additional blankets for snuggling on the couch in the winter.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGWTV3xQoaJ0U00GZoulF1_pgg2Bd4oji8HSd0dgK8lFjeUUn055Z00k02zHR-pYSlkn4Ic6DcWL3CU_J6Mv8kp_YQ2qCXMJLTrNKCXkcqzR7938JB00bp2iD_76opVwM58D4mD5TFm8/s1600/target+threshold+apothecary+cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGWTV3xQoaJ0U00GZoulF1_pgg2Bd4oji8HSd0dgK8lFjeUUn055Z00k02zHR-pYSlkn4Ic6DcWL3CU_J6Mv8kp_YQ2qCXMJLTrNKCXkcqzR7938JB00bp2iD_76opVwM58D4mD5TFm8/s1600/target+threshold+apothecary+cabinet.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I mentioned above, last July I put together a <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2013/07/master-bathroom-mood-board.html" target="_blank">mood board</a> for the master bathroom. So far I’ve replaced the shower curtain, artwork, and medicine cabinets, but I haven’t even started on any of the bigger projects. Yeah, I should probably get moving on that…</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiytqcNbzLhzILoE3DqrVoG18oS-OAZPecrC_-omFWR0jw6FgQ99xIuZMI1RrkeLDaCLFM6OxEE90PHFjiG5RQCXVizA9Vd9fsw3ldg063R5q5wU2NfTAYcBYIP4L9VhtRVWNme_9dac8/s1600/Master+Bathroom+Mood+Board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiytqcNbzLhzILoE3DqrVoG18oS-OAZPecrC_-omFWR0jw6FgQ99xIuZMI1RrkeLDaCLFM6OxEE90PHFjiG5RQCXVizA9Vd9fsw3ldg063R5q5wU2NfTAYcBYIP4L9VhtRVWNme_9dac8/s1600/Master+Bathroom+Mood+Board.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let’s rewind another year and look at July 2012 – <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My favorite post from that month has to be the one with the Ringo and Abby <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/puppy-videos.html" target="_blank">videos</a>. The video of Ringo howling at his squeaker toy still makes me laugh. And a 6-month old Abby bouncing around in muddy puddles - so cute!<br /> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/46127636" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/33322671" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also in July 2012, I shared <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/shops-at-target.html" target="_blank">my ‘The Shops at Target’ bargains</a>. We are currently using the Privet House plates for our every day dishes. Although to be totally honest, we’ve only been using them for the past 6 months or so (before that they were just hanging out in my china cabinet). I don’t know why I put off using them for so long…As a side note, Miss Mustard Seed recently wrote a great post about using your “special pieces” every day and not just saving them for special occasions. I thought it was a great message. I know I’m definitely guilty of hiding things in cupboards for safe keeping and then never really enjoying them (like these dishes for the past year and a half). If you are interested, you can read it <a href="http://missmustardseed.com/2014/06/fresh-way-organize/" target="_blank">here</a>. Some of the comments are great too. Anyway, back to my dishes, I love them, but I do wish I had a couple more dinner plates. I search eBay occasionally, but so far only serving dishes. One of these days! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7zVrBBZ7bgZZatPRzRjdH_FaEby921eNgaf4FOX20gXy8MFvS75A0jw0shhqGfkhmvxbaxlQJ_W4hYofMsXRL3lr3NzAfwZ3RWtIHZBblszsorWeLfA3undCJju12OGHZS5B-ZkTKFY/s1600/privet+house+target+dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7zVrBBZ7bgZZatPRzRjdH_FaEby921eNgaf4FOX20gXy8MFvS75A0jw0shhqGfkhmvxbaxlQJ_W4hYofMsXRL3lr3NzAfwZ3RWtIHZBblszsorWeLfA3undCJju12OGHZS5B-ZkTKFY/s1600/privet+house+target+dishes.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Time to go WAY back to July 2011 – my first year of blogging!<br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Three years ago I shared my first attempt at a <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/pictures-of-you.html" target="_blank">gallery wal</a>l in our hallway. I’ve updated it twice since then and I’m still planning on updating it again. I’m still not quite satisfied. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsLcmu1ACnQpu9fZg0wun0CN9_14zrnBRmBAn-VE5oOtkgpJLIEg49UcA-Un6zk7Fku_AO1K5g-ke7uO11jtw_ldIbyTE30cX4wuLJ4pMwb4_iSMn_cK2-uow9HouOqnT4GoDLsyim7E/s1600/IMG_1128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsLcmu1ACnQpu9fZg0wun0CN9_14zrnBRmBAn-VE5oOtkgpJLIEg49UcA-Un6zk7Fku_AO1K5g-ke7uO11jtw_ldIbyTE30cX4wuLJ4pMwb4_iSMn_cK2-uow9HouOqnT4GoDLsyim7E/s1600/IMG_1128.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also shared one of my favorite (and cheapest/easiest) <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/jars-of-hearts.html" target="_blank">projects</a>. I spray painted 3 mismatched jars for my guest bathroom makeover. We still use them and I still love them! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjbnvKr17yCZ3vAq3Equro45AUA_-5T24W_h-Ue8V3nmsvPjKLYTglbodtQvutH_FM64Gt9LPo5vpJ6wYvEYKZVbmbe7M-j44yK5W6ZqFNkBJbZHxMVl8ExvchNUfbDNu6vcNVqAiF1g/s1600/IMG_1146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjbnvKr17yCZ3vAq3Equro45AUA_-5T24W_h-Ue8V3nmsvPjKLYTglbodtQvutH_FM64Gt9LPo5vpJ6wYvEYKZVbmbe7M-j44yK5W6ZqFNkBJbZHxMVl8ExvchNUfbDNu6vcNVqAiF1g/s1600/IMG_1146.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So that’s what I’ve been up to in July for the past three years. It was kind of fun reading/looking back at old posts and projects. I definitely think this series is a keeper! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-64802938713447780502014-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.580-07:00Weekend Junk #17<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m back with another edition of Weekend Junk! But first, a quick note about the series - I used to do a Weekend Junk post every week, but I’ve decided to only post my finds once every three weeks or so. I’m just going to save up my thrift finds and share them all in one post (unless I find something so awesome that I can’t wait to share). <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I usually frequent the same few thrift stores, so you’ll notice most of my finds are from Goodwill and Savers. I like to stop at Savers after work on Friday because Fridays are 25%-off everything (with club card). And of course I’m a fan of half-off every other Saturday at Goodwill. Although those days are crazy busy, so I usually don’t go until it clears out later in the day. Anyway, I’ve noted any discounts with a strikethrough. <br /><br />OK, let’s start with the clothes (yes, I buy/own a lot of clothes):</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw5rflIUnaV5J468TuzuMl8sgqGFV1NqDsKez4bSINaRospUgZ7RZGauTXIXGk9l1bz7r1Eink1V7Di79ysNqAksHNiUgrKdADj80kBJmAanDdYnqcfTi0fn2XkCP6fS14EdtGBKSyP8/s1600/IMG_2272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw5rflIUnaV5J468TuzuMl8sgqGFV1NqDsKez4bSINaRospUgZ7RZGauTXIXGk9l1bz7r1Eink1V7Di79ysNqAksHNiUgrKdADj80kBJmAanDdYnqcfTi0fn2XkCP6fS14EdtGBKSyP8/s1600/IMG_2272.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Express Blue Leopard Shirt – Savers – <strike>$6.99</strike> $5.25</span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kut from the Kloth Red Shirt – Goodwill – <strike>$4.99</strike> $2.49<br />Black and White Plaid Shirt – Savers - <strike>$3.99</strike> $3.00</span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Old Navy Tank Top – Savers - <strike>$3.99</strike> $3.00</span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ann Taylor Loft Striped Tank – Savers – $5.99<br /><br />And here are the rest of my finds; including a great example of ironstone that’s not just plain white -<br /> </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1oF_PRG2_yhsyn8Hb1_C-tRziMSO-TAsdLAFTqbtmrcC2-4bBgqK4MNSM9WKTalsn8bVDLxNkZLRXt5KHVbnV5ElouWXX8J0bNpzuZiXdIl2LIoYAEnHSGoKTvBG0q3RSnDv-4ZUKq8/s1600/weekend+junk+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1oF_PRG2_yhsyn8Hb1_C-tRziMSO-TAsdLAFTqbtmrcC2-4bBgqK4MNSM9WKTalsn8bVDLxNkZLRXt5KHVbnV5ElouWXX8J0bNpzuZiXdIl2LIoYAEnHSGoKTvBG0q3RSnDv-4ZUKq8/s1600/weekend+junk+17.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ironstone Platter – Goodwill - $5.99<br />Coaching Scenes Ironstone Cup and Saucer – Savers - <strike>$1.99</strike> $1.50 <br />Small Flower Pot – Savers - $0.99<br />White ‘Simply Shabby Chic’ Target Jar – Goodwill - $1.99<br />Small Shadow Box – Goodwill - $1.49<br />Paris Sign – Goodwill - $3.99<br />Ironstone Sugar Jar – Goodwill - <strike>$1.99</strike> $0.99 (matches an ironstone creamer that I already own!)</span></span> </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK, let’s hear about your recent thrift store finds! <br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can read previous Weekend Junk post <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/weekend%20junk" target="_blank">here</a></span></span><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267061403202545490.post-40601523308230567902014-07-03T06:37:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.641-07:00Insta-16: Take Eight<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s time for another round of Instagram pictures! You can see the previous seven recaps <a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Instagram" target="_blank">here</a><br /><br />If you have an account, you can follow me at: SAMTJH22. If not, this recap is for you! I’ve rounded up my last 16 Instagram pictures for you here today. This roundup includes spring training baseball games, my first video, and lots of Ringo and Abby snuggles!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As usual, my plan is to share a pretty collage of all the pictures and then pick my top 5 in different categories: Abby, Ringo, Cutest Couple (Ringo and Abby), Yummy (Food or Drink), and Wildcard (Non-Food and Non-Puppy).<br /><br />OK, enough talk! Here’s the eighth round of Instagram pictures:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfICVh3EyfMYk-Xcr2wRuRN2bPMSNqPlCEzg8GzBs9N2iM4wKz033jXVyLD899vs2fSEFe7X0JZDbsLuxJ7emyokfkcLeEy1cwXll3VLgpvwwJEEE-Btq5PYaR9JvUozeiPAu9AWjHFA/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfICVh3EyfMYk-Xcr2wRuRN2bPMSNqPlCEzg8GzBs9N2iM4wKz033jXVyLD899vs2fSEFe7X0JZDbsLuxJ7emyokfkcLeEy1cwXll3VLgpvwwJEEE-Btq5PYaR9JvUozeiPAu9AWjHFA/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And here are my favorites: </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><u><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Abby</span></span></b></u></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE4YN_1t9JG4ehot_GQJv7FORbmzWJCS8PNrekruAC77zu44KCtFyx8T6hBRZXdfIgowNL-gkBxz5-PgF2WlJIJje9hVqvpDpouXQK781IOUf9qNqDnAXi-yUsIRqA9flWJJ4346KpNc/s1600/1169695_1446855965543365_800032340_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE4YN_1t9JG4ehot_GQJv7FORbmzWJCS8PNrekruAC77zu44KCtFyx8T6hBRZXdfIgowNL-gkBxz5-PgF2WlJIJje9hVqvpDpouXQK781IOUf9qNqDnAXi-yUsIRqA9flWJJ4346KpNc/s1600/1169695_1446855965543365_800032340_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If Abby was a black lab, her name would have to be Shadow. This sweet girl follows me everywhere and loves to be touching/next to me. She hangs out in the bathroom with me while I do my hair and makeup in the morning…usually with her paw or head on my foot. When I lay down on the couch or in bed, she always snuggles up next to me. She really is the sweetest, most loving dog. <br /> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Ringo</b></u></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGkQCuXEdKl90WQ57lfaOnXk9W-fJJx553PBOIckMaQc-4DSO1rAtY_kfXHqm7Zza9S3OUcW-r-kapCU_dnBZB8DIH_0Ul_EbBQYRb1fu4-49zvHIsF9n9cZadqXam9Rfg-jgAzOU1Wk/s1600/1388867_429074460571241_1031784337_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGkQCuXEdKl90WQ57lfaOnXk9W-fJJx553PBOIckMaQc-4DSO1rAtY_kfXHqm7Zza9S3OUcW-r-kapCU_dnBZB8DIH_0Ul_EbBQYRb1fu4-49zvHIsF9n9cZadqXam9Rfg-jgAzOU1Wk/s1600/1388867_429074460571241_1031784337_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like many pictures of Ringo, this one makes me laugh out loud. He is full of personality and there’s never a dull moment when he’s around (that can be good or bad). Anyway, he loves hanging out in my closet. He likes to hide behind the clothes – we call it his bear cave. I usually keep the door closed, but whenever I open it he runs in and gets back there. He lays there so quiet and still that one of these days I might close him in there by accident. He’s a silly dog. <br /> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Cutest Couple</b></u></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7EUGeAiZVUJwng7Fw96ZPpQx3tH2IZDBnNlUfZo3c7HbcSGc8NbiuRTSdrg4dhqTrDoOI423fvGAkSUON4Xjx6LsnO7CdIjFFBJKV2XUJENhTHBDi4JTgROlRX2d0WmP_4cEI4VtB1Q/s1600/10249327_647131455358388_1348127717_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7EUGeAiZVUJwng7Fw96ZPpQx3tH2IZDBnNlUfZo3c7HbcSGc8NbiuRTSdrg4dhqTrDoOI423fvGAkSUON4Xjx6LsnO7CdIjFFBJKV2XUJENhTHBDi4JTgROlRX2d0WmP_4cEI4VtB1Q/s1600/10249327_647131455358388_1348127717_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Personality wise, Ringo and Abby are complete opposites. She’s sweet and lazy and he’s wild and crazy. But I guess opposites do attract because they are best buddies. They love to play together and they love to cuddle together afterwards. So cute!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b></b></u></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Yummy</b></u></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpU5m6IEYczdT26PbV7bJj3J_BxKn-OwQlHccXkoTE5xA2k7hHrWHXBKI94zyzoZLYxsGQk_Stf_hxv7XLbKPQwKQxSRU8Bd3aGMR6joLfy6xnTUtwIAFZUzRoTE5YNMbLmvJPR6xdBI/s1600/10013286_423342084476840_884739837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpU5m6IEYczdT26PbV7bJj3J_BxKn-OwQlHccXkoTE5xA2k7hHrWHXBKI94zyzoZLYxsGQk_Stf_hxv7XLbKPQwKQxSRU8Bd3aGMR6joLfy6xnTUtwIAFZUzRoTE5YNMbLmvJPR6xdBI/s1600/10013286_423342084476840_884739837_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m obsessed with Rubio’s gourmet shrimp and gourmet chicken tacos. I used to eat them almost every Saturday afternoon. Seriously, so often that a couple of the girls knew my name and order! Sadly, I’m still on my no sugar, no flour, no diary (no fun) kick, so I haven’t had a Rubio’s taco in over six weeks. I only have one week left until I hit my 50 day goal, so I foresee a taco in my near future. Yay!<br /> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wildcard</span></span></b></u></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJuVQwcPzRsD6jv0BKL2NmvU0mgVA6vmuoeZ98k6wtf7tJRgG231-iljjiSf3wf8LJt834TkIEZIRBwJW0qpRjpgd-XJ6AK-kkthCYR6C5-QCjI0lDOzexTvZ3zoItN_fFP08AwXt-l4/s1600/1742569_536953623068924_2270810_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJuVQwcPzRsD6jv0BKL2NmvU0mgVA6vmuoeZ98k6wtf7tJRgG231-iljjiSf3wf8LJt834TkIEZIRBwJW0qpRjpgd-XJ6AK-kkthCYR6C5-QCjI0lDOzexTvZ3zoItN_fFP08AwXt-l4/s1600/1742569_536953623068924_2270810_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, this was my first time shooting a rifle. I’d shot hand guns before a shooting range, but never anything bigger than that. One Saturday morning my boyfriend, a friend from work, and I went out shooting in the desert. My boyfriend has a lot of guns, so he showed me how to use each of them and let me fire a few rounds. I shot a bottle out of a tree with this one. I’ve never really been much of a gun person, but I felt pretty badass after that. <br /><br />OK, who else is on Instagram? Leave your username in the comments, so I can follow you.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />Sam | Away She Wenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426491329790597674noreply@blogger.com0