Mid March

We just endured the rainiest of weekends which made for perfect reading though there wasn't much time for that! On Saturday JSM and I attended the Rock Solid Teen Center annual auction. I am privileged to be on the board of this fantastic organization which is the only teen center in the greater Battle Ground area. Rock Solid Teen Center serves youth in 5th - 12th grades with after school activities while building community and fostering relationships between the teens and the adults who care for them. The St. Patty's themed-auction was a huge success and we had so much fun!

The Vancouver Firefighter Pipes and Drums performed and it was beautiful!

Our sweet friends joined us and it was his first auction event. He won something!

As I type this I am surrounded by publications of all sorts: Flow (a Dutch publication for paper lovers), Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living, Elle, Atomic Ranch, Dwell, Psychologies, (a British wellness magazine I discovered on a layover at Heathrow), and Esquire (OK, that one belongs to JSM, but I can't help myself) and I did take some time to read this afternoon. I love magazines for their beautiful photography and short articles that don't require much thought before I drift off to sleep. In fact, I'm a self-proclaimed magazine whore with little discernment when it comes to the titles I read. My only requirements: must contain something useful with limited celebrity gossip and it must be available in the checkout line at the grocery store (#smalltownlife). This means my selection changes weekly depending on where I shop. Thankfully, JSM and I were out and about in Portland this weekend in search of unique mid-century furnishings for the dollhouse and I was able to sneak into Anthropologie. I don't go for the girly dresses and charming housewares. I'm more interested in their carefully curated selection of books, cookbooks, and magazines. Probably not the best idea as I'm about to downsize, but today was my lucky day. I discovered a fantastic publication titled Anthology. It's subtitle, Living with Substance and Style, really described the magazine itself which featured almost no ads, striking photography, and interesting subjects like a trip to Manila, the life of a lettering professional (ever wonder who creates some of the beautiful fonts we encounter in movies and ads?) and a home design in California. And at 7.5x10 inches, I threw it in my bag and devoured it in one sitting! You won't learn how to lose 10 lbs. or look 10 years younger here, but you will learn something about the world beyond  yourself. Yes to that!

Anthology Magazine (Google images)

Things are moving along on the dollhouse and we are readying Little House on Brush Prairie for sale. We've had to make numerous trips to the soon to be "new" house to meet the inspector, interior designer, and other professionals helping us to make this happen. Every time we go over there we love the house even more and can't wait to make it our own, but I feel a pang of sadness when I think about letting our first house go. This has been such a wonderful home for us.....until today when we woke up to a leaking skylight, came home from Portland to a torrential wind storm that wrecked our yard, and we are still trying to find a handy-person to come fix a few things. All before professional photos are taken on Thursday! As much as we've loved this place we're ready for a whole new interior.

Hopefully, sometime this summer, I'll be here in a renovated space reading Anthology. It's published quarterly and the next issue is summer 2015. Perfect timing!

XOXO