We got our {junk} on

Margee and I

(and Bri in spirit)
could not have been more excited to be a part of
this weekend's
Funky Junk Sister's Junk Salvation.
It was our 3rd appearance at a FJS Show...
and it was a blast...
{although, not quite the same without Bri...
who is expecting a baby girl in about 5weeks of so}

There was an eerie calm leading up to the show...
I say eerie because I usually feel like I am running around frantic trying to tie up loose ends...but this time I managed to stay relaxed and at ease about it all and it all fell into place perfectly.

Here I am Friday morning in front of a {very} small portion of my 'junk'...
although, I will say there is more here than it appears...
I have gotten good at packing efficiently.

And here's Margee with the remainder of our 'loot' in tow.

I will mention that I do actually like the {butterfiles} that I get leading up to the show...
the anxiousness, the giddiness and the anticipation as we are setting up really gets me excited for each show.
(I hope that this is ALWAYS the case because it means I am having fun)

That's Margee's hubb, Dan in the background,
ever so graciously giving us and hand carrying in the big stuff.

Alright...it's all starting to fall into place...
...clothesline...
LOVE IT!!!

Here is a view of the 'right side' of our booth...
What do you think of the BIG RED '4?'

We love it!!!
...after all we are 4th Avenue!

There was a vendor at the show, Bob, that had the most incredible pieces of recycled advertising...
and as I spotted this 4 from our booth, Margee about 'peed' I mean shrieked in excitement.
Did I mention his prices were unbelievable?
By the end of the show Bob had made his way back to us with
an 'a,' a 'v,' and an 'e'...AVE!
So now within our booth at each show, we'll proudly display our name,
4th Ave!
This is a picture of the back of our space.

From the front looking to the left...

The front corner of our space...
Isn't that white bench behind my pillows incredible?
It sold to a gal who could not have been more excited to get it!!
..and shockingly, her husband was just as excited when he came later to pick it up for her!

We loaded up my girls lemonade stand to take with us...
...and let me tell you, I could have sold that thing 10 times over!

Another 'peek' inside our space

Margee and I just before the show was to begin...
{SMILE}

Just down the way from us were two daughter's, Holly and Lacy,
whose mom, Sandy had been a vendor numerous times over at
the Funky Junk Sister's Shows.
Sandy also had a little shop,
The Geranium Cottage,
literally down the street from our home
that Bri, Margee and I would often frequent when she was open.
As I look around our home, we have A LOT of treasures from Sandy that I have purchased over the years...
{the mirror above our mantle, the little pink chair at the front door...and on and on and on}
Unfortunately, she passed away about a month ago after an admirable long and hard fought battle with breast cancer.
She was such an inspiration to Bri, Margee and I and I know will be missed by many 'junkers,'
as Sandy had 'junking' in her veins.

"Holly and Lacy...
your momma would have been so proud of the way you rolled up your sleeves and got to business...and with your presence at Junk Salvation...her presence was felt."

Our dear Bri showed up on Friday night to be on the 'other side' of Junk Salvation, as a buyer, not a vendor to find some treasures...
Here is Bri taking a little rest in between shopping and chatting...
(there's A LOT more to this picture...but I'll have to share that later)

We had the support of some incredible friends and family.
Thanks to those that came out to get your 'junk' on.

On Saturday evening, as we were disassembling our booth and loading stuff up,
I saw this little beauty!
She will be my next project...
I {have} to have one.

Oh and before I forget...
I made one fun and special purchase...
I picked up this great desk
(at a great price)
for Miss A to use as her 'art desk.'

It has a new home in our sewing room and will allow A to use her
'advanced for a 6-year old' artistic talents that she has undoubtedly inherited from her
Grandma Shaela and her Grandpa Oobie Doobie.
'Grandma Jill, you can now rest easy!'

Well, now that Junk Salvation is behind us...
there's only one thing to do...
Open our own shop!!!
Introducing the GRAND OPENING of
the 4th Avenue Barn Sale!!!There was rumor that there would be only one
Junk Salvation Show in Puyallup this year,
so we took it upon ourselves to have our own
(however, we found out later that there will in fact be another
Junk Salvation Show in November in Puyallup).

A MOST VERY HUMBLE AND SPECIAL thanks to Linda and Dixie...
...you sisters have been nothing but F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C to us and
we want you to know how much me appreciate your kindness and friendship!!!
we {love} you both and continue to be inspired and amazed by your creative eye!
WE'LL SEE YOU BOTH IN NOVEMBER!!!

Thirty-One'derful'

It's no secret that we have NOT had the typical
spring weather that our little town is used to...
I am NOT saying that we don't get our fair share of precipitation...
I am just saying that we have had MORE than our fair share of precipitation this year.
However, God answered my prayers and gave me sunshine on my birthday.
I couldn't have asked for anything more than that...
and I was more than happy to share it with the
fellow residents of P-Town.FLASHBACK TO LAST WEDNESDAY...
my husband surprised me and took the day off of work.
His thought was that this would allow me to spend the day anyway that I wanted.
HOW NICE IS THAT???
So the day started off with an incredible workout with two of my favorite workout girlys...
Kim and Lacie.
On the way home,

Lacie treated me to a coffee!

(I have to say, the day was off to a great start)
Jas brought A to school...
and I caught up on a few sewing projects.
When he got home we stood looking out the window of the sewing room
and took notice of this little character.

OH how my heart needed a warm sunny day!
After watching him for a few minutes,
I headed on down to Margee's barn to get a start on setting up for the
upcoming Junk Salvation Show!!!
We are a little more behind than we have been in the past...
but we WILL pull it together and have a GREAT SHOW!!!
I was able to enjoy a pretty productive afternoon.

Cut to Wednesday evening...
I was able to enjoy something that Jas and I have been dreaming of and talking about since long before we were even pregnant with a baby...
TEE-BALL games!!!
A's first game was scheduled to be that prior Monday...
but BIG SURPRISE was rained out.
Bummer for that...
But BLESSINGS that that meant her first game would be on my birthday!

What a GREAT MULTI-TASKING DADDY!!!

Doesn't she look ready for anything?
I was loving that she was playing shortstop...
(one of Jas' most often played positions in his baseball career).

I get giddy watching her play...
I have MANY fond memories of playing tee-ball and softball from when I was younger and am loving the smiles it brings to Miss A, too.

Up to bat...

PHEW!!!
A single...
we'll take it!
We are BLESSED with an incredibly great and motivational coach and a wonderful group of parents...

Getting ready to run!!!

In the meantime on the sidelines...
Had got cozy with our friend, Greg(Kim's husband) and their daughter,
for some SmartFood.
(quick funny sidenote-when I saw Greg walking up to us
he was carrying two coffee's and the SmartFood
(two of my worst vices).
Much to my surprise...they were for he and Kim...
although, she and I had a HUGE laugh over the coincidence that he would show up with those two things on my birthday.

Later, Had got a hold of our camera and did a little capturing of photos from her point of view.
(as you can tell...we obviously purchased the warranty when we got our camera)

After some slight editing, I would say, she's not too bad considering that she is ONLY 2 (almost 3) afterall.

Here Kim is the object of Had's inspiration.

Game Over...and headed home to feed the girly's dinner.
Margee was so sweet and came down to watch the girls for us so that Jas and I could enjoy (A RARE) datenight out for a drink and dinner).
{Margee-You are THE BEST!!!}

She even took a quick picture of the hubb and I before dinner...

Good thing it was {before} dinner because I arrived back home looking about 8 months preggo!

{mushy moment}
Jas-I love you more today than ever.
I had dreamed of this life with you...
more than 10 years ago when you were in England playing baseball...
and much to my delight...life is EVEN better than I had dreamed {planned} it to be.
{"You're right Jill...he didn't stand a chance"}

Well, by the end of Wednesday, I thought that was the end of my birthday...
I had received the sincerest of birthday wishes from family and friends...
a few Starbucks giftcards and went to sleep that night feeling
'thirty-one'derful'
(that's how Oobie-my father in law- referred to me when he called)
but much to my {pleasant} surprise...
my dear neighbor, Lacie, wasn't done with me yet.

She picked me up Friday for my 'Night of Surprises.'
We started off at the
'BIGGEST HOLE IN THE WALL' BAR
that you could possible imagine.
But it's a favorite and we love it!!!

Then, it was off to a little bistro down the street to listen to some live music.
Neither of us had ever been there, so we were excited.
MUCH TO MY COMPLETE SURPRISE...
we walked in to a table full of some of my most favorite women.
I am TRULY Blessed to be in the company of such great gals.
We stayed for a drink and listened to some 'jazzy' music and then proceeded back to the
{hole in the wall}.
Did I mention what a SURPRISE it was to see all of these girls???
I am not someone who is easily surprised!!!
(to say the least)
Surprises on my behalf=no planning for me to do...
{and I'll admit...it feels a little unnatural for me.}

The night was such a great way to continue to celebrate my birthday and I felt so loved...
Thanks Lacie (and Ladies) for making me feel so special.
{there was one girl missing...
and for that I am truly sorry...
you know who you are and that I LOVE you like the sister I'd wished I had but that I am thankful for most}

One last mention....
On Friday before heading out with Lacie....
I received a most incredible email from the
'Funky Junk Sisters', Linda and Dixie!

They had emailed out the map of vendors for their
Junk Salvation Show next weekend...
and guess what...
We are spaces #101 and #108...
DO YOU SEE WHAT THAT MEANS???
It means that the 4th Ave Gals are going to be 'literally' right in front of you as you enter the show!!!I am so HUMBLED by this and so incredible grateful to be a part of this show again among such wonderfully talented women.
This will be our 3rd Funky Junk Sister's Show that we have been a part of...
and the first two have been nothing short of...
{I don't even have the words}
I am EAGER (to say the least) for this next one!!

Eggs, Candy and Jesus

So I'm a week and a half behind on our Easter Post...
...no biggies!!
I've had a few other projects pulling me from our
'Skaug-Blog.'
(remind me why I didn't make the the address for our Blog...
Skaug-Blog..DUH!!!

Anyhow, back to Easter.
We had celebrated A's birthday the night before,
so we were very fortunate to have Jas mom and dad stick around to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior the following morning.
A and Had woke up...
and were so excited that Grandma and Oobie were still here that they forgot all about Easter Baskets...
(pretty sure that won't happen again).
So after asking A to go feed our puppies,
she was delightfully surprised to see Easter baskets on the table...
as was Had as soon as she discovered there was chocolate involved.Yep!
I let my girls have Chocolate 'Peeps' for breakfast.
(a request from Oobie)
Does that knock me out of the running for
'Mother-of-the-Year?'
Oh well...

The Easter Bunny knew that A was going to need a swimsuit for this summer
(if the sun ever decides to stay for more than one day)...and although I didn't get a picture of them,
He brought Had a new pair of BRIGHT BLUE Converse.
(We do LOVE our Converse around this house)
Oh and somehow, a little stuffed lamb was found in each basket....
not by my doing...but I think Grandma said that he had left them in Moses for the girls....at least they were small.
And OK, TOTALLY appropriate...
I mean, they were lambs after all.
The girls each got brand new devotionals, too.
They were due..and they both love them.

More CHOCOLATE!!!

I {love} that Had is still in that stage where she smiles like a pirate!

Then, it was onto hunting eggs!
I love this part of the day...
and we were fortunate enough that the rain broke just long enough to get out there...
find them all and dash back inside without getting soaked!

Poor A...
The Easter Bunny didn't pick up all of the toys in the yard...
and she was deceived that this little turquoise ball was an egg.After our egg hunt,
Oobie and Jas made breakfast and our dear neighbors,
T and Z, came over and joined us for breakfast.
Then, T was gracious enough to offer to watch our girlies so that we could go to church and {actually} get to listen to the message in the sermon.
It was quite and entertaining sermon with a great video advertising their
4th of July Extravaganza (CityBlast).
Check it out...I dare you to watch it without laughing out loud!!

After church, we dashed home...
grabbed the girl-ios...
and we were off to Jas' Aunt Judy's home.
She is such an amazing and thoughtful woman...
(not to mention, one of the best cooks around)
She got the girls a few little Easter goodies...
Here's Had loving her wind-up ducky that did back-flips!

And of course, it wouldn't be Easter without the annual
"Crack-Off."
Each participant chooses a hard-boiled egg from the carton
and then the two gently (and sometimes not so gently)
tap the ends of their eggs and whoever cracks is out...
and whoever's egg remains un-cracked moves on to their next opponent.
IT'S A TOTAL RIOT!!
Here's A and 'Tate' playing!!

And here's Aunt Judy and 'Tate'
Watch out...Judy may look mild and contained
but you put an egg in her hand...
and she's an {animal}!What I didn't get a picture of is Rick's hysterical joke.
He dyed an egg that hadn't been boiled.
No big deal...until Ella grabbed it and played the game...
except the game played her...
because she obviously lost and ended up with yolk all over the place.
Rick was doubled-over laughing so hard...
and Ella just stood there trying to figure out what in the World had just happened.
She was a great sport though...and Rick got to clean up the mess.
It was the funniest part of the day!

I am so humbled by the love that Jesus has for all of us that he made the ultimate sacrifice and chose to die on the cross so that we may one day live eternally in His Kingdom.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Now {that's} love!!

Shock and Disbelief

I am in SHOCK!!!
I am in DISBELIEF!!!
I CANNOT believe that it has happened already!!!
The baby that made me a momma and Jas a daddy just turned 6!!!
I know it sounds so incredibly cliche' but time has gone by so fast!
I think back to when she was born and I remember what a perfect experience it was.
She was a planned cesarean which meant that we got to choose her birthday, the time of surgery, etc.
(This works well for the planner in me)
We were able to enjoy a last dinner out with some dear friends and Jas' brother, Uncle B, was able to join us. Then we returned home, and Jas and B and I had a quiet night; mostly talking about what we thought the baby would be (boy or girl-didn't know) and how much we were anticipating their arrival.
Well FLASH FORWARD 6 YEARS...
...and let the Birthday Festivities Begin.
(a picture that I took of her Wednesday night before bed...her last night being 5)
As soon as her little 'biscuits' were snuggled in bed and asleep,
I got my 'biscuits' in the kitchen and got to work making her cupcakes for school the following day.
We decided that we would have 'dirt' cupcakes for the boys...
...and pink lemonade cupcakes for the girls.
Funny thing was that boys were so intrigued with the straws in the cupcakes that they mostly chose the pink ones as well.

Thursday
Here A is when she woke up Thursday morning...
She climbed onto Jas' lap
(he took the morning off to hang with us)
and asked if she was 6 yet...
because she didn't feel any different
and her hands hadn't even gotten any bigger :-)

Jas took A and Had and the little boy I watch to their 'usual' weekend hangout for donuts.
Look below...can you tell why?
On your birthday, the incredibly sweet owners of the donut shop build the birthday kiddo their VERY OWN BIRTHDAY TOWER OF SUGAR...(I mean donuts).

A looking less than thrilled that they all sang Happy Birthday to her...
but it certainly didn't curb her appetite.

Later at school just prior to passing out sugar...
I mean cupcakes, to her peers, A got serenaded yet again.
We ended her actual birthday night with tee-ball practice, 2-dozen more cupcakes and her requested dinner of spaghetti and homemade meatballs.
SUPER FUN DAY!!!

FRIDAY
Since A's birthday fell on a Thursday, it made it a little difficult to do any fun with her friends because of early kindergarten bedtimes...
so we opted to extend her birthday to Friday as well.

Here A is on her playhouse porch with some of her most favorite girls from school.

Aren't they adorable?
They were so silly and goofy!
I am anticipating and hoping that they will remain friends through high school and beyond.
They are each such good girls and their parents are all wonderful...

After a little silliness in the backyard, we ventured out to
Red Robin (YUM!) for dinner.
While waiting for our table for 7,
we spent a little time in the arcade.
You know what I learned,
these girls had just as much fun pretending to drive without the quarters
(I'd forgotten them).Here are the girlies eagerly and patiently waiting to order.
(and in case you're wondering what that stuff is filtering through the blinds...
it's this thing called sunshine..which we haven't had much of since...
Gosh, I can't remember when)

Here's Had...perusing her menu and trying to narrow down her options.
She finally settled on chicken strips and cantaloupe.Jas was such a trooper...he was the only boy amidst 6 girls.
He wins "Dad-Of-The-Year" cause he just sat there smiling, thrilled to see his A having such a great time.

Here A is talking to Uncle B who was calling to wish her a
Happy Birthday.
She looks so mature!

This picture was taken approximately 4.8 seconds after the girls had received their balloons.

The car ride home...

Once we arrived back home, the girls stayed in the house,
while I hid Easter eggs for them full of fun birthday goodies.

Here's 'M&M' spotting one near the playhouse.

Miss R found the one I hid near the roses.

A making a mad dash towards the hydrangeas.
(Lord, I hope that we get some sunshine soon so that our
'Wall-O-Hydrangeas' bloom)

And Miss Abbra-Cadabbra tucking one into her bag ever so gently.

And Sister Had doing her best to blow up her balloon.
(It kept her entertained for a good portion of the night)

Miss R and A with her newest toy...
ZOOBLES!!!
I had never heard of them before...
but they are kind-of cute and A loves them because they are small and animals.
She got quite a few of them and also some TeaCup Piglets...
which are so stinkin' cute.

Anticipating and preparing for their Senior Year Book and Slideshow...
I had to get a few shots of the four of them as kindergartners.
(I know...I'm taking my planning to an extreme here, huh?)

These girls are such crack ups.

Now the original plan had been dinner and an egg hunt...
but A took it upon herself to tell everyone it was a slumber party.
So after receiving an email from another parent trying to get clarification...
we added 'slumbering' to our agenda.
(I honestly didn't think that kindergartners' were ready for slumber parties...
but they proved me wrong...because after watching
Despicable Me and having popcorn, then brushing teeth,
they all crashed on the floor.Saturday

After breakfast, we all headed back to our Donut Shop for a
little sweet treat before returning the ladies home.
"Amy, Jonelle and Janelle...You can thank me later."

Miss Abbra-Cadabbra wins the award for best hair.
Isn't she adorable?

Had eating her favorite part of the donut...
THE TOP!!!

Oh! Such nice friends...sharing their water.

Then the girls returned to their families and Jas and his two girls headed to the river.
I had 2 more dozen cupcakes to prepare for for our family party Saturday afternoon.
That's right...a third party...
this girl sure is spoiled.

Here was my favorite of all of the 6 dozen cupcakes that I baked over the course of
A's Birthday Extravaganza.
They are 'Cherry Cola' and they are as DELICIOUS as they look.
I'll admit, it is a little odd to bite into a cupcake and taste soda...
but OH MY STARS!!!
They were a hit!

A has really taken a liking to tee-ball
and loves to play catch with anyone with a mitt...
or not, she'll lend you her dad's.

She and dad got to spend a lot of time playing
because God decided to gift A with the most gorgeous day of the year.
I'm not sure there is anything that makes Jas more proud than playing catch with his girl...
(this may change once she's killed her first deer...but for now, this is it!)

She and I got in some 'catch' as well.
The girl's got a great arm for 6 (and her aim is improving).

We're gonna have to remodel our home to make room for all of her
birthday goods.
Z and Had were more than willing to help A with her gifts.
Thanks to all of our friends and family for their generosity.

By the time the party was over, we were all winding down from the birthday festivities.
Had and Oobie took a stroll around the yard...smelling the different tree blossoms in bloom.

Had sure loves her Oobie Doob...she kept saying out of the blue,
I 'yub' you

A getting in some quality Grandma-Time reading books;
something they are both very passionate about...
I hope that we can nurture A to continue to be a reader.

And of course, one last round of catch with Oobie
(Jas and I were cleaning up the party mess).
I can't tell for sure...
but doesn't it look like Had is tying his laces together...
I wouldn't put it past her.

Again a GIGANTIC thank you to those who helped up celebrate our girl!
She is a wonderful 6 year old (with a few feisty moments) and we are eager to see what this year of being 6 holds in store for her.

Alright, just enough time to relax, recoup and get ready for Had's birthday in just a few weeks.
HAPPY SPRING!!!