4th OF JULY WEEKEND: PART 1

Our 4th of July weekend was a tad bit crazy, but completely wonderful at the same time. We were outside for about 99.9% of it, so that made me a happy camper - literally.  The weekend started off with the long standing tradition of the Witwen Parade, then the lake house for a few days and ended with a 23 mile canoe trip down the Wisconsin River and camping on a sandbar. All I have to say is thank god for coffee, b/c this girl is going to need it to get through work today! Happy Monday!

Here are a few pics from the parade. Logan's Grandma lives right on the parade route, so we always have the whole yard for the kids to play in!

 

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

In this family, the 4th means pink, ruffled swim suits, fresh fruit salads and sunny days at the lake.

That sounds really nice, doesn't it?  The 4th actually means, waking up at the crack of dawn to sweat our buns off at the a parade, monitoring Ellis at all times to make sure she isn't eating sand on the beach, and shoving 15 Buells in a three bedroom lake house.

Happy 4th y'all!

We had an impromptu dinner at Jodie and Luis' last Sunday after our flea market extravaganza and I whipped up this super yummy salad.  J and I were at Target the other day (I know...weird) and the peaches were perfectly ripe (yes, I am that person who touches all of the fruit before I buy it to make sure it is ripe). There was a sign next to the peaches that said "pair with feta," so I did. It was amazing AND so simple. I am making it again this 4th of July weekend!

  

FLEA MARKET LOVE - PART 2

play kitchen - priced at $50 - got it for $40

It needs A LOT of TLC, but it will be a fun little project for me. Some teal paint and some fun vintage print curtains for the shelves and Ellis will be cooking in no time! I will make sure to post the "after" pic.

big wooden letter "B" (I think it might have be to an old circus sign) - priced at $25 - got it for $20

As you can see, we hung it in the guest bathroom. "B" for Buell or "B" for bathroom. Whatever works, right?!

wooden mint shelf - priced at $15 - got it for $12

Necklace (the longer one)

milk bubble glass planter

vintage neon rulers - I love that the one is form Appleton, WI. 

I plan on using them in Ellis' room on the wall to measure her height as she grows.

J's blue side table - priced at $30 - got it for $25

I am in love with this one. SO CUTE!

J's yellow cedar chest - priced at $185 - got is for $130

WHAT TO BRING:

It will all depend on what you are in the market for.

- Just trinkets?

Bring a large tote of some sort. Reusable grocery totes work well b/c they are light.

- Larger items or maybe just a lot of items?

Bring a foldable rolling grocery cart. Trust me, you will not look silly. EVERYONE is wheeling these babies around.

- Furniture?

A truck or Uhaul and some bungee cords just in case you have to bungee your trunk shut or something to the top of your car. If you are questioning if you can fit it in your vehicle, DO. NOT. BUY. IT.

- Cash – Always bring cash. Vendors typically do not accept credit cards or checks.

- A picnic or a bag lunch – There is food available at most flea markets, but it is typically “fair” food and of the greasy variety. Because I am a bit of a freak about eating healthy, I love to bring my lunch.

WHAT TO WEAR:

- Nothing nice - You will get dusty, dirty and sweaty hauling your treasures back to you car. (note: Vendors are usually really good about helping you bring your items back to your car. They usually have some sort of moving dolly to make the job much easier. At the Elkhorn Flea Market they have equipment at the gates to help you move you items as well. All you have to do is give them your drivers license for collateral. When you give them the dolly back, you get your id back.)

- Sunscreen and/or a hat - most flea markets are outdoors

HOW TO BARTER (in my opinion):

Usually the price of an item will be marked. You can then either suggest a lower price or, if you are uncomfortable doing so, simply ask the vendor “is this your best price?” and they will tell you if they are willing to go lower. They are almost always willing to negotiate. If the price is not marked, they might ask you to name a price. I hate this! I am always afraid I will offend them by asking too little. I usually explain that I do not know a lot about the item and would appreciate if they could give me a price. I will then try and haggle from that point if it is in my price range.  Also, you will have much better luck negotiating prices later in the day. The vendors do not want to pack up their items to bring home, they want to sell them. If you try and negotiate early in the day, they know there is a good chance someone will come after you and pay a higher price.

FLEA MARKET LOVE - PART 1

For me, there is nothing better than a good flea market.  Is is "junk" picking, deal finding, bartering back 'n forth, treasure spotting BLISS. I love it! Sunday morning consisted of a 5am wake up call (from me to Jodie and like I suspected, she hadn't set her alarm clock), COFFEE (always coffee) and a road trip to the Elkhorn Flea Market.  We shopped til we dropped (aka: until we knew we could't fit anything else in the back of J's SUV and ran out of money), met our friends for a back-of-a-pick-up-truck picnic (those are the best kinds) and finally headed home full of dust and just a little sunburnt.  

When it comes to decorating spaces, I would much rather buy a one of a kind, vintage piece with great character than go to Steinhafels and buy some particle board piece that every other American family probably has sitting in their living room. I think it is fun to mix the vintage finds with more modern pieces, so maybe I would go to Steinhafles for those. No, probably not. I would go to Ikea. I know ikea is particle board cr*p as well, but at least it is super cute, right? :) Ok, enough of that and on to the important stuff.

PEANUT BUTTER & BERRY SMOOTHIE

I am obsessed with smoothies! Obsessed I tell you! Smoothies, muffins, and biggest loser pancakes are my breakfast staples.  This is one of my favorite smoothies that is packed with healthy ingredients!

Two ripe bananas
Organic PLAIN yogurt (about 1/2 cup)
Frozen strawberries (about 2 large handfulls)
Frozen Blueberries (about 2 large handfulls)
Organic NATURAL peanut butter (about 1 heaping table spoon)
Blueberry pomegranate juice - POM brand (about about 1/4 cup)

Put it all in a blender, blend and enjoy!
Makes two 16oz smoothies.

Note: I never measure ingredients. The above measurements are guidelines. You may have to stir ingredients in the blender a few times between blends to get it to all blend together. If it is too think, just add a little POM juice until it reaches the desired consistency.

I have many more smoothies coming up. This is just one of many!

HAPPY SATURDAY

In this house we wear dishcloths for capes and love our pups! Happy Saturday!

TARGET BUYS - THREE OUTFITS UNDER $80

Fashion.... HA! The last thing I claim to be is fashion forward, so this isn't exactly something I typically hit on. What has inspired me to make this unusual post?  My Saturday morning routine, of course!

SATURDAY MORNING ROUTINE:

6AM - wake up, make coffee, read my blogs, and pin (this is what I consider 'ME" time)

8-9AM - Body Combat with Jodie (aka: my beautiful, blonde, Kirsten Dunst look-alike bestie) 

9-10AM - Starbucks and bumming around Target!!!

Jodie and I figure we always need something at Target. Whether it's mascara, toilet paper, or a greeting card, there is always something. It just so happens we also need things like giant bags of frosted animal crackers (my weakness), another pair of flip flops, nail polish and, of course, some trinket in the $1 bin at the front of the store. :) I mean who doesn't need coasters that look like burger condiments?!  

Below are a few of my recent Target clothing purchases. I am not the girl who can fill her closet with Anthropolie and J.Crew. I am the girl who shops the clearance section at Target and loves to dig through the racks at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I know everyone is different, but why spend money on expensive clothes when that money can buy you things like plane tickets?

- 3 outfits all under $80 - 

 TOP | SKIRT | SANDALES | NECKLACE

TOP | JEANS | EARRINGS | SHOES (no longer for sale)

TANK | SCARF | PANTS | SANDALS | BRACELET

Side Note: American Eagle Jeggings are my favorite!
They are stretchy, flattering, fair priced AND they come in short.