We splurged and went out to dinner after our closing...it was nice, although kind of rushed. It's really hard to go out to eat and really savor the experience when there's a toddler involved. We went to the Vierling in Marquette, which has amazing beer and whitefish pulled out of Superior (just across the road). It was so yummy. It's been so long since I've had alcohol that I think I was tipsy from one pint of beer!
It started snowing Friday evening, and when we woke up there were about 4 inches on the roof and the cars. Whoa! I was not expecting that. Thankfully, it was just in Negaunee, and didn't interfere with our rummage sale plans in Marquette. We totally scored on some furniture for our new place: an armchair for the living room, big enough to read with a kiddo in: $5. It needs a cleaning, but is a beautiful robin's egg blue tweed. A smaller armchair for our bedroom in a silky goldy/green 1960's fabric in almost perfect condition: $10. We also found a pair of simple 1960's wood lamps, a rickety cabinet (that needs paint) for cat food to sit on in the kitchen with storage below, some new rag rugs, a couple of plants and a coat tree, as well as some kitchen crap (bench scraper, shot glasses and tiny wooden bowls for measured herbs, etc). Yay! I didn't take photos of stuff, but I'll try. My mother in law found us a beautiful cedar chest downstate, and they'll be bringing it up on their next visit. I plan to put it at the foot of our bed and use it for our linens and treasures. My aunt and uncle are giving us a twin bed that their daughter has used for some years. So, we don't have to find one of those for the kiddo room.
All this thrift/rummage/yard sale stuff provokes much excitement for us. We want a comfortable, clean and welcoming home, not a showplace. I fantasize about how it will look all together, funky and warm. Some folks might be weird about buying used furniture...I enjoy the thrill of finding something cool that is still useful, and rescuing it from a landfill (or, up here, just getting dumped out in an old caving ground or something). Plus, some of the old stuff is just better-made and more interesting to look at than new, mass-produced furniture. Don't misunderstand me; I do like Ikea, and if I had unlimited money, I'd probably just go out and get what we want/need all at once. But, because our budget is small, and because we care, we're taking our time to find what's right, or what will work.
I also had a lovely Mother's Day.
Last year, Paul didn't even make me a card. He joked on that day that my Mother's Day gift was the blowout diaper I woke up to (literally, blown out on me and the sheets). While I don't buy into the "get something flashy for your mom at the last minute" Hallmark holiday aspect of Mother's Day, it would have been nice to have a special family day, and be celebrated for the hard work of mama-hood. I was sad!
This year was a total 180. Paul took Henry out when he woke, allowing me to sleep until after 9 (unheard of!). We had brunch together, then took a ride for my surprise that Paul had been hinting that they'd been working on...now, I don't know if this is legal, and I feel maybe a little weird about this: he chose a birch sapling on some public land, tied a ribbon on it, and drove me to it (over some rocky, crazy two-track). He presented it as my gift, and plans to dig up and wrap the root ball when we're moved in and ready to plant it at our new house, along with Henry's placenta. I absolutely adore paper birch trees...they're so beautiful in a grove, and tall, goldy and slender. My grandma's house has two old birches in the front that Holly and I played with a lot a kids. I feel connected to birch, and missed them a lot living in the lower peninsula. But, it does seem weird to take one from the woods to put at our house. I actually had a thought that maybe it would be sad if we moved it. But, I'd love to have a special tree at our new house, too. Maybe I'll do some research on buying a sapling if they're not too expensive. Paul knows I'm a sensitive weirdo, and I don't want to hurt his feelings. His intention was nothing but good, and very sweet. I really love my husband.
We went to the beach, too. We drove up 550 near Little Presque Isle, and hiked on the Songbird Trail to the beach. It was absolutely, eye-poppingly, clean-smelling, heart-poundingly gorgeous Lake Superior beach, with a little river feeding into the lake through white sand with driftwood here and there. It was windy and wavy yesterday, so we couldn't stay long (especially once Henry decided to take a swim), but it was perfect and really fed my soul.
Here are some photos:
We went to dinner at Red Lobster with Grandma, Aunt Cindy and Uncle John, and Aunt Mary and her mom, Marilyn. It was packed, we had to wait forever, and this was disappointing, because we really don't like chain restaurants, and Red Lobster in particular. It's Grandma's favorite, so she usually chooses to go there above anything else. Oh well, we won't have to do it again anytime soon, but it was a bite to spend money on a restaurant meal again, especially one we didn't like much. Ah well!
My kid is waking, so this is it for now. Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day!
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