The sun was shining against a blue sky and it was 75 degrees. Every flowering tree was in blossom and so beautiful after a week of rain. And I spent the day with three of my favorite people, showing off my soon-to-be new hometown.
My mom, aunt Sherie and niece Theron joined me for a fun-filled shopping day that took us to Valley Junction in West Des Moines, the East Village in downtown Des Moines, downtown Ames and then to Nevada to show them our new house and to go shopping in downtown Nevada.
It was so much fun! We ate sushi and got coffee in the East Village, had Stam's Chocolates in Ames and ended the day with iced tea and ice cream cones at Starbucks in Nevada. (FYI, Starbucks in Nevada is NOT the mega coffee shop chain; it's a local ice cream/burger joint.)
Everyone was so excited to see our new house and drive-by it and talk about all the things we're going to do to it. I can't wait for them all to help me decorate it and get moved in! I have been buying things for the kids rooms for the past year and storing it until we moved. They all have a new bed coming -- Violet's is a castle.... And then, I have basically spent the last three years designing their future bedrooms and dreaming about the day they would each get their own room.
The Travel/Collector Room -- Mazy's room is going to show off his love of maps, globes, travel and collecting information. He's getting a new dresser, a new desk and chair, new navy blue striped bedspread, new galvanized tin hanging cubby shelf, a light-up Star Wars light saber, two globes, and several new maps.
The Archaeologist/Artist Room -- Bo is my dinosaur hunter who loves doing origami and drawing and organizing his stuff. Besides the new bed, he'll get a new bookshelf, really cool orange shelves that hang on the wall, a light-up Star Wars light saber, a striped bedspread, new art supplies, and this amazing collection of dinosaurs both old and new. Bo and I also are going to do some dino-themed artwork for his walls.
The Princess/Fancy Pants Room -- Violet, well, Violet is getting every little girl's dream bedroom -- a castle bed, a 6-foot cloth teepee we'll turn into a reading area, a Frozen table and two chairs, a tiara mirror, and a five-foot dollhouse.
And the most exciting thing about all of this is the kids have never seen any of this stuff! I ordered it and put it into storage so we could surprise them with brand-new rooms! I want it to be like Extreme Home Makeover -- they walk in to these amazing rooms that have been decorated for them while they are away at school. I can't wait!!!
Back to Nevada
I have never been shopping in downtown Nevada before, just to the Ben Franklin. It has one of those classic small town main streets. Here are some pictures I found online:
Well, today happened to be Shoppe Nevada day, which was so cool!! I had no idea there were so many awesome little vintage and junk shops and local stores in town. Today they were showcasing all the stores with this neat event where you bought a ticket, received a goodie bag with coupons and discounts, had a bus to take you around to different stores and each store had a craft or demonstration, and free treats! It was the perfect day to show of my new hometown! As we drove back to Des Moines, I was just so excited about what's ahead for me, Shawn and the kids. Nevada is a community where we could start a business some day. I found a store where I could start selling some craft items I might make! How fun is that!!
This is the bed and breakfast that is right across the street from us! See the little porch on the right side? If you kept walking right, you'd cross the street and run into my front porch! What a great view for us.
I also found this photo online tonight and it made me happy.
Oh, I also bought a few new things for the kids rooms. There is this AWESOME store in Nevada that sells plants and things for fairy gardens! The owner seemed so nice and has such a great eye for home decor. He also has a landscaping business so I can't wait to get moved and maybe use him to help get the new yard in shape! At this shop, I bought Violet three cute little wooden signs for her future room. At the store that features all Iowa-made products I bought a beautiful green vase for me and Violet's future flower gardens. And at The Pumpkin Patch toy store in Ames, I bought some great art supplies for Bo's future room. I didn't buy anything for Mazy, but I did talk to my aunt about getting some of my uncle's photos from the Southwest for Mazy's room. Mazy is studying the Southwest at school and is very interested in it, so I want to surprise him with some framed photos. I think he'll love it. And it goes very well with my theme. :)
All right, bath time for the kids. Tomorrow is the start of soccer for Violet and flag football for Mazy and Bo. All three take place at the same place, fortunately, but it's still going to be crazy on Sunday afternoons for the next 10 weeks!
No comments:
Post a Comment