A Girl Named Timi

Eugene Oregon
Not Just Covered Wagons and Beavers

The Hubs and I went on a trip this last weekend to the Eugene Oregon area. It's been a long time since either of us have been there, let alone spent some time. Usually it's a rushed trip and we just stop in to visit family for a minute. This time it was 4 days of visiting The Hubs family and sight seeing. We also had another motive for the long weekend trip. This will be the first posting on our new blog Camping Diva which is devoted to RVing, RV can't live without items, sight seeing and fun road trip tips, recipes, and whatever else comes up that seems blog worthy. It will be fun.

The new blog will have most of our Eugene trip in full detail with pictures but I made a little side trip that was not in the Eugene area and it was defiantly blog worthy so I have to yap about.

So check out Camping Diva for the details of the trip and read on for the "behind the scenes" of the trip. Some of it's duplicated on both blog posts because I'm just not that creative and The Hubs gets tired of no dinner or clean underwear when all I do is blog.

With the Mobile Estate loaded and ready, we left on Wednesday night after The Hubs got off work. He drove as long as he could and then we just pulled over at a rest stop to sleep a little and get up early the next morning, then back on the road. We have found this works out well for us on long trips. It cuts down on the sitting in traffic time through the big cities (Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Olympia. We have to go through 3 of the 4 to go anywhere south) and breaks up the long road trip. Especially if there IS NOTHING between here and there.

When we woke up the next morning we were surrounded by semi trucks hauling a carnival. How ironic since we are usually a traveling freak (The Nuckinfuts) show ourselves. The Hubs and I decided it was a good chuckle and was defiantly blog worthy.

That's us on the left, carnival truck on the right. In case you were confused.

This just cracked The Hubs and I up. We were still laughing about it on the way down the road.

When we got to our destination in Coburg this is what was parked a couple spots over from our RV site. It was homecoming weekend at The University of Oregon and it was Ducks everywhere! This was so fun, every day when we drove by, it just made us laugh. The Hubs went up to the motor home that was parked by this bus and trailer a couple times to make sure it was OK that we photographed and posted the pictures. Both times there were people in the motor home but they never came to the door. Guess they are sick of people wanting to talk to them about all this fabulousness they have created. Part of me understood, but the other part of me thought "isn't that why someone would do something like that?" "to talk to and get reactions out of people?" It was just odd, the not answering the door business. So here it is...................the unauthorized picture posting.
My picture of the front sucks! Sorry about that. It was very cool with the GO DUCK on the lights up across the top and the old horns. The old Airstream trailer was a hoot also. This just put The Hubs in to a tail spin of wanting to BUY DUCK STUFF! Every time we saw this bus and trailer he was like a drug addict needing a fix. Except he was looking for Duck stuff. He's hell bent on trying to keep up with WSU Laura and Company!
So of course we had to go to the Duck Store at Autzen Stadium. I talked The Hubs out of the huge foam finger, rubber Duck head hat, and huge foam Duck Cowboy hat he had in his arms while standing waiting to check out. I convinced him that the t-shirt, dog sweatshirt, and stickers would be a "more better" purchase.

The fancy duck store with a homeless guy camped out front on the bench. This just struck me odd for some reason. A beautiful stadium, grounds, building to house trophies of accomplishment, indoor practice facility, big store and.......homeless out front. Just goes to show that homeless is a problem everywhere. Money and accomplishment doesn't help people who are homeless. It could but it hasn't. Yes, that was a political jab in case any Presidential Candidates happen to be reading my blog today. Because I'm sure they are everyday. More beautiful buildings at Autzen Stadium. It doesn't show up on my picture very well but the entrance to this building has a yellow rose garden in the shape of an O. It was really pretty.
Look at my cute little dog. He was so damn cute in his new U of O sweatshirt. this. He looked like a little jock in his sweatshirt, collar and leash.
I never thought I would be in love with a dog but I am!
Here are my two favorite boys. They kicked me out of bed early in the morning so they could hog the entire bed. Fine by me! I got up, got ready and made them drive my high maintenance ass all over town to antique stores, junk stores, and a flea market. That will teach them!So here is my little side trip that I took on Friday. About 60 miles north of Coburg Oregon is Silverton Oregon. The home of Joy also known as Auntie Joy. Joy was having an open house this last weekend and I was lucky enough to get to sneak away and go check it out. It was all so exciting! I have read so much about her, seen her name on numerous blogs, and then she e-mailed me with a list of places to check out while I was in the Eugene area. I felt like I was about to meet a celebrity.
Joy's cute farmhouse and entry all decorated with fall stuff. It was a cold crisp fall morning and everything was lovely. Joy and Company did a great job.

Joys cute little shop next to her home. I found some great treasures.
Joy herself gave me a little crafty lesson on mini lamp shades and vintage pant hangers and their many uses. It was like Paula Deen (one of my idols) giving me a cooking tip while I was standing in her very own kitchen! It was so exciting
This was the cute little hired help. Emily, the niece of Auntie Joy also known as Molly Mo. She was super cute and just as full of spunk as her Auntie. I also got to meet the darling Isabel from Maison Douce who also has some great photos of Auntie Joys lovely home. One of Joy's sisters (with a fabulous new hair cut)was there that I also got to meet. I was told that there is another sister that lives near me in Arlington. I'm excited to meet her one day. Apparently she too is a Snohomish County Junk Queen.
Next I wondered in to the house that Joy had all spiffed up for her open house. I thought "what a cute farm house". Then I walked through the door and stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open drooling. What a beautiful home! It was like I had stepped in to the pages of Romantic Country Home.

AWESOME!

The Kitchen.

Joy has some of the most fabulous treats laid out for her guests. Isabel had made some pineapple cake something or other that was wonderful. I'm hoping if I mention it here in my blog she will post the recipe. There were some fantastic breads (To the creators of those breads....recipes posted would be great!) also. I could have stood and ate all of it if I thought it wouldn't have been rude. Then Isabel said "did you try the pumpkin fudge?" Oh, no I missed that. I'm not a fudge eater so it wasn't my first choice. I'll have a piece to be nice.

HOLLY SMOKES! That was some freakin fabulous fudge. It was like eating candy corn. Joy has the recipe posted on her blog. It's from her friend Pam at My Grand Kids Rock. I suggest you print that baby off, make some up and call it your own! Not only does Pam's grand kids rock but so does her pumpkin fudge.

My very first stop in seeing Joy's beautiful home was the bathroom. It's very vintage and cute. It was a long ride with a huge Sonic Burger Soda . Now why did she have to mention Sonic Burgers in her blog right in the middle of her story you ask? Why is that so damn important? Because I don't have a Sonic Burger near my home. When I can have a Sonic Burger Diet Coke with that little rabbit poop looking ice I'm as happy as a ....(insert your own here, mine were all too offensive)..... It's a huge treat worth mentioning!

Story that has nothing to do with this it was just cute....As we were standing in the kitchen introducing each other and Joys husband (a very nice man) was standing there the whole time like he wanted to say something. When I finally said I need to see your bathroom Joy turned to her husband and said "is there toilet paper in the bathroom?" His reply.......classic man.........."well if I could get a word in edge wise, I was going to tell you we needed some" it just made me chuckle. Poor guy was being over run with women that day.
The Living Room
Her cute little office. Where all the blogging magic happens.

Joys bedroom was beautiful
Pink and girly and I love it.

***Note to ladies who love this but don't have it because "The Hubs won't stand for it"..........It's BS! In my being nosey at peoples homes, I have found that some husbands (most) don't care how you decorate the house. They don't care if it's all flowered up. In my almost 3 years of marriage I have learned............Don't ask or discuss it with them, just do it! Most of time they never notice anyway. JUST DO IT LADIES! Life is too short!Joy had all kinds of cute little displays set up through out her house. Made me want to go home and start redecorating.
This is her lovely dinning room. Makes you want to invite yourself over for Thanksgiving dinner dosen't it?

I keep noticing new things I missed every time I look at the pictures.
Entry way

Meeting Joy and Isabel and the gang was so much fun. I have had e-mail exchanges with them, commented on their blogs and admired their posting. Meeting them was just a plus. When driving away and making my way to Baumn Farm (one of my most favorite spots to stop at when in the Salem area) I was thinking about my visit to Joy's. How meeting everyone was like reconnecting with old friends even though I had never met them. Joy was so gracious and welcoming. She gave me a tour, introduced me to everyone who walked through the door, gave me crafty demonstrations and showed me one of her new projects Dumbo the RV.

As I said before Joy's home was like stepping in the pages of Romantic Country Home Magazine. It was lovely and made me want to go home and start tearing stuff apart and redecorating. However there was one thing that really stood out to me and made me see what all this is about. When I was using the bathroom I noticed Joy had her bathrobe hanging on the back of the door in the bathroom. This was so symbolic to me. No matter how lovely the home is, magazine ready or not, it's still someone's home. It's a place were friends and family gather, laughing around the kitchen table happens, baking bread happens, disagreements happen, and people run out of toliet paper. A true country home wether it's in the country or the burbs is about welcoming friends and family and making them comfortable. The home should scream "stop by anytime without an invitation" Thank you Joy and company you were great examples of all these things.

This whole blogging thing that WSU Laura turned me on to months ago has changed my life. I think about how it's introducded me to people and places I probably would have never discovered. While doing all this reflecting I missed my turn to Bauman Farms so I didn't get to go there this trip. That's also why there are no pictures of Bauman Farms. Sorry about that.

So some changes around here at the House of B's...........spend more time with family and friends, do something I have always wanted to do, no matter how scarey it is, and be gracious and kind to everyone you meet. You never know who's reading your blog! :-)

So now I sit here with a horrible sinus cold, amongst my piles of dirty laundry, writing when I should be cleaning .Franklin The Wonder Cat made some huge messes while we were gone. It appears he had a party while we were away with his thug friend Orange Tom Cat. I told him I didn't want him hangin with him anymore. He's trouble!This is what Franklin does to start trouble. He hides in the bed and waits for some poor unsuspecting soul to walk by and he attacks!

Things were knocked over, broken, puked on, and rugs moved to other rooms when we got home. Every piece of furniture we own is covered in cat hair.

The Mobile Estate needs to be cleaned out and ready for The Hubs to take back to storage. I think I'll have a Diet Coke, some cold meds, and a nap first!

Have a great day!

Have a wonderful day!