Treasure Trading

Last week, my husband and I had the privilege to go visit our parents. Our families only live about two hours apart. Therefore, when we go to visit one set of parents, we are easily able to see the other set. I see it as a blessing -- nothing makes me as happy as seeing my family. And, we arrived on Sunday night. So, I was able to spend my favorite night of the week in one of my favorite places. (Read about that here.) My husband knows how special that time is to me and usually tries to manipulate our trips so that I can be at home on Sunday evenings.

Some leaves were starting to change colors. It was a beautiful drive. But it seemed every time I tried to get a picture of the colorful mountainsides, a huge truck would blog my view.

As I had mentioned on facebook a few Saturdays ago, I had found a black metal fireplace screen in someone's trash. My mom had told me to be on the lookout for one at a thrift store or yard sale. It was so fun to be able to give her my treasure...and I love the fact that it was absolutely free. It was in great shape. My dad had to pop a screw back into one of the hinges, but other than that, it needed no work.  So, I left my treasure in Virginia.

I hadn't actually seen my parents since June, when we told them we were expecting. Even though my sweatshirt hides it a bit, there is definitely a baby bump! And mom got to feel our little guy moving about. 

We then went to visit Jeremiah's family at the farm.  I think it is so beautiful there.

Knowing that I was going to decorate the nursery with rustic items, (see the plan here) I was excited to look through the barns and buildings for some treasures. And since they have a very large farm, there were lots of places to look.

Jeremiah is so great to dig through piles and straw to see what might be buried beneath. Armed with wasp spray, he bravely searched for me. I would say, "What is that?" and he would dig until he could show it to me.

And it was a good thing he was there for interpretation. At one point, I thought I had spotted this awesome wire basket. Jeremiah just rolled his eyes at me and said, "That's a trap!"  So, I decided it wasn't really nursery decor.

The big barn had lots of stalls full of items. It was so fun to explore the space, hearing Jeremiah's childhood adventures.

If only we had  traveled with a truck, I would have begged to bring home TONS more items. Instead, I settled for a favorite few finds that I knew I could immediately put to use.

I did, however, lay claim to this perfectly preserved metal glider. It was in one of the stalls cushioned in the straw - just begging to be painted a fun bright color.  I have been wanting one of these FOREVER. Jeremiah's mom told me that it was sitting on their front porch when they bought the farm.

It does not take much to make me giddy...just some junk from the barn and a metal glider!

I narrowed down my treasures to some huge nails/spikes, an old tea kettle, a wooden crate...

--- a window frame, some odd farm tool (If anyone knows what the second item from the left is, we would love to know), some glass jars, and a handle from a planter.

I plan to make the handle into some type of coat rack for the nursery.  I just love the metal tag that is still attached.

A few of the items have already found a home in my living room.

The random wood thing (that we don't know what it is) looked harvest-y to me, leaned up against the wall and card-catalog.

I also love the blueish tint that the kettle seems to have.

I can already envision greenery and pinecones coming out of the top for Christmas - and maybe some budding branches in the spring.

And I have to brag on Aldi for the huge pumpkin. They were only $2.49 last week!

So despite the fact that I gave my mom the fireplace screen I had found, I felt that I came home with some equally awesome treasures. And Jeremiah's dad seemed to be excited that I could find other uses for items laying around the farm. I can't wait to dig some more!