Cute Shops I Enjoy Sharing

So some of you know about my passion for Shanty, in Newport, Wa.  Best coffee/clothing boutique/household cuties in the eastern part of the state in my opinion. I pretty much always buy something there. Well, it's time to introduce you to another great find! Chaps, in Spokane, Wa. It's an old house that was lovingly restored and added onto into an amazing bakery/coffee shop. It makes sense to me that at some point she will sell more than just the adorable t-shirts advertising the bakery but time will tell. When she is in the store she is very personable, apparently my mother noticed she "looked tired" once so she sat down and chatted about the six year journey it had been to reach the level of success they are at now and she was soooo thankful to my mom for noticing. Warm and friendly, these are the "real people" small business owners I love to support. So now I share pictures of the amazing work the owner and her husband have done. Great coffee too!

 the front

 the bakery area

 ceramic "basket" light fixtures, wish you could see the details, super adorbs

 trinity with her goody

 lovely ladies

 cool hodgepodge decor, the stairs on the right lead up to an awesome second level seating area

 who doesn't love oodles of mugs?

 blake and the clock

 pretty colored crystals on this one

 loved the eclectic mix of furnishings

 even isaac was enjoying himself

 more bye-gone delights in every corner

 our centerpiece

 you better believe I take pics of bathrooms.

 edison bulb bird-cage lighting fixture. yes please!

 more oodles of mugs in an adorable color this time!

 menus tucked in pots around the store. well of course!

What an amazing place for a bridal/baby shower or birthday party!

oh. . . .and just in case you think I neglect my darling Shanty? a pic of Isaac relaxing in the most AMAZING retro swivel children's recliner ever! Thanks Shanty!

A catch up on little man. . .

Isaac has hit 8 mo. He is getting close to my favorite age, the toddling beginnings of the 1 year old. He has suprised us twice by making it all the way up the stairs on his without us knowing. yikes! He is into high fives, waving, and being held in superman position high and flying while we chase big brother around the house yelling "super baby"! He loves the attention of his brother and sister but does get exasperated when they manhandle him too much. His hair 3/4 blonde now but still has more brown in the front. Another few months and he will be all blonde, won't that look different! He is still pretty demanding about being fed as soon as he is up, he still gets up twice a night, and he is starting to eat 2 stage 2 jars of food at a time. I guesstimate he is about 19 lbs. Poor guy has had a rough cold/flu season and has basically been sick off and on since halloween. Still he has a very happy personality and is obviously quite the charmer. Here is a quick review in pictures that I am sure I will repeat when he is one but couldn't resist doing now.

and yes sadly we end with the big sister taking advantage of reminding me she might not get a little sister in order to get to put things like this on poor little brother. but come on he IS adorable in it.

a change is gonna come

I am getting to know a new bible. English Standard Version. It is smaller print than I am used to so the books take less pages and I find myself skipping past things. It reads easy though and I am enjoying reading verses in a new way. I have been especially convicted lately in how I spend my time (okay this is about a once a week thing). I found myself pining over some tv shows the other day when I couldn't record more than two things at once on my DVR. Silly right? I know lots of people who are catching up on series' on Netflix so I was even considering how much I needed to "catch up" on past shows that aren't even on anymore! I felt overwhelmed and actually laughed out loud when I realized I was feeling more stressed about the fact that I didn't have enough time to fit the tv in than I was glad to be spending that time with my family! I am not embarrassed by my love of tv but I do have to keep my priorities straight. I record my shows so that I don't have to watch commercials and am getting good at skipping parts that are not interesting to me so it has really cut down my actual watching time. I am EAGER to pick up the Word but there are still times in the day when I am chasing a baby around the house or just letting him play but not able to focus %100 on something that is basically studying. That's when I pop on a show and "catch up". I have been deep into a study of James the past three weeks, and with that and reading my daily bible and "God without Religion" by Andrew Farley, I am devoting most of my spare time to those things.  As we were studying the end of James chapter 1 this week (be a doer of the Word not a hearer only. . .) Beth Moore made some points that hit home to my heart. "The doing causes the changing" - in other words we need to be careful because the tricky part is that the hearing only can be satisfying. That is VERY me. I love to attend studies and join in words of wisdom and encouragement all the while my "tomb is grubby" to paraphrase from the NT. "God's word is meant to do more than penetrate, it's meant to ACTIVATE." Thanks Beth, no kidding but how do I do that? I have been actively trying to "set my mind on things above". It's sort of  a secret how but I will let you know when my goal is accomplished. A renewed vision of my position in Christ from the book mentioned above is also helping me be more cognizant of my "attitude" and where my mind is at/what I'm focusing on. All this circles back around to the brief but comforting realization the day after my "tv freak out" that I was able to CHOOSE to let go of the desire to "keep up with the Jones' " of tv land. I just let it go. I realized that if I never saw (enter show name) it really wouldn't matter in the big picture. If we are being honest there are still a few shows I think "I wish I could get to. . ." but it isn't a focus for me; more like a passing fancy. My attitude changed because my focus changed and it caused me to act differently; all by the power of the Holy Spirit that helps me desire what God desires for me. Let yourself be changed. What is one of your little "focuses" that distracts you from your walk? From being a hearer and not a doer? Let yourself be changed. I would say it feels good but the truth is, it IS good.