We went through Amarillo, into NM and then into CO last time. I don’t remember if we had long periods of time with no cell phone service, but I do know that wouldn’t be a good thing for this trip. I tried to stay on interstates a lot of the time, but sometimes the interstate didn’t look like interstate. This part of the country is just not one I’ve traveled. I have done plenty of trips up and down the east coast, but all this is new to me.

I figured I wouldn’t be able to avoid long stretches of nothingness. I guess my fear is that I don’t know just how long those stretches will be and how to be sure I’m prepared for them (plenty of gas, potty breaks, baby nursing breaks, etc.) I also don’t know what areas might be better to stop from a safety point of view, and what route might provide safer options along the way.

We will have 4 days’ worth of driving between Bremerton and Bay City, so 3 nights on the road. When we went up there last summer, we stayed in Katy, TX our first night so we could visit dd’s grandma (in a rehab hospital in Sugarland at the time, and my niece lives in Katy, so we stayed with her), then drove a little out of the way to visit Magnolia silos and on to Tucumcari, NM (fairly long day, but it was just two adults/two dogs). From Tucumcari we drove to Casper, WY (no desire to stay there again). Our last night on the road was in Missoula, MT (which we loved). This trip we will have the dogs AND a baby, so we are planning 5 days of driving with 4 nights on the road. If the last night is Bay City, TX (visiting her grandma again), we need to break up the drive from Bremerton to there over 4 days. I guess I am just hoping for a route that is a little bit less barren since we are unsure of how our stops are gonna be with a tiny baby. I know that isn’t likely, but one can always hope!

I know some of you helped me when I was making this trip last summer, but this year, our days are going to be shorter due to traveling with a young infant (and two dogs), so I’m trying to work out stops. I was hoping to maybe go a different route than we did, but I don’t think we can. We have to make a stop near Sugarland, TX to visit dd’s grandma on our way home (that’ll be our last overnight stop, so I guess I technically need to get from WA state to Sugarland (well, Bay City), TX. On our last trip, we made our last day’s stop in Missoula, MT, and we really liked it. We had to stay in La Quinta Inns because of the dogs, and that one was exceptionally clean and very nice. So I guess what I need is to figure out the best route from Missoula, MT, to Bay City, TX, and I’m gonna need two nice areas to stay in. Can anyone offer suggestions?

Anyone? Trying to bump this up so maybe someone will see it!

Just wondering if any of you in those areas could tell me about the following developments. Mainly just what the areas are like around them, if they are nice, etc. I’m not positive which is in Kingsland, and which in St. Mary’s - sorry. ;-p Sugar Mill Winding River Victoria’s Landing Any of you have any information you can offer about any or all of the above? My daughter and her boyfriend are looking at buying possibly in one of those developments. He will be moving to the naval base near there.

Thanks for the input! I don't want beadboard halfway up around the entire bathroom. With lower ceilings, I feel like that is just going to make the room feel cut in half. That was my original plan and I just don't like the logistics. It also affects the wall mount sink faucet because of where/how it would be placed. I also think that is very busy in the small area as well. Not worried at all about cracky paint since I'll probably distress it somewhat. Hadn't really thought about the valance affecting the chandelier, but I'd hang the chandelier low enough to where it was visible for sure. My husband is an electrician, so I'm not really worried at all about the safety of the chandelier being over the tub. I'm also not concerned with any codes since it'll be easily moved if we go to sell and it needs to be moved. I'm not going to have a shower in the bathroom, so the humidity thing with the beadboard shouldn't be a real concern. We are going to be putting a sealer on it after we paint it also, so that should help. And I am just not interested in doing subway tile at all. I really have a specific look in mind. I think my main issue is whether I can have the beadboard AND valance both in the same space, or if it would be too busy. I pretty much decided that I'll do the beadboard, and then we can just see if the valance will look okay, and if not, leave it off. I can't really do the other way around, so I decided I needed to make a choice. Since every single bathroom image I've pinned on Pinterest has beadboard or shiplap walls, I think that just must be something I'm drawn to, so it's what I'll do first then see if I can make the other work. I AM a bit curious now about putting crown up with the beadboard so I need to look at how some of those are finished off in some of my pics. That may be something I need to have my husband rethink. **Looked up some ceiling to floor beadboard bathrooms, and most of them have crown molding, so I think that part is gonna be okay. Now whether it all works with the valance or not will have to be determined...**

It’s time. I have until 3 today to make up my mind about beadboard in my bathroom. I’m gonna give a couple scenarios and post a couple pics and I want some input please. I cannot make up my mind what I want! I’m not particularly girly, so I’ve never really been one to do feminine decor. Our master bedroom is on the more basic, masculine side with dark cherry furnishings, very basic curtains, etc. All the other areas of my house have always been, and still will be pretty much even after remodeling, fairly basic and no frills. I’m hoping to decorate more/better, but I still haven’t picked anything that’s really feminine. Cut to the hall bathroom, which is MY bathroom. I want it to have a shabby chic/rustic look. I’ve always wanted a claw foot tub, and I am going to have one. I have really neat, oil-rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures that look vintage. We are doing a custom built vanity tailored to the space that’s just gonna be open shelving (I’ll try to post a pic of something similar to that too). All that to get me to this - I LOVE the look of beadboard in the bathroom, and I have seen some baths with it ceiling to floor. I think I would love that look overall. HOWEVER, there is a wooden valance pic I pinned on Pinterest several years ago, and it’s something I said I wanted when I remodeled the bathroom. I have loved and thought of doing this ever since. Here is the issue - my bathroom is small. I don’t feel like I can have beaded board, with crown molding, and then have this wooden valance across the tub area. I think it’s just going to be too much going on in my small space. So, would you choose to just have sheetrock and paint with the valance and the beadboard just around the tub (like the subway tiles are in the picture), or would you go for the beadboard from top to bottom in a rustic-looking white with some slight distressing on it? The first pic is the valance - they have it hanging under the molding - I probably can’t go that far down with because my ceilings are low (only 8 ft) in my bathroom. I’d want it as close to the ceiling as possible to add height to the room. The second pic is just to get an idea of a look. Mine would be beadboard, so it would be vertical, but this is just kind of an inspiration pic. I DO have a chandelier to hang over my tub. The vanity pic is similar to what my vanity will be like. Mine will come out a little in the middle and my vessel sink will be centered then it will be a little narrower on either side, but the look is what I’m going for. So? Any input? I’m desperate.

Well I won’t be there til May, and then I’ll be there for 5-6 weeks; we’re planning to leave around June 15th. Of course I don’t know when my daughter will have her baby, so maybe we could just shoot for the first week of June. I KNOW she’ll have had him by then.

Thanks!! So ready to get some of the remodel dust off my new floors!

Well I would love for us to have a meetup somewhere while I’m there if anyone else is willing. I’ll actually be in Bremerton, but could take the ferry over to Pike’s Place Market and meet up with some of you (if anyone cares to meet me in person that is). ;-p

The problem with adapting to the food culture in which I live is, I live in Louisiana. We may not be famous for much down here, but we are famous for our food, and while it is mostly amazing; it’s certainly not considered healthy. ;-p I get what you’re saying though. Honestly, I know what I should and shouldn’t eat. It’s just tough around here to follow. There are so many great places to eat I find it difficult to go run errands and NOT eat out. I just LOVE so many different types of food.

LOL this is so timely. I am in the process of a huge remodel. My cabinets were a deep red color (my walls were yellow). I just painted my entire house accessible beige (we cut it to 75% because I wanted it a little lighter). I did milk paint (Miss Mustard Seed) on my cabinets in Shutter gray (which is a blue/gray color). I absolutely love it! Honestly, I love working with the milk paint - if you add a binding agent to it, it’ll cover anything without having to sand/prep it. IDK if the search is working, so here’s a pic of my kitchen. Now, one thing is my accessible beige doesn’t really meet my cabinets anywhere (my kitchen is fairly small), but the colors look good where they DO meet, and I have some white trim so you can see how the color looks with white. Also, the little cream-colored island is about to get livened up with a nice orange from Miss Mustard Seed. I need that pop of color in my life!

I was just wondering if anyone is in the Seattle area. I’m going to be staying with my daughter for about 5-6 weeks when she has her baby. I know I’ll be trying to find some things to do here and there so I can give her and her boyfriend some time to just be a family without the dreaded mother-in-law present. ;-p I thought perhaps it might be fun to have a lunch and meetup or something. ETA - should be there most of May and up until mid-June.

Can you share what cleaner?

I appreciate all the comments here, and that Mark Bittman article was fantastic! The reason I said I like to follow “rules” is I feel like makes it easy for me to prep meals and things when I have a particular diet I’m following. For instance I know Whole 30 recipes will be clean of most everything, but generally have lots of meat. I know a vegan meal won’t have animal products. It’s just easier on my brain. The problem is I am not really gonna follow any of that long-term. I guess I just need to put forth a little more effort to tailor my diet (well, ours, since my husband is pretty much at my mercy) to what I want. I know I need to curb the restaurant eating with the exception of the couple really clean places (and even our favorite burger place does a grass-fed beef and a buffalo burger, so I can opt for better quality there), and cut out sugar and anything prepared. Prepared foods aren’t really typical for me at home, but TJs frozen section has been my best friend during our remodel. Sugar isn’t usually a problem for me at all. I DO have a spoon of sugar and some heavy cream in my coffee daily (and I plan to cut this out at some point and go to a healthier coffee option that I also enjoy - just not now), but I drink a single cup, and I rarely eat any type of sweets. All in all, it’s really the same things I already knew. I just need to actually do it all the time!

The one you install like laminate (snap-together), and looks like wood? If you have flooring like this, what do you use for mopping?

I do think dairy is a much more cruel industry than beef (chicken/pork have it worse than beef). I have felt good about dairy when we had our own goats and, even though I milked them once a day, their babies stayed nursing as long as they wanted (and some were quite old when the goats finally kicked them off). I’m not saying I don’t eat dairy because I’d be lying, but I do eat from certain sources. The sad thing is, even those are likely pulling babies from mommas within a couple days. I hate that, and that’s one of the main reasons I limit, and would love to eliminate completely, dairy.

I think it’s interesting that so many said similar things. I know one doesn’t really need to follow a “diet,” but it just helps me if I have resources that basically say yes or no to certain things. It’s not that I don’t think we can have a little cheat every now and then no matter what, but I like a good guideline. I have done paleo, vegetarian and vegan diets (opposite ends of the spectrum much). Honestly, I’ve felt good on all of them, but I only purchase high quality meat (my sister raises clean, mostly grassfed beef, and we have a great chicken source as well). My biggest problem is eating out. I know I do it too much, and really need to break that cycle. It’s just when we get out to run errands/shop, it’s an all-day affair because we are far enough from the city we shop in that we can’t run back and forth. There are a few really healthy options there, but sadly not usually the ones we choose. ;-p I know I’ll likely never go vegan because I really don’t want to consume soy on a regular basis, and can’t imagine never eating meat. Also, since I do purchase better quality meat (ethically and health-wise), I’m not as opposed to eating it. I won’t eat factory farmed, which is another reason I’d like to stay out of most restaurants. It’s just a constant battle to do the right thing I guess. I just need a rule book. ;-p

Do you think there is a way of eating that is truly healthier than others? If so, what is it, and what is it that makes you believe it’s better?

So great for you to pop in. So sorry to hear of the health issues yall have been through. :(

Well, my barstools were purchased to match my kitchen table chairs and are white metal. They don’t look great with that color. The rug doesn’t have a ton of color, and it’s going in the den, but it has a lot of small flecks of various colors and it has the orange, so I think it’ll be fun to use. Also I don’t think I could go with anything else in the blue family because of the shade of blue the cabinets are. I mean they have a lot of gray, but they definitely look blue. It would be tough to pull off another shade of blue that close.

I’m so sorry - I just saw this. The ice maker is in the freezer, which is on bottom, and there is a water dispenser inside the fridge that dispenses filtered water. I actually prefer it greatly to having one on front (which we had on our other fridge) because we ALWAYS had water dripping down the front of the fridge.

Trying to post a for sale and it’s giving me an error message. Are the ads not working yet?

Yes. It’s our version of “shiplap.” It’s just pine 1x6s that we nailed up.