antique archaeology

we woke up bright and early {actually later than usual because miss olive slept until 8am and that’s late!}, well early for most folks who don’t have kids!

we got ready and headed out to breakfast. hc was trying to find a yummy breakfast place for us to nosh at but he wasn’t having any luck, so i told him to ask the concierge for ideas. they suggested mickey’s country cafe, hmmmmm. we drove on over there and went inside. it was old, a little bit dingey, not very well ventilated, and kitschy.

we sat down and ordered. hc did the buffet and grace and i ordered from the menu. the food was actually pretty good. it was greasy and yummy. sometimes mom and pop places can be greasy and gross but this was decent.

after breakfast, we drove over to antique archaeology but it didn’t open until noon. so, we decided to walk around town to check out the other shops but most of the shops didn’t open until noon either! we just walked around and explored some of the landmarks around the area and then headed back to the shop about five to noon.

via tandeminlove.com

[this place is a total dive but the breakfast was pretty damn good!]

via tandeminlove.com

[hemming and hawing over the choices]

via tandeminlove.com

[rich called it cannibalism]

via tandeminlove.com

[i find this picture so funny, it was so windy and olive and i were struggling with our hair]

via tandeminlove.com

[usa]

via tandeminlove.com

[i wish someone was around so that we could have taken this all together!]

via tandeminlove.com

[memorial site]

via tandeminlove.com

[she was peeking over because grace was on the other side]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[olive was riding the little rock…that’s why her position is so awkward!]

they opened up their doors and exploring we went! i love this place, it’s so unique, fun, and eclectic! i love seeing all the items they have collected over the years. unfortunately, they have so many awesome pieces that are not for sale. that was a bummer. i thought they would have more antiques up for sale. it was mostly t-shirts, stickers, bags, books, and mugs.

hc had his eye on this rusty, rusty decrepit bike. there was a tag on the bike but it was totally faded. he didn’t want to ask about it, so i went in to ask the girl at the counter. she came out to take a look at the bike and wasn’t sure if it was for sale. she told us that the bike had been there for a long time and thought it was NFS. now here comes the most exciting part…well, exciting for us! she says to me, “i’m going to text mike to see if it’s for sale.” Eeeppp! she was going to text mike, how cool! the closest mike ‘interaction’ we will ever have!

well, unfortunately, she came back with bum news. the bike, in fact, was not for sale. boo. hc really, really wanted it for his garage wall. total bummer. it was an exciting story to tell but we were sad that bike couldn’t come home with us! we rummaged around some more {olive spent a lot of her time outside with grace…a baby is no bueno in an antique shop!} and finally made a little purchase.

i had my eye on a metal double decker bus. it was quite expensive but i bargained with the lady at the counter to knock $20 off the price {we did haggle back and forth}. i didn’t do a bundle but i was happy with the final price!

via tandeminlove.com

[we made it back just a few minutes before it opened]

via tandeminlove.com

[the bookcase where you can’t purchase a darn thing!]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[hi baby olive]

via tandeminlove.com

[chillin’ and eating her snacks]

via tandeminlove.com

[she was having so much fun playing with grace]

after we perused the shop for almost and hour and a half. yes, we were ogling that long. we weren’t sure if we wanted to check out the john deere museum {a twenty minute drive} or walk around town again, since it was mostly closed for our earlier walk. we were craving ice cream so we decided to walk the town again. we checked out a few shops and stopped at a pizza and ice cream parlor.

hc and grace ordered root beer floats, i asked for a single scoop of cookies and cream on a cone, and olive got a milkshake. we ate our treats and watched it rain outside. bummer. we were dunzo anyways! after we finished our desserts, we played a bit inside their ‘game room’ and then headed out.

via tandeminlove.com

[shopping antiques]

via tandeminlove.com

[afternoon snack]

via tandeminlove.com

[i love, love this pic of them]

via tandeminlove.com

[and this]

via tandeminlove.com

[the bike hc wants to buy but that was a no go]

we had such a great time road trippin’ it to iowa. it was a fun get away with the family and we love antique archaeology! we did walk away with some goodies, so i’d say it was a success. nothing is better than family, fun, and new adventures!

xoxo

road trippin’ part 1

with a little time off, we decided to take a road trip down to iowa to visit antique archaeology. it’s grace’s and rich’s favorite show {american pickers}; or at least, one of their favorites!

it’s actually a really short car ride to get to le claire, iowa from chicago. a few hours drive and you’re there! we left mid afternoon on a sunny, beautiful day and arrived at our hotel in the early evening. we unpacked and headed out to stevenson’s {a restaurant we ate at last time} for a lovely dinner.

it cracks me up but this is their ‘fine’ dining. call me a snob, but it was okaaaaayyy. everything was waaayyyy too salty {like my food was being served on a salt block}. their patio was quite nice but the interior definitely needed an upgrade and to think that they did upgrade it since we were there last {a couple years ago}!

anyhoo, after dinner, we hung out by their fire pit. that was actually really nice, it was warm by the fire. grace and olive got to run around and play in the grass. after dinner, we headed back to the hotel so we could play in the pool!

via tandeminlove.com

[sunny with our sunnies]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[the ‘fancy’ restaurant]

via tandeminlove.com

[i love, love, love olive’s little hand. she loves to say ‘cheers’]

via tandeminlove.com

[dancing on the patio with daddy]

via tandeminlove.com

[we loved the fire pit]

i hadn’t purchased olive a swimsuit since she outgrew hers last summer and i was in a pickle because we were leaving that day when i realized it! so, i swung by the always reliable target and picked up a cutesy suit for her. it’s actually quite adorbs!

grace, hc, and olive got ready for the pool and we all skaddled down to the swimming area {which was quite nice!}. olive was a bit apprehensive {she loved, loved the pool when she was a bit younger} but hc coaxed her into the water. she was a bit nervous and scared at first but then she really started to enjoy herself, especially when she saw grace having fun in the water.

it was sooo cute to see her in her daddy’s arms, circling around in the water. it just makes your heart melt.

via tandeminlove.com

[ready for a swim]

via tandeminlove.com

[momma and cubbie twinning]

via tandeminlove.com

[in the pool with daddy!]

via tandeminlove.com

[having a great time]

via tandeminlove.com

[look at that belly!]

via tandeminlove.com

[splish splash]

after our pool time, we headed back upstairs to our hotel room to settle in for the night. it was so stinkin’ cute to see olive run around in her diapy. i tried putting her pajama’s on but she didn’t want to, so i let her sit around naked for a bit. she was having a grand ol’ time watching the telly right next to her daddy. i was dying over her curly hair…who knows how long it will stay that way? so, i’m soaking it all in right now. tooooo cute!

via tandeminlove.com

[drinking her venti water naked]

via tandeminlove.com

[i love how curly her hair is!]

after watching t.v. for a bit and relaxing, we put olive down and we all eventually fell asleep. we needed our energy and rest for our fun day tomorrow! stay tuned!

xoxo