Graduation

This past weekend, my youngest sibling graduated from high school.

To most, this might not seem like a big deal, but Tyler's graduation affected me in a big way.  First of all, there's a big age difference between the oldest and youngest in my family.  There are three of us - there's an eleven-year difference between Brandon and Tyler and an eight-year difference between Tyler and I.  That means when Brandon graduated from high school, Tyler was seven years old.  When I graduated from high school, Tyler was ten years old.  Tyler has always been the baby of the family and his graduation and transition into adulthood seemed so far off that I never really thought about it.

But he is now a high school graduate.  This whole thing has definitely made me feel older.  It has made me miss the times when Tyler was young and I would take care of him.  It has made me realize how fast the time really goes.

From the moment Tyler was born, I felt very protective of him.  I was in second grade and he was a small baby who I thought needed my constant love and attention.  I loved helping my mom take care of him by feeding him and playing with him.  Tyler and I spent a lot of time together.  He was my best friend.

When Brandon went off to college at Purdue in the fall of 2004, Tyler was seven and I was fifteen.  My mom went back to work and my dad was a pilot, working days when he wasn't traveling.  During the summers, it was just Tyler and I.  I would take him everywhere - to skateboard and play tennis with my friends, to K-Mart to get those addicting Coke slushies, out on the lake with my best friend on her dad's boat, to the free movie days at the local movie theatre.  I didn't care that he was always around since our parents worked.  I loved having him around and my friends loved him too, especially my best friend, Cohen (who also had two brothers that were much younger than her).

We had lots of time to spend together, so I often got creative with finding fun things for us to do.  Some days we were like siblings and would fight, other days I was like his parent when he would need an attitude adjustment, and other days he was my best friend when we would just spend time together.  I was always asking myself, what can I teach him?  How can I prepare him for the future?  I started volunteering in the Sunday school room at church, taking Tyler with me every Sunday morning (even though it was a battle trying to get him out of bed that early).  We read the Bible together.  We stayed up late talking and deciding what we were going to do the next day. 

So like I said, Tyler's high school graduation has really affected me.  Sure, his graduation has definitely made me feel older.  But more than anything, I'm trying to grapple with the fact that the baby I thought of as my own is now a man with a girlfriend and a driver's license and a college scholarship to play baseball.  Time goes so fast, but I am so proud of the young man he has become. 

Me in the hospital with Tyler when he was about three days old.

I loved taking care of him.

Tyler with Brandon at Brandon's senior prom.

Getting some stuff at the store to help Brandon get settled in at college.

Tyler with Brandon when he was home for winter break from college.

Visiting Brandon at Purdue.

My best friend, Cohen, with Tyler.  She loved him and didn't care if he went everywhere with us.

Indiana Beach for my dad's work picnic.  Cohen always came with us.

My senior prom, May 2007.

Brandon, Tyler, and I were baptized together at Warsaw Community Church during the summer of 2007.

Me home from college my freshman year for Tyler's 11th birthday.

Home from college for the summer.

Summer 2009.

Justin and I started dating when Tyler was in sixth grade.  He loved taking him everywhere with us, too.

Tyler and Justin during one the times Tyler came to visit us at college.

Christmas 2010.

The Three Musketeers.

It's hard to believe Tyler was ever shorter than me given that he towers over me now.

Tyler visiting me in South Bend during the summer, 2012.

Tyler was Justin's best man in our wedding, October 2012.

Tyler with Justin and I at graduation, May 2013.

Me with Tyler before his junior prom.

Last August in Grand Rapids for a Katy Perry concert!

The three LaFollette kids, December 2014.

Tyler's senior night for baseball, May 2015.

Justin with Tyler before his senior prom, May 2015.

Justin and I with Tyler at his high school graduation, June 2015.

"We love because he first loved us."
-1 John 4:19

Upcycling/Thrifting

Ever since Justin and I moved to Ohio, we've had a lot more space in our home to fill.  Our apartment in Indiana was very small and we barely had enough room for all of our stuff there (we stored quite a few things in my in-law's basement).  Now that we have a house with more space, it's been fun for Justin and I to find things to fill it with.

However, decorating with new things and purchasing furniture can be VERY expensive.  (When Justin and I were looking for a new couch, I couldn't believe the cost of furniture!)  Fortunately, Justin and I love upcycling.

This is the definition of upcycling according to a Google search:

up·cy·cle

/ˈəpˌsīkəl/

verb

reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original

We LOVE to recycle old things.  I love inviting people into my home and showing them some of the projects that Justin and I have taken on together.  We find things to upcycle almost anywhere - thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, flea markets, vintage and antique shops, etc.  I have a hard time buying something new with a high price tag when I can spend a little money on something and then put my own style and color into it while spending time with my husband.  We love to do these projects together and often end up covered in paint or cleaning up big messes, but it's all a part of the process.  

I wanted to share a some things that Justin and I have upcycled for our home or found while thrift shopping.  I love redecorating and adding lots of color to my home, and upcycling and thrift shopping is a way to do it on a budget!

Here are some of my favorite things that make our home my favorite place to be:

I love posters and art prints, but they can be expensive, especially when trying to find affordable (yet durable) frames.  I got this art print for 75% off at Urban Outfitters because it had a bent corner and I found the frame at Goodwill.  It was baby blue and had a print already in it, but I took it apart, spray painted it red, and then painted a black background for the print since it the frame wasn't a perfect fit.  (The globe lights were $3 at Target and the flowers were a gift from Justin on our first Valentine's Day together). 

Justin and I found this print (and several others) at Hollander's in Ann Arbor, MI, for around $4 a piece.  I found this frame at Wal-Mart for around $10, but added my own splash of color with some seafoam green spray paint.  (I also painted the black background since the frame didn't fit the print perfectly).

These prints are from the Art Supply Depo in downtown Toledo and were even cheaper than the ones we found in Ann Arbor.  I decided not to paint the outside of these frames, but I still painted the background black to make the prints pop (I love anatomical images and vintage bikes, so I am in love with these prints).  The jars are a cute thrift store find and they are full of old buttons.  The lantern was a gift from my grandmother and the faux roses (a gift from Justin) are in a vintage-style milk jug. Justin and I bought some chocolate milk from Whole Foods and then I washed the jug and used it as a flower vase.

I love cork boards because you can decorate with whatever you want without having to buy expensive frames.  This one is in our room and I cover it with photos and Bible verses along with this vintage map I found at an antique shop of my great grandparents' hometown.

Vintage suitcases add a wonderful pop of color to any room.  My great grandfather gave me this one.  (This is our spare bedroom and the furniture in here was mine from when I was growing up!)  Re-using furniture is a great way to save money.

I found these pillows for a bench in our spare bedroom at Goodwill for $2 a piece.

I love this vintage anatomy print, but I didn't want to spend $100 getting it framed.  I bought this old frame at Goodwill for $3 and spray painted it before painting a black background for the print. 

This is my office area.  I found the "imagination" print at a thrift store and painted the frame red.  The jars holding my art supplies are from Goodwill.  The picture board was made by my husband with a Goodwill cork board, some twine, and clothes pins. 

This radio and the records were gifts from my great grandfather.  The Beatles print is an old one from college in a frame I found and spray painted green.

My typewriter was a gift from my husband and those coasters were handmade by Justin and I from old 45s and cork sheets.

I could have bought a stand from Urban Outfitters for $145, but I decided to use an old record crate and a vintage briefcase from Justin's uncle as a stand for my record player. 

I have a lot of second-hand and vintage anatomy books, so I use them as decorations because of the fun colors and designs.

Old vintage prints of some of our favorites - The Doors, The Beatles, and the Rat Pack.  They were about $3 a piece at a vintage store and they are in Wal-Mart frames with black construction paper backgrounds. 

I love vintage bikes.  This one is from Goodwill and I'm still trying to track down some hardware to hang it in our living room.

Our vintage corner in the living room.  The radio belonged to Justin's grandmother and the cameras are all thrift store finds (for about $2-$3 for each one).  The projector is also from a thrift store (I think we paid $15 for it).

Some of our antique store finds.  (We found that Samson box at an antique shop in Saugatuck, MI, while celebrating our two-year wedding anniversary). 

All you need is love.

I had this photo hanger from college and we used it to hang some vintage photos of cars (they were 10 cents a piece) that Justin found at an antique shop in Warsaw, IN.

I love decorating with records, too.  These album frames are super cheap and the Mellencamp album only cost us a quarter at Goodwill.

Cheap crates to keep my records on display.

Our curtain rods and hardware were all found at Goodwill in the original packaging for around $3 a piece.

Vintage prints from Hollander's in our kitchen.  These frames were spray painted, as well.

Justin and I just recently re-did our bathroom.  These colorful bins are great for organizing and are $1 at Dollar Tree.

We found these rugs to match our colorful shower curtain at the At Home store in Toledo for $3 a piece.

This is my FAVORITE chair.  This was a $15 find at Nu Way Thrift Store in Niles, MI.  I love antique yellow.  (Don't mind the army jacket - that was a Goodwill find from when I was in high school!)

I love Urban Outfitters, but they are ridiculously expensive.  I found this quilt for our bed at an 80% sale at UO when they decided not to carry bedding in their stores anymore.  (You can still order bedding from them online).

This porch furniture was given to us for free but the pieces didn't match, so we spray painted it yellow. 

Our latest upcycling project is re-furbishing a dining room table.  We didn't have room for a full-size dining room table at our old place, so we found a table at Goodwill for $15 and four chairs (for free!) and are working on re-painting them now.  (There will be a post about that when we are finished with that project!)

I love adding things to my home, but I like it even better when I've been able to put time and effort into it to make it exactly what I want it to be, and it's even better when I'm spending very little money!

If you've never tried upcycling or have never been thrift shopping, try it!  You might find just what you are looking for.