Fall Coastal Weekend

Spent the long weekend on the California Central Coast. The weather was clear and wonderfully warm. This is the best time of year to visit the region. We are lucky that my husband's parents have a house in a small quaint town called Cambria. It is unspoiled and always beautiful. We recharge our batteries when we go there.

We often visit this wonderful old cemetery about a mile behind the town. It is so peaceful set in the woods with the breeze blowing through the pines.

The headstones I am drawn to are these with the little lambs on the top. I am so touched and saddened when you see that these little ones died  only days apart. How sad for their parents. One can only imagine the pain.

 Here are three little ones who died  only months apart so you can see what was probably an epidemic that spread that year. You find several of these separated only by weeks. I hope this doesn't seem morbid. I don't want it to be. I just think they are sweet and very touching.

We were able to enjoy a wonderful dinner out that was so yummy. I should have snapped pics of the wonderful food. This is taken at our favorite restaurant called Robin's. The outdoor patio is covered with a huge vine growing and winding through the walls. You can see it behind us in the picture.

I loved the labels on these beers we ordered. My husband said only I would say a beer label was cute. The central coast in fall is so wonderful. If you ever get a chance you must visit it. I am linking up with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.

A Fine Change

I inherited a china cabinet from my MIL and have always had it full of a bunch china and tea cups she gave me. Now don't get me wrong the items are lovely but not in my color scheme so I decided to take it all out and replace them with the colors I love and items I have collected. Here are some pics and you will notice a lot of red. I have touches of red in every room. I am really into neutrals and browns, black and red. Joining Sue for Rednesday It's A Very Cherry World and Savvy Southern Style for her B&A Party.I'm also linking with My Romantic Home and Mustard Seed Creations and finally French Country Cottage. Please visit them to see all the great links to the other blogs that are participating. So many great ideas out there I could spend the whole day just blog hoppin'.

 I'm thinking of painting this piece black. Not sure how that will look but it might really make a nice change.

 I have been collecting red transferware for years and love to now get to display it.

 I have a lot of roosters and chickens throughout my house.

 I saved this little card and love to think of my hubs whenever I walk by.

Touches of red make me happy!

Happy Halloween!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
I am steeling myself for a weekend full of Halloween fun. Today is grocery shopping for the weekend. Tomorrow is pumpkin carving which my family takes very seriously. We all carve a pumpkin and choose a winner by secret ballot. Then to a party at my SIL's house Sat. night. Sunday we host our annual Halloween potluck and while the dad's hang back at the house, us mom's take any of the kids that are trick or treating out for their loot. Whew! Jam packed. Can't wait as we love our Halloween fun around here. Have fun everyone whatever you do this weekend.

Do You Know What This Is?

It's a 1958 Western Holly Oven. It is where I bake and prepare meals for the fam. Original to the house, the only problem I have had with it is the door spring broke. I found, by searching the internet, a business that repairs and restores this brand and other vintage ovens and stoves not 30 miles from my home. I love it and hope it lasts. Bakes like a charm and is a conversation piece when others come to my house for the first time.

The house we live in we bought from my husband's mother after her mother passed away so it was his grandmother's house. She was the original owner and took wonderful care of her home. I'm sure we have abused it far more in the last nine years, than she did in the almost 50 years she owned it. Some other vintage items we inherited were a drawer full of old recipe booklets.

 Oops. Did this one twice.

Is this a riot? What pie doesn't a man like?

Twenty cents? Boy that dates this booklet. I couldn't find the date in it anywhere but I love the bright red color.

 Don't you love this title?

Avocados are essential in our house. We eat one of those little bags of them every week. Joining the The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Rednesday!

I love the color red. I am joining Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for Rednesday.

 Bought a set of 4 of these Red Chairs at the thrift store. Score!

 Still able to buy strawberries here with our mild climate. My daughter's favorite.

So bad. I made a coffee with a scoop of vanilla, and topped with chocolate. I must have been feeling really weak that day. I try not to indulge too often.

Pumpkin Fun!

We were able to take a trip to a beloved pumpkin patch that we used to go to when our 19 and 16 year old were toddlers. To now take my two year old there so many years later was a real treat and besides making me feel a little melancholy, it was so fun to see it thru a two year old's eyes.
It has gone a little commercial since the old days, but the animals made it very fun for my little one.
As we left a storm was rolling in and we could hear thunder in the distance. So fallish for So. Calif. where October can be down right hot.

I love these pumpkins. Anyone know what they are called?

 Now she's thinking this is a pumpkin her size.

 I am not kidding when I say that was the biggest pig I have ever seen.

 A wonderful furry breed of Scottish cattle.

This was the funniest thing. These goats walk along all these ramps way up high into little houses. They were all peaking out of windows.

We left just as a storm rolled in. I love October.

Linking up with A Southern Daydreamer and Cherries in the Garden & more

Project: Organize incoming paperwork

I have a small space in my kitchen that acts as a catch-all for mail, paperwork and kid's stuff. It is always piled within a few days of cleaning it up so I used an idea I saw to help sort and contain the incoming paperwork.
Here is what it looked like before:

Messy. I  know you don't have to tell me. So here is what I did. I took one of those magazine organizers, some decorative cardstock and some letter stamps to make a paperwork organizer. Of course this is just to handle the papers that need to be dealt with as I sort them each day.

I decided on four categories. To do, bills, kids and file. So things I need to deal with, bills I need to pay or file with my monthly bills, paperwork that needs to be dealt with for the kids and lastly paperwork that needs to be filed away for long term. I stamped away and for those that are crafty, I admit that I am not.

I cut the cardstock to fit and filed away my paperwork and now I have this:

Much improved. So today when I needed to turn in a fundraiser for one of the kids, bam there it was in the kids section and when I needed to call our insurance company with a question, there was the paperwork right there neatly in the to do section. Now I want to give credit to Northern Cheapskate for the idea as I saw this on her blog many months ago but never got around to doing it. I am pleased with the outcome.
Linking up with Tip Junkie for Tip Me Tuesday and A Bowl Full of Lemons


Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday.

Happy Halloween!!

A few more decorations around my home.

This is a cake stand I added a web doilie to and piled some goodies on.

And lastly a Halloween October sky!

We left just as the thunder rolled in and the drops started to fall. Happy Halloween!
Linking up with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.