Goodbye 2008

As the year draws to a close, like many of you, I am hopeful for what the New Year will bring. 2008 was one of the most memorable years of my life. Filled with happy moments, great memories, and a few bumps in the road.

Our daughter graduated HS and landed her first job. So proud of the young lady she has become.



I took a leap of faith and purchased an empty shoppe with 2 friends. We opened on October 18th and I'm happy to report we are doing well.




My father in law passed away in December.

I watched my 401K dwindle until I couldn't bare to look anymore.

Our country witnessed an exciting Presidential race,
and our daughter voted for the very first time.

I was introduced to the world of blogging on Jan 18, 2008.
I've met many new blog buds..love you guys!

I met many courageous women who battled cancer and won.
I also met some who lost, but they will not be forgotten.

This little scruff muffin was waiting on a corner one cold January morn.
He was in my very first blog post. His name is Ivan & we adopted him. :)



Who knew there were big brown eyes lurking under all that mess.
He is forever grateful and never lets a day go by without giving me
my wakeup call, by standing on my chest and trying to sneak a kiss.



Miss Sophie found true love....


Wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year!

A 60's Memory

I came across an auction for a Schwinn Stingray, which was identical to the one I received for Christmas in the late 60's. I loved that bike. Rode it every day, polished it, and added all the gaudy trim. Streamers from the handlebars and playing cards pinned to the spokes. I can still remember the sound of those playing cards clicking as we raced down the hill to the corner market, and the day we went to the Mom & Pop bike shop by the beach to pick it out. It's all still very clear to me...
Now why can't I remember where I laid my keys or reading glasses? :(

One Of My Favorites

The holiday window displays will soon be gone, so I had to take a photo of one of my favorites this year. This is Seaside Papery in Coronado. Her windows are always over the top, and usually win 1st place in the yearly Holiday window contest. Just look at this dress made with rolls of wrapping paper, and you will understand why!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

We celebrated Christmas Eve with the entire family, my Mother and sisters included.
Jenna's vintage red dress and Minna Parikka silver shoes stole the show. I rarely order shoes online, but she was determined to have these and they only had a limited supply, so I caved. (Good thing I did, because they sold out just days later..whew!!!)

Her Cranberry Obsession Snow Cake was a close second. (recipe can be found through the Sunset magazine link)


We had the usual fare..turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, stuffing, gravy and Mom's fruit salad. Stuffed our guts, let out the pants, and then had dessert.

Gifts on Christmas Day...Lots of vintage for my girl.
A 1940's wool dress, vintage handbags and a red and white train case she had seen at The Attic. I quickly hid it after she spotted it at the shoppe, and the next time she came in I told her that it had been sold. I know, that's so mean! heehee...

I was surprised with a 22" wide screen Visio for my computer, which made everything appear as if I were looking in a fun house mirror. We could not figure out how to adjust it so it's going back.

It was Ivan's first Christmas with us, so he was not sure what to think of all the paper ripping and boxes all over the floor. He actually stayed his distance.
I forgot to get the doggies anything, but I made up for it with a few extra treats throughout the day.

Sophie kicked back and watched as we opened gifts, hoping one would be a bag of peanut butter biscuits...her favorite!
It rained most of the day, watched Christmas Story and poked around on the computer.It was a lazy afternoon....

The List

A Kitchen Aid Mixer, a Breville Blender, assorted kitchen gadgets that I would have no clue as to what they are used for, an apron from Anthropolgie (cute, but overpriced) a dessert cookbook.....just a few of the items on Jenna's Christmas list this year. This girl is putting Mom to shame. I've used the same hand mixer since 1983, my grandmother's cookbooks are somewhere. With dust on them. Grandmother's aprons are tucked away in a drawer, and a vintage blender sits on the counter....strictly for looks people! :) I've never been much of a baker, so she must have taken after my older sister. She chose a RED mixer, which would not have been my first choice. She turned her nose up at the suggestion of pink. So as I am making the purchases, I'm thinking to myself...It's a good thing. These gifts are practical, and won't be tossed into next summer's yard sale. So I said to my husband "Jenna will probably be taking half of the kitchen gadgets when she moves" and he let out a mighty chortle and replied with "what...when she's 32?" I have a suspicion he's right..and that's fine by me. :)

ps: She made cookies tonight which I will be posting about tomorrow...I just ate 2 and I think I gained 5 pounds.

She's All Grown Up

When we received the news that my father in law passed away, I wasn't sure how our daughter would handle it. We only saw him once a year since they lived on the East coast, and she's always been very reserved...just like her Dad. She didn't cry in front of me, but went to her room and closed her door. A few days later, my daughter and I were driving in the car and she said, " I want to go back for the funeral. It doesn't feel right not being there." At first I was surprised, but then I was overwhelmed with pride that she had decided on her own, that it was the right thing to do. I immediately called my husband and told him I was making a reservation for the next day. There was dead silence and then a "Really?" As he told the news to his Mother in the background, and I could hear the excitement in her voice. I spoke with Thom tonight and he said it was a very nice service and having Jenna there meant so much to both him and his Mother. They will be returning home tomorrow afternoon, and I can't wait to welcome them back with loving arms. :)

Vintage Christmas Decorating

I'm a bit behind in my Christmas decorating this year. With my father in law's recent passing, and just being busy with everyday life, the decorations were put on hold until Sunday evening. Jenna helped me decorate the tree the night before she left. We put up the vintage white tree. I was tempted to get a cute little REAL 5 footer I saw at Target, but she likes the old white one because our vintage pastel ornaments look better on it than a green one.. so we saved 20 bucks. :) (click on images to enlarge)


Here are a few of my favorite ornaments that include some handmade ones from the 1920's & 30's. The little mercury ball horse always makes us smile. Jenna thinks it's funny , and I guess it is! Someone made it long ago and I think it's sweet that there was a time when all ornaments were handmade.




Love this spun angel hair baby in the cradle which hangs with a wire and old mercury beads, a whimsical snowman with dangling legs and the glitter bird that Amy sent to me years ago when we first became buds.


I only use pinks, silver and turquoise blues on the tree. You will see no red, green or gold.


I did pick this cute little 60's pink tulle tree on ebay earlier this summer. Someone bunched the tulle over a pink candle and added little pink ornaments. No w why didn't I think of that? When I got it, it didn't stand very well, so I stuck the base inside a glass candle holder and wha-la!. I think I will place it in the center of the dining room table.


Another eBay purchase over 5 years ago was this vintage pink bottle brush wreath in the box for $20..don't hate me girls! I have seen a few of these sell for well over $100 these days. Yowsza!

Love my little kissing angel couple which I have had since we got married. I used to collect these, but I only found one pair in the box. I must have sold the others. :(

I have a collection of snowmen and Santas which have not yet made it out of the garage this year. Hopefully they will make it inside this year. And last but certainly not least, is my very first heart ornament wreath that I made 5 years ago. It's still hanging on and I haven't lost an ornament yet!

Landed..

I found a website that tracks a flight by the minute. Right down to the speed, altitude, miles from the airport and minutes before it lands. So just picture me sitting here at my desk hitting refresh every minute.. Am I nuts or what?!! Don't answer that.
At least I know she is safe and sound at 5:30am EST. This Mom is going to bed..it's now 2:45am...geez.

Just Me & The Dogs...

I'm not doing so well tonight..the house is quiet. It's just me and dogs now.

You would think that's a good thing, but I'm missing my girl. Jenna just caught the red eye to Maryland for her Grandfather's services which will be on Wednesday. I miss her already. She's 18 but I haven't been away from her since she was 3. Yeah, I know... I'm a wimp. I wanted to travel with her, but it was just impossible for me to get away. It's almost midnight now and she'll be landing around 6am EST which will be 3am my time. I know I won't be able to sleep until I know she has landed, so I'll be staying up....with the dogs.

This made me smile...

Jane sent this to me today and I watched it 3 times and still laughed. The last dog looks just like my Ivan, and if he could talk, that's just what he'd say. :)

Missing Someone

Miss Sophie and The Mr.

It's been quiet around the house the past 2 days. My husband received a call from his mother that his father was in the hospital after suffering a stroke. Before having the stroke, his father was given the news just last Friday that he had terminal cancer. My husband is now back in Maryland, and they will be moving his father into a Hospice care facility. I spoke to him last night on the phone and he tells me his Mother is strong and knows that her husband doesn't have much time. She has always been a strong lady, without ever showing much emotion, but of course her heart is aching. They have been married over 50 years. My father in law quit smoking 14 years ago, but it was too late. I remember him telling us the big reason he quit. His granddaughter, our Jenna, was sitting on his lap at the age of 4. He reached down to give her a kiss on the cheek and she scrunched her nose and said "Grandpa..you stink!" He said that was the turning point. He vowed to quit and went to a group session where he was able to kick the habit within days. I have never smoked, but I know that quitting has to be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. If you do, please try to stop smoking. Not only for yourself, but for your loved ones.

Holiday Gathering

The days are whizzing by..it was just Halloween, wasn't it? Christmas will be here before you know it. Every year I say the same thing..I will have all of my shopping done by Thanksgiving. It ain't happening...again!
I've been busy with our new shoppe and daily life at home. You would think with all the running around, I would shed a few pounds, but that doesn't seem to be happening either! We had our Holiday Open House at The Attic this past Friday evening. Everything was so beautiful and we had a great turn out. We love being the only little shop on the island that carries such a unique assortment of items. We have vintage and antique furniture, new gift items such as hand poured soaps from my friend Sharon, candles, jewelry, and decorative pillows. You can see more photos taken that evening here.

Ain't no sunshine when she's he's gone....

Poor Ms. Sophie...she was singing like Bill Withers when Mr. Ivan left for the morning, but it was time for a haircut. He was looong overdue....When I can't see the poor little guy's eyeballs, I know he needs a trim!
So there she was in her their favorite lounge chair, watching the gate for any sign of her boy toy. :)


He was home by mid afternoon..and all is well. The happy couple on their favorite chair.

Wreaths from the heart...

It's that time of year again...when I gather all the ornaments collected over the year, heat up the old glue gun and take a deep breath! Two down, one to go and then I'm done. I think. Finding the older ornaments is no easy task, and I think these look best when it's loaded up with vintage. Here's one I just made today, and you can see the other at The Attic blog.

Gas is $1.60 !

I have no clue on the year that this picture was taken, but I can remember my parents saying to the attendant..."Fill it up with Ethyl" I feel really old right now. :(
Some of the youngsters out there might be asking yourself...Attendant? Ethyl??
Hey, I can even remember when the "attendants" carried a fat wad of cash in their pocket for change. Ahhh...the good old days. At least I filled my tank up today for $30! $1.85/gal. Woo-Hooooo!

EDIT: It is now December 8th and gas is $1.60..this is something to smile about!

A Peek Inside The Attic

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Pug Approved

I tossed the slipcovers into the wash, and look who decided to jump up on the chair and take a snooze. My chunky monkey...I think she likes the new chairs. :)

My Love Affair ..Is it over?

It all started back in 1985...even before "shabby chic" was all the rage. My love affair with furniture covered in layers of the original old paint. When I couldn't find everything I wanted with the original paint, I would paint it,sand it, chip it. It wasn't quite the same look, but it worked. I remember one of my first treasured pieces was a table with pale pink paint with traces of green. Everyone thought I was crazy for even bringing it inside the house, but I loved it! I eventually sold most of my "brown" pieces to purchase painted ones.

I never thought I would bring in another piece that wasn't painted, until I saw this dining set last week on Craig's List. (Click to enlarge photos)



I was immediately attracted to it's lines...the legs, the little wooden wheels..it was very unique. Now I know there are many of you reading this and thinking that it would be perfect in white. :) I would be lying if I said that I didn't have the same thoughts.


It came with four antique pressed back chairs which I wasn't thrilled with, but it was a package deal and how could I resist the price. 80 bucks!!!
I remembered that I had a set of 4 chair covers that I picked up for $6 at the thrift store, so I slipped them on and I'm happy with the look. I think I will leave it just as it is.



Check out my sister blog to see a desk that did get a recent makeover.

Halloween..Oh My!

I saw some great costumes at the shoppe, so if you want to see more, just click here to visit my other blog. It was so much fun seeing the families dress up. I think the adults were having more fun than the kids. :)

86 Degrees

The leaves are changing, but it's still hotter than heck!

86 degrees in November?

These seed pods fascinate me. (click to enlarge)


I took some great shots of Halloween costumes yesterday and will have them up tomorrow. Just wait until you see Colonel Sanders!

A Day With Mom

I've been so busy lately, that I have really neglected my poor Mom. :( We live right next door to each other, but it seems I am always running around and rarely get to spend a day with her. I decided today would be different and I invited her to lunch and a visit to the shoppe.


We decided on Clayton's Coffee Shop, a charming little coffee shop in Coronado that's been there forever!.

It reminds me of the places we would stop at on long road trips...complete with the swivel red stools at the counter and the little music juke boxes at each table. What kid doesn't remember flipping those pages and pushes those buttons until we were told to sit back and eat our meal?!! We split a BLT with fries, which was plenty for us. No dessert today, but they do have home made pies that I plan to try out next time.


Check out this sign...we had never heard this term before. "Slide the Counter" but we soon figured it out. On our way out, we ran into Mary, Clayton's owner, who rode up on her pink bicycle....just livin the Island life! Actually, she is a a hard working gal who never misses a day at her coffee shop. She really didn't want a picture taken, but I begged, and she gave in. :)
After lunch, we walked across the street to The Attic and I took some photos which were added to our blog. (You can see our awning in the background of this picture)We had a nice day and I promise to this more often Mom. :)
Just one more picture to share...this little car is a common sight in Coronado. Isn't it cute?

Open for Business

I added a photo album of our grand opening so be sure to visit The Attic blog.
We had an awesome response in just the first 2 days of business! I will be posting photos of new items that come into the shoppe on a weekly basis. If you see something you like, drop me a line and I'll give you the specifics. We will be open daily from 10-5:30pm.