A Childhood Friend

I walk by this old pepper tree every day, but today I took a little sentimental journey with camera in tow. This tree and I have been friends for a long long time. It was here when my parents moved into this house in the 1950's and I'm sure it was there for 50 years before that. It was a favorite hangout for me and my friends and I would climb this tree nearly every day. The picture below was the starting point.


I can still see the indentations and hand grips that I used back then to make my way up this monster. About half way up was where I nailed in the boards to make our seats. And yes, this was a girls only tree house. :) Funny..I don't even remember my Mom being a bit nervous about us climbing up this tree, and I can proudly say I never fell out of it!

The view from ground level...Isn't it awesome? I wish I had the body to climb up this tree and take a shot of the view from up there.You can click on images to enlarge.

I kept a little pirate chest up there with coins and when we had enough saved, we would ride our bikes down the hill to the market to buy a 5 cent Fudgesickle and a bag of penny candy.
Awww... the good old days. When something as simple as climbing a tree could keep a kid entertained for hours, and no helmet required.

Hot Spot!

No..I'm not talking about the latest vintage hot spot. Poor Miss Sophie had to make a trip to the vet yesterday. What I thought was going to be a $40 office visit and a $25 antibiotic, magically tuned into $240. Amazing! Jenna..you really should consider becoming a vet to support your parents in their old age. :)

For a pug, she really hasn't had that many health problems. We've been fortunate.
She has always had allergies but a "hot spot" got out of hand under her neck, and she required antibiotic pills, topical cream and a special soap which I am using over the next 4 days on her. Pugs have lots of loose skin folds and I had not checked it for a few days. I was shocked to see it and within one day it doubled in size.
I will spare you the pictures of her neck, but I do regret not taking the picture of Jenna carrying Sophie on her back out to the car. Yes, she is that spoiled. Jenna said "She looks like Anna Nicole Smith going to ReHab"

Pink Caddy

Miss Jenna and I were driving to the market the other day when we both spotted this at the same time..you should have heard the squeals. I haven't heard her scream like that since that 'N Sync concert back in 1998.



It had a for sale sign on the window, so we had to get an up close look. A 1955 Fleetwood Cadillac in all her glory for a mere $10,900. The pink could not be any more perfect and Ms. Sophie the pug would be pretty darn cute riding in this. We might have to get her a poodle skirt!


Since Jenna just took her written driving test and passed, she has been eyeballing every vintage car we pass. She is dead set on an oldie...nothing new for this girl.
We gazed and admired her for awhile, and said..do you know how hard this would be to park? This baby is more like a boat than a car. As pretty as it was, we walked away knowing it would not be a practical purchase. I mean, come on..unless she wants to live in it!

Flu or Food Poisoning?

Well...since my last post on Thursday, things got worse. Head ache, fever, chills,weakness..I'll spare you the details. I thought I was over by Sunday and went to the flea market but I realized I probably should have stayed home. I slept most of the afternoon. It's now Monday and I wish I could say I'm back to normal, but something isn't quite right. My friend Jane has the same thing and our symptoms started within 6 hours of each other. We are thinking it may be the sandwich we split the day before...who knows. Maybe we were both in contact with someone who had the flu. I just want this thing to be GONE!

I need another nap

I'm still here...just too tired to post. I've had a lot going on this week with the move into Vignettes and shopping every day for treasure. This afternoon it hit me like a brick and I took a nice nap from 4-7pm. I would like to say it was an uninterrupted nap, but Sophie and Ivan love to tumble and play on top of me. Maybe I have blog burnout. Or maybe the years are taking their toll. All I know is that I need to re-energize!

If only ...

The alarm went off at 5:30 and as much as I wanted to turn over and go back to sleep, I stumbled down the hall to make a quick cup of coffee. By 6am I was on the road, bright eyed and ready to find some goods. Sometimes I get lucky right away, but today I must have gone down the same rows 3 times before I spotted this....
Must have. Yes, I know I am supposed to be buying items to sell, but can you blame me?

I have never found a birdcage stand with a bird finial on top, so it's a keeper for sure. The original cream and "that green" paint was an added bonus. It will replace the one I have...see? I can let go of things, really I can!

Next row I spot a old turquoise painted folding metal chair holding a painting. I try to act calm... deep breath. Original turquoise paint, chippy with just the right amount of rust, and a pierced design in the seat. I should have been drooling here.

"Are you selling the old folding chair?", I ask. And he replied with, "Only if you buy the set. I have 3 more." It's my lucky day. Now If I told you what I paid for these chairs, I would definitely have to kill ya. :))))


I stayed calm and collected and said ok, sure. Jane would have been so proud. :) As he helped me carry them to the car, he asked if I was going to paint them. I could hardly contain myself, but told him I really liked the color. He said he was going to powder coat them but never got around to it.. oh dear. These will go into the shop with an old folding bistro table that's been waiting for the perfect chairs...for only the last 5 years!

The last item of purchase was an antique oval frame with convex glass. Not sure what to do with this one..leave the photo in or remove it? I love the floral design on the frame. I just love these frames!
If only I could keep it all...

Open For Business!

A huge thank you to Lori for the warm welcome into her beautiful shop. To Ronda for the gorgeous hand painted window sign and to Sharon for the yummy hand poured soaps!
We are thrilled to be part of Vignettes!

A Dream Come True...& My 100th Post!

Today is the day...I am moving into my very favorite shop in town, Vignettes, with my best bud Jane.
We had a space in another shop, but have been waiting for something to open up at Vignettes so we are thrilled! Since so many people mistake us for sisters, I came up with the name "Like Sisters" awhile back, and it seemed to fit. Even my mother cannot believe the similarities between us. Not so much looks, but our personality, actions and speech. We have confused many people on the phone, including our husbands! :)
The wonderfully talented Ronda of Antique Cottage Rose was commissioned to paint our shop sign and as you can see..she has done it again.
It will be a busy morning, but I hope to have pictures posted by Friday evening.
Vignettes is located at 4828 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, just minutes from downtown San Diego.

Vignette's web site is currently under construction. Be sure to visit us if you are in town.
I didn't even realize this was my 100th post..hard to believe actually, but I was never keeping track. I just noticed it a week later...LOL