Lost in Translation-Starting Over {again}

Hellooo!   
I have been away for some time, but I thought I would pop in and share an update about what has been happening in our family. 

Confused in California

So, just what does "winter" mean in southern California? 

Coming from Colorado, my brain tells me I should be feeling freezing temps and seeing snow in January.

I was born and raised here. I should have remembered this feeling, but after nearly 20 years in Colorado, and only visiting southern California in the summer, I had forgotten.


Winter here means...

 Picked in the neighborhood here!

It's been mostly 70's and sunny since we arrived several days before Christmas. It may have actually hit 80 degrees on Christmas day! It's just not right, I tell ya : )

Boy have I been going through blogging withdrawals! I haven't had much time to visit around or post anything the last couple of weeks. 

Today, I just had to find something pretty to work on and share with you. Had to!

I am out of my element here at my parents' house. I didn't even bring a glue gun! (haha).

I thought I'd go scrounge around outside a bit to see what I might come up with.

 My nephew had been cutting branches from a tree in the backyard (the younger kids are having great fun climbing on them) so I started there for some inspiration. 

I snipped some of the thinnest branches out of the pile and decided I'd put together a very simple and rustic twig wreath. 

Being freshly cut, they were pretty flexible and I was able to easily bend them into a wreath shape.
The only thing I could find to secure the twigs were some white twist ties. My daughter colored them with a brown marker : ) 

Behind my mom's little barn style shed, I found a discarded and forgotten trellis that had almost fallen to pieces. I like that it still has some pieces of whatever vine was climbing on it at one time. 

One woman's trash...

 I love the chippy white finish.

I tapped it back together with a hammer as best I could, turned it upside down and hung my little rustic twig wreath on it. 

I pulled another branch that still has some leaves on it through the trellis. 

I found an old galvanized farm bucket (okay, I swiped it from the fireplace hearth) and an old rusted garden trowel and put them on a little stool my grandfather made as a boy. 

Yep, this is winter in southern California. Pretty rough, huh? 

We're heading home to Colorado in just a few days! My dad has been battling cancer for some time now, and it's so so difficult to leave my parents during such a hard time. I would sure appreciate your prayers for him, and our whole family right now.

See you soon from snowy Colorado, friends!

Jeanette

Joining these parties this week:

Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm 
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Knick of Time Tuesday 
The Scoop 
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House 
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 
Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors 

 

Magnolia Avenue

Our time is coming to a close here in southern California! We've actually stayed a week longer than we planned, but tomorrow we'll be hitting the road for that nearly 1000 mile drive back to Colorado, and maybe some hint of Fall? With temps hovering around 100 for many days here, and some nights only dropping to around 70, it's a far cry from our cool Colorado evenings that bring on the gorgeous fall colors. 

This past weekend we had a visit out to my brother's home in Riverside, and I'll just say right off the bat that it was an epic failure on my part not to plan for photos and a blog post! Why didn't I think of it?? I had a borrowed camera that I wasn't familiar with, so these photos are very grainy, but I hope you'll enjoy this mini tour of their lovely vintage home. She's a real charmer! 

 I first saw this home with my brother and sister-in-law three years ago when we were last home here in California. It was a short-sale, and the process of finding out if it would be theirs was long and agonizing! Although a little rough from vacancy and neglect, we could all see the potential this old girl had to become a well-loved home once again. 

The wide front porch is a welcoming entrance and a lovely place to sit and enjoy the sights, including the giant old Sycamore trees around the front of the home. 

 Step inside the front door, and you are greeted by a beautiful and cozy original fireplace with a built in niche.

 The original mouldings and wood details in this home are amazing. In this photo you can catch a little glimpse of the coffered ceiling in the dining room beyond.

Look at the gorgeous detail in these wood floors!

 

 This vintage quarter sawn oak music cabinet is one small example of the antiques they have collected for their home. 

The large dining room has it's original built-in china cabinet with the original leaded glass doors-gorgeous! The perfect spot to display lots of pretty glassware. 

In the mirror you can see a bit of the beautiful glass doors in the dining room that lead out to a lovely covered patio area. 

Wouldn't you like to step out here to enjoy your coffee on a cool Autumn morning? 

Detail on the french doors.

It's incredible how many of the original leaded glass windows are still in this home!

My brother has saved some of our childhood toys, and has them displayed in their library room : )

This chandelier isn't original to the home, but can you believe my brother picked this up for free? I want one!



Even the main bathroom has a collection of antique pieces, including this marble topped cabinet. Great for storage and counter space in a bath with a pedestal sink!

I wish I could have fully photographed the bath! It is so charming with it's wood shuttered windows, clawfoot tub and vintage style tile.  I just could not get the photos I wanted with the camera I had with me (grrr). 

More of their antique pieces- this, a vintage "chamber pot" on a marble topped stand. You can get a hint of the tub in the background.

I couldn't photograph the kitchen (which is totally charming, of course)-boo! There was lots of baking and food prep going on out here, not to mention 4 large dogs in the mix! I did catch a little shot of the cute kitchen floor, though. And my niece's feet-ha!

Out in the back there is a darling guest cottage the previous owners converted from a garage. My sister-in-law has created lots of character, charm and beauty in a yard that was basically a dirt lot when I saw it three years ago.

How about a DIY garden toadstool from a log and a red bowl? Cute!

  Through the arbor in the picket fence is their vegetable garden.

This home is 101 years old! I'm really proud of my brother and sister-in-law for loving it back to life.
I hope you'll forgive my lack of foresight in not specifically planning this post and getting the photos (and quality of photos) I could have.
Most importantly, we had a really wonderful afternoon of food and conversation with my brother, his wife, my three grown nieces and their friend. Family time was the real focus, and it was a blessing, indeed!

See you soon from Colorado!

Jeanette 

Sharing over at:

The Scoop 
Knick of Time Tuesday  
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants 
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style 
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson 
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home 

California Family Vintage

I can't tell you how strange it feels to share so little over here the past couple of weeks! I'm struggling with that a bit.

We've been in California for just over a week now. The drive here had it's moments, for sure, but those were soon forgotten once we made it to our destination.

It has been a busy few days. We had a family gathering over the weekend and I was so happy to visit with some of my cousins I hadn't seen in almost five years. Priceless!

The last couple of days I've had some fun poking through some of the cool vintage stuff that is found in abundance at my parents' house : ) I thought I'd show you just a few of the treasures I've come across. 

 I can't remember a time when this antique guitar wasn't on display in my parents' home. My dad is a musician, and my mom's grandmother gave it to him, probably around the time I was born. He says it's at least 100 years old!

 My grandfather made this little wooden stool (probably in the early 1930's) when he was a school boy.

 I love these vintage photos of my grandparents holding their kitties in the rose garden!

 My mom is quite the collector, and one of the things she collects is glass hen dishes. I told my 16 year old to make it her mission to count them all up this week! She also has a small collection of Jadeite, so this piece spans both collections. 

  
I couldn't believe this find! The Dominoes set we grew up with, found in the back of the linen closet-ha!

 

 Some cool old picnic baskets that were probably my grandmother's.

  
This was probably the most surprising discovery of the last couple of days. Not the toolbox itself, but finding out where it came from. The toolbox has been in my dad's garage for EVER. When I saw it the other day, I asked if I could empty it, and use it for some photos. He said "sure", and told me that my sister made this in high school metal shop. No way! I had no idea.

I'll share some of my mom's cool collections in the coming days, and we'll be at the beach soon, too. Probably not soon enough for my kids  : )

*A little side note for Carol at Art and Sand-I've been in your hometown 3 times this week. Yesterday my teenager and I hit the IKEA store and In-n-Out Burger, a favorite of ours you can't get in Colorado : )

This is where my 16 year old and I are sleeping during our visit with my parents, and my two youngest are sleeping in my childhood bedroom. On our first day here it was fun to tell them about what the room was like when their mommy was their age. 

My mom generously consented for me to re-style their fireplace area for a few photos today, and I'll be sharing that with you soon! 

Thanks for coming by today, friends! I haven't had a whole lot of computer time, and it has been hard not to be reading much of my favorite blogs, either. But I think I'll be back in the swing of things before long : )

Blessings-

        Jeanette 

Sharing over at:

Knick of Time Tuesday 

The Scoop at the Farmhouse Porch