Warmth In The City

 It was going to be 74 degrees in the city that week, so I thought it was a good day to drive down the mountain and spend an afternoon in the city before the rains and snow come this month.  So, off I went with my son to have a day of fun and smiles.  It's 50 minutes to the city, so I don't like the drive, but it's all worth the discomfort when we arrive and are ready to explore new places.  Our first stop was Starbucks, of course.  And you can't go wrong with coffee and a chocolate croissant, warmed up.

Our next stops were Target and Hobby Lobby.  I was in awe looking around at Hobby Lobby - it has everything you need for crafts and decorating the home, but I didn't find anything that was a must to bring home.  At Target, I bought some make-up, pancake mix, syrup, Hershey's kisses, and these cute nail stickers for the kids. 

We went from pine, fir, and cedar trees to California palm trees in less than an hour.  There were palms everywhere in this one shopping center.

  While my son got a haircut, I went inside a pie and bread shop.  It's a quaint shop filled with homemade breads, pies, pastries, and more.  I thought the pies were a little pricey though.

We were getting hungry, and it was time for lunch, so we drove over to our favorite Mexican restaurant.  The food is delicious, and the waiter is always so good to us.

After, we drove over to Michael's.  Lots of cute Easter stuff already, but I didn't buy anything there.  Then, it was Barnes and Noble.  My son went to the coffee shop there for an afternoon pistachio latte, while I browsed the store.  I needed a calendar, and was hoping there was still a Mary Engelbreit one, as it's already February.  There was!  We have to glance at our calendars all year long, so why not get a bright and cheerful one, right?

Our next stop was World Market, one of my fav shops.  There is a little coffee cart when you first walk inside World Market.  They have samples of different coffees, and after walking for so long, it's always a treat to stop and rest and try a new coffee blend.  There, hanging from a mug tree was the prettiest cup, and it was so me.  It looked so Valentiney....and Springy.

After, we headed over to Dick's and Kohl's, which I didn't find anything, but my son bought a couple shirts.  Then, our last stops were Sprouts and Home Goods.  At Sprouts, we bought some organic apples, green tea, and pecan pie.  Have you ever had pecan pie at Sprouts?  So yummy - actually, the best pecan pie that I've had.

It was a long day of walking, and my feet were really sore by then, so it was time to head on back up the mountain.  It was really warm in the city, and starting to get too warm by the end of the day, so I appreciated the coolness of the air at 3,000 ft. driving home.  I rolled down my car window and took a breath of that fresh mountain air.  At one point during the drive it gets to 4,000 ft, and we saw a bit of snow on the side of the roads, so pretty.

One of my favorite things about spending the day in the city is the haul that I get to bring home to enjoy.

It was such a wonderful day, and it's always good to return safely to the place we call home.  It's nice to explore the city once in a while, and I've lived in the suburbs all my life, but I really like the calmness and peace that these mountains bring to me each and every day.

Right after I finished this post, I looked out my back window and saw four deer!  They are still working on the fencing, and the deer walked right through the opening and into my back yard.  They stayed a while, and at one point, were very close to the house.  What a surprise, what a blessing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Sweet Month Of February

 It's February, and one of our coldest months here!  V. at the grocery store told me it was 17 degrees one morning.  Every time I want to go out and have a little adventure, the cold air has kept me inside.  This is my car one cold morning. 

I seem to cook and bake a lot when we have these frigid temperatures.  Here's a meatloaf I cooked for dinner one night.  You know, I've been cooking for 46 years - that's a long time, so I don't do strict recipe following, I go by looks and feel.  If I'm baking and it requires precise measuring, then I'll follow the recipe, but most of the time, I just wing it.  So, you will never see a long written recipe on here, but I will tell you the ingredients I put in....ground beef, a little ketchup, onions, garlic salt, pepper, one egg, and bake at 350.  (I cook mine for about 50 minutes, but it depends on how much meatloaf you make).

Lumber was delivered to my house, and they are starting to build a new fence in the back yard.  Part of the old one crashed and fell when we had a great wind this last Fall.  A portion of the newer fencing is intact, so it will look nice when it's finished.  I will miss the deer roaming in my back yard that sometimes come through the large opening from the woods.

Despite the cold, I managed to get out and drive to the little pink eatery on the main street of my town.  My son treated me to a hot pastrami sandwich, crisscut fries, and a coke.  They have the best pastrami subs ever. 

We are in the heart of winter here, and not many birds are coming around yet.  Everything is bare, but these woods around me are still beautiful and haunting, as I think about all the ancestors who came before and lived in this area.

I got a surprise in the mail from my blog friend, Susan.  It was a Valentine card with the cutest Snowbaby.   I saw it on one of her posts, and mentioned how much I loved it, and she thought it belonged with me.  It was wrapped nicely and tight so there was no breakage, and it was such a thoughtful gift.

You are probably familiar with the Snowbabies, but if not, here's a little about them.

*Snowbabies are porcelain figurines that were popular in the mid-80's (when my girls were growing up).  They originated in Germany in the late 1890's.  They are cherub-like children in snowsuits that appear to have flakes of snow over them.  My sister used to collect the Snowbabies, and I'll have to ask her if she still has any.

I have been gathering little things for the kids' goody bags, and having a fun time with that.

I made a batch of brownies to warm the house one cold afternoon.

Every year, I send out the Valentine cards to my adult kids, and now I send them out to the grandkids.  I have so much fun doing this.  I used to love giving and receiving them when we were in school, and I have kept the tradition alive.

Mia making pizza with daddy.  Renecke makes the best homemade pizza. 🍕🍕🍕

Francesca and Mia are into Squishmallows right now.  These are popular ultra-soft plush toys known for their marshmallow-like and huggable designs.  When I saw this cereal at the grocery store, I had to pick it up.

Many of you are anxious for spring to arrive, but we have long winters here, and sometimes we can get snow until April.  So I will try to enjoy the cold and the snow and the rain for a little while longer.

Holiday Hutch

It was so fun decorating my hutch this past week, as I got to spruce it up for Valentine's Day, which is a favorite holiday of mine.  I love the cubbies on this hutch because we have many small treasures we have collected and often wonder where to put them when we decorate our homes.  The small drawers are nice for chocolate and cards, and I put some decorative boxes in the cupboard below that contain things inside that are special to me.  I put out the music box that Mia gave me also, just because it plays a song of love.

I found this cute pink house (birdhouse) this year,

and the Nutcracker I found last year at Home Goods.

I've had these Love blocks forever.

And it's always a must to put those chalky conversation hearts out.

Last week, I showed you the scones I made that were so Yummy.  Well, it was not an orange icing, but a lemon glaze, and I just picked the packages up at the grocery store.  They really are good, you should try them.  *I bought two packs at Grocery Outlet, but I think you can get them at World Market as well.

I came across this quote the other day and loved it because we all have our own story to tell.

"Go back to where you started or as far back as you can, examine all of it, travel your road again and tell the truth about it.  Sing or shout or testify or keep it to yourself:  But know whenst you came."

~James Baldwin

So strange....I had a dream Friday night, and I was looking out my window and the scene was blurry, but could see two big animals on my lawn.  That next morning, I looked out my laundry room window and saw two deer.  They were just there for a few moments, and then trotted off to the woods behind my house.  

Jess loves the flamingo, so when I saw this box of chocolates, I couldn't resist.

Our Francesca chipped her tooth last week, and we were all pretty concerned about it because it was her adult tooth, but the amazing things they can do with dentistry these days comforted us.  She was a brave little girl at the dentist office while the skilled workers repaired her chip, and they did a great job on it.  Uncle b. sent her a couple plush dinosaurs to put a smile on her face. 😊

When I got my new hutch, I gave my old bookshelf to my neighbor, Lisa.  I bought it several years ago at Target, but my house is small and no extra room for it.  She came over to get it, and loved it, and we had a nice visit.  Around these parts, it's all about helping others, and I don't recall having such good neighbors than the ones I have next door and across the street.

I've been thinking of some of my blog friends in the different states who had storms coming through with snow and ice over the weekend.  California is mild right now, but we are supposed to get a mix of rain and snow in February.  It is one of our coldest months here, so I best be prepared.

 

Little Lost Bear

 Hello, and how is your January going so far?  I had planned to drive to the city one day, but that meant waking up very early to avoid traffic, and it was so cold that morning, so I snuggled back into bed, and decided to make it a day of shopping in town.  I'm glad I did, cause I bought myself a little surprise.  I picked up a few Valentine goodies from the store, had a corn dog for lunch, and my next stop was to A's Home Shop.  I got to visit with my friend, A, for about an hour.

  There, standing in the corner was a little hutch - the same white hutch I admire every time and always want to buy. (It's actually a light cream color).  But today I decided to treat myself and get that charming hutch.  A. had her husband deliver it to my house.  And it fits perfectly in one corner near the kitchen.  I'd like to decorate it with seasonal stuff, so I will call it my "holiday hutch."

It has small drawers for notes and such, and spacious room below for storing things.

  Come by next week if you'd like and see it all decorated for Valentine's Day. 💖

Have you ever tried these?  They are soooo good.

We come across some beautiful things when we are in the process of cleaning and clearing.

My son treated me to an extra large pizza, while we watched a movie.  You know, one of the best pizzas I've ever had comes from this little mountain town.  It's so delicious that I had a couple slices before taking a picture.

We watched Under the Tuscan Sun.  I've seen this movie a dozen times, but I never tire of it.  It's a good show to watch in the new year.  Have I ever told you the story about Jess in the little region of Italy?  Jess traveled through Europe when she was younger for three months all by herself.  Brave girl.  She met up with a cousin and her sister for a short time, but most of the time it was just her.  She saw so many wonderful places.  One of them was Tuscany.  When she was in Tuscany, she e-mailed me telling me to watch Under the Tuscan Sun, and that way it would be like us being there together.  I did, and thought about her the whole time.

A blog friend sent this to me, and I loved it.

I baked some gingerbread scones with lemon icing.  Oh my, they were the best scones I've ever had.

 Francesca lost her white bear about a year ago.  Uncle b. gave it to her when she was a baby, and it's her favorite.  She's been missing her bear friend for a very long time.  Jess and Francesca whispered words to Saint Anthony many times during that period.  Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of lost things.  This weekend, Francesca visited her other grandma's house, and under one of the beds was her beloved white bear!  She was thrilled, as it's been about a year since she lost it. *thank you, Lord.  *thank you, Saint Anthony.  You made a little girl very happy.

That's about it, my friends.  My sister's birthday is this week, and I wish her a very special day. 🎂