Happy Thoughts~~Happy Things~~Happy Times~~My Happy Place

This week worked me over....so much red tape on so many different levels....too much bad news....too much paperwork and challenges and not enough patience ...missing my bubbie....so I tried really hard to focus on my many blessings...my Happy Thoughts...my Happy Things...my Happy Times...my Happy Place

My boys decided that they would do some out door sketching in our canyon on a bright sunshiny day....

I don't see anything inspiring in this view except my sweet boys.....

 One of the boys across the street had a birthday and his mom put out all these adorable penguins to celebrate him....so cute....

 My lovely friend Hillary has a very English Tea every year and Kristen and I are so fortunate to be invited....it is one of my most favorite things to do and she is one of my most favorite ladies...she is currently making over 100+ hats for the Tijuana orphanage!

 These are two of her precious grandbabies who came to the tea....of course the little lady was awake and interested in all the girl talk....and the little man slept thru all the hen party...they learn at such a young age....

 The beautiful English Garden tablescape....

 It makes you happy just to see it.....

 Dylan, Brody and I are plotting for the Leprechauns ..they are such tricksters and reek havoc the night before St. Patrick's Day trying to score some gold from GiGi!  We decided to paint Blarney Stones and put glitter on them to trick them into thinking we had special gold....

 I love how they take this so serious and really get into the spirit of things!  Wait until they see what the Leprechaun is planning for this year!

 I needed a trip to my fave store in OB....I needed to soak in beauty of all kinds....I know I could move in this store and never want for anything....(anything beautiful that is).....Vintage dressing room.....sigh.....

 Vintage gowns and frillies.....swoon......

 Vintage pink silk dressing chair and parasols.....I feel faint....

 Good thing they have a vintage fainting couch in stock....I needed it!

 Love the NEST pillows and the bed canopy.....can you hear the angels sing?

 more and more....

 ...and more...

 Indulge me....and more....love the harp backed chair (be still my heart)

 Tried a new day spa for a mani pedi....since we got hardwood floors I feel my feet and heels turned into like those of a LA Crack Whore....but not now! Love how she made my footsies all soft and pretty!

 And lunch at my fave spot in OB....surf was up, sun was out, blessings were counted!

So So much to be thankful for!

Nature Boy....A respect for water....Luck be with you

Nature Boy (aka) Dylan spent a lot of time with us this week.....he loves the out doors, animals, plants, flowers, birds and has an appreciation of all things natures provides us....he is an amazing little man.....

He would much rather be outside in the yard, feeding the birds, riding his bike, fishing, hiking than anything else....from our back yard he put together this terrarium of pine cones, flowers, leaves, shrubs, etc....it is so beautiful

 Nature boy sometimes does not like to have his picture taken!  

 He was concerned that winter was hard on the birds and they did not have enough to eat (even tho we have a fountain, 3 bird feeders and it was 77 in San Diego which I did not mention any of that, just encouraged him to care) he decided he wanted to make more peanut butter pine cones to hang in the coral trees...Ok! I said!  This time he needed no direction and went straight to task!

 He and Gramps hung these three out on the tree for our feathered friends to enjoy!

 It was Valentines Day on Thursday!  I drill Steve constantly no jewelry, no flowers....and he never listens...I do love the Glass Blown heart he gave me...very sweet.....we decided just to go to lunch on V Day and had to stop by our condo which we received a call last week that had a water leak....

 Uh, can we say it was GUTTED!  Down to the studs, all the drywall removed, all the tile, everything....

 Upstairs and downstairs.....

 Every room.....every baseboard, every door, every everything

 Down to wooden stairs on the stairway.....

 Ugh....lots of paperwork and red tape to do to get this one back together.....so tempted to change the footprint of this unit and trying hard not to do it....it is a rental I keep telling myself!

 So after that little visit with the contractors we had to indulge in some yummy food from Las Olas....ahhhhhh....nothing says comfort food to me more than tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans....

 ....and then taking this in puts lots of things in perspective for me.....infinity and beyond....as a wise woman (Aunt Mary) once told me....'Things aren't so bad that they can't get worse'....now that is brilliant!

 Because I hoard everything from my kids childhood and Adam just relocated to Phx, I dug out this little tooled belt I got him (size 20 - so tiny) and his cowboy boots and a little toy gun he played with when he was  years old (circa 1980).....the tooling was a bit faint....

 So Steve got out the brown shoe polish, polished up those tiny boots and shaded the name on the belt.....

 And I went to Container Store and found this great display piece that they all fit in....I put a little green excelsior in the bottom to give it a pop of color....

Now that he has a new house in Phx where he wore all of this at 2 years old I hope he finds a little place in his office where it can be a little something special for him

I love living in a Military Town.....one of the nicest ladies in the world and one of my best friends Mary Ann invited me to lunch in the old Historic Decatur Road area.  It used to be all Naval base and then when Clinton closed it down they turned it into a Commons with museums, stores, gardens, etc.  I wanted to go so bad and just never did.....everything there is historic...even the Trader Joe's will let you bring a picture of your family member in uniform and put on the wall....I think that is so cool!

 We ate at Tender Greens all organic all fresh and so many beautiful bounties to choose from!

 They prepare most of the food in front of you....and lots of other tasty things too choose from....look at those little tarts and dried salami.....so many choices

 I settled on this cobb salad, but it was mixed for me....and to perfection.  The only thing better than being in this incredible place and this fantastic food was the time and community that I have with Mary Ann.....everyone should have a Mary Ann in their lives and I hope you do too....

 Dylan called me out on having my Valentines day decs up after 2/14.....that boy knows how to work a timeline!  He helped me spread out the St. Patricks day decs...

 And decided it needed a new picture of a Leprechaun and he was spot on in making that call....

 We decided on putting the newbie next to some old decs from years past.....yes, the leprechaun on the right is from 1987 when Kristen made it at 5 years old.....(intervention needed here)

 May the luck of the Irish be with my contractors in rebuilding my gutted condo....

 And with all of you.....I feel so lucky and so blessed with my family and friends.  xoxoxoxoxo

Finishing off some projects....A room for 2 Dukes....A room for Amy

I have had some projects that needed to be finished....just have been too busy to wrap them up....so it felt good to move these to the completed list!  (I am nothing without a list to complete)

Remember my Windsor chair that I found for $2.50?  It had such great bones but needed a little TLC....well, maybe a lot of TLC....

 

Well, here he is (chairs are male, right?) all sanded and painted and in it's new proper place!

A good neighbor and friend who runs a Salvaged Design business for old sporting equipment found this old hand made ski which looked just like a old surfboard we have a picture of.  I bought it on the spot from her, Steve rubbed it up with lemon oil and we mounted it over the window in Adam's old bedroom (aka The Room of Two Dukes - Steve has stuff from Duke the old surf legend and The Duke - John Wayne in here).

 And those props that found each other last week....

....are now a beautiful matching set.....I have yet to determine where to put these little jewels...it will come to me one night  during my insomnia I am sure....

Kristen got Dylan a great shirt with a 'd' embellishment....and darn him...he grew out of it!  So I picked up a new shirt, cut the applique off the old one...he is good to go for  until another growth spurt luckily Hanes makes up to XXXXL!

Kristen mentioned something about whipping up 30 Jedi robes for the boys upcoming birthdays....hmmmmm....this prototype took me 3 hours....30 x 3 = 90 hours....think we need to come up with Plan B on this one.... 

I had a fun day out with my bestie Annette....we hit up Sephora as we are ALWAYS looking for eyeliner that does not run....the nice ladies at Sephora gave us extra gifts so we really scored or maybe they gave us more stuff so we would leave and quit trying all the products!

Then we went to see our friend Janice with some coffee (and I did not even spill it!)  From there we went to the Thrift Store and I scored these fun treasurers....all for under $12.00!

Love this 1950's hat with the flowers and the netting over the face....random, I know, but from time to time I get invited to teas and vintage events and now I have a new hat to wear!  I am so low maintenance!

I also found this real treasure...a 1930's vintage music box that works and is in perfect condition...It plays 'I love you Truly' and I love it......truly

For about 90 cents each these great wooden Pilgrims....you can never have enough Pilgrims!

Over the weekend Kristen and Brian headed to Palm Springs and I was missing Adam so the next best thing to my own kids is my grandkids!  We had so much fun, playing club house, phones out of string and cups....watching Chicken Run over and over and over :)

 What's this....No girlsl aload?  Dylan - you realize GiGi is a girl - right?

We used the weekend to switch out two rooms....the downstairs room for Amy who we are delighted to say is going to stay with us for a bit.....relocating toys for boys to The Room of Two Dukes....It was a full family effort but truth be told Brody and I did the heavy lifting... 

 Brody making one of a hundred trips taking toys upstairs.....

Toys and Toys in.....Treadmill out....

 And after many many trips.....here is the final product....The Room of Two Dukes which will now be the room of four Dukes....Duke (Surfer), The Duke, Dylan, Brody....the picture on the wall on the right with the surfboard is the one where the surfboard looks just like the one now over the window!

 Toys in their place and a place for everything (and they will not be in their place for long!)

And a fresh room for Amy......loads and loads of storage for a special girl....

And a special vanity for her to see her pretty face in.....

Adam always loved to play with masks....Brody loves them too....I miss my Addie so so much

 And on Saturday my littlest Duke scored 5 goals!  So proud of you!!!