There's a place, where I can go, when I feel low, when I feel blue.......

When life gets too crazy with appointments, recovery frustrations, project delays and things in general, Steve and I have a special happy place we go....Ocean Beach.  Without fail and only 15 minutes away, once we park the car, stare at the ocean,  walk the beach and pick up sea glass, shells and driftwood, have lunch at one of our several favorite places, browse the shops and just unwind we feel so much better.....how can you not with this view?

 

 

I simply cannot resist the shops there....they are wonderfully decorating and so inspiring....I always come away with ideas and lots of purchases :)

 My house is a dichotomy of décor....the living and dining rooms are very beach cottage with whites, sea green and turquoise...very much like the colors in this picture....and I think I might have worn that bathing suit in the 60's :)  Our great room is dark wood floors, deep fall colors and equally pleasing to me.  When I need a change, I just walk in another room!

 I love their ode to summer decorations here....next month they are hosting a party that will introduce their next theme.....

 It is always a surprise (in the past Marie Antoinette, Flowers, Music, etc.) and they redecorate the entire store, serve champagne and nibbles and you can shop and enjoy the eye candy.....love.this.place.

And even tho it is only a few minutes away, I had to create something to keep in our living room at home...all things found at OB...our happy place.

 I also scoured the dollar store for items I could make some table centerpieces with....

 score and score....and with a little spray paint and my glue gun....

I made these little monsters....

 I love them....and they will look cute on the tables and I will let the guests take them home....

 Talk about your special happy place....these boys love their mommy....and so do we.

 So after our one week delay (not amused) they finally came to delivery and install our artificial turf....this is one of 3 rolls....it could have covered the entire cul de sac....

 They did an amazing job!  I could not believe the 10 inch nails they used to install and the sealing....our shape was very challenging and therefore a lot of waste in cutting to avoid seams.

 This has been an all summer project....

 Along with the front yard redo....

 Including the patio....

 And the rock garden.....every rock dug from the yard and a few hauled in from fun rock hunts with the boys.....

 And this very special heart shaped rock as a gift from our landscapers.....

 

Now that is a happy place!

Delayed and Not Amused......

Let's enjoy the process....I said

Let's take our time....I said

We are in no hurry, I said....

Enough already....so over this landscaping project and a 1 week delay....ugh....

 

 

So with our extra week of time and having to pay the landscapers we did a few add on projects while waiting for the artificial turf..... we used the flagstone from the side patios to put a circular walkway around the boys garden...

 I guess in some small way this should please me but I am not amused.....

 We had the entire stucco back fence power washed and painted to match the house and fountain patio area...a whopping 80+ feet now matches the house and fountain patio....still not amused....

 Dylan showered up after our work day and sleep over and scrubbed a tooth right out of his mouth....he was amused!

 And the tooth fairy visited and brought a decorated dollar - Very Amused!

 The boys are enjoying playing with the trains....

 And decided to be human bridges - ok I am amused and feel better now. We were watching the race to see if we could find The Addie at Bristol....we all got dizzy with all the turns!

 Next Project I will be getting this new tattoo:

Now that would be amusing!

The Home Stretch......

This week I am feeling we are in the Home Stretch on a few things around here!!

 

*  Landscaping Project = We picked up the last of the decorative mulch - I can't remember how many loads of this we made.....

 

 We received the very last of the decorative rock and decomposed granite.....

 Brody had to play Iwo Jima for awhile.....

 Then while Gramps supervised us we hauled and hauled rock and mulch into the back yard

 This may not look like a lot, however it took the whole truckload we bought to complete.

 A last minute change in the design was a happy one...even if it took over almost 4 yards of decorative rock....we only have a tiny pile left.

 The decomposed granite is in....next week artificial turn....home stretch!

 We declared a day at the races (even tho poor Steve had to stand 99 percent of the time)....nothing like this thundering herd to pump up your adrenaline....

Every year I change how I pick horses....so I tried my new process of hidden meaning.  PaPa as that is what everyone called my dad; ridden by an Adam - no bainer!!! 

 Wine Police - aka - Steve Wilson....he is quick to remind me when I have had my rare 2nd glass of wine....

 Awesome Diamond....yes, because I have one and because it was an Irish horse, I am part Irish and we have a really good friend in Ireland!!!  I can smell the money!!!

 At post time it was like  it was like the winners circle was calling my name.....Home Stretch....hmmmm, Papa finished 4th when I bet him to show, Wine Police was 2nd when I bet to win, Awesome Diamond was 4th when I bet him to place....not my best strategy.

So I turned to things I am much better at - making deals on Craigslist.  Years ago I saw this Old World Globe Bar at a boutique in Palm Springs for $400.00, then I saw it in Palm Desert at a Thrift Store for $180.00.....then I found it on Craig's list for $100.00, but she said I could have it for $70.00!  It was so classy it demanded to ride in the front seat!

 I love the hand painting embellishments....perfect for the family room.....

 It is a bar inside and also hand painted but we are not telling Brody that for a few years....he would commandeer it for stashing stuff!

 Home Stretch on things I can cram in this room!

 Brody told me that Mickey (aka Baby) was falling apart....lost his nose and his neck stuffing was coming out....can you fix it GiGi?  Who could say no to those big brown eyes!

 So while he played quietly (too quietly) in the boys bedroom I stitched away.....I sewed up the neck and made a new nose and sewed that on.

 Brody was amazed that Mickey had a nose again.....

 And flung him over his arm which made me realize how warn his neck was from his constant position in Brody's arm....and that quiet part - well look at the disaster the boys room is in!  Brodified!

 Its also the Home Stretch for  baby duck feeding in the pond next to the house.....we have watched the baby ducks grow all summer....they boys love to feed them!  First there were 8 ducklings, then 7, then 6, 5, 4 and finally just 3 survived - too many coyotes and hawks around.

 I told the boys the next time we come we would not be able to tell which were the babies and which were the adults - The babies won against all the odds!

And that's a winning race of the best kind!