california vacation ~ our cottage

Hello, friends! We just got back from a vacation in California, so if I haven't been around to visit your blog, I will be soon. Our son, Tim moved to the Los Angeles area last November, so we went out there to visit him. It'd also been 10-1/2 years since we last took a vacation, so I'd say we were overdue. Ironically, that last vacation was also to California, but to San Francisco. I LOVE California. I wish we could afford to live there. It's my happy place. I have a lot of photos and stories to tell about my trip, so I'll break it up into two or three blog posts.

Going through O'Hare Airport, I got a chuckle out of these boxes. Cannabis just became legal here in Illinois as of January 1st, but it's still illegal on a federal level. So one can dispose of their weed that they forgot to leave at home, before getting on the plane. Makes you wonder who gets to clean these boxes out, hmm?! 

 After getting up super early to get to the airport, setting off the alarms through the security check-through and getting patted down by TSA (laughable, really...of course I didn't have anything on me, nor do I have a pacemaker or any artificial "parts"), a long, bumpy plane ride, some frustration with the car rental pick-up, and not having any food in over nine hours, we finally found a place to sit down in the sunshine and enjoy a huge, delicious, fresh salad with grilled chicken. It felt so good to experience 70-degree weather again. We had to chuckle at a lot of the passers-by wearing coats. 

 Being from Illinois, the only succulents I ever see are small ones in plant nurseries. So when I see them growing prolifically along the sidewalks and in homeowner's landscaping, I'm in awe. I told Brian I wish I could just dig some up and bring them home.

Another thing I couldn't stop gawking over the entire week were the hills and mountains. They are so beautiful and amazing to me since I live where it's mostly flat. Tim told me if I lived there, I'd get used to them and not even really "see" them anymore. I dunno...I think the older I get, the more I'm aware and appreciative of the beauty that surrounds me.

 We rented a little guest cottage behind someone's house through VRBO. This place was even better in person than what we saw online. Even Tim loved the place and said he wished he could move in and rent it on a permanent basis. 😉

 These hammock chairs were amazing. I almost fell asleep in one the afternoon we arrived. I envisioned myself hanging out here every evening with a glass of wine, and then in the mornings with a cup of coffee. But, I guess it wasn't meant to be because we ended up with a lot of rain.

 Chaise right outside our bedroom door.

The gardens in the patio area were so pretty. This little cottage inside and out was decorated in a Zen theme.

See the lemon tree over the fence? Those were all over the place, with easily 100+ lemons on every tree. I can't imagine being able to walk out your door every morning and pick fresh lemons. I use them in my water every day. They are expensive in Illinois and coated in wax. The owner of our cottage left some fresh lemons for us in the fridge and I was amazed that they weren't shiny (no wax!), still had a stem on them, and when cut open, had a faint herbal scent.

Inside our little cottage was a dining area...

a small but adequate kitchen...

and a living room area.

A TV on the wall across from the sofa...though we only watched TV for an hour one night when Tim was with us. We couldn't relax outside due to the rain.

We were only able to sit outside one evening...the one where it didn't rain. The patio at night was magical.

The bedroom...

View from across the bed. 

I have to admit, I'm not a good traveler. I don't like waiting around in boring airports, being herded like cattle through TSA checkpoints, sitting in a cramped plane with uncomfortable seats, the constant noise and pressure inside the plane, the unfamiliarity of the hotel room (or cottage, in this case), time changes, and living out of a suitcase. I barely slept that night and woke up in the morning with a raging headache.

I know we're all concerned about the coronavirus right now, so I hope that perhaps this blog post was a small, pleasant distraction in your day. I am choosing to mostly self-quarantine since I was just traveling and with thousands of people between the airports, planes, restaurants, a museum, stores, etc. The virus takes two days - two weeks to show up, so I'll stay mostly put until the end of the month. I wouldn't want to unknowingly pass along the virus to anyone else.

Be well, be happy, be peaceful. God bless. 💓

my decorating style

Hi there! Sorry it's been awhile since I last wrote. I've just been busy with everyday life...projects, housework, gardening, out with friends, yoga classes, haircut, learning how to use my new phone (amazing how much technology changes in two years!) and best of all...an overnight visit from my son. 

As I was reading Rue's blog post today about being trendy (or not) and different decorating styles, I was wondering what my own decorating style was...  

Cottage? Vintage?

 (Oops, there's a sneak peek of the hallway gallery wall I'm working on in the background.)

Hmm...I see a couple of mid-century modern creamers in this collection.

Another pairing of old and new...

 There's a modern ladder shelf in the living room ~ and a few modern vases, but then there's milk glass pieces and old books in the mix.

On the opposite side of the living room, a vintage magazine rack graces a corner next to an antique mahogany buffet.

Then it's back to modern with the lamp and end table...but what about the baskets underneath?

The opposite side of the couch has vintage suitcases as an end table, but I used a metal (modern!) basket on top to hold books. (Isn't the cover of that gardening book pretty? Found it recently at Goodwill. Yes, I bought this book for its cover. I also may or may not have bought wine because of the label. Don't judge. I'm a visual person.)

One thing's for certain ~ cats will always be part of my decor. :-)

 And so will books. Lots and lots of books.

This is my main book area...in the basement family room. Those of you who are new to my blog might not recognize this space. It's definitely modern compared to the rest of the house. I don't show it too often simply because I'm rarely down there. We mostly "live" upstairs on the main level.

 Well, I guess I can't put my decorating style in a box and call it anything certain. I've got old stuff, new stuff, and in-between stuff. I like it all! Eclectic, maybe? But like Rue said, "Stop apologizing and love your own style, no matter what it is." I couldn't agree more. I love to decorate and do so for myself and my family. As long as my home is comfortable, welcoming, a safe haven and filled with love, that's all that matters.

a cottage, farms, and a baby

 So there's been a lot going on since I've last talked to you all. Don't worry, it's all good.

 Just a long, busy extended weekend. I'll warn you ahead of time - this post will probably
 be quite lengthy and photo heavy, so grab your favorite drink and make yourself
 comfortable. 

Last Thursday, my former yoga-teacher- turned-friend invited me out to her new house for

 a visit. She and her husband recently downsized into an old cottage that they're
 completely rehabbing. I have a pretty good feel for what someone's house is going to
 be like, just from knowing the person. My friend is beautiful, charming, artsy, and mindful
 - and her house reflects the same. I was so busy taking in every detail of her gorgeous
 cottage, that I didn't even think to ask her if I could take pictures. So I took a few of hers
 from her online album. This is the cottage's one and only bathroom...

This huge upstairs loft became their bedroom. I wish I had a picture of it with all

her furnishings and decorations in it. The room is so beautiful that I told my friend,

"I would never leave this room!"

 

This is her kitchen before everything was moved in, too. She painted all the cabinets

a light creamy brown (has a tint of green), then painted the insides of the top cabinets

and left them open.

 

 

The kitchen boasts the 1960's stove which still works just fine! There's a vintage

fridge, too, but I don't have a photo of that.

 

 

On Friday, we were 2-1/2 hours north in Wisconsin at our church's annual Bible

Camp. We don't go anymore, but we like to head up there on the last day to visit

with some people - most especially, one of my dearest friends who lives in Canada

but yet makes the trek to Wisconsin every year to attend this camp. It's really the only

time I ever see her. And did I take any photos of her? Or have someone else take a

photo of the two of us? Of course not. 

Tim came home for the long weekend and on Sunday, the two of us went on a

photography adventure. The weekend before when I had driven out to my best

friend's new house to help her unpack from her move, I passed an abandoned

barn "out in the middle of nowhere". I made a mental note when I passed it, that

I would love to go back and photograph it one day. And I knew Tim would love

to take pictures, too. I still only have my point-and-shoot, but I do the best I can with

 what I have. We started off by taking pictures of the outside of the barn and
 surrounding property. I wish I knew the story behind this barn and land...it looks like
 there might've been a tornado or a fire.

 There was obviously once a house on the property, too. We found the crumbling

remains filled with water.

 The inside of the barn was really creepy. There were a lot of stuffed animals and

dolls lying around in piles of garbage.

 There were old license plates hung on the walls...

and even a Christmas wreath still in place.

 

 On the drive back home, we stopped at another farm to take photos. Look at

all this beautiful, wide-open farm land. It's so beautiful in the summer. You can tell

how hazy and humid it was that day though.

 And then my wonderful, long weekend was completed today by a visit from this

cutie patootie. His mom, Rachel is like my niece. Rachel's mom and I were best

friends from our last year in high school until our late 30's. Rachel and my oldest

son, Phil (who passed away almost five years ago, for those of you who don't know)

were born only two weeks apart. Me and Rachel's mom spent a lot of time together 

back in those days, plus I babysat Rachel while her mom worked. Anyway, Rachel

got married five years ago and moved to Canada, so I hardly get to see her anymore.

And now she has a baby! Rachel, her husband and the baby are in town right now,

so I finally got to hold and kiss this little guy. I wonder how Phil would've felt that his

best childhood friend was already a mom. I think he would've gotten a kick out of 

being "Uncle Phil".