A Busy Week

On Easter Sunday I drove to my Brother-in-law's house to join my husband's family for dinner. We all had a wonderful time. The Bean and his brother played and looked for Easter eggs and ate lots of good food. It was a beautiful, warm, California day.
The Prospector picked up his mother and niece and drove them from Stockton to Pittsburg and back to Stockton that night. I drove down separately because I was continuing on to my sisters for a visit.

Then I drove to my Sister's house where I have been for a week. I saw my Mom almost everyday. The rest home where she lives was just lovely. Everything was in bloom and in the ivy geranium , hanging on the front porch, a Dove had built a nest. Everyday I found her sitting on her eggs . Looking at me as if to say..., "Don't you come to close now, I don't want to have to fly away." So I would give her a wide berth and leave her alone...,except for the photos I took. I cropped these pictures to get a better view of her sitting in the planter but I never got close enough to scare her away.
On Thursday I took Mom to lunch and back over to her house to see the cat which is still there. ( She leaves food and a place in the garage for the cat to sleep. ) and picked up some things that she wanted. She knows that she can't go back home now, but I know it's hard for her to see her home and know that she will never live there again. Still, she wants to visit. The house remains empty because she doesn't want to rent it. This may have to change at some point but for now it's OK. She loves where she is and they take such good care of her. She knows that she can never live in her home again and has accepted this ,but it is still very hard for her, and for my sister and I as well.

On Friday Sis and I met a friend for lunch and a trip to ROOM WITH A PAST. This is the once a month warehouse shop, filled with home furnishings and collectibles, that just happened to be THIS weekend. Isn't it a coincidence that my trips always seem to fall on the weekend of this sale every month? I'm just so lucky sometimes.
Every month they have a whole new store with new antiques and collectibles. Now, they have added a whole new section with more rooms. (See the arched doorway with the black and white floor? That's the new section.) My friend Jan Ely planned and painted the new section and it's gorgeous!! This store is a wonderland of vintage antiques and home decor. If any of you who live in California ever get to Walnut Creek you must go to see this store. It's just fabulous!! Check out the dates at the link above.

Well, I'm home and glad to be here. Tomorrow I have a surprise for you. It's a surprise that you will want to see. STAY TUNED.

"Out with the Old, in with the New"

This cute pink bicycle represents more fun than a corral full of baby goats. It's the reason I usually plan my trips to the bay area on certain days every month. This is the antique/ vintage/ creative art store owned by Susan Goodman called ROOM WITH A PAST. They are only open 4 days a month and each month is a new adventure, with amazing bargains..., and it's just down right fun to visit.
See that green chair in the top left photo? See the color? Does it look familiar? Yes, it's exactly the same color of the little, half size, green chair I have here in my home. That's because Jan Ely(the blond in the jammies and slippers) likes to paint cute little chairs in my favorite color. I bought one here last year. THIS cute chair did not(sigh) come home with me. I practiced some restraint on this trip, but if it's still there next month I may not have the control that I did last week. Of course I could just NOT GO to this sale and make my life easier, but that's "not an option", as they say. I might miss something wonderful!..., something with my name on it..., something I can't live without. See, how easy it is to rationize this obsession.

Last Thursday, before the unexpected dinner for 8, Sis and I took a run by R.W.A.P. It was their Christmas sale and , of course, we had to take a quick look. It's only about a mile from Mom's rest home, so there was just no reason not to go before I picked up Mom for dinner. (More rationalizing). Sis got home, afterwards, and found out she was having 4 extra people coming for dinner and the panic set in..., but it was still worth the stop at our favorite store.
These are the wonderful ladies who run R.W.A.P. This is the only time you will ever see them IN PUBLIC wearing their pajamas and slippers, and I did get their permission to put this photo on my blog. They are a very nice bunch of woman, who work hard to make this store a charming place. They enjoy what they do and they all seem to get along well. This was New Years Day and we were invited to wear our jammies and slippers too, but we opted for street clothing because we didn't want someone with a camera/phone to immortalize us in Trader Joe's. All customers were invited to partake of a huge table of goodies(and I mean HUGE) to celebrate the New Year and, of course, the amazing sale. Sis found a big drop-leaf table to do crafts and sewing on. I added a beautiful vintage pressed metal tray to my kitchen collection and one of Jan's handmade ornaments.

Thank you ladies. It was fun, as always. It was nice to see you, Marcia. Glad you are doing so well. See you next month.

Room With a Past ~ 1557A Third Ave., Walnut Creek CA 94597
(925) 933-1903

Jan Ely's "Little Pink Houses" blog can be found at pinkhousepages.blogspot.com. Check it out. She loves "vintage", painting and decorating. She also makes wonderful, artful things. We grew up in the same town and her Dad and my Mom went to school together in Napa, Ca. We found each other through our blogs. Small world isn't it?