happy father's day...

These are the eyeglasses my father wore through much of the 1970's. 
The plastic is splitting and faded.
My mother gave them to me about 20 years ago.
They sit on a shelf in my living room.
They are the spectacles through which my father watched me grow.
He watched every softball game through them.
Saw me perform years of pom pon and cheerleading routines.
Played games with me while wearing them.
Told me I looked pretty through these same glasses.
He was always looking at me through them
because my Dad was always there. 
Always.
At everything.
Cheering.
Encouraging.
Loving.
He wasn't wearing them by the time my daughter was born.
No, he wore new glasses when he played barbies with her.
While he built snowmen with her
and held her hand when they went for long walks.
When he told her she looked pretty.
New glasses, same man.
He still wears glasses, this man who was always there
and luckily for me, still is.
My Dad.

Wishing you all a lovely Father's Day Weekend.

vintage finds...

Perhaps I'll have to limit the number of purses we cover in "vintage finds", but not today.  Today, I'm sharing another classic (and newly acquired) clutch.

Look at that beauty all puckered up in rectangular glory.  I adore a purse with an unusual shape. I think rectangle and circle are my favorite.  Oh, and don't miss the extra special touch. 

The handle.  Just look at that vintage bakelite goodness.  I fear I might weep.  Don't you think it would pair beautifully with this vintage ivory necklace.

I have this necklace sitting here at my desk.  It has been cleaned and photographed and is waiting to be placed in my shop.  It's just that, well, it would look lovely with that clutch don't you think...

things i love thursday...

Back in April, I posted about a childhood book I loved.  Then a weird thing happened.  I have had that book for about 35 years (that's hard to believe) and have never seen another one, even though I know they certainly exist.  That's not the weird thing, that's not even weird.  My neighbor mows his backyard and I know very well there is nothing but dirt back there.  That's a little weird.

The weird thing about this story is that a few days after the post, my mother, finder of everything,  happens to be out and just stumbles upon what appears to be a sequel of sorts to the Bear/Duck adventure.  This kind of freaks me out.  There were more adventures?  Okay, these are not classic literature, they are simply quick cute stories.  It's just that Two Good Friends  struck a chord in me as a child and I would love to have read more about these characters when I was young.  I couldn't believe I hadn't had that book out since my daughter was little, she's 24 now, and the same week I pull it out, my mother comes across this...

 There they are!  Bear and Duck in all their cuteness and it appears they have a new friend in the mix.  So fun for me to thumb through it...

I mention it today because I had some childhood friends over yesterday.  It's lovely to visit with old friends don't you think?  I took "blotos" so I'll share our visit with you next week.  What?  You don't know what a "bloto" is?  It's what Andrew Henry (and now the rest of my family) call photos for the blog.  BLOG + PHOTO = BLOTO.  Just before everyone is about to eat, I pull out my camera and they all yell "BLOTOS".   I'm sure if you blog, your friends and family are use to this as well.

Do you still have friends from your childhood?

pagoda 11...

This is the 11th post in the Wednesday morning "Pagoda" series which chronicles the almost 5 years we spent turning a 1970's Pagoda house into our home. Last week we finally got a look inside with the powder room.

Today, we'll wander over to my daughter's room.  She has never "lived" in this room.  We bought and remodelled the house right after she moved away for college.  She "stays" in this room when she's home (just typing that kind of makes me teary).  While it's a modern house in many aspects, I hope that I've added enough personal and vintage touches to stear clear of that cold feeling.  I think, regardless of the style of your home, it should be filled with things that are meaningful to you.

This is the view when you walk in.  The bed was in a 1930's home my family moved into when I was in high school.  It was original to that home.  It was my bed for years. It was brown metal then and it still has the original tags underneath the built in metal boxspring.  I sprayed it silver for this house. 

Both my daughter and I slept on this bed while we were in high school (new mattress)  It's been in our family for 30 years and I like that.  The awesome glass and chrome side table was a $10 garage sale find.  Nothing hanging over the bed yet.  Two years now and I just haven't seen the "right" thing.  I will eventually though, I'm not worried.  The sliding glass door on the left there opens to a little enclosed patio that I forgot to take a photo of.  

The next image shows what you would see if you were sitting on the bed.  You can see the door to the closet.  It use to be a side door to the house.  It went to the outside.  We added a walk-in closet so you wouldn't need dressers in the bedroom.  The other door leads into a shared bathroom (a "jack-n-jill" if you will - hey that rhymes!).  The chair, vintage find gift from my mother.

Let's take a closer look at what's hanging on the walls (almost always my favorite part of a room).  This is an embroidery piece my grandmother made me when my daughter was born.  I treasure it. 

This watercolor was painted by an elderly neighbor of mine.  I have a few pieces of hers.  This one isn't even signed.  I just liked it.  I've been calling this woman Esther.  Esther has moxie.  Can't you just tell?  The daughter doesn't care for it too much, she doesn't even know I've hung it in her room since she was last home.  Well, she knows now.  Embrace Esther daughter, she's wearing a pink swimsuit - your favorite color, and she has moxie, you love moxie!  She's fishing, oh wait, we don't eat fish.  Okay, she's at the ocean, you love the ocean.

Hanging on the wall by the bed are two vintage paintings the daughter picked out herself (at an estate sale).  They are both done by Lara Orozco.  I wasn't sure if I liked them at first but they've grown on me.  She might never get them.

The opposite wall is framed vintage as well. 

Those are vintage patterns.  I picked up a box full at where else......an estate sale.  Held on to them for a couple years.  I LOVE them.  By the way, I don't sew, just thought the women were fabulous.

Next to those fanstastic fashionistas is a girl many of us know and love...

Now, how darn cool is this?  This is the lid to my Barbie case.  It was my Barbie case back in the early 1970's and my daughter's Barbie case in the early 1990's.  If you've got these things boxed up some where, I say, set them free.  Get them out and enjoy them.  Things like this...

This is what is on the lower shelf of the bedside table.  That is my dad's 1st grade report card (I photoshopped his name out to protect his privacy).  It sits on an old book which rests on a vintage suitcase that once held, what else, my daughtere's Barbie clothes.  You know, they might actually still be in there!  More vintage goodies are this acrylic lamp (also from my dear mom), a vintage horse vase and pill box and a little frame with our photo in it...

These embroidered pillows on the bed are also vintage.  I'm starting to think there isn't a new or modern thing in this whole bedroom!

Oh sorry, there is.  A new Martha Stewart throw on the end of the bed...

This rug...

and these wall flats which I hate and we are going to be removing.  Don't get me wrong, they are lovely and they add a nice texture to the white wall (my intention) but they aren't square and they don't stick and they've been driving me crazy for over a year - whew that was a bit to get out.  They are still on the wall because it's behind the door and we just forget about it most of the time.  This list of little things to still finish is long when you rebuild a house.  Will it ever end?  My poor husband, you have no idea the nagging.

Do you know the only thing missing from this room (okay BESIDES some artwork over the bed)?

This little face. 
This little face is 24 now and just completed her first year of law school - CONGRATULATIONS baby!

honey...

Yesterday I showed you my new houseguests and asked you your favorite way to eat honey.  I did not, however, reveal our favorite way to eat honey.  I know you were filled with curiosity.  Did you lie awake last night pondering "what is Jeanette's favorite way to eat honey"?  "Why didn't she tell us"?  "Why are the hot air hand dryers in public restrooms placed so high that you have to reach up to dry your hands, causing the water to run down your arms"?  Oh, sorry, that's something I lay awake and ponder.   Seriously though, right?  Am I the only person who this bugs?  Okay, back to the the honey.

Sleep is an important part of good health and I want you to be healthy, so to save you from another restless night, I'm going to reveal the big mystery.  You will sleep well tonight knowing this... 

That image is it for me.  I like to drizzle it on my yogurt.  That wasn't very exciting was it?  Don't know why you lost so much sleep over it in the first place.

Andrew Henry, now he's exciting, and so is his favorite way to eat honey.  Do you know the joy of eating a Baked Apple Pancake?  The link to the recipe is very close to the one I make but I pour honey on the apples and around the edge of the pan before I pour the batter in - gives it a sweet cripsy crust.  I have made it with buckwheat flour (gluten-free for me), and while it doesn't rise to it's usually glorious mountain of airy goodness, it was nice.  I know there are probably gluten-free recipes that will get you close to the original, I'm just too lazy to look into it so I make this for AH and I eat a scrambled egg.  Truth hurts.

I made the pancake for AH's breakfast on Sunday - he always loves it...

You start with these...

progress to this...

  

  

and end up with this...

 

Delish no?  It could easily serve 4-6 people, or one Andrew Henry.

While I was making said pancake, I noticed my countertop.  I have a 16 foot counter in my kitchen and only about 1 foot of surface area to work on.  Do you know why?  I make and sell jewelry that's why.  I pick up bits and bobs everywhere and spread it out, let it "speak" to me.  I piece together things when I'm designing and I'm often in my kitchen - it has the biggest work area.  I cook around the jewelry...

 

See the vintage jacks?  Andrew Henry told me he HAS NEVER PLAYED JACKS!  I couldn't believe it.  So, after breakfast, I taught him how to play. 

There wasn't any room left on the counter, so we played on the floor.

Did you play jacks as a child?

the bees knees...

This photo is not here to give evidence of how our hard Phoenix water stains my poor fountain.  No, it is not.  This photo is a snapshot of our newest pets.  We have bees. 

For weeks now, there have been bands of bees drinking from our fountain.  Look at them over there.  That's just one little snippet of them.  Can you have a "snippet" of bees? 

From whence they come I do not know.  I watch them fly away out of my backyard, each one takes the exact same path, and then comes back again.  ALL. DAY. LONG.

In my infinite guessing wisdom, I've decided they must be building a hive somewhere and this obviously requires copious amounts of water.  I have never built a beehive so I don't know for sure, but when Andrew Henry was building this house, he required lots of water so it's a logical conclusion no?  It's also very hot in Phoenix, so there's that.

There are always, at the very least, 30-40 bees swarming and drinking and flying to and fro, every single day.  My dog, Jake, goes out and drinks from this fountain daily.  Yes, he has fresh clean water inside, but he prefers the fountain.  I do not understand all of the things of the dog.  The bees don't mind sharing with him and he doesn't seem bothererd with them either.

We're kind of obsessed with it.  We just stand here watching them in awe.  Bees are good and we feel our little fountain is helping our bee population somehow.  We need bees.  Bees are the bees knees.  Bees give us honey and flowers and Burt's Bees give us great lip balm, wait, that's not right....

"Bees work for man, and yet they never bruise Their Master's flower, but leave it having done, As fair as ever and as fit to use; So both the flower doth stay and honey run. " - George Herbert

Here's my question - what's you favorite way to eat honey?

four lovely women...

As usual, my four favorite women send us a snapshot from their little corner of the world. I love seeing what they've been up to.


Let's all have a great week!

Seattle - daughter.

Sedona - mother.

Aliso Viejo - friend.

St. Augustine - cousin.

Coming up later - our new pets...