{the view along the way}

The other day I was walking my usual route

This is the old highway 40

http://www.aaroads.com/california/us-040_ca.html

it looks as though it is the original pavement.

When you walk on it you don't feel the lumps and bumps

like when you drive on it in your car

It was part of the first transcontinental highway that ran east to west

(or, as I would say, west to east)

connecting San Francisco to New York City.

Normally, I have two other ladies that walk with me.

That day, however, other plans interfered with them walking with me.

The winding rural road ahead

Spectators along the way to cheer me on

A row of colorful mailboxes

A house that is probably nearly 100 years old

Our little town gets its name from a stone quarry in Penrhyn, Wales.

When Griffith Griffith came here in the 1800's,

he found a large deposit of granite and bought up the land

that it stood on.

He 'mined' the granite stone and sold it for buildings

(among the San Francisco mint building)

This is a building in our "downtown" (that is no downtown)

it has the post office and library in the downstairs

and the mysterious masonic temple doings overhead.

Right across the street is the railroad tract that intersects our state.

This line hauls freight and passenger cars at all hours of the day and night.

(Just ask the guests that stay at my daughter's home if they get woken up during the night)

We don't seem to even hear the train whistles any more... well after 30 + years...

Their home is one of the buildings that was part of the "town" 100 years ago.

Here is a little building that was the office for the quarry during the booming years.

I am told that a rail line ran from here ran down into Sacramento.

Cars holding the granite cut from the quarry in the background 

only needed the downhill action to get them into the city.

They were then shipped all over for foundations and buildings.

For more information:

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Facility/Museums/LocalMuseums/quarry.aspx

On another note, these palm trees were planted in the 1800's

as property boundaries. Land around here was granted to English emigrants as

incentives to plant citrus trees. Citrus Colony was born. A lot of the palm trees still stand

and are protected. Sadly, most of the original citrus trees did not survive the

frosts that come through. We do have Mandarin Orange orchards

throughout the area and those oranges are famous for their sweetness.

Metal Island or Work Station

My Mr made this island/work station. 

He used a metal base and added the stained wood top. I think it is awesome. 

There is a hard finish on the wood, the metal has been ground smooth and there are casters so you can conveniently move it where you want.

It is for sale in our space at our antique mall.

Even with al that I have on it, you can still see its beauty.

Linking up to Miss Mustard Seed's

Furniture Feature Friday

A Few Days in Tahoe

I think I told you that we ran up to Tahoe for a few days.

Well, my planning for the trip was during the

preparation for a show in Roseville,

Mr taking a Bible study on Sunday

and me, getting together our clothes,

a small amount of food, etc.

Well, I forgot some of the clothes...

I didn't even know they were missing until

we unpacked the back of the truck to go to the room.

I had packed an extra top in the duffle bag for me,

a few polo shirts for Mr and a pair of denim pants

along with our other necessities.

Thank the Lord we had that much.

We had breakfast at one of our favorite places,

Zepher Cove Restaurant.

They have always have had the BEST food.

enough said...

A look back at the place we stayed...

hey, don't judge - it was free...

well, after we listened and said "no thank you"

no, thanks

not interested

no

ah, no

no, thanks

well, after about a million nos,

finally they signed us out

and said we could come back

for a couple of days - free

Guess what?

They wanted us to listen again!

We said - No Thanks!

An Official Mes Amis Report...

Mes Amis

Spring 2012

I wrote that title and sat back and looked it over.

It looked official, even -- well sorta

Last Saturday, April 21

we attended, ventured out, took our wares

good, bad, ugly and awesome

to Roseville for the Spring Mes Amis Show

We sported the Antique Trove sign over our space...

Advertising for them and a landmark place for our

customers to find us.

All the 

"Good"

"Professional"

"Spectacular"

vendors sold there also.

We were the tag along little sister that was allowed to come.

And happily at that.

I'm sorry that I couldn't spend more time touring their spaces,

finding special one-of-a-kind treasures

because they were all there.

A denim and white metal love seat with a few pillows I made for the event.

(still available, but the birdbath sold)

This patio set went to a new home

Mr does such a wonderful job with metal topped tables

The farm table with casters found a new home

As you can see, we had no shortage of benches

The start of a display I am working on for the coming Memorial Holiday

4th of July will work too -- Red, White and Blue

I think I will add a flag to the mix and put it on a table,

what do you think?

The background belongs to our neighbor

The Green Mum

from Redding, Ca

I had several "lookers" for my jewelry bouquet and the

tray sold from underneath it.

We had a lovely day, breezes tickled our warm brows

and good friends came and visited during our time.

We look forward to returning in the fall.

This was on Saturday...

Mr had the Bible study to give on Sunday...

We ran away to Tahoe Sunday afternoon...

Another story, another time.

Local News Honors Shop

Our local town has much going for it, not the least is my daughter and son-in-law's store

The Vintage Bricoleur

They were interviewed and written up for the local news and here is a link to that story

HERE

http://theloomisnews.com/detail/205122.html?
content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=

I know, what's a mom to do when their kid is honored? Tell everyone about it, that's what...

If you had the chance to go there and see it, you would love their style, products and all the 'neat' stuff that they have. In fact, I may just go down there today and browse around...

Mark Your Calendar for Mes Amis

Mes Amis

Yes, Coming up soon, In fact, just next week.

April 21st - Saturday

In downtown Roseville we will be selling in our usual spot, right next to the firehouse.

We will have unusual planter pots, tables, metal furniture, cute decorator items.

Here is just a sample from past shows

Lots of good items for you to enjoy.

Come on by and see us and say hello.

Downtown Roseville, Oak Street

Saturday April 21st

Alaska Strikes Again

Awhile back, I did a post about a giveaway at SewDutch

If you want to read about it...

Anyway, to my surprise and DELIGHT ! !

I WON!  Now how is that!!

I received my package today and just like a naughty little kid I didn't even wait to sit down, but tore into it immediately. It was chock full of goodies.

I quickly snapped these pictures while my camera was flashing its warning that the battery was about to go dead. As you can tell, I am not even close to being a professional photographer and you may want to skip this part because it will make you nauseous.

• Fabric - not one, not two, not three pieces, but a total of four!

OK, when it is all over, I am going to right up there with all the contestants for having the most fabric, yet I cannot turn it down. It is like a disease, I just have to have more...

• Buttons - I love buttons, they are like little jewels to me
• A homemade head band. I just might sport this, soon, so watch out!
• Chocolate - now who doesn't like chocolate?  You should be ashamed of yourself, it is one of the major food groups
• Bias tape - in the same fabric as what I received, what a great trim
• Cotton yarn - I have been wanting to do some dishcloths in crochet, too!
• Body wash - in an orange blossom scent
• Homemade soap - this one is made by Northern Lights and I can't wait to try it... be right back, got to go take a shower and try it out...
• An Alaska souvenir - A note pad with a puffin on it with a magnet, how fun
• A black double picture frame
• A mug with a very colorful picture of Native Americans (Eskimos) picking strawberries on it!
• And, a homemade dryer ball. I'm not quite sure how to use this, but I am game. I may have to do some research, looks like fun.

As anyone can see, I am just a big kid when it comes to getting things in the mail. It is almost like a birthday or something.

I can't wait to see what these sisters are up to next. From sewing, crafting, painting, or thrifty tips, they are awesome. Be sure to visit their blog and find out yourself.

http://sewdutchsisters.blogspot.com/

A Fabulous Makeover

How does this strike you? Want it for your house, patio, livingroom, porch?

Well, my Mr created this from this...
  

Just 18" wide, but a lovely 6 feet long, it would look good against a wall or as a stand along island in a room.

It already has a new home and I know it is being enjoyed.

A busy, busy day

We are readying ourselves for a sale in Downtown Sacramento tomorrow. We do this show/sale once a month on the second Sunday.

My preparations includes last minute yard sale shopping. There have been many times we have found a treasure while out yard sale shopping and then took it to a sale the next day and profited from it.

We are also rearranging our cargo trailer. We need to pack it up so that when we hit those inevitable bumps that  our items will stay in place and not fall down on something else, etc. And, because we always find something we think we need to take last minute, a lot of times I need to unpack what we already packed and repack (wow, that makes you tired just reading it)

We recovered an outdoor settee with some denim fabric to give it a fresh look. I got a duvet cover out of denim and it was just waiting for the right time. Mr wanted the scraps for rags, but I voted him down because I see some quilt squares from a pattern I just saw in a magazine. He graciously let me have them.

I am making our lunch today for tomorrow. Fresh vegetables and fruits, sandwiches, a salad or two, oatmeal packets (for the convenience), setting the coffee on the timer for an early wake-up (2am), and making sure my change is in the truck. Plenty of water, tea, etc. We are setting up and selling in our space for about 12 hours, so it makes for a long day along with my body thinks that it is noon when it is really only 8am.

I am also going to make a dessert and perhaps a salad for the Bible study evening we will attend after we return tomorrow afternoon.

All this and I need to get into my bed by around 8:30 to get a few hours of sleep before that alarm goes off. It is not even dark in the summer at that time!

Next week, we will be at a show in nearby Roseville. It was highlighted in a magazine for one of the best shows to attend.

http://theoliveandrose.blogspot.com/2012/04/huge-congrats-to-mes-amis-vendors.html

This blog author is the sponsor/promoter of the show. It has been running for several years and we have a good time. I do the same preparations for this upcoming show as I do now.

In other news... I have been working off and on, mostly off because I am making this up as I go along, on this project. I think I am finished.
Here is it = a jewelry bouquet. I have it sitting in a crystal vase with the wrapped handle down inside it to keep it upright.

It has been a work in progress. I saw one of these, but much, much larger at a shop. Then I went on etsy and I was astounded at the prices they were asking. If you know me, you know that I deal in vintage jewelry and I had many pieces that would just not work for resale. Here is a way that I thought I may be able to utilize them.

Here is it laying down on a silver platter that I picked up. Mr likes it upright, I may take both to see how well of a reception it will get. It is smaller than the ones I saw and hopefully that will be a selling point, because when you get a lot of jewelry on these, they are very heavy.

I have another one sitting, staring at me to do something else with it. It will be gold toned with white ribbon and "pearls". It is not something that I would use, (not planning on marrying again after 40 years with my husband), but there seems to be a market for these. We will see.

What Came First, The Chicken or the Egg?

A real puzzler, huh?

This is my find from a sale last weekend. During the winter, sales are few and far between. It had also been raining, so if there were any sales, they were inside the garage. I know, a garage sale should be in a garage, but most of the time, they are held in front of the garage, spilling over onto the lawn and sidewalk, and down the driveway if you are in the country.

Back to the find of the day.

These birds of a feather were all in a box at one sale. They hadn't even seen the light of day yet.

I started to ask about one and then decided to ask for the whole box. You know, no need to unpack, I'll save you some work, etc. Well, the whole box for $10.

There are a couple art glass style, and one that has feathers, but I am pretty sure he/she was never alive.

Several are wooden, a few ceramic and one that is like a primitive doll. Two more are pewter.

All in all, they count over 20.

We will be going to a show or two here coming up and I want to display them as a group in a wooden box. After all, they deserve to keep themselves company. 

And, somebody collects chickens...

Not Ur Ordinary Nachos

I don't know how your family operates. What your budget is for eating out, etc.

But, when we had six teens at home (yes!) we were always looking for ways to provide treats without breaking the pocket book.

We came up with this solution for Nachos

We shopped at our local bulk store - I think back then it was called "Price Club". Yes, it has been a while...

We bought the large (and I mean large) bag of tortilla chips. I mean, this bag was almost as tall as I was. I stored it in our freezer and brought it out at the times we needed it. With our family, sometimes we bought two bags...

I always had beans on hand. Usually the homemade ones. My husband is of Spanish decent, and it was just part of our meals (here in California, we eat beans...)

To make Nachos for a crowd, I cooked and seasoned a couple patties of ground beef (stored in patties that I made ahead and froze), I re-fried the beans (and not always with lard, just the juice makes them taste quite good), grated cheddar cheese and assembled this all on a couple of cookie sheets in layers. I put them in the oven to crisp up and we then served them up. Homemade salsa (canned tomatoes, canned jalapenos, onion, salt = yum) I bet if you asked my kids now, they would still say it tasted great.

*******************

A word about Nacho sauce that you can purchase at the store. The other day I wanted to have some on hand and here is what I found.

This was priced at $2.88

This brand, in a can with a resealable lid was $1.78.

It tastes very good, but it was not with the chips. You sometimes have to go out of your way to get a bargain.

Speaking of store brands...

You can save money. Smuckers was quite a bit more. I guess I forgot to get that price.

And who has to have the real deal when it goes into a salad?

I hope you are having a great day.

The Missionary Barrel

I'm pretty sure you have all heard stories about missionaries that were abroad and every once in a while a shipment would arrive that would have all kinds of supplies. Some very needed medical equipment perhaps, maybe treats from far away, and sometimes clothing.

When our children were home and, of course, much much smaller and "uneducated", we would receive "missionary barrels" from time to time. It didn't always come in a barrel, but perhaps in the more current black garbage bag.

We knew families that had children that were older and sizes larger than ours, and when their children outgrew their clothing, they were kind enough to "pass it along" to ours. We had three older girls that were somewhat of a size, two boys - one a husky and one a slim, and a younger 'tag-along' girl. We had almost all the sizes!

At a Bible study, I would get a 'heads-up' from a mother that a 'bag' would be deposited in our van. We had strict rules that we would open the bag at home, and with all present, so it would be fair.

What a fun time we had opening the bags. There may be dresses or skirts for the girls,shoes, maybe even a coat or hat. The boys sometimes had pants that were too large, too long or just not appropriate for wearing at the present time. Many try-ons were had then and there. Giggles at how some of the clothing fit, silly outfits from several pieces and on and on. Occasionally, one outfit was designated to one child and another outfit to a second child and then perhaps, the top was traded out for a new find, etc. Everyone got something...

I had a basket that stayed up on a tall shelf in the boys room with pants, shirts, ties, etc that could not be worn because they were too large. I can't tell you how many times I visited that basket and there would be just the right garment for a wedding or special occasion. It seems that the Lord put just what we needed for the special time.

I don't want you to think that we relied only on our "missionary barrels", but they were a real blessing in a time of "not quite enough". I want to remember that the Lord provided for us through other's kindness and I want to give also, for we have received much.

Thank you to those that supplied our needs through your generosity. And, I think that is when I first appreciated that just because you are finished with something, it still has life and can perhaps be used somewhere else, in someone else's life.