Local History Day

Yesterday we spent the morning at our county museum for California Living History Day. This house was built in 1909 -- the year before our home was built. It had been remodeled, but the museum restored it to its original layout, so it was interesting to see what our house might have looked like 100 years ago.

Volunteers dressed up in period costume, and offered hands-on activities for the kids...

I told the boys this was the original Target... ;)

Leather stamping...

Panning for gold...

Weighing their gold...

The assayer told them they each had half an ounce of gold, which would be worth $500 each. They were quite disappointed to find out it wasn't real!

This was our parish's first local mission, built in 1892, the second Episcopal church in our county...

The kids loved seeing this 1925 photo of our neighborhood park.

Old medical tools...

Grinding acorns for flour... The acorns would have to be dried for a year before grinding, and then the flour soaked to remove the phytic acid. (Like we should be doing today with whole wheat!)

Learning about wattle and daub construction...

Lincoln logs!

This was a fun one -- making adobe bricks out of mud and straw!

Wash up really well -- we're going out to lunch at a brand new cafe!

Girls' day out -- vintage shopping!

I am not known by my family for my early rising. I'd like to change that, because I think I could get a lot done in the quiet hours of morning -- if only I were awake.

This morning was an exception. I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., and woke up 17 minutes early -- maybe I was a little anxious? My mom and I were on the road by 6:05, on our way past the lupines to the central California coast for a girls' day out.

Our road trip was inspired by the 6th annual Remnants of the Past Vintage Show, held in and around a huge old barn in the middle of an orange grove at the Dana-Powers House in Nopomo. (Vintage is the new antique, you know.)

Earlier this week, I wondered if I should stay home and clean my house, instead of escaping to the beach for a day of shopping. But what better inspiration to make ones' home beautiful than a few hours of browsing artfully arranged collections of homey vintage treasures?

We saw so many inspiring ideas -- lots of beautiful ways to arrange cut flowers and unique uses chalkboard paint. I'm going to copy the terra cotta pot pencil holders by Patti's Artful Design. And I LOVED the rag book pillows by Euro Linens, but I'll have to find a way to make some myself out of old books.

A few things were way out of our price range, but we came home with some treasures, nonetheless!

We had a fabulous day, finishing up with lunch (and a little more shopping!) in San Luis Obispo. Thanks, Mom!

Now go read my mom's post! :)

April in the garden

We've been home for a few days, slowly getting back into our routine. This morning we wandered out into the garden to see what changes two rainstorms and a week away had brought.

The weeds were high, of course -- but I happily counted that evidence that it's still spring, and not summer already! The chard and broccoli were much higher, having bolted over five feet tall.

The boys happily found an abundance of ladybugs to hold and examine...

The melons have sprouted, and a few sunflowers. But we'll need to plant more pumpkin seeds. Still have beans, squash and corn to plant from seed.

The blackberry vines are growing like crazy, lots of blooms, so we should have our first berries in another month.

Behind the overgrown cool season veggies, I've planted our first summer veggies, with lots of cilantro and parsley in between. I ordered organic tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings from The Natural Gardening Company here in California, because I knew I wouldn't have the time or patience to grow them from seed.

We're planning a big summer road trip for the last half of June, first part of July, so I'm trying to keep the garden small this year. I'll have to get a lot of canning done before we leave! Then, hopefully, I can plant a second round in August because we have such a nice long season.

How does your garden grow?

Celebrating my 35th birthday in Tucson

After a breakfast of raspberry-chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and eggs, we headed to the park to run with the dogs...

Well, okay, my sister and the boys ran with the dogs... I took some pictures and sat down to knit. ;)

Then we headed downtown to do a little shopping and sightseeing. Tucson is only 45 minutes from Mexico, and the cultural influence is everywhere. I loved all the colorful, Southwest-style homes...

Eventually we headed home with our souvenirs. Lego candy, books about the desert and native cultures, and wallets made from recycled materials for the boys. A handmade bird's nest necklace for me! (And a little something for my giveaway... details to come after we get home!)

My sister made a yummy dinner, and we ate out on the patio...

Gluten-free chocolate birthday cake with whipcream frosting and fresh strawberries! (Yes, I had a second piece.)

Auntie Brookie got a late night chess lesson from Eldest...

A lovely birthday in every detail... Tomorrow morning we say our sad goodbyes, and head back to California.