Shakin' It Up

It's been so long since I've written, I'm sure I don't have an audience anymore! Just know that I've been thinking of you all but have just been tied up with life -- as most of us are, I know. Nonetheless, all it took for me to get writing was to have an eventless Sunday and to find some cool glassware in a cute little antique store in Jackson, CA.

My son's school was closed a couple Fridays ago (which required me to take a day off of work - awww shucks), and I thought it would be great to take that opportunity to go hiking together. Living in Northern California provides limitless hiking and exploring possibilities, all within an hour's reach, if not less. I decided it would be neat to visit a state park I'd never heard of, which was only a beautiful one-hour car ride away (with the exception of an eerie and surprising view of Rancho Seco in the middle of nowhere) near Jackson, California called Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park.

Before our 3-mile hike, we wanted to grab a bite so we had lunch on the short strip of Main Street in the city of Jackson; short enough that if you blinked you would miss it. But there in the middle of this small mining town was a great little sandwich shop that served a variety of sandwiches, pasta salads, and tasty treats including many healthy choices. I'm not sure why, but I was surprised by this. My son enjoyed a grilled cheese and myself a homemade meatloaf sandwich and an organic fruit juice drink.

Much to my eight-year old's chagrin, you can't take me to an old historic town with cute little shops and antique stores without me at least taking a peek in a few. I was rewarded with a nicely arranged little antique store that was jam-packed with items that I particularly like to collect and sell, including great vintage glassware, linens, painted wooden bowls, enamelware, and other fun collectibles. I could have bought a lot more than I did, but trying not to go too overboard I ended up with a McKee flour shaker, most likely from the 30's, and a Fire-King jadite pepper shaker with a tulip lid. I would have loved to have found complete sets, but I settled with the odd pair, figuring that I would sell them in my eBay store to a couple of folks who just needed those shakers to complete their set! ;-)

Fire-King jadite shaker (available in our eBay store, "On The Corner")

McKee "Roman Arches" custard flour shaker (also available in our eBay store)


After my vintage stuff-finding high, I was all ready for our hike at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, a very interesting site complete with Miwok Indian petroglyphs and beautiful, shaded trails through a densely wooded area. My son and I were literally the only people there - it was great! When we were done with our exploration of the area, what water was left in our bottles was warm and the water from the park's fountain was nice and cold. Unfortunately, this nice, cold water literally tasted like it came straight from the toilet. I've never (knowingly) sampled toilet water, but I imagined it might have tasted somewhat like that. So, instead of toilet-tasting water, we rewarded ourselves with a couple of ICEEs at a nearby gas station on the way back home. Mmmm...sugary, artificially colored ice-cold drinks! Reminds me of my childhood! Nothing tasted so good at that moment.

1) Having fun with my son, 2) Finding some great vintage crap, and 3) Hiking through beautiful wilderness with fresh air in my lungs -- I can't think of a better way to spend a day.

My son among some interesting plants.

My son next to the entrance of a reconstructed Miwok roundhouse.

Vintage Christmas - Ad Nauseum?

Is there a such thing as having too much vintage Christmas crap around the house? I don't think so! This year, I actually did a little less of the vintage thing only because I got a small tree this year (trying to save a little dough) and too many ornaments would take down the tree! Not to mention I have a young cat who finds these items irresistible and since she could probably jump almost to the top of the tree, I thought it wise not to put some of my best breakable vintage ornaments on the tree. Speaking of my nosey cat (Abby), she managed to get her tail in this Santa picture to the left. It's always got to be about her!

Anyway, I decided to take pictures of some of my vintage Christmas items that I've acquired over the years. Most of my glass ornaments I got at a church rummage sale, and the rest of the decor is mostly from various garage sales. The only Christmas item pictured here that I got at the Sacramento Antique Faire was the one-foot tall light-up Santa and for practically nothing...Probably because it was freezing and raining that day, and he just wanted to get rid of what he could and go home! Also, you may recognize some of the items from my last post. I decided not to part with the vintage Christmas stuff after all!

I decided to keep the two candelabras that I found at a garage sale the other week (only one pictured here). I've always liked these fake candle sticks, and the orange color of the bulbs is a bit mesmerizing. They're also very bright...When my husband walked in the room the first time I turned them on, he was like, "Whoo, is that the sun!" My son also liked them, so I've kept them both (plus they were only a $1.00 each). I've had to mix up the bulbs between the two sets in order to get one fully working candelabra! In front to of the candelabra pictured is a vintage plastic Santa in his sleigh and his six reindeer. (I thought there were eight reindeer - I guess they weren't concerned with accuracy when making this one.) I found it a few years ago at a garage sale. It also came in its original box! I actually have one other I decided not to put out this year.

I also found this trencher (for $3.00) at the same garage sale as the candelabras. I had bought it knowing that I would probably keep it. I love the way the vintage Shiny Brites that I've collected over the years looks in it!

Here's yet another find from my last excursion. These Santa light covers were found at an estate sale. I think I paid a little too much for them, hence they're staying in my collection for now. Plus, I like them, of course! Abby (our cat mentioned above) particularly likes them too because I find them all around the living room.

Here's a vintage glass tree topper I found several years ago at a yard sale. This picture sucks...sorry!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a little bit of my vintage Christmas decor this year. There is a vintage set of Shiny Brite ornaments that I decided not to keep, which are currently for sale on eBay. It's a beautiful set of 12 ornaments, I'm guessing from the 60's, with the "Twelve Days of Christmas" theme. Each ornament is a day. A really neat find! Click the picture below to go to our eBay store.

Well, I'll close for now...Thank you for reading!

Happy Holidays to all!

~Jeannie

Rain or Shine

It felt good to get out today and do some estate and yard sales. We've been so busy lately, I've not had a chance. Being that it was cold and wet this morning, and I wasn't too anxious to leave my warm home (I know I seem like a wimp to all the east coast die-hards), I only hit up a few sales...As you all know, the later it gets the less desirable items are all that's left, and all I can think about is how much gas I'm wasting as I visit sales that only consist of kitchen crap and very used shoes.

Anyway, I was happy with the items I did find after visiting 1 estate sale and 3 yard sales. Pictured above is the lot of my odd but fun mix vintage stuff. I was a little bummed I didn't find more vintage Christmas stuff; in particular I would have loved to find vintage wrapping paper or tags. I was also on the hunt for old home and garden magazines. The estate sale I went to seemed so promising with drawers, cupboards, and boxes full of stuff. Seemed like the perfect hiding place for Christmas paper goods and ephemera but unfortunately for me, it was more of a quilter's paradise. I did manage to find a little Davy Crockett mug made by Hazel-Atlas, which was just sitting by itself away in a side cupboard of the kitchen. Some of my best finds at estate sales have been the items that are still not unpacked from cupboards, drawers, and boxes because these are the items that are less likely to get picked over by those who manage to haul their butts out of bed earlier than me. Plus, the folks running the estate may be less likely know the worth of these items and offer them up at great prices!

I also found the lot of silly vintage Santa light covers at this estate. The rest of the stuff I actually found at one yard sale.

A collectible but not all too PC "Kiddie" Davy Crockett mug by Hazel-Atlas. Valued at $18-$20 according to my Hazel-Atlas Glass book.

Vintage enamel pin in great condition!

A congregation of fuzzy Santa tree light covers.

A vintage mariachi noise maker!

I couldn't resist the plastic Christmas candelabra, which you can see in the first picture. I actually got two of them! Kitschy but fun! And I also got the wooden trencher (bowl) at the same yard sale. I'm keeping that one...Right now it is being used to hold vintage glass ornaments!

I will be selling most of these finds in my online vintage store and/or on eBay, so stop by and see what you can get! We also have a lot of other vintage finds and vintage-inspired home decor!

~Jeannie

Got Wine?

Since I didn't have to spend all my energy doing Thanksgiving dinner and entertaining this year (we went to a family friend's house), I decided I didn't want to just sit around the house this holiday. My mother- and father-in-law were in town, and we decided to hit the local wineries in Clarksburg just a short distance from our home. In the 10 years I've lived here, I can't believe I've never been to this particular location. Beautiful scenery, great wines, and it took us no more than 20 minutes to get there!

We visited Bogle Winery, which had the most beautiful grounds and free wine tasting (always good), which seems be pretty much the norm when you avoid the pricey Napa/Sonoma area of California. We bought a 2006 Ghost Du Roam there. We also stopped in at the Old Sugar Mill, which really is an old sugar mill that houses several different winery's tasting rooms. It was one room after another...You could get really snockered with just this one trip if you weren't too careful! We got a 2004 Petite Sirah from Heringer Estates and a 2006 "Lockwood Oaks" Cabernet Sauvignon from Todd Taylor. We splurged on the Todd Taylor one since he only made 214 cases of this particular wine. He was there in the tasting room too. My husband made sure we visited this tasting room merely because he and Todd share the same name. When you know nothing about these wineries like us, I suppose that's a good enough reason to pick one to visit! I ended up being the one who really liked his wines, however.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some pics of our short but lovely excursion; a bad but fun excuse to spend a lot of money on wine!

My husband and son at Bogle Winery

Beautiful vineyard that's changing colors in Clarksburg

Old Sugar Mill

My attempt at being artsy-fartsy at the Old Sugar Mill

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you would like to avoid the mall crowds like we did this year, be sure to visit our online store for some great holiday deals!

~Jeannie

Lucia

Some of you may have read my posting about my grandma, Lucia (everyone called her Lucy), back on August 15th of this year. Because I had shared a bit of her life with you at that time, I thought I should also share her passing yesterday morning. I can't say how privileged I feel to have known her and to have had her as my grandmother. She was one of the most loving and giving people I've ever known, and she always put her family first. She always told me that family is the most important thing. As hard as it was to see her go, it was peaceful, and I'm happy that my mom and I were there at the time she left us. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

She was born in Michigan in 1919, the youngest of 5 children. Her life wasn't easy...She never had a lot of money, but she was a tough lady and never complained. She had a lot of faith and taught me a lot about having faith as well. I was lucky - I was my grandmother's only grandchild, so I got all her attention. I was also lucky enough to have her and my grandfather just 2 miles away growing up in Southern California. When my mom and my dad moved to California from New York before I was born, my grandma and grandpa shortly followed so that they could be with their daughter and future grandchild. My grandma always told me that that was the first time her mother, my great grandmother, told her to leave her so that she could be with her daughter in California. My great grandmother understood what it meant for my grandmother to be near her child, and when I moved to Northern California, my grandma knew that she, too, would not try to prevent my mom from moving to be near me as well. Luckily, my grandparents also agreed, a couple years later, to make one last move to be near us.

I have so many memories of my grandma throughout my life. She was there for all major and not so major events in my life, from the day I got married to every soccer and softball game I ever played.

She was very tenacious and always found a way to get what she wanted even though it was almost always for someone else rather than herself. Whether it was an autograph from a movie star or getting Mickey Rooney to wave to me up in the balcony after watching his musical production of Sugar Babies, which was a gift to me for my birthday back in the early 80's. As a young girl, I remember loving Mickey Rooney in the movie The Black Stallion (which my grandma took me to see multiple times in the theater without ever suggesting we see something else by the 4th time around) and of course, my grandmother adored him from the old movies; so we shared that together, and we were both so excited to see him in person at the musical.

My grandma even managed to get the frame of TV news reel that had my mom shaking the hand of Robert Kennedy during a 1968 fundraiser in Binghamton, New York, which was covered by the local news. My grandma got a fellow from the news station to literally find the frame of my mom and Robert Kennedy together and cut it from the film reel itself.

There are so many stories...Too many to list here, but it's nice to at least get a chance to share a few of them here now so that they can live on in our hearts.

Here is a picture of my entire immediate family on my wedding day in 1999. My grandma is sitting on the bottom right.

I love this picture of my mom and my grandma on my wedding day.

Love you Grandma...xoxoxoxo