My humble beginnings of this blog

I started this blog in 2011.  I wanted this to be about one of my most favorite things in life and that is MY HOUSE. 

We were still adjusting to a 45% cut in pay after leaving the Silicon Valley. My husband was on unemployment part-time and could only get part-time work.  I was out of work as well. Not much work for a Nanny.  All I could find were babysitter jobs that paid incredibly low rates and all they wanted me to do was, "babysit."  It wasn't that those wages were beneath me - but I used to make more than my husband, being a Nanny.  Plus I had health coverage and many perks. I was being offered about $100 a week for 3 kids! We felt that it wasn't worth it and I might as well stay home and run my own household. 

We still had my husband's military pension and his service-related disability.  During this time, my youngest son got out of the Navy and came to live with us and Foodie came up as well. 

I had a full house!

Back when I was 10 years younger. 

But it was kinda fun, now when I look back and re-read some of the posts. 

The year my husband started working at the Cal Vet Home, we had to go the full month of January without a paycheck  -  to be paid in February. 

That's hard to do at first! 

So I created a 31-day Challenge to eat what was in my pantry and wrote about it on here.  

So that is how this blog came to be - 

Have you ever gone back and re-read your blog from the beginning? It's enjoyable and embarrassing at the same time. 

You can read My 31-day Challenge here. 

13 years in our home today

Last week we decided it was time to refi our house. My son had been bugging me about it and I knew it was time. So we applied - got in all the documents needed and Monday the appraiser comes. We locked in a low percentage rate of 2.5%. We are saving approximately $350 a month. Now we are in a better position to make double payments. Already the interest rate for Re-fi's has jumped up to 2.78%. 

We'll be here till we die. 

My sister and I inherited the place from my mom after she passed.  It was paid off. My sister wanted to sell but I liked it so we bought my sister out. I've never regretted it. 

We've done a lot to make it ours.  We've installed wood floors -

done our share of painting. 

I painted the cabinets and redid the kitchen to be retro. All new appliances. Now we have wood countertops. 

New carpet in the living area and 1 bedroom. 

Installed a new HVAC, new roof, and new windows in the whole house. We had a garden window installed in the kitchen for the cat. 

New washer and dryer. 

Last summer, we extended the patio and made a small garden area for my sunflowers.

Planted a lot of trees and plants

Each spring my California poppies bloom in a big vibrant way. 

A beautiful red flower that comes back every year. 

Spring Iris

One can never have too many sunflowers

Last summer's morning glories. 

My dad planted this cedar tree when they first moved here. 

It's now the vocal point of our front yard. 

And to think we are not done. 

We do have the costly stuff out of the way and if we didn't do anything else, it would be okay and I would still love my cozy little home. 

I found my Dad's sunglasses - A story about my House

I was digging in an old flower bed that used to have a thick hedge that we recently cut down when I unearthed a pair of sunglasses. I live in the house my folks lived in so no doubt these are my dads. He was always losing his sunglasses. I can imagine him saying, 

“So that’s where they were - I’ve been looking all over for them!”

 And my Mom saying, 

"Your father!"

It is special living in the house my parents lived in. This was their last home - they lived here about 15 years. I bought my sister's half after my mom passed in 2008. I've always been sentimental. I could have bought something new and different. There isn't anything unique about this house, only that my parents lived here and it felt like home to me. It wasn't the home I grew up in - but any place my parents were, was like "home." 

Sure we made changes - and put our stamp on it but somethings won't ever change. 

The waterfall and pond my dad built in the backyard. He was so proud of his pond and waterfall. We've maintained it and last year had to replace the pond liner. In 12 years, we've replaced the waterfall pump just one time. We added water hyacinths and water lilies, oh and the fish. 

The twin cedar trees he planted in the front of our house. Inosculation is a natural phenomenon in which trunks, branches or roots of two trees grow together. It is biologically similar to grafting and such trees are referred to in forestry as gemels, from the Latin word meaning "a pair." 

The Twin Cedars are smack dab in the middle of our front yard. My husband and I call our home, "The Twin Cedars Homestead." 

My dad's work shed is still here. Yeah, it needs to be painted. The whole house exterior needs to be painted once again. We last painted the house in 2009. 

The black iron American eagle is displayed over the garage gable.  The eagle needs to be taken down and touched up. 

My Dad loved Oleanders and he planted them all over the property. For one, they grow big and profuse like weeds here in our Mediterranean climate. These oleanders are close to 20 feet tall. 

So yeah, we could have bought a nicer, newer home, where we didn't have to do anything. But it would have lacked soul. 

I love my house - it's still a work in progress but we've loved it here, since 2008! 

Over the years

I've been living in this house going on 10 years. You don't think, things change much until you look back at photos. My front yard no longer looks like this. Those pesky junipers are out - we put up a wooden picket fence and the trees have grown. I can't wait to get some recent photos, this Fall - with the new "look."

After a very HOT summer, we didn't get to laying the patio, by our pond. We're not giving up. If it doesn't rain, we still have time.

My backyard is a disaster! It's hard for me to live like that. My husband is putting in drains and there is a lot of mud. Then we will patch that one part of the old lawn, with seed and block it off from our dog. The patio by the pond (that my husband fixed this summer) will hopefully be ready in time for our family campfire in October. My brother in Alabama and his family have one in October and I try to hold ours, here in California at the same time.

Are you excited for the Fall and Winter? Living in the far north part of California, I do get to see a good representation of Autumn and Winter (I have to drive to the snow but it's usually 30 minutes away) Every few years, we get a good little snowfall. We love it.

Our House - is a very very fine house

you can hardly tell, it's contact paper

I wonder why, some of us, are so focused on our homes?  I watched my mom, decorate and paint and move furniture around, all the time. Then I started, moving my bedroom around, and placing posters on the wall. Mom let me, paint my furniture, and then after a few years, I covered it all in wood-grained contact paper.

I used to love to go through the Sears Catalog and decorate - and I would also draw plans of different types of houses. I did this all the time and actually wanted to be an Architect but was told, I could never do it because I was not good at Math.

 So instead of trying, I didn't try at all. I have to wonder, if I was a young person today who had been encouraged to at least TRY, would I have accomplished that dream? Who knows and who cares, at this point. 

There was a time in our life when we lived in our 34-foot motor home -

 downsizing. I loved it. But what started to get to me, was it was already decorated and there was only so much I could do. 

When we moved into this house - (our last home) it had belonged to my Mom and Dad. I bought out my sister. For quite a while, it had my parent's "style". 

I guess for a while, it comforted me. Then I got lazy (depressed) and my adult children moved back home and I was NOT about to redecorate, while they were here. I didn't want to make it THAT comfortable for them. Plus, let's face it - they didn't take care of the house like we wanted. So new sofas and carpets were just going to have to wait.

That is where we are now. They've all been out for a year and we are playing "catch up." It's like we have opened Pandora's Box - we keep wanting to do more and more. The good thing is we are both frugal- and I am downright CHEAP. I love to try and re-use something FIRST before I will go out and buy something new. Of course, you can't do that, with a new roof, windows, carpet, etc. 

Yeah, we've spent a lot of money this year - we took out an equity loan for things having to do with the IMPROVEMENT of the house. 

My husband retires in 6 years. Our adult children are now on their own. Sometimes, I want to get a fun part-time job. Haven't found one yet, because I am working on our home - to make it more organized and comfortable for us, in our old age.

I was in high school when I first heard, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young sing, OUR HOUSE.

Immediately I was drawn to the lyrics- they sang about the house I wanted one day- a cozy room, two cats in the yard (I had five), and windows that are illuminated - that would be My House, one day. 

My game plan for the laundry room- today?

My Laundry room without the washer

This week, maybe even this afternoon, I may start cutting in. My husband will start on the floor after I am done painting. 

I'm thinking, I can probably knock this out in one day. 

I am 62 1/2 but I also am a "painter's daughter."

My Dad was a successful Commercial Painting Contractor in San Francisco in the '60s and 70's - so successful he was able to retire in 1980 at the age of 46. 

He did residential sometimes, but usually big mansions for those he did their buildings. I grew up watching Dad mix paints- and back then, it was all oil-based paint. Dad used to come home, put his overalls in lye soap, and after he washed his hands, he would use butter or mayo to put on his hands and sometimes his face - getting all that oil-based paint off. And to soften his skin. Maybe he could have used a hand lotion, but that is the way he did it.

Oh, and a fun tidbit - My dad and his crew were in the background of many films in San Francisco. Remember Bullet with Steve McQueen? The TV show, Streets of San Francisco - and Dirty Harry movies. Some others I can't remember right now. We would always look for my dad's trucks, or signs, or actual job sites. We sure got a kick out of that.



So the plan is to have the washer and dryer on one side (stacked) and then on the other side, I can put this dresser/bookcase I have had (forever) on the other side. Right now this is stored in my garage - with just junk on it.

 I've always loved this piece - it was given to me for free from the family I used to nanny for. The Mom bought it off craigslist and wanted to restore it. But it sat in her garage. So she gave it to me - (to sit in my garage for 10 years!)

my bookcase/dresser will fit nicely

The shelf will be taken down - and cut to fit above the door for a little more storage. It has to be high enough so that it doesn't "hamper"  (pun) the opening of the door and no one bumps their noggin on it.

Hey, it's a laundry room. I've seen some with chandeliers in them. I just want mine, organized, clean, and kept nice.

I'm excited.

Part 2: As the paint dries...

The last house in San Francisco, I lived in was in the Haight Ashbury. 

 That was a cool flat.  It had once been a Hotel and actually survived the 1906 earthquake and fire.

 It still had a horse stable in the backyard. I recently did a google search for it and this is how it looked a couple of years ago.

 I also hit the jackpot with even more photos - it had been up for sale.  3 bedrooms and 1 bath. 1450 sq ft. Sold for 1.9 million dollars for just the flat. I bet my folks still wished they owned it. Above us, were 2 apartments - Now being sold as individual condo apartments.

We moved because, we couldn't leave for work or school, without stepping over hippies laying on our porch. They would urinate and leave their feces for us to clean up. It was gross. 

Back then, most of the homeowners who had lived there for years were leaving.

Now it is an upscale neighborhood - totally unaffordable for regular people. 

Living room

my mom and dad's bedroom

My sister and I shared this bedroom.
There used to be a radiator where the pipe is. 

the rear bedroom - we used as our playroom

The back stairs went up to the apartment above us.

Dad moved us 30 minutes south of San Francisco, 

to a small beach town, where I lived till I moved out.

As the paint dries...

I'm wondering when was it, that I knew I liked a certain type of home decor? 

I believe looking back through my baby pictures is when I started loving that Retro look or as I refer to it, "The I LOVE LUCY" type of kitchen. 

Who wouldn't want a kitchen like this? Notice the mirror over the sink...

See how I am loving this kitchen. 

When I was older I was allowed to pick the colors and carpet for my bedroom. Pink walls, red carpet and I had one wall of pink and red roses. My furniture was painted white. I had a chenille bedspread that I loved.

In fact, I still have it - it packed away with all the other material I have, just waiting for their next life.

Just starting to phase out the white - I put wood contact paper on my furniture

I wanted to paint my furniture black and paste Jimi Hendrix posters all over my walls. Instead, of black, I covered my furniture with contact paper. My dad would not allow me to put posters on the wallpaper. 

When I was a newlywed, we rented a 4 plex-in trendy Burlingame Ca. on the El Camino. I fell in love with this apartment. It had a front courtyard you entered with a little gate and a small porch and the kitchen was what I always wanted. 

I had an I LOVE LUCY type of kitchen.

 A Wedgewood stove and painted white cabinets - 

an old retro-refrigerator, the kind that if you broke off the handle, you could not open it up. (That actually happened) 

and a beautiful picture window, looking out to the courtyard, framed in white Priscilla curtains! I'll have to dig through photographs to find a picture of that kitchen. I loved it.

To be continued...