Sunny Outdoor Vignettes...

It is a gorgeous Sunny Friday here in Nor Cal at our Home For Sale.  As part of the staging process for showings, I set some vignettes outdoors...when the sun is shining.  This is the table setup for the kitchen and great room deck.  There are 2 sets of double French doors leading out to this deck and it is perfect for entertaining.  As you can see, I am not fancy.  Melamine plates and plastic ware.  Lovely fabric napkins courtesy of my dear friend Donna of Brynwood Needleworks.  I feel like Spring is finally here.  The lemons are brown wooden ones I painted and I am loving them and the money I am saving from not buying fresh ones each week.

Same deck with my tea cart and some beverage glasses.  Nothing matches and that is because we are going for color to draw people outside the house.

This patio is directly outside my Studio French door.  I love the simplicity of this vignette.  The bench is hand made by Mr. C and very sturdy.  You might say I have a bird theme going on with the pillows and another set of fabric napkins from Dear Donna.  Thank you my friend.  I smile every time I set out these vignettes.

A simple Mason Jar for a cool beverage break while out gathering weeds or pine needles or maybe reading a book.  Now that will be refreshing!

Down at the Pond, which Mr. C built after he went to Pond College, I have another simple vignette.  There used to be two lovely teak benches but time and weather were not kind to them and they fell apart.  So I merely bought the dreaded plastic Adirondack chairs and we actually love them for ease of moving, cleaning and sitting in.  More bird themed pillows.

I have a piece of granite sitting on a large vase and it makes a handy table.  More of Donna's bird themed napkins and a pitcher to fill glasses.  Sipping away the afternoon while enjoying the froggies and the birds serenade us.  Life is Good and we are Blessed.
I shall close for now as I am busy with household chores like laundry.
May each of you begin to have Spring and enJOY the most glorious green leaves and colorful flowers and birds, butterflies and froggies.  We also have hundreds of caterpillars doing whatever they are doing...crawling, climbing and just being everywhere.  Spring Smiles...<3

Sears Point Sonoma

This past weekend we left the deluge of rain and drove to Sonoma California to enjoy the CSRG Vintage Auto Races at Sears Point Raceway. Our weather was gorgeous and the rain stayed away.  The track gets very windy so it was cool and we bundled up.

Mr. C was enjoying his weekend watching the club racers drive this historic track.  In fact in his racing days he drove this track and it is one of his favorites.  I know he is wanting to get back into racing and this group of folks is very friendly and enjoy racing their vintage automobiles.  However for us the logistics of buying a car and all of the equipment necessary is not feasible at this time while we are hoping to sell our home and move out of state.  And a big Happy Birthday to Mr. C this April 12th as he turns 75.  Another reason this CSRG club is right due to many others who are this age.

If we could wave a magic wand this is the car Mr. C would like to own and drive.  An amazing Chevron that is wicked fast.  Danny Baker owns and drives it very well.  It is always good to have a dream and a goal.

My pictures are not good but I at least got the cars in the frame.  We were way up on the top of a hill at the back of the track.  The views were awesome.  And you can see the hills are emerald green.

Yes, I was there and bundled up.  The wind really blows up on the hills.  Gorgeous days and we enjoyed visiting with friends who are drivers and meeting and chatting with so many of the club members. 
What hobbies do you enjoy?  We love Formula 1, Indy, Club Racing and so many others.
I am enjoying the longer sunshine each day.  We still have rain predicted for a couple days this week. All the new Spring growth will be very happy.  Flowers blooming and trees budding.
I would like to share something creative however I haven't done anything worthy of sharing.  I barely have time to keep up with all the Random Acts of Mail, Love Notes Fairy mail and this month of April that is National Letter Writing Month.  This year I am only participating in NLWM unofficially. Last year it got too crazy for me and I mailed about 300 pieces across this world.  No time or extra money for that this year. 
Happy Birthdays to my Sisters Joyce,  Marie, lots of friends and my dear husband.  Let us Celebrate and eat CAKE!!!  <3

Granddaughter Amber's Wedding...

My Granddaughter Amber and her husband Steven at Laguna Beach CA for their beautiful wedding.

My beautiful Granddaughters Amber, the Bride, and Amy the Maid of Honor.

Amber and Steven combining their sand to become one and never to be split apart.

Cutting the cake.  And not making a mess of one another with their first bite.  The cake was super delicious and thank you Carol for your generous loving gift of baking, decorating and donating.

Their dance.  No photo of Adam the DJ who did a remarkable job and drove to Laguna Beach to play guitar for the wedding ceremony.  Thank you Adam...you are the best!

Amber and Steven may you always be this happy together!  Congratulations and welcome to our family Steven. 
I was so fortunate to fly to Orange County for this wedding.  My daughter Jenifer took excellent care of me and treated me first class from landing to take-off.  I had my first Uber ride in the Executive Premier class to Laguna Beach.  I ate Sushi and discovered I like Eel Sauce.  My daughter replenished my Do-Terra Essential Oils supply.  I was treated to a murder mystery at the Modjeska Playhouse which I enjoyed very much.  I am truly grateful for the time I was able to spend with my girls.  We live 500 miles apart but it seems like a million.  Thank you for taking such good care of me!
On the home front we are having Showing #19 this afternoon.  No valid offers yet, however I must remember we are only listed for just over a month and Tonya, our agent extraordinaire, is doing a stellar job of marketing and being available.
The Sun is shining and the temps are mid-70F.  March is ending with a gorgeous Blue Moon.  Happy Hoppy Easter to those who celebrate.
Wedding Bliss Blessings...

Camping Themed Pillowcase...

Earlier this year Mr. C nd I were invited to a fun grown up Camping Birthday Party.  It was held indoors due to weather concerns.  So, knowing the comforts we adults prefer, I thought of a pillow.

I found some fun camping themed fabrics and a nice coordinated solid to compliment the band of the pillowcase. 

I have made many of these in the past.  Mostly when I made them for children in the hospital.  This is referred to the "Burrito Pillowcase" and here is a link to a wonderful how to by Jenny Doan.  Very easy to sew.

And just like magic the burrito becomes...

Here are the three fabrics I used.  It is beginning to look like a pillowcase...

Viola!  A completed pillowcase.  All ready for an adult camping event.  Great gift idea for any occasion and you can make them any size from very small to very large.
We had Snowmagedden last week and for five days straight it snowed and we shoveled, broomed, snow blowed and bladed.  All total we had about 2 feet.  Now it is rain and helping to wash away the snow.  I hope our water table for Northern California is happier.  The ski resorts are certainly happy.  Tragically there were some avalanches and some people got saved, some got saved though injured and a couple people did not survive.  Always the danger when there is such a lot of fresh snow. Prayers for safety for all.
March came in like a Lion and the days are roaring quickly by.  Spring is closer every day!  Yay!!! 

Black Cork Treats...

On this last day of February I am sharing Black Cork with you.  My blog friend Donna of Brynwood Needleworks sews the most wonderful creations.  I decided it was time to treat myself to this gorgeous Grab and Go Crossbody Clutch.  I actually had a special need for it at an annual high end car collection meeting and dinner.  I wanted my hands free and I wanted no chance of touching any priceless vintage automobiles with any purse.

These are the accessories I added to my request.  I put mints in the small case shown on the left.  The larger case on the right is what I put my Driver's License and credit cards into.  It works beautifully.

This Wristlet Clutch is another treat and I wanted it to use for those times when I just need a few items.  Phone and ID and lipstick.  I love the handy size and convenience of this.

Donna also sewed a new larger card case for my Blue Cork Clutch I already own. It works perfectly.  Thank you sew very much Donna for accommodating my wishes and creating exactly what I wanted.  Your workmanship is perfection.  I highly recommend anyone to click her link and see the amazing things she creates.  Yes, it is quite okay to treat yourselves!
February has just a few hours left.  We have had mild and gorgeous weather...until...Sunday night. It snowed and iced and made a mess of everything.  Two showings had to be canceled for Monday.  And our Open House on Tuesday had to be canceled due to the weather.  Heartbreak for us and for our lovely broker who worked very diligently towards this Open House including mailing out 260 personal invitations.   Mother Nature is due to dump more snow and ice on us tonight and right on through Saturday.  Mr. C worked so hard to shovel and snowblow and broom everything to no avail.  He fell several times on the ice and I am grateful he didn't hit his head or break anything when he fell on the slate steps.  No complaining here about the weather because we need the water table so badly.  Northern California had a five year drought and we do not need to experience that again any time soon.  So we put our planning on hold and stay positive and continue to work towards our goal.
Safe and Warm at least we have a roof overhead.  Prayers for all affected by bad weather.
March will come in like a Lion and hopefully leave like a lamb.  Blessings and Love to each of you...