Other Side of Our Family

We have other family visiting from Asia this week while we're here also. My daughter-in-law is Alice and her mom lives here with her, my son and their boys. Her sister, Mirna and Mirna's daughter, Leslie and Leslie's hubby, Benedict are visiting for a couple of weeks.

Here is Etienne with her Dad, Benedict, who is thinking of moving over here to U.S. We're certainly glad they decided to move over. This is absolutely not a quick process by any means but it gives you some idea of the intensity of people wanting a better life for their children. Leslie is an obstetrician so she'll be giving up a lot just to move here. To continue to be a doctor here would mean she'd have to go back to school and start ALL OVER to be a doctor in the U.S. - start from scratch, the very bottom! They want to come here because all of Leslie's siblings and grandmother are here. Her mom, my DIL's sister is already wanting to move here. It's a hard decision but they want to be with all the family. So when I hear people decry the U.S., I then always ask why do so many people want to come here?

Leslie and I were talking this morning about this for about an hour in the kitchen and her eyes got HUGE, lit up and a huge smile came on her face when I asked her the question. She said it is everyone's dream to live here plus she wants to be near her siblings and her mom will move here too. But this is why America is here - for people to thrive and bless this nation and have a better way of life for their children. I'll post pix of Leslie when she and her mom return from "shopping"!! LOL But look at that sweet little gorgeous face!! Wouldn't it be wonderful to her to be an American too?!??!! All of our family from Asia have become U.S. citizens.

The Red Barn Purchases

I've been slow to add all the pix because of the downloading to laptop, editing and uploading to the blog. I'm sorry it is taking so long but here are my purchases and some other things. Read on, my sweet cherubs.........

My son and hubby deciding whether to buy an old USMC saber. They decided it was a replica and not an original. So it didn't get bought. Both were in the Marines.

Isn't this chair cute? It was a toss up between this and another one. The other one won out!

I actually loved this booth above most of the others. She was more my style but the others were lovely also.

The little chair with the wreath and chicken wire seat is the one I bought. It included the wreath and cost was only .....squeeeeeeallllll.....$26.00!!!! Yes, her stuff was so nicely priced.

More of her stuff. I could have filled my car with her treasures!

I also bought the cute little vintage pix on the left. I loved it also.

The 2 men in my life besides daughter's hubby. Aren't they handsome?!?!? Well, I think so!

More of her little treasures. That little wicker desk was adorable but it just wouldn't fit in the car. She had a pink polka dot fabric under the glass top. It was only $125.00, too.

The rest are some other booths in the store. I asked them if I could take photos and they looked at me kind of strange. I told them I blog and would put them on my blog, mention the store's name and they'd get some good publicity! They graciously agreed. I took many pix but just too many to post, my sweet chicks. So just enjoy.

Members of the Family and Central Valley

The trees you see are almonds and pistachios in the Central Valley of Calif. I think most of our vegetables, fruits and nuts come from this area along with southern Calif. The branches of the pistachio trees hang to the ground heavily with so many nuts when they are just about to be harvested. I absolutely love the look of them full, but then I love pistachos. Did you know the pistachio is an evergreen and a relative of the cashew nut?? Interesting.

This is just heading up the Grapevine - Interstate 5. We used to have to go 99 freeway through Modesto and Fresno and they had the most wonderful fresh fruit and juice stands along the way; I miss that a lot. The 2 lane road can be seen off to the side and I remember coming up that old road. Today it's an 8-10 lane freeway.

The Red Barn Antique Shop is where we went yesterday. I'll have more than enough photos of it tomorrow! I'm tempted to go back but I can only get so much in our Toyota Camry and I have a chair, table and other large items now. I may have to strap Jack to the top for sure now. At least I won't have to listen to him complaining about what I've bought.

Now to introduce you to our 2 granddogs! This is Brownie and she's very old - muddles around, walks sooooo slowly, poos on the rugs in the kitchen, sleeps a lot and won't go for a walk because she just couldn't make the walk. Whooooooa, that sounds like ME!!! Nuuuuuuu, I don't go on the rugs.........uh hmmmm...... Anyway, Brownie was a stray and is known as one of the homeliest dogs in the world with a huge underbite. But our daughter-in-law would put up a pretty good fight is anyone tried taking her now!

This is Pepper and was left here by a friend of our 19 year old grandson who couldn't take him to Georgia where he was moving with his mom and was going to send for him. That was about 8 years ago now. Ya think he'll return?!?!?!

This is just one of the "stalls" at the antique/flea market. It did have that adorable settee though. Sob.....sob......it just wouldn't fit in the car!!

I passed over this little rose tea pot but Love Bunny kept giving me the "eye", which meant NOT TOO MUCH, Connie! I'm sorry I didn't get it though - only $7.00.

Daughter and I hung these little vintage hankies before we left her house to head south. She's had that 4 panel trellis and painted it green. I didn't even know she had a stash of these gorgeous/beautiful/lovely old hankies!!!! Does she let her mother know anything?!?!?!? Nuuuuuuu.....!!!

This is part of what I bought in N. Calif. last saturday. There are a lot of cheese domes or cloches in the bags or suitcase. Now I've added to the stash. I got that wonderful little clock for $2.50!!! Oooooh, be still my heart......I've been looking for one for quite a while, chickadees.

Another stall at The Red Barn. I liked that little table also, but IT WON'T FIT IN THE CAR....SOB...SOB.....SOB..... Hmmmm, I just realized something about the "sob" - I'm meaning I'm crying not calling someone names!! Yikes. Ooooooh, I can't wait to show you some more things tomorrow!! I'm soooo excited with what I bought!

More Daughter's House

More pix of daughter's house, more roses and back deck.

This is a dresser she painted and put in her living room with her "partial" collection of teacups.

This is to the left of the above dresser in living room.

This is the dining area. I gave her this old round table and 4 chairs. She kept it as it was originally then about 2 or 3 years ago painted it a very pale pink.

A very pretty rose in a pot on her back deck/porch.

I thought you'd like to see the fountain on. I love the "tinkle" of water!

Another rose in a box in back near fence.

Can you see how I want some of the stuff back there?!?!?! I may have to shoot her first though! She has 2 wicker settees back there. Couldn't I have one?!?!

Another look at the dining area and old table and chairs and her collection of Old Country Roses dishes. She has 24 place settings!

A look at the other side of her living room. She got that sofa from Layla Grace and is an original Shabby Chic from Rachel Ashwell. Very pretty.

Okay, that's most of the tour. When I get back there this weekend I'll see if there is something else you might enjoy seeing. Maybe the bunny bedroom???? Hmmmmmm?????? Now you might want to visit her website: Manicformosaics.

My Daughter's Little Storage Shed

This is daughter's little shed from the front. Notice it even has a window box!!!

And a cupola!!!

It's own little water fountain.

And a skylight!!!! It's covered with leaves from the tree next to it though. ;-)

This little beauty of an iron gate might just disappear on our way back through there next week! Hmmmmmmm??????

More tomorrow.