California Trip Part 2: Antique Store Tour

One of my favorite pastimes, as y'all very well know, is antique shopping. I lose my cotton pickin' marbles for it... and so does my mom. Which makes for a guaranteed antiquing adventure when I go to visit her in California.

Here are my findings:

1st stop: Old Glory General Store, 4344 Market St in Riverside, CA

Me.

...and my mom.

Oh, try to deny that you didn't watch Pee Wee's playhouse.
Furthermore, try to deny you didn't covet that red scooter.

I loved the backroom in the Old Glory General Store... it was filled with old books, typewriters and old postcards from all over. What a treat!

Findings:
I will definitely go back!! Loved it! It was huge... and there was so much to look at. You could tell that the consignment dealers took pride in each of their spaces. Very impressed. I recommend this one if you like looking at a little bit of everything... vintage, antiques, homemade crafts, etc.

2nd stop: Vintage Flair, 3778 Elizabeth in Riverside, CA 92506

Hello!! It has a bicycle on the roof! And the Eiffel tower painted on the building.
Need I say more?

Findings:
CUTE! It was a small shop but had plenty to see. It is a little off the beaten path down a side street, but was worth the trouble finding it. ;) As expected from the outside decor, it had mostly soft looking "romantic", "shabby" and "french country" type items and pieces. Fine by me! To some it up with one word: Pretty. Lots of pretties everywhere. And did I mention there is a bike on the roof??

3rd stop: Another "antique mall" in Riverside.
Not impressed, but I am not going to bad mouth another business owner via blog...so they will remain nameless.

Findings:
Disappointing. You know the type... where you want to turn around and walk out the second you open the door... but someone sees you so you can't. You feel too bad. Like it's your fault the store has no visual appeal whatsoever and is filled with nick knack crap they couldn't sell at their yard sale. So they brought it here. And you feel guilty for this. So you stay. And browse. And walk one full, complete lap and wave a big thank you right out the door. And make a mental note never to come back.

4th stop: The Goodwill in Riverside

Findings: Always love a stop at the Goodwill! Unfortunately, we left empty handed. It is always a hit or miss for me. On a side note, the Riverside Goodwill was maintained exceptionally well... very organized and clean.

5th stop: In N Out. Enough said.

Findings:
Yum.

6th stop: Granny's Attic 28450 Felix Valdez in Temecula, CA

I didn't get to take any pictures inside... but there is a picture tour on their website.

Findings:
This isn't exactly a "new" antique store for me. I've been coming here for years. Literally. This place is huge and has so much to see. There are a gazillion different booths... all with something different. And they have a little soda shop in back with just about every root beer imaginable. My kind of place. I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling through the Temecula vicinity. (About an hour north of San Diego or so).

...and right next door is:

7th stop: Grandpa's Antique Depot, 28418 Felix Valdez in Temecula, CA

Again, no pictures inside, but a bunch on their website.

Findings:
If you are going to stop in at Granny's... you might as well give Grandpa's a try, too. Although considerably smaller than Granny's... you can still find a good variety of booths. It is always worth a trip... since you can literally walk to it from Granny's.

8th stop : Treaures from the Attic, 24785 Washington Ave, Murrieta, CA

Findings:
We went here the next day. It was sort of on a whim...as we were driving through Old Town Murrieta. They have a decent outdoor section. I'm sure you could find something whimsical and fun to put out on the patio or in the garden. Inside they have a variety of things... more antiques than anything else.

I am planning another visit out to California in early September (for the half marathon I regrettably signed myself up for. haha) and am hoping to talk someone into going to the Christmas Traditions store in Canoga Park with me. It is the year around holiday store... not just for Christmas. And, dear friends, September 1st is fair game to start decorating for fall. And, on top of that, I lose my marbles for Halloween. I don't want to go to this store; I NEED to. But it is almost a 3 hour drive. Ugh. Maybe I will just continue to browse their online shop. ;)

If anyone knows any good antique stores in Southern or Central California... or in South Texas, leave me a comment about it...I'd love to know! :)

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Good, Good and More Good...Baptism, Town Tour Conclusion and 4th of July

Hey y'all!! Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July weekend!! I have a few orders of business to take care of... so I will wrap it all up in one blog post. ;)

First and foremost.... I got baptized!!! :)
I'm not exactly a new believer... I accepted Christ exactly 20 years ago. And, in fact, I was baptized when I was 5 years old. Even though I knew who Jesus was at 5 years old and I certainly had no opposition to Him... I hadn't prayed the "sinner's prayer" and I really had no idea why I was being sprinkled with water at the front of the church. However, I had always figured that baptism "counted" after I did accept Christ. In fact, I was was under the impression that baptism was more or less "optional"... perhaps just an outward expression of the work that had already been done inside...



Consider these scriptures:

John 3:1-5 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 3:13-16

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned.

Romans 6:3-5

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.

Acts 22:16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.

I came across a website called bebaptized.org which gave scriptural references and commentary on baptisms as preached in the Bible. I noticed a point that was given on this site:

Mark 16:15-16

And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that does not believe shall be condemned.

Notice Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

Notice also what Jesus did NOT say. He did NOT say, “He that believes and is saved shall be baptized.”

YIKES! WOW! I had it all backwards...maybe this baptism thing shouldn't be taken so lightly! Yes, I was baptized as a child. No, I didn't know what it meant at the time. Since then, I had accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior... Of course I believe the Bible is the spoken word of God. And if Jesus is saying to get baptized... then by golly, I'm getting baptized! :) And perhaps I should have been baptized as soon as I accepted Christ into my life... but that is all hindsight. I might be a little late... but now, as an adult, I decided better late than never to obey Jesus... so off to church I went!

Jon was in the same position I was in... both of us being baptized as children... both of us have been long-term believers. So we decided to get baptized together. Literally. We both were baptized at the same time... almost simultaneously. Except we didn't get a 1...2...3... go. ;) I had to pause to plug my nose haha... and then when I came up Jon dunked again because he didn't fully submerge under water the first time. OK, so we are less than perfect and a little inexperienced in the baptism department. But our hearts were in the right place and that was all that mattered. It was such an amazing day... to confirm our faith in Christ as individuals... but also symbolically together to confirm our desire to honor and glorify God collectively through our marriage.

I couldn't believe I forgot my camera... so I didn't even have someone take a picture. :( I did, however, take a picture with my camera phone in the car when we were done... that is all I have.

All sopping wet... but happy. AND BAPTIZED! :)


That was Thursday. Friday we went to a friends house to celebrate his Birthday... which was a good time and, of course, I forgot my camera (AGAIN!). So you will just have to take my word for it... it was a good time. ;)

The 4th of July was pretty low-key for us. We had a lazy day... just relaxed around the house. By golly, I was going to have a hot dog at some point during the day! It is the American thing to do on the 4th of July. haha As we were heading out to the Independence Day festivities on base... we decided we were starving and would pick something up quick on the way. Which meant drive thru. Which meant no hot dog. :( We had the next best thing: Taco Bell. haha I don't know about you, but being raised in Southern California... that is as American as you can get Mexican food. ;)

Picture taken partly out of disgust and horror that we were eating Taco Bell on America's birthday... and partly out of giddiness that Jon actually agreed on Taco Bell! haha

Jon regretting his decision to come to Taco Bell. Me...taking his picture out of joy that another car pulled up behind us and he couldn't act out on his regret and back up. haha

And while the camera was snapping away, I coerced him into giving me a fake smile to document our unconventional (Euphemism translation for boring) 4th of July. ha!

We headed onto base where all of the festivities were taking place... pretty much a band and people. Come on! I didn't move to Texas for this! Where is the country fun?? Why don't we have a pie eating contest! A watermelon eating contest! A hot dog eating contest! (Can you tell that I am starving as I write this... it is taking every bit of will power in my being not to get up and get a brownie in the kitchen. It is calling my name. I am getting weak... be right back.)
I am back. What was I saying again? Oh, yes! My disappointment in the 4th of July festivities... I mean, I was expecting a 3-legged race... potato sack races... running through prairie grass with sparklers, praying nothing catches on fire. (Can you tell my thoughts are now on how I am going to work off every last delicious calorie of that fudge brownie that I just consumed like a rabid animal?) No buntings, or cute decorations (Although they did have flags lining all of the roads on base... which I was pleased as punch to see.) Alas, there WERE fireworks. Which, against the better judgment of the pyro-techies (who set up their firework display in the driest, most overgrown field of prairie grass that I have ever seen) still took place, despite the 30 mph winds that were gusting. I was certain disaster was about to unfold before my very eyes. (Which angrily posed a question in my mind: Why does Disneyland cancel their firework performance if there is even a threat of a gentle breeze or any movement of air at all!? Which just so happens to be every time I decide to go! I'm certainly going to get to the bottom of this...) After 20 minutes of a perfectly UN-synchronized Neil Diamond song that scratched and crackled, and briefly paused ever 15 seconds or so, like it was pirated off of some bootleg website (Arrrr!)... the show concluded. Without incident. Without excitement. Without leaving me any delicious details to unfold via blog. I apologize; I have nothing more to give you for the 4th. Except this display of firework extravaganza!!!

OOOOOOoooooo.....

Aaaaahhhhhh....

And probably identical what you watched on your 4th. ;)

So, in conclusion... our fireworks display was a success in every term of the word. Successfully was as expected. Successfully did not catch anything on fire. Successfully did not injure any pyro-techies in the firework field. Successfully scared the living daylights out of every dog in a 10 mile vicinity.

PS. Happy 4th of July!

Now, while on topic of the 4th of July... leads me to the Great American Town Tour Party!

What a success!! Thank you to all of the participants and looky-loos! Didn't we have such a fun blogland vacation?? Lets see... where did we go??

Well, we started in my town...and continued all around the country!

Cattle Ranch and Jets in Kingsville, TX
Beautiful Shopping and Dining Merced, CA
A Perfect Small Town in NC
A Grand Home Tour in GA
Heaven on Earth in Georgetown, TX
Quaint, Historical and Certainly Scenic in Covington, GA
A Piece of American History in Enid, OK
Small Town Living (including Alligators and windmills) in Spearman, TX
Breath-taking Victorian Homes in Romeo, MI
Charming Houses and boats on the bay in Keyport, NJ
All-American Town in Matthews, NC
Perfect Mix of Town and Country in Menifee/Temecula, CA
Small town with Big Character in Blytheville, AR
A Growing Town with a Little Bit of Everything in Menifee, CA
Southern Charm in Woodstock, GA
The Hidden Gem of America (haha, also my Hometown) in Lake Elsinore, CA
Beachy Fun in Oceanside, CA
Small Town Southern Gem in Helena, AL
A Slice Paradise in Naples, FL
Texas Size Character in Denison, TX
Historical Old Town Charm in Berea, OH

Again, THANK YOU to all of the participants... such a fun way to celebrate America's Birthday. If you missed any of the tours... just click on the links above!! :)

Next order of business.... I won 2nd place in Summer's Cakes Bake-off Contest!!

Woohoo!!! For these guys:

Mama owl and her owlettes! haha!
Sorry, I'm just so excited.. I never win anything. ;)

Lets see... what else can I show you to make this the never ending post? haha
Oh? What is that you say? You want to see Dolly basking in all of her glory out in the sun?
Righty-oh! Your wish is my command!

With that feast of dog gorgeousness, I will depart. I bid you adieu.

Happy Monday y'all!

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Flaunt Your Red: The Red Cruiser

It was such a nice night tonight... that we decided to go for a bike ride through the neighborhood.

And I thought tonight would be a great time to flaunt my red bike for Flaunt Your Red Friday, hosted by Southern Lady! :)

Here she is... in all of her RED glory!

Here I am in my red shirt!

Uh-Oh! I found some more red!

Cruisin' along so fast... I'm just a blur. ;)

That's because I'm powered by Dr. Pepper.
Yeah. I pretty much negated every burned calorie (and probably added some) but I must admit, it was delicious. ;) (Side note: had I really been exercising, I would have had water. A leisurely cruise deserves a Dr. Pepper. There. I'm justified.)

Here is hubby flaunting his red bike, too. It was an action shot taken while in action... hence, the blurriness. ;)

I stopped to take this shot... there is some pinkish-red in there, right? OK, maybe more pink, but it was definitely a pretty sunset. :)

And that is all the flaunting I will do for tonight! I hope y'all had as lovely of an evening as we did here on the prairie! :)

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A Little France in Texas...

The plan for our day was to run a quick errand and grab a delicious Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (yes, I had regular Dr. Pepper... and I enjoyed every bit of it! I'm so bad.) from Sonic-who can turn down happy hour? After our errand, we spontaneously decided to keep driving and driving. And driving. We are still relatively new to this area and haven't done a whole lot of exploring.

As we were driving we remembered a restaurant that was recommended by some friends. So the story goes...Texas boy falls in love with French girl during WWII. He marries her and brings her back to the states. Boy, oh boy... I can only imagine her hopes for the excitement of New York City or glamour of Hollywood. Nope. She was brought back to smack dab in the middle of South Texas! HAHA! Welcome home! ;) That is a testament of true love all right... talk about culture shock. :)

That is the story we heard anyway. What we do know... is the cute French gal opened up an authentic French cafe after all of these years! We have been wanting to go (it is about 35 miles south of us) but have had our weekends planned with other things. So today (after Jon found out he wasn't flying, thus, having the day off to spend with me-yippee!) during our random decision to tour South Texas small towns... we decided to have dinner at the French cafe.


Again, pictures are from the camera phone as I was only expecting to be gone for 5 minutes... didn't exactly think to grab the camera to document our trip to Sonic. ;)

We pulled up to this tiny little restaurant right off the highway... Andres Family Restaurant.

We walk in and realize NO ONE else is in there. It is one of those awkward moments... are we supposed to be here? Is it open? Then the sweetest older gentleman (obviously the owner) greeted us with a big ol' Texas welcome... and gave us our pick of tables. ;)

The menu had two options: French. Texan. Your choice.

We didn't drive all this way for a Texas menu... although the fried mushrooms, zucchini, pickles and onion platter did look delightful. We'll save that heart attack waiting to happen for another day. ;) I ordered the chicken flambe off of the French menu... chicken in a wine sauce with raisins.

Jon ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Tips).

Both were delicious. I've decided that I like French food just fine. Especially when it came to their special creme brulee served in a chocolate bowl with raspberry sauce. I wish I had a picture to show you... but I'm told it was devoured before it hit the table. I have no recollection of even eating it... that's how fast it went. ;) But, if I were to remember, I would say that it was the best creme brulee I've ever had!

Nothing like eating classy French food with a big ol' glass of Texas sweet tea!

Here I am. Pardon my "less than fresh" face... it was 131 degrees outside with humidity like you wouldn't believe (Or at least a California girl living in Texas wouldn't believe). I've noticed that it does wonders to your hair. Literally. You wonder what the heck happened as it lays flat and stuck against your face.

Nevertheless, we will be back. The owners are too cute. All of the French recipes are not only authentic... but the French lady cooks them, too! :)

I was overly ambitious with the blog tonight... two posts in one night! Sheesh. I think it is bed time! Goodnight y'all!

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