Gainey Ceramics

A couple months ago we also took a trip to the Gainey Ceramics Factory Outlet Store in La Verne. The pots in the Outlet are not necessarily cracked or irregular shaped. Sometimes it is a discontinued color or a small blemish and you cannot even tell the difference - and they are over 50% off retail. We got about 15 pots and stands for about $200. If anyone has ever seen these pots in antique stores, they can go for hundreds of dollars each. We had fun fitting everything in the Subaru with two kids!

Spring is in the Air

Our latest remodeling project was in the garden. A few months ago we tore out some ugly bushes in our raised planter out back and mixed some manure in the soil. I planted some cabbage sprouts and they went crazy! We even got three broccoli plants that were accidentally mixed in the cabbage.






This past weekend my dad and I rototilled the soil again and added more manure and planted a full fledged vegetable garden. We planted onions, tomatoes, green beans, herbs, cantaloupe, zucchini, bell pepper, artichoke, and two blueberry bushes. Syd directed us, Mason ate some dirt and we all had a great time.





Tim also put up a weather station in the garden. It has an anemometer (wind speed/direction measure), temperature and humidity sensor, and a rain gauge. We have a little computer inside the house that tells us all the info. Tim's goal is to use this info to help us use passive solar heating instead of gas and electricity. Mason loves watching the anemometer.




We also bought a vermicomposter (a worm farm) to help us reduce our waste and turn our green scraps into soil for the garden. We were all excited to get it started and our worms only lasted a week! We think we may have added too much citrus? We will try again! The picture is of our dead worms....sorry guys.

Loma Linda Mercantile

Tim found out that LLU has a huge warehouse filled with old office furniture that is for sale for cheap. We went to something similar at UC Riverside, but most of it was pretty beat up. At LLU Tim found some great stuff. The circular Herman Miller table was free because it had no base (Tim found a base on Ebay). He later found the same table online for $800. The smaller table is also Herman Miller. We also have a tall rectangular desk too. The trash can is just cool. The chairs, as Tim posted a couple weeks ago, are from Redlands Thrift.

We are having so much fun finding cool, used furniture. Our favorite stuff we clean up and use right away. You should see our garage! It is filled with stuff to refinish someday. We have even discussed getting a little side business going selling vintage furniture. Who knows?

Our New Baby

We finally got a piano. We have been talking about getting one since we got married and Tim found the perfect one on Craigslist. It is a 1950's Acrosonic in mint condition. Unfortunately, it was in Walnut Creek, up north. So we first had my dad go look at it to make sure it was real. Then we sent a deposit. Then Tim went up to Sacramento for a work conference and met some piano movers in Walnut Creek to move it to my parents house. Then Tim rented a van and drove it from my parents house to our house. Phew! Totally worth it. We will be starting Syd in Suzuki piano lessons in the Fall (once we can afford it!) and Mason will follow along as soon as he can. In the Suzuki method, the parent learns along with the child, so I am getting really excited to get started too. Syd and Mason already jam together on the piano whenever they have a free moment.

Kitchen Collectables

Here are a few of the treasures that I have collected over the past few months. Most were Christmas gifts from Tim - he totally spoiled me this year. We have had the best luck finding things on E Bay or at the Long Beach Flea Market and Redlands Thrift!

Details of Modernism Week

Here are some of the things we saw at other houses that we would like to integrate into our house some day.









This was our only purchase of the weekend. We got it for $50 at a thrift store in Palm Springs.

Moderism Week

In February, Tim and I went to Palm Springs for Modernism Week. We stayed for three nights (away from the kids!!) at the Orbit Inn, ate great food (Copelys was our favorite), rode the Tramway and attempted to see as much mid-century modern stuff as we could. We did a 3 hour double decker bus tour and did a private tour of the Frey house. We also did self-guided tours of all the antique and thrift shops. We tried to be low key so we did not have our camera at most places, but here are some pictures of some of our favorite houses.

Hanging Chairs

This has been, by far, our favorite purchase of the New Year. We bought these mid-century hanging chairs at Xcape in Long Beach. At the store we were not sure where we would hang both of them together. I guess we forgot about this huge tree with two perfect stumps!! Syd love to swing in them and she even designed a pully system so that when one of us is in the other chair we can swing her chair. Mason also loves chilling out there and when he sees the chairs he says "Bweee, bwee!"(his version of wee).

Tim also got this umbrella from the Loma Linda's School of Nursing courtyard. No, he did not steal it. He actually got a hold of someone in maintainence with the help of his mom and bought an extra one they had in storage. Unfortunately, it did not have a pole so he found the manufacturer (Sundrella) and bought the pole kit from them. Now we just have to figure out where to put it.

Peek-A-Boo

One of the great uses for a double sided fireplace!