Blondie 'N' SC

Enchanting Historic Cottage~

hello lovelies!

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement yesterday, I am feeling better today and while I should totally be working, I, uh-em...sorta have been looking for houses and came across this one, that I just HAD to share...

In San Clemente, we have several historic Ole Hanson houses, the history is pretty amazing, but instead of boring you with details I thought I would show you photos of this enchanting Historic cottage here in San Clemente!

Ready,

Set...

Ga Ga GOOOOO~

 

Real wood burning fireplace, original spanish pavers and depot parking all day long!

Original Farm Sink...*swoon*

 

Original flooring and probably pedestal sink!

 

Do you see the addition of  lace on the custom painted cabinets...?

 

Love the sign and the colors in this room...I have a feeling you would always be happy in a house like this...

Margaritas anyone?

Ok now the fun part, what do you think this house is going for?

Specks:

built 1927

3 bedrooms

1.75 baths

1710 Square feet

single story~ Bungalow

Peek-a- boo view of ocean

Part of the historical homes society in San clemente

&

you get all that color!

Wow wee, see mom my house is not that colorful!

{she giggles}

Ok guesses, comments, questions?

off to a meeting to beat my head against a glass conference room table!

Wish me luck!

Muwahhh!

   

Wild Flowers~

Since I went and spent the flower budget this weekend on my ulterior motive ...

 ahem...who am I kidding I went and spent the whole damn monthly budget for everything on my ulterior motive so we are stuck eating mac 'n cheese and top Ramon for the rest of the month, and I am quite positive we will have an increase of sodium levels in our diets but hey momma is happy, and when momma is happy everyone is happy..non?

On Sunday, before the pre-birthday celebration I decided I needed some flowers to dress up the cottage. The pool man was being a stinker because I asked him to clean up the garage and the baby was being a stinker cause he is almost 3 and can be, so I plopped the baby in bed for an early nap and decided to give the pool man some much needed s p a c e....

 

Off I went with Greg, my dog, not to be confused with Greg, my son and off we went on a little hike up in the hills behind our house in a hunt for wild flowers. Scissors in one hand, dog leash in the other, 75 degrees and armed with a backpack off we went up in the hills. I am quite smitten with all of the mustard seed littering the hills around our nest and thought these weeds, I mean wild flowers would be a great part of my arrangement.

   

To my surprise I stumbled upon a couple of sunflowers, as I let the dog go sniff and pee on every last thing, I snipped away at a few tall stalks of wild sunflowers. As I was cutting away I heard a slight buzzing sound above, I slowly looked up and to my dismay a HUGE swarm of bees were above my head....

And if we are being honest here...I thought to myself, "holy shit, I am going to be eaten alive by honey bees... and yelled to Greg, my dog..." get the "beeeep" out of here!"

I grabbed my flowers, as not to leave any trace of our being there and high tailed it on the dirt path ahead of us, narrowly missing being attacked by an abundance of honey bees we headed south on our trail with my bundle of mustard seed and sunflowers stuck in my backpack I probably looked like a moving target of fresh pollen for those damn bees.

As we hiked to the top of the hill, sweat beading up on my forehead and the dog panting like he hasn't walked in years, which is not true I might add...that darn dog is one of the luckiest canine creatures on the block...he gets daily walks...d a i l y, so if you ever meet him don't let his whining fool you...he is s p o i l e d and with a name like Greg, everyone wants a pet from this creature....

 

Anyhoo, as we made it to the top there it was a HUGE field of yellow sunflowers growing through a white fence, sans BEES.

We loaded up...snuck some purple something or rathers in our bundle and headed down the hill to walk home through the neighborhood...with a huge bundle of weeds, I mean wild flowers. I am quite positive that each person who drove by accused me of stealing these flowers from their garden, but don't let my bundle fool you...

I did not take ONE....flower from someone's yard, oh you bet the pretty roses Beth has been babying all winter looked mighty purdy and the yellow Lillie's in George's yard called my name rather loudly...however, I resisted...and one other thing, I have no clue who Beth and George are!

{giggle, just going back to the whole being honest notion!}

And just for getting through all of the non-sense, I would like to present my Weeds...

For free flowers, I say they aren't too bad!

   

 

Hope your day is filled with all things wild & Free...sans bees.

P.S. Just a side note my son and my dog do not have the same name...that would be awkward....

Just wanted to clarify...

oh and the pool man was much nicer when I got home, until I asked for help in the garden...he can be such a "princess" sometimes.

 

Ranunculas~

While my baby sleeps in his new big boy bed, I am sitting a few yards away typing this post, hoping he doesn't fall out of his bed! This is his first sleep in his new bed, and it seems to be going quite smooth, let's hope all the other sleeps go this well!

 

I don't know when I got so sentimental, but when the pool man said to my punk, come on let's go take your crib down, I got all teary eyed...

 

I kept myself busy arranging flowers and yelling at our dog, Greg to stop chasing the cats and to sit on his bed while they dismantled the crib...

Upstairs the boys worked and down stairs in the kitchen, I remembered when my punk was just a wee one, and how many nights were spent washing baby bottles, and how many afternoons were slept away with him on my chest...and me listening to the baby sounds that filled the still warm afternoon room...

And how quickly the nights of washing bottles turned into nights filled with laughter and whoopsie do's as he would wobble his way from me to the pool man, meanwhile learning what this whole balance thing meant...

And how quickly the time has gone...from smiles, to giggles, to baby words, to non-stop chatter as together me and him drove to the beach yesterday...and together me and him built sand castles, and together we saved each other from being taken away by the rip currents glistening off the water...

As we walked to the car, completely sun drenched and smiling...with not a care in the world he grabed my hand..and my heart melted..and the sand that we tracked up from the beach between our toes fell effortlessly into the car leaving its marker of the day me and him had together...

And as I place the last flower in the vintage pitcher I hear his feet trampling down the stairs, as he no longer needs my help climbing down the stairs, he runs into the kitchen and says, mommy my big boy bed is done...

My heart sinks a little further, as my baby is no longer a baby but a big boy I am so eager to know...

I would not take back one day of this life we have had together...

 

And I am so excited for the journey we have in the future, full of big boy moments that involve new best friend sleepovers and preschool...

Here I sit a few yards away, checking in on him to make sure his little arm is not falling off the side of his new bed...

and peek in to see this:

My baby all snuggled in his big boy bed, fast asleep with his baby blankets...

And when he wakes up...

He just might get a trip to the golf course, to use his "putter",

And when he says that my heart flutters...

 

Boy do I love him!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend..

I spent some time and stocked this shoppe ...

With treasures like this:

 

 & this...

 

 & Burlap handmade runners like these:

 Which means I didn't get the pool man's taxes done, or watch the blind side..

But there is always tomorrow!

xoxo~

P.S. oh yeah the Ranunculas well they came from the local Farmer's Market and they feel like bringing in a piece of spring from outside in and I just love that!

A Beach Cottage~

 Since so many of you have commented and asked me to stop mentioning the warm weather we are having here in California, as you are drowning in snow.... I thought we should have a little game today...called, "Guess the price of this beach cottage!" This will all make sense soon promise!

As the punk and I drove around on Monday after bagels, him in the back asking me repeatedly, "Mommy what you doin'?" and me talking, while I am scoping out a new house for us to live in....

A new house in the form of a beach cottage where the walk to the sand is only a few minutes...

As I turned the corner there it stood, my {little} beach cottage.

I was smitten upon arrival and asked my punk what he thought...and he just gave me a blank stare...ok so I guess he won't be a Realtor anytime soon...

Bummer!

I rushed home and looked this baby up on the internet...

Here are the specs:

Custom Built

All new amenities throughout

Built in 1957 but remodeled a few years ago

2 bedrooms

1 bathroom

Detached garage

950 square feet

Full of charm

 {ok, I am all about charm, aren't you?}

There is more but I think the photos paint a better picture for you, so here you go.....

 

 

Bamboo floors

Vaulted beam ceilings

fireplace...**swoon**

 

 

Farm sink

French Doors

Granite counters

and an ocean view!

**swoon**

 

 

Did someone say subway tile???

**swoon**

 

 

 

 

  Are you in la ~la~love like me???

 

I am ready to pack my bags, have an estate sale...and move right in!

 

Do you have any idea of the price?

 

Go ahead and take a guess, I'll come back soon and let you know!

 

Off to get some work done, this whole day job thing is really getting in the way of my blogging time...

 

Sheesh, I think I need to remedy that ASAP!

 

Hot-digity-dog, look what time it is....

off to lunch...

ta ta~

 

 

Chasing Sunsets~

As I drove my son home from Grandma and papa's house this afternoon, the sounds of him sleeping made me realize just how blessed we are as a family. How blessed I am to be able to spend the afternoon with my parents and to have a son who is happy and healthy.

 As the afternoon faded before my eyes and my son slept, I got off the freeway at the Dana Point exit, one exit before our small beach town and I chased the sunset that had colored the sky with amazing hues of orange, and red.

 

As my son slept in the back cuddle with his blankets and a full tummy, I snapped photos from Dana Point to the end of San Clemente, and as I uploaded these photos to my computer it made me realize how amazing each and every day is.

 That at the end of every day we are blessed with an amazing sunset to remind us that there is always tomorrow.

 

There is always another day to make a friendship right.

 Another day to use our talents to bless someone else.

 There is always another day to improve where we have once failed.

 

 We are given another day to nurture our children and kiss our husbands for no specific reason.

We are given another day to make a love gone wrong, right.

 

As I chased this sunset I realized just how blessed I am to live so close to the ocean and how smitten I am with the place I call home.

 

As I chased the sunset, the colors changing before my eyes, I was reminded just how amazing it is to be given just one more day...

 Each and every day.

 

I hope tomorrow finds you a new freedom....

 I hope tomorrow finds you a new balance in life....

And, I hope tomorrow finds you where you want to be, or at least taking it one step at a time to be in that place...

 

Much love from my small beach town to where ever you may be~ 

P.S. Take a minute to turn your speakers up and listen to the words of the song playing...

It is called "Just Breathe"...something we all need to be reminded to do once in a while.

P.S.S. My stores are back open with some new goodies and tomorrow I am adventuring to the flea market...wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

Farmer's Market~

 San Clemente has a local farmer's Market every Sunday down one of our main streets.

I packed the baby up and took him along today...the weather is perfect for a little stroll.

Would you like to come?

Ok, good...'cause you really have no choice today!

Off we go...

1st stop Kettle Corn!

 

In several different flavors...

Fresh produce galore to be found from local vendors:

 

Most organic too!

 Go ahead and grab a sample, right there in the little plastic container...

Uhm, there to our right....

Yeah, there they are... take one!

 I am sure these peaches are yummy!

We come on Sundays  for the flowers...

Fresh and locally grown flowers of all different colors...

 

And of course there is also locally made honey and bread...

 

Hang on one second...

I need to get my punk one of these:

 

I'll catch up to you, go on ahead...  

Grab me a loaf of bread..will ya?

And a bag of fresh almonds:

The dried fruit is pretty good as well...

Grab me a bag of those too, please!

And we can grab some fresh eggs & a cactus on our way out...

 

Thanks for the company, I enjoyed our chit chat...

 My punk enjoyed his strawberry flavored snack and only managed to get sticky honey on the strap of his stroller, his hands, his cheek and his car seat..not bed, eh?

 But, I must be getting home to add these fresh flowers to water...

And my Favorite Vintage blue Ball Jars!

 

Now if you will excuse me it is nap time for the baby and this momma needs some exercise....

'til we meet again...

Pop on over here to one of my favorite blogs ...for a little giveaway!

Cha cha cha!

P.S. If you live locally the farmer's market is on Del Mar, every Sunday and every 1st Sunday of the month there is a craft fair along with the farmer's market filled with homemade treasures from local artists....

 

 

  

 

 

   
 

 

  
 

 

 

Small Beach Town Girl~

I didn't always live in San Clemente.

 Nope.

 I grew up 20 minutes from San Clemente, and i remember my mom packing up our car on a hot summer's day to take us to the San Clemente pier. We would play for hours, dashing in and out of the water, eating our brown bag lunches and being dead tired when we finally left in the late afternoon.

 

Perhaps my love of this small beach town started then, even when I was unaware of how wonderful this little town is. Way back then, San Clemente was even smaller then it is today.

Over the weekend, I had time to myself.

Yup, you read that right, no hubby and no little punk, just me and Greg (that is my dog!).

We piled into the car, went to the bagel shack for breakfast, drove to check out the waves and the surfers of course and then we took an hour run through this small beach town that i have come to love and call home.

As I was running down my favorite street, Del Mar, I noticed how much it has changed in the last two years. Unfortunately, with the recession, small towns seem to be hit the hardest as many of the small mom and pop shoppes I love are now closing their doors.

This little coffee shoppe is no longer in business, I always remember a group of men sitting out in front of the store chatting like old friends.

" Nice and Easy" although deciding to close for personal reasons, was my favorite store on Del Mar, I spent many hours pursuing their amazing treasures and thankfully made friends with the owners.

Oh how I miss walking through their inspiring shoppe:

Stores have come in and closed within a two month span.

But, what has not changed is the small town feel of San Clemente.

What has not changed is my love for this little town.

My ability to hop in the car with my dopey dog and take a run down the beach with him, knowing that everyone I pass will mutter a "good morning" hello to me, or that the sound of the un-coming train reminds me how fortunate I am to be able to run down a path that I feel completely safe on and also happens to run right along side the surf line.

I have found a place that I call home.

It would take a lot for me to move somewhere else.

I am excited to see my son grow up and learn how to surf with his daddy on Saturday mornings.

I never thought of myself as a small beach town girl.....

But, I think I am loving this idea more and more.

So now I want to know, what do you love about the town you live in?

Are you a city girl, or a beach town girl?

Do you enjoy the country and solitude or do you prefer the hustle and bustle of a city life?

I hope this Tuesday finds you loving something you never thought you would!

XOXO~

P.S. If anyone needs old books for altered art supplies, let me know I have quite a few I would like to get rid of!

 

Beach Town~

It was a crazy weekend here in our little beach town with the celebration for the 4th of July. Since I took Monday off I decided to pack up the baby, the dog and my camera to take some photos of the Calm after the Storm, so to speak.

I longed to live in San Clemente for quite a few years and now that I do I try not to take it's beauty for-granted. Sometimes it is the little things that make our beach town so special.

 

Small restaurants like the Village~

 

Vivid colors lining the streets~

 

Locale Coffee shoppes~

 

Locale Flower shoppes~

 

Locale Surf shoppes~

 

Locale solider remembrance parks~

 

Locale hotels just steps away from the water~

 

What makes me so thankful that I am able to live here is the ability to hop in the car and drive 5 minutes to scenes like this:

 

Scenes that can literally take your breath away.

To able to take my son for walks on the pier~

 

 

 

To able to look up and not care that the sun is hiding or sleeping as I tell my son, but to see large Palm trees, graceful seagulls & breath in the salty sea air~

 

There is no scene better to me, no scene more complete then the ocean~

 

Beauty beyond measure~

 

A quiet still that pervades the air~

A place you can spend the whole day and feel refreshed the next~

 

A place to soothe the aching soul~

 

And hide special memories~

 

Or share new ones~

 

It seems when I pick up my camera, and really SEE my little Beach town, I am reminded of it's beauty all over again.

So today, I challenge you to find the beauty where you live and to share it with us!

Don't worry about the quality of the photos, or who is in them or how many pictures you take, just be there, be in the beauty, you might be surprised what you come home with!

XOXO~

 

 

 

 

Beach Walk~

Well hello there, so glad you could make it!

I sure hope you brought your walking shoes with you, and perhaps some sunscreen, it is a mere 72 degrees out and it is only 9AM!

Hang on one minute, while I load the jogger stroller, a sippy cup, and some goldfish for the boy into the car.

Oh, I am sorry I should have told you, my little punk comes along. Don't worry he enjoys the local scenery as much as I do.

ok, hop on in, we have about an 8 minute drive to the beach, we can chat and listen to some music on the way.

Ah, here we are. 

Quick ride, huh?

Shall we start at the Pier?

Sounds good~

This is the trail, it goes in a straight line, so don't worry we won't get lost!

 

What a gorgeous day, the beach is packed and it is only April...

 

Looks like a lot of folks are out this morning, I don't blame them one bit since the weather is divine...

 

Oh to be 18 again with nothing to do but hang out with my boyfriend and surf all day...

 

 

 

Here is where I have to show you what I am totally smitten with...EKKK...

 Darn it, my son just dropped his blankey, one second...

"Hey mister, if you do that again you won't get this thing back, do you hear me?"

I'm sorry he will probably drop his blankey or his sippy cup again I promise.

ok, we are good to go now!

 

 These are the life guard stands that sit on the beach around "Lost Winds", and I just love them.

I am not sure why...except I think this would make a great photo to add to my son's room! 

 

Or maybe this one with the BIG ole 9 on it.

Right now they are not in use, but hit May and some hot lifeguard will be sitting there waiting to rescue me...have I told you before how I can't swim in the ocean?

No?

I can't swim in the ocean, not to mention there are sharks out there...

{{shudder}}

 

I would rather sit on the beach and check out the fleeting local scenery....

But, you have to be quick...they come and go in an orderly fashion.

 

The train runs through here on a regular schedule as well and the "choo choo" is the best part of my son's day...we get to see it first hand and he just giggles...

Did you hear him!

HILARIOUS!

 

 

There are olde wooden steps that lead to several different places, mostly to fortunate folks back yards and maybe some back doors...I can only imagine the view they must have...:::sigh:::

 

We can gander up those steps on another walk, today I have the stroller and I am not lugging it up those steps, so you can just forget about that idea.

 

Darn it, I will be right back looks like we dropped a sippy cup a few feet back. Can you watch my punk for a second? Don't worry he doesn't bite.

Sorry about that. Off we go, we are almost to a turning point, to start our way back to the car.

 

Hey, right there....quick to your left....

Did you see it...a variety of local surfers...just making his way back home...

 

Sorry, I got side tracked...where were we?

AHH yes...

These gorgeous towers seem to change color as we make our way to the State beach, I adore the color of this here fella...soon he too will be pulled onto the beach and inhabited by lifeguards.

 

But since today is a hot day, and the pier seems to be a hoppin' spot for vacationers and locals a like this lifeguard got pulled to duty early in the season...lucky guy!

 

If I had the leisurely life I dream of, I would plop myself here all day...

But since today is Sunday, and well my OCD rears it's ugly head on the weekends, I must get home to finish cleaning...it's a hard Knox life for me! TE hee!

 

I can certainly smell the salt in the air, can you?

I guess we have to make our way back up the hill to the car.

Let's grab a sip of water right here before we go....

 

Here we are, that last hill is a doozie, huh?

Climb on in, I will drive you back to my house.

It might take me a few minutes to load up, feel free to turn the radio on and shake the sand out of your shoes.

Thanks for joining me, I try to take this walk as much as possible, so if you ever need a walking buddy I am here:

Ready and waiting!

Happy Tuesday my friends!

 

P.S. The pool man wandered up stairs last night while I was uploading the local scenery and he laughed and asked why I had pictures of surfers on my camera! See the trouble I get into for you girls! Just kidding, we laughed together, he understands I am just silly like that! HA!

You can thank me later!

The Nixon Years~

San Clemente like many other places is filled with history, dating back to 1928 when it became a city. Although through the years it has changed drastically, an interesting little tid bid about San Clemente is that Richard Nixon and his wife once lived here. Purchasing a home then called Hamilton Cotton's mansion in South San Clemente which sat overlooking Cotton's point.  Nixon would come to stay at his San Clemente home which was known during his presidency as the "Western White House" several times a year.

 

After the Watergate scandal Nixon and his wife moved from Washington D.C. to their home in San Clemente and lived there for 6 years after his resignation. To this day, the once Western White house known today as La Casa Pacifica still sits on Cotton's point, a world famous surf spot and is owned by Gavin Herbert, who bought the house in 1980. Gavin Herbert owns Rogers Gardens in Corona Del Mar, California. Mr. Herbert has turned the grounds of the home into an English garden, in which the public is not allowed to see. Over the course of Nixon Presidency, several influential people such as Franklin Roosevelt stopped in to town and stayed at the Western White House. You could on seldom occasions see Nixon and his wife, Pat strolling along the beach and mingling with the towns people. The only way to get a good look at this historic home today is by sneaking past the guarded shack for the gated community!

 

Charming Statues run throughout the grounds.

 

 

The Gate Entrance To La Casa Pacifica

 

Casa Pacifica as seen from the lower path

 

Spanish architecture dominates Casa Pacifica

 

The Gazebo where the president would play cards with Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930's. Not a bad view, huh?

These pictures were taken by Bob Fairbanks while on a guided tour in June 2005 by Mr. Herbert himself. The house is amazing and the grounds immaculate. No one has been allowed inside.

I love knowing my little ole town has history like this and it would be amazing to be able to tour the grounds of La Casa Pacifica. Better add that to my list of to-do's!

Just a little side note, an olde friend of mine, whom I might have dated way back when {{wink wink}} mother lives in the guarded community of La Casa Pacifica. But in all my adventures within the gates I never did get a good look at the mansion. Although if you walk along the beach right below La Casa Pacifica you can see the tall palm trees that surround the property and make it easy to spot!

I heart San Clemente!

Cheers~

Blondiensc