Monday Morning

Good morning! Hope everyone has a wonderful day and a good week.....I know the weather is bad in some places, cold.....it was cold when I got up but its warming up nicely....the weather people here say we are in for more rain....it hasn't rained very much yet, so hope we do get some.....keep the wildflowers around a little longer that way......

got a call yesterday for a job today so that is good news..plus the real estate company called and said they had a check for us.....hopefully we will get other calls today too.....last week was "slim pickens"...only two jobs.....

we watched an old silent film last night...it was so good that I stayed up later than I normally do....it was filmed in 1924/25 and was a travel film. Incredible footage of traveling with a Bedouin tribe on their migration to find grass for their flocks in Iran......doesn't sound like it would be good but wow...the incredible footage of 50,000 people, and animals traveling through raging rivers, and over high snowy mountain ranges...it was filmed by a USA ambassador and his wife who traveled with them......really something...reminded me of what it was probably like for the Israelites and their 40 year travel.....I wished I had taped it or at least written down the name of it......

Feeling a little better today, think I'll live...hope I get the canisters today!
They were mailed the 25th....

This label is so pretty...love the bouquet,don't you? It drizzled some last night but we always appreciate and thank the Lord for the rain...in our part of the country, rain is always a blessing....and it didn't get too cold either, in the 50s last night....perfect for the plants and flowers...
we watched a good movie last night, 3:10 to Yuma with Russel Crowe and Christopher Bale...its a western remake...yes, violent but very good ending....Christopher plays a young rancher who is between a rock and a hard place, having to transport a hardened bank robber/murderer (Russel Crowe) to the prison train station in Yuma...with the robbers gang after them.....I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it but its excellent...it would be good for older children..little too violent for the little ones...there are maybe two swear words in it.No sex and very mild nudity. Its the only "new" movie so far that we have rented that I've liked...we saw Beowulf (yuck) and 300 (I found it boring after about 15 minutes). I think they sometimes go way overboard on the special effects to the point of ridiculous..
the other movie we rented is Amazing Grace which is an historical drama about
the life of William Wilberforce...haven't seen it yet, probably this evening. A good movie to watch on a Sunday evening.

I woke up this morning and my voice was gone! Evidently the cold has effected my throat....trying to take it easy today....it came back later later in the day...

Its cool, overcast and windy....nice day to relax inside....

Good Saturday Morning! There is a change in our weather.....its been warm all week, but today its overcast and cooler, the weather people say it could rain....that would be a good thing anyway....supposed to be in the 60s here today...it has been a lot warmer in the 80s.....

I cut up a old vintage dresser scarf and have it ready to sew into an apron..but need to find some additional material for the ties...not enough in the scarf for that....I'll have to look through my fabric pile and see if there is anything otherwise go to Walmart......each end of the scarf has tulips so I cut off the opposite side and am using it as a deep pocket on the front..the scarf is rather wide so I didn't need to add anything on the sides to widen it......its a solid pink linen with pink/white crocheted edging....with white tulips....got it at an estate sale. I will need to get some pink thread also.

Our little mourning dove mama has two babies in the nest.....we noticed a lot of movement the other day, she was feeding them.....they won't be in the nest very long and she'll be on her second clutch of eggs....she picked a good spot for her nest...she is very concealed and can't even been seen at all from above..which is good as we do have quite a few hawks. When we first moved here, I put up a bird feeder which was very popular with all the local birds until a little falcon decided to make it his personal cafeteria...

Aprons!

I inherited two aprons from my grandmother and my mom...Grandma always wore a apron over her pretty house dresses...my mom wore hers for 'slacks'.....during the holidays, Grandma and Mom had festive ones....I am glad to see aprons coming back into the main stream again...so pretty.....I just won this pattern on Ebay and will soon be getting my sewing machine out...hope I can make at least some simple ones.....I joined a new group that is forming called Apronista yesterday...its for anyone who loves aprons, either making them, wearing them or collecting them...
I am ready for something new....they are still accepting members so if you are interested, let me know and I can send you an invitation.....

I found this label and it reminded me of Buck Rodgers.....



The cold is still with me and now our oldest son is coming down with it too......not good as he works so hard at the dog rescue...they got a lot of new dogs in...I went there yesterday so see them....they had some very cute sweet pups.....tempting but Alan is a cat person totally...the one I really liked is a miniature Italian Greyhound, his name is Giovanna.....the lady holding him works at the rescue, her name is Kim.

He's small, only about 10 lbs...elegant looking, calm and sweet.....a wonderful pet....he was found wandering the neighborhood, and was turned in....they always advertise the dogs heavily in the area to find the owners and 60% of the time, the dogs are reunited but no one came forward to claim this little guy.....I know he will get a good home.

Journal Jars

I make these journal jars to help in preserving memories for our loved ones..each jar has over 100 questions to spur memories plus the jars are very decorative....I use vintage photos, old lace, buttons, etc. and have a lot of enjoyment in making each jar special and unique. Yesterday I posted the vintage western jar I made that had old Monopoly pieces on it of horseshoes and bits of rope....I have them on Etsy but it occurred to me to offer them to you also from the blog...they are usually 11.99 each but I am offering the jars for my blog readers at a reduced price of $9.99...and it costs 6.50 to ship...that is the exact shipping price. so if you would like one, please email me..you can get my email address through the About Me section on the left.
If you have a certain theme you'd like, just ask...they do make a unusually nice gift.

Enough of the commercial...how about another fruit crate label?

Good morning all! I am not 100%...fighting this allergy/cold thing...how to you like this label? reminds me of the western journal jar I made some time ago which sold soon after......

For those of you who don't know, I make journal jars and sell them on Etsy or my online store, the China Lake Shoppe.....

I am trying to organize our kitchen a little better...it is small with not much counter space..


most of the counter space is the island....but unseen in this photo to the left is a small alcove and in it, we have a little antique curio cabinet I inherited...I put our cookbooks in the one glass fronted cabinet and just won this canister set (on Ebay, I got a steal on them, PTL)...there is a cookie canister also not seen in the photo..for the shelves..hopefully this will lighten up the cupboards a little..


I'll post the finished curio cabinet when I get the canisters...Nancy Huggins also has made some potato, onion and orange homespun bags for us for storage also..when I get them I will post a photo of them too...

this is the famous Twin Inns of Carlsbad, Ca.....we've drove by it many times however never went there for supper....the rooster in the parking lot has been there for decades.....why is it called the twin inns? because at one time there was a similar inn in Oceanside, I remember it when we first moved there in the 1960s, but it was an empty shell, and soon after burned down...here is a photo of it in its heyday..


I started either a cold or an bad allergy yesterday afternoon, all congested and have a sore throat this morning....kinda hope its a cold as that will go away sooner.

we had stuffed baked potatoes last night for supper...Alan went to the store and bought the largest ones he could find and I cooked up some chicken tenders...then we added all the fixins...butter, sour cream, cheese...I made a salad too, from the lettuce we've grown, tomatoes and avocado....since I am trying to lose weight, just had a salad with the chicken tenders on top...it was quite good too...and a slice of cantaloupe for dessert...
I especially like this label for some reason..always been partial to plaid...my scotland heritage, I suppose.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day yesterday with family and friends...we grilled steaks outside...it was a warm day, in the high 80s here....

While researching I found several really interesting old California photos, this is one of them..notice the tall catus in the background? Its one of the largest ones I've seen...
we also got a call from another REO agent, and now work with him also...that makes a total of 10 agents we are working for and with.....Alan secures the properties, checking all the windows, boarding up any openings and re keying all the locks...he also takes photos of the properties as a record as he is usually the first person inside after the foreclosure....I've heard that some people leave their pets behind but we haven't run into that yet...hope we don't! Alan does check all closets, drawers, etc. just in case....we heard about one house that had kittens locked in a closet...I know what you're thinking and you're right.

I got up early and made blueberry muffins...they smell so good....put a sweet crumb topping on them so they are a little crunchy when you bite into them. Very good and somewhat healthy, by using canola oil, Splenda, organic blueberries and walnuts..I think I shared the recipe before so won't do it again unless you would like it...please leave a comment if you would....the recipe is adapted from the first edition Betty Crocker cookbook..1950.

I also found more fruit crate labels....some really cool ones...and did you know by eating grapefruit you could stay young?

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

please remember to turn off the ragtime music to view this video, thanks!


I will be taking break from blogging this weekend, to spend time with my family during this special time..but wanted to share the wonderful message of Good News!
God is always seeking the lost..Jesus came into the world to save sinners..He died so we can be free and He rose so we can be victorious through Him....what great love!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

If you don't know Him...would you like to? Paste this into your browser to find out how to know God http://www.godlovestheworld.com/

thanks for reading and have a blessed holiday...

Here is one of the last fruit labels.....I've enjoyed posting them. They are so colorful....

Alan came back from working at the real estate office yesterday...God is really working...he went to talk to another lock smith business about getting buying some key blanks from them...the owner and he had a long conversation...Alan was telling him about his business, etc. and how he hadn't had any calls in two days..the owner looked at him and said "well..you'll have to do 3 jobs tomorrow, I guess"..when he
left to back to the real estate office, they gave him two jobs for today and we got a call last night for a third...so there are the 3 jobs! Plus the locksmith owner said if he gets too busy, he'd call Alan and we will refer people to him if they need safe or auto work as Alan doesn't do that..
we also had a young couple come over and test drive the car...they offered us a good price so hopefully the deal will go through....they are supposed to call us today when they get their $ together.

I've had fun looking things up about Oceanside and remembering how things were back then...didn't mean for it to look like a travel brochure though...I've tried to find out more about where we live now, but as this is a fairly new area, there is not much online.....they do have a book out I will probably get one day. I always like to find out the history of where we live...
when we first moved here, many of the kids who came over told us about the Indian burial ground that is close by here...there is quite a few petroglifs and such near by ....and also the holes in rocks where they ground corn.
I did found out the name Menifee came from Luther Menifee Wilson who came out here looking for gold...he didn't find much but did mine quartz/gold, his house still stands....later this became mostly farm land which surprised me as our back yard was full of clay and large rocks...I mean large rocks...there are many outcroppings everywhere...it took us close to a year at get most of them out....we took several wheel barrel and truck loads out, mostly granite. Perhaps all the large boulders keeps this side of the city from becoming like the east side.

The east side of Menifee looks typical of most Southern California neighborhoods, wall to wall track homes..but the west side where we live, looks like the big sky country of Montana..lots of open land, dirt roads, and rural atmosphere...we love it. Alan has a lot of photos on his blog of the area if you are reading this and are
interested, just look at the blog list, Under Dogs Blog. we are still exploring here as we've only lived here a little over 3 years. For fun, we drive around the back hills, going down dirt roads to see what's around the corner....we used to do this quite often as a young couple and still enjoy exploring at our ripe "old" ages.

This post wouldn't be complete without a vintage photo so here is one I found of the old Oceanside train depot..


I am taking a break from posting tomorrow as its Good Friday but will be back on Saturday to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with you....God Bless!

More Photos and Such

Wednesday morning already.....no locksmith calls in two days...this happens before every holiday it seems....we had an hard time during Christmas too...the real estate company who we do some work for, called and wants Alan to come down and do some handyman work in their office today.....maybe he can talk to them about all the money they owe us too...hope so...they said they'd buy him lunch..

He's been doing a little home improvement here....replaced some of our locks for better ones....someone was getting rid of a hand set for their front door and Alan asked for it...he replaced our regular knob with a nice handset..it looks more up to date now....he also replaced the deadbolts on our French doors with a regular keyed deadbolt so that if anyone would break out the glass, they still couldn't unlock the door...before all they'd have to do would be to turn the latch..he did that on both of the French doors, in our kitchen and in our bedroom....

The scripture in my Girlfriends in God daily bible reading was very good (as usual).
Paul wrote, "Let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir and stimulate and invite to love, and helpful deeds and noble activities" (Hebrews 10:22 Amp.). Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it"(Proverbs 3:27) I remember working in the church nursery for years (5!) and no one ever thanked me...I'd have to fill in as I was in charge when others didn't show up...it would have meant so much if people had encouraged and thanked me...even once....Mother Teresa said, "Kind words are easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
So today, thank someone, perhaps its the store clerk who bags your groceries, the postman, or a neighbor....
I want to thank you, dear reader, too! seeing how many have enjoyed this little blog is encouraging.....please leave a comment or sign my guestbook....
Now onto the vintage Oceanside photos...
many of the streets in Oceanside are named after founding fathers of the area...such as Machado Street...here is a photo of the Alice Machado beach house....The Machados were a early Spanish family, they were in business there in the 1880s.



and here is the house that was featured in the movie, "Top Gun"...



if you look at this photo, there is a building to the back of it, in the far right right corner...the city of Oceanside was selling that small house for anyone who can move it for the grand price of $1.00...they wanted it moved to make way for condos...the story ran in the newspaper back in November so I am not sure if it sold or not.....
here is what the house looks like now...


there have been several famous people from Oceanside, a few you may recognize.....me, of course!!!.
Melody Green, cofounder of Last Days Ministeries, with her late husband, Keith Green, Barbara Mandrell, was Miss Oceanside, in 1989,and a Oceanside High graduate,
and Denise Richards, who graduated from the other newer high school, El Camino, starred in several movies, "Starship Troopers" and the James Bond movie, "The World is Not Enough"..
Sports! There have been several famous sports people from Oceanside,..Willie Buchanon.(Oakland Raiders), Joe Salave'a(Washington Redskins), Junior Seau (Miami Dolphins, formerly San Diego Charger),
Antwain Spann (New York Patriots) and Brian Westbrook (Phildelphia Eagles) all graduated from Oceanside high schools.

Just a view more memories of Oceanside.....I graduated from Oceanside High school in 1969....its a lot different looking now but this is how I remember it....it had wood floors and large high ceiling classrooms, I took typing in a classroom on the left hand side of the main building....and also a bookkeeping class....they offered many business classes at the time, something lacking in todays schools...plus home ec, wood shop, metal shop, art and auto mechanics..plus all the basic core classes.....I type fairly well even now, some 40 years later even though I learned on an old typewriter...
We had an open campus...Kay and I would walk downtown at lunchtime and eat at a place called "Lucky's Grill"......we'd order a big order of fries and share most of the time....right next to the high school was a little fast food place that sold tacos and hamburgers at 10 for $1.00....popular with all the kids naturally....

I got my first charge card...there was a department store downtown called "Huckabey's" and my mother would shop there...she knew Mr. Huckabey and he offered me a charge account....my limit was $100 which went a lot further then than today..I babysat regularly and would buy clothes and then pay them off....Huckabey's is the large tan store on the corner right...Lucky's Grill was on the left hand corner of the street. The high school was farther down the block out of camera range in this
photo. This is looking east.



I found quite a few great vintage photos of the area...the Oceanside Historical Society is amazing and if you are interesting, just google it for more information about Oceanside. Before I leave this though, I wanted to mention the Mission San Luis Rey.....the Queen of the Missions..it is so beautiful...here are two photos one old, one recent
the first one is from 1898, the river in the background is the San Luis Rey river which originates up by Mount Palomar. Click on the photos for a better look.

and this one is from 2002


Here is a close up...all the 5th graders have to do a Mission report and a model of the Mission....we went through two reports and models with our boys and both times it was fun....


I almost forgot! here is another vintage fruit label

A Fraker Farm Giveaway

Paula from Fraker Farms is having her first giveaway....one item from her Itsy shop..so check it out! Here are two samples that will be in next week....just leave a comment in her blog at
http://frakerfarm.blogspot.com/

I've Been Tagged!

Cora of Hidden Riches has tagged me so here goes, taking a break from housework is always welcome.

1. My favorite candy isn't chocolate or caramel but these wonderful apple things
that are so so good, called Aplets....I love the Cotlets too which are made from apricots...I am not really a chocolate person.
2. My favorite things to wear are sweatshirts and jeans with sneakers in the winter and T shirts and jeans in the summer...its jeans all the way, baby..
3. I am secretly squirreling away funds through doing surveys for a used piano and have found a free online course (thanks Kay!) to take to learn how to play...this is my quest.
4. My favorite thing to get as a gift is a pair of slippers, what I've asked for at the last 4 Christmases...did I get them, no...got a huge toaster oven, a deep fat fryer, a food processor, a waffle iron...do you notice a trend here?
5. I hate to clothes shop....guess its because my Mom and I did it so often for years and now that she's gone, its not fun anymore.....I do love to go to thrift shops and am a garage sale nut.
I am tagging
Lea from http://farmhouseblessings.blogspot.com/
Nancy from http://insidenanashead.blogspot.com/
Nellie from http://writeymcwritealot.blogspot.com/

Oceanside Pier

Oceanside has had 6 piers since the late 1880s, each one damaged by storms and replaced..the last pier was built opened in 1987 after a bad storm broke off the end around 1985 or so.....it is 1900 ft. long and a nice walk...there is a good restaurant on the end....its a Ruby's and has great burgers....we've eaten there several times...here is a more recent photo



Also on this gray Monday morning, I wanted to remember post one of the vintage fruit crate labels, didn't want to disappoint you....

Something New

Just a little note....Nancy again has outdone herself.....she just listed some very nice little rural mailbox covers for a very low price....surprise the postal worker and make his/her day! Just click on the Making Memories Nana link..

Another note...many of you visit me on Sundays...Welcome! please sign my guest book and
introduce yourself....there are lots of vintage photos through out the old posts so please take a look and you are welcome to any of them..my gift to you...

Oceanside, Ca

Here is an additional Riverside fruit label.....Riverside looked something like what is pictured years and years ago.....I've never been to the mission there but it would be fun...

I was browsing around and found a postcard of the hotel we stayed at the first night my family was in Oceanside, the Ellis Hotel....


It looked about like the picture...a little more worn perhaps....

We only stayed there about a short time when my parents were able to buy a house in South Oceanside, this was in the 1960s....I think they paid about $19,000.
Oceanside was a sleepy little beach community, with a great pier.....the population was 21,000....


“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”-Colossians 3:12

Hello, I usually post first thing in the morning, but my computer wouldn't go online, evidently a plug was pulled out.....this has happened before....

I really like this label...the palm tree avenue is so pretty...Riverside is north of us about 50 minutes away......when I was a little girl, about 10 or 11, my grandmother became very ill with cancer..my mother went to Spokane to be with her for a month, my brother and I spent the month with my aunt and uncle who lived in Riverside at the time and their two teenage daughters....this was in about 1960/61...the girls would listen to rock and roll...first time I had ever heard it and get phone calls from their boyfriends...they'd get so mad at me cuz I would tease them so much..think they were glad when we went home!
Uncle Bill had a cat he called Mrs. Stupid....the cat had been Stupid until she got pregnant and then she was Mrs. Stupid....she had a litter of kittens while we were there which was an experience for us too......neither my brother or I had seen animals being born before....I don't know if Bob (my brother) remembers this, he was just a little guy, only about 4 or 5 years old.....
When my parents came to pick us up, we all went out to this Italian restaurant that my uncle raved about before we went home....they put us in a private room with murals on the wall....at this time in Riverside, there were many great restaurants and Riverside was an elegant town....sadly, like all things, the town has a bad reputation now although they are trying to revive the downtown.

I intend on posting some photos of old southern California in the future....the way I remember it....

I have two of these scissor holders and love them....before I got these, I was forever hunting for a certain type of scissor for different projects....now they are organized!
They are very inexpensive and make a nice little thank you gift for a teacher....Nancy sells these in her store, Making Memories Nana....the link for her store is in my link list.....

Friday

Another vintage fruit crate label.....colorful and pretty......these are so rare now....even the old fruit crates are valuable..I have one from our old town, Vista, Ca. have the crate by our front door sitting on top of an old workbench...I plan on filling it with flowers soon...our geraniums are blooming so will use one of them.

I've been kinda of in a "flux" place with the Lord.... emotions go up and down..part of being human....I am so thankful that Jesus understands and faith is way above emotion.
I signed up for the Girlfriends in God daily word emails, and they have been so helpful......todays was about Mary and Martha...how both women are necessary, Martha for all the work she did, and Mary for all her devotion.....as most of us, I tend to be a Martha...working always for the family, getting up before dawn,promoting our business, working on my blog, store, cooking, housework etc. and tend to neglect the Mary side of myself, yet it is the more important side....sitting at the feet of Jesus, prayer, and meditating on His Word....
..Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things." Luke 10:41
Prayer time is for benefit....reading scripture and meditating on scripture is for blessing and helps me cope with the stresses of daily life.....be refreshed and have things in perspective......God invites us and wants us to be in communion with Him.
It's so easy to get distracted by too many things! I want to seek to become more like Mary and spend time everyday "gazing" into the heart of my Lord.

Many of the orange groves in Southern California are gone..covered with concrete and houses....when my family first moved to Oceanside, Ca...the valley was miles and miles of orange groves and driving inland, the orange blossoms were so fragrant and lovely...sadly, it is all housing and shopping centers now......
In the next few days, I am doing a little tribute to those wonderful years and will be posting vintage fruit labels....hope you enjoy them.....

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”-Romans 8:28

Spring Nest Cleaning Giveaway

Peggy of The Simple Woman blog is giving away some wonderful items for spring cleaning..please check out her blog and sign up...heaven knows I need to do some cleaning (as my cat looks at me curiously) her link is in the links list.....I am not as computer savvy as my sisters as far posting links goes...

A Secret

I found this photo online and really like it but don't know if it is vintage or not...because the leaning girl has short hair.....but it really tells a story..

I am also posting a photo of Mama Dove....thought you might enjoy it...



We've been working steadily and God is blessing us...calls about every day for the last week or so.....jobs today and tomorrow too...we are really thankful...
Philippians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus"
Yesterday I helped Alan at a foreclosed home north of here in a larger city....the house was old and unmaintained for some time...he had to replace a door and fix the door jam on the front door, plus re key the house....it was a small 3 bedroom home with a fireplace...would be a good starter home for a young couple perhaps or a good one to flip..

It is just me or does everyone get thrown off by the day light savings time change? I feel like I am playing catch up all week.....I haven't gotten anything done yet today and its already almost noon...

Tuesday

I've always liked this photo...reminds me of my mom for some reason...she worked as a parachute inspector during WWII in San Diego......

I signed up for a online crafting class and am going to try to make this darling little flower pot doll..I think she's cute....and I can think of a lot of places to put her when she's done...our main bathroom is decorated with sunflowers. So I think I will use yellow calico fabric. She isn't really big, you use a soup can as a base. You can get a lot of interesting craft classes at eCraftClasses.com


There is a lot of talk about a recession going on....and we all have to cut down on expenses as everything is getting more expensive...today on Good Morning America, they were talking about grocery shopping and this one lady was spending only $60 a week on groceries for two.....we spend about $120 a week for 4 which I don't think is bad....I cook a lot from scratch and don't buy much junk food (to my teens anguish)last night we grilled big hamburgers outside, tonight is Taco Tuesday...I try to get things on sale and do buy in bulk at times when there are good buys. We don't eat out much at all....we used to go out to dinner once a week or so but no more...
I do quite a bit of baking (my speciality) this morning I made blueberry muffins with a streusel topping. They are sugarfree, I use Splenda for sweetening...as Alan is diabetic....he loves them and when he's working, tucks a couple away for a "on the road" snack. I get the frozen organic blueberries at Costco, huge bag which lasts us probably two months or so.
About the only thing I buy that are processed is instant mashed potatoes and dry milk powder...they are good, healthy and cheap! I get them in bulk.
we are growing some vegies outside in oak barrels...I have potato plants,carrots and lettuce growing right now...want to plant more, especially tomatoes soon....and hopefully our fruit trees will start producing this year.....

Monday Morning

Good morning! I took a day off yesterday so am getting caught up....lovely morning here..sunny and just a little chilly but it will soon warm up......

We had a very interesting day on Saturday....thought I would share a little bit about it......I sometimes go with Alan when he re keys a foreclosed home...as I like decorating and architecture.....its fun for me to see the inside of some of these homes....the outside of this home on Saturday promised to be great but WOW....who ever lived in it before was so filled with rage, it was just a little scary..
Every wall in the large home was smashed..it looked like they had taken a sledge hammer to it...all of the 3 bathrooms were totally ruined, they had sledgehammered the sinks, counters, showers and toilets....the kitchen was the worst...the lovely granite counter tops were broken, the oven had been smashed and there was glass all over the floors, the oak cabinets had been torn, and splintered...in the family room, the nice fireplace front had been smashed also and the built in cabinets were splintered and ruined....the home was totally unlivable...

I verbally apologized to the house as it always seems to me that each home has a personality of its own...and prayed for whoever had done this terrible thing....the person really needs help....I know and have said banks need to make every effort to keep the former homeowner in the home but its not the banks fault if the person quits making payments.....
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control"

Alan got the place re keyed asap and we called the real estate office to let them know the situation...make sure the home was secure and left....

Afterwards we decided to do something fun and pleasant.....we drove up on some back roads into the hills around Lake Elsinore and took photos of many of the wild flowers that covered them...it was so lovely and the views were incredible...Alan has another blog he is working on and putting a lot of photos of our beautiful countryside on it...I will add the link in the list for anyone who wants to visit..
I have it under Alan's Slide Shows.
Lake Elsinore is the only natural lake in Southern California. We also picked many of the flowers and I am drying them...of course, I didn't pick any of the Californian poppies as they are protected.
As we looked across the lake, the hills were orange with all the poppies...it was so pretty....there were also purple flowers that I thought were lupines but when we got closer, discovered they were not..I've been searching through some California wildflower sites but haven't found out what they are yet...they are a dark purple blue flower tubluar similar looking to a fushia in shape. very pretty....