Sitting on a blanket in front of my orange tree, wearing a white sweater, with two orange brooches, and a skirt featuring various California landmarks, while reading.

California Dreamin’ is Becomin’ a Reality

February 10, 2021, 5 Comments

Since moving to California I had dreamed of having my very own orange tree. I imagined the joy of stepping outside, plucking an orange off the tree for fresh orange juice in the morning or for an afternoon snack. When we moved into our house a little over three years ago I hemmed and hawed…

Myself wearing a black top that features an open skirt, with black cigarette pants underneath. A white blouse peeks out at the top and a large orange bow with a print of black cats is worn at the neck.

Anaheim Halloween Parade – Drive Thru Style

October 28, 2020, 3 Comments

I’m lucky enough to live in a town that has a Halloween parade every year. Under normal circumstances, there is a fall festival during the day before the parade starts. The festival is full of games, artists selling their unique works, and live music. Then as the sun sets the parade, with its collection of…

Looking into our kitchen from the dining room. Cream and pink tile counter sits atop cream cabinets with copper hardware. Upper cabinets, also cream, sit against green walls. Text overlay reads "Our 1954 Home Kitchen"

Our 1954 Home: Kitchen

September 9, 2020, 13 Comments

You’ve seen the kitchen here and there on the blog, in the background of various posts and in my Cooking with Vincent series, but today we are finally giving it a proper post all its own because we recently did a (partial) kitchen redo! Our kitchen is directly behind our fireplace, which sits in the…

A covered patio stretches out from a butter yellow house, on the patio are various ceramic and fiberglass planters, along with two black butterfly style chairs. Green grass surrounds the patio, large agave plants are clustered in the corner.

Our 1954 Home: Backyard

November 29, 2018, 12 Comments

We’ve been in our home a little over a year now, and, with some minor exceptions, we just now finished up our backyard, and I am happy to finally share it on the blog! From the get-go, many people were interested in what our backyard looked like, but I kept it hidden for the most…

Myself standing in front of a quartette of black cats of wood, wearing a patchwork print dress of orange, yellow, black and white, as a large straw hat

The Anaheim Halloween Parade

October 30, 2018, 1 Comment

Last weekend Patrick and I finally made it to one of Anaheim’s oldest traditions, the Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade! Starting in 1923, the parade was started the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce as a way to bring the community together and create a more family oriented Halloween event, and has been a beloved favorite…

Our 1954 Home: Laundry Room

September 18, 2018, 7 Comments

Having a vintage wardrobe means laundry is vital to its lifespan. While I do a good deal of hand-washing, I still use a washer for some items. This meant that the location of the laundry hook-ups was vital in selecting a home. Growing up I had laundry in the garage, with direct access from the…

A Sneak Peek at Howard Johnson Anaheim’s Retro Redo

June 19, 2018, 7 Comments

There is nothing I like more than a mid-century business fully embracing their history and running with it, and that is exactly what the Howard Johnson here in Anaheim has done. Recently, this HoJo decided it was time for a renovation, and they looked to the past for inspiration. Located right across the street from…

The Packing House, a mission revival styling building with cream colored stucco and orange color domes. A large orange with "Sunkist" across it pops just slightly from the middle above the door.

The Food Hall Hiding Inside Anaheim’s Former Citrus Packing House

June 8, 2018, 9 Comments

Orange County. There is a reason it’s called that. It’s well known that the area that is now the Disneyland Resort was once orange groves, and well, that is what most of Anaheim was like. In the late 1800s and through the early part of the 20th century citrus was king here. And where did…

Linbrook Bowl's sign, with "Bowl" spelled out on the left, and a large bowling pin reading that they offer 40 lanes.

Linbrook Bowl: Anaheim’s Neon Gem

May 19, 2018, 2 Comments

I won’t lie, I have a soft spot for bowling. I mean, who doesn’t love throwing a ball to try to knock over things? Anyway, I have been meaning to check out Linbrook Bowl, Orange County’s oldest bowling alley (according to the OC Register) for sometime, and earlier this week we finally made it with…

Original Pancake House sign, red, white and blue, with a cartoon version of a chef flipping pancakes.

The Original Pancake House Anaheim

May 14, 2018, 4 Comments

Not too far from our house is The Original Pancake House, which is not only an institution here in Anaheim, but a Portland one as well. Funny how that works, isn’t it? What makes the Anaheim one so special is that it has been serving up locals and tourists alike since 1958, and still features…