Guess what? I'm not dead!

I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last posted.  It's not as though there hasn't been anything interesting going--on the contrary, there's almost too much interesting things happening that it's hard to process it all.  So I'll just break it down crazy bullet-point style and elaborate in more posts later this week and next.

• Charlie turned nine-months old in May and marked the occasion by learning how to crawl like a peg-legged pirate.

• You know how I said we were moving to Colorado this summer?  Well, we decided to be wild and crazy and bought a house.  I still can't really get over the fact that we will soon be calling this lovely place home in less than a month!

• Charlie turned ten-months old this month and marked the occasion by finally figuring out how to roll over from his back to his belly and vice versa.

• Sammy turned three this past Sunday.  THREE.  Where in the world did the time go?  Sammy's about 90% potty trained and a non-stop chatter box; some of his favorite things are pierogies, riding his bicycle, and dancing; he's even started his own version of break dancing.  Video to come soon--hopefully.

• And last but not least, I've taken the first steps towards opening a vintage shop online.  I won't have everything fully up and running until after we've settled into our new house in Colorado, but I've started a Facebook page for it so stop by and say hi! 

 

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A few fun finds

{You might be wondering just what's been keeping me busy these days, or at least busy enough to be dropping the ball left and right in regards to keep up this blog.  Well, I'll tell you--I've been busy finding fabulous vintage things all over the place thanks to local thrift shops and estate sales.  If I keep this up I really am going to have to consider opening up my own little vintage store.  Captain Husband thinks I'm nuts for buying quilts when we live in the desert, but we won't always live in El Paso, right?}

{I found this lovely Arts and Crafts drop-front desk at an estate sale a few weeks ago; the estate was of a couple who had owned their own antique store, so going through their house and giant garage had me feeling like a kid in a candy store.}

{This stunning step-back cupboard came from the same estate; it had been hidden at the very back of the garage and no one seemed to notice it.  Of course, they probably had more sense than me and realized that moving an 8' tall and 4' wide ONE-PIECE cupboard just wasn't worth the trouble.  Thank goodness the ceiling in my garage is high; this thing just barely fit inside with only a few inches to spare.  The movers are going to hate me the next time we have to PCS.}

{And last, but not least, is one of my favorite thrifted treasures: a full set of vintage Lustro Ware yellow kitchen canister set, bread box, and salt and pepper shakers.  I honestly don't think they've ever been used--the bread box still has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval sticker on it.  I found them at a thrift store in New Mexico and nearly did a little dance when I realized that the bread box was filled with the other things and that they were all included in the already ridiculously low price.  I think these might be my best thrift store find to date!}

High-flyin' fun

As I was driving along I-10 the other day, I noticed a new billboard on the side of the road advertising the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Theresa, New Mexico.  I made a mental note to check it out online as soon as I got home, because I knew a certain little boy would probably love it.  Turns out I know Sammy pretty well...if you look closely at the photo above, you can see the exact moment at which Sammy's mind was blown--he spent most of the time exploring the giant hanger and saying things like, "Whoa!" and "Oh, wow!"

Sammy was in complete and utter heaven and on his best behavior the entire time.  Even though he wanted to touch all of the planes, Sammy did a great job of listening to me and my mom and managed to look only with his eyes.

In addition to a huge collection of vintage aircraft, the museum also had a really nice display of classic cars from the 1920s through the 1970s.  Sammy had a great time pointing out all of the "fast" cars (i.e. any of the red ones) and telling us the different sounds that they make.

The highlight of the entire trip, however, was the one and only helicopter on exhibit.  Sammy kept walking back o the corner where it was displayed and saying, "hi helicopter!" and then making helicopter noises.  He would get rather upset when we walked around the hanger and he couldn't see it anymore--I think we probably did a total of four laps around the 64,000 square foot building just so he could see it over and over again. 

I'm pretty sure that this week's visit will be the first of many trips that we take to the War Eagles Air Museum--this is one obsession of Sammy's that I have no problem indulging.

Some outtakes and candids from Sammy's birthday party

As soon as Sammy's interest in airplanes sparked a few months back, I knew I had to track down a vintage Fisher Price airport for him (and me and Captain Husband) to play with; I managed to find one on eBay a few weeks back for less than $6 (!) so the matter of Sammy's birthday present was settled.  I set it up in the kitchen and it was definitely the highlight of the day--every kid that walked through played with it and just about every parent in attendance made the comment along the lines of, "I used to have that when I was a kid!"  I'll admit that the party planner/photographer in me had hopes of using the airport as a pseudo cupcake stand, but I didn't have the heart to wrest it away from the birthday boy, so I made do with a cake stand instead.

I managed to time the party so that everyone could enjoy the shaded patio--the sun comes out at full blast on that side of the house by 3 pm; most of the party guests alternated between sitting outside and enjoying the food fresh from the grill and sitting inside under the cool breeze of the ceiling fans.  Captain Husband manned the hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, while my mom and I had prepped most of the other food earlier that morning, like fruit salad, pasta salad, spinach dip, and a veggie tray.

While the adults munched and talked, the kids kept themselves busy with Sammy's toys and the inflatable pool that we had set up just for the party (Sammy tested it out in his pajamas earlier that morning to make sure everything was up to his high standards).  I don't know what we would have done without the pool--it kept the kids happy and occupied, not to mention cool.  We let the kids run around and play for about an hour and a half and then it was time for cupcakes and cookies.

 

We all sang Happy Birthday to Sammy and then it was time to dig in--the cupcakes, or rather the frosting, were a huge hit with Sammy's guests.  I'm pretty sure more than a few of the cupcakes wound up scalped of their yummy buttercream frosting.

And it wouldn't be an airplane party until Sammy made his airplane cookie fly, complete with the requisite sound effects.  I think he was rather upset when I told him that the cookie was for eating, not playing, but the sugar sprinkles seemed to help change his mind.  All in all it was a great birthday party, especially considering that there were at least ten kids in attendance age six and under, and there wasn't a single horrible tantrum or melt-down to be had.  And while I may have overdone it a bit (hence my trip to the hospital on Monday), I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out and I know that Sammy had a great time on his birthday.

Monkey see, monkey do

It appears that Sammy is picking up some habits from yours truly; yesterday afternoon, he decided to turn the tables and take some "pictures" of me with his vintage Fisher Price camera.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, especially as I've been shoving a camera in this kid's face since birth.

Sammy took a quick break to enjoy a snack of some carrots (another thing he appears to have picked up from me recently--up until yesterday, he wouldn't touch a raw carrot with a ten foot pole) and then he was back to taking shots of me and the play room.  I hope this means that he might actually grow up to enjoy photography--after all, my love for the medium was ignited by my mom's ever-present camera when I was a kid.

I think I've got myself a junior shutterbug in the making.

The Queen of the Missions

Our next stop along the Mission Trail was the San Jose Mission; completed in 1782, this magnificent complex was the largest of the missions of the area.  This self-contained community was home to approximately three hundred and fifty Native Americans at its height and was sustained by extensive fields and herds of livestock.

The architectural carvings of the San Jose Mission were unlike any that I had seen in San Antonio and were truly works of art.  I think Fr. Juan Agustin Morfi summed it up when he said in 1778, "In a word, no one could have imagined that there were such good artists in so desolate a place."  Above is the famous Rose Window of the San Jose Mission Church, which is a masterpiece of colonial Baroque artistry--even Oscar Wilde was impressed when he visited the Mission in the summer of 1882: "Those old Spanish churches, with their picturesque remains and dome and their handsome carved stonework, standing amide the verdure and sunshine of a Texas prairie, gave me a thrill of strange pleasure."

The Mission fell into disuse and disrepair over the years until it was restored in the 1930s by the San Antonio Conservation Society and the Works Progress Administration.  One of the buildings that was restored at that time was the large granary, which now houses a miniature-scale model of the Mission compound as it would have appeared in the eighteenth century.

The gorgeous barrel-vaulted granary also retained remnants of colorful trompe l'oeil frescoes of architectural elements, such as columns and chair-rail moldings.  It was also a good fifteen degrees cooler in there, which made it a nice place to stop and linger while soaking up the history.

Walking around the Mission, it was easy to see why it was known as the Queen of the Missions--beautiful details popped up in the most unexpected of places, like this carved downspout along one of the walls of the church, or the somber putto framing the rear entrance into the chapel pictured below.  I easily could have spent several more hours exploring the Mission, but the three of us were getting a bit peckish so it was time to head back to the hotel and figure out what to do for dinner.  I know if I ever happen to find myself in San Antonio again, I'll definitely be setting aside a full day to explore all four of the Missions in great detail.

On a mission to see some history

I hope you guys aren't getting too tired of all of my photos from our recent trip to San Antonio; I promise there's only a few more days' worth to go.  There was just so much fabulous history on display that I can't help but share as much of it as possible.  On our second full day in San Antonio I managed to talk Captain Husband into taking a short car ride to visit the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park; the park actually preserves four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio (the Alamo is the fifth).  Our first stop was the Mission Concepcion, which was completed around 1755 and is one of the best preserved of the Texas missions.

The entrance to the church building was surrounded by an elaborately carved stone portal; according to period descriptions regarding the church, the facade was further decorated with brightly-colored frescoes, which have long since been lost to the ravages of time.

While the exterior is bereft of any painted ornament, the interiors of several of the Mission buildings still retain remnants of their colorful eighteenth-century frescoes.  These ceiling and wall ornaments were revealed and preserved during a restoration project undertaken in 1988; today only four rooms clearly show the remnants of these beautiful works of art; the two ceiling ornaments pictures above were found in the baptistry (left) and the library (right).

I could have spent several hours wandering around this architectural gem (CH was keeping Sammy happily occupied outside on the grounds of the park while I explored), but we had more missions to see before they closed for the day.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Thrift store goodies

{It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to leisurely poke around the local thrift stores; usually I have Sammy in tow and it's not long before he's trying to climb out of the shopping cart so he can play with all of the toys on display.  But I was able to escape for a few hours this Sunday while Captain Husband stayed home with Sammy while he napped.  In addition to a few summer outfits that I scored for Sammy, I also found some really great fabric, including these adorable semi-completed cafe curtains in turquoise gingham.  Now all I need to do is line them and add the pom-pom trim and then I'll have some super cute curtains for the kitchen.}

{As you can see, the kitchen is terribly in need of some window treatments--also CH is tired of being blinded by the evening sun every time we sit down to eat dinner.}

{In addition to the curtains and the clothing, I also scored four large rolls of fabulous vintage yellow-on-chrome wallpaper from the 60s.  Now why do I need four large rolls of vintage wallpaper?  Um, I'm really not sure to be honest.  But I do know that one of these days I'll happen to come across a piece of furniture or something that needs a little TLC and *pow* I'll have the perfect makeover for it.  What's the neatest thing you've ever come across while scouring second-hand shops?}

Shoot and Edit: Bokeh lights (after)

So here's my edited version of my photo from Tuesday; I didn't want to do anything too drastic to it, other than fix the slight green color cast and crop out the bottle that held the tree topper upright for the photo.  Here's what I did in picnik:

1. Manually adjusted the white balance to compensate for the green tones in the SOOC shot; I skewed a little warm with this, just because I liked the overall tones that doing so created.
2. Cropped the photo.
3. Manually adjusted the contrast to make the tree topper pop a bit more.
4. Manually darkened the shadows just a touch.
5. For fun, I added one of picnik's featured Christmas textures at multiply and 90% fade to add the appearance of some flares amongst the bokeh lights in the background.
6. Applied rounded corners and called it a night.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the before and after: what do you think?

And don't forget--if you'd like to learn how to make your photos go from good to wow, be sure to check out what's going on over at Jill and Ashley's blogs:

Shoot and Edit: Bokeh lights

For this week's before and after photo challenge, I decided to shoot one of my latest vintage holiday finds--a pink and turquoise glass tree topper that I found while visiting my family over Thanksgiving.  Little thought or preparation went into other than grabbing a bottle to balance the tree topper on and placing them on an end table in front of the tree.  My first shot wasn't too bad, but I didn't like how dark the turquoise-colored recesses of the tree topper appeared, so I took a lamp off of a nearby table, rested it on my shoulder and aimed it towards my subject, and tried again:

I really like how this little change in lighting made the tree topper appear as though it was lit from within.  Also, if you look really closely, you'll notice that my tree still has not been decorated--anyone else out there waiting until the last minute to finish up their holiday decorating?