the Getty Villa

Here's some pic's of a great Saturday our little family had a couple of weeks ago. We spent the afternoon @ J. Paul Getty's Malibu Villa. We were actually just crusing the coast with Hud taking a nap in the backseat and drove in to check it out. We only paid for parking and the tickets to get in were free. We later learned that there is a little bus system that runs from a parking lot of of the property, so you can save and not have to pay for parking or the ticket, so it's totally free!

 It is quite a place to see. We strolled through all of the museum and enjoyed one of the most delicious lunches! I think one of my favorite parts was the amazing food! Chad had the " best burger he has ever had!" (that is quite a statement :) and Hudson and I had an awesome butternut squash soup and roasted chicken sandwich. I should be talking about the incredible artifacts and antiquities, but I think I most enjoyed the beautiful location, great food and fabulous architecture! Here's a link to Visit the Getty !

Orange Circle

 Chad and I ( Hud just gets dragged along:) have a little Saturday morning ritual. It starts with breakfast, somewhere out. There is no regular place... it could be anything from a croissant from a doughnut shop to a sit down trendy spot we have never tried. Most times it's the quicker spot's close by so we can get first pick @ the garage sales in our neighborhood. My sweet husband is not really a garage sale guy, but enjoys the fun finds and gets a laugh watching me barter :) I love finding antiques for quarters and fun designer clothing for a dollar! ( a few weeks ago I bought a Jil Sander handbag for $2, you can't beat that!) Womens Handbags at Barneys New York. We normally come home and do a fun project we have been wanting to accomplish around the house.

But a few Saturday's ago we mixed it up a bit, and did our little ritual in Orange County @ Orange Circle. We discovered it when we went to Disneyland for Chad's birthday. We admired a chandelier in one of the quaint little stores on main street and were told it, and all of the antiques @ Disneyland were from the bounty of Antique stores in  Orange Circle. We were so curious, so on or way home we drove through and realized we had to go back one day to walk around!

Here's a funky thrift shop, but we found some cool antique books for our mantle for super cheap! 

Chad and I got down there around 9:30, and scored! None of the shops were open yet, but to our surprise there were ton's of garage sales! This neighborhood is adorable! The homes are all about 100 years old and maintained beautifully! I reminds me of Pasedena so much. I found a great silver tray with feet, a cool layer cake plate, a great canvas tote and a bunch of great books for Hudson for a whopping total of $15 :) We then went back to the main strip where all the antique malls and shops were. Our friends Matt and Jenny live in Irvine and came up to meet us for lunch and some window shopping.

We love cheese! This little store had a great spread!

I love the hand written cards describing all the cheese, mom and pop shops are the best!

We had a great morning enjoying all the antique shops (there's quite a few!). On Chapman St., which is the main drag, there are tons of little shops and boutiques, lot's fun places to eat, a cupcake shop, a handful of little coffee places and tea house that looked fun. It's totally worth checking out if you enjoy antiques! Take a morning or afternoon, go with a friend to shop around and grab a bite to eat! It's a fun hidden spot you are bound to find a little treasure in!

This is the Tea house "Paris in a cup",  it looked super cute.

Here is chad dancing in the cupcake shop :) I think he was excited!

update :)

Yay! The contractions have really spaced out, as long as I'm off my feet. I'm so thankful for the help and meals we have been getting. It has really allowed me to take it easy and rest, so we can keep this guy in longer. I went in to the hospital with Hudson @ 31-32 weeks and delivered @ 35, so we would love to avoid the whole living @ the hospital thing if possible :)

I have photos, projects, and recipes I have been wanting to put up but haven't had the time to do, so some random posts are coming soon!

CJ