This is What I Found

On Saturday before lunch, this is what I found. Zoe had taken almost every puzzle, game, and board book that we own out of the closet. 

I wondered why it was so quiet. She played for almost a half an hour by herself. So should I really complain about the mess?

Yesterday before lunch, this is what I found. Yep. Babyzilla on the veranda of the Fisher Price Mansion. It would have been even funnier if she was making roaring noises, and rolling her head around a little. She just kind of stood there with a smile on her face that said, "Mom, when it's this quite, you should know I'm up to something". Yep. Good mothering skills. I should totally win an award or something.

And the Winner is................

Irma's Rose Cottage is the winner of the Little Miss Firecracker Giveaway. Please e-mail me (e-mail to the side of my blog) with your address & I will send Miss Firecracker off in the mail this weekend.

Thank you to all who posted a comment & also to all of you who took the time to post about the giveaway on your blog. Please feel free to come back and visit soon. I am trying to get my Etsy shop up and running, and I also plan on having another giveaway very soon. Hope everyone has a great and wonderful week!

P.S. The video on my camera gets worse by the minute! Sorry for the jumpy feed.

Nome Bonnet Giveaway

I have mentioned my dear friend (more like a sister) Susannah from "Sitting Pretty Studio" before. If you haven't had a chance to visit her site you should take the time. Not only does Susannah sew and make her own print's, she paints and has just started another wonderful blog that highlights book's she reads to her little ones. Her blogs are all a treat to read & I enjoy visiting them daily.

This is Susannah's nome hat giveaway. It's reversible & is made to fit a 12 month old. If you would like a chance to win this darling little hat, just go and visit Sitting Pretty Studio. The link is under my "Talented Crafters" links. 

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for her "Fall Doll Clothing Swap". The last one was a real treat!

Burnt Cedar Beach at Lake Tahoe

Pictures just don't do the lake justice. It is one of the most beautiful places I have been. The fact that I had the privilege of working up at the lake for over two years just blows me away. This is the point (the land to the side of the beach) where Dean and I were married.

Yes the lake is that blue. The above photos were not retouched or color enhanced in any way.

We brought up some delicious ribs from Butcher Boy Meat and Deli. It's a local deli right around the corner from our house. They carry specialty meat and cheeses and cooking items that are hard to find in your local market. The crazy thing is, we live in kind of an older neighborhood, (Dean and I call it the Sparks Ghetto). It's not a bad neighborhood, just has a lot of room for improvement. So I consider it an odd place for such an expensive specialty store. The meat is always delicious and a super yummy treat when we get together with family or friends. Everyone brought something yummy for the BBQ. The meal was delicious.

Burnt Cedar Beach is a private beach. If you are not a local you can only come in if you are the guest of a local. I understand why they have these beaches, but I don't know if I necessarily agree with them. However they have a lovely heated pool and the girls had a blast swimming.




The BBQ pit that we made dinner at (in the background) was the same place we had our wedding reception at.

Aris with a thoughtful look.

The family

Our friends Brian & Trisha

Sloan

Liz and little TJ

My little Sloan. She is such a ham in the following pictures.

Little Katie

Aris playing in the sand.

TJ

I love this picture.

Zoe kicking it Karate Kid style Yo!

Aris enjoying the finer taste of Tahoe sand.

Kisses!

If these last two pictures don't make you want to pack up your house quit your job and move or at least visit Lake Tahoe, I don't know what would. I would be a happy girl ending my day with a sunset like this every night. If you do ever decide to visit the lake, let me know. I would be happy to point out some of the hidden hot spots for yummy food and family fun that only the locals usually know about.

Lake Tahoe

Photo by: Charles Shaprio

We are heading up to the lake in a little while. I am very excited because I haven't been to the lake in almost two years. Considering I used to work up at the lake in Incline Village, and I made the drive everyday, it's pretty sad. We are going to meet our very good friends Justin & Liz and their two kids at Burnt Cedar Beach. Burnt Cedar Beach is so special to me. It's where Dean and I got married. My boss at the time, Keri, was kind enough to pretty much put the whole wedding together. She is so talented, and really knows how to throw a party. One of our clients was such a sweetie. She payed for the wedding cake. Dean's boss and Keri payed for all the food and beverages for the reception. The reception was a BBQ on the beach. It was so laid back and an absolutely perfect day. We had people come up to us for months after the celebration, telling us what a fun and special day it was for them. 

Dean and I were blessed to have both sides of his family attend the wedding. My only sadness about the day was that none of my family could attend. I really wish even one person from my family could have been a part of our special day. Most all of my family lives in Florida or Canada. It would have been so expensive for them to come out here. I am so excited to go up to the lake. It's Zoe' first time up there since she was a newborn & Aris' very first time to visit. It will hopefully be a special family day. I will post some pictures of our trip. Hope everyone is having a fun weekend also.