Harvest Time

I don't want my loyal blog readers to think I'm some sort of slacker, and that I didn't bother to decorate for fall just because I'm not embroiled in a testy Display-Off with my lovely friend Farts McGee this year. You may know her as Ashley, but you better bet your bottom dollar her college friends know her by the moniker above.

Rest your mind, dear readers. I haven't thrown in the towel, or conceded to my exhaustion. I went all out, as usual. Proof is in the pudding. Below is the hand painted sign I made with Kristine. SO cute! It's the Fall edition of the Best of the Bay. I put on scarecrows for Farts. She love 'em!

 It's the return of the damn Hooty Bird! He looks weird without some sort of hat on his head.

I love this part--the apple crate, and TWO different types of fall apples on display.

I'm so glad that Fall is finally here. The air is crisper, it's getting dark sooner, the leaves are all changing color. See you next year, summer. It's all about the pumpkin patches and hay rides for the next few weeks!

A Bit of Braggery

Beezie turns two tomorrow. I have been working on a few little projects for her, and this is by far the most successful one so far.

I bought this basic brown cradle off Craigslist for her Bitty Twins. It had good lines and tons of potential.

The Before

 

The After

A good paint job and some leftover fabric from her crib bedding made the perfect little crib for the Bitty Twins! It's large, so both of them will fit inside at once. I can't wait to see her face when she opens it tomorrow!

Summer Wrap Up

August was a crazy month. Lance ended up in the ER twice, and missed several weeks of work. He was a champ, but times were tough. He's doing much better now, but I feel like the entire month was a blur. Here's a quick recap!

Made my adorable, handmade "best of the bay area" summer sign along with Kristine. It turned out awesome! We're going to get working on our fall signs. I think that Halloween deserves to have a separate sign.

I went to see Le Mis with Jo and Joe. It was phenomenal. It was my first time seeing it, and I was blown away.

We had dinner before the show at Bossa Nova , and a post show snackie at Absinthe. I don't know how we ate so much food, but we did. We ordered family style, and consumed our weight in food. I highly recommend both places. I relished my DC, since Bossa Nova didn't have any on tap.

Beezie totally understands that a woman needs an ice cold DC to get through the day. Ruh roh.

I went to the circus with B

I got phenomenal seats because I only needed once since B is a lap sitter. This led me to be wedged in between two large, unrelated families. Don't mind me, people. I'll just sit right in the middle. But it was worth it. B was over the moon--motorcycles, samurai, acrobats, lions, tigers, elephants, fire breathing dragons--she's still talking about it. Her new favorite book is Good Night Little Dragons. She's delighted by the Dragon Moms and Dads using their breath to light the lantern.

We got hooked on Breaking Bad. As in watched all 5 seasons in 3 weeks hooked. It's by far the most creative and interesting show I've seen on TV in years. I even like it better than Mad Men, and that's saying something.

We grilled, and feasted like kings all summer long on our patio. Sometimes we went all out, other times we just did burgers and brats.

I made spicy shrimp tacos. SO very tasty. This is an impressive and delicious dish. Recipe HERE. Do yourself a favor and don't drown your tacos with the white sauce. A little dab will do.

We spent many a day and night at the beach, lounging around, soaking up the sun.

The best investment we made this summer was in this Sportbrella XL sun shade. Buy. This. Now. It would be great for the beach, camping, sporting events, the park. It's amazing, doesn't blow away like crappy umbrellas, and has a high SPF.

We hit up the various local amusement parks at least once a week. B is becoming increasingly brave, and loved the wilder rides.



We camped with friends at Camp Lehi. Unfortunately, Lancer was afflicted, so he wasn't able to camp. I'm not sure why it turned B into a dirty orphan in all of the photos--she looks like she would do anything for a bowl of groul.



I bought a new tent, knowing that we have a history of trouble with tents. I bought the 6 person Coleman Instant Tent. This thing is amazing. It literally sets up by itself in under a minute. If you're a faux camper like we are, you should buy this. It's like cheating. And you can't forget the poles, because they're magically built in. Ta-da!

The night was young, and I was excited for our friends to chat around the campfire. I knew things were heading south when this Wet Blanket kept trying to put the fire out at 8pm. Every additional log that went on the fire met with protest, and she was afraid the party was going to go all night. Uh, no worries there. Once the kids went to bed, the parent quickly followed suit. This meant I laid in my tent, by myself, wide awake until 1 am. Thanks for nuthin, friends!

Thanks for another wonderful, magical, delicious, and entertaining summer. Till next summer. Now bring on the hay bales and scarecrows!

Lake Tahoe

I've never done a Lake Tahoe getaway before, and decided to organize a trip with friends before summer came to an end. I found this great little resort that was $99 a night--it was a fun, family friendly resort with private lakefront access, 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, and a bbq area. Ferrari's Crown Resort--check it out! Here are the highlights.

The Pool

It had a great kiddie pool that allowed us to lounge around while the kids splashed around and swam. It was heavenly.

The kids are all 'fishing' in this picture.

Poor Braden. He's a little duckling following his Mama duck around. This is what happens when she leaves.

Late night bed jumping and other assorted shenanigans

Walks along the beach at sunset

A little miniature golfing. This place has been in business since the 50's, and has some fun retro pieces throughout the course. Beezie and Braden had a blast, though I think it's safe to say neither one is destined for the PGA.





Had some tasty treats by the shore. I stole B's ice cream, and was enjoying it when Sarah came over and declared that it was B's, and demanded I give it to her.

Had a tasty bbq under the moonlight.

Jumped Kristine's car--time to get a new battery, lady!

The Lake


I figured the lake would be freezing cold, and that we could just play along the shoreline. But it ended up being nice and toasty. B loved hanging out and swimming.

B learned how to collect and throw rocks with a quick tutorial from the boys. This was her favorite pastime.






On our last day, we headed to Virginia City, Nevada. It's a fully restored ghost town, and a total blast for the kids. B is really into spooky things, including ghosts and skeletons, so she was in heaven.



They had the cutest little candy shop with ice cream, caramel apples, and treaties galore.

We toured an old mine, and relished the natural air conditioning.

We took a ride in a authentic old stagecoach. It was WILD and CRAZY. Totally worth the trip to Virginia City alone.

The train. The kids were all excited to ride on the historical diesel train. They all lined up with their little train tickets.

Choo Choo!

And that wraps up our first--but hopefully not our last--trip to Tahoe!