Sactrippers

Palm Springs with Grandma T and Papa Steve

2012-01-07T12:26:00.001-08:00

We were lucky enough to visit with grandma and grandpa in Palm Desert right after Christmas this year. The weather was gorgeous and Aunt Dawn was generous enough to let us stay at her place at La Quinta Club and spa.

The beautiful grounds at La Quinta club and spa.

Swimming time with Papa

Citrus everywhere!!!

Living Desert Museum

Brunch in Palm Springs

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Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T12:17:00.001-08:00

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Location:Elk Grove California

Santa Baby

2012-01-07T12:14:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

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Location:San Francisco

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-14T15:05:00.001-08:00

Working hard on our gingerbread houses!

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The Spirit of the Season

2011-12-08T15:51:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of Abigale just before she went on stage to sing for The Sacramento Children's Chorus. She did a wonderful job and was so proud if herself. Lindsay and I are delighted that she has found something she truly loves - singing!!

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Peg's Glorified Eggs and Ham

2011-11-27T10:01:00.001-08:00

If you are passing through Reno this is the place for breakfast!!

- Cheers!
Chelsea

Happy Turkey Day

2011-11-26T12:07:00.001-08:00

We spent a lovely Thanksgiving with family in Utah this year. The Russell's were gracious enough to host and include my parents (The Carman's) as well. It sure made it a lot easier on us to have both families in one place - we feel so lucky that our families get along so well. Our girls were in heaven spending the day with cousins and the adults were in heaven eating, enjoying each others company and watching the children's "play" they put on for us. It was a perfect day of thanks!

Chelsea

Trying To Get This Again

2011-11-22T17:13:00.001-08:00

Ok so I have a new App that is going to let me do posts from my iPhone and iPad! if this really works it sure will make blogging a whole lot easier and I just might try it again. Here is my first test post - let's see how it goes!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from our St. Patrick's Day:

Bringing home the trap from school. No Leprechauns were caught but those sneaky little guys made a big mess in their classroom - so cute!

I worked really hard making these green cake balls for dessert. They ended up being super cute to look at and super nasty to eat - next year I will try for something a little more edible.

Green Jello Jigglers- yum! Hello I grew up in SLC Utah the capital of green jello!!!

Leprechaun Juice

Green dinner (gross)

Enjoying their green dinner

The funniest part of this whole holiday was waking up the next morning to Abigale screaming in the bathroom. I ran in to see what was the matter and this is what she had to say, "My poop is green!!!!"

Upon looking in the toilet I saw flourescent green poop shining back at me. Are you kidding? I guess I went a little overboard with the green food coloring - oops!

Leprechaun Trap

2011-03-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Abigale worked hard this weekend on a Leprechaun Trap for her 2nd grade class. In fact she got the whole family involved including her little sister Coco. It kind of surprised me that she still believed in Leprechauns because she is starting to doubt so many childhood tales :(

It was fun to see the two girls really believing and working together to accomplish their goal. We only ended up having a couple of small meltdowns and a huge mess but it was all worth it when we ended up with one amazing trap and two very excited little girls.

Hard at work:

The Mess:

The finished Product:

Street Fun

2011-03-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Spring on Cedarview is so exciting, the kids can hardly contain themselves as the front doors start opening and the gang starts coming out. We love our neighbors and we love to hang out together - how lucky is that? I feel like last Saturday was our first official impromptu neighborhood gathering of the season. You could tell we all felt that ting of anticipation for the warmer summer nights when no one has school the next day and we can all eat on the front porches together and just play.

Swim Team

2011-03-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Swim team clinics have begun and so has the huge commitment to the sport. Coco has decided to take it on again this year and we have agreed to take on the large amount of time that is devoted to it. It amazes me to see these little ones jumping in the pool rain or shine and swimming their little hearts out. The first day was a little rocky for Coco but since then she has regrouped and seems thrilled to be headed to the pool in the afternoons. So here's to another year as a Laguna Creek Gator - we shall see how it goes!!!!

Prom!!!!

2011-03-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we traveled to Salt Lake City to celebrate the amazing life of our friend Elyse. Elyse passed away from breast cancer at the young age of 34, she was a beautiful person inside and out who is missed by many. Now through her foundation money is raised each year for breast cancer research. The big event for the Elyse Pantke White Foundation is Prom. This year was the third annual prom and for the first time my husband, Lindsay, was able to attend with me. A great night was had by all and over $15,000 was raised in just one night - awesome!!!

Pea+Nut Portraits

2011-03-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

My friend Kerrie is an amazing photographer and has just started a new business Pea+Nut Portraits. She was kind enough to take some shots of my family in Old Sacramento. The weather wasn't quite cooperating with us but she was still able to pull off some great shots. If you are in the area and need a great photographer then give her a try - you won't regret it!!!!

Wow - I just posted a ton of pictures! Sorry but I just couldn't help myself :)

Spring Run

2011-03-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

I went for a 10 mile run a few days ago and really took my time to enjoy the sights. Spring is definitely in the air around here and feels oh so good. Here are some shots I took along the way:

Coco Quote

2011-02-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Coco: "Mom did you know that I wake up in the middle of the night and draw?"

Me: "Yes, I had an idea." (I know this because almost every morning you can find her drawings scattered across her bed and floor.)

Coco: "I just have so many beautiful things in my head mom and I want to draw them all."

Me: "I know Coco, I know ..... :) "

Jeff's 50th

2011-02-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we had the pleasure of helping our neighbor Jeff celebrate his 50th birthday at the Sutter Club in Sacramento. There was a huge turnout of our amazing friends from Cedarview - seriously I LOVE our street. We had a great evening dancing to all of Jeff's bands, he is in four, and being silly in the Ladies Lounge. Thanks Jeff for turning 50, for throwing and awesome party and for being a such a great neighbor!!

Villa Villekulla Cottage

2011-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

I love anything Pippi Longstocking, I have every since I was a young girl. I came across this Villa VilleKulla Cottage on the internet today and now I am obsessed!! I must have this - oh my!

Charlie Brown

2011-02-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Did you know this amazing sculpture, Charlie Brown, by Richard Serra is located in the Gap Building in San Francisco? This is on the top of my must see list next time I am in the city.

Photo Friday!!!

2011-02-18T17:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!!!

Where Did All The Mustard Go?

2011-02-16T18:38:00.001-08:00

This time last year every vacant lot had mustard growing up the wazoo. Not so much this year, kind of sad. I guess we just haven't had as much rain. Here is a picture from last year, I took the girls to some random lot and took the most amazing pictures. I hope the mustard comes back next year!!

I Heart Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

I said I was going to keep it simple this year but I just couldn't help myself - I love Valentine's Day. Here are a few photos of our evening:

My Funny Valentine

2011-02-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

I love my Funny Valentine and I am pretty sure he loves me.

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!

2011-02-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

Utah in Fall

2011-02-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from our Fall 2010 trip to Utah:

Momiji Doll

2011-02-12T11:15:00.001-08:00

I love, love, love these little Momiji Dolls and so do my girls. We found ours at a cute Japanese book store in Southern California but you can buy them online here too. The dolls are small, sturdy and adorable but the best part is the little piece of folded paper that slips in the bottom of each doll for a wish or a love note. A love note? How wonderful! A love note for your favorite Valentine- don't you think that would be the perfect gift? I know I do.

The boxes they are packaged in are almost as fabulous as the doll itself!

Currently my girls use them in our newly remodeled doll house but I kind of like them on display in little nooks and crannies throughout the house. I think I might need to add a few more of these little lovelies to my wish list :)

Photo Friday!!!

2011-02-11T10:47:00.001-08:00

Yep, she's in a box........

Hump Day Dinner

2011-02-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Wednesday just needs a little something extra to make it not so middle of the week boring. Last night we went to Hot Italian to spice up our hump day dinner. We lounged on the couches, ordered amazing pizza and vino and ended it all with some gelato - yum. Quite indulgent for the middle of the week if you ask me, but oh so worth it!!!!

Mila's Daydreams

2011-02-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

My friend sent me a link to these pictures and I fell in love with them. Adele, the genius behind them, describes this as her maternity leave hobby. She likes to imagine what her daughter is dreaming about during naps and then create a picture of her daughter within the dream using objects around the house. Here is a link to a sample clip of some of the pictures and to the artist's blog:

http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

100th Day of School

2011-02-08T07:12:00.001-08:00

Coco celebrated her 100th day of school yesterday and had to bring in a 100 board. One hundred "things" glued onto a board. I had grand ideas for this project but Coco reminded me it was her project and she had even grander plans. I want to make a "Coco" bean tree mom with 100 Coco beans. Ok, Where do I get Coco beans? We decided coffee beans would have to be our substitute. Coco also had the lovely idea of crazy hand made by Coco birds in her forest - so cute!

From Betsey Johnson to the Delta

2011-02-06T18:55:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we drove to Walnut Creek for a little shopping. I finally got a Betsey Johnson dress (a life long dream) to wear to Forever in Pink Prom - so excited!!!!!! After lunch we headed to a wonderful old ranch in the area to let the kids explore and to do a little hiking. It is called Old Borges Ranch, if you are in the area I suggest you check it out. Lastly we took a back way home on Highway 12 winding through the California Delta and stopped in Lodi for a lovely dinner at Rosewood Bar and Grill on School Street. It was an unplanned day in beautiful Northern California and it turned out perfect. As we were driving along the river during a spectacular sunset my husband said to me, " I love living here, you can go shopping at Betsy Johnson one minute then find yourself stepping back in time in the Delta the next minute." I totally agree, we are so lucky to live this close to so many amazing places.

Super Bowl Cupcakes

2011-02-06T14:32:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my Mother-In-Law for sending me this awesome cupcake corer and decorating set I was able to make these bad boys for the Super Bowl. Best of all? They have a vanilla custard filling - yum!!!!

Art Project powered by Google

2011-02-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Just discovered Art Project by Google and I can't get enough!!!!! Take virtual tours of over 17 famous art museums around the world and look up close at some of your favorite art pieces - amazing!!!!!!

Photo Friday!!!

2011-02-04T11:14:00.001-08:00

Abi Quote of the Day

2011-02-02T07:05:00.001-08:00

My kids don't like to sleep under their bed sheets and blankets. Instead they sleep on top of their quilts with throw blankets over themselves - weird. Last night when checking on Abi sleeping before I went to bed I noticed she not only had on her pajamas but also a sweatshirt and parka. She came downstairs this morning in the same getup.

Me: "Abi why are you wearing all of that?"

Abi: "Because I keep getting cold at night."

Me: "Why don't you sleep under your quilt and covers that are on your bed?"

Abi: "Because then I have to make my bed in the morning, it's much easier to just hang up my coat."

Lemons - hooray!!!

2011-02-01T12:00:00.001-08:00

After living in this house for six years and my three little lemon trees producing nada I am happy to announce that two of them are finally with fruit!!!! The craziest thing of all is that one of the trees isn't even a lemon tree at all but an orange tree - double hooray!

Lazy Weekend

2011-01-31T07:21:00.001-08:00

Lindsay was on-call this weekend and it was cold and rainy both days which meant that we stayed inside by our fire and had a crafting kind of weekend. The girls got started on their Valentine cards and Lindsay and I worked hard on the renovations of my Grandma's dollhouse (more posts on this to come). It was nice just to hang out (on Sunday the girls and I never got out of our pajamas) and enjoy our cozy house. But now it is Monday morning and I realize that I didn't do any laundry, the girls both need baths before school because we didn't get around to that either, and there is no milk in the house because we never made it to the store. I guess I have some catch up to play today.

Tournament of Roses

2011-01-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

On our way down to Southern California last month we stopped in Pasadena just before the Rose Parade/Rose Bowl. I remember as a child going to see the floats at a park the day after the parade and absolutely loving it. I kept telling Lindsay that I would love to take the girls to the parade or to see the floats when he came up with the wonderful idea of stopping by and watching the floats being made - brilliant!!! So we took the scenic route and checked out all of the prep work that goes into the Tournament of Roses Parade. I am so glad we decided to do this because not only was it interesting and fun but the atmosphere in the city itself was electric. Here are some pictures from our little excursion:

2011-01-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

Dim Sum Charlie's is a quaint little trailer selling Dim Sum out a side window. We found this little gem of a place in Napa California. All I have to say is Yummy!!! If you are in this neck of the woods I highly suggest you try it out!!!

Photo Friday!!!

2011-01-27T23:16:00.001-08:00

I am Pippi Longstocking and if you say it fast it's funny.

This was our entry for the 2010 Cedarview Way Scarecrow Days. I made the paper mache face, my husband did the amazing painting of the face and the girls and I created the outfit.

New Years in San Diego

2011-01-27T11:05:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Coronado in San Diego. We went for New Year's Eve and a few extra days of fun. It was a big event for us because we hadn't been back since last Easter when we were in our 15th floor condo during a 7.2 earthquake - scary!!!! We were all a little apprehensive but we knew we had to face our fears. Much to our delight we did just fine, even Abigale who was SUPER nervous. We were able to stay in the condo on the 15th floor again and not worry - hooray! Now we are looking forward to our next trip back, this time we won't stay away for quite so long.

In Search of Diego

2011-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas night and the day after Christmas in San Francisco this year. We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel called Hotel Diva, below is a picture of Lindsay sitting in front of our room's window shade - awesome! Christmas night we wandered the city looking at lights and taking our time with an almost 3 hour dinner at a lovely restaurant. The next morning we woke up to a perfect San Francisco winter morning. The sun was shining and the streets were calling to us. So we set out on a walking adventure, one of our favorite things to do in SF. We were on a quest to find an original Diego Rivera mural in a public space. After reading an amazing children's book on Diego and Frida we learned that these murals did exist in San Francisco and we were on a mission to find one. After some research I decided the best one for us to hunt down was The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City located at the Art Institute of San Francisco. So we set out on our little adventure and ended up having an amazing day. The girls were little troopers walking up and down city streets until we found the art institute. Once there we were able to take in the mural plus explore the actual school itself. We found ourselves up on the roof at one point taking in breathtaking views of our favorite city by the bay - perfect. The rest of the day was spent with a little more exploring, pit stops at parks, and lastly with a matinee showing of Shrek the Musical at the Orpheum theater (If you have a chance to see this traveling show I highly recommend it!!!). What a fun little post Christmas celebration!!!!

Disneyland

2011-01-22T08:39:00.001-08:00

My girls are on a modified traditional schedule at school so we were lucky enough to have 3 full weeks off for winter break. We have the whole week after New Years for travel, which is great because area attractions are not crowded - hooray! We spent New Years Eve down in San Diego and had 4 glorious days at the beach in Coronado. Then we headed up to the OC and saw my 90 year old grandma - who by the way is still living on her own. Lastly we rounded out the trip by spending some time at Disneyland. Here are a few pictures from the Disney portion of our trip:

Photo Friday!!!

2011-01-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA

2011-01-16T08:26:00.001-08:00

Are you familiar with the oversized letters in front of California Adventure that spell out CALIFORNIA? Ever since the first time we took Abi to Disneyland we have been taking her picture in the large A and now all of our family members in their corresponding letters - it's been our tradition. On our first day in the park this month we noticed a lot of people taking pictures of this Disneyland monument, I mean A LOT!!! Wow we thought, we are not the only ones who have this tradition. Upon walking over to take our shots I had a man approach me and ask if I would take his picture with the big letter C. Sure I said, does your name start with C? He replied no and said he wanted his picture taken with every letter before they took them down. What? Take them down? Yes, he replied, haven't you heard? Today is the last day and then they come down - that's why everyone is taking these pictures, it was in the paper. Oh no I thought this will be our last installment of letter pictures - kind of sad :( So with no further ado here are our last CALIFORNIA letter pictures, I hope you enjoy :

Christmas Eve/Morning 2010

2011-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Book Exchange at the Williamsons

Christmas Eve dinner at our house

Christmas morning at our house

Photo Friday!!!

2011-01-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

One of Elk Grove's Best Kept Secrets

2011-01-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

The last time my parents were in town they tried this place out on a whim. They fell in love with the place, got me a gift certificate for a one hour massage and instantly I was a believer too!! For $20 you get a one hour full foot and body massage - talk about getting a big bang for your buck. Granted it is a little different than an average massage but if you are aware of this going in then you should be just fine. A few differences:

-It's just one big room, everyone getting a massage is in the same room and you sit on large reclining chairs.

-You are fully clothed, this being said it is best to wear loose clothing and or tank tops that can be pushed up.

-They massage everything!!! This includes your face, ears (inside and out), a little hair tugging action and yes the butt. But come on who doesn't want their butt massaged :)

If you think you can tolerate these little quirks then I say go for it because it will honestly leave you feeling great. Here is a link to their yelp page so you can see some more pictures and find out what other people are saying about it. If you do go then get back to me and let me know what you thought of the whole experience.

Alice I Have Been

2011-01-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

What I am reading right now:

I picked this book up at the bookstore because my girls encouraged me too (they love anything Alice in Wonderland). Even though they knew it was an "adult" book and one I would not be reading to them they marveled at the idea of their mom getting some inside info. on the real Alice. Well a big fat thank you to my girls for the nudging because this just so happens to be a great book! Little did I know that Lewis Carroll had so much mystery following him, where have I been, or that there was a true Alice the book was written for. Guess I am the last to find out but better late than never right? I love the type of book you read that is such a great story it just sucks you in but because it is somewhat based on history you can then go to the internet and investigate true facts!!! Love it!!! So if you want a good read give it a try and let me know what you think!

Coco Art

2011-01-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

Coco Loco's quote of the day:

Coco: "Mom I can't wait until I am dead."

Me: "Why?"

Coco: "Because when you are an artist and you die then they put your artwork in a museum and I really want my art in a museum."

some original Coco artwork

Karate Promotion

2011-01-10T18:35:00.001-08:00

Both the girls were promoted to Orange Belt in karate recently. Kovar's Karate is one of the best things that has happened for them, especially Abi. It has boosted her confidence more than anything she has ever done. The instructors are just amazing and funny too!! Coco is pictured with Mr. Kelly. He is not only a fantastic instructor but has quite the sense of humor as you can see :) Thanks Kovars for being such a positive influence in my children's live.

Why the bus?

2011-01-08T09:05:00.001-08:00

Why do I use a VW bus as the main design on my blog? Easy - when I was young my family and I only had one car and it was a big orange VW bus. My parents were really into road trips and we found ourselves tooting all over California and the North West in that bus. I have quite a few memories from my childhood in that bus, most fond some not so fond. My brother and I would fight in the back of that bus using the seat belts as our swords (that's what they were made for right?), my Dad was a pro at driving that huge stick shift even when the clutch went out (I still remember popping wheelies when we would take off from a dead stop), and my mom would collect, collect,collect on each of our extended trips (notice the piles of wood roped down to the roof). So here I find myself with my own family in the wilds of California with a modern day bus of our own, the minivan. Granted it is a little less funky and a lot more reliable but we love it all the same and the many adventures we find ourselves taking in it. They say that history repeats itself and with this piece of my past I believe it is true. Only now it is my two girls in the back fighting (using their dolls as swords), it is me collecting along the way, and it is my fearless husband driving us all those countless miles. So cheers to road trips and busses, whether they come in the form of a VW or a Honda Odyssey.

My brother and me waiting in the car ferry line heading over to the Vancuver Islands circa 1980......ish

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a week long New Year trip to Southern California. We started the week off in beautiful Coronado and rung in the new year at the Hotel Del. Then we headed up to Anaheim for some Disney magic. I will be posting pictures soon. But for now this one perfect sunset pic on the first evening of 2011. It was a wonderful way to ring in the new year :)

Polar Express

2010-12-29T07:24:00.001-08:00

We were lucky enough to join our good friend Jace on the Polar Express for his 4th birthday. The train boards in Old Sacramento then heads to the North Pole. We were able to watch the light boat parade on the Sacramento river while aboard as well as drink hot chocolate, sing Christmas Carols, listen to a reading of the Polar Express, be entertained by tap dancers and best of all a surprise visit from the big man himself - Santa! It was a magical night for our group of little ones, thank you Jace and Happy Birthday!!!!

Coco's Birthday Circle

2010-12-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Santa Cruz Collage

2010-12-28T07:45:00.001-08:00

We went to Santa Cruz this past July and I had a hay day with my camera. I am super attracted to bright colors and bold images so the board walk has always been visually stimulating for me. While the kids went crazy with the rides, games, and treats I went crazy taking picture after picture. Here is a fun collage I made with some of my prints. I had it blown up then matted and framed at Aaron Brothers - it is now proudly hanging in Abi's newly redecorated "grown-up" bedroom.

Here is one more of my favorite photos from this set:

2010-12-27T09:35:00.001-08:00

Good-bye to 2010. I was horrible posting to this blog in the ladder part of this year so here is a picture recap below:

In the year of 2011 I hope to post to this blog more often in whatever form it might be. When I started this blog I wanted it to be for other people as much as myself. I was so consumed about putting up the perfect post that it became overwhelming so I instead just quit doing it. This year I hope to post anything and everything - just what I am feeling in the moment. I hope to use this blog more as a journal for myself and my family to look back on and remember little happy snippets of our life. Yes, I think that will be nice. So wish me luck as I embark on this New Year's resolution - it should be fun to see how it turns out :)

Halloween Block Party

2010-10-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight on HGTV a show called "Halloween Block Party" will be featuring 3 Sacramento area homes that will be transformed into Halloween themed wonderlands - what fun!!! This would be a dream come true for me to be involved in a project like this. I can't wait to watch the show and then go and try to find the homes up in the Fabulous Forties neighborhood. Here is a link to the article in the Sac Bee this morning:

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/16/3107587/halloween-comes-early-for-3-sacramento.html

Sunflowers

2010-09-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

2010-08-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

First Day of Kindergarten and Second Grade

My how fast the time goes........

Davis Ranch

2010-08-17T22:52:00.001-07:00

The girls and I headed out to Davis Ranch for some fresh vegetables and fruits and of course yummy, sweet sloughhouse corn. We also got to pick our own strawberries and I am happy to say that we were able to make some jam before we ate them all.

Berri Licious

2010-08-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

For the first time this year we tried our hand at blackberry picking. We found a great place up in Apple Hill called Patrick's Fresh Berry Farm and stopped on our way home from Tahoe. The girls had a great time picking the berries and plopping them into the provided buckets. They also had a great time eating about every other berry they picked - shhhhhh don't tell! The best part of this place, besides the beauty, was the fact that many of the varieties were thornless - good news, no stickies meant no tears!!! Once we got our little beauties home we had grand plans of making blackberry jam, no such luck though - we couldn't stop eating them and by the time I got the supplies for jam making they were all gone. Oh well I guess that just means we need to make another trip to Patrick's :)

Boating Lake Tahoe

2010-08-09T10:11:00.001-07:00

For the second year in a row we have decided to splurge and rent a boat for the day up in Lake Tahoe. Let me tell you --- IT IS WORTH IT!!! It is so much fun being out on that huge blue lake with friends and family, give it a try and I think you will agree.

The Selby

2010-08-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

My new favorite blog:

http://www.theselby.com/

Vegetables For Sale

2010-07-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Coco's school has been growing a vegetable garden this summer. Upon arriving to pick her up one afternoon I found this nifty little stand sitting in the front of the school. I love this idea! I think it would be fun to adapt it to our neighborhood. If we charge then we could use the money to buy new seeds or maybe we could even set up a swap with other neighbors and their excess crops.

I love how her school used every nook and cranny of their small outdoor space to plant. The kids have been so involved and really care about their garden. Coco was so excited to pick out a vegetable to buy. She made sure to bring a quarter from her piggy bank and then she carefully looked over every vege in the basket. Her final decision? A bell pepper - yum.

Sisters

2010-07-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Love these girls, but I don't love the fighting. I never had a sister so this is all foreign to me. I have heard from most that this is how it goes with a sister - best friends/biggest enemies. I have also heard that later in life there is nothing like having a sister, it is the best and you are usually extremely close. Well whatever the outcome I'm just focusing on this morning and other moments like these when I catch the two of them deep in play and loving each other like nothing else..........

You will have to excuse me now because I hear some screaming and I need to go break up another fight.

Father's Day

2010-07-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

We spent Father's Day with Lindsay's family this year on Balboa Island. Is was really nice to see Lindsay with his Dad and Brother, they don't get to see each other that often. It was also fun to see our girls with their cousins - they had a ball. The weather was perfect, the ferry ride exciting and and the fun zone was a thrill for the kids. This is a Dad's Day that will go down in the books.

Visit with GG

2010-06-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

While down in Southern California last week we were able to take the girls to see my 89 year old Grandma. She still lives on her own and looks amazing!!!

13

2010-06-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us! 13 wonderful years of love, fun, chaos, sadness, joy, well just a little bit of everything. But that's what a marriage is right? Through the thick and thin, sickness and health? Our lives are far from perfect but that is o.k. because our love is perfect and I would take that any day :)

End of the school year

2010-06-28T08:17:00.001-07:00

It's official I will now have both of my girls in grade school - how can it be? Abi will be entering 2nd grade and Coco will be in Kindergarten, my how time flies. Here are a few pictures from Abi's last day of first grade and Coco's preschool graduation - both wonderful and sad all at the same time.

Bodega Bay Loop

2010-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to take a day trip to Bodega Bay for quite some time now. I found this article at SFgate and thought it sounded like the perfect outing. I think we will try it soon:

Sunday Drive: Bodega Bay Loop

Tom Stienstra

Sunday, June 13, 2010

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SUNDAY DRIVE

Sunday Drive: Tahoe's grand circle 06.20.10
Sunday Drive: Big Basin Loop06.06.10
Sunday Drive: Glacier Point Road 05.30.10

More Sunday Drive »

What you'll see: Awesome coastal views, foothill grasslands and surprise forests and redwoods are the rewards for those who tour this loop in Sonoma County. One of the crowning moments is the short side trip to Bodega Head for ocean views and whale watching, and often one of the best spots anywhere for sunsets. Out of Sebastopol, the route tours through pretty coastal foothills. You top a ridge and the ocean comes into view as you drop into Bodega Bay. To complete the loop, you turn inland on a pretty two-laner to Occidental and then ride through second-growth redwoods back to the starting point.

On-the-spot note: Excellent trip for road biking.

Rec options: Bodega Bay, Bodega Head, Sonoma Coast State Park/Shell Beach (Pomo Trail on east side of highway).

Opening July 1: Willow Creek and Pomo walk-in campgrounds; day-use areas at Bodega Head East, Campbell Cove, Bodega Dunes, South Salmon, South Goat Rock/Blind Beach, Russian Gulch.

Cost: Free at Bodega Head; $8 per vehicle at Sonoma Coast State Park beaches.

How to get to starting point: From San Francisco, take Highway 101 north for 40 miles to Sonoma County, Cotati and the exit for Highway 116 West/Rohnert Park-Sebastopol. Take that exit and drive 8.5 miles to Sebastopol and Highway 116 West/Sebastopol. Turn left and go 1.6 miles to the Bodega Highway/Highway 12.

How to drive loop (36 miles): In Sebastopol, turn left (west) on Bodega Highway/Highway 12 and drive 9 miles (stay on Bodega Highway at two junctions) to Highway 1. Turn right on Highway 1 and drive 5 miles to Bodega Bay, then continue north on Highway 1 for 3 miles to Coleman Valley Road. Turn right on Coleman Valley Road and go 10.5 miles (stay on Coleman Valley Road at all junctions) to the Bohemian Highway and Occidental. Turn right on the Bohemian Highway and go 3 miles to Freestone, then continue on the Bohemian Highway (it turns left/east) for 5.5 miles back to Sebastopol.

Bodega Head side-trip: From Bodega Bay, take Highway 1 north for 0.6 of a mile to Eastshore Road on left. Turn left and go 0.3 of a mile to Bay Flat Road. Turn right and go 0.3 of a mile to Westshore Road, and then continue (along Bodega Bay) south for 3 miles up to Bodega Head and a fork. Take right fork to parking lot for ocean view and trailhead.

Contacts: Sonoma Coast State Park, (707) 875-3483, parks.ca.gov.

This article appeared on page B - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

We Just Can't Get Enough

2010-06-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

So we go here a lot, I mean a lot. In fact it has now become a favorite lunch spot of ours - yes I said lunch - it has fresh fruit on it right? I went with a girlfriend a few days ago for a quick fix and she said something to me that made total since. She said she kind of lost a little bit of respect for a person when they said they didn't like Pinkberry, I have to say I kinda agree.

State Capital Bike Ride

2010-06-13T08:57:00.001-07:00

An early afternoon bike ride on the State Capital grounds and brunch at Bistro 33 in mid-town. A wonderful Sunday in Sac Town.

Go Coco

2010-06-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

Coco is trying her hand at swim team this summer. She is a "Mini" Gator and doing very well. I just can't resist her in this suit, cap and goggles - adorable!!!!

Cool Cafe

2010-06-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I Found this article over on the Red Tricycle blog about the Cool Cafe in Stanford. I thought it sounded like a great place to stop with the kids for lunch the next time we are on a day trip in that area. Here is the article:

STANFORD’S KID-FRIENDLY COOL CAFÉ

Food with a View…of Your Kids

Photo by Tania Chen

With the weather warming at last, dining alfresco is more and more appealing. Still, even restaurants with outdoor seating can be challenging with children. It can seem unfair to make children sit still outdoors on a sunny afternoon. But if you’re on the Peninsula, you’ll find the ideal experience for both kids and adults on-campus at Stanford. Just adjacent to the Rodin Sculpture Garden and Cantor Center is the Cool Café, an organic café with patio seating banking a lush and expansive area of grass. What this means is that while you are dining on the patio, you can watch your kids play without bothering other café patrons.

After they’ve wolfed down their food, the grass is perfect for pushing plastic lawnmowers, kicking soccer balls, blowing bubbles and general horsing around. Imagine sitting on the outside patio, sipping a glass of wine and catching up with your sig O or a friend while your children give you a little peace. If you don’t want to dine at the café, bring a blanket and a picnic and set up on the field; if you forget anything, supplement with goodies like delicious baked goods, organic juices and coffee from the walk-up café counter. The setting is gorgeous here; the lavender bushes and cypress trees against the backdrop of sand colored buildings and green grass make for some nice photos too.

The only downside to the Cool Café, is that it’s mostly open just for lunch except for one evening a week, Thursdays, when it’s open until 8. But it’s well worth a weekend trip to wander the grounds, visit the Cantor Museum, admire the Rodin sculptures and best of all, enjoy a stress-free dining experience with children.

Cool Café at Stanford University’s Cantor Center. Lomita Drive & Museum Way, Stanford (650) 725-4758. Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m – 3:30 p.m. Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

—Tara Wright

Spray Park Fun

2010-06-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

Summer is officially here and it is time to get wet!!! I love how these spray parks are sprouting up all over the place now. I used to have to drive to Sacramento or even sometimes Folsom (they had our favorite one) to locate parks with water features. Now Elk Grove has one large one and multiple smaller ones sprinkled all over the city.

Public Murals of Sacramento

2010-06-06T08:26:00.000-07:00


24-DEC-2007

My girls LOVE spotting murals on the side of buildings. I know I have mentioned before taking them to the Mission in San Francisco to give them some of this eye candy, but Sacramento has quite a few murals too. I read this article the other day in the Sac Bee about a man who is taking pictures of all of the public murals he can find in the area and then posting the picture and information on the internet for anyone who is interested. This is great!!! I think this summer my girls and I will study this website and head out on little mural field trips. You can find the mural information at Public Murals of Sacramento.

My New Favorite Song

2010-06-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yes this is kind of a strange song, but give it a listen - I promise it will grow on you. For a little more fun check out all of the youtube videos random people have made to this tune - classic.

Sleepyhead by Passion Pit

Coco's Art Blog

2010-06-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

My youngest child is quite obsessed with drawing. She does it while watching tv, in the car, in bed (when she is supposed to be sleeping), at school, and in almost all of her down time. I love each and everyone of her pictures but I do not have the room to keep them all. So we started her very own art blog. I take a picture of her masterpiece, she tells me a little bit about it and then we post it on her blog!

Here is a link to Coco's Art Blog.

Life's a bowl of cherries (sometimes)

2010-06-01T08:08:00.001-07:00

For the past four years we have been invited to our friends cherry ranch over Memorial Day weekend for some cherry picking. It is something we look forward to every year and feel so lucky to be a part of. Although I have never tried any of these pay to pick places you might want to give it a try and tell us how it goes. Here is a link to U-pick farms in our area.

Thanks for another great day Chinchiolo Family!!!!

Presidio Habitats

2010-05-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this article on SF Gate about a new art installation in the Presidio called "Presidio Habitats". Here is an excerpt about it from the article:

The grassland and urban forest between the start and finish is scattered with 10 installations in what amounts to the first-ever site-specific art exhibition in a national park. The show, which took two years to plan and nearly $1 million to construct, is free, a gift from the For-Site Foundation, a San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to the making and understanding of art about place.

Most of the artwork is along trails and among the tall grass and dense cypress, down in the hollows and up in the trees. Each piece represents the artist's response to the preferences of an "animal client" that either lives in the Presidio or did.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/29/DD5H1DDH16.DTL#ixzz0pKPXFLjC

This looks amazing!!! If you want to see it you should make sure to stop by sometime soon, as stated in the article it will be removed after only one year.

Sesame Street - How Crayons Are Made

2010-05-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

The other day my daughter asked me how they made crayons. I instantly had flashbacks to this Sesame Street episode that took you through the process of making an orange crayon. Imagine my thrill when I found it on You Tube! Anyone else remember this?

Cookie Pizza

2010-05-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

So it is a tradition around here every Friday night to watch a family movie and eat a pizza. I found this great blog with the directions for a cookie pizza and I knew I had to try it on one of our Family Pizza Movie Nights. Here are the results:

It was so easy and it actually tasted pretty good. I used one pre-made package of sugar cookie dough and rolled it out into a circle then baked it as directed. Once done and cooled down the girls added red frosting for the sauce, coconut flakes that had been colored yellow with food coloring for the cheese, and cherry fruit roll ups cut into circles for the pepperoni.

If you give it a try let me know how it goes!!!

2010-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. So much to see, you will need 2 days to see it all!

Ok so I just happened to come across this and I am soooooo excited!!!!

I can't believe I didn't hear about it sooner. It is THIS weekend in San Mateo and although it was not apart of our original plans I am going to try to move a few things around so we can attend. Hope to see you there!

The Mission

2010-05-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

When headed to SF last weekend my youngest daughter had two requests:

1. Murals

2. Fashion Shops (This is Coco lingo for buy me some fancy, frilly, clothes!!!)

Our first stop The Mission neighborhood. My husband loves to go here for the food, my girls for the murals - so it is always a place we stop by when we head to the city.

This bike makes us really happy

2010-05-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Bay to Breakers 2010

2010-05-17T07:08:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have never been to San Francisco's famous foot race Bay to Breakers - I suggest you go. It is a fun crazy time and it is done in a way only San Francisco can pull off!

I want her dresses - ALL OF THEM!!!

2010-03-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and I will have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My favorite part of the movie? Well that is easy - it was the costumes!!! I want all of Alice's dresses just for me. Each one was beautiful, whimsical and unique in their own way. Whether stretched out when she was large or extra small when she shrunk, it was so much fun to see them change as she changed. Oh my how I wish I could have her dresses :)

Viva Las Vegas

2010-02-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

Viva Las Vegas!!!! Headed to Vegas for 5 glorious days without the kiddos - woot, woot!!!

Hopefully I will have some good photos and interesting stories for you when we get back :)

Yellow Glory

2010-02-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

Because of all of the rain we have had this winter the mustard is extra beautiful this year. All of the vacant lots spread around our little suburban town are just covered in yellow glory. I took the girls out this weekend to see if we could get some fun shots. Here is a taste of what we ended up with:

Flip Flops in Feb

2010-02-17T07:21:00.001-08:00

Flip Flops in February - Priceless!!

Rocket, The Runaway Engine

2010-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

My friend was kind enough to invite my youngest daughter and I to attend the Sacramento Junior League's Children's Theater production this morning. It is a free event being held at the Hiram Johnson Middle School Auditorium. Below is the excerpt taken from the their webpage. For more information you can go directly to the Junior League webpage and hit the Children's Theater link. My 4 year old daughter quiet enjoyed the show. It was short and sweet and made for a younger audience.

The Junior League of Sacramento proudly presents "Rocket, The Runaway Engine" for its 2010 Children's Theatre production.

Words and Music by Gail A. Halverson -

Additional Score by Charmaine Ward

Directed by Tina Cole
Musical Direction by Kenna Shelton

Performance Schedule for 2010:
Daily Show Times: 10:00am.
February 2-5, Tues - Fri
February 9-12, Tues - Fri
February 16-19, Tues - Fri
February 23-26, Tues - Fri
March 2-5, Tues - Fri

Community Day
February 27, Saturday at 10:00am.

Recommended for Grades: pre-K thru 3rd.

Performances will take place at the Hiram Johnson High School Auditorium located at 6879 14th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95820.

Admission is Free.

Her Morning Elegance

2010-02-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

I love this song and I love this video. My husband found this and showed it to our girls who loved it too. This is one of their favorite past times - You Tube. My husband is the king of finding funny, interesting, disgusting or weird things on You Tube and then showing it to our girls (he insists he only shows them the appropriate stuff, I kind of trust he is telling the truth).

Well this one is appropriate and great fun to watch - so enjoy!

Valentine Lunch

2010-02-14T18:07:00.001-08:00

I thought this was the cutest idea EVER. I found it here and tried it out for my two girls for their Valentine's lunch. I used candy boxes from the dollar section at Target and filled it with food I knew my girls loved. The container on the left held cheese, cucumbers, olives, tomato, toast with cream cheese and blackberries. On the right is a heart shaped corn cake with honey butter - YUM!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T07:50:00.001-08:00

I am looking forward to celebrating all of the amazing love I have in my life. I hope that you are doing the same.

2010 Winter Olympics

2010-02-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

We love the Olympics around here and can't wait to watch all of the sporting competition and fun. Last night we enjoyed seeing the opening ceremonies. This morning we decided to make some Olympic Rings of our own that we could display in our front window during this exciting time. Using only markers, scissors, tape and paper plates we made these fun rings!

More Valentine Fun

2010-02-12T07:21:00.001-08:00

It is amazing all of the fun things that are out there on the internet to do with the kiddos. Some are brilliant new ideas and others are fun ideas that you forgot about years ago. This was one of those projects that I used to do as a kid with my mom but totally forgot about it until I found it here. Basically you take fresh carnations, recut the stem to the length you want, place them in water, pour food coloring into the water and lastly watch the flowers change to that color. Not only do you end up with beautiful and colorful flowers but it is a science experiment too!!!!

My little ones thoroughly enjoyed doing this project. We did it the night before their Valentine parties at school so they could take them in for their whole class to enjoy. We also sent some home with the neighbor kids and placed a big bouquet on our dinner table. Simple, easy and fun - now that is my kind of a project :)

Hand Made Valentines

2010-02-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

I love Valentines Day and I love making hand made Valentines with my girls. This year we used a method I found over at Let's Explore. You can find it here. It is a print making technique that is super easy and fun for kids to do. This is how it is done:

We used a small cookie sheet that I picked up at the dollar store and placed masking tape on it to mark out the size of our print. Using acrylic paint and a sponge brush my girls covered the area inside the square as carefully as possible with the paint. If we got paint outside of the square we just used a damp sponge to clean it off.

Next using a Q-tip the girls made a design in the paint. Then we took our card stock, placed it on top of the paint and pressed down hard. There you have it - a one of a kind print on each card! We found that each application of paint made about 2 cards.

Now for the extra fun part. Using glitter glue I let the girls go crazy decorating around the prints. This was messy but FUN!!!

Here are just a few of our finished products. We ended up having to make almost 70 cards!!! We have a lot of Valentines this year :)

Superbowl Sunday

2010-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Tennessee Valley

2010-02-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Just outside of Mill Valley is the most amazing family hike/walk that you could ever imagine - Tennessee Valley. I was introduced to this lovely place about ten years ago when I first moved to San Francisco. I will never forget the first time I took the walk down this breathtaking valley only to end up at an even more breathtaking site, the ocean. The walk in is very short and mellow - perfect for kids. Once there the small beach has plenty of places to picnic and explore. For the more adventuresome there are additional trails leading up the valley hills that will take you to any number of places and views. Still to this day as we take the much longer drive in from Sacramento I start to get overly excited as we head up the windy road to the trailhead. This place never gets old and is always a great getaway from everyday life. I will worn you though It does get crowded on the weekends. But with that being said even on the busiest of days once you get past the headache of parking and onto the trail the crowds seem to thin out and you don't even notice all of the others around.

The trail in is wide and well maintained for strollers

A great spot for picnics

The beautiful black rock sand

Believe it or not this was last January. It was just a perfect warm winter day - the kind you dream of. This place is wonderful anytime of year.

All kinds of collecting fun for the kids

Pure bliss