happy easter!

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Patti

spring break

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Patti

it’s spring break around here and with me working some now, it is my job to make sure the girls are entertained while i get my work done as quickly as possible so we can enjoy time together. today we decided to take our old crayons and melt them into new ones.

first we started with the horrible task of removing all the paper. i put my youngest kid on this task since it’s what she is best at. she’s always peeled the paper off the crayons. drives me bananas. but this time, i assured her it was ok. next we sorted them by color for this first batch (second round was multi-color.)

heat the oven to 265° and bake for about 4-6 minutes – depending on your oven. i had the girls on watch with the oven light on and they told me when they were completely melted. let them cool for about 30 mins in the pan and then pop them into the fridge for another 30 minutes or so. once they are completely cooled they pop right out of the pan.

and there you have it! my kids love these. even at age 3 and 6, they still love the surprise of what color will show up on their paper. as for the rest of spring break, i’m not sure what the days will hold but this was a fun little activity. now i’m off to go buy new crayons!

harley farms

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Patti

my bff (i am laughing typing that because my 6 year old walked up to me the other day and said “we are bff’s, right mom?!) danni and her girlfriend invited us to go to the goat farm. we got to see baby goats! i’m pretty sure i was the most excited to see these babies. i’m a city girl…we just do see this kind of stuff every day.

this is an amazing place. harley farms is located in pescado, ca – just east of half moon bay. gorgeous! they have award winning cheeses too. it’s amazing…oh wait, i said that already. but it really is! if you think you don’t like goat cheese, you haven’t tried this goat cheese (psst: if you aren’t anywhere near their neck of the woods, you can order their cheeses here.)

my favorite was the lavender honey goat cheese. to.die.for!

they also have tons of other products like oils, salad dressings, lotions, soaps and even raspberry nectar!

after tasting nearly everything in site, it was time to start our tour. we got to get right in there with the goats.

her face says it all…

in the pasture were some very pregnant mama goats. they were soaking up the sun and not doing much else (due in a matter of days.)

stella talked to this mama goat for a good 10 minutes. so cute.

next came the fun part…we got to play with the kids. 3 day old babies. so playful and fun!

(photo:john marcotte)

after the tour, it was time to see how they make the cheese. mmm! hair nets were required, and no, i don’t have a photo with me in one.

edible flowers…

ta da! and next we got to eat the cheese…delish!

i can’t say enough good things about harley farms goat dairy. it’s really fun and the people were wonderful. oh and the goats…so fun! i highly recommend it if you are going to be in the area!

chloe!

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Patti

my good friends leng and melinda asked me to take photos of little chloe. of course, i couldn’t resist. unfortunately, she wasn’t her super chipper self, so we got a few, but we are going to try again another day. still, look at these cheeks!

oh, and by the way…chloe’s very talented knitting mama melinda made that adorable sweater!

that tongue!

thanks chloe! next time we’ll make sure we let you finish your nap!

it’s been a long time, been a long time…

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Patti

i realized it has been 3 months since i last posted here on the ol’ blog. how sad is that? in the words of the fresh prince of bel air, “my life got flipped – turned upside down!”

we’ve been through a lot of life-changing roller coaster events lately.

i got a wonderful new flash for christmas and haven’t had any time to try it out. this makes me sad. i experimented with a few photos on christmas day, but don’t quite have the hang of it.

shooting with a flash is just so foreign to me.

the hubby got a new job, quit said new job and turned right around and got another new job. he was only unemployed for 3 days! i feel incredibly blessed.

schedules are getting busier but that also means spring is in the air. love that!

more to come soon. for now i’ll leave you with this photo of stella after a birthday party (princess themed.) this is kinda how i feel today.

grant boys

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Patti

i had the privilege of taking holiday photos of my friend’s boys. they were so much fun and i’m really happy with the results.

thanks again, morgan! i will take photos of your boys any time!

halloween 2010

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Patti

we did simple halloween costumes this year…meaning i was not required to glue, sew, pin, or cut a single thing! i like that. after all was said and done, i realized that i didn’t get a single photo of my girls together. way to go. oh well, they are still cute anyway.
here’s my little garden gnome:

and her sister, christine o’donnell…

here’s most of the kids:

we trick or treated in a different neighborhood and it was great! there was no stress about losing kids and scary houses. the neighborhood we went to last year was over the top and this year they had homes featured on hgtv, so we decided not go there again. great time. great friends.

dave’s pumpkin patch

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Patti

i have to admit, visiting the pumpkin patch when it was 85° out was a little strange. we don’t take fall photos in tights and boots and cute sweaters – it’s short sleeve halloween t-shirts and sunglasses. it’s just not right. poor stella was over-dressed in long sleeves – but it sure is a cute shirt!

we still made the best of it…even with the harsh sunlight. (hence the photo below. i know the light is way too hot, but i just love the photo anyway. her eyes look stunning and i like her expression.)

i just love dave’s. we went there last year too. it’s not to far away and they have all the attractions with out being too crazy busy the entire month of october. plus, they shoot pumpkins out of a canon. how can you beat that?!

pony rides are always a hit.

they have a field of pre-picked pumpkins and a pick your own option, which is nice.

they also have a huge field of various varieties of sunflowers…so pretty! i think i could have stayed there all day. (less dust out there too.)

it was near impossible to get my girls to pose together for a photo amongst the pumpkins…so i settled for them each alone. it’s all about compromise, right?

so, there you have it, our super sunny “fall” visit to the pumpkin patch. it was a great day – even if we were sweating through it!

first field trip – folsom zoo

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Patti

stella got to take her first field trip with a few of her preschool friends. we went to the folsom zoo. it’s a great place that is not your typical zoo, but instead an animal sanctuary for rescued animals.

i didn’t get a lot of photos inside the zoo because, let’s face it, chasing a bunch of 3 year olds around is difficult at best and makes it hard to keep your eye behind a lens. but, look at these cute monkeys outside the zoo!