What's Up!

Mark you calendars with these up-coming author events:

Sat. Sep 8, 2-4 pm at the Santa Maria Library: I'll be speaking to kids about being an author. I'll sell/sign my books ($12 ea. or $32 for the set of 3), lead the kids in fun activities, and host a Q & Q time with the kids. All ages welcome!

Thur. Sep. 13 at 5:30pm at the Santa Maria Children's Discovery Museum: as part of their detective theme for the month, I'll talk to kids about Sherlock Holmes, writing mysteries, and my series. I'll sell/sign my books and lead activities. All ages welcome!

Sat. Nov. 17 at Toy Zoo in Santa Maria: official book release of Book 4! More info to come!

Our Little Game Boy

The other day Daddy turned on his old Game Boy with Super Mario on it. West was immediately fasinated by it, because he loves electronics that make sound and flash colors. The funny thing is when West grabbed it, he naturally held it correctly as if he was playing the game without us even showing him how! I guess he is a boy through and through.

Daddy Blues

Well, West and I made it through our first week with Daddy back to work. It wasn't too bad, besides his sleeping being way off (which wasn't too surprising since we were going through a new transition). But Westly definitely missed Daddy. He kept looking for him all over the house and pointed at the back door. When I asked, "Do you want Daddy?" he nodded very emphatically and it nearly broke my heart. I told Michael that West is more needy for him than I am this year, and I think that's because Westly is better company to me now that he's older. I don't feel alone with a baby like I did last year. But on the flip side, Westly grew very attached to Michael over the summer so is missing him more now. What are ya gonna do?

So now we embark on week 2, which will be crazier than last week because Michael starts his Hancock classes. But my mom is coming to visit, which will be great. And we'll find lots of things to keep us busy until Daddy comes home to us each afternoon. We are so thankful for how hard he works for our little family!

Baker or Mechanic?

This little doodle is obsessed right now with my mixer. He saw me use it the other day, and not it's his favorite thing to tinker with. He is fascinated by anything with a motor. And he loves the challenge of fitting things inside of other things. The smaller the better.

August Craft

I decided it was time for the kitchen to get a make-over. I took down the red curtains and replaced them with these fun ones. I got the fabric at Joanns, and it only took me an hour to whip these up.

This bright fabric instantly cheered up the kitchen and gave it a fun retro vibe

This print is from Redlands (my home town) and has been hanging in the laundry room. I think it's the perfect additive to the kitchen.

Next step: a new rug and towels. I think this whole make-over will cost under $30!

Home Improvement

We decided it was time to improve our backyard and invest in making it a fun place for Westly to play and his parents to hang out.

Here are the Before pictures. Our yard was very blah and small.

So we hired someone to push the fence toward the street to gain an extra 9 feet of space, and pave everythign from the back door to the fence.

So much more room!

After: now we have a place to hang our and entertain, and a place for Westly to do chalk art, drive his little cars and trucks, and learn how to ride a trike and bike!

West loves the new yard. He loves that he can run on hard even ground outside. And all the new water toys are added fun!

He's still too little to ride this trike, but it will come in handy soon!

Baking Eclairs

I've always wanted to make eclairs, and finally came up with a good excuse to do so. My father-in-law mentioned eclairs are his favorite treat. And he just finished editing my 4th book, so I made some as a little thank-you to him. They were surprisingly easy with few ingedients and turned out yummy!