Camp Whimsy

Our Trip to China Town for Chinese New Year

Audrey and I were able to spend a weekend with my mom in San Francisco to celebrate Chinese New Year. This was Audrey's first time to China Town and she LOVED it! This was also her first girls-only trip and it was fabulous!

We had to show Audrey the ropes of shopping in the big city. My mom and I have been to China Town enough times that we have our favorite shops and we know which stores have the best stuff.

We know which store has the best selection of slippers.

We know where to find the best mud men. I like to buy one of these every time I visit. I write the date on the bottom and keep it in my oriental collection cupboard.

Audrey loved learning to shop! She was careful to choose exactly what she wanted and liked using her own wallet to pay for her items. 

I left my heart in China Town. After a day of shopping and a wonderful lunch at our favorite Chinese restaraunt and more shopping we freshened up at our hotel and headed out again. We found our spot along the parade route and waited for the main event.

Audrey was so excited to see the parade!

 

I went down a couple of blocks to retrieve us snacks for the parade from my favorite french bakery, La Boulange. Macaroons, cookies and hot chocolates were in order.

Audrey was wide eyed as you can see from this picture!

Here comes the parade! This year was the year of the dragon and dragons were every where!

 

Towards the end of the parade there was a hold up waiting for the finale, the golden dragon. We walked down to Union Square where the dragon was just beginning to make his way towards us. The biggest and best lions are the ones pictured here. They precede the golden dragon.

Fire crackers were cracking. Chinese drums were drumming. Dragons and lions were dancing. Here comes the big one...

...the golden dragon! This dragon is the finale to the parade every year. We have watched him on television in years past. We were so excited to see him in person. He is over 200 feet long and it takes over 100 people to carry him. He is amazing. We were standing at an intersection in union square and the dragon went right next to us, we were able to touch him for good luck. Audrey was enchanted...

 

...here is Audrey illuminated from the dragon. Reaching up and touching him for good luck.

She was lost in the moment! You can see the honored dragon carriers on the left side of the picture. We were so lucky they were on our side of the intersection and we were able to be so close to the dragon!

 

After the parade we ate dinner and headed back to the hotel. We were excited to find the golden dragon being put away in a building next to our hotel! He was so magnificent and huge! 

Audrey loved seeing him up close! We had a truly wonderful girls weekend! Hooray for girls! Hooray for fun! Hooray for Chinese new year! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3-2-1...Cast Off!!

This past Thursday the cast came off! Hooray! The first two days Strauss was very sore and a little unhappy, but by Saturday morning he was able to be moved outside on the grass. He could sit up by himself and scoot around a bit. He spent about 6 hours outside with his dad! They built a submarine out of boxes we have been saving just for a special daddy/son building day.  Audrey and I left the house on errands and returned with a McDonald's picnic. 

Strauss is very happy to be out of the cast now. He is happy to play with his sister and re-discover his house after 5 weeks of lying in the cast. I am looking forward to being able to leave the house again with the kids. We are hoping that Strauss will begin walking in the next couple of weeks. It is only a matter of time before the little guy is running around making mischief and I can hardly wait! Thank you for all of your prayers, comments and emails for Strauss. ~Kim

Happy Valentines Dear!

Here is a peek at my valentine display on my dining room hutch. Nothing too exciting this year, we put up the Valentines when Audrey came home after Strauss's accident to cheer everyone up and try to make things feel "normal" in our home. Audrey had fun looking at all of the vintage valentines and choosing her favorites. 

The center of my display is my collection of valentine spun head girls from Magpie Ethel.

I have amassed a nice collection of vintage valentines. I sprinkled them about the hutch.

This is one of my favorites.

 

Hope you have a lovely valentines day dear ones. X and O. ~Kim

 

Meet Franco the Frenchie

This week we puppy-sat my sister's new Frenchie, Franco. 

We did a little photo shoot. Franco is a bit camera shy.

Here is Franco, pouting because I am taking his picture.

Here is Franco getting sleepy...

...and sleeping.

Audrey did a great job helping puppy-sit Franco. 

Franco's favorite spot was snuggled up to his best bud Strauss. (Update on Strauss: doctor appointment two weeks from today to see if he can get the cast off. Hoping the next two weeks fly by quickly.)

Audrey and Strauss were very happy to meet and puppy-sit their new dog cousin Franco!

 

 

 

Introducing Mom's New Frenchie, Coco Chanel...

Meet my mom's new baby, Coco. Coco Chanel. She arrived Saturday and we couldn't wait to see her.We made a trip to the farm to meet her. On Sunday she paid us a visit at our home and I was able to do a little photo shoot with her.

She was a very good model.

Coco can do tricks! See how she can touch her tongue to her nose! Pretty tricky!

Audrey just adores Coco and is sure she is ready for a Frenchie of her own.

Strauss was delighted to have a visit from Coco. I think she may have been his favorite visitor yet.

Coco settled right down for a nap. 

Actually, Coco takes lots of naps. Here I am holding her on Saturday after we first met. Just like holding a baby, and there's quite possibly nothing sweeter than holding a baby.

After Coco naps she likes to play.

Everything she does is cute!

See, what I mean? Cute, right? Uh-oh....

...time for another nap! The other wonderful news is that my sister adopted Coco's brother, who she named Franco. So we are hoping to meet Franco this week and might even be able to puppy-sit him for my sister! This means there will be another photo shoot with Franco as my model. I can't wait!!!

Kitchen Update:Cows

Hey there! My sister in law Amy featured my kitchen in her post on her inspiration for her kitchen re-model. My original post on my kitchen re-model can be found here, so check it out for the complete details on my kitchen. Since improving our kitchen I have been collecting (of course!) little things to add to my original theme of "cafe au lait" (though I have more lait than cafe influence at this point!) I have been able to find several old milk bottles from local dairies that are no longer operating. I have added to my collection of creamers. And I have had fun adding cows. Lots of cows. Here is a peek at some of my additions...

Here are my creamers. I like the old ironstone restaraunt creamers best. I also have tiny cows. Some are old toys. Some would have been used in train model scenes. Some are old dairy advertisements. I also found a tiny toy milk man. 

I have lots of framed cows propped up on my counters and hanging on my walls. I found this frame at the first Farm Chicks show I went to in 2006. The print is an old waxy page from a children's book I cut to size. 

This photo just does not do this large antique black and white print justice. My mom had this in her farmhouse years and years ago. I was so happy when she gave it to me. As a child I grew up in a turn of the century farm house and my mom has always had a wonderful collection of farm animals. The cows are my favorite. 

More tiny cows, a local dairy bottle given to me by family friends who live at the location of the old dairy, and an old farmhouse bowl.

What collection of cows would be complete without Elmer and Elsie? My mom found this pair of salt and peppers and also a pair of mugs you can see on the shelf if you look at the first picture in this post. 

Because I LOVE to bake and I like vintage trophies I couldn't pass up this one. It is inscribed "1st Best Cake, 1957". My kitchen is my favorite room. I spend lots of time in there and I like that it is bright, cheerful and full of cows. Growing up on a farm was the best way for me to grow up. I like that my kitchen reminds me of being a farm girl. Some day I hope to have a bungalow or farm house of my own. Until then I am happy with the kitchen we have made.