Is there anything cuter?

I saw this online today while looking for costumes. I think it's adorable! Katie would be precious in it!

Park dialogue

"You're It"
running and screaming, chasing each other. David: "wait. wait." girls stop.
David: "do you like my Dora shoes?"
Isabella gives a once over. "no".


David: "hi little girl".
little girl: "I'm NOT a little girl"
David: "oh".
David thinks hard.
David: "hi big girl"

Isabella pouting.
David: "what's wrong?"
Isabella: "I'm sad because she's going home".
David: "it's okay"
David hugs her.

Fairytale Town, Sacramento

I was bored tonight, and looking online for something fun to do. I came across Fairytale Town in Sacramento, CA. It looks really fun, actually.

They have 25 Fairytale scenes, including Cinderella, Mr. McGreggor's Garden (Peter Rabbit), Old McDonald's Farm (and petting zoo), Jack's Bean Stalk, Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest, Pooh's garden, The Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe's house, Peter Pan's Pirate Ship, Humpty Dumpty's wall.

Here are some pictures:

and how they describe it:

Step into the world of Mother Goose where fairy tales come to life. Children can chase each other around the crooked mile and crawl on the tortoise and the hare. Captain Hook's pirate ship, Owl's tree house and King Arthur's table are all here. The petting zoo has a variety of animals to see, from sheep to donkeys. You can bring a picnic lunch or purchase hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos and drinks from a concession stand. General admission is $3.75 on weekdays, $4 on weekends, and children under three are free

Here's a review from one woman:

My husband and I read such nice things about the park that while visiting the Sacramento area we put it on our list of things to do only to be rudely turned away at the gate like a homeless person at a 4 star restaurant. What all the web sites fail to mention is the fact that there is a city ordinance which does not allow anyone in the park without a child. So any seniors wanting to check out the park to take the grandkids don't waste your time on this one. Also the gate is less than 4.5 feet high so again seniors and people with disabilities beware.

Actually, I think that is great! Good for them for protecting our kids and not allowing adults in without kids. Why would an adult want to be there without children, afterall? I can see a senior citizen wanting to look at it, but really, this keeps our kids a lot safer when it's just for families.

Other reviews:

great for young kids!!!!
By sammons0506, 01/11/07
Fairy tale town is owsome! I took my 4 year old there while we were in town for a weekend. I was told it was like a park and an would take about an hour to see everything, boy was I miss informed. We were there for five hours and she wanted to stay longer! I only wish we had a place like that near our home, so we can go more often. It was like a never ending play ground. My daughter actually wore herself out which is a hard thing to do. I would have liked it more if my daughter would have stopped playing long enogh for me to tell her the fairytales behind each stop. If we ever go back to sacramento we will deffently go again.

Great Day !
By A Yahoo! Contributer, 09/25/06
I recently visited this wonderful play land with my 3 grandchildren ages 5, 3, and 2 . They played until they couldnt play anymore.The park was exceptionally clean, with many things for children to do. The smiles on their faces are forever imprinted in my mind. What a great wholesome place to take children. I would hope that anyone who has young children, or grandchildren, take the time to take them to this wonderfull playland. Sacramento is so very lucky to have this great place. When you get tired of the playland, you can go accross the street to the zoo. There is also another place next door to the zoo that has rides for small children , but it was closed at the time . I will certainly take my little grandkids there again before they get to old for it. Thank you FairyTale Town for having such a wonderfull place for children.

Wonderland
By A Yahoo! Contributer, 10/11/05
My three year old daughter loved it there. She enjoyed watering Peter Rabbit's Garden, playing in Cinderella's carriage, and most of all the crooked mile raised path. I thought it was well maintained, and the flowers and trees are beautiful.It is a park like setting, and you can take it at any pace you like. If you like to stop and smell the flowers, and watch your childs face light up with joy, then it is the place for you.We went twice within two weeks because my daughter wanted to take her father there, so he wouldn't miss out on the experience.

Entrance fee is only $3.50

Katie's 1st Pony Ride, Antelope Valley Fair

Katie got to ride the pony at the fair. I was more excited than she was. LOL. She really liked it though. The video doesn't show her smiling, but she was, later. I'm not sure if she knew what to think.

Katie's 1st Time Milking a Cow

We went to the fair Sunday. Katie got to "milk a cow". It was actually just a wooden cow cutout with rubber udders that dispensed water. Katie still liked it. She got her hand stamped with a cow afterwards.

Dinette Cake

I cleaned my car out today. It was so dirty. I have to leave to pick up my clients today at 2:00. In between, I decided to try out this recipe from Reminise Magazine. I'm supposed to meet Heather at the AV fair tonight, once I drop off the boys.

Dinette CakeIT ONLY TAKES MINUTES to get this cake into the oven. It's one of my favorite desserts. I love serving this treat to guests, and it's also one of my grandchildren frequently request I make for them. -Margaret Sanders, Indianapolis, Indiana


Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh fruit or ice cream, optional

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture until blended. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with fruit or ice cream if desired. Yield: 8-9 servings. Editor's Note: Pieces of cake can be wrapped individually and frozen. Then thaw for a quick dessert.

So, here is the finished product.

Right out of the oven.
Conclusion: Very tasty cake if you want something light. I loved the crunchy top. Overall, it tasted a bit like cornbread. I didn't have any fresh fruit for the topping. I think I would make it again.

Update on the BUNCO

I didn't win.


It was fun though. It was nice to see my sister, Debbie and laugh with her. It was nice to get out of the house.

I found a couch for Heather for $30 at a yard sale on the way.

I discovered Tomato Basil Bread from Panera, and found out that's it's really yummy and my new bread of choice for the upcoming autumn months to complement crockpot stew. I wish I had my brother's recipe for Tomato Soup, actually.

Bunco

I'm going to play Bunco today, with my sisters, Mary and Debbie. I'm hoping I win the jackpot! It's only $40, but I'd still be glad to get it.

Wish me luck!

Free Falling

Autumn is my favorite time of year. My birthday is in Autumn. The trees are colorful and beautiful in autumn. The weather is nearly perfect. It gets dark early and all the crockpot comfort foods are in autumn. I love apples. I love cranberries. I love all the earthtones. Banana bread? OH YEA! Autumn rocks.

This autumn I have Riley's Sleepy Hollow planned for October 25th. The night before we're going to Disneyland's Trick o' Treat night. Katie is going to wear the supercute pillow case dress I got her for Christmas last year.

Riley's has Apple Bobbing, Pie Eating Contest, Pumpkin Carving Contest, Seed Spitting Contest, Live Music, Square Dancing, Hayrides, and a delicious dinner: BBQ Chicken or Steak Homemade Biscuits,Baked Beans Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Green salad, Apple Crisp. I have to check out the other apple farms in the area too. They all seem to have something unique. I'd love to try the apple cider donuts.

Mary and I plan to rent period costumes from Daisy's costume shop in Lancaster. You can dress up if you want to. I can neither confirm nor deny if it's a requirement (inside joke).

For Christmas, we plan to take a Santa Claus train ride where you read Christmas stories, have cookies and milk with Santa, all in your jammies. Jammies. Another reason I love autumn. Who doesn't love laying around in jammies.

Looking forward to autumn. I should make a red, brown and yellow construction paper chain to count down the days. :)

oh why did they kill big foot?

I have heard the stories of Big Foot since I was a little girl. Disneyland has the abominable snowman in the Matterhorn. Big Foot is like the Lock Nest Monster or the classic story of the two teenage lovers killed in the woods. He's like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy--the Boogie Man even.

Now they say they located him in Georgia and killed him. If he truly was "Big Foot", why did they kill him? Why not just sedate him? Why did they have to capture him at all?

Let the legend of Big Foot live on.

The Gates of Hell Shall not Prevail

Tonight was the Temptations concert at Marie Kerr Park. The biggest thing in Palmdale since, I don't know when. The gates opened at 6:30. Well, we arrived at 7:00. There was no parking so we had to park around the block and walk down. The concert was scheduled to start at 8:00. By 7:00 they were no longer letting anyone in. When we finally reached the gate, this is what we found:

People were literally jumping the fence to get in. Cops surrounded the area. One man was arrested, people were out selling glow sticks.

Mary spent some time coloring with David, waiting for the concert to start.

this is the view we had.

People were sitting outside, waiting for it to start. Anthony and I were able to get the popcorn vendor to sell us some Kettle Corn and throw it over the fence to us. We stayed for a while but everyone in the riff raff area, where we were essentially banned to, kept talking and being rude and we couldn't really hear the music. Also, Mary complained all night and set the tone for the night. :(

I was kinda sad because I had been looking forward to the concert for a long time. I enjoyed it regardless--it was nice and cool out, I was with David and Desiree and Anthony, and despite the bickering, I would have liked to have stayed.

$12.50 and paint

I found this dresser at the Goodwill. It's actually a changing table and it's SOLID wood and HEAVY. It was white and had ugly drawer pulls. I painted it Valspar "Hello Dolly" pink and changed out the drawer pulls for pink crystals. I'm going to put bins on the bottom for Katie's toys. Her hair ribbons are in one of the top drawers. I think it came out sweet for her new bedroom. She can put bears or picture frames on the top.

Underoonies

Poor Rupunzel is sick today. Rupunzel is an inside joke, btw. Anyway, she has been sick for a couple days and has been having bad poopies all day, causing a rash. I put maalox on a cotton ball and rubbed in on her irritated booty and then of course, rash ointment. The maalox is unconventional and something I've never tried before, but it makes sense. It's antacid and it's supposed to remove the acid from the irritated area, caused by her acidy poopy, which is causing the rash. She's wearing panties now, so she can air out a bit. The maalox really seems to be helping. I found out about it on a google search.

She's just the cutest, tiny thing. I love her. I hope she feels better soon.

Her appetite is gone. Heather and David are sick too so I'm babysitting Katie, who is recovering. Fishies is about all she's able to keep down.

overwhelmed

Sometimes my job can be overwhelming. Not so much the amount of work, but the emotional aspect of it. Sometimes my heart breaks for these kids and I wish I could bring them all home.

Why are some born and have so much love surround them, while others are born, and left all alone? They are all so precious and innocent and all deserving of a mommy and a daddy, but why are some just abandoned?

I think sometimes that God should have made it so that if you were a drug addict or mentally unstable, then a hormone would be released that would prevent you from being able to reproduce and have children, and yet, kids are born day after day to drug addicts and parents with the mental incapacity to care for these children, and they are the ones to suffer. The parents have boyfriends or girlfriends, wander from place to place, party--do what they want, and the kids--the kids have no say, no opportunity, no choice but to just go along with and be silent partners in the fiasco.

It makes me sad.

The BIG 4-0!

Today is Bobby's 40th birthday--well, it would have been.

Happy Birthday, Bobby. I still love you.

Me.

Ben & Jerry's

Albertsons had the pints on sale, 4 for $10. I got 4 flavors: Mint Chocolate Chunk, Half Baked, Chocolate Fudge Brownie and another one.

I'm liking the mint. It's white, not green, like most mint ice creams and the chunks are exactly that. CHUNKS. Big pieces of chocolate like tiny bricks.

Yummy.

The Temptations - Starlight Concert Series

Coming next Saturday:

Motown legends and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Temptations will take the stage on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. They will perform a string of unforgettable hits including# 1 smashes "My Girl," "Get Ready," "Just My Imagination," "I Can't Get Next to You" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone.

Can't wait!

Yard Sales

Mine suck. I made $11.00 and 1 silver dollar.

Free Falling

Autumn is my favorite time of year. My birthday is in Autumn. The trees are colorful and beautiful in autumn. The weather is nearly perfect. It gets dark early and all the crockpot comfort foods are in autumn. I love apples. I love cranberries. I love all the earthtones. Banana bread? OH YEA! Autumn rocks.
This autumn I have Riley's Sleepy Hollow planned for October 25th. The night before we're going to Disneyland's Trick o' Treat night. Katie is going to wear the supercute pillow case dress I got her for Christmas last year (similar to the one below, but in a different pattern).

Riley's has Apple Bobbing, Pie Eating Contest, Pumpkin Carving Contest, Seed Spitting Contest, Live Music, Square Dancing, Hayrides, and a delicious dinner: BBQ Chicken or Steak Homemade Biscuits, Baked Beans, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Green salad, Apple Crisp. Mary and I plan to rent period costumes from Daisy's costume shop in Lancaster. You can dress up if you want to. I can neither confirm nor deny if it's a requirement (inside joke).

For Christmas, we plan to take a Santa Claus train ride where you read Christmas stories, have cookies and milk with Santa, all in your jammies. Jammies. Another reason I love autumn. Who doesn't love laying around in jammies.Looking forward to autumn. I should make a red, brown and yellow construction paper chain to count down the days. :)