Playing on Grounds!

After having such a wonderful C'ville weekend, I wanted to share some fun photos with you guys.  I spent the weekend babysitting for a family of three... my favorite family of three! Despite my early morning wake up due to two mornings of 6:30 pancakes ( wondering about the early post??) I had such a great time spending the weekend acting like a kid. From homemade sprinkle cookies to being the bad guy on the pirate ship these guys make me smile 100% of the time! 

When Sunday afternoon hit, it was time for an outing! I decided to pile everyone into the car and head to the Lawn. We packed up the baseball bats, bases, and ball and threw in a football as well. Virginia and I were going to let those boys run wild. 

What a great place to run around and be wild. With all that open space and beautiful architecture it's just what Thomas Jefferson planned for!

The boys and I played a game of baseball while my friend Kate helped with baby Virginia. Lets just say the boys may have pretty much dominated the game... I need to work on my batting skills before we head back to the Lawn again. 

Between relay races up and down the Lawn and a few home runs, Virginia was able to make her way into the action... and the mud! 

On our way to Bodos the boys stopped to climb some trees. They begged to stay and climb, but I told them that would be a later adventure around UVa grounds!

We just had the best time! If you every have a free hour or two, babysitting or not, head over to the Lawn with a baseball or football. It's the perfect place around town to play! 

Have a Marvelous Monday... and check back soon! 

Weehah!

Most of my good friends know I am totally obsessed with Weehah! greeting cards. They are wonderful and creative in a very simple way. Loving the cute, to the point messages by Louisa  Wimberger.

Louisa, once upon a time an English school teacher, decided to stop teaching and pursue her passion for greeting cards and personalized stationary and invitations. After moving to Charlottesville in 1997, her one year plan turned into twelve after falling in love our " amazing and dreamy little city". She seems to love this place just as much as I do! 

As her hobby turned into a job, mostly by word of mouth, Louisa began selling her cards at markets, small boutiques, and holiday shows. She chose the name " Weehah" after a family nickname dubbed by her little niece who was unable to say her full name! 

Aren't they just simple and wonderful! Louisa now resides in New England, closer to her family and the water, but her cards are still offered right here in C'ville! Check out Belair Market, Feast, Cappellino's Crazy Cakes, Derriere de Soie, Para Coffee, or Gearhart's Fine Chocolates.... you may even catch the cards being sold at the downtown farmers market ( that was the first time I ever saw these amazing works for art!) 

The cards are made right in her studio with combinations of glitter, rubber stamps, pigment and dye inks, and watercolor paints. Louisa uses her desktop printer and works to find the best cardstock she can get her hands on. Each stamp in unique and different and designed by another artist or Louisa herself. 

And... not only does she sell greeting cards! Louisa creates journals and art kits for children of all ages! The journals are offered in size small (3.5 x 5.5) or large (5 x 8.25) and can be made with blank or lined sheets of paper. 

The art kits include pieces of scrap paper, straight from the studio and three new colored pencils. Everything is combined together and put in a clear bag tied together with a piece of ribbon! What a great gift... and only $5 

Louisa also takes order for save the date cards, wedding invitations, birthday parties, thank you notes, and place cards. 

Check out the Weehah! website and keep an eye out for her upcoming Valentines Day cards! 

Have a Super Saturday... and check back soon! 

Dreaming of Sunshine

I am loving the snow all around C'ville right now... but it sure does make me wish I was laying on a beach chair somewhere warm! 

Today lets dream about warm weather, cold lemonade, sun dresses, and the ocean! 


Whether it's lobster night at Coco Point...

or taking a dip into the lake to refresh from those hot WY days....

or just being silly with your best friend....

there is always room to think about the sunshine on snowy days like today....

Dive into you imagination....

and remember the feeling of sunshine....

Have a Thrilling Thursday... and check back soon! 

ps. ENJOY THE SNOW! 

Colorful Cookies!

The other night my friends and I decided to bake some fun and colorful cookies with the help of M&Ms! Following Hamilton's family recipe we whipped up some pretty tasty cookies.

The recipe was pretty easy and only called for a few main ingredients such as crisco, brown sugar, sugar, flour, and vanilla. It literally took less than ten minutes to make the cookie dough! 

Emily's face says it all... happiness!

After the dough was all mixed together Hamilton added the M&Ms... milk chocolate AND dark chocolate. The candy makes baking extra fun... I loved the colorful dough!

After we mixed in the candy we decided to bake half the cookie dough and eat the other half... YUM!

We waited patiently... well sort of!

Despite our full stomachs, from all that cookie dough, we somehow made room for the warm cookies that came right out of the oven. 

My friends and I had so much fun hanging out and making these cookies together. Next time you bake put in some colorful candy to make the cookies fun and colorful!

Have a Terrific Tuesday... and check back soon! 

Fun Things!

Not too much time today but I LOVE these images... every day or two my mom sends along some inspirational creative pieces and here are some of my favorites. How very lucky I am to have such a special mom!

These images just make me smile, and I hope you do too :-) 

Have a Marvelous Monday... and check back soon! 

Happy Birthday DAD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! 

Have a Super Sunday... and check back soon! 

Blue Moon Diner

This morning my friends and I decided to head to Blue Moon Diner for breakfast/brunch around 10:30... what a great spot, with such a local C'ville feel.

There are various places to sit within the diner, while the old fashioned stools and bar are obviously a fun choice, the diner has expanded beyond just this small space and created a room off to the side where tables and chairs are set up for hungry customers! 

Not only is breakfast offered ALL DAY but Blue Moon has a second menu for lunch and dinner. This morning I had a nice hot cup of coffee and pancakes. Kate chose a personalized omlet and MaryBoyce had the French Toast ( made on Breadwork's cinnamon swirl bread). 

 I was in for quite a surprise... did not know I would be getting the 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' pancake special! 

From the delicious food to the sweet wait staff Blue Moon Diner is the place to be on a Friday morning. We were able to walk right in, get a place to sit, and have menus and water within seconds! 

I just love the old diner feel.  Locals can come in and grab a quick bite to eat while reading the daily newspaper, alone or with a friend or two....

These two men asked me to snap a picture! We ended up chatting and I quickly learned the man on the right is a born and raised C'ville guy and the man seated on the left was originally from Atlanta, but moved to Charlottesville when he was a boy. They told me they would become Three Notched followers... if I could teach them how to use the internet! 

I love the colorful paintings, old records and books, as well as a large collection of children toys and games! What a great way to make a restaurant feel more homey and charming.

Be sure to make a trip to Blue Moon Diner for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's simply cozy and wonderful. A perfect Charlottesville diner!

Have a Fun Friday... and check back soon!

Pro Camera Shop

After realizing that I misplaced my new Nikon camera battery charger, I decided to find a place close by where I could purchase a replacement. I stumbled across Pro Camera on the internet, called the store, and headed in after finding out they had just what I needed!

Located on Forest Street off of Preston Avenue, Pro Camera is located in a tiny space, right off the main road. 

Pro Camera has been serving the Charlottesville community for nearly twenty years and is filled with experts who can lead you in the right direction and help you find exactly what you are looking for. 

I loved the personal feel and abundance of help. They seemed to offer everything you could be looking for. From film, to camera stands, to books on the subject of photography this camera store is a wonderful resource within the C'ville community. 

The store was founded by Bill Moretz, a professional photographer and certified master technician. Pro Camera services range from repair of vintage cameras to offering the newest cameras and other equipment on the market

You can also have your photos printed and processed at Pro Camera and have your film turned into a digital file. Perfect for sending pictures over e-mail to those far away! Services such as photo restoration are offered as well. 

I have become very passionate about photography ( helps that my mom is a photographer!!) and am so glad we have such a wonderful camera store in the area. Now that I know it's around I am sure I will be making more visits in the near future... maybe they will offer me some cool advice! 

Have a Terrific Thursday... and check back soon!