French Bakery At The Village

 I had a wonderful time in So Cal visiting with the kids.  I stayed with Nel half the time, and Jess, the other, and they made my stay so comfortable and nice.  One of the first outings we went to was at the village where we got pastries at a quaint French Bakery.

Story.  After we ordered, we sat down to eat.  We found a cozy spot in the corner, and started to enjoy our coffee and croissants.  A lady had her treats, and was getting ready to leave, and as she was walking out the door she said to us, "now that looks like a nice tea party."  Mia smiled and quickly said, "yea, would you like to join us?"  The lady chuckled and said, "oh no, but thank you, dear," and left with a big smile on her face.  I said to Mia, "that was so nice what you said to her," all the while thinking, ~what a sweet child.~  The decor in the bakery was very charming, and I loved the big white mirrors that were hanging on the walls.

There were rows and rows of different pastries behind the glass windows, and fresh baked bread to buy also.  Nel bought a loaf to take home, as she had some honey butter from a neighbor that we could have later that evening.

Many of you know that I'm part French Canadian on my mom's side, so when I enter a cafe' or see anything Frenchie, I get a bit giddy.

During one of our shopping outings, I came across this plaque that looked French to me and bought it.  I couldn't resist, as I used to say these words to my kids when they were little.

Afterwards, we walked the quaint streets at the village, and I wanted to buy Mia something for her birthday.  She has been wanting to go inside this one particular toy store, so Nel thought it was the perfect time to do that.  She's really into stuffies right now, and after looking all around at the various toys, she chose the soft furry Cheetah.

As we were walking to one of Nel's favorite shops that has lotions and creams (I wanted to get her something too), we saw this delightful sign.  It hit home for me last week when I was losing internet access on my computer, until it got fixed.

I always enjoy myself at the village, and I'll have to return to the French Bakery the next time I visit.

~Sheri  

Be The Nice Kid

Just got home from my trip to So Cal to see the family, and I'm exhausted unpacking, washing clothes, and putting things away.  I'll share more later, but here is a few pictures of Jess' classroom.  She is getting ready for the new school year, and she did a nice job decorating the classroom with fun stuff for learning.  I went in and helped her by watching Charlotte, and washing all the white boards for the kids - 25 of them!  It brought back memories of when I was the class mom all those school years. ; )

Have a good week.

~Sheri

*This board was huge and placed on the school playground.

 

Get To Know Your Blog Friends

This will be a short post today, as I am getting ready to go see my babies.

Every now and then, I will do a post called Get to know your blog friends.  I will include some things about myself that you may or may not know, especially my new friends who I have enjoyed getting to know.  So, here they are.

*I have a thing for OREO'S, and if I ever see them at the store, I will probably pick some up.  Don't really care for the thin Oreos or the double stuff Oreos, but the original ones I LOVE.

*I don't like group e-mails (for many reasons).  Sometimes people in the group e-mails may not understand what is being said, and the context gets all mixed up.  Also, the sender shouldn't send personal stuff about one to all.  It's funny, cause after I wrote this, I sent a group e-mail to a few blog friends, and I didn't see the responses of some til later, as they were scattered in the middle of them all.  Just a couple reasons why I don't like group e-mails.

*I love loyalty.  Have you noticed there are people who are neither here nor there?  I appreciate those who know where they stand and follow through.

*I don't like sandy beaches; never really have.  The thought of sand between the toes and sprinkled over a sweaty body doesn't appeal to me.

*In high school, I took a typewriting class, and at the end of the semester, I could type 65 wpm.

*I was the youngest child.....and as the saying goes, the youngest child is the most spoiled.  That was farthest from the truth with me, and didn't have many toys or clothes growing up.  And when it was time to get my first car, I bought it myself.  My parents instilled in me this valuable lesson, and it made me appreciate the things that did come my way.

*When I was in first grade, I was put in a first/second grade class.  It was called a 'Split Class.'

*My birthstone is Emerald, and whenever I see anything with the color of Emerald, I am drawn to it.

*I delivered my three babies without pain medication.  After Jess was born, who was almost 9 lbs., I said that I never wanted to do that again.  A few years later, her brother was born.  ; )

*When I was a teenager, I used to walk to church, which was about a mile from my house.  When my dad was outside doing the yard work, he would always shout something to me and smile as I walked away.

*I've never been star-struck with celebrities.  And I've never been impressed with wealth or fancy cars or grand houses or fine jewelry.  What does impress me is someone with great character, and that only has humility to offer. 

*I have what I call a gift of dreams.  During a devastating time in my life, I had a dream one night, and my mom was present in the dream.  I literally felt a warm feeling come over me and a gentle hug.  Another time, I had a dream about my son, and he loudly shouted "mom!" and I suddenly woke.  In the middle of the night, I got a call from him - he was in the hospital and told me he just got into a car accident.  That's just one of the many dreams I've had, and why I call them a gift.

Well, there ya go.

Oh, there's one more.....

*I love you.

But you already know that.

July Joys

 Hello, and how are you all doing with the summer heat?  Some of you asked about the humidity in this area.  Well, on a recent post, I mentioned driving to the city, which was extremely hot that day, but that was in the valley, about 50 minutes away.  During the summer, we usually get temps in the 90's here in the mountains, although we have had some days in the 100's this month.  Also, California usually doesn't get the humidity like some of the other states do.  So, it has been a warm summer, but supposed to cool down in August.  There are several July birthdays in my family, so when I saw these confetti cupcakes in the bakery section, I had to buy them.

Francesca and Mia are already interested in taking pictures, and this little daisy Francesca captured when we were visiting the church one day.

I liked this photo of Mia so much, that I put it on my computer screen.  It has summer written all over it.

A BLT sandwich with some Popchips.

I made a squash bake, which turned out delicious.  Lots of cheese sprinkled on top.

I had some leftover chicken, and my son made his own special creation one night.  It was so good that I had two servings.

Nel took a trip to England this summer, and she sent me a few pictures.  These two photos are of a wall that was built by the Romans.  It spans the entire island of England and marked the very edge of the Roman Empire.  It's called Hadrian's Wall.

When Jess was here, we visited the home shop in town, and Bigfoot was greeting us at the door.

I bought this Lego Twirling Rapunzel for Francesca, and she wanted to put it together all by herself.

How is it that my girl turned 43 this month?  I still remember her climbing grandma's tree when she was just a playful young girl.

For her special day, she went to a magic show in Hollywood with her sister-in-law and Jess.  They had drinks and dinner, and she got picked as a volunteer from the audience for two shows and was able to witness some mind blowing magic up close and personal.  It was so fun getting all dressed up and wandering The Magic Castle that night.  I love the green velvet dress she wore.

Mermaid Charlotte.  Out of all the babies in my family, including my own, she has to have the sweetest smile.

Through the window at my neighbor's house.  I've never seen the hummer's tiny long beak inside the feeder before.

My son often goes to the creek, and sent me this picture.  It's such a peaceful place to visit for him.

This summer heat is zapping my energy, so going through photo albums sounds like a good idea.  I always say that if there was ever a fire or I had to get out of the house quickly, one of the first things I'd gather is my photo albums.  They have so many memories in them.

Try to stay cool, friends.  It's in the 100's the next couple of days, then cooling down to the 80's.

~Sheri 

Enchanted Cave

I'm wrapping up the last of the outings me and Jess had when she came to visit me in the mountains.  This day was a fun one, as we drove to see the cave that is located not that far from here.  This neat cave is a lava tube that was formed by a volcano 20,000 years ago.  It is completely dark inside, so you have to bring a flashlight or a lantern to accompany you.  It gets very cold inside the cave, and remains 46 degrees year round.  The hike is only 1/3 of a mile, so it is accessible for kids and older people.  I didn't go through the cave myself, and took a nice walk with Charlotte, but I did walk to the entrance of the cave and took a few pictures.  Come along, and see the interesting and somewhat spooky cave that Jess and Francesca and uncle b. walked through.

 When they finished walking through the cave, and they came out from another direction, Francesca saw me and shouted "grandma!"  This is a popular attraction in this area, and I'm glad that Jess was able to experience it, and spend this time with her brother.

~Sheri