Day: December 11, 2012

Let me tell you, this year unlike any other, picking out and decorating our tree felt unorganized, unpredictable and just somehow chaotic. You would think two kids can not make that much difference, yes they can. I am not complaining in any way, just stating the fact that it was different. It was Joshy’s first experience picking out a tree with the family, but then I don’t think he quite understood what was happening until we brought it home and as soon as he saw it, a huge smile appeared on his little precious face. Bella was a lot more fun to decorate with as she understood how everything was working and what went where. They both love having the tree and boo goes to turn it on every morning 🙂 It’s definitely a beauty and we are yet to sit down and have Hot Chocolate by it. Hopefully very soon, we will find time and do that. I love Christmas season!

This holiday always gets me to stop and think about all that we have, all that our kids have, all that our families have. Every single time I begin to think and evaluate I come to one conclusion, give, give, give. I am not sure if I can even relay my feeling, but it’s a feeling of gratitude, it’s knowing that I did not deserve all that I have and yet God granted me my wishes and oh so much more. So, this year instead of just feeling like I want to give, I put a plan of “Acts of Kindness” for the next month. I will share some of the ways we will be serving our neighbors, church and just complete strangers. I want to make sure that my children understand the gift of giving, more so than receiving. It’s when we give , we feel most rewarded, not when we receive. Christ selfless giving and laying His life for us on the cross, does not measure to what we can give, but we can definitely pass on the gift of giving. Happy Thanksgiving!

I still cannot believe, my dear hubby ran 26.2 miles. It’s difficult to wrap my head around that number, as it seems insane. I am a very proud wifie that he endured such distance. Barry, Bobby and their two friends, decided to do something significant during their year of being 30 and the idea of a marathon sounded enticing, so they ran it as a team. The marathon took place in Fresno and the reason for the name is Fresno and Clovis. It was definitely an experience to remember but I am so glad he did it. I am next, Big Sur here I come in April  Looking forward having my lovie greet me at the finish line. Great job honey!

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful, wonderful, loving, kind and one of a kind woman, mamusichka! I always want to do something special for her birthday to show her how much we all appreciate her and all that she does for us. This year was a little different, as we were going to be out of town for the weekend, so I have decided to take her to a place where I have been planning on taking her for the last three years, the Grand Island Mansion. Somehow I just knew she would love that place and indeed she did. If you are wondering what type of a place this is…
“The delta’s historic Grand Island Mansion is a uniquely spectacular Italian Renaissance style villa. The Mansion is the largest private estate in northern California, and embodies the finest features of classical architecture and European craftsmanship.The four-story, 24,000 square foot 58 room villa is centrally located on Grand Island in the lush delta region east of the San Francisco Bay.
The mansion was designed by J. W. Dolliver, the renowned San Francisco architect, in 1917 for Louis Meyers, a native of San Francisco, and his wife, Audrey, daughter of Lubin of the Weinstock Lubin department stores.
Louis Meyers, an Orchardist, built the house as the centerpiece of his Orchard Empire and as a place to entertain his society guests who arrived by riverboat, such as author Erle Stanley Gardiner.
The Grand Island Mansion has recently undergone extensive restoration under the direction of Terrence Black, great-nephew of the original architect, making the private estate the premier facility for weddings, receptions, corporate retreats, business conferences and private events. Immediate plans for the future include full spa services in the elegant style of a bygone era.
Guests can entertain in the private English Hunt lounge and bar, overlooking the spacious interior courtyard Colonnade room with fountains, vaulted ceiling and Moorish arches. The historic house was built by the finest craftsmen from Europe and has five marble fireplaces, inlaid parquet flooring, rare handmade tile work throughout, imported wood paneling, luxurious period furnishings and authentic artwork. Other amenities include a heliport, tennis court, basketball court, private docks and classical Italian gardens.
The Mansion has been featured in such publications as National Geographic, Sunset Magazine, Architectural Digest, Victoria’s Secret Catalog, and Macy’s Furniture Catalog.
The Mansion and grounds are open for public viewing and dining during the famous Sunday Champagne Brunch, served 10:30 to 2:00, with reservations or by appointment.
The friendly professional staff is directed by Sandras Clark, an English hotelier who combines European tradition with a flexible creative approach to stress free event planning and coordinating, emphasizing personal service with a variety of packages, tailored to your special needs.
We had a very lovely Champagne brunch there, and I tried my very first Mimosa which was absolutely delicious. I am thinking of potentially making it a tradition, but time will show. I absolutely loved celebrating my best friend and the best mama that God could bless me with.
We also had a little get together at our home, which included our little bundles of joy, Bella and Joshy 🙂 Happy Birthday to the best Nana!!! We all love you very, very much!

Every year, Barry and I re-visit the subject of Halloween and whether we want our kids to participate.  So far it has been a fun enjoyable “dress up” holiday, but we will just take it one year at a time and decide what we think of it.  This year, Bella wanted to be princess Belle and has enjoyed her role quite a bit. Joshy was a little puppy, a very cute one 🙂  This year Bella was a lot more engaged in all that was taking place.  Our first exposure to Halloween was at our church, at Trunk or Treat, which is absolutely amazing.  The activities and fun games the church puts on are wonderful and innocent.  They have a section for lil people like Joshy and Bella and of course for older kids, anything from bounce houses to live band and so on.  This year unlike any that I remember it was exceptionally hot so being in huge crowds of people while kids “trick or treat” was not the most exciting thing.  Bella loved it, so it was worth getting out 😉  On Halloween we were invited to Nana’s and Papa’s house and boy was that  a lot of fun!  The way their neighborhood came together was one of the most neat things I have ever seen happen in a neighborhood.  So many people and kids were there, I can not even put a number on it.  Anything from hot chocolate to soda was served and of course a lot and a lot of candy!  Our little trick or treater 😉  has received a lot of candy, which has been sorted and mostly given away again 😉  Of course she got to keep her favorites 😉