It's Friday! Party like You're Three!

Be sure to party like you're three again!

I don't think Little Miss comprehends how lucky she is to live where most people vacation.  

Have a wonderful weekend!  Have any fun plans?

We're visiting the In-Laws, which is always a good time!  Little Miss is ready to see them, it's been a while!  

It's Blue Angels Weekend!

We're getting ready to head to the beach for Blue Angels weekend!  We're watching the show today and skipping the one tomorrow, which will be much more crowded.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Pensacola Museum of Art - Chagall for Children

We're fortunate enough to have a great museum here in Pensacola.  Even better, it's free on Tuesdays!  So really there is no excuse not to go if there is something of interest to you.  It's also a great way to spend some time when it's too hot outside.  For a while now they have had a Chagall for Children, and I finally got the chance to get Little Miss to the museum to enjoy it.  

She absolutely loved all of the interactive displays!  

This was a favorite - you found the picture on the side in the painting, and it would do something interactive when you touched it!

The phones talked about the paintings, but Little Miss used them to call her Daddy.

She even got to try her hand at creating her own artwork.  

Trying your hand at painting your own face is always fun!

If you're in the Pensacola area, I highly recommend this exhibit!  It's a great one to get your children interested in art!

Happiness Is....A Day at the Pool!

Last week, I took Little Miss to the local pool for the afternoon.  I'd heard a lot about it (it just opened last year), and wanted to check it out for myself.

They had a great children's area.  Little Miss really enjoyed it!  The area was big enough so that people weren't on top of each other, which was nice.  

I was disappointed that Little Miss cost almost as much as me to get in - because of that I doubt we'll go back, especially since we have a membership to the Y that has a pool and several friends with pools.  But we did have a fun adventure for the afternoon!  

Good Morning! How was your weekend?

This was the second three day weekend I got to enjoy with my husband, which was so nice!  

He works away from home, and we really haven't gotten to see much of him these past few months.  

Unlike most of my friends, who seemed to be busy cleaning their houses and cooking out this weekend, we really didn't do much of anything other than spend quality time with the family.  My husband got to eat some crawfish on Saturday - he even taught Little Miss how to pull the heads off of them!  Cajun Specialty Meats is walking distance from our house, and they just started serving dinner.  We walked down since the weather was nice, and we were amazed by the cool breeze that came through their patio!

The patio area had a children's table that Little Miss loved, and she also loved having good music to listen to and plenty of room to run around in!   Every time someone who worked there walked by, they had something nice to say to Little Miss.  She even got to see a real live crawfish!

Little Miss took this picture of Snoopy

Snoopy enjoyed playing with Little Miss, she sure has grown a lot!  Little Miss enjoys Snoopy's company most of the time, but occasionally gets tired of her puppy antics.  They are so much fun to watch together!

Snoopy took a swim in the pond this weekend - it was the first time that had happened!

On Sunday we headed to Harry T's for some brunch with Brian's parents.    It was good, but a little too hot since there wasn't much of a breeze where we were sitting.  Their menu is pricey, but if you sign up for their rewards program they always send a lot of coupons, which makes it more reasonable.  

Monday we relaxed, got some grocery shopping done, and then Little Miss and I headed to the beach for a cookout after Dad left to head back to NOLA.  She did NOT want to go home when it was time, but other than that we had a great evening cooking out and seeing friends and puppies!  

How did you spend your weekend?  I hope it was a good one!

Wordless Wednesday - Beach Pictures with Linky!

I realized that I actually did have a few pictures this weekend!

Enjoying an after-lunch treat.

Beach Bird - it enjoyed eating our leftover nachos!

Playing in the waves.

Beach flowers.


Thanks to McCrenshaw for the link-up!

Beach Weekend

How was your weekend?  Ours was fabulous!  We got to house-sit, which means staying on the beach for the weekend. 

Little Miss loved splashing in the waves, and we even took a little boat trip out to Ft. Pickens.  There was only one other boat there, and we had a great time splashing in the water and looking for shells.  We discovered that Little Miss does not like hermit crabs!  We tried to get one to come out and say hi, but they all stayed tightly in their shells.  We pointed out the part of the crab you can see, but she’d have nothing to do with it. 

She did, however, enjoy watching the minnows and helping me look for sand dollars that were washed up on the shore.  We also took a trip to Paradise Bar and Grill, a local hang-out that we frequent where the parents can eat while the children splash in shallow water only a couple of feet away.

This is actually an old pictures, but it's from Paradise!

She even got in some pool time while we were there, courtesy of my old roommate and her fiancé.  It really made me miss the year I spent living at the beach, and if it turns out that we end up staying here longer than expected we’ve decided to work towards getting a place out there once again.  I would love to give that gift to Little Miss! 

We also got to grill some delicious food and watch a beautiful sunset.  The best part about it for me was that my husband was here Friday through Sunday – I can’t remember the last time that happened!

Sorry we don’t have many pictures, too much time was spent having fun – the cameras got forgotten!

Our Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend, but things have been busy since then so I'm just now posting about it!

The Easter basket was full of Hello Kitty swag - went to Grandma's and Grandpa's later and got even more!

What a cute Easter dress!

One tired puppy.

My husband

Awake after the nap!

We totally forgot to hide eggs in the yard, and take pictures of the egg dyeing fun.  We had roll-on paints this time, which were pretty interesting.    

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Visiting the Easter Bunny

Last weekend we went to an egg hunt and visited the Easter Bunny.  I forgot to post the pictures then, so I thought I'd do it now!

Little Miss didn't want to sit in the bunnies lap, but she didn't mind standing next to it!

She also did some coloring with her cousin (the blonds right next to her).

After all of that excitement, we still managed to go to the beach that evening!  Grayson Capps was playing, so we had good food, good scenery, and good music!

Guest Post - What I Love About Photography

Today I am thrilled to have Patti, the owner of P.S. Portraits and a Gulf Coast Photographer doing a guest post for me!  Patti is not only an amazing photographer, but an amazing person as well.  If you're vacationing on the Coast and want to get some great photos done while having fun at the same time give her a call!

Hi! My name is Patti and I am a local photographer, specializing in families and lifestyle portraits.  

I met April (Frugally Green Mom) last fall when she found me on Craig’s List. My husband had been putting my site on the “List” without my knowledge... I was mad when he told me, but now I am glad it brought April and her wonderful family to me...

When April asked me to do a guest blog post to explain some of the buttons on the digital camera, or give advice on what is a good picture vs. a bad picture, I accepted whole heartedly... Wanting to do my best and share with you a little camera know-how.

Well... I agonized over what to say, how to say it and struggled with coming off as snooty or as a know it all... I wrote this a million times in my head, and three times on the computer... I tried several angles from the technical side of “know your camera” to how to “FEEEEEEL” the shot... Ya know what???!! It was horrible! All of it! So I made the choice to share with you, why I love photography and how the camera is not only a business tool, but also a window to life. 

Why do I love photography? Photography has helped me live the best life I can live...I have anxiety. Sometimes its crippling.. Being in a crowd makes me nervous, Going to new places make me nervous, Meeting new people make me nervous, BUT when I have a camera in my hand, I can do anything. I feel like I have a mission, I can focus (no pun intended) on getting the perfect shot. I can smile at a new face and say Hi, I am Patti your photographer. I love being able to give other people confidence when I take their picture.

One of the most rewarding photo shoots for me was of a little pre-teen girl, who was very self conscious, she was nervous to have my camera pointed at her. 

I understood how she felt, I feel that way too! I told her, you’re beautiful. Lets play Model. Pretend you are in a magazine photo shoot. I acted like the photographers she has seen on T.V. and movies, telling her “work it” “move it” yeah! Yeah! Like that!  Before we knew it, we were laughing up and having a great time, and we got this shot 

Being able to capture real smiles..

or real tired babies 

is what gives me the motivation to get over my anxiety, and get out into the world. 

Photography has been a window to success as well. I spent many years in a profession that rarely had any good news or happy people. It got to be too much for me. I was always in a crabby mood or upset. When I thought I was at a breaking point, my husband gave me the best gift in the world, photography lessons. I spent one on one time with a private teacher, learning the in’s and out’s of “What makes a good picture”.  I spent all my time swimming the world of photographs, soaking up as much as I could. It was wonderful. I started doing photos for friends, then they would tell their friends, and before I knew it, I was happy and excited about the world around me again. I was also building a business doing something I love!! What an amazing feeling!!! I never knew this could be my life! I am excited and full of joy; I can be creative and still provide for my family.

 
If you have a camera in your house, pick it up. Start taking pictures! Get creative, think out of the box. 

 I hope you enjoyed this post, and feel inspired to start clicking!

Beach Days

Last weekend we were able to get in a little beach time.  While the water is still cold, it is warm enough to go out and enjoy the sand and sun!

Daddy and Little Miss even played in the surf some!

Don't you just love her surfer pose?  

Sometimes You Just Have to Dance!

We spent our St. Patrick's Day in an unlikely place - a Mexican restaurant!  A friend of ours was playing at Tijuana Flats, so we decided to go see her.

Little Miss insisted on wearing her princess dress there, and she had a great time dancing to the music!

Here she is taking a break to eat some chips and queso.

Wordless Wednesday - A Day at the Park

We're fortunate where we live in that there are a LOT of parks within walking distance.  This one (Blue Park) is a favorite, so Little Miss and I went a few weekends ago since the weather was so nice.  Now we're having another cold spell, so it's nice to look at these pictures and remember it will be warm again soon!

She has gotten a whole lot braver these days!

Going down the twisty slide

The wheels on the bus go round and round...

Happy Fat Tuesday!

I'll probably make some pancakes for Little Miss tonight to celebrate.

Mardi Gras Flower Arrangement

No matter what your beliefs are, I think Lent is a wonderful time for inner reflection.  I usually try to slow down a little during this time - turn off the computer, TV, and lights more often, cook even more, and just take things slower.  

This year I'll be concentrating on buying less and keeping what I buy local.  I also want to focus on decluttering - maybe I should try to get rid of one item each day!

Little Miss Enjoying a Moon Pie at a Parade

We'll also be taking most of the stuff we got from the parades to ARC Gateway so they can recycle them and make money for a good cause. 

Will you be giving up anything for Lent?  

Wordless Wednesday

A fountain at Seville Quarter in Pensacola, FL 

Wordless Wednesday - Chili Cook-Off

Every year, the Pensacola Sertoma Club hosts a chili cook off to raise money for many of the events they put on throughout the year.  A group of our neighborhood friends (The Bobe Street Hustlers) have always managed to participate, and it's always so much fun!  Here are some pictures:

The Bobe Street Hustlers!

A lot of the teams like to decorate their area.

Even the local beer brewers club participates!

Little Miss guarding the secret ingredients.