Daddy got a bonus! Baby got some toys! : CitrusLane May13 Review

23 May

Daddy LOVES baby!! And he loves toys (how many guitars does one guy need!?!?), but really, his toy obsession has switched to baby toys (how many toys does one baby need!?!?) .
We knew a bonus was on the horizon… I started looking into the monthly subscription by Citrus Lane, hoping that we’d get fun, development toys… so that Daddy and Baby would be happy little campers!

Yes! Turns out this is a freaking awesome company… age-appropriate goodies (toys, food, etc.) for babies (and sometimes items for mommies too!) delivered right to our front door monthly!
They are a local company and I knew this was something I’d want to support and, Hey, It’s so fun to be surprised with goodies every month!

May 2013 was our first delivery… and my hopes were solidified, this truly is a great service!

Here’s a look inside Citrus Lane’s May 2013 box :

~ A Green Toys Stacker :
Um, yeah, baby loves this toy… I mean, LOVES, this toy!
He immediately reaches for it, when it’s play time ,and will crawl around the room holding onto a nesting piece in each hand!
The Stacker has fun colors, stacks in any configuration, and is safe (no center post), and eco-friendly (recycled and BPA/phthalate free).
Green Toys is, also, a local company… located in San Francisco!

~ “Bear Takes a Trip” Board book :
Cute little book and story… has a little ‘lesson’ for telling time!
These books by Barefoot Books seem pretty popular.

~ Happy Munchies Rice Cakes :
These are indicated for baby’s age… and I did let him try some finger food this week… but he wasn’t completely ready for these. However, this in no way discourages me from trying these, again, in the future.
Firstly, I know they are yummy, because I just had to give them a try… mmm! We had Blueberry/Beet in our box.
Secondly, baby is ‘getting there’ with his solid finger foods… so these will be a great on the go snack, and we got some coupons to buy more!

~ Dish Liquid from Dapple :
We got a Travel Size of this stuff… I’d been curious about this line since I ran across it while pregnant… nice that I’ll be able to give it a try now!

~ Moisture Stick from DeepSteep :
For the Mommy!! It was Mother’s Day this month, after all! :) This stuff is freaking awesome!
Smells yummy, I got Lavender-Chamomile scent, made with coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, herbs, and other good stuff. It comes in a big twisty tube and can be applied to any skin area as needed.
What I like about it is that, as a mommy, I am constantly washing my hands and holding/feeding/playing with baby. Sometimes I really want some moisture on my hands, but I don’t want my fingers all goopy… well, with this stick, I just have to rub the good stuff over the backs of my hands and go!
I am drooling over the idea of the Brown Sugar-Vanilla  scent.

Soooo… All in All!!! Great Box, Great Service! :)
If I were to have purchased all these items on my own I’d have spent close to $35, not including shipping & tax.
But I had it delivered, shipping included, for much less and I got introduced to some new products and received coupons and discount codes!

Hoping June’s Box will include something for Daddy… being Father’s Day that month! Yippy!

Kai Citrus Lane May 2013

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The Pregnant Driftwood Belly Dancer! :) PDX to SFO Roadtrippin’

6 May

If I’m a stone’s throw to the ocean, you’re gonna be hard-pressed keeping me from going out to greet it! :)

Such was the case in Summer ’12, when we finally got to visit my sis and bro-in-law’s cabin on the Northern Oregon Coast!
We wanted to drive home to SFO down the 101 and, luckily, the Beija Flor (Hummingbird) Cabin was available for Dano and I to enjoy a beautiful little respite, with the doggies, before our little addition arrived in Fall. Thanks Sissy & Bro(y)-in-Law! ;)

We arrived later in the evening than expected… so, after a lovely night of GF grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and a Monopoly game that carried on too long, and therefore ended before a ‘true’ winner was declared… we went to sleep, me giddy about the chance to see a new beach the next morning!

Next Morning :
Despite a bit of a cloudy day,
getting a later start (tide would be starting to come back up),
having a wee bit of a ‘hike’ to get to the rocky beach,
two doggies in tow,
AND me being almost 7mths pregnant…
I MADE Dano take me to the beach!! hee hee ;)

Upon stepping foot on any beach, I am consumed by the powerful energy and love of the waves… the feeling I get in my chest, when at the ocean’s side, is simply amazing! So, I try to bring home all that love and energy with me in little treasures I find along the way… treasures that can be made into jewelry.

I’m a Rock and Shell kinda’ girl… though I do like the look of driftwood, I usually feel that’s it’s  ‘too big’ for my design style.
Surprisingly, once I stepped off the trail onto Cove Beach, I spotted a sweet little piece of driftwood…
‘Why not just bring it back to the cabin and see what it can be!?’  is what I told myself as I put it in my pocket… that was the only piece of driftwood that spoke to me on our walk!

Over an absolutely delicious cup of  Tazo Earl Grey and Amy’s GF Shortbread Cookies, I began to create… I wanted to leave a few gifts for the cabin… a few silver-wrapped beach finds! I started by finishing off a beach stone in silver and Swarovski Crystals. Then focused my attention on the driftwood, turning it in my hands, I couldn’t come up with a ‘vision’ for it… so I just set out with my 18Gauge Square Argentium Silver wire and started wrapping and twisting and turning and adding beads… voila’, All Done!

Then… THEN… I saw it!
That beautiful, sole driftwood that spoke to me on our walk… had been transformed… in my mama-to-be hands…
~ into a stunning little Pregnant Belly Dancer!

I was delighted to see this and was antsy for Dano to wake up from his nap, so I could, also, dance around and share!
Sweetly, I held this lovely little piece that I’d created in my hands just as I held the lovely little being in my belly that Dano and I would meet in a few short months!

It was SOOOOOO difficult for me to leave this beauty in the cabin…
Though, I knew this was a perfect home for it…
As the cabin’s caretaker, my sister, had her own little bundle of love, my sweet niece, born just a few months before our own love!

Wow! What a wonderful life! So much beauty and wonderfully, non-random coincidences! ;)

THANKS for Reading!
E’lan
&
Heylani Jewelry

pregnant drift wood 012 pregnant drift wood 001

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Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower! WOW… “Soooo Big!”

1 May

Already grandmothered in to the NYC & LA baby scenes… Big City Mom’s delivered their  Biggest Baby Shower to San Fransisco (SFO) on April 25th.

Their special brand of baby shower is truly a wonderful and helpful event for parents-to-be and parents with just-borns… AND good info (exhibitors and seminars) for parents with few month olds.

We knew we’d have our 6mth old in tow, so we opted for the Couple Super Pass, this would give us an extra 30mins at the beginning of the event before the larger crowd showed up AND we’d get a Free Britax Baby Carrier!

Really great exhibitors, that I’d been wanting to see in-person, were there!
Strollers, Play-yards, Baby Carriers, Highchairs, Baby Sitting Services, Baby Foods, and more!

Did you know Bugaboo just started an Andy Warhol Collection!? Beautiful!
Our little dude is an OrbitBaby himself (YES! They were there too!)… but seeing that Bugaboo collection in-person was quite tempting!

With Baby at the age to start eating solids, I was given tons of samples and tips from the awesome baby food companies on-hand…
Ella’s Kitchen, Plum Organics, Happy Baby and more.
Though I’ve been making baby food at home, it’s nice to have options for traveling, out & about, or a quick go-to…
I look forward to trying out these samples with baby!
THANK YOU awesome baby-food companies!

One of my favorite parts of the evening was getting to meet Dr. Alan Greene!!
He was on hand to give a seminar about baby feeding… So Interesting!
He loves babies and has learned tons about babies AND good, green food choices for babies!
He and his wife, graciously, let me and my baby sit down with them for a few minutes before his presentation to inquire about a couple things that had been concerning me. So Nice of them!
He’s a wonderfully, engaging speaker and has so much important insight… I highly recommend checking out his website and Facebook page… and attending a lecture if he’s gonna be in your area!!

We had to say Howdy to DaddyScrubs…
’cause the hubs was a DaddyScrub wearin’ papa at the hospital!

I got to say THANKS for a great e-newsletter/blog to RedTricycle! I love them!
They had the cutest Red Flyer Tri in their booth… cute, cute, cute!!

We got to eat yummy catered food! Seriously… yummy catered food! Hmm ;)

Plus, we took away a BIG haul in goodies!
BIG!
“Soooo Big”, as toddlers would say!
Samples, Samples, and Samples, A diaper bag, a nursing cover, a baby/pregnancy organizer, the Free Britax baby carrier, a car baby mirror, a Sage Spoonfuls food-saver cup, teething toys, onesies, lotions and potions, and much more!

Is it obvious yetl!?
The Biggest Baby Shower far exceeded our expectations!
If you have an event near you… we recommend you give it a go!

I’ll leave you with a series of photobooth pics we took of our wee family…  thanks to Pix C Booth!

pixcbooth April 2013 biggest baby shower

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Happy Birthday to me!! It’s a big one!! We’ve been here 2Yrs!!

31 Mar

We’ve lived here Two Years already…

Two Years!!!

Two Years ago… to think that I was so very sad when we got here… now I’m amazed how my life has changed!

Wow! I am thrilled to be stepping into my 40′s… WHOA… Four Oh!!!
40, That’s me!
Annnndddd…
New Mommy!

In two years, we’ve become parents to the sweetest little babe… a complete doll!

WOW! Lots and Lots to post… but with a babe on my hip, I run out of time and energy! :)

I do have some great local posts to make… namely, What and Where did I go for my 40th!
AND some great stuff about being a Mama in the Bay Area… that is all on the way! ;)

…
I promise!! ;)

In the meantime… I, finally, completed AND received Official Selection at Portland Oregon Women’s Film Fest for my Animated Short!
As my gift to you, my readers, for my 40th BDay… Please Enjoy! :)

“Fire in the Belly”
(and as posted above)

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Shadowbrook Restaurant : Winner!

10 Jan

I love to cook… and, of course, I love to be recognized for my love of cooking!

So, when Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, CA held their “1st (hopefully annual) Recipe Contest” I took the plunge!
AND… I won!
My winning Entree?
“Steel Cut Ris-Oat-O w. Mushrooms and Local English Peas”.

Shadowbrook Restaurant is a Capitola mainstay… an heirloom of a place, if you will… generations of people go there for special events and great food and general hanging out! So, I was honored that the Chef and other Judges loved my recipe enough to actually place it on their menu! Wow!

It’s located along the Soquel Creek in Capitola… to get to it, from the main road, one can walk a set of zig-zag stairs set into a lush backdrop or take an old-fashioned looking cable car! Fun!
Once at the door, you are greeted with a stone and wood multi-level restaurant… beautiful classic decor with some areas built-around huge, gorgeous tree trunks (I love that!) You can find yourself on various levels of the place… a long bar behind the front lobby; down a couple levels to wonderful water-view tables; in one of the private dining rooms for a special event; or even inside their nicely outfitted restrooms! ;)

My first encounter with Shadowbrook was in Spring 2012 for my birthday!
My mom was in the Bay Area for an conference and wanted to take Dano and I ‘somewhere special’ for my birthday (and congrats for my newly announced pregnancy! :)
Since her conference was to be held outside the Capitola area and we were driving her down and I’d heard of this great place from friends… I thought, ‘Hey! Let’s head there!’… she liked the idea, so I made reservations!
It was a lovely evening and the food was so great! Mmmmm!

I quickly came home and Liked Shadowbrook on Facebook… and I’m so pleased I did, because that is where I found out about the contest.
The Winner’s Dinner Reception was held in early-Dec… and it was a true delight to attend with my hubby and our sweet little baby!

I hope you, too, have a chance, someday, to make beautiful memories at Shadowbrook!

Enjoy!

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Inn of the Beachcomber! PDX to SFO Road Trippin’

11 Nov

Really cute place in Gold Beach, OR…

On our road trip down the 101 from Portland to Bay Area in July 2012… on this day, we thought we’d make it to the California border, but didn’t get that far.  So, we rolled in late to this great hotel…

Other places in the area were booked with their doggie rooms… which turned out well to our benefit, as this place was really nicely managed and decorated! Some what unassuming from the outside, except for the seriously great Inn of the Beachcomber hotel logo/sign… the interior was wonderful!! Almost like a ‘light-version’ of what I’d expect The Grand California Hotel at Disneyland’s rooms to look like.

Yummy & great breakfast! Lots of options!
We didn’t get to take advantage of the other hotel amenities… i.e. pool or Stand-up Paddleboards, but that all looked cool!

The in-room toiletries were great, nice quality! We had a nice beach view from our room’s deck.

Evan checked us into our room… he was very helpful and really nice!
Since, they, also, rent Movies from the front desk, we started talking about great flicks with Evan and learned he was there working for the summer off from film school! Sooo… We look forward to seeing a film of his when he graduates from film school! ;)

http://www.innofthebeachcomber.com/

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VI at the Victorian in Ferndale, CA ! PDX to SFO Road Trippin’

8 Oct

Delightful food!! YUM!

Great little place in town within a beautiful hotel/building… the Victorian Inn!

Was referred to this place by a friend, as a possible place to stay the night… but we rolled in early and decided to just drive around and have a little dinner!

Ferndale is also the sweet little town that has the theater used in “The Majestic”, however the facade is totally different (see pic)!
It’s a rather small town, very quaint and cute…

The VI Restaurant is seriously worth a visit…!! Savor the decor over some lovely Baked Brie… holy smokes that is a delish appetizer!!

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