Grayton Beach

The boys had a week-long fall break, so we decided to take a quick trip down to the beach for a few days.  Typically, we stay in Destin or Ft. Walton Beach; but on this trip we decided to try a different atmosphere and chose Grayton Beach.  This was our first time to stay on 30A, and we LOVED it!  I get it now - why everyone loves that area.  Not one t-shirt shop, go-kart track or fast food joint around.  It was heavenly.  We stayed at the Grayton Beach State Park cabins.

We headed down a day earlier than our cabin reservations and spent one night in Destin.  While there we hung out at the Seafood Festival.

We had dinner at Margaritaville, with a table by the water.

From our table we enjoyed the first of several sunsets during our trip.  It didn't matter that it was cloudy...we were at the beach!

The next day we decided to play a round of mini-golf before heading to Grayton Beach. Guess who got a legitimate hole-in-one...all 3 kiddos.  Try as we might, Ty and I just couldn't make it happen!

The cabin at the state park was great!  It had 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, a kitchen, living room and screen porch.  The best part, though, was the fact that it didn't have a TV or wifi!  We brought games to play in the evenings and actually spent time together as a family.

Cabin pics are courtesy of our 5 year old photographer.

Not a tv to be found!

Our view from the screened porch.

Where we spent our mornings.

Overall, we really enjoyed the cabin.  It had all the basic necessities.  One thing that I wish had been different would have been to have a view of the beach.  I do enjoy sitting on the balcony each morning with my coffee while watching the waves.  In reality, we were only a quick 10 minute walk to the beach.  While there, we rented bikes for the length of our stay and could bike to the water in about 5 minutes.

There were hardly any other visitors on the beach each day.  We practically had it to ourselves!

Each night we made sure to head down to the water to catch the sunsets.  They were AMAZING.  We stayed until well after dark each evening.  Because we weren't surrounded by city lights, you could see hundreds of stars in the sky.  It was magical.  I think that was my favorite part of the trip!

See, we had the place to ourselves!  At the most, there were maybe 7 or 8 families on a stretch of beach that ran for hundreds of yards.

Our little ballerina doing her thing.

Donut Hole for breakfast is a MUST!

I just love these little people.

Even though it was a quick trip, it ranks right up there as one of my favorite family vacations yet.

Have a great day!

Angela

Cinderella

It's no secret that we are big princess fans around here!  So, when we found out that Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella musical was coming to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), we scooped up some tickets.

Allie and I joined her besties F and A along with their mommies to the performance.  These girls were so excited!  Al is giving her best princess curtsy for he camera.

See that little speck of a person in the bottom right of the picture below?  That's our neighbor, Mr. H, in the orchestra pit!  How fun to see someone we know!

Sweet girls.

We LOVED it!  All 3 girlies did a great job sitting through the performance and really paid attention.     At intermission, which began just as Cinderella was racing out of the ball at midnight, Allie came over to me very concerned thinking that they had ended the show right in the middle of the story!  We're already planning our next musical - Matilda is coming in January!

Have a great day!

Angela

Fall Activities

With school back in swing, that also means it's time for fall sports and activities to get started back up again.  We let the kiddos each choose one activity or sport.  It keeps us busy, but we love to see them involved in activities they enjoy!

Allie was ready to start dance class again after a 3 month hiatus.  She was excited to see her friends and sweet dance instructor, Ms. M.

Kyle is trying something new, golf.  After a rough spring sports season with a broken toe and a mild concussion he got over the summer (at a new trampoline park), we decided it may be nice to take a break from rough and tumble sports for a bit.  He and bestie L are taking golf lessons this fall.  So far he is LOVING it!  He especially enjoyed getting new duds to wear.   We don't call him "Mr. Accessories" for no reason!

Hayden is playing fall baseball.  This child is happiest with a ball in his hands.   Baseball, basketball, football...it doesn't matter.  He loves to play it all.  To be such a mild mannered kid, it's fun to see his (very) competitive side come out on the field.  He's super fast and watching him steal bases in always exciting!

So, if you need us in the evenings anytime over the next couple of months, you know where we'll be!

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

Seasoned Cracker Mix

Snack foods are always popular with us!  This Seasoned Cracker Mix is a summer staple around here, but it is likely to be found in our kitchen anytime of the year!  In the summer, it's always taken to the pool or on a beach trip.  It also makes an appearance in carpool during the school year and at tailgating before football games.  Be warned - it's very addictive!

Seasoned Cracker Mix

Ingredients:
Crackers
1 10 oz. package oyster crackers
2 bags Goldfish crackers (I usually use one bag of original flavor and 1 bag of parmesan flavor)
1 box Cheezits
1 box Ritz Bits

Seasonings
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 t. dill weed (dried)*
1/2 t. garlic salt*
1/4 t. garlic powder*
1 pakage dry original ranch dressing mix

*I often will add a bit more these seasonings.

Directions:
You will need a large Tupperware-type bowl with a tight fitting lid.  In this large bowl, mix together all the crackers.  In a small bowl, combine the seasoning mixture.  Pour seasoning mixture over the crackers and stir.  Cover with lid (or Saran Wrap).  Turn over or stir every 30 minutes for about 3 hours.

Notes:
This is really better after a few days.  It keeps for a long time if you have a tight fitting lid (if you can keep from eating it!).

Enjoy!
Angela

Last First Day of PreSchool

This little girl had her last first day of Pre-School yesterday!  She missed the official first day of school last week because she was home sick with croup - yuck!

Yes, we have some of our fall decorations up already.   I am officially over summer!

Usually, she is a bit apprehensive going into class on the first day.  Not this year!  She was chatting the whole way to school about what centers she was excited about playing at and which friends she was going to play with.  I was especially proud when she said she couldn't wait to play at the reading center!  It has a small loft the kiddos can climb up into to read, and she was looking forward to climbing up there with a good book!

Here she is with one of her teachers, Ms. P, who also was Hayden and Kyle's PreK teacher!  She loved her Sharpie Bouquet!

It's hard to believe that in a short year, this little girl will be in kindergarten.  I wish time would slow down!

Take care,

Angela

Little Things

We have been super busy since the boys started back to school.  It has certainly been an adjustment getting to bed early so we can get up early.  Little sis has been getting up early with them and keeping them company while waiting on our carpool to arrive.

My sweet hubby turned 40-something!  We had a great time celebrating him all last weekend.  It is almost impossible to get a picture with all 5 of us cooperating for the camera.  This was the best pic I could come up with!

Kyle started taking golf lessons with best bud L.  He is loving it so far!

This little girl missed her first day of PreK because she was sick with a sore throat and low grade fever.  Is this not the most pitiful face?

Those are some of the Little Things going on with us.  Hope you are having a great day!

Angela

Santa Ynez Valley

A while back I shared with you about our trip to Santa Barbara but am just now getting around to sharing our experience in the Santa Ynez Valley.  After spending a few days at the lovely Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, we wandered up to the Santa Ynez Valley to explore that area.  Basically our trip can be summed up with 2 words: wine & food!

Our first day there, we took a wine tasting tour with Stagecoach Wine Tours (highly recommend!).  Our guide, Kurt, was very knowledgable and took us to 4 different wineries.  We were so busy enjoying the beautiful scenery and the enjoying the wonderful wines, that I didn't take any pictures!

Andrew Murray Vineyards

Andrew Murray was our first stop of the day and was a fun place to get started.  We enjoyed the very modern tasting room at the vineyard.

photo from Andrew Murray

Buttonwood Farm

Buttonwood was a complete contrast to Andrew Murray.  It is a true working farm and the tasting room atmosphere was more homey and felt like you were in a farmhouse.  We were able to meet the winemaker, Karen, and she autographed a bottle of wine for us!  A picnic lunch was served on the grounds along with a bottle of their delish sauvignon blanc.  It was a memorable meal!

photo from Buttonwood

Santa Ynez Wine Club

Next, we were taken to the Santa Ynez Wine Club, where we enjoyed a tasting by the pond.  It was an intimate setting, as we were the only group there.  The view was gorgeous and the wines were great!

photo from Santa Ynez Wine Club

Bella Cavalli Farms and Vineyard

Bella Cavalli was probably my favorite tasting of the day.  Of course, the wines were great, but the setting was incredible.  A true working horse farm, we enjoyed the views of beautiful horses (and even petted a few), stables and the friendly company of the owner, who sat with our group for a long time discussing everything under the sun.

photo from Bella Cavalli Farms and Vineyard

On our second day in the Santa Ynez Valley, we decided to visit the little towns of Solvang and Los Olivos.   We passed through these towns on our wine tour and both peaked our interest, so we went back to explore.

Solvang is a Danish community in the middle of southern California.  We started our day with a delicious breakfast at Paula's Pancake House, which several people had recommended.  Yum! 

photo from Paula's Pancake House

After breakfast, we walked through the town exploring the quaint shops that lined the street.  We kicked ourselves later that we didn't buy pastries to enjoy later from one of the several Danish Pastry shops.

photo from Solvangusa.com

Next, we headed over to Los Olivos.  It is a very small town, but the downtown is packed with cute shops and LOTS of different tasting rooms.

photo from Paradiseretreats.com

photo from 10best.com

This was one of our favorite tastings of the day - Carhartt Winery.  It has a teeny-tiny tasting room with a relaxing courtyard in the back, which was full of shade.  It was HOT that day, and the shade came as a welcome relief!

photo from trip advisor

After visiting a few more tasting rooms, we enjoyed lunch at Sides Hardware.  It was an old hardware store turned into a restaurant.  The food was delicious!  

photo from daytripsocal

Our time in Los Olivos was wrapped up with a visit to the Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company taproom.  Hubby enjoyed a new favorite beer- Davy Brown Ale.

After a day full of food and wine (and a little beer), we Uber'ed our way back to our hotel to call it an early night.  Our 4:00 am wake-up call to catch our plane back home came early!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley!  We found some great new wines to enjoy and hope to make it back some day soon!

Have a great day!
Angela