Dance Party

Daniel got this video last night. Marston and Hazel love to have dance parties to Kidz Bop music. It's really fun to watch. Hazel insists that she dance on the coffee table.

My 31st Birthday

For my birthday this year, Daniel took me to Napa Valley. You might think, why go there when you don't drink wine. But it was so much fun just to have time alone with my husband. We drove up Hwy 29 to Calistoga. There was so much to look at, I was really glad I wasn't the one driving. Rolling hills, vineyard after vineyard after vineyard. All with beautiful homes. One thing I really wanted to do was to drive by the French Laundry. It's a fancy restaurant that believes in eating small courses with each course featuring a different ingredient. A meal there would be a once in a life time experience. For an evening there you need reservations months in advance and it's around $250 for a nine course meal. Not in the budget.
We continued to drive north to Calistoga where we walked around cute shops and art galleries. It was a wonderful couple of days. Thank you Daniel for taking me away and thank you grandma and grandpa Anderson for watching our little monkeys while we were gone.

The French Laundry garden. They grow almost everything they serve. Amazing. They even had a chicken coop with very pampered chickens and a couple of bee hives.

That's it. The French Laundry.

One of the only original wineries left in Napa. This house was built in 1884. Gorgeous!!!

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

I love love love this all purpose cleaner. I make it myself and it saves me tons of money. I have black granite counter tops and they are very hard to clean without the help of an all purpose cleaner. I was using this J.R Watkins one and I loved it but it was $6.00 a pop. I go through a bottle in about 2 weeks so it was getting a bit expensive. My lovely mother-in-law gave me an all-purpose cleaner recipe that worked for her so I gave it a try. Now that's all I use.

All-Purpose Cleaner
2 cups water
3 TBSP vinegar
1 tsp Borax
Whisk together and pour into a spray bottle. Add:
1 TBSP dish soap
Shake.




I've been refilling this bottle with my homemade stuff for about a year now. I think it's held up nicely.

Darlene gave me a baggie of the borax becuase it comes in a huge box.

best of 2011

Here it is, our year in a nutshell. I am very blessed.

Our Hazel girl joined us in November of 2010 but we are still so happy she's here. She really is a doll.

Her first food.

Daniel fashioned up a paint booth to paint the kitchen cabinets.

Took a long time to paint but we are still happy with our kitchen.

Sweet boy with his curious george that used to be his uncle Ben's.  

Our Yosemite trip and the bear we got to meet. Yikes!

Trip to the Idaho ranch in May. Best time of year to go there. Just gorgeous!

She is the cutest when she gets up in the morning.

My beautiful garden.

Cowboy Marston getting ready for the Preston Night Rodeo.

Marston turned 3!

Went boating on Lake Tahoe with Daniel's family.

Picking raspberries at the ranch with Grandma.

Cowboy Dan at the Preston Rodeo.

Bishop's pumpkin patch.

Completed 4 races in 2011. American River half marathon, Eppies triantholn, Ragnar Relay in Napa, and the Santa Barbara half marathon.

Got to host Thanksgiving this year. Loved it. Loved all the family.

Hazel turned 1!

Family pictures in a walnut orchard. Thanks Brooke!

This little guy is now potty trained! WAHOO!!!

I turned 30!

One magical Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Hope you did too.