A Grand Idea

So I watch NBC's Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda every Friday. The reason?....I LOVE their Ambush Makeovers! The transformations are truly incredible. In fact, I don't think I've watched one and not exclaimed, "OH MY GOSH!!!! SHE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL!"

(Click the pic to see more before and afters.)

The women are always so happy, and you can tell they feel good about themselves - maybe better than they ever have - and THAT'S why I like them so much. It's amazing what a makeover can do.

Anyway, I was watching today and, as usual, there were two great ambush makeovers and, as usual, I exclaimed, "OH MY GOSH. SHE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL!" but..... this is what today's show left me thinking about:

Channeling the movie "Somewhere in Time" - it's the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. In a different segment - not related to the makeovers - Kathie Lee and Hoda talked about it as one of the top movie locations to visit. Wouldn't it be a great weekend trip?!

Ahhhhhh.... It would be so nice to get away for a little bit, curl up on a chair overlooking the water and just breath, wouldn't it?

Lasagna Anyone?

I still can't believe how much lasagna this baby ate last night! She did pretty good with the fork...  I need to get her some baby-sized forks of her own.

Playroom Dreams

I was in the Chicago area a couple weekends ago for a birthday party for my grandfather. My mom and I drove in a little early so we could hit up The Land of Nod Outlet.

It was well worth the stop. I ended up with this adorable play table for Ana:

I had never been to that outlet before this visit. I must say, you really need to inspect everything you buy - most of the tables and chairs have deep scratches or cracks. I guess I got lucky - this table was PERFECT!!! (the saleslady said they had just gotten it in!)

You can still get it at The Land of Nod store...

but it will cost about $100 more than what I paid at the outlet. Aren't those chairs darling though - they had a couple at the outlet, but they were way too damaged for me.

I now can't wait to put together a playroom for Ana. It will have to wait until our next home though - right now there's just no room! Still, I've already found some inspiration:

Sarah Richardson via decorpad.com

Perfectly Imperfect

The Land of Nod

Evolution of Style

Pottery Barn Kids

I know, I'm totally showing the fact that I'm a first time mother.... If I remember correctly from when I was younger, playrooms look more like this:

realsimple.com

But it's still fun to dream...

How Funny...

My brother snapped this picture during our photo shoot last week. This squirrel was just hanging out, watching us. My mom says he does this all the time! She said he eats too many acorns and must be too full to move. hehe.

The Dime Store

After a week at my mom's, Ana and I are back home. We had a really nice time and got a lot of things for the big birthday coming up. That included a trip into Amish Country! Who would have thought that a place called The Wakarusa Dime Store would have the perfect candy for a candy buffet?! I really didn't believe my mom at first when she recommended we go there - but one day Ana and I hopped in the car and headed that way. The GPS took us into the middle of nowhere - honestly, at one point we were surrounded by cows and the GPS lost its satellite! But it was all worth it and actually pretty fun.

This is the store:

I forgot to get pictures of the inside, but you find some good ones here. We picked up a lot of taffy, jelly beans, candy necklaces and other colorful treats. Afterwards, we walked around, and I took Ana's picture in front of this quilt garden.

It really is nice to take in the simple life. I feel relaxed and at peace just thinking about this day.

Mommy and Me

Baby and I are hanging out at my mom's this week. Lucky for me, my brother just got a new camera. We had a little photo shoot yesterday.

I think he did a pretty good job for his first time!

Farmer's Market

We went to our farmer's market today. It was the first one of the summer.

We live in a pretty small town, so the market isn't very big - but it's still fun to walk around and see what the different tents had to offer. We saw a lot of flowers, veggies, breads and cupcakes.

It was pretty hot over at the market, so afterwards we cooled off in a cafe across the street.

Ana had fun giving out hugs and yelling at whatever she would see out the window.

Now for the biggest winner of the day....

Homemade peanut butter dog bones! I think we'll make the farmer's market (and the cafe) a regular weekend stop this summer.