The Pickled Hutch is Back!!

You may have noticed it's been a while since I posted about The Pickled Hutch. You might remember that Lisa closed up shop to start a new venture for a while, but Lisa has re-opened The Pickled Hutch! And she even re-opened in her old Pacifica location. The shop has a whole new look, though.  Everything is airy and bright and filled with the colors of the sea and sunset--perfect for its beachside location--cool shades of blue, whites, yellows, reds, pinks. You can practically feel the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair when you're in there. And of course, everything is time-worn and loved, just like we like them, right? Here's a peek of the NEW Pickled Hutch. Lisa, I'm so excited for you!! Click here to see a lot more pictures of The Pickled Hutch in its previous location.

PS. That's not my big news, by the way, though it is big news.  Mine is coming soon! Maybe the day it happens--eek!

The Pie Queen

Lois The Pie Queen.  Great name; great food.  That's where we ate lunch last weekend.  And, mmm, mmm, it was get-down-good.  Fried chicken n' grits.  That's what I had.  I only wish they had t-shirts with the logo so I could get one for Lois. Oh well, no t-shirts, but that's okay.  Just wanted to show you how fun the sign was.  I've been too busy to post much, but I have some big news to tell you soon.  Maybe early next week I'll spill the beans (or grits!).

Big Sur

The last few weekends we've been re-visiting some of our favorite places in California that we went to when we first moved here, and one of those great places is Big Sur. We went to Big Sur yesterday and it was just as beautiful as we remembered. Big Sur is on the coast along HWY 1 between San Francisco and LA. It's one of those places that looks fake in person--the water and the sky are so blue; the hills and cliffs are so grand. California is beautiful! Here are a some pictures with our Canon 7D and then some with my iPhone (using Shake It).

And some of my favorites!  Dew drops on a spider web, using a macro lens.

Shake It iPhone pictures:

For some pictures, I experimented with using both cameras for the same shot, which was a lot of fun.  Like these below:

And, last but not least, the loves of my life.

PS. There are so many cool iPhone photo apps.  Just check out this blog with a ton of information!  Also, you can read about some apps here and here.  

Happy New Year

Bedtime Story Sweater Pillows

Now that all the kids in my family have opened their Christmas presents, I can show you my favorite sweater pillows that I made--I call them bedtime story sweater pillows.  I got the idea from my little owl pillow that has a pocket on the back. I'm not sure what the pocket is supposed to be for because it's so small (maybe a tooth for the tooth fairy?), but it got me to thinking about pockets and what else I could use one for on a pillow, and I came up with a pocket for a book. Kids always love to have special little places, little compartments for things, and I thought it would be a good spot for a favorite book. I made 12 of them, each with a bookmark, and here are a few of my favorites. Time to snuggle up with a book!

PS. Thanks for your comments about my blog woes!  They made me feel better.  For now, I'll keep doing what I've been doing, but maybe soon I'll have a new look for my blog.