[tons and tons of beautiful bouquets delivered to work by one of our volunteers]
[homemade mint chocolate cheesecake, courtesy of a coworker]
[cheese fondue dinner and a movie on friday night]
[girl scout cookies!]
[buffalo chicken mac n cheese at the howell mill food truck park]
[cheerio! going away party for our neighbors who are moving to london]
Every year, I look forward to our annual family trip to Lake Tahoe. We as a family have gone out to Tahoe once a year to ski in the late winter/early spring for many years now. My mom stopped joining us a few years ago, as she no longer skis, but she always sends sweet treats with my dad, which we love. (This year, she sent homemade Cowboy Cookies, which were dee-lish! — I’ll post the recipe soon).
I love going to Tahoe, but man, is it hard to get to. Two flights and then a an hour or so drive up the mountain to get there once we land in Reno. Thankfully, my dad is so sweet to send us a stylish, roomy ride!
Sunset view of the lake from Friday’s Station at the top of Harrah’s Hotel and Casino. Could it be any more picturesque?
The view from the top (10,000 feet). This is by far my favorite skiing view of anywhere I’ve been. Sometimes I have to remind myself not to run into anything because that view is just so distracting.
My favorite restaurant in Tahoe is the Sage Room at Harvey’s Hotel and Casino. It’s dark and fancy and even though we only visit once a year, the staff members always remember my dad and are so friendly. My favorite part is that everything I order is prepared table-side! There are many other things on the menu, but I never stray from the Caesar Salad, Steak Diane, and Cherries Jubilee because I like getting to watch them make it! This year, Craig was extra adventurous and ordered the Antelope. I tried it (yay me!) and it was really good — not gamey, but more like red meat, and a little sweet.
Last day of skiing — we took the lift to the very top and skied over from California to Nevada. Such a gorgeous view of the lake on one side and Reno and barren landscape on the other.
Thank you, dad, for being so generous and bringing us on the wonderful trip each year. It’s one of my favorite trips, and we make so many fun family memories that I’ll always cherish!
[pop rocks cupcakes for my coworker La’s birthday]
[fab new Prabel pumps from Target]
[v-day munchkins]
[my valentine]
[cool airport dining in phoenix]
Last Saturday, we planned a group brunch to try out the newest restaurant in the Vinings, Another Broken Egg Cafe. There are several locations around the country and a few in the Atlanta area, but I’d never been. We had a 45-minute wait for our group, and the restaurant was PACKED, so I’d venture to say it’s a popular establishment.
The menu is huge, which always makes me happy to have so many options, but also makes it very hard to make a decision. We were all intrigued by the Biscuit Beignets and ordered a couple plates to share before our meals came. Well, they never arrived… we were offered some once we already had our breakfast, but at that point why would we need more food? I’ll forgive them this time because this location is brand new, but I really wanted some beignets! I found this photo online…. makes me wish I’d had them even more. It’s a mound of biscuity, sugary goodness.
Craig chose the Huevos Rancheros (served with country potatoes) and ate every bite. I think his plate was the envy of a few people at the table. I decided on the Lakeshore Scramble (also with country potatoes and an English muffin) and o.m.g. it was deeeelicious! Loads of cheese, bacon, ham, onions, and eggs (I got it without mushrooms), and I ate almost every single bite. One of my favorite brunch meals in a long time.
The Biscuits and Gravy, Hey Lucy!!! Omelette, and the Bacquezo™ (Ba-Key-Zo!) Omelette were also calling my name, so it looks like I’ll be going back soon. The only thing missing was a mimosa — they don’t have their license yet. But the food was so filling and perfectly cooked. I’m excited to have a really great brunch spot in our neck of the woods!
[mexican lasagna = muy bueno]
[totally not posed snuggle time with coco]
[late night date night at pure and dad’s garage improv show]
[saturday afternoon fun on the rooftop of six feet under]
[painting finally acquired – and at 50% off!]
I was introduced to the Young House Love bloggers by my friend Kristina (in the middle of the pic below) probably 2 years ago. YHL consists of a cute-as-a-button couple from Richmond, VA who have a passion for DIY-ing it on the cheap. They have such a huge following that they were able to quit their day jobs and this blog is now their baby (other than their daughter Clara and doggy Burger) and full-time job. I love the fact that they keep their projects real. There’s none of this “here’s how to redecorate your living room…. but you’re going to need a team of decorators and 5K to do it” kind of stuff. They do their best to keep projects affordable, and more importantly, doable for their blog readers.
John and Sherry Petersik (the couple that is YHL) recently released their first DIY book, and boy is it good. It was one of the very top items on my Christmas wish list. So when we heard that John and Sherry were going on a nationwide book tour, we eagerly awaited their announcement that they were coming to Atlanta… but there was none. Oh, but wait — they added extra dates, and Atlanta was the last stop on the list! Yippee!!! Tara, Kristina, and I registered at Christmas for this signing (set for 2/7/13)… we were just a tad bit excited.
We stood in line for about 1.5 hours in the FREEZING cold (at least we were covered from the rain) — and Tara scored us a spot just 5 deep from the front. High five! I did feel so sorry for those people waiting in the back of the line when we left later that night. That’s dedication.
Being totally stalker-ish and taking photos through the store window while we waited in line. BONUS — Katie Bower and her boyfriend/husband Jeremy showed up, too! She’s a blogger north of the Atlanta area and is also BFFs with Sherry of YHL. So naturally, they’d be here for the Atlanta signing… it was so fun to get to see all of them!
Our “normal” photo with John and Sherry…
This needs an explanation, right? While in line, we decided we wanted to take a funny photo with them as well, but we needed something good to pretend to react to. A couple of us just started watching the thriller TV series “The Following,” about a serial killer who is obsessed with the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Part of the first episode takes place in Richmond, and YHL blogged about it recently, as that is their hometown. See where I’m going with this? So our posed reaction is to a scene in that episode that is quite shocking and terrifying… I’m not going to explain it and ruin the fun for anyone who’s planning on watching the show. I think the fake reactions were a success — especially Sherry’s.
Lots of yummy baked goodness courtesy of West Egg (one of my favorite brunch spots) which is next door to FLOR, where the signing took place. I love a good cake pop, especially when it’s filled with red velvet cake!
We dominated the Smilebooth.
Round #1:
The photo in the top right corner was in honor of $her-dog.
Round #2:
Round #3:
Round #4:
A-town down.
My prized signed book! Thanks to John and Sherry for coming to Atlanta to meet all of us — I love your blog and your cute little family. It’s always fun to see what you’re up to each week. You’ve inspired my husband and me to create new things and make our house more fun and personal with each DIY project.
[clean and shiny after being groomed – love the fancy bandana]
[stella & dot spring collection debut]
[boozey shakes and stripey straws to start off the weekend]
[snowed in at courtney’s cabin in blueridge!]
[a terrifying bear skin rug]
[playing in the snow — brian, craig, and joey]
[me, renee, and courtney. thanks for having us up to your cabin, courtney!]
[so excited for the unexpected snow-in]
[improvising: breakfast sammies for lunch]
[before (last march) and after (last weekend)]
[my favorite little 4-month-old]
hayes everyday 
