July 4th

Yesterday was July 4th. It seemed perfect that it fell on a Saturday, unfortunately it was a rainy Saturday. We planned on going to the Cumming, GA parade at 10:00am, but it was raining. We thought of going to see the fireworks at the lake, but again it was raining. It would appear that our July 4th was ruined, but it wasn't. Our neighbors brought over small hand held flags, we had an indoor barbecue at my brother's house, I held my brand new neice, and at night from our living room window we could see fireworks. We also read the Declaration of Independence as a family. With all the rain we had I would say we had an excelent July 4th.

New Member of the Family

On June 16th, my new little neice Agnes was born. With busy schedules and a little one with a cold I was not able to see little Agnes until yesterday. My husband and I with Carter spent the evening at my parent's house with my brother's family. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about how my little one would react to seeing this new baby. At only 17 months her status has been moved down a notch. While in the car, I imagined my Carter having a few screaming fits especially when she sees her Gaga holding a baby. Carter surprised me. She showed no signs of jealousy and happily played with her cousin and role model, Joyce. She did; however, want to hold the baby thinking Ages was a doll. I wonder if she would be okay if I brought home another baby?

Father's Day

First of all Happy Father's Day to all dads out there, especially the ones that take the job seriously. My daughter is blessed to have such a wonderful father. He is a dad that delights in making treats for his daughter, holding her in church, taking her to the library and watching the Disney fairy movies her. Happy Father's Day Klaus! We love you!

Big D's BBQ

One of our favorite family restaurants in our area is Big D's BBQ in Dawsonville. There are two locations, but we always go to the one closest to Georgia 400, just north of the outlet mall. Every time we visit, my husband and I seem to always order the same delicious meals. I get the pulled pork sandwich and Klaus orders the brownie sandwich. The sandwiches are served with two hushpuppies on the side. Since my daughter's 1st birthday we order a side of fried ochre for her. She loves it. Klaus and I have been eating here for years and have never had a bad experience. The restaurant is easy to get to, the BBQ is tasty and the staff is great. I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants real food at a good price in Dawsonville. You can find them online at

mybigdsbbq.com.

Summer Reading

A week ago, at Forsyth County library, my daughter and I signed up for the summer reading program. The kid in me is so excited. I remember doing this. For the kids who finished their summer reading, we were invited to a private movie showing. Naturally, the movie was based on books. Both my brother and I finished our reading, so we got to see the movie which was Black Beauty. My wish is that I pass this simple summer excitement onto my daughter. Already we are one quarter of the way through. I'm sure my little one will love a new book, and I want a chance to win a Kindle Fire.

Picnic in the Park

Enjoying a perfect Memorial Day picnic at  Hancock Park in Dahlonega, GA.

Uncle Goose Wooden Blocks

Uncle Goose French blocks

One of my novels is Anna Karenina, and of course I love the 2012 movie version. My favorite scene is where Kitty and Levin are communicating by using only the first letter of the words with alphabet blocks. It is at once beautiful and sweet as well as nostalgic. With that I feel there is something wonderful and magical about alphabet blocks.

Monday of this week, Family Fun magazine came in and as always I flip through it mainly to see if there are any quick easy snacks I can feed my daughter. In this particular issue, Family Fun was showcasing their toy hall of fame list. Uncle Goose language blocks made the list. I, of course knew about Melissa and Doug blocks, but Uncle Goose, not so much. While my little one was taking her nap, I decided to google Uncle Goose and found that these were the blocks of my dreams. Russian, German, French, oh my blocks. Like a greedy child in a candy store I wanted them all. A few minutes later I went on Amazon and ordered the first set of language blocks I came across which were the French blocks. For two days I waited for the arrival of these blocks and when they came it was like a tiny Christmas. I tore open the box and dumped the blocks on the floor. First I wrote my daughter's name and then I built a tower. My little girl saw how fun I was having that she she too wanted in on the fun. Our strategy, I build, she destroys. As a treat for my daughter, before I go to bed I write a message with the blocks and with any leftovers I build a tower. I am happy to report that this is the first toy she goes to in the morning.

Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up and my husband and I both want a block set. I am a Russophile, with a desire to learn Cyrillic, so I simply must have the Russian language block set. My husband loves patterns, so it's the Antic Ants for him.