Copperopolis-The Town Square

We spend lots of time here-getting coffee, letting the kids run around, and chatting with the merchants. We love our town square. I thought I would post several pictures to show the various buildings made to look like and old 1800's gold rush town. Actually Copperopolis was one of the towns that copper was mined out of and used in the various world wars. It left here went to Stockton, CA. then onto San Francisco then shipped to the east coast. We still have the general store and hotel from the 1800's on main street. The town square was built last year a few miles down the road from the main street to draw tourists as they come to explore all of the gold rush towns and ski at Bear Valley Ski Resort.

Couldn't you just see a wedding here under the gazebo. It also has lights and a ceiling fan underneath. My kids love coming here. My little guy loves running up and down the stairs and going in the gazebo. You can check out there website. http://www.copperopolistownsquare.com/

Organizing is on my mind

This picture had me thinking alot about organization. It's probably the one thing that drives me nuts around our house. You need things to store your stuff in, but even when you have that- things just somehow don't make it there. All the experts say you make time to go through your mail properly every day, edit what you don't need, and even have a basket that you can walk around and pick up the extras then go through it and put your stuff back in its place. These are all great suggestions. I've decided to head on over to the Simplified Bee's Blog and take some inspiration and tips from her. I think it's high time I get busy organizing. Check out her interior design photos also. I love them.http://www.simplifiedbee.blogspot.com/

Midtown Daycation- A popular hangout in Sacramento

Decided to leave the hills and head for the city. Sacramento that is. Trying to decide what to feed three kids once we arrived there was the challenge. Thankfully pizza was an easy answer. Popped into Paesano's Pizza in Midtown. Midtown is a quaint area of shops, eateries, lofts, coffee houses and more. A great fit for us. Outside the locals were walking in and out of places and it was a perfect day for it. It was a crisp, sunny, fall day, perfect for strolling. Then we headed on over to Broadway to hit some thrift and antique stores to peruse furniture, decor and more. I'm always on the hunt for that. Then headed back to the foothills as the sun was setting over the hills ahead us. All and all a nice day!

Banana Bread and a fall Saturday morning

Nothing like waking up to the smell of banana bread on a crisp fall saturday morning. This recipe is hands down one of my very favorties. It is so moist, it practically melts in your mouth. My kids love.....love....love it.
2cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/8 c. sugar
1/2 c. veg. oil
2 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ripe medium-large bananas mashed
1/2 c. to 1/3 c. chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and dust with flour. Blend together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set it aside. Mix the egg, sugar and veg. oil until combined. Add the flour mixture and when blended add the buttermilk, vanila and mashed bananas and mix until combined. Fold in 1/2 c chopped walnuts and pour batter into loaf pan. Top batter with the remaining 1/3 cup walnuts. Bake for 45 to 60 min. until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min before removing from the pan.

HAVE A YUMMY SATURDAY!

Fantasy Bedroom

Ah yes- could it be a fantasy bedroom just for me. Shades of white and beige and the perfect shade of blue.

Wanna go to Berkeley anyone?-My top three favorite picks

When you go to Berkeley you want to check out a great little store called Ellington and French. Look for things out of the ordinary. Journals and stationary not found anywhere else. Great candles and soaps. Awesome ambience. Shabby but utilitarian. http://www.ellingtonandfrench.com/

La Farine Bakery

If you were reading my posts about Berkeley I told you about a bakery that was featured in a Sunset Magazine article. A bakery called La Farine. The inside is just as cool as the bread that comes out of it. As you know, I love design. So these beautiful sconces caught my eye as soon as I first walked in the door! Design and food a great combination!

College Avenue

A view down the sidewalk from Cole Coffee. There is a great little corner market with fresh produce. A flower stand with fresh flowers. Those are all over Berkeley. A bakery that was featured in Sunset Magazine....all of that coming up..... stay tuned.

Cole Coffee

When you think of Berkeley you probably think of University of California at Berkeley, or you may think hippies, or a town with a very hip organic side to it. Everytime we go we hit some of our favorite places to eat, shop, or just have fun. Nestled right at the border of Berkeley and Oakland on College Avenue is Cole Coffee. Just a plain cool hangout to watch the locals and visitors alike and great mochas to boot. From your sidewalk table you can look back down the street to see all kinds of great little shops not to miss when you are here. I'll be posting on those soon.