Cabbage Patch Kids Return to the Second Generation

My mom called me from Toys-R-Us today, where she was perusing the aisles looking for toys for....who else....Ilah. I've noticed in the past month that Ilah is taking to her little baby doll that my mom got her this past Easter and puts it in her little My Little Pony Car and drives it around. Ha! She also shares her snacks with her baby, and tucks it under her arm and takes it for walks around the house. What a good little Mommy : ) Ilah has plenty of stuffed animals, but baby dolls, not so much. A few months ago I purchased her first one that we will give to her as a gift on her second birthday. But my mom didn't want to wait until then {in case you haven't noticed, she spoils Ilah} so she headed out today to buy Ilah her very first Cabbage Patch Doll!

I can't remember the exact age I was when I got my first Cabbage Patch Kid {maybe 6 or 7?} but I just LOVED mine. Back in the 80's when they first came out, Cabbage Patch Kids could hardly stay on the shelves and parents were on a mission to score one for their child. I remember my first doll was named Melissa. Then came Faith. Then Leon. The ones that came after were equally loved...I just can't remember their names ; )

I remember the old school dolls had hair made of yarn, their body's were plush, and they came with their own birth certificate.

I fully got in to these dolls. I had the playpen, the car-seat...I had it all. Even the Cabbage Patch "record"....and I still remember the song: "Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the garden....Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the sun. The most amazing thing about a Cabbage Patch Kid...is that each one grows to be a special one". Ha ha! All these years later and I still remember that song! Classic!

I love that Cabbage Patch Kids are still around. My mom still has some of my old ones {the one's whose hair I didn't cut!}...and I'm excited for our Ilah to get one of her own! I loved being "mommy" to my Cabbage Patch Kids and I know Ilah will too.

A few years ago when my husband and I took a trip to the mountains {in Helen, GA} we passed "Babyland General Hospital". It was seemingly in the middle of nowhere - it caught my eye for that reason, and also because the sign said "Home of the Cabbage Patch Kids". Say what?!

The home of the Cabbage Patch Kids is right here in Clevland, GA - about an hour and a half from where I live. I still think Ilah is too young to visit but what a super fun trip that will be in a few years!!

The "hospital" is massive! And it's always decorated so pretty for Christmas. That would be a great time to go.

I read a lot of great reviews about Babyland General Hospital - they have SO MUCH going on there!! And the cost of admission? FREE!!

Cabbage Patch "Kids" have changed since the "old school" days but they are still super cute....

Cabbage Patch "Babies"....

And now, just released, is this new line of Cabbage Patch Dolls....

Measuring at 14″, these dolls were made to match today’s kids… Skaters, Prepsters, Artsy, and more!

And out on the market already are these "Pop N' Style Me" Cabbage Patch Kids....

You can create lots of fun and funky hair styles in your dolls hair, with different hair clips. Too funny!

I love that this brand has dolls of different ethnicities.

And lastly, have you seen the Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin Cabbage Patch dolls from 2008? Hilarious!!

Our Weekend Recap!

Hey! Hope you had a great weekend! Man, it has been H.O.T. here in Atlanta!! It's definitely July! I wish I could push a "change of season" button and move right along to fall. I don't exactly embrace the humidity and the scorching temperatures here all too well. Summer in California {where I am originally from} is a lot different than the summers here in the south. I'm still adjusting. And I've been here for five years now! Ha! But I guess it allows Ilah to enjoy her fun pool days and park outings....

I lagged a little bit in putting away all of my 4th of July decor. These few items sat right here for a few days after our party was over. They have now found their home back in storage.

Friday night Momma got a night off from cooking and we ordered PF Changs to go. This time we wanted to eat in the comfort of our own home, rather than sitting in a restaurant. We sat in front of the tv in our "comfies" {that what I call comfortable clothes!} and watched one of our favorite shows while eating yummy food!

Saturday morning while Ilah was napping, I tended to our budget and noted the bills that have been paid, and tracked the money that has been spent so far this month. I use this monthly household budget worksheet, which I love {and go to it twice per month to make sure we are on track with our budget}, but my husband is now trying to convince me to use mint.com, as our money manager. We'll see if I make the switch ; )

After Ilah's nap on Saturday, we headed out to look for new couches! I've been wanting new couches for a couple of years now. The couch that we currently have is one that I purchased when I first moved to Atlanta and it's a sleeper sofa. It was nice to have in my 1 bedroom apartment so that if I had family or friends over, they would have a space to sleep if they wanted to/needed to spend the night. But now we live in a home where space isn't an issue, but that uncomfortable couch is, because there are no springs directly under the seat cushions [because of the built-in pull out]. Anyways....enough of my ramble. We set out on Saturday to hopefully find new couches; Ilah browsed through the furniture ad's to see if she could find anything that suited her taste ; ) ..... {more to come on what we purchased!}

We went through the drive through to get a cold drink before going to the next furniture store....

On our drive home, we passed Chick-fil-A and I felt terrible for whoever was stuck under that cow suit in 100 degree weather!!.....

When we got home, Ilah went down for a nap and I made a quick drive up to the outlet mall...

To go to.....

I bought some cookie cutters and these adorable mini cupcake wrappers for Ilah's cupcake themed 2nd birthday {just $6.99}....
When I got home, Ilah was still asleep {love those long afternoon naps!}. About an hour later, she woke up and daddy hit the grill!....

Sunday morning we went to church and just like last Sunday, Ilah stayed with us in service. She has been an early riser the past two Sundays and is exhausted by the time 11 am rolls around {our church's start time} and does not want to be left in the nursery. So instead my mom holds her in service and she falls asleep during worship and stays asleep literally until the end of the service. So in essence she takes her morning nap in church, sleeping on my mom, so by the time we get home, this girl is full of energy and wanting to jump on beds!....

"They'll never find me behind here".

Sunday evening I hit up Aldi and got some groceries....

And grabbed a Sunday paper {for coupons} on my way home....

I couldn't wait for the new episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey to air last night! I hated that there wasn't one last Sunday because of the 4th of July holiday. Bravo should have aired one anyways! They were so wrong for holding out like that! Ha ha!
This season is definitely proving to be one that is primarily focused on Teresa's family drama {does Caroline and Jacqueline even have a story line?}. As the season continues to evolve, I see where Teresa is coming from about the strife that her sister-in-law brings. I know that it takes two {and I know that we don't get to see every banter that these two have with one another}, but I don't really see Melissa trying too much to forgive and start fresh. She likes to hold on to that handle and stir the pot {I do agree with Teresa's brother about where their initial tension stemmed from...a bit of competition}. Melissa got on this show for self-promotion purposes and to use it as a means to berate Teresa, which is extremely childish - and Kathy probably had nothing better to do so she signed on the dotted line...network checks never hurt anybody...or have they? {I can stomach Kathy, so nothing against her - the woman can get her bake on in the kitchen and make some awesome pastries!}. Enough said. I could really go on and on ; ) I get my additional RHONJ fix by reading their Bravo blogs and reading the juice that Reality Tea puts out. I know, I know. I'm addicted. It's my guilty pleasure.

The Past Few Days

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! For those of you who had a 3 day weekend due to the Memorial Day holiday, I hope your extended weekend was a fun and relaxing one! When I used to work outside of the home, I couldn't wait for those 3 day weekends to roll around!
On Memorial Day, I wish we were all sitting at the gorgeous table above, taking in the beauty of the ocean; however our weekend was mostly spent under the weather, rather than enjoying it. Ilah caught a cold last week and passed it onto us. I'm thinking this was the point of exchange ; ) ....Not that there is ever a good time to get a cold, but Dele was in a wedding this past weekend and was super busy in fulfilling his role as being the best man. He was going, going, going especially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday {the day of the wedding; we had a great time!}. Thankfully my mom was a huge help and came over every day, for the past few days, so that I could stay in bed and rest and try to get over this cold that just knocked me out. Ilah still has a runny nose and a tiny bit of a cough. I feel almost 100%, but Dele still isn't feeling that great. Rest is so important when you're not feeling well and unfortunately his days were long, and his nights were even longer. If I knew how to do his job, I would trade places with him so that he could stay home - but I may not be there for more than just an hour before he calls and wants to trade places back ; )

Last week was my mother-in-law's birthday. We took her out to dinner at a delicious Asian restaurant and Ilah admired the pretty fish that were in the tank there. She was squirming in her seat wanting out to go see the fish up close and kept pointing at them telling us "see!" and then blowing them kisses when she got back to her seat. Ha!

Last week was also my mom's birthday! And although I wasn't feeling well, I sucked it up because I wanted to make her day a great one! We started the day off by going out to breakfast... Then we hit up Atlantic Station and walked around and went in to some shops. Ilah was the only one who got things. How does that always happen?!...

We stopped in for some yummy ice-cream at Kilwins! The best! Of course Abuela gave her baby a bite : ) .....
We returned home late in the afternoon and Ilah took a nap...actually, we ALL did! When we woke up, my mom opened up her birthday cards and all her gifts! My MIL was leaving to go out of town so Dele took her to the airport while we went out to dinner! Here's a pic of just the remnants! My mom thought her food was DELICIOUS!....Dele's birthday is this week, and then Fathers Day follows. Every year, there's lots of happenings at the end of May/beginning of June that has me being one busy bee! I also managed to mail out a birthday package to my closest girlfriend {who lives in CA}, whose birthday is tomorrow! These cupcake cookies that I made just for her were enclosed....

So thankful for family and friends and wonderul memories that will be cherished forever!

Mothers Day Plans!

A few years ago, around the time that I was planning my wedding, I came across an online article highlighting a florist, who at the time was the sole floral designer for all weddings taking place at a gorgeous new winery - called Monteluce - that had opened up about an hour outside of Atlanta, in the city of Dahlonega. A beautiful winery, close to Atlanta? It peeked my interest and I googled "Montaluce" and my jaw dropped. Dele and I had been to Chateau Elan {a winery 40 minutes outside of Atlanta}, and although it was/is outwardly stunning, it left less to be desired once we got inside; we were simply underwhelmed.

But Monteluce. It is breathtaking. At first sight, the grounds of Monteluce look more like Tuscany. And having actually been to Tuscany, I can say that! Montaluce sits on four hundred acres in the North Georgia mountains, and the vineyard occupies forty acres of that land. Based on the photos, Monteluce appears to be exquisite. On Sunday, for Mothers Day, Dele and I will be going there to have brunch and will marvel at the beauty of Monteluce up close!






Inside of the main building, you can taste a variety of splendid wines, prior to, or following, a tour of the winery. Monteluce has two very experienced winemakers. The master winemaker is Stefano Salvini, who hails from the Campodelsole Winery in Bertinoro, Italy. The on-site winemaker, Maria Peterson, came to Montaluce after years of winemaking in some of the best wine regions of the world. She has worked at wineries in South Africa, France and Australia and also at Rutherford Hill in Napa.
Montaluce is also the home of Le Vigne, their on-site restaurant, which is situated high above the vineyards and overlooks the winery grounds. For the state of Georgia, Le Vigne has won: #1 Ambiance, #1 Scenic View, Top Ten Wine list, Top Ten Lunch, Top Ten Brunch, Top Ten Romantic. Needless to say, I can't wait to get there on Sunday!

You can also get married on the beautiful grounds of Monteluce. I love the beautiful, intimate space of this particular terrace area....

Be prepared to be blown away further. Not only is Monteluce a winery, with an onsite restaurant, but there are several Tuscan-style homesites that sit on the grounds. Whether you care to be a full-time resident, or make one of them your second or vacation home, the option is yours. Perhaps you don't want to make a permanent commitment....no problem...you can rent out a 1, 2, or 3 bdrm cottage for a weekend retreat.

I have a strong feeling that Monteluce will be a place that we will be returning to often. Monteluce always hosts a variety of splendid events, which include "Dinner & A Movie" Night. On Friday nights, you can have dinner at Le Vigne followed by a complimentary movie. The movie begins just after sunset and is the perfect romantic date night!
Needless to say, I am looking forward to Sunday rolling around! I hope all you other mommy's out there have wonderful plans as well!