When in Bakersfield: You Gotta Eat Here

The first thing I noticed about Bakersfield, is how lovely it was! I guess I had associated the city with country music and expected something other than what awaited me. The drive in from Los Angeles was breath taking.

After a long day of travel, going literally from coast to coast, I was pretty weary. I kept a smile on my face and I made an effort to live in the moment. I wanted to fully enjoy my short time in this new to me place.

Upon arriving to my dinner destination at The Mark, all of my exhaustion fell away. I was greeted by a gracious staff. A Gin Refresher perked me up and prepped me for a completely decadent dinner.

Spinach Artichoke Dip and Fresh Baked Bread gave me a glimpse of what was in store for me. When my Shrimp Alexandria Arrived I was nearly salivating. Served with a superb baked potato and fresh green beans and carrots, this was hands down the best after travel meal I have ever had. 

Reluctantly I left the gorgeous restaurant behind, as I left, the magical voice from the live entertainment carried me away from the scene. It was a dreamy experience. When in Bakersfield, ya need to go here.

Another great little spot in Bakersfield is Mimi's Cafe. I enjoyed an evening nibble with a new friend there. We drank Mimosas {The Triple Berry is fantastic!} and shared the Baked Brie. It was ah-mazing. 

The menu offered tons of tantalizing dishes and looking back I should have ordered something awesome like a burger or something.

Mimi's offers several mimosas!

If you stay at The Hampton Inn, they have a nice {FREE} hot breakfast as well. This was like the best hotel breakfast I have had in a very long time!

They had waffles with whipped cream, cereal, fruit, yogurt, juice, cheese omelets, tons of yummy breads and turkey sausage. Yum. It was a great start to my day!

No compensation was offered to me to write this travel piece. These are my personal experiences!

The Scoop on Dining in Richland County

Richland County, Ohio has a ton of great options for family friendly dining. From chains to family owned, there are some fantastic options for dining in Richland County!

One of our favorite places to visit is Two Cousins Pizza, in downtown Mansfield. The pizza is awesome and the lunch specials are great. My son is happy with a slice of pepperoni pizza and a drink, while my husband and I can't pass up their mini pizzas or pepperoni rolls.

The prices are unbeatable and the pizza is really good!

My son really loves the Der Dutchman in Bellville, Ohio. The buffet features several things he might eat on a day he isn't demanding pancakes. Fried chicken, clam strips, potatoes, fish, tons of veggies, salads and other yummy things are ready to tantalize your tastebuds.

My favorite little spot in Richland County right now is the Blueberry Patch. Picking berries and dining in their cute cafe is the best summer activity!

 Tomato Basil soup that is ah-mazing!

Monte Cristo sandwich with blueberry? Phenomenal!

 The Quiche and Fruit Salad? Divine!

Roo loves their flatbread pizza! It is yummy!


If you are traveling to Richland County, I hope these suggestions are helpful to you for finding a great spot to dine!

Cupcake Liner Crafts

We are always looking for fun crafts to make! When I saw these ideas for cupcake liner crafts the wheels in my head started to spin. These ideas are adorable and easy enough for your toddler or preschooler to make!

I hope this collection inspires you to pull out your cupcake liners and start creating!

Your little princess will love making these Tutu Princesses from Well Nourished Nest.

On a rainy day you might want to try your hand at this Cupcake Liner Rainbow from I Heart Crafty Things.

These Cupcake Liner Butterflies from Crafty Morning might flutter their way into your heart!

If your little one likes Ninjago, don't miss this super cute and simple Ninjago Craft from Love and Marriage Blog.

If your little one loves all things Dino, you can't go wrong with this Cupcake Liner Dinosaur from Frogs, Snails and Puppydog Tails.

Do you have an idea for a fun cupcake liner craft? I would love to hear from you!

Washer and Dryer Update

Once upon a time I had a washer/dryer set. It was a cute little matching number, white, basic. Exactly what I needed. I can be no frills about some things, ya know.

Then the dryer bit the dust. It wasn't worth fixing when the parts and labor were added up. Lucky for me, my neighbor had an extra one in her basement and she said "Here, just take this one!" Then my washer followed suit and I bought a new one.

Well, I am thrilled to just have a washer and dryer! I had to use the laundromat for a week-ish when I waited on the washer and that is just not cool. Doing 10 loads of laundry or so at once is not how I like to spend a day! But, to be honest. I  was feeling a slight tinge of embarrassment over my blah washer and dryer.

That materialistic part of me debated getting a new set, I had justified it to myself, but the realist in me knew I wasn't really going to get a new set because they don't match. I live in the real world, have kids, bills and all of that, like everyone else.

Then an idea hit me.

I had a slew of cute decals that I have hesitated to put up in my house, knowing we hope to move in the near future. These were perfect for adding a little something to my washer and dryer that made them look like a pair, despite being different years and brands.

My son is really interested in cats, he thinks they are awesome. So while he was at school I did this.

My washer and dryer are pretty cute now, my kids got a huge thrill out of noticing the kitties in the laundry room and our cat gave us the purr of approval over our choice of decals.

How do you use decals in home decorating? I would love to hear ideas from you!

Lava Jars {Hands on Science}

Last fall my son and I made a fun project together, we called them lava jars as they were inspired by lava lamps and we had a ton of baby food jars on hand. Harp was emptying out at least 6 a day back then.

I first filled the jar with half water, half baby oil. We added a few drops of food  coloring to the mixture, closed the lids tightly and watched to see what would happen.

We decided that this jar was the ocean based on color and the imagination
of a 4 year old

There was some slight bubbling, but nothing major.

We agreed the jars were neat... but what could we do to make them react differently?

We both liked the color of this jar the best.

We went inside and looked around. We found some antacid tablets and decided to introduce them into the mix to see how the oil/water jar reacted.

We started to notice bubbles forming right away. It definitely simulated a lava lamp!

I made a really short little video demonstration of the reaction of adding the antacid to the oil/water mixture.

My son had fun with this project. It was a fun challenge to see what we could do with common household products, and it was even more fun to engage him in a science project.  We think these would be fun with glow in the dark stuff inside. We hope to try this again in a few months with that idea.