I have been waiting to capture this....

Lila has been working on this skill since we returned from Louisiana in January. We are so proud of her for catching on so quickly, and working so hard to make it happen! It has only been 8 months since having the stem cell treatment, and attending two intensive physical therapy programs.  Some days we get frustrated with her slow progression, and then I take a step back and realize that it has only been 8 months...she has come a long way in 8 months!  Life is good :-)  Check it out...

Oh my gosh!  Every time I watch it I can't believe it!  When I picked Lila up from school today, her teacher told me that she stood up independently 4 times today!  She tried many other times and was not successful, however four times is great!  This is a skill that she can use to learn to stand up and take independent steps to get around. SO EXCITING!  Glad I could share it with you all :-) (I hope you all can overlook the messy house :-)

Art for a fresh start

What an amazing weekend!  We had our art fundraiser this past weekend, thanks to Eileen Fuller, and it was a huge success!  

Shauna, Eileen's friend, bought a few pieces to support Lila, including my favorite purse...thanks Shauna!

This wall of art is 50% donation to Lila

This wall of art was all 100% donation to Lila

First off, the generosity of all of the local artists was overwhelming.  The walls were filled with artwork from watercolors (Eileen's amazing work), to oil paintings, photography, and even some jewelry!  Many pieces sold, along with a bunch of sea glass necklaces and handmade purses.  Justine, JKH photography and Recycle Me Lovely, sold many recycled hair accessories, rings and earrings, as well as a few photography packages (if anyone is interested in family photos, Justine is amazing!).  So

all of our sales combined raised $1337 for Lila's treatments/therapies...WOW!  This is more than Matt and I could have ever imagined!  Not to mention that the art will be up at Jolt-n-Java for the rest of the month, and any other sales go directly to Lila.  We still hope for more sales, so stop by, grab a cup of coffee, and check out the amazing local artwork.

As for purses, I have four left...the two red/orange/blue circle ones, the Spring flowered one with the blue top, and the beige one with the circles on the top.  So, if anyone is interested in a unique Mother's Day gift, give me a call!!!!!

Purse making season is back

Due to our art show this coming Saturday, I am back to purse making.  I am excited because it is always fun to work with Spring fabrics.  I have tried to choose the most Spring-like fabrics from my shelves, and hope they make you all smile as they do me :-)

If there is a purse that you see here and have fallen in love with, drop me a note and I will see if I have more of the fabric.  If I do, I would be happy to make YOU one too :-)

Hope to see you all this coming Saturday morning at Jolt-n-Java in Sparks (corner of Los Altos and Vista)...9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Purses, sea glass necklaces, 12 x 16 framed photos of Tahoe and the local region, watercolor pieces (original and prints), handmade recycled accessories, photography, and more.  There will also be a raffle with Skagen watches, a massage gift certificate, Park Lane jewelry, Great Basin Brewery gift certificate and more!

Busy Easter Holiday!

Happy belated Easter to you all!  What a fun and busy weekend we had.  Saturday morning the girls had swimming lessons at 9 a.m., and then we headed to an Easter egg hunt for the rest of the morning.  As we enter the football field, Nora and Lila both say that they are not interested in giving the Easter bunny a hug, or even getting close to him for that matter.  By the end of the morning, Nora would not leave the Easter Bunny alone, as she requested at least 75 hugs from the bunny throughout the morning.  She found eggs with the Easter bunny, and even made the bunny pick her up multiple times!

Since Lila has to do everything Nora does, she too wouldn't leave until the Easter bunny picked her up for a hug...

Here's Nora chasing the Easter bunny.....

Lila getting herself some eggs too :-)

We colored Easter eggs as well, which has been terribly unsuccessful in the past.   However, this year we had so much fun coloring on the eggs, and then getting to pick the colors that the girls dipped the eggs in.  Lila even became very good at putting the egg on the little holder while dipping it in the coloring.  So great to see!  This was definitely a turning point for us :-)

On Easter morning we hosted an Easter brunch, with some very good old friends, and had another Easter egg hunt.  Wow, these kids are lucky!  This too was a fun morning shared with good friends, and much laughter.  Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday as well.

Art for a fresh start

A dear friend of ours, Eileen Fuller, is a local watercolor artist and has offered to host an art exhibit/sale to benefit Lila.  We feel blessed to have people like Eileen coming to us wanting to help out little girl!

Not only is is Eileen's art work that will be up for sale, but multiple other local artisans have donated paintings (watercolor and acrylic) and amazing handmade jewelry!  50% of the proceeds from all of Eileen's work will go to Lila, and 100% of anything donated will go to Lila!  How awesome!  Thanks Eileen!

Lila and I will also be at the show selling purses (made of all recycled fabric), sea glass jewelry, and possibly a couple of 12x14 framed original Tahoe photos.  Justine, with Recycle Me Lovely and JKH photography, will also be showing her recycled accessories (i.e. rings, hair accessories), and selling photography packages.  If any of her personal photography packages are booked that day, she will donate 50% to Lila when the session is held!  The last vendor is the woman who owns Jolt-n-Java (Dawn), and makes her own beaded jewelry.  Her pieces are wonderful!

Lastly, there will be a raffle with a few Skagen watches, a handmade purse, massage gift certificate, Trader Joes gift card, and more!  All raffle monies will go towards Lila, and you could walk away with a fun gift for yourself!  Seems to be shaping up to be a fun morning, so come and have a cup of coffee, grab a snack, and browse to help Lila!

P.S.  Mothers Day is coming up and you may need a unique, local gift to give, right?  We will have it right here :-)