I'm Baaaaaack! And I Brought A Friend!

I really enjoyed my summer blogcation, but I really missed you, my pretend Internet friends. That's just part of the reason I'm so happy to come back in time to welcome a special bloggy-friend guest! The fabulous women of Moxie Media, a new network of women bloggers, sent their mascot on a virtual tour of the United States recently, and I'm representing Washington State (insert shoutout to the 206 area code here).

I took Moxie Mona on a tour of the most spectacular places in Western Washington this week, and I'd like to share Mona's vacation album with you. When you're done enjoying it, head over to visit any of these ladies from Moxie Media for links to Mona's visits to other states!

Lolli from Better in Bulk
Angie at Seven Clown Circus
Kat at Mama's Losin' It
Jill at Scary Mommy

First, Mona took in the gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier that I enjoy from my hometown everyday.


Then, she visited Seattle's Alki Beach at sunset.


From Alki Beach, she oohed and aahed over the beautiful Seattle skyline.


And the world famous Space Needle.


I had many other plans for Moxie Mona, but alas, it wasn't to be. While minding her own business in my living room one day, she was attacked and defeated by the Tired Teething Toddler Terror, kryptonite to supermoms everywhere.

See, first Beauty dragged Mona off to her lair:


Then, she contemplated what kind of torture to inflict upon poor Mona:


And finally, she drowned Mona in drool while biting her all over. What a terrible way to go....


Well, it was good while it lasted Mona. I hope you fare better in other states. As for the rest of you, don't forget to check out the brand new blog, Mayhem & Moxie, written by the team formerly known as 3 Bay B Chicks!

The Wiggles are Coming! {A Giveaway!}

UPDATED with winner: Congratulations Pam! Thanks to random.org, you and Laney have won 4 tickets to the Wiggles! Thanks to all who entered. If you'd still like to go to the show, it's not too late to buy tickets. And Beauty and the little Beast readers can get $5.00. Just enter the code MOM when you buy your tickets online. Now, I'm back to my blogcation, but look for me in about 6 weeks! I'll be back with new giveaways, funny stories and pictures!
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We interrupt our regularly scheduled summer blogcation to talk about four of the little Beast's favorite people - those singing, dancing cuties from Down Under, the Wiggles! If you're a caregiver of toddlers or preschoolers and you've never heard of the Wiggles, then you must be living under a rock. Just kidding. Seriously, though, if you and your kids haven't gotten to know the Wiggles, you should!

Now, you all know that there are kids programs that I would rather gouge my eyes out than watch, and even some that are simply banned from our house altogether (remember my rant about a certain pint-sized, Spanish-speaking brunette who recently underwent a major growth spurt?). Fortunately, my little Beast and I can agree that the Wiggles are a great way to start our day!

The Wiggles are on very early here in Seattle so it's the first show that the little Beast watches when he wakes up at the crack of dawn. It's such a cheerful way for him to entertain himself while gulping down waffles and chocolate milk. The Wiggles program has a really fun, slightly retro feel - a good old-fashioned variety show for kids, with musical numbers, goofy skits and even a cartoon segment. With a campy cast of characters and a plethora of silly songs, the Wiggles is a delightfully upbeat and positive half hour of viewing pleasure (and they ain't hard to look at either!).

And this summer, we all have the opportunity to enjoy the Wiggles live on stage! That's right, the Wiggles are currently touring the States! Sam, Murry, Jeff and Anthony are bringing their friends Dorothy, Wag and Captain Feathersword to the Comcast Event Center in Everett, Washington, on Friday, July 17, 2009 and one lucky reader of this blog is going to win 4 tickets to the show! Here's how to enter:

Leave me a comment telling me what you love about the Wiggles. If you're not sure, you can visit their super-cool website and browse around until you find something you like!

You can earn extra entries for helping us spread the word about this giveaway and the Wiggles Go Bananas Tour. Leave a separate comment to earn an extra entry for each of the following:

1. Blog about this giveaway on your own website. Leave the url to your post in your comment.
2. Twitter this giveaway. Leave the url of your tweet in your comment below.
3. Post a link to this giveaway on Facebook. Leave your Facebook url or username in your comment.
4. Email the link and a description of this contest to your friends and family. Copy me on the email at cari_berry@hotmail.com. Leave your email address in your comment below.

Contest ends Friday, July 10, 2009 at 8 pm PDT. Winner will be randomly selected using the random.org widget. Tickets will be available for pick up at the will call window on the day of the show.

If you'd like to BUY tickets, they are available at the Comcast Arena at Everett Box Office, www.comcastarenaeverett.com or charge by phone 866.332.8499.

An Announcement

I have put off making this announcement until the very last minute because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. But if I waited for the right words to come then I would never write this post and you all (or maybe one or two of you anyway) would be sitting in cyberspace wondering, "Whatever happened to Carebear and her crazy kids, Beauty and the little Beast?!"

I have decided to take a summer vacation from blogging. Between family commitments, teaching Bible school, working and playing with my new baby (the Nikon D90), I have not one single second of free time to dedicate to blogging. I'm disappointed that there aren't more hours in the day, or fewer obligations, but C'est La Vie, as they say in their obnoxious accents.

I do have a few pre-written posts scheduled to publish over the next few weeks, and of course, I will spend a few minutes each day visiting as many of your wonderful blogs as I can, but for the months of July and August, Not Quite A Fairytale... Beauty and the little Beast will be on hiatus.

I thank you all for understanding and hope you'll join me here again in the Fall for improved pictures, funny stories and awesome giveaways. Enjoy a fabulous summer and take care of you and yours!

I Heart {Sepia-Toned} Faces

This week's theme at i Heart Faces is sepia toned.

I had a hard time deciding between Beauty and Ms. Smartypants for my kids entry, but I was so pleased with how the conversion turned out in this photo that I had to enter it. I converted this photo to sepia in GIMP, then added film grain and burned the edges in Picnik.



My adult entry is a portrait of my good friend Colleen at seven months pregnant. I originally converted it to black and white, but tinting it sepia in GIMP only took a minute and I really like the way it turned out.


For more sepia toned images, head over to i Heart Faces and browse through the 500 or so links you'll find there...

Torture By Water

It's gonna be a long summer...