annie "Not Yo Mama" d.'s Profile

Who would've thought that the Leather Maid is a pleasant older woman named Ella?

I had a leather jacket that my dog had chewed on years ago (that dog has been dead since 2004), but I still wore it, because I felt it now "had character." But when the buttons fell off, I realized it was time to get it repaired.

I was lucky to find Leather Maids, located right behind the Kirkland Costco. I have to admit, I chuckled at the time & wondered if I was walking into a fetish shop. FAR from it!  Ella looked at my jacket & told me exactly how she was going to repair it.  And her price was unbelievably reasonable! I knew she must do great work - not because of the rave reviews I found online, but also because of the sheer amount of biker gear on the racks.

It took less than a week for my jacket (and a leather purse) to be repaired.

If you have ANY leather items that need to be repaired,  I highly recommend you bring it in to Leather Maids.

Where to eat on Bainbridge... with kids... hmm.. why not try pizza?!  

We visited this place based on Yelp reviews & were not disappointed. The pizza was pretty darn good!  And it was a beautiful day, so we were able to eat outside. Granted, we were the only ones dining there on that Sunday afternoon... if anyone else was there, it would've been tight..  Seems most people order to-go, but since we were just on the Island for the day, we were glad there was seating outside for our party of 2 adults + 2 kids (1 highchair)

The pizza crust was just right - not too thin, not too thick. Not too chewy.  Then again, we weren't there to taste-test pizza. We just needed nourishment to satisy the family.

Summer 2009: Java Mama's has been sold & the new owner MUST change the name. Stay tuned...

(this is for the Juanita location - 11630 98th Ave NE, Kirkland )

Established dry cleaner - check!
Excellent customer service - check!
Drive-through service - Wahoooooooooo!!! (and they even help loading & unloading!!)

You can't get better than that!

Just noticed that Salmon Creek has closed. that narrows down the sushi places in Juanita Village - now there's only one: aa Sushi
Hope it can stay afloat!

Ahhh... it's Mother's Day & you're planning your own day with the kids... so how do you start it off?  DOUGHNUTS!!!!!

Even though we live on the Eastside, I considered going to Top Pot's other locations, but settled on the Bellevue one because I figured parking would be easiest (I had my kids in tow - ages 4.5 & 1).

I ordered 6 doughnuts (SOMEone's gotta spoil me! ;) . I let my son pick out what he wanted (2 different chocolate ones) and I ordered a glazed & a raspberry for my daughter, & 2 maple variations for me.  I"m sorry, I can't remember the exact clever names. And don't worry - we only ate one at the shop - the others we took home for the next morning!

I have to say...YUM!!!  I'm not experienced with the west coast doughnut feud (I'm from the east coast - dunkin donuts vs. krispy kreme territory), but WOW!  Each kind tasted like a little bit of heaven!  We all shared our doughnuts - they were large enough...though I really wanted to have mine to myself.... and my kids probably did too.

But what I loved was smelling my baby daughter's hands all day long - I just could not (would not?) wash off ALL that raspberry smell!  Mmmm...!  Loved that extra bit of sweetness on my special day! :)

Based on the reviews here, & since we were visiting Vashon Island on Mother's Day, I decided to go to Monkey Tree Cafe with my kids (ages 4.5 & 1).  Mentions of kids fare in the reviews here sold me.

However, parents: be prepared!

Sure, it was a holiday, but I'm guessing the place was busy-as-usual. The staff was certainly attentive (unorganized?) - after we were seated, 3 different people came up & asked us if we'd ordered.

Anyway, I was seated at a large table with my 2 kids. Since I was prepared for a wait, I doled out snacks to the baby & crayons to my son. The first waiter who came to our table took our order.  Though the kids menu is not listed on the regular menu, she told me they had Grilled Cheese, Quesadillas, & Macaroni+Cheese.  We ordered the Quesadilla & Mac+Cheese for the kids & a house pizza for me (based on the reviews here). I actually asked if the Mac+Cheese was really gooey, since I'd be feeding it to the 1 yr old, & the waitress said it'll be fine.

Well, when I mentioned earlier to be prepared... I didn't think we'd wait close to an hour for our food!  Sheesh, come ON, MTC Staff - I realize it was Mother's Day & you might've been short-staffed (though not on waiters?), but...  well, I guess when they realized I was almost out of my supply of crackers, cheesesticks, apple slices, dried fruit, & raisins (I packed for a DAY-trip, not just out to lunch!), the waiter brought out a bowl of fresh fruit for my kids...but she brought it about 5 minutes before our lunch was served?!?  Needless to say, it was VERY much appreciated, because..

The mac+cheese was actually bow-tie pasta + parmesan. To a one-year-old, this is NOT mac+cheese. Nor to the 4 yr old. And the 4 yr old didn't like the cheese in the Quesadilla (my fault - I should've asked for cheddar or American... or better yet, just ordered the Grilled Cheese!)  So, the kids ate part of my pizza (they were filled up on all the snacks they consumed) & we packed up everything else.

And, oh yeah, it's a cash-only place. When I thought I wouldn't have enough cash, the waiter said it would be no problem, I could come back & pay.  Thankfully, I DID have enough cash.

The food really was delicious & I'm disappointed my kids didn't want to eat it, so I'd give this place 4 stars, but I had to take one away for the looooong time it took to get us our food.  Still, I'd probably go again. And yes, my bag will be packed with snacks to entertain my kids. But hopefully, their palate will more refined! ;)

I was strolling through Kirkland last week & stopped in my tracks when I spotted this shop. Be still my heart: a cupcake shop in my town!  Well, since I had my kids with me (along with a friend & her kids), there was no way I was going to pass the chance to taste some potentially nom-nominess.

There were customers ahead of us... and boy, did it take forever for our turn. I'm not sure if it was the staff or indecisive customers, but imagine a 4-yr-old kid in front of a display window filled with colorful cupcakes!  Okay, so it was a 40-something woman (me!) who was impatient as well... ;)  But it took a long time for us to be served.

My son & I ordered one cupcake each (how's that for discipline?) - he chose the Double Chocolate & I got the Red Velvet.  He only let me have a crumb of his, so I can't honestly tell you how tasty it was - he said it was "sooooo yummy!!" but my cupcake was almost perfect: moist cake, cream cheese icing.....MmmmmMmmMMMMmmmm.... oh, sorry.

Downside: I'm not sure who was working the register (regular staff? a friend?), but she was rather clueless on giving change. I had to tell her how much to give me back. Upside: she DID offer my kid a free sugar cookie.

Anyway, as expected, these cupcakes are not cheap. I think they were $2.50 each.  So if you're going to complain about the prices, hop on over to the QFC & buy a box of Betty.

Disclaimer: I've never directly contacted this company, but I've had several temporary nannies work for me through an employee benefit (Backup Care).

Each nanny (well, babysitter, as we've only had them for 4-7 hours) that has worked for us from this company has been very good to just about excellent.  They have all  been screened, trained & trustworthy. And they've been great with my kids.  I've been very impressed with the nannies, more than those I've met who have worked for other companies.

I drove way out here to BFE to visit my former stylist, Stacy.  Since she left her previous salon & opened up her very own place, I'd been hopping around to different stylists in the Kirkland area... and was never satisfied with anyone I met. So, I was about to start my salon hunt (via Yelp) into Seattle, when I thought, "Well, if I'm going to drive into the city, why don't I just drive up to see Stacy?!"

It just took 15-20 minutes from Kirkland to get to Maltby Hair Design, a funky little salon, decorated with red & black.  It certainly stands out among the antique store & Maltby Cafe.  There are only 2 stations in this place, which was a nice change. We were able to chat, rather than scream over 10+ blowdryers!

Anyway, I needed some major hair care & Stacy knew just what to do.  She repaired my color, popped in a few lowlights & cleaned up my haircut. Hooray!

It was so good to see Stacy & I'm happy she has her own salon. She'll definitely keep me as a client!

P.S. Yay for accepting credit cards!!! THANK YOU!