Liz’s List: Giveaway Noori Flower Girl Dress

Posted in Liz's List by Liz

One my the parts of having a little girl is the adorable tot-sized clothes. No offense to the parents of boys, but little girl clothing is just so cute! And little dresses are the cutest of cute.

That’s why I was excited when I was contact by the good folks at Noori dresses with an offer to pick out one of their flower girl or baptism dresses. I already have a dress for Lila’s baptism this month and she’s not in any weddings coming up, so I decided to offer this free dress to one of you!

I remember when I was buying a flower girl dress for my own wedding, it was really hard to find anything cute for a reasonable price. Noori has a lot of really cute styles at

an affordable price.

Here are some of my favorites (click the image to go to the sales page).

To win a free flower girl, baptism or “just because” dress of your choice from Noori, like A Batty Life on Facebook and leave a comment on this post with the occasion you want the dress for. I’ll pick one entry at random to win.

Giveaway closes on Wednesday, July 19 at 10:00 am PST.

Disclaimer: Noori provided me with a free dress to give away, but I only write about products I genuinely like.

11Jun2013

A Beautiful Friendship

Posted in Kids by Liz

Right now Lila and I are in San Francisco visiting my sister’s family. Luke is in Mexico for work, so I figured I might as well get out of dodge so I’m not alone until he’s home. One of the perks of not working in an office I suppose.

When we woke up Saturday morning, after arriving late on Friday, I took Lila into her cousin Mabel’s room to say hello. Mabel, who is almost exactly one year older, squealed “YiYa!!” We put the two girls in the crib together and let them play.

Since then, the time together has been filled with babbling car rides in their side by side carseats, playing blocks together, Mabel showing Lila how she eats “like a big girl” and lots of laughing and squealing back and forth.

One of the especially cute moments was when we put both girls in the tub. Lila in her bumbo (I forgot her tub) and Mabel right next to her. Both girls were playing with their toys, splashing water and giggling.

The two girls seem to be enamored with each other. Mabel keeps asking for “more YiYa!” when she wakes up from naps and Lila keeps staring at her cousin in awe and squealing with delight at her every move.

Lila hasn’t had a ton of interaction with other babies so far, so it’s been really fun to watch her blossom around her cousin. She’s been in the BEST mood and already picked up some new developments by watching her cousin. Just this weekend she started getting up on her knees and rocking. I think because she wants to be mobile like Mabel.

Watching them together I keep thinking two things: 1. I really need to get Lila some regular little friends to interact with and 2. She’s definitely going to need a sibling when the time is right.

I’m really happy Mabel and Lila seem to like each other so much. Cousins are such a special bond and have potential to be really close friendships. I can just imagine these girls growing up playing make believe together, probably causing trouble in college and standing up in each other’s weddings.

As the quote says, “I think this could be the start of a very beautiful friendship.”

4Jun2013

Liz’s List : Victoria’s Secret Mascara

Posted in Liz's List by Liz

If you are like me, then there’s no real “strategy” to your makeup routine. I don’t wear a ton of makeup day-to-day. Mainly just moisturizer, bronzer, blush and mascara. But the mascara is key to opening my eyes. I don’t leave home without it!

I have tried a lot of mascara brands. Drugstore types to really expensive types. My complaints were usually the same … clumpy, goopy or ran out too quickly.

Then, a few years ago a Facebook friend of mine posted a recommendation for Victoria’s Secret Triple Volume mascara. It came at the perfect time as my usual staple, Benefit Bad Gal, had just run out … after three weeks!

I stopped by VS on my way home from the office and grabbed a tube to try.

I tested it out that night and really liked this mascara right off the bat. It’s dubbed as having a three-in-one formula that “volumizes, lengthens and defines,” which I’d say is spot on.

It’s gives your lashes a dramatic, dark look. It does not clump and seems to extend each individual lash in length. I have short, unimpressive lashes, and I feel like it makes my eyes pop.

I use a quick coat on my casual days…

and two coats for my “going out” look.

Plus one tube seems to last forever. My latest one is three months old and still does a great job. The price is fabulous too – just $14 a tube. This very quickly became my day-to-day mascara.

So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive mascara that will make your eyes pop and lasts a long time, Victoria’s Secret’s Triple Drama mascara is a great choice.

29May2013

Our New Town

Posted in Liz's Life by Liz

This weekend we moved. Again.

No joke, since we’ve been married three years, we have moved seven times. SEVEN! I am starting to think we are sick in the head or something. Who puts themselves through that?

Anyway, now we are moved into our new place and I am forcing myself to have amnesia from the weekend. Instead I have been focusing on getting to know our new surroundings and creating a home for us.

I have to fully admit that when I first moved to Tahoe I was one of those snobby people who thought “who on earth would want to live in Reno when Tahoe is so close?” I had the perception of Reno that I saw on the show Reno 911.

Well I have to say I totally put my foot in my mouth on that one. Reno is actually pretty great! Don’t believe me? Okay, here’s five reasons Reno totally doesn’t suck.

1. The cost of living is crazy low compared to Tahoe. We were able to rent a brand-new, fully upgraded place that has a pool and is next to a wetland’s walking area and playground for less than half of what we paid for our place in Tahoe.

2. There is a lot going on all the time. They call it the “biggest little city” for a reason, there is always something fun to do. This Friday for example, we’re going to “Food Truck Fridays” downtown where a bunch of food trucks park and there’s live music.

3. The people are friendly. We’ve already attended a first birthday party (how cute is L below?), met our neighbors and had multiple offers for help getting settled. In general, I just like that people are out and about enjoying their city.

4. It’s super livable. There’s a Target! And a Whole Foods! And, and a CVS! Not to mention no traffic to and from these places. After moving from a small village in Tahoe, I am excited that my days of exclusively online shopping are over.

5. It’s beautiful. I thought I was losing the gorgeous scenery when we left the lake, but low and behold, Reno is really stunning in it’s own right. I took these photos right in our neighborhood on my phone.

Okay, bonus reason # 6 I had to include. The weather is awesome here. There are four distinct seasons and over 300 days of sunshine each year. It gets hot in the summer, but it’s a dry comfortable heat. In the winter, it’s much more mild than Tahoe. But since skiing is only 25 minutes away, I can still get in my powder days!

We’ve only been here a few days, but each day I feel like I discover more I like about my new town. And while I will always love Lake Tahoe, I have to say I am learning very quickly to love Reno as well.