The Next Adventure

Brian and I would like to thank our friendly followers, loyal customers and our friends who helped us grow our shops and restaurants in Downtown Los Altos. We are very proud of these businesses we created from big ideas and the help of our creative employees. We have sold the businesses and look forward to seeing DTLA continue to prosper.

As for the Heffernan family and The H&H Company, we look forward to finding the next adventure in small business. Our newest endeavor is running a cattle ranch in Siskiyou County, Sharps Gulch Ranch, that will focus on sustainable, family-farmed foods. There is a lot of hard work ahead and we look forward to this new journey and implementing our vision. We love new adventures and seeing where they take us.

We hope you’ll stay tuned!

-Mary and Brian Heffernan
The H&H Company

FOLLOW US AT THE H&H COMPANY AND AT SHARPS GULCH RANCH

Happy Birthday Grampa!

Momday night we celebrated my Dad's birthday at my parents house. They just finished their big kitchen remodel and spruced up the side area (bye bye trampoline yard!) with a garden path and a fountain. It all looks awesome!!

My dad got live lobsters for a family feed - what a treat! Tiny was terrified but Francie was fearless 😉 I think the rubber bands helped. 

Nothing better than Emmy double trouble! Cousins in pink 

Jannie's new love bird swing - for two or three ladies (and matching summer dresses, thanks Lisa Fuerst!!)

Tiny was so proud of herself 

Kids table set - nobody does it better than Jannie!

Not thrilled that they are moving but Grampary keeps her safe 

And Uncle Jerry let's them tease him all day long

Cutest couple around serving up their crew of kids - we are pretty lucky!

Memorial Day dinner - summer is here

Big kids table

And ice cream cake to celebrate Grampa - we love you Dad!!

Always fun at Jannie and Grampa's house!! That flagstone better hold up to one zillion tricycle laps around the fountain in the next few years!

Trip with Dad

Last Saturday/Sunday Brian took JJ and Tessa up to the ranch for a quick trip to check on things. We got our new pivot going and the hay barns almost built. And I got some real gems texted to me in photos ;)

Is that a chetto mustache JJ or are you smelling them before consuming?

Checking on the pivot. And look how that hay grass is growing!!

They stopped at the tractor store  of course - and didn't really ever get out of the clothes they left in. 

Tiny says "COWS!!!" She's obsessed. 

Oh JJ ;) Heff said the carted around that bag all weekend. Never been happier. Or more orange. 

Week in Review

We had a good week last week welcoming in the warmer weather - I live for summer!!!! 

Tuesday night was the school talent show for Francie. But of course we did Frozen braids all around ;) she performed Let It Go with 15 other kinders. Borrowed a real Anna costume from the neighbors complete with boots. It was amazing ;)

I totally successfully embarrassed Francie for the first time. She didn't want me to walk her to her classroom because "I looked weird" in my target shorts overalls. Yesssss. 

This was the first face until she felt bad and smiled ;)

And Wednesday after school Maisie and I had a sushi boat lunch date we'd been talking about. Fun to have one on one time with her. 

And Thursday night we had a fun dinner at my parents with out BFF neighbors the Carter's. Sidecars in the sideyard! Loved these girls. 

All of them! And they love Gramparey and Jerry Carter. Spoil them rotten. 

How cute is Carter Jeanne!?

And chef Tyler got back from his wedding - all married up! He is always so sweet with the girls. Sam is a lucky girl and you guys will be great parents someday!!

Speaking of parents... I love hoe my friend Emily jokes Francie always looks like a Teen Mom toting around her sisters ;)

They love their big sissys. 

Maisie begged me for this "running shirt" on our Old Navy run this weekend to go with her running shorts. Looks like a mini marathoner ;)

Happy Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!! We had a mellow weekend at home with our family, just about my favorite way to spend a weekend. Work has been crazy with the busier, warmer weather and managing everything so it was a nice respite. Friday night we had a BBQ at Jannie and Grandpa's with our extended family and lots of cousins  (why didn't I take pictures!?) and the pizza oven was back in business.

Francie pulled another tooth out at Jannie and Grampa's! Third one - she's really motivated by that tooth fairy visit :)

and the girls got to sleepover at Jannie's. Spoiled little girlies! They sleep in my old room, that is still "Baby Ann's" room now :) so cozy - nothing better than Jannie's beds.

My baby sister Ann was home all week with Baby Brennan. Maisie LOVES baby holding. 

I'm a lucky girl to have these four little ladies calling me MOM. A very thankful Mom this Mother's Day for all the blessings I have. 

getting ready for a swim - loving the warm weather 

tiny wasn't very happy Dad took her swim cap

and JJ. Oh JJ. Wearing layers of non-matching swim clothes. And floaties. And a baby ring. And a swim cap. 

Saturday afternoon Uncle Donald, Aunt Kat, Oliver and Lauren came over to visit since they were in town - pizza for lunch and cousin fun!

and Sunday we hung around the house all day - I got some sitting in the sun time in, some guilt free book reading, breakfast and lunch made for me and a princess balloon from Safeway. Oh and Tess barfed all over me on the way to bed reminding me I will miss all these things about this time in our life and being a mom to these little girls!

Happy Mother's Day!! The best part of Sunday was seeing my own mom - the girls light up for their Jannie (as we all do!) and she is such an awesome example of being a selfless, generous, always thinking of others, FUN mom. We love you Jannie!!

Mother's Day breakfast - scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and OJ.  And Heff made my favorite spicy curry for dinner - so yummy. And the girls look thrilled of course :)

Pleasure Park Rodeo

What a fun Sunday at the rodeo!!! We were up early Sunday morning to check the baby chicks and get some ranch chores done before rodeo time. The Etna rodeo was AMAZING! We are used to the big Red Bluff rodeo with thousands of people and lots of Crown Royal girls ;) This was a small town, know everybody there kinda rodeo. We are so lucky we feel SO welcomed by the Fort Jones/Etna community and everyone was so accommodating to open their tailgates and coolers to us and to our kids.  We were there early after the parade for the kids events and stayed til 6pm. We met new people who introduced themselves (one nice lady said "ok you are talking to all the people I know - but I don't know YOU!?") and the girls mae fast friends with some kids their age and palled around hitting up the snow cone booth, the fancy jewelry booth and sliding down the big hill where the littles all congregated. I loved it so much I was bummed we were going to have to wait a whole year to do it again - but come to find out there is a JULY rodeo AND a rodeo at the August county fair - yessss. :)

Morning mist - love this image of Maisie looking out her window to see what this new day will bring. And yes they all sleep on that mattress on the floor. It's cozy. 

A single line rainbow lingering on the Marble Mountains on the way to the parade

downtown Etna parade route - this parade was awesome! It was sprinkling when we got there but the sun came out. They threw candy from every truck, tractor and float - girls loved that!

I've seen some crazy things... But nuns on a miniature donkey cart!? and it had a flat tire.

My All American girl MaryMarjorie.

then after the parade we hit the fairgrounds for the RODEO! Everyone backs up their trucks to watch from above the stands - lots of food booths (gotta have a corn dog!), beer and so many nice people!

back in the chutes to watch Dylan, their new buddy, Mutton Bust. She was one of the only girls!

looking ready to mutton bust!!! GO Dylan!

The girls agreed this rodeo was AWESOME! Small town, safe and so much fun.

kids on tailgate trucks (stacked with hay bales for personal grandstands :) watching the bull riding and saddle cows

sweet Emma looking good in Dad's hat

hold on tight - Dylan about to go. Each kid gets a dollar coin for participating and winner gets a belt buckle. 

great day at the rodeo  - time to head home with tired kids

it got pretty chilly that night so we got home to cozy in the cabin by the fire. Maisie fell asleep in 3 minutes flat in her cozy Jannie knit blanket.

and this one helped her big sisters check their baby chicks. Bungled up in handmedowns. 

Good Morning from Sharps Gulch

We came up to the ranch last night for a quick weekend escape and have been relaxing and hanging out up here all day - ranch life is the best!! Even worth the 6 hour drive up and back for less than 2 days :)

Maisie in the morning ready to hit the feed store

lilacs in bloom all around the house (so glad we didn't tear them out when they were dormant and scraggly looking!)

JJ practicing for her pony ;)

and headed out on a mission with my girls on the backroads

just the bigs while Tess was out on the ranch with Dad. 

and we got.... Chickens!!

21 little buggers! Feed store had 11 breeds in stock. #trouble

girls are smitten. Tiny is not sure. JJ might be first to kill one. 

Maisie and her favorite two. So far they named 6 of them after Little House on the Prairie characters

and JJ is learning to be gentle. The girls love the story of two year old aunt Kat holding one too tight and brining it to Oma saying "peep peep go night night!" 

doing their ranch chores to get the chicken coop ready

we have them in an old shed thing behind the house for now. 

Tiny substituting her favorite puppy for riding a pony. He will do. 

then off on 4wheeler to greet the cows and calves that are moving on the upper pastures to graze for a few months. Yay for more animals, even if they aren't ours (wait that's even better ;) this is heff's office right now. 

the girls ask to put their toes in the irrigation ditch stream and one minute later it's down to this. Every time! Heff surveys the ranch and tiny just wants to be big 

this was minutes before ;)

I love my husband and I love how happy he is out on the ranch farming and working hard. And yes we are wearing matching wranglers - I gave my sister full authority to make fun of me and told her I'm saving the sparkle butt ones for rodeo!

sisters at the old hay barn. Trying to figure out just how many chickens we can cram in here 

and what am I to do with this kid!? #JJstyle 

later in the afternoon after Tiny napped and I read out on a blanket in the sun (so rare and so good) we went to a BBQ and met lots of new fort jones people (might be the nicest group of people we've ever met in one place!) We had Coors Light and kids - do you need anything else?

Tiny loves a selfie. I pull out my phone and she says MORE MAMMA MORE! Ok tiny. 

awesome BBQ on hay bales with lots of good new people to meet and lots of coolers. Pretty happy. 

and happy kids making up games and playing on the seriously vintage swing set (inspiring me to get one like it and yarn bomb it;)

fast friends with cute Dylan and Grady - love this photo of these happy kids!! Can't wait to keep the party going at rodeo tomorrow!

Road Trip, Ranch Bound

We left Friday afternoon for a quick weekend trip ranch bound!

Tiny the Monkey  - the girls are all pretty good travelers on long car rides but this one asks for "nacks, nacks!" (Snacks) allll day long 

we stopped at Aunt Kat and Uncle Donald's for a BBQ to celebrate Lauren's 2nd birthday with some of the Heff cousins. Always fun. 

happy birthday Lauren!

it was a great stop to break up the trip and always fun when cousins are involved - another pet lizard was captured and subsequently lost a tail. Rough crowd!

A Few More of Cousin Campout

I love that I get to keep reliving our awesome cousin campout weekend at the Ranch through Andrea's amazing photos! Here are a few more of the B&W series she shot of the kids. I love that our styles are so different - I capture half-baked mostly-iPhone attempts at documenting everything that happened and she expertly captures the spirits and soul of the kids and the weekend. Thank you Andrea!

Here Comes the Sun!!

Loving the sunny weather - Happy May Day!! Here comes summer...

sunshine and smoothies on the porch

sprinkler hose - can you hear the screams from there? ;)

Popsicles on the wagon. Later turned into a Popsicle and smoothie stand 

JJ and Tess out on the town with Emmy 

Emmy is the best :)

green smoothies at Forest on First