This Mom's Life

Pretend City

2012-01-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

Since Riley and I had some time off, we were invited to spend a day with our friends at Pretend City. Riley couldn't wait to see his best friend Aaron, the minute they saw each other they were stuck like glue. These boys played in every area of Pretend City. I have to tell you, this place is amazing! There's so much for them to do. Riley's favorite part was the post office, where he could wear a postman hat and deliver mail around the city. He even had me going around to all the places so he could get stamps to turn in for play money to spend. I really enjoyed it too. This place was a lot of fun and Riley still cant stop talking about it!

A very merry Christmas

2012-01-02T18:07:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was a new kind of Christmas for us. It was just my lovebug and I. We visited with Mema and Poppa on Christmas Eve and helped them prep for their Christmas brunch. After we went to my Mom's house to have dinner and spend the night. Riley was too excited and had a hard time falling asleep. Christmas morning he ran to see what Santa had brought him. There were games, a scooter, new sponge bob slippers and lots more. After all the gifts were opened, my family sat down to have our traditional egg strata and cinnamon rolls. This time they were made into hearts. It was such a wonderful Christmas and couldn't have been any better.

Special visitors

2011-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

I know I am behind on a lot of posts from the past week or so, but I am trying to catch up. About a week ago my Mom & Dad came over for dinner and brought a special surprise for Riley. Before they came Riley and I ran to Fresh & Easy to find something to make for everyone to eat. We decided on a pasta dish with garlic bread and for dessert we had warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. The pasta turned out to be a big hit and everyone enjoyed it. After our tummies were full my Mom & Dad opened up the Christmas cookie tree kit they brought. Riley thought this was "so cool" and loved putting it together. When it came time to decorate the tree Riley tried to sneak a few of the candies for himself, but there was enough left to finish the tree. Nightmare Before Christmas was on tv and Riley had all of us sit down to watch it while we ate our slice of apple pie and ice cream. It was a good night.

My little Angel

2011-12-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Last week my lovebug had his last Christmas program for his preschool and it was wonderful. Most of the kids were really into it and sang the songs, while a small amount cried once they got up on stage. Too cute! Riley was all ready for his special speaking part and looked adorable. Once it came time for his part he walked right up to the microphone and said his line. I was so proud of him! Afterwards I met him in the gym and we bought his special crafts that he made with his class. They painted sleighs and made a cute Christmas tree using their handprints.

Thankful

2011-11-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Last week Riley had his classroom Thanksgiving feast. Of course we signed up to bring the cupcakes. Riley was such a big help in making them with me the night before. I was able to take an early lunch break and join him and his class. It was so much fun. They munched on chicken nuggets, turkey sandwiches, carrot sticks, cool jell-o, & mac & cheese. For dessert they had pumpkin pie and Riley's cupcakes. I am so very thankful that I get to enjoy special moments like this with my lovebug!

Riley's teacher tried to put whipped cream on his face, they are so silly together!

Halloween Tricks & Treats

2011-11-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had several stops to make on Halloween and started off by visiting my Mom in law so our Robin could show off his cool costume. Riley loved it and thought that everyone seriously thought he was Robin and not Riley. Hilarious! Next we stopped by Mema & Poppa's. They were great and loved his costume. While we were vising them, my Mema said that my sister was finally home & Riley got excited to see his Tee-tee. We hurried over to my Mom's and ran right to Tee-tee's room. I can't tell you how excited my little boy was. He missed his Tee-tee so much and would pray for her to come home soon. She ended up joining us while we trick or treated around my Mom's neighborhood. Riley got to stop by a bunch of houses and got a ton of goodies. It was so much fun! Some of the houses in the neighborhood really got into decorating and looked really great. At about 7:30pm we called it quits and went back to my Mom's house to visit for a bit. While we were all in the kitchen I heard Riley out in the front telling someone "No you can't come in, you have to stay outside!". Well, I looked around the corner and saw him passing out candy to trick or treaters from Grammy's bucket. Grammy has a dutch door (top half opens while bottom is shut) and he was reaching over the top to hand them their treats. It was pretty funny & he enjoyed it!

A boy & his pumpkin

2011-11-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being so late on these posts. I can't believe that it's already 2 days into November. Where did October go? Crazy. But here are some pictures from our pumpkin carving night. Remember all those pumpkins we got from Fresh & Easy? We carved 3 of those and Riley brought one home from his school's pumpkin patch and of course we had to carve that one as well. He sat there and watched as his Dad & I cleaned out the "pumpkin guts" as he calls it and got the pumpkins all ready for carving. Sean started to work on his and then Riley jumped in and wanted to get in on the action. About half way through carving my pumpkin Riley decided that he wanted to draw a face on his pumpkin and cut it out all by himself. Since we had the safety carving kit from Walmart we let him do it. His pumpkin turned out great. When all that mess was cleaned up Sean seasoned and cooked the pumpkin seeds & they were a hit with my boys.

Riley's pumpkin (left), my pumpkin (middle), Sean's pumpkin (right)

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago me and my boys ventured to a new to us pumpkin patch. I had found this one by chance when a friend checked in there on Facebook and I clicked on the name and discovered a really great place that I had to take Riley to. When we arrived there it was HUGE. The pumpkins were arranged in a cute open barn type structure and workers were constantly bringing in fresh pumpkins from the patch. Never have I seen so many different pumpkins. They had all different shapes, sizes, and colors and tons of them! This place truly was a pumpkin patch. They even had signs hanging all around that described each pumpkin and let you know how they tasted and the best way to cook/bake with them. I loved it. One of the other things that drew us to this patch was that they had a corn maze. Riley was really excited to run through it and find our way out. When we got to the start of the maze they told us that if we found all 4 pieces of the picture and turned it in at the end Riley would get a special prize, and that we did. After we made our way to the back where there were loads of jumpers and cool things for kids. At the very back they had a little track with quads for the kids to drive. This was Riley's first choice. I was a bit nervous and hoped that he wouldn't drive himself straight into a wall, but he did really well and laughed every time he passed by us. When we had spent all our tickets we went over to the U-Pick field to walk around and check out what they had growing and I wanted to see all of the sunflowers that were surrounding the field. We were at the pumpkin patch for almost 4 hours and had a really great time. There were food booths, and band, & even a petting zoo. This place is a definite hot spot for next year.

My pumpkin head

cute pumpkins were hiding all over the place

I love this picture!

Riley thought this gourd looked like a monster eye

at the U-Pick field

Home Sick

2011-10-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

My throat started to bother me yesterday afternoon and by this morning it was killing me. I had gargled warm salt water several times and sadly it didn't help much. As soon as I could I made a doctor's appointment and was able to get in right away. My doctor checked my throat and said that it's a pretty bad virus and that I have to stay home for 2 days. I stressed a little when I went back to work to give them the doctor's note because I have a few huge projects that I need to finish. Stress is probably to blame for this, I'm sure it's just my body telling me I need to take it easy for a bit and rest. By this time my tummy was rumbling and soup was the only thing that wouldn't iritate my swollen throat. Fresh & Easy had sweet potato soup that looked delicious and I picked up some for today and tomorrow. While that was warming up, I got my favorite blanket and a pillow and made myself a cozy spot on the couch. Oh the joys of being sick. Well, I'm off to take a nap. Enjoy your day.

Close to home

2011-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, October 12, the town of Seal Beach was disrupted by a horrible massacre. A gunman walked into a salon and took the lives of 9 people. It was really a sad thing to see. Seal Beach was the hangout for everyone in my high school. Many of my friends still live there and now work there. So to see this happen in that town broke my heart. Little did I know that I would actually have a relative involved. My Mom called to tell me that she found out the names of the victims and Michelle Fournier was her cousin. They grew up together and had many memories together. Never did I imagine that it would hit that close to home. October 12th was a very sad day and we are praying for Michelle's son and all the other victim's families that have been affected.

Schow Family Haunted Halloween Dinner

2011-10-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I got the idea to make a special Halloween dinner for my boys. I knew I wanted it to be fun but also easy and keep to a strict budget. And I managed to do just that. Last night was the night for our Haunted Halloween Dinner. The mood was set with a huge spider web that covered the entire ceiling of our dining room and Sean brought home dry ice which I put in several containers filled with colored water. When it hit the water it bubbled like some mad scientists experiment and the fog billowed across the pumpkins and all over our table. Riley thought it was pretty awesome. Now it was time for the food. On the menu for our Haunted Halloween Dinner: Halloweenies, sliced toad, eyeballs, haunted milk & Witches fingers. All of this was super easy to put together and didn’t take much time, except for peeling the “eyeballs” if you do this I recommend using the red grapes, much easier to peel. It was a very detailed dinner however from the faces on the Halloweenies to the red polish on the Witches fingers. There were many laughs and giggle from Riley when he was eating all the food, and went along with it all. He was a little wary of the eyeballs, but once he had one he figured it out. Sliced toad was hilarious to him. He loves pickles and when I told him it was sliced toad, I got the weirdest look from him. For dessert we had graveyard dirt & ghosts complete with worms. By this time the dry ice had fizzled out and it was time to start cleaning up. This dinner was a truly a fun thing for us. I hope to make this a Halloween tradition for us. Who doesn’t love some good ol’ creepy fun?

A new love

2011-10-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today on Facebook I saw that Fresh & Easy put up a picture of a new item they are now selling... iced coffee. I was hooked on Starbucks Via Caramel iced coffee, but decided to give this a try. Not only did Fresh & Easy have regular flavors like caramel & vanilla, but they have 2 new seasonal flavors...Gingerbread & Peppermint Mocha. I was out the door as soon as I saw the picture of them on Facebook. When I got into the store I went right to the milk, juice, coffee creamer, & etc. area but couldn't find them. A really nice worker told me where to find them. Peppermint Mocha was the one I chose to take home. I took a little sip as soon as I got home and it was delicious. I can't wait to have it tomorrow morning at work. I'm thinking they should start selling these by the case, they are that good.

Worms for dinner

2011-10-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yep, that is what I made tonight. Fried worms, Frankenstein droppings, & ghost juice. I didn't let Riley in on the secret dinner and just surprised him with it when we sat down at the table. Besides Christmas, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. This year it's even more fun for me because Riley is older and I can do more fun things, like this dinner. At first I will admit that I thought he would turn up his nose and throw a fit that we were having "worms" for dinner, but the opposite happened. He laughed and really got into it. Riley sat and listened to our stories and really got into it. It was a lot of fun and made for a fun night. Doing things like this and seeing how my lovebug really gets excited make it all worth the effort. This Thursday I do have an even bigger and better Halloween dinner planned for us. I know it's a ways until Halloween, but I couldn't resist, I am having too much fun!

a close up of the worms cooking on the stove

On a roll

2011-10-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin roll that is. To be honest this is the first time that I have ever baked using pumpkin. During my normal scan of blogs I love, I came across what is claimed to be the best pumpkin roll recipe ever. Sadly I have never tried a pumpkin roll, so I really have nothing to compare it too. This recipe was very simple and easy to make, but I did get a little scared when I poured it in the pan and the batter barely covered it. But the cake turned out perfect. When it came time to roll it all up, filling & cake, I prayed that it wouldn't crack or break and it worked. My pumpkin roll looked beautiful. I cut off the ends for my hubby and I to try and indeed this was a great pumpkin roll. Next time, I do plan on using another type of filling since we aren't big fans of the cream cheese filling. Who knows, I'll scour the internet for another variation of it. For now, this lucky pumpkin roll gets to be a yummy treat for my friend, Becca. She is seriously the queen of all things pumpkin.

Pumpkin season

2011-10-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

As I have said before, I LOVE fall. Apple cider, cozy clothes, fires in our fireplace, & lots of cuddling. Anything to do with fall, I am all for it. So when I checked out the weekly Fresh & Easy ad this morning I was pleasently suprised to see that their pumpkins were on sale, 2 for $6. Last time we were in the store and saw that their pumpkins were a good size. Now since Ralph's closed down from around the corner from us, Fresh & Easy has become our main grocery store. If you haven't checked one out, I suggest you do. You can't beat their produce prices and their pre-made meals are pretty good too. Riley's favorite part about shopping there is the tasting kitchen. Always has some sort of yummy thing to try. Well, I wanted to try out a new Fresh & Easy and found that there was another store in Huntington Beach. It wasn't much bigger than our store, but we did find some cool things. They had even BIGGER pumpkins there and another tasty treat, sparkling pumpkin spiced apple cider. My boys picked out the perfect pumpkins and we ended up with 4 & I got the sparkling cider. Our total for the pumpkins came to $13!!! 2 of them are about 25lbs and one is about 6lbs and 10lbs. Not bad at all. It really beats those high prices at the pumpkin patches. But we do still plan on visiting one before Halloween. When I opened the pumpkin apple cider, you could immediately smell the pumpkin spices. If you are a serious pumpkin fanatic you will like this. It was really good and is perfect for this fall weather.

Super "Bee"havior

2011-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today Riley's had picked him to take home the class Super Bee today and bring it back tomorrow. Super Bee is only given to a child when they exude really good behavior. He was so thrilled to be taking it home. He also told me that as soon as I got home I needed to jump up and down because I'm so proud and excited for him to get this. I love it! Inside the Super Bee backpack is Super Bee along with a dvd & book to read. I wanted to take some pictures and while in the midst of it, Riley put on the Super Bee puppet and held it up to his ear. Apparently the bee told Riley that I needed to hurry up and take the pictures because they were tired. Hmmm...I wonder who really said it, hehehe. Such a goofball.

Storms & Goodbye's

2011-10-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

I like one, but really don't like the other. This fall weather is bringing a storm our way and the sky was beautiful. From the left and the right you could see what looked like 2 storms coming our way and were about to collide into each other.

On another note, tomorrow my Sister is leaving out of state for work. She stopped by tonight to visit us for a while before she left. It's only going to be for a few weeks, but we are really going to miss her. Kelsey's new job has her working hard and she has the opportunity to travel a lot, especially out of the country. What a great experience! We love our Kels and are counting down the days to her return.

Nook to the rescue

2011-10-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Grey's Anatomy is back and I couldn't be happier. I have it set to record the new season on our DVR, but for some reason it didn't record this last weeks episode. We were out at my brothers football game and I didn't realize it until I came home for lunch Friday to watch it and catch up on it. Yes, I kind of freaked for a minute, but while checking out Facebook I saw that the Grey's Anatomy page had a link where you could watch the whole episode on the internet. I clicked on it and, whoo hoo, I was able to watch the whole thing on my Nook. I knew it was a good investment, but boy has my Nook really become an amazing thing, more then just for reading books.

Back to School

2011-09-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Seriously, where has September gone? This weekend it's already October. Yikes! Well, last night was Back to School Night at Riley's school and we got to see all the work that he has been doing in his new class. He was put in the older 4yr old class at the beginning of the month and even got his favorite teachers, Ms. O & Ms. Gina. They originally started out in the 2yr old class, but Riley was happy to have them back. My hubby and I were amazed by all work he's done. Riley is writing his name even better now as well as writing his upper and lower case "A". He told us all about the opposites he is learning and showed us all the dinosaur artwork that he has made. It was a really fun night for us.

Riley wearing his Dino-feet

If I were a Paleontologist I would find...a dinosaur robot

Riley's dinosaur

I loved this one from Riley's classmate...too funny!

My baby

2011-09-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Riley had picture day at school. I immediately thought of the suit that his Mema had given him back in August. The pants were too big, but the rest of it fit perfectly. We put him in a nice pair of jeans and new Puma shoes & boy was Riley handsome. I teared up when taking his picture out front before we left for school. This little boy has my heart. I am blessed!

Not so little anymore

2011-09-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my little brothers 17th birthday! How time has flown. We celebrated by going to a brazillian restaurant, Amazon tonight with the family. It's a really neat place and they come by your table and you can try all sorts of meats like tri tip, bacon wrapped turkey, ribye steak, chicken, and more. The garlic steak and shish kabob were my favorites. There was also a salad bar where you could of course get a salad, but they had lots of other things like bread, black beans, short ribs, and fried bananas with cinnamon and sugar...yum. My family had a really good time and lots of laughs. Happy birthday Connor!

Smells like Fall

2011-09-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today I received my order of new Scentsy scent bars. My hubby requested Cinna Bear, which he loves, and I ordered 2 new ones for Fall. Sticky Cinnamon Bun & the scent of the month, Pumpkin Marshmallow. As soon as I got the box open I put in the Pumpkin Marshmallow. It makes my home smell like Fall and fell warm & cozy. I can't wait to try out the Sticky Cinnamon Bun one. I really love the Scentsy bars and am already figuring out what warmer to get for Christmas time and what new scents to try out.

A new interest...Pinterest

2011-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Are you as hooked as I am to Pinterest? Once I got started on there it was hard to stop. Every day I find something new. My friend, Becca is new to Pinterest and is already addicted. Pinterest is this amazing website where you can find almost anything and everything. The main pages have pictures from all sorts of categories like kids, DIY, home, & lots more. Through Pinterest I have found a lot of yummy recipes and pinned them to my boards so I can always go back and find them easily. If you have young kids, they have a slew of awesome crafts, party ideas, games, & DIY stuff. So far I think I have 12+ boards & they are pretty well filled. If you are on Pinterest or will join come find me on there :)

What to do on a cold day

2011-09-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

This past Satuday we woke up to the sound of thunder. Riley came in and asked if there were fireworks going off some where. I assured him it was just thunder and we looked out the front window to see if there was any lightning, but sadly we didn't see any. It went on for quite some time and then the hale and rain came. It poured so hard. I loved it, this was my kind of weather especially since I was home with my lovebug and we got to stay in our jammies, cuddle & watch movies all day. It was the start ( I hope) to our fall season. Late afternoon Riley and I decided that hot cocoa would be really good to get us warm. My lovebug wanted marshmallows in the hot cocoa, but we didn't have any. So we ran to Target and found these cool Cars marshmallows. They were vanilla flavored and had cute shapes like, Sally, Lightning McQueen, Mater, & traffic cones, and they went perfectly with our hot cocoa. It was a perfect end to such a rainey & chilly day.Sunday wasn't rainey, but it was a lot cooler then it had been. After church we went to the grocery store and thought that the only thing that would be perfect for dinner was chili. Riley helped me put it together in the crockpot and get it cookin'. He was really a good helper! I love having him in the kitchen with me. The chili turned out delicious as always. Can't wait for fall to officially to be here, it's my favorite season.

We will always remember

2011-09-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
   and the mountains quake with their surging.^[c]

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
   God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
   he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

⁸ Come and see what the LORD has done,
   the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
   to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields^[d] with fire.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Batman Birthday Party

2011-08-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had Riley's 4th birthday party. A bunch of friends and family gathered together with us at Chuck E. Cheese's and joined in the fun. I have to say that this was one of the easiest parties that we have done. All we had to do was get the cake and bring some decorations if we wanted, and of course we did. Batman was the theme and I had gone to Party City to get table cloths, plates, & napkins. My friend, Becca, found cool Batman inflatables from LA and they were perfect party favors for Riley & his friends. For the first part of the party, the kids were able to play some games and run around in the tubes. They did not want to sit down and eat their pizza, but we made sure they had a little bit before they took off once again to play. Right next to our table there was an area where the kids could dance and see themselves on a tv & boy did they ham it up. They were getting so silly and loving every moment of it. When it came time for cake Riley was surprised by his Batman cake and Chuck E came out and gave Riley his own birthday crown with coins and a birthday medal for him to wear. Riley's smile could not have gotten any bigger. He was thrilled and loved it when we all sang Happy Birthday to him. Next came time for the ticket blaster. Riley chose to have his friend, Aaron, go in with him. Tickets were flying everywhere and the boys were too funny. They were trying so hard to get as many tickets as they could and even managed to get some of the special tickets. Presents were next and Riley was blessed with all sorts of great stuff! I can't tell you how many Batman things he got. He was in heaven. Turning 4 was great for Riley. We enjoyed watching him having so much fun with his friends and being surprised with every gift he opened. Thank you to all of our friends & family for coming and making Riley's 4th birthday so special.

Start your morning out right

2011-08-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Recently I discovered Pinterest. It's like a whole world filled with all sorts of great stuff. One of the things that peaked my interest was the cinnamon bun pancakes. I pinned it to my board and thought that someday I will try and make them. Well, I made them this morning. It's another super easy recipe and they turned out great. I love how the cinnamon sugar part melts into the pancake and gets a little crunch. I will repost the actual recipe when I have time later, but for now I will let you drool over the pictures of our pancakes. Happy Saturday.

Quick & Easy meal idea

2011-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

With so much stuff going on this summer I had to find some new recipes for dinner that would be quick & delicious. Well, every where I looked they seemed to have one recipe in several variations that stood out to me. It was so simple I couldn't believe it. So here it is...Ham & Cheese Sammies. Almost everyone loves a sandwich and this recipe takes about 5 minutes or less to put together and then takes about 10 minutes to bake. My husband really enjoyed them and so did Riley. They were really good. Here is how I made them: I took a thing of King's Hawaiian rolls and sliced the whole thing (dont' take the rolls apart) in half. Then I took a package of ham sandwich meat and layered that across the bottom half of the rolls. Next put slices of cheddar cheese on top until it covered the meat. Lastly put the tops of the rolls back on and then bake in 350* oven for about 10minutes or until cheese has melted. While the sammies are getting nice and warm, I melt a stick of butter in a pot along with some minced garlic. Once that is all melted together I brush it on top of the sammies while they are baking. I do this 2 times during the baking time. When the sammies are done let cool for a bit and enjoy! It's really that simple.

Hittin' the big time

2011-08-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today my lovebug turns 4. Crazy how time has just slipped by and my little baby is now a little boy. He's officially out of the carseat that he has been in for the past 3 years. Riley is now in a booster seat. Yep, I almost teared up when we made the change. But I look at him and see such a happy and loving little guy. God has really blessed us with Riley. So here's to Riley, our big boy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!! Yesterday I made a birthday sign and blew up a few balloons and wrote on the mirror in the downstairs bathroom. Riley was super excited to see it all. For school Riley had me make blue cupcakes with yellow frosting (Batman colors...duh) and wore his Batman shirt and cool Batman pin that he got on his birthday card from Grandma. When we got to his class all of Riley's friends came up and said Happy Birthday to him. It was so sweet. I'll be stopping by later to take pictures of the class & cupcakes and tonight we are taking Riley out to celebrate some more. Next week is when the big event is happening and we can't wait. Whoo hoo!!!

You have to try this

2011-07-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have to share something with you. I just tried it this morning and have fallen in love with it. It's the Starbucks VIA ready brew caramel iced coffee. People that know me, know that I am not a huge fan of coffee, but do enjoy a good frapp every now and then. Since being on Lindora I have not been able to have one and really haven't missed them (thank goodness). But last night when we were at the drive thru window at our local Starbucks we saw this box and decided to bring them home and try them. Boy are they good. I added a little bit of hazelnut creamer to mine and mixed it all together and enjoyed every last drop. If you have not tried these I encourage you to run out and get some. It's perfect for these hot summer days.

PandaMania

2011-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Our church has been taken over by panda's. Boomer & his friends have come to our church for PandaMania VBS! It's been going since Sunday night and will end tomorrow night. The kids are having a blast and the adults are really enjoying it as well. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to...

dunananananananana....

2011-07-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Batman!!! Yep that's what my son is into right now. It's the theme that he has chosen for his upcoming birthday party too. My husband has come up with a pretty creative idea for the cupcakes and has me getting my brain going on how to make this idea become real & amazing. The other day we were at Target and looking around and found cool Batman stuff for great prices. It's all coming together. We are so excited and can't wait until his party comes!

Baby no more

2011-07-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was going through one of my camera chips and realized that there was a picture that I had not shared. It's a pretty special one and it makes me tear up when I see it. Riley was writing his name on a birthday card to his Mema and didn't need any help. I looked and could clearly see all the letters of his name! Gone are the days of me having to write out his name and he traces over it. I also love how he drew our family. So cute! He's growing up so fast and in just a few weeks will be a 4yr. old.

My little fish

2011-07-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Riley's 2nd day of swim class and he was excited. My hubby had talked to the Pool Administrator about Riley moving up to the Level 1 class and we got the thumbs up. Riley got into the pool with the rest of his swim mates and really enjoyed the new class. He was doing more swimming and the teacher was really great working with him. He is the youngest in the class and all the other kids are 5yrs or older. The instructor had the kids working on their arm strokes, looking under water while blowing bubbles, pushing off the wall and floating to her, & much more. This new class really wore Riley out, but in a good way.

Yay for 3 day weekends!

2011-07-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have a great and spectacular weekend. Be safe and enjoy the beautiful warm weather. Aren't these little cake jars cute? So patriotic! Have a blessed 4th of July!

Makes me want to bake

2011-06-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

I had a little bit of free time today, so I decided to check out some blogs and came across this delicious site. It's called ,Glorious Treats and that it is! Glory is the mastermind behind it all and has posts filled with beautifully decorated cookies, cakes, and yummy looking cupcakes and treats. While I was scrolling through her site I saw this cake and instantly fell in love. I....must...bake...it! At first I was a little intimidated by the different layers, but as I read on she explained how to assemble it and it's pretty darn easy. Be sure and check out Glory's site and let me know if you see something that you MUST try.

Today

2011-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Things in life will happen, it's a known fact. But it is how we choose look at it that really helps us decide how we are going to get through it. This verse keeps coming to my mind when days seem stressful, blah, or just crappy...

Swim trunks & camo

2011-06-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the start of Riley's swim lessons. He had on his new pirate swim trunks from Grammy and was all set to get in the water. There are 3 other kids in his class and Riley was antsy to get to swimming. My hubby & I think that Riley is ready for the next class up and will talk with the instructor next week. Riley is such a little fish and really has the basics of swimming down, but none the less, loves to have fun in the pool.

After the lessons Riley and I joined my family with a trip to the Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga. Oh My Godness...this place is HUGE. We had lunch in the restaurant there and everything looked delicious. I ordered Mahi Mahi and it was yummy. Even Riley had some and liked it. All over the store were big fish tanks and even a stream running through the store with fish in it. Riley was in awe of it all. Animals were every where and their tracks lined the floor. There was even a game shooting range where Riley got to try his skill at hunting. Through out the day they have all sorts of workshops and events for kids and families. To start the shopping off right Riley got a camo hat. Bass Pro had so many neat things, I know we didn't even see half of it all. I even picked up some Dr. Pepper bbq marinade for my hubby. Riley was so thrilled to be there and check out every thing. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it too. It was really a fun day. We do plan on making another trip out there before summer is over. You have to check it out, they have anything and everything you can possibly imagine. Even if you are not a fisherman or hunter, I guarantee you will enjoy this place.

Riley was hilarious with his pop gun and camo hat. He became an instant red neck :)

Girl time

2011-06-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my friend, Becca, and I decided to have a girly day. We started out by going to get some breakfast at this cute little hole in the wall place...The Potholder Cafe. Man was it good. Becca and I shared the Tim's Dug Out. It had an ABC omelet, special spuds with cheese & steak, and then the best & most delicious thing ever...peanut butter stuffed french toast! Out of this world!!! I highly recommend trying The Potholder Cafe, you won't be disappointed.

sorry, I smothered mine with Tabasco sauce & ketchup

When our tummies were stuffed we made our way to a new nail salon, Nails by Vicky. I had researched for a new and creative place on Yelp and this is one that I kept coming back to this place. The pictures of some of their nail designs sold me. Plus this place wasn't as expensive as most salons. I have to warn you that it's not a big place and they do take a little longer to get your nails done, but it's worth it. Our nails came out beautiful and we were happy. The staff was really nice and Vincent, the nail guy, had us laughing a lot. It was really great to get out and have some girl time with my friend Becca. What a great day!

Some inspiration

2011-06-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a little off around here. Life has thrown us some curve balls and relying on God 100% has become my main focus. It's in the hard times that we learn to give it all to Him and trust and have faith that He is in control of our lives. While in the midst of all this a song crossed my path and has become inspiration for me. It reminds me that He can take all the ugly things in life and make them beautiful <3

Our little slugger

2011-06-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last night was Riley's first baseball practice. There were about 20 kids or so and 4 coaches. They broke the kids into little groups and practiced some drills with them. I watched Riley practice catching a ball, fielding ground balls, running bases, and hitting the ball from a tee. He had so much fun and when it came time for their water breaks he only ran over to us for a minute and quickly ran back to his coaches to learn the next lesson. It was great. I am so proud of him. He hit the ball pretty far the very first time he went up to bat and caught a few fly balls from his coach too. My little boy is growing up so quickly. I can't believe he is out there in the field on his own and doing such a great job. We are very proud parents. I think next week the coaches will split the kids into teams and they will get their "uniforms".

New things

2011-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here and we have signed Riley up for a few summer sports. Mondays & Wednesdays he has T-ball and on Saturdays he has swim lessons. It's going to be a busy summer for him, but he is so excited. Last night I took Riley to go and get a baseball hat for when he starts practice this coming Monday. He picked out a red Angel's one. I can't tell you how happy he was. What a big boy he's getting to be. We are looking forward to all the fun! I will share pictures later :)

Paused

2011-06-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

So today was a 0lbs weight loss day. They said since I lost 15lbs so quickly in the first week that my body is trying to adjust and I just need to have another protein day tomorrow and my body will work itself out. Let's hope so. I prayed all the way home from Lindora and will all day tomorrow until I get back to the office. I'm not disappointed considering I lost 15lbs already. What a blessing! I just have to get my body trained a new way.

Gone

2011-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Todays results at Lindora:
Ketostick: positive-large
Weight lost: 4lbs
Total weight lost: 12lbs

I feel so good!!!!

Yay

2011-06-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's visit to Lindora was a good one. Whoo hoo. This journey that I am on is not only for my body, but I realize it's for my life.

Results:
Ketostick: positive-large
Weight lost: 4lbs
Total weight lost: 8lbs

Just dropping in

2011-06-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

to say that today is going well. But I sure do miss chocolate.

Update* I went to Lindora on my lunch break today and here are my results:
Ketostick: trace
Weight lost: 2.3lbs down from yesterday (total is 4lbs)

Ketosticks let you know if your body is in ketosis. Ketosis is when your body is burning off it's own energy (stored fat, i.e. love handles). You want to be in a high level of ketosis to loose more weight.

Protein Day 1

2011-05-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ok so I will admit that this morning was a little rough with all the new snacks and shakes AND having to eat every 2 hours. By 11:30am I was pretty much tired of eating. I couldn't believe my ears. Anyways, I went for a walk on my lunch break and came back to have my lunch, the Lindora vegetable chili. When I was mixing it, it smelled pretty good. Then came the true test...I tried a bit and it was pretty good. Whoo hoo. For my next snack I had BBQ soy puffs, not too bad either. So I realized that there is a little more hope for me in these 3 protein days. I can do it. I will feel better in the end. This is what I keep telling myself! After work Riley went with me to the Lindora office for my daily weigh in and B12 shot. I HATE needles and was praying that I didn't cry, but the Lindora nurses are truly wonderful. When they did my labs last week I never felt the needle and the same today. Thank goodness. Riley kept watching the nurse as she was giving me the shot. I didn't know whether he was going to get mad at the nurse or cry because I was getting a shot. Very serious look on his face. So today was a good day. I am thankful for the emails and texts of encouragement too.

Berry Cream Shake (not bad)

BBQ Soy Puffs (pretty darn good)

OC Swapmeet

2011-05-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

This afternoon after church got out me and my boys headed to the OC Swapmeet. We hadn't been there in a long time and thought it would be fun to look around and see what new stuff they had. As soon as we got there Riley said he was hungry so we got him a hot dog and pickle and began our walk around the swapmeet. About halfway through we came across something we had not seen before. Riley wanted to give it a try. It was this big pool filled with water and kids could go into a huge inflated ball and walk around and play on the water. They almost looked like hamsters out there in the clear inflated beach balls. Riley laughed the whole time and had a blast. Who knew that there was that much fun to be had at the swapmeet? We didn't stay long after that because the weather was getting to be a bit chilly and my hubby and I wanted to grab an early dinner, but on the way out he bought a bottle of some delicious teriyaki sauce for our BBQ tomorrow.

A new me

2011-05-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from my Mom asking me if I would be interested in trying Lindora. I immediately said yes! She had won this amazing deal through an auction. My Mom had gone through this program before my wedding and had an amazing transformation that changed the way she looked at food. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to try this. My weight has gone up and down in the the last several years and I am finally at a point where I am ready to do anything to look and feel better. I have to be honest with myself and understand that I need to make this change. So for the last week or so I have been to the Lindora office getting ready to start the program. Today I go back and get my snacks & meals for my first three days which are protein days. My main struggle will be saying good-bye to carbs. I'm Italian and they have been my close friend forever and my comforter in times of stress, but they haven't been good to my hips (I have to bring laughter to all this). This weekend will be my "last hurrah" for sweets and many other things that are not on this program, but I look forward to the life change Lindora will bring to my life. 10 weeks is long, but just think how much weight I can loose and how much self-esteem I will gain. Thank you Mom for this opportunity. I have come to the conclusion that I will (try) to blog every day of this 10 week journey, not only to share it with you, but to document the ups and downs and hopefully inspire someone to make a change in their life too. Who know's what this will bring, but here it goes. A new me by the end of summer!

P.S. Any encouragement and support is much appreciated for the next 10 weeks. Thanks!

Pork butts, tri tip, & ribs...oh my!

2011-05-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

In 17 days the OC BBQ Fest will be here. 75 BBQ teams from all over will be competing and handing out delicious samples of their very best bbq. I made sure to get the tickets for me and my boys today so there will be no waiting in line that day. The only thing that we will need to get is the tasting tickets. Those get you all the yummy bbq from almost any team there. Last year we tried a lot of the teams ribs, pulled pork, and tri tip, and all sorts of good stuff. This year I am hoping to try some "pig candy". It's bacon smoked and grilled with brown sugar and lots of other spices. Me and my boys had a blast and can't wait to go back this year. My hubby has decided that this will be his annual birthday celebration and we don't mind. If you are in southern CA and love BBQ you have to visit OC BBQ Fest, you won't be disappointed. Click on the picture for all the info on it. They also have a huge kids area with a ton of fun stuff for the little ones.

Great things come to those who wait

2011-05-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Riley had been saving money in his piggy bank and really wanted to buy a new Pirates of the Caribbean Lego set. We counted the money and told him he had enough to buy the big Queen Anne's Revenge pirate ship that he had his eye on. Sean explained to Riley that he would have to use all of the money from his piggy bank to buy this and made sure it was what he wanted. "YES, of course" was the answer. So last Friday we made our way to the Lego store at Downtown Disney and looked all over the store for the pirate ship. No luck. One of the workers there told us that they have been sold out, but could have it shipped for free to our home. Great! Riley made his purchase and Sean even threw in a few new mini figures so Riley had something to take home. Well, yesterday was the day. Fedex delivered the beloved and much sought after ship to our front door. He cleverly covered it up with our doormat and moved the plant in front of it. I told Sean to grab my camera before he picked up our lovebug from school so he could get a picture and capture the moment Riley spotted the box on our porch. And that he did. Riley first thought it was in our little mailbox and called me immediately to tell me that his boat wasn't there. I told him to check over by our front door. With the phone still in his hand he saw the box and got so excited. He had Sean open it right up so he could see what was in it. Riley was thrilled and so happy to finally have this ship. Funny thing is when my husband opened the actual Lego box and Riley looked inside and said "Where's my boat?". Too funny. Needless to say, my hubby and I have our work cut out for us this weekend. We are going to embark on a huge task that is going to make one little boy so happy. I love these moments. I will be sure to post pictures when we are finished.

Sorry

2011-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I just wanted to stop in and say that I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Sorry that I have not blogged this past week. Life and stuff have come up, but know that I will be back soon with more on my crazy life. Thank you to all my followers and readers that come back to check out my blog. It means a lot to me. I know I'm not great at this stuff, but I like it and it's fun. Go enjoy some sunshine!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today is a day to celebrate all the Moms, Aunts, Sisters, girlfriends, and any woman in your life. All the ones that have enriched your life in some way. My Mom has been a blessing to me, through all the ups and downs in life she has always been there. She has taught me how to work hard for what you want, love no matter what, and enjoy life to the fullest. I am thankful for her and the life lessons she has taught me. Thank you Mom. I hope your day is blessed to the fullest and filled with love. I love you!

My sister, Mom, & brother. From our cruise to the carribean. Thank you Mom!

Easter

2011-04-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

Our Easter Sunday was a great day even with the rain in the morning and Riley missing the egg hunt with his cousins because of his pink eye. This is how our day went. When Riley woke up he came downstairs to find the basket that the Easter Bunny had left for him. It was stuffed with a bunch of toys and fun things. He got a Batman kite, magic trick set, Sponge Bob Legos, water guns, a monster flyer, and lots of other stuff I know I'm forgetting. The best part was that the Easter Bunny left another surprise for Riley right next to his basket. The Easter Bunny had pooped jelly beans! It made Riley's morning. Ever since he saw Hop he thought that was the most hilarious thing ever.

Next we spent time with my Mom in law and Sean's cousin, Sarah, in the morning. My hubby's Mom made our favorite breakfast goodies and had a great Easter basket all made up for Riley. He was so excited to open it up and see what was in it. Patty, my Mom in law, had packed it full of cool things; a pirate mask, stickers, crayons, an echophone, and Riley's favorite, a 3D viewfinder. After we hid some eggs around the house for him to find. The rain put a kink in our plans to go outside, but Riley had fun even still.

When we left we had to stop by home to grab Sean's bike. My Mom wanted us all to go out and do a family bike ride through her neighborhood. By this time the sun was shining and the temperature was even going up. Thank goodness. The bike ride was fun and it was the first time in a long time my family did something like that together. Loved it!! Later we had an egg hunt for Riley. My Mom bought him cool sports eggs filled with his favorite, jellybeans. There was also an egg hunt for the bigger kids too. For dinner my Mom made her cherry coke ribs, steak, special mashed potatoes, and corn. Normally after dinner we play a game and it's usually LCR but this time we played Apples to Apples & it was fun! For dessert I made pineapple upside down cake and my Mom had angel cake with fresh strawberries and bananas. It was all so good and such a great Easter.

Happy Easter to you!

2011-04-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Easter and not only is it about Easter baskets and eggs, but it is because Jesus has risen. What an amazing thing and what love He has for us. I hope you have a blessed Easter Sunday. I will be back later to share more about our day.

Some randomness

2011-04-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Having my desk in the front of our office means that I have to have a candy bowl. Normally I have a bowl that goes with the season or holiday that is coming up. My bosses and co-worker love it and always make sure to tell me when it's getting low or when it's empty. This last time on of my bosses bought these yummy chocolate bunnies. You must believe me when I tell you that these little bunnies were the best I have ever had. They went so fast that Gail (co-worker) and I only got to have one since everyone attacked them. When we arrived to work on Tuesday we happily discovered a bag of those yummy bunnies on our desk. Jack had gone to the store and bought us our very own bag and we didn't have to share. They are addicting...how could something so small and cute be so evil. If you see them in the store, look the other way, don't let them catch your eye or you will be sucked in and forced to buy them, bring them home, and then devour them all up.

Yesterday, one of Sean's friends from work gave him a cool Buzz Lightyear outfit for Riley. From the minute Riley saw it he had to wear it. He wouldn't even take it off when we made a trip to the Lego store. Everyone kept saying "Hi Buzz" to Riley and he loved it and laughed every time.

Today Riley and I had the day off and it started off with a run to our local bakery, Great Dane. I had to get a quote on a cake for a reception I am putting together and while we where there we picked out a few goodies to bring home. Well, one of our goodies made it home. Riley picked out a blue bunny cookie, I choose a chocolate peanut butter cake pop, and for my hubby I got a Boston Cream cup with strawberries. Riley's bunny was pretty much gone by the time we got in the car and my cake pop was shared, of course with Riley, when we stopped to visit Sean on his lunch break, and the Boston Cream cup was devoured tonight after dinner, of course Riley had a few (big) bites.

After dinner Riley got to open up 2 of his new Lego minifigures. We were going to save them and hide them with some other ones for his egg hunt on Sunday, but because he has pink eye (yep he was blessed with that today and now going into the other eye) my hubby let him open them up tonight. They are the coolest thing. You never know which one you're going to get. So far Riley has got the sailor, a guy in a radiation suit, three musketeers guy, alien, soccer player, hula girl, a camper guy & a baseball player. My hubby decided to put them all together and see how many figures Riley really has. Including the ones from his other Lego sets, Riley has 34 Lego guys.

Train rides, egg hunts, & bike rides

2011-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we made our annual trip to Irvine Park for their egg hunt. We were thrilled to go this year because the OC Register had a deal of the day that was $18 for 4 train ride tickets, egg hunt for Riley, and a deuce coupe bike rental. So we were ready to spend the day there and enjoy all there was. The weather was nice and warm so it made for a nice day. My Mom & Dad joined us for a bit and then the Keener family came and Riley and Aaron were together again. I love watching them together, they have grown into big boys now and any trace of their "baby-ness" is gone. We look at them and see boys that are almost to Kindergarten. Ok, so enough with the sappy stuff. The first thing we did with the Keeners was go on the train that took us all around the park. The boys spotted a beautiful peacock on our ride. They talked and talked about the egg hunt and how many eggs there were going to get, and every thing else they wanted to do that day. For the egg hunt their was a bunch of little kids and everyone was told that they were only allowed to get 8 eggs, but could pick up all the candy that they wanted. Riley was mostly looking for the perfect eggs to get and was missing the candy, but Aaron was cute and ran and found some candy and put some of it in Riley's basket, what a good friend. Once they got their eggs and saw what candy they got my boys and I walked over to the bike rental shop and hopped on to our really cool deuce coupe bike. Riley got to ride on the seat in the back while his Dad & I pedaled. The Keeners brought their own bikes and went along with us through the park. It wasn't until almost half way through our bike ride tha we noticed that one of our tires was flat and that is why it was so hard for us to go up the hills. Our legs grew tired and we decided to head back and return our bikes. Shane bought us all snow cones and popsicles to cool us off. It was a really great day and everyone had a wonderful day at Irvine park.

My new ride

2011-04-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got a very special present. My new bike! Complete with a seat on the back for Riley. We already took it for a spin around the block a few times and love it. Riley thinks it's his new bike and says it feels just like riding a motorcycle. Not sure how he knows that considering he's never been on one, but it's pretty funny. I plan on taking Riley to school in it and then riding it to work and on weekends we will take family bike rides. It's been a long time since I have been on a bike, but once I got going it was great.

What a day!

2011-03-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

So far my birthday has been so wonderfully blessed. When I arrived at work I was surprised to see my desk was decorated like a giant cupcake. My best friend, Becca, along with one of my other friend's daughters, Daisy, worked hard on this last night! Isn't it adorable! Then as the morning went on I was showered with cards and gifts. One of my favorites was the cake pops that my friends, Karen & Zsa, gave to me as they sang a very loud and out of tune "Happy Birthday" song. These two are notorious for this.The best gift would have to be from Becca, it's a camera charm necklace. I absolutely LOVE it! She knows me so well.

Later on when I got back from lunch, I received an email from my Dad letting me know that he and my Mom are getting me a beach cruiser for my birthday! And my Dad said that they are going to get a seat to put on it so I can take Riley along for a ride. I am so looking forward to this! When the weather gets better here I have decided to ride my bike to take Riley to school and then to work.
This weekend is also filled with tons of fun with friends and family. Next Tuesday, my boys and I are taking a day off from work and school and going some place special to celebrate some more! What a great birthday this has turned out to be. I really honestly wanted this one to just slip by, but that didn't work out too well and I am actually glad it didn't. I feel so loved and blessed by everyone today. All the cards, emails, phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, and anything else I missed has really made me feel special and honored to have these people in my life. God is good!

My little ninja

2011-03-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight Riley started his karate class. The Master Sen Sai worked with Riley before hand to make sure that he could follow directions and handle the class since he would be the youngest in the class. Normally they start at 4yrs old, but he gave Riley the OK to start class. There were 2 teachers that taught the "Little Ninja" class and Riley was super excited with his new uniform. They learned how to do all sorts of kicks, how to do a push up, and how to bow. During class they also did a little obstacle course. Riley loved it all. At the end of class he got his belt and a star for us to put on his uniform. Every week he can earn 2 stars and the more stars he earns the closer he is to getting a trophy. This is going to be such a great class for him. He can get all his energy out and just have fun while learning discipline.

My day

2011-03-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you think you are doing everything wrong and can't please anyone, well I had one today. This week has been a little off since we had our Empowerment Conference at church from last Sunday until last night. So this is how my day went. I woke up later then normal this morning and almost forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair. Then at work I just felt like I couldn't do anything right. My brain froze on me a few times when I was working on projects and so I started to have myself a little pity party. All of a sudden my friend walks through my office and says "I just feel like I need a cupcake". So I intercommed her at her office and asked her if she was serious. I told her that we could make it to Frosted Cupcakery and back on our lunch break. Becca agreed and told me that she had never been there. I perked up and got out of my pity party. When we got to Frosted we were releaved to see that we were the only people there and that there wasn't a huge rush a people on their lunch break. Becca looked over all the cupcakes and decided on a few. Of course I HAD to bring some home for my boys and for me I was happy to see that they had my FAVORITE...neapolitan. It's delish and you must try it. The frosting really makes it so yummy. After we picked out our cupcakes we walked over to Lucille's BBQ and Becca got us salads to take back to the office with us.

When 4:30pm came I packed up my stuff and headed home to my boys. As I parked I saw that there was a really long lizard on the sidewalk and called for Riley and my hubby to come out. Of course they caught it and played with it for a while. Silly boys. I couldn't believe that Riley was actually holding the lizard. He even asked if he could bring it home. No thank you, I am not a fan of reptiles at all.

Anyways, the weather was nice and warm so we continued to play outside while dinner was cooking. Riley had been begging us to play bubbles with him and today was his lucky day. He made a ton of bubbles and chased them all over the yard. Dinner was finally ready and we had to come inside and cleaned up. My home-made mac & cheese came out great and for dessert we enjoyed our cupcakes. I am so thankful for a great ending to this off day.

How could I forget?

2011-03-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Silly me. I was going through my camera chip today and realized I didn't share something pretty darn fabulous with you. Last weekend we went to my Mom's for our annual Oscar party. My Mom ordered Wingstop, my Grandparents brought our favorite pizza, and I made the potato soup along with a new dessert. It was a chocolate peanut butter gooey butter cake. OMG! I can't begin to tell you how good it was. The only time in my life I had a gooey butter cake was when I was at my friends house when I was pregnant with Riley and from what I can remember it was delicious. So when I found this recipe I had to make it. Again I chose this because it was simple, I mean really simple. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. When I put this in the oven it made my house smell wonderful. It did sit at my Mom's for a little bit so the middle had fallen a bit, but it was still yummy. Sorry I don't have any pictures of it cut and on a plate, we were too busy enjoying it.

Riley's first day as a Precious Dove

2011-02-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

At his school this is one of the 4yr old classes and today was his first day. When we walked through his previous classroom and passed his teacher and friends I could see that Riley was a little apprehensive to go into the next room. But once we got in there and his new teacher, Mrs. Teri, showed him his cubby and Riley saw some of his friends that moved up before him, he got really excited and didn't even notice me give him a kiss goodbye. He was too busy taking it all in. During naptime I called to talk with Mrs.Teri and see how my lovebug was doing. She said he fit right in and was having a great day. At lunch she asked Riley if he liked being a Precious Dove and he replied, " Yeah, but I miss my Mom a little." Too cute. When I picked him up he was happy to see me and told me all about his day. Mrs.Teri taught them all about jellyfish, at lunch he sat next to Adalin and her lunch smelled a little funny. What a day...what a great day. We are so proud of our lovebug and look forward to many more milestones with him.

Lego craziness

2011-02-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we got Riley a set of the small Legos from Costco. It's a cool pirate set and together my boys made a boat, jail, and treasure island with it. Last week in the newspaper there was an ad for buy 1 get 1 50% off of Legos at Toys R Us. Riley grabbed the ad and ran to show his Dad. He wanted to use the $5 that he received from Mary Helen (for Valentine's Day) to buy a new set of Legos. As my boys browsed the ad to see what sets they had, Riley found the Harry Potter sets and that is what he set his mind on. He wanted nothing other then to get a set of Harry Potter Legos. This is all he talked about this week, Harry Potter Legos. Well, we got some good news this week, Riley is going to be moving up to the 4 year old class. His teacher says that he is ready and we were thrilled to hear this and wanted to get him a little something. So yesterday my hubby and I decided that after work I would take Riley to Toys R Us and get him some new Legos. As we got to the Lego section he scanned the shelves for the one's he wanted. Riley would take the boxes down and sit on the floor and check out what each set had. He finally decided on Hagrids cottage and then I picked out another set for him for later. We walked up to the cashier and Riley handed her his money and was so proud. He couldn't wait to get his new Legos home so he could put them together with his Dad. He even held it the whole way home and kept looking at it.

One of those days

2011-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

Since today was President's Day, Riley and I had the day off and decided to join Mema & Mary Helen for a day of shopping. We started off at the 99cent store and got a few St. Patrick's day decorations for our home. Next Mema & Mary Helen wanted to go to Kirkland's home store out in Irvine to see what they had. I love that store and every time we go there they have so much new stuff and great deals. Today I bought a framed art piece and 2 candle sconces to go with it. Mary Helen got me an early birthday present there too. It's a huge frame with a saying in the middle and I can put pictures around it. Mema also got me a framed piece with a beautiful saying. My home is going to look so great with these new additions to it. After we were done at Kirklands our tummys were growling from all that shopping and Riley really wanted a hamburger. Good thing there was a Red Robin near by. It was a good time and everyone enjoyed their burgers. We then headed towards home and Riley fell asleep in the car. So I dropped him off with my husband and continued shopping with Mema & Mary Helen at Kohl's. Wow, we found some really great deals there too. So many good buys, I picked up a new beautiful cream color sweater for $9 and it was originally $60. This was the last stop on our shopping trip and it was time to drop off Mema & Mary Helen back at their homes. Poppa was waiting for us because he had something special to make for me. He was putting together a St. Patrick's day wreath for us. My Poppa has really become creative with this and now loves to make us wreaths for every holiday. I can't wait to hang it up on my door. What a neat thing to have from him. I loved today and the great time that we had together. Mema asked at lunch when the next time I'm off from work so we can do this again.

Restored - cooking

2011-02-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

Last night and this morning my hubby has been saying how he would like to have a good potato soup for dinner. I have never made it in my life and had no clue what to do. So I checked tastykitchen.com and found a recipe that had received a high rating. The ingredients were simple and not a bunch of things that I needed either. I made my list and found all the stuff. When we got home and took a short nap I woke up and started to make the soup. It smelled delicious from the start and I kept catching my husband sneaking off to the stock pot to get another taste. Once it was all done and ready, we topped it with crispy bacon, cheese, fresh cracked black pepper, and sour cream. All that was missing was some green onion. But it was still a great soup!! I give it two thumbs up and so does my hubby. Especially since he packed the rest up for tomorrows dinner (and he's not a leftovers type of guy). Perfect for this cold weather we are having and for dessert I made extra special banana bread. Sean has been begging me to make it for him. Smells so good baking in the oven.

Can it be?

2011-02-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is the forecast for the mountains this weekend. Looks like my family & I will be heading up there for some fun!

Day of love fun

2011-02-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

This morning when our lovebug came downstairs to say good morning, we immediately saw his gifts that we had left him on the table. He got so excited and went right to the card first. My hubby read him the card and of course it was a Toy Story Valentine's card. Riley said it was "Cool". Then he opened up his gifts...a How to Train Your Dragon playset, moon dough, silly putty, a puzzle, and a cool heart light spinner. Riley was so happy and once he was done with his presents, he handed me my card. On the front he traced "MOM" and was very proud.

Around 10:30am I went to Riley's school to take pictures of his class party. When I got there it was all set up and decorated for fun! They kids were able to decorate the heart shaped cookies with pink frosting and sprinkles and then passed out their Valentine's to all their friends. Riley's cards were a big hit! I had a lot of fun and loved Riley's valentine's day hat that he HAD to wear the whole time.

After the class party was done, my lovebug and I went out on a date to Red Robin. It was so nice to spend some time with just me and Riley. While we were munching on our cheeseburgers he told me that I was his "Sweetheart". Awww, isn't that adorable. (sorry no picture)

Then for dinner we went out to dinner at Ruby's. We talked about our day and Riley told his Dad about all the Valentine's his friends gave him and told him about our special date. For dessert we all shared a chocolate banana shake. Delicious.

We hope your day was filled with as much love and excitement as ours was!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

May you be showered with love, pour out your love on to those you love, and may you be blessed with a full heart. I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Restored - Creativity

2011-02-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

This morning my Mom got me one of the best birthday presents ever! She is paying for me to take a photography class with one of the top photographers around...Jim Kennedy and his team. He is absolutely amazing. He did the photography for our wedding almost 8 years ago. I am beyond excited to take this class! If you get a chance take a look at his blog. The pictures are beautiful and non-traditional. Did I mention that I was excited?(the photo below is not mine, it's just an example of Jim's work.)

I just have to brag a little

2011-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had some grocery shopping to do. I printed out our shopping list from Coupon$ense.com and had our route set to the grocery stores. We started out at Stater Bros. for a few things but mostly did our shopping at Ralphs. We saved 71% on our groceries tonight!! Whoo hoo. Our total for 33 items was $26 in total when the original total was $91. Good deal!

Restored - Family

2011-02-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight my Dad took my boys and I out to Red Robin for dinner. Never in a million years did I think this would be possible. Up until this last year I hadn't seen my dad for about 15 years. I had always wondered what had happened to him and how he was doing. In the last year my Dad got in touch with my Mom and from there the restoration began for us. It's taken a little time on my side to get used to having him back in my life and in my families lives, but he has really changed for the better and become the wonderful Dad that I used to know when I was little. Riley calls him "Mom's Dad", he won't call him anything else because he thought that my Dad was going to take his Dad's place. It's a little funny though. Anyways, tonight we met up for dinner and at the end my Dad gave us a beautiful stained glass clock that his father had made for me. His Dad, my Grandpa, is 92 and lives in Oklahoma. Look at how amazing this clock is. It's really special to me and I am going to have to look for the perfect place to hang it. What an amazing year...who knew that restoration would bring back my Dad to me.

A boy and his cupcake...

2011-02-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

it's an adorable thing. Last week Riley and I went to Coldstone's with my sister. Riley chose the ice cream cupcake and boy did he enjoy it. For some reason Riley always eats a cupcake this way. He tilts his head and takes a bite right out of the side. Silly boy. I had their Mud Pie ice cream and it was gooood.

I {heart} you

2011-01-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

This morning I got several pictures sent to me on my phone from one of Riley's teachers. She was showing me a special art project that he was doing and oh so very excited about. It made me happy to see how much fun he was having and because I miss him so much while I'm at work. Here is what he was up to:

Shh, don't tell him he's learning!

2011-01-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my Mom in Law got Riley a Leapster Explorer along with a few games. We opened it to let him play with it and he kind of became frustrated because there was just so much to do with it. So we put it away for a week and decided to bring it out again for Riley to try it. He really got the hang of it and now can get to every place and game on it by himself. Mr.Pencil Saves Doodleburg is one of the games he plays & he can draw, trace shapes, and get creative. But his favorite is the game that is on the actual Leapster. On this game he can choose a pet to take care of. Riley feeds him, gives him a bath, and lots of other stuff. One of the cool things his Dad & I love about this particular game is that Riley gets to trace and write the letters of the alphabet. He has so much fun doing it that he doesn't realize he's actually learning to write.

A new do

2011-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

For the past 11 years I have had my hair cut & colored at the same place, My Hair Place (yes that was the actual name of the place). I never thought that one day I would have to search to find a new hairstylist. Well, it happened. Before Christmas my hairdresser left the salon and the owner closed the shop. How devistating! Hair is such a touchy thing with me, especially since mine is so fine and thin and doesn't just look good with any cut that is in style. Good news is that my family highly recommended a new salon and it was much closer too. Blend Hair Salon is where I was headed today after work. Kristen was given the low down on my hair and my particular hair style that I tend to go to, kind of like a security blanket. It makes me feel like I have more body to my hair and looks good no matter what (at least to me anyways). I nervously read on my nook while she chopped away. Almost 6 months had past since my last haircut so sorry to say, my hair was looking pretty depressing. When it was all done I looked up and was pleasently surprised. It was a great cut and I felt like a super hero that just put on my cape. I know that's a little silly, but getting my haircut feels great. Who doesn't like getting their hair did?! So good news on this chaotic day, I found a new hair place. LOVE IT. Bad news, I am catching this cold that is going around. I just took Nyquil and am about to crawl into bed. Hopefully I will remember to put on my pj's before I go to bed.

Restored - cooking

2011-01-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

So last year I wasn't in the mood much to cook home-cooked meals all the time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook, but just didn't get into it. But this year, I am going to restore my love for cooking. It's worked pretty well so far and my boys are loving it. They have had a home-cooked meal every night for the past 2 weeks. Yes in there we have had 2 pizza Fridays, but I have made meals every other night, and not just warmed up meals, I mean actually cooked and made these meals myself. The other night was a first for me, I made mac & cheese. My hubby isn't too fond of mac & cheese, but he cleaned his plate and then ate some for leftovers. I would say that is a pat on the back for me. One thing that has really helped me get back to restoring my love for cooking is tastykitchen.com. It's a website (run by the Pioneer Woman) where people share there recipes and you can browse by skill level, holiday, or meal type. There are tons of great recipes on there. I added a few myself! Check it out and see if you can't find something that lights your culinary fire.

Rockin' Riley's Diner

2011-01-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago my hubby and I found a cool little play diner for Riley. It had a bunch of food, little juke box that plays music, and a chef bell. It just needed a little cleaning up. The best part about it was that it was FREE! Today after Riley's nap we asked him if he wanted to go outside and play with it while Dad BBQ's dinner. He of course said YES and put on his chef apron and hat. He made me chicken nuggets and corn on the cob and for dessert we had ice cream. Riley also made some Krabby Pattys. We had a lot of fun and it's such a neat playset.

My word for 2011

2011-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Many people are choosing a word to define their life in 2011. Ali Edwards has started this and after thinking about it for a couple of days it started to sound good to me. Why not choose a word to be your theme for the year? Seeing as how the last few years have been sprinkled with chaos and drama I chose RESTORE. The definition is 1. To bring back into existence or use; reestablish 2. To bring back to an original condition 3. To put (someone) back in a former position 4. To make restitution of; give back. This year I would love to restore some things. Restore my health, passion for creativity, relationships, and my love for life in general. During this year, along with Project Life, I will be keeping a journal to help me document this year of restoration. So with this, I choose to work towards these things and when it's December 31 I can look back and see all that was restored.

Update Savings!!!!

2011-01-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

Remember when I posted about trying to save money. It's not because we are in financial crisis, but because we are seeing so many people saving money on the things we buy, we decided it would be good for us too. It would also help us put a little more away each month for fun stuff. Soooooo last night my hubby and I were looking on the coupon website and saw that some stores were having a sale on pasta and we had the coupons for them, I ran on my lunch to Stater Bros. and got 4 bags of pasta. On sale for $.99 regularly $2.00 and I had a coupon for $1 off of 2 bags. That brought my total to $1.96!!!! Next I ran to Albertson's, they were having a sale on Ronzoni for 10/$10. I didn't have to buy 10 but I had 4 coupons that gave me $1 off of 2. I picked up my 8 boxes that were on sale for $1 and then noticed that one of the boxes had a coupon for $1 off of a pasta sauce so I grabbed one. As I was checking out the worker there came to help me since my arms were full of pasta and noticed all my savings. My total for 8 boxes of pasta and 1 jar of sauce came to......$5.99! Whoo hooo!!!! I can't believe that for the day my total came to $7.95 when my actual total should have been $28.27. I love this and we are hooked. After work I am running to Walgreens to get some more great deals & even free items because of my coupons. I am telling you, I don't have time to sit on the computer and look all over for these deals and coupons myself, CouponSense.com has been a HUGE help in this and I highly recommend it!!

In the eyes of a 3 year old

2011-01-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Santa brought Riley his very own camera. He has been getting more and more interested in taking pictures like I do with my camera an d I couldn't part with letting him use my Nikon. So thank you to Santa! When we went to the mountains Riley got to bring his camera along. From the very start of our trip he was taking pictures. One of the cool things about his camera is that is has frames and all sorts of neat things you can add to the pictures. I was surprised to see how fast he learned how to work his camera and even take pictures of himself. When we got home from our trip I loaded his pictures onto my computer and this is what I found...

2010-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's finally the end of 2010. What a year it has been. From family trips to San Diego, snow trips, Riley moving up to the Busy Bee class, us moving into a beautiful home, & many other things to choose from. In between those great memories it's been sprinkled with some not so great things. I know we can't avoid them we can only learn to grow from them, so I am thankful for them and what they teach us. God has been there every step of the way and has blessed us in the good times and through the bad. We are thankful and couldn't ask for more. 2011 brings a promise of a fresh start and many new things that we have planned. Whether they come to fruition or not, we welcome 2011 and can't wait to see what it brings. Happy New Year to you and yours!!

Hurray!

2010-12-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Guess what was delivered to my door last night in the pouring rain? Project Life! It's beautiful and I love the new turquoise design. I did get an extra binder because I stuffed my 2010 Project Life full of all sorts of memories and momentos. I have not yet decided what my plan is for my 2011 project, but I am thinking I am going to save it and use it for something special.

Christmas part 1

2010-12-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

I woke up early on Christmas morning so I could get pictures and video of Riley coming down the stairs and get his reaction. It was exactly what I expected. His eyes were huge and he couldn't wait to tear into them and see what was under all that wrapping paper. There were Duplo blocks, movies, clothes, & all sorts of fun stuff. When Riley had opened everything, we asked him if he got every thing he had wished for. He said yes, but then said "Santa broke my heart. I didn't get my Sheriff Woody." So we took a look around and found that Santa had left one more package by the fireplace. Riley quickly opened up and found that Santa had indeed brought Sheriff Woody! OMG I don't think we could get the box open fast enough for Riley to get to Sheriff Woody. It was adorable.

The next stop for us was back to my Mom's home. My brother was waiting for us at 8am and couldn't wait to start opening presents, and there were a ton for everyone to open. Riley got some really cool things like a pirate raincoat, huge pirate ship for us to put together and for him to color and play in, my sister got him a real pirate flag, great outfits, and Yo Gabba Gabba shoes. He was thrilled to see his buddies on his very own pair of Gabba shoes. Also, Mema got Riley his very own Sheriff Woody boots to wear. We had to put them on him right away and he wore them for the rest of the day. He didn't want to take them off to sleep. Sean and I got a bunch of stuff for our home. We are looking forward to putting them up this week while we are off. Another gift that was a hit was the photo book my Mom got for my Grandparents. It was all the pictures from the cruise we took back in July. Mema started to cry when she flipped through the pages. What could be better. Well, my gift from my Mom was better (I think). I got a speed light for my Nikon camera. I took a few pictures with it that morning and noticed a HUGE difference. I just need to practice more with it and read the manual to get the hang of it. What a great Christmas so far! P.S. last year we had on funny Christmas shirts for our family picture last year and this year Mema got us silly hats. I had reindeer antlers, but I had to take them off because they blocked her out. I love our silly family pictures.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we went to my Mom's house to have dinner and visit with our family and friends. This year we were blessed to have our friends Angela & Annika with us. I haven't seen them since Riley was just a baby and it was really good to see them and catch up on what we have been up to. My Mom made the traditional home-made lasagna and prime rib for dinner so we all gathered around the table and ate a great dinner and laughed a lot. After we nibbled on some goodies that we had for dessert. I brought over a whole bunch of stuff including a yummy apple cake with caramel drizzle. When everyone was stuffed most of us headed out to the livingroom to chat some more and hang out. Poppa read Riley a new book and we took some pictures out front with Santa. Before we knew it, it was time to head home. This was the first time in 7 years that we have not spent the night with my family on Christmas Eve. Sean & I wanted to experience it with Riley in our very own home. Riley was so excited to get to bed and wake up to see what Santa brought him that we almost forgot to put out some milk and cookies for Santa. When we were saying our goodnights, he asked me to remember to put them out along with the letter he wrote for Santa. All he asked for was a new Sheriff Woody doll. He even cut out a picture of it and circled it on his letter to Santa. Sean and I couldn't wait for morning and see the look on Riley's face as he came down the stairs to see what Santa had left for him.

2010-12-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for us so I just wanted to make sure I wished everyone a very merry Christmas! I hope your day is blessed and filled with lots of great memories.

Early Christmas Present

2010-12-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Today I ordered my next Project Life kit!!! I should have it in about a week or so! You don't know how excited I am. I'm also thinking of going back to taking a picture everyday. Maybe. For now I am too excited that I just ordered it and it will soon be on it's way to my home.

Getting ready

2010-12-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Are you almost done getting ready for Christmas? We are. At least we thought we were until Riley pointed out that we had not decorated the gingerbread house. So last night, after dinner, we cleared the dinning room table and got to work. This year we bought our gingerbread house at Target because it had a big house, flight school, and Santa with his reindeer, all for a great price. Riley had a blast. He really enjoyed doing this last year and again was really into doing it again this year especially since he got to wear his special "helper apron" that Sean bought him. I think Riley worked on the decorating ( and eating ) for almost an hour before he declared it was done. Decorating a gingerbread house has now become a Christmas family tradition for us!

Carols, Candles, & Communion

2010-12-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

Last night my church had a special service called Carols, Candles, & Communion. It's truly beatiful with the lights down low and the whole sanctuary is filled with candles. We started off by singing some traditional Christmas carols and then the kids came up and sang Jingle Bells & Frosty the Snowman for us. Next there was a Mother and Son performance. He played guitar while his Mom sang Breath of Heaven. Absolutely amazing. There was also an angel dance from our Christmas Spectacular that was fabulous. After that there was one of our band members that played O Holy Night on his cello. BEAUTIFUL! It was stunning and took our breath away. The whole night was wonderful and really got us in the Christmas mood and had us focusing on the real reson for Christmas...Jesus. Yes there is Santa, presents, & fun, but the main reason for Christmas is that sweet little baby that was born in a manger. What a blessing to us!

Wrappin' up bakin'

2010-12-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

So tonight I am just finishing up a few things that I have left to make like more white chocolate candy cane bark and a new recipe I'm trying this year with chocolate, graham crackers, & peanut butter. Everything else is in the fridge and ready for me to pack tomorrow to hand out. It was definitely a major task this year, I think I ended up making 6 different things for the goodie boxes. Thank goodness for my friend, Becca that came to help and make the baking so much more fun! I really enjoyed her! Here is a peek at some of the goodies.

Party

2010-12-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I went to Riley's class to help out with their Christmas party. This year the teacher got them all stockings and the parents had to bring in stocking stuffers. When I came in Ms.Tricia handed the kids their stockings and had them sit in a circle so we could hand them all their surprises. They were all super excited to get the playdoh, crazy straws, jingle bell necklaces, and other goodies. After each child got to decorate a cupcake. Of course Riley loved it. There was frosting, red sprinkles, & green sugar for them to get creative with. I had so much fun and the kids were great. All of them look too cute in their reindeer antlers and red noses. What a great time.

Let the baking begin

2010-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

About 3 years ago I started to bake a few things for a couple of people. Now I bake for a list of almost 20 people. They ask my husband when I am going to be making my treats and when he is going to bring them in. Well, last night I ran all over town to gather up the stuff that I will need for this Christmas. Tonight begins my baking frenzy and I have called in help. My friend is going to come and help me out. Thank goodness. I don't know what I got myself into this year. I plan on making about 6 different things, some like my white peppermint bark & peanut butter blossoms, but there are some new things like hot chocolate cupcakes & marbled graham treats. Here's to a fun day of baking!

Sweet little angels

2010-12-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday, my little one had his schools Christmas program. Most of the kids were dressed as angels, but some were dressed as wisemen and shepherds, they were adorable. Riley did such a great job this year...no crying! Thank goodness. He was so excited to sing his songs and when he got up on the stage and saw his whole family he pointed everyone out to his friend that was standing next to him. It was cute, the microphone was close by so you could hear him. All of the kids did a fabulous job and it melts our hearts each time we see them perform. They did such a great job.

Riley singing his favorite song "Glory to God"

If you need a laugh

2010-12-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Today I made this and wanted to share it with you. It's hilarious!

Merry Christmas

Despicable Me

2010-12-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Target was advertising a special edition of this movie with a very special item. Wearable Minion goggles. Today on my lunch break I ran out to get it for Riley as a stocking stuffer. He loves this movie and every time a preview of it comes on the tv he laughs and imitates the characters.

Santa...I know him!

2010-12-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last night we got together with our friends, the Keeners & drove to see the beautiful lights at the Mission Inn in Riverside. We got there around 8:30 and the line to see Santa was quite long. The Daddy's walked the boys around to see the horse drawn carriages while the Mommy's waited in line. It wasn't too cold and the boys were pretty good while they waited to see Santa. Finally it was their turn and Aaron ran right up to sit on Santa's lap. Then it was Riley's. He was sooo excited to go and tell Santa that he wants a talking Sheriff Woody doll. It was too cute watching this. Too bad we weren't allowed to use our cameras to take pictures since the Mission Inn had their own photographer, but my hubby was able to snap one on the sly. It's a little blurry but too cute. After the hour wait and several candy canes later we all headed toward the food tents. I was on a mission to get some fresh made mini donuts. We found it... and got a bucket o' donuts. They were so fresh and so delicious.We then made our way over to the Mission Inn to walk around and inside to see all the lights, elves, and gigantic nutcrackers. The Mission was beautiful! What a great night.

Warning the following is very addicting

2010-12-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

This morning I found a recipe from Picky Palate that was super easy and I had to try. All it takes is your favorite brownie mix and Oreos. In her's she used regular Oreos with red cream centers, but for mine I used mint ones. I just took them out of the oven and tried one. TO DIE FOR!!! The step by step directions can be found here.

Christmas Spectacular

2010-12-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

Last night was the final night of our Christmas program at our church. Sean was part of the crew so Riley sat with me to watch the show. This year it was really different. Normally we have a huge living Christmas tree that is set up in our sanctuary, but this year they opted to leave it out. Most of the songs were Christmas carols and we had live music done by string trio & our very own band. It was another beautiful performance filled with upbeat music and beautiful dancers, great drama, and lots of fun!

Getting over the "blahs"

2010-12-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

The past 2 weeks I have had this cold that I just can't get rid of. It goes away for a day or 2 but comes back to visit sooner or later. Now my little isn't feeling well. Since I picked him up from school at naptime yesterday he has had a fever and just been grumpy. Most of his time has been spent in our bed watching cartoons in his pj's. Tonight I decided to do something special with him. I had my hubby get out our Christmas ornaments and get some lights from the store so Riley and I could decorate our tree. Once he woke up from his nap the tree was lit and I had a bunch of our ornaments on the coffee table for him to see and help me put up. Riley had me tell him what every ornament was and why we had it. We looked at his first Christmas one, my Wizard of Oz, and some other special ornaments. I loved it because he is so into Christmas and every thing that goes along with it from the stockings, tree, Santa, and anything else. He found a special "Santa key" and has been carrying it around all day. Riley says that "Santa will find me if I have this". Too cute. I love this age and can't wait to see the look on his face after Santa visits and brings him presents.

Busy

2010-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I was a busy little elf. I brought out all of my Christmas scrapbooking paper and embellishments to start on my "25 days of Christmas" book. While going through all my boxes of stuff I came up with a few more projects that I could make as gifts. This morning as I was getting ready for work I realized that my dining room table is covered in Christmas and I said to myself "what did I get myself into?". But in all honesty I do love it and can't wait to finish my projects. Tis the season to be merry!! :)