Category Archives: Family

This Is Ei8ht

May 29, 2013 Amy 2 Comments

Happy 8th Birthday, my precious daughter.

I remember the moment Dr. Schonbrun announced, “It’s a girl!”

I remember the first week of your life taking you to the hospital for morning and evening bilirubin checks for your jaundice.

I remember you, Rascal and me piling our belongings into my little Volvo wagon and driving from San Diego to our new home in Nor Cal to meet Daddy and Riggs.

I remember taking a stroll down S. Mary Avenue in Sunnyvale almost every afternoon to Starbucks for my venti iced americano and how I would feed you teeny tiny pieces of banana bread.

I remember being so excited to sign you up for swimming lessons and you meeting your first little girlfriend, Charlotte, and your matching bikinis.

I remember shopping for coordinating outfits at Gymboree for you {proud big sister} and Holden to wear when he came home from the hospital.

I remember how so very proud I was just three weeks ago when I watched you receive the body & blood of Christ at your first Holy Communion.

I remember SO many things from your first 8 years and I’m trying not to forget ANY of it.

The little things.

The BIG things.

The laughs.

The tears.

ALL of it.

Our sweet, goal kickin’, hip hop dancin’, 4-square playin’, orange chicken eatin’ {still!!}, 1D & Justin Bieber singin’, peace sign throwin’, faith growin’, arts & craftin’, lemonade makin’, allllmost 3rd grader ~ Elliott Elizabeth Aspiras.

You have the world out there waiting for you…go get it.

We love you oh SO much!!

Enjoy your day, darlin’!! XOXO

Family, Food

No Restaurant Challenge

May 26, 2013 Amy Leave a comment

This 4-day weekend {kids had a furlough day on Friday and Jay took it off} we decided to stick close to home and not make any major plans since the past few weekends have been beautifully busy. We also made an agreement not to eat out at all.

That’s a biggie.

We enjoy eating out a little on the weekends whether it be trying out a new restaurant or revisiting one of our old favorites.

So, I did a Trader Joe’s and Vons run and stocked up on fruits, veggies, meats, etc.

I do love to cook and bake, but with 12 meals over the long weekend, that means a lot of messes and a LOT of dishes!

BUT, we did save a lot of money and enjoyed later, leisurely dinners as a result.

Tonight we tried a recipe that Jay spotted in the June issue of Sunset magazine ~ STEAK a la PLANCHA.

I’d never had chimichurri, but have always wanted to try it. I found a beautiful tri tip and Jay got that marinating yesterday overnight for grilling this evening.

1 bison or beef tri-tip 1.5″-1.75″ thick and about 2 pounds, trimmed of fat {we stuck with beef}

3/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder

1 tbsp. freshly cracked pepper

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. Combine tri-tip with oil and seasonings in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Chill about 24 hours.

2. Take bag from refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking. Meanwhile, set a cast-iron griddle or large cast-iron skillet on a grill and heat grill to high {450*to 550*}. Jay just used our Weber charcoal grill.

3. Lay tri-tip on hot griddle. Cover grill and cook, turning once or twice, until meat is deep brown and an instant-read thermometer reaches 130*{medium-rare; don’t overcook}, 15-20 minutes total.

4. Transfer tri-tip to a board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve with chimichurri.

Chimichurri

In a food processor, pulse 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup packed parsley sprigs {I used Italian/flat leaf parsley}, 7 garlic cloves {I used about 12-14}, 1/3 cup packed fresh rosemary leaves, 2 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tsp. each red chile flakes and sea salt to coarsely chop. While pulsing, pour in 2/3 cup EVOO. Let sauce rest at least 1 hour; or chill up to 3 days, then bring to room temp.

This meal was perfection. The spicy, fresh flavor of the sauce is so different. I loved the extra garlic!!

We’ll be enjoying the rest as leftovers and lunches this week and will definitely be making this again ~ possibly with flank steak next time.

***

I can’t get enough sweet white corn at this time of year.

While I was choosing my ears of corn, a nice little older woman told me to look for smaller kernels that are in a straight line for your best corn experience. Just pull down the husk and check it out in the store…I suggest leaving the husks on if you’re going to grill. Be sure and soak them in water first and grill for 15 minutes, turning along the way ~ that’s it! Oh, and mark my words, you’re going to want to drizzle a little chimichurri sauce on your corn. Yup.

I call this the K.I.S.S. salad. Keep It Simple Salad. I am always trying to add so many ingredients into our salads that sometimes I get stressed out and we may not even have a salad! This was a sample at Trader Joe’s…sweet butter lettuce, halved grape tomatoes and their Hummus dressing. That’s it. The hummus dressing is amazing and can be found in the produce section with all the other refrigerated dressings. {Elliott even liked it!}

Part of our big grocery shopping trip was a HUGE container of strawberries. I cut several up, added just a little sugar and let them macerate overnight, made biscuits {just good ol Bisquick} and had rustic strawberry shortcakes for dessert tonight, too!

Talk about summer on a plate…

We may have not gone out of town this weekend, but we ate GOOD!

Eating IN certainly does have it’s benefits ~ it’s a lot less expensive and you can control what you put into your food and how much you eat.

We’re going to try to keep this up until Father’s Day ~ Sunday, June 16th.

*****

Tomorrow we’re meeting some friends at the park and then having a little Memorial Day get together on our block. Not sure what dish I’m bringing yet, but I am going to throw together some red, white & blue sangria ~ 2 bottles Chardonnay, 1-liter Fresca {or ginger ale or lemon lime soda}, 1/2 cup triple sec, strawberries, white peaches or nectarines {if available} and blueberries.

I hope you all have a blessed day and remember our {fAllEn HeRoEs} as you celebrate with friends and family.

Faith, Family, Fiestas & Fetes, Friends

Tulle Time ~ A First Holy Communion Celebration

May 14, 2013 Amy 1 Comment

This past weekend Elliott celebrated her first holy communion.

When given two dates to choose from, I decided to go with Saturday the 11th of May so that it would fall on Mother’s Day weekend. My in-laws and mom would be in town and we’d all be able to celebrate Mother’s Day together for the first time, as well.

But honestly the focus was on our sweet, sweet almost 8-year old and her special day.

I really can’t put into words the pride and joy I felt. We were given several blank cards to choose from at the communion retreat and instructed to write our child a note and give it to them the morning of their mass. I tuned out the hustle and bustle, sat and wrote her words from my heart, took her aside and had her read it. She immediately gave me a hug and said, “Thank you, mommy!”

She was confident. She was ready.

Some days she fights me when it’s time to go to CCD, but I’ve never backed down and every time we arrive and I walk her to her room, she runs in and doesn’t even say goodbye. I’m OK with that.

She’s memorized all her prayers and even got 100% on her cumulative quiz. She performed her first reconciliation like a {pro} in early February. I had NO doubt that she was going to make us just as proud as she received her first eucharist.

And proud we were….

{We found her dress at Nordstrom. It’s actually an Easter dress and was a fraction of the cost of their communion dresses sold on-line. I wanted simple and classic, yet with a twist and I think this was perfect. Her little shoes are from Payless and her veil is from the parish gift shop. ~ Thank you to Lolo & Lola for her dress and Gramma Kathy for her cross earrings and matching necklace! XO}

Jay and I hosted a little dessert celebration that evening and I had so much fun planning and preparing for that. Obviously.

I found some sweet notecards at TJ Maxx and used those for the invites. Again, I just format the text and run them through the printer for a “professional” look.

Of course the main color of the day was WHITE so I tried my hardest to stray away from the bright, vibrant colors that I love so much. I knew there was going to be some tulle involved since, to me, that is so light and delicate and reminiscent of the veils worn by the little girls.

I covered our huge Cinzano picture in brown mailing paper and then hung a few embroidery hoops from the tulle. I found a small remnant of while polka dot fabric at Joann’s as it complemented the little dots on her dress.

I’d also seen a balloon chandelier on Pinterest and went off memory when putting that up…

I had no idea what I was doing…just picked up a bag of 10 gold {accent color} balloons and some white iridescent curling ribbon, blew up the balloons, cut a long piece of ribbon, curled the bottom half of it and hung it with tape on the ceiling so that the curly part hung down. Simple as that. I hung all 10 balloons over the center of our big table.

We decided to just do desserts and drinks and I wanted everything to be white. I went with my favorite sugar cookie bars, white chocolate covered strawberries, white chocolate covered pretzel rods, TJ’s vanilla meringues and at the last minute we picked up an ice cream cake for the kids.

It was just lemonade for the kids and beer and wine for the adults…

I finally picked up the stemless wine glasses I’ve been wanting for years for the occasion.

I wanted all the families to go home with a little something so I found some small wall plaques at Dollar Tree, swapped out the ugly ribbon and repackaged them. I think we all can benefit from a little reminder of FaItH & hOpE once in awhile.

FAITH is inspiration for the future.

HOPE never falters or gives up.

Amen.

The kids chalked up our court with the help of the street lights. Elliott desperately wanted me to take a picture at 10:30pm, but I had to wait until daylight to best capture her work…

Here are some other favorites from the day…

*****

Thank you to all who came to the church for the mass and to our home to celebrate and for all her precious gifts ~ perfect reminders for her down the road of this special day and tokens of our faith.

It was a truly blessed day.

Can’t wait to do it again in two years with Holden.

Faith, Family

Stressin’ About Shoes

May 6, 2013 Amy Leave a comment

Elliott is receiving her first holy communion this weekend.

It’s a big deal.

I know this because I just went through it myself about 6 weeks ago.

She’s been preparing for this since October and she is so excited. Her catechist has done such a fantastic job this year paving the road to her first reconciliation and now her eucharistic sacrament. I think it helped that she watched me being baptized, confirmed and receive at the Easter Vigil. She is ready and we can hardly wait to witness this solemn, yet powerful, milestone.

We’ve been shopping and selected her dress with Lolo and Lola. She chose her veil all on her own {I zipped my lips ~ promise!} at the parish gift shop and we tracked down Monsignor Mike to bless it. We’ve been practicing taking the host and sipping the wine at home.

And then there was the shoe issue.

She wanted sandals with HEELS.

WHITE sandals with heels.

Like these…

I said absolutely not and may have played the {sandals are not allowed} card.

I just couldn’t do it.

Her dress is darling and extremely simple. I wanted her shoes to also be classic and sweet.

Without heels.

I scoured several stores ~ Famous Footwear, Kohl’s, Target, Wal-mart {just couldn’t go through life knowing I purchased her first communion shoes at Wal-mart, sorry}, Marshall’s and Ross.

Then a mom that I totally adore and value her style and taste mentioned that she got her daughter’s shoes at Payless and that they had several styles to choose from. I immediately logged on and clicked through the white dress shoes and found these cuties…

Delicate little ruffles with the ever so tiny sparkle of a few rhinestones.

And FLAT.

Adore.

AND they were $5 off.

ANNNNND when I got home and showed them to her she squeeeealed, “They have heels!”

Win. Win.

Everyone’s happy and she’ll be an inch closer to the ground ~ at 7 {allllmost 8} years old, that is a good thing.

I suppose one could argue that the higher the heels, the closer to GOD………

Cannot argue with that.

*****

Looking forward to your day, Elliott Elizabeth Aspiras…Saturday, May 11, 2013 is going to be so, so special.

It’s NOT about the shoes anyway.

Family, Fitness, Food

Mud Run Eve Eats ~ Tequila Lime Chicken Pasta

April 14, 2013 Amy 2 Comments

Jay signed up for the Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run again this year ~ his third year in a row.

It’s a lot of fun to be a spectator as well as participate…I partook last year and it was quite the comedy. You can check that out here.

Jay requested a nice pasta meal the night before the 10K and, of course, I was quick to say, “Sure!”. He decided on Tequila Lime Chicken Fettuccini ~ a fabulous choice, I thought.

Cilantro? Jalapeños? Tequila? Lime?

Absolutely.

I followed the recipe precisely, however, subbed half & half for the heavy cream to feel a little bit less guilty. Also, wasn’t too sure about the soy sauce ingredient since this isn’t an Asian dish, but decided to roll with it. I didn’t think it took away from the tequila lime flavor at all, though.

We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Personally, I thought it needed more heat. Next time I think I will use 2 fresh jalapenos and leave the seeds and the ribs in since that is where all the heat is {this time I only used one and took out most of the seeds and innards}.

We were up bright and early to report for duty at Lake Castaic!

Jay did awesome and watching from the sidelines this year made me want to set a goal to do it again next year….

With his dog tag medal….

*****

So, I guess I am half way committing to doing the 5K again next year.

I’d like to get a team together and make a party out of it. Anyone interested?

Definitely going to need to {train} better and tackle some bigger hills leading up to the race, but mostly it’s a novelty event and just getting out there and getting dirty is what it’s all about!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Faith, Family, Friends

So Much More

March 25, 2013 Amy 4 Comments

On this Holy Week, I’m preparing for the arrival of my in-laws and loosely planning all the things we will do while they are visiting. I’m secretly shopping for little Easter trinkets yet reminding myself of the true meaning of Easter. It’s not about the baskets or the Cadbury Creme Eggs or the Peeps or the egg hunts. It’s about the holiest day of the year ~ without the Resurrection, there would be no Christian faith.

While yes I am scurrying around tidying up and vacuuming corners and gathering goodies for little baskets, this Easter is about so much more.

I am being baptized into the Catholic Church.

{my sponsor [and anchor through all this], Rhonda and I ~ Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels}

The past 18 months of RCIA have been filled with reflection, prayer and forming a deeper relationship with the Lord. I’d be amiss to not mention the wonderful brothers & sisters I have met and bonded with throughout this process. We have met twice a week for a year and a half. We have shared things that are hard to share. We have listened to each other, comforted each other and prayed for each other. These people will be friends for life. The thought of this chapter of my life coming to an end is bittersweet. But again, there is so much more that lays ahead.

I’ve been attending Catholic churches with Jay for over 10 years now from Blessed Sacrament in San Diego to St. Philip Neri in Fort Mill, SC where Elliott was baptized to St. Cyprian in Sunnyvale, CA where Holden was baptized to Saint Mary’s in Gilroy to our current parish, Blessed Kateri {now Saint Kateri Tekakwitha}. As a non-Catholic at each of these parishes, I always felt welcomed and at home…always greeted by the warmest of parishioners and sent away with a feeling of peace and renewal.

In just about 5 days, I will be officially handing over my heart to Jesus and becoming a true Catholic.

{Palm Sunday 2013}

I’m ever so thankful to my parents for raising me to know that there is a God and always teaching me {Matthew 7:12}, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. And I’m ever so grateful for my in-laws for instilling their steadfast faith in Jay which in turn led me to be called to grow my relationship with Jesus and to serve.

I love you all! XO

*****

Speaking of serving, Julie has a heart of gold and is always thinking and doing for others. She recently put her creative Photoshop hand to work and designed a special printable to benefit St. Baldrick’s and their fight to help cure childhood cancer.

{just $5 ~ a great Easter gift!}

By purchasing this ROYGBV goodness from her shop for only 5 dollars, you’ll be helping Julie send a pot of gold over St. Baldrick’s way ~ she’s donating $2.50 from each purchase!

Within minutes of making your PayPal transaction, you will be e-mailed a downloadable {non-watermarked} copy of this bad boy for printing at home or sending to your local Walgreens, Target or photo lab of choice.

I printed mine out at home and it’s beautiful. Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring me a bright white frame to house it.

*****

Happy Monday.

Have a blessed week!

Faith, Family, Friends, Fun

Counting

March 11, 2013 Amy 1 Comment

Hi friends!

Can’t believe it’s been over a week since I posted….I was doing so well and then things got extra busy I guess.

Two weekends ago I took a little getaway down to Carlsbad and attended a ladies retreat that was hosted by Mission Hills Community Church. Some friends {Richelle, Julie, Stephanie & Amanda} were extremely involved in the planning and I was fortunate enough to partake and enjoy the fruits of ALL their labor. As I mentioned before, this weekend away was my Christmas gift from Jay and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

The theme of the retreat was “Blessed” as quoted in Jeremiah 17:7.

The decor team transformed the meeting room at The Carlsbad Inn into a colorful place of worship with burlap, adorable buntings and banners, milk glass, hoop art and the retreat’s color scheme ~ aqua and yellow. Every eyesore in the room was covered with beautiful antique and vintage pieces for the most pulled together, cohesive atmosphere.

Little handmade cupcake liner flowers peeked out of Mason jars and watering cans…

We were spoiled with all sorts of treats…tote bags, beautiful handmade journals, logo’d insulated plastic cups, darling coffee cozies and the most lovingly made {blessed} signs as we wrapped up and said goodbye to a wonderful weekend!

We had the chance to make necklaces with hundreds of little graphics and designs to choose from. I chose a seashell to remind me of this special weekend meeting and visiting with women all with a breathtaking ocean view as the backdrop.

It wasn’t too bad waking up to this view two mornings in a row…

{Saturday}

{Sunday}

We ate like queens with the most thoughtful continental breakfast spread each morning as well as Panera for lunch and a dessert table each night that was to-die-for.

For dinner we were on our own to explore the town of Carlsbad and pick from loads of little restaurants all within walking distance.

It was truly a weekend that I will remember forever. I met SO many sweet, godly women, but one of them will always touch my heart ~ thank you, Maria, for our chat. So grateful that HE paired us up and I had the chance to get to know you and hear your testimonial. XO

*****

Upon returning home to my little family that I missed so, was the usual Sunday evening frenzy followed by a busy week ahead.

We missed soccer practice the previous week due to a day of illness, but were ready to get some practice in for our first games this past weekend…

{One Ninja & one Pink Panther}

I also attended a first holy communion retreat with Elliott this past Saturday. She painted a glass, made a quilt square and kneaded her own unleavened bread to prepare for this sacrament in a couple months.We both thoroughly enjoyed it and I almost snuck a glass and painted one myself! So fun….

*****

Today, and everyday, I am counting my blessings. They are most definitely abundant and I no doubt recognize them.

Today I am blessed with new friends, a stronger faith, a healthy family and so much more.

I hope you’ll take a little time out of all the craziness and chaos and remind yourself how blessed you are!

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Faith, Family, Friends, Fun

Gifts

February 27, 2013 Amy 2 Comments

This weekend is the perfect weekend to have three birthday parties on the agenda.

I am going to be out of town redeeming my Christmas gift from Jay ~ a Ladies Retreat down south.

I am SO excited.

I need it. There is something so powerful when a group of ladies get together and share, chat, laugh and even cry.

Knowing that you are not going through life alone and that you have an amazing support group other than your immediate circle of friends and extended family is always comforting no matter how perfect you think your life is. And while I know that my life is NO where near perfect, I feel blessed daily and I need to continue to do so.

Yes, even through the homework and the bickering and the losing my patience and the yelling and the dog hair in the corners and the sink full of dishes and the clean dishes in the dishwasher that need to find their home. We all need a moment {in this case about 48 hours} to ourselves to sit back and visit, make new friends, share stories and remind us that we are truly, madly, deeply blessed.

So, Jay will be with the children and doing school pick-up, dance class, Fish Stick Friday, Little Church and attending three birthday parties around town. I know he enjoys seeing Elliott & Holden interacting with their friends and watching them laugh and play with their peers.

It should be a win/win all around this weekend.

Although I’m sure I’m going to be the one that feels more refreshed and renewed when it’s all over, I hope that we can further appreciate our true gifts and blessings on Sunday evening when we’re all back together sharing stories of the weekend.

Thanks babe, for the chance to get away for a bit. I appreciate it more than you know….and I appreciate YOU!

What are YOU looking forward to as this week comes to an end? It’s supposed to be GORGEOUS!

XOXO

Family, Fiestas & Fetes, Friends, Fun

Birthday Safari ~ Holden Turns Six

February 24, 2013 Amy 2 Comments

When it comes to our kids’ birthday parties, I always have two things in mind….

Keep it simple.

Make it special.

This year we decided to have Holden’s party at the Wildlife Learning Center. We’d never been there, but learned that they do parties so I thought it’d be something different and educational at the same time.

To keep things extra easy, I scheduled the party in the mid-afternoon from 2pm-4pm so that I didn’t feel I had to serve a whole meal or heavy snacks since that would be harder to transport, keep cold, etc. I just made a huge batch of Safari Trail Mix for munching on and served two-bite cupcakes and mini ice cream sandwiches {the cutest & perfectly kid-sized ~ Ralphs/Kroger brand}. We had mini water bottles from Trader Joe’s that I covered in leopard print duct tape to keep with the theme.

{easiest party trick ever}

A big thank you to my talented friend, Richelle, who helped place and hang the decor as she is the event planning guru…

{embroidery hoops with remnant fabric purchased from Joann’s ~ all 3 hoops cost less than $5 to make}

{the “H” is just a piece of cardboard that I covered in yarn and the “6” is from the dollar bins at Michael’s}

The first 30 minutes of the party is a presentation of several animals with facts and a chance for all the kids to touch said critter.

{my fave, the porcupine}

After the live animal presentation, the kids went on a little tour of the grounds to meet more animal friends…

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Holden, Happy Birthday to you!”

*****

I really try to make the party favors useful {which probably translates to boring for the kids, but perfect for the parents!}

The kiddos went home with some safari band-aids and a little mini B&BW hand sanitizer for their backpacks or lunch boxes…

The 3 and under crowd took home fun little monkey melamine plates…

…and the under 1 year old guest went home with a pair of giraffe mittens…

{ok, so I don’t know how useful mittens are in So Cal, but they sure were cute!}

*****

This non-profit was a pleasure to work with and the two ladies that ran the party were so great with the kids and very knowledgable. The only thing that bugged me was that the pavilion where the presentation and the party is held is right along the main thoroughfare and we had a few “party crashers”. I got irritated enough and kindly informed them that it was a private party and they went on their merry ways, but other than that, I think the safari-goers had a fantastic time and all seemed very engaged and interested.

The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. I was a little worried since we had some rain and lots of wind earlier in the week. Holden showed up in shorts and flip flops. Cannot ask for more perfect February weather than that!

I am always reminded each year as we celebrate our kids birthdays of the special group of friends that we’re blessed with in our lives. I loved that this party was a gathering of old friends that have known Holden since before he was 2, new friends that he has made this year in kindergarten, sweet next door neighbors and friends & family that traveled all the way from Orange County and San Diego.

And then there are the same friends who, year after year, are my cupcake passer-outers, clean up crew and schlep-everything-to-the-car helpers. Thank you to my Stevenson Ranch ladies ~ Karen, Melissa & Janet for always lending a hand. We may no longer be able to meet at the park and chat once or twice a week, but I still love you, of course, and will always remember those times special times we spent together before school came and interrupted our social life! Darn it.

THANK YOU to all who came ~ we loved having you there to celebrate Holden’s special day with us.

*****

Cannot believe our baby will turn SIX tomorrow…

It’s been a WILD 72 months, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

We love you to pieces, Holdy, and hope you enjoyed your party and celebrating with your friends ~ both animal and human!

Family, Fiestas & Fetes, Friends

Wild Weekend

February 24, 2013 Amy Leave a comment

Our little shaggy-haired almost 6-year old celebrated with his safari-going friends yesterday at an amazing local wildlife rescue center.

Our weekend has been WILD, but so wonderful…..lots more pics to come!

Thank you to all who came out into the beautiful olive grove to help Holden greet a new year.

XOXO

Flip Flop Follies

Category Archives: Family

This Is Ei8ht

No Restaurant Challenge

Tulle Time ~ A First Holy Communion Celebration

Stressin’ About Shoes

Mud Run Eve Eats ~ Tequila Lime Chicken Pasta

So Much More

Counting

Gifts

Birthday Safari ~ Holden Turns Six

Wild Weekend

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