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A Spoonful Of Sugar

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{via}

This past Sunday afternoon I attended Blog Sugar.

{I was lame and did not take any pictures….please click link above to see oodles from the amazing event}

Even though I went by myself, I wasn’t ALONE. I prayed on the drive down.

I just kept reminding myself, “All you have to do is BE YOURSELF, Amy!”

*****

I immediately met Kimmie while walking through the parking lot.

{Kimmie was so sweet to mention me in her post. I was so touched.}

It was a treat to meet Erin {who has been a faithful flopper for almost as long as I’ve been blogging}, Mel, Heather and Jessica!

I took a deep breath and introduced myself to Meg and Julie.

I was honored to share a table for the evening with Michele, Paula, one of the only gentlemen there and his wife and darling Andrea!

I got to sit in and listen to Lindsey, Julie & Jeannett and Jen during our three breakout sessions.

Lindsey taught me so much about {juggling} gracefully.

Julie taught me so much about putting YOURSELF out there for GOD’s good. Your {little} idea could snowball into so much more.

Jeannett taught me that my blog is not MY blog and to always “Bring it!”

Jen taught me more about the art of taking beautiful photos to tell my story.

I was humbled to learn more about LOVE146 and spoke to Danielle on the way out as I picked up a tee and made a donation to this worthy, worthy cause.

As I was going through my fun swag bag, I came across a printable from Red Letter Words that really resonated with me…

She knew that she was here for such a time as this

Even though I was nervous the entire time and just kept chatting to hide my nerves, {I knew that I was there because that is where I belong} ~ in the presence of dozens and dozens of other women who blog for the exact same reason that I do.

To share.

To inspire.

To encourage.

To grow.

To LOVE.

She knew that she was here for such a time as this

I love that. {thank you, Dee!}

Here is a fun {vlog} from the conference put together by Denise @ Victory Road…look for me, the girl in the hat, at about 1:40.

And if meeting all these vibrant, talented ladies and hearing their words was not enough, I also won the first giveaway of the evening ~ an adorable Gussy Sews tote and a gorgeous Lisa Leonard pinwheel necklace!

Thank you! Thank you!

Some other beautiful ladies I met were Aly, Crystal, Emily, Genn, Hannah, Heather, Jami, Kate, Kim, Leslie, Mindy, Nancy & Shauna.

*****

This post is merely a spoonful from the gorgeous, vintage bowl of sweetness that was Blog Sugar.

Above all, I learned that I have so much more to learn.

My eyes are open. My heart is open.

Thank you Rachel, Andrea & Jen!

It was so so great.

XOXO

Trespassing

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Last night five mamas packed up some appetizers & wine, headed up to our clubhouse, sat in the jacuzzi and chatted for over 3 hours.

It was delightful.

{our view}

We pulled over a chaise lounge and lined up our {dinner} ~ smoked salmon spread on Wasa crackers, spicy guac with tortilla chips, deviled eggs and shrimp cocktail.

We also sipped wine from red plastic SOLO cups {classy, huh, but at least we were trying to follow the [no glass] rule!} and nibbled on these.

Besides the odd security guard that passed through a couple times, there was a couple wanna-be spa-goers that came through the gate and quickly decided not to join us which we were completely OK with! About an hour went by and we heard the gate slam shut yet again…..a very young twentysomething {?} couple started walking up to the jacuzzi and climbed in. I kinda smiled and said, “Oh, don’t mind us!” We continued our mama conversations which included c-sections, infertility, migraines, the challenges of packing school lunches, how caffeine keeps some of us up all night and all that good stuff. Needless to say, the young’uns stepped out, wrapped their towels around them and bolted after about 1o minutes. We were dying laughing as they were walking away!

That’s what you get for trespassing in a spa full of mamas who don’t get out much ~ ha!

I rolled in at 12:15am!

This is certainly not something that can be done all the time, but it was fun and much needed after the last month of new school routines.

Happy Thursday!

Easy Breezy Brunch

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My Mom/Gramma celebrated her 70th birthday over Labor Day weekend.

We knew all along, obviously, that we wanted to do something extra special to celebrate and toyed with the idea of a surprise party, a gathering at a fun Mexican restaurant overlooking Lake Hodges, a formal dinner party or appetizers at sunset. We decided {just 2 weeks before the party} that it would be a beachy brunch.

I sprung into action and set out to find all things turquoise, blue and green! I picked up these simple seashell notecards at Michael’s for just 75¢ a pack, quickly drafted up the inside, printed them and popped them in the mail.

The same day I found the invites, I also picked up four colored glass bottles at Ross on clearance for $2.49 each…

You can see a couple of them in the pic above ~ the other two were perched on the mantel and in the entry way. I also found a cute, beachy sign that said “Sands Of Time” that I leaned up again the bottle that greeted the guests at the front door {unfortunately no pic, but that was also just $2.49}. The turquoise branches were recycled from Elliott’s party in May.

The tablecloth was just a huge piece of burlap that I bought at Home Depot thanks to the idea from my good friend and fellow party planner, Lisa! It was less than $4 and fit the table perfectly. I liked the fact that it was rustic and wrinkled and gave the impression of sand on the beach.

I tried to keep the menu easy and delicious, of course. I chose to do a couple of the breakfast casseroles that can be prepared the night before and taken from the fridge to the oven the next morning for stress-free entertaining. I did one with sourdough, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and feta adapted from here. Then I did one with the hash browns, sausage, onions, red peppers and cheddar. {see how it comes together in the link above} They were both a huge hit. I named the menu items after San Diego beaches ~ Coronado Breakfast Casserole, Wind N Sea Breakfast Casserole, Fiesta Island Fruit Salad and Mission Beach Monkey Bread.

We sipped on champagne drinks ~ mimosas {OJ} and hibiscus {cranberry juice}

For desserts I made the cake batter blondies, picked up some mini cupcakes and a mini new york cheesecake…

I used some coordinating ribbon {75¢/roll} and made some little picks for the desserts.

It was great to see so many friends from throughout the years…

{Playing “Happy Birthday” on the maracas!}

Singing, making a wish and blowing out the candles…

*****

I really did enjoy throwing this together at the {last minute}. I did what I could here at home like make the paint chip buntings, plan the menu, make the blondies and shop for a few decorations. I made my grocery list, shopped in San Diego and knocked that out the afternoon before the party via Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s. What I love about brunch is that it is extremely affordable ~ all the groceries for about 40 people were approximately $75. I decorated and prepped the casseroles the night before so all I had to do before the party {started at 11am} was put together the fruit salad {bought pre-chopped melon and added grapes} in the glass jar, make the monkey bread and plate the desserts.

Invites, paper plates, napkins, utensils, cups and decor were about $30…everything else I already had or utilized from my mom’s already beachy house!

It was the easiest, breeziest {to-go} party and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Mom/Gramma, we hope you enjoyed visiting with all your precious friends and neighbors. Here’s to a wonderful, fresh new year ahead for you! We love you very much and are fortunate to have you in our lives.

*****

I could never stay long enough on the shore, the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. ~ Hellen Keller

The sea, once it casts it’s spell, holds one in it’s net of wonder forever. ~ Jacques Cousteau

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Countdown

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Hey Floppers ~ Happy Monday!

Have you entered the giveaway? 22 people “Like” the rosette necklace, but only 11 have entered. Hmmmm, where’s the other 50%?

C’mon now, don’t be shy! Absolutely anyone is free to enter…about 33 more hours to go.

*****

School starts in just 9 days.

Wow!

This summer has been a wonderful blend of family, friends, beach, pool, ice cream and otter pops!

{two cute shots from the weekend ~ thanks karen!}

I am ready to get back into a routine and buckle down. I adore summer, but I am more than ready for Fall!

*****

Picked up these Chucks for Holden today ~ $10 Marshall’s. Love the neutral color.

Nothing more adorable on 4.5 year old feet…..

Also counting down to a new dinner recipe this evening…I am so excited to make it and share.

Stay tuned….

Grits

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I love the south.

I could totally live there.

I love that everyone is so friendly ~ “How y’all doin’?” or “Where y’all from?”

I love the slower pace. The {country} roads. The sweet tea. Bruster’s Ice Cream. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

I love that some of our favorite neighbors from Nor Cal now live 10 minutes from my in-laws and we were able to get together for a couple play dates AND a mamas night out!

{they may have not all been smiling…ahem, Holden, but at least they were all looking semi towards the camera}

I love that there was a Naartjie outlet in Myrtle Beach.

I love that the water in the Atlantic is warm.

I love that we could start out at the beach and then when we got tired of the sand, we could walk across the street, shower off and jump into the resort pool.

I love that Jay and U-Rod took the kids to putt putt {mini golf} one afternoon while I got caught up with Bravo and Pregnant In Heels.

I love that we got to see some fireflies.

I love that we were able to celebrate Lolo’s 75th birthday with him.

{homemade sign}

{Lolo back in the day}

I love that the kids got to spend quality time with their paternal grandparents.

{mommy said they had to share an icee, but Lola said they could get their own}

I love shrimp & grits.

Making this soon!

*****

THANK YOU Lolo & Lola for making this beautiful summer vacation a reality for us. We loved every minute of it and we can’t wait to see you again in October!

Insta-Friday ~ Slim Pickin’s Edition

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This week was jam packed, however my trusty LG Env didn’t capture as many of the haps as I had hoped…but here are a few.

{Trip to the Jumpy House Place to celebrate a sweet 6-year old’s birthday}

{Two water logged cuties waiting for their late afternoon lunch in the drive-thru}

Memories that weren’t captured this week:

Monday ~ 4th of July parade fun. We were first timers at our community/city parade and it was cute. Found room for 4 chairs in the SHADE and it was perfect! {we of course got some pics, but unfortunately I didn’t shoot any with my celly}

Tuesday ~ Elliott got her first spontaneous bloody nose! While I was driving she asked for a tissue because her nose was bleeding {a little bit}. Reached in the center console and scrambled for some napkins and turned to see her already polka potted dress with all sorts of new bright red splotches! Took about 5 minutes to get it stopped…we ran into CVS, cleaned her up, talked to the pharmacist, picked up a couple remedies, called the pediatrician, got into a change of clothes and proceeded to the play date at jumpy house as pictured above. Turns out the ped said it’s most likely due to the dry air here, but that was a first. Hoping it was also the last.

Thursday ~ Checked off {Pancakes In Pajamas with Friends} yesterday morning, but I was too busy flipping flapjacks that I didn’t get a snapshot. Also put a check next to {Aquatics Center} on the Summer To-Do List, again pictured above. Our dear friends from Nor Cal passed through Valencia last night on their way to the OC. We had this salad for din din and it was quite tasty. And last night I colored the ‘do…this time with L’Oréal Sublime Mousse in Pure Black. Love it.

Edited to add this one of Rascal huntin’ turtles in Gramma’s pond last Saturday afternoon…

{taken with the iPod Touch}

*****

Certainly going to try to capture more moments with the cammy phone this week.

Linking up over at Life Rearranged.

Happy Friday!

Mommy Pick-up Joints

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Once you have kids, it becomes quite easy to meet other mamas. I have met women at Costco, San Diego Int’l Airport, Barnes & Noble and Wendy’s among other places. You meet a nice woman and her child{ren}, chat it up and find yourselves at that awkward state of, “OK, ba-bye! It was nice talking to you!” or “OK…uh, well…we should try and get the kids together for a play date sometime.”

Tonight as I was fixing dinner, I was thinking about all the {unusual} meeting places I’ve encountered over the past 5 or so years and compared the Nor Cal vs. So Cal contenders.

So Cal wins hands down.

Apparently my Nor Cal mama {friendships} left something to be desired.

The first one is kind of funny. One Saturday evening Jay, Elliott {8 months} and I were in the Costco on Rengstorff right before close. We went in for a rotisserie chicken for dinner. They were fresh out and we had to wait 15 minutes for the new batch to come off the rotisserie. As we were waiting, I started talking to a woman who was with her daughter that was about a month or two older than Elliott. Of course we had TONS to chat about while our husbands stalked the rotisserie-chicken-packaging-guy. Several other people had lined up and were ready to pounce on some hot poultry. All of a sudden Jay comes back empty handed and this woman’s hubby comes back carrying a plastic container with his chicken. She felt so bad that we didn’t get one that she INVITED US TO HER HOUSE FOR DINNER! They seemed nice enough and lived near us so we said what the heck! Needless to say, this couple was very sweet, but we only got together with them a couple times before things fizzled.

Then there is the time I was in San Diego when my grandmother passed away and Elliott {10 months} and I were on our way back to San Jose. While we were waiting to pre-board, there was a couple with their daughter who, too, was a month or so older than Elliott. Again, we chatted, boarded the plane and exchanged numbers at the baggage claim at Mineta. We hung out several times for about 6 months or so before I got annoyed and decided to channel my energies into some more positive friendships. The tipping point was when she borrowed a brand new Target umbrella stroller {still in the box} for a trip to NYC. No biggie. I am a good sharer. But when she returned that thing looked like it had been run over by 16 taxis. No biggie. I understand. New York is dirty. It was just the way she handled it. Offered to replace it but didn’t. Not the way I would’ve handled it, but whatever.

Then there was the time she complimented the color in our house and wanted to borrow our can of leftover paint to do a test patch on her walls. No biggie. I can share. I don’t remember the circumstances, but I drove 30+ miles to deliver the paint to her and never again saw my paint can. I believe I asked her about it, but never did she drive the 30+ miles to return it.

Needless to say at that point, I was done.

When we moved back to So Cal almost 3 years ago, I met my dear friend Karen at Barnes & Noble. I’ve also spoken about her here.

Then one day over a year ago, I met a gal in Wendy’s one afternoon who has two kids almost the exact same ages as E & H…older girl, younger boy. We exchanged digits and have had several stress-free play dates over the past year and a half or so. Turns out we have some mutual friends, as well!

50% ain’t bad, but it looks like So Cal won this one.

So glad to know you, Karen & Kristie!

To all my Mama Floppers out there, where are some funny places you’ve been picked up on?

I Left {A Bit Of} My Heart On Story Road

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When we lived in the Bay Area, the kids and I would frequently visit Happy Hollow Zoo with our friends, the Cohens.

Each time I would exit the 101 onto Story Road, I would quickly notice it was littered with {Vietnamese Baguette} shops. I never really gave much thought to it other than the fact that there were so many.

I recently came across this post on Not Without Salt. Ahhhhh, Banh Mi! It immediately clicked that this was the baguette sandwich pictured in these store windows. I knew I had to make it…just by reading the ingredients alone, I could tell that this sandwich was right up my alley.

Sriracha. Cilantro. Basil. Garlic. Meatballs. Baguette.

I chose to do more of a slider version and picked up these rolls…

The only changes I made to the recipe were substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce, use jarred jalapeños, and didn’t sear the meatballs in oil first ~ I just baked them from the get-go…about 22 minutes to be safe. Also, I made 11 meatballs instead of a dozen.

I slathered on the Sriracha mayo then halved one meatball and put both halves on one roll.

Added the colorful toppings…

…took a bite and almost died.

This sandwich was beyond amazing…the soft rolls soaked up the juices from the meat and the rice vinegar and literally molded the bread to the meatball. The carrot and radish provided crunch. A million things came together in this meal and if I knew then what I know now, I most certainly would have pulled off at one of these little Vietnamese eateries, ordered a banh mi and enjoyed it in the shade of a tree with my good friend, Nancy, while the kiddos ran around and played in the HH park {or watched the weird puppet show as we occasionally did while eating our lunch}.

Story Road took me to and from Happy Hollow many times. The memories of these visits with Nancy are some of the happiest days of our time in the San Jose area. The kids would run free, see all five animals at the mini zoo, ride old rusty rides, freak us out and disappear in the maze for a minute, laugh and play while Nancy and I chatted about this and that.

Nancy, I miss you terribly and would love it if we could share a banh mi and get caught up sometime soon!

XOXO

The Week According To My Camera Phone

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…we’ve had a couple play dates at the pool…

…maiden voyage to Magic Mountain…

…also first timers at build-a-bear. what a fun place! thanks, nicholas & justin! elliott loved it….she named her bear “share bear”}…

…happy meals to celebrate another cavity free dentist visit…

OK, can I just say {double-checked for accuracy} my @$$.

Is it just the Mickey D’s in the SCV that cannot get a drive thru order correct to save their lives? Last night I received two girl toys which I noticed after I drove away from the window. I knew this would not go over well with Holden, but was I going to get out of the car, go in and get a {boy toy as he calls it}? NO. That is the reason for drive thrus, right?

So I go BACK into the drive-thru and say, “Hi, I’m just driving thru again to trade my girl toy for a boy toy.” The guy goes, “You’re going to wait for all these cars?” “Uh, yes I am because my son is crying and I promised him a Happy Meal!” {and you guys are too LAME to get the order right!} The receipt was even correct!

Last time we ordered a hamburger only to discover at our park destination that the hamburger was a cheeseburger in a hamburger wrapper! Because yes, I checked the box for a white wrapper BEFORE I drove off since Elliott does not like cheese on her burgers.

Ugh! This stuff shouldn’t surprise me.

But it does.

Maybe we should just STOP going to McDonald’s.

Great idea, Amy!

*****

{Finally!} linking up over at Life Rearranged…been meaning to do this.

Come on over and see what everyone else has been up to!

Happy {4th of July weekend} Friday!

Nauseous

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No.

I am not pregnant.

{Yes. Holden has been wearing a caddywhompus, upside down Toy Story band-aid across his face for 2 days now}

We piggybacked into Magic Mountain with our friends, the Sullivans, today. {Thanks again, guys!}

MM is just about literally in our own backyard, but we have yet to take the kids there in the almost 3 years we’ve been in Valencia. Of course, Jay and I have been there a handful of times, but it has been, gosh…20 years since I’ve stepped foot in that place.

Elliott was tall enough to go on Ninja.

Oh my. I am not the thrill ride seeker that I once was. On the ride I was half worrying about her and half thinking that I was going to lose my pb&j and banana lunch.

I had a little nausea for several minutes after we got off the ride…I was a little embarrassed. Does this come with age? Should I go on all these big time coasters BEFORE lunch? Should I just stick to the carousel and the Log Jammer? Which, by the way, that last hill……ugh! Not what I remembered. The wetness was welcomed on the warm day, however.

It was a fun {low key} day at the Mountain, but I need to work on my thrill ride tolerance.

Big time.

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