Menu

Friends

Totally Out Of It ~ InstaFriday

, , , 2

I must say that I have missed trying out some new creations in the kitchen this week.

I must say that I am a little overwhelmed with all the scribbles and commitments on the December calendar.

Having to remember that tomorrow is Turbo Tiger day and to be sure and have her wear her little necklace for her running charms and turning in the November reading log and having her spell {Europe} over and over again while I pour Cherrios and toast bread in the morning and remembering to drop off Flat Stanley at our friends’ house so he can be a stowaway on a fabulous Roman holiday.

There are little daily things that have to happen amongst all the wonderful holiday things and sometimes it’s all….well….very….A LOT!

But it will ALL happen and ALL will be well ~ ALL through God’s grace.

I feel like I’m totally out of it even though I’m trying to be totally IN it.

Here are Kitty’s contributions to help us document the {cray cray} of our days…

What do you get when you mix Punky Brewster and Flat Stanley?

F.S. learns how to battement dégagé.

Who needs turkey on Thanksgiving when you have manmade snow?

Too cool for Polar Express 4-D at Sea World

Picking out our Christmas tree in 85* weather. Again. {when it was freezing just days before}

No, kids…really…we’ll spring for the 4-footer.

All snuggled up in a new blanket from my bestest Irish girlfriend, Jeannie, in Boston…and you thought I was joking about the 4-footer.

Holding hands with {his girls} at pick-up.

My sous chef on mac n cheese duty.

*****

Here’s to crossing everything off your December list ~ the little and the BIG.

Just take it one day at a time.

And ENJOY it.

*****

Linking up again with sweet Jeannett over at Life Rearranged…

Come on over and see what other holiday craziness is going on!

XO

Grateful Day By Day ~ InstaFriday

, , , 7

Lots of good stuff this week.

All captured by Hello Kitty.

Friday:

Grateful for super fun movie play date on Veteran’s Day

Saturday:

On the way to see Santa

Grateful to get his visit checked off our list even if it was 6 weeks before Christmas!

{On Holden: plaid dress shirt ~ Nordstrom, tee ~ Target, Paper Denim & Cloth jeans ~ Ross, Tan Chucks ~ Marshall’s * On Elliott: denim ruffle blazer ~ D-signed by Disney @ Target, tunic & pants ~ Naartjie outlet}

Sunday:

Grateful for a beautiful mass and monkey bread following

Monday:

Grateful for Pinterest and whipping up two of these inexpensive decorations for outside along our front walk

Tuesday:

Grateful for a passenger on the way to pick up Holden at preschool

Wednesday:

Grateful for good friends {that also happen to be neighbors} and early morning walks to Albertson’s for a few necessities and for some Fall leaves to frolic in

Thursday:

Grateful for Larabars {espesh Coconut Cream Pie[!!]} for on-the-go mornings

What were the little things that you were grateful for this week?

Linking up again over at Life Rearranged ~ InstaFriday

Bloom Where You’re Planted

, , 5

Three years ago, on November 14, 2008, we moved from Nor Cal to Santa Clarita.

It could have possibly been the {worst!} time to pick up and move…our home that we bought in 2006 {big mistake!} was underwater and now we were faced with making the decision to leave it and make the move back to So Cal where Jay had received a nice job offer. The decision ended up being a no-brainer and we found a great property manager to help us find the perfect tenants, watched as our little house got packed up and loaded onto the truck and then made our way down I-5 to our new home in Valencia.

Not once did I think this was the {wrong} decision. Yes, we would miss our little cozy neighborhood, our friends, our family in Nor Cal and the memories that were made there ~ that’s where Holden was born! But opportunities arise and sometimes you just need to cry, be afraid, possibly even resist, but then imagine all the new things that you will encounter as a result.

{via}

Today, exactly one week before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for where we are RIGHT NOW. We’re closer to my hometown, San Diego & Gramma, we’ve met wonderful friends, the kids are in great schools, we are now more active in our church, Jay is MUCH happier at work and I am continuing to learn so much about myself and my {bloom where you’re planted} gene.

I honestly believe that we could move anywhere and it would be OK. Heck, we lived in a one bedroom apartment in a new town with a five month old and knew nobody for 5 or 6 months, but we did it. I look back and wonder if that is when I discovered my love of cooking and baking…I literally watched The Food Network ALL day and tried dozens of recipes in that teeny tiny galley kitchen while little Elliott sat in her swing and watched {or snoozed!}.

{via}

Again, I am so thankful for where we are right now and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Just this morning I chatted and got to know a neighbor better on the walk home from dropping Elliott off at school. I love that about our neighborhood.

So, we will continue to lay our roots and grow here right where we are.

{via}

Because wherever we are, we’re just where we need to be.

Linking up today over at The Fontenot Four ~ Thankful Thursdays! Come on over and see what others are grateful for…

The Fontenot Four

Puttin’ Hello Kitty To Work ~ InstaFriday

, , , 6

Hello Kitty has been working overtime this week…capturing several moments along the way ~ MUCH easier than lugging around the big Nikon!

Here are just a few snapshots of our week:

{Spiderman sunglasses + Chick-fil A = fabulous Friday play date}

{football player & cheerleader for Elliott’s fall festival}

{Persian food for mommy & daddy after the fall fest…warm lavash w/ hummus, kabob, saffron rice & pomegranate wine ~ thanks Gramma for staying with the kiddos!}

{Saturday morning stroll through old Hollywood}

{Essie Winter 2011 @ Walgreens ~ I see a holiday pedi in my future….I like the gray [cocktail bling]}

{Irv’s Burgers in West Hollywood…Jay’s choice for Father’s Day, but they’re closed on Sunday. We finally made it there last Saturday for lunch}

{such a fun place…nothing fancy AT ALL, but the owners are so adorable and SO welcoming}

{they do little handwritten, personal notes on simple paper plates}

{The burgers are great…on par with In N Out, but much more of a homemade feel}

{You simply must stop by if you’re ever in the area}

{Firefighter for Little Church on Sunday}

{Pumpkin steel cut oats with raisins, sliced almonds & coconut for Halloween breakfast}

{Annual chili & cornbread on Halloween}

{Pre-candy gettin’ party}

{Paint chip bunting delivery for a sweet 3-year old}

*****

Looking forward to another busy weekend with birthday parties and a 5K involved!

A pot roast is in the crock pot and the streets are still showing signs of last night’s rain ~ a beautiful Friday so far.

Happy Friday and weekend to you!

*****

Linking up again over at Insta-Friday ~ Life Rearranged!

Vampire Teeth

, , , 1

Another Halloween down in the books.

I really wish Halloween would ALWAYS fall on a Saturday night. This Monday evening business is no fun. Even though Elliott didn’t have school today {smart school district!}, I still felt like we had to turbo trick-or-treat and get home at a decent hour.

We had a little Halloween Happy Hour before doing the rounds in our neighborhood…a fun new tradition, I think!

My little mummy opted for some bloodshot eyes and vampire teeth over my fabulous make-up artistry as seen on my {zombie cheerleader}.

Thanks again TJ Maxx for hookin’ this non-sewin’ mama up with some fun costumes this year!

Now to get the Kit Kats, Almond Joys, Snickers, Butterfingers, Skittles, Tootsie Rolls, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, m&m’s, etc. OUT OF THE HOUSE! I am pleased to report that I have not have one piece today {a record} and I don’t plan on having any tomorrow or the following day.

I am training myself to believe that Sunsweet Ones {prunes} are just as good as a fun size Halloween treat.

We’ll get there.

Jillian and I are hooking up again. I’ve missed her so.

Gotta cut back for the next few weeks before Mr. Turkey and his side dish friends come to visit.

Happy November!

TWO

, 4

I’ve been blogging for TWO years already…

{via}

A big hug to all who read and leave sweet comments!

I truly appreciate you taking the time to visit me…

THANK YOU!

*****

We have a winner! Is it you? Click here to find out.

Thank you for entering…there will be another one coming up in December so keep trying!

Happy November 1st…no that is not a typo. Where did October go?

Where did the last 2 years go?

XO

Paint By Number

, , , , , , 2

Last Friday night my birthday festivities continued with a few neighbor/friend ladies at Color Me Mine . My friend Hollie made the arrangements and brought wine, appetizers and cupcakes to nibble on while we were painting. So fun!

These {paint a ceramic} places have been around for awhile now and I must admit I was never really too interested. I am terrible at choosing colors, can’t draw and my inner critic is much too harsh. If they had a {paint by number} platter where all the colors were pre-chosen and I just had to fill in the design, that would be perfect. Not so. Complete blank slate!

Elliott, however, expressed an interest and was given gift certificates for her last couple birthdays. I took her both times and sat and watched her paint her plate and mug…each time I looked around the store at all the pieces available and thought, “OK, this is something that I might like to do!” It is very deceiving because when you finish your masterpiece, it looks pretty drab and dull and you’re thinking, “this can’t possibly turn into something beautiful!” But after they fire and glaze your piece, it looks amazing no matter what ~ the colors are WAY brighter and it has a gorgeous shine.

I decided to make a family sign…

I wanted it to be bright and cheery with a little reminder of our Fall wedding hence the leaves.

I love how it turned out….I’m going to get some copper wire and glass beads and hang it in a gallery arrangement above our antique couch. I hope it looks as good on the wall as it does in my head.

I highly suggest planning a mama’s night out and doing this. They have stencils, sponges, tape for straight lines, etc. ~ everything you need to make your piece spectacular! You can totally use pencil, paint over it and it won’t show in the end…that part saved me! 😉 The staff is very helpful, too.

Don’t forget to enter my little giveaway ~ only about 15 hours left! 

Tell Your Story

, , 4

I’ve mentioned the journal exchange here a couple times and I wanted to share the final product. These would make inexpensive, yet personal Christmas gifts and take no time at all to put together.

Here is the journal that I sent off to my partner, sweet Sarah, in Charleston, South Carolina…

Sarah mentioned that she liked blues, greens and earthy colors…I immediately went out in search of inspiration. First, I found a Trader Joe’s greeting card that I fell in love with and it just so happened to have all {her} colors. I then was on the lookout for lined journal that was simple enough and coordinated with the card and found one at Target. It ended up matching perfectly! I loved that it had a little plastic folder inside {for receipts, business cards and such} along with two little dividers that could be labeled and used for different purposes. The journal was also made of eco-friendly materials which I try to support as often as I can.

Next I picked up some chocolate brown ric rac and coordinating fabric remnant for some little rosettes at Joann’s. I had some colored feathers and chose the orange one for a pop of color and a little added pizzaz.

I cut the back of the card off so it’d be less bulky and hot glued it on the front of the journal ~ I tucked the little feather under the corner of the card. I then finished off the edges wit the ric rac, again using hot glue. I rolled a couple small rosettes {using this tutorial} and glued them down on the corner. I took some ripped fabric strips and tied them off at every other spiral and called it a day! I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

I have seen this artist’s work here and there in gift shops and my local drug store, but forgot to jot it down off the back of the card…I love, love, love the quotes, sayings and drawings by this artist and am going to track it down and share it when I do. If anyone knows, please holler at me!

{Tell Your Story}

Believe in healing

Honor your intuition

Take the journey back to your self

Wear more skirts

Begin today

Embrace vulnerability

Do the thing you didn’t think you could

Quiet the inner critic

GREAT words for us ALL to live by…except for maybe the {wear more skirts}.

*****

Here is the journal I received from Sarah! I absolutely love it and soon it’ll be filled with lots of ideas, dreams, lists, recipes, etc.

Thanks April for hosting!

Limping Along

, , 2

For the past 3 months I’ve been limping along on my 3 year old LG Env…certainly no one is envious of my (un)smart phone.

For the past 90 days I’ve had to use my blue tooth so I can hear the person on the other end…they can hear me just fine w/o it, but I can’t hear them. This means that I have to constantly keep track of and charge that little ear piece. Like I don’t have more important things to do like Pinterest laundry, dishes, etc.

Hoping to join the masses and become a {smartie} with a new phone reeeal soon…get with the program, Amy.

She can still, however, capture the little everyday moments that I try so hard to cherish.

Here are a few from this week…

{Posing with Bugs on a quick Monday afternoon trip to Burbank}

{Tuesday was Spirit Night @ Chick Fil A ~ we were there to support our church, Blessed Kateri}

{?????? ~ “It’s like Katie on Big Time Rush. I forgot which episode.” … of course. Silly me}

{Thursday afternoon at pick-up ~ enjoying a story with a cutie classmate}

{I’m sneaking this one in from a couple weeks ago ~ an afternoon stroll home from school with a pal}

****

Linking up a couple hours early over at Life Rearranged ~ InstaFriday. Jeannett is truly an inspiration…I got to sit in a breakout session with her at Blog Sugar!

Come over and peek at all the other fun little moments of this week.

Whole Wide World

, , 3

October, so far, has already been filled with so much.

My head is swirling with the fun that has been had and also the tasks that I need to catch up on because of said fun!

I celebrated {another} birthday on Saturday…it was a great day filled with cheering Jay on in an early morning 10K, my favorite burger at Red Robin for lunch, picking my in-laws up at LAX and then visiting over mexican food and margaritas at one of our new favorite places here in town. Our server brought me complimentary fried ice cream and sang ~ ay ay ay!

My mom sent me these gorgeous gerber daisies:

Thank you to all who sent wishes, shot me a little gift card or {fun money} or popped a sweet, personal gift in the mail! I am spoiled.

*****

Recently I was sifting through papers in Elliott’s school folder and I came across this:

Those words.

They are so powerful.

I love them and I love that they’re about ME, but often times I DON’T feel like I’m the best mom/wife/daughter/friend/sister/etc. in the {hol wid wrld}.

It’s like when someone tells you you look skinny when you feel fat. Or compliments you on your style when you’re feeling frumpy. Or says how nice your house is when you know it’s a pigsty.

Their KIND words don’t mean a thing if YOU don’t believe them.

I, too want to FEEL like I am the best mom/wife/daughter/friend/sister/etc. in the whole wide world.

Thank you for that heartfelt note, my Elliott. I will treasure it always.

Mommy has a long way to go and I think and pray about it everyday.

I LOVE you family, friends & faithful followers!

XOXO

Load More