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Grateful Day By Day ~ InstaFriday

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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

New Traditions ~ 2011 Holiday To-Do List

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Along with our {old} holiday traditions, I wanted to add some {new} traditions this year. As we all know, the holidays always come and go at an alarming rate so I’m desperately trying to put our list together and get everything on the calendar so we don’t miss a beat.

1. Holiday Tea @ home with the family

I LOVE formal teas, but they can be expensive. I’ll pick up a few tea options and a loaf of soft Wonder bread to put together some little savory tea sandwiches that the whole family will love. Certainly Pinterest will be filled to the brim with some miniature sweet bites. We’ll get out our fine china, light a fire, put on some Christmas music, sit, sip and share what we love about the holidays.

{click here for oodles of tea sandwich ideas!}

2. {Merry Mama} Gift Wrapping Get Together

I went to a Christmas gift wrapping party once and it was so fun to sit around, sip {gingerbread martinis} and chat while cutting, taping and bow tying. I’ve always wanted to host one myself and have a date locked and loaded and a place for Jay and the kids to go! Ha!

3. Gift cards for the needy/homeless

I will be purchasing some little gift cards to McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King and we will hand them out as we see fit to do our little part of supplying a hot meal to those in need.

4. Pancakes in Pajamas ~ Christmas Edition

We did this over the summer and invited our friends and neighbors over. I’ve spied some cinnamon roll pancakes that I will whip up and have a little hot chocolate bar with all the fixins to wash them down.

5. Blessed To Bless bags

I love this idea…sharing the little things that we may take for granted everyday.

6. Deliver the neighbors’ goodies as a family

I think it’d be nice to load up the wagon, get bundled up, leash up the pooches and have EVERYONE visit the neighbors and wish them a Merry Christmas!

7. Get gift wrapping done early

I say this every year. I think wrapped gifts make nice decor. I’d love to have them spread around the house just waiting to be handed out to our family and friends.

{via}

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This list is not to hurry along Thanksgiving, but merely to put these things on the radar for the weeks proceeding Turkey Day!

Last Thanksgiving was a little out-of-the-ordinary. I wonder what this year will hold.

Happy Wednesday, Floppers!

XO

Puttin’ Hello Kitty To Work ~ InstaFriday

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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

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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

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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

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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! 

A Peek At Our Week ~ Insta-Friday

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Another turbo week ~ here are just 7 moments captured on my celly…

{getting ready to ship off my journal for Gingerbread’s Journal Exchange ~ it went all the way to South Carolina}

{sneak peek at Elliott’s Halloween costume ~ paperdoll project for school}

{“teaming up” against drugs ~ Holden representin’ the Chargers and Elliott reppin’ Clemson for U-Rod}

“Goooo Tigers!”

{Holden at his preschool Halloween parade…I suggested he wear his helmet with his [costume], but he informed me, “That helmet is for t-ball, NOT football!”…allrightythen}

{with his cutie classmates ~ a kitty, a mummy and a skeleton}

{Rascal on his perch…a permanent dent in the couch cushion ~ taken by Holden}

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What did your week look like? Did it fly by as fast as ours did?

Linking up over at Life Rearranged ~ Insta-Friday!

My Duty

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Yesterday morning I reported for jury duty for the first time in my life. I had been summoned several times while in college, but was able to get out of it every time.

I always thought it’d be interesting to sit on a jury and figured I’d probably get my turn sometime. Sure enough I received my summons last month. I don’t know if I neglected to follow the proper procedures to postpone it indefinitely or what, but there I was heading across the 118 to the Chatsworth court house yesterday morn. I was under the impression that if one is a full-time caregiver that they could {get off the hook}.

It’s not that I don’t want to do my duty as a citizen, but I was chosen as a possible juror for a 30-day trial ~ 6 weeks! The case seemed very intriguing and I may have been a perfect juror, but at this time I cannot upturn my life with 2 young children for that long. Yes, I have dear friends that would take my kids to make it possible, but the most I would ask of them is a few days.

I was there all day until about 4:00….I finally had to ask to speak to the judge after he dismissed everyone to report back tomorrow. There was no way that I could ask Jay to work from home again today! The bailiff called me back into the courtroom and I had to plead my case to the judge and the rest of the counsel. His Honor granted me to be excused from this case, but said that I had to report back another day to fulfill my service. I am still not entirely sure how the system works, but I will be sitting in that jury room again on January 4, 2012.

With that out of the way, here are some snippets from our {out of court} days this past week…

{Holden may be double Ryan’s age, but these two are perfect pals ~ Friday morning at the park}

{entertaining themselves while mama orders her new iPhone ~ alert the press! turning in my antique LG Env in about a week…I’m scared}

{waiting for me to drop him a piece of crust from Holden’s [crust-free] ham sandwich}

{stickers for chain letters…what are the chances that we’d get two in a week?}

{6-inch sweet onion chicken teriyaki loaded with veggies and extra jalapeños ~ the whole time I was eating it I couldn’t get Jared or the [5…5 dollar…5 dollar foot long] song out of my head!}

{I fought the gum and the gum won! I swore I was not going to buy this [dessert delights] gum, but I caved and forked over 99¢ to give it the benefit of the doubt…not too bad. not too bad, at all}

Linking up again over at InstaFriday ~ Life Rearranged…

Limping Along

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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}

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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.

Happy Souls & Itchy Toes

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We try to make a trip to Yosemite once a year. My uncle lives in the park so we have a good excuse.

This summer was busy with summer camps and our trip to the Carolinas so we pushed our Yosemite trip back to Fall Break which was perfect since the weather was cooler and I {think} there was a little lower mosquito population.

We always stop off at Sonic in Bako on the way up…

Typically all meals are eaten out on the deck at Camp Duke…

{I almost stole this piece of oilcloth}

{sneaking on the computer!}

{in the neighbor’s hammock}

{a pre-birthday celebration}

{pancakes on the deck}

{wading}

{under the swinging bridge}

{here come my uncle and jill}

{these two four-legged family members caused a ruckus…they sniffed out a cheesecake on a dresser in one of the bedrooms and ATE THE WHOLE THING. I’m certain that the long one with the short legs instigated the whole thing. Afterall, his name is Rascal. Again, so sorry Jill ;-( }

{we thought the water was going to be too cold so we didn’t wear our bathing suits}

{heading back over the bridge and through the woods}

{another hearty breakfast of steel cut oats, yogurt and fresh fruit}

{mariposa grove and the giant sequoias}

{a quick dip in the pool at the wawona hotel}

{playing with his new choo choo}

{woodsy creation}

{makin’ s’mores}

{full moon}

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We love our trips up the 5 to the 99 to the 41 into beautiful Yosemite. Gathering groceries at Raley’s in the little town of Oakhurst to contribute to scrumptious camp feasts. My uncle is a seasoned grill master and Jill has a handle on all the wonderful side dishes. Sipping wine out on the deck never gets old. Kicking up dust out on trails to swinging bridges and GIANT trees. Watching the kids frolic in the creek brings back childhood memories.

The children are gathering beautiful mountain memories and filing them away only to be added to next year…and the year after…God willing.

We’re so grateful for these trips north to one of nature’s most scenic destinations.

THANK YOU Unc and Jill for first-class service every time.

We always come home with happy, nourished souls and this time itchy toes.

That’s what you get when you wear {flip flops} in the mountains.

Darn ‘squitoes.

Totally worth it, though!

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