Mike and Erica

Makena's Dance Recital

2011-07-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Finally caught up on the most recent event! This last Wednesday was Makena's second dance recital for Temecula Dance Company. Can I just say, she was seriously the cutest little dancer out there! I crack up that she was partnered with the only boy in the group and boy can she shake it! Here are a few pictures! Again, I failed to bring my camera along :( Thank goodness for the Iphone lifesaver again (and a few sent from my sis)!

Shake it little lady!
Nana and Pop Pop
Proud Mommy and Daddy

Uncle Mike was able to make it this year and loved seeing her perform! :) He said he laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes...sure, he was soooo touched to see her dancing! ;)

Firefighter Olympics

2011-07-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

The California Firefighter Olympics is when most fire departments (from Northern and Southern California) compete in competitions such as softball, paddle boarding, surfing, etc. Mike was set to play with his department (Huntington Beach Fire Department) and play softball.

Luckily the Olympics was hosted by Newport Beach Fire Department so we didn't have to go too far. We ventured up to Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach for a few days while he was off on his 6 day break for him to play in the softball tournament.

On his first day, they played 2 games. They won the first, but lost the second. The weather was perfect for some softball watching! Mike's mom came with us to help me cheer Mike and his team on! When Mike was little, he used to watch his dad compete in the same tournaments. This time, he was actually playing! On the second day, they also played two games. I can't remember if they won or lost :( Mike scored TWO home runs for his team! Yay! We were so nervous (brought back memories for Mike's mom when he used to play baseball) when he was up to bat! What a great few days that was! Looking forward to next year and hoping it's hosted by a department that is close by!

Location, Location, Location

2011-07-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Before we got engaged, I loved looking at wedding blogs for ideas that I would use someday when planning my own wedding. I wasn't impatient was I? Well, I came across a blog that had featured a wedding at a beautiful venue that happened to be in Irvine. I did my research and found the exact location. Mike and I took a trip to Orange County one day (before the proposal even came!) and checked out the venue. We both L-O-V-E-D it. It was the perfect place and fit our style.

At the start of summer break, we got to visit the venue to see an actual wedding set up and were able to see how everything all comes together for the special day. We took our families and they also shared our love for this beautiful place.

After searching the Internet and wedding magazines, we finally came to the decision that this was the place and nothing else was going to do. We love the beach (obviously), but had so many reservations about the weather, etc. and just didn't feel like it fit our style we were trying to accomplish either.

We made the important decision to meet with the site coordinator and were so pleased with everything the venue offered.

Here it is!

Strawberry Farms is located on a beautiful golf course that is hidden in the hills of Irvine. It's west of the 405 which means it's closer to the beach (that is a major "plus" since Irvine can get warm!). The barn is what sold us! It is such a unique venue and will fit our vintage style just perfect!

The day we met with the coordinator was a fun day spent with my mom! While my mom and I went into the barn to measure, plan, etc. Mike hit some golf balls on the driving range. He loves that the venue is at a golf course.

We ventured over to the restaurant and had a wonderful lunch out on the veranda! What a great day it was and what perfect weather too! We can only hope that we will have perfect weather July 20, 2012! :)
Mike and I planned to go back to Strawberry Farms this July 20th to celebrate a year away from our special day (his idea! Just love his thoughtfulness), but unfortunately he was on shift that day :( We will have plenty of return trips! In fact, we plan on going back next Friday to have lunch before I have to go back to work.

Baby Boy Cohen

2011-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

We waited and waited (patiently-Mike, impatiently-Me) for the phone call that my sister was going into labor. We awoke at 2:30 a.m. to find out that she was on her way to Fallbrook. Yay! I tried my best to go back to sleep, but was just way too excited! We drove out to Fallbrook to wait for the little man's debut! We were all a little exhausted from being up so early, but waited patiently in the waiting room! The tiny waiting room was packed with our family, Kevin's family, Ryan (Mike's brother), and Carole (Mike's mom). It was such a funny experience to have Makena with us because it seemed like it was just yesterday that we were waiting for her debut. She was no longer going to be the baby :(
We waited some more hoping that we could see him through the window since we hadn't heard anything for a while. No such luck...he didn't want to make his appearance yet.
He's here! Look at those smiles! ;) *I missed the opportunity to snap a family picture with Kevin :( Sorry! Just another example of my poor picture taking skills this summer :(
I just melt when I look at this picture. Just too precious.
Nana holding baby Cohen for the first time :) He is already wrapped around her finger like Makena!

Since we went in shifts, I didn't get a chance to get a picture of Pop Pop and baby Cohen together :(

Uncle Mike is so excited to have a little boy to play Legos with! Although he does love playing Polly Pockets with Makena! Love this little man so much!!!!!!
Such a precious little face and so tiny!
This little one is so in love with her little brother!

A little (to say the least) behind

2011-07-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

As the last day of school approached, I promised myself that I would keep up with my blog since I knew there would be plenty to blog about this summer. I had my plan set that this summer would be to plan for our wedding, relax, and of course, blog. Instead, I sit here with an empty blog and an empty camera. Thank goodness for an iphone and other people who have been responsible enough to bring a camera along for the memories. Here is a brief explanation of what's been going on..

Baby Cohen: Oh my goodness...absolutely in love with this little man. He is just too precious and we cannot get enough of him. And as for Makena, I am in total shock (still) that she is going to be a kindergartner...where did time go?? She is the cutest Big Sis and so good to her brother! Pictures to come soon of his birthday! ;)

Plenty (way too many) of doctor visits: I've experienced a migraine or two before, but nothing like experiencing them once or twice in one week for over a month straight. I was having them so often that I panicked (shocked? I bet not.) and told my doctor that I thought I needed a brain scan (MRI) just to make sure there wasn't something more serious going on...he thought I was nuts, but ordered my scan. Luckily, everything came back great...needless to say, these awful migraines have made me nuts all summer and have prevented me from doing so many things that I had on my "To Do" list :( I blame these (number one reason for sure!) for my lack of blogging!!!!!!!!

Wedding planning: I was so sad to not fulfill everything that I wanted to accomplish this summer. I had so many ideas that were put on hold due to those pesky migraines :( I did, however, manage to build my own wedding binder (which I'm quite embarrassed by. It's a little, um, OCD). Sadly, we came to the conclusion that everything is just way too expensive and really had to come to the harsh reality of making our budget smaller than we had anticipated. It's so crazy how everything is outrageously inflated when it has anything to do with a wedding. One BIG decision we made was finding our photographer. Check her out: (http://www.bethanybelleblog.net/). The second I saw her work, I knew she was the one for us! We are so excited she will be shooting our engagement session (love the ones she has shot..check them out on her site) and our special day! It now all comes down to pretty much the little things that I have been dreaming and envisioning for months now. :) Let the fun begin!

Amongst all of that, add in a TON of beach days (can you blame us?), great family time, Huntington Beach Fire Department firefighter Olympics, Padre Game, pool days, Makena's dance recital, plenty of trips to Strawberry Farms, and throw in a few crafty days here and there (I was lucky if I squeezed in 3).

Did I mention any sort of vacation or getaway? Not this summer! Looking forward to that honeymoon next summer! We have been looking into the Maldives! Yay!

There ya have it...my long explanation of why I have been such a blogging slacker. Please forgive my lack of blogging and I promise to add pictures soon! ;)

P.S. Um, Where did summer go? So sad :(

The date is set!

2011-05-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

We set our date! I will keep the location a secret for a little while longer until we go and meet with the wedding planner on Thursday! :) More wedding details will be coming soon!

*July 20, 2012*

Location coming soon!

We are ENGAGED!!!!!

2011-05-21T09:17:00.001-07:00

And our story begins...

(Long story too! I use our blog as a scrapbook so I have to document every detail!)

Over the past few months, I started to get the whole "ants in my pants" feeling since most of our friends were either newly engaged, married, having babies, etc. and I wondered when our time was going to come. Poor Mike was taking the brunt of it all and kept getting the same question, "When????" from not only me, but everyone else (family, friends, etc.). It was the question that weighed on my mind constantly considering the fact that we have been together for 7 years, bought a house together, and we both were beyond positive that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. As March 18th passed (our anniversary), I thought maybe something was going to come soon...well I waited patiently and patiently...

***He said if I kept talking about getting engaged, it wasn't going to be a surprise...how could I not talk about it though?! :/

I was tired (to say the least) and just wanted to get home after sitting in traffic on the lovely 78. My phone rang and it happened to be Mike on the other end. He asked me if I remembered the glass cupcake pedestal stand that I had sitting on top of the refrigerator. Of course I knew what he was talking about! He proceeded to tell me that he had broke it while trying to get a recipe book down from the cupboard. UGH! I got mad and then later realized that I would go onto Pottery Barns website and look to see if they still had them (ironically that was one of my Christmas presents from him). I told him I would look for one and I wasn't mad (when in actuality I was since it was one of my favorite little decorations. I then called my mom to tell her how mad I was). When I finally got home, he had this sad look on his face and said, "don't start, I told you I was sorry." I told him it was fine and I looked it up already and they sure enough had them still. I told him to call Pottery Barn and have him go pick it up. He ended up calling La Jolla and had them put one on hold for him (he would be down tomorrow while I was at work to go pick it up). I was so relieved! (This was his plan to get us down to La Jolla...clever!.....he didn't actually break it on purpose...he was putting it away and did end up cracking the top :( ) This is the infamous cake stand! ;)

The next morning (May 10), he walked me to the garage and said his usual goodbye. He wasn't acting strange, etc. even though he asked me if later I wanted to go with him to pick up "the machine"...I mumbled yes and drove off. On my way to school, I started laughing to myself wondering what on Earth "the machine" was. I must have been tired when I left because I didn't question him at all. I called him right before I got to school and asked him what "the machine" was and he said "Oh well I meant the cake stand". I just laughed and promised him I would leave right after school. He was obviously nervous and words just came shooting like a rocket out of his mouth!

I called Mike on my way home from school to tell him I was on my way. He told me he needed to get out of the house because he felt like he had been in there too long that day. I was tired, but still willing to drive down with him to pick up the cake stand. When I got home, he was acting a little strange and didn't seem as relaxed as his usual self. I didn't think anything was unusual though. He started running around the house doing things and couldn't settle down. He got ready and left to go get the mail. Well, come to find out, this was when he called my dad. He was going to meet him in person, but feared my mom would catch on and find it fishy! Mike's number one concern was that the beans would be spilled if anyone other than my dad and his dad knew. Sure enough, they were the only two! He had to call my dad last minute before we left. On the drive down, I started teasing him (which was a normal thing within the last few months since I was overall antsy) about going to a "ring shop" to look at rings (since we had been looking months before too). I laughed and told him I would search his car (so ironic and the weirdest thing to say...) to find the ring....he must have been dying inside! He laughed and changed the subject!

We ended up at Pottery Barn. I managed to tell the girl the story about him breaking the stand, etc. while he stood there NERVOUS (I still had no inkling of anything,...), but still acting completely normal. It was his idea to go take a look at Crate and Barrel and see what they had as far as book cases since he has been looking for one. We were taking unusually long in the kitchen section (he always rushes me and never looks around himself). He was looking at everything (odd! He definitely was NERVOUS and come to find out, he was STALLING TOO since he wanted to make it to the beach at sunset 7:30! This was all in his plan!). I mentioned to him, as we were leaving, that it would be fun to walk around the store with the registry gun and register for things (again, how ironic and what an odd thing for me to say!). This was nothing he hadn't heard before, but was dying inside since he knew something was coming! We left Crate and Barrel and I thought we were headed home. He asked me if I wanted to walk around downtown or at the beach. He eliminated the choices and said, "we are going to walk at the beach" before I could answer. I told him I was starving since I hadn't eaten since noon. He said he wasn't ready for dinner and not hungry (when is he never hungry?!) and we would stop at Bristol Farms to get a snack. He had to play it off the entire time that he wasn't starving since he had to stall. As we got off the car, I noticed his hands were sticky and sweaty. I told him it was like he was going to give a presentation or something (again, another odd thing to say!). He proceeded to tell me it was the HAND SANITIZER gel he had just put on and to check my hands too because they were probably the same. I just ignored it and we went on our way.

We began driving towards the little downtown part of La Jolla as I ate my snack and we chatted. At this point, I still thought nothing was unusual. We started driving towards "Wind and Sea" (an area of beach) which was kind of over by where we went on our first date. Still didn't sense a THING! He put on a jacket he hadn't worn in a while and I thought it was kinda of funny he was wearing it since it was more of a winter jacket and it really wasn't that cold (again, another sign I didn't catch on to!). The sun was set to go down soon and it was a little chilly. It turns out, he had tried on 3 different jackets that afternoon to see which one hid the box! hahah! We started walking through the neighborhood where you turn off to go down the path to the set of rocks where we ended up on our first date. Still, I'm not thinking anything. We got down to the spot after he had managed to trip twice and still managed to have "sticky hands"! LOL! Nerves! There was a couple down on the rocks close to the water and 3 girls sitting closer to us talking. Too bad it wasn't just us. He was bummed, but knew he had to do it then! We hung around for a while looking down below at the water. We took a picture (which I posted to FB and for some reason, must have tipped everyone off that it was going to happen soon because most said so!)...still had no inkling what so ever because I had a feeling that I would be waiting another few months or so. We began to walk away and start walking up the hill and I began to tease him and tell him, "you know, we went here on our first date...but, you don't care!". I turned around and saw him down on his knee holding a box telling me, "but I do care"....there was nothing I could do, but BURST into tears! I was so taken back by the moment and was totally speechless...words cannot describe my emotions at that particular moment. After all of the events that took place earlier, the location we were at, etc. he managed to pull this whole thing off without me catching on to ONE THING! I could not believe it was truly happening! I cried for about (what felt like) 10 minutes straight and finally told him "YES"!!!!!!!!!! The ring he picked out is more than I could have ever imagined. It is the most perfect and beautiful ring EVER! Not only was I in shock, we both were!

This was the picture I took before he popped the question!!!....I uploaded it to FB and everyone guessed it...did I? NOPE!

First picture after being engaged! :)

After calling all of our family and close friends, we ended up making it down to San Diego for a celebratory dinner! Our friend Jengi was down there and we ended up getting a hold of her....she did not want to impose on our night (she kept telling us that it was "our night"...but we didn't care! We wanted her to be there to help us celebrate since she is basically family!). She was so gracious to take us to the Marble Room in the gaslamp and we were spoiled with a steak dinner, the best champagne, etc.! We are so lucky to have such an amazing friend like her and so glad she was there to help us celebrate!! :)

We didn't get home until late and didn't end up going to bed until about 2:30, yet I was up at 5 a.m. beaming and basically bouncing off the walls! I just could not sleep anymore! Mike was cracking up at me because I was up way too early since it was my day off from work and was wide awake since I was sooooo excited!! We ended up heading to an early breakfast at one of our favorite places in La Costa, The Broken Yolk. Mike thought it would be a lot of fun if his mom (we missed his dad since he is in London right now) and my parents came down and he would cook a celebratory dinner! We had such a good dinner together while Mike and I got to share our story (all the details). My mom made us a dirt cake (Mike's favorite!)with a Ring Pop on the top! So appropriate! We were so in love before we were engaged, but now so much more! It just feels different (in the best way possible) and we are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives with one another!!! We are looking forward to all of the fun things ahead within this next year and celebrating with our family and friends! Let the planning begin baby!!! :)

Baby Shower for my sis!

2011-05-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

This post has taken me forever to add to the blog :/ Let's just say, a lot has been going on lately! That update will come later! ;) I procrastinated (as usual) on planning everything out for this shower, but ended up pulling it off with the "over the top" help from my mom, Jengi, and our neighbor Ceal! Ok, Mike too (he cleaned! haha!)! ;) Anyway, here are some pics for you to enjoy! It's a LONG post! Snickerdoodle popcorn, pretzel/Oreo white chocolate mix with M&Ms, and Raspberry licorice and lemonheads! A "sweets bar" was created!

I stamped a pennant banner to top the small strawberry filled cake (my mom decorated it!). Lemon Cake Pops (dipped in white choclate and drizzled in blue chocolate with yellow sprinkles)..so yum!

Shortbread squares with caramel and chocolate
Oreo mini cupcakes with buttercream frosting...my mom is super talented and such a baker!
I was really going for a vintage theme...I had a vision and went with it!
I created tags for a "note" tree for baby Cohen. My idea was to have everyone write a note to him to go into a scrapbook with their picture.
They clipped their tag to the tree with mini clothespins.

Jengi was the brains behind this! We covered Mike's "Man Cave" up and created an area for my sister to open presents with one of Jengi's cute benches, fabric, circle garland, etc.!

Mason jars for strawberry lemonade! :)
I planned the theme around the invitation! Love ETSY!
Proud Mommy and Big Sister! :)
Stacy

Joy

Caradee
Wendy
These were the favors...wooden magnets with scrapbook paper...Mike put cicken wire on the frame so we could hang the bags.
We played this as one of the games :)
Mike's Mom :)

Sisters:)
He crashed the party! :) (at the end!)

It was such a fun shower to put together! I love the whole planning process too! Now, if I could only figure out a way to party plan and teach! ;)

Easter Brunch

2011-05-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

This Easter was a little different...Mike was held over at work so he was not able to join our family for Easter brunch :( My mom and I were up until 3am (after running errands from the start of the day until late at night) working on baby shower things so we were a bit exhausted and glad that we could do an easy brunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe! Oh so yummy! Let's go baby Cohen! We are waiting for your apperance! I love that belly! So cute! ;)

Hope you had a great Easter! ;)

Project Complete

2011-03-14T19:14:00.001-07:00

Mike's cousin was so kind to fine me some unique vintage frames. I was thrilled to find out that she had found me a large frame. I thought of an idea right away and got right to work!

Before: (Before spray paint!)

I love how detailed these frames are.
Just couldn't keep the Gold.

I spray painted it a dark red*

*I really wanted to be wild and spray paint the frame teal, mustard yellow, etc., but I thought I would keep it red (red is pretty much all over our house so I had to make the decision to stick with that color!). I know if I ever change my mind or our colors in our house, I can always spray paint again.
I used a piece of metal for the background and spray painted it with my chalkboard spray paint. After Mike hung it for me, I quickly added some "artwork" (it's terrible and was done so quickly...will need to change it very soon...ick!) so I could take a picture of the end result. It will add some character to the top of our staircase!

Feeling a little Lucky?!

2011-03-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share some of our St. Patrick's Day decorations... I will post my famous "Leprechaun Munch"that I plan on making for a little treat sometime this week!! =)

Don't know what I was thinking when I incorporated the shamrock into the cupcake stand...just wanted to make the pie more festive?!
Love these green and white place mats for St. Patrick's Day...
Trying to catch the Leprechaun ;)

Found these cute frames in the dollar bin at Michaels. I took out the backing, added my own as well as the shamrock.

Will post more things soon....I have been a little behind on blogging since my craft room and computer were under an "out of control" amount of clutter. I wish I was brave enough to show you the chaos in my craft room (I spent hours cleaning it last weekend and now I am back in business!)

Birthday Weekend

2011-03-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

OH MY! 2-8 so soon?! This year, Mike wanted to plan a little getaway for us and before we knew it, it was too late. We checked into heading up to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, etc., but it was just too late. Since he will be on a six day over my spring break, this means we will at least have one week where he is home everyday and hopefully we will be able to getaway then! At the last minute, we looked into taking a trip up to Burbank and doing the Warner Brothers Studio tour. It was a lot of fun and I totally recommend doing it at some point. The tour was very small (about 12 people) and very entertaining (of course!). It is so amazing how they use this set for so many things yet make it look so different every time.
These sets are so big in person.
The props department blew my mind...if only I could have snuck away and have picked some things out for our home! ;)

Does this look familiar?! It was actually moved from it's original set to become part of the props department.
We ventured from the props department to the vehicle museum. They had the Bat Mobile, Scooby Doo van, Austin Powers car, etc. Very neat place as well.
I love "Pretty Little Liars" and was excited when our guide pointed the set out! Great show.

Pretty neat that they have their own FD.

We finished our day by sitting in 3 hours worth of traffic from Hollywood to Beverly hills and then back to Hollywood. With the way gas prices are these days, I wish we had a smart car! ha! We ended up having a delicious birthday dinner at Maggiano's at the Grove. It was a great day!

The very next day we headed down to San Diego for Padre's Fan Fest. We decided it would be nice to have a picnic and watch the airshow from Coronado. We stopped at Bristol Farms and got yummy snacks and the best OREO cupcakes! What a beautiful day to watch the airshow!

What a gym!

These are the steps that the players walk up to when heading out from the clubhouse to the field. I happen to like this shot! ;)

Being able to sit in the dugout was a neat experience!

And just when you thought the birthday weekend was over...

Haha! It continued the next day with Mike making me a delicious breakfast, going to the movies, relaxing and making homemade (early Valentine's day dinner since he worked) pizzas!

He is always so thoughtful in his gift wrapping! ;)

Thank you so much for the fun birthday weekend! xoxoxo!

P.S. My family loves to joke with me and say that my birthday's always seem to last the whole month....This one lasted a loooooooooong time! I guess I see where they are coming from! ;)

LOVE is in the air!

2011-02-05T16:55:00.001-08:00

Valentine's day is almost here! We have been ready for it for some time now since I usually decorate at the start of the year. I always look forward to decorating for this special day! ;) With Mike's new schedule, he is on shift that day so we will be celebrating Valentine's Day on my birthday (since it's the day before and he's off)! Here are a few pictures of some of the new Valentine decor! ;) The picture came out blurry =/

My sister's creation!

My new cupcake pedestal from PB! Couldn't resist!
Love my little vases from Mike's mom!

The dessert just looks so real...I try not to look at it often or I will crave chocolate non-stop!
Ironically this idea popped into my head...and of course as you know, I am scared to death of birds (to say the least!)
My very talented mom made these! ;)

Valentine's projects this year? No. Just couldn't think of anything new =/

People's Choice Awards 2011

2011-01-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

This was yet another FUN year at the People's Choice Awards! We had a blast. We started our day off by going to the Grove to grab a bite to eat for lunch...we noticed a bunch of lights and cameras and decided to stop and take a look...they were taping for EXTRA with Mario Lopez! We ended up watching the show the next day and saw that we had made it on the show! It was quite attractive...me chewing my gum like a camel, my sister squinting because of the bright show lights, all of us dancing and singing to "firework"...oh what 15 seconds of fame can do!

We finally made our way to the show! Our original seats took us to the back of the venue. I had enough guts to follow Joy (to the front) because she always seems to know how to work her way to the top of everything. The rest of the gang finally gained enough courage and came to the front of the venue with us! What a blast we had while people watching. Joy and I were the first to get moved =/, but we had great seats so it didn't matter! We ended up going back to our original seats at the very end. Of course, the ones who moved first, were the first to move.

We saw great celebrities and I would have to say that this year's show seemed like there were so many more celebrities that I really wanted to see (the Kardashian sisters, Katy Perry, etc.). I am so excited to see what 2012's show will be like!

New Years Day 2011!

2011-01-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

New Years Day was so relaxing and we had a great time having fun together! Uncle Mike was setting up the Wii so we could all play! Makena and her mommy and daddy were obsessed with Mario Bros. Ok, so are Mike and I =/
We had delicious paninis! Yum!
Well actually, I made them! I was the cook while...
my dad supervised! We dressed him up! =)

We played board games and the Wii of course!

Happy 2011!! We hope you have a fantastic year full of love, happiness, and good health! xoxoxo

New Years Eve 2010!

2011-01-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

As soon as the Christmas decorations get put away, I find that the house looks too plain at first! Why not decorate for New Years?! I just had to add some silver and black touches around the house!

We were in charge of bringing dessert to the Benson's for New Years Eve...so we made the yummy marshmallow treats! So Yummy!

My new New York plate worked perfectly! Thanks Mom! ;)

Makena called them "Midnight cookies"....I thought they were pretty festive myself! haha!

Good thing the kids loved them! ;)

Happy 2011! Maybe this year I will be Mrs. Weeks?! ;)

Sarah and Bob were great hosts! =) We had so much fun hanging out and playing games!

Amber and Brian

Sarah, Adrian, and Baby Atilano (the baby waited until after the New Year to make her appearance!)

March Airforce Base Adventure!

2011-01-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to have the opportunity to visit March Airforce Base with Jengi! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful neighbor and friend who is so willing to take us to this fun place! We started the day off with a tour of her jet (the C-17)! When the pilots need to sleep, this is where they go! Yikes! Not very luxurious!
The crew was just about to take off for a short trip, but we were able to ask questions and take a few photos before they did! =)

So exicted to get a picture with Captain Jengi Martinez! =)

This is the only plane that the wings are one piece (not like a commercial jet or any other large jet)

Jengi's missions consist of her flying into Germany and then flying into Bagram, Afghanistan to pick up critically wounded soldiers and their doctors, nurses, etc. She has told us many stories that just bring tears to your eyes thinking about how young some of the soldiers are. There are so many factors that she has to take into account when flying them to Germany (altitude- depending on the type of condition, etc). Her jet becomes a "flying hospital" equiped with all of the necessities needed to care for these patients. She takes the critical patients to Germany where they are taken to the base hospital. Other missions consist of her taking cargo (tanks, fire engines, the president's cars, etc.).

I added a link to a YouTube video that I thought did a good job of showing what her missions are all about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htiYVoZwLGE

(I hope it works!)

The jets are HUGE!!

Our day didn't just end here....we had 3 hours to fly in the C17 Boeing simulator! What a treat! We each flew (into anywhere we wanted to go...Afghanistan, etc.) and then watched Jengi do some landings, take offs, air refueling, etc. I was so excited to watch her in action. It is beyond amazing how real the simulator is...the Airforce uses the simulator so that they can practice emergency situations, etc. This piece of equipment could not get anymore high tech! The cockpit is exactly the same as the one you saw above!

This was such a fun day! We are so thankful for having this experience! Thanks Jeng!

2011-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas day is always split between Fallbrook and Temecula!

Santa visited the Falciano's house and brought her a makeup stand and lots of girly things to go with it! Yeah! Now she won't ask me to borrow my makeup anymore! ;) Such a girly girl!
We enjoyed a yummy breakfast! =) I laughed when I saw that the dogs even got in the picture! =)

They cooked a delicious breakfast together! Can you see my sis's belly?! A BABY BOY is on the way!! We are soooooooooo excited!!! =)

Makena and Pop Pop enjoyed some snacks!

We ventured to Fallbrook to enjoy a (2nd) yummy breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Ese and Aunt Kathe! We had a great time together (again, where was my camera?!)

My mom made my sister and I an adorable cake stand out of this cute plate! She's the crafty lady!

Duffy loves his Uncle Mike! He kept track of his every move!

Mike wanted this book so bad! He was very surprised since I tricked him into thinking that they were sold out everywhere...NOT!

Guess who got him a Polly Pocket?! Just what he wanted as one of his gifts! haha!

She then decided to make him come to her salon so she could do his hair and makeup! She even made him pay for his haircut for $105.05! LOL! (Notice her "tip" jar!) What a good sport Uncle Mike was!

We had a lovely Christmas! It sounds silly, but I feel like Christmas is literally right around the corner AGAIN! Yikes!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

***My picture taking skills on both days were HORRIBLE! I failed to have my camera by my side most of the time... =(

We had Christmas Eve dinner with Oma and family in Dana Point! We stuffed ourselves with yummy enchiladas for dinner and crepes for dessert (both traditions on Christmas Eve at Oma's house)!

Mike and Doug helped make dinner! =)

We were shocked to see that Ryan's hair was soooooo short!

We always enjoy visiting with Bob and Stephanie!

After stuffing ourselves at Oma's, it was time for Christmas Eve #2 at our house! We always enjoy delicious tamales (also a tradition!) on Christmas Eve! Yummm! Again, I did a horrible job of capturing memories =(

This was the one goofy picture I got while we were all eating yummy dessert!

Cinnamon chips, caramel sauce, ice cream, and whipped cream! What a great way to end the night!! =)

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-26T16:09:00.001-08:00

I got a little crafty before Christmas this year (did I mention that I was up until 2:30am the night before Christmas Eve because I all of a sudden decided that I wanted to be creative this year at the last minute?! As if we had nothing else going on..ugh!).

I made gift card holders:

I made sure to embroider an initial on them so we can reuse them! ;)
I wrapped them up in a clear bag and tied a homemade gift tag on them...they really were super easy! ;)

I wanted to make my sister something to go along with her gifts so I decided on making a chalkboard. I know she has been wanting a cute one so I took the idea from the one that I got from the Queen Bee Market and ran with it!

Here is the chalkboard:

Making the chalkboard part was actually way easier than I thought it would be! Yes, I used chalkboard pens too!

Kandyce and I had a "craft night" and it was her great idea to make gift tags on the Cricut! They came out so cute! Every package had their own personalized gift tag this year...see, told you...I decided to be more creative this year! I forgot to take a picture of them on packages so I went ahead and took some after (I made everyone save theirs!)...

Here are the tags:

I think I learned my lesson and now I will have to start making things over the summer so I will be ready in time for Christmas! ;)

Christmas Hutch

2010-12-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

I was very excited to decorate the hutch! It was a new place where I could add more of our Christmas decor to! ;)

I added snow to the house to make it look more festive..haha! I tried!

Can I just say that I LOVE THIS!!! This was one of my very special purchases from the Queen Bee Market this year! It is supposed to be a recipe card holder/chalkboard...I think it's a whole lot more fun when you can write on it with chalkboard markers instead...so I did just that! ;)

Yes, we have a theme all over the house...spiral candies!

If I can remember, I will add more pictures of the house all decorated for Christmas! =)

It's Baking Time!!!

2010-12-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's that time again where I go crazy making a ton of sugar cookies (see the recipe from last December...it is truly the BEST!)! Here are a few pictures of my (not so pretty) creations! I had a shaky hand =/

I have so many different ideas and recipes I want to try this Christmas...we'll see how far I get! ;)

Thankful!

2010-12-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

This year has had plenty of ups and downs...overall, it was a great year and we are all so thankful for so many things including:
1. Both of our A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and supportive families
2. Our wonderful friends
3. Our jobs (especially during this icky economy)
4. Our beautiful home
5. Love that we receive each day
The list could go on and on...

This Thanksgiving was yet another great one!

We spent Thanksgiving day at mom and dad's house with the whole family including Mike's mom and brother! My mom cooked the most delicious meal (as ALWAYS!!).
So very thankful for these two!!!
Yep, made cakeballs....chocolate cake with peanut butter chips! Soooo good!

This pumpkin could have snacked all day long!
The pictures turned out blurry, but Mak decided to get some dress up time in with Uncle Mike...shhhh...he doesn't know I am sharing this! ;)
She also had fun playing with Ryan!

That next morning (Black Friday) was spent waking up at 4:30 with my mom to tackle the crowds all over town! We did it and boy did we find lots of good deals! =) That night was Thanksgiving round #2 at Grandma and Grandpa Ese's in San Clemente where we got to see Aunt Kathy, Cousin Steven, Cousin David, and Leia! Fun times!

Vintage Frame wall....Complete!!

2010-11-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

This project has sat aside since summer and I have envisioned it for a LONG time hoping that it would turn out the way I thought..it did! You are probably wondering why there are bare frames hanging....that's the point! I wanted to make a "funky" vintage frame wall from a bunch of frames that I have collected...here is the finished product! I love detailed frames especially when they are old and the spray paint makes them sooooo pretty! The collage is angled because it is going up the stairs to our bedroom! Yep, walls are still white! Ahhhhh! We are making it a priority...promise!

One of my fun finds from the Queen Bee Market! ;) And...I LOVE those Chalkboard paints oh so much! Thank you, Chessa! =) Love that I can change the message when I want!

I had my eye on this frame and I just had to have it!
I added the fabric and spray painted our intital...

My neighbor was on the lookout all summer long for thrift store old vintage frames...I just did the spray painting and the frames did what I wanted them to do!
Can you believe that this was GOLD before?! Yep! This one was a special one...it had my great, great grandparents' picture in it! It, too, was GOLD!

Pumpkin Patch Photo Shoot?!

2010-11-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Every year we make our annual trip to Bates Nut Farm to pick out a pumpkin and well....take pictures! You might think we are nuts, but there is just something about the pumpkin patch pictures that are just so neat to have. We usually go as a whole family, but plans changed and Mike and I went by ourselves this year.

*Note: Please excuse the bazillion pictures of the two of us. Really...did we need to take this many?! It looks as tho we did a PHOTO SHOOT! My excuse...well I did just put together my new vintage frame wall ;)

Did we carve them?! Um no...we kind of got rushed!Yah, that was because of me! =( I tried picking up a huge pumpkin and well....
I found a comfy place to park it!
He obviously had success (unlike me!)

Love him to pieces!

Our poor (future) kids are going to hate the pumpkin patch because of all of the picture taking! =/

Everyone needs a litte treat...cake balls?!

2010-11-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Halloween would just not be complete without Cake Balls and Caramel apples! =)
I made them with spice cake! Yummmm!

Oh the possibilities for Christmas time! ;)

James and Amy...A Perfect Match!

2010-11-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

James and Amy got married October 10th! It was a beautiful reception in Fallbrook! They could not have picked a better location...it was unique and captured their personalities perfectly! I was loving all of the details...as you will see in the majority of the pictures, I made sure to capture those little details! =) I loved the layout!
What a beautiful couple! =)

How adorable is the wedding party area?!
Look at those details!
So "Anthro"...loving it!

The pumpkins just added the perfect touch since it was a lovely fall wedding!
We're so glad Danny is back from the North Shore! We sure missed him, but loved visiting him there!
Bryan
Josh...funny story...Mike and I are together because of Josh...he introduced us to one another! Wow!

Yep! We'll see how soon we get married now ourselves! ;)
Twins?! Yep!
The Tull Family

***I loved their vintage photo booth that they had! Everyone took those adorable "photo booth" pictures and then we got to take them home...I would have loved to have been able to scan them in, but no such luck =( There are no pictures of me since there was far too much moisture in the air and I was a wreck from dancing!! haha!!

Congratulations James and Amy Tull!!!

Vegas Baby!

2010-11-21T15:12:00.001-08:00

We took a mini vacay to Vegas this October! It was a nice getaway! We were able to squeeze in a visit with Rowell, visit the baby convention, and go to a few exhibits (for FREE!)! It was a great trip for us to sneak away for a little bit before the craziness of the holidays hit! Southwest helped get us there...too long of a drive!
The first night we explored the city...

Isn't this picture just gorgeous?! Love those pumpkins!

We were acting silly since we didn't eat until 11:30p.m.! Yikes!
Joy and her sister let us explore the baby convention!
I couldn't get over how huge the convention was!
Look at those faces! They are soooo excited to be at the baby convention (they sure got a lot of attention since they were practically the only two men in the show)! haha!

No words to describe this!
We stayed at the Monte Carlo
We made a trip to M&M World, of course!
This exhibit was amazing...thank you Terry and Ceal!
If you ever get the chance, you've got to go! It is incredible! I was scared at first, but found it so fascinating!The Aria cabanas were beautiful! What a nice hotel!

A happy guy at the Aria buffet! The best and nicest buffet!
The dessert was my favorite part! ;)
Can you blame me for eating such delicious sweets?! ;)
Last stop=airport and a snapshot and a little chat with Scott Disick from the Kardashians! He was actually very nice looking in person and nice to talk to! Imagine that! I was star struck!

Where are we headed next?!

Projects for Jessi and the babes!

2010-11-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

I was working very hard trying to get these shirts done in time...I did it! With all of my procrastination (are you surprised?!) I thought I was cutting it close...I was wrong! Got them done in time for Jessi's shower for little Ian and of course, sweet Emma too! ;) I can't wait to see Emma wear this (to my house, of course!) ;) haha!
Ian has a matching shirt!! =)

I was cracking up after I made this one since Jessi and I both have a HORRIBLE BIRD FEAR! Bird things are just too darn cute!

Padre Game

2010-11-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

Time got away from us this year and as a result, we were only able to squeeze in one game this year! It was a great game and a nice date night! ;)

Ryan Matthews threw out the 1st pitch
This guy loves his Padres (and Chargers) like crazy!

Horse Races in Del Mar

2010-11-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

Yet again, a super late post! Yikes!

Wyatt was able to get us into the horse races this year because his aunt and uncle owned one of the horses! What a neat experience it was to be able to see the horse win and to take a picture in the winner's circle! We had a great time that day (despite the fact that I was sick) and hope to go back next year! Thanks Wyatt! =)

Trouble Times Three

The winning horse!

Isn't the name of the horse I bet on so fitting?! ;)

Lots of hard work is now D-O-N-E!!

2010-11-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

This post is WAY overdue, but I just had to add it to the blog (notice that I just added Makena's dance recital that I wrote way back in July! Ugh!)! Better late than never! =)

In May, Mike started the fire academy! He accomplished so much during the 3 month span and is now in search of a career in the fire service and fulfill a dream he's had since he was a tiny tot! He was soooo serious! =)

Mike was a squad leader and was presented with an award! Way to go!
The squad leaders presenting awards to the cadre.

Such a proud Papa!
Grandma and Grandpa Ese and Aunt Kathy all made it down to celebrate! Oma came to help celebrate too!

My mom and dad were sooo proud!

Proud parents!

The Three Amigos!
Being goofy!

Proud Brother!
I love this picture of the fam!

We had a mini celebration at our house after!

We all love you and are so proud of your hardwork! =) xoxox

Couldn't be more excited...

2010-10-06T16:05:00.001-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite and with the COLD weather we have (finally) had this week, I am sooooo in the mood for it! Needless to say, I cannot get enough pumpkin fluff, pumpkin bread, etc. (you get the idea)....anything pumpkin, I am all over it! Besides all of the delicious treats, I have decorated too!! Here are a few pics! ;)

Some glitter pumpkins and a witch from Salem...make the perfect pair! ;) Skulls and witches hats!

This banner was an experiment! I thought it came out pretty good if I do say so myself! =)

Magnolia Bakery...Oh how I heart you so much!

2010-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

I have a very bad addiction right now that I think I need to control! I have been spoiled two weeks in a row now with the best cupcakes EVER! Luckily (or should I say "too bad") they have one in LA! You must try these special treats yourself! ;) P.S. Only 2 are left and let's just say Mike didn't eat one! Yep, it was me! Now, I must go run some more...

Project complete!!

2010-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I posted the "before" picture of my "thrifty" find...as I said, I am sad that I was too quick to jump on redoing it that I forgot to snag a picture of the bottom piece. Believe me, I wanted to give up on the sanding, etc., but learned plenty (more than I wanted) about refinishing furniture. Since this was my first piece, I now know what to do and not do for next time!

One last before picture...

Note the fake wood piece in the back...ick! It was all over the hutch..it just had to go!

Keep going...

Ta Da!!!

I could not find the perfect light to take the picture, but here it is!!!!!!!!!!! What sold me on this piece was the detail (notice the sides and the top, etc.!).

The bottom piece "before" had the fake wood behind each door, plain white knobs, gold hinges and the icky blue color with a ton of scratches! We added black hinges, fun knobs, and bead board (which was also added to the back of the top piece as well) to the back of the doors to make it just how I imagined it!

The knobs are one of my favorite parts!!!!

Total cost:

Hutch: $40.00 Thrift store find (talked the guy down from $50!)

Bead board: $38.00 Home Depot (didn't use the whole big piece though)

Paint supplies and primer: $45.00 Home Depot

Knobs: $50.00 Anthropologie (had a gift card for $50!) =FREE!!!

Hinges: $6.00 Home Depot

Grand Total: $179.00!

Yes, I spent a little more than I thought, but it was worth the outcome!

Pictures coming soon after I decorate the inside! Can't wait to decorate it for the fall! =)

My project...

2010-08-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Since last month, I have been working little by little to finish ONE of my many summer projects...here is a little glimpse of what I am doing.... This is the TOP of my new hutch that I bought last month when I was strolling around our local thrift stores searching for vintage frames to spray paint and make pretty...instead, I came home with this beauty (so just kidding...it's hideous!). I somehow forgot to take a "before" photo of the bottom piece (trust me though, it was just as hideous!)...The color soooo does not fit my taste and the back piece of wood just had to go! It has taken me a while to do, but is very worth it!! I cannot wait to show you the final product!

p.s. I normally do not have an "eye" for such projects, but was very inspired this summer to test my skills! ;)

Will update soon.

2010-08-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

These last few months have been super busy and I really haven't had the time to share our pictures on here...I will soooooon! I am in the process of redoing a piece of furniture so those pictures will be up soon too! Very exciting!

Makena's Dance Recital

2010-08-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

I had a such a blast at Makena's dance recital! She is an absolute doll and is such a ham on stage...that's just one of the many reasons why we love her! =)

She was showered with flowers and a Barbie! =)
We ended the day at Red Robin! She was exhausted and was so over pictures by then! =(

Here is a video of this little one having a blast!

Beach Day

2010-07-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

So lucky that the weather cleared up today and we could enjoy a great beach bbq with friends and family! Love these days! Julia and Makena

She loves sitting with her uncle Mike
Mike loves this game!

SDSU

2010-07-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

Mike and I were down near State this weekend and decided that it would be fun to go explore our old stomping grounds of SDSU (and stop at the bookstore to buy some things too of course!)! That's where it all started...6 years later and are we married YET?! hahaha! =) One excited guy after he got a new ALUMNI coffee cup and some shirts!
It just wouldn't be a trip down memory lane had we not stopped by my old college apartment!

Gavin's 1st birthday!

2010-07-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Makena was so excited to go with her auntie to Gavin's birthday party! We had a great time! =)

Makena loved the water slide!
Splash!

Gavin and Janene went too!
Adorable family! =)

Everything was decorated so cute!
Loved his cake!

These pictures are always the best!

Happy WAY BELATED Father's Day!

2010-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

This post is very long overdue! Anyway, for Father's Day since my parents were on their anniversary trip back east, we had to celebrate a week later after they got back. My sister and I took my dad to a great dinner at Rodrigos in Temecula! SO yummy! We had a great time spending time together. After dinner, we enjoyed some yummy ice cream too! We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful and supportive dad in our lives! We love him to pieces!! He truly is the best! =) Love you daddy!

4th of July Fun (not in the sun)

2010-07-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't change one thing about living in Carlsbad, but when it's overcast on the 4th of July, it just sucks! We enjoyed a great day though with friends (trying to soak up the non existent sun...shivering with towels and later with sweatshirts and jeans...is it July or December?!) and watched the fireworks from Legoland! It was a great day all in all (a relaxing one too!).

Mike, Brian, and Bob....Notice the towels?! Ugh!

I was lucky to grab one quick shot of Mike and I before we left and...that is the extent of my 4th of July picture taking...ick!

P.S. Did I mention we ate the cake balls for dessert?! They were such a hit!

Y-U-M

2010-07-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

I made these little balls of heaven yesterday so that we could take them to our 4th of July festivities....they were easier than I thought...My mom always makes them and they are one of Mike's favorite treats! I was going crazy that the chocolate wasn't setting up when I first started so......Mike eased my pain and decided he would help sprinkle! He secretly enjoyed it (missed the picture though!)! Haha!

I separated one cake box and dyed one red and the other blue...festive!

It all starts with one...

2010-06-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

I tried something I have been wanting to do for a while...My first rolled felt flower headband. I made one just to see how it really would turn out and I now think I have an addiction. Oh the combinations! Here it is!

There's just something awkward about taking a picture of yourself (excuse my untrimmed hair =/!).

Mmmm

2010-06-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

I put a little spin on the already existent M&M, Rolo, and pretzel treat...These have peanut butter M&Ms instead of plain! They were sooo yummy! I packed them in a container for Mike to take with him to his academy today since it's going to be an extra long one...the guys go crazy for treats (of course, right?!)...these will be gone super FAST then!

P.S. Jessi and Janene, I thought of you girls while I was making these! Jessi, perhaps a good prego snack...I might just have to make you some! ;)

4th of July Banner

2010-06-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Since Mike has been at the academy ALL DAY and NIGHT...I have been trying to find things to do other than the IMPORTANT things on my TO DO LIST. I made a run to Michaels (a scary one actually...mom, if you are reading this, don't worry, I'm still alive, right?!) and grabbed some paper and away I went with the Cricut! I know 4th of July is in a few weeks (for 4th of July), but I was in that sort of mood (the mood where I want to be outside hanging out poolside or at the beach with friends and family enjoying the summer sun and bbqs)...

Happy Belated Birthday Mom

2010-06-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

This is a little late...

Love you bunches, Mom! You are truly the best mom a daughter could ever ask for! We love you bunches!! Love forever!!!

The stickers on her face are courtesy of Makena! Ahh!!

Burn Tower

2010-06-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Scary for me. Fun for Mike. The burn tower was the excitment this week.

Jumping down from a 3 story building.

Down he goes...
He made it!

Next weekend's fun excitment. Woohoo for me =/

Samples

2010-06-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last Monday night was a LATE one! Kandyce and I worked until 2am on scrapbook pages and I tried to put together a onesie as fast as I could since I knew that the next day I had a deadline to meet. This was a sample I came up with literally at the last minute. It worked though! I am a procrasinator (but I don't think I can beat Janene on that one! haha!). I came up with this packaging too...

Summer!!

2010-06-13T13:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah!! As sad as I am to walk away from the best school and leave so many great people behind, I am ready to try some new things over the summer and see what life brings me while I wait for another door to open.
Summer has started off sort of, well, icky. My car literally had had it with me yesterday (too many years of commuting to Temecula). I'll find out what the damage is tomorrow. Fun times.

Since I've been asked countless times in the last few weeks what my plans for summer are, here they are:
1. Start planning an upcoming HUGE event in Fiesta Island with Jengi (more details to come) for August. We'll see how my skills fall into place..hmmm
2. Baby boutiques here I come. I am taking a few days here and there to present my onesies (that was the recommendation from a mass distributor I met with last week...yah that was thrown in the mix of packing up my classroom, having to say good-bye to everyone, etc., etc., etc.) Stressful.
3. With that being said, if my onesies take off, I will be heading to Vegas in October for a BIG baby convention with Joy (owner and co-creator of Chewable Jewels...if you are a mommy with little ones who are teething, check them out!). I created some samples of onesies (could not have done it without the help of my mom) that incorporate the teething piece (an attached pacifier concept)...I will provide pictures soon. I must get sewing SOON!!!
4. Lots of reading, beach going, relaxing, shopping (I will try and conserve!), continue to help and support Mike as best as I can with his fire academy stuff, and sticking to my P90x that we just got!

Fun times here in Carlsbad! =)

Update on the Academy

2010-06-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures to share of Mike in the fire academy...

Love the suspenders! ha!

Mike, Wyatt and Rowell

This is the confined space prop that they had to crawl through...ICK!
Search and Rescue techniques (that's him being drug)

Confined Space crawl...
and he made it out!
Mike's group was the first to go in the "Denver Prop"...
In he goes...Mike and his partner had to simulate rescuing a down firefighter...now you see him...
Now u DON'T... He is stuck underneath =( Ugh! Fun times!

I will continue to update soon...

Onesies

2010-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

SFSU Graduation

2010-06-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Mike's cousin David recently graduated from San Francisco State University! Aunt Kathy put on a great graduation party! It was a great time to get together with family!

David and Leia
Cousin Steven made it home just in time!

Working Hard...

2010-05-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mike has been working so hard over the last month or so...2 full months to go...yeah!! I am so proud of him! I was so excited when he told me that someone has been taking pictures of his academy class...of course I had to post them! =)

Climbing ladders

Not too hard to pick him out of the picture...yes, the one petting the dog! Of course!

Physical testing

Keep up the great work!! I love you!! =)

Happy Birthday Mike!!

2010-05-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Mike turned 27 today! Hooray! I spent last night working on the cricut after he went to bed so I could surprise him with decorations when he woke up! Didn't happen...I finished everything last night, but overslept and couldn't decorate! Ahh! Anyway, I made him his favorite broccoli/chicken casserole and biscuits (nothing fancy, but sure is yummy!)! I made him dirt cake (yum!!!!) for his dessert!! Love this plate...my mom got it for me a few birthdays ago...it is surely used for those special days!

Root beer...his favorite! Had to complete the meal with it!

He is still a kid at heart...he was so excited to get this...his mom was the birthday fairy today and dropped it off while he was working hard at his academy!

Don't look too closely...ha! I messed up and did the last "y" backwards...I guess I was tired!

What a Partay!

2010-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was such a fun weekend! Our wonderful neighbor Jengi had a party...this girl seriously is incredible...first of all, she is a captain in the Air Force and flies the BIG huge planes (yes, THE PILOT!), second of all, she can decorate like no other, and third, she should be a professional party planner as her side job when she's not flying! I helped out as much as I could...but, she honestly was the brains behind this job...

The outside of our house was turned into this...

This is the courtyard between our houses...love it!

Jengi spent a ton of weekends making these benches herself...like I said, she can do anything!

She hired a DJ and a few guys to be valets...the girl seriously went ALL OUT!
The brains behind it all! (Jengi's dad and mom)

The party was for Jengi's friend (another captain) Stephanie who is moving...this was one of her gifts...yes, this is the plane they both fly! Wow!

It was really neat to see our courtyard transformed into such a neat party! We had a blast...Mike and I were teased all night about having Jengi plan our engagement party there...can you blame them?!

Mom's Day gifts...

2010-05-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

My sister came down a few weekends ago and we went to the Queen Bee Market here in Carlsbad. It was the perfect craft fair! We ended up both spending a pretty penny..oh well..we had fun and both needed some retail therapy! I loved all of the unique things..We found a vendor who made the cutest things out of wood and paper...check her out! I was so hooked on the fair that I ended up going back for a second look (and to pick up a few things for my Makena's preschool teacher...so I really did have an excuse!)and bought some cute magnets for my mom and sister as part of their Mommy's Day gifts...

I'm loving these! I will share my cute wood hair things from her too (soon)!

A Busy Month...

2010-05-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting "the blog" lately...But, over the last month or so, I've have been going through A LOT...
1. Trying to keep up with all of the end of the year craziness at school (not to mention CST testing and good ol' Open House)...ick
2. My dad having surgery...thank you to everyone who has kept our family in your thoughts over the last couple of weeks. We appreciate all of your support and love...we love you guys! Most importantly, I LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
3. Mike starting the Fire Academy...he makes me soooooo proud everyday! He is one tough cookie and I can't wait until he is done (pictures to come soon of his first day)!
4. I've been working on my party decor skills...(well trying!)...Picture's to come soon!
5. Projects, projects, and more projects (end of the year parent volunteer gifts, baby and birthday gifts, etc.)
6. Received my final Layoff Notice...3rd time around and everything always works out! I truly believe that things happen for a reason..It sucks being the low man on the totum pole, but luckily I am on the rehire list for the next 3 years! It's scary when you have huge responsibilities (i.e. a mortgage!), but I know that it's just a tiny bump and I will be back teaching in no time! P.S. I am more than happy to stay at home and be a stay at home "girlfriend"?! ...MIKE?!!....ha!

Thank you to everyone for all of you support through all of this! I love you all!!! Muah! xoxo

Creative?!

2010-04-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

I feel terrible...Makena's birthday rolled around too fast and by the time it got here, I ran out of creative juices! Gone. Done. Couldn't think of anything creative to make. I wanted to make something special like the BEAUTIFUL quilts that my mom makes her every year. Nope, couldn't do anything nearly as great as that.

So, I went to our Carlsbad outlets and bought some VERY CUTE outfits from Baby Gap, etc.! Did I have time to make clips that matched? Nope. Migraine headache and a very tired week of being back to school was just not helping the cause...complain, complain, complain! Anyway, this is what I came up with to "dress" up my non creative gift...p.s. I will have to show you the cute clothes soon...love them.

Couldn't decide which was a better pic...flash or no flash?

I just used the cricut, glittered some letters and cut outs, stuck them on skewers and ta da!

I went with the beach theme since her birthday party is at the Legoland Aquarium tomorrow and is mermaid theme! =)

Happy Birthday Makena!

2010-04-06T17:13:00.001-07:00

Today the little princess turned 4! She is a BIG girl now!

Love, Auntie Erica and Uncle Mike

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Celebrating Easter

2010-04-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

This year, Easter was spread out over 2 days! Mike and I went to his parent's house on Saturday morning to have brunch with his grandpa and grandma and the rest of his family! Grandma and Grandpa Ese from San Clemente!

We stayed the night at my parent's house that night and had a very nice brunch with my family and Mike's family on Easter morning!

My mom loves to spoil us all! YUM!

We had delicious french toast, breakfast caserole, salads, etc. for brunch! A mix of everything!

This little one had a blast and couldn't stop running around...NON STOP!!

Well....note the love between us...haha...just wait....

I was being the nice auntie that I always am and opened up her toys from the Easter Bunny and all of a sudden tears started to come and this was the end result....ugh! My sister obviously thought it was hilarious and needless to say, caught the moment!

Makena did have fun hiding eggs with Mike's mom! =)

Ah ha! I caught him in the act many times like this through out the day! Candy Monster!

We all had a great time together!!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins!

2010-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Since Strawberry season has hit, I have been craving sweets, sweets, sweets (hence the whole Jamba Juice craze!)!!! I made these delicious strawberry muffins last year and everyone fell in love with them! I haven't made them since and thought they would be a perfect addition to Easter brunch! I used my favorite Carlsbad strawberries (when you come to visit, stop by the stand off of Canon...these berries are to die for...you can pick them yourself too!!)...I would recommend using fresh strawberries...I'm not too sure how frozen would taste. 1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk (I used reduced fat and they still turned out fine...your choice)

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract (I always add just a touch more)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (King Arthur flour is the best and can be found at Stater Bros., Ralphs, and Henrys)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 375. Line cups with liners. In one large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and blend until fluffy. Mix in the milk and almond extract. In a separate bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the milk mixture and blend until just combined. Fold in the strawberries. Bake for 30 minutes or check with a cake tester to see if they are done before that. Makes 12 muffins.

***One strawberry basket usually equals 2 cups of sliced strawberries.

I would love to give credit to the recipe blog where I got the recipe from, but I didn't write it down!

Enjoy....They are sooooo yummy!

6 years and many more to go...

2010-04-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Since time got away from us this last month, we finally were able to squeeze in a day to celebrate our 6 year anniversary! WARNING! This post is a looooong one! =)

We began the day with a delicious breakfast downtown San Diego in the Gaslamp at the Broken Yolk (one of our very favorite places to have breakfast...you must try!)! We completely stuffed ourselves full of delicious food!

Since the Padres are just about to start back up, we checked out the Padre store and stopped to take a long view of the stadium! =)

Can't wait!! Looking forward to a great season! Go Padres!

We ventured over to Seaport Village and walked over to where the Midway is. What a neat place to go!
This statue makes me smile every time I see it! Mom, memories?! Ha!

The weather was absolutely more than we could have asked for! It was gorgeous! Well we didn't stop there...we ended up traveling to Point Loma and up to Cabrillo National Monument! It was such a breath taking view from up there! This was Mike's first time up there (to Cabrillo) so I got to be the tour guide!

Don't you just love San Diego? What a beautiful place! Look at that view!

Before we left the Cabrillo Monument, we drove down to the Tide pools. Not much to see because the tide was way too high. We hiked down to the cliffs anyway. Beautiful scenery!

The rocks were very interesting...they literally looked like big pieces of wood!

We searched and searched and found nothing! =( Wish I could have seen something!

We traveled down the coast to La Jolla because I kept talking about wanting to see the sea lions! They were so fun to watch...

Don't they look comfy?! They were making Mike tired and lazy just watching them sleep! Haha!

We couldn't leave La Jolla before going back to the spot where it all started! =) On our first date we stopped at this random beach spot, which is surrounded by beautiful million dollar homes. We stopped and took a picture of course!

I looked around and kept finding names etched into the rock...I was sad because the rock was far to tough to do it with anything that we had...so funny how I turned around and found this etched into one of the rocks...ironic! I know someone was spelling "me", but how perfect...our initials! =)

We ended our "Tour de San Diego" by grabbing a bite to eat at Phil's BBQ! Such a great place...yet another recommendation! =)

Thanks for the amazing day, Mike! You are truly the best! xoxox!

Beach Break!

2010-03-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Horray! Spring Break is here! No vacations scheduled, just plenty of beach days ahead!

You can't beat our little beach spot...it's a secret one! ;)

I can honestly say that Mike and I are secretly obessessed with Jamba Juice smoothies and Pirates Booty as our beach snack! Better than chips, right? Please say yes! =/

You would think since he surfs he would learn to ALWAYS put sunscreen on...NOPE...uuuugggghhhh! My lobster!

It was such a beautiful day on Sunday and Monday...we spent the whole day at the beach here in Carlsbad and couldn't have asked for nicer beach days! Unfortunately they aren't going to last that much longer because of the icky weather! Oh well! Hope you all are having a nice and relaxing two weeks!

P.S. 6 years by the way (this month)...6 amazing years! =)

Where will you be May 1st?!

2010-03-23T19:51:00.001-07:00

My lovely friend Chessa told me about this http://thequeenbeemarket.blogspot.com/ (so close to home...had no idea)...I will be there ...mark your calendars! I will need others to make me feel better about emptying my walet at every place I stop! =( Fun times!

Party Favors

2010-03-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

I worked a bit over the weekend making birthday "treat bag" favors...

TTES Carnival Basket

2010-03-21T13:57:00.001-07:00

I WILL NOT take all of the credit for this basket! My room mom and her friend are amazing at creating things...this was the end result of our basket (not a good picture, I know....Mike was rushing me!)! The basket luckily went up for silent auction...I am curious to see how much it actually sold for...last I saw it was $405...I could be wrong! Anyway, I am so fortunate to have such a great room mom this year! Thanks Amy for all you do! =)

Also, if you or anyone you know wants to order clips or onesies (no ETSY account just yet...hopefully over summer it will be up and running...Darla, I really do mean it this time!), please let me know and I will make you as many as you need....email me at ewright213@gmail.com! =)

Legoland

2010-03-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Since both my sister and I had a furlough day last Friday (yeah a day off...I guess you could say good, but when you're not getting paid...bad!), we headed to Legoland with my mom and Makena....we left the guys to work! ;) Since I had a free teacher pass burning a hole in my pocket and considering the fact that we live a few miles from Legoland (and I've never been to the park itself), that day was a great day to go! It was a perfect day (perfect weather in sunny Carlsbad)...what more could you ask for!

This little lady is going to have her princess mermaid birthday party at the aquarium next month...she cannot wait!

My mom, sister, and I cracked up while watching her drive around the track...I think we were only bracing ourselves for the furture when she is actually driving...yikes!!!

Keeping Busy Crafting...

2010-03-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have been busy here and there making LOTS of hair clips for our class raffle basket for our school carnival...theywere sure fun to make! =)

The Craft Room....

2010-02-16T20:21:00.001-08:00

I finished! After a few months of procrastinating, I made my space complete! I still have to add some finishing touches (I plan on using chalk board paint and painting one in between the two wall units...If you know where I can find cute white vintage frames (cheap ones!) to frame my board, please let me know!) here and there, but for the most part my "cave" is complete!

I broke out the Cricut machine and the vinyl and made a name for my room (perhaps a business name?)!

I stuck with a red, black, and white theme...I'm all about the colors matching...weird, I know!

2 chairs...one for me and one for a guest! Ha!

Those little jars aren't full enough!

I crack up when I find Mike hanging out in my little room...he always seems to find his way in there for something even though he laughs at it....all in all, it is a perfect place for me to try and get some projects done! We'll see! =) By the way, thanks mom and dad for this wonderful christmas present! I love it!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had a very nice day together...loved the fact that it was also a 3 day weekend! We started off the day by heading up north to the Irvine Spectrum. The movie theatre was packed...of course we just had to see "Valentine's Day". How could I resist! I can honestly say, it is by far one of my favorite movies now! After the movie, we made our way to Zitos. Zitos is by far our very favorite Italian food restaruant in Orange County! Every time we are in Orange County, we don't even think twice about going anywhere else...it's that good! After that, Mike and I truly realized that we are complete dorks! We witnessed a crash before getting on to the 55...yah that's the bad part...anyway, we waited around to see what was going to happen and sure enough the fire department was called...could we have left? No! Mike had to wait and see if his dad's old fire crew would be on their way...sure enough they were! We waited over 45 minutes just to sit in the car and watch the fire department come and go! Valentine's Day was spent how? Ahh!

After 45 minutes of watching (by the way, no one was hurt...thank goodness!) we made our way closer to home and stopped at our favorite Yogurt Land in Mission Viejo! What a great day it was...despite the fact that we wasted 45 minutes, it truly was a nice and relaxing day that we both really enjoyed! =)
While shopping at Urban Outfitters that day, I could not resist buying this for his Valentine's Day present...it was just toooo perfect! =)

2-7...another year older

2010-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

Last year, my BIG present was going to Oahu...that is where Mike and I spent my birthday and Valentine's Day...(oh how I wish we could go back...I'm waiting...patiently....)

(Pipeline)

So sad to reminisce about how beautiful it is there...my eyes get teary just thinking about it =(

Enough about me missing Hawaii....This year my family and Mike's mom (his dad is a little too far away right now to have joined us...we sure wish he was here to enjoy the fun!) came down to our house to help me celebrate...

Every year, my sister and I always ask my mom for her famous chicken tacos...instead, this year she made delicious enchiladas!! Yum! I was one happy girl!

Makena LOVES birthdays! She couldn't wait to help her auntie with all of the birthday activities...

Of course she helped blow out the candles (yes, another mom creation...homemade oreo cookie cake with buttercream Oreo frosting...now who is the lady that should have a blog?!)! =)

Thank you for making my birthday VERY special everyone!!

ONE LAST NOTE...... If you are ever on the North Shore, I HIGHLY recommend you go to Ted's Bakery in Sunset Beach...this was my birthday cake last year...a chocolate cream pie...seriously the best pie I have EVER had... (not homemade by my wonderful mom, but it sure was DELICIOUS!!)...

A few Valentine's gifts...

2010-02-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

The little clip is to hang a photo on...

I sanded the edges and used distressing ink

More to see!

2010-02-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it has taken me a while to get pictures up of "the room", but I promise I will (hopefully by the end of the weekend!). In the meantime, I provided you with some great "eye candy" (a.k.a. awesome ideas!) by adding more links under "Ideas, Ideas, Ideas"....hope you enjoy!

Just a sneak peek...

2010-01-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

I have been putting it off for months now, but finally I had to dive right in and decided that nothing was going to get done if I just continued to stare at the mess I kept creating in my soon-to-be craft room (or as Mike calls it, "The cave"...ugh!). I spent all day Sunday ripping apart the closet I was storing everything in and went to town trying to be creative and thrifty at the same time...these are just a few pictures to share since I have yet to finish my new room (still waiting to break open the Cricut machine and add lettering to my walls!)...enjoy!

I bundled and tied all of my fabrics....organized them once and for all by color...love these cracker jars! They are seriously the best and CHEAP!!

Just a little peek at part of my wall organizer...

More pictures to come very soon...hopefully :(

Baby Shower Goodies!

2010-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

I have a baby shower next week for Tami (on my team) and decided to do something different than onesies and make a hair clip frame and lots of hair clips! SO FUN!!

The People's Choice Awards!

2010-01-10T15:59:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday, we were lucky enough to be able to attend the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles! It was such a blast! Mike and I made it up to L.A. in record time with no traffic (an hour and 20 minutes) so we ended up having some time to kill...we drove around downtown and then decided to park in the parking lot where we were supposed to check in with the casting company. "Wow!" is all I could say! The sites that we saw (I kept saying that I could have spent a whole day in that garage people watching!) were VERY ummm...UNIQUE?!

Everyone else arrived and it was time to check in...I was under the impression that we would be waiting for about 10 minutes and then be taken right away into the theatre to wait...oh no! We had to wait for a VERY LONG TIME...people watching sure made the time go by fast! We finally were taken to the NOKIA theatre where the show was about to begin in....2 hours! We were lucky enough to get seats (instead of being shifted around the whole time) where we were told that we wouldn't be moving unless asked to do so. My sister and I were getting antsy and decided to ask one of the casting guys if we could move closer (to the stars of course!)...we were told we had to make eye contact and then they could move us during the show! We stuck the guys (Mike and Kevin) on the end...we decided that it would be best if the girls got up and moved to the end so we could get a better chance at moving since they were moving people pretty rapidly! I was the first one to stand and was told to go see the casting guy...to our surprise, we were moved to the area were some of the stars were....I walked right past Colbie Caillat...love her! I was star struck when I saw her! I luckily did not get separated and sat next to Joy! We were lucky enough to be so close to Taylor Swift when she got her award and also got to see Johny Depp up close too! Yes, Mike and I watched the show the next day and sure enough we saw most of us!

We were so lucky to see stars like Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Lautner, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban....just to name a few!

What a fun night! After the show we rushed out to see the stars who were heading to the after party...were unsuccessful though because most had already gone inside...we did keep seeing this weird lady who thought she was Lady Gaga! Well actually I should say that we thought she was too and were truly convinced when we first saw her! haha!

Because of Joy we were all able to attend this event! I am on the look out for more shows!! =)

Feliza, Wendy, Vickie, Jenn, me, and Joy

New Year's Eve!

2010-01-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

We began the night by hanging out with some of the neighbors and enjoyed some appetizers together! We then had a delicious dinner at Kandyce and Ryan's! As soon as Dylan and Kaleb went to bed, we broke out Scattergories and Partini and played our hearts out (the boys were cheaters...of course not us girls!)! We dug into ice cream cookie sundaes at 2 a.m. and didn't end our night until 2:30! Surprised we were able to make it until 12 (let alone 2:30)! Ryan and Mike refused to wear their crowns for any pictures, but DID wear them for the rest of the night!

Yeah for 2010!

The night just wouldn't be complete without a SNUGGIE! Haha!!

Happy 2010 everyone! =)

Ice Skating and more...

2010-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last year around Christmas, we all went down to Coronado and had such a great time together! It is always fun to spend time in Coronado during Christmas! We decided to do something different this year and go down to downtown San Diego for some ice skating at Horton Plaza and some treats at Buca di Beppo and Ghirardelli ice cream! It was a great time! =) Can't wait until this December! =)

This was Makena's first time ice skating...she had a great time! Isn't she wearing the perfect outfit?!
She loved skating with her daddy!

Mama tried teaching her what she knew (yes, my sister was an ice skater when she was younger!)

As for me, I fell once and boy did it hurt! =(

After ice skating, we had a great dinner at our favorite Buca di Beppo in the Gaslamp! Makena made us all a picture! What an artist!
This little princess was still hungry when we left and would not let go of her piece of bread...she finished every little bite while walking to go get ice cream! As the saying goes, you must finish your dinner before dessert...she obviously followed that rule!
My sister thought that Mike would look so handsome in Makena's cupcake hat!

Even though we ate a ton for dinner, we still managed to squeeze in some ice cream! Look at this beauty!
This little one loves being right by Nana's side...Pop Pop's too! =)

A lOt To UpDaTe!

2009-12-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

I have been busy, busy, busy! I updated a ton...enjoy!

A gift fit for a CHIEF!

2009-12-28T23:25:00.000-08:00

Mike and I were invited to the (Carlsbad Fire) Chief's house for dinner tonight! I could not have us show up empty handed (as in no crafts in my hand!)! Of course I ran around today all over town (at the last minute!) gathering things to make these fabric fortune cookies! They are so easy and fun to make! I made a plain one a while ago and then added a twist to it to make it perfect for New Years and a hostess gift! The gift was a hit! =) A fortune cookie is not complete without a fortune! =) Yes, I made those too!

Silver ric rac? I had no idea they made such a thing...I fell in love at first sight!

There are the fortunes packed inside of the jar!

Christmas...Loads of fun!

2009-12-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Mike and I try our best to split our time between both of our families on holidays! This Christmas started out with a great breakfast (breakfast pizza and french toast...mmmm!) at my sister and Kevin's house. Look at the little ham! She is something!
Polka Pajamas was the theme this year! =) P.S. I made matching flower clips too!

Makena was so excited for her auntie to get all of her toys out from the packages! Ugh! Can they make those silly things any easier to get in to?

After breakfast, it was off to Mike's parent's house (in good ol' Fallbrook) for some present opening and a nice time together! Yes, that is Mike's mom with Mike's dad's picture! It was gift that he thought would make her happy when he is gone....far away....in Scotland! Looks like she surely likes it! ;)

Finally, Mike and I traveled to my parent's house for some more present opening, yummy dinner, and game playing!
She was sooooo excited to get this tent! She gathered up all of her presents and had a camp out!
Princess Makena and Uncle Mike had a little party eating cookies together! Where is her shirt? Yikes!

It was a great Christmas! Hope you had a nice one too! =)

Let's Relax and Have Some Fun!

2009-12-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

It was nice and relaxing to spend time with friends and family during this busy time of year! Here are just a few of those who were able to join us!
Guy and Jennie

Josh and Julie (a.k.a. the girl who needs to keep up with her blog ;) )

Mike and his dad with their matching mustaches! haha!

So glad this cute little family was able to make it! Hooray!

Darla and Joe

Cookies, cookies, and more cookies!!!

2009-12-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my very favorite time to make and decorate cookies...I got this cookie recipe from a parent at school and fell in love with it! The frosting is amazing and always sets up perfectly. I provided the recipe for the cookies and the glaze below! Let me know what you think if you try them!

Best Ever Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon baking powder

Combine butter, sugar, and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, orange juice, vanilla and baking powder. Beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds, wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight).

Heat oven to 400. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time (keep remaining dough in the refrigerator). Cut with cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Frost and decorate cooled cookies!

Glaze Recipe

1 cup of sifted powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons of milk

Mix well.

Add 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Mix well.

Add more milk if necessary

A few more orders...

2009-12-28T21:03:00.001-08:00

P.S. I am hoping to be on Etsy soon....(well, hopefully!)

More felt clips...

2009-12-13T19:11:00.001-08:00

I had requests for some hair clips for gifts...here they are!

Christmas Tree Decor!

2009-12-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to decorate for Christmas! Here are a few pictures to enjoy of the tree and staircase garland....there will be more pictures coming soon!

Thanks Mom for my lovely tree skirt! Could not have done that one!

I couldn't resist making a lollipop as my tree toper!

One staircase full of garland

Yes...cupcakes! Were you surprised?!

Thanksgiving and Treats

2009-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

I made these yummy Thanksgiving treats this year (pie crust with cinnamon!)...They were a hit (I just had to sneak a few here and there)! =) Sooooo yummy!

P.S. Thanksgiving was so nice this year (despite the fact that swine flu struck some of the fam...yikes)...especially going to Michaels (of course!) on Thanksgiving night to receive the excellent deals!!! That's when you know you have a bad shopping habit....thanks Mom for that gene! ;)

Felt Flowers

2009-11-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

I am loving WOOL FELT right now!!!! I'm buying entirely too much, but I just can't help myself! I decided that I would try something new for hair clips and start exploring with felt! Here is something I threw together over the weekend! I plan to make many more!!!

Caden's 1st Birthday!

2009-11-16T19:47:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at Caden's birthday! Thankfully I was done with my projects by then! He is an adorable little guy! The proud parents of this little man!

It was cake time...

Needless to say, he had fun! =)

The kids had a blast watching him eat the cake (including this little "man"!) Haha!

This little lady was a little pizza monster! No cake for her today!
P.S. Where are you Kandyce?! I have a pic of everyone else...ugh!

A few little projects!

2009-11-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

I decided that I would get in touch with my sewing/crafty side and make t-shirts for Caden's 1st birthday! After procrastinating for a few days, I finished them with one hour to spare before his party! Oh the crazy pressure I put myself under! Ugh!

This one had me in tears! It was NOT easy to sew! =(
Yeah! His crayon book/toy car holder came out GREAT!!! This will come in handy for restaurants!
This is the crayon roll up that goes with it! =)

Halloween

2009-11-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

I know that I am a little late, but I can't forget about Halloween! We had a great Halloween! We started the night off at Ryan and Kandyce's house for a yummy chili dinner and fun! Our neighborhood does a cute parade where all the parents and little ones parade around our neighborhood...very cute! We ended the night at Amber and Brian's for some late night munchies and fun! =) Thank goodness for the extra hour that we gained that night because we were tired from all of the Halloween excitement!

Pumpkin Carving!

2009-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Mike and I decided to carve our pumpkins last night (late last night...)! We went everywhere you could think of to find a pumpkin carving tool! No luck! Mike decided to go to Home Depot and get something that was similar to one of those tools! After an hour of calling places and driving around, that was our only choice! Pumpkin carving was long overdue since it had been a few years since he gave into my begging to carve a pumpkin again! =)

Mike had his idea already picked out before we even got home! Who was the one that complained about carving pumpkins?! ;)

See...free hand! No stencils! =)
A silly pumpkin face with a mustache! I wasn't surprised!

I decided to try something new...a moon, bat, and stars!

Oooooo! We can't wait to put them out!

Bosses Day!

2009-10-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kim and I had a blast planning for Bosses Day this year! We put our creativity to work and put together a great day for our principals!

They were very happy to see all of their goodies waiting for them!

We frantically decorated their offices with air guitars, records, etc.

We made them t-shirts to wear for their special day!
Note to self, remember to read the directions first before printing the text! I forgot to reverse it...thankfully I caught it!

Should I pursue a job in painting windows if my

teaching job gets cut next year?! Just kidding!
I loved the way their buckets came out! Janelle, do the stars look familiar?! ;)

Martha?!

2009-10-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

My mom was ecstatic when she read that Martha was going to be at Costco here in Carlsbad!! Caradee and I tagged along with my mom and Su! They were so excited! The line was sooo long! Unfortunately I wasn't feeling good that day and to add to that, we got up to the see Martha and I was star struck!!! Ugh! It was a fun day though!

Halloween Headband!

2009-10-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist making Makena a Halloween headband!

Fall is here!

2009-10-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

OH MY!! I have updated a ton (as you will soon see)! Sooo sorry for the 100 posts, but I had time to finally do it and my computer is working now! Horray!

Do not look too closely! Yes, you will see our WHITE WALLS! You would think after 3 years in our house we would have painted by now! Nope! I promise it will be done by Christmas! =) Well maybe...

Fall has taken over our house and I LOVE IT!

Had fun making these candy hurricanes!

All ready for the little ones to come!

Look at those beautiful pumpkins! ;)

Yes, I was adventurous and made a Halloween lantern!

Pretty festive I might add!

I bought fun paper at Target and made these magnets!
Love my new sign for my kitchen (it is from Bates' cute little country store!)!

It's picture time at Bates Nut Farm!

2009-10-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Bates was a lot of fun! It was great weather and going there made it officially feel like fall! =) We ended the day there with a great little picnic lunch! =)

Due to Makena's begging, Uncle Mike made it to Bates despite it being "Football Day"! Ugh!

He had to find the 3 best pumpkins!

I actually really wanted to get one big one! Yikes..look at that pose...what was I doing?! :/
This was interesting...my mom got a wheelbarrow and decided to put my dad into it
(with the pumpkin...instead of just the pumpkin!)! Funny!

Audrey and Abby had a blast!
She was not her usual ham today while taking pictures

(I guess unlike her auntie in the other picture..ha!)...instead she could care less!
We got her to smile when Mike and I told her she would
be getting a Halloween present from us when she comes to our house...well it is true! ;)
Where is that big pumpkin?! :(

Enjoying a picnic! =) What a fun day!

Carlsbad Fire Open House

2009-10-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Mike had his annual Fire Open house this weekend! My mom and dad joined me this year to hang out and watch Mike in his element! ;) We had a really fun time getting the "low down" on all of the fire apparatus! =)I'm very proud of him!
Showing my mom all the parts on the engine!

I've just learned to nod my head and pretend that I know what he is talking about! ;)
They were very excited they got such a personal tour!

Very glad we went! =) Thanks Mike!