♥ A little bit of everything ♥

Valentine's for sunbeam class

2012-02-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

Yet another idea from Pinterest. I made these cute little Valentine's for my sunbeam class, aren't they the cutest!

Vitamix Challenge Part 1

2012-02-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Have you heard all the hype over the Vitamix? Well, let me tell you it is amazing!!!

"This versatile, high-performance appliance helps you prepare healthy meals quickly and easily without a single attachment! Super-powerful Vitamix motor matches the power on the Vitamix commercial blending equipment found in the finest restaurants worldwide." Costco website

I've heard that you can put anything in it and watch as it effortlessly pulverizes it - whole apples, pineapples with the outer layer, nuts, grains, beans, rice, etc. and all without a single attachment. The most exciting part about this new toy is getting to experiment with it, hence the "Vitamix Challenge". My new game at home is having the boys guess what I put into their drinks. Last night it consisted of this:

Chunk of pineapple - no outer layer
Whole apple
Handful of spinach
One whole banana - no peel
Chunk of Beet
Several tablespoons of Flaxseeds
Cup of Greek yogurt
Cup of Ice
Dash of fat free milk

My husband pretty much pinned every ingredient except the spinach, beet, and flaxseed. Isn't that great that all he could taste was the fruit? Great way to sneak healthies into someone's diet. Trick? Believe it or not it was the beet that tricked him. Once I grinded all the other ingredients it came out a yucky green color but after adding the chunk of beet it came out a nice smooth dark pink. He never suspected the spinach with such an appealing presentation.

Oh, and I smashed a Vitamix claim. This machine does not pulverize a whole apple. I had to take it out and cut it into 4 pieces which then worked fine. But I did leave the seeds, peal, and core all there.

Its going to be fun coming up with all the ways to use this machine. Stay tuned for more!

I love you because...

2012-01-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

I found this on pinterest and fell in love with the idea! What a perfect way to keep a marriage fresh and unique.

The frame came from Marshall's for $7 and the pearls from Joann's for $1.50. I had everything else. Not a bad price tag for such a cute craft.

I made these little rosette flowers out of an old t-shirt and embellished them with pearls.

I also velcroed the pen to the back so it doesn't get misplaced.

Before I even finished the project I came home from work one day to my first message from my hubby. So glad he's actually going to be using it!

I couldn't find any scrapbook paper that I liked so just went with a solid slate blue. The nice thing is if I find some down the road it wouldn't be hard to just print a new sheet.

Lion Cake

2012-01-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

I found this post in my blog drafts and can't believe I never posted it! This was a cake I made for my avid hunter neighbor (who is now 71). One of his greatest adventures in life was hunting lions in Africa! This is a great cake idea for the lover of animals and the ones who like to have them stuffed :)

Charity Never Faileth

2012-01-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

This past summer Tyler decided on his own that he wanted to start a lemonade stand and give all his proceeds to a children's hospital. Completely shocked I asked why and his response was, "all kids deserve to live!". He almost seemed a little offended that I even had to ask. lol

So I helped him make the lemonade and gave him a little station at the bottom of the driveway. He earned about $30 and today we finally mailed it off (really late, I know).

After some research we decided to send his donation to the UC Davis Children's Hospital - Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy program. The funds are used to directly enhance the children's stay at the hospital with toys, art supplies, entertainment, etc. We felt that this would make a bigger impact from such a small donation.

I'm so proud of my eight year old son for coming up with this act of kindness on his own. With this I made my New Years resolution - do more charity/humanitarian work. It's something I can do with my family and we can all benefit from it.

Isn't it nice when the young ones set the example for us adults!

If you are interested in making a contribution to this charity please mail donation to:

Diana Sundberg, CCLS
Child Life & Creative Arts Therapy Manager

UC Davis Hospital

2315 Stockton Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95817

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T00:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights from our festive Christmas holiday

Grandma and Papa with all their grandkids

Tyler with 3 of his cousins on Christmas Eve and very excited I might add

Christmas Eve dinner at the "kid table"

Dinner at the "adult table"

On Christmas morning Tyler received a big box from Santa. After opening box after box after box he finally found the gift inside... an Ipod nano 6th generation!

Here are some happy kids with their favorite toys!

Rockin' out!

Tyler showing off his ipod and new bear tooth necklace that our hunting neighbor made for him.

I got a little spoiled this year. I wanted a new bed realllllly bad because the other one spotted in THIS post was so rickety and unstable. Not to mention it put Tyler in the ER once. I'm so happy to have a solid stable wood bed that doesn't feel like an earthquake getting in and out of. Props to my husband for putting it together with the full blown flu!

Here was my surprise from my hubby on Christmas Eve. See what I mean by spoiled!?

Since I am about 22 weeks pregnant I thought I would document what I looked like on Christmas. I felt good until my doctor told me 3 days later that I'm gaining too much weight. Dang fudge!

Here is my family - parents and 5 of my 6 siblings. I have one more brother that wasn't able to make it out for the holidays.

Hope your holiday was as just as wonderful!

Homemade Snow Globes

2011-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

We got the idea from Martha Stewart seen HERE. All you need for this project is:

- Mason Jar, baby food jar, or any jar really!

- Distilled water

- Glycerin

- Small figurines

- Large glitter

- Super glue

Directions:

Glue the figurines to jar lid and let dry completely. Fill the jar up with distilled water, add a few drops of glycerin, and teaspoon of glitter. Lastly screw on the lid and you're done! You could super glue the lid closed but we decided not to in case something needs to be re-glued inside. The kids had a blast making this project and were extremely proud of the finished product.

What to expect when you're expecting

2011-12-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

Did you ever read the book "What to expect when you're expecting"? I did. I read it when I was pregnant with my son, Tyler, 8 years ago. Who would of thought that a guide through pregnancy could be made into a movie! It comes out the month I'm due (May) and I am definitely not missing it! It looks HILARIOUS!!

Love Chocolate? Love Peanut Butter?

2011-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when chocolate and peanut butter get married. They create a sinful baby full of worthy calories.

Chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting, Reese's cup, chocolate drizzle. What's not to love?

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter softened

4 cup (2lbs) powdered sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream or till desired texture

Directions:

Cream together peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy. Alternate sugar and heavy cream into butter mixture. Apply to cooled cake!

Ode to pumpkin

2011-11-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

When you think of desserts on Thanksgiving what comes to mind? Most likely pumpkin pie, right? I know that people really really really love their pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving but for me I find it to be a little drab. This year I was in charge of desserts (which I usually am) and my family knows when they place that responsibility on me I don't stick to traditional. Our menu included a crisp apple pie with a dutch crumbled top, a delectable pumpkin crunch cake, and a pumpkin swirl cheesecake with a gingersnap/pecan crust. Yum.

You see, pumpkin can be transformed into a delicious masterpiece, why settle on plain pumpkin pie? So, without further ado:

Pumpkin swirl cheesecake with a gingersnap/pecan crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies, pecans, and butter. Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture. Blend 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the remaining mixture.
Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, and drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.
Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool before removing pan rim. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Spoiled kids make it hard for me to parent

2011-11-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

I don't live in a rich area, I need to get that straight right now. Sure, we live in a nice area but I would classify our town as 'middle class', not upper class. Yet for some reason all the kids at my sons elementary school have cell phones, and ipods, and ipads, and probably credit cards for all I know. Mind you my son is eight. When I was eight I could distinctly remember asking for a tea set.... aaand probably a dog for Christmas BUT I always felt my lists to Santa were reasonable. This year Tyler thinks he ~~deserves~~... no better yet, is entitled to a slew of items that are WAY beyond my budget. Well, even if I could afford it I wouldn't get him what he's asking for because what eight year old needs the following:

Tyler's Christmas list to Santa:

1) Please, a dirt bike

2) Please, an ipod

3) Please, an itouch

4) Please, an Xbox 360

5) Please, a cell phone

6) Please, a TV

7) Please, a ipad

I guess he figures if he says 'please' before each item that Santa will be more inclined to give it to him. When I asked him why he was asking for so many BIG items he said, "because all the kids at school have them". I explained that most of these items were unreasonable and he seemed to understand. It's just unfortunate to me that he thinks he needs them because his peers have them. Why do 3rd graders have cell phones??? I think I just need to find a way to humble my children while surrounded by so many spoiled kids.

Here are a few funny comics I found on the subject :)

Trip to Monterey Bay 2011

2011-11-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I won tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium through a contest on trazzler.com. All I had to do was tweet my favorite sea creature and why. So first I had to create a twitter account which I swore I'd never do! The tweet couldn't be very long so I had to get very creative. It went something like this - "Sea horses. They're cute, delicate, majestic, and best of all the men are the ones who give birth". I didn't win the grand prize but I did win 2 tickets to the aquarium! This was very exciting because I had never been to Monterey AND I love any excuse to plan a trip :)

Fisherman's Wharf

We went on a walk one morning and Tyler was HILARIOUS dancing down the street.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Tyler loved the touch tanks

The jelly fish were so mesmerizing!

Tyler's height at age 8 compared to a newborn whale.

This little kid saw us getting ready to take a picture then jumped in and wouldn't leave. It was kinda funny.

My inspiration for my winning tweet!

My beautiful pearls

I loved this tank. It looked like Finding Nemo!

Ugh. I wish men could carry the babies for us too. Sea horses have it so easy!

Tyler being a shark caught in a net

Cannery Row

And what would a trip to Monterey be without eating at Bubba Gump's!

The build your own sundae for kids was so cute.

17 Mile Drive

The views on this drive were absolutely amazing!

I was so grateful for nice weather that afternoon.

This big rock out in the water was COVERED with sea lions! I mean hundreds! It was quite stinky.

Tyler trying to scare away the birds.

Watching the horses along the beach.

The Lone Cypress Tree.

Fishing F-U-N!

Deke reallllly wanted to catch a shark. It didn't happen.

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

"Witches flying through the sky, on their broomsticks way up high, black cats howl as they go by for this is HALLOWEEN!" One of the songs we sing throughout the month of October. Love it.

We of course went to Apple Hill to get our pumpkin.

Tyler carved a vampire and Deke carved the Joker. Curses for not taking a picture of the finished project!

Tyler made a spooky haunted house

Tyler and cousin Kyla at Trunk or Treat.

Our traditional Halloween dinner - Mummy dogs. Yup, realllll nutritious.

Such a cute Captain America!

Ok, so here is the one picture I got of Tyler's vampire pumpkin *cough* yeah a week later. If you look closely you might even see the mold.

Halloween pumpkin patch cake

2011-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn't actually make this cake, my sister Heather did. But I thought it was SO cute I thought I would put it out there in case someone was looking for an awesome October cake idea. She used a 9x9 brownie pan for the base and the Wilton ball pan for the pumpkin. Same pan I used for THIS cake.

I put a straw in the middle to act as a dowel (yes, I helped a little), the straw stuck out about 2 inches. She then doused it with frosting to make the stem. Pretty cute eh?

Last minute Halloween costume

2011-10-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today we had a costume contest at work. This was a problem as I didn't plan to dress up this year due to the little hard-to-hide bump I've been sporting. But I didn't want to be a scrooge so I racked my brain and decided to throw something together with what I had.

Cut out a circle with leftover yellow fabric, throw on some horns and ta-da - you have a deviled egg. Although I didn't win the contest everyone at work loved my costume. Especially since I incorporated my bump. Could you tell what I was?

My secrets out...

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I feel so behind in my big announcement post, especially since my secret has been out of the box for one whole week now! Deke and I discovered we are expecting a little peanut in the spring... yes that's a pregnancy test from the dollar store. Two lines means POSITIVE!

I called the doctor a few days later and she said she wouldn't see me until I was 10 weeks along. I didn't want to make any announcements until I saw her because I have had little to NO symptoms and needed the confirmation that there was indeed something brewing.

I shouldn't complain but a little nausea would of made it feel real. But here I am 11 weeks pregnant and still no morning sickness. *Knock on wood*

About 5 days before my appointment I was out to lunch with my sister and mom and got this fortune cookie. (sorry for the horrible quality, it was taken with my phone)

I felt it was a hit ya over the head sign that I should tell them right there and then. So I did. After the squeals of excitement my mom says "I can't believe you told us in a Panda Express!"... I had to mom, the fortune cookie told me to!

We finally made it to the doctor and to our surprise she wanted to take an ultra sound! I was not expecting this but she likes to get the exact measurements for an accurate due date. This was a treat!

While taking the measurements the doctor stated that she had never seen a baby in such a perfect position and sit to perfectly for measurement. My response, "So I'll finally have a well behaved child?!?" YES!

Due date May 7th

Wash away your sins

2011-10-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Tyler's baptism day

Refreshments after the baptism

With grandma and grandpa

First set of scriptures!

It's GREAT to be eight!

2011-09-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

My little man turned EIGHT! This is such a special age for him as he will be baptized this Friday!!! I can't believe we are hitting such a huge milestone, I feel like he was born just yesterday!

Breakfast in bed for a special man on a special day!

His "great to be eight" cake

Of course he requested homemade pizza!

He got a box of boogers from his newest cousin, Kyla. She's only 6 months old lol

A special book to help prepare for his special day!

I didn't have birthday paper so Christmas it was...

oohs and ahhhs over his shiny new scooter

Happy Birthday to my little man!

9/11 memorial race in Sacramento

2011-09-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up bright and early to attend the 9/11 memorial race in Downtown Sacramento. It was an honor to attend this event.

My sister Heather came out with her baby, Kyla.

See the Capitol in the background?

This man ran with this flag the entire way!

The most beautiful thing about this event was the flag ceremony. Each person who completed the race was given a flag and then led into a blocked off area to place our flag down for a person who had died on September 11, 2001. With over 3000 names it was quite difficult to walk in there and pick one name to dedicate your flag to.

We saw firemen from all over the state who came out to show their support for their fallen brothers. We saw several from the Bay area and some even from Southern California.

10 years later and seeing the footage still makes my heart ache.

We will never forget.

$5 find turned fabulous

2011-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

I found this nightstand at a local thrift shop for only 5 bucks! Isn't she gorgeous? I walked by it several times and each time my eyes gravitated towards those curvy sides. I had to have it.

I knew what I wanted to do from the moment I bought it. This required sanding the whole thing and sanding it bare on the top. The rest was just sanding enough to remove the varnish.

I painted the body a creamy white. The paint color was called "Soft Brie". Isn't the top attractive naked? I think so.

I wrapped the beautifully painted body with plastic then tackled the top. I applied a pre-stain conditioner then stained it with "Red Oak" stain.

Lastly I applied the varnish and let it set. My final touch was adding new hardware from the Martha Stewart collection at Home Depot.

I find this piece to be very attractive and can't wait to make a matching dresser.

Can you say drab-to-fab? I can. ;)

Spray paint obsession

2011-09-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Deke and I have a new obsession - spray paint. Its amazing how much easy and faster projects are with a spray can! Here is one of our latest projects - yes we did it together. After all, the couple that crafts together stays together :)

Deke found this piano and although its cute it really lacked spunk.

So we taped it up....

Spray painted it turquoise...

And added plexiglass to the top so the kids can see the keys jump.

We're really happy with our results and I think it got the spunk I was looking for.

Pumpkin Enchilada's

2011-08-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

We got some pumpkins from a ward members garden and since its too early to keep them for Halloween we decided to puree them. So far I have only pureed one and it made a TON! I have been making pumpkin recipes all weekend and tonight's dinner was definitely blog worthy.

Pumpkin Enchilada's:

Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion thinly sliced
1 1/2 chicken, cooked and diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 chicken broth
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cumin
dash of salt and pepper
8 flour tortillas
1 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onion slices. Saute until brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan, stirring it to mix with the onions, then remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, cream, broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper. Spoon chicken mixture into the tortilla's, rolling them tightly and placing in a medium-sized baking dish. Once all enchiladas have been rolled, spread the pumpkin cream sauce over the top. Sprinkle generously with Queso Fresco, then bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or just until the tips of the cheese begins to brown.

Compliments of Cheeky Kitchen

Small desk for a small space

2011-08-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

I reorganized Tyler's room and decided we could fit a small desk in there for him. After looking on craigslist and searching a few garage sales this is what I found. Its the perfect size and in great shape. Best of all it was only 30 bucks! Not too shabby if you ask me. Oh how I love finding these little treasures. Perhaps this will even make homework time more enticing??? Maybe?

Yes, I know - in my dreams.

Homemade goat cheese and what to do with it

2011-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

First you'll need a goat.

I am lucky enough to have a friend who owns goats and gave me some goat milk after goat-sitting while she was out of town. I decided to make the milk into delicious cheese. Yum Yum Yum. If you don't own a goat or have a friend with a goat you can buy goats milk here.

Aside from the goats milk these are my other ingredients:

- Cheese cloth

- Lemon OR Lime juice

- Fresh garlic

- Fresh parsley

(or really just any other herbs that you desire, that's just what I have in my garden)

Step one: Boil milk on medium heat until it reaches 180 degrees farenheit

Step two: Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of citrus juice (that was my measurement with 32 ounces of milk). It will begin to curdle.

Step three: Layer your cheese cloth about 3 or 4 times and place in a strainer over a bowl.

Step four: Pour your milk into the cheese cloth

Step five: Tie up your cheese cloth and let it hang over the bowl

Step six: Drip, drip, drip... for about 1 hour.

Step seven: Remove cheese from cloth and add in your desired ingredients. For me it was garlic and parsley

Step eight: Eat and enjoy. Eat and enjoy on everything :)

I used the goat cheese to make some fantastic grilled goat cheese sandwiches.

I used extra sour rye bread and placed spinach, ham, and horseradish mustard on one side - goat cheese on the other. I grilled them in a frying pan with light butter for about a minute on each side. It was a delightful combination.

I have decided that I need to buy a goat.

Aside from mouthwatering grilled goat cheese sandwiches you can put goat cheese on a plethora of dishes.

Ways To Enjoy Soft Goat Cheese:

Spread on toast or bagels.
Substitute for cream cheese in dips.
Swirl or layer with pesto to spread on crackers.
Top green salads with crumbled cheese, or with slices briefly warmed in the oven.
Use goat cheese in lasagna.
For a simple pasta sauce, mix goat cheese with pesto.
Slice goat cheese, warm in the oven, arrange in a pool of chocolate sauce on a dessert plate, and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Use in place of sour cream on baked potatoes.
Arrange whole or sliced plain goat cheese on a serving plate. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs of your choice and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil or vinaigrette. Serve with crackers or bread.
Place two whole or split a 5-ounce goat cheese round in a pint jar. Add garlic, cloves, parsley, a few peppercorns, a spring of thyme, and 1/2 of a bay leaf. Cover all with extra-virgin olive oil and let sit for a few days. Serve with crackers or bread.

My little 3rd grader!!!

2011-08-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tyler's first day of the 3rd grade!!! He was so excited that morning that he was up and ready to go an hour early AND wouldn't eat breakfast - he was too nervous! I really wish that excitement would last all year long.

I let him pick out his first day outfit as long as he let me gel his hair. I think he looked pretty snazzy.

He wanted to show off his new backpack.

New desk!

The Pioneer Trek 2011

2011-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Deke and I had the grand opportunity to spend our 2 year anniversary weekend on our stakes pioneer trek. That might not sound ideal to some but to us we were more than thrilled to share that experience with the youth. You see, back when we were youth neither of us were able to attend the pioneer trek. I was either too young or too old and Deke's stake didn't do it at all. So when we heard our stake was doing it this year we jumped on the opportunity and signed up to attend and medical staff.

The whole trek was about 17 miles and the "families" were responsible for pulling their hand cart along the entire thing. Each family was given a baby that weighed about 8-10 pounds. The one rule with their infant was that they couldn't put it down, they had to carry it the entire trek! Along the trail there were little montages for the youth to see and better understand what the real pioneers experienced along their journey across the plains.

The youth involved were between ages 14-18 and they were all so amazing! They learned hard work, team work, self worth, humility, and most of all sacrifice. It amazed me to see young people grow so much as individuals and actually witness their testimonies grow.

Here are all their supplies before loading the carts

All the carts lined up and ready to go!

The sexy cowboy ;)

This is the closest to "roughing-it" as we can get in 2011. We had traveling bathrooms :)

Deke, Donovan, and myself roaring to go!

And they're off! Day 1 was about 8 miles.

Here is "Brigham Young" following on his horse.

We trailed along in company D... the kids were a little jealous that we brought our ipods. hehe

There were signs like this one along the entire trek. Little words of encouragement!

First stop for lunch on day 1.

This is company D enjoying the gorgeous views!

End of day 1 with swollen and very dirty feet. Hard to believe I was wearing socks and shoes, huh?

The "Pony Express" making its rounds with letters for the kids from their parents.

I heard there was about 300 people on this trek. Here is a shot of the first fireside at sunset.

Day 2 starts like day 1, walking and more walking!

Gorgeous wildflowers at every turn!

My cowboy taking a nap and I ended up laying down with him. I absolutely hate being dirty but on the trek you just can't care. No way around being filthy!

This is probably the only time you'll see me sitting on dirt and not caring!

Day 2 we had members from the U.S. military come take away the men to join the Mormon Battalion to fight in the Mexican war.

Our willing and able men saying their goodbyes

Now the women are on their own pulling the hand carts just like the real women from the pioneers had to endure.

They even had to trek across snow.

We came to this meadow a few miles later. It. Was. Breathtaking!!!

Towards the end of day 2 the kids had to endure their toughest test. Steeps hills!

It was so great to see how groups of men would push their carts up the hills then run back down to help the remaining carts. Some pushed 4 or 5 carts up until everyone was safe at camp.

We called this the "Harry Potter tree"

Deke even found his look-a-like on the trek! They were just about the same height, wore the same clothes, and had a black beard. I wasn't the only one doing double takes all weekend!

Company D medical staff... a.k.a "the lovebirds".

We had to tell several people that it was our anniversary weekend which explained our lovey-dovey behavior. ♥

Here is Deke with one of his many patients!

The journey ended on day 3 but not without one last trial. The families babies all had a disease breakout and the infants died. Before continuing on they had to bury their babies. We learned many stories where mothers had to bury their children, some more than one. It was a sad reality for the pioneer and we could not begin to relate to their tragedy in this montage.

The pioneer trek was an amazing adventure and we are so grateful we were there to experience it. I've learned about the pioneers my entire life but having a little taste of what they had to endure gave my a new appreciation for them and their sacrifice. We can't wait to do this again someday and highly recommend you taking the chance to do it if opportunity comes.

Mario Birthday Cake

2011-07-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

My nephew had a Mario themed 5th birthday party and my sister asked if I would make the cake. I did a little research and pulled ideas from other cakes online. I loved the cakes that had the red mushroom on top but decided that red is way too hard to make and that a green "1-up" would work just fine. For the mushroom I used the same pan that I used to make the belly baby shower cake seen HERE, then free handed the stump. I cut the drain and parana flower out by hand and my hubby made the Goomba. We used marshmallow fondant and butter-cream frosting. Yeah, it tasted as good as it looks :)

"Mario"... I mean Jonathan

Here it is complete with figurines.

After such a fun party Tyler has decided that he wants a Luigi party for his birthday in September. I guess I better design another "Mario" themed cake!

Playing fireman

2011-07-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Deke's captain invited Tyler and I over to the station for dinner and while we were there Tyler got to fulfill every little boys dream - playing fireman. From the look on Tyler's face I would say he is enjoying himself.

Aiming the hose into the drain.

The hose had so much pressure that he kept falling backwards when he would spray by himself.

What the....

2011-07-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say about this one... other than, my kid is pretty creative!

Made for interesting footage :)

Pool party cupcakes

2011-06-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

I love any excuse to have a party. Yesterday we threw a "summer kick-off pool party" for some of Tyler's friends and church friends. I thought these cupcakes would just be perfect for the occasion. The sand is made of crumbled graham crackers, the teddy graham is floating in a life saver gummy, and the beach ball is a sour lemon head. The kids annihilated them!

My sister and her daughter came to visit for the weekend and I just had to share the difference in size between my niece Kyla and my friends daughter Ella. Kyla and Ella are two weeks apart in age and a whopping 7 pounds difference in size!

Fathers Day Weekend ♥

2011-06-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to head up to Lake Tahoe on Saturday before fathers day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, it was absolutely perfect. We went up with some friends and spent the afternoon hiking up Upper Eagle Falls, playing on the beach, then heading to In and Out for dinner. Oh how I love that we live so close to such beauty!

Tyler always had to be in front.

Tyler and his good friend Hailey. They are only 3 weeks apart and have been friends since they were in their mamma's womb.

I know we have pictures together in this exact spot but it never hurts to have one more.

Fathers day breakfast was delicious french toast kabobs. Thank you Martha.

I found Deke taking a relaxing nap in his fathers day present. How cute ♥

"Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad." -- Anne Geddes

A story for the grandkids....

2011-06-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the privilege to attend the Motley Crue and Poison concert in San Francisco. My friend is dating the head bass player of Motley Crue and was able to score us some tickets and VIP passes. Awesome right? Deke and my brother David were like children going to Disney Land - SO EXCITED!!! The concert was amazing!

Here is Brett Michaels of Poison.

David and Deke enjoying the show!

Nikki Sixx's dressing room!

We hung out with Nikki Sixx in his dressing room for a bit while he was preparing to go on stage. He was so down to earth and hospitable! I know it looks like he's afraid to touch my shoulder but he had make-up in his arm and didn't want to get it on my clothes. So considerate!

Here is the man himself on stage!

They had lots of pyrotechnics! Even from a distance you could feel the heat!

That ferris wheel looking thing on stage was like a circular roller coaster. Tommy Lee's drum set was attached to it and he went in circles while playing! It was so entertaining!

Love birds at the show♥

I loved this disco-ball piano that Tommy Lee is playing. Here they are singing "Home Sweet Home". I was told that Nikki had written that song when he was only 17. Impressive!!!

Tommy Lee upside down playing his drums!

Deke, me, Courtney, David

It was also kinda fun just people watching. This concert attracted ALL sorts of interesting looking creatures.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Here is a short video of Tommy Lee on his drum set roller coaster! I loved it!

"Home Sweet Home"

baseball, party, car show... what a day!

2011-06-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was Tyler's last baseball game of 2011! Luckily we got beautiful weather which was a concern considering this season was full of rain, cold, hail, and SNOW! Spring sports are so unpredictable when it comes to the forecast! After the last game the team headed over to Cameron Park Lake for the end of season party. They had pizza, cupcakes, and received a cute little trophy for all their hard work. Then they all headed to the swimming hole to play for the remainder of the time.

I LOVE this one of Tyler. I might need to frame it!

Partyyyyy time!

Here is Tyler receiving his trophy from his coach

YAY Yankee's!

Time to swim and build sand castles!

Before the game we went to visit Deke at a local car show. The fire departments always attend the community events. We were able to walk around and have lunch together :)

Deke looks exactly the same in both pictures. I thought that was funny.

From am to pm this has been an eventful day! I can't wait to just curl up on the couch and relax!

Fathers Day room service door hanger!

2011-06-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ummm... can you say CUTE!!!!

What a great idea for this upcoming Fathers Day. Our men work so hard and they deserve to be treated extra spacial on Fathers Day. What better way than to deliver them a special breakfast in bed!

Double click to enlarge and print baby print!

Blog credit: Be Normal Act Different

The Kodak Sport and all its awesomeness

2011-06-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

Before leaving for our cruise I had decided it would be fun to buy an under water camera to take snorkeling. I talked with an electronic savvy co-worker and he had suggested the Kodak Sport. I looked into it and decided for the very affordable price and decent reviews it would be worth checking out. I made my purchase on Amazon for a little over $100 and let me tell you it was money well spent!

This little gizmo and about the size of a cell phone, waterproof up to 10 feet, full HD video, color screen, and did I mention waterproof?! We had so much fun taking videos in our underwater adventures and it was great on land too! Here are a few of our videos to prove it.

This was our underwater test. (Bahamas)

Small video of the stingray that we saw in the Bahamas. I wish the video was longer but Deke grabbed my ankle while filming because he thought the stingray was going to kill me. Lame.

Here is a land shot of Deke trying to catch an iguana in Puerto Rico.

Our Caribbean cruise!

2011-05-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Deke and I went on our first ever cruise! And what better way to sail than through the Caribbean? Oh my how it was wonderful. We left from Miami, Florida and stopped in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands - Grand Turk, Turk and Caicos Islands - and San Juan, Puerto Rico. We learned SO much about cruising and will list our notes in a later post. For now here are some of our pictures!

The Bahamas had the most beautiful, pristine beaches. The white sand was like powdered sugar - light and fluffy!

We found a pirate ship in the Caribbean! Arg!

The water color was beyond words. So beautiful!

We loved coming back to our room every night to turned down sheets, mints on our pillows, and cute little towel animals!

They had a newlywed game (even though we've been married for two years) and got to participate. Only 3 couples were selected out of 3,500 guests! Good thing my hubby knows how to work a crowd! Here is our prize.

Formal night! It was the only night I wore makeup and did my hair the entire week!

We found a fire department in the Virgin Islands. They were kind enough to show us their department and take a picture with Deke.

What a great spot to read a great book. Ahhhh... lovely.

I love this picture. It was in a dungeon in El Morro where a caption was held captive.

While in Puerto Rico we visited Fort San Felipe Del Morro and Fort San Cristobal. It was so interesting learning about the history there.

Front view of El Morro

Party on deck!

We spent a lot of time in these chairs on the boat. They were perfect for afternoon naps!

We even got to learn how to make our own towel animals! So fun!

Iguanas everywhere!

All-in-all it was a fabulous trip. We are now in love with cruising, even though we think cruises are slave ships. Thats definitely for another post! lol

Fishing is part of our spring!

2011-05-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

We try to take Tyler fishing often but probably not often enough. We have a cute little lake about a mile from our house and we need to utilize it more often!

I love how he tilts his head to one side just like Forest Gump.

One of the things I love about spring at the lake is seeing all the cute baby geese. Too bad they grow up to be vicious nasty hissing beasts. Oh well!

Mothers day 2011

2011-05-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

"Teach me well, my little one...
To cherish the moments I have with you,
for all too soon
they will swiftly pass away.

Remind me to pause and touch
your soft, small cheek,
to marvel at the innocence in your eyes
and the perfect beauty of your face.

Show me how to treasure more the miracle
that life has given me in you,
to complain less about and praise more
the boundless things you're sure to do.

In the stillness of the night,
when you wake me from my slumber,
help me to realize how truly blessed I am
to be able to hold you next to my breast
to comfort and cradle you close to my heart.

And as the seasons pass away,
may I never look back in regret
at what may have been.
May I instead leave a legacy
for you to follow
as you in turn will one day welcome
a little one of your very own."

Author: Linda E. Knight

I cherish the cards Tyler makes for me. It proves that even the small things don't go unnoticed with our children - small things like school supplies :)

Here is the "breakfast" Deke made for me - delicious crepes. Although, with the homemade custard and chocolate it was more like a breakfast dessert :)

Tulips are my absolute favorite!

My new Juicy Couture charm

All-in-all it was a fabulous mothers day. I am so grateful for the men in my life who make me feel appreciated, loved, and special. ♥

Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure

2011-05-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did our first Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. It was an early start and as you can see Tyler was extremely sluggish at 6:00am on a Saturday morning. We geared up in our pink and headed out!

It took awhile for Tyler to really wake up.

This is Edie Lambert from channel 3 news. She was the MC for the event.

Tyler is starting to wake up... but still not happy I made him get up so early on Saturday.

This is before the race, 25,000 people showed up!

They had us do some Zumba to help get us pumped up! It worked!

And off we go! All 25,000 of us!

Tyler finally got into it once we started.

We finished together full of smiles :)

Tyler did a race just for kids...

...and got a medal! He was very excited about that.

It was a fun day and I loved that we could do this as a family. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Walk a mile in her shoes

2011-05-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Deke and I had the pleasure to support the Women Center for Violence up in Placerville for their 9th annual "Walk a mile in her shoes" charity walk. The event started with a delightful pancake breakfast then followed with an amazing presentation. They had great speakers which included Sheriff D'Agostini and a beautiful musical performance by his daughter Marina D'Agostini - who wrote the songs that she sang.

One of the main focuses for this event was to teach us about the "bystander effect" and how so many people could have been saved if someone who was witnessing the crime would of spoken up. They showed us a clip from the TV show "What would you do" about a drunken girl (actress) and a man who starts taking advantage of her in the middle of the bar (the man was also an actor). The point of this video was to see how the bystanders would react in this situation. It was amazing to see hero's step up and protect this complete stranger. But it was also disheartening to see some men actually encourage the actor in his assault. Here is the video if you are interested in watching http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/man-lures-drunk-girl-step-10562465

This is an event that Deke has wanted to do for years. Every year as it approaches he starts hitting the thrift shops and shoe stores in hopes he will score a pair of size 16 women high heel pumps. Again, this year he was unable to find what he needed to participate in this walk. So, I emailed my HR department at work and asked if they had a pair of VERY big womens shoes I could borrow. (Blue Shield is sponsor for this charity, thats why they had shoes!). Luckily they had a size 12 which were a little small but with the open toes it would work!

Here is Deke suiting up for the walk..

He had to practice his strut before heading out

Here is the presentation before the walk

Marina D'Agostini playing her beautiful music

Close up of the shoes

Like Deke wasn't tall enough! Here we are just before leaving for the walk. Ignore my peacock hair, I had just rolled out of bed!

Here are the men from the Blue Shield team! Showing leg and all!!!

And here we go!

This guy went ALL out. Fishnet stockings, dress, wig, heels, and makeup! I'm glad Deke didn't want to go extreme...

In full swing!

These shoes belong to the Vice President of Customer Operations at Blue Shield. He not only bought new shoes but even bedazzled them! Although, I think socks should be forbidden for the men. After all, what woman actually wears socks with heels? Certainly not I!

Deke and I decided last night that this charity is our charity. Not only because we always find ourselves at events for the center but because its such an important awareness that can not be ignored. 1 out of 3 women are sexually abused in their lifetime - 1 OUT OF 3!!! Thats huge! Just think about your family and how many women you know. This means someone close to you has or will be effected. Its frightening to think about but there is something you can do. Visit this link and look into ways you can help your community and save strangers, family, friends, daughters, and mothers.

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies,

but the silence of our friends.”

Martin Luther King Jr

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

The weekend started off with Tyler's baseball game Saturday morning - bright and early! After that we headed to the Placerville Fairgrounds for their community "Eggstravaganza"! They had several egg hunts for kids, food, bounce houses, live music, games, crafts, face painting... and it was all FREE!

The nice thing about this event was it wasn't overly crowed. I've been to the community egg hunts in Folsom and Cameron Park and there are WAY too many people at those events. I really enjoyed the short lines and mild crowd sizes.

Making some crafts!

Check out the air he's getting!

Tug-of-war! This game was SO funny! They had all the children against 3 grown men. The kids had the men dragging on the ground in defeat. I wish I had it on tape!

Tyler helped me make the cupcakes for my sunbeams.

I got totally lazy with these ones... I had planned on making them into baskets :-/

Coloring eggs!

We finished our Easter Eve with some home movies. Look how cute my brother Brian is on the TV! I believe he was about 5 at the time.

And what would Easter be without Trifle!

Tyler's goodies from the Easter bunny!

His new educational books ;)

Deke just getting home from his shift on Easter morning.

Check out this cute little BUNNY (not mouse) made out of bread!

Part of the Easter gang

Courtney and David

Another egg hunt

♥ Family photo ♥

My husband is so seductive lol

Here is Tyler holding his cousin Kyla for the first time!

This is my friend Courtney and I, we have known each other since birth! It was great to have her and her mother come visit for Easter!

Grandma's Rhubarb Pie

2011-04-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have really come to love rhubarb. It's a delicious vegetable that you can find in stores in the early spring. I recently found out that my grandmother had a great rhubarb pie recipe that my father grew up enjoying. We discovered that my aunt who lives in New York had the recipe card in her possession, after a few emails my father was able to get this picture of the original recipe card in my grandmothers handwriting. With this picture I can now bake this delectable dessert for years to come. Last night was my first attempt - it was perfect with a side of vanilla ice cream.

I think its funny how the rhubarb kinda resembles pieces of meat in the pie; almost like diced up hot dog! But I can assure you that the pie was sweet and divine and tasted nothing like meat ;)

2011 Opening Day - GO YANKEES!!!

2011-04-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our baseball leagues opening day - it's our kick off party for the season! They had bounce houses, rock climbing wall, FOOD, music, a parade, and a raffle. I of course forgot my camera so please excuse the horrible picture quality from my camera phone.

The team and coaches!

Climb baby climb!

We were lucky enough to win TWO of the raffle baskets! Both were "Family movie night" baskets. So fun!

After opening day we went to my sisters house to get our baby fix. Here is Deke meeting his new niece for the first time ♥

Hostess inspired cake balls

2011-03-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

There is something magical about a Hostess cupcake. I mean, how can you beat a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting AND a cream filling? Oh heavens.... tasty.

With that being said I was really excited when I stumbled on Sugar Derby's blog and found her creation for "Hostess inspired cake balls". Cream filling and all!!!

I thought I'd give it a try and take a batch over to the fire station for Deke and the boys to try. After all, who would make better judges than 7 hungry firemen?

Welllll... it was also an excuse to visit my on-duty husband - win-win for everyone! ;)

I believe Tyler likes them :)

We have a future missionary on our hands...

2011-03-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Tyler's father took him to church on Sunday. This morning I received a picture text with the message that Tyler had doodled the following picture while in sacrament. It absolutely melts my heart to see that Tyler has developed such a strong testimony of the church at such a young age.

Tyler encourages Deke and I to have family scripture study every night before bed and always begs to read just a few more verses before passing the book.

Last night Tyler found Deke's old missionary training booklet (which has princess stickers on the cover) and Tyler said, "One day I will have a missionary training book too, but mine will NOT have princess stickers on it."

I am so grateful to have a son that provides such a good example to me and invites the spirit into our home on a daily basis. I have already witnessed him trying to teach his non-member friends about the gospel and I can't wait to see him as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Bacon wrapped eggs

2011-03-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

I LOVE breakfast foods, all of them. I love pancakes, French toast, bagels, English muffins, burritos, sausage, bacon, eggs, etc.... but I love it even more when you can combine two fantastic breakfast foods into one dish. Here is a fabulous recipe for eggs wrapped in bacon. It made for a wonderful Sunday brunch dish!

Step 1: Fry the bacon in a pan for a few minutes but not too long because you still want it to be flexible.

Step 2: Wrap the bacon in a greased muffin pan.

Step 3: Make a bowl of scrambled eggs (1 egg per tin) with all your desired ingredients. For this one I used green onions, milk, salt, and pepper.

Step 4: Pour the eggs into the tin, evenly dispersing them between each tin.

Step 5: Bake on 350 degrees for appropriately 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are firm.

Several minutes before the eggs finished I placed some cheese on top and allow it to melt.

Step 6: Enjoy your fabulous meal!

Thief in the night....

2011-03-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

We went to New York a few years ago and while we were there I had picked up a little Statue of Liberty clock to place on my bookshelf. Looking at it today it looks a little different. Do you see what I mean?

Lets take a closer look....

My son... the little stink... made a photocopy of it and placed it back on my shelf hoping I wouldn't notice! And where do I find the actual clock???? Hmm... I wonder....

On HIS bookshelf!!!

I guess I should of gotten one for him too.

Ahhh... back where it belongs. At least for now until my little thief in the night returns!

A quarter of a century old!

2011-03-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

On March 4th my hubby Deke turned 25 years old! He loves to make fun of the fact that I am older than him and the first thing he says to me on his birthday is, "I'm finally to the age you were when we met!". G-thanks babe!

Tyler was at his dads house this weekend so we decided to throw Deke a tiny little surprise party for the 3 of us on Thursday night when Deke returned home from school...

Here is our mini-surprise party ♥

I know that looks like a red blob but it is indeed a heart on his cake.

When I asked Tyler what he wanted to get Deke for his birthday he immediately said a Barbie. Apparently they think its funny to make fun of each other for "liking" girl things. So I took him to the dollar store and he picked out a fairy doll and a princess card. He then went over to the balloons and grabbed the first pink one he saw. I told him that it was a baby shower balloon and read "its a girl" on it... his response: "PERFECT!" LOL when Deke opened his girly present he declared war on Tyler and told him to just wait for his birthday!

Here is the cake I made for his family party

The awful thing about Deke having his birthday in March is that he will always have a nasty mustache for that entire month. Its a Cal Fire ritual to grow mustaches that month! Yuck!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART! I'm glad your brain has finally fully developed! ;D

Crab cakes with a savory chipotle sauce

2011-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Deke worked at the Cal Fire crab feed last Saturday and ended up brining home a HUGE bag of leftover dungeness crab. I've never been a huge seafood fan but I didn't want all that food going to waste either. So I made some delicious Paula Deen inspired crab cakes with a savory chipotle sauce.

I say "inspired" because I took her ingredients but decided my own portions. Her recipe looked too mild and I needed a bold flavor to hide the fish taste that I hate. I was very pleased with my results!

I even convinced Tyler to try one... I only had to tell him they were Crabby-Patties and I had gotten the recipe from Sponge-Bob himself. hehe.... ;)

For dessert we had some strawberry Italian sodas :)

Recipe with MY portions:
1 1/2 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
2 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz), I used 1 cup for mixture and 1 cup for outside layer
5 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Several dashes cayenne pepper
Approximately 1/4 cup of flour (not for mixture)

Directions: In large bowl mix all ingredients except the oil and 1 cup of Ritz crumbs. Once mixed, make medium sized patties and coat with Ritz crumbs and flour. Fry in pan on medium heat for 4 minutes on each side. Once slightly cooled add chipotle dollop and enjoy!

Chipotle Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp of finely chopped chipotle peppers
several dashes of cayenne pepper

The King and I

2011-02-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend Tyler performed in our stakes Best of Broadway series. He participated in "The King and I" and was one of the little students to teacher "Anna". He had such a fun time with this play and did such a good job too! Anyone who knows Tyler know he's quite the little actor and loves being on stage!

I tried to upload the video but for some reason it wouldn't allow it :(

"Why Mothers Need Their Sleep"

2011-02-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

This video makes me laugh. I've watched it at least a dozen times and every time I get a good chuckle. When I showed it to my husband, Deke, he agreed that I "turn to murder" if I am sleep deprived. I'm not so sure that's completely true but I will admit I get cranky without my precious shut-eye. Any other mothers relate to this video's description?

"By the way, I killed the cats." LOL!!!

*Be sure to mute the blog music before starting the video*

A Birthday in San Francisco

2011-02-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my 27th birthday and I don't care who knows it! lol
We thought it'd be fun to take a little day trip to San Francisco. I really wanted to go to the Exploratorium since I hadn't been there since we moved to Northern California back in 1993 and Deke and Tyler had never been. This was actually Tyler's first time to San Francisco and he was beyond excited to go there. While we were driving over the Bay Bridge he said - "this is a dream come true!!!". Apparently its been a life long desire to cross over a bridge. You should of seen his face when he laid eyes on the Golden Gate for the first time!

Here are a few of the things we did at the Explratorium:

Tyler LOVED playing the drums!

FINALLY... a chair that is "Deke-sized!" lol

Deke drew a picture of me through a scope.

Tyler is making electricity here and if you look really close you can see it.

Rain drop photography

After the Exploratorium we walked around the Palace of Fine Arts

For dinner we went to Johnny Rockets where I had the most amazing peanut butter chocolate milkshake. I must recreate it.

And you thought the milkshake was my dessert, HA! We had lots of time left on the meter so we decided to check out this cute little cupcake shop down the street, Kara's Cupcakes.

On the way out we decided to burn some of those calories and walked down the bridge... well we walked, Tyler ran.

Bye-bye San Francisco, we shall meet again real soon!

This was too cute not to share - This is how I found the boys after coming back to the car from getting gas. I guess our day trip wore them out!

His and Her pillows

2011-02-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Burlap pillows seem to be all the craze these days. Not sure why since you really can't lay on them but they are kinda cute. I've seen them at different stores like Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen, and other boutiques. Their price - $60 to $90 EACH! I have NO idea who would spend that kind of money on burlap, especially when the design is so simple. I was very pleased when I found a tutorial on THIS blog and it was beyond easy.

I made my pillows 18 inches and used the Harrington font for the letters. A very helpful hint is to apply "Fray Check" around the entire pillow to avoid shredding, burlap tends to shred a lot once its cut! Also, the best part about this project - no sewing! I smeared some liquid stitch around the edges and voila - knock off designer pillows! (and for under $5!)

Now there will be no mistake who sleeps on what side of the bed ;)

One of the many reasons why I love my job

2011-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

This year will be my 5 year anniversary with Blue Shield of California and I must say that it is a great company to work for. I could bore you with a long list of perks that come with my job, but I won't. Instead I'm going to share just one - "the walking work station". That's right, we have treadmills attached to desks that we can use while we work. Awesome? VERY! Today I did my first session at the station for one hour. With my busy schedule its hard for me to find time for regular workouts so I find this newest addition at Blue Shield to be quite marvelous!

Ok, I'll play this one....

2011-02-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

Night Owl Crafting is hosting a HOO are you link party.

I thought it would be fun to play this one, you should too! Click on the text to take you there! ;)

1. What did you get/give for Valentine's Day?

My hubby surprised me with several assortments of flowers, chocolates, Juicy Couture perfume, and the SWEETEST card. Oh and I can't forget the cute poem him and Tyler recited to me when I got home from school :)
2. Do you have a vacation planned in the next couple of months or in the summer?

We are scheduled to go to the Eastern Caribbean this coming May. Unless the boat burns down... AGAIN!
3. What is one thing you do to pamper yourself?

Facials. I don't get them as often as I'd like but its definitely a special treat when I do!
4. What sparks your interest to other people's blogs?

FOOD! I love looking at blogs with fun recipes and impressive baking. I love trying all the cool and creative recipes I find!
5. What kind of a mood are you in today?

A simple mood. No extreme emotions today, just simple and happy :)

Valentine Candy Grams

2011-02-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Oh Valentines' Day. A beautiful ~~Hallmark holiday~~ time to celebrate the love you have for the special people in your life. I decided to make my two Valentine's some candy grams, one big one for papa bear and a smaller one for baby bear. Deke found his this morning on the couch and Tyler found his in his lunch pail at school. There is more Valentine goodness to come but this was just to start off their day.

We are cashing in our CF!

2011-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Carnival Splendor,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for catching on fire and cancelling our New Years cruise. With the discount we received for the inconvenience we were able to upgrade our cruise to something more fabulous. Although the Mexican Riviera sounded like a blast I do believe the Caribbean will be more fun. The best part, even with airfare we are still paying LESS than the Mexican cruise would of cost us. Not too shabby eh? So again, I thank you! We are really excited for May 22nd to come our way! Keep an eye out for pictures ;)

♥,
Kim

Sharing is Caring

2011-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

I came across this website the other day and have become completely in love with it. Its called PICNIK and its a basic photo editing website. I have photoshop but unless you take a class, read a HUGE book, or have someone teach you, its pretty hard to understand. Who has time for that? Certainly not me. I use it from time to time but usually just get frustrated. That is why I was SO excited to find a FREE photo editing website that is user friendly. It has everything you need for basic editing - frames, coloring, red eye removal, among many other effects. I just ♥ it. I thought I would share this website just in case you haven't heard of it. Below are a few of my BEFORE and AFTER pictures I made while playing around with the website.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE
AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

(The Boston Temple is gorgeuos no matter what but I just loved the vintage look in this photo)

BEFORE

AFTER

My Mini Valentine

2011-02-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend Deke worked at the fire department and since I don't have Tyler next weekend I decided to have my Valentine's with him early. I asked Tyler a few weeks ago if he'd be my mini Valentine (I ask him every year) and to my delight he said yes. My husband is of course my true Valentine but just look at this kid.... I mean, can you blame me? THIS lady just ♥'s him!

We started off by making heart shaped sugar cookies and decorating them with mountains of sprinkles and chocolate chips.

I had more pictures of him and his cousin Jonathan making the cookies but realized that I didn't have my memory card IN my camera. I hate when that happens.

Then he made this cute little heart shaped wreath. We love wreaths in this house.

Ok, he was SO done with me taking pictures of him. lol

Here are the delicious cookies!

This wasn't part of the Valentine's fun but I thought it was too pretty not to share. This is the candy bar pizza I made for the super bowl. I made one for us and another for the firemen. I love any excuse to visit Deke when he's on duty... hehe...HERE is the recipe!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Valentine's Day Craft

2011-02-05T14:59:00.001-08:00

I found this adorable heart wreath on The Idea Room website and thought I'd create one of my own. I cut out 276 three inch round pieces of felt (no I didn't count them, I just did the math), folded them twice, and then pinned them onto a heart shaped foam wreath.

This project was VERY time consuming so I ended up doing it at work on my breaks as well as a home when I should of been sleeping. But needless to say, I am very pleased with the results.

Here are the materials

I bought a few different packages of pins before I found the ones that worked. Save yourself the trouble and buy these!

After folding it twice stick the pin through the bottom like so and then push into the wreath.

Here is the wreath part way completed. Notice I placed the felt closer together than shown in the original tutorial. Once I realized that I felt I was too committed to turn back so I just went with it! I still like the way it turned out though :)

Lemon Zest Cupcakes with Raspberry Butter-cream

2011-02-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Talk about a FABULOUS Valentine's Day dessert! Check out the recipe to create these scrumptious cupcakes!

Cupcake batter:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Butter-cream
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar (add more if you want a stiff consistency for decorating)
Preparation:

1. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.
Note: Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry raspberries before adding to frosting.

Talk about DIVINE!

Somethings Missing...

2011-01-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

Since I've started night school something has been missing from my evenings, oh yeah - dinner. I get off work at 3:30, pick Tyler up from the Boys and Girls Club, get home around 4, attempt homework with Tyler, leave for school at 5, get home almost at 8, get Tyler to bed, do MY homework, and then hit the hay. I hardly think about my forgotten meal until the hunger pangs hit me in the a.m. (5:30 a.m. to be exact).

My solution to no time for hot meals is to drink my dinner instead. I decided to start with a healthy green kale, spinach, pear smoothie. Sound good? It was an interesting concoction but the healthy rewards are blog worthy. Kale and spinach are rich in folic acid, fiber, protein, and consumption is recommended daily. This drink will satisfy you longer, stabilize blood sugar, and promote a better mood - all 3 are much needed for me. I've listed the recipe below, give it a try :)

1 heaping cup spinach leaves

1 heaping cup chopped kale leaves

1/2 pear

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 cups cold almond milk (or soy milk or orange juice)

1 tablespoon honey

Remove kale leaves from their rough center stalk and coarsely chop. In a blender, combine kale spinach and almond milk. Blend until no big kale bits remain. Stop blender and add banana honey and pear. Blend until smooth.

Compliments of Joy the Baker

Homemade Baby Shower Gifts

2011-01-30T16:09:00.001-08:00

For my sisters baby shower I wanted to make some of the gifts. I decided to make a little play blanket and some flower clips. I didn't take any pictures of the flower clips but I'm sure you all know what they look like - black, purple, and white flowers with rhinestones, the end.

The blanket however, took more thought and time. I got the idea from a friend who had made one for her daughter, her tutorial is HERE. I made the ribbons 4 inches instead of 2 inches and I also sewed a baby wipe bag in the middle to add that crinkle feel - we all know babies love textures! I added some toys (from Walmart) around the blanket and there is still plenty of room for my sister to add more. Hopefully the little darling likes it!

A Little Lady Is On Her Way

2011-01-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today my mother and I threw my sister Heather a baby shower. Our theme was pink. She is due February 28th with her first child and we couldn't be more excited for her. As you can guess she is having a little lady and she has yet to be named. Tyler, my son, refers to her as "Question Mark". Here are some pictures of "Question Marks" first party.

The Decorations:

I spent my breaks at work making all these pom-poms!

Cute little clothes line of newborn onzies!

The Food:

The belly cake made by yours truly:

I wanted to frost "bye bye tummy hello mummy" on the top of the cutting board but I didn't have room. So instead I just typed up a sign.

The Presents:

The Games:

In this game you had to guess what mommy wants for her soon-to-be lady. Does she want her to have the attribute of mommy or daddy?

Everybody loves a good game of BINGO right? I like this one because you are forced to pay attention to mommy opening her gifts.

Here I am with the mommy-to-be! One more month!