Valentines' Day Etsy Finds

The "Mad Hatter"

A Papercut Picture...

If you've never looked at Papercuts- take a peek, they are incredible.

Done by hand, they blow you away on how detailed they are.

A heart ring!

Don't you love this 3 rose ring?

A splurge ($145) but so sweet.

I carry your heart necklace.

And for something really unique...a heart beetle.
He's growing on me.

And a teeny tiny heart necklace.

Aren't these sweet?

I think I'll leave this post open on my computer for the husband to see.
It doesn't hurt for him to have a few ideas.

What's on your wish list for Valentines' Day?

Funny Faces

Lucas- you look like your daddy.

Where are we?

Can you believe how much snow we got?

The snow was at least 2 feet deep in Oak Glen!
And the scene was incredibly breathtaking. 

I don't know if I'd have the same attitude if we had to endure this on a regular basis. Because...my bones were frozen.
And our wardrobe was definitely not up to par.

Luckily at the end of our trip, all we lost was a glove.
Oh & my camera case!
At least I think I lost it there...it's missing.
My camera is sad.



PS- Where did spell check go on the new blogger update?
We all know I'm the worlds worst speller!
So forgive my spelling errors.

Signs

I'm officially a stay at home mom.
Not like I wasn't before, but now the signs are beginning to appear!
Yes friends, I joined a Book Club!
It makes me laugh everytime I say it out loud...
B-O-O-K....C-L-U-B...

Seriously though, I need to excercise my brain with some intellect. I apparently can't spell wipe & I forgot where Alaska was (my husband told me NEVER to repeat that). 

So what better way then to join a group of ladies or men (who knows) who like to read & don't have lives outside of their home. LIKE ME!
Because let's face it my social calendar has cob-webs.

If you want to join the book club too (and make me a happy girl), it actually starts today on Simple Mom.

The book is called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families.
I got my fancy copy at the library.
For free & it smells old.
You just can't get that awesome smell anywhere else!

Anyway, you just read the scheduled section each week & then there are discussions on the content in the forums.
I'm hoping it goes well.

If I come across anything worth while I promise I will share!

This or That

This is better then...

that!

Having no dishwasher is really cramping my style!

Saved

Wednesday inspiration.

(making it lovely)

Burn baby

Fire on the side of the 101 freeway.

I think a bum set his house on fire.

Can you spot the sock in the tree?

Poor guy.

The End

Did I ever show you this picture of rhino butts?

It makes me laugh.

Have a good weekend.
Oh & call one of your friends.

<3

The Pits

We ventured out to the La Brea Tar Pits before Storm Watch 2010.
The tar pits are more like tar bubbles in sewer water.
But the museum was definitely more like it.
It holds all the bones every found in the pits.
And for some odd reason I find bones to be extremely fascinating.
To know they once were part of a living body and that there are people that can actually put these bodies back together!  Blows my mind.

My favorite part was this huge wall covered with wolf skulls lit up by an orange light.
It was amazing!
(You can see a small photo of it above in the collage)
It was so cool.

You should go. If not for the pits - for the wolf wall.

Cave Beast

We are watching the office right now.
(the Tuesday marathon runs our life)

The episode where Jim & Pam have the world's smallest earpiece
so that they can talk to each other all day at work, since...
"the company doesn't approve of 8 hour long personal calls."

So I ask Kyle if he could talk to me on the phone for 8 hours.

He said "no."
I said, "What about 8 minutes?"
He said, "I can't, you hang up to fast."
I said, "Not true, I talk to babies all day. I look forward to talking to you.
Some good ol' adult talk."
He said, "I don't know why you don't call one of your friends?"
I said..."ummm...good call."

Why don't I call my friends?

I'm turning into a recluse with a serious case of agoraphobia.
Ahhh! I'm like a Cave Beast.

Breakfast Cookie DIY

We decided to make Breakfast Cookies today.

They are super healthy cookies, that don't taste like cardboard.

And they are camouflaged by chocolate chips & cinnamon sugar,

so the kids have no clue they are eating a healthy cookie.

And I can eat more than one without worrying about my pants fitting the next day. Bonus.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups whole grain cereal flakes (Special K, Total, etc)

3/4 cup of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 tbsp of Wheat Germ (full of nutrients, like iron, protein, vitamin B, & folic acid)

1 tbsp Flax Seed (good source of Omega-3's)

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 canola oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese (sounds crazy, but this is what makes the cookie super moist)

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Cinnamon sugar for dusting

Crush cereal in a bag with the bottom of a glass.

Them mix cereal, flour, wheat germ, flax seed,  baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, and ricotta.

Combine ingredients.

Mix in chocolate chips.

(Note: You can add whatever extras you'd like in these breakfast bars.

Dried fruit would be great, raisins, or nuts.)

Spoon tablespoons onto greased baking sheet, flatten cookie with spoon,  sprinkle with cinnamon sugar & bake 15-20 minutes until the edges brown.

I promise you they are delicious.

Health

Yesterday I was feeling pretty emotional.
My lil' guy has been really sick the last 2 months.
And just can't seem to get healthy.
I feel like I have exhausted every effort to get this boy back in shape.
But keep on getting kicked back to square one.
It's pretty discouraging.

It makes me think so much about how precious our children are and that they are to be treasured always.
And to be so thankful for good health. 
And thank God for that everyday.

Tagged

My lovely friend Jess at The Doe or The Deer tagged me...

so here goes ...

10 random facts about me:



1) I was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. My parents had a romantic candlelight dinner before I arrived (or after?) in the hospital...isn't that sweet?


2) I hate the sound of styrofoam coming out of a box. It drives me bonkers.


3) I love old black & white movies, the older the better. Oh, and musicals. I'm a bit of a movie nerd.

4) I'm addicted to Diet Coke. It's my life juice.

5) I believe everyday deserves dessert. This could be why my butt looks like it does.

6) I have an obsession with really bad pop music. The kind of music where you roll up your windows so no one can hear you.

7) I think a hot bath cures whatever aisles me.

8) I have to have lotion on me at all times. Dry skin is my kryptonite.

9) I eat oranges with salt. This is the only way.

10) and for the grand finale...I can shoot milk out of my eye!!!

so now I tag, the woodcutters cottage.

Good as they Get

My grandma turned 80.

Isn't she beautiful?

Everytime I make french toast I think of her (you know the good french toast with plain ol' white bread).
Or when I smell peach cobbler or fresh brownies.
Or when I see a bare foot on a cold night, I know she'd be dying to lend a pair of her crotched slippers.

She taught me to sew, to cook, to bake, to love God.
I would not be the woman I am today without her.
She is as good as they get.

I love you Gram.

Speechless

Old Man

I took the boys on a date to

Old Man Park.

See, here I am. Freckles & a crying baby.

We drank soda pop.

And ate some crazy chips & Brandon got grapes.

He's the healthy one in the family.

Here was my soda choice.

It tasted like Old Man Park.

Never again.

But our date was fun.

Dinner # 2

Every Veggie Soup & Cheddar Biscuits

Every Veggie Soup Recipe
4 cups of broth (whatever kind you have on hand, I had chicken)
1 garlic clove
half of a chopped onion
1 potato cut in small pieces
a can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of carrots (chopped)
1/2 cup of celery (chopped)
1/2 cup of corn
3 tomatoes (cut into large chunks)
1 can of white beans (drained)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Olive Oil

Saute your garlic & onion in olive oil in the bottom of your pan for 2 minutes.
Add carrots and celery to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, beans, potato, tomatoes, corn & tomato paste.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.
I added 21 Season Salute from Trader Joe's to give it an extra kick, but the soup would be great without it.
Let it come to a boil.
Then turn the heat down and let it simmer for about an hour.
You know it's ready when your potatoes are soft when you poke them with a fork.

Cheddar Biscuits
I followed the recipe on my Bisquick box and added about a handful of cheese.
They were so good.

The verdict: Pass
This took up so many veggies that it made a huge dent. No wasted veggies for me!
And you can put any veggies you have on hand into the soup and it'll still be good.
We all loved it (including the duo) and of course the biscuits were gone in a flash.
Any bread with cheese on it in this house...doesn't last long.

:)

Dinner # 1

On our plates:
Cheesy chicken & salsa skillet
Recipe found here.
(Tip: The best thing about this website is the 3 ingredient list. Where you can list what ingredients you have and it pulls up recipes that include them. Genius!)


The verdict:
Pass
It was really easy to make.
The husband liked it. He said it was, "Good."
The down side: the duo didn't, they said it was too spicy.
My gringo babies don't have the buds for salsa.
Next time I'll use extra extra mild.

Buckets & Bangladesh

Have I told you how funny and crazy my neighborhood is?
Yeah?
Okay, well here's another story for the books.
Well, actually two.
It's two for Tuesday!

First story, remember Bob?
His house was abandoned for a long time.
Now 2 lovely Bangladeshian folks occupy the house and we couldn't be happier.

• He gardens.
• Wears a long skirt.
• Cooks fish on his hibachi at 2 O'Clock in the morning.
• And he put up a rather nice fence facing the street so he can sit on his porch to smoke his bong (in his skirt)!

Kyle watched him one night & he told him it was tobacco. 
To each his own.
The reason for the fence, well our friendly neighborhood police officer caught him partaking in his bong and came up to ask a few questions.
Hey, whatever it takes to improve the look of our hood!

And now for the second story in our tale of fun;

We have a bum well actually let's call him a Ho-Bo.
Because he is a real life Ho-Bo, and this guy is always on the move so I'd hate to call him a bum.
Anyway, we call him, Bucket Boy.
Because he always has a bucket with him, hanging from his bike (he wears a helmet too, this aint no ordinary Ho-Bo) while riding around town.
He sets up shop in the wash. Tents, and lots of buckets.
We look forward to seeing him.
It's like seeing a real life Bear Gryls.
Mastering the land of Highland with his tinder & buckets.

So we were at the library last week, stocking up and guess who was behind us while we walked out?
Yes! Bucket Boy!
I looked over at Brandon and said, "Dude, that's bucket boy!"
He say, "No way! Should we say, Hi, Bucket Boy?"
I said, "Well, I don't think he knows his name is Bucket Boy!"
So we stared in amazement at our Ho-Bo hero.
He goes to the library?? He's awesome.

Then yesterday, Ayden & I were out and about and we sighted him again.
Riding his bike, with a bucket, his helmet & eating some lovely California raisins.

Whatta guy!

The Fridge

Helloooooo, Fridge!

It's time for me & you to have a lil' experiment.

And so here is my mission: To use all that you hold to feed my family.

Sounds easy enough right?

Well, you.are.wrong.

Half of the food we use.

and the other half, well, just gets funky.

OR I buy it to use in some fancy smancy recipe (hi, capers! you've been on my fridge door for awhile now...I know) and I never.use.you.again.

So here is my project for the next 7 days.

I am going to use all that my fridge holds, without restocking at the grocery store once!

(this of course, excludes drinks! Once milk or diet coke is gone in my house, there is gonna be a riot.)

It's a tall order.

I know. I'm scared.

But I have some tools to help.

And for the next 7 days I'm going to post my recipes.

And at the end of 7 days, we'll see how well I did.

We are all trying to skimp to save where we can.

So, wish me luck.

And if you try any of these recipes, let me know what you think!

The Zoo Boo-Who

There's nothing better than starting the new year off with some animals and family.

Then Ayden had a temper tantrum

because he had to share a cheeto.

Boo who.