Casa de Berry

Birthday weekend, part 1

2011-11-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

I am officially on Wordpress! Come check out the first part of my birthday weekend story - go here to add the new blog to your reader feeds - thank you!

Thanksgiving Mantel

2011-11-14T05:49:00.000-08:00

As you might have seen in my silly turkey garland post, our mantel has been de-Halloween-ed and is now ready for Thanksgiving. But last Thursday the boys and I made a little something to add up there.

I got the inspiration for this from pinterest, of course, but I decided to make this craft with stuff I had on hand.

I have been saving glass jars for the past few months, I'm trying to replace plastic food storage as much as I can, and I had a few pasta sauce jars that weren't all the same size but they worked in a group.

Then I added a band made of scrapbook paper, created the letters and border on Photoshop, and added some curling ribbon. The contents of the jars are dried out corn husks and stems from my backyard.

I think it looks nice atop my dark mantel:

As you can tell, my boys have started to pick off some of the poor turkeys' eyes and even one of the faces (look to the right end of the garland). As long as they don't eat them, I'm fine with it :D The dried sunflowers on the right are also from my backyard, we got tons of seeds, so yummy!

Hope you have a great Monday!

Fashion Friday: Forty Favorites

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

Holy sh**, I'm turning forty tomorrow.
This is how one of my all time favorite characters responded to turning forty.
Edina turns forty
I am hoping I don't end up going to that extreme.

I thought I would share forty items I love and wear/use often.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage - has two shades so you can custom blend the perfect shade for you.

MAC Studio Tech - Gives me flawless coverage and a polished finish in just a few swipes. My shade is NC42.

MAC Blot - This is a summer necessity for me, my skin gets very shiny and this is perfect.

MAC Brun - I don't like brow pencils so I use this shadow to fill in, and also I swipe it as eyeliner for every day.

Clinique Black Honey - This is a classic for a reason, it works for just about every skin tone. It deepens my natural lip color and gives it some gloss. Love it.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Black Eyeliner - I only wear this for going out, then swipe some Brun over it for more staying power.

1 - Red ruffle flats from Target. OMG, how could I not? Gorgeous dark red patent, sweet ruffles, AND I got them for a deal with #4.

2 - I love these boots. They are just gorgeous and very uncomfortable. In some haze of pregnant madness, I decided to wear them to my first baby shower. When I had already gained 40 of the 50 lbs. I put on. I think they were full of blood by the time I took them off, I was in so much pain.

3 - I wear these most days. These are not the exact ones, but pretty close and very comfy.

4 - Leopard flats from Target. Like I mentioned at #1, I got them for a serious deal. They're $12.99 to begin with (all the Odell flats are) and then they had a BOGO 1/2 off. Hello. Two super cute pair of flats for $20? Not a question.

5 - My husband got me these, they were exactly what I wanted. No buckles, no chains, no funky shit, I just wanted a classic pair of black boots and he got them for me. Mwah, sweetie!

6 - Super comfy, super cute booties from Payless. Also got them at a sale.

7 - These are the coolest, they're called Pop Art, i.e. they have that outlined-in-black thing going. Good for errands, but not for a day at Disneyland. I found out the hard way.

8 - Again, these are not the ones I have. Mine were handcrafted to my measurements, ahem. My darling daddy used to run a leather supply company back in the old days and kept a lot of contacts. It seemed every "nude" pair out there matched my skin like a regular bandaid does, meaning NOT. This pair is the perfect color, perfect height, perfect everything. If ever you can have shoes custom made, seriously, do it.

9 - THESE are perfect for a day at Disneyland. Or three. We were there for 3 days and I wore them every other day. Skechers, I love you.

10 - These are like another pair of shoes my dad had made for me. Now, you ask, why on earth would I have such basic models made? Well, for one, I have really high arches and most shoes do not have good support. Also, if I was going to have custom made shoes, I wanted those to be the most trend-defying, classic, forever style shoes I could think of.

1 - My "event" bag. Just about every wedding, cocktail party, etc. that I go to, I've got this with me.

2 & 3 - So this cracked me up. I bought a crossbody bag like #2, but from Target, for $14, loved it, wore it all summer, it was perfect, then I thought, I should get something similar but a bit bigger -- I met my mom for lunch and she had bought me a bag in the exact same color, the exact croc print, in a shape like #3.

4 - My winter bag is pretty much like this one.

5 - I love this bag, it's neutral but metallic, so it's a little dressier than a plain finish, roomy enough but not huge, just right.

6 - Finally, my beach bag. It's dirt cheap (Old Navy) and I don't care if it gets scratched, stepped on, whatever. I fill it up with snacks for the boys and throw it on the sand when we get there.

I have to say that although I sometimes do covet pricey handbags - the Chloe Marcie is a favorite, I love the shape and the embossed detailing - there is no way in hell I would ever get one, even if my budget changed overnight or I was given $1800 to spend. I have two small boys and two cats, I'm not particularly careful with my things, and it's just not my lifestyle. It COULD be my lifestyle if anyone wants to get it for me for my birthday ;D but I think the worry of it getting scratched or something would keep me forever freaking out.

1 - I love this cardigan from LOFT. I got it and a purple one during a sale and I wear them all the time.

2 - This coat (well, the one from Tarjay that looks a lot like it) it such a knockout. I put it on and I stand taller, throw my shoulders back and get a kick in my step.

3 - This little top has quickly become a favorite. Old Navy, as 80% of my wardrobe is, light and breezy, throw a cardie and scarf on and I'm set for cooler days.

4 - See #3 ;D This top has sequins all over but I like the funky print and I wear it during the day. My dear friend K. loves it, too.

5 - I got 3 tops like this one, in taupe, black, and plum, and they get worn all the time. 3/4 sleeves, not tight but not oversized, the perfect everyday top.

6 - I remember that these chevron-striped tops (in blue and orange) sold out as soon as they arrived. I could never find them in the stores and waited for weeks until the website had them, then nabbed both colors. They're perfect for someone like me who hates horizontal stripes -- they have a strong graphic element but the Vs are much more flattering.

7 - These skinny jeans are very comfortable, not skin tight, and the length is perfect for heels. Old Navy, of course.

8 - An all-season pair of black pants.

9 - My favorite jeans of all time. Merona by Target has several styles that address various fit issues. These are well fitted so they do not gape in the back, enough stretch to make them flattering and the straight legs balance out my wide hips. The $25 tag is just right. I wish they had more colors, though!

Can you tell I was into turquoise this year?

1 - Fun statement earrings, I prefer to pull my hair back when I wear them otherwise they get totally tangled up ;D

2 - Earrings from my hubby back when he was my new boyfriend. They're discrete enough to wear every day, which I love.

3 - My favorite scarf of all time. I've mentioned before that I wish I could go back and get the other two colorways they had, but lesson learned. It's larger than most scarves so I can (and have) put it over my hair when it's started to rain, but it's thin enough that it doesn't get bulky.

4 - Super fun pop of color, I got it on clearance at Old Navy.

5 - My engagement/wedding rings. I knew what I wanted and I'm happy I stuck to my guns. I wanted a princess-cut/square) diamond, I wanted a solitaire, and I wanted yellow gold. The sales chick wanted me to have a larger stone (which my then-fiance wanted as well), platinum, diamond band. Nope, nope, nope. I like yellow gold, I like plain bands, and I didn't want a big rock.

6 - This hat has gone with me on many outings and even on my first cruise, which we took last year. You can stick it into a bag, load tons of stuff on top and it still comes out perfect. I got it for like $9 at Target, I think.

7 - H&M has the best trendy jewelry/accessories, I got this for $4.99, and whenever I am in one of my all-black ensembles I can just pop it on, apply some red lippy et voila, outfit is perked right up.

8 - These earrings are so sweet, dainty and delicate, perfect for date night.

9 - I know, horrid pic. This is a bracelet I made with my current favorite colors - turquoise and olive green - and various little charms like an Eiffel tower, Fleur-de-lis, and a dinosaur because my boys love them.

So that was my list of 40 of my favorite items, as you can tell I don't really do designer gear, if anything on a pic is a designer item, it's because I couldn't find the actual item on polyvore. Most of my clothes and things are from Old Navy or Target. I do splurge on makeup, although my lipsticks are usually the cheap kind.

Hope you enjoyed this little trip through some of my favorites - next time I post I will be forty! And yeah, I wrote this to be posted on 11/11/11 at 11:11am ;D

Moving to Wordpress!

2011-11-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

Today's regularly scheduled (ha) post is coming at - of course - 11:11am, but I just wanted to remind you guys that I'll be moving to Wordpress soon and here is the link to follow the new blog:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/wordpress/uqin

I'll be moving over in a few days!

Big post coming in a few hours ;D

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey Garland

2011-11-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

I saw this cute place setting craft at my favorite paper store

Source: paper-source.com via Claudia on Pinterest

and I'd been thinking of making a garland with my oldest, so I decided to make a variation of this cute turkey. I had all the materials except the eyes, so that was $1.99 spent.

First I punched out the body out of brown construction paper and cut tan triangles for the beaks:

Then my boy added googly eyes - we thought that would be a lot more fun! I asked him to go crazy coloring with oranges and reds on yellow paper, for the plumage.

Some of them looked silly, and my son said he wanted to make them all different because people are all different :D

Then we taped the turkeys onto orange curling ribbon:

Et voila! Here is our beautiful, fun, and very silly turkey garland!!!

I love walking into my house and seeing this fun garland that my son and I made together. He loves doing crafts with me and I am planning more Thanksgiving fun - hope you enjoyed our Turkey Garland!

Pinterest challenge - mason jar gifts!

2011-11-07T05:40:00.000-08:00

First let me tell ya that I will be moving to Wordpress! Yay! And you know what? You can add this link to your reader feed: http://casadeberry.wordpress.com/feed/
I will be here for a few more weeks and I'll keep reminding y'all so all my sweet followers can, uh, follow me in my new online home.

Okay, NOW we continue our regularly scheduled post.

Yeah, I am a few days late, but seeing this challenge pop up in some of my favorite sites got my butt in gear. That, and the fact that the pears on the tree were finally turning a gorgeous golden yellow.

I got plenty of canning and packaging inspiration from Pinterest:

Source: tipnut.com via Amy on Pinterest

I would LOVE to have a pantry filled with canned goods!

Source: google.com via Michelle on Pinterest

These are ADORABLE all packaged up for Christmas!

Source: canningacrossamerica.com via Denise on Pinterest

Okay, seriously. WOW. If I ever manage half of this, I will be so proud of myself!

Source: squidoo.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I started to think up ideas for the extra jars I had - scrubs would be great, don't you think?

Source: tipjunkie.com via Kelly on Pinterest

How cute are these with their color-coordinated tags?

I was lucky that my mother-in-law came over to can pears with me because I sliced up my finger with a fruit corer and she had to take over - no worries, we cleaned the corer and threw away the pear I'd been working on - but we had a good morning, chatting as we processed the fruit, and me planning in my head how I'd package up the finished goods.

This is what we picked from the tree the night before, my oldest was a super helper:

Soaking in their Fruit Fresh so they'll keep their pretty color:

Cooking down - we did some in sugar and some in Splenda. We did lots of tasting and they were yummy!

The smaller jars in front are pear butter, so good!

I also made some sugar scrubs - there are lots of great recipes at Tip Junkie.

I chose to go with a simple label I made in Photoshop, some ribbon/yarn and bits of a Christmas (fake) branch we had from last year's decor.

While I don't have an entire pantry full of canned goods, I do have a couple of small shelves full of these, and they make me happy. Maybe next year I'll get many more tomatoes and I'll be able to can lots of yummy sauce!

Hope you enjoyed my Pinterest Challenge!

Godzilla a finalist in SFGate's contest!

2011-11-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

I just saw that the Godzilla costume my husband made for our youngest was one of the finalists in SFGate's Super Crafty Costume Contest!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Fashion Friday: Family Pics

2011-11-04T05:59:00.000-07:00

As the days of Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, there is another event that we honor every year - Family Picture Day.

This year I am considering a very neutral theme:

Special friends such as my oldest's Soft Elephant and my youngest's Zebra & Rabbit are always welcome - they are part of the family ;D

Do you take annual pics?

Holidays a deux

2011-11-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Something my husband and I have always made sure of is spending time together, even during the madness of the holidays.

Even if it is just for a few minutes while the kids are (gasp!) watching a video, it is very important to us to have some time to chill and talk about what's going on in our lives, what our plans are for the next few days, to make sure we're in sync and not forget anything in our busy schedule.

We don't have fancy china or a lot of heirloom pieces but I like to set a table for two with items that mean a lot to us:

The runner on top of the off-white tablecloth was made by my mom. The yellow napkin underneath the leaf and mug on the right is part of a set made by me. Yep, I sewed a set of 16 napkins because I loved the color of the fabric I found. The three little pumpkins in front were purchased at my youngest's pumpkin patch field trip, and then the boys and I painted them with a clear glaze, then sprinkled glitter on top. They look so sweet and remind me of the fun I had with my boy that day. The ORB-painted candlestick is my on of my beloved fleur-de-lis candlesticks, which I found on sale at Goodwill. The little ceramic holder (you can see it better in the second pic) was gifted to us full of yummy almonds last year, after we ate the almonds I couldn't part with it :D

Some hot chocolate and good conversation makes for a nice break - we are lucky that my mother-in-law watches the boys often for us, and we get to spend some quality time together.

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Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've been posting about the costume my husband made for our little one.

I was very surprised that my youngest chose this, as the one who had loved this character to begin with, was my oldest (he even had his latest birthday party with this theme), but he's moved onto superheroes.

Thank goodness our oldest went with a store-bought, because my husband needed every last minute to get our youngest's costume done.

The Saturday before Halloween, our cousin needed help for his costume, so most of that day was spent working on that. His costume was (luckily for my husband) just the headgear to become DeadMau5. Yeah, I'm old, because I was seriously creeped out and had no clue who that was. My oldest, though, had no problem sitting on DeadMau5's lap for a pic.

Sunday was the deadline, then, and my husband went to work, the level of detail in this costume blew me away.

The base of the costume itself was carpet foam that he got for free just by asking carpet installers. The spikes were cut from foam, primed, then spray painted. The texture all over the "skin" is small stripes of silicone. The teeth were cut from foam, then painted and attached to the upper and lower jaws, same with the foot claws. The feet are cut to go over our son's shoes. We decided to not make claws for the hands in case our little man got overenthusiastic and scratched one of his classmates.

Here is the head, almost done:

My husband helping our little man right before his parade:

Waving to one of the people taking his pic. Kids and grown ups wanted to have their pic taken with him, people were filming him, it was hilarious!

After his parade was over, my husband and I and my in-laws (who joined us for the morning) had breakfast, then headed over to my oldest's school.

A quick wave from a busy Captain America:

His good friend S. was Wolverine so there was lots of superhero talk :D

So this was our morning, now we get a few hours of quiet before the madness of "candy extortion" as my husband calls it. And oh yeah, Godzilla was made for under $35.

Happy Halloween from Captain America and Godzilla! Be safe and have a great time!

Costume progress - and a hint!

2011-10-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

My awesome husband is almost done with our little man's costume. Good thing because he has a parade tomorrow morning!

The attention to detail keeps amazing me. Also, he helped with his cousin's costume Saturday afternoon. I am not posting that yet, but it came out great. I think. Because I was a little creeped out by it and wasn't really sure what/who it was. I looked it up and I'm still creeped out. Today my hubs is putting the final details on this costume and I can't wait to see it finished!

Featured at Comin' Home

2011-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

My bloggy friend Donna at Comin' Home is a wonderful lady. She always has a kind word and good advice, and I love reading her posts, so I was delighted when she included my fall wreath in her recent post about fall decorating.

I love the bottles with the reeds she included and my boys are going to make a Thanksgiving garland much like the one she featured.

Go check out Donna's post, it has many ideas for fall decor that are easy to do and are sure to autumn-ize your home. Is that a word? It is now ;D

Fashion Friday: Scarf it down!

2011-10-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

I love scarves, and I love that we're in the perfect season for them. Right now afternoons still get a little warm but in the morning when take the boys to school, it is deliciously chilly!

I am super lucky that both my mom and my sister are avid knitters/crocheters, so they have contributed a large percentage of my scarf stash. My favorite purchased scarf is the tan one with tassels on the bottom right.

It is from Old Navy and it came in 3 different colorways, and yeah, I wish I had bought the other two because I love that thing.

A scarf can be such a versatile accessory - it can instantly transform a ho-hum outfit, i.e. what I wear most of the time, into something interesting. That said, I cannot wear two types of scarves - 1, the infinity type scarf, which are basically a big circle you wrap around your neck a few times, because my makeup and hair get wrecked. Graceful, I am not. And 2, the type that are very delicate, either lacy or the ones that are a bunch of flowers joined together, because I have two kids and two cats, and again, graceful I am NOT, and within 5 minutes the thing would be snagged into unwearable uselessness.

Luckily for me, there are plenty of other types of scarves that I can wear. As a devoted francophile the scarf is my accessory of choice - I love this article that came out last year about a writer who gets seduced by the power of a great scarf. Since I rather pride myself on not spending much for my "couture" I don't think I'd be shelling out 150 euro for a scarf, but it's a good article anyway.

I leave you with some images to inspire your weekend, stay warm!

Source: nettevivante.blogspot.com via Myrtille on Pinterest

Source: makeit-loveit.com via Myrtille on Pinterest

Source: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com via Bruna on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Meggie on Pinterest

Source: plumo.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: outfitidentifier.com via Tori on Pinterest

Costume progress

2011-10-26T14:33:00.001-07:00

My awesome husband has taken on the task of making our youngest's Halloween costume. Every night after he's done with work he works and works on it for a few hours. I think it's going to look awesome!

I have to say I'm surprised that my youngest chose this and my oldest ended up going with a store bought costume. Can you guess what it is?

Nuh-oh is so good for you

2011-10-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

My youngest's love for oatmeal cannot be denied. It is a love that is all encompassing, and it is also a love that keeps him regular - win/win! It started with my oldest, in fact, who started eating some of the oatmeal my mom would make for her own breakfast, and then it became a ritual. He outgrew his love of oatmeal but once my youngest started eating it, he was hooked.

Because of his autism, my little boy was slow to speak, and when he wanted his favorite food, he couldn't say oatmeal, so he settled on "nuh-oh". Now he has no problem saying oatmeal but he still prefers to call it nuh-oh and I think it will be nuh-oh until he's all grown and out of the house.

My mom uses the packaged instant oatmeal but I've switched to the quick 1-minute oats that come in the big tubs. And I know, I know, everyone knows how to make oatmeal, but I just wanted to share what I do to make my boy's breakfast as nutritious as possible.

This is about twice the amount that would be in an instant packet

The gorgeous canister label is from Leen's shop, I love them.

We use rice milk because of my son's (and my) allergies

Trader Joe's has the cheapest price in rice milk, and since my son eats oatmeal 3 times a day AND drinks it as well, I make sure to stock up.

After two minutes in the microwave

I add a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter for some good protein.

The bulk oatmeal has a lot less sugar than the instant packets, but I do add some honey

both for flavoring and because it helps his allergies.

The last touch

is a bit of cinnamon, yum yum.

I usually add a sliced banana, but the ones I had were super green, so this was Sunday's breakfast for my little guy:

Warm, hearty, flavorful, and it fills his belly with lots of goodness.

It's so good that I've been known to make myself a bowl to warm up on a chilly morning. I usually skip the banana, but it gives me a good start to the day. As I was editing this post, my son came over and smiled as I showed him each picture in sequence. When I showed him the last one, he threw his hands in the air and said, "nuh-oh!". He REALLY loves his oatmeal.

BTW, have you heard that peanut butter prices are going up? I've stocked up, just in case!

Fashion Friday: at the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

This time it was time for me to join my youngest and his class on a field trip. We went to one of our local pumpkin patches and had a blast. We've gone to Uesugi Farms a few times with our boys and we've always had a good time. They have hay rides, a train, a pumpkin lab to see the growth process, and my personal favorite, the honey booth. Not to be confused with a booth babe, the honey booth had lots of different flavors of honey grown in the farm itself. I tried two and they were yummy. My boy was less than impressed but I think it was more the texture of it that made him wrinkle his nose.

This morning was super chilly, so even though I love the cold weather, I brought along a knit scarf to keep my neck warm.

Later on it was a bit warmer so I was glad to wear this super light chevron-stripe top. We each got a pumpkin and I bought some small white pumpkins at 3 for a dollar. We were happy to be home but had a wonderful time with our friends and classmates.

Have a great weekend!

Field Trip with my oldest

2011-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

My son's class went on a field trip to Villa Montalvo yesterday, to see a production of The Magic School Bus. I was very happy to go as chaperone and had a blast with my boy and his friends. I only had two kids to chaperone, my son and his BFF, so it was great.

While I had a good time, the trip was not all smooth sailing. First, the bus driver was taking us to the wrong location, although my friend A. said I should have gotten off there instead :D

The show itself was a little underwhelming. I know I wasn't the target audience, but the songs were not catchy, the pacing was dreadful, and you couldn't even understand some of the words because the songs so convoluted and two of the performers didn't seem to be miked at all. The kids were done about 30 minutes into the show and were super restless. I overheard a boy saying "that was a baby show!" which tells ya that they weren't really hitting the right balance of education and entertainment.

It was the first time I chaperoned on a school trip and I loved it. Which is good because since my poor husband just hurt his foot (again) I am replacing him as chaperon on a school trip with my youngest later this week!

Here are a couple of pics of Villa Montalvo from pinterest - if you have the chance to go, it is a gorgeous place. I am planning on going back soon just to take some photos of the place.

Source: google.com via Susan on Pinterest

Source: montalvoarts.org via Leila on Pinterest

Spooky mantel!

2011-10-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Granted, the black and white effect is what kills it here, but still, we love our Halloween-ed mantel. The pumpkins are all from our backyard, I left some of the branches on them for a more rustic feel.

My boys helped with the decorating, the center display is made up of my oldest's first Halloween toy given to him by his grandparents, some favorite Halloween books, and a souvenir from Disneyland. They also liked my web ribbon so it was added on the sides.

Hope you liked our spooooooooky mantel, I think all the candy up there makes it a little less scary ;D

Fashion Friday: Favorite Outfit

2011-10-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of sweaters -- cardigans are one thing but closed sweaters make me claustrophobic. This one, though, is so comfy and the neckline is not so tight so there's no problem.

I love the richness of winter colors, browns and bronzes, olive greens and ambers, and my favorite of all colors, burgundy. Not in this outfit, but then it would be my lipstick ;D

Have a wonderful weekend!

I Wear Pink

2011-10-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

This being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm joining the I Wear Pink sets on Polyvore in honor of my sister, a breast cancer survivor, and everyone battling this horrible disease.

Tiled outdoor counter

2011-10-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

When we moved in to this house, we found a BBQ and counter attached to one of the outside walls. It wasn't in very good condition and the fact that it was right next to the house concerned us. There was a kegerator with spouts both inside and outside. Awesome, right? Except we don't drink beer.

The old BBQ finally collapsed, full of rust, and left a huge hole in the middle of the counter. We figured, since we were redoing the bathroom floor, we could use the same materials to re-vamp the counter into an actually usable piece.

The process was basically the same - clear off all old materials, layer backerboard, mud it, then lay and grout tile. For this counter, we purchased edging pieces and an extra pack of the tile we used for the bathroom. At 68 cents per tile, it was perfect.

Now we have a beautiful counter that is both useful and presentable:

On the top left corner you can see a switch box, we can hook up music, a coffeemaker, a fan on hot days, etc. so it is a very serviceable area for entertaining.

My awesome husband did a great job on this as well, didn't he?

Fashion Friday: Fall is here!

2011-10-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

I am deliriously happy because my favorite season has truly arrived - no more deceptively cool mornings followed by blistering hot afternoons. No. Now cold mornings are followed by cool afternoons, and sometimes, even rain! Swapped my summer shorts for my beloved jeans:

Source: polyvore.com via Joy on Pinterest

Aside from a pair of leopard print flats, I am not really shopping for anything this fall/winter:

Lauren Conrad by juliak featuring leather tote handbags

Jackets are back in rotation:

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Gayla on Pinterest

Tall boots make a comeback:

Source: polyvore.com via Milena on Pinterest

It's all about layers, layers, layers!

Source: stumbleupon.com via Bethany on Pinterest

My beloved knit hats will be topping my outfits once again:

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Everything in warm, cozy colors:

Source: polyvore.com via Breanna on Pinterest

What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

Fall outdoor decor

2011-10-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm joining up the fall parteh at Sarah's today with my BOO pumpkins. I saw this idea on pinterest and I decided to switch it up a bit.

First, I spray painted the pumpkins with Oil Rubbed Bronze. Then, since my oldest was helping me with this craft I made it a little easier for him by scribbling the letters on paper first.

This made it easier for him to "trace" with the silver thumbtacks:

Once the letter was done, I held the thumbtacks in place and gently pulled off the paper.

My stylist-in-training decided that my Martha Stewart web ribbon would be perfect on the urn I painted a few months ago:

Pretty simple and easy, and I love how the thumbtacks reflect light so even if it's getting dark you can see the pumpkins with their BOO :D

Hope you enjoyed this outdoor craft!

Fall craft: Cinnamon candle

2011-10-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

I've seen cinnamon sticks wrapped around a candle throughout blogland, and decided it was the perfect accent for a little vignette.

For my version, I chose a vanilla-scented candle, then wrapped a rubber band around it. I stuck cinnamon sticks between the rubber band and candle, then added a festive bow as a final touch.

Super easy, super cheap, and super scented! The candle was .99, the ribbon was a leftover piece from my fall wreath, and the cinnamon sticks came to $3.

Here is the candle on my little tray with a favorite fall picture of one of my boys and a blingy votive holder:

Hope you enjoyed my craft! I will be linking up to the It's Fall Y'all craft linky party!

The Bathroom Saga - re-flooring

2011-10-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

Back at the beginning of the year I shared the continuing saga that is the bathroom - we have two, one in the master bedroom, and this one which everyone who comes to our house uses. This is what the bathroom looked like a couple of years ago before we painted the walls:

The first major change was painting the walls in Ralph Lauren's chamois:

Then it became a pressing matter to re-do the flooring because our splash-happy boys were getting water all over and several planks of wood laminate were starting to lift. Thank goodness the damage did not go under the cabinets or the tub so we do not have to replace either. The ugly orange brown vanity and medicine cabinet were painted a rich chocolate brown and the animal-themed curtain gave way to a rice paper print curtain.

For the flooring we wanted something very basic and neutral, so we went with Interceramic's Grecciano Beige tiles which were on sale at Lowe's for 68 cents each.

The beginning of the re-flooring process:

Steve's uncle D, invaluable help with lots of advice, instructions, tools, etc.

The "lovely" vinyl we found underneath the wood laminate

The damaged sub-flooring is replaced

One of our enthusiastic watchers :D

Backerboard layer is installed:

My husband figuring out tile placement

Noting down the cuts that need to be made

Tile cutting!!!

Ready for the new toilet!

Our old toilet was a major water hog to begin with, AND - in what we are told is common for houses built at the same time as ours - it flushed down twice, wasting even more water, so we got a new water-sense toilet.

Voila! The new flooring is installed:

Here is how our bathroom is looking these days - I am so happy with it!

I have to say I am so proud of my husband for getting this done - it was a big job, and thanks to Uncle D's knowledge and help, we saved a lot of money and repaired damage that was just going to keep getting worse and worse.

The next step in The Bathroom Saga - sort of like The Twilight Saga but with no vamps or weres - is the sink/vanity top. That thing is FUGLY. Apparently it is top of the line marble but damn, ugly is ugly. I hate that it extends over the toilet, too. We will be adding a couple of floating shelves once that banjo-shaped counter is gone. For now, though, we are all enjoying the pretty new flooring - I hope you liked this transformation!

Fashion Friday: Embellished Tank

2011-09-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover fabric from the pillows I made a while back, so I decided to make some flowers and sew those onto a plain tank from Target:

If you Google "rolled flower tutorial" you'll get hundreds of links to learn how to make these. I made a few in various sizes and then pinned them to the tank top. Once I was happy with the positioning, I sewed them on, et voila! a pretty tank that makes getting dressed so much easier - no need for necklaces with this one, I'll wear mine this fall with jeans and a cardie.

I swear, now I want a tank in every color with pretty flowers on them! I hope you enjoyed my little sewing adventure - have a wonderful weekend!

Door Decor and CSI linky parties

2011-09-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Today I am linking up my Fall Wreath to Rhoda's awesome Door Decor link party and to the CSI project! - go check them out!

EEK! So scary!

2011-09-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really, they're just three cute black photo frames from IKEA that got dolled up for Halloween with the help of some scrapbook paper :D

I first printed out some suitable frightening letters and cut them out - this cardstock looks yellow but it is actually more orange:

Then I matted them on the black cardstock and pop-dotted them onto the frames:

These will be part of one of my Halloween displays - I am lucky to have a couple of hutches and mantels where I can put out some scary goodness, so I'll show you those as it gets closer to October 31. I bought the frames in a 3-pack for $5 and I had the scrapbook paper and glue, so this little project comes in under $5.

Fall Mantel

2011-09-27T14:59:00.001-07:00

I am joining the fabulous party at Layla's with my fall mantel!

From the left, silk grass from Michaels in a vase half-filled with fall colored filler "gems." Glass pumpkin, a gift from my friend K., vanilla candle on ORB-painted candlestick, and a small mercury glass votive holder for some bling.

Going across to the right side, the other glass pumpkin from my dear friend K., small apothecary jar with candy corn, mercury glass votive holder and a tall candlestick I found for $4 at World Market, on clearance, and I painted with my beloved ORB spray paint. The pumpkin atop the candlestick is from my backyard.

Simple but warm and colorful - off to check out the other gorgeous mantels at Layla's!

Fall Wreath for $5 and change

2011-09-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for a wreath with my last name initial on it from my friend L at Challenging Martha - she made a super cool fall wreath and I had $5 in my pocket, so I hit up the dollar store and dug out some leftover scrapbook paper I had from a project I will share with you tomorrow.

I started with a wreath form, some greenery/flowers in fall shades, ribbon, and brown leaf forms - there went my $5.

I played around with the "ingredients" and the floral wire I had leftover from the lavender wreath I made this past summer.

I have to admit I preferred the wreath form from Walmart because it was fuller, but it was a little more $ and I wouldn't have been able to get the rest of the stuff for my fall wreath, so I made do with the skinnier, and lighter-in-color wreath form from the dollar store.

I made a letter B from orange scrapbook paper, and glued it onto black cardstock that was glued onto an oatmeal lid, for stability. Then I punched a hole through the paper and lid, and used more floral wire to hang it from the bow I made with the ribbon:

Notice how the wreath blends in really well with my door. I kinda don't like that. I think a dark chocolate brown door would be more awesome, but that's a project down the list for now.

I love my fall-toned wreath - the lavender wreath now resides between the windows that face onto the front yard, and looks lovely there with the window boxes and more lavender below. Now it is this beauty's turn to grace our front door, and I am very happy with the result.

I hope you liked this little project - I had lots of fun making it, although stuff kept coming up and I started it over three weeks ago!

Organization: A year's worth of homework

2011-09-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

With two boys in school now, there are lots of homework and art project pages filling up the bin I set up in the office. Now that the new school year has started, it was time to decide what to do with last year's stash. Once I saw this, my decision was made:

Source: remodelista.com via Claudia on Pinterest

One evening a couple of weeks ago, I sat down and photographed everything I wanted kept for posterity. I did save a couple of projects from each of my boys, and the memory books their teachers had made of the whole school year. I know, I'm a sucker, and we'll see how those fare in a few years, but for now I am keeping them.

I got a coupon for a free poster print at Walmart, and I found super cheapo poster frames for $6 each, so my project ended up costing around $12 total.

We are redoing this particular corner of the playroom/office, since my husband likes my computer better (better graphics card, yeah!) and now never sits at his desk, so this corner is going to be the media/recharging station/printer/etc. area, but for right now I really like my boys' work up there.

Fashion Friday: Fall, where are you???

2011-09-23T06:42:00.001-07:00

It's been in the 90s here this week. That's just not ok, really. I am so ready for my scarves and sweaters and boots and everything that is cozy and layered.

Here are some sets I've put into a collection to inspire my autumnal fashion wardrobe:

2011 Fall

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thinking ahead

2011-09-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

I've started to think about Christmas presents - don't shoot me! I know it's barely September, but I am hoping to make some of these presents myself, which requires thinking ahead.

My husband and I had a Make Your Own Spa Goodies party a few years ago, so I think I could manage to make some of these scrubs:

Source: inbetweenlaundry.blogspot.com via Claudia on Pinterest

I LOVE these, with cheapie pillar candles from IKEA!

Source: potterybarn.com via Claudia on Pinterest

What a great gift idea for foodie friends:

Source: blogs.babble.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Another great spa idea, this time from The Martha:

Source: marthastewart.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Are you making anything to give away during the holidays?

When melatonin fails

2011-09-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

I have to say that since melatonin entered our lives, things are mostly smooth. melatonin is a natural sleep aid that has greatly helped our youngest, who is autistic, regulate his sleep cycle. We started using it after a nightmarish week during which our sweet boy did not sleep. At all. For five days. On day 6 I was ready to kill someone, my husband talked to some friends with autistic children and, thanks be to the heavens, melatonin came into our lives.

However, once in a while - once a month or so - sleep rhythms still get messed up and this is why I have gotten 6 hours of sleep, TOTAL, since Saturday. I am writing this on Tuesday evening so I hope (fingers crossed) tonight goes better. My husband has been staying up with our boy as late as he can and then I take over.

Still, I will take once a month rather than every night, as was the case before we started using melatonin.

I am not advocating the use of melatonin, or telling you this will solve your problems, etc. I am just sharing my experience and how this has (for the most part) worked for us. My husband took melatonin for a week last year and he became almost sociopathic, to the point that I was ready to pack bags for me and the boys and take off until he was off it. So, yeah, not for everyone. But for our sweet baby boy, it's been a great help.

I'm so sleepy . . .

Delayed gratification

2011-09-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this:

for the past 2 weeks, and it is STILL not finished!

I just hope I can finish my fall wreath before Christmas!

We have a new toilet!

2011-09-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

You like, yes?

Ha.

Yeah, the bathroom re-do, part deux, is currently going on, I'll bring you pics of the latest development and the REAL new toilet soon. I know, I know, you just can't wait ;D

Fashion Friday: Missoni for Target

2011-09-16T03:06:00.000-07:00

So the much-awaited line of Missoni for Target finally arrived in stores an d online, crashing the website and causing much chaos for those of us who usually shop at Tarjay, Missoni or no Missoni.

I admit I was awaiting this line as well, but as with most designer lines that are self-knocked off for budget stores, most of it failed to wow me.

Part of it is that so much of the line is swimwear. Granted, someone who knows her Missoni might be shopping for spending cold winter days in Barbados or cruises, but even so the horizontal stripes are kind of weird. A few other items were vests or blouses that weren't really flattering, the vomitorium of colors and patterns too loud for me.

Where this line fared better was in accessories and home goods items: Shoes, scarves, decorative items, etc. are bright pops of color in doses that are totally doable.

Of course, these are the items are that mostly sold out, so I may not be the only one who thinks the bigger pieces would have been more successful in a more muter palette.

Of the items I liked I may get the beanie and/or the scarf, but I'll have to see them in the store before I make my decision.

Have a wonderful weekend!

2012 Calendar by Georgianna Lane

2011-09-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered a calendar from an etsy shop, I was very taken with her photographs of Paris and the price was an absolute steal. Usually each 5x5 print sells for $12 and here was a calendar = 12 prints for $20 with free shipping. How could I resist?

First, I received a very nice (personal, not form) email shortly after paying, and a few days later I got this in the mail:

There was a very nice card inside . . .

. . . with a gorgeous bonus print:

And the piece de resistance, the 5x7 prints that make up the calendar:

The prints have the calendar bit on the bottom 2 inches so when you're done, you can cut that off and you have the original 5x5 print ready to mat and hang up.

The 2012 calendar is currently 20% off and shipping is free, so I highly recommend you get one now, the images are beautiful and you have art to treasure forever!

Google f@&$% Maps!

2011-09-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Remember when I told you about my little misadventure which involved me walking out to my car in a rather unflattering outfit and getting caught by the Google Maps car taking pics of my street?

I said, " . . . the Google Maps street level cam-car drove into our court just when I was carrying plants for my garden. In nasty old sweatpants, a ratty old cardigan that makes me look 8 months preggo and uber-stylish white socks."

If you didn't believe me, I hereby post proof of said moment, straight from Google Maps:

The fuckers blurred my face, why couldn't they blur my ass instead??? Sheesh!

I swear, I am scared for posterity. Because of my posterior.

Lookit what mei hubby built me!

2011-09-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

This spray paint storage rack now hangs in the shed he built a few weeks ago:

Of course, the first thing he said after showing it to me was "just because it's half empty, doesn't mean we need to fill it up." Awww, he's so cute - now I just need to get the other half of my stash and put it up there ;D

In remembrance: 9/11

2011-09-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

It was a Tuesday morning like any other, I woke up at my usual 5ish (I'm a morning person through and through) and was putting my makeup on with CNN in the background and vaguely heard something about a plane hitting a tower in New York. I turned and as I focused on the TV image, I saw another plane hitting the tower next to it. My first thought was that it was a clip from a movie. A second later, I realized what the unbearable truth was.

I drove to work and broke the news to a couple of colleagues who had been focusing on writing code that morning and had not checked the news yet. All the news websites were overloaded so I began checking online newspapers from Spain and France, which were still accessible. The news kept getting worse and worse; the images, more and more horrific. In our world full of movies with car chases, monumental explosions and unending CGI effects, this horror was incomprehensible.

I went home early from work, and spent the next 10 hours or so going from channel to channel, sobbing when the members of Congress sang America the Beautiful, then later, crying when people outside Buckingham Palace sang our national anthem. Throughout the world, people were Americans. The time for mocking our society and decrying all that is wrong with our country had stopped for all those who were united with us in grief - that time would come back, inevitably, because we sure do give a lot of material for others to mock, but right now, there were loving hands extended towards us. At work I received many emails from companies and affiliates in other countries, expressing sorrow for the attacks.

The incredible number of victims, so many of them firefighters and other personnel who ran into the nightmare as many were running from it. The stories of heroism in the middle of all that fear, the calls to loved ones from people in the airplanes, the overwhelming hatred of those who sought to destroy so many lives for their unjustifiable reasons. I remember it all. And I will never forget.

Fashion Friday: Leopard Red

2011-09-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all-time favorite combos: leopard print and bold red. I just got this cardie from Old Navy -- they had given me some coupons for 50% off a couple of weeks before when I was school shopping for my boys, so when I went back for some jeans, this cardie also caught my eye.

Along with my new super cheap (less than $5) Revlon lipstick, I think this is a winning combo that can be accessorized in many ways: statement necklace or bracelet, chunky earrings, signature ring, etc. I foresee wearing some version of this outfit many times this fall and winter.

Frame Jewelry Display

2011-09-08T04:14:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes the glass that comes with a photo frame breaks? And you don't want to throw that frame away so you stash it for months in various places, until your husband is all "hmmm, are you going to do something with this thing?" And then a friend gifts you their old coffee table but one of the ten knobs is missing and you're all "Whoa! Frame + knobs? Can I say jewelry display?"

Okay, so maybe you haven't thought this, but I did, and here are the results.

I took the frame and painted it in Oil Rubbed Bronze, then covered the backing with gold dust vellum paper from my favorite paper store.

The backing was a piece of laminate that my husband had leftover from a project and he cut it to size for me. Once the laminate and vellum were adhered, I marked a grid of nine spots on the back - three across, three up and down. My awesome husband drilled the laminate and paper and we bought some new screws because the ones that came with the knobs were too long.

I now have a place to display some of my bracelets and necklaces:

The total cost of this project was solidly under ten dollars. The paper was $2.75 (plus tax) and the new screws/washers were under $5. I had the frame, we had the piece of laminate and we had the nine knobs from my craft table project.

I hope you have enjoyed my repurposed photo frame craft!

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Fall Printable

2011-09-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!!!

Thank You!!!!

2011-09-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

To everyone who voted for me at Leen's customer pic contest - I won! I get a $50 GC to her fabulous store, I am currently going through her designs and I'll share with y'alls what I end up choosing - thanks again!!!

Burgundy, wine, maroon, plum

2011-09-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

I was completely taken by this post from the fabulous French Mademoiselle - go check out the rich, gorgeous array of shades!

Neighbors and classmates!

2011-09-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I posted about my friend L. who lives around the corner from our house. We met when my oldest and her daughter were infants, and now, they are in the same class at school!

Here are the kiddos during a playdate, which honestly was more for us moms to drink coffee and chill than for them to do any real playing :D

Now we see each other every weekday and had a playdate the week before school started:

Look at those sweet faces! They wouldn't sit still so I got all blurry pics. Then they got silly and started to make faces ;D

What a trip to see these two grow up. I'm very happy that they're classmates now and both her mom and I volunteer at the school so we get to hang out then, too.

We were bummed last year because none of my boy's friends that live close to us were in his school. Now he has a friend he's known forever.

A little Autumnal Facelift

2011-09-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Fall isn't anywhere near our home, judging by the 90-degree weather we are "enjoying" but maybe a little bloggy facelift will entice it to arrive sooner? Background courtesy of the background fairy - she has such a great variety of backgrounds and graphics, etc.

And again, please go vote for me in the contest at Leen the Graphic Queen's - I sure appreciate it, y'all!

Have a great Sunday!

Please vote for me!

2011-09-03T15:28:00.001-07:00

http://leenthegraphicsqueen.blogspot.com/2011/09/pic-and-winner-contest-1.html

I'm super psyched about being in this contest as I love Leen's products and would be so happy to win! Thanks!!!

Fashion Friday: Red lipstick, part deux

2011-09-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

My quest for the perfect lipstick ended when I tried Revlon's In The Red. It's a rich red with just a hint of warmth. It looks kind of dark on here but on me it's brighter. It is taking a little getting used to because I usually wear pretty muted colors - burgundies, reddish-browns, etc.

I will be happy to show you how it looks on me when my hormones stop messing around with my skin, because right now, it's just not pretty, people!

Vote for me please!

2011-09-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

I'm a contestant in Leen the Graphics Queen's first Pic a Winner Contest! So excited! I love her products and it's my canister labels that got me into the contest - will you please vote for me? You could also win a certificate to Leen's fabulous shop just by voting.

Here's a refresher pic of Leen's labels on the canisters in my kitchen:

Thank you!!!

Favorite Things in my Town: Link Party

2011-08-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm joining this super fun linky party and I'm going to tell you a few things I love about my town, which happens to be San Jose, California. I am right in Silicon Valley and close enough to Gilroy (garlic capital of the world) to smell all that lovely garlic when I go outside in the mornings.

1 - Location, location, location!

We are close to many wonderful places - San Francisco is about an hour north of us, my beloved old hometown of Mountain View is 30 minutes away, everything we need is either a short walk or a short drive away. We enjoy world-famous entertainment at the HP Pavilion, scout for treasures at the San Jose Flea Market, and shop for designer stuff at Valley Fair. Well, not me, but there is an Old Navy there! :D

2 - The weather!
Although I grumble plenty about it being too hot in the summer, I know I have it easy compared to places with more humidity. The main reason I love our weather is because my fruits and veggies (well, most of them) grow so well here.

We have gorgeous hibiscus out front that bring so much color to our entrance:

I would love to grow more flowers next year, although I am not giving up my veggies at all!

3 - Fun for the kids!
We have a wonderful Children's Museum where my children have romped with Curious George and Bob the Builder, most recently my oldest and his Gran enjoyed a day at the Mammoth Exhibit and had a blast!

Nearby, Gilroy Gardens is our yearly holiday destination, they put on a Christmas display and the boys love to explore all the rides and stroll around with Gran and Grandpa:

We have many parks around here, including Vasona Park where we recently joined Grandpa and Gran and rode the train and played until this boys were exhausted, which, as any mom will tell ya, it's a good thing.

These are just a few of the reasons I love my current hometown of San Jose - we have been so lucky in having wonderful neighbors. For example, when we had an earthquake a couple of years ago, both next-door neighbors rushed over to see if we were all ok. We also live very close to my in-laws and get to have them over for dinner often, like tonight! Even with the high cost of living in this area and what that means for our budget, I have come to love living here. My children have had wonderful (public school) teachers every year, and we have made so many wonderful friends.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into what it's like in San Jose, I'm off to visit some of the other hometowns in the party!

Triple yum!

2011-08-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, my husband and I went to Outback for lunch while my mother-in-law watched the boys. We had a nice leisurely lunch and since I wasn't driving, I enjoyed this Margarita trio:

You get 4 oz. of each flavor. My favorite was the pomegranate while my husband preferred the mango, but they were all good.

If you get the chance to sample these I highly recommend them!

5 Places to Go

2011-08-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

When you dream of going somewhere, where does your mind take you? What places would you love to visit? What countries call to you?

I've been very lucky to have traveled throughout Western Europe a few times, I took my first Caribbean cruise last year and I am originally from South America -- here is a map of places I have visited so far:

But of course, the wanderlust is always there and as my boys grow, there are more and more places I would love for them to discover. Off the top of my head, here are five places I would love to visit:

Source: google.ca via Freezi on Pinterest

Paris, of course, always Paris, beloved Paris, my someday-home, my favorite city in the world, the place I'd most like to retire to. Both my husband and I have been to Paris but not together, so it is #1 in our travel list. Some side trips to the Loire castle area would be included, bien sur, and I would bring an empty suitcase just to fill it up with various food and cooking utensils to bring home!

Source: blog.hotelclub.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Being a history lover, I would love to go to Russia someday. The museums, the palaces, I want to see it all. The Hermitage alone would keep me busy for a couple of days. I love to buy museum postcards and prints, frame them up at home, and remember all the gorgeous things I saw.

Source: travel.nationalgeographic.com via Leslie on Pinterest

This one would be for the boys - they love elephants and all sorts of big animals. A safari (not for hunting!) would be the trip of a lifetime. To see these majestic beasts in a more natural setting would be an amazing experience.

Source: google.com via Julie on Pinterest

Wales - Like the original pic caption says, I would LOVE to go to Cardiff because I am a Torchwood fan (waaaa, Ianto!) but also this would be part of our British Isles trip. I've been to England, Ireland and Scotland, but my husband hasn't, and neither of us has been to Wales, so it's definitely on the list. I love to explore the smaller towns and rural areas as well as the main cities, so I think Wales would be a wonderful all-around destination.

Source: google.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Last but most certainly not least, Japan. I would absolutely love to visit Japan and I know my oldest wants to go because "that's where Godzilla is from." The culture, the food, the customs, all so different from my upbringing and my daily life - again, I would want to visit the main cities and the small villages.

Someday, I hope.

What places outside the US would you love to visit?

Fashion Friday: Red lipstick

2011-08-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

With fall coming I've been hankering for some red lipstick - I have owned many a burgundy shade in my life, but true red has never been in my radar . . . until now.

I recently purchased Revlon's Certainly Red and I love it. It's a blue-based red but even with my yellow/olive undertones I can wear it.

I would wear it with an all-black, black-and-white or cool toned outfit, though, so that leaves me wanting a red I can wear with warm tones.

Maybe it will be Maybelline's Red Revival?

Or MAC's Ladybug?

Maybe MAC's Lady Danger will be it!

I'll let you all know how my hunt turns out - do you have a favorite lipstick shade?

First Day

2011-08-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

Monday was the first day of school for my sweethearts - my oldest is a first-grader now:

He chose a green-striped shirt, brown shorts, orange laced shoes, red-strapped backpack and bright blue jacket :D

We are lucky in that he has some of the same classmates from last year as well as a friend he's known since he was 4 months old.

My little one is going to kindergarten in another school:

He's all about dinosaurs. It's a very rushed morning for us, dropping off my oldest first then racing to my youngest's school, where there is virtually no parking. His teacher, thank goodness, understands it's out of my hands and has told me it's ok for us to be a few minutes late. Thank you, thank you, sweet understanding teacher!

I will be volunteering in my oldest's class - I'm so excited!!!

Boy games

2011-08-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Last week my oldest decided he was big and strong enough to carry his little brother:

Little brother thought it was awesome!

Have you met the Queen?

2011-08-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

If you've spent any time around the blogosphere, then you are probably familiar with vinyl decals being used around the home. In my case, I was longing for some order mixed with ornate for my pantry, and I found it at Leen the Graphics Queen's site.

She has a really cute set of canister labels, which added to my new IKEA canisters, resulted in a seriously pretty addition to our pantry.

Or rather, my husband liked them so much that he asked if we could get them off the pantry shelf and put them above our microwave. They look great and bring order and prettiness to things we use often. The labels are custom-made so you can have them say whatever you wish - as you can tell, we don't really use sugar, so one label reads Splenda!

I was not paid or gifted anything for this post, I purchased this set and was so happy that I wanted to share with y'alls. I've also purchased Leen's chalkboard decals and liked them a lot. Her prices are very reasonable and she ships very quickly - go do some browsing! Now!!!

Vogue Latin America Aug '11

2011-08-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

Vogue Latin America's August 2011 issue features my homeland, Peru, in a gorgeous photoshoot starring model Tiiu Kuik:

I love the vibrant colors and the unspoiled landscapes; you can see the rest of the photos at Fashion Gone Rogue

Fashion Friday: the leopard print trench

2011-08-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

As with every summer, the prediction for fall/winter fashions include animal prints. It is a classic print, really, so you can safely spend a little bit more than you would on something like the color-of-the-season.

Here, I present the Banana Republic Mad Men Collection leopard print trench. Whew!

It's gorgeous, isn't it? Fully lined, nice shape, I do happen to love Mad Men but you don't have to love it to covet this trench. I usually wouldn't go for a print trench but like I said, animal print, if done right (i.e. not in hot pink) can be timeless. And the print scale is discreet, not obnoxiously, in your face, huge animal print patterns.

I'm saving my pennies because between this and the Missoni for Target collection, I am seriously in trouble!

Our new mantel

2011-08-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

The living room mantel is the focal point of our main living area. You see it as soon as you come in the front door - here it is decked out for spring back in March:

The problem is, the "wall" above the mantel was just a sheet of foam over the brick, which goes from floor to ceiling. We discovered this when we tried to hang a picture and made a huge hole instead.

We decided to tear down the foam and put up some sheetrock instead - at the same time, I really hated the current mantel, so my husband graciously built me a new one :D

Below is the 2x4 that is nailed to the brick wall - the mantel is attached to this and it serves as support.

Checking to make sure the fit is perfect.

Applying wood putty to the rough edges and nail holes:

Our oldest was a very big help!

Painting the sheetrock to match the rest of the walls - we chose to paint the new mantel and frame in a dark chocolate brown:

The rich brown is a very close match to our TV console, coordinates with the large IKEA picture above, and is a good addition to our warm-toned living room.

Here is our new mantel area dressed up with some vintage Paris pictures and pretty flowers:

I LOVE this area, it looks brighter, cleaner and so much nicer - hope you enjoyed our little project!

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Lazy days

2011-08-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying these last few days of school vacation - we recently went up to a local park and rode on the train, it was wonderful. The day had cooled down and my three men were having a lot of fun together:

In a few days my sons are back in school. Is it just me or did this summer just fly by?

Featured at Beneath my Heart

2011-08-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Holy painted tables, Batman! The wonderful Traci from Beneath My Heart featured my little green table as one of the best DIY in July projects! Yayness!

You really couldn't find a sweeter lady than Traci out there in blogland, and she's crazy talented, too, so I am very psyched to have been featured on her blog.

I got a new project my husband and I (and my oldest) worked on these past few days, so I'll tell you all about it soon - have a great Tuesday!

My house colors

2011-08-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of a little living room project:

and I had to look up my living room wall color. I did a post about my house paint colors in my last blog so I thought it better to list them here for future reference.

Our master bedroom has a sponge-finish treatment on the wall combining the 2 shades of tan. The wall where the lovely mirrored closet doors got the dark burgundy but lord knows I regret that decision. My plan is to do away with the closet doors completely and paint the wall to match the rest of the bedroom.

Our living room has a similar warm palette but instead of the burgundy we've added a dark chocolate brown accent color in the form of our new IKEA TV console and the project we are currently working on, which will be painted to match the console.

My little man's room has two shades of light blue, and we seriously need to upgrade his bedroom soon. Aside from a few Mickey-themed items, there's nothing else there and he outgrew Mickey a couple of years ago.

My kitchen/dining room colors are super warm and cozy, I talked about the changes we made 8 years ago in this post.

My bathroom got a cheerful coat of bright, warm yellow paint, which I continue to love, and it's going to get remodeled in the next couple of months (fingers crossed) - I'm debating tile choices.

The paint color is Ralph Lauren's Chamois. The cabinets were painted dark brown, echoing the living room console.

I will be updating the progress on our living room project in a few days!

Feline royalty: update

2011-08-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

After I posted about my Egyptian Mau, I was asked in a comment how Willie-Boo had come to lose his eye.

When we adopted him, we were told by the shelter staff that they had found him with one eye in such bad condition that the only recourse was to take it out. He had, apparently, been in a fight, and the eye was pretty much hanging out. Poor guy. Willie was definitely someone's lap cat who ended up getting lost or was abandoned or something, because he is the most loving, cuddly cat ever. The shelter doctors did the appropriate surgery and he has no problem getting around with just one eye. He jumps on and off tables and sofas with no problem, and as I said in my last post, he RULES Bernie. They get along really well but just like my human kids, they love to play and fight sometimes. But they are each other's BFF and companion.

At this point, Bernie is 11 and Willie somewhere around 10 years old.

One more thing - I am terribly allergic to Willie! True. I had never any problem with Bernie, but the night Willie came home with us I had to go back on inhalers. Call me crazy, but I chose to take my medication instead of taking him back. I am allergic to some cats and dogs; for example, I can't be in my mother-in-law's house or in my friend Kathie's house for more than ten minutes without having a major allergy attack. What does that mean? I start having difficulty breathing - I can feel my lungs getting heavy inside my chest - coughing starts soon after, and at that point even if I take my emergency inhaler the only solution is to remove myself from the place or I would die from being unable to breathe. And this is why we now host Thanksgiving and Christmas :D My husband's parents used to host but I just couldn't make it through the entire thing.

If you have any further questions, just let me know! ;D

Garden update - August 2011

2011-08-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

We haven't had as many of these as we have in years past:

But just a few are definitely welcome! I hate buying them at the store, I always get ones that are half-rotted inside.

We've had so many delicious salads thanks to our cherry tomatoes

I like to keep it simple and refreshing with some mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.

Some impatiens joined our front yard and this little screen in the backyard

Lots of pumpkins are making their appearances!

And lots of bigger tomatoes to be harvested in the next couple of days

And the kids' favorites - strawberries!

We keep getting corn, onions, and a small zucchini is making its appearance - hope it is ready to harvest soon!

Are you on Polyvore?

2011-08-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's such a good tool for planning your outfits and wardrobe and finding new ways of wear stuff you have - check it out!

Find me on Polyvore

Garage saleing . . .

2011-08-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood has a garage sale that we've never been to - until this past Saturday. We went with my mother-in-law and her two sisters, and I have to say, my boys scored big time. Gran bought them eight - EIGHT! - Godzilla videos, assorted toys, a book, etc. I left with some cute Halloween candle holders (4 for $2) and this hose hanger ($1):

Later the same day my husband went to Lowe's and found the same hanger for $24.97 - score!

We had a lovely breakfast and on the way home we stopped at another garage sale down the street. This was just one family, but they had a great punch bowl set, which I brought home with me for $5. We don't have one and since we host holiday gatherings, I figured it would be so nice for serving hot apple cider or some other festive drink:

Then we came home and my oldest watched about 9 hours straight of Godzilla movies :D

Feline royalty

2011-08-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of years after I got my first cat, Bernie, my then-boyfriend and I decided to get another cat. To put it mildly, Bernie wanted some company. He'd stand outside our bedroom door all night, meowing as loudly as he could because he was lonely. This is when we started to use earplugs.

I browsed through our local shelter's website and found an adorable kitty, about 18 months old or so, named Jake. The one thing that stood out, so to speak, was that Jake only had one eye. He was described as loving and cuddly, but when I called the shelter they told me no one wanted to adopt him because he was missing an eye.

What??? Honestly, I'd rather take a sweet kitty missing an eye than a two-eyed cat that is mean or aloof. He came home with us a couple of days later and has been the most loving and snuggly cat I have ever met.

This is our new kitty the night he came home with us. We gave him a new name - Willie (point if you get the reference), or as I call him, Willie Boo.

He rules the house, or rather, he rules Bernie, who is bigger but definitely not braver. He greets all our visitors with a quick sniff and then plops on the floor so he can be petted.

He is also very good at being comfortable :D

Recently, we had some animal show in the background and they began talking about the Egyptian Mau - Mau being the Egyptian word for Cat. Turns out our little Willie-Boo here belongs to a race over 3,000 years old, celebrated in artwork and worshiped by pharaohs. Then we found out that our friends' cat is also an Egyptian Mau, signaled by the extra flap of skin under their bellies, an M marking on their forehead and a bird-like vocalization. Willie has chirped for years without us knowing it was a clue to his prestigious lineage.

On the downside, Willie is a licker with a sandpapery tongue, so if you come by, please don't let him lick you for too long. My husband took a nap while Willie was licking his arm and woke up to dots of blood where his skin had worn off - yikes!

Here's a really good shot of Willie that our friend took a few days ago:

Last photo courtesy of Hyperfocal Studios

July 2011

2011-08-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite moments in the past month:

My handsome men worked on projects around the house, we saw friends and family and celebrated the Peruvian team's victory in the America Cup, were happy to have family always nearby, and my youngest turned 5.

Happy birthday, Alex!

2011-08-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

My youngest turned 5 on Sunday - I can't believe it, it seems just yesterday I had my sweet new little bundle in my arms, so tiny and pink, peeking out into his new world:

Now he's going into kindergarten and is such a joy in our household:

He adores his big brother, whatever he likes, Alex will like, it's so sweet.

I wish for my sweet Alexander a life full of joy, may he always wake up smiling and go to bed gently like he does now, and may we be blessed with many years to see him grow and learn much more. I love you, Alexander!!!

My favorite paper goods store

2011-08-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

Every couple of months I try to head up to Paper Source - I am lucky enough to have one 20 minutes away, and I just love their array of delicious papers for all sorts of paper crafts.

I've used their peacock paper on the back of my office tower, used it as artwork in my bathroom, and made tons of scrapbook pages and cards with it.

I recently got this notebook for my purse. We keep our calendar online but when we're out and about and need to schedule something, this will certainly come in handy.

I love everything lavender and these will be great to freshen up with during the hot days of late summer.

I call my youngest my little monkey, and he needs a new backpack for kindergarten :D

A new water bottle for my oldest to take to school?

I'll keep you updated on what I end up getting!

Orange crush

2011-08-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

Spotted this nail polish at Walgreens the other day and had to have it! It's a steal at $1.99:

I had just Mod Podged some scrapbook paper onto an old oatmeal container when I took the pic.

Have a great Tuesday!

Table transformed

2011-07-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

I was generously given a coffee table by my dear friend K. She was reconfiguring her living room and I happily took it off her hands. I forgot to take a picture of it before I took off the hardware and started sanding it, but it was pretty close to this one.

Here she is after some sanding:

As you can see the center drawer is pretty wide and there are drawers on both sides, which I loved for all the storage possibilities.

I gave her a new coat of paint in Valspar's Meadowlands. One of the knobs was missing so I got a cheap ORB set from Tarjay (it was 14.99 in the store):

But it didn't look right.

So I spray painted them Heirloom White:

But still, I wanted something more vibrant because I knew what I wanted this table for.

So in came my friend Bauhaus Gold et voila!

It was exactly what I wanted. I added some number stickers in black, to pop off the golden yellow knobs.

My oldest approved:

And immediately started to set up a Godzilla monsters battle on top:

My plan, however, was to make this a homework/craft table for the boys - the storage is great for all their workbooks, paints, stencils, crayons, markers, etc.

And the height is also perfect for them - the table is bright and cheerful, and a great addition to my kids' playroom.

I am very happy with the finished result - it is my first time re-doing a piece of furniture and now I have plans for my youngest's dresser. You know how it is, the first step is the hardest and now I am off, running in search of furniture to paint.

Hope you enjoyed my super-secret project!

Recent harvest

2011-07-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

We've been harvesting lots of yummy cherry tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and this week, corn and cucumber!

Unfortunately, it all gets eaten before I get the camera so onions and a cucumber are all I got.

Shhhhh . . .

2011-07-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

working on a super secret project - hope it will be done in the next couple of days ;D

Past Projects: Our Kitchen and Dining Room

2011-07-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

The first project we tackled when we moved in to our home in August 2004, was the kitchen/dining room. The cabinets needed to go, and the general color, although light, was very dingy and dreary. The white appliances probably didn't help, and the tile wasn't our favorite either:

That's our realtor in the last picture :D

We decided to go bold and my husband chose a warm red for the walls - Briquette by Behr and honey colored cabinets with a granite top. He and a friend did the demo and my husband's uncle hooked us up with the cabinets and granite.

Now here is the dining room as you walk in from the living room

Our hutches are both from IKEA

The door goes into the laundry room/pantry area and then into the garage

I found these sweet fleur-de-lis candles on clearance at Pier One - score!

My fridge is covered in picture magnets as you can see

I love the hanging pot rack so much that we added another one - saves so much storage space!

I have a lazy susan to the left of the stove with my oils, vinegars and often-used condiments, some of them I've decanted onto glass bottles and labeled with chalkboard labels. On top of the microwave are our Torani syrups. We had a Torani bar at our wedding since it was kind of our signature to offer guests an Italian soda :D

Next to the fridge on the counter you can see the most often used ingredients in the house - oatmeal, peanut butter and honey. I recently stopped using the instant packets and now make the less sugary kind, with just a dash of honey. My youngest sure loves his oatmeal!!!

I love my kitchen and dining room, it is warm and inviting with colors that draw you in. I hope you've enjoyed look at this Past Project!

Results of the Pinterest menu week!

2011-07-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to make some meals from the items I have pinned on Pinterest - I didn't get to make all of them, but here are my opinions on the ones I did make:

Source: quick-dish.tablespoon.com via Claudia on Pinterest

The 3-ingredient (pork tenderloin, root beer, bbq sauce) pulled pork was pretty tasty. Both my husband and I enjoyed it. It wasn't spectacular by any means but I think we would have needed other ingredients for that. The meat was tender and juicy and you could not taste the root beer at all. It is a very good base recipe and I would add some other spices next time.

Source: realsimple.com via Claudia on Pinterest

This sandwich was underwhelming for me. The bean/avocado puree makes for a very nice spread and I will use it again, but it needed stronger flavors. My husband enjoyed it, though.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Claudia on Pinterest

I made these as an accompaniment to the pulled pork sandwiches and they were very good. You could go a whole bunch of different ways with these depending on what you put on top.

Source: foodandwine.com via Claudia on Pinterest

We both enjoyed this pasta dish, but the sauce really merits something more succulent. Maybe next time we will serve it over a nice filet.

So there you have it, a nice batch of meals overall, we didn't have one bad meal although a couple of them I would play around with and change up a bit. It was definitely nice to have a few new meals in our rotation!!

Girl Crush: Hayley Atwell

2011-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I watched a miniseries called The Pillars of the Earth and I just fell in love with actress Hayley Atwell.

Photo from lainformacion.com

Her portrayal of Aliena centered the story and I wondered what else I had seen her in. Turns out she was in The Duchess, playing Keira Knightley's BFF turned rival turned I-won't-spoil-it-for-you.

Photo from thecinemasource.com

She is (hopefully) now hitting the big time, appearing in the new Captain America movie:

Photo from screenrant.com

I dig a leather jacket she wears in the movie and hope we'll see her in lots more movies and series stateside. Yeah, I know, I will have to sit through endless minutes of half-naked Chris Evans in Captain America but one has to do what one has to do, right? ;D

A wreath on my door

2011-07-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of lavender. I am lucky enough to have some growing in my backyard. I have made sachets to give as gifts before but I decided it was time to make a nice wreath for my front door.

I started with a wreath form and floral wire, both totaled under $5 at Walmart:

My lovely lavender sat to the side while I arranged stems on the wreath form:

Halfway done - I decided I like really full wreaths, and considering buds will fall off, I wanted to add more to this:

The finished wreath perfumes my front door, I don't know why I didn't do this earlier, it was so easy and cost so little!

I have lots of lavender left over, so I can still make my usual sachet gifts, which people love to receive.

Hope you enjoyed this craft!

What's the use of pinning . . .

2011-07-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

if you don't put your pinning to good use? This week's menus are taken straight from Pinterest, I've been collecting recipes for a few weeks now and figured it was time to use them - I'll report on the results next week, but here are the meals my family will be (hopefully!) enjoying this week:

Source: drizzleanddip.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: foodandwine.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: simplygluten-free.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: realsimple.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: quick-dish.tablespoon.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: annies-eats.net via Claudia on Pinterest

Wish us luck!

Happy Bastille Day!

2011-07-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

As a devoted Francophile I am celebrating Bastille day today, remembering the wonderful times I have had in my favorite city in the world, Paris! Here are some pics I found on Pinterest that remind me of the loveliness of the city of lights:

Source: sweetpetula.blogspot.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Claudia on Pinterest

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Allison on Pinterest

Source: None via Dardinelle on Pinterest

Source: sfgirlbybay.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Ariel on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Amy {Sassaby} on Pinterest

Hope you have enjoyed a few moments in Paris with me - I am off in search of some pastries to celebrate Bastille Day - vive la France!!!

The one where the bees go "WTF??"

2011-07-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

because all the lavender that was here:

is now here:

ready to meet its (decorative) end.

Sorry bees!

Tales from a shed, part 2

2011-07-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for assuming the shed was done! Last night my husband put the finishing touches to our new garden storage shed, and of course, I had to take some pics.

It's about 5x7, so lots of storage space:

He also made this hanging piece, routing out each hole for the tools:

So, that is the completed shed!

While the wife's away . . .

2011-07-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

After a recent trip to see my mom and sister in Chester, I came home to a couple of surprises - my husband had been hard at work while the boys and I partied. First, he got new curtains for the playroom/office in my new favorite shade!

The room is so bright and light with these, I just love it. He also installed cellular shades, the new look is awesome.

The second project he got done was a shed in the side yard, made from the wood from our old fence. My mother-in-law helped out and they got it done, with some help from my oldest once we got home:

We are very lucky in that we have lots of space in our yard - my poor husband ended up so tired after his busy weekend, but very proud of what he accomplished!

One year since my dad passed away

2011-07-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Dad,

I can’t believe it’s been a year that you’ve been gone. A year of not hearing your voice, not chatting about random stuff, not telling you of the latest things my boys have done.

It all happened so fast, one moment you and I were chatting and laughing on the phone, and a mere hour later mom was calling to say she couldn’t wake you up. Could I have done something had I been there? It’s a question that will forever haunt me. I might have saved your life and kept me from living the rest of mine without your gentle guidance and your paternal love.

You would be so proud of the boys – I know you always were, but they are doing so well, dad. Alex is moving onto kindergarten, yes, special needs kinder, but still, it means his academics are moving along. He is a chatterbox, sings and plays all day long. Aidan rocked kinder, of course, you knew he would, and now he’s going into first grade ready to learn even more. He’s into Godzilla now, that’s his world. He’s so much fun.

I wonder what you would have thought of the recent Peruvian elections. My guess is your dislike of the Fujimori regime would have forced you to side with Humala. We had the same world view, you and I, the same pragmatism that didn’t prevent us from dreaming and reaching high. I am sorry your business goals were not realized. I am sorry you worked for that stupid bitch until you died. I am sorry there was so much physical pain. I am sorry your last years were not more peaceful.

I am doing well. I am happy with my life, my marriage, my family. My veggie garden is doing great, I am so happy you were able to see it last year and that you got to taste some of the food I grew.

Thank you for always encouraging me, for always being proud of what I did, for always trying to be happy despite everything that was going on in your life. That is the biggest lesson I am taking from you, dad, to BE a happy person, to treat crap that happens as peripheral and not let it define me or damage my spirit.

You were so loved, dad, you should have seen how many people came to see you at the hospital, how many were at the church at your service, how many reached out to me and told me what a nice man you were. You made friends everywhere you went and I am sure those friends miss you and think of you fondly.

I am thankful I had you in my life as long as I did, I know not many people are as lucky to have their parents around until their late thirties. I am going to be forty this year. I hope you are proud of me. I always take a little extra care with my appearance because I know you didn’t like me to be a “frumpy mom”. You certainly were never less than supremely well dressed. I love how you’d always show up for breakfast in a full suit, handkerchief in your pocket, smelling of some fancy fragrance. You lived your life to the full, you didn’t save the good perfume for some occasion or the good jacket for dinner out. You wore your best every day, and that inspires me as I try not to wear tee-shirt and sweatpants every day.

You believed in God fully, yet were surprisingly (given your age and background) open minded. You thought gay marriage should be as much as right as regular old marriage. Guess what, dad, another state is for it now, I know you would be happy, too. I don’t have faith the way you did. My beliefs are of a different afterlife, and while I don’t believe in heaven and hell – you and I agreed that you pay for the bad stuff you do right here on earth – I do believe our spirits never die. And some day, our spirits will be together again.

Can you imagine, dad? Hanging out over some good Peruvian coffee and freshly baked French bread? Because I’m not having no nasty watered-down coffee in my afterlife. We’ll hug and I’m sure you’ll have a pristine handkerchief in your suit pocket. I’ll tell you all about the boys and my husband, you’ll tell me you’ve been watching over them and me all along. I’m sure you’ll have some new book you’re into, and in my afterlife, you’ll read my books in English with no problem at all.

Until then, daddy, I love you so much. Every morning I still think that I can call you to chat before you go to work, and every evening I think “oh, he’s probably home from work, I should give him a call.” I hope I never stop thinking that. Thank you for being my boys’ loving grandpa, and most of all, thank you so much for being my dad.

All my love always.

Claudia

Garden update

2011-07-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wanna see what's happening in my veggie garden?

Two pumpkins have started to grow - my husband took last year's Halloween pumpkins and planted their seeds:

Apparently they are similar to our potatoes in that they are mature when the plant is shriveled and you have to leave them in the sun for a bit after harvesting. These are not the best for eating but we're just growing them to see if we can.

We have over 50 of these on our plants:

We got 3 plants from a school fundraiser and 3 more because my son insisted, so we'll see what their final output is.

Our grapes are doing very well

I don't think we'll have enough for making jelly but if they're as sweet as last year's we will enjoy them in their natural state.

I'm thinking it's about time I harvested my lavender:

I'm torn between making sachets like I did last year or maybe a wreath like Centsational Girl's.

The plums are ready for me to pick and make jam - so good!

In the front yard, my little one's choice of plant from the school fundraiser is doing great and provides sweet color:

My oldest chose a blue plant since that's his favorite color, and it's also given place of honor in our front yard:

The hibiscus my husband chose is radiant with color, I just love the bright yellow!

The bamboo, however, might need some more wiring to keep it back, it's like a jungle to get to our door!

These pretty lilies are gorgeous in the afternoon, they open up and brighten our gray front walls:

As a final surprise, this is what the onion flower I posted about a few weeks ago looks like when opened up - who knew? I sure didn't.

Have a great weekend!

My new BFFs

2011-06-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

As we end June (really? this year is flying by!) I have to share with you about my new friends. I saw them online, as many friendships start nowadays, and I just knew we'd get along. We met IRL for the first time yesterday and I was right, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Come on, here they are:

Meet the all-in-one hangers from the Container Store. I just love them. I was actually browsing their online catalog for kitchen storage and saw these and oh my goodness, I had to run and get them.

I've mentioned before that I like to get outfits ready including accessories so that it's easier to get dressed in hectic mornings, and these make it so easy. They have extra slots and "levels" to add scarves, necklaces, bracelets, even earrings to your outfit.

Here is one week's worth of outfits I've put together with my new BFFs - click on the pic for a (much) larger picture.

And no, The Container Store has no clue I exist, this is my straight out real opinion because I just love these so much ;D

High Gloss magazine

2011-06-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with e-zines? If you're not, High Gloss is a wonderful magazine to start you with - it is all about design and glam and fabulous ideas and items, and was started by the fabulous Paloma Contreras from La Dolce Vita. The third issue is out now and I'm scouring it from first to last page - go check it out!

A favorite wine

2011-06-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

I am hardly a wine connoisseur. In fact, I often say I am a complete peasant when it comes to my tastes: I like what I like whether it costs $2 or $200. Luckily, we have friends who know a lot about wine and share their finds with us when we hang out. This is one that has remained a favorite since my husband and I first tried it.

This zinfandel is rich and spicy, and ideal for enjoying with a steak dinner - the best thing about it is that it is NOT $200. You will find it for around $12 at many super markets, and definitely at places like BevMo. Also, if you are enjoying some dessert with your meal, I would order some kind of chocolate cake or torte to add one more layer of decadence to your dinner.

If you're up for trying something new next time you're shopping for wine, I would definitely recommend you try some Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel - and if you think I've been in any way, shape or form compensated for this post, I can only say "I wish".

Lovely time with friends

2011-06-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my husband and I attended a party in honor of our friends J&M's engagement. It was a J's parents' gorgeous home and everything was exquisite - from the delicious food (ribs, cornbread, to-die-for chocolate cake, etc.) to the decorations (everything in turquoise!) to the delicious baby I got to hold for about an hour or so. Little Logan is two months old and he slept peacefully in my arms, so I totally got my baby fix.

I figured the weather would be sunny but not overwhelmingly hot, so this is what I wore. Except my fab babysitter said she liked my chunky bracelet better, so I swapped the hoop earrings for diamond studs.

bbq party by casa de berry featuring t shirts

I love this top from Old Navy, stripes are in but no way in H-E-L-L am I doing horizontal stripes so these are flattering and the scale is graphic but not crazy. The bag, skirt and wedges I had, and I felt comfortable and appropriate.

We had such a great time celebrating the future marriage of our friends, it was the perfect end to our week.

Where we were . . .

2011-06-23T04:02:00.000-07:00

was Santa Cruz, California, a short drive from our home but about 25 degrees cooler. We had planned this trip a couple of months ago because Tuesday was our wedding anniversary. We have been married 8 years now and decided a quick getaway was just what we needed.

I'm sorry to say, I did not take a single photo. We brought the camera but decided to just enjoy every moment instead of scouting for photo opportunities, so all these pics belong to the talented people who took them - if you're one of them and don't want me to use your photo, let me know and I will take it down. All of them are linked to their original accounts.

On Monday, the first thing we did upon leaving our house and our kids, was buy some shirts for my oldest - isn't that the sign of parenthood? You stop looking for stuff for yourself and it's all for the kids. Anyway, my oldest loves collared shirts so we got a couple of really cute ones for $4.99 each at the mall, then popped in to see X-Men: First Class. It was ok, but the best thing about it was the eye candy.

After checking in, we had an early dinner at Kianti's

my original pasta dish had meat sauce that was way too spicy for me so the server graciously offered a garlicky cream sauce instead which was super yummy. Both my husband and I were happy with our meal. We decided to call it an early night and then he got me hooked on Master Chef.

The next day we had one of the best breakfasts EVER at a place nearby called Zachary's.

I loved that everything was locally produced, fair-trade, organic, etc. and the prices were totally reasonable. See, restaurant owners, it CAN be done! I am totally going to try to recreate their home fries with my homegrown potatoes. After breakfast we walked around downtown for a bit:

There are so many cute stores as well as some severely overpriced boutiques. I saw some cute sequined lace-trimmed tank tops for $5 at one shop and didn't pick up any but then made my husband take me back on Wednesday. Yeah, I know, he's really patient. Anyway, we saw Bridesmaids, it was so funny, I loved it.

What happens in this scene at the bridal salon is just hilarious, I couldn't catch my breath I was laughing so hard! Afterward, we headed over to the wharf and stopped by Marini's for some chocolate fudge. YUM! I nearly emptied the sample dish, it was so good.

We had some awesome seafood dinner down by the wharf, then went back to the hotel for some more Master Chef and to gorge on the fudge.

On Wednesday morning, we had ourselves some Starbucks (we're such capitalists!) and then went back to the little shop with the cute tank tops. I got two, one in a marigold shade and one in - of course - turquoise, some NYX gloss, cheapie eyeshadows and nail polish.

At a cooking store we found an entire collection of dinosaur cookie cutters and of course, got them all for our pancake- and cookie-loving boys.

Back home, we ran to Toys 'R Us because our Spidey Sense was telling us we needed to get things for the boys and we found some serious loot - three huge Godzilla figures, I am telling you the boys were jumping up and down in glee when they saw them. My awesome mother-in-law then gave the three men some haircuts before she left.

That was our first half of the week: relaxing, laughing, sleeping in, strolling around, and just generally enjoying each other's company. But we missed our squirrelly monkeys!!! Now I am home, and I am content.

Where in the world . . .

2011-06-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

am I going to be for the next couple of days?

I wish it were going to be this cloudy but it's not. Still, I'll tell you all about it when I return ;D

Father's Day

2011-06-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is going to be a little rough. Rather, a lot rough. You see, it's the first Father's Day without my dear dad. We would usually have lunch with my in-laws and then head over to my parents' for dinner.

I will be celebrating my husband's fatherhood and delighting in his neverending love and patience for our little boys, but at the same time I will be thinking of my dad. I miss my dad every single day but this Sunday, maybe a little more poignantly.

Here is my dad enjoying his youngest grandchild, my little one:

I don't remember what we got him for Father's Day last year, or what we ate, or what we talked about. I had no idea he only had another couple of weeks left to live. My heart breaks at the lost moments I wish I could remember, but someday, I know I will get to see my dad again. Until then, happy father's day, daddy. I love you.

Ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!!!

2011-06-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Photo from SFGate.com

Have you seen all the yummy cherries popping up everywhere? My local paper wrote about them, and I have eaten my share a couple of times already. But other than stuffing myself with delicious cherries I also do plan on actually making some cherry-based goodness - here are some recipes I will be giving a try:

Some refreshing Cherry Limeade by missamy

Now that I have a proper canner, some Sweet Cherry and Lemon conserves from Epicurious

Something decadent like the Pioneer Woman's Cherry Cake Pudding - yum!

Got any cherry recipes you'd like to share?

Garden update

2011-06-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

No sweet corn on the cob for us yet

although we found a snail cozily nestled in the leaves - grrrrrr!!!

Our grapes keep growing

My husband has hopes of grape jelly but considering how quickly our kids eat any blueberry that matures, I doubt we'll have enough enough grapes at any one time to make a batch of jelly.

This is what potatoes look like when you push aside the veritable jungle of leaves that grow over them

you can wait to unearth them when the leaves die off, or you can "grabble" them and eat them when young and tender

We planted yellow (on the left) and white (right) potatoes

You leave them in the sun for a couple of hours so the skins harden a bit. When you first take them out you can pretty much just rub the skins off.

The first baby tomatoes are making their appearances

I needed some tomato cages and my son insisted we get more tomato plants, so I hope we have a ton of tomatoes this summer!!!

That's the happenings in our backyard - are you growing any veggie goodness this year?

Veggie lasagna

2011-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night we had some friends over - my oldest and their middle child met at preschool and became friends and now we're friends with the parents. I decided to try a veggie lasagna and came upon this recipe, but I had a hankering for spinach, so I added two bunches of spinach to the mis:

I was shocked that my oldest had a few bites, he is very anti-sauce when it comes to his pasta, but I think seeing his friend and the rest of us eating it was a good incentive. My little one sat on my lap and ate piece after piece, but then again, he's always been up for trying new food.

One of my habits when I make something like lasagna is to double the recipe. It is not hard to make at all but it is a little more labor intensive than my usual dinners, so I figure, make twice the amount and enjoy some later in the week. Same whenever I decide to make roast chicken, I roast two and enjoy the second one in soups, salads, tacos, etc. Even if I am just sauteing chicken breasts or making a beef roast, making a double batch is a great way to save time later on.

My poor husband was quarantined in the bedroom so he didn't eat with us, and I figure when he is feeling better I'll have some yummy veggie goodness for him to regain his strength.

Red and Green

2011-06-13T05:41:00.001-07:00

Loving the strawberries and peas we are getting from our backyard -
we're getting about 15-20 sweet, juicy strawberries a week, and about the same number of peas. I would have included the blueberries here but some squirrelly monkeys ate them all before I could take the picture.

Bittersweet

2011-06-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of school for my kindergartener. He was sick since last Sunday so he didn't get to say goodbye to his teacher and classmates (my little one was sick the previous week so he didn't say goodbye to preschool, either). I made up little business cards with my contact info and a note from him saying he wanted to stay in touch during the summer, and asked the teacher to stick them in his friends' backpacks.

Every Thursday this past school year I went into my oldest's classroom and did the packets to take home. It didn't take me more than an hour or an hour and a half but it was lovely to see him in his classroom setting, interacting with new friends. He had a wonderful teacher, and I am glad she is staying on at the school at this time of budget cuts and layoffs.

Here are some moments from Aidan's kinder year:

The last photo was taken at a breakfast tea the school staff hosted for parents and guardians who had helped out throughout the year. I qualified because of my Thursdays spent at school and it was a lovely morning.

Every achievement, every new photo of Aidan at school brought me both joy and sadness. Joy at seeing my son thrive in a new environment, and sadness that my dad wasn't here to share in these moments. He would have been so damn proud of you, Aidan, I know we are!

Congratulations on moving on to first grade, my sweet boy!!!

Veggie cooking cheat sheet

2011-06-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

How awesome is this? I found it on Pinterest and thought I'd share it with you all, since I think it is going up on the side of my fridge:

There's all sorts of How To tips and tricks at The Secret Yumiverse - and Yumi's illustrations are darling. Go check them out!

Casa de Berry

Birthday weekend, part 1

Thanksgiving Mantel

Fashion Friday: Forty Favorites

Moving to Wordpress!

Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey Garland

Pinterest challenge - mason jar gifts!

Godzilla a finalist in SFGate's contest!

Fashion Friday: Family Pics

Holidays a deux

Happy Halloween!

Costume progress - and a hint!

Featured at Comin' Home

Fashion Friday: Scarf it down!

Costume progress

Nuh-oh is so good for you

Fashion Friday: at the Pumpkin Patch

Field Trip with my oldest

Spooky mantel!

Fashion Friday: Favorite Outfit

I Wear Pink

Tiled outdoor counter

Fashion Friday: Fall is here!

Fall outdoor decor

Fall craft: Cinnamon candle

The Bathroom Saga - re-flooring

Fashion Friday: Embellished Tank

Door Decor and CSI linky parties

EEK! So scary!

Fall Mantel

Fall Wreath for $5 and change

Organization: A year's worth of homework

Fashion Friday: Fall, where are you???

Thinking ahead

When melatonin fails

Delayed gratification

We have a new toilet!

Fashion Friday: Missoni for Target

2012 Calendar by Georgianna Lane

Google f*@&$%* Maps!

Lookit what mei hubby built me!

In remembrance: 9/11

Fashion Friday: Leopard Red

Frame Jewelry Display

Fall Printable

Thank You!!!!

Burgundy, wine, maroon, plum

Neighbors and classmates!

A little Autumnal Facelift

Please vote for me!

Fashion Friday: Red lipstick, part deux

Vote for me please!

Favorite Things in my Town: Link Party

Triple yum!

5 Places to Go

Fashion Friday: Red lipstick

First Day

Boy games

Have you met the Queen?

Vogue Latin America Aug '11

Fashion Friday: the leopard print trench

Our new mantel

Lazy days

Featured at Beneath my Heart

My house colors

Feline royalty: update

Garden update - August 2011

Are you on Polyvore?

Garage saleing . . .

Feline royalty

July 2011

Happy birthday, Alex!

My favorite paper goods store

Orange crush

Table transformed

Recent harvest

Shhhhh . . .

Past Projects: Our Kitchen and Dining Room

Results of the Pinterest menu week!

Girl Crush: Hayley Atwell

Google f@&$% Maps!