Little Boxes on the Hillside

Rylee, Lately

2009-01-23T21:14:00.001-08:00

Pajama Day:

Before Sofia's Princess Party:

Pre-Snowboarding/ski vacation fitting:

WHY does my baby look soooooo grown up all of the sudden?!?!

When it Rains it Pours

2009-01-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Crazy times around here, as usual.

In the last 4 or 5 days the following has happened:

I tore a ligament in my shoulder
Rodney's dad went into the hospital
Rodney's dad had surgery on his heart
Rodney nearly broke his toe

Oh. And I switched classrooms with another teacher and had to completely move and redo everything.

I totally missed Rylee's last swim class of this session today. I feel really badly about it too. I was at the school for close to 5 hours today - by the time I left I was so tired, Rylee hadn't had a nap and I had about 15 minutes to get home, get her changed and get her back to the swim school. Including the 10 minutes it would take to get home. I just couldn't do it. My shoulder was killing me at that point and all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. So, that's what I did.

The medication they gave me for my shoulder knocks me completely out too. I can really only take it when Rodney is home.

What else...

We've been totally nerding out on the show Las Vegas right now. We started with Season 1 and we're on the last disc (of Season 1) so far. I don't know why I like this show. It's not the most spectacular show in the world but ever since we came back from Vegas, I've been totally obsessed with it. I want to live there. Or, I at least want to go back very soon.

We leave for Colorado in 11 days. Yay! Hopefully my shoulder will be healed by then. I keep imagining myself landing on it how badly that will feel. Really, even if I fell and my head was knocked back a little --- well, it would hurt.

We're going to the FS show at HOB, which should be fun-ish. I'm pretty excited about hanging with the girls. It will definitely be entertaining!

Got a referral for a PT for Rylee. Just waiting to hear back from them on what to do next. (sigh)

Lost is back next week...The Office is back today! Yes!

PS - still working on my next class, details soon!

I said I would update...

2009-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

And I am!

Hooray me.

Today Rylee and I went to Target with no real agenda. I mean, I had to pick a few things up from the green side but I had some time to walk around and look at some stuff too.

If anyone out there has a small baby girl that likes to dress up like a princess, the dollar spot has some good stuff right now. I got Rylee a pair of princess shoes FOR A DOLLAR. They also have crowns, wands, tutu's, skirts and big tall hats to chose from. She's worn the shoes the entire day. I might have thought about how the clickclicketyclick was going to sound as she runs all over the hardwoods, but I suppose my mommy-sense (similar to spidey-sense but without the whole sensing evil thing) escaped me for the hour that we were there.

Anyway, yay for cheap toys that entertain your child while driving you mad!

Also at Target - Globar Bazaar. Some of it anyway. I noticed that they were bringing some of the stuff out over last week and today it looked like they might be putting out the rest. Seems like a lot more than usual. There's all sorts of new bathroom stuff, including shampoo/conditioner and other various hygiene products. There's sooooo much that I love this year. Here's to waiting it out until it all goes on clearance!

(not everything is up on the website just yet which is why there are no pictures. pictures soon!)

Charming

2009-01-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Wow.

2008 flew by me. I mean, seriously. I think 2008 is the year that I will never remember because it went by so quickly. Some good stuff happened in 2008, some bad stuff too but all in all, I'm glad that it's 2009. I seem to do better in odd years.

Some notable moments for me in 2008:

* annual snowboarding trip in January
* making over 100 cakes!
* making new friends
* figuring out that some people in my life, will always be in my life (Jess xoxo)
* making my first, second, third and fourth wedding cakes for actual people!
* driving Amy and Tyler's wedding cake to Las Vegas, finishing their cake in our hotel room and spending 4 days in Sin City!
* giving my first cake decorating series out of my house
* celebrating Rylee's 3rd birthday and our 3rd anniversary
* getting a little internet recognition for some of my cakes
* the Presidential election

Now I'm looking forward to this year's snowboarding trip. Rylee's first trip with us to Colorado. Crazy!

I'm also looking forward to updating this blog on a more often basis. I used to update regularly but the need for cake in the last 4 months of the year was crazy for us! It's been great, we have learned so much from all of the new projects and tasks we've taken on, but we've definitely had to sacrifice some things. Sleep and time together being two of the biggest I can think of.

Anyway, I've resolved to condense things in our life in the new year. Of course, I'm not talking about cakes. We happily take on all that come our way but in order for us to do that, we really have to let go of some other things. I think I've begun that process. I've decided to not renew Rylee in swimming for the spring. She go through January and then we'll take a break. We might come back in the summer, but I need to see if we can focus on one thing at a time. She's got ballet and with school, I think that's enough for now.

I'm also starting to come up with the outline/curriculum for my next class. I'm trying to decide if I should do a continuation of the last class with a focus on specific techniques (the last class was a brief overview of basic cake decorating) or if I should focus on one technique and make each specific technique into a class itself. Or, maybe I should do a basic dessert class. A class that teaches people how to make elegant pieces or passed desserts. I don't know. Is there anyone out there that has an opinion?

As for any other New Years Resolutions (I suppose the condensing of things in our lives counts as a resolutions, right?), I imagine losing the last 15 pounds to get to my goal weight would be it. I've lost 45 pounds (I started losing in July) and since the last two weeks of November, I haven't lost any. Holidays are hard and my grandmothers house is like my kryptonite. Anyway, 15 more pounds and Rodney says I'm due for a tummy tuck. Remember when you promised that husband? A tummy tuck sounds extreme, I know, but no matter what you do and unless you have a staff of people to make you beautiful, you just aren't losing that little pouch after a c-section.

In closing, please enjoy some pictures from our trip to ICE! at The Gaylord.

And Rylee.

Thank you for these, Mr. Santa

2008-12-30T00:47:00.003-08:00

(some of my favorite items:)

Plus so very, very much more. Our family was truly blessed this season.

We must have been good this year!

Viva Las Vegas

2008-11-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

If you don't want to see about nine million pictures, totally ignore this post.

If you DO want to see nine million pictures...well, then I ask you to read on internet!

I tried to document our trip with as many pictures as I could take. All in all I think I came home with 350. I had to erase about 25, too. I, in all my packing and baking glory, only managed to get one memory card in the camera case. I've edited them down though. Don't worry, you won't have to scroll through 350. Half that, maybe.

I thought about condensing this into several posts, driving to Nevada, Las Vegas, the cake and wedding, and the Hoover Dam but then I decided that it's much more effective in one post. Because this is how we experienced it. It was a total whirlwind of a trip.

Outside of Amarillo:

I really loved the big grain plants and windmills. Something about it defined "road trip" to me. I've driven this route before, but when I was 11 and in the back of my parents Jeep Cherokee. It felt familiar but different at the same time.

New Mexico welcomed us.

I remember this from when I was a kid - almost every piece of scenery we saw in New Mexico, I remembered.

The painted desert.

Arizona welcomes us!

Sun setting in Arizona

This is what we did on the trip! (we also talked and listened to a lot of tunes - but watching seasons 2 and 3 of The Office definitely provided for some comic relief!)

We ate Salsa Brava in Flagstaff (just off of historic Route 66) for dinner Friday evening. It was delicious! They had a huge salsa bar! You are served empty bowls and chips when first seated - then it's up to you to get up and choose from several different kinds of salsa. Hot to Super HOT, pico, pineapple habanero...just to name a few! Those of you who know me know that this is my kind of place. I eat salsa EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE.

We could have gone a little more west had we chosen.

At this point it got a little more difficult to take pictures in the dark, in a moving car. We passed through the Hoover Dam around 11 at night - we stopped on the side and took a look down. It was breathtaking. Even at night. And I have to say, the stars in Arizona and Nevada are AMAZING. We spent a lot of time just looking up at the sky on our long stretch down Highway 93.

We arrived in Las Vegas around 11:30 and drove down the ENTIRE strip until we finally reached our hotel, The Mandalay Bay.

(We actually took these pictures the last night of our trip. The Mandalay Bay is at the very south part of the strip and we drove in from the other direction. I thought I'd post them here anyway, for dramatic effect)

They were working on turning the famous sign into a tourist stop/attraction with some astroturf and a fence around it - we happened to be there pretty late at night after they had been working on it. I thought I'd leave my mark on Vegas the best way I knew how.

Our room

The morning after we arrived, I worked on the cake like a mad woman. If you want to read about that, please head over to Frosted Garden. I've included pictures of the mess that our room was and many other pictures of the cake!

Some interiors of the hotel

Outside

The wedding + cake party in the sweetest suite

Inside New York New York

On the strip

Yes, I really did. May not have been the NY Fao, but it will do!

And yes, I took a picture of Pure (inside Caesars)

Eating at Gonzales y Gonzales on the "streets" of New York New York. It was actually pretty good! (what is it with Texans and Mexican food??)

Rodney insisted that I take a picture of Circus Circus, which is pretty much on death watch now. It's in the older part of the strip and their pretty much tearing everything on that side down and making room for the bigger hotels.

Inside Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce (which was inside of our hotel).

In the lobby (at the Mirage) of Beatles Love.

Beatles Revolution Cafe/night club

Love was the last thing we did while we were in Vegas. We did visit The Palms the second night we were there - but I didn't get any good pictures. I didn't bring the camera and I did take some on my iphone but they didn't turn out that great.

We had such a good time while we were there. We won, we lost, we laughed and had a really good time together. We got 3 meals comped and a $50 breakfast in our room, we ate at Del Taco (try the el scorcho sauce!) and I even ate at IN-N-OUT BURGER. That's right, I did. I ate a few bites of Rodney's dub dub and was completely sick the next day (this is why I don't eat meat). It was totally worth it.

We actually ate their twice. Once the second night we were there (when I had only a few bites) and once on our way out of town, in Arizona. The second time, I did a little more research and found some things on the famous "secret menu" that I had to try. I told Rodney to order a double double animal style, fries light, a veggie burger, a grilled cheese and fries animal style. For those of you unfamiliar with In-N-Out - they have like 4 things on the menu but what makes them famous (besides the fact that they are CRAZY cheap and the burgers are DELICIOUS) is the secret, word of mouth menu. I looked up some terms before our second visit.

Some iphone pictures:

Rodney's dub dub animal style

My VEGGIE BURGER (which was basically a burger with no patty)

Oh, I already miss you.

The Hoover Dam.

This was a really exciting portion of the trip for me. We decided at the last minute to stop and spend TWO HOURS touring the dam. We are awesome.

That was it! Thanks for reading/looking through this entire post, I know it was really long!

Happy Birthday Little Girl

2008-11-17T21:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Rylee Kate!

I hope you know that your Momma and your Daddy love you very, very much and it's incredibly difficult for me to fathom that you are now 3 years old.

You made us a family and we can't even remember what life was like without you.

You're the best thing that has ever happened to us and being your parents has been the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Thanks for telling me all day today that everything I said was " just a great idea."

:)

(blogger is being retarded tonight and I want to post this before 11/17 is over so...picture of Rylee to come)

Christmas

2008-11-13T09:16:00.001-08:00

Loving these. Need larger house.

I'm probably going to get the refrigerator. I don't know about the stove though. We already have the little wooden kitchen from Target (the blue one from last year, not this year's pink one) and I don't think we really need the other. It sure is cute though...

Rylee's 3rd birthday party!

2008-11-10T14:42:00.001-08:00

Lots and lots of pictures from Rylee's cherry blossom themed birthday party!

The favors:

I decided to do a crayon favor months ago when I happened upon an etsy member that made little tins of crayons with each child's name spelled out inside. I was able to find the tins on clearance at Target, so I only needed to order the letters for each child's name.

I also ordered a sticker with each child's name on it to place on top of their individual tin and a sticker to be placed on the bottom that said, "Love Rylee." (after I received the stickers, I went out and purchased my own laminator/sticker/button maker)

After I had these in place, I spent hours and hours searching for the perfect favor boxes. I went through 50 websites and close to 300 pages of etsy. FINALLY, I found what I was looking for.

Shelley, who runs Bug and Boo designs ( http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5099181 ) was awesome at helping me get together exactly what I wanted in a favor box. She even shipped my order the next day and featured my boxes in her shop!

These were perfect! The tins fit inside along with a little thing of play-doh and I could not have been happier! I'll definitely be back to order more from Shelley, she was great to work with.

You probably noticed the name tags on each box - those also came from Etsy. (I'm like a walking advertisement for this website, they should pay me!).

Rosie, who runs Tokens of Love (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6345555) was also a pleasure to work with! These favor tags were exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want a paper tag, I wanted something that the kids could take and use somewhere else.( I heard a few moms saying they would put their tags on their backpacks, which is a great idea) I love the way these turned out and tied the whole box together, I'm thinking about ordering a bunch for Christmas!

The cookies:

I make cookie favors each year to give out to the kids and adults as well. This year we did a cherry blossom and a silhouette cookie. (Rodney made the silhouette cutter)

Unwrapped:

Wrapped/tagged:

(I didn't think about this but some people had a hard time eating the silhouette. They felt like they were eating Rylee's head --- and they were!)

Decor:

I tried to do a little bit of decorating in the house to tie the theme together. I waited until Target put their outdoor stuff on sale at the end of the summer and bought a set of the cherry blossom lanterns to hang. I also bought the Martha Stewart pom kit to hang in the living room as well. (I bought it from Wal-Mart, $10 cheaper there than Michael's)

My friend April, who is an awesome florist, let me borrow her huge cherry blossom arrangement that she has displayed in her shop for the party (so have to return it this week!) and that really pulled it all together.

Activities:

I decided that since Rylee is turning 3 this year, we needed to do a little more with the party than we normally do. We needed things to keep the kids occupied and happy. I came up with a few different things for them to do.

The first table I had set up was a "popcorn bar." I had paper bags out with markers, glue and crayons for them to decorate and put their names on. I had 5 different flavors of popcorn for them to fill their decorated bag with.

White cheddar
kettle corn
carmel pirate's booty
carmel corn
white chocolate

The second table I had set up was for making your own stick/foam puppets. I found the kits at Michael's for $1/each and thought it would be a really good way thing for each kid to be able to do while they were there.

I also had cupcake decorating. In the weeks before the party, I made each child an apron and painted their names and cherry blossom branches on them. ( I failed to take a picture of the aprons, who knows why) We waited until after the cake had already been served before we let them do the cupcake decorating because I wanted them to be able to take them home.

(we didn't get that many photos of each table, probably because we were running around like crazy)

We also had the bounce house set up and the playset - so there was lots to do!

The food:

I always cook a big meal for Rylee's party. I have no idea why I enjoy doing this but I really do.

This year we did spaghetti again (also did spaghetti the year before last). I had spaghetti with marinara or alfredo, italian sausage, grilled chicken, sautted mushrooms, salad, spinach dip and chips and salsa. I also made cheesecake cups, chocolate-peanut butter cookies and my mom brought pecan sandies. (thanks mom!)

Of course there was cake too!

The bottom tier on this cake was vanilla with whipped lemon curd buttercream. The top tier was vanilla with whipped strawberry buttercream. (the entire cake was covered in vanilla buttercream). I had a lot of fun with this cake and I'm really happy with the way it turned out, especially in regards to the colors. Rylee seemed to really love it too!

So that was what we did with Rylee's 3rd birthday party this year! It was lots and lots of hard work but it was totally worth it. Thanks to every single person that helped (especially Rodney) and attended!

Here are a few random pictures from that day!

In between jobs

2008-11-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

Rylee's birthday party is this weekend and I'm frantically getting things together. Frantically baking and baking and baking, trying to clean in between all of the baking, running to the store two to three times a day and trying to get my little birthday girl well again. She has a sinus/ear infection. Her fever got close to 103 at times and she's just been feeling yucky all together. She saw the doctor and is on antibiotics, so I'm sure she'll be fine by Saturday.

In the midst of all of this craziness that is my life, something really wonderful happened to this country.

I'm in between cakes right now, so I thought I'd jot down my thoughts.

I watched election coverage from the moment I got home from MDO on Tuesday (we had to leave early because Rylee had a fever) and could not keep my eyes off of the tv.

In between soothing and holding Rylee, baking 10 cakes and close to 100 cookies, I watched and waited.

I kept my laptop close to me as the night went on, specifically so I could chat about the happenings with Jess (and Amber too).

Right around 10pm, 10 minutes after my very, very hot child fell asleep on me and I carried her into her bed...I came back into the kitchen to pop some popcorn. I heard Rylee start to cry, "mommy." I turned to look at the tv to see what was happening with the local election coverage when I saw a picture of Barack Obama pop up on the screen. To the right of his picture read, "Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States." I looked at Rodney and gasped. I pointed and rubbed my eyes a little bit. We smiled and hugged one another and then both started jumping up and down in disbelief. Rylee was still crying. The screen changed to a shot of the crowd at Grant Park in Chicago, tears started rolling down my face. I couldn't stop the tears, they continued as I sat on the couch. Rodney went to check on Rylee and came back in.

We were both very quiet until my husband who is usually funny and sarcastic in these moments, said two things that stuck with me.

"You'll never forget where you were at this moment. This is like our moon landing. You will always remember that you were at home when the first black president was elected in the United States. Both Mommy and Rylee were crying."

he also said this:

"You know what's really great about this? We have never known a black president. This is historic for us and radically different from anything we have grown up with or known in our lifetimes. Rylee will grow up thinking this is normal. This will not be weird for her, it will be normal."

I cannot stress enough how proud I am at this moment to live in this country. It's been a long time since I have felt like there were people fighting for me, the middle class. It's been a long time since I have had faith in this country. It's been a long, long time.

This election gives me hope. It gives me hope that we can come together and overcome the peril we have been facing.

I don't see color when I see our new President, I see hope. I see someone who is eloquent, hard working, family oriented, who fights for people who don't get fought for. I see someone who believes that all men and women are created equally. I see someone who is determined to make a difference.

I've been pretty quiet around people who make assumptions and believe that I feel exactly as they do - but you know what? It's time to come together. It's time for us all to stop the name calling, the finger pointing, the accusing, it's time to cross party lines and get behind our new leader. The leader that was overwhelmingly elected in this country by it's people.

You may not have voted for him but it's time to support him. We live in America for a reason. Our country was founded on the basis of freedom of choice and the choice has been made. It's time to look forward, it's time to move forward.

Be proud to live in this country, be proud of the history that was just made here. Know that this is a huge step forward for our country. Know that this is what happens when you live in a democratic nation, be accepting. Be supportive.

I prayed and my prayers were answered.

Thanks, America

2008-11-04T21:16:00.001-08:00

Thank you.

Would you like fries with that?

2008-11-02T20:33:00.001-08:00

Costumes

2008-10-26T22:08:00.001-07:00

Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy

Captured in black and white

So Come on

2008-10-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate to admit it, I really love the newly acquired apple product here at the DeMeglio household.

A few months ago Rodney was pretty persistent about getting a mac mini to hook up to the tv. He said it would be great because we could use our iPhones to control iTunes from anywhere in the house and we could also use our iPhones to control movies on the hard drive. His main argument was that it would be super easy for me to just turn a movie on for Rylee from anywhere I happened to be in the house.

I was skeptical. Do we really need this? We already have so many little gadgets around here, was this one really necessary? We both have laptops, iPhones, we have a desktop computer in the office, several iPods, playstation this and nintendo that's...why on earth did we need this?

Anyway, I caved and we the new little computer is sitting nicely underneath the tv.

I kind-of love it.

As I sit here watching every single cake I've ever made pop up on the screen, listening to The Shins, I admit to myself that I love it. I use it frequently. It's especially nice when I am working in the kitchen, on a day like today.

Shh, don't tell Rodney.

Oh, lately he's campaigning for a wireless keyboard/mouse.

Boys.

*I promise more of an updated post later. We went to the fair, dressed Rylee up like a Geisha and took 3 year old pictures this week!

The post

2008-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's time for me to use this blog for what's intended to be.

I've been hesitant to voice my opinion on political matters in this forum and in social forums lately because I've been nervous about the response I would get. Even though it all still bothers me a bit, it's time for me to suck it up and hope that the people who disagree with me know that it is only my opinion - it doesn't change who I am as a person.

That being said, there are a couple of points I would like to make...

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of election day. It's time for change in this country, time for real change. I'm hoping that with this election, people will wisen up.

1)

I don't think religion and politics go together. I am a young, Christian woman but I base my political decisions on who I align with more on the issues. The best example I can give to support this is in the issue of abortion. Do I agree with abortion? Not necessarily. Do I feel like it should be up to me to decide what is best for someone else? No, not at all. Do I feel like abortion is the main issue in this country that we need to resolve? Absolutely not. I don't think how I feel religiously should affect how I see a person who is running for office. I look at the person, what they want to do if elected, how it will effect me and my family. Religion is not a factor in balancing budgets, taxes, housing crisis', health care...

2)

For me, healthcare is up there on the list of important issues. I want someone who at the very least, will attempt to change the dismal face of what is going on here. So many of us can't afford gas or even food right now, what makes you think we can afford healthcare? Not even good healthcare either. Overpriced and unfair healthcare.

My father in-law recently had to make a trip to the ER for a heart attack. He was admitted into the CCU for 4 days. They had to take a scope into his heart and look at the damage and unclog some arteries. He had to stay in recovery for a few days afterward. The insurance company has denied his claim stating that his trip to the ER for a HEART ATTACK (in which the doctors told him if had waited much longer, he wouldn't have made it) was not necessary and not pre-approved. You tell me how you are supposed to get a heart attack pre-approved.

When I quit my job to stay home with Rylee, we lost my awesome insurance that I had through the CU. We went to self-pay. Rylee had tubes put in her ears just before I quit at 7 months old. We did this because we knew that no other insurance would cover that expense. When we went to self pay we were told that there would be a FIVE year waiver put on her for any type of respiratory problem. That means for the next 5 years of her young life she would not be covered for colds, ear infections, sinus infections, sore throats, allergies, strep throat, tonsillitis, upper respiratory infections or the flu. So yeah, pretty much anything that every kids gets from year to year during those first few years, she would not be covered for. Coming off of the a first 6 months of constant illness, this scared me to death. She had 6 double ear infections in 3 months. She had her first ear infection at THREE WEEKS OLD. She had been diagnosed with severe allergies when she was 5 weeks old. At that same time she also had to be taken to the hospital for a fever of 104 - where she had two catheters, chest x-rays, blood drawn, an IV, and a spinal tap. She started using a nebulizer at 3 months.

Imagine how I felt finding out that the company we were switching to, the company that we would be paying $130/month for Rylee ALONE after going from 2 incomes to 1 ... was not going to cover any major childhood illnesses.

For the first few months, I held my breath every time she had a sniffle or a runny nose. The tubes definitely helped and we were extremely grateful for that. After one week of having the tubes and me being at home with her, she no longer needed breathing treatments. By the time she was 1, we were able to stop the allergy medication (I had ordered months worth when I still had my insurance through the CU before I quit). Then in April of 2007, 8 months after I quit my job, it happened. She got sick. Very, very sick. She had an extremely high fever and we had no option. We had to take her to the doctor. It was Monday. They did a throat culture and said she didn't have strep or an ear infection. We were given a prescription for Omnicef and sent on our way. By Wednesday there was no change in her fever and she was just as lethargic and sick as before, if not more. I took her back into the office. They did another throat culture and discovered that she did have strep - and a double ear infection to boot. They resolved to give her two rounds (shots) of rocephin. They wanted me to come back in Thursday for two more and once again Friday for two more.

A few weeks later we received our bill for those 4 visits to the doctors office. It was well over $2000. Our doctor was gracious enough to discount as many things as she could, bringing the bill to $1200.

We had to pay $1200 for two ear infections and a case of strep throat.

This is not the worst thing you've heard when it comes to problems with health care but for us, it was pretty bad. We were beginning the house buying process and did not need anymore added expenses.

We live in fear of having to go to the ER. I'm pretty sure Rylee and I both have a $5000 deductible.

Healthcare is the most important issue to me (though the economy is probably tying it right about now) and I don't know why it isn't more important to other people. There are people who need medicine and can't afford it, people whose kids are not properly immunized or well checked. There are people stressing out because they can't afford antibiotics, can't have life-saving surgeries. This is not how we should be living. People shouldn't be turned away from hospitals due to the type of insurance they have or for not having insurance.

I don't know what the best way to fix the healthcare crisis is.

But here's what I do know. Giving a $5000 tax credit is not it.

3)

Sarah Palin.

Of course, I want to address this. Of course I have to say something regarding this issue.

I want more than anything for a woman to take a high ranking political position. I think it would be such a progression and step away from the past. It would be wonderful to have a woman as VP.

But not this woman.

This is not the woman we want to be second in command of the free world.

But you know, I think what bothers me most is the fact that there are people out there who actually think they are being forward-thinking, liberal, and partly feminist by endorsing her.

This woman is a political pawn. We all know that she was not John McCain's first choice, does anyone really believe that she was? Choosing her was a strategic move to gain votes from Hilary's supporters.

This woman has no clue how to run this country and it's evident every time she opens her mouth. I don't know if I've even heard a straight answer come out of her mouth. It's all talking around the subject, off the subject but never actually about the subject. She even stated that she wouldn't be answering all of the questions the moderator gave her last night. HELLO?!?!?!?!?!

Her foreign policy experience comes from the fact that Russia is near Alaska. I know we all had to see that interview and if that didn't slap you in the face, please, allow me.

I could probably go on and on about this subject matter for days on end. I'm praying for change. I'm praying that Americans will wake up and realize that we have been going in the wrong direction for the last 8 years and it's time turn and go the other way. We definitely don't need to continue down the same path that we have been heading. And if anyone really, truly believes that the last 8 years have not been some of the most shameful and awful years in this country's history...

Look around. We're in crisis mode. Financial crisis, healthcare crisis, work force crisis, gas crisis ... and I for one, cannot take it any longer.

I don't expect people to agree with me. I don't expect people to think anything except what they already do. I hope that the people out there who don't agree with me understand that these are only my opinions. Just as I understand that their opinions are that as well.

Tomato, Tomahto.

It really is "stay in week"

2008-09-22T14:23:00.001-07:00

I can't stress that enough!

There are so many of my favorite shows returning to television this week, I can hardly stand it! Only 1 cake on the books this week, so we're free to clean up the house (thank goodness), hang out and watch tv!

The Office, 30 Rock, Grey's, Hero's, DWTS...

So excited!

On another front, my highschool's homecoming game is coming up in the next couple of weeks. I can't believe it's 10 years since I've been in highschool! Hopefully we'll all be able to get together for the game.

I'm also already starting to plan Rylee's birthday party. I know it's early but I have to get a head start now since we've been so crazed the last couple of months.

I've so been wanting to blog about my what's going on in the world politically, what's going on with me socially, but I'm having a hard time doing it. I've never really been the type of person who doesn't speak their feelings but for some reason, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Just not really sure if I'm ready to subject myself to the judgement that would accompany it all. Maybe soon. Maybe sooner than later. We are all allowed to our own opinions after all. I suppose anyone who would base my character or their friendship with me on an opinion that I have would probably not be worth it anyway.

It's coming soon.

In the meantime, the weather is starting to change around here and I'm loving it. It no longer feels like the center of the earth when you walk outside and THAT is a very good thing. I even had to wear a jacket the other evening!

New Development

2008-09-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

This month is definitely turning out to be the craziest of the year so far!

I have a ton of pictures of things and events we've attended in the last two weeks but they'll have to wait until the next post...

But there's a new development at our household.

Rylee had to get glasses!

I had been noticing her right eye slightly moving inward towards her nose when she focuses on something (mostly when she's focusing on me). It's actually been happening for about 4 weeks now. I pointed it out to Rodney two weeks ago and it took him a while to see what I was talking about but he did finally see it.

Anyway, I made an appointment with a pediatric eye doctor that my pediatrician recommended bright and early Friday morning. The doctor's assistant did a few tests and told me she could see what I was talking about. The doctor came in and did some of the same tests and a few different ones as well. They said they needed to dialate her eyes to see if it was a glasses issue or something else more complicated. They doctor told me that they were having a hard time recognizing the problem in Rylee because she was so intelligent (they really did say that!) that she was noticing the problem and immediately correcting it. She said that kids Rylee's age are not able to control the reflex that forces their eyes to move inward but somehow she's figured out that it's happening and she's learned to control it.

So they dialated her eyes and we watched The Jungle Book for half an hour. The doctor came back in, put a big mask on and did a few more eye tests. She confirmed that Rylee would need glasses and proceeded to find her prescription. She said that it was really great that I noticed this in her so early because most people don't notice until their children are 5 or 6 years old. She commented that because I caught it so early we might have a chance to correct it and keep it from turning into Amblyopia. We go back in early December to check the progress - if nothing has changed, she will have to do patch therapy and maybe even have surgery.

I asked if this could have been caused by her hair in her face (the swoopy bangs) or sitting too close to the tv and she dispelled both of those things saying they were myths. She said that some people are just born with eye issues and that's just the way it is. It's very weird for me though because I have always had better than perfect vision and so has Rodney. We know nothing about any of this!

What seems so weird to me is that her prescription is REALLY strong. Her doctor said she's farsighted in both eyes but her right eye is significantly worse than the left. Even the optician where I got her glasses mentioned that the prescription was strong for her age.

It seems crazy to me because she's never squinted, never had trouble recognizing things, never not known a color ... she's known her colors, numbers and shapes since before she was even a year old. How could she have been seeing things when her prescription is so strong? Does anyone have experience with this? I just don't understand how she wasn't falling flat on her face without the glasses.

Does this mean no more ballet or tumbling? Is gymnastics totally out of her future?

Someone help!

Anyway, I bought her the glasses that I thought fit her (and our) personalities the most. A pair that goes with her wardrobe well, I think.

These pictures are from my friend Tricia's daughter, Kelsey's birthday party at Oogles 'n' Googles.

(Her eyes are still dialated - they said they would be for about 3 days)

I totally cried in the doctor's office. I'm crazy, I know!

Gone but not forgotten

2008-09-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

So.

I had this big post all typed out and ready to go - all I needed to do was add a few pictures I'd be done.

Just a few pictures

That's when Safari decided to play a little joke on me and crash.

Crashcrashcrashcrashcrashcrash.

an unexpected error has caused safari to close

What unexpected error was caused by updating my blog!?!?!

Anyway, no long update today. Short and sweet. Mostly pictures.

Here are a few that were taken at the Lott's Anniversary party at the Dallas Arboretum...

Some shots of the cake once it was on (finally) the table):

Some exterior shots of the grounds:

Rodney's in the background work, work, working:

I regret that I didn't get as many interior shots or shots during the party that I would have liked. I think I was just so relieved to get there with the cake in one piece and without any major casualties that the rest of the night just sort of floated away from me.

Rodney did manage to get this shot of me and Amy P though:

That was a very fun night and everyone loved the cake. I'm pretty sure there were people that had 4 or 5 pieces! A few of the boys nicknamed the cake "lemon dream." Super cute.

After the party wrapped around 12 we decided to go out to the Arcadia bar with a few people. It was a pretty big deal because ever since Rylee was born, we don't do after parties as often and everyone is always giving us grief about it. We let Rylee stay the night with my in-laws and everyone knew that so ... we had no excuse. It was actually a lot of fun though. And so weird to be back on Gaston! I don't think I have been back on Gaston since we moved out of that apartment (the one that looked like Melrose Place) when I was nearly 7 months pregnant. But seriously, being back in the Lakewood neighborhood brought back some SERIOUS memories.

Last week brought two trips to the AAC. The second of which was for the Tom Petty concert. Charlie Tango rented out a suite for the evening so we partied in style that night. We had some really great food and the entertainment was wonderful, of course!

Pictures from the suite:

This picture is funny because Deedle neither drinks nor acts like this anywhere!

Lola!

Campos (hamming it up), Nicole and Russell, Charlie Tango employees extraordinaire!

From the back of the suite

Me, eating a carrot (in hand)

Tom Petty SOOOOOO played a Traveling Wilbury's song. It was the highlight of my year so far. Absolute all time BEST supergroup there ever was or will be. Most people don't know of them oddly enough - Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan!! Anyway, he played "Heading For the Light" and it was AWESOME.

We had a great time and everyone seemed to love the suite. Hopefully they will make good on getting one for the year!

I thought this was going to be a short post but it's turning out to be pretty long - last half of the update coming soon.

xoxo

Guess someone's going to Colorado this year...

2008-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided that Rylee will go to Winter Park with us this year. We ended up in Sun and Ski Sports last weekend (before we had decided if she was going or not) and left with a new ski suit and cute pink goggles. The 50% off sign made the decision for us.

She can't board until she's 6 but she'll learn to ski for now!

Spur of the moment

2008-08-20T14:13:00.001-07:00

So I bought these shoes over the weekend.

What can I say? I was feeling a little saucy.

I think I was on a mental high from all of the clothes I tried on. I was in search of something new (nothing around here fits me too well these days) and can I just say, it was actually fun to try on clothes for a change! Anyway, I was looking for something to wear to The Lott's anniversary party (owners, Charlie Uniform Tango) - a party that we happen to be making a very fancy cake for and I decided that I'd go out on a whim and buy some shoes that I wouldn't normally.

Love the shape, love the height -- the colors are a little out there for me. Still, they look good on and they go with what I bought to wear nicely. I'm still nervous about wearing them. I'm pretty fashion forward when it comes to clothing and I'm all about trying different things but I'm also the kind of girl who has a pair of black heels, a pair of black boots, and a pair of black flip flops.

What do you guys think? Too much or okay?

And yes, they are from Jessica Simpson's line. I'm not a huge fan of the girl but I do like her shoes.

Oh, and I guess it's been decided that Rylee will be going with us this year on the annual ski/snowboarding trip. We were in Sun and Ski Sports this weekend, they were having their annual clearance (of last years line) and we found the cutest little ski suit and goggles for the girl. We got $120 worth of clothes for $35. Can't beat that!

Hello there!

2008-08-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Is this thing on?!?

I'm not going to make excuses for my absence.

Actually, I am. There have been bouts with illness, wedding cakes, cake classes, weight loss (more on that in a second), hospital visits, and many other things that have prevented me from updating in a proper manner!

Rylee was super sick, I was super sick (still recovering from a terrible sinus infection that just will not go away), we've had multiple cake and cutter orders every week, I've been teaching the cake class here at the house every week for a month and a half, my FIL had a heart attack and he was in the hospital for a while (he's better now)... it's been crazy around here!

Anyway, things seem like they are slowing a tad at the moment. This week is pretty calm but next week starts the beginning of another crazy month and a half.

In some really good news - I've lost about 25 pounds! It feels pretty good and I'm finally back to where I was before Rylee was born. ( I did get there right after she was born but then I started baking cakes). Anyway, I'm on a mission to lose more so wish me luck!

This week was Rylee's last week of the summer ballet session. Since it was the last week, we were allowed to come in, observe the class and take pictures. She starts back up for the year next week. We're probably going to try a more structured gymnastics class pretty soon too. We did My Gym for a while earlier this year. She really loved it but it was more like an hour of playtime vs. an hour learning something.

Here are some pictures that I took yesterday of Rylee as a ballerina:

I've been away

2008-07-22T12:44:00.001-07:00

To all 6 of you that read this, sorry I have been gone so long!

I started teaching the cake class two weeks ago and it has kept me incredibly busy.

Also, somewhere in the metroplex area there are dudes that work for Apple currently trying to figure out what is wrong with my my best friend, my laptop. With the new iPhone launch, they are insanely backed up so it's taking much longer than normal. I'm hoping to know something within the week.

Once I get it back, I'll assuredly have more of an update. With photos.

:)

WHY?

2008-07-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

WHY ON EARTH DID NO ONE TELL ME THAT THE BABYSTYLE IN NORTHPARK - THE ONLY BABYSTYLE LEFT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS - WAS CLOSING????????????

NO EMAIL NOTIFICATION, NO MAIL NOTIFICATION, NOTHING.

If I wasn't sick (again) I would totally call and yell at someone regarding this matter.

YES!

2008-06-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Trivia

DVD version

Random update

2008-06-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was Central Market doing a little bit of light grocery shopping and I saw that their corn is on sale 10/$1!

Of course I bought 10 ears. We go through corn very quickly here in this household. We incorporate it one way or another in probably 4 out of 7 meals.

Yum!

Tonight I'm making mahi mahi. I was roped into trying a sample at the demonstration kiosk (in between the seafood and fruit sections) and WHOA. That had to be some of the best fish I have tasted in my life. The lady pointed me towards the rub she used and advised me on how to cook it. The fish had just been flown in fresh from Hawaii that morning so I couldn't resist trying it out on my own. I've got some pretty high standards to live up to but here's to hoping that mine comes out as good as the bit I tasted earlier today!

On a slightly different subject... thank goodness Babystyle is back! There was a bit of a dry spell there for a while but now, now I think we're on the right path.

Newbies from The Gap:

Has anyone else been listening to the new Coldplay album? I'm really loving it. I know it's gotten some negative reviews but I don't care, I think it's great! I have been listening to it non stop for the last 2 weeks!

I'm pretty sure

2008-06-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm getting another sinus infection.

What's the deal with that? I counted my sneezes yesterday.

SIXTY-EIGHT!

That is not a misprint and no I didn't accidently add a number. I actually sneezed that many times. Do you know how traumatic that is for a person? Most of those came in spurts of 6 or 7, which made it worse. I think I may have whiplash.

I broke down this weekend and gave into the temptations that were coming from Lindsey's blog. I've read her posts about homemade ice cream for over a year now and I couldn't stand it any longer.

I thought about it for a while. About which one I would buy, if I would really use it. So on and so on. I originally wanted the Kitchenaid one because I thought it would be easy to use seeing as how I have a stand mixer and all. Then I thought I might run my motor down with all of the ice cream making I would be doing. I use my mixer on average 3-4 times a week ( sometimes more ) for pretty big projects so the thought of adding an additional 20 or 25 minutes onto that a week (or more knowing me) just didn't sit right.

Anyway, I decided to go with the one that Lindsey recommended. I figured I couldn't go wrong that way. She's got pretty good taste when it comes to kitchen gadgets.

Here's a picture of my super awesome homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum! This week I plan on making strawberry cheesecake, chocolate marshmallow (rodney's favorite) and key lime pie. I can already feel the fat on my thighs.

Btw, the ice cream maker doesn't disappoint! It works great and fits in my pantry! Just in time for the 104 degree weather! (rolls eyes)

Speaking of hot weather and summer - last night I decided I wanted to make something light and summery for dinner. I remembered a post that my bff Jess had written about their picnic for Concert in the Garden a few weeks ago. I decided to try it out!

I made everything pretty much the same way with a few minor exceptions. I decided to make our sandwiches on ciabatta bread. Once I had brushed it with the olive oil (and added the s&p) I toasted it flat side up in the oven for a few minutes. 5 minutes to be exact. I like the middle of my sandwich to have a little crunch but not too much.

I made Rylee the same sandwich minus the basil -I didn't think she'd be too into the basil. She did love the sandwich though. Like, really, really loved it.

We all loved the roasted corn. It was delicious. Definitely perfect for summer meals. We'll be having it often.

Thanks for the great idea Jess!

Gotta get some rest! We are oh so very busy this month. Getting everything together for my cake classes is consuming my life!

Returning home

2008-06-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Wow. We had a great time in south Texas! I can't believe I'm already back here typing this out!

Schlitterbahn was great on both days that we went. We got there early enough each day that we were able to pick a prime spot to set up camp, get changed/ slathered in sunscreen and catch two or three of the biggest tube rides with no wait at all. I really, really love that park. There's something so great about it - I'm not sure if it's because it's nestled (nestled makes it sound small, this place is HUGE) in trees and hills or if it's because it's powered by natural water (well, west is anyway) or if it's because the tube shoots and rides there are seriously some of the most fun you will have in your life. We took two rolls of film on our waterproof cameras and I can't wait to get them back!

The first day we went we took Rylee. She loved it. She didn't want to leave at all and I totally understood. She rode some of the big rides - there are 4 that she is not able to ride just yet - but she rode the bigger tube rides and she was totally fine. We got there early enough that we were able to get her one of those tubes designed especially for little kids and it was perfect.

The second day we went without her and the boys were wrestling around and causing havoc on every ride. I fell out of my tube just before a slide on Hillside and went down the slide on my bottom. Luckily there was a lifeguard there to catch me, my sunglasses and one of my flip flops. I fell out in front of a ton of people waiting in line, it was incredibly embarrassing. Oh well, I think we all fell out one or two times actually.

Austin was also nice. We got to eat at all of my favorite places. Kerbey Lane, Catfish Parlour, Texana...it was all so good! It was Clifford and Matthew's first time to Kerbey Lane and I think they enjoyed it. I already miss the white queso!

One thing that never changes about our trips to Austin is that we always come back with so much more than we left with.

Woo!

We also came back with a pretty neat ice chest actually. It looks like this but ours is red and black. I kind of like it.

And an icecream maker. I do not have a photo.

Today was Rylee's first ballet/tap/tumbling class. She looked so cute this morning I could have melted right there. She did so well too. They had us all go in there for a few minutes and look around and then off we went. There were a few girls that cried but Rylee didn't and from what very little I could see, it looked as if she was doing as she was told.

This had come in the mail for me while I was gone! I love it! It's exactly what I wanted when I set out to find a ballet bag!

I got it off of an etsy site called tinygreenapples.

Hope everyone had a lovely fathers day!

My little ballerina

2008-06-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Got Rylee's ballet and tap shoes last weekend. Also got her leotards in as well. Class starts next Wednesday! She's pretty excited!

And...here's some of my favorite stuff we've sent out of the shop lately!

We're headed out tomorrow evening down south for a few days at Schlitterbahn! Have a great weekend!

Final 25 things about me

2008-06-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

25: I think the raspberry sherbet from Target is the best sherbet ever
24: I love rain storms
23: I hate the heat.
22: I am currently sunburned
21: It doesn't bother me to leave the house without makeup
20: Rylee was the same weight and length as I was when I was born
19: I waited on the guys from Mudvayne when I was 19
18: I hate fondant
17: I had my tonsils out two years ago
16: I've had strep throat over 30 times
15: Someone once told me that I should be a hand model
14: I won 2nd place in a baby beauty contest
13: I'm allergic to wasps and bees
12: I'm slightly obsessed with coats and jackets
11: I don't like fruit smells
10: I can hyper extend both of my arms
9: I make wishes when all of the #'s are the same on the clock
8: I can ice skate
7: I'll eat anything with peanut butter
6: I like to make up recipes
5: I'm bossy
4: My favorite house is my grandmothers house
3: I only like white Christmas lights
2: I buy about half organic products
1: I love provolone

Done!

Summer Movies and 25 more things

2008-06-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

This week I discovered that Harkins Theatres are running a children's movie every day of the week (minus Saturday and Sundays) at 9:45 in the morning.

This week Veggie Tales, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything is playing so I decided to take Rylee. It was pretty fun and she did pretty well. She's been to a few movies but never with just me (except for when she was very little) so I thought it would be interesting to say the least. The great thing was that the entire theater was full of mothers and fathers with their small children and infants so no one cared if someone was screaming or crying. I think we're going to make this a weekly thing, it's so great that they are showing it every day of the week too, that way you don't have to miss it!

What a fun thing to do in the summer!

25 more things about me

49: My favorite flower is the calla lily (close second is the orchid)
48: Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era
47: I like tea with no sugar, just a lemon slice
46: I played volleyball for many years
45: My favorite season is winter
44: I think a lot of blogs are for show
43: Every man that I have been involved with (seriously) has had a name that started with an R or a C
42: My house will soon have a red door
41: I don't like dogs
40: I don't like country music. At all.
39: There's a water tower behind my house
38: I know quite a bit of sign language
37: My family is Catholic but I'm not
36: I don't like being tan
35: I don't use store bought whipped cream
34: I think I am a good listener
33: I like driving
32: I've traveled from Dallas to Tulsa, back to Dallas to New Orleans in 24 hours.
31: I've never seen a Wayne's World movie
30: I've played hide and seek in an empty movie theater on several occasions
29: I'm ready to have another baby
28: I'm working on a cookbook
27: I bite my nails
26: I'm very modest
25: Some mornings I cat nap on the sofa while noggin is on. (not for long)

only 25 left!

Dinner Tonight

2008-06-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today while I was grocery shopping at Target - and I was in the frozen food section picking up some boca patties - I happened upon some Contessa shrimp that was on sale. I took a look at the three different kinds they had in stock, Shrimp Scampi, Whiskey Jack Shrimp and Shrimp Marsala. I noticed that each box had two different recipes that incorporated it's kind of shrimp into it. I decided it was worth my $5 to give it a shot.

I wanted to make the Spicy Shrimp Pasta. The only ingredients it required was some penne pasta, a tomato, scallions and some whipping cream! Easy enough!

Somehow through my shopping trip, I managed to forget the other ingredients needed to make this recipe so when I went to make dinner tonight I was left with some things to figure out.

I decided to make it using what I had in my pantry/fridge

Stephanie's version of Spicy Shrimp Pasta -

Boil one package of penne pasta according to directions
Heat large skillet on medium heat and add shrimp

Add scallions and diced tomato - I had neither of these so I added a quarter chopped red onion and a can of diced tomatoes seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano. ( I drained half of the juice of the can of tomatoes)

You're also supposed to add a 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream at this point but I did not have that either! So I added a 1/4 cup of skim milk and a tablespoon of butter.

Let mixture cook for 4-5 minutes until shrimp becomes orange and opaque in the middle.

I tasted the sauce at this point and decided it still needed a little something.

So, I added 2 cups of Target brand spaghetti sauce. I keep it in the pantry just in case I need it for a quick dinner here and there and today it came in quite handy!

At this point, you add the pasta and mix and you're ready to chow down!

I gotta say, this was a VERY good meal. Rodney loved it, he just told me he loved it again even and he had no idea I was typing this. We paired it with some crusty garlic bread and it was exactly the kind of meal I was hoping it would be. Though I can't help but wonder what it would have been like had I followed the directions and used what it actually called for. Oh well, I love what I did to it so I'm positive I'll be making this again. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow!

25 more.

2008-06-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Actually, this will be 23 since Jess so graciously pointed out to me that I repeated 95 and 96 on my last post. How odd!

72: I love bold and bright colors
71: I have dyed my hair various shades of red for the last 10 years
70: I have an entire cabinet of deodorant. I'm not even kidding.
69: I've had my livejournal account for 8 years now
68: I struggle with my eating habits
67: I was a vegan for a year
66: I (along with Leila) slept in my car in the parking lot of an Austin hotel SEVERAL times on my way back from shows either in Austin or San Antonio despite the fact that my grandmother lives there.
65: From the ages 12-16 I would go into electronic stores with my dad and type the same sentence on every computer each store had, this is the last worthless evening that you'll ever spend.
64: Vanilla is my favorite flavor but I hate things that are scented vanilla.
63: I get my news from the internet
62: I don't let my daughter watch Dora The Explorer
61: I ran my high school radio station for 2 years
60: I had a radio show with my high school bf for 2 years.
59: I like to walk around Target 2 or 3 times a week
58: My favorite color has always been blue
57: I don't like gold
56: I love trying new foods
55: I don't understand why everyone loves chocolate so much
54: I wear a size 9 1/2 shoe
53: I had my tongue pierced at one point in my life
52: I am a planner
51: After Rylee was first born, I vacuumed every day for 3 months
50: I have one small tattoo

100th

2008-06-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

This is my 100th post, woo!

I bought this for Rylee. Really love it. Might love it more than she does.

So since this is my 100th post, I think I'll spend this week updating with (among other things) 100 things you might not know about me.

First 25:

100: I like reality tv
99: I stay up until 2am or later every night
98: I try to do things differently
97: I wipe the sink out every time I use it to make sure it's completely dry (the bathrooms and the kitchen)
96: I taught myself to decorate cakes and I am still learning
95: I thought I never wanted children (but very glad my mind was changed)
96: I clean dishes as I use them
95: Someone has called me the "cleaning nazi"
94: I am scarily good at Mario Kart
93: I like to watch almost all live sporting events
92: Cooking relaxes me
91: I am obsessed with buying Rylee swim suits
90: I would leave Texas in a heartbeat
89: I find a sense of humor the most attractive quality in a person
88: I met my husband at a rock show
87: I like to eat popcorn with m&m's
86: I managed a movie theater when I was 18
85: I hate Nascar. Really, really, really hate Nascar.
84: I'll probably never cut my hair shorter than shoulder length
83: I have a very good memory
82: I tend to have a temper
81: I would have a snowboard attached to my feet for the rest of my life if I could
80: I am sick of healthcare issues in this country
79: I'm pretty sure I eat chips and salsa every day
78: I hate jelly
77: I don't enjoy talking on the phone
76: I can sing a little
75: I was a merch girl back in the day

*This is going to be harder than I thought!

What I have been doing

2008-05-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

Let's see...

I've been playing this:

Planning this course (more on this in a bit):

Working on this in my kitchen:

Working on this w/ Rylee:

(Going pretty well actually, may I suggest a sticker book to aide you in your toilet education? It's working very well for us)

Eating dinner here with the girls:

(Thanks for coming along girls, that was a lot of fun!)

Last night I tried one of those meal kits from Central Market - Rylee and I walked the store yesterday because we stopped in at The Learning Express which just so happens to be next door to my favorite centrally located market.

I really love that place. We practically had lunch in there just walking through. Fresh oranges, bread and olive oil, banana-orange juice, shrimp cocktail, kettle fried tortilla chips w/ some DELICIOUS raspberry salsa, yummy sea salt potato chips, samples of gouda and brie (for me, not her) and a really good cream cheese and fruit dip that was being served with a honey wheat bread. I picked up some of the juice, the bread, the salsa, some fresh corn and butter tortillas (love to get those when they are still warm!) and I also grabbed this:

I'm not usually a big meal kit person - but this one sounded good (it was POURING and gloomy yesterday) so I figured I'd try it seeing as how CM has never really disappointed me.

It took an hour and 45 minutes to cook and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!

This was a great soup and the veggies were super fresh. Rodney actually loved it and he really dislikes bell peppers in any form. He kept telling me that it was a great meal - we put some grated cheese over the top and had a few corn tortillas with it. It says on the package that it serves 4 but I'm pretty sure they meant 8. We have a lot leftover but that's okay with us!

YUM!

Now that meal kits and I are friends, I think they're going to be especially useful for those nights that I have been working on cakes all day and don't feel like cooking. Hurray!

Lastly, I am doing a series of basic cake decorating classes in July. I'm pretty excited about it - I've been working on the curriculum, getting handouts together and deciding what is important and what isn't. So if you're in the DFW area and you are interested, drop me a line and let me know! It's going to be a lot of fun and hopefully very educational!

Oh wow

2008-05-20T14:43:00.001-07:00

I feel like it's been forever!

We have been so busy around here, I have barely had time to breathe!

Anyway, how was everyone's Mothers day? Mine was pretty nice, thanks for asking!

I woke up to this:

Breakfast in bed! Two breakfast tacos with eggs and cheese, vegan sausage links, and pancakes! Who could ask for anything more? We had to share this plate though - it was so much food!

This was also given to me, but in the polka dot print, not the stripes.

Wedding season is upon us and we are getting busier by the day. We've been making tons of cookie cutters and even more cakes!

What is everyone doing for Father's Day? I'm thinking of making an appointment for Rylee and Rodney to have their picture taken together as one of Rodney's gifts. I won't say what else I'm planning in case he happens upon this -- but has anyone ever done a photo shoot with just Daddy and the kiddos? I'm just wondering if it's one of those ideas I'm glamorizing in my head. You know, you think something is going to be so wonderful and you imagine it to be this great thing and it kind of ends up disappointing you in the end?

I can't believe summer is already here! It was 97 outside yesterday!

Oh! I almost forgot we built this 3 weeks ago:

It's a good thing I'd read reviews prior to building day because if I hadn't, we'd probably still be putting that thing together.

The night before, we spent 5 hours doing this

We made seperate piles for each page of the directions. Page 1 pile had every piece of wood it required and a zip-loc bag filled with every nut/bolt that it required. We did that for all 15 pages. It took forever! Nothing was labeled so first we had to go through each box (there were two boxes that were flat packed) and make sure that everything was there! - then we had to go through each page and seperate all of the wood/plastic pieces and lastly, we had to put each piece of hardware with it's corresponding pile. Those weren't labeled either so we had to match each bolt, nut and nail up to the supply list to see what was what! It was crazy! But like I said, if we hadn't taken the time to do that the night before, we'd definitely still be trying to get that thing put up.

We can't keep Rylee off of it.

Oh and look! A ponytail, FINALLY! Just in time for summer!

Tomorrow!

2008-05-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

I promise - a very long update tomorrow! We have been knee deep in cake and social events but I think I will FINALLY have a chance tomorrow afternoon to update!

XOXO

Mario Kart

2008-05-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've been playing Mario Kart for the Wii a lot lately. That might explain my absence a bit. I've also just been extremely busy. Seems like I'm always saying that but it's totally true.

It was really hot today and it confirmed to me that summer is nearly here. I really dislike hot weather and Texas summers, especially.

What other news is there?

I have an insane amount of cakes to do in the next few months.

Rodney's great aunt passed away yesterday and we are going to the funeral in East Texas tomorrow.

Our house is getting a new coat of paint (new colors!) this weekend.

We have an enormous wooden playset in our backyard now that I cannot keep Rylee off of, thanks to "GG"

I'm looking forward to our mini-vacay in June.

I want to go see Death Cab. Any takers?

I have managed to get ANOTHER sinus infection. Universe, are you trying to tell me something?

I need a girl date pronto!

I can't wait to share a few new recipes! As soon as I get all of the pictures resized, they'll be up!

I'm alive, I'm alive

2008-04-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy! The week of my birthday was just ridiculous. We had so many cakes and celebrations, it was just a big blur of fun!

Still have nine-thousand other things to do to get back on track but I wanted to share the discovery I made last Friday at Northpark.

The Gap just started selling their Nursery Collection.

Can I just say awesome!

Makes me ready to have another baby!

I really, really, really love The Gap.

More of an update soon, promise!

Crazy

2008-04-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

So we had a very interesting night last night.

There are lines and lines of storms pushing through our area right now (it IS spring in Texas after all) and we were awoken to a big part of it last night. I heard the rain hitting our windows at a strange angle which naturally made me think tornado. I got up to look out the back yard, our power was off - my brand new umbrella that I'd bought for our patio was broken into several pieces and slammed up against the back doors. The patio table was turned over, chairs were missing. The rain was slanted.

I got back into bed and told Rodney that I thought a tornado was coming. 5 minutes later, the tornado sirens started going off.

I jumped out of bed and ran into Rylee's room. I scooped her up and yelled for Rodney to come get in the bathtub with us (he was looking outside). The sirens went off for a little while. It got really quiet for a few minutes and I was sure it was coming right for us. Thankfully, the sirens stopped and we were in the clear.

Tornados really scare me. I was actually in one when I was in 2nd grade, in Austin. Since then, storms like this make me very nervous.

Just down our street this morning, I noticed that several people's fences were completely gone and two different buildings were in complete shambles. All that was left was some mangled up metal. Very scary.

Even though I lost the umbrella that I JUST BOUGHT LAST SATURDAY, I do still have some things to look forward to.

Tomorrow is my birthday and tonight The Office is back on tv.

Guittard

2008-04-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

How long has Target been selling Guittard baking chips?

I just noticed them yesterday and I had to do a double take! (of course I bought some for my very own birthday cake)

How this has evaded me, I will never know!

We are soso busy this week. Three cakes, 60 cookies, 12 cookie cutters, birthday dinners and much, much more!

Kelly, I know Jess has ordered a necklace for me and I am SO excited!!!

Daddy's return

2008-04-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Rodney was in LA most of last week, transferring the spots they just finished up for American Airlines.

He brought Rylee this:

The Kid Robot store was a few blocks away from his hotel so he decided to stop in and pick it up for her.

Clearly it says AGES 3 + on the box. On the back of the box, it also says "THIS IS NOT A TOY. THIS IS A PIECE OF ART." He decided to give it to her anyway, knowing that she would definitely mess it up.

Not even 24 hours later, Foofa has a yogurt stain and the flower on top of her head is being held on with super glue.

Rylee couldn't be happier though.

PS. I promise to have more of an update tomorrow. Between Rodney being out of town, a very time consuming order and STILL BEING SICK, I've just been trying to get by!

Frosted Garden

2008-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out Frosted Garden today for a few new posts, including a super cool drum cake!

PS - Target brand Raspberry sherbet is quite possibly the BEST SHERBET EVER.

Sick

2008-03-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I am sick. Again.

I feel even worse than I did the last time. I keep getting these reoccurring sinus infections and I have no idea why.

Hopefully I will start to feel better soon, I have some cakes to work on this weekend (Sunday)

In other news

hello lover

I would have taken a picture of me hugging my new prize, kissing it even, but I am sick and that's not a pleasant picture for anyone to see.

Lovely.

Help

2008-03-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have a dilemma.

Now that I'm getting the new mixer for my birthday (which arrived at charlietango today yay!), what do I do with my other one?

Do I keep it? They aren't the same color and the new one is bigger than the older one, so do I keep it in the pantry and use it occasionally?

Or do I sell it? If I sell it I can probably buy some really awesome attachment for the new one, which is most likey what I would do.

I've only had the Artisan for 2 years and it's in really good shape. I've used it A LOT but I keep all of my appliances very clean and maintained.

I'm just not sure what to do with it. I don't know if keeping it will mean that it just sits in the pantry, untouched and unused for ages until I finally decide it's okay to get rid of it -- or if selling it will break my heart. First mixer, first real cakes, lots of firsts.

Anyone?

Cheddar Biscuits and many other important things

2008-03-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

So anyone who knows me out there knows that I absolutely despise biscuits.

This is a serious thing here and I'm not kidding at all. I hate them. I hate biscuits and I hate jelly (we'll cover that topic at a later date). I think it has something to do with the fact that my dad made biscuits and grape jelly for my brother and I every day for like 3 years straight. Or maybe it was 3 months, I don't know. It all seems the same when you are 5 or 6.

However, I do like the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster. Yes, I eat there. I know, I know, my husband even calls me a food snob to my face and I'm sure that I really can be picky but occasionally we'll pop into Red Lobster with the in-laws for dinner. Besides, I live in NORTH TEXAS. Good seafood (my favorite food of all) is hard to come by in these parts.

Back to the biscuits.

I found a recipe online somewhere (can't remember where) for their famous cheddar biscuits and decided to give it a go. I'm not exactly sure how I can hate biscuits sooooo much and still like these but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the garlic-buttery deliciousness. And the cheese. Can't go wrong when you throw some cheese in.

Cheddar Biscuits, a la Red Lobster

1 package Bisquick biscuits mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/4 butter or margarine
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix together

Bake for 8-10 minutes in an oven preheated to 450 degrees on a lightly greased cookie sheet

*While the biscuits are baking, melt butter and add garlic powder

Once biscuits are done baking, pour garlic butter over the tops and ENJOY!

Super quick and yummy!

Etsy

Be sure to check out my shop today! It received a much needed face-lift thanks to my very talented hubs!

My other little blog has received a make-over as well. Make-overs all around!

Also, I thought of some of those other things that are on my birthday list. Though my very impatient husband has already revealed to me my main birthday gift as he could not contain his excitement. Can you guess what it is?

I would really love one of these Le Creuset Pots. Preferably one in each of these colors but I would settle for one in just one of the colors too, haha.

I'd really like this marble pastry board as well. This one can be found at Sur La Table.

I would especially love one of these necklaces with Rylee's name on it made by Kelly. They are just so beautiful!

Lastly, I would really like a new large tote. We're moving past the days of diaper bags with Rylee (even though we have some pretty cool ones) and she has that new backpack that I bought her but I need something to carry around her stuff for swim lessons and for summer trips to the local water park/pool - Schlitterbahn and Sea World.

I like these

First two found here.

Third found here.

Oh and in case you were wondering, he got me this.

-s

Easter + Southern Banana Pudding + Jello Playdough

2008-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter this year at both of our parents houses.

We did manage to sneak in a stop to Six Flags on our way from point A to point B.

Rylee's Easter basket (from us) this year

Included

Two Eric Carle books (nearly completing her collection)
A Finding Nemo bath Toy
Pearl Necklace (for playtime and so she doesn't steal mommy's anymore)
Bubble Wand
Heart shaped, home-made crayons found on Etsy
Home made Jello Playdough (see below for instructions and pictures)
One small container of m&m's

We're not big candy givers around here. I like to fill Rylee's Easter basket with things that she can use over and over again, candy not being one of them. I know there are probably people out there that think I'm depriving her of something but if she never knew it to begin with, I'm not really depriving her, am I? Besides that, I'm trying to teach her good eating habits. And it's not like she doesn't get candy or sweets ocassionally, I sell cakes and pastries. Anyway, it's just how we do it here. There really is no right or wrong way.

At the in-laws

Pit stop, Six Flags. My kid's a thrill seeker. She can ride most of the kiddy rides but she REALLY wanted to ride the big rides. She cried when they told her she couldn't ride the tea-cups and had a melt down when we told her she couldn't go on the bobsled or the Titan.

Southern Banana Pudding

I make this as often as I can. It's not your typical banana pudding. This one is rich, it's creamy and of course, it's terrible for you. This Sunday we took it along to Rodney's parents house for Easter lunch.

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
16 oz whipped cream (softened, not frozen)
Vanilla wafers
Bananas

Mix pudding and milk together, add condensed milk and mix well. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Layer pudding mixture, bananas and wafers. Top with remaining whipped cream and a few bananas. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Enjoy!

I do have step by step pictures but this is a pretty easy recipe to follow. It's very, very good too!

Jello Playdough

We made this for Rylee the night before Easter, for her basket. Rodney says it's incredibly cruel to give this to anyone, let alone a child. While he was stirring (he was the stirrer), he decided to have a taste (because it smelled so good, like berries) and all I heard was, "UGHKKKK, that is NOT good." I told him it wasn't meant for eating, just for smelling good and that's when he told me it was cruel.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3-oz box of your favorite Jello color
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine everything in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until the mixture comes together and starts to take shape. When the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, the playdough is done. Make sure you keep the temperature on medium-low, the dough burns very easily. Take out of pan ( we turned ours out onto a sheet of wax paper) and kneed when the dough is cool to the touch. Keep stored in an airtight container. Voila! Smells good and easy to make at home!

It's nearing that time of year...

2008-03-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Soon it will be April.

11 days into April, it will be my 27th birthday.

I was cool with turning 25.

26 seemed like it would be nice (it has been).

But 27 seems really old to me. I've never had a problem getting older but I'm having a tough time with this one.

I'm sure it will be fine. I do like odd numbers. Maybe this will be an especially nice year for me.

Nonetheless, here are a few things that are on my birthday wish list this year.

I'd really love this mixer. I currently have a 5 quart Artisan series and while it's been very good to me, it's just not cutting it these days. I need something with a little more power, a little more...oomph! This color suits me too.

I'd really like this kitchen island from Ikea. I have a very large workspace in my kitchen as it is (we designed it that way) but sometimes we both need to have a decent sized space to work on. Especially now that we've had a good amount of business from Etsy. I'd like this island with the stainless steel top. Good for rolling out fondant. My fondant helper concurs. The only negative thing about this island is that it will probably make our kitchen look less open and clean.

This make-up bag from Kate Spade. It's green. It has polka dots. There's really no question as to why this is on my list.

A new cake stand. I've decided to collect them. Someday they're going to look just lovely adorning my shop. Someday

*I found both of those on Etsy. I'm reallly looking for white cake stands, preferably with a scalloped edge or skirt. I do really like the blue one though so I couldn't resist adding it to my list.

There are a few other things on my list. I'd enjoy some throw pillows (Dwell for Target), some new stools for my kitchen (oh what I wouldn't give!) and some other smaller things. My wish list is a little big. That's why it's a WISH list!

Sprouts

2008-03-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Have you been to Sprouts?

There are two not that far from here - we visited the Southlake Location yesterday - and it's awesome. Great place to get good produce, organic products, vegetarian and vegan foods...and a huge selection of bulk items. We picked up some banana chips, some orange flavored cranberries and my favorite kind of Asian trail mix. Some of the things I normally purchase for us, the Morningstar and Boca products, were more expensive than what I typically purchase them for, but the bulk items were priced very reasonably as was the produce. I can't wait to go back to buy some fresh picked cherries and pomegranates. They also had some items that I can't find in the stores anymore, Horizon yogurt and cheeses specifically!

We also took Rylee to see Horton Hears a Who this weekend. What a great movie! She did pretty well, I was very surprised. I brought an arsenal of snacks - that seemed to help keep her contained. She definitely enjoyed the movie though, as did we!

Inchbug, BumbyName Orbit Labels

2008-03-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

Kind of love these!

I ordered these for Rylee's sippy cups for school. We use Playtex Baby's Coolster Tumblers and I absolutely love them. We have the plain ones though. A green, a blue and a purple. We've lost one or two down the road.

Anyway, I was looking for a way to get her name on the cup without having to use a Sharpie. I love Sharpies and all but they rub/wash off and it's hard to write on rounded objects with them. Plus, it's not uncommon for two or three kids to have the same cup and if their names are only written on the bottom, it's almost a guarantee that the wrong ones end up in their mouths. (and I'm kind-of a germ nut)

That's when I discovered these. They are cute, they are VERY durable and there's no mistaken whose is whose.

They come in packs of four and you get to choose from four different colors. Green, blue, purple and pink.

They also have some pre-made that are ready for purchase. So if you happen to have a child with a name that is spelled weird (ahem, RYLEE...we can never find anything pre-made for her), they are a little bit cheaper.

They fit on virtually anything! I know some people who buy them for their water bottles and coffee cups! Not a bad idea!

Many a thing

2008-03-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

This has been a crazybusy week!

It snowed here (yes in Texas) Thursday afternoon. I thought for a second that a joke was being played on me because it literally looked as if someone was pouring buckets upon buckets of snow over my roof. I have never seen it snow like that here. It was nice while it lasted and Rylee seemed to enjoy it. Every day since she's said, "mommy please have a snow?" This while she's looking out the back door trying to figure out why the grass is green and not white.

Not a fan of anything wet on her RAIN boots.

So we had snow, I finally got a haircut and dye (long overdue) and we did a little shopping this weekend.

As many of you know, I have plantar faciitis on my left foot and am supposed to wear Crocs all of the time. I already have a pair of the "Mary-Jane" style and recently tried on the "Alice." I really love them. They are cute and not as "croc" looking. Don't get me wrong, Croc's are super comfy and they really do relieve the pressure in my left foot. I can wear them all day long without any sign of my foot hurting. But, I was one of those people who thought Croc's were ridiculously ugly. That is, until I was FORCED to wear them.

At least the "Alice" gives me the option of wearing them with a few more outfits. The ones that I should probably wear with heels or flats. I bought them in black but I really love the red. I might go back and get them as well.

We also got a matching pair for Rylee.

Recently Jess mentioned to me that I should look into getting a Neti Pot because of my horrible sinuses/allergies. I mentioned it to Rodney this weekend and he said that he'd heard a lot of people having success with it. Both of our sinuses are having tough time right now because of the insane weather changes around here. 80 degrees one day, 35 and snowing the next. Back to 70, down to 40. It literally changes every day.

Anyway, we asked the pharmacist at Target today to see if they had any. To our surprise, they did! And only $15!

Ours looks like this

But it would be nice to have this lovely one. Doubt it costs $15 though.

We tried it out this afternoon. It's very...interesting to say the least. It feels very strange once it first starts flowing. My eyes watered a great deal but I could feel a release of pressure in my head. I feel a lot different than I did earlier in the day and I can't tell if it's a good thing or not. Also about two hours after I'd irrigated, a tablespoon randomly came pouring out of my nose. I was just standing in my kitchen when I felt water trickling out. That was weird. I'm supposed to do it again in an hour or so, we'll see how I feel after that. So far it seems to be helping and I'm all about doing something in a homeopathic way vs. having to pay $30 to see my doctor to get a $4 prescription. I'm just sayin'.

I also wanted to give a progress report on the cookie cutter business. I opened our Etsy shop a few weeks ago and we've since had a few orders! Here are a few things we've made so far.

We're really having a lot of fun with it - and isn't my husband talented? I think so.

Lastly, I wanted to mention this new tradition Rodney and I started a few months back. I was sick and he wanted to make me dinner. Aside from the occasional grilled cheese or heading up to our local take-out restaurant to pick up some dinner for us, he doesn't do a whole lot of cooking. But he wanted to make me something and I was not in the mood for soup. I suggested a recipe that I'd seen in one of my Parents magazines recently - one that I just so happened to have the ingredients/supplies for, one I thought he could easily make. Fun Foccacia.

I think it's technically supposed to be an appetizer but it's just as good as a meal.

Ingredients
1 tube (13.8 ounce) refrigerated pizza dough (we use a box pizza dough)
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (we add a handful of shredded mozzarella as well)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degree F. Unroll and slightly stretch dough onto a greased baking pan.
2. Combine next four ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high 3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and drain.
3. Sprinkle dough with Parmesan. Top with tomato mixture. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until crisp and browned. Let cool 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

It's simple and pretty tasty. We enjoy dipping it in a little bowl of marinara. We've had it every Sunday since which makes this our new tradition! It's nice to have someone cook for you once in a while!

Do you and yours have any weekly traditions?

Vote!

2008-03-04T14:51:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone in Texas (and other states holding primaries) voted today!

Rylee and I certainly did! (I voted, she held my keys and tried to knock my booth over)

Marshmallows, Foofa, Costa Vida

2008-03-03T13:41:00.001-08:00

I decided to give making home-made marshmallows a shot this weekend, per Brownie Points recipe. She even included a nice pdf to be easily printed and added to my recipe collection. If only we all took the time!

They were simple enough to make (though I did have a little trouble with the gooey stuff sticking to EVERYTHING in my kitchen) and soooooooo tasty! I'm not sure I'll ever want to eat a store bought marshmallow again.

Note to Self,

Self, remember when you made homemade marshmallows and Rodney had to scrape the mixing bowl clean for you because it was too gooey for you to handle? And do you remember when you made homemade marshmallows and it got all over your clothes and the hot syrupy-sugar mixture splashed on your hand and it left a burn mark and there were really hard to get off dried sugar pieces all over your very nice butchers block countertop? Remember all of that? Let's limit the homemade marshmallow making for now, k?

Seriously, they were very simple and easy to make. Slightly messy though.

Foofa

Here's the outcome of our Yo Gabba Gabba iron-on. I'm very pleased with it and Rylee absolutely loves it. She keeps pointing to her shirt while saying, "Look Momma! It's Foofa! Foofa's right there!"

Pretty cute stuff.

Here's the link again for the Iron-On's in case you missed it.

I'd post a picture of the girl wearing it (which she currently is) but she's napping and I won't be risking that!

Costa Vida

This is the new eatery I'm currently obsessing about. Oh. So. Good.

It's Chipotle-esque (and I do love me some Chipotle) but I almost want to say it's better.

That's a bold statement.

The last two times I have been, I had the Vegetarian Salad (you can get this same salad with meat options too).

They start you off with a very fresh, giant tortilla and fill it with cilantro-lime rice, your choice of beans (black or pinto), meat (if you're into that kind of thing - they have shredded chicken, shredded beef, mango chicken, sweet pork or fajita grilled beef), lots of romaine, choice of salsa, cotija cheese, fresh guacamole, tortilla strips and your choice between the creamy cilantro ranch or vinaigrette dressings. Take my word for it - the cilantro ranch is to DIE for.

It's delicious. Rodney had some enchilada's the other day and they were excellent as well. The kids meals come with a warm sugar-cinnamon tortilla that is exactly the perfect ending to this meal. (did you think I was going to let her eat the whole thing?!?)

The prices are very reasonable and the food is very, very fresh. It tastes so incredibly fresh. Which is exactly what the owners of this place were going for.

All of the sudden I'm starving!

Stay tuned for my post on places to take your kids, starting with Bicentennial Park in Southlake! And my post on great new Spring clothes for toddlers!

Baby Bliss, Yo Gabba Gabba

2008-02-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

I'm currently battling a sinus infection. I thought it had come and passed but it's back. Back with a vengeance.

I have a few, quick things to post about and then it's back to the couch for me. Well, technically I'm already on the couch but that's neither here nor there.

I'm really excited about these printable iron-ons for the show Yo Gabba Gabba. Rylee (and just about every other kid I know) is totally into this show. To be fair, most parents I know love it just as much. (including myself)

Anyway, the only merchandise they have for sale is made by Kid Robot, and while Kid Robot is definitely AWESOME, it's not exactly the most pocket-book friendly. I imagine that's why they made the printable iron-on's available. I was really excited to learn (from several people) about these.

We made a shirt for Rylee last night, with "Foofa's" image on it. The total cost of the project was $12, which is not too bad. Plus I have additional transfer sheets now. Next time I will just have to buy the t-shirt. In fact, I plan on making a "Plex" shirt for my nephew Miles, for his upcoming 2nd birthday. I bought a shirt for Rylee from Target to use - it's Cherokee brand, and perfect for this sort of project. It's got little poofy sleeves too so it looks cute with a long sleeve shirt underneath. (maybe only for girls though, poofy sleeves don't looks so hot on little boys)

I do have pictures but I am just toooooooo sick (lazy) to upload them right this second. I will definitely do it though. Either tonight or tomorrow ;)

Baby Bliss

I checked out this great new store over in Southlake Town Square
earlier this week. It's kind of awesome.

They've had a location over in Snyder Plaza (Dallas) and recently opened the Southlake shop. It's great, they carry everything. All of your favorite lines, Dwell, blabla kids, Small Paul, and so much more. The best modern furniture, products, linens, clothes, maternity, toys --- all under one roof!

If you live near Snyder Plaza (near SMU) or over here in the suburbs of Grapevine/Colleyville/Southlake/HEB, definitely check it out. Great addition to Southlake Town Square.

Okay gotta rest now. I'll be back soon with pictures of the "Foofa" transfer and also to let you guys know about a fantastic restaurant I tried out today! I'm still thinking about it!

A Nod

2008-02-26T13:51:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Eva for posting this little nod about yours truly on Evite.com! I feel special today!

shu uemura

2008-02-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Paul works forshu uemura at Neimans, in North Park Mall. There are only 6 locations in the state of Texas!

shu uemura is a really great make-up and skin care line that uses deep sea water as the fundamental element in all of it's products.

These cleansers are some of my favorite products they offer

It really gives new meaning to the expression takes the day off. You put it all over and then splash water on your face. This causes the cleanser to foam. Scrub your face as usual and wash off the excess. Voila! This cleanser feels so natural on your face and you can literally FEEL it softening your skin.

All of their makeup feels just as good. It's very lightweight and soft on your face. It doesn't feel heavy or oily but it still gives great coverage and hides all of those little imperfections we all have.

I picked up this foundation the other day. It's perfect for me because it's easy to all apply when I'm headed out the door and it looks GREAT. It litearlly looks like I just spent an hour on my makeup when I really only took about 2 minutes!

shu uemura recently unveiled their new spring line, including this great new shade of eye-shadow.

I picked up this shade per Paul's suggestion. He said it would be a great color for me, for everyday wear. He was totally right!

I love the cute, clear, compact case!

If you haven't checked out shu uemura, you definitely should! You won't be disappointed!

LoveLoveLove

2008-02-20T12:17:00.001-08:00

Busy Bee's

2008-02-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of posts. We had two pretty big cakes last week and they took up pretty much all of my time.

Lots of other crazy stuff has been going on as well, but we'll save that for another day.

Saturday we had planned on swinging by the Nasher Sculpture Center but it was raining and cold so we decided to save it for another day.

We did go to Northpark, catch a movie and grab some lunch. We weren't able to do much for Valentine's because we had to work on cakes so Saturday was our day together. I did receive a flower arrangement that looked like a cake though. That was pretty thoughtful and creative.

Anyway, I was on a mission to find a backpack for Rylee (she starts preschool this week) while we were at Northpark. I'd seen this cute little pink one with a pig on it at Babystyle a while back. We stopped in after the movie only to discover the last one had be bought just hours before. We called the Plano and Austin store but neither had any in stock.

Later when we got home I searched the internet for hours trying to find what I was looking for. I was also looking for a nap mat. Those things are MUCH harder to find than I expected. I found several that I really liked on Etsy but didn't have time to wait for shipping. So I ended up purchasing one at Kid to Kid. Not as cute but cute enough.

I found this backpack/lunch tote combo at Pottery Barn Kids.

Cute, matching, seems to be pretty durable. Rylee digs the backpack too.

While we were there I discovered this super cute bed set. You can purchase it for a crib or a larger sized bed. I know I just bought Rylee a new quilt but...

Check out the matching wall art!

While in Target today (picking up a few Global Bazaar clearance items and looking for a new table runner) I passed by an end-cap that had some of the new Dwell Kitchen Linens. I guess they are in the process of rolling out the new stuff and this is what they started with!

Table Runner

Kitchen Towels/Napkins

I picked up the grey table runner and some napkins. I'm so excited about Dwell designing a line for Target. It's about time!

Oh yeah! I shipped off the first custom cookie cutter that was ordered from me the other day! Here are the results!

More Etsy

2008-02-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

I made my first etsy sale! I've been working on packaging today (along with some pretty big cakes), more to come!

Mod + Mini

2008-02-11T14:05:00.001-08:00

This one's for all you modern mama's in Dallas.

Mod + Mini is located on Preston and carries all of those great modern pieces you see all over the internet. They even carry litto kids and Murge Designs - one of the only stores in Texas to carry both!

litto

Love the Owl print!

Murge (they sell matching bags, bibs and stuffed animals)

Check out Mod + Mini either online or in the store!

Etsy

2008-02-08T14:53:00.001-08:00

Well, I did it. I created an Etsy Shop for selling custom cookie cutters. I'm still smoothing out the page and trying to get it exactly as I want it, so it's not perfect just yet! Nevertheless, feel feel free to check me out!

Komen

2008-02-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

My husband works for a post production house in Dallas as an assistant editor. What they do at this post house is edit tv commercials. They put it all together, mix the audio, do the graphics -- all of it.

For the last 8 months my husband has been part of a project for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure foundation. The foundation held a global summit in Budapest this year, uniting more than 50 advocates and announcing it's expansion into 10 countries. The goal is to reach women across the world who don't have the education concerning breast cancer - like we do here, in the U.S. To provide people regardless of race, religion or economic status the means to beat breast cancer.

More than 1 million men and women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year with 400,000 dying because of it.

For the last 8 months a production company with the company my husband works for has been traveling the world filming different conferences, runs, speakers, doctors offices, affiliates and advocates for the new campaign. The project has earned him many late nights loading footage and making dubs. It's also grown very dear to his heart. He's come home several times and asked me to check my breasts, when my last OB check up was, what my family history was like...

For the new campaign, CharlieTango has created an inspirational piece for advocates to share with and educate people.

Rodney showed the finished project to me last night. I made him promise to wait until it was completely finished to show it to me. I'm glad I waited. It's definitely a moving piece, to say the least. You can't help but tear up several times throughout the 7 minutes.

Tomorrow they will take the video to a leadership conference that is being held here in Dallas to make it's debut and kickoff the new campaign. They will get to meet Nancy Brinker, founder of the foundation and talk to several other advocates. Rodney's pretty excited, it's been a long process working on this project.

Most doctors agree that you should start getting mammograms at age 40 - though you should get them earlier if someone in your immediate family has had breast cancer and there are new studies out suggesting that women start getting mammograms at the age of 35. If you're younger than that (like me), make sure you keep up with your yearly pap smears (my OB checks my breasts at my visits, most should do the same) and check your breasts once a month on your own starting at the age of 20.

Check those breasts!

Quick Post

2008-02-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

Quick post about two items I think are pretty neat!

This food grinder is pretty awesome. It was created by a pediatrician and is very affordable too ($10). I really got into making baby food for Rylee when she was in that stage of her life and this sure would have come in handy at the time! It's portable and even comes with it's own carrying case, for vacations or road trips. There are other accessories sold here, including storage trays for the freezer and a nifty little plate that allows you to transfer the stored trays right onto the plate. Check out the site for some really good recipes too!

Continuing on with the food/feeding bandwagon, I really love these plate/bowl sets from notneutral. The colors and prints are great and they're made from a really durable material for all of those times your toddler happens to toss his/her plate up against the wall.

Speaking of notneutral, have you checked their site out? I'm loving it right now!

These blocks are WONDERFUL!

Wooden coasters, I love them!

Pretty cocktail napkins!

These vases would look great on my dining table, the bright white really makes the brown pop!

How's this for some original trivets? Certainly a step up from using pot holders!

There's only one notneutral store, in LA. Though, they do sell in other retail stores if you'd prefer not to purchase online. A search for the nearest location is provided on the website!

Projects Galore

2008-02-03T21:05:00.001-08:00

This weekend I decided to take on a few projects. Projects which meant we had to take a trip out to Ikea, woo!

Project #1 - Use last years Chinese flower calendar to make pictures for the house.

I really wanted to find a way to keep my wall calendar from last year. I love the artwork but I thought it was kind of silly to keep the calendar once the year was over. That's when I thought it might be kind of neat to take the artwork from the calendar and put it in frames. While we were at Ikea this weekend, I picked up a few sets of these because they can be painted pretty easily.

The calendar:

The frames I purchased:

I pulled the binding out of the calendar (staples in this case) and picked out the pictures that I favored. I then used the "glass" part of the frame (which is actually plastic because the frames are from Ikea) and traced around it on the part of each print that I liked best. After that, all I had to do was cut and put everything together!

The result!

Pretty simple and easy project! I also like to think that I wasted a little less paper this way too! I'm pretty sure I'm going to spray these frames black, I think the colors in the prints will pop a little more with the black border.

Project #2 - Create my own desk/working station

I got a pretty crazy idea in my head that I needed my own desk. We have the office and it has a desk in it but that's pretty much Rodney's territory. My laptop stays on the dining table (where I plug it in at night) and I wanted a better place to store it, along with a better place for my cell phone, iPod, all of my crafting stuff ( yes I do other things besides bake!)...

I needed something simple, something small. I found just the thing I was looking for at Ikea this weekend. I purchased this desk. It's perfect and fits nicely in the corner of our room. Most of our bedroom furniture is black but I decided to go with a white desk for a little bit of contrast. Rodney thought this was a strange idea but I think it looks pretty neat. We also bought two lack shelves in black to go above the desk. I grabbed a few white boxes and various other things to fill the shelves.

I'm still getting it all together but I'll be sure to post some pictures in the next day or two!

My Gym

2008-02-01T15:53:00.001-08:00

I started taking Rylee to My Gym this week and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. It's a really great place for kids to learn gymnastics and get some good playtime in as well. The kids get an hour long class each week and are allowed to visit the facility three times a week for "free gym." This is going to be great for those the days that it's raining or too cold to go outside and we need to expend a little energy. Check out their site and see if there's a facility near you, the first class is free!

Boon

2008-01-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

I've really been loving Boon products for quite some time now but for some reason, haven't posted anything about them!

I love the sleek, modern design of their stuff. Not to mention, it's all VERY durable, which is never a bad thing when you've got toddlers running around.

Here are a few things that I love

This "groovy" plate set is pretty groovy indeed. It seperates things for the kids and comes with two little bowls that attach anywhere on the plate! We use the little bowls for ketchup or peanut butter (for snacks). Rylee loves the shape of the bowl and it's very easy for her to scoop the food out of.

This snack bowl is great! It doesn't crush what's inside and it's really easy for kids to hold!

This bowl is great for those little ones who are just learning to use utensils and plateware on their own. It has the easy scoop side and the best part...it keeps most spills inside the bowl instead of the on the floor!

I really love this toddler potty. We have this same one in our house and Rylee really loves it. It has a compartment for toilet paper and a compartment for a book or toy as well. (just in case they get bored!) It also serves as a step stool for hand washing, another really great feature.

I'm definitely considering picking up one of these for Rylee. Any of you out there that have kids (especially little ones) know the amount of stuffed animals they receive. At one point, I think we were up to 55 stuffed animals and she's only 2! It can be hard to find storage for these guys, they have awkward shapes and sizes. I think this is a great solution!

If you haven't checked Boon out yet, you definitely should!

Dwell Studio

2008-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered that Dwell was going to be designing a bedding and furniture line for Target's baby department. Have you checked these out yet? Very cute and affordable! Now, if only Dwell would design a line for the rest of us!

Love this print/crib

I promise, more vacation pictures soon. I just know you all love them!

New Stuff

2008-01-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

We're back from our vacation! I had a ton of fun in Colorado snowboarding but I am pretty glad to be home. I have a ton of pictures (and even a video of me boarding!) to post but I'll get to that a little later.

Yesterday we had to go get a few things from the Mall due to the Denver airport's desire to make me miserable every time we fly through there. (last year we were flagged and had to go through that crazy thing that blows air all over you and this year they decided that my Victoria's Secret body lotion and Cetaphil face lotion were security threats and not allowed on the plane. I had to throw them away). Anyway, we had to go by the mall to pick up some more lotion and I decided to stop off at Michaels to see if they had the marker set that Jess has been coveting for a while, for her birthday. Of course, they were out of the set.

While I was in the store though, I decided to check out the cake decorating aisle. It's been a long time since I've been to Michael's to buy supplies for cake making (these days I'm in the local supply shop or ordering on-line) and I decided I'd check and see what Wilton's been up to. To my surprise, they have an entirely new line of cake decorating and baking supplies! I guess everyone's jumping on the fresh, spring color band wagon right now! Super cute and what a great color!

This is an especially cool gadget. It's angled to fit down the sides of your stand mixer, sure would come in handy!

I've been looking for a good cake lifter...

I'm pretty impressed with the new stuff, it's good to see Wilton trying to be a little more fresh and hip.

What did I end up getting Jessica for her birthday?

It's a recipe box from Martha's line at Macy's. I purchased the citrus press for Jess for Christmas this year so when Michael's was out of the marker set she wanted, I decided to take a look at Macy's. I saw this recipe box and knew it was perfect for her! It fits all Martha Stewart Living recipe cards and it's in a color that I know she enjoys (who doesn't though?)! I just discovered that it's now unavailable online - maybe I should go back and get the other one they had!

Vacay

2008-01-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

We're here in Winter Park. It's beautiful. Here are some pictures so far...

Our flight was delayed an hour

THIS is our room. We opted for a mountain view room this year and all I can say is... WORTH IT. These were taken from our porch.

To the right of our porch are the ski shops and the Zephyr Express (one of the main lifts at the resort) and to the left are the two hot tubs for this building! This is our third time here and this room is definitely the best.

First run of the day

It snowed 4 inches last night and I'm pretty sure another 4 today. The powder was amazing. We all had good runs. I even tackled the infamous Village Way. I haven't tried that one since the first trip up here. I did really well though and we did that run twice this afternoon. I think we're going to attempt a few more blues tomorrow. We did one today and some of the harder greens, to get back in the "groove."

Rodney's snow face (he's not shaving until we come home)

And snow angel outside our room

I love Winter Park and after watching all of the tiny babies in their lessons today, I cannot wait to bring Rylee next year. She'll love it.

Kid

2008-01-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

She rules.

Post Script, Deedle and Marissa's brand new baby is seriously cute. Congrats to the LaCours!

Post Script Script, Colorado bound Monday morning!

Greener pastures

2008-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today I ventured out of the house (technically this would be my first since I was diagnosed with my foot impairment, unless you count the last Chemistry Set show last Friday. Though, I wouldn't REALLY count it because I sat on a stool most of the night) to the mall and Target, of course.

I've been perusing the baby/kids section of The Gap
since before Christmas. FINALLY they have some stock in the store! Has anyone else noticed the lack of stock lately? The shelves have been completely bare for the last month and a half!

Anyway, they really have some great Spring stuff right now. Terrific, bright colors that make me get excited about Spring time (even if it is January and we technically don't have "Spring" in Texas). Here are a few things I love!

I really love the greens and blues and I'm very into bold colors in solid prints right now. I made a few purchases with some Christmas gc's/cash (including some of the above). Rylee has so many bathing suits, I think I'm obsessed!

At my Target trip today, I discovered (in the Global Bazaar section, yay! It's that time of year!) that Target is selling their version of the Whole Foods/Central Market re-usable shopping bag! It's a zipper pouch that turns into a bag! Only .99 and check out that print, too cute! I bought a few of these today - I figured that I would get a lot of use out of them considering I visit Target about 5 times a week on average.

Super cheap, super cute and very GREEN!

NYE Menu and other ramblings

2008-01-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's taken me long enough to get around to posting our NYE menu, hasn't it?

Here it is, simple as can be.

Crab Rangoons
Florentine Quiche
Spanakopita
Vegetable tray (carrots, celery, bell pepper) with feta dip
Pasta salad with tri colored rotini
Caprese Bruschetta
Oven Roasted sweet potato fries
Cold spinach dip in bread bowl (served with sweet bread and wheat crackers)
Tortilla chips with salsa verde, hot salsa and medium salsa (something for everyone!)
Black and white cookies
Mint chocolate cupcakes
Raspberry vanilla cupcakes
Oreo truffles
Gourmet Chocolates
Chocolate covered peanut butter crackers

Drinks:
White Russian shot served in chocolate cups
Champagne (including a non alcoholic cranberry-blood orange)
Bottles of Beer
Mint and Mocha Cinnamon hot chocolate

That was it! And it was all very, very delicious!

*So I had to make a trip to the doctor today. I've been having this on going foot pain (in my left foot) for a few months now. And when I saw a few months, I mean 8.

Anyway, it's gotten progressively worse the last month or so. Sunday we went out to Southlake Town Square and after being on it for no more than 5 minutes, I was already in excruciating pain. It was brought to my attention later that evening that with our upcoming snowboarding trip, I should probably get it checked out.

So I made an appointment and went in this afternoon. My doctor took a look at my foot and pushed on the area that was tender and kind of gave me a look of shock. She ordered x-rays immediately. Good thing I had the portable dvd player with me, that thing came in handy today. Anyway, x-rays were taken and she came back in to talk to me. She told me that I have something called Plantar fasciitis. I'm not really sure what all of that means but basically I can never wear flip flops or go bare foot again. Or for the very least, until I am healed. I was instructed to get a pair of Crocs, some heel cups, arch supports, a referral to a podiatrist, a prescription for a steroid, some exercises to do -- and honestly, she wanted to tell me not to go snowboarding. She said several times that she was really nervous about me going - but she made me promise to be very diligent about keeping off my feet for the next two weeks, do the exercises, and not go barefoot. I also had to promise that if I start to hurt at all in any way while I am up there, to stop. She also mentioned me possibly having to do some physical therapy once I get back.

It's all a little too much for a foot pain that I thought would go away.

Hopefully I will be able to work it out on my own, without further treatment!

In other news, I truly, truly have learned the kindness of others this week. I really don't have the words to express what I want to say regarding it, but it's insanely amazing.

Also, Rylee has an imaginary friend named Alex. I think she's based this friend off the character Alex the Lion from the movieMadagascar. Barely two for two months and already has an imaginary friend. Sheesh

NYE 2008: Black and White Party

2008-01-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

This is mostly a picture post. More to come later. I'm still a little tired and I'm very behind on my blogging as it is, so I decided it was better to post something rather than nothing. I still need to post some Christmas pictures too.

Anyway, we threw the black and white party. It was very successful. I know I had a great time and it seemed like everyone else did as well!

Pre-Party living room and seating area:

Dessert/Champagne Bar:

Food

Cupcakes:

Party time

Countdown is about to begin

Go crazy!

After midnight

With the Hoovers:

NYE favors (inside was a polaroid taken upon first arrival):

The hostesses and my bff's:

13 bottles of champagne, 4 cases of beer (plus 3 or 4 six packs), a pitcher of white russians, 72 pieces of spanakopita, 120 quiche, 48 cupcakes ... (the list goes on and on) later and it's done. The holiday season is officially over. It's weird not feel like I need to plan or arrange something. For now though, I'm tired and I have snowboarding to look forward to and to rest up for.

Official menu + Christmas stuff in the next post, promise!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T22:39:00.001-08:00

Well, a belated Merry Christmas anyway.

We just rolled back into town about an hour and a half ago, from Austin. We had a pretty good trip and came back with much more than we left with, of course!

What did I get for Christmas this year?

An iPod touch (woo!)
A ton of clothes that I picked out with Rodney about a month ago
An electric stick/vac
A screen protector/case for my new iPod
The little glass trees I wanted from Target
The thermal carafe that I asked for
A large white platter
This wreath that I had been wanting for quite some time
This food chopper
Some solar lights for the walk-way up to the house
A gift card to The Gap
A very generous gift card to Target
Monies
A safe
An awesome Rolodex
A large glass pitcher
A wreath box

and many other things as well. I got so much stuff! And everything that I received were things that I wanted/asked for!

Rylee and Rodney also got quite a bit! Now we just have to find room for it all!

We took Clifford to the Ikea in Austin today, before we came home. He'd never been before - he ended up purchasing a new bed, a new duvet and comforter. We couldn't bring the bed back with us because we didn't have any room left in our car but my grandmother is bringing it with her when she comes to watch Rylee in a few weeks.

We're off to bed! I definitely need the rest so that I can get started on some party prep, it's going to be a long couple of days!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

xo.

Who Is It?

2007-12-19T11:37:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while.

In my own defense, I was VERY sick last week. There's a terrible cold going around and I definitely had it. Might have been the worst cold I have ever had. Rylee was sick too but we're on the upswing currently. We both still have some congestion in our heads but things are looking up.

Saturday evening (thank goodness) I felt well enough to attend the Tango Christmas party with my husband. It was held at Fuse this year. Cocktail hour on the roof top (pool side during the winter, thankfully we were in a heated tent!) and then it was on to our room for dinner. We watched the Christmas video during dinner. Every year they make a Christmas video with a bunch of different skits and funny little "episodes." Rylee was asked to be in it this year. I had to take her up there last week (whilst sick) and coax her into saying different thing with M&M's. She did really well and her part was HILARIOUS. As soon as I figure out how to make this dvd into a quicktime, I'll post it here.

Rod & Steph just before dinner

Our table.

Deed & 8 months preggo Marissa

I choose the salmon for dinner and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. It seemed to be lacking something, there were no sides accompanying it and mine seemed to be a bit cold. I did enjoy my dessert choice though. I had french toast with sugar roasted pecans and tahitian vanilla ice cream. It was pretty delicious. I also enjoyed the plethora of alcohol we were served. That's always an extra special treat at the Tango Christmas parties.

Sunday we got up and headed out to Ikea to return an easel and pick up a few other things. I got some black and white napkins for the party, a serving dish, some dark brown cones (decorative) and we also bought a new chandelier for the entry way and a new fixture for the hall.

Entry:

Super glad we got around to replacing that, the old one was awful.

We also did a little party decorating as well. I'm trying to get as much as I can get done in advance in possible. We hung pretty snowflakes from our ceiling and cleaned up the garage. We've turned it into a "lounge" area.

I purchased a few really great items from some Etsy shops recently that I'm dying to share with everyone. Can't do it just yet though, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprises!

I'm ALMOST done with my wrapping. I just have one gift to wrap for Rylee (the biggest one) and a few of Rodney's! I love wrapping presents though so I'll be sad when I am finished!

Hope to be back with the quicktime soon!

Party all the time

2007-12-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Man.

I have never been to so many parties in one weekend. And I used to hang around a lot of bands too, which is saying quite a bit.

I can hardly believe I am sitting here and that I made it through this week. I had a ton of cake orders this week, pretty hard orders in fact. They were all really fun to make but I have to say that I was a little bit stressed on Friday when I was trying to get it all done.

All of the parties we attended on Saturday were lovely. My compliments to all of the hosts.

My head is going crazy with my own party prep right now. Feels like I just finished throwing a party. Oh yeah, I did! I really can't wait to delve into this particular party though. My co-hosts and I have some pretty nifty and cool ideas, ideas which I will definitely post about once we get going.

Jess came over today and after I finished my fifth order for the week, we headed off to go shopping. That Jessica's a good egg. We had lots of fun. Sort of reminded me of the days when there was less responsibility, less bills and less kid. We literally used to go shopping once a week, if not more back in the day. Today we went to Grapevine Mills to hit up Forever 21, The Gap, Banana Republic and Steve & Barry's. Afterwards we enjoyed some delicious Chili's (thanks Jess!) then it was off to Old Navy and lastly Target. I did a little Christmas shopping for the boy and picked up a pair of cute tights (for our NYE party) at Banana Republic for myself.

We got our family photos back this week and they came out pretty great! We should be finishing them up tomorrow night hopefully.

I also received my "big" Christmas gift from Rodney on Friday. He just couldn't wait anymore.

Speaking of him, he has tried for hours to beat my score on "When You Were Young" and "Ruby" on guitar hero and it's just not happening. It really makes him mad and it's incredibly funny.

More tomorrow!

Busy Bees

2007-12-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

This week begins a month of a whole lotta busy for us.

I've got an order due Thursday and two due on Saturday. The same Saturday that has us going to three different parties.

Have you guys checked out Dropps? I'd heard of them before but recently decided to give them a shot after seeing Design Mom's post about them last week.

I've done a load or two and I have to say, these are great! No dripping detergent, no huge boxes taking up space in the laundry room... just easy to use packets that you just toss in the washing machine! They're offering a free trial rebate right now so it's the perfect time to give them a try!

I was able to get the tree up this week, I'm very happy with the way it came out. I thought about changing my color theme this year but changed my mind when I saw these:

at Crate and Barrel and I decided to keep my silver/red ornaments for another year or two. We have a much bigger tree this year, I needed some more ornaments anyway!

We're doing the artificial tree thing around here. We talked about doing a real tree but with a toddler running around the amount of orders I'm getting for Christmas, I don't really have the time for the upkeep. Plus, artificial trees are better for the environment anyway. Leaving the real trees where they are. Just tryin' do my part.

We went to Celebrate Colleyville this weekend and it was a blast. It's a little get together that the city has that's free for everyone with tons of stuff to do. They had 4 bounce houses, an enormous inflatable slide, pony rides, bungee jumping, dog shows, you name it. We left no stone unturned.

She might be the youngest bungee jumper (okay, so it was bungee trampolining but still) ever. She didn't want the girl to hold the rope, she wanted to do it on her own.

What a fun afternoon!

Holiday Cheer

2007-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

How was everyone's holiday?

Good, I hope.

Ours was pleasant. We dined at my parents house on Thanksgiving. It's the first time in a few years that we haven't had two places to eat at that day. Rodney's parents went to Mississippi this year so only half the food! (and honestly, thank goodness for the reprieve) I helped my mom and brought a few dishes of my own. Nothing super spectacular. Just some very southern, whipped banana pudding, green bean casserole and some garlic whipped mashed potatoes.

The day prior I had a customer pick up my version of the Thanksgiving turkey. You won't find any bones or meat in this turkey. Just spongy cake and vanilla buttercream. Of course there's a few fondant vegetables thrown in and some drumsticks/ wings made of rice krispy treats as well!

Did I mention that it snowed here on Thanksgiving? IT SNOWED! We usually get some snowfall here in North Texas but I don't think any of us expected it on Thursday! What a nice surprise, it was beautiful.

Other than that...

We did a little research on the black friday sales that were happening this year and decided that some things were worth the mayhem. So Rodney bundled himself up in 3 or 4 layers of clothes, hats, socks and with his iPod, gameboy and blanket in tow, he headed up to Toys R Us Friday morning at 1:30. He was 12th in line. We don't normally participate in these kinds of things but they just so happened to have a sale on the bounce house we wanted to get Rylee. Miles' Christmas present was also on sale, as was Rodney's dad. (can't mention them here for obvious reasons) He somehow managed to get all three items when they opened the doors at 5. There were 500 people in line.

What's even crazier than that? When we were driving home from my parents house Thursday evening, we drove by a Best Buy and there were already at least 60 people in line.

IT WAS 6:30!

We ventured out Friday afternoon, Saturday and yesterday. We got quite a bit of shopping done. We're almost done with both of our family's. I think we have one of my brothers left and a few friends. I went and got about 80% of Rylee's shopping done this morning, so we're close to being done with that as well. I still need to shop for the boy and he needs to shop for me. I did get one thing for him over the weekend - he knows about it because I made him stop by and get it after toys r us (he figured it out earlier in the day) - a shop vac.

For any of you mommy's out there who like Babystyle - they are having a decent sale going on right now. 40 % off of one clothing item, buy one get one half off toys and books. I took advantage this morning.

I forgot to show you guys - this is how Rylee's room turned out with the new decals!

I'm happy with the way they came out but MAN! They were a pain to put up. My right index finger still has a blister.

And now, I'm very pleased to show you all this cookie cutter. My wonderful husband MADE this for me. I wanted something to match the invites for Rylee's party and after searching online, in craft stores and several different cake shops, I figured I wasn't going to get what I looking for. I just so happened to stumble upon an article on Cake Central that gave instructions for making cookie cutters and I sent them to Rodney to see if he thought we could pull it off. He came home with this:

EXACTLY what I was looking for!

If anyone ever needs a personalized cookie cutter or something along those lines, we're taking orders now!

What are you guys asking for, for Christmas? Have you done any shopping yet?

Exhaustion City

2007-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it came and went.

Half-way through the day and I felt like I was going to fall over. Parties are a lot of work!

(pictures to follow)

I started to feel sort of under the weather Saturday evening and got progressively worse Sunday. I've just been feeling very achey and tired. My throat's a little sore and it's been sneeze city for me lately too.

I had a small cake to make on Sunday, which I was able to do pretty easily. Yesterday was Rylee's 2 year check up and after dealing with her there, I got home and realized that I'd completely forgotten about a cake I was supposed to make for Tango for today. So, on top of the very elaborate turkey cake I had to start on, I needed to begin another. We ran to the cake shop for some more supplies and to the store for even more supplies. I came home and started working. I worked from about 1pm until 3:30 am. I haven't been that tired in a really, really long time. Thank goodness I had Rodney here to help me. I'd probably still be working on that cake for Tango if he hadn't been here.

Birthday Pics!

The Cake

The cheesecake cups I made!

The Flowers:

The Cookies:

Before the party, blowing up some balloons:

The birthday girl!

One half of the food:

On the menu was:

Italian Lasagna, Mexican Lasagna
Green Salad with choice of black beans, tomatoes, corn salsa, cheese, ranch or italian dressing
cold spinach dip in a bread bowl with wheat thins or tortilla chips
Chocolate Cheesecake Cups
Pecan Sandies
Pomegranate Lemonade
Cookie favors and birthday cake! (a strawberry tier and a vanilla tier)

Opening gifts:

Noah!

Just like Mommy's (works too)

Cake time!

Hannah!

Miles, on one of Rylee's new presents

Bounce house mania!

The party was great. Great people, great talks. A special thanks goes out to Jess, who came over and helped me get everything together and ready! I think this might have been the easiest party we've ever done together! It was also pretty fun doing everything in the new space, made things a lot easier! Rodney was also a pretty big help, he did all of the dishes after the party and worked really hard on the yard the morning of. Oh! And to The Davis family for volunteering their bounce house! What a good time for the kiddos!

Now it's time to start on the NYE party!

Be my little Baby

2007-11-14T14:56:00.001-08:00

My baby girl turns two this Saturday.

My baby girl turns two this Saturday!

At this time, two years ago, I was probably at my doctors office getting checked for my high blood pressure. Waiting, hoping and praying that she would come soon.

I can't believe it's been two years and that today my daughter said, "what's wrong mommy? need me kiss you owie? I kiss it. Is okay Mommy? I'll be right back. Two seconds"

She's such an amazing little girl. She's definitely got a lot me in her and it's joy to watch her grow every day. It's a honor to be her mommy!

A quick look back, over the last two years.

Just born

Happy Birthday (2 days early) Rylo!

Some stupid cheer

2007-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

What a weekend!

Is it over already?

We managed to get a good amount of stuff done around here, that which I am very thankful for.

This list includes but is not limited to:

Making the tags for the cookie bags
Making the food labels
Preparing each child's take-out style gift box (you'll have to wait for the pictures!)
Deciding the finalfinalfinal menu
Clearing the clutter from the living room
Cleaning up the office/guest room
Wrapping/boxing Rylee's gifts
Putting together this for the girl as well
Hanging the curtain in our room
Putting up and painting the chair rail in Rylee's room and ordering these
for her walls
Painting the trim on the bedroom doors and some of the molding around the floor
Cleaning the baseboards
Caulking the wainscoting in the bathrooms
Working on Rylee's pictures
Dusting the entire house!

We also managed to play some more guitar hero (Lou is ridiculous on any other level besides easy), clean out the fridge, go to dinner with my family, help rodney's dad shop for surround sound, go hobby lobby for various party/cake needs, and go through Rylee's room in order to get rid of some of the things she no longer plays with.

Today Rylee and I went to Target to get the bulk of the grocery shopping out of the way for the party. I have a detailed list of everything I have to get done on each day of this week.

Today's list included:

Grocery shopping - check!
Cookie Dough making - check!
Laundry - check!

I still have some scrubbing to do in Rylee's room :(

There's a lot of work to do but luckily I have an amazing support system in place! My mom is bringing some sweets to the party (which relieves me of making something), Rodney has done EVERYTHING I have asked of him and has gone above and beyond to get things done and Jess is even spending the night on Friday to help! What an awesome guardian she is.

There's so much I want to say right now - so very, very much. There's a lot changing in my life and a lot I'm changing myself.

Once my thoughts have been totally collected, I'll share them here.

Weather the Weather

2007-11-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we last spoke.

My apologies sincerely.

As usual, things have been busy/crazy/hectic around here and it seems like I haven't even had a moment to sleep.

The Dandy Warhols concert was pretty awesome. I'm very glad I decided to go because they are a great band live. I also had to chance to just hang out with the girls and gossip, which was pretty fun in itself. Suzy just so happened to know Court from way back in the day and somehow we ended up back at the hotel, chatting it up with everyone. Fun times.

I spent the rest of the week working on Marissa's cake. You can check it out here.

Early Friday we met up with Leila at Nokia Live. We went to lunch with her, Mikey, Mondo and Paul.

Piled in the back of our CX-7

After lunch we hung out at the venue. They played pretty early that afternoon and we were able to watch them from the 3rd row. I enjoyed seeing them and hanging out with Leila, I just wish I could have had a little more time with her. I never realize how much I miss her sometimes.

Saturday was the shower which Rylee and I attended minus Rodney. (girls only shower) We left for Austin once we were done there, getting into town just as my grandmother had gotten in from San Antonio as well. We had dinner, went by Target and settled in for the night after that.

While in Austin we did a lot of shopping (for Rylee). It was a nice break.

Tuesday Clifford came by and we went out to Northpark so he could buy Rylee's birthday present from Babystyle. He ended up spending a small fortune in there, purchasing her Christmas gift as well. We had to pull into the loading dock to get it all! The ladies in the store were oohing and awwwing over him. They kept saying, "he's an adoring uncle, he loves her so much!"

OH! I went ahead and bought Guitar Hero 3 (for the Wii) for Rodney as an early Christmas gift. Several people (in stores) told me that if I didn't buy it now, I certainly wouldn't be able to get it for Christmas so I made the decision to go ahead and get it. We thought about keeping it put away until Christmas but in the end we decided to break it out anyway.

Can you say addicting? Not only is it addicting, it's REALLY fun. I've only been playing for 2 days but I'm literally dreaming about frets and strumming. We have nine million things to do (before Rylee's birthday next week) but for some reason, all I want to do is play Baracuda (Heart) and Story of My Life (Social Distortion). In my lifetime there have only been 3 games that I have truly loved playing. Super Mario Brothers (on Super NES), Tetris and Mario Kart (for N64). Guitar Hero might get added to that list!

Today is my brother's birthday! Clifford is 23 today. He's working right now but as soon as he gets off, we're all headed to downtown Fort Worth for some Pappadeux's!!

More pics of the kiddo,

Weekend Away

2007-10-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I have a date with this band.

Not sure who they are?

Does this help?

I'm really excited. The last time they were here... well, I was kind of giving birth. Slightly more important, I'd say.

Still, I'm REALLY excited.

Know what else I'm excited about?

THIS beautiful sweater I picked up over the weekend at Fossil.

Richie tipped us off to a big sale. Big sale indeed. We each picked up a number of things!

My brother came over last night which made me really happy. We munched on stuff and watched a movie, talked and hung out. It's been a REALLY long time since he's come over and hung out without having to leave and go do something else. I'm really glad he came over, I love being able to talk to him.

Such a busy week this week!

Dandy Warhols tonight
Make the cake for Marissa's shower
Make treats for Leila and Co.
Attend Shiny Toy Guns show, hang out with Leiler.
Attend Marissa's shower
Head to Austin! yay!

Aside from all of the normal stuff like making dinner, doing laundry and swim lessons, I've got a lot to do!