Happy Valentine's Day!

Wow, this is my first posting in the month of February, not for lack of my wanting to post, but due to technical issues and other distractions, namely a sick household!

Anywho, happy Valentine's Day everyone!!  To commemorate the day I decided to try my hand at chocolate-covered-strawberries, one of my most favorite things ever.  A friend of mine recently told me she makes these little delicacies simply by melting chocolate chips in the microwave and then dipping the strawberries.  It seemed far to simple to me, being the type of person that overcomplicates most things, but I decided to try it anyway and I have to say, I was impressed with the results!!

To make them yourself, simply microwave chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate) in the microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring between intervals until the chips are smooth and creamy.  Beware not to overheat, as chocolate burns very easily!  Once melted, dip and swirl the strawberries in the chocolate and place on a plate covered with wax paper.  Place in the fridge to set (30 min or so).  I made these for my husband to take into his team at work today.

Speaking of the ol' husband, I have to brag on him for just one second here.  Yesterday was uncharacteristically rainy and wet for San Diego, so I didn't think anything of it when it took him over an hour to commute home from work.  However, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the door to find him with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that he had hand-selected for me along with a sweet card.  What a gem :).

And now for a few unabashedly braggy photos of my little darling girl on our Valentine's Day walk this morning.  We have a walk every morning since our dog, condo-raised, refuses to 'do his business' anywhere other than beside a sidewalk and on leash!  For the most part, I love this part of our day even though it can get a bit hectic with a toddler pulling in one direction and a stubborn dog pulling in the other.  It does present a wonderful opportunity for snapping photos though :).

I love her expression in this photo.

And her little smiley face in this one, peeking out from under her penguin hood!

And here she is, the movie star, donning her favorite accessory of the moment, her blue polka-dot sunglasses :).

I love this girl who recently gave us a big scare.  Will post about that another day, but suffice it to say that, praise God, she is well now.  Here's hoping that all of you, my friends, have a wonderful Valentine's Day and remember to appreicate the loved ones in your life, whomever they may be.  Cheers!!

Romantic Mini Break in Laguna Beach

Wow, it's been almost two weeks since I posted ... where has the time gone?  Well I have to say it has been a bit hectic what with plumbing disasters, backyard project decision-making, guests impending arrival, etc, but we did manage to take a little mini vacation up the coast to Laguna Beach this past weekend so I thought I'd share a few pictures from our time there.

First I have to thank our good friend, Andrea, who selflessly offered to watch our toddler overnight so we could go.  She even lobbied to keep Lily for two nights, but not having watched Lily overnight before, I thought I'd let her dip her toe first :). 

So after a somewhat stressful time of getting ready and out the door on Saturday morning (one disaster after another!), we dropped Lily off and were on our way.

It's an easy drive up the coast to Laguna Beach, part of which is along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway (or the '1'), which takes you through adorable little beach communities.  We arrived at Casa Laguna (http://www.casalaguna.com/) around 2 p.m. and to our delight, we were able to check in early. 

Our room was upgraded to an 'ocean view' room so we had a nice view of the ocean (about 1 block away) from our window.  Below is a picture of Casa Laguna's adorable courtyard.  Our room was at the end (not pictured) of the upper floor balcony shown. 

It was a bit rainy so we checked out a DVD from the B&B's library (Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason) and snuggled up in the cozy bed in our room for some much-needed R&R.  After watching the movie and sampling all the room had to offer (welcome basket, jacuzzi tub, fireplace) we were off to the lobby for their complimentary wine and cheese offering.

We were very impressed by their gourmet hors d'ouvres and wines, so much so that we stayed and enjoyed/imbibed right up till the end :).  After that we hit the town (about 1.5 miles away) for dinner and more drinks before turning in at the ripe old hour of, ahem, about 9 p.m.  Ha, vacations have changed for us since becoming parents.  Our idea of a fabulous vacation now consists of ample sleep ... and great food doesn't hurt either!

Speaking of food, I cannot say enough about how fabulous the complimentary breakfast was at Casa Laguna!  I arrived at breakfast before Chris because I wake up starving and so decided to at least get some coffee while he was still primping (yeah, he's gonna' love that comment!).  When I arrived and had served myeslf some nice drip coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice (divine!) the waitress brought me a plate of beautifully presented fruit and mini muffins while I waited - I was in heaven!!

We had our choice of gourmet breakfast items.  Chris went for their version of eggs benedict and I got a veggie omelette ... with a side of bacon of course :).  Their bacon was a-m-a-z-i-n-g, apple smoked and apparently baked (not broiled) in the oven.  I am going to have to try this method, as it was so crunchy and not greasy at all!!

After breakfast we sat in front of the fire in the cozy little lobby and read the newspaper and magazines for a bit.  Again, this is what vacation is all about for me these days ... doing little things like sitting, uninterupted and doing pretty much as little as possible :).

After check-out we did a little shopping and took a stroll along the beach.  Here's Chris with our other child, Sushi, who came along on our romantic getaway (yep, the B&B was pet-friendly - nice!).

And here's a picture of me on the beach.  Not sure why, but I like this photo.  It has a kind of vintage appeal.

And here we decided to get a bit artsy and write our names in the sand.  It doesn't look quite as fabulous as the ones I've seen on Pinterest, but hey, at least we tried, ha!

So that's it for today, friends. I must now sign off and take Lily (who's now up from her nap and happily playing nearby while Elmo plays on the TV) somewhere fun as a reward for being so good and letting mommy blog :).  Zoo?  Tidepools?  Park? ... so many options!!  Have a wonderful day, friends!!

Helpful Tips from Martha

It's been a while since this time-starved mother found a few moments of peace and quiet to blog, so apologies for that!  We've been transitioning our 18 month old to one nap a day for about the past week and she has been refusing to take more than a catnap, which has put a big squeeze on mommy's quiet time!  Fingers crossed that today she'll nap long enough for me to finish this posting :).

In any case, in an effort to improve my homemaking skills I recently checked out several books from our library on organizing and managing a household.  One such book is 'Simple Home Solutions', a Good Things with Martha Steward Living book.  Leave it to Martha to compile an excellent pictorial book of helpful tidbits for cooking, cleaning, organizing and gardening.  I thought I'd share a few 'dog-eared' bits of advice that I found particularly inspiring :).

IN THE KITCHEN

How to Roast Garlic - Have you ever been to a restaurant where they roast garlic into soft creamy perfection that spreads on toast?  I have, and I've often marveled at the mystery of roasted garlic.  Apparently, there's no mystery at all to easily roasting garlic!  Just cut a whole head of garlic in half crosswise, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 375 for about 45 minutes!  Sounds so easy, I can't wait to try it!

Prevent Ice Crystals on Ice Cream - Don't you hate it when you go to dig into a half-eaten carton of ice cream only to find it's been frost bitten by your evil freezer??  Well Martha says that if you cut waxed paper to size and place against the surface of the ice cream each time you indulge, every scoop will be as perfect as the first! 

Freeze fresh ginger prior to grating and it will grate much easier (not to mention last much longer than if you keep it in the fridge!).

Easily Cut Kiwi by cutting off both the top and bottom end and then gently inserting a table spoon between the flesh and the fuzzy peel.  Turn the kiwi as you gently press the spoon against the peel and the flesh should slide right out - hey presto!

ORGANIZING ETC

Helpful Sewing Table - Attach a measuring tape (one made of metal with peel-off adhesive) to the outside edges of your sewing table to make a cinch of measuring and cutting fabric.

Use a magnetic knife holder in an entryway or home organizing area (e.g. bulletin board in kitchen) to hold things like keys, small flashlight, scissors and other things you need to keep handy, but out of the way.

To organize linen and clothes closets, use simple wooden shelf brackets!  I love this idea and plan to put it into use in several of my completely disorganized closets :). 

Anyway, these are just a few of the MANY ideas and suggestions offered in this book.  I hope you have found some inspiration here friends and guess what, that darling little peach of a daughter is still sleeping and it's been over 30 minutes - yay!  Today is a good day :).

New Year Inspiration: Pretty Pictures and Wise Words

Today we say farewell to 2011 so I'd like to share a few tid bits of inspiration for the new year from (where else?) Pinterest. 

So, so true!  Can I get an 'Amen' sista'?!

A wise woman once said, if you can accomplish one thing in a day [with a baby/toddler], then you have been successful!  In 2012 I'm going to revise my 'to-do' list routine and opt for one priority item each day.  Then, whatever I can accomplish above and beyond that one item is just icing on the cake.  I think this will make my life much more enjoyable :).

Alright this is just absolutely beautiful!!  Beautiful vibrant colors to inspire all of us to forgo the safe beiges of the world and opt for color, color, color!!

I share this to help us along with our 2012 diet-related resolutions, though I absolutely am not dillusioned enough to think I'll ever come close to being as skinny as Kate Moss :) 

A beatiful vintage shot of Capri.  Inspiration to travel abroad in 2012!

This is such a brilliant quote!!  We should all heed these words every single day.

And finally, a shot of whimsy.  Not sure why this photo appeals to me so much, but it does :).  Perhaps this is inspiration to go for 'it' in 2012, whatever 'it' may be, even if it doesn't seem logical! 

2011, you've been a hectic year, but a good one all the same.  I look forward to seeing what your younger sibling, 2012, will bring!!  Happy New Year, friends!!



House Tour: Aunt Sister's small town TX casa

Hello readers!  I'm finally back from my (fattening) Christmas vacation in Texas and ready to get back to 'normal' life and of course back to blogging!  I have lots of great blog posting ideas that I hope to share in the coming weeks, but today I'm really inspired to share one of my favorite homes in the world with you, my Aunt Sister's little Texas retreat.

First of all I must explain the origin of my Aunt's title as 'Aunt Sister'.  She's my father's sister and growing up my sisters and I, hearing our dad refer to her as 'sister', began calling her Aunt Sister and it just stuck :).  So now that we've got that cleared up, let me tell you a little bit about Aunt Sister (AS).

Growing up, with my dad's meager salary as a pastor, clothes for four daughters wasn't really in the budget.  Enter AS.  She and Uncle Russell (UR) were our saviours from a social perspective, keeping us nicely clothed and groomed, so to them we are eternally grateful!! 

AS's homes have always been immaculate, stylish and completely organized!  I have always been inspired by her homes, previously a gorgeous ranch home in San Antonio and now, her 'retirement' home in a small town in the hillcountry of Texas. 

She and UR bought the home about six years ago when it was in a dilapidated and outdated state complete with kelly green carpets and pink wallpaper!  But of course AS has a great eye for potential so they snapped it up and set forth renovating.

And here's how it looks today - all dressed up for the holidays :).

AS is great at setting up little vignettes like this one (below) with a framed pic of my baby girl, a lamp and a vase of potpouri centered on an antique lace doily. 

Here's AS having a tea party with Lily on our recent visit, when these pictures were taken.

I love the 'cottagy' feel of her home, the soft color pallette, white beadboard, etc.  Here in the guest bath she hung vintage pictures alongside a round mirror framed in cork.

The main room in the home includes a living room with fireplace and a dining area.  Instead of utilizing the fireplace as it was intended, she framed out the inside with plyboard and painted it black.  This makes an excellent backdrop for candles, potted plants, or whatever else she feels like displaying.  The picture hanging above the couch was painted by one of her former students (she was a journalism teacher).  And that man sitting on the couch reading is my dad :).

Here's another picture of the main room, looking the other direction.  Don't you just love the original pine floors?!  She added built-in bookshelves to add interest and great storage space without taking up too much room in the small house. 

Here's the kitchen.  It's clean and functional and perfect for the small cottage.  These pictures, by the way, were taken without any prior notice. So she didn't have time to go around cleaning.  This is what it always looks like - immaculate!!

And here's a small dining space in the kitchen.  My mom painted the watercolor picture hanging on the wall.  The table was a 'found' object that my Aunt painted and put to good use.  She's always been great at repurposing and refinishing furniture!!

And here's a (very dark) picture of the master bedroom.  It's actually not dark at all, as you may be able to tell by the sunlight streaming in from the window.  It's a very tranquil and inviting space. 

And here's a picture of my Uncle's domain.  He has his own special room, a 'man cave' if you will, complete with TV, lazy-boy, and all the other necessities :).  He has always had his own room where he can display his trophies (he was a coach and a sport fisherman) and relax while watching football, etc. 

And here it is looking in the opposite direction.  Again, built-in bookshelves were added to create space-saving storage. 

Well, that concludes our home tour today.  I didn't get any pictures of her adorable guest room because my daughter was napping there during my photo shoot, and there are a few other rooms that didn't get included for one reason or another, but I hope the pictures I have included give you some idea of why I love AS's home so much. 

So thank you, AS, for sharing your home and thank you readers for viewing my blog :).  Have a happy day, friends!!

Big Bear Weekend Ski Trip

We were recently invited to spend the weekend with some of our friends at their vacation home on Big Bear Lake.  Obviously, we accepted the invitation without hesitation :).  We are all about free lodging - yay! 

The house (below) is a cozy cabin + garage apartment nestled right on the banks of the lake.  You can't really tell from the picture, but this is an absolutely amazing location!! 

We arrived late at night so when we woke up the next morning we were blown away by the view from the main cabin (below).

It had snowed 16" the night before we arrived, so was covered in pristine whiteness!  Here's Lily having her morning milk while cradling Pippa Kate, her doll from England :).

And here she is with her buddies, Zoe and Roma, both 2 years old.  The girls got along famously!

On Saturday, while the boys skiied, us ladies made a trip to the grocery store to get supplies.  The girls enjoyed riding in their cars and eating their cake pops from Starbucks (Can we say spoiled?!  Yes, I think we can :).

The next day it was all about the snow!  I was determined to get some decent family pictures with the hopes of using one for our Christmas card, as my deadline for that little project was quickly approaching!! 

Here's Daddy with his Lily girl.

Even Sushi got dressed for the ocassion in his festive red sweater :).  He was a bit tentative with the snow at first, but soon enough he was romping around like an old pro!

And here's Lily dressed to the nines.  Recognize the coat and boots from my previous shopping post?! :)

The lake was so beautiful and there were quite a few ducks that we couldn't resist feeding the leftover toast from breakfast! 

Lily finally realized you throw the bread!  The first few pieces got gobbled up :).

Here is my favorite of the family pictures.

And here's a great shot taken by my friend, Shannon.  I love the joy and delight visible in each of their faces!!

Here was one attempt at a Christmas-card-appropriate family photo.  Unfortunately, Chris was not very pleased with his 'silly' hat and Sushi wasn't in the photo so ...

I came up with this alternative.  Yep, that's our Christmas-card-photo this year, folks!  I think it worked out quite well! 

So on that note, and in case I don't get back this way before the New Year (a real possibility with my busy scheduled over the next couple of weeks), Merry Christmas, y'all!! 

The Shopping Plan, a powerful tool for successful spending

My husband would say I'm always shopping.  And that may be true, but that doesn't mean I'm always spending money as it implies!  Admitedly, I oftentimes go shopping either because we need something or to entertain Lily with the sights and sounds of the mall (likely excuse I know :), but I often come away disappointed and empty-handed.

For me, shopping is a love-hate relationship.  I love the idea of shopping and I always enjoy browsing and window shopping, but if I have specific things to purchase then the task is just that, a task.  And with a toddler in tow, it seems altogether impossible.  It's hard enough staying focused and making purchasing decisions when I'm by myself, much less with a 17-month old mini me with a mind of her own :).

So, after once again attempting to get some shopping done with Lily and, once again leaving the store mid-shop, abandoning my half-full shopping cart for the sake of the other annoyed shoppers, I decided to try something new.  After all, as my Aunt Sister always says, "Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."  Gotta love Aunt Sister's wisdom :).  

During Lily's nap yesterday I came up with a detailed shopping list of what I needed, e.g. coat and warm hat and boots for our skiing trip this weekend, hostess gifts for upcoming holiday parties, etc.  See my list below. 

After coming up with my list I began my research online.  For each item I considered where I might find it at our local mall and then searched the relevant online site.  Whenever I found something that worked I called the store to ask them to pull the relevant size or item and place it on hold for me.  If they didn't have the item or size I needed, I could make a decision in a calm environment to either look for something else or call around to other stores to try and locate it. 

I found an adorable coat, boot and hat ensemble at Gymboree (below) and managed to save 20% with a coupon from my 'Parents' magazine.  This is another benefit of detailing out your shopping in advance - you can plan for coupons and save some $$$!  Score :).

I found some lovely hostess gift options at Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn and just made a note of what I found so that I could stay focused while at the stores. 

It felt great to have my shopping pretty much done within Lily's naptime and now all I had to do was go to the mall and pick up the items - no shipping charges or waiting days for the merchandise to arrive!! 

My friend, Tiffany, kindly offered to watch Lily for a couple hours so I could hit the mall in the afternoon so after my morning planning session I hit the mall with a vengeance and, within about two hours, managed to purchase all of the planned items and then some!  I was exuberant after such a successful shopping experience so thought I would share the experience with you all :).

For me, at least, I think this is the key to shopping success.  Make a list, research the list and then stick to the plan.  No more being distracted by the over-abundance of options when you're at the mall. 

So on that note, happy holiday shopping and have a fabulous Friday, friends!