nothing compares to

Nothing compares to my love for Cadbury Mini Eggs at Easter time. Mark also shares the same affection. They are the perfect candy.

my stuff

These are two invitations I just did for some clients, they are even better in person on linen paper. The colors are a bit darker too. I've been busy with invitations and logos lately which I am so grateful for.

real quick

I'm throwing myself a pity party and inviting you to come. I gained 3 pounds and can't fit into my skinny jeans (muffin top to the extreme) and I can't afford to shop. These two things are about as unimportant as it can come in my life right now but they are bothering me and I thought "hey I deserve to have a pity party, even just for a brief moment." So at my pity party we are going to look at 4 delicious things I found online that I would love to own. Once you have seen them, the pity party is over and it's time for me to move on.

a sturdy friend

This is my Making Memories Paper Trimmer. If a product could be a best friend, this would definitely be in my group. I use it all the time and it's so sturdy. It's 12x12, the blade is self-sharpening and it folds up in half. The grids are great, it has a magnetic ruler that holds paper down and the ruler scores too. I bought mine at Michael's. I know that there are probably some really amazing paper trimmers out there, but this was in my budget and it hasn't let me down.

devine

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I purchased some Lipglass from Mac Cosmetics and boy did I hate it. It was really thick and sticky. If you give something like that to a non-lipstick wearer they are bound to be disappointed and I never used it again. Well today, when I realized I could not get even a tiny fleck of face powder out of my compact I knew it was time to buy more. I headed to Mac and while I was there I saw the prettiest lipgloss in a very subtle light pink. I asked the salesperson what it was and when she said "Lipglass" I almost shuddered. I think she read my mind though because she told me that it wasn't sticky it was actually very smooth. So I tried it on and it is heaven. I love it. I love how it looks. I am in love for the first time in my whole life with something for my lips (other than Chapstick). I heard it's only a limited time product. It's called Cremesheen Glass and it comes in 8 colors. Devine!

on the road to being domestic

I know that our generation of women have lost a lot of the sport of being domestic, and with good reason. We work hard and we play hard. Life as a mom and wife is not the same as it use to be. But I think that for the everyday women we are at a disadvantage not knowing how to properly do some things. My example is sewing. I'm sure a lot of you know how to sew, but I do not. I remember in Junior High we could pick a sewing elective or a cooking elective, I chose cooking. Well now I am 28 years old and I have no idea how to sew. Even sewing a button isn't pretty to watch. So a few months back a group of girls and I took a machine sewing class, a 101 class. We had fun! This month is sewing 201 and we are making an apron. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined I would be so excited, but here I am.

My point to the whole post is that Joann's has become a fav because they offer sewing classes (as well as knitting, crochet, scrap-booking, florals, jewelry, cake decorating and so much more). Go to their website, find your local store and they will have a place online to see the classes offered each month. It's so much fun to do with friends if you can find someone to go with you!

Dear Costco,

Thanks a lot. Today while we were shopping for necessities, those nice old ladies kept handing us little snacks. We started with pasta, then a little chicken bowl and then off to a Chex Mix Turtle Bar, which I popped in my mouth. As I started to bite down I realized "Oh S***, this has chocolate in it," and promptly spit it out (no chocolate for Lent). Wow, that was close.  Now remember that Mark is giving up dairy, so we kept making sure that he wasn't eating anything he shouldn't have and I think I was concentrating too much on that. We then came up to the cookies and brownies and realized Mark couldn't have either of them, so I got a brownie for Brody and popped one in my mouth too... and I chewed. "Oh crap," it was too late, I ate chocolate. I was really disappointed, I mean I gave up dairy for 5 months, giving up chocolate shouldn't be that hard. Well, I felt a little better since we had started two days early, Lent actually starts tomorrow. So I partook in a Coca-Cola on the way out, I told you I'm addicted. Now, let's hope that the next 40 days goes smoother and I was just having an off day today. I did tell my sister "Good job for going to the grocery store," but she really went to the gym, today wasn't my sharpest day ever.

l.a.m.b.

I heart baby shoes. I bought these l.a.m.b shoes for Piper at Nordstroms Rack way back (but the style is still around). They are the best shoes and they have lasted forever. It must be the way they fit because she has long grown out of other shoes in the same size, but these keep ticking along. My favorite baby shoes I've ever had between both kids. Brody has also had two pairs of l.a.m.b for bigger boys and we have loved both of them too. 

ahhhhhhhh

Did you read my post about Lent and how I am giving up chocolate and Coca-Cola? Well I hate to admit it, but it's Day 2 and I have been having headaches. I'm having caffeine withdrawals, so pathetic. I guess that's proof I was drinking way too much soda.  Yuck!

The Oscar's

Why do I love the Oscar's? It's another night that reminds me that anything is possible. I can reach my highest dreams if I so wish to. 

that's one great bag

Trader Joe's have the best insulated and reusable bags. They are big, keep things cold and are great for everything. I don't even use it for grocery shopping, I fill mine up anytime we are going somewhere away from home that requires me to take food for the kids. If you looked inside mine you would find a few jars of baby food, baby spoons, formula, bottles, baby snacks, goldfish for Brody, bibs and snacks for me. My mom saw me use it so much she wanted one, so I picked her up one for a mere $1.99. I know it will be perfect for summer too!

Goodbye to my friends for 42 days

My husband is Catholic and every year I watch him give up something for 40 days for Lent. So this year I will be partaking in it as well. I am giving up Coca Cola (or all brown soda drinks) and chocolate. My two main favs and the two things I turn to when I am stressed. So now I'll have to find a more healthy way to deal with it. On top of it, Coca Cola is my only true addiction. Mark is giving up dairy (I did this once already and it is really good for you) and he decided he is also going to the gym every day for 40 days (I egged him on on this one).We are starting tomorrow instead of waiting until Ash Wednesday so I guess we really have 42 days!

Wish us luck, and I encourage you to try to give up something too. Even if you are not religious or practice another faith, I think it's important to rid ourselves of those things that make us unhealthy, so that we know we can live without them.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Just me and my laundry basket

I'm out of town right now so that's why I'm slow on posting. Being out of town made me realize a true fav. It's nothing fancy or even cute. It's a laundry basket. When packing the kids to go anywhere not by plane, I throw all their stuff into a laundry basket (clothing, toys, blankets, diapers, etc). No need for cute luggage or anything monogrammed and I don't like stuffing 2 kids stuff with mine. So, I just put everything in the plain white laundry hamper and off I go. It's easy to carry, easy to sift through, I only need one thing instead of multiple bags and everything is at my fingertips. I don't care if it doesn't look good, it works!

good recipe

Found this recipe on the back of the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix that I use for roasts in the crock pot. I wasn't expecting to like it, but we LOVED it. I halved the recipe, used light sour cream and served over fettucini noodles. It was delicous!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2-lb boneless chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

10 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 container (8oz) sour cream

1. In a slow cooker, toss beef with flour. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours until meat is tender.

2. Stir in sour cream. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked noodles.

6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

a cute something to help your kids feel better

We use to have a humidifier where you had to replace this vent-type thing and the water always sloshed around. It felt old and dirty (even though it wasn't) and it never seemed to work right. I finally got fed up one night and went to Target to get a new cool-mist humidifier, after all, it is an important tool in child wellness. We didn't have a lot of money to spend so I bought a Crane Frog Humidifier for around $20. They didn't have a lot of affordable choices so the fact that it was a cute frog too was just a bonus. I actually didn't expect it to work that well due to the price, but I hoped anything would be better than what we had. 

Well, 2+ years later I STILL LOVE IT. Unfortunately it went up in price ($34.99), but at the same time they came up with new animals to delight your kids. I not only love that it's cute, but it's really easy to use, it has a lot of different levels for the mist and it doesn't seem bulky to me. Plus, Brody just calls it "his froggy" and doesn't mind when it's in his room. It's not a scary machine. Pictures of some of the cute animal choices are below and there are many more (cow, koala, dragon or a football) at target.com. If you don't use a humidifier, I suggest getting one. It really makes a huge difference during the cold and flu season. Our little froggy is working hard tonight in Piper's room.

i love it!

Ellen Degeneres and John Mayer singing in her bathroom. Love it! It put a smile on my face and made me remember why I think he's sexy and why I adore her. I saw the longer version here on Perez Hilton but couldn't get it on my page.

sadness

My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires in Australia. I was just reading about the devastation online and it brought tears to my eyes. 

Perfect...

I didn't watch the Grammy awards, but just saw a picture of Sara Bareilles on the red carpet. I love her look here and I would die to wear it. The red touches are gorgeous and perfect. Sorry the picture is so small, it's all I could find! 

Tide

I bought this detergent on accident at Babies R Us. I thought it was more of a Dreft type detergent, specifically for babies (I was in a rush). Once I got home I decided to use it anyways and I actually love it. It's called Tide Pure Essentials with Baking Soda and it really cleans well. I never buy detergent with any sort of fragrance, but the white lilac scent is subtle and amazing. I love smelling everything fresh out of the dryer.

Just thought I would share!

Hello Gucci

I saw these Gucci shoes in an ad in InStyle magazine, they are even more beautiful on a person. I am in love. I asked Mark if I could have them, but alas, at the hefty price of $1275 he said no. Hey, I aim high!

yummmmmmo

When Mark and I lived in San Diego, our favorite date night restaurant was Filippi's in either Little Italy or Mission Valley. In fact, we have never found a similar Italian place that we liked as much here in Orange County, well until now. Part of the family that owns Filippi's opened Mr. D's Pizza Grotto in San Juan Capistrano and it's exactly the same. It's super family friendly and delicious. In the last month or so we've already been there twice and ordered take out once. We are thrilled! Info below:

Mr. D's Pizza Grotto

Located in Marbella Plaza

31111 Rancho Viejo Road 

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

(949)661-0011

Cariboo

Games for a 3 year old are hard to come by. A lot of the games require a good amount of set-up (The Bee Game), lots of small pieces (Cherry Picker Game) and make winning a priority (Candy Land). That's why finding Cariboo by Cranium was a blessing. It's a team effort, it helps kids with letters, number, colors and shapes and it's easy to set up. I definitely think it's a fun and easy game for a preschooler and it's a good one to keep at Grandma & Grandpa's house too. We purchased ours at Target.

Adorable

I bought these shoes for Piper at Target today. They had them as small as a toddler size 2 and they are ADORABLE. This picture doesn't do them justice. They were $12.99 and I can't wait to slip them on her feet tomorrow for church!