Friday, July 31, 2009

i'm droooling



I'm drooling over these fabric wall stickers that Design Mom posted about today! I have been in love with Blik's wall decals for a long time, but our walls are textured and I was worried it wouldn't work. These wall stickers are fabric and are especially adorable for a girls room. If baby #3 is a girl I will be purchasing the doll ones FOR SURE! You can find them at Mae's etsy shop, I have a feeling Mae is going to be very busy now that Design mom featured her beautiful work!

not fun but it needs to be done

No one likes to talk about doing a will or a living trust, but it needs to be done. We finally started our living trust and had our wills done before our trip. I read a statistic that over 40% of parents do not have one. We used Legal Zoom online to create everything we needed and got the paperwork right away. Now the rest is up to us. I highly recommend you start the process if you haven't yet and if you don't have access to do it with someone in person, follow our route and do it online!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

I have to address this issue and end it. Disagreeing with me is one thing, but personally attacking a private matter on my blog is another. Taking anything too seriously that I say on here is yet another thing.

To the person who wrote something exceptionally personal, I track my blog to market to my readers. I know it was you, I have your ip address, you live in Ladera Ranch and you are the only other one who knows our issue and uses an Apple computer. If it made you feel better by writing it, than so be it. If only you knew so many things, but I won't go there. Instead I just deleted your comment(s).

To all my other users, please don't take what I write too personally or seriously. The Small Paul post was a topic, not a real dilemma, it obviously bothered many people, but trust me it's just a commentary. My blog is suppose to be fun and for any mom who likes to explore different blogs or products. That's it!

Please keep coming back and help me keep my blog happy and fun! This post I'm writing you right now will be the only one you will ever read like this. I promise!

xo,

Amanda

Giveaway!

I know it's not the most exciting but it is the most useful and free! My giveaway for Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes is below a few posts. We need to be extra cautious right now with germs. Enter, enter, enter or that one comment I have so far will get all of them (do you hear that Noel)!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

San Francisco!

Mark and I had such a great time in San Francisco and I survived my first time away from the kids with flying colors. In fact it was so much fun, that we vowed to do it every year. I mean the flight is only an hour, we love the city and there are so many great places to eat and walk. 

Here are my favs from our trip!




Of course staying at the St. Regis was AMAZING and you get treated impeccably your whole stay. But part of why we stayed there is because we are Starwood Preferred Guests and we have been involved in their program for years now. We use our Starwood Preferred Guest American Express for any credit card purchases which earns us points towards hotel stays. We also bought a Starwood timeshare years ago, which gave us bonus points from our purchase. So basically our stay at the St. Regis was FREE because we used our points and had earned a free night from previous stays. If you read my blog you know we love staying at the Westin hotels, The W Hotels, and the St. Regis hotels and they are all part of the Starwood network. I highly recommend going this route if you or your husband uses a credit card for work expenses or can earn points by staying at Starwood hotels while traveling for work. We also had free flights we earned from traveling too, so this vacation was almost free!




We found these robots in a candy store in North Beach. We loved them and bought them for "decorations" in Brody's room. But when we got home, Brody was obsessed with them! So he has one as a toy and one for his room. The company that makes them is called Schylling and they specialize in recreating classic toys. Their toys are pretty rad, especially the tin ones like these robots. But they do say that they are for collectors only, ages 14 years and up. So take that into consideration.



We found a version of these slippers in Chinatown in an upscale store called Asian Images. I love the ones I bought for Piper and imagine my surprise when I saw them in the Chasing Fireflies catalog after we got home. They are just so delicate and sweet and will be great for dress up as well. I think I will be purchasing another pair as Piper grows.




Our hotel had a great selection of cool magazines in our room and dwell magazine was one of them. It's a magazine about homes in the modern world and caters to architects and interior designers, but I loved reading it and looking at the houses they have featured. The designs are incredible! 



We loved our dinner at Betelnut Restaurant with friends Dan & Leslie. Apparently it's a hard place to get into and I see why! It's been around for 15+ years and is really cool and had great food. It was packed on a Sunday night. The menu is delicious and at a great price. You should definitely go there, but make reservations first.



After all was said and done, our favorite parts of the trip were just walking all day and getting lost in the city. We walked from one end to the other and enjoyed every blistered step. My feet are still recovering. There is something about visiting a familiar city and ditching the regular tour. For the first time, we toured ourselves and enjoyed every step and cab ride along the way.

Until next year!


I just posted a few pics on my Creative Nest Designs blog of a party I just did.

It's a Giveaway


With back-to-school coming up, the nice people at Golin Harris sent me free samples of the Wet Ones Antibacterial Hands & Face Wipes to giveaway so parents can help keep their kids healthy when going back to school. These wipes not only wipe hands clean but also get rid of 99% of germs. They also say they are just as effective as gel-based sanitizers.

I have 3 bottles to give away, it may not be the most glamorous giveaway but it's something we all can use!

Leave a comment by end of the day Monday 8/3 and I will pick 3 winners and send them each a bottle.

Happy giveaway!

Monday, July 27, 2009

me and the city

Just got back from San Francisco and I am pooped. Mark and I love the city, so we were happy campers walking blocks and blocks and blocks. But it's not too shabby coming back to the St. Regis after a long day's walk! Maybe after my feet stop throbbing I will post a few of my favs from the weekend. Until then, I'm off to bed!

Friday, July 24, 2009

feeling frumpy?

My thoughts on maternity wear.... I have none. 

I hate maternity clothes. They don't fit me right, no matter what stage I'm in. I understand that they have to be stretchy, but jersey knit doesn't look good on me normally, why would it when I'm even bigger? I dread buying clothes, but this time around I have a solution. If I want to feel good about myself, dress the best I can but accessorize. Every day I'm wearing a necklace, cute shoes and dressing up every outfit as much as I can. I have to say I feel so much better and even though it takes an hour to get dressed because I hate everything, once I am, I am ready to go! So my point is, whether it's pregnancy or you just aren't happy with your body...the best thing you can do is make a point to look as fabulous as you can when you go out the door. Spend time wearing cute basics and dress it up with accessories. Trust me, you will feel so much better and not looking frumpy will exert confidence! 

How to do this cheap:
Old Navy shoes
Nordstroms Brass Plum Accessories
Forever 21 Accessories




Wednesday, July 22, 2009

tres chic




Sorry these pictures aren't that good, but Michael's has some really cute wrapping paper. Looks like they made over their gift wrapping section because it's super cute and chic! Loves!
I've been really busy and I can't wait to show you why! 

Thursday, July 16, 2009

life in perspective

Reading her blog always does it for me, today some extra tears. Read NieNie's post from Wednesday, July 15th. A lot of things weighing my mind feel less important now. It will all get there in time.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

swim swim


I am really happy with Aqua Ten Swim School here in Ladera Ranch. Brody was with another, less expensive swim school last year and it did nothing for him. I have noticed that he has made big improvements, especially with us reinforcing what he is learning. They are great at teaching safety and the basics. I watch the kids ahead of him and they are really improving too. The instructors are knowledgeable and everything is organized. They are also the feeder program for the Ladera Liquids (swim team). Water is nothing to mess around with so I feel very safe with Brody in the program and I am willing to pay more because it is so important!

Monday, July 13, 2009

sweet!


Rainier cherries are my FAVORITE and I don't even really like cherries. I just picked some up from my local grocery store and I can't stop eating them, they are delish! I suggest you pick some up when you go to the store too (warning, they aren't cheap). They are only in season until early August so get them while you can.

lovely

Sometimes I see things and I just say "duh". But those simple things are always the loveliest and I love this. I need to throw a party where I can incorporate this as the favor and or the place card. I heart it. Oh, and if you see this, you can't use it before I do with any kind of fruit. That's the rule!

pretty please

I am so IN LOVE with Charlie Sheen's Los Angeles house that is up for sale. You have no idea how much I love it! No seriously, it was made for me. Now I just need to borrow $3.697 million to purchase it, can you help?










Saturday, July 11, 2009

table in a bag

If you would like to be a part of our inner circle at Concerts in the Park, you must purchase one of these Table in a Bags from Crate and Barrel. When you are at the mentioned Concert in the Park, if you look around you will see that all of Ladera Ranch has purchased the entire stock of them over the years. It's super portable, we set up all our food on it and it's just plain cute! If you don't have one you can be a "guest" for the night, but if you want to keep coming back for more I suggest you hit up the local C&B (I'm kidding of course). Thank you to Lauren & Leslie for always keeping our tables stocked with yummy goodies for the whole night.

something quick

Garden Pasta Salad

Found a recipe on allrecipes.com for a quick pasta salad to take to Concert in the Park last night, wanted something easy to share. Turned out good and super basic. Lots of crunchy veggies. A good recipe to have if you need something really easy and quick to contribute to a bbq or party. I changed a few things to the original recipe so what I did is below.

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package of uncooked bowtie pasta
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots (I bought the pre-shredded kind in the bag)
2 stalks celery chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 can black olives, drained
1 16 ounce bottle Italian-style dressing
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain.

2. Meanwhile, mix chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, onion and black olives together in a large bowl.

3. Combine cooled pasta and vegetables together in large bowl. Pour Italian dressing over mixture, add Parmesan cheese and mix well.

4. Chill one hour before serving.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

sweeeet!


So this time around I am not wanting many sweets at all. No ice cream or cake, maybe a smoothie or frozen yogurt. My go to treat both times was See's Candy, but even that doesn't sound good to me. I have made an exception though with the Trader Joe's, Almond in the Coconut.....ohhhhh yummmmmmmm!!!!!!! If you love Mounds or Almond Joy you will be in heaven. I bought a ton of sweets for our vacation and everything other than this is still in their box a week later (well the Trader Joe's strawberry licorice is always the exception as well). Try it!!!!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

an oldie

I know I've posted this before, but I am once again reminded during the summer months that InStyle magazine is my bible of fashion, beauty and decorating. I can't tell you how much I love it and even more sitting by the pool or on a hot summer night. My FAV!

Monday, July 6, 2009

i can't live without

My Oil of Olay Complete all day moisturizer with spf 15. I love it because no matter what I am protected from the sun, but it's also light and non-greasy. Perfect for all day in the summer.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

trueness

I loved this quote from Liv Tyler in June's InStyle Magazine.

"There is no such thing as the perfect beautiful face. True beauty comes from having happiness in your life."

best summer dress

This dress is from Gap Maternity. It doesn't look that great in the picture but I am in love with it. Even though it's maternity, I would buy it not being pregnant! It's soft and so comfortable, plus I wear it strapless (the straps come off) and it's long and flowy on me. Perfect for summer nights!

yummmmmm

Sometimes you forget the simplest things. Seriously making smores is something you can do on the stovetop at home or even in 100 degree heat near a fire. It's a simple dessert that makes kids and adults happy. We have been rediscovering them lately and they never get old! Make them for your kids one night!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

sonicare

In passing, my friend Corey mentioned how much she loves her new Sonicare toothbrush and how it was better than a teeth cleaning at her dentist. So I used my birthday gift cards from Target to get me one and I really like it! It looks like I got my teeth whitened when I use it. I laugh because the vibrating shoots toothpaste everywhere (I forget that you need to keep it in your mouth and then turn it off). It's a great fav!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

I just did this shower invite for a good friend. It's one of my all time favorites. If you haven't been to my Creative Nest Designs Blog recently please visit it here to see what I have been up to!