K and K designs

So, I never win ANYTHING but, that doesn't stop me from entering all kinds of contests! Finally, all my hard work payed off. I entered a contest for K and K designs and WON!!! I won this super cute, comfy, cotton dress for my little Princess. Of course, I had to make a bow to match and now we're on the hunt for some super cute sparkly shoes to match as well.
My little princess loves this dress because 1. purple is her favorite color and 2. She loves Dinosaurs...she said "roooaaaar" when she saw it LOL!
You can read the K and K designs blog here.
Thank you Brooke. Your designs are awesome!

1st Day of School 2009

Today was the first day of school for my boys.

Of course their little sister had to get in on the action.

This was my youngest son's first day of school ever and he loved it!
After the initial "Oh No mom's leaving me moment"he came home and said "I love school mommy".
Let's hope it stays that way ; )

My oldest wasn't too excited until I picked him up and he realized that his best friend was in his class this year! Oh the stresses of being young.
Here's to a great 2009 school year!

One last hurrah before school starts!

We decided we needed one more big family fun filled vacation day before school starts on Tuesday so, we headed out to Downtown Disney today. Our first stop was the amc movie theater to watch G-Force which was very cute by the way........... Next, we went to the Rainforest cafe for an early dinner..... They had so much fun before dinner even started.....Looking at the giant aquarium....

Standing next to the giant GorillaAnd eating a yummy meal.
After Dinner we mosied on down to the Lego Store and boy was that fun! LOOK A GIANT LEGO!!!!!


Now, time for some Haagen Daz.... ooooh ya!!!!



On our way out there was a band playing so, our little Rock Princess decided she need to stop and hang out. She's telling me not to touch her new Legos while she's listening to the band.



Somebody else just wanted to go home and play with his new Legos.......



He's much happier now that we're leaving......
It was a good summer but, I think we're all ready for the change that comes with the new school year. Good bye Summer fun.....Hello new school year!

Gracie's first hair cut

So, my little princess was born with a ton of hair which has not had any sharp objects come anywhere close to it until now. She is now approaching her third birthday and her hair has reached her little booty.
It was so hard on her and me to comb through her tangled mane every night after bath time so we decided to go for it and have it cut.

This is her before her cut. See how long and beautiful it was........The bottom of her hair was the hair she was born with : (
Finally, after promising some ice cream afterward we got her in the chair....
Then, we figured out that if we gave her her brother's PSP she would sit still. Well, sort of.......
She was such a good girl considering this was her first time. Not to mention her most patient hair stylist Ivette at Valdimar hair Salon in Cerritos (THANK YOU). I'm sure we'll have to wait at least 6 months or so before we can try this again but, it was well worth it. Combing her hair is quick and easy now. Good for Gracie and Mommy : )

How to make a no sew"Fairy/Pixie costume tutorial Part 1 "The tutu"

Halloween is quickly approaching so I have begun working on Gracie's costume. I decide she is going to be a Garden Fairy after seeing an adorable tee and matching leggings at The Children's Place.
The first part of her costume I'm making is her No Sew Tutu and this is how I did it........

To begin you will need the following:

Approx. 25 yards(more for a fuller tutu) of tulle in complimenting or contrasting colors of your choice.
Satin ribbon in 7/8 inch or larger
Scissors or rotary cutter
accent ribbons and silk flowers
fabric or hot glue


Your first step begins with measuring your little girls waist to find out how long your satin ribbon needs to be. Grace was 19 inches long so I rounded up 1 inch to 20 inches and multiplied by 3 for a total of 60 inches.
Next tie a knot at 20 inches on one side and do the same on the other side to look like this


Next you will need to figure out how long you want your tutu to be. I decided on a medium length for Grace which is 10 inches long. This means I need to cut my tulle at 20 inches long because I am going to be folding it in half. I have chosen to use tulle on 6 inch rolls so I would'nt have to cut 6 inch strips. This is much easier.
Now that you have cut your tulle you are ready to begin tying it to your ribbon. First you will fold it in half to form a U shapenow you will wrap it around the back of your ribbon and pull it down through the loop

This is what your strips should look like
I decided to add some 3/8 inches wide glitter ribbon for added sparkle. Cut it the length you would like. I cut it 20 inches so it would be the same length as my tulle. You will need to tie this opposite of the way you tied the tulle so that the glitter or print side is showing. Now, repeat your pattern till you end up at the second knot in your satin ribbon.

next, I cut one of the two ribbons shorter to glue some pretty flowers to the shorter end
This is the final product. All in all it should take you about an hour to do. This is a fun project to do with your older daughter since it is very simple to make.


It also makes for a great portrait for babies in which case you will need to make the tutu length about 5 or 6 inches long. Next I will be making the wings so, check back for that tutorial soon.

Tea, It's a good thing

So, as many of you already know I have been very sick the past month and the whole time I was sick all I drank was green tea.
Now after drinking it all day everyday I discovered a love for tea that I never had before. Then, I remembered that I had read on the "My Nifty Life" blog about Adiago loose tea.
So, I ventured on over to their website and decided to place an order for myself and my mother whom I had recommended start drinking White tea because she had Cancer a few years ago. I explained that white tea has an enormous amount of antioxidants as compared to green tea which is still wonderful to drink and a bit less expensive but with her surgery coming up on Thursday I thought why not get a jump on it and start now with the White tea.
I purchased the starter kit with the Green Tea sampler and also purchased the White tea sampler which includes Snowbud, Silver needle, White Symphony and White peach which I'm drinking as I type this and I have to say there is a huge difference between loose tea and tea bags! I hereby swear to never drink tea from a tea bag again! and as for coffee well that's a bad word in our house now.
Now, if I could just get my kids to drink it.
Thanks Bobbie for recommending Adiago Tea. You have forever changed my life.

Handle with Grace.

Something happened today that made me realize how just one moment can change your life forever.
I realized through this one action how much God has given me in the wonderful women I call mom.
I was angered when someone said something very hurtful to my mother. How could someone so close to you say such hurtful things? Her reaction, her feelings just welled up in her eyes and I couldn't help but feel angry and want to just erase what was said and take away her pain.
She with all her wisdom handled it with much more grace than I know than I ever could've.
I began to reflect and remember that God has given her a second chance at life and with it she is truly a changed person and that I should learn from her and love and cherish every minute I have with her even when she can't remember that I already told her something 3 times or she insists that she's right( well most of the time she is) because it doesn't matter. What matters is that I have been given a second chance at a beautiful relationship with her and I want her to know that it doesn't matter what anybody else says about her. She is perfect in God's eyes and in mine.
I love you mom.

You know you're old when............

You know you're getting old when you can't stand the neighbors because they've got a garage band and you're mad that you're not able to take a Sunday nap!
I remember going to see Sublime play at backyard parties and warehouse parties in high school and loving every minute of it. I'm not sure if it was the music, freezing my butt off while trying to look cute or just being defiant because I wasn't suppose to be there according to my parents.
Now, I enjoy music in a whole different way ie; not outside in freezing cold weather and not when I'm in my own house trying to rest with the kids.
I feel old because in the old days I woulda gone across the street and hung out with "The cool band guys"instead of getting pissed off that they've been practicing day and night for two days!
Oh well, that's why we don't stay 18 forever.
Thank God!

Happy Birthday!

Today was my Christian's birthday. It was a day of reflection for me. Every time one one of my kid's have a birthday it reminds me of all the hard labor and intensity of having them and the moment of bliss when I finally got to hold my precious little baby.

I don't believe what people say about forgetting the pain of having a baby. I remember every agonizing moment but, I also remember the feeling after having them and that feeling far outweighs any physical pain. I would do it all over again times 10 because there is nothing in this world like the gift God has given me with my children.

Having children has changed me as a person. I feel like I have become quite unselfish, more understanding and sympathetic towards people in general because everyone is someone's son or daughter and we are all sons and daughters of the Lord and should be loved as such.
I'm not saying I walk around in bliss everyday because everyday is a test of the things I have learned along the way and no, I don't always pass the test but, I keep trying through the grace of God and pray that I get one more year to celebrate another birthday with my kid's.

Easy makeup for busy moms

For many years I worked as a make up artist and always managed to find time to have my face camera ready. Flash forward 3 kids later and I only seem to have about 5 minutes to get ready and believe me that's not uninterrupted time!

So one of my quests has been to find affordable make up that's convenient and fast. I've compiled a list of items that I use on a regular basis that I can basically do in no time flat and know you will be able to as well.

1. It's imperative to have a good foundation of some sort. This can range from a tinted moisturizer to a full coverage foundation that can double as a concealer and a powder to set your make up. This is where I recommend you splurge. Go to a counter and have a make up artist match your skin tone. Try Prescriptives or Bobbie Brown. They have a wide range of colors for all skin tones.

2. An eyeliner for definition , and mascara to open up your eyes. Try Mark by Avon. I love these Hook ups they have because you can connect your eyeliner and mascara into one product. You can buy both for about $11 together.

3. A bronzer or all over color to waken up your face and add color back to where it use to be pre-kid. Try Sonia Kashuk at target for about $11. I love this product be cause the powder comes from within the brush making it on the go make up. I personally open up the little pot and add some of my bella rose mineral bronzer and it looks fabulous!

4. Find a great peachy pink lipstick or gloss. Anyone can wear this color no matter what the skin color just find a shade light enough or deep enough for your skin tone. Try Mark by Avon for about $5.00

5. last if you have a fading lip line get a great nude brown lip liner that will work with any color lipstick. Try Shu Uemura drawing lip pencil in Brown 710.

This is my daily routine and it works with 3 kids. If I can make it work so can you. Just because you only had three hours of sleep doesn't mean anyone has to know. At least you try can faking it with quick and easy make up.

New Years Eve

Happy New Years to you and yours! Here is a picture of the boys after they made their party hats which they thought was so much fun. The princess was not in the mood for pictures so we didn't bother her.
Josh and I went to market and found sparkling grape apple cider for $2.00 and on our way to the juice isle he found party poppers and begged me to buy them. He said"but mom they're only $5.47" so I gave in. I mean New Years only happens once a year.
So, I went a little over my budget but it was well worth it. We kept them a secret all the way until 9:00 (Midnight on the east coast) when we pulled them out Christian almost exploded with excitement!
Josh told me before he went to bed" This was the best New Years ever mommy". That just made my New Years.
After the kids went to bed Rolando and I stayed up and drank hot chocolate and watched The planet of the apes marathon. Who new there were so many sequels? Anyway it was nice to veg out all night and actually NOT work on anything although, I was tempted a few times but, Rolando quickly reminded me by saying"Hey! what are you doing?!"and I said " nothing babe absolutely nothing.
It was a fun and relaxing New Years eve for us and I hope it was for you too.
What did you do for New Years eve?