{ just my simple thoughts }

2012 Goals.

2012-01-11T10:15:00.001-08:00

I'm back today... Not sure why I picked today to resurface in Blogland, but it seemed like a good time to say hi. :)

Lots going on here. I'm pushing through a 2012 de-cluttering goal I'm working on with a few online friends... I'm also back on the Project Life journey (after taking a year long break) so I'm trying to stay up on that one. Posting pictures to my iPhone app, "my 365". I like it a lot and I know it will be helping me with Project Life.

Take a closer look at the list I have going for clutter removal and reorganization:

Do you think it's too much?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

keeping up with my December Daily.

2010-12-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is my second year creating a December Daily album. I am loving it, although I admit that I was less prepared for it this year than I was last year. I think having a job this year has everything to do with it.

It's the 15th of the month so I am only 1/2 way through my album and still need to pick up more photos from processing. But here are some random shots of the photos already going into the album:

{All photos were taken exclusively with my iPhone this year... }

this is what 40 looks like.

2010-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm 40 today. I can't believe I just typed that. I always felt like my 40th birthday was light-years away... like it just couldn't possibly happen yet... but it's here.

Not too sure how I feel about it... Am I bummed out? Not really. It's a milestone for sure. But I'm the type of girl who's thankful for each and every year I'm given on this earth. Although I will admit... I'm slightly obsessed with remaining wrinkle-free and... so far so good. But the calendar doesn't lie. I'm 40. For REAL. But I'm good with that, you know?

I'm looking forward to a special 40th birthday "celebration", courtesy of my amazing husband of 23 years (please don't do the math...). I'm not a "party" type of girl, I don't like to draw attention to myself and/or throw parties for myself; although I DO love to throw a good "kiddie" party for my kids at least once a year. So we're going with a quieter celebration, just how I like it. More on that when we get back... (yes, we're going out of town for this one... FUN.) But not until he gets back from his business trip. Aaaaah, work! Sometimes, don't you just hate it!? :)

In honor of my 40th-- my 4th decade, my 14,600 or so days on this earth... I'm taking one of those random quizzes that everyone loves. Remember those "SLAM" books everyone used to have in Jr. High? Wow, I AM old, huh?

Anyway, here goes... 40 questions for the 40 year old. Happy birthday to ME!

1. What time did you get up this morning?

Every morning I wake up at the same time (on days when I'm not starting work at 2am, that is...). I'm always up just a few minutes shy of 6am. The triplets' alarm clock is set for 6:15am, so I like to get a few minutes on them before they start their day.

2. How do you like your steak?

Medium/Medium Rare.

3. What was the last film you saw at the theater?

Ohmygosh, I can't even remember. No doubt it was a kid's movie, most likely Disney! Hey, it's sacrifices like never going to the movies to see an adult flick that makes you a real parent, right?

4. What is your favorite TV show?

General Hospital, but GLEE runs a close second.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Anywhere in the world? That would be somewhere that is no less than one hour's drive from my parents. Now if only I could convince them to move back to California!

6. What did you have for breakfast?

Pumpkin waffles and a cup of coffee.

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

Man, I go crazy for some good Thai food. Thing is, good Thai is hard to find. But Mexican food is my ultimate comfort food, so they're both my faves. Oh wait, then there's Italian food. I love me some Italian.

8. What foods do you dislike?

Zucchini. Definitely dislike. No much more than that one. I generaly like ALL food! (Hence, my curves... )

9. Favorite place to eat?

Well, there's this small little Italian place that I absolutely love. Sort of a mom and pop kind of vibe... and the food is just amazing. But last night we were at Yard House for my birthday dinner with my parents. SUCH a good meal. So I really should mention it. ;)

10. Favorite dressing?

Blue Cheese.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?

Typical mom-car, an SUV.

12. What are your favorite clothes?

Anything comfy, soft, cute, and NOT black.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?

I'd spend an entire month in Italian countryside.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

Always 1/2 full. I'm not a pessimist.

15. Where would you want to retire?

Somewhere I could see my children (and grandchildren if I'm lucky) every day, where I could breathe in the ocean breeze by just opening my back patio door, where the sun shines on my face each morning, and where I could eat ice cream any time of day.

16. Favorite time of day?

I'm defnitely a morning person.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?

Football, I suppose.

19. Bird watcher?

Ugh, no.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?

See #16.

21. Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have a dog and I think she's the smartest dog in the universe. Cutest, too.

22. What do you want to be (someday)?

A professional traveler and food critic.

23. What is your best childhood memory?

Me and my roller skates.

24. Are you a cat or dog person?

Cats are not for me. I am a dog person. Big dogs, preferably. I don't care much for dogs who are the same size as cats.

25. Are you married?

All my life. And until Kingdom Come.

26. Always wear your seat belt?

Yes, always.

28. Any pet peeves?

Crazy-looking eyebrows, people with bad grammar, chronic tardiness, artificial suntans, writing in my checkbook register in any color other than BLACK, when people forget to wash their hands, etc. I'm sure there are more. I'm nutty like that.

29. Favorite Pizza Toppings?

Spinach and Garlic.

30. Favorite Flower?

The orchid.

31. Favorite ice cream?

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla.

32. Favorite fast food restaurant?

Chipotle.

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test?

I never did!

34. From whom did you get your last e-mail?

From my Mama. I've been getting one at least once a day lately...

35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

Toss up between Gap and J. Crew.

36. Broccoli?

Yes, please.

37. What was your favorite vacation?

Probably camping as a kid.

38. Last person you went out to dinner with?

My parents and all 5 of my daughters... just last night. It was great! Any other day, my answer would be, "the triplets"! They are my constant companions!

39. How many tattoos do you have?

Just one on the back of my right thigh.

40. Coffee drinker?

I pledge allegiance to Starbucks.

today.

2010-10-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am spending the morning at Starbucks, websurfing and enjoying my Naked OJ, a multrigrain bagel + my Toffee Mocha.

Today I look tired. {I can totally admit that, I'm not in denial!} I feel tired, too. It was a long, but fun weekend and here I am on Tuesday still in recovery mode.

Today I need to work on the finishing touches to the triplets' Halloween costumes. The problem with being a "Crafty Mama" is that we NEVER buy costumes; they're always homemade. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.

Today I drove my 22-year old daughter to school. That's a rarity; she usually drives herself everywhere on her own.

Today, for the 4th day in a row, I woke up next to my husband after he had been on a month-long business trip in the Philippines. I'm hoping he can stay close to home at least until after the holidays, but his employer might have something else in mind.

Today I'm thinking about my plans for Thanksgiving, my 40th birthday and Christmas. We're spending Thanksgiving at home as we do every year (we prefer it that way), and hosting a family (my parents + siblings) Christmas at our home this time around. As far as my 40th birthday goes, I'm still undecided about what to do but I'm considering a one or two day getaway with the Hubz. We NEVER do that. Vegas, maybe?

Today is my last FULL day off from work before I begin a 5day-in-a-row stretch on the night shift. That usually doesn't occur in my schedule but my co-worker is taking 5 days off around the Halloween weekend. Sucks for me and my kids, but I'm pretty sure we weren't part of her consideration when she made her plans and laid them on me. :/ Oh well. What goes around will come around, eventually. We'll have OUR time... I'll just stay positive. The alternative is not who I choose to be!!!

Today I'm wearing a cozy scarf (my daughter knit it for me) and my warm and toasty Ugg boots. {Can I just say that there is NOTHING like a pair of genuine Uggs?}

Today I'm going to prepare a hearty beef stew to warm our tummies on this chilly Fall day. Can't think of anything better for dinner. YUM.

Today my swollen lymph nodes are not as painful, I've hardly noticed them since I woke up this morning. They are in my armpit area (both) and one above my collarbone area. I'm pretty sure they are swollen and hurting on account of the vaccinations I received at work last week. I'm not entirely sure about the complete cocktail of immunizations I received but I do know that it included a tetanus, a flu, a whooping cough and an H1N1. After Googling my symptoms over the weekend, I found the swollen lymph nodes to be common after these vaccines. Hope it goes away soon.

Today I really need to get a handle on the triplets' laundry and to begin some type of organization of their closet. The Hubz and I were discussing it last night and decided to go ahead and take off their closet doors to start with. Hmmm... Maybe I could begin my day shopping for some cute new curtains for their closet? Sounds like an excellent plan. :)

Today is early dismissal day at the elementary school. Kids are out at 1:15pm. This means I have less time to run around and do my errands. Better get off this laptop and get down to the business of my day.

Today I'd really like to scrapbook but I doubt that I have the time. I can't remember when I DID have the time... :( Gotta set a date to scrapbook with my *best scrapbooking buddy*!

Today I'm gonna text my husband, kids, siblings and parents an "I love you". For no reason, just because. ♥

Have a great day today!

still learning something new everyday.

2010-09-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still working on my project, "Learn Something New Everyday" on Shimelle's website. I'll share more on the project later. For now I want to share a little hardcover book I made on Shutterfly a few weeks ago. My family loves this book!

Click here to view this photo book larger

What do you think?

learn something new everyday.

2010-09-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning another exciting class with Shimelle. I can't say enough about her online classes, they are my absolute favorites. She's such a clever girl and has challenged me to do the neatest little projects. The thing about Shimelle's classes/projects is that I believe they all bring something valuable and insightful to my my life!

Today's the first day of "Learn Something New Everyday"... I'm busy creating the crafty part of the project while I have the day off from work. At the end of each day in September 2010, I'll document something "new" I've learned at some point during that day. Seriously can't wait to see this project when it's complete.

makes me happy.

2010-03-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

From a to z, this is a bit of what makes me super-duper happy! (photos for just a few select things, or else this post would have been extremely LONG!)

A- Arizona road trips

B- my Blackberry

C- cupcakes

D- Disneyland

E- eternal love

F- friendships

G- my girls

H- Hawaii

I- iPod

J- jewelry

K- Kawaii-style

L- local-kine-grindz

M- marriage

N- newspaper on Sunday

O- ocean views

P- prayer

Q- quiet time

R- romance

S- scrapbooking

T- triplets

U- ukulele music

V- vacations

W- winter

Y- yogurt smoothies

Z- zippered hoodies

this was soooo made for me...

2010-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

A Swedish Furniture Name Generator!

If you love IKEA as much as I do, you'll get a kick outta this one. Funny!

february love.

2010-02-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

( photo: frydogdesign.blogspot.com )

I don't care what the haters say about Valentine's Day... Claiming that we should express our love for one another every single day, not just on a "designated holiday"... Saying that it's a sham, a holiday created by the greeting card companies...

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Seriously?

I agree with the part about expressing love every day (very important). And maybe the greeting card companies, florists and candy makers make a ton of money on Valentine's Day, too. So what? They also rake in the $$$ Big bucks $$$ on Mother's Day, does anyone object to that one? Shouldn't we love our mothers every single day???

I'm a romantic at heart. I LOVE love. I'm not sure if I believe in "love at first sight", but I do believe in true love. It's happened to me, it's real and it's possible. I feel sorrow just thinking about a life without true love.

And I LOVE Valentine's Day! It's my number 3 favorite holiday behind Thanksgiving and Halloween. I look forward to all the red and pink, the lace and ruffles, the sweets and especially making valentines!

It's one week away and I've got nothing but love and Valentine's Day on my mind.

♥ ♥ ♥

neglected.

2010-01-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

I am watching Martha Stewart's Blog Show today (on DVR, I'm a day behind... what does that tell you?). Obviously, it's all about blogging and it just made me remember my long, lost blog... Gosh, I haven't blogged since Christmas and before then, who knows?

So, I just wanted to say hi... I miss my blog. I wish I were here more. But honestly, I can't promise I'll be here more often in 2010. Really, I'll do my best. My intentions are good. But tell me...

How do I find the time?

So for now, Happy New Year! Happy MLK day! And Happy Valentine's Day! *just in case* :)

See you soon!

Christmas blessings.

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

happy birthday, Mom.

2009-10-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

We love you like crazy...
(turn off music player at bottom of page before you click PLAY)

Make a Smilebox greeting

Christmas memories + traditions.

2009-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

It's week 2 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas. If you'd like to know more about the 12 Weeks of Christmas event, be sure to click the link. I LOVE participating in blog-hosted events, ESPECIALLY when they are holiday-related in any way.

So, this week's entry is focused on the memories and traditions of Christmas. One of the most beloved of our Christmas traditions is focused on our family and our faith. For us, the Advent Wreath is at the very top of our list of favorites...

photo taken December 2007 in our home

I treasure the quiet moments each Sunday when a new candle is lit and we spend a some time together for prayer and reading scripture and talking a little bit about how we wait for Christ during the Christmas season. It's a good reminder, especially for the little ones in the house, that Christmas should be Christ-centered. It's hard to remember that when you're little... we understand.

I also believe it's so beneficial to children to celebrate traditions like the Advent wreath from year to year... We've had an Advent wreath in our own home for at least the last 10 years, probably more. I believe that the tradtion will be passed down through our daughters to their children someday and it makes me feel like we will be sharing a bit of what is meaningful to us today with our loved ones in the future.

I love tradition. What's your family's favorite tradition?

small world.

2009-10-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Back in May, Wendy and Tyler of Blue Lily Photography took the most beautiful portraits of our five girls in Old Town Temecula. Of course, we think our children are the most gorgeous ever, but isn't the photography equally amazing?

Well, Wendy and Tyler travel all around the country taking beautiful pictures of all kinds of people and families. It just so happens that they have also taken photos of Stephanie Nielson and her family... (Stephanie survived a terrible airplane crash and is recovering from her injuries, going strong I might add!) In fact, you could see Blue Lily Photography ALL OVER Stephanie's home when she appeared on the Oprah show yesterday.

Wendy blogged about Stephanie's appearance ... click here to see her post and be sure to click the link for the Oprah video clip. What a story.

Small world.

Week 1 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas

2009-10-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Image from Country Living

I’m participating in Red Writing’s 12 Weeks of Christmas… Yes, it’s only the second week of October and I’ve got “Christmas on the Brain” already! As of last Sunday, we are a little under 12 weeks from Christmas, hooray!

This week's theme is "Christmas List"...

I’ve decided not to post my Christmas wish-list, just because I don’t want to seem like I am asking for things… but believe me… I have one! Mom and Dad will get that list for sure… (Maybe I’ll post it at a later time, we’ll see!) Instead, I’ve decided to put together a list of things that my family and I love to do during Christmastime.

25 Things We Do During The Christmas Season:

1. An Advent Candle Wreath, observing each night during Advent.

2. Make Christmas Cards.

3. Go to the Festival of Lights in our area.

4. Bake and eat as many Christmas cookies as humanly possible.

5. Have Christmas movie marathons, including movies like Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story.

6. A Cookie Exchange. (yum)

7. Create handcrafted gifts of one kind or another.

8. Burn spice scented candles in the house.

9. Check amazon.com everyday to see their Daily Deal.

10. Decorate the house like crazy.

11. Scope out the local craft fairs for holiday stuff.

12. Play Christmas Songs 24/7.

13. Make a new Christmas ornament or two for the tree.

14. Attend the triplets’ Christmas Recital.

15. Christmas gift shopping, of course.

16. Read The Polar Express.

17. Drive around local neighborhoods to see Christmas light displays.

18. Write letters to Santa and mail them.

19. Keep an Advent Calendar that is updated daily.

20. Donate food to a food pantry, usually at our church.

21. Drink GALLONS of hot cocoa and hot apple cider.

22. Visit the public library for story time during Winter Break.

23. Open ONE gift on Christmas Eve.

24. Do our best to teach our little ones about the true meaning of the holiday, Christ’s birth.

25. Spend as much time with family as possible.

I am a winner.

2009-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, the fabulous Jessi had another one of her fabulous giveaways on her blog... and guess what?! I WON!

Here is the photo Jessi took of the goodies she was sending me...

It was all beautiful, pretty stuff! Perfect for me cuz I love ALL things feminine (and PINK), and as the mom of 5 daughters (and ZERO sons) it was well suited for me. Made me so happy opening this package when it arrived Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, I do not have my own photo of the prize in its entirety. This is due to the fact that the SECOND I opened my awesomely decorated package from Jessi, these little ones...

... helped themselves to my goodies, but especially the sweets inside! Yes, she included exactly THREE candy treats in the box and the triplets spotted them before I had a chance to see what was going on!

Thank you, Jessi! I love everything you sent me!

goodbye, summer.

2009-09-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

Today, September 22 at exactly 5:18pm- Summer 2009 will officially be OVER.

I was pretty much absent from my blog for the entire duration of my summer (as you can tell) because I was just having too much FUN. We had a great summer...

Hopefully I'll do a better job of keeping up with my blog now that the kidlets are back in school and we don't have any vacations planned for the upcoming months.

In celebration of these final few hours of the summer season, I thought I would wrap it up with a cute little Flickr slideshow featuring our Summer Fun! Hope you had a great one too!

Press PLAY.

I am tickled that FALL is almost here!!!

Musette Bracelet GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-07-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Musette Bracelet GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Just had to share this!

for today.

2009-07-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY
July 8, 2009

Outside my window... my dog is resting against the screen, trying to get as close as she can to us.

I am thinking... about which tasks are the priority today, I always seem to run out of time and forget to do the most important things when I get distracted by little things that come up.

I am thankful for... family life these days; things are calm and easy, and I love that.

From the kitchen... the smell of homemade waffles lingers. The vanilla scent is so comforting.

I am wearing... jeans and a t-shirt, no shoes-- as usual.

I am creating... a little this and that. Disney layouts (again) and a mini book... and so many ideas floating in my head. Wish I had the time to put them all together quickly.

I am going... to take the girls to swim lessons this morning.

I am reading... "Happens Every Day" -- a book I picked up from the public library last week.

I am hoping... that burdens I carry with me lately will lift off my shoulders soon and that I can find a peace I haven't felt in such a long time.

I am hearing... the pitter-patter of little feet, running up and down the stairs; the triplets are home for the summer, won't be back in school until mid-August.

Around the house... there is so much laundry to fold. It's my least-favorite thing to do.

One of my favorite things... is spending a lazy day at the beach. Gotta plan more days like that before summer's over.

A few plans for the rest of the week... include a couple more days of swim lessons and another trip to the library on Friday. If we can manage it, I want to go to the movies for a matinee with the little ones, too.

A picture to share...

-- our adorable dog, Daisy --

so long, june.

2009-06-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

The end of June, already. Can't believe it. We're halfway through the year now. Wow.

So I'm looking back at my calendar... My Google Calendar, to be exact. Have you tried this amazing tool before? I use Google Calendar DAILY and sync it with my Blackberry. It is definitely an everyday tool I use to keep my life in order. With 5 children and lots of activities, classes, appointments, etc... it certainly makes my life easier and I can't recommend it enough.

So... the month of June rolled in quietly for us. We started out with laid-back weekends including fun stuff like a bonfire-- along with roasting marshmallows! The girls got a kick out of it, for sure. The big sisters passed on the fun, unfortunately...

No big events at the beginning of the month, and then... BAM! Everything hit us at once mid-month. The main event of the month was the triplets' Spring Dance Recital. The girls did a great job, adorable I tell you!

Here they are at the recital rehearsal... (cute)

... and on Recital night.

Then there was the visit to the cherry farm, followed by the beginning of swimming lessons...

Wrapping up the month was Kindergarten Graduation, but watch for those pics and story in an upcoming post.

June was a busy, busy month for our family and just the beginning to a busy, busy summer!

weekend.

2009-06-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

We stayed home this weekend... Pretty much anyway. Yesterday (Saturday) we did step out to take the girls to a birthday/swim party. Although it was hot, they had a blast! As usual, they took the opportunity to glam it up a little for the party. Aren't they adorable?

Just a bit ago, we dug into more of those sweet delicious cherries from our trip last week to the cherry farm.

Is there anything better in the summertime than a little bowl of cherries in the afternoon?

I don't think so.

cherry farm.

2009-06-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Riley's Farm last week, to pick our very own cherries at a REAL cherry farm.

It was the best time we've had together in awhile! Good family time!

Look at my sweethearts, checking out the orchard while we picked cherries:

... and this as we were heading out of the orchard back to the barn to pay for our pickin's!

If you have a cherry farm near you, our family recommends that you visit and pick some cherries... we had a great time!

bento catch-up.

2009-06-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are soooo behind on bento Fridays! Well, here's a quick catch-up:

Here's bento lunch from 3 weeks ago... We actually made these for the girls on Saturday at home because I totally forgot to make lunches for school on Friday:

... and from two weeks ago:

... and finally from this past Friday:

We are a little over a week from the last day of school for 2008-2009, so we still have one more school bento lunch coming up this Friday. After school's out, I'm not sure how often we'll be making these adorable little lunches, but I'm pretty sure we won't be giving it up completely. There will be plenty of reasons to pack a pretty lunch this summer, I'm sure!

8 things.

2009-06-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

A play on the "8 things" quizzes, sent to me by a friend...

8 things I look forward to:

1. Swim lessons for the triplets this month.
2. A visit from my favorite aunt this Sunday!
3. Taking a vacation of one kind or another this summer.
4. Scrapbooking all the layout ideas I have in my head.
5. Going to the Aveda spa and having a massage; I don’t do it often enough.
6. Working on the many projects around our home.
7. Spending plenty of time at the beach in the next few months.
8. Reading a few books on the bestseller lists!

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Caught up on lots of blog-reading.
2. Cancelled the recording schedule of my favorite TV shows on DVR; they’re in re-run mode for the summer.
3. Cooked Mexican food for dinner, it’s my fave.
4. Bought the triplets the organic cotton bed sets I’ve had my eye on!
5. Ate potato chips after midnight with my 2 oldest daughters.
6. Talked on the phone with my favorite aunt for about an hour.
7. Researched twin size beds & mattresses online for most of the afternoon.
8. Fell asleep reading a book about “green living”. But it was late, I was so tired!

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Find the time in my busy days to exercise.
2. See my good friends more often.
3. Pay off my mortgage and be 100% debt-free.
4. Return to college.
5. Move back to Hawaii but still be able to fly to Tucson monthly to visit my parents.
6. Eat as much as I wanted and never gain weight!
7. Be a photographer for a living... and actually make GOOD money!
8. Hire a permanent housekeeper.

Oh yeah... forgot to mention... no bento today. Bento Friday ruined due to low supplies on-hand. Must go to the grocery store this weekend and replenish pantry. Bummed.

bento friday.

2009-06-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize it's Wednesday and I'm posting this almost a week late. Don't know what happened... life, I guess. Don't worry, you didn't miss much... it was a pretty boring bento last week. It's okay, I can admit it. I'm aiming for a little more of the cute factor this Friday.

Let's see... Nutella sandwich (always a favorite), teddy graham cookies, fresh blueberries and some Keebler club crackers. Just the right amount of food for my little 36-37 lb. kidlets...

More coming soon, I have more to share but I'm short on time today. :)

mother's day.

2009-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Not much time to write, it's Mother's Day and I'm really enjoying this day! Just wanted to share my flowers with you all, aren't they beautiful? They're from my girls!

Just one more good thing from today... an adorable video of the triplets doing a little song and dance for Mother's Day! If you decide to click play to watch, don't forget to shut off the music player at the very bottom of my blogpage!

Hope you all had a great one!

Happy Mother's Day from Christine Arrocena on Vimeo.

bento friday.

2009-05-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

Today's bento lunch for the triplets was a flower-shaped grape jelly sandwich (cut with this great Daisy Sandwich Cutter from Williams-Sonoma) topped with a heart-shaped fruit leather cutout, sliced fresh strawberries and square mini-pretzels. Good thing the little ones have such small appetites right now, they're only six years old and in kindergarten. If their tummies require bigger lunches anytime soon, I'm thinking the bentos might not work anymore... they're just so compact! Or I suppose we could always upgrade to something bigger, a double-decker like this one.

After a month of doing this, I worry that my creativity with this "Friday Bento Project" is losing some of its steam. So I'm going to start doing some online research for inspiration and ideas... I want to see what other people are doing, how they are doing, etc. What I am always aiming for is a happy surprise when my girls open their cute tidy lunches at school... a smile that lasts throughout their lunchtime. So anything new and fun I can learn to do will be so helpful! If you have any suggestions, leave a comment, please. (note to Pat, if you're reading this: thanks for emailing those 30+ bento pics you found, I'm overwhelmed by the bento skills!)

One unexpected effect of all this Friday cuteness is that the girls have become the object of bento-envy at school. Other kids want to touch their lunch, ask for tastes, one has even borrowed (without asking) a silicone muffin cup when one of the girls wasn't looking... (thank goodness her mother brought her to our house to return it when she found it!) Doesn't mean I'll stop doing this... I just thought I'd share. Guess I need to work on teaching the girls how to keep their lunches from others!

If you are a mother, I wish you a very happy Mother's Day! I may or may not be spending my weekend in Las Vegas... we'll see!

bento friday.

2009-05-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today's lunch was a flower-shaped grape jelly sandwich ( I cut the sandwich with a great sandwich cutter from Williams-Sonoma), sliced fresh strawberries and square mini pretzels. Good thing my little ones are such light eaters. I think we'll have to give up the bentos when they have bigger appetites, or else move on to double decker bento boxes like these!

Posting early because there's a chance we may go to Las Vegas this weekend to visit with family there. I've got to have laundry done and snacks bought, just in case. It all depends on hubby's workd schedule...

To all mothers out there, have a happy Mother's Day!

20 happy little things.

2009-05-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

Just a few things that make me smile, in no particular order…

1. A full cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
2. Fresh flowers in the house.
3. Clean laundry.
4. Jack Johnson music on continuous repeat.
5. Time spent with a good friend.
6. Taking photos of the people I love.
7. Super-premium ice cream.
8. Baby-teeth smiles.
9. Feeling close to God.
10. A tidy house.
11. Having daughters.
12. A pedicure and cute sandals.
13. A margarita, on the rocks.
14. Watching the sun set on the ocean.
15. Reading the Sunday newspaper.
16. A house that feels like a home.
17. An afternoon at Barnes & Noble.
18. Spa days.
19. Road trips.
20. Cupcakes.

This list was an idea from another blogger. Feels good to look at many of the things that make me so, so happy. Excellent idea for a blog post. :)

bento friday.

2009-05-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it will still be Friday by the time this posts, but I wanted to share today's bento lunch with you all, since it's something we're doing every week:

Today's Friday bento lunch for the triplets was a Nutella half-sandwich + sliced apples + Teddy Grahams + star-shaped fruit leather. It was mango, I think... (And everything was *times* three, of course!)

Hope you have a great weekend!

so long, April.

2009-04-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

April is over and I can barely believe it. It was a great month, albeit short… Or, it seemed to be, anyway, it just went by so fast! The real fun pretty much started with Easter. Egg coloring, Easter egg hunt, yummy treats. Fun! So thankful to have little girls all over again, it makes celebrating the holidays that much sweeter.

Not many pictures taken for the remainder of the month… But there were painted faces (the 20-year old, too) and bubble blowing…

oh, and we started making the CUTEST bento lunches for school on Fridays. It’s become a fun thing that we share and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a long-standing habit we’ll keep. Yep, the triplets won’t let me even CONSIDER letting that one go! Look at two of our bento lunches below… gotta try to come up with new and original ways to make lunch pretty, every week! What a challenge!

I hope there are lots of bubbles in our future...

I'm really looking forward to May, too.

video.

2009-04-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

I don't usually share videos (other than personal) on my blog, but I was so excited to see this video on YouTube...

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a big fan of the Ting Tings (Shut Up and Let Me Go, HEY!) LOL I love this collaboration with Estelle at the 2009 Brit Awards.

So shut off the music player at the bottom of this page, and have fun watching! Such a brilliant performance!

Me. Today.

2009-03-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

ME *today*

1. Stressed-out over things that are beyond my control. Like the rest of the U.S. population, I suppose.

2. Spending lots of time with the triplets lately, since they’re off-track from school the entire month of March.

3. Working through the clutter in our home. It’s amazing home much stuff a family can accumulate with 5 daughters!

4. Still on a “Disney High” after spending two days at Disneyland & California Adventure last week.

5. Haven’t had a single migraine since my Arizona Getaway to visit my parents… Mini-vacations are definitely good for me. That’s proof.

6. It’s making me feel so happy to have my home as tidy as it is right now… Now, how do I keep it this way without evicting my children? (joke)

7. Eating lots of candy the past few days. Is it my comfort food?

8. Hopeful that Spring will bring good news along with it…

so very proud today.

2009-02-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Academic Excellence Awards from Christine Arrocena on Vimeo.

I was just gushing with pride over my triplets today...

:)

(Don't forget to disable the music player at the very bottom of this page so you can hear the sound on this video! Just press PAUSE...)

babies and chilies.

2009-02-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

So... I just popped dinner into the oven. About 20 more minutes and we'll be eating GOOD. Mmmm.

I decided to blog about dinner (or some aspect of it) while chopping up green bell pepper just a bit ago. I was shaking my head at myself because I was trying to chop up the bell pepper so very tiny. I mean really tiny. Ridiculously tiny. The reason I do this is below.

This is my daughter, Kaia. She's the cleverest little 5-year old girl you will ever know. Believe me. (BTW, she's one of three... the middle girl of my triplets.) And she tells me the most thought-provoking things... more on that later. But a while back, I served her dinner that included the yummiest bits of sautéed green bell pepper, which is one of my favorite veggies of all.

She REFUSED to eat it. I explained to her that the taste was sweet-like, not yucky. She shook her head at me and said so matter-of-factly, "You know, Mommy... Mommies really shouldn't feed their babies CHILIES. It's not a very kind thing to do."

Whaaaat?

So, since then, I've had to chop up bell pepper as small as I possibly can. Seriously. In the hopes that she will not notice it in her food, of course. No matter how good the food tastes, if she knows what those "little green things" are... it is all over. She will go to bed hungry if she thinks they are chilies. I have to tell her that they are something else... something like, "green healthy vegetables that help you grow strong!" Seems to do the trick, and she just gobbles it down.

So this was what was on my cutting board tonight. Practically PUREED bell pepper! It was pulverized. I really should have just put it in my blender instead of exerting all that energy! I just kept chopping and chopping and chopping, getting it as small as I could. Then it occurred to me that it was soooo silly. But necessary, at least for a while. I'm hoping that she'll grow out of this way of thinking very soon. But for now, a Mommy certainly cannot feed her baby chilies. It just isn't a KIND thing to do.

{BTW, I made Baked Spaghetti for dinner tonight... If I have time to post the recipe tomorrow, I will...} :)

Catch-up.

2009-02-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

I completely forgot to share what I had whipped-up to celebrate the new President on Inauguration Day (January 20th)... {Remember, I said I was going to show you LATER that night? whoops!}

Now... I adore cupcakes; both baking them and eating them! So here was my little red, white and blue edible celebration:

Mmmmm... Devils Food with Cream Cheese frosting! We all devoured them after dinner that day!And speaking of cupcakes, and my adoration of them... you know I had to whip some up for Valentine's Day, too! Look...

Red Velvet with a simple chocolate frosting! Heaven!Here are a few more pics from that night... we had a Chocolate Party!

Wish you could have been there, too! LOL

...now just one more thing...

The day after all this fun, I woke up bright and early and went with my good friend, Melissa, to the Orange County Scrapbook Expo. Oh my! Look at the loot that I came home with! Can't wait to dig in, I just haven't had the time yet!

Project 365 update + more.

2009-02-20T00:15:00.001-08:00

It has come to my attention that I have not blogged in FOR-EV-ER (it's been more than a month, I think) so here I am. Sometimes I wonder if anyone will even notice, but then out of the blue, someone will ask me to update it. That's so nice... and it gives me the motivation to write another blog post!!! So here I am!

Project 365. Okay, so... it didn't work for me. I wasn't lucky enough to get a kit... Creating Keepsakes ran out of the January Kit of the Month in mere hours, and they apparently haven't been able to get it back in stock. So I lost my drive by the time February came around... Not exactly sure why. I knew I wasn't going to get the cool kit that Becky Higgins was praising up and down for what seemed like forever... Getting me all excited about it and stuff!!! {LOL} So I guess I knew this wasn't going to turn out the way I had planned so I pretty much just gave up.

So, I've moved on.

But I did manage to document the entire month of January 2009 in pictures, so I was considering making a mini album all about January. What do you think? I've got so many chipboard albums in my stash, not to mention my Zutter Bind-it-All... seems like the perfect opportunity for a project. And with Christmas and Valentine's Day projects now behind me... what else am I gonna do for some fun??? LOL

Well, one thing I DID manage to do was to follow the lead of the 3 Little Birdies and create a quick and easy fabric wreath to hang in my home for Valentine's Day. I'm planning to keep it up throughout February... what do you think?

I must have cut 100+ squares (seriously, I have no idea)... but it was fun! I think I'll use this technique to make other wreaths in the future! Thanks for the idea, Birdies!

In case you want to know how I did it, here are some pics of the process:

I'm keeping my heart up throughout February. Still another week to go.

Inauguration Day.

2009-01-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama has just stepped out to the "stage", introduced as the "President Elect," probably for the last time. He's greeting people, shaking hands as he moves along down the walkway toward his seat for the Inauguration ceremony. People in the crowd are cheering his name... "O-ba-ma!" Within the next hour, history will change for the United States.

I'm sitting here in my family room, watching the Inauguration Day news coverage on NBC... It's about 10 minutes till 9:00 am PST. I'm drinking my Starbucks Non-Fat No-Whip Peppermint Mocha and thought maybe I should blog this moment for myself while it's actually happening. I'm quite sure that such a monumental event will not happen again in my lifetime.

I may not have voted for this man (not so easy to admit, but true...), but I now believe he is most qualified for the job of President of the United States. I wish nothing but the best for him and will pray for him often. Lots of people have such high expectations for him. I only ask that he makes decisions with the best interest of the nation at heart. And I look forward to freshness his leadership brings to the United States. High hopes, not unrealistic expectations, I would like to think.

He's about to be sworn in. I'm going to stop for now so that I may fully experience the moment. The pomp and circumstance is really quite fun to watch.

I've got a fun idea for how my family and I will celebrate this day. More on that later today.

Project 365 -- Week 1

2009-01-03T21:59:00.001-08:00

So, I've begun documenting 2009 with Project 365... a concept put together by Becky Higgins. I wasn't able to order the Project 365 Kit when it went on sale January 1st (it sold out), but hopefully I'll be able to buy one when they figure out how to get more of them!

For now, I'm just making sure that I keep up with my picture taking and journaling... That way, I'll be all set to put it together when I actually get the product. Here's a look at my first week, which started on Sunday, December 28th.

Day 1

*Funny... I didn't take a picture this first day, of all days! But I've been sick and Sunday was the WORST day of all!*

journaling:

It was a lazy day today... Dinner in the Crock-Pot all day, me trying to get over this wretched cough & cold that's been giving me such a hard time for over two weeks! And to top it off, I'm all swollen! Must be some type of allergic reaction to something I ate today! The kids are out riding on their new rollerblades... and we're all settling back in to the NORMAL after the excitement of the holidays.

Day 2

journaling:

The triplets are sporting their new Vans today... a gift from their big sister, Julia. They picked out the colors they liked best: Malia, light blue; Kaia, indigo blue; Marisa, purple. Adorable {times} 3 !

Day 3

journaling:

My new Uggs arrived from Zappos.com in the mail today! Love Zappos customer service, by the way; they upgraded my standard shipping to OVERNIGHT just to be nice... I LOVE these boots... They feel like a warm blanket!

Day 4

journaling:

We spent a quiet night at home for New Year's Eve. Usually we have our family from Las Vegas over... but we were all too sick this time around. It was so chill... and the kids were asleep by 9:30pm! Not so exciting, but a nice change!

Day 5

journaling:

For New Year's Day, we had visitors. Our good friends, Jason & Melissa Adams and their sons Jacob and Jared came over to exchange Christmas gifts. We had lunch together and watched a couple of movies on TV. A very good day with friends!

Day 6

journaling:

The triplets had a ball putting together new puzzles today! Of course, they had some help from Mom & Dad... but they did some of it on their own too! Love to see their little minds working to figure out how to put the pieces together...

Day 7

journaling:

Today was one of those "Macaroni & Cheese for dinner" days. I'm still a bit under the weather and just didn't have the energy to cook a full meal. On a side note: the kids really like this new Mac 'n Cheese... they used to only love that OTHER blue box, but they love this one even more! Yay for me, cuz it's about half the price!

I'll check in again after documenting next week!

Cookie Exchange, continued... --->

2008-12-14T17:42:00.001-08:00

So, there is another cookie exchange going on. Angela is also hosting one, so I wanted to share my beloved Andes Mint Cookies recipe (scroll down to earlier post) with her group of holiday bakers as well! Scroll down to find my recipe!!!

Can't wait to see what everyone else has to share! :)

It's a Cookie Exchange!

2008-12-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in Scrappy Jessi's Cookie Exchange today, posting up one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes... Jessi, thank you so much for letting me in on the FUN!

So here it is...

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 c. butter (or margarine)

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 T. water

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then add:

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, stirring until completely melted.

Cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl and beat in 2 eggs.

Add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together and chill for about 45 minutes. Roll into balls (like 1 - 1 1/2 inches big), flatten slightly, and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

When cookies come out of the oven, place an Andes mint on top of each cookie and allow to melt for a few minutes. Swirl the melted chocolate like icing. Allow to cool.

Photo by Becky Higgins, who also provided this recipe in the first place, and got me hooked on these AMAZING treats!

ENJOY!

Goodbye Cottage Living.

2008-11-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today I'm blogging from my Blackberry so I can guarantee that this will be a BORING post. I don't know how to upload pics from my BB, in fact this is the first time I'm blogging from the road. Oh well.

Today has been kind of a downer for me. As soon as a turned on the laptop at home this morning, I found out that my #1 favorite magazine EVER has folded. Closed up shop, no more issues to be printed, gone forever.I'm devastated. Cottage Living is one of my monthly "treats"... The one magazine I rip into as soon as I pull it out of my mailbox. This is a loss for me, no doubt about it.

This economy is touching us all in so many ways. And now MY magazine. :sigh: I'm crushed.

Just wanted to share a bit of my grief.

Netflix today.

2008-11-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I'm watching "License to Wed".

LOVE Robin Williams. This movie is totally making me laugh. But on a more serious note, I'm thinking I should have my oldest daughter watch this before she even thinks about getting married!

Do you have any favorite movies you can recommend I add to my Netflix queue? Please share!

Have a great day!

I love Mondays.

2008-11-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

I was blog-hopping this morning and found Stacy Julian's most recent blog post in my Google Reader... She asked the question: "What do you like about Mondays?"

So I started to think about this...

And this was my answer:

"I love the FRESHNESS of Mondays. It's the day I have such high hopes for the week... Sometimes it all doesn't fall into place, but many times it does! It's my planning day, my energetic day, my day of clearer thinking after resting my head a bit over the weekend! I love Mondays!"

It's true. I really love Mondays. It seems to be the day when I get the most housework, laundry, planning, etc. done. I've completed so many things today before even sitting down to write this post... and that just motivates me to try to do more!

Another plan I have for this week's tasks are to start Aby Garvey's online workshop, "Get Organized for the Holidays". I've subscribed to Aby's Simplify 101 newsletter for a year and a half now, but this is my first workshop with her. I had an online coupon so I decided to give it a try, and a discount makes it even better! I can ALWAYS use help with my organization before the holiday season so I am super-excited to start this workshop tomorrow. My hopes are that I can sail into the holidays with a plan, completely prepared for what's ahead. I've got a dance recital, holiday get togethers, parties, scrapbooking, cooking, shopping and more planned for the next few weeks so I want to put my plan together ASAP. Because of course, I want to be able to ENJOY the holidays too!

So, I'm outta here to finish up my CHORES so I can focus on my online class tomorrow!

:)

Hello, November!

2008-11-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

First, an update: I actually did finish Ali Edwards' Week in the Life project (see last couple of posts for details) but forgot to post my photos on a daily basis... So bad, I know! So here are random images (just a few) from that particular week at the beginning of October.

Sorry, some of them have not been edited so the lighting is bad, but you get the picture!

Next scrapbooking projects include Ali's December Daily album, which I'm hoping to begin pre-assembling this weekend, and Becky Higgins' Baby Album kit. So much to do!

A Week in the Life... Day 2

2008-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a day behind in my posting...

I uploaded the photos late last night but couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to create this post on my blog. But it's Wednesday morning and I'm ready to share with you the photos from Monday, September 29th:

First things first; getting the triplets off to school...

Then... I hopped onto the freeway and headed to my doctor's appointment...

But of course, I had to make just one stop... but it was right off the freeway, so it was QUICK:

... and here's a glance at the rest of the day: (I don't think I took as many pics as I should have!

And that was Monday!

Is anyone out there with me on Ali's project?

A Week in the Life... Day 1

2008-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

So, I've started another scrapbooking project... Yesterday (Sunday) was Day 1 of my "A Week in the Life" project, which I am hoping will eventually (hopefully sooner than later) become another mini-album to add to our collection. I'm following Ali Edwards as she does this herself.

Ali wrote on her blog (a comment from one of her friends),

"I think it's important to embrace this even amid life's imperfections...It's easy to say, 'Well, life isn't perfect right now, so my week isn't worth documenting.' Not true."

This statement certainly applies when referring to my life right now. A few "imperfections" almost convinced me not to document this particular time in my life. But after reading the comment on Ali's blog (thank goodness I did)... I'm seeing things a bit differently. Hopefully, years from now, when I look at this mini-album I will be able to appreciate all the goodness that WAS a part of my life now. Hopefully I won't only focus on what wasn't right.

Because there IS good in my life right now. Lots of beauty, lots of love. I just need to document it to remind myself from time to time. So, you see... this project comes at the right time. It's not at all the wrong time to do this.

So, I will share with you yesterday's goodness... all its beauty. Not many words to share this time... I'm honestly just too exhausted to do the writing portion of this assignment but I plan to be all caught up with the writing by tomorrow. :)

We began our day with a yummy batch of banana pancakes... then baked some glorious pumpkin cookies. (Recipe provided by Heather Bullard, thanks!) Delish!

And these shots from the rest of the day... Pretty good stuff... Can't wait to post pics again tomorrow...

20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn...

2008-09-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally upon us... It's my FAVORITE time of year, hands down. There are so many things I am thankful for when it comes to this beautiful season.

Melissa over at The Inspired Room challenged her blog readers to come up with a list of 20 favorite things... I thought it would be tough to do, but actually it was fun! It forced me to remember all the lovely things I have to look forward to in the coming months!

So, here's my own list:

20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn

1. It’s Apple Season
2. The amazing Fall color palette
3. Bringing out the throw blankets and draping them on furniture
4. Visiting the pumpkin patch
5. Cooling, gentle breezes
6. Vintage Halloween decorations
7. Burning spice-scented candles in the house
8. Hot Apple Cider
9. Homemade Butternut Squash Bisque Soup
10. Holiday craft fairs
11. Planning our Thanksgiving dinner
12. Seeing mums everywhere
13. Warm cozy socks
14. Caramel apples
15. Falling Leaves
16. Sweatshirts
17. Cinnamon sticks boiling on the stove
18. Football season
19. Trick-or treaters
20. Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks

[Just a note, though... #20 is actually #1 for me!]

What are your 20 favorites?

photo: Country Living

what has happened to me???

2008-09-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Goodness, it's been a million-trillion days since my last post. Lots of change going on; economy, work, family issues, all of it. Some good, some not so much... But I'm hanging in there. I've had a cold for the past few days, but I'm heading to the doctor in abut an hour...

So... gotta wrap this up. But I want to be back on my blog. My friends ask me why I'm not here, I feel like I've been neglecting a good friend... So, I'll be back later today to share some things I've been up to (and other things I want to begin).

Hope you all have a beautiful day.

:)

Exactly.

2008-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's nuts. I can't believe how the gas prices are changing from day to day here in Southern California. I mean, I go to bed at night and it's one price; I wake up in the morning and it's a few cents higher. Happens every day, I swear. I feel like I don't want to go anywhere in my car right now... Not even to Costco, or Target or whatever... I just can't stand using up the gas in my tank because I know the next time I put gas in, it's gonna cost me a heck of a lot more than the last time! Grrr....

And another bit of sadness for me today... About an hour ago I was ordering at my favorite Starbucks drive-thru and my barista was so sorry to inform me that the Starbucks Skinny Mocha has been DISCONTINUED. WTF? How can they do that? Something about Starbucks is not producing the sugar-free syrup anymore. Grrr... Grrr... I hate that. Oh well, maybe I'll save some money by ordering just plain brew coffee now. Yeah, save some money to put more gas in my SUV's tank. Have an excellent weekend.

There's No Place Like Home.

2008-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't that the truth? No matter where you go, people and places you get to see, don't you agree that HOME is the best of all? It's where I can feel most comfortable, and protected and loved. By far, it's my favorite...

So, I'm taking another online class from Shimelle. This one (as you can see) is called "There's No Place Like Home. I really can't wait to get busy on this class. If you're interested in seeing what it's all about... click here.

I'll try to get started with this today, and will hopefully post my answers to the first prompt tonight.

Have a great day!

Easter Blessings.

2008-03-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

So, we all had a low-key Easter this time around because the triplets all seem to have ear infections. I have a call into the doctor to hopefully have them seen tomorrow. So although the Easter holiday didn't go like I had planned, I am feeling blessed about this...

We colored eggs last night, while the girls were feeling well enough to do it. It didn't last long, but they had a good time while it did.

Happy Easter!

Goodies.

2008-03-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

This will be a quick post... I just wanted to share a few of the little goodies I picked up over the weekend... I planned to dig into them by now, but I haven't had a chance... Maybe once the little ones are off in Dreamland...

Look at these yummy scrapbook snacks...

Super-chunky glitter flakes, charms, Maya Road clear ribbon, vintage keys, velvety ribbon... I'm thinking of lots of kewl things I can do with these.

Also, Julia and I have been working on a secret project... I think I'll be able to show you a pic by Friday.

*smiles*

Have a happy week!

Saturday thoughts.

2008-03-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday... and I'm at home all day today. Such a blessing. I work often because I want to (and I need to right now), but it's so nice to be at home on the weekend. It's been a crazy week... but I was just thinking about all the good stuff I've been loving lately, despite the crazy stuff in my life right now.

* The mild weather here in Southern California. Today was such a beautiful day, you really couldn't ask for a better one.

* Watching the triplets at dance class. So stinkin' cute. I've been missing the last few classes, maybe a month's worth, so it was nice to see them in all their ballerina cuteness this morning.

* Scrapbooking, card-making and other art. I amaze myself with the fact that I have been making time to have fun with all my goodies. In fact, tonight I'm gonna work with Julia to create stuff for the house. I can't wait.

* Friends who I can REALLY open up to, like Melissa and Karen. It is such a blessing to have people like them in my life. The older I get, the more I value true friendship in my life. Thanks, chicas. (Although I'm quite sure neither of you are reading!)

* Family connections. Seems like the family unit is doing pretty well. With two teenagers and three preschoolers, it isn't always the case. But things are pretty good here and that makes me feel so good.

* Apple pie a la mode. We had famous Julian Apple Pie, warmed and topped with Breyer's Vanilla ice cream last night. Besides the fact that it tastes heavenly, it also reminds me of our family trip to Julian, CA a couple of years ago with my parents. Such a good time. I think I'm gonna go check the fridge to see if there's any more left...

Just thinking about all the goodness around me helps me to get through the challenging times. And days like today are so awesome.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to change your clocks before you go to bed tonight!

Creating.

2008-03-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

I love when the kids get creative. Especially when the older ones share their art with the little ones. Last Sunday, Julia wanted to paint a canvas to have in her room... and invited Malia, Kaia & Marisa to join her. I love that.

So fun.

February Love

2008-02-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

It's February... I thought I would borrow these prompts from another blog I came across the other day...

*i love the smell of: clean laundry.

*i love the sound of: children playing in the sand, with the sound of the ocean waves in the background.

*i love the taste of: cupcakes, just about any flavor... such a heavenly confection.

*i love the sight of: proof of life; in a garden, in art, in the people you see on the street.

*i love the feel of: a gentle kiss on my cheek... I'm lucky enough to get one every single day at this point in my life.

Love is the best.

happy 2008!

2008-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's a new year... And so long since I've blogged... Is anyone out there still reading?

Regardless, I think it would do me good to get back to being a regular blogger. So many things going on in my life right now... And I'm not documenting a bit of it. Such a shame.

I'm going to come up with a plan to rectify this no-blogging problem I've had for probably more than a year... And hopefully I'll be back with regular posts!

Hope you're enjoying this fresh start of a new year!

Here's a beautiful shot of my girls from December. We had a great time celebrating the Christmas season!

I am...

2007-06-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

... surfing the net while the triplets are sleeping
... finishing up a slice of pizza
... thinking of all the things on my to-do list before we head for Vegas for the weekend
... hoping for some excitement on General Hospital; it's been a little boring these days
... am in the process of planning summer playdates with a friend... can't wait!
... wishing I had time to scrapbook more often
... sitting on a pile of laundry (not literally)
... determined to eat healthier
... having serious beach-envy these days... i wish i lived closer than one hour away.

*I'm hoping to post again soon, not waiting 1/2 a year for the next one (like last time)

Halloween + Scrapbooking. They both ROCK.

2006-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know Halloween is over, but I still wanted to share this adorable pic of the kidlets with you! We had a great time on Halloween night, the triplets had a "preschooler" Halloween party with some friends and classmates from their preschool. So there were about 12 kids in the house that night, eating pizza & mac 'n cheese, and lots of other ORANGE food... and playing silly games and laughing and tearing my house up! It was great! Plus I got to catch up with my good friends Monica & Melissa while our little ones hung out. Good fun.

I'm totally stoked about my all-day crop today. I'm gonna head out there at about noon and scrapbook my brains out! Probably until at least 9pm or so... We'll see if I can hang in there and stay till 11pm like the rest of the "die-hards". If you aren't busy, come hang out at Inspire Me...

www.inspiremescrapbooks.net

Have a great day!

accomplishment.

2006-10-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

1. Got the grocery shopping done today. Bank account down by $200.

2. Made bank deposit.

3. Picked up the kidlets from preschool on time.

4. Baked banana muffins while the little ones napped.

5. Watched General Hospital uninterrupted, WOW.

6. Here for the garage-door-repair guy. All fixed.

7. Dropped off payment for water bill.

8. A couple of loads of laundry, done.

Now, this is just the main stuff, not including all the little things. Wouldn't you say that this is enough for one day? Do think I could convince my husband that I shouldn't have to cook dinner too? Sounds like a great night for pizza!

I think I'll print out this list and put it on the fridge, just in case there are any objections.

...and now... a Hallowween Meme

2006-10-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged to do this Halloween Meme, so here goes:

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
The Exorcist
I STILL cannot watch this movie without getting totally freaked out and covering my eyes!

2. What's your favorite Halloween costume from childhood?
Raggedy Ann
Man, I was little when I wore this costume. I can't remember wearing it, only seeing pictures of myself in it. So stinkin' cute!

3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream costume be for this Halloween?
the White Witch from Narnia.
Love those white dreds.

4. When is the last time you went trick-or-treating?
Sometime in the early 80s...
Yeah, it's been awhile.

5. What's your favorite Halloween candy?
Milk Duds
But this is my favorite candy, all of the time. Not just at Halloween. But I also love caramel apples and make them every year for Halloween!

6. Tell a scary nightmare you had.
Man, don't make me talk about my nightmares...
Or else I'll have another one tonight.

7. What's your supernatural fear?
That "Bloody Mary" is real.
So don't ever try to make me look in the mirror in the dark. I'll never do it.

8. What is your creepy-crawly fear?
Big huge fat spiders all over me.
I just hate spiders!

9. Tell about a time you saw a ghost or something went bump in the night.
I have never seen a ghost or head any crazy ish at night. Thank goodness or I'd be damaged for life.

10. Would you ever stay in a haunted house overnight?
Hell no, never.
I'm the biggest effen scaredy-cat that you could ever know.

11. Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O'Lantern Carver, or do you get really creative with your pumpkins?
I do BOTH.
I love carving pumpkins and usually carve & decorate at least five or six!

12. How much do you decorate your home for Halloween?

I love to decorate as much as I can for Halloween (or as much as I can afford to). Despite the scary aspect of it, Halloween is my favorite holiday, along with Thanksgiving.

13. What would you have printed on your Tombstone?

"She who loved Halloween but was afraid of the Dark"
(sheez, I don't know... just put my freakin' name on there so my kids can find me!)

a Meme day.

2006-09-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm making it easy on myself... A simple Q&A:

How do you take your coffee/tea? Usually, straight from Starbucks. But at home, with cream and one packet of Splenda.

How do you like your eggs? Over easy.

Favorite breakfast foods: Waffles. Breakfast foods are the best!

Coke or Pepsi? Hands-down, Pepsi. But make mine DIET.

You're feeling lazy. What do you make? Eggs.

You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Mushroom-Black Olive-Fresh Tomato

You feel like cooking. What do you make? Enchiladas. Yum.

Do any foods bring back good memories? Homemade tortillas always make me think of mom; but I don't know how to make them.

Do any foods bring back bad memories? nope

Do any foods remind you of someone? I don't think so.

Is there a food you refuse to eat? No, I can't remember REFUSING anything in a long time. I guess it would have to be something especially gross.

What was your favorite food as a child? Pizza.

Is there a food you hated as a child but now love? Green Vegetables!

Is there a food you loved as a child but now hate? Nah...

Favorite junk food: Ice Cream

Favorite dessert: Ice Cream

The perfect nightcap? Ice Cream

Do you have any weird food habits? No, pretty boring, huh?

Have a wonderful day!!!

National Underwear Day

2006-08-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

I think this is the funniest thing I've seen this week. Still, I love the concept!

Look at this blurb from the official website:

"Our message at Freshpair is the belief that underwear deserves a lot more recognition than it gets."

How cute is THAT?

So take some time today to think about your underwear. I'm thinking of bopping right over to Victoria's Secret tomorrow morning and stocking up on the cute 5 for $25 undies!

Enjoy National Underwear Day!

10 Foods You Should Never Eat

2006-07-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

I got this in the mail yesterday. On the front of the envelope was the title, "10 Foods You Should Never Eat". Are you kidding me? Well, okay... whatever about the Campbells Soup. Yucky. But, the Haagen-Dazs? The Starbucks? What is the world coming to? I will definitely NOT be ordering the magazine/book that gives me more information on this topic. I say that ignorance is BLISS.

I'm heading out the door to get some ice cream for myself and for the kids. And you better believe it's going to be Haagen-Dazs vanilla. No doubt about that.Stay cool!

It's okay...

2006-07-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's totally okay that:

I no longer have a salary-earning job.
I cut out a million recipes from different magazines, but have only tried maybe one-fourth of them.
I love to drink coffee any time of day.
I spend at least one hour on my computer daily.
I sometimes like to eat breakfast food for dinner.
I drive a big ol' SUV and spend too much on gas. {Hey, I've got 5 children now!}
I haven't finished earning the degree I want, yet...
My siblings say that scrapbooking is such a "MOM" thing to do... WHATEVAH!
I enjoy watching the same shows that my teenage girls watch.
My collection of shoes is pretty much limited to flip-flops in every design possible.
I used all of my 401k savings to buy the house I'm living in now.
I don't look like a supermodel.
I don't have a son; honestly, I've never wanted to have a little boy {don't hate me!}
I usually dream of food... most often, cupcakes.

5 things...

2006-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

5 things that put me in a good mood:

anything chocolate
a clean house
extra money in the checking account
a shopping day
an awesome morning cup of coffee to start the day out right!

What things put you in a good mood?

those {everyday} luxuries

2006-07-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

{thanks for the blog challenge from the 2Peas message board}

What everyday luxuries could I *NOT* live without.

Really made me think. What could I not live without? I could probably live without any or all these on my list, but I'd definitely rather not live without any of them. Jeez. How spoiled are people nowadays? Pretty spoiled, and pampered, I suppose. I mean, our ancestors from way, way back didn't have a choice to have or have not. They just dealt with whatever came their way.

We are so lucky to live in 2006. Because I would hate life without:

My computer + the internet. Man, could you imagine? No email, no online shopping, no message boards, no blogs. First thing in the morning, I turn the pc on and hop on the internet with a cuppa joe and the Today Show (more on that) playing in the background. My homepage is the Weather Channel, so that I know what weather to expect and I can plan out my day. Then it's off to check my email, upload my most recent digital pics, surf for any great sales at Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, etc.; and of course, get some inspiration for my current scrapbooking pages wherever I can find it.
My cell phone. Remember the days when we'd have to pull over into a gas station or shopping center to use a pay-phone to call home? And you could just forget it if you didn't have change for the call. Totally SUCKED. Life with a cell phone sure is a heckuva lot easier, I say.
My iPod. No more shuffling around with CDs or radio stations, I get to listen to only the music I love. And no stinkin' commercials. YES.
Air conditioning. I would not survive life in Southern California without my A/C. My family, my dog and I would ROAST. Especially on a day like yesterday when the temp reached 105 degrees. Serious heat, there.
Satellite TV + tivo. I gots to have my DIY, Food Network, HGTV, E!, my morning crew on the Today Show, and of course, my daily soap- General Hospital.

I'm sure there are lots of great things out there, but these so TOTALLY rock for me. I'm glad I don't have to do without. Imagining it is bad enough.

world traveler

2006-07-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter, Julia, is coming home from her trip to Rome today. Tonight, I should say. Her flight will be rolling in to LAX just a few minutes shy of midnight. I wonder if she'll be the same as when she left... Will she have a new appreciation for the great big world we live in? Will this be the beginning of a life-long love for international travel? Will she choose to do a portion of her college studies abroad? Will she be more mature? Will she be changed by going to a region so rich in history?

I really want her to make a scrapbook about her trip when she gets home... I hope she'll be willing to do it. {Let's hope she took a gazillion pictures, like I asked her to.} I so want to take in all she has seen, touched, smelled, eaten, etc while in Italy. I know I'll go there on my own someday, but until then, I'll live the experience through her.

Can't wait to see her tonight. Seems like she's been gone for so long.

it's all in a hard day's work...

2006-07-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Would you call being a stay-at-home mom to 3-year-old triplets and to a pair of teenagers REAL WORK? The equivalent of an "acutal" job? ... shoot ... I would. And I do. My husband and I talked a little bit about this about a week ago. And at the end of the conversation, I made it pretty clear to him that I didn't consider my job (SAHM) any less strenuous than his (Military). Not by a long shot. Honestly, it takes so much out of me, that if I have things to do (bills to pay, errands to run, chores to do) it all has to be done in the early part of the day. Because once evening hits, I'm pretty much SPENT. Seriously. Not too long ago I was such a night person. Nowadays, I can barely hang on long enough to watch the 11:00 news. Not much Dave Letterman for me these days. Bummer.

That being said, the one thing that is my greatest pleasure after the work of the day is done, after kids have gone to bed, is catching up on my current read. Right now, it's "Blue Smoke" by Nora Roberts. I've never read one of her books before, but I'm really liking her style. I'm all caught up with my Book Club reads, so I picked up this little paperback while I was visiting my mom just a week or so ago. Mom hadn't read it yet, so I sorta swiped it from her since I didn't have anything of my own to read. Great book.

I'd love to hear if you have any good reads of your own to share. I've read a bunch of books in the last few years, but I'd love to read more. Nothnig beats ending the day with a juicy book, sometimes paired with a lovely glass of wine, too!

.mea culpa.

2006-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Mea Culpa. I was reminded of this expression today while watching "Real Simple" television on PBS this afternoon. It's basically an admission of guilt. Seems appropriate for me to start out my blog today with those words. My blog has gone to all h-e-blank-blank... What used to be such an enjoyable part of my day has just gotten lost somewhere. How do I make it a part of my almost daily routine again? Put in into my Palm Pilot as a daily task? Make Blogger my Home Page? Type in a few words while I watch General Hospital each afternoon? Any suggestions? Hmmm... I guess I'll just take it as it comes and I hope to get on track again.

This morning I spent some time on marthastewart.com . Lots of "good things" to look at there. I printed out a few projects I'd like to try during the summer, mostly home decorating ideas. If I'm successful at any of them, I'll post a pic or two here. We'll see...

My oldest daughter is in Rome as I type away... She's in an amazing place right now, taking in such beautiful scenery, learning about the history of civilization, religion, culture, etc. It's funny how the USA just celebrated its 230th birthday, while Rome has been around for ages. Wow. It's amazing just thinking about it. I hate to admit it, but I really am envious of her being there. It's the one place I have to visit before I die, and at 18 years old, she's already there. :: sigh :: That's okay, I feel she is truly blessed for this opportunity. And someday it will be me. Meanwhile, I cook in this 100+ degree weather in the Inland Southern California area. Jeez. Wish I were anywhere else, actually.

i'm such a non-blogger these days!

2006-05-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

so... I've been away, my blogging commitment has gone to heck! Sorry, friends!

Here's a quick run-down on the latest...

My oldest daughter will be 18 years old on Saturday. MAN. That's all I have to say about that... well, except that we're planning a kewl party for her on Saturday night. Details and pics to come soon.
I've been ROCKING on my scrapbooking lately! I've been doing so good. I'm working on a project right now that I can't really share yet, but I'll be sure to post some images once I'm able to share...
If you have children, I just want to share this with you... Their Senior year of high school will be more EXPENSIVE than you think it will be!!! Save your money now!
I'm really trying to be bathing-suit-ready for the summer... working on it now, staying commited so cheer me on!
I've really cut down on the caffeine in the last month, and I see no real health benefits so I'm considering going back to my daily 2 cups of joe in the morning and my Diet Pepsi in the evening...

That's all for now! I'll be back soon!

Has it been ONE MONTH?

2006-03-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

hmmm... one month has gone by since I last logged into my Blogger account... It's amazing where your attention goes once your husband returns home after being deployed for almost 8 months...

but in a nutshell, here's what's happened in the last month:

Most importantly, my husband is back. And it's great to have him home. Our family was more incomplete than I had realized without him. Our home-life feels so BALANCED. And I'm much happier and less stressed out.
Tax refund came, and WENT. It's amazing how fast money goes... Man!
My sister got MARRIED. It was a very nice wedding and we had a great time in Vegas. We hope for all the best for her, and her new husband.
I'm starting a job-search for a part-time weekend job, something to supplement our household income and to get me out of the house... Any ideas?

And that's about it, other than the usual day to day. Tonight I'm planning to hunker-down and get busy with a "Senior Year" scrapbook I'm working on for my daughter. I'm sooo behind...

my favorite holiday of the year.

2006-02-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

yes friends, it is my favorite holiday of the year. but i have no hubby (at least on this continent) to share this romantic holiday with...

::: sigh :::

did i mention that my husband is a mere 5 days away from returning home from his 7-month deployment?

::: sigh :::

yep, it looks like valentine's day will be extending into next week for us. might as well make it valentine's month!

on a good note, the girls (my daughters) and i have some plans for raspberry s'mores after a nice dinner at home. i can't wait!

de-cluttering.

2006-02-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

I've gotten started on the "de-cluttering" I mentioned in my resolutions. I keep trying to imagine what it will be like to be completely uncluttered. Is that even possible?

Man... If I could have a home that always looks just like the pages of my favorite magazine, Real Simple. It would be heaven.

Oh yeah, back to my de-cluttering project. I've started to list things on eBay, to find new homes for items that I don't use anymore. Much more to follow, hopefully. Link below.

My Items

Wish me lots of luck and lots of bids!

:: RESOLVE ::

2006-02-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned in my last post, I've got my resolutions for 2006. And boy, do I have plenty of them! I don't know if this is a good thing (I've got plenty of opportunities for change) or a bad thing (I'm setting my goals too high). Regardless of the outcome, I'm keeping them all on the list for now. We'll see on December 31st if they actually happened. But that's truly what I'm hoping for.

I've broken them down into the different areas of my life, categorized them if you will:

SELF

"Schedule" time in my days to do the things I really love to do.

Get out more often with friends.

Read more great fiction.

HOME

Continue making our new house a "home" by decorating and such... (get busy!)

Try one new recipe a month.

De-clutter and become more organized.

Keep to a regular housekeeping schedule to avioid those power-cleaning-marathons on the weekends!

Get selling on eBay and have a garage sale or two! Simplify! And no more knick-knacks!

FAMILY

More patience.

Find new and better ways to communicate with my teenage girls.

Work on building the relationships with my husband and daughters, on a daily basis.

HEALTH

Be strong and fit.

Run a 5K race this year.

Be concious of eating food that is really GOOD for my body. Don't waste calories on the crap!

SPIRIT

Attend church regularly, no excuses.

Attend a women's retreat, if possible.

Give blessings.

Pray WITH my family, not just for them.

ART

Scrapbook 50 pages this year.

Keep the scraproom moderately clean and organized.

Visit 2 peas daily, for inspiration

Attend CKU again this year.

Be creative in all facets of my life.

LOVE

Regular "date-nights" with my husband.

Remember to cherish my marriage, we've got a good thing going- even after 18 years.

Give more hugs.

Say "I love you" more often.

FINANCES

Build up my home business.

Continue to FOCUS on reducing our debt, make it a priority.

Save.

I think that about covers it. I'm planning to make a mini-scrapbook album to keep on my home office desk so that I can see it all 365 days of the year. I'm serious about doing all these things and I want a daily reminder of it every time I sit down here to get things done.

Thanks for letting me share. Now I'm off to make that mini-album!

I'm a BAD, BAD blogger...

2006-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... We're already 27 days into this month and not a single post for me. How did that happen? What did happen? Oh, I know! LIFE. Sometimes life does not allow for the fun stuff like blogging. This month has been so busy. But on a good note, it has pretty much FLOWN BY. That's a totally good thing, because it means we are one month closer to re-uniting with the other parent unit of this family. My husband is due back in something like 24 days from now. I can't wait. My fuse is burning low these days!

So, with the new year came new resolutions from me. I will list them tomorrow though, I'm on limited computer time right now. The triplets are watching Dora the Explorer, so I've got exactly 20 minutes to get this blog entry written and published. Just curious... what are your resolutions? (Maybe I'll steal one or two from you!)

My sweet friend Christie sent me this list of "Five Simple Rules". I was happily greeted by this great message in my in-box this morning. Here it is:

THE 5 SIMPLE RULES TO BE HAPPY:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

I think this is great advice. This one may be print-worthy, and I may even hang it next to my workstation so that I can see this every single day. Even though I try to apply these things to my daily life, it would be nice to have a reminder to look at from time to time...

Be happy today!

Christmas Morning.

2005-12-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

Early in the morning...

... and after the kids come downstairs...

It was such a great Christmas!

christmas card.

2005-12-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

90°

2005-12-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the official 1st day of Winter. It was 90 degrees today here in the inland areas of Southern California. You read that right... 90 degrees. The surf is high along the coast, up to 20 feet in some areas.

With the exception of Hawaii, where we hope to live again someday, I can't think of any other place I'd rather live.

I'm not a cold-weather person so this is totally working for me.

The weatherman says that on Christmas Day we should expect a high in the 70-degree range. Right on!

Isn't she Lovely?

2005-12-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the prettiest darn electric mixer you've ever seen? I thought so. Meet my brand-spankin' new Kitchenaid heavy duty mixer in a lovely shade of Pistachio...

I took this picture yesterday right before I used it for the first time. It took me so long to use this thing... I actually bought it almost 2 years ago, but I thought it would be just too much trouble to take it out, get it dirty, clean it up again, etc... Boy, was I wrong. I think this is the best invention since sliced bread (and the iPod, of course)... Made my Christmas baking a heckuvalot easier, that's for sure.

I'm only halfway through my baking though, so I don' t have pics to share just yet. I ran out of butter and flour. So I'll resume my work tomorrow and show you all the results when I'm all done. I actually can't wait to get back to work!

Command Christmas Party

2005-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday the girls and I attended a childrens Christmas Party sponsored by my husband's command on Camp Pendleton. There was food, drink, crafts & movies for the kids, jumpy houses, and of course... Santa. This is how close my triplets would get to Santa...

Presents or no, they just didn't care for Santa at all.

They preferred to stay within arms reach of the big red guy.

After Santa completely left the building, I got this shot...

I guess there will be no picture with Santa this year. Have a look at the last 2 years' pics:

Is it just me, or is there a pattern beginning to develop that shows that things are just getting worse?

today's entry is brought to you by the number "35"...

2005-11-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. I'm 35 years old. eeek, did I just say that out LOUD?

It wasn't as fun as birthdays in years past; in fact, it was kind of suck-y. Must have everything to do with the husband being like 45 million miles away, eh? No one to take me out to dinner, no one to take me shopping... although I did get some kewl gifts from my parents and my sister. I'm hoping for a more fabulous celebration next year.

So, I'm 35 years old.

Man.

Oh, guess what I did yesterday? I dyed my hair DARK. Okay, my hairdresser actually did it, but I made the big decision... She says that more people are going darker these days and ditching the light hair. So I guess I'm sorta keeping up with what's new and happening... It's not black-black, but it's like a black cherry. I wanted dark and I got dark. So long, highlights... I was so tired of them. My hair looks shinier and healthier. I'll take a pic when I'm not so lazy.

Laters!

our Thanksgiving...

2005-11-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

Well, Thanksgiving was a little somber without my husband... But we all perked up when he called us that evening, from who-knows-where. The girls and I (all six of us) enjoyed a simple Thanksgiving meal with just our favorites. It was so low-key, it made me wonder why I usually go all out and work myself until I feel faint. It was a bit of relief, not having company. {Really} Hmmm... maybe we could do this EVERY year!

No pictures to share, but we did have a great dinner. I hope you all had a fun holiday as well!

christine needs...

2005-11-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

So I was visiting Colleen's blog today (she's one of my regular stops), and she posed this question:

"So, what's up with your name? What needs do you have according to Google?"

Let me explain. There's this new thing going on in "Blogland" where people are typing in "{your name} needs" in the search box and writing down the first 10 things that come up in the search results. So I typed in, "Christine needs" into my Google toolbar and this is what Google claims that I am currently in need of:

1. Christine needs help.
Um, yeah. Tell me something we all didn't know already.

2. Christine needs your active support.
Hmmm...

3. Christine needs to have an attorney.
Uh-oh.

4. Christine needs a new fashion template.
Well! I admit it has been forever since I've been shopping for myself, but...
Is it really that bad?

5. Christine needs to go.
Am I in trouble?

6. Christine needs to see her doctors.
It appears I am sick.

7. Christine needs some lovin'.
That's for sure... my husband has been gone for FOUR LONG MONTHS. :: sigh ::

8. Christine needs you to vote.
Too late, sister. Election day has passed.

9. Christine needs to get some rest.
That's for sure. Two teenagers and the triplets, a house, a dog and numerous other commitments... I'm pooped!

10. Christine needs to get a life.
What the...
Is someone spying on me?

That was fun blog entry for today. But all these needs have given me some food-for-thought for today...

By the way,
what do you need?

dinner tonight.

2005-11-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Homemade Potato Soup.

In the words of Rachael Ray, one of my favorite Food Network personalities...

"YUM-O!"

employed.

2005-11-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

My girl is a working girl now. I can't believe it.

Well, she is 17 years old after all. I shouldn't be surprised, since I started working at 15-1/2...

She's so proud of herself. And I'm so proud of HER.

Halloween

2005-11-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween. This year the triplets were old enough to enjoy it. They definitely loved the trick-or-treating!!!

Here are our butterflies...

and the entire gang: from left, Marisa, Kimberley, Julia, Malia and Kaia on the end (with our next-door neighbor as Tinkerbell)...

Hope you had a great Halloween, too!

Good-night Miss Moto...

2005-10-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Moto was a good friend. She was with me for over 2 years and she did her job well as my trusted cell phone. It was hard for me to believe that she was coming to the end of her time here on earth. But once the screen went blank and I couldn't see my address book or caller id window, I knew it was imminent. It was just a matter of time.

Here she is at her final memorial today:

Notice the signs of her illness on her CID window? :::sigh:::

And here she is in open position... {{ blank screen, sniff }}

She is such a goner. I was bummed so bad...

But alas, a FedEx package arrived at my door today...

... hmmmmm ...

Could it be? A NEW COMPANION FOR ME?

Heeeelllllo, Miss Sami!

I'm hoping that this relationship will be as long and trusted as with Miss Moto.

What a beauty!

(now I'm off to fill up my address book!)

YOU CAN DO IT! (the merit badge handbook for grown-up girls)

2005-10-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

This is my newest-found reading material and I'm completely taken by this book! It follows the Girl Scouts "recipe" for earning badges as you learn new things and try something you've always wanted to do. Except it's for "grown-up" girls like me who need a little support and guidance to get us to do new things! After all, don't most of us forget about all the things we used to dream of doing once we have families to take care of?

From the very beginning, it's so inspiring:

"Anytime you want you can leave behind the world as you know it and enter the world as you dream it..."

"The universe moves in mysterious ways when you truly commit to finding and following your bliss..."

This book is really making me think of things I haven't thought about in YEARS. It's gently pushing me to go there again, to dream for myself. I'm loving it. My first assignment is to write down all my dreams. The dream-jogging questions I have to ask myself are something like this:

1. What childhood pursuits or pastimes would you like to pick up again? {hmmm...}

2. What would you do if you won the lottery, and money were no object? {oooooh, I'm gonna like this one...}

3. What would your perfect day contain from sunup to sundown? {I'm thinking sandy beaches, children staying at home with the Nana, margaritas, shopping, massage, etc...}

and so on...

I'm thinking this would also make one heck of a journal/scrapbook... Yeah...

Belated Birthday Photos

2005-10-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

What... not a single blog entry for October yet? That's a shame, as this may be my favorite month of the year. {{ Note to self: I must make a point of documenting how I spend this month... }}

Unfortunately, I have to back-track back into September. I don't know how it happened or why, but I totally forgot to post a picture of my daughter, Kimberley, on her 15th birthday! I know, BAD MOM! I think it just slipped my mind. I've been meaning to do it, so here she is:

She's a little cutie, isn't she? She's a good kid, too. She's got a temper, that's for sure, but a very good heart. I can't really believe she's 15 now because she was our baby for so long. She was 12 years old by the time the triplets came bursting into our lives. Poor kid, she had it made back then... Sometimes I wonder if this all has been too much for her because since the little ones arrived, she's kinda detached herself from her dad and I. I don't know, it could be the age, or the circumstances. I guess it's hard to go to being the middle child after being the baby for so long...

I look forward to when I can devote a lot of my time and attention to Kim. This year it's nuts with my husband being deployed and also being my oldest, Julia's, senior year in high school. I think Kim is just going to have to work with us this year. But once her sister is in college, I really want to focus my energy on Kim. Hey, I've only got a limited time with these kids, I've got to make the time count. Before I know it, they'll be grown adults and it will be too late!

Here are a couple more shots of the day, which by the way, was September 15:

Kaia with the plastic cake cover on her head...

... and Kim's mini-birthday cake and flowers from a friend ...

triplets + church = STRESS!

2005-09-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, I haven't been to church much since my triplets were born... Everyone who knows me knows how much I love my Catholic faith, how much it means to me to keep God first in my life, but circumstances have really changed since the triplets were born over 2 years ago. Let's just say that my parish priest and I are not on a first-name basis; and that's just WRONG.

I guess the move to Southern California from Hawaii has something to do with it as well... I mean, moving to a new town, starting over with a new parish, etc... And then there are the TRIPLETS. Honestly, we have tried a few times to take them to mass with us since they've been born, and most times it has been almost disastrous. I mean, it's amazing how quiet and content they can be when they are at home; but step into a church for prayer and reflection... I believe that they think it's the perfect time to scream and fight and cry and run, etc... And so it went at mass yesterday morning...

{{{ sigh }}}

But, I will try again next Sunday. And for a few more Sundays after that. I'm determined to help them learn how to behave in church. God please give me strength.

Fall is Here!

2005-09-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how very much I love the autumn season? Well, in a nutshell, it is my very favorite season! I love how the oranges and deep yellows and browns appear everywhere, I love the cooler and crisp air that surrounds us, I love the clothes that we are able to wear on account of the milder weather (although I have been known to wear my rubbah slippahs year-round), I love the apple season, and of course, my two favorite holidays are Halloween and Thanksgiving!

This morning's news report says that Fall will arrive at appoximately 3:30 here on the West Coast! I feel like I should celebrate! It's been a terribly hot summer here in Southern California, so I welcome the beautiful Fall weather with open arms! WELCOME! WELCOME!

I found some cute wallpaper to change my desktop on my computer... Don't these images make you feel like fall is really here?

HAPPY FALL!

I'm Back!

2005-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Man, oh man... September has been the month of illnesses within our household. First terribly bad colds, then the stomach flu... ACK! But alas, we are all better now. Thank goodness!

Today was a good day. First off, I heard from my husband. He's currently in Greece and he called us on the phone today. It was such a relief. I just miss him so much. And I have 4 more months to go before he gets back. How am I going to do this?

Well, the good thing is he is safe and sound. That's what's most important. I don't know when I'll hear from him again and that really bums me out. There's a good chance that it will be a significant amount of time before he's close to a phone again. ::: ugh :::

On another note, I'm feeling really good today. I'm so happy to have beat the various illnesses that were really getting me down. I'm ready for some fun. As luck would have it, tomorrow (Tuesday) night is Bunko night for the Mothers of Multiples group I belong to. Perfect. I need to have some fun and get some time out of the house by myself. I anticipate that tomorrow will be another good day...

SICK

2005-09-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

OMG, has it been TWO FULL WEEKS that I've been sick? Unbelieveable. This cold (which I am just now getting over) thoroughly kicked my a*s. Whoa. And don'tcha just hate being sick with a terrible cold when the weather is warm and sunny outside? That's the worst!

Well, to recap where I've been and a little of what I've done while I've been MIA here in blogland, here are some tidbits. On the last weekend of August, my little sis drove all the way down to Southern CA to see me and hang out with my family! It was kewl. We made cards, spent some time at David's Bridal (she's getting married in early 2006), stayed up late, etc... I really enjoyed having her here. Here are some shots of our fun at the bridal shop...

Kim trying on a gown...

Julia & Kaia in the shoe dept...

Trying to keep busy...

Marisa isn't having much fun...

I have more stuff to share, but I'm short on time since this is the triplets' naptime, and my once chance to do all the important stuff I've been putting off until they fell asleep! I'll be back soon!

Scrapbooking at Midnight

2005-08-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Like any true scrapbooker would, I decided to start a page at just after midnight. Hey, it's quiet, I can get it done uninterrupted and I was really in the mood to create tonight (this morning).

This is what I came up with after starting about an hour ago:

It's the title page to the Book of Me/All About Me album I have just begun. I am following the challenges posted on the Simple Scrapbooks Message Board. I'm so thankful that this challenge came up because I've been meaning to get this album going for so long! Yes, it's a simple layout but it's a title page so I thought simple was appropriate here.

Thanks for taking the time to look. Now I'm off to bed!

::: Starting Preschool :::

2005-08-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

My triplets attended their very first day of "preschool" on Tuesday.

Technically, it's not your traditional preschool. It's our local school district preschool's "2-year-old program." But still, it's preschool, right?

I was so impressed by the teacher, the curriculum, etc... But most of all, I was impressed by these big girls --

The girls checking out the toys...

Marisa sitting at her table...

Malia balancing herself:

Kaia eating snack:

Malia & Marisa eating snack together:

The staff treated them like the big girls that they are... Not like at home where they are pampered and fussed over by everyone. And you know what? They loved it! I certainly learned a thing or two on that very first day!

We're going back Thursday morning and I can't wait!

Excellent Weather We're Having...

2005-08-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Current temperature outside: 66 degrees F. (10:10pm)

Today makes the second day in a row that we haven't had to use our air conditioner. All I can say is...

"Aaaahhhhhh..."

Could this be the beginning of the end of the extreme heat we've been having for the past month? I sure hope so. I need a break. And so does my pocketbook! Running the A/C on a 2400 square foot house is getting freakin' expensive!

Until tomorrow! Stay cool, friends!

Guilty Pleasures

2005-08-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, well... I'm working on someone else's circle journal right now. The theme of her CJ is "Guilty Pleasures." Since I'm determined to get my contribution for this CJ done (or at least started) tonight, I thought I'd put my ideas down before I design and create my layout. What better place to do this than on my blog, right?

So it got me thinking... Do I have any guilty pleasures? Anything frivilous that I do just for me??? Hmmmm... This is what I've come up with so far:

DAILY: My iPod Mini. It was one of the costlier purchases for myself during this year (I don't spend much on myself anymore), but it was so worth the money. I am totally getting the most out of this little dynamo. I listen to my faves in my iTunes music library most days.
WEEKLY: Starbucks. Ok, no biggie, but sometimes I feel bad when I buy a treat just for me. I don't even know why I feel guilty about it... Maybe because I'm not working anymore and since I could very well make my own cuppa joe at home? But then I think to myself, "Don't I deserve this?" The answer is always YES. I sooooo love that Grande NonFat No-Whip Mocha and I inhale its goodness each time I experience one...
BI-WEEKLY: Scrapbooking with friends at a CROP. Sometimes it's not easy to get out of the house, or I feel guilty for leaving my family for an entire day (although sometimes it's only for an evening), but I do push myself to just go. And when I finally get there, I'm always glad I made it. The uninterrupted time to myself to just sit and create and talk and laugh with friends is PRICELESS. I wouldn't give this time up for anything.
MONTHLY: Pedicures. I really try to limit myself to one pedicure a month. In between pedicures, I do change my own polish, etc. but it just isn't the same as letting someone else do it. So very relaxing. And don't forget those cute little flowers I like to get during the summer.
SEMI-ANNUALLY: Aveda Concept Salon. An entire morning with my hairdresser getting the much-needed haircut and highlights. Now, sometimes in the busyness of my life I sometimes let this go when I really shouldn't... But if I'm on time, I make it in to my favorite Aveda Salon every 10 weeks or so. And you can certainly bet that I enjoy every minute of it... especially the scalp massage I get while getting my hair washed... HEAVEN ... and before I leave, I stock up on all my favorite Aveda hair products. It's the best stuff out there, if you ask me!
A COUPLA TIMES A YEAR: Massage. OMG. I feel unbelieveably good after a good massage... So stretchy and limber, so not stressed-out, kinda tingly... I really should make time more often for this, but I'm lucky to get out of the house sometimes!

So what do you think? Should I feel guilty? To be perfectly honest, I don't think I should feel guilty one bit. But they are my little indulgences; things I treasure and appreciate because they are out of the ordinary day-to-day stuff I do for myself and my family. Thank goodness for the little things, huh? I think they keep me sane!

I'll try to post my layout by tomorrow night...

Summer Vacation comes to an end...

2005-08-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

"The Big Sisters", as I affectionately call them, went back to school today. It was so quiet in the house, and so unfamiliar. Funny how I got so used to them being home all day with me and the triplets...

Ok, ok... I MISSED THEM...

... a little...

"Last Night an iPod Saved My Life..."

2005-08-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thank heaven for my little green iPod Mini... I love her so much... She totally came through for me yesterday in a way I never would have imagined...

So, it was a stressful afternoon with the triplets on Saturday. Nothing major, but they had thoroughly made a mess of the living room and family room, including digging in some mashed-up crackers into my couch, spilling their drinks (accidentally on purpose) on to the tile floor in the entry way, and taken every toy they own out of their play area and spread it out on the entire first floor of our home.

Then the headache came. It was quick and strong. I could feel my eyes throbbing.

I coerced my 14-year old take her baby sisters upstairs to the loft for awhile so I could get my wits about me and clean up the terrible mess. After securing the rarely used baby gate, I took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom to take some meds for that no-good headache. I've learned not to wait when one of those comes on... Better to nip it in the bud before it ruins my entire day (or evening, in this case). Once I was medicated, I remembered that I had recently put some meditative music on my iPod. Hmmm... I thought. Could this actually work?

So I spread myself out on the couch and turned it on. Kept the volume low so that it would soothe me, but loud enough to drown out any voices of my 4 daughters upstairs. I set my cell-phone to go off in 30 minutes, in case I fell asleep, because I still had to clean the mess. I proceeded close my eyes and let it take me away.

It worked.

30 minutes later, I was awakened by my cell phone alarm and the "album" was just wrapping up. I felt refreshed and calm, and better yet, the headache was ALL GONE. Wow.

I will definitely use this technique again. Props go to the person or persons who came up with that clever little life-saving gadget.

{ just my simple thoughts }

2012 Goals.

keeping up with my December Daily.

this is what 40 looks like.

today.

still learning something new everyday.

learn something new everyday.

makes me happy.

this was soooo made for me...

february love.

neglected.

Christmas blessings.

happy birthday, Mom.

Christmas memories + traditions.

small world.

Week 1 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas

I am a winner.

goodbye, summer.

Musette Bracelet GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

for today.

so long, june.

weekend.

cherry farm.

bento catch-up.

8 things.

bento friday.

mother's day.

bento friday.

bento friday.

20 happy little things.

bento friday.

so long, April.

video.

Me. Today.

so very proud today.

babies and chilies.

Catch-up.

Project 365 update + more.

Inauguration Day.

Project *365* -- Week 1

Cookie Exchange, continued... --->

It's a Cookie Exchange!

Goodbye Cottage Living.

Netflix today.

I love Mondays.

Hello, November!

A Week in the Life... Day 2

A Week in the Life... Day 1

20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn...

what has happened to me???

Exactly.

There's No Place Like Home.

Easter Blessings.

Goodies.

Saturday thoughts.

Creating.

February Love

happy 2008!

I am...

Halloween + Scrapbooking. They both ROCK.

accomplishment.

...and now... a Hallowween Meme

a Meme day.

National Underwear Day

10 Foods You Should Never Eat

It's okay...

5 things...

those {everyday} luxuries

world traveler

it's all in a hard day's work...

.mea culpa.

i'm such a non-blogger these days!

Has it been ONE MONTH?

my favorite holiday of the year.

de-cluttering.

:: RESOLVE ::

I'm a BAD, BAD blogger...

Christmas Morning.

christmas card.

90°

Project 365 -- Week 1