Ocean Blue to Burnished Brown

I would have to say that of all the women I know, my friend, Becka, has the best eye for home decorating. She really knows how to make her house into a home, but while doing it, she keeps her style current and uncluttered.

About a month before I moved to Vtown, she and I went to a Pottery Barn class about decorating for summer. It was my first time in a PB and I totally loved it. I always knew how to decorate for Christmas, but most of that kind is pulling big things into the house and adding tons of stuff for celebrating. What I learned that day was the idea of having some basic accent pieces that I can tweak to change the room. This system totally works for me because I'm not a furniture rearrange-er or painting party person or Showcase Showdown winner so these small things are enough for fun without hassle! The only things I change are vase fillers and pillowcases.

Well it is officially fall, which means that I need to change up the decor. Farewell seashells and hello leaves! Most everything has stayed the same this year, meaning that I'm not acquiring new things to use, except for two.

The first new thing I have for fall is this pillowcase I made. Jaime shared a tutorial she found on Cluck. Cluck. Sew and when I saw it, I had to make one too.  The difference between a beginner and professional is that I took 5 hours to make my pillow and Allison, of Cluck.Cluck.Sew, took 30 minutes to make hers.  haha  AH!!!  I'm sure if you tried it, you'd be somewhere in between.  I will slip in a quick note that I believe I have substantially more petals than she does.  I am anal retentive.  But I'm excited that this pillowcase can last me from September to March!

Can you see my toes in this picture?  [I'm about to brag, so grab your vomit bag.]  I have the BEST luck with pedicures!!  On my toes is my french manicure (french pedicure?) paint from 4.5 weeks ago.  My toenails grow super slow and the paint clings like a mother. If only my callouses would require less attention... TMI?



Okay, so my other excitement is this tree branch.  Scoff if you will, but I've been wanting something fall and tall for this large vase for almost two years.  I've been on the hunt and although you can find silk flowers in lots of stores, I just wasn't as happy with the quality of the others as I was for the Pottery Barn one.  So for Christmas last year, I asked for a Pottery Barn gift card from the in-laws and I've been saving it for this very thing!!  Just got it yesterday and I'm really happy with it.  Although as I look at it, I think I need some more rocks in that vase...?  What do you think? Something's kinda missing on the table when I see it in the picture, even though it looks fine in person. Hmm...

Happy Fall, everyone!

I wish you beautiful leaves and pumpkin spice lattes!

The LBC, part 2

For the last 40 years, my family has been going for Chinese food at Le-Yen. My great grandparents first discovered it, and our whole extended family loved it. Once my parents and I moved to Orange County, our visits were only for special occasions. And since my immediate family moved to Vtown three years ago, we haven't been at all. So while the aquarium was loads of fun, I think it was a secret excuse to go to Le-Yen. =) If you find yourself in the LBC with a hankering for some egg flour soup, consider Le-Yen's. It's at 4140 N. Atlantic Ave.

I don't think they've replaced their serving ware at all in the last 40 years.  This may be off-putting to new comers, but it was like a "welcome home" to me.

Pinkalicious loved her chicken nuggets and shrimp.  Not such a fan of the fried rice, though. =)

I forgot to take a picture of the fortune cookies and almond cookies before we each had one.  It's a tradition to open the fortune cookies first and to take turns reading them aloud.  You may be scoffing that I would call it a tradition, but there are so few things my family does repetively that don't include recliners and Jeopardy, that I call it a tradition.
Here are our fortunes:

Dad: "Your good nature will bring you much happiness." This was especially funny because he was kinda pissed at that particular moment.

Mom: "Business and health matters will improve around you." We all felt glad to be around her, and bummed for her that her situation was apparently going to continue to suck.

The Hubs: "You will be surrounded by things of luxury." I'm holding him to that.

Me: "Continue to use your talents in art and music."  Since then I have only been speaking through song.

Pinkalicious: "You are a leader in your own way."  We're not sure if that backs up her benevolent dictatorship, or if it's like saying that an ugly person has alot of character in their face.

Wasn't sure if the statue's handful of coins was an offering, or some sort of Asian "Need a penny, take a penny."  I figured I wouldn't find out by taking a quarter and ending up with Mushu rallying my ancestors against me.  We were happy enough to be taking the leftovers home! =)

The LBC, part 1

On Friday, my parents took us to the Long Beach Aquarium! I was especially excited for this venture because when I was little, my dad's parents would take us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and it was my favorite. It was there that I fell in love with ocean life, especially sea otters, and the opportunity to continue that with my parents and my kids was extra specially special.

The Hubs' expression is fabulous in this picture!

(That's our yacht in the background, btw.)

Aquarium + Sea Otters + Dana = Happiness

Fam and Fish!  Pinkalicious is sporting her fish face. =)

Petting a shark!!  This was a big step for our cautious girl!

Sea Anemones.  I thought they stung, but these did not.

Our little trooper!  He had a meltdown after 1.5 hours in the Ergo.  He and I were both sweaty messes, but he quickly recovered with sweet smiles and squeals.  I entered a wet t-shirt contest and the day camp kids voted me the winner.

Daughter and Daddy

Jellyfish abounding

The white in the middle is several hundred fish eggs laid in a sea anemone!

Pinkalicious found pink fish!!

5(Nemo + Dori)

Sea Dragon and Sea Horse

Both the sets of pictures of my parents and the sea otter exhibit turned out awful.  (I used it as a plug with The Hubs to get myself a Nikkon D5000... maybe if Santa comes in the form of the Lotto.)  But Pinky loved it, which of course delighted me!!  I am so thankful to my parents for a great trip and fun memories for all of us!!! 

If you are going for something new for your kids, I would definitely recommend the aquarium for ages 4+.  I think if the kids are any younger, they'd be more focused on the other people than the exhibits.  But of course, if you're going for your own fun, there's nothing wrong in bringing them.  Bring your AAA card for ticket discounts and plan to dress for both inside and outside weather - if you do this on a rainy day, you'll be missing alot. 

Flowers for Fall

It's September!! And with a change in the month and weather (albeit, we're back in the 100s now), I wanted to get a little crafty to celebrate. Craftiness is something I have gleaned from my Vtown friends. It is not a natural character trait, so it's always a gamble when I take on a new project.

Jaime (of John Mayer and The Baeza Blog) mentioned fabric flowers in one of her blog posts back in the spring, and I remembered her saying it was easy. She is a craft queen and I should have known that when she says it's easy, that is not equalvilant for a girl who is all thumbs (although, being all thumbs, I could probably kick her butt at the Hand Jive.). So I gave it a try and chronicled in pictures.

First I cut my fabric into 22" x 4" strips and sewed it together to make a ribbon-ish thing (that's the technical term).

I wove thread along the bottom and cinched up the fabric as I went.

Then I sewed it together.  If the thread didn't blend with the fabric you would see the world's largest spiderweb of thread on the back of this puppy.  This was truly the hardest part for me.  I could not keep the darn thing wound around and/or I couldn't keep it from looking like a fancy coaster.  I'm sure I let some expletives fly.  This should be easy. "Should."

A slightly tilted view of the front.  Once I finished sewing the flowers, I glued a broach pin on the back so that we can wear them - in case you're wondering what the heck someone is supposed to do with a fabirc flower.  As I look at it in this photo, I'm not all that impressed.  They look better in person.  No hard feelings if you click to another blog.

My pile of finished rosettes!

I used my Cricut and made these tags. 

"Happy as a lark to be doing MOPS with you this year!"

A pretty package!

My stash for my new MOPS table and Pinkalicious' preK teachers, Miss Leslie and Miss Diane.

Of course I have to have one for myself!!! 

By the end of making the pins, I felt pretty confident (and I streamed the whole series of "The Hills."  Train Wreck!!!).  I'm very happy with how they turned out! And I'm also happy that Heidi and Spencer did not have a baby.

Thanks to Jaime for sharing her cool idea, and to all you crafty gals for inspiring me to dust off my glue gun and go for it!

A Family Outing (No, I'm not gay)

The Hubs and I went with Mr. Monkey and Pinkalicious to Target (pronounced: tar-shay, if you're desperately clamoring for a shred of class) the other day and we had a great time in the toy section.  Lucky for me, I had my camera to capture the fun!

Look at this freaky-ass Barbie wannabe!!!  I literally backed away in revulsion.  It's too hard to see it in the picture, but this "girl" has golden, star-shaped nipples under her dress that you can totally see. 

1) What the hell?

2) Who would buy this for their kid?

3) Did Target receive a shipment intended for Spencer's Gifts?

4) Why is the clearance price $11.88?! 

This should be a Dundee, not a 4+ child's toy.

Here are modern Barbies.  I thought it was picture-worthy because someone came through and paired Barbie up with a Jacob doll.  Look out Ken; your competition comes in wolf form.

This made my heart skip a beat:  Peaches and Cream Barbie!!!!!!  This was the first Barbie I owned.  I was determined to win it at my school's jog-a-thon during my second year of preschool.  I can promise you there are no hidden stars on this Barbie doll!

Was anyone else a Rainbow Brite fan?  I had the doll and watched the cartoon.  It's weird to see trinkets from my childhood being resold to my daughter.  I wonder how many kids are into these 80s toys, and how many of the toys are actually purchased by parents who want to recreate their childhood for their children? 

I was not the only one reliving childhood memories.  I walked back and spotted The Hubs drooling over Nerf toys and plotting which ones we'll be buying for future Christmases.  Here he is, posing with the sleeping Monkey (pay no attention to that kid behind the blanket) and his favorite Nerf toy of all time - The Dart Gun.

In the end, nothing caught Pinkalicious' attention more than the keyboard.  She enjoyed playing for a while as we all enjoyed mooching off of Target's AC. 

Note:  This is Pinky when I say "Look at me and say 'broccoli!'"  My kid never smiles at the camera.  Whenever you see a picture where she is actually looking AND smiling, know that it took about five minutes to be captured. 


Oh Target, you are the land of red circles, free AC, and real Icees (another fond memory).  And your return policy sucks.

Dana, Jaime, and John - The Hollywood Adventure

On Sunday, Jaime and I headed to Hollywood for a John Mayer concert at the Bowl. It was a total blast!!

Jaime and I rocked The Cheesecake Factory at The Grove. It was kind of miraculous that we made it there for lunch, as we battled it out for parking and waded through a crowd of spectators watching some freaky-deaky contortionists that I quickly excused as being "cool" once I learned they were Cirque du Soleil performers. Although Jaime and I are smiling in this picture, we are silently willing the waiter to stop yacking about the Springville Apple Festival and his ONE friend, Candace, in Vtown, and bring the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake!!! Yes, Mom, we did eat more than dessert for lunch. =)

This is our Beverly Hills 90210 drive.  We were on the lookout for Brandon Walsh and Dylan McKay in the Porshe, although Steve Sanders in his Corvette would have been acceptable as well. 

We kept seeing these banners around town.  At one point, Jaime demanded to know who the heck LA Phil was.  Oh my gosh, it was fantastic!!!!!!!!  If you, too, are wondering, it's an add for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. =)

Jaime and I are certain this is a paint-by-numbers mural, each brick with its own number.  Or, we have discovered the 21st century's Michelangelo!  Little do you know that your great grandchildren will be touring Hollywood and paying money to see the wall of an old pilates studio on which is portrayed the famed Female Adonis of Highland Ave.

Our tickets!  So glad that Jaime played "Mom" before we left town or else there would have been a picture of the Hollywood Kinkos were we had to print the tickets.

Our seats in section U1. Technically the nose-bleed section, and yet totally acceptable and lovely. How can you go wrong on a summer evening? We did purchase the cushion rental for $.75. Money well spent.

We are actually in the picture!!  It's not of our children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A closer look at the Hollywood sign that we could see above The Bowl.  I think I see Brandon and Dylan having a camp-out up there... Too bad we didn't bring our hiking shoes.

Owl City was our opening band.  These guys made me feel old.  I would say that they are in league with Hannah Montana.  Feel free to argue with me, if you're a fan, but we were seriously put off when they had a whole song dedicated to the lead singer's trip to the dentist. For reals.  And there was another one all about riding his bike.  Their lyrics had some real gems like "I've been to the dentist, so I know the drill," and "I rode my bike onto the turnpike and it took its toll."  I gagged so hard on the puns that I didn't need to eat until midnight. 
Jaime and I were floored to learn that they had a legitimate song from the radio called "Fireflies."  Seeing that this band is some kind of bubble gum rock band challenged my assumption that "Fireflies" was all about an acid trip.  I still say these kids (can you see my cane waving in the air as I call them kids?) are a step above the Imagination Movers from the Disney Channel. If they had puppets, they'd have a show for sure.  Opening for the Doodlebops, maybe? ... Too harsh? 

John gets started and rescues our sanity!!!

Lots to say about this picture.  Okay, first, John Mayer opened with four songs played just by him and a friend he brought out from New York to play on the piano.  It was different and wonderful!!  If you go to Jaime's blog, The Baeza Blog, you can hear them play a version of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."  A-mazing.

Secondly, Spike Lee, whose spikes are glistening in this photo (and many others, humph), sat in front of us and had this jet black mess going on with one wiry white hair sticking out at the back.  It was the source of a lot of contemplation for Jaime and me as we turned inwardly, retreating to our happy place during Owl City.  In the end, neither of us plucked it; hence, we were not escorted from the concert with him for brawling.

I so completely enjoyed everything about this concert!!  John Mayer was so great to listen to - a true musician!  He sounds the same as his CDs, which is always refreshing when living in this Brittany Spears generation of big boobed non-talent.  Listening to him live was a chance to hear him jam with the other talents in his band in a way that added to the song and didn't distract from the songs that we know and love and want to sing with.  The Hollywood Bowl was a great venue.  I loved being outside (it was especially handy as many of the people around us felt the need to exercise their right to medicinal marijuana - I'm sure there was no illegal activity on the premises) and even though we were far up, the screens and lights were a great addition to the music - the camera work was fabulous!!

A concert t-shirt, of course!!! "It's been a long night in Los Angeles."  So true, John.  And more to come!

What is Hollywood without the Walk of Fame?  Michael Jackson, you'll never be forgotten. 

Just like Monty Woolley and Jay Silverheels.

Then again, Jay and Monty never had such devoted fans, like Debbie.  How sweet of her to transport part of her shrine all the way from Auckland, New Zealand! Check her out at www.myspace.com/debbies4umichaeljackson It is something to behold.

Graumann's Chinese Theatre.  Yes, I am that white girl who likes Harry Potter.  No, I did not do a charcoal rubbing for my personal collection of paraphernalia.

Matt Damon and I are holding hands!!!

This is the end of the photos.  But our night continued on with a desperate search for radio stations, some Santa Clarita Taco Bell, a freak out by me believing that we were going to get shot by another driver (who was probably just another unfortunate patient with medicinal marijuana), less than three tolerable minutes of Love Line, a brief history of the town of Earlimart, and then home at 2:30am.  It was a whirlwind made wonderful to share it with Jaime.

A BIG shout-out to the hubs for caring for our kids while I had fun!  He was happy for me to go and never reproachful of my time away.  What a joy to have a husband who enjoys time with his children and is glad for me to get some time without the fam.  Thanks, Sweetheart, for your kindness to me!  I love you!!!

Now, about Coldplay tickets...