2011

My fellow bloggers are writing year in review posts, so since I'm flying solo tonight I figured it might be fun to look back at what I've blogged about this year. I tried to pick one post for each month, but some of them I had to choose two, and some I didn't have any-when I was recovering from surgery.

Always the first part of the year for us....Supercross. This year we went to the inaugural event at Dodger Stadium. We won't ever make THAT mistake again! Trying to save driving time came back to bite us because Angel's Stadium has a bajillion reasons why they host Supercross better than Dodger Stadium. Now we know! It's always SO fun, we've gone for years and when you're familiar with the riders it makes it exciting even for a girl. ;)
One of my favorite things to do with our extended family...fondue! I hosted a fun Family Valentine's Fondue Night. Why not show the people you love how much you love them?
One night in March, while watching tv on the couch after putting the kids to bed, I got the call I never expected. My dad, who had JUST beat colon cancer months earlier, had died. When people who have been though it tell you to never waste a minute of your life with your loved ones....believe them! I still push it to the side of my mind. I know it really did happen, but I still don't feel like it happened. To have your dad pass away in his recliner in front of the tv because of some sudden killer (stroke, heart attack, blood clot, we'll never know) is too unreal to believe. You may go to bed tomorrow and wake up to a completely different world than you know this minute. Like I said, believe me. I treat his cancer like a gift. That may sound strange, but the only suffering he did was throughout the surgery and recovery. He didn't need chemo or anything beyond removal of the cancer. It was a gift because we all got to say our goodbyes before he went in to that surgery. It was a gift because I got to see him that last time. They never made their next trip to visit me, he died three months before they were going to come to California. I am SO thankful that I went to Ohio for his surgery and got that last hug goodbye the day after his surgery, in his hospital bed, before heading home. I MISS YOU DADDY!

I didn't blog about this, but only a few short months later, my closest friends {literally our families have been best friends since I was 1} also lost their dad in a shocking way. It's still too much for me to bear. I still have his email saved that he sent me after my return from Ohio, offering to do anything for me I needed. Sitting in his memorial I relived our entire lives with our families joined as close as any two families could be. I just wanted to lock myself in my room the rest of the day and cry till I had no more tears left. Hearing taps twice. Seeing the flag folded twice. Gasping for air that cannot get into your lungs fast enough. In many ways our dads were very similar and in many ways they were different. I remember their dad singing to us constantly, not surprising since he was a musician. I remember him tucking us in on any of our 4 billion sleepovers. I think at this point in the mourning process, I can honestly say that thinking of either of them makes me cry the same amount. If it weren't for his family, my family wouldn't exist. It was because of his daughters that I visited California as a teenager (after they moved here from Ohio), met my future husband, and eventually moved here, got married and had kids. God has knit our lives together in such beautiful ways it blows my mind if I think about it too long.

We were blessed by being able to take our annual trip to the happiest place on earth. There is nothing better than Disneyland. (except when the bones in your knee are touching) ;)I decided to build us a headboard after being inspired by The Idea Room's blog. I LOVE our headboard and people can't believe that I made it.
I got the BEST birthday gift ever! My first very own, non-hand-me-down power tool! This bad boy means business! I'm so thankful my dad wasn't afraid to teach me how to use my hands. I still remember being in our basement as a child, my dad teaching me how to solder. Not surprising since he was a welder on the ships in the Navy, and even taught welding classes for them when he was stationed in San Diego. My dad could fix ANYTHING. He instilled the mentality in my head over and over again, that you do something RIGHT, and you do it WELL. If it doesn't work the first time, you try it again a different way until you MAKE it work. My old black box of drill bits and old drill that my mom sent me after he died are my most prized possession of his and I use them ALL the time.
My girlfriends and I were able to sneak away for two nights in Long Beach. I think we may have burned more calories laughing than we ate! And if you knew how much we ate, you'd know that's saying something!
I'm nothing if not determined when it comes to decorating on the cheap. I asked at Restore if they had a pallet I could buy, and they told me I could go to their old location and take as many as I want for free. So, that's what I did...all by myself, heavy, spiders and all. Nothing a pressure washer can't handle.

I can't leave out Cami's pink poodle in Paris party. It turned out so beautiful.Ok, I'm STILL in disbelief over this next one. My husband and I, and two of our friends, got to see U2's 360 tour LIVE. I will never look at Angel's Stadium the same way again. When U2 comes on my pandora station (several times a day), I still get butterflies in my tummy remembering how unbelievable the concert was. I may have to cross this one off of my bucket list twice if they ever schedule another tour in California. I'm concert-ruined for life because no band will EVER top this one in my book.
I love this acid mirror that my chivalrous husband helped me with so that I wouldn't burn my skin off with the acid. What a guy. ;)
I bought a Italian table off of Craigslist, refinished it, and refinished thrift store chairs to make a whimsical dining set. Yep, I still love it.
I planned a dessert table for my girls' swim teacher's birthday. These colors are just something I can't get over. I love how it turned out.

During the summer, I did a ladybug themed party for a dear friend. It turned out great, AND it turned out into a family beach weekend since I had to travel for it. Sa-weet!I just really love my rustic shelf and old window frame, and I like how it turned out for fall. ;)
A week before my major knee surgery, I ran around in the heat working on a big rustic wedding. I worked on it for months, and it ended up beautiful.
"The Journey" post was probably the hardest and most time consuming blog post I've ever written. It is the complete, A to Z journey of the most challenging months of my life. If you've ever been in so much physical pain that it temporarily removed your fear of if it actually killed you because it would mean an end to the pain, then you would understand it. I can rejoice in my suffering now, because through it I was able to train deeper in godliness.
My favorite December post would have to be these gifts I made for Christmas. I'm dying to make myself one.
Well, that was time consuming but fun to look back through the year. I don't really understand it when people say "this year has been terrible, bring on 2012!" because this has definitely been the hardest year of my life. Losing my dad, losing the closest thing I had to a second dad, suffering intensely throughout my surgery, complications, and recovery for months. I've never dreamed of a harder year, but isn't it still full of blessings? I don't want to forget this year and what it's taught me. I feel like the steps that I've taken forward could not have been taken had the challenges not forced me to do them. Would I rather have my dad back? Of course! BUT, I don't believe wishing away a bad year makes the next year any easier. It's just a new set of 365 opportunities. Opportunities to grow. Opportunities to show love to others. Opportunities to serve someone else. Opportunities to reach levels of peace you never knew possible. Opportunities to train your body and your mind to be disciplined. It's 365 gifts wrapped up with a big red bow.

Taste of Orange Blossom {Almond Crusted Triggerfish}

Tonight I got to take my two girlies to be my food blogging dinner dates! You'll have to bear with my photos this time...I rely on my hubby to light up the food with his flashlight app while I snap the pics. I've found it's the best way to take food pictures in low lighting. BUT my hubby had somewhere to be tonight, so I worked with what I have. ;)
Tonight started off with my most beloved salad dressing of all time: Orange Caesar! I have to keep this in the rotation to satisfy my longing taste buds. With the three course specials, you can choose from either soup, salad, or the special salad of the day. Any way you choose, you can't lose!
The main squeeze tonight? Almond Crusted Triggerfish and Almond Prawns with Schezwan Sauce. Triggerfish is a moist, flaky white fish caught in tropical waters. It had a perfectly toasted crust of almonds. Yum, yum. I love the way Chef George doesn't just settle for one layer of flavor on anything he creates. It's not just fish, it's fish with a layer of crunchy texture, and bursting with flavor from the sauce. If you've read my blog for awhile, you KNOW my feelings on their Almond Prawns. If I could put a big red heart right here, I would, because I LOVE me some almond prawns!
It was served with Parmesan potatoes {see that giant Parmesan crisp? hello, lover!}, sauteed greens, ratatouille, and garlic bread! Seriously, without my hubby there to help me tonight, I HAD to have a box for my leftovers, it's a lot of food!
I am SO glad I tried the special dessert tonight. When I heard it was a Sweet Potato Tart topped with Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream, I thought "huh? sweet potato?". THANKFULLY I know that if it's comin' out of OBJ's kitchen and it sounds a bit funny, just take the leap, it'll be worth it! If I hadn't been told that it was a sweet potato tart, I would have never known. Look, I'm no professional food critic, but I DO know when something makes your taste buds stand up and dance. The tart was warm, soft, sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, and topped with homemade bourbon vanilla? Sold! Seriously, I thought I was too full for dessert, until THIS hit my lips!

I'm so thankful for a place where you are not just cattle to be herded in and out, it really does feel good to go where everybody knows your name.

Check 'em out here!

Shabby Chic Baby Rocker!

A few months ago my cousins had their first baby!  She is PRECIOUS and is the first baby of the grandchildren on my Mom's side of the family.

I had planned on refinishing this sweet rocker for her baby shower, but life kept getting in the way.  I finally got it finished for Christmas!

This is the best before I have of the rocker:

I tightened up some of the wobbly areas and filled in some of the holes.  Her room is light gray, light pink, and white.  So I primed the chair in gray so it would show through when I distressed.  I then painted it white and softly distressed it.

I was a bad blogger and only snapped one poor quality photo.  It turned out so cute though!

Here is my sweet cousins' baby girl sitting in her new rocker on Christmas morning!

She is possibly one of the best babys I have ever met.  She never fussed no matter how much we passed her around.  We were all fighting over who got to hold her!

Also, I'm about to begin a big makeover in my current office and make it not only more suitable for crafting, but more grown up looking.  I'm majorly obsessed with gray right now, so this is a sneak peek at my new craft room color!

Cheers!

Chalkboards from Cabinet Doors

I've been asked how I painted these to get the distressed finish. I didn't take step by step pictures because I was super busy making Christmas gifts-too busy to blog. I went to Restore (the Habitat for Humanity thrift store) and bought a couple of plain, unfinished solid wood cabinet doors that were dying for a makeover. I'm kind of picky when it comes to the framing that I like. These were each only $5. The metal pieces you see on each side were in the drawer knob aisle, just random metal parts. Some were $0.10, others were $1. They were ugly metal, but I spray painted them black and then took some sandpaper to the edges to age them a bit.I used a paint called Green River for this one. I LOVE this color! It looks lighter in the picture because it was FREEZING outside and it fogged up my camera. ;)
After I painted the color, about 3 coats, I painted 3 coats of chalkboard paint in the center. I let it all dry overnight and then roughed up the edges with sandpaper. Then I took a bit of Valspar's antiquing glaze and wiped it quickly on and off the painted areas. You only do one side at a time, because you want to remove most of it before it gets soaked up. You're just looking to age it a bit, not turn the whole thing black.
After that, I added my metal pieces and the upside down drawer pull to hold the chalk, using Amazing E6000 glue. Keep it flat so that the pieces don't slide and let it dry overnight.
I am totally in LOVE with these, I keep searching for more materials each time I check out Restore. You never know what they'll have since it's all donated.

Taste of Orange Blossom {Smoked Pork Chop with Spicy Apple Butter}

Last Friday night we got back to our normal routine of date night, but with the holidays, I am just now getting around to posting it. We were SO happy to be back where we belong, at our favorite restaurant. We started off the night with Crabcakes. They come with a big scoop of Mashed Potatoes in the middle, and they are fantastic. Crispy edges, and filled with flavor.
The special salad was a Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing. When I say spinach, I mean the real deal, not mini-sized leaves that come from a bag. Look at that picture and TELL me that doesn't look bursting with flavor. I dare you. Ha ha.
I was THRILLED after being away for a few weeks to spend our date nights Christmas shopping and taking care of our sick kids, to see that the Smoked Pork Chop with Spicy Apple Butter was one of the specials. It might just be my absolute favorite! There is no way you can put this thing to your lips and NOT "ooh" and "ahh" over it. You have never tasted a pork chop like this, I assure you. It was served with Ratatouille, Potatoes, Sauteed Greens, and Garlic Bread.
The three course specials always come with dessert. How about a Chocolate Trauma? You can put me in the ER anytime if the trauma involves this dessert! It never, EVER gets any better than homemade ice cream. That's just ALL there is to it!

As always you can check them out here. If you don't have any plans for New Years Eve, call ahead to make a reservation, they're having a special night of live music, and a special menu. I'm sure it'll be a good time at the Junction!

Merry Christmas!!!

In the Orthodox Church we say, "Christ is Born!" and then the response is "Glorify Him!"

The Priest at the church we were visiting last night told the following story in his sermon.  I was inspired and enjoyed it, so I will share it with you here.

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and the metaphysical meaning of Jesus The Christ, despite her husband's disparaging comments.
One snowy Christmas Eve, the wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused.
"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth through a man called Jesus who became the Christ? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump.
Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese.
Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.
So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.
The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.
Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.
"Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.
"If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.
Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.
He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.
He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"
Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to lower Himself to be like us? That's ridiculous!"
Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and enlighten us.
That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and he pondered this wonderful thought.
Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Jesus who became the Christ had come, so that we could become the sons and daughters of the Living Christ.
Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!" 

May your Christmas be filled with love, family and happiness.

Merry Christmas!

From our Charlie Brown tree to yours...

Merry Christmas!



Happy Holidays!

Wow, how time flies?!?!

This time of year is busy for everyone, that I know, but this year has been an even more busy and hectic  (and let’s add “flat out crazy” to the adjectives) on me and my husband.   See about two weeks ago some things presented themselves (most would just call them life).  My husband found himself in a situation at his place of work, a crossroads, if you will.   With a family to support, we had to make a decision quickly.  Our decision was to go into business for ourselves.      Without going into great detail, this type of work has been in my family for years.  My husband, at the age of sixteen, learned the trade from my father who learned it from his father.   I know we will be fine and business will be great but nevertheless it’s scary and exciting.       

As for me, I know I haven’t posted much in the last month and now you know why.  Christmas decorating has taken a backseat to the starting a new business only a few short weeks before Christmas.  I’m sorry I haven’t be a great source of inspiration lately and just know that I have several BIG projects to reveal, but they will need to wait for after the holidays and my short break.   Yes,  I will be on a short break from blogging until I can find a rhythm  to my new schedule.

I hope everyone has a wonderfully safe holidays.  Please take the time to enjoy your families and thank God for you blessings. I know I will!

Double Wine Tote Bag!

A few nights ago I was trying to decide what I wanted to make for my cousin's Christmas gift.  I had already made her a cute pillow for her apartment, but I wanted to do something else.

Then it dawned on me - she loves wine!  Why not give her a bottle of wine in a wine tote!

But then I had another great idea - a double wine tote!!

So as usual, I ran to google for answers and found an amazing double wine bag tote tutorial from HashiWorks!  Yes please! She even has a pdf file you can download with step-by-step instructions!

I loved these so much I have made three so far!

This is my favorite!

I'll be adding a flower embellishment to this bag tomorrow.

And this is the bag I made for my cousin.  She is a BIG Georgia Bulldogs fan, so I made it in bulldogs colors.  It matches her pillow that I'll post later!

Each of these took me about 1 1/2 hours to make - but I'm a real slow sewer.  I'm sure some of you pros could knock these out in no time!  These would make great gifts for anytime!

I used the wooden dowels from Lowes with the green end - I spent $3 in total on two dowels and had enough for three totes.  You use less than 1/2 a yard of fabric for the inside and outside, and I used fabrics from my stash.  So in total, each tote bag was about $1!  The contents are what cost me money!

Oh, and I took these to the wine store with me to pick up some wine, and they loved them!!

Cheers!