A Girl In Transit

Within Two Weeks...

2012-01-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Within two weeks we found out Samantha had Roseola AND a UTI (thank you for all the sweet encouragement and prayers), we visited Dadda (Brad) who is already up north at his NEW JOB. Our reunited family for that weekend looked at our new house we'll be renting when Samantha and I move up there, I did some last minute shopping for the colder weather up north, I left a part of my heart in LA, the movers packed everything up and fit my hole house in a truck with room to spare (the truck could fit 3 of my houses... crazy!). Now I'm staying with family until I tie up a couple more loose ends down here before we get to FINALLY be a family again. I miss Brad SO MUCH and I miss seeing him be a sweet father to Samantha. I hate the idea of leaving everyone down here, but I'm ready to move on and have our family be complete again (FYI other than visiting him that one weekend it will almost be a month that we've been apart due to him starting his job early and us waiting to move out of our current place.) I can't wait to start blogging about our new life. I already have fun plans I can't wait to share with everyone.

I hope your January of 2012 is going well. =) Ours flew by!

18 week baby bump

car ride to visit Dadda

Our whole house furniture and all

There goes the couch

My little shopper

A part of my heart is in LA

Oweling

Last night in LA for a while

As a little treat I also added a video of Samantha feeding her baby. It's her new thing and I love every moment she does it =)

She's Got the Fever...

2012-01-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

And it's not the Bieber kind thank goodness...

My poor baby girl. I was putting her to bed the other evening and she felt a little warm. 102 temp. Ah! My first fever experience with my baby! So naturally I called the nurse every 4 hours asking what I needed to do, plus gave regular updates on Facebook to get input from other moms. I feel a little ridiculous. Hopefully I'll be more pro next time around. The highest her fever got was 103.6 in the Dr. office. I was so thankful we were there. They told me the typical stuff for fevers and sent us home.

As much as I hate seeing my baby girl suffer, I couldn't help having a little part of me loving how much she was in cuddle mode. We almost cuddled on my bed ALL DAY watching Baby Einstein and chick flicks. I got her oyster crackers and Gatorade and I had my Thai food. We picnicked on grandmas quilt she made for Samantha while we ate on my bed. As of now she still has a fever, but it's in the 100 range and she's peppy enough to roam and play a little.

I'm praying she gets better very soon, but maybe remembers how much fun it was to cuddle with momma and possibly do it again...wishful thinking.

Dixie, Dancing, and Farrell's...

2012-01-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

So with us leaving we've been scrambling to visit with as many people as we can before we head up north. It's been great because we've been seeing people we haven't visited with in a while, but it's kind of for a sad reason. Makes me wish I made more of an effort to hang out with people before we new we were moving. I was really excited to hang out with our dearest friends Aaron and Delia. At one point they moved to a different state and we did a lot of video chatting with them while they were gone. They were able to move back to our neck of the woods and now WE are leaving! So back to video chats.

We went out to dinner in local downtown Brea, and then afterward visited Farrell's ice cream parlour. For those of you who haven't been YOU SHOULD! It's sooo fun. It reminds me of the Gibson Girl ice cream parlor in Disneyland. We got some ice cream, danced to their Dixie music, and really enjoyed being kind of ridiculous and silly. We sure are going to miss those two.

Having fun with the mustache mirrors in the bathroom

Wow, What a Start....

2012-01-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

So most new years I don't really focus too much on resolutions. Just not my thing. This year is a little different. I'm not making resolutions, but there is definitely a TON of change going on which has caused me to have a lot of HOPE for the new year....

Brads contract folder. That was a very exciting mail day.

In addition to the soon-to-be new addition to our family (Lord willing), there's a couple things I haven't shared on my blog yet. For starters we are MOVING. But not just across town moving, we are moving to Northern California (I'm currently a Southern Californian). NorCal and SoCal are pretty different. Especially for me since I've never lived anywhere outside my Orange County bubble.

BUT THE CHANGES DON'T STOP THERE! The only reason we've decided to pick up and move away from all of our friends, family, everything we are familiar with, AND doing this while I'm in my 2nd trimester is because the offer Brad accepted is from FACEBOOK.

All of these things have come to light in just a few very short months. We start everything new by the end of January (except the baby, who arrives in June). I'm very excited, nervous, a little scared, but the excitement is growing more everyday. It's such a life changing experience and I'm so grateful we get to experience it.

Sooo it looks like I won't be blogging about big city dates in LA as often. Even though we won't be living in San Fran, the Bart is only a hop skip and a jump away so I'll probably try to fill my big city dates with San Fran fun.

I Love Looking Back...

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

I tend to dwell on the past and future and never focus too much on the present. This is something I've been trying to change ever since I had Samantha. I'm trying to enjoy every moment I'm having with her NOW. But I will say it's still fun looking back on this year seeing all the neat things that have come along. I'd love to share my review with you...

- Last winter I had FUN WITH FELT when I first started hand sewing, I got to decorate SAMANTHA'S NURSERY, and I started to learn about the wonderful world of BLOGGING. Samantha took some SPECIAL PHOTOS, she also had a hard time NAPing, and Brad and I celebrated VALENTINES DAY WITH STYLE.

- In the Spring Daphne found out she liked DANDELIONS and Samantha realized she loves BOOKS and FRENCH FRIES. Spring was also a big Pinterest month. I put on my first pinterest inspired BABY SPRINKLE, Samantha celebrated her first EASTER, and she aaaaaaalmost could say MOMMA. I also made my FIRST TERRARIUM and May definitely had FORECASTS OF A LIGHT SHOWER.

- In the Summer Brad subjected me to the SCARIEST ROLLER COASTER EVER, I began PARTY PLANNING for the anticipated 1st birthday, we introduced Samantha to KRISPY KREME, and I did a little SUMMER BAKING. In August Samantha took her FIRST WALK, she also really got the hang of FINGER FOODS, and we celebrated SAMANTHA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!

- That Fall we made a SPECIAL VIDEO for Dadda to see when he got home, we ate a lot of PANCAKES, and enjoyed a little RAIN. We took Samantha to her FIRST PUMPKIN PATCH, she later PAINTED THE TOWN, and we ended up celebrating Christmas on HALLOWEEN.

- This last November and December I got to participate in PACKAGE PALS, we held up our yearly tradition THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, and we announced a SPECIAL PRESENT we are receiving.

Phew! Are you still with me? I know it's a mouthful, but there was so much to be thankful for. I'm very excited for the new year! I hope you all had a wonderful year too!

A Special Present...

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Just setting the presents under the tree =) And no I did not eat a whole pizza to myself. It is what it looks like.

WE ARE EXPECTING BABY #2 IN LATE JUNE!!! HURRAY!

The Classic Santa Picture...

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

The classic "mommy you are so mean" screaming child Santa picture...

My Braided Scarf Tutorial...

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Heather shared the best way to tie a scarf with me! This may be old news to some of you, but it's a lovely braided tying method! I was so excited I had to take pictures. I don't do too many DIY so hopefully this is understandable.... Thanks Heather!!! Also, Heather made this lovely scarf for me as a Christmas gift. Isn't she awesome!

1. Fold scarf in half and drape over your neck. Slip your hand through the loop.
2. With your hand that's through the loop, grab the bottom portion of the scarf tail and pull through.
3.With your right hand grab the other scarf tail. With your left hand slip your hand in the loop, grab the scarf tail and feed it back through the loop.
4. Give it a gentle tug, adjust a bit, and then do a happy dance because you just tied a braided scarf!

BTW I'm left handed so you may want to reverse everything if you are right handed.

My Special Ornaments...

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those people who may not have the most fashionable Christmas tree, but I definitely have a memory filled one. There's a lot of handmade, hand-me-down, and random ornaments that I adore. There are always those few special ones that I get so excited for every year when I unwrap them. I have a hand blown glass egg with little feet sticking out that Brad picked out one year. It totally reflects his fun loving personality which is why I love it so much. An owl ornament that either my mother or grandmother made (forgot who made it), a hand-me-down ornament that looks vintage to me. It's definitely been loved (missing a foot), and lastly a foot print of Samantha when she was 6 weeks old. I consider this her first ornament. All little treasures to me that I can't wait to pass down to Samantha.

Clara and Nutcracker Stocking Pt. 1...

2011-12-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

So last year I tried to make Samantha her first stocking and it didn't work out. A few of you might recall it looked more like an Easter stocking. I gave up on it and decided this would be the year to make her stocking. Well this year I think I have a full proof theme. The Nutcracker. It screams Christmas so I don't think I have to worry about it getting mixed up with another holiday. I actually took a little inspiration from my stocking that my mother made me. I LOOOOOVE my stocking and always have. I remember feeling bad for the rest of my family because I thought my stocking was that much better than everyone elses (super mature right). Below are pictures of my stocking. Thanks mom!

I wanted Samantha's stocking to be cohesive with Brad and my stockings (his is also a homemade stocking). So I traced my stocking to give a similar shape for Samantha's. I also wanted to have hints of similar blue and give Clara blonde hair since Samantha and I both have blonde hair and also the angels on my stocking have blonde hair. I also made the star on the top of the tree a similar shape as the star of Bethlehem that's on my stocking.

So what we have here is Clara sneaking out to see her Nutcracker while the Rat King spies on her from behind the tree. Let's just say I'm getting some serious blisters from all the felt cutting and I'm not even close to being done. I still need to finish all the bows on the presents, decorate the tree, embroider everyone's faces, put a candle in a candle holder behind Clara, and add snow in the window. Then actually put the stocking together. Phew. I think I'm kind of a crazy women too because I'm using no pattern and the only thing I researched online were the details on a nutcracker. Things take longer for me when I follow a pattern so I decided to do it free hand. I think to make my life easier I'm going to fabric glue everything down first and then go back and do embroidery here and there. I'm praying I get it done before Christmas.

Stay tuned for part 2. Hopefully I'll be done by then. =)

P.S.

Below is the first stocking I made that got such bad reviews lol!

Vintage Love...

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

So I discovered recently a Christmas boutique was happening at our local community center. It's walking distance to us so we took a stroll over and did some shopping. I found this sweet little booth that sold everything vintage. I really struck gold. Usually when I go antique and vintage shopping I have to visit multiple shops all day before I find anything worth spending money on. But all I had to do here is stop by this cute booth and I found a handful of lovely treasures that really made my day! I found a sweet porcelain deer (perfect for Christmas), a hand blown glass mushroom ornament, a peg puzzle that is tooooo cute for words, and a really neat children's picture book. I really felt Christmas came early =)

It's Official...

2011-11-27T23:35:00.001-08:00

We can FINALLY and OFFICIALLY celebrate Christmas! I don't have to be tempted by all you early birds who got into the holly jolly season before Thanksgiving. Turkey day has come and gone and it's time to bust out the decorations. We had SUCH a great Thanksgiving. We celebrated with both sides of the family and then on black Friday some of Brad's side of the family (and us too) all drove up to the lake house. The poor guys had to work the whole time fixing stuff up, but us girls and kids had a ball hanging out. I was very thankful for the Fall season, and I'm even more thankful that it's now time for the Christmas season. To kick it off we held up another family tradition and visited Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach. Brad and I have gone every years since we've been married. We putz around, enjoy the Christmas decor, and pick out our ornament for that year. This year I picked out a cute matryoshka doll for the big tree and some cute gold fish ornaments to put on Samantha's mini tree.

P.S.

Stay tuned, I have some fun stuff coming your way on my blog pretty soon ;)

Treasure Hunting...

2011-11-17T09:13:00.001-08:00

So I think Samantha is starting to get a little bored with just hanging out at home with mom. She used to be pretty good at entertaining herself, especially with the help of Daphne (our pug), but lately it doesn't seem enough. The only times she seems content was when we went on errands and took Daphne for a walk. When we have play dates she's still not super into playing with other kids yet either. Soooo I did a little research online and found a few activities for her age range. One was buying a bucket and bringing it on walks with us to collect things. She can fill the bucket, empty it all out, just carry it, the possibilities are endless for this "toddler" (I still consider her my baby!). Boy did it work! Not only did she totally get into walking around carrying this bucket, but she crashed for her nap when we got home (something she's been fighting lately). So we are still in the experimental stage, but it seems like this little activity is a success. I have a few other tricks up my sleeve to entertain her during the day that I can't wait to try out =)

I'm a Package Pal...

2011-11-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't heard of the marvelous Gentri Lee, then you need to! She's an amazing blogger who came up with the idea of Package Pals. It's essentially a pen pal, but instead of sending letters you send each other packages of goodies from where you live. I got paired up with a lovely gal named Ellie from Kentucky. Her blog is called The Usual Mischief. She is so sweet and sent me the best package ever. I was like a little kid opening my package she sent me. I literally was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Below are the images of my package I sent Ellie and her package that she sent me =)

The Package I Sent

There were definitely things in my package that represented Southern California, specifically Orange County, but I also threw in some off the wall (slightly weird) fun stuff too.

In-N-Out hat to represent how people travel from out of state just to have one of their burgers.
Thanksgiving Gumballs. From our historical district where there are vintage and antique shops. Lots of quirky stuff. These were in one of the shops and I thought they were funny, strange, and different.
An Orange. I live in Orange County. Very appropriate.
Poof Balls. These are fancy pea-shooters you can bring to a party. Totally random, but I thought they were original and another item purchased in our historic district.
Poppy seeds. The Poppy is California's state flower.
Felt hair clip I made.
Cotton Candy toothpicks. Another weird item that yet again is from our Orange historic district. I thought these toothpicks would come in handy after a meal.
At every farmers market here in OC I always see an incense booth. I'm not a hippie or anything, but I've always thought it smelled so nice. So I threw in some matches that were incense infused =)

The Package I Received

It was the cutest thing having Samantha help me unpack Ellies package. So many thoughtful items were sent. I had so much fun! She included a few things that involved the Kentucky Derby, a couple hot sauce and BBQ sauces, a nice photo album with a post card and fun facts about Kentucky included inside, a cute little miss Sunshine mug to remind me of my sweet little girl, plus I am a CA girl and we get a lot of sunshine around here. Last but not least a hand sewn stuffed piggy. I LOVED the stuffed pig. Especially since it was handmade. A lot of thought went into it. Especially since i found out it was her first stuffed animal ever made!!!!! What an honor! Samantha loves her stuffed piggy =)

Let's Pretend...

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

So my little honey and I ventured to Pretend City with a friend of ours and her little munchkin. I've heard such great things about the place and the website got me even more excited. Where on earth was this place when I was a kid??? I remember places like The Discovery Zone when I was young which was pretty cool, but Pretend City is hands down way more awesome. So imagine regular every day stuff like a farm, the post office, a beach, grocery store, etc and make it miniature and kid friendly. That's what Pretend City is. Simply rad. I don't know who had more fun, me or Samantha. It was so crowded, but she only got pile-drived by bigger kids twice which wasn't too terrible considering it was jam packed. Poor kid lol.

Picking oranges on the "farm"

I will forever love her alfalfa

Fishing at the "marina"

I Need a Custom Blog Design...

2011-11-12T10:33:00.001-08:00

(Pictures taken on a fun day at Old Town Orange)

Yes, I'm getting antsy again for a different blog look. I keep trying to do it myself, but let's face it I'm not a blog designer. I've reached the point where I'd like to seek out professional help. If you know of a designer or are a designer can you please send me an email with recommendations?

a.girl.in.transit(at)gmail.com

Sashes to the Merchants....

2011-11-11T07:48:00.001-08:00

It's going to be a lovely day, wouldn't you say? The forecast over here is a stormy weekend, but I don't mind. Still lovely since we've had SO MUCH sunshine lately. Today I'm opening my heart a bit over at Sashes to the Merchants. Not something I do in length very often. Stop by and see what's going on. I hope you all have a wonderful day and weekend!

Fancy Fingers...and Pugs

2011-11-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the radio silence yesterday. I either had a short stomach bug or food poisoning. I'm still deciding if I should catch up on my google reader I didn't look at ALL DAY or if I should just hit the magical "mark all as read" button and start all fresh and new today [sigh]

So I've been seeing the glitter ring finger manicure on Pinterest for a while now and decided to give it a try. The nail ladies at the salon were SO impressed with the idea. I think I may have sparked some new sale ideas for them lol. Daphne liked my nails too. She gave her stamp of approval.

Happy Moment for No Reason...

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a wave of joy where EVERYTHING was wonderful and perfect, but for no particular reason? It's so nice you almost wonder if it's a mini chemical imbalance in your brain that will pass and soon enough the current situation seems like a normal moment instead of a moment of bliss? [or maybe it just me] Well I had that on Sunday. Brad was working on his sister's computer and I was lying on the floor next to him just keeping him company. We weren't even really conversing because he needed to focus. But for whatever reason I was loving it. He was doing his attractive man tinkering, the office was clean and organized, it was in the 50-ish degrees range (which is really cold for socal) I was bundled in a cute sweater, baby was happily napping, it was just so wonderful. I was completely soaking up the moment. Then the baby woke up, Brad finished his tinkering, and we had to pack up and go meet family. But the evening just kept getting better. We had such a great time with family. Truly a wonderful Lords day.

We Were Perched...

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

So we ventured our way into downtown L.A. again, but this time we did it with our dear friends Aaron and Delia!!! Well actually, Brad just stayed out there because of work and our friends carpooled with me. We decided to take them to the Perch. We were impressed with the ambiance there LAST TIME that we really wanted to share it with friends. Us girls decided to be a bit whimsical and wear fun hats and do silly poses. We had coffee, tea, cheese dip, and desserts. Not to mention the lovely cityscape view. Plus it was actually cold so we got to bundle up and it felt wonderful. Such a fun evening. I highly recommend it to anyone close enough to visit L.A.

What Sparks My Eye...

2011-11-04T00:57:00.001-07:00

(This pic has nothing to do with this blog post, but I just can't get enough of those pigtails <3)

Lately in the blog world I've noticed some posts asking readers what they like to read about in the authors blogs. When I responded to one of these posts I realized that what I enjoyed about theirs is very similar to what I enjoy about almost all the blogs I love reading. I thought it might be fun to share them here.

Original photos. Pinterest is awesome, but about 80% of most pins I see in blog posts I've already seen on Pinterest. I love actually seeing the bloggers I'm reading about and their daily activities.
Creative photos. It doesn't have to be on a DSLR camera. Phone photos can be amazing. I'm a big fan of the creativity used on how to take the picture. I like close up shots, natural light and corky angles.
Short and sweet. I follow A LOT of blogs so the first things that appeal to me are blog posts with pictures like the above and also not too wordy. I actually have a time limit on how long I read blogs so if I notice something really long (unless the title is too good for me to pass up and sparks my curiosity) then I might not always read those.
Actual DIY. Again I see a lot of neat DIY stuff on Pinterest so usually it's not super new when it gets blogged. I love seeing someone who found a DIY somewhere (like pinterest), but then did it themselves and put their own spin on it. It makes it so interesting and brand new to me.
Pets. This last point is not something I expect of all blogs to do, but it's something I LOOOOVE to see and read about. Being an animal (pug) lover, I like creative posts with pets.

BTW you all should head over to Mr. Taylor and His Lady today. I'm a sponsor on her blog and she's doing a small highlight about me and the other sponsors. Should be fun!

Book Worms

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Samantha and I visited the LA library. We walked there after visiting dadda in the morning and had lunch with him in the afternoon at Bottega Louie. The library is BEAUTIFUL!!!! The architecture is phenomenal. The rotunda right outside the children section is so breathtaking. Every little detail has so much character. Even the elevator was awesome. Us girls putzed around, curled up in a corner to read some books, and then took a little walk in the park chasing pigeons. A fun day with my girl.

Dear Chick-Fil-A...

2011-11-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm ashamed of you. It's bad enough that your sales people say "my pleasure" at least 3 times each visit, but I've been able to look past this since I'd prefer have good customer service than none at all...but Chick-Fil-A, you've crossed a line. I'm speaking of the Christmas decorations that I saw hung on your store on October 30th!!! We technically weren't past Halloween at that point let alone Thanksgiving and you are all ready jumping the gun for Christmas??? Yes I want to listen to Christmas music now, yes I'm ready for the holly jolly season...but Chick-Fil-A, I'm also a creature of habit. I have traditions that need to be upheld. One big ones is the wonderful explosions of the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving!!! I'm disappointed Chick-Fil-A.... very disappointed.

Sincerely,

Lover of the 12 count Chick-Fil-A nuggets

Samantha and the Tent...

2011-11-02T00:00:00.001-07:00

My sweet niece Faith celebrated her birthday recently and had an indoor camping slumber party. So much fun!!! There was a scavenger hunt, felt craft, lantern craft, s'mores, you name it! Click HERE to view more of the party. Samantha came PJ's and all and had such a fun time, especially with one of her younger cousins Gracie. Samantha new just what to do in that tent. I think she's made for camping.

BTW you should all check out my sister-in-law's new blog. I look forward to it daily and know you would all love it too! It's super cute, funny, and endearing. Click HERE to stop by!

"You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"...

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Samantha = "Pink Nightmare" bunny

Me = The beloved Leg Lamp

The Hub = The Fragile Box. Or affectionately pronounced The Fra-gee-lay box.

Awesome right? I'm super proud of our little ensemble. We don't usually put a whole lot of effort into our costumes so actually doing it this year was a lot of fun. The cool part is we got to wear our costumes 3 times (Samantha and I did. Brad wore his twice). We had a few parties and then of course trick-or-treating. I like getting a lot of use out of something I put effort into planning. Needless to say we were a hit. To be honest though it's all Samantha. She steals the show. Especially when she's dancing around practically naked wearing her bunny hat at the parties.

Samantha's Halloween
Festivities...

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

We've been party hopping with our fun costumes. Details soon to come. One of the parties had a photo booth. A REAL photo booth (not the mac application) so we couldn't resist. Even though Samantha wanted none of it lol.

Guess Who's Humbly Happy...

2011-10-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

ME!!!

I hit 100 followers yesterday!!!!! Hurray!!!!! A small, but very exciting victory. All I really do is blog about our family and the things that we adore in life so the fact that other people take interest humbles me so much. THANK YOU!

So let's have a little fun...

Some of you might notice that I LOVE to add funny captions to my pictures. If one of you can add a funny caption to the below picture that will make me laugh out loud...

Then I will send you this handmade wool felt bow that would look lovely in someone's hair for the holidays.

Leave the caption in the comments. I will read every single one and hand select the winner. No random choosing here. So make it good and funny!!!

Submissions end on Tuesday November 1st at midnight PST.

Fruit of Her Hands Friday: Katrina...

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

This wraps up my October series Fruit of Her Hands Friday. I had so much fun organizing this series. I had very encouraging and lovely responses. I've decided to accept submissions from anyone who is interested in participating. Please e-mail me your ideas or a pre-written post for me to review. I'd love to give people a chance to meet other bloggers and share their creativity. Again Fruit of Her Hands Friday is a series that gives us a different and uplifting perspective on things that we all do everyday (for the most part) around the house and for our families.

I am sooooo honored to have Katrina from CaliKatrina do my last Friday post. This woman is amazing. I would put her on my top 5 favorite blogs to read. I get giddy when she updates her blog. She has such a lovely family and takes the most amazing pictures. She's so sweet to do a DIY craft with instructions. I know you will love her as much as I do!
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Fall and winter are here! Which means pulling out all those cozy sweaters and woolly blankets. This time of year also gets me super yarn crazy and always late-night cozied up on the couch with all my fall yarn colors and a handful of hooks. After a long day with two boys, I find my peace with crochet.

I am super excited to share my idea of "shortcut crochet" for first time crocheters or anyone that wants to get that instant satisfaction of a finished project in one sitting. Simply put, I took the current popular idea of yarn wrapping a step further with using the actual technique of crochet. All it takes is learning the first basic stitch, the single crochet, tomake oodles of colorful chains. Then those long chains can be implemented inseveral quick projects to gain the accomplished feeling of handmade, andconfidence in crochet!

First, making a crochet chain...

CLICK HERE to visit my tutorial on these goodies.

Now, take those yummy crochet chains straight to your favorite mug.

Line up your crochet chains...

Crochet them all about the same length, or in my case, make a knot and cut off the excess.

I just heard a gasp from a seasoned crocheter... I know, cutting through crochet is taboo.

But don't be afraid, we are free birds here who break the crochet rules sometimes. Try it. It's liberating. :)

Wrap your chains around your mug, and tie!
You can also get fancy and tie each strand individually and have a line of
pretty knots or bows going down the side of your mug (as seen in the last photo).

And viola! Shortcut crochet mug cozy for you,
or great gift presentation for a mug for a friend.

Now go enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea before the littles are up!

And don't miss more shortcut crochet projects HERE.

Thanks for having me Sarah! And thank you for helping us to encourage

and inspire one another through this Fruit of Her Hands series!

He's at it Again...

2011-10-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you don't know what he's doing... click HERE

Mothers...

2011-10-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

A Mothers market just opened up down the street [insert happy dance]. Yes they are expensive, but I love getting certain high quality ingredients there when I'm in my baking mode. Brad's never been to a Mothers markets which surprised me since Brad loves to putz around places like Williams-Sonoma (I would kind of put these in the same category). We made it a family outing. We found huge Avocados, DIY peanut butter dispenser, and an amazing olive bar. If it weren't for a certain cute baby who distracted us from shopping, we would have purchased a lot more than we did. In the end Brad wasn't really that impressed, but we still had fun. I was so giddy though because I'm a HUGE Giada DeLaurentis fan (I seriously own almost all the same equipment she uses. I'm kinda her stalker). One thing she uses a lot that is REALLY hard to find are San Marzano tomatoes. The ones she uses are really high quality and SUPER expensive (like $5 a can expensive), but I've been dying to try them to see if there is a difference in taste from the Hunts brad. I was a giddy school girl when I found them!

Good Morning Frittata....

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Delia who got me into frittatas....and avocados. They taste so much better when she makes them. =)

¹⁵She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
Proverbs 31:15

It was a frittata morning. I had everything on hand which is the best thing ever!!!! I'm not a fan of craving something to eat but needing to go to the store to get all the ingredients. So when I opened the fridge and saw everything I had I knew just what to make. Frittatas are so healthy and easy to make. Definitely a breakfast for champions. Samantha was asleep, Daphne cleaned the floor for anything that dropped to the ground, and I enjoyed my hot breakfast.

(Recipe below the images)

Breakfast Frittata (serves 2-4)

Ingredients

3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 of an avocado diced in chunks
About 1/2 a cup of quartered cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup diced onions
Salt and pepper

Directions

Pour beaten eggs in nonstick pan. Drop in the tomatoes and onions evenly on top of the egg mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook until firm. Tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread any uncooked egg to the outside of the frittata edge. Evenly sprinkle cheeses on top of the frittata then insert entire pan under a broiler (I used a toaster oven, but you can use a regular oven too). Keep pan under broiler until cheese is melted and the rest of the egg is cooked. About 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle the avocado chunks, and enjoy hot.

My Pumpkin...No MY Pumpkin

2011-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Animated gif how to

Samantha Painting the Town...

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Girl Night...

2011-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so you know how someone like a grandmother will be loving on your baby and say something sweet like "I could just keep you here with me forever" and sometimes mothers (not seriously of course) will respond with something like "Sure keep her for a while". Yah I don't kid like that. Not to be judgmental to people who do, I know It's all in good fun. I just can't even kid about it because I'd miss her like crazy! Yes I know she's going to want to venture out and have sleep overs and not want to be attached to my hip anymore, but it hasn't happend yet and I'm enjoying every moment she wants to be with me. We'll see how I feel when I have more kids. I may want some more mommy alone time, but for now I'm having too much fun.

Brad was gone one evening and I decided to keep Samantha up late and have a girls night with her. We ate soup and sandwiches at a bakery, wandered around Cost Plus, and I let her run through the water fountain that's downtown (it was at least 75 degrees out). It was SO MUCH FUN. you'd think after being with her all day that I would want the evening to myself, but this little girl is such a bundle of joy, love, and party animal fun. I am really looking forward to all our experiences together. The good, bad, and the girly =)

Someone's Ready...

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

We'll complete the outfit when it's actually cold enough to wear clothes around here. Hopefully before Christmas, but who knows.

Best Pink Week Picture...

2011-10-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion of course. This is our sweet Daphne at about 9 weeks old when we first got her. Yes, I went through a phase where I was THAT kind of dog owner. I'm past it now (to my husbands relief)

Fruit of Her Hands Friday: Amy...

2011-10-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

(Fruit of Her Hands Friday is a series that gives us a different and uplifting perspective on things that we all do everyday (for the most part) around the house and for our families.)

Below is Amy from Tiny Green Elephants. She has such a sweet and genuine lifestyle blog. She purely writes about the love for her family and her day to day life as a mom. Very refreshing and I always look forward to her posts. One thing I LOVE reading on her blog is all her recipes she puts together for her little man Finley. She made her baby food and is transitioning to solids. She has the best recipe ideas. She even grows some of her vegetables in her yard!!! Very inspiring. I know you'll love her!

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Recently Finley, my good eater, has been snubbing his finger foods. What? I had rarely seen this boy turn food away, despite the form. As a mama, I love feeding my lil' guy good food, so I was in a pickle.

The Tiny, happily enjoying finger food--pre-finger food strike. Hmmmm...

So I reached into the cupboard and pawed around for the food processor once again. I decided to mix together the food I had previously diced up for chubby little fingers.

I must say I had missed making his baby food in this way, and I was glad to be able to do it again. Who would have thought? I love combining different kinds of foods together, and Finley loves eating it. As I blended and steamed fruit and vegetables, I marveled at the fact that I hadn't even realized I had put the food processor away. That in doing so, the season of my life of making pureed baby food for him was, in most respects, over. These little windows of opportunity in our lives really just go so fast, almost in the blink of an eye.

Apples and zucchini? He slurped it right up off the spoon, little stinker!But I must say, there is a day in the distance I am looking forward to even more. That day will come when small, yellow flowers begin to bloom. When the teeny, round orb under the flowers grows bigger and bigger.This is my small garden, with seeds I planted from the food we ate. I almost can't believe my eyes, but I see little, tiny spaghetti squashes smaller than a pinky nail underneath some of those leaves. I can't wait to be able to make babyfood from vegetables we grew ourselves.(Especially since spaghetti squash are about $5 each, and I see around 5 tiny squash bulbs. (Not to mention they make a perfect dinner for grown ups as well! Click here for recipe)

Then, while making baby food, I got really into in. I pulled out all sorts of good food and continued to steam and puree. Recently, Whole Foods was having a Kale Sale, so while kale steamed on the stove top, I made some kale chips for Andrew and I. Which I basically had to execute full will power not to completely consume before he got home from work... It was my greatest test of strength to this point.

Kale Chips recipe por moi:

-Kale

-Olive Oil

-Garlic

-Lemon juice

-Salt

Lay kale onto baking sheet. Then, at random and with desired flare, squeeze, toss or sprinkle each of the other ingredients on top. I know, look out Rachel Ray, here I come.What was The Tiny doing during this time?He kept himself busy.

So mamas, enjoy each and every second. Our babies lives are such a small window, and opportunities are fast. If you are making your own baby food, enjoy it, love it, and get creative. It wasn't until I had forgotten about it that I realized what a special opportunity it really is.

Planking

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you have no idea what this is and think we are crazy (which may be true) .... click HERE. We are fans.

Fat Baby in Chucks...

2011-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Doesn't get much better than that!

(and despite what Baby Center tells me, she's still a BABY. I will not accept her as a toddler yet. Hence her onesie)

My First Blogger Meet Up!!!

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

So it was awesome! Especially since they were real and genuine people. I definitely had a moment of "Am I leading my child and me into danger" because there was that slight fear of meeting creepy people, or getting stood up. But it was quite the opposite! Thank you so much to Meg from Henning Love for putting this together for us. We went to Tanaca Farms to pick out pumpkins, then later went to Julie's house for cupcakes and mimosas. I was ALL about the mimosas. Below are the blogs and pictures of us gals who attended. I think we may try to do this again so if you are a SoCal gal you should come next time!!!

Meg from Henning Love
Julie from The Smitten Mittens
Brittany from True Britt
Joelle from Where We Love Is Home
Jacqueline from Diamond in the Dark
Tammy from Lemons, Avocados, and the Bay

Fantastic Felt...

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Felt really is fantastic. Doesn't really fray (wool), has a great texture, easy to hand sew or machine sew, durable, many possibilities! I made this sweet little blossom for my sweet little blossom. Now that she actually has enough hair to keep it in! I started doing a lot of hand sewing with felt when I was pregnant (see HERE) and been hooked ever since.

Sensational Stuff...

2011-10-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

1. The above picture for obvious reasons
2. Cranking the AC so I can cuddle under a blanket in 90 degree weather
3. Secretly loving my baby's minor separation anxiety because I feel loved
4. The pooch trying to cuddle in my maxi dress I'm wearing when I'm making dinner
5. How my 13 month old sings.... yes she sings and it's angelic
6. Receiving my Halloween costume in the mail... You all will LOVE it

Another Sarah...

2011-10-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

Meet Sarah Tucker

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Sarah from Fairy Tales Are True , but if you're not you need to be!!! She has the most beautiful outlook on life. She's definitely had her share of tough times and good times, and shares it so beautifully on her blog. What I found most interesting was how she's lived abroad for the past couple years and now returning to the states. She gracefully did an interview with me about her thoughts on traveling, her family life, and change.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My husband and I just moved back to our hometown in Florida after two glorious years in Switzerland. I am a loving wife, former {and future} teacher, cook, aspiring photographer, and traveler.
 
How did you meet your husband?
Believe it or not I first met JB when I was 5 and he was 7. We lived just a few streets away from one another and my dad was his first baseball coach. It wasn't until high school that we really noticed one another, and then the crush on both sides began. JB quickly became my best guy friend when we were thousands of miles away in different colleges. Soon after college and when JB was in minor league baseball, we started admitting that we liked each other. A fact most of our friends knew to be true years before. We started dating and fell so shmoopie in love with one another (:

 
How long have you and your husband been traveling and how many countries have you been to? My husband played minor league baseball so he was always traveling around America. He has lived in a third of the US countries! So from the beginning I would travel around to visit him! All together since we've become us, we have been fortunate enough to travel to 20 different countries together.  

What's your favorite thing to do with your husband whenever you visit a new country?
Eat! We love to try different foods at authentic restaurants.  

When you look back at this beautiful time of travel with your husband, what comes to mind?
A time of rest and a time I fell even more deeply in love with my husband, as well as Europe.  

How do you feel about moving back to the states after being gone for so long?
Overall, I am excited about it!

What do you love most about this transition in life and what do you dislike?
I am so excited to be near our families, excited for the next chapter, a home to decorate, jobs to begin, and one day {Lord willing} babies. But I'll miss the swiss life. Which for us was riding our bikes everyday to the fresh market, spending tons of quality time together, and that anonymity you feel in a foreign country.  

What gives you comfort when life is difficult?
My faith, JB, and my momma.  

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope and pray I'll have two little ones. I'd love to be working part time from home in some capacity as we both really want me to stay home for their first few years of life. But life is tricky and you never know how long that will all take. I also picture a very cozy house filled with love.  

Any advice for those who want to live abroad?
If you want to live abroad, get the ball rolling and GO. Make it happen, life does not wait!

Fruit of Her Hands Friday : Diana...

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

(Fruit of Her Hands Friday is a series that gives us a different and uplifting perspective on things that we all do everyday (for the most part) around the house and for our families.)

  My dear friend Diana, who is actually a childhood friend, was so sweet to be apart of my Fruit of Her Hands Friday. Diana has a fun and successful blog called our.city.lights. She just purchased a vintage bungalow home in Orange County. I mean how cool is that? What's even better is how she's decorating her home. It's AMAZING! She's going to share her newly decorated and furnished bedroom with us and I can't wait!!! Enjoy!

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Being a homemaker and wanting to decorate should be second nature, like walking and chewing gum. When I think of decorating, I have to love every piece in my home and it has to have a function. Yes, it’s pretty, but what does it do for my home? When I bring something into my home for decorating, I don’t think of it as a pretty object, I think of it as one more thing to dust. (note to readers: the only time I’ll ever let go of this idea will be Christmas!) To make my life (and my husband’s!) easier, I chose colors in objects that are easy to maintain, and chose textures that suit the seasons.

The bedroom is my favorite room right now, partially because it’s the only room that’s almost fully unpacked. I decorated our bedroom with Fall in mind- cozy textures, a pop of Fall color with a neutral, and most importantly, the best place to curl up with a Kindle and hot chocolate. This is the room I spend the least time in, but it’s also the first room I wake up and the last I see. It’s not a bedroom for us, but a small dark retreat to slumber peacefully.

Having a vanity really saves so much space! I highly recommend it. Plus the color almost blends in with the other colors.

I love Paul Frank, and these slippers remind me of Halloween!

Thank you, Sarah, for having me!

Another Tradition Checked Off the List...

2011-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sooo what do you all think of the new blog makeover? Once I added the extra column for all the blog buttons, I realized I needed a bigger header. I've noticed at least 3 other blogs I know changing things up so it kind of inspired me to do the same.

Anyway...

We spontaneously decided to go to Oak Glen (apple picking country). I've been going for the past few years and so it was kind of an unofficial tradition that I want to make OFFICIAL now that we have Samantha. It was so wonderful. We were all in such a cheerful mood. Its was a nice 69 degrees, it smelled like fresh pressed apples EVERYWHERE, and even though it was busy, the line to get the mini doughnuts moved relatively fast.

It really was the perfect Fall family outing. I seriously can't imagine wanting to do anything other than be with those two. They really do rock my socks off (and I love socks!)

There was a bit of this...

And a bit of that...

And a whole lot of other fun stuff...

A Button for You, A Button for Me...

2011-10-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I finally (after much hair pulling) figured out HOW TO MAKE A BUTTON!!! It was a bit painful, but I finally did it. I already snagged a couple of your lovely buttons. I plan on rotating them every once in a while so if you don't see yours, no worries, I'm sure it will make it's way there at some point. Below is my button. I'll also have it to the right on my blog.

Baby Date...

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I woke up the other morning with a hankering to visit Barnes & Noble. Brad and I are HUGE FANS of B&N. We go there all the time for dates. Putzing around, drinking starbucks, visiting the Jr. section, the scent of the books, the mellow music they play, etc. I'm not sure why, but there is something so magical and romantic about B&N to us. It definitely holds a special place in our hearts. Now that Samantha is walking I let her roam around B&N Jr. for the first time that day. She was so adorable. She went around touching all the books, loving on some stuffed animals and doing a little dance on the cute reading stage. We left with a little Halloween touch and feel book as a souvenir.

Soup, Tea, and Honey...

2011-10-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

We are a bit under the weather around here. Scratchy throats. We are laying low and doing a lot of cuddling. Daphne's not sick, but I think she's secretly pretending to be. (BTW I did not wrap her up in that blanket. She totally did that herself lol)

BTW, want to learn how to peel a WHOLE head of garlic in 10 SECONDS??!! click
HERE

The Hub's Perspective on How We Met

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah: You’re really good [at swing dancing]. I can’t believe I’ve never danced with youbefore.

Brad: Actually, you have…

Those words, for all intents and purposes, were the firstwords that Sarah and I ever spoke to each other. Let’s flash back a few years though. When I first started learning to swing dance(I was 20 and Sarah was 16), I saw this good looking blonde girl tearing up thedance floor and I asked a friend who she was. Her response: “that’s Sarah and she’s still in high school, if you touchher, I’ll kill you.” Knowing her age wasenough to turn me away…for the time being.

In the swing dancing scene, if you’re new, it can bedifficult to get the elite dancers to notice you. As far as Sarah was concerned, who was elite,I didn’t exist. I worked really hard onmy dancing for a year and thought I was good enough to ask her to dance. It’s a random Tuesday in 2001 (I’m now 21 andSarah is 17) at some local swing dancing club and I wanted to dance withsomeone at her level. I walked straightover to her, asked her to dance, and she nonchalantly obliged. It was a terrible experience that couldn’t beover soon enough. I don’t think she eversaw my face because she was looking down at my Chuck’s (Converse) the entiretime. I thought she was stuck up andvowed to never make the mistake of asking her to dance again. In translation, my ego was a bit bruised…Iknow I know.

1 year later, it’s November 13^th 2002 (I’m 22 and Sarah is 18), we’re at a clubcalled TJ’s in Irvine, CA. Sarah and I caught each other’s eye. It would have been awkward to not ask her todance, so I did. During the song, Sarahsays to me, “You’re really good. I can’tbelieve I’ve never danced with you before.” My response: “Actually, you have.” Sarah was very embarrassed although I was being very light-hearted aboutit…I actually found it amusing and was chuckling. We ended up talking for the rest of thenight, until the sun came up, in her white Jetta with a surfboard attached tothe top. I couldn’t believe I had achance with this smoking hot blonde God fearing surfer girl. She married me, she had my baby… andsometimes I still pinch myself.

Momma Then, Baby Now...

2011-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

My parents took me to Irvine park too when I was about Samantha's age. I actually found a picture of it!!!! I really wanted to get a similar picture of Samantha to do a side by side. It really is fun to compare the two. That baby sure does look like her dadda. But I do claim the fair skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair.

Here are some more of Samantha on the Pony. She is so sweet.

We're Kind of Corny...

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

But most of you already know that ;)

What Samantha Loved at Her First Pumpkin Patch

Smacking all of the pumpkins
Taking off her shoes

Walking in the corn maze with mommy and daddy
Panning for gold.
Riding a pony
Eating hay

Fruit of Her Hands Friday...

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Sherri,

A women who pretty much defines "Fruit of Her Hands". I love her blog LIFE OF A WIFE, her relationship with her husband, her outlook on life, and ABSOLUTELY everything on her RECIPE PAGE! I am so excited to try out her recipes. She organized these recipes just for my little blog series. I'm so honored! She truly is amazing and I know you are going to love what she brings to the table (no pun intended... ok maybe a little bit intended). Enjoy!!!

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I'm so excited that fall is officially here! Fall is my favorite season of the year, because I think it's just so cozy. I love bundling up to go outside, I love snuggling under a blanket on the couch, I love watching the leaves change, and the list goes on! I love everything about fall, but my absolute favorite thing to do in the fall is bake. I love stocking my shelves with canned pumpkin and filling the house with delicious smells. But the best part is when my husband gets home from work and is so excited about whatever just came out of the oven. It's just a little thing that I can do for him, but it makes me so happy. Today I'm sharing two of my favorite recipes for the fall - pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and cranberry white chocolate scones. For more of my favorite recipes, see my recipe page.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Combine dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 21-29 minutes or until just starting to darken. Cool briefly before removing from pan. Makes 2 1/2 - 3 dozen muffins.

Cranberry White Chocolate Scones

1 3/4 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4-6 Tbsp half and half, plus additional for brushing
1/3 cup cold butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter using pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in egg, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and just enough of the 4-6 Tbsp of half and half so the dough leaves the side of the bowl.Place dough on lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll/pat into an 8" circle and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut into eight wedges with sharp knife that has been dipped in flour after each cut. Don't separate wedges. Brush top of scones with half and half. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until golden. (The thicker the scones, the longer they take to bake - make sure the middle of the circle is not gooey.) Remove from cookie sheet; carefully separate wedges. Serve warm, or store in airtight container.

Honesty and Introductions...

2011-10-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been inspired of late. I'm not even sure why. I'm surrounded by the same people and environment everyday, but I've just been seeing things in a different light. It's been marvelous and so encouraging. I guess I've been enjoying my life more instead of focusing on the rest of the world. Not that I never loved my life, but being distracted by what else is in the world can make one struggle with contentment.

In light of all this I wanted to do a series this month on things that we all do everyday (for the most part), but having a different perspective. Sometimes our daily life can be monotonous instead of enjoyable. It doesn't have to be like this though. I have 4 wonderful blogger friends posting for me this October. One person each week every Friday. My series is called...

Fruit of Her Hands Friday

These ladies will be talking about baking, home prep, DIY, and crafting. All things to rejoice about and inspire you instead of drag you down. I hope it's encouraging, inspiring, and gives you hope if you need any like I do sometimes.

Stay tuned for our first entry at 12:00pm

Thank friends

Picture taken in the Fall of 2008

Sleeping Beauty...

2011-10-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

That's the first thing that came to mind when I looked at this angelic baby in her dadda's arms. Is there anything better than a sweet sleeping baby? Who also smells really good. I love smelling her hair when I hold her as she snoozes. she's amazing.

P.S.

This is hilarious. Usually I'm not into these, but they did good. It's cute.

My StickyGrams Arrived!

2011-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

When I saw that Instagram was starting to make magnets, I jumped ALL over it. Yes, I know I can probably go buy printable magnetic sheets and make my own, but it was so nice just clicking a couple buttons on the computer and then having it arrive a few days later. I love DIY, but this time I indulged. I LOOOOVE them. Now I need to figure out how to get something magnetic on the front of my fridge (stainless steel). I want to see our favorite memories every time I open the fridge. Not just on the side of my fridge.

My Deer in Headlights...

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Wow...

2011-10-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

We will miss you Steve Jobs. Thank you for all your efforts. I know that many people feel the same when I say that my quality of life has improved so much by your genius. Thank you.

Interesting story... My brother posted this on his Facebook. It was the first time I heard of this experience and it gave me chills after reading it. Keep in mind he was about 14 when this happened to him.

In 2004 I went to a very special event in Hollywood that my uncle brought me to and he introduced me to a random man. While staring at celebs that were standing around and having not known who he was, I was polite and shook his hand and didn't make much of him other that he was nice and had worked with my uncle. After he left my uncle said "That was Steve Jobs":.... I said "Who's Steve Jobs?

Apple.com

Rain, Bokeh, and Some Background...

2011-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rain, Rain, will you stay

You make it a cuddle day

little Samantha and Daphne say

Raaaain Raaaain will you stay?!

What is it about rain that makes you want to sing? Maybe it's related to singing in the shower? Who knows, WHO CARES it's rainy and it's making me one happy momma! It gives me a reason to wear my rain shoes... even if it's just to take the dog out to pee!

You know what else is making me happy? Learning the whole Bokeh thing (the blurry orbs of light in pictures). I learned how to make creative Bokeh shapes. I want to try something like THIS somehow incorporating the pup and the baby. Stay tuned.

Not perfect, but it was fun to shoot.

One last thing. I'm linking up with Tammy from Lemons, Avocados, and the Bay today. She posted about the "Name Game". It gives bloggers the chance to explain the story behind the name of their blogs. Super cool right? The name is a big deal and it gives a little history about the blogger. My first blog entry actually already explains my blog title so CLICK HERE if you are interested =)

Dear Sprouts...

2011-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Really Sprouts? Are you kidding me? Look at this pathetic excuse for asparagus! This tiny paring knife looks like a chefs knife next to this asparagus!!!

I mean come on Sprouts! I can expect this from a regular grocery store, but you are supposed to be this awesome FARMERS MARKET grocery store. You might want to talk to your farmers. I do admit you gave my little honey a lot of joy when we walked by your pumpkin display. At least you did good in THAT department. All in all our meal turned out pretty good thanks to Bottega Louie's inspiration. The hollandiase sauce was awesome, artichokes were meaty and soft, and the fried eggs did improve the asparagus...But Sprouts, it would have made the meal perfect if I had some nice plump not too big, not too small asparagus. Maybe next time? Thanks!

Blog Swap!

2011-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

So the lovely Alexa from The Short and the Sweet of It invited me to do a blog swap with her. So you'll find me, Samantha, and Daphne all over there doing a fun mommy fashion post. You'll have to stop by after reading Alexa's fun mommy fashion post here! Thanks so much Alexa!!!

- Sarah

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Hello readers! This is Alexa from The Short and the Sweet of It. I'm so happy to be guesting on Sarah's blog today about *trying* to keep fashionable as a new mom. Huge confession here: I am usually in work out pants, a tank top and tennis shoes, so don't be fooled. But anyhow, here are some snapshots of my favorite outfit for fall.

I am loving rust colored cords this fall. And I think they really complement my dark hair. It is questionable that I paired it with a white sweater (being a mom usually means that you have some form of spit up or mashed peas on your clothing). However, it helps lighten up the look. You could also go for a camel colored sweater where stains might not be as blatantly obvious.

Or you could just grab a black blazer, a camel colored scarf and dark glasses, so no one at the supermarket knows who the girl with the multiple stain marks on her shirt really is.

Flats are key. Easy to slip on and off and they reduce the risk of stumbling while holding baby or trying to control a usually out-of-control dog on the leash.

Then you just go into the yard and play with your baby looking more stylish than ever. Until baby drools on your face, scarf and shirt and you change back into those beloved sweats and over-sized t-shirt.

Thank you so much Sarah for hosting me on your blog, it's been lovely.

My cords are from Levi's. My sweater was a gift. The blazer was a hand-me-down from my best friend (score!) My scarf is from Italy and my shoes are from Target (they no longer have the same ones, but these are pretty adorable too).

P.S. Head over to The Short and the Sweet of It to see Sarah's fashion tips.

Estrogen vs. Testosterone...

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

So after Brad so graciously helped set up, attend, and take care of the baby while I took pictures for my friends baby's first birthday party, we decided to go to the new Buffalo Wild Wings that just opened up in Downtown Brea. It was walking distance, they were playing the UFC fight, and hot wings just sounded like such a nice way to end the day. Plus it balanced out all the girlishness Brad was exposed to earlier that day. What I loved most was how they had a million different sauces to taste test and have on your wings. I'm a very "saucy" girl ;)

P.S.

I have a little something special going on tomorrow so make sure to stop by!

See Small Paul Crawl...

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

What's the next best thing after throwing your own sweet wonderful baby's 1st birthday party you ask? Well helping throw your dear friends baby's first birthday party of course! We had fun.... WAY too much fun. She's amazing. My friend went above and beyond. So talented and very inspiring. I was so pleased and excited to help out. I'm kinda getting a little obsessed with helping people do their parties. I can't help myself (sorry Brad!) I made my first set of bunting flags. Easy peasy too!

All photos by yours truly =)

Little Book Nook...

2011-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a big time creature of habit. Holiday traditions are HUGE with me. Upholding old ones, creating new ones. I love tradition. One new one I've been dying to do since way before I had a baby was decorating her book nook for every season. So in light of Fall, I dedicated one of her little cubby holes to the season. I put Fall books and books that remind me of Autumn in that single little cubby. I also gave her a little glowing pumpkin of her own. I love it. REALLY love it. This mom thing.... it's pretty fantastic =)

Meet Carolynn...

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Carolynn is the author of the blog The Anchor & The Bird . I've been following her for a little while now and fell in love with her daily good deeds project. What an amazing idea! I think my favorite good deed I've read was when she was out eating at a restaurant and told the waiter to anonymously put the bill for a cute little old couple's dinner on her tab. I mean how awesome is that? I asked if I could interview her and share her perspective on giving back. I hope you love this project as much as I do.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Carolynn Cecilia, I live in New York City, make my living as a nanny while studying fiction writing. I am also the author of the blog The Anchor & The Bird which I started in June of 2009 as a way to make sense of my dueling personalities. Part of me {Carolynn, The Anchor} is grounded and pragmatic, but the other part {Cecilia, The Bird} is a whimsical hippie.

Is it [a daily good deed] awkward sometimes, or always rewarding?

It has been awkward a time or two. I once stopped a stranger on a busy Upper West Side street and gave her a bouquet of flowers. She thought I was trying to sell her something and it took some convincing to make her take them, but once she let her guard down she smiled wide and thanked me for my "spirit". I will be honest and say that they are not all rewarding. Some people leave you with a sense of nonchalance when accepting a free movie pass or museum ticket, but then a good deed comes along that is so fulfilling the positivity envelops any residual disappointments.

Do you have an ultimate good deed you want to do?

I would absolutely LOVE to do something international. Volunteer in a developing country building homes or distributing supplies. I'm at a loss of where to begin, but I think it about almost every day.

Do you have a difficult good deed you want to do and plan on doing at some point?

I have been trying to put together my first benefit, but I live on a nanny salary so even covering the basic costs have been a bit of a roadblock and I don't want any donations to go toward the cost of the event. I'm still working the details out

What is your favorite good deed you've done so far?

That's a tough question. Volunteering at Woodstock Animal Sanctuary was amazing. As was spending a morning playing dominos with AIDS patients in the village.

What is your favorite song on your playlist right now?

I've been reading Life by Keith Richards while simultaneously listening to The Rolling Stones. It's epic. Rocks Off has become one my favorite tracks of all time.

Any advice to people who'd like to do good deeds, but need some encouragement?

This may be the toughest question you've asked. I'll let both of my personalities answer it:

Carolynn: Do we really live in a world where people need to be encouraged to do good? Sigh.

Cecilia: The Sufi poet Rumi said, "Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth." I've come up with 137 ways so far and your welcome to use any one of them. And don't listen to Carolynn. She's just tired and cranky.

Late Night Art Show...

2011-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

My friend is having her baby's FIRST birthday party this weekend. Woohoo. Her baby is 4 days apart from Samantha in age. Spontaneously last night I came over and helped her make the cupcakes and white chocolate dipped oreos with piping. Well actually after the fact I realized we should have piped the cookies. We ended up drizzling the colored chocolate from a spoon. didn't quite work as planned. Lets just say it was an ARTISTIC evening. But I still think they turned out amazing =)

If You Haven't Done This, You Should...

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's a little entertaining, deceiving, and at times death defying...

All photos taken in the UK 2008

Look What Arrived in the Mail...

2011-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Let the Peanuts Gang tradition begin! I am all about traditions. I have a whole list of them... but that's for another blog entry

On a side note, I think Samantha believes she's a puppy.

(No, she's not eating Daphne's stick. Just holding it)

This Happens on a Daily Basis...

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

I asked him to stand there while I was deciding on how to angle the camera and this was one of the many "I'm Too Sexy" poses he gave me. Is it weird to love him for this but at the same time makes my skin crawl just a bit?

The real reason we were snapping pics was because I did my first attempt of the Gibson Bun and I was pretty pleased with it. Not bad for the first try.

Muah!

Hub-isms...

2011-09-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

So maybe some people can relate to this... More often than not Brad likes to grace me with his scholarly musings...

Hey Sarah, do you enjoy my swagger, I know you do. Can you feel it baby? I can too. ~ Quoting Mark E Mark's "Good Vibrations" while holding his old spice swagger deodorant.
I'm air guitarring and you're interrupting ~ While waiting in the drive-thru
I don't like how you are trying to hone in on my awesomeness. Trying to quantify me ~ What he meant by this, I have no idea.
You can't bottle the Brad Brand Sarah. I hope you know that ~ While I was writing down his quotes.
The comforter, I"m going to burn it. You think I'm kidding ~ The ongoing battle of down comforter vs. no down comforter.
It's not the thug life Sarah, it's the pug life ~ No explanation needed.

Quiet In The Kitchen...

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

So what's better than making beef and butternut squash stew??? Making it while the ones you love most are peacefully drifting in dreamland! Hub, the bub, and the pug were TOTALLY cashed out. Don't get me wrong, I love having them in the kitchen with me more often then not. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing Samantha and Daphne play together or Brad keeping me company in the kitchen. But lets face it. It's nice to cook in silence sometimes. Especially a relaxing Fall dish like this stew where I can savor every moment of making it. Everyone woke up before I finished, but I didn't mind. After a while it gets too quiet. Brad got to keep me company and snap a pic of me taste testing my stew.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Let's Collaborate...

2011-09-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Anyone interested in collaborating a fun guest post or post swap? Lets get creative! Email me at A.Girl.In.Transit@gmail.com

P.S.

It was wonderfully gloomy weather this morning. So I finished off the rest of my Godiva hot chocolate. Lets just say it was beyond bliss.

Walking A Bunny...

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

You read right. This weekend we walked to the Brea Jazz Festival and saw a girl WALKING her BUNNY! I just about died. It was so adorable. I think I snapped 25 pictures of just the bunny.

We also...

Noticed a new bakery called Merely Sweets. It's up to par to Sprinkles and dare I say maybe better... There I said it. AND we can walk to it.
Thought we'd venture to the Hollywood sign only to be disappointed by traffic... another evening perhaps.
Were very peppy that night with a skip in our steps. The Hub went as far as clicking his heels. I love him.
Said hurray for striped socks. Especially on cute babies...my cute baby.
Noticed "Keep Calm and Carry On.." has made it's way into Target. I don't know how I feel about this.

Did anything fun or out of the ordinary (like walking a bunny) happen to you?

Blog Lovin...

2011-09-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Click the sentence below to...

follow my blog with Bloglovin

Samantha Has A Confession to Make...

2011-09-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

She begged me to have her birthday party on Sept 5th, but her actual birthday is TODAY September 25th. Ok, ok, fine I admit that there may have been some motive on mommy's part to have it that day (It was cheaper to have the party on the 5th)

The whole experience of being pregnant, going through labor, and then becoming a mother is so beautiful and amazing. I mean everything is so perfect and natural. I think my favorite memory of her birth was when Brad fell asleep on the couch around 2am and they wheeled her in after her bath. There was just enough ambient light in the room to see her little face. I pick her up, held her, and just let the bonding completely take over. It was the first time it was quiet, neither of us were getting prodded and it was just the two of us. It was so sweet beyond any words . She was(is) my new baby I had been waiting for. I love her.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet wonderful little honey. Your dad and I prayed and waited for you for quite some time. The Lord blessed us with you at the perfect time and we've been on cloud nine ever since I read the positive pregnancy test. I've learned so much from you already and I can't wait to learn more from you and with you. The love that I have overflows. Your father and I love you more than we could ever say.

2 days old <3

Are You Guilty....

2011-09-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Guilty of ever saying or at least thinking THIS? Not me... no never...

CLICK HERE. IT'S FUNNY!

Happy Weekend!

Google Chat Date...

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Brad: you there?

Sent at 10:43 AM on Friday

me: yep

Brad: still there?

me: yeeees

Sent at 10:51 AM on Friday

Brad: I'm kind of in the mood to put Samantha to sleep at my parents and have a mellow night out with you. Maybe coffee, movie, etc. What do you think?

I love this. I mean really love this. I love you Brad.

And this was the result of our evening...

And this is hilarious... You must watch it!

An E-mail...

2011-09-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have an e-mail account now for A Girl In Transit for all you bloggers.

A.Girl.In.Transit{at}gmail.com

It's in the About Me section. Drop us a line!

My Turkeys...

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

So Brad and I kind of LOVE putzing around any stores that have specialty foods and decore. So we decided to pass on this love to the little honey. Especially since all the Fall stuff is out. We went a little crazy. I literally had to nag Brad out of the store and prevent him from buying a whole stock pile of candy (for himself mind you, not for trick-or-treaters).

I'm trying to get us out of the house as often as possible. With how busy Brad is with work, and with how easy it is to stay indoors doing chores, or a little blogging... ok fine A LOT of blogging...I don't want us to skip out on the little things life has to offer. I looked back on some old blog posts of mine and it kind of revamped me to enjoy the little daily activities in life.

Do any of you bloggers go back and read old posts?

I certainly hope so otherwise I'd feel super lame!

Who's the bigger turkey...The Hubs or the Votive

Teaching Samantha to NICELY pet the owl

P.S.

I used the "Brannan" look on Instagram for most of these images. It kind of gave us a slight pasty look reminding me of Fall/October. Fun huh?

What The Hub Came Home To...

2011-09-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

I made this little video for Brad since he had to come home way later than usual due to a meeting. We were Fall decorating and felt bad he wasn't there for it. I will cherish this little video memory <3

It Was A Pancake Morning...

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had choc. chip with whipped cream, baby had strawberries and whipped cream, and hubs had regular pancake with apple syrup. It was sticky bliss.

Homemade Instant Pancake Mix Recipe

Pancake mix:

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

Pancake batter:

1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions

Mix the above ingredients together and store in a jar.

For the pancake batter:

For each 1 cup pancake mix, add 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Do not overmix.

Heat a flat griddle or pan over medium-high heat.

Spoon drops of 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of batter onto the hot griddle and when bubbles appear on the surface of the little pancakes, flip them over to make them golden brown on both sides. A minute or so a side should do it.

Courtesy of Food Network

P.S.

I Hit 50 followers today!!!!! Woohoooo small, but a great victory!

Things that are kind of the best thing ever...

2011-09-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

How Brad inserts the words "Daphne" or "Pug" in every song he sings
How Daphne and Samantha play (except when Daphne licks inside Samantha's mouth…ew)
How Samantha crawls all over dadda in the morning
How Dadda plays air guitar in the morning
How peaceful the morning is when everyone is asleep
The jibber jabber of Samantha when she wakes up
Brad jibber jabbering with Samantha
When we have family group hugs

And this picture because it looks like Fall...

"Really mom?"

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Uh mom, what are you doing?

Are you really not going to take this off?

Fine, I'll do it

Gee, thanks for the hat hair mom...

Shopping with Dadda...

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

So the hubs has been needing some new threads lately. He's getting holes in his jeans. He's also been interested in some fancy clothes for when the occasion calls for it (like when he needs to take his wife out to a swanky dinner hehe). So the whole family walked over to the mall and payed a visit to Nordys. While handsome hubs was trying on clothes, the babe and I hung out in the dressing room anxiously awaiting his fashion show.

"Look mom I can wave my hand around like you. What? You want me to look at you? Nah."

Oh no you don't! Get back here.

I love us. Even if you can barely see us because I'm still learning how to use this camera... meh

2BSZ365XFD4U

The Perch...

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I randomly found this new rooftop French bistro called Perch on Yelp not too long ago. Brad and I spontaneously decided that day to give it a try. When I "liked" them on Facebook they posted something that mentioned oysters, and French gypsy jazz on a Wed night. It was so lovely. The moment you enter the building you wait for your elevator in a very art deco inspired lobby. Once we got there I didn't expect too long of a wait since it was 8:00pm on a Wed, but there was. A 30 minute wait! So needless to say if we go back again on any day of the week I'm making a reservation. We didn't mind though. We went to the bar, got some wine and a really awesome cheese platter and waited to get seated. Once we did get seated for dinner we just sat there and admired the view. I'm such a sucker for a city-scape setting. I REALLY need to visit NY!

Something Suffers...

2011-09-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Whenever I throw a party, something else in my life suffers since it's hard to do all my normal daily things in addition to a party. By the time the party is over and I get everything home to be sorted and put away the house (to my husbands dismay) usually looks like this...

Buuut later that afternoon it looked like this =)

Seriously cleaning is the last thing on my mind after throwing a party, but it feels soooo good to relax in a clean house.

Hip Hip Hair-Ay!

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Haha sorry for the cheesiness of my title, but I couldn't help myself.

For some reason when the seasons change, I tend to plan what haircut I'm going to get before I think about new clothes. I'm not sure why it works out this way, but I just go with it. I especially love updos in the fall. Nothing looks more classy than wearing a sweater, scarf and a lovely updo hairstyle. Here are some favorites that I'm excited to try.

Source: saralynnpaige.com via Elisabeth on Pinterest

Source: hairromance.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Things I'm Looking Forward To...

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to relive childhood imagination with my little one. I was TOTALLY one of those kids with my head in the clouds. I literally remember climbing outside my window onto the roof (sorry mom) looking at the sunset and just letting my imagination go wild. Things like A Little Princes, The Secret Garden, Anne of Avonlea, Little Women, creating a secret room in my walk in closet, having tea parties, running around with neighbor kids, lying around listening to Thomas Newman scores and playing with my Samantha American Girl doll completely consumed my summer times from about the age 6 years old and up. This might be kind of wierd, but if my life had a theme song to it, I would have to say it would be a combination of the Little Women score and How To Make An American Quilt score (does anyone else think their life has a song, or am I the only one?)

I've forgotten a lot of the smells, textures, familiar songs and other now nostalgic elements that really brought to life my childhood. I've been trying to re-open these memories in my head so that I can try to share and experience these wonderful moments when it's my little honey's turn to explore. I remember loving anything my mother introduced me to that she used to love watching. Mom got me into movies like Meet Me in St. Louis, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Oklahoma, South Pacific, and a lot of other fun classics. Samantha is already helping me tap into some childhood memories with all the books I'm introducing to her. I pray I can give her as good a childhood and maybe even better so that she can look back on it fondly and possibly want to share with her children.

Me at about 3 yrs old in grandmas garden

Dear Sophie...

2011-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Brad shared this video with me and I thought it was genius and so sweet. You really should watch it. Those google marketers sure know what they're doing.

Reminder I submitted my pictures of Samantha's birthday party to Project Nursery. Please support my efforts and RATE ME 5 STARS! You can vote every 24 hours. Thank everyong =)

"This is Heavy"...

2011-09-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

So my hub is absolutely drooling over these flippin awesome Marty Mcfly shoes. I don't blame him! I remember thinking how awesome it would be to have the "smart" shoes, jacket, and toaster oven that made mini food into big food when I was a kid. Nike is making a limited 1500 pairs and selling them on ebay. Poor Brad, I love him, but some rapper bought the first pair for $37,500. Yikes!!!

Source: nicekicks.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Lets Get Friendly...

2011-09-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some friendly amazing people who rock my socks off with their fun-ness (is that a word?) and creativity.

Dance never gets old over HERE

Now how can I make THIS a Christmas card and incorporate the baby?

Vintage never dies, and babies bring it even more to life over HERE

THIS and THIS were big time inspiration for my pinata I made for the little honey's BIRTHDAY

Doesn't THIS make you want to buy a bike and move to San Fran?

A niiiiice hairdoo HERE

and in closing I leave you with my husband and bebe who on a daily basis crack me up. This is for all you video arcade game lovers...

Street Fighter Baby from Sarah Hettervik on Vimeo.

Many Happy Returns Samantha!

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our little honey celebrated her FIRST birthday recently and we truly couldn't be any prouder of her. She's only 1 and she already carries such love, kindness, and grace about herself. She brings joy to anyone she is around and it is by God's grace that she was given to us. I pray Brad and I have the perseverance, discipline, and wisdom to raise Samantha to be a godly child and lady. My wish is she looks back on these pictures one day and enjoys the memories she was too young to remember.

²⁴The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. - Numbers 6:24-26

On a side note I submitted my pictures to Project Nursery. Please support my efforts and RATE ME 5 STARS! Thank everyong =)

George Key Ranch Historical Park

The piñata pendant and table

I made everything except the cake

Pie pops and white choc. dipped dumb dumb cupcake toppers

Made the flags out of felt

Made the flags out of scrapbook paper

Yellow, lavender, and green color scheme

Lavender lemonade with green striped paper straws

Another Side to Louie....

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm in love with Bottega Louie. Up until recently I've only visited their bakery. The hub told me recently that their restaurant is amazing too. On labor day we decided to drive up to down town (no traffic woohoo) and have dinner there. He was right, it's amazing! I got the pizza margherita, sauteed spinach and a strawberry soda. Brad got the grilled asparagus with a fried egg on top and their lasagna and a sarsaparilla soda. We got a souffle for desert, but it was so dark at that point none of the pictures would have turned out. The bebe had a little of everything and loved all of it! It was definitely a little feast for the little honey. Such a great family outing. One fun little perk is they sat us by the pizzeria section with the stone oven. Samantha got to see the cook toss the pizza dough in the air. Super fun =)

Last Bloom...

2011-09-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not a pro at this gardening stuff, but I don't remember this tree blooming too much last fall so this could be the last bloom. Samantha and I admire the pretty flowers on this tree every morning. It's so pretty.

So I'm catching up on a few things. Soon I'll have pictures from Samantha's birthday party as well as some other family outings up on my blog. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!

How Can I Say No?

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Needless to say I bought it for her. It said 75 cents, but it actually was only 12 cents. Nothing but the best for my baby hahaha. She was happy about it too. She's so fun.

Cold Pug shoulder...

2011-08-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Someone is not happy that she has been left home TWICE while we've been on vacation. Sorry Daphne! We love you!