around here | january

it's hard to believe this month is almost over.  january was filled with so many exciting moments and i hope that will mean the year will be just as exciting.

i rejoined weight watchers and have been working on being aware of what i am eating.  i loved this graphic that they post in the meeting room about being realistic.  i can always use the reminder.

i am back out running again.  official training doesn't start for another week but the pre-training will get my heart in shape for our first group run.  starting over is so hard.

enjoying this breakfast lately; oatmeal with blueberries, bananas, almonds and honey.

we celebrated january birthdays with the brockett's.  this time around it was mostly the cousins that gathered.  love this amazing family and the time we get to spend together!

we were at disneyland on sunday for jordan's parade.  there were no crowds so we were able to get on lots of rides quickly.  the weather was so nice and so far none of us have gotten the measles.

the kids did a great job marching and playing.  this parade was extra special because they played once upon a dream while our band director proposed to his girlfriend right on main street. you can see the parade here.  go to 2:30 to see the proposal.  it was so cute.

andrew got to invite a friend and they rode star tours 3 times which made them happy.  

our school is having a read-a-thon.  sofia is enjoying reading and raising money for her awesome school.  on wednesday the school had a bagels and books morning for students and parents. andrew is reading lord of the rings in his humanities class.  we love reading.

sofia also had her class play this week.  she played sir gwendolyn and her quest was to restore good manners in the kingdom.  it was a very entertaining play and the kids were amazing.

photo by debbie ferris

and she's been playing soccer like a beast.  she is just learning the game but seems to have control when she gets the ball.  she loves being a part of the school team and getting to play with the older girls.

bobby and i are playing an ongoing game of phase 10.  it's very similar to a card game i play with my parents but it has a twist with skip cards and phases.  bobby started a spreadsheet on his computer to keep track of every game we play.  last game i lost by only 5 points!

jordan is gathering quite a collection of twisty puzzles.  he is looking forward to competing this weekend. showing off his skills and learning some new ones.

here's what i'm reading.  i follow her blog and have enjoyed her writing style for a while now.  her book is emotional, especially if you are someone that has struggled with weight issues and self acceptance.  good read so far.

in the clear by the foo fighters is becoming my anthem.  i've been listening to it on repeat lately.  i love that the music was influenced by new orleans and the video was filmed at preservation hall.  dear new orleans, i miss you.

it was a tough week.  i was at school, notre dame and cha, everyday for meetings and events, we had 3 soccer games and our first team meeting for softball.  so glad it's friday and we get to enjoy some much needed time off. have a great weekend.

super bowl snack ideas

this year we are not going to a super bowl party.  jordan has a fundraiser with his band in the morning and i am volunteering.  in the afternoon he has a rubik's cube competition - i know, so nerdy cool.  we are planning to watch the game at home and enjoy some good food but not with a big crowd.

we know the super bowl is all about the commercials, the halftime show and the FOOD!!  if i were hosting a super bowl party here's what you might find on my table.

from good housekeeping

this is so stinking cute.  a 7 layer dip surrounded by a crowd of chips, veggies, and drinks. love it.

from jelly shot test kitchen

sophisticated jello shots in the team colors.

from my frugal adventures

brownies in the shape of footballs.  i am making these for the band cake fundraiser.

from michelle paige

a bowl of super bowl rings. so simple and fun for the kids.

from bon appetit

the one thing i am making this sunday is nachos.  i mean look at how yummy these are.  i will make a lightened up version with ground turkey and reduced fat cheese but i expect it will be just as tasty.

from skinny mom

we call this pep-chee-crack; pepperoni, cheese and crackers but in the shape of a football.

from less than perfect life of bliss

 and maybe a popcorn and candy bar using the team colors.

that should be enough to keep a crowd happy.  let me know if you have some cool ideas for the game.

just a thought

*as part of my goals & intentions this year i want to "use my hand lettering skills for something creative."   i am going to write out some of my favorite quotes, thoughts and inspirations for use on projects, as gifts and just for fun.

weekly menu #05

six weeker burger from stout in studio city

feeling a bit overwhelmed this monday, so i'll keep it short.  great weekend, great food and busy week ahead.

weekend eats
saturday: tacos
sunday: dinner at disneyland

making this week
monday: eat out - swim practice, soccer game and school meeting
tuesday: bbq chicken salad
wednesday: turkey paninis, soup
thursday: chicken pita, greek salad
friday: pizza

i literally gave our menu 5 minutes of thought, can you tell?  now off to buy groceries and then to school for the game.  it's one of those days.

happy monday!

cha spirit

her first soccer game is today and she is unbelievably excited.  she is nervous, and not sure what to do, but she is proud to be wearing her school uniform today - like she has seen her brothers before her.

she has never really played soccer.  although she remembers the season she played as a 4 year old and she calls that a career.

we talked to the coach today and said the girls are worried that the team we are playing is the best in the league.  his response was, "hmm, ya maybe.  but who cares."  because it's all about having fun, learning to play the game and being a part of a team. but we really know it's all about the snack.

go eagles!

our weekend in photos

i was looking back at my photos from the past few weekends and i thought, "do we do anything other than eat over the weekends?"  apparently not.  or at least our activities seem to revolve around eating. or i take a lot of food photos.  they are probably all true. and i'm ok with that.

we had a four day weekend this past weekend.  the younger kids had friday off for a teacher-in-service day.  but i dragged them along to help put on the staff luncheon sponsored by the pto.

i love that we get to do this for the teachers and staff.  they work so hard to educate and care for our kids and we like to show them how much they mean to us.

this one was easy in that i just had to coordinate; hire the taco guy, help decorate the room, and clean up.  another mom made the sign, bought all the paper products and coordinated desserts.

the teachers were so grateful and enjoyed that it was on a non-school day so they could eat lunch together and not be rushed to get back to class.

 saturday 2 kids had sleepovers so we took jordan out to dinner.  we went to chi's in northridge for some chinese food.

we loved the place and the food was pretty fantastic.  lemon shrimp with rice noodles, string beans that were piping hot, and the orange chicken was delicious.  glad to have found this spot.

these chicken dumplings with a peanut butter sauce are worth coming back for.

after dinner we went home and watched a movie.   i crossed quite a few movies off the list this weekend.

theory of everything - loved it!
wild - liked it more than i expected
the grand budapest hotel - caught it on hbo and i enjoyed it
into the woods - with the kids on monday night.  loved the music, prefer it as a stage musical.

sunday morning bobby and i went to eat at the coolest cafe in our neighborhood.  it's a tiny restaurant that always has people outside waiting for tables.  the food here is different from a lot of places around here.  it's fresh, homemade, good food.  and we are so happy that they moved in. we found out they are moving a few doors down to a bigger place.  i still think the wait for a table will be long but so worth it.

i mean seriously with these biscuits and gravy. foodtography by bobby.

 we met up with sofia and our friends for a hike, some rock climbing and fishing for sunglasses.  hard to believe this place is right behind the kids' school.

jordan told us that they hike here during an elective at school.  how fun is that?

and then of course we had to eat.  so we invited my parents, sister, and brother-in-law over for leftover tacos (a perk of volunteering) and a very long game of phase 10.

on monday we rested, watched movies, played video games and ate.

 i realized that i was just a few stars away from getting a starbucks gold card and a few days away from going back to zero. so of course we had to buy more coffee - who says marketing doesn't work?

this was on saturday.  i had to pay for my drink separately to get the stars.  so she rang up bobby and then rang up bobby's girl.  i thought that was sweet.  on monday we were back again for 2 coffees and 3 hot chocolates.  now i am a gold card holder but i had my fill of coffee for a while.

glad to have had this time for some fun and good food.

2015 weekly menu #04

berries and pancakes at joe's cafe

oh man, did we have a great 3 day weekend.  there was hiking, sleepovers, movies, books, card games, delicious food and time together. i did not want it to end.

but alas, life goes on and there is work to be done.

weekend eats
saturday: chi's chinese food
sunday: leftover tacos from the school luncheon

making this week
monday: vincenzo's pizza
tuesday: honey mustard roasted salmon, roasted potatoes, salad
wednesday: fettucini alfredo with chicken and broccoli -skinnytaste cookbook
thursday: banging good chicken salad
friday: date night

luckily we only have to get through 4 days til the weekend.

stick with love

inspired by amy, i tried some water color hand lettering.  i was so happy to find an mlk quote with my one little word; full.

enjoying the day off.  be back tomorrow with our weekly menu.

movie watcher

i'm always excited to find out the list of nominees for the academy awards.  i am a sucker for this hollywood event.  i've watched the show (pre-show, after party, what they wore specials) every year since i was little.  movies are a big part of our lives.  it's what bobby does, it's what i love. we've studied it, enjoyed them and critiqued many.  it's what we know.

i thought i would try to watch the movies nominated for best picture before the awards ceremony on februrary 22.  the list is good, which should make it easier to get through.

BEST PICTURE

• american sniper - bobby already saw this but i want to see it too
• birdman -bobby watched this last night and really liked it
• boyhood - we thought the concept was amazing, but we were not crazy about the story.
• the grand budapest hotel - ummm, i would rather not. 
• the imitation game - loved it!!!
• selma - this is the perfect weekend to see it.
• the theory of everything - wanted to see this in toronto.
• whiplash - loved it!! saw this in toronto and again when we took the boys.

in addition there are a few movies nominated for other categories that i would like to see.

• still alice - julianne moore for best actress - i wanted to read the book
• gone girl - rosamund pike for best actress - read the book
• wild - reese witherspoon for best actress - haven't finished the book
• foxcatcher - steve carell  for best actor and mark ruffalo for best supporting actor
• into the woods - meryl streep  for best supporting actress - saw the live musical and looking forward to seeing the movie

it's a good thing we have a 3 day weekend coming up. looks like i'll be eating lots of popcorn.

just a thought

as part of my goals & intentions this year i want to "use my hand lettering skills for something creative."  

so i am going to write out some of my favorite quotes, thoughts and inspirations for use on projects, as gifts and just for fun.

i made this card for my one little word album.  the card is from a studio calico kit.  i love the floral detail and that i got to use a white pen to write the words.

and i love these words.  that photo of us was taken 7 years ago.  i think it's time for an update!

2015 goals & intentions

daily goal tracker

it's just the 3rd week of january and it feels like a great start to this new year.  my focus this year is to live a full life.  to take some chances, to do instead of think and to appreciate the moments as i'm doing them.  but it's fun to have a list that you can cross thing off of.

i am inspired by a few others i've seen from elise and joy.  i especially like that joy calls it the best of intentions.  it's january, there is a lot of energy into changing habits and cultivating new ones,  but it could all crumble next month. for now these are my intentions for this new year.

• write something everyday (not bad so far)
• read more & watch less tv
• blog like it's my job
• spend less time on my phone
• practice yoga more deeply
• start an art journal
• organize/purge my craft space so i can create
• redesign my blog (this is on my list every year but i'm gonna do it it's my intention this year!)
• go on hikes; with friends, with bobby and with the kids
• update our home; minor fixes and interior design, and a new backyard space
• push my creativity in the kitchen
• use my hand lettering skills for something creative (accepting ideas for this)
• go on one photography, food, personal and creative adventure
• grow new vegetables in the garden - lettuce, herbs, flowers
• mark my birthday in a special way 
• document it all, or at least most of it

this is going to be a busy and exciting year.  we have so much to look forward to.  if i can cross off some of these things i will call that a win.  i have every intention of making it happen.

a surprise concert

i love a good surprise.  well, actually i don't love surprise parties.  they are too much work, you have to deceive the ones you love and i don't think all of that work and hassle is worth the five minute surprise.  but that's just me. i do love mini surprises though; buying the kids donuts after telling them they couldn't have any, putting a love note in bobby's car (which i haven't done in a long time), and planning a little big surprise for the boys.

it all came about in a bizarre way.  we were given some awesome tickets to the clippers vs. lakers game last wednesday night.  we never go to games so this was a treat.

basketball is not big in our house, and we haven't been to a game in years, but we couldn't pass up vip seats.  it was a blow out game but we had a good time. i was more interested in watching fergie perform and seeing what the kardashians were doing courtside.  they were eating popcorn and texting in case you were wondering.

during the game, bobby got an email that the foo fighters were putting on a surprise benefit concert on saturday at the forum.  he ran out to the lobby for better reception and was able to score 4 tickets for the show.  it was then that we decided not to tell the kids.  i organized a sleep over for sofia at her friend's house - thanks debbie - and we were set.

it's hard for me to keep secrets.  i was excited for them and i wanted them to know so they could be excited too.  but i also knew that it would be cool to drive up to the forum, hand jordan his foo fighters t-shirt and tell them we were going to see them live.  i even had to act surprised when we heard the commercial on the radio about the concert.  "i thought they weren't going to be here until september?" i listened as they explained.  i felt bad, but so good.

on saturday, we dropped sofia off and then told the boys we were going to see interstellar at a cool movie theater in hollywood - it helps that they don't know the difference.

we went to eat at a mexican restaurant and that is when we decided we had to tell them.  at first they were confused, then they thought we were kidding, then they were stunned and excited and quiet.  as we made our way to the forum the traffic was unbearable and it was raining constantly.  we made it in with enough time to get some t-shirts and find our seats.

not the best seats but none of us were complaining.

it was a concert in the round and the stage rotated which gave everyone a good view of the band.  jordan actually liked when the band had their back to us because he could get a better view of taylor hawins, the drummer. win-win.

we were sitting close to the ramp that led to the stage.  dave grohl would walk up and down playing his guitar and wowing the crowd.  this was also the runway that his special guests used to make their entrance. guests like paul stanley, slash, tenacious d, alice cooper, perry farrell,

and david lee roth!  when he came out on stage the crowd went crazy.  i may have been a bit excited too.  i listened to van halen growing up because i had/have two brothers who lived and breathed rock music.  they played in bands, had electric guitars painted like eddie van halen's and played their music over and over.  i don't think i had a choice but to be a fan too.  it was awesome to see dlr on stage dancing around like he was 20 and singing "panama" and "ain't talkin' 'bout love".

it was also dave grohl's birthday. so the audience, led by jack black, sang happy birthday as hundreds of balloons fell from the sky.  that turned the atmosphere into a party.

i haven't been to a concert like this in a long time.  every single person was singing and in awe during the three and a half hour show.

and he watched in amazement.  it's moments like this that i realize he has a dream of being on stage and playing the drums to a sold out crowd.  he wants to make music and entertain people and have a good time. i know that it's a tough insane road if that's what you choose to do with your life and very few people make it.  but i also know that dreams are for chasing.

we were both happy, and a little deaf, at the end of the night.

andrew and bobby had their own experience at the other end of the stadium.  it was andrew's first concert and he was a bit stunned by what he saw. i'm not sure he's ever heard the f-bomb dropped more times than that night. it would have been fun to sit together but we were grateful to be able to give them this little surprise.