happy list:: 05

the happy list

1. rubio's fish tacos
i only eat them during lent.  on ash wednesday after church my sister-in-law and i went to rubios for a couple of these tacos. they are sooo good.  crispy, breaded fish, delicious corn tortilla, white sauce, cabbage. even though i couldn't eat meat it didn't feel like i was sacrificing anything.

2. new music
cage the elephant "ain't no rest for the wicked" - jordan bought this song last week and played it over and over...and over.  kind of love it.
gotye - who doesn't love "somebody that you used to know?" it's getting a little overplayed on the radio but we still love the new sound.
coldplay + rihanna - "princess of china" still enjoying this album, and this song is perfection.

3. the great race agoura - 10k
on march 24.  this is the race that i did last year but as a 5k.  a few people from our training group are doing this race as a halfway point in training.  i'm glad that i get to do a longer race before the half marathon in may.  it will give me confidence and experience.

4. peanut butter powerbars
omg!  these are my favorite things right now.  please don't tell me that they are high in sugar and empty calories.  i don't want to hear it.  i just want to enjoy this before my run on saturdays and hope that i burn it off.

5. martha stewart at staples
have you seen the martha stewart line at staples?  what? you don't wander the aisles of the office supply store every week?  well, i love this line.  super cute labels, folders and organizational items.  i especially love the mini binder, dividers and calendar pages.  no need for them though but as soon as i figure one out i will be getting them.  i'm using some of the labels in my project life book.

just a few things making me happy as february comes to an end.

oh and an invitation.  next wednesday is february 29 - leap day.  a few weeks ago ali edwards did a day in the life documentation.  i was going to do it but ended up forgetting about it until it was too late.  but wouldn't it be cool to document leap day?  i think so.  i'll be using the same concept and tools that ali did.  if you want to join in that would be so fun.  check out what ali did, simple, everyday, moments of life.  i'll share the photos and stories soon after.  are you in?

have a good weekend.

our weekend in iphone photos

this past weekend we took advantage of three days off and a bit of snow on the ground and we went up to kernville with bobby's dad and step mom.  our hope was to get the kids to the snow for some skiing and snowball fights.  no skiing, but we ended up with a relaxing weekend and a whole bunch of iphone photos to share.

before we headed up on saturday i went to my training and andrew went to baseball practice.  bobby and i also got our school's new blog up and running.  it was nerve racking to put it out there but we are so excited about the future of our school.  you can visit the site here.

bobby made the video.  did you recognize the voices?

then we packed the car and headed to our first destination

something to keep us awake for the drive.

we left around sunset and the view was breathtaking.

we got to kernville just in time for dinner.

i am not ashamed to admit that i had a bbq pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw, baked beans and a glass of merlot.  ok i am feeling a little guilty when i put it that way.


i fell asleep on the couch.  the mountain air does that to me.

in the morning we had pancakes.

then it was time to go to the snow.  the cold, cold snow, where it's windy, and damp and cold.  so, bobby took the kids

and i stayed home to knit (still knitting that same scarf)

and sit by the fire

and read (still reading that same book)

the kids came home and played.  building forts

and words

bobby did some work and we checked the blog stats to see how it was going.

dinner from the chinese restaurant in town and another glass of wine. 

i know it looks like we drink a lot when we're up here but we don't.

i guess it depends on your definition of a lot.

some bedtime reading.

on monday we woke up to breakfast burritos and coffee.  at least i didn't have wine with breakfast.

we took a walk to the creek that runs through their backyard.

this is the foundation of the new wine barn.  we'll be making wine here next year.

bobby took the kids to the track to ride their quads.  i decided to head to town for some internet service at the coffee shop.

unfortunately when i got there they told me that they no longer have internet service. so it was me, a hot chocolate and a calendar.

a quick walk through the craft fair.

and then i forced myself to do my 50 minute monday run.

can you tell how steep it is in the picture?  i went up and down this hill twice, to the church, to the zumba place (i just discovered that and may have to take a class the next time we visit), and back home.  i was pooped and ready for some... not wine, water.

the kids came home and we took showers, ate a little something and played with the iphone camera some more.

then we packed our stuff and the kids in the car and came home.  

i was hoping to accomplish one of two goals for the weekend.  to finish my book or to finish my scarf.  i didn't do either but i did make significant progress on both.  combine that with relaxing, enjoying time with people we love, eating well and an occasional glass of wine (or 2) and we call that the perfect weekend.

weekly menu:: week 8

i attempted to post this from my iphone yesterday while we were away but it didn't work. i ended up frustrated and decided to just take care of it when i got back.

cheesy potato soup

i looked at the calendar this week and was surprised that it's already the first week of lent. that means fat tuesday celebrations, ash wednesday and fish on fridays.

making this week: 
monday: ate leftovers in kernville
tuesday: cajun chicken pasta on the lighter side
wednesday: (ash wednesday=no meat) creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
thursday: balsamic glazed pork chop, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts
friday: (no meat) shrimp po' boys , cole slaw
saturday: pizza
sunday: watching the academy awards tonight - eat out

baking this week: i'm going to attempt a king's cake. i remember doing this with my dad's family when i was little.  it's a fun tradition that I want the kids to experience.

happy fat tuesday!!

cha gala 2012

this past saturday our school held it's annual gala fundraiser.  bobby and i have been to every gala since we started at the school.  the last two years they have been held at our school.  you can read about those here and here.

this is our big fundraiser for the year. this year the theme was vintage california and it's the first year that i was on the planning committee. it was a lot of work to pull this event off but it was fun to be a part of the planning and creative process.

the event centered around a taste of california.  the invitations were vintage california postcards, the party favors had wine from a california winery and chocolates from ghiradelli in san francisco. the centerpieces were crates filled with oranges and a plant from the different regions.

our pto president made the crates and i decopauged a vintage fruit crate image on the side.  then my friend marisol and i filled them with oranges and cuties, moss and an olive tree, mini pine tree, protea, and beach grass.

mari and i worked on them saturday morning and then took them to the hotel to set up the tables.  it all looked great once we set them up with the party favors, and table signs.  each table had a name from a place in california.  we sat at the sonoma table.

the silent auction had such great items; an electic guitar, a bbq, wine, and dodger tickets.

we went in on those with mari and jay.  yeah we are going to a dodger game! sorry guys we broke into the peanuts and cracker jacks in the hotel room.  we owe you one. 

there were time with teacher items, and class projects.  this was sofia's class project.  they usually go over our budget but it's fun to see people bid and drive the prices up.

this year the gala honored one of our families who has contributed so much to the success of our school.  as vice president of the pto i got to present them with an award created in their honor, the PTO's volunteer of the year.  i was so touched to be a part of this special moment.

and of course there was dancing.  it would not be a cha event without bobby and i hitting the dance floor with friends and teachers.  that's one of the highlights of the night for us, kicking off our shoes with our wonderful friends and the faculty and staff that make our school so special.

there are already plans for next year's gala.  after a wrap up meeting and a little break i'll be ready to start on that one too.

thanks to those that helped put the gala together.  it was a great night for a great cause.

valentine's day recap

sorry for disappearing on you.  i am multi-tasking and not getting much done.  trying to focus on one thing at a time, finish and move on to the next.  the problem is that things are taking longer than i have time to give.

but the good news is that things are exciting around here.  new projects, new responsibilities.  it's keeping me busy for sure.

so going back to valentine's day.  we celebrated all day long.

a nice cup of coffee after my yoga class.  i loved the starbucks cups this year.  makes for a pretty picture.

came home to a clean house, thanks to our once a month housekeeper, and this beautiful orchid from bobby.  he knows i'm not a fan of roses on valentine's day.  this was the perfect gift.

then it was shower, a quick snack and off to sofia's class for a valentine celebration.

the kids made rice krispie treat stars and dumped icing, sprinkles and more icing on it.  they played valentine bingo, and made a craft.

i popped into andrew's class to see how the 4th grade celebrates.  they passed out their cards and had a treat.  there was a lot of energy in this class.  probably the result of lots of sugar.

after school we went to sofia's bff's house to drop off her card and chat with my friend for a bit.  i love seeing these two together.

then it was home to make dinner.  we never go out on valentine's day.  it's too much work.  and i love making dinner for them.  it's my gift of love to my family.

chicken piccata, mac and cheese and roasted vegetables.

and for dessert, brownie parfait.

the kids opened cards, and little gifts and then it was time for bed.  for everybody.  these last few days weeks have taken away all of my energy.

hope your valentine's celebration was sweet.

weekly menu:: week 7

this weekend flew by.  we had a great time at our school's gala on saturday night.   bobby and i turned it into a little getaway by staying at the hotel overnight.  we were just across town but it was nice not to have to drive home at 12:30 am.

looking ahead to this week of basketball games, baseball practice, valentine's day, and more school meetings.  i have a feeling the week will go by quickly as well.

making this week:

monday: cheesy potato soup, mini ham and cheese sandwiches

tuesday: chicken piccata, roasted vegetables and brownie parfaits

wednesday: stuffed shells, salad

thursday: chicken tostadas

friday: pizza

saturday: leftovers

sunday: eat out

baking this week:

well, i'm making brownies for dinner tomorrow night, probably just a box mix.  and we have a pto meeting on wednesday so i was thinking about this blueberry orange muffin.  i've been slacking on my school hospitality duties lately.  hoping to win them over.

loving the wet weather today.   hoping for some snow in the mountains. the kids want to ski and snowboard.  and by kids i mean bobby.  so keep the rain coming.

have a great week.