{Happy Birthday} Tiani!

Here we go again. Three days ago we celebrated Picasso's 7th birthday. Today is Tiani's (The Princess's) 17th birthday. Seven-teen. Can anybody tell me where all the time goes? Wasn't it just last week that I was dropping her off at her preschool class? No, back to reality. That was a dozen years ago. She's now a lovely young lady. {Did I just say that? Now I really feel old.}

I'm so proud of the "lovely young lady" Tiani is growing up to be. She's funny, artistic, charismatic, helpful, compassionate, intelligent, and has a good head on her shoulders. Those are just a few adjectives that I can think of right off the top of my head. When I look around and see other girls her age getting into trouble, being menaces and being self destructive, I thank God that Tiani has, for the most part, been making good choices in life.

Happy Birthday Tiani!

{**Note: Supplies used to create this layout were created by Michelle Coleman of Little Dreamers, Trixie Scraps, and Digital Scrapbook Place}

Worldless Wednesday #9 {Rainbow}

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou {Happy New Year}, everybody! Here's to more rainbows in the upcoming year.

Monkey Free Zone {Day 2}

It's day two of Mommy time and I'm lovin' every minute of it. It's sort of like the opposite of when I was a teenager and had the house to myself when my parents went out. I can do whatever I want without having to answer to anybody.

I left the house today and drove for the first time since last week - maybe longer. All our snow is pretty much melted. Just the icky dirty snow is left on the side of the roads. It's not so pretty anymore.

Now, back to digital scrapbooking.

Picasso's Birthday Celebration

Yesterday I ranted a little bit about my cake decorating adventure. You can read about it here. I finally uploaded the pictures to share. Here are the two layers of cake before I assembled it.

Here it is after I frosted it with orange colored butter cream frosting. Not perfect, but edible.

This is the frosting that I tried (and failed) to get black. I must have used about half of the bottle of coloring. Still, the darkest I could get it is a shade of dark, black-eye, purple.

This is the finished product that's supposed to represent a basketball. It's close enough. It wasn't easy trying to squeeze the frosting out of the tool that I used.

Here's Picasso, posing for a picture. I had to hold his hand and take him over to this exact spot. He just doesn't like to cooperate whenever I want to take his picture.

"Make a wish and blow out your candles." When Grandma Susie asked him what he wished for, he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know. I don't think he made a wish. How about you? Do you make wishes when you blow out your birthday candles?

Here's some of the ohana gathered around the table.

Then it was time to open gifts. Picasso's friend gave him three Bakugan pieces.

After awhile the boys had Christmas all over again. Since the slick roads prevented us from driving down to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas eve, they brought the gifts up with them. The boys got games, clothes, and money. Mommy got a three day monkey-free break.

The Monkeys Are Away

'Twas the day after Picasso's birthday,

And Mommy's quite lucky.

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even a monkey.

No, "Mom, he's not sharing,"

Or, "Mom, he hit me,"

Just silence and peace,

And returning sanity.

"What will she do with herself?",

You might ask.

"Will she catch up on podcasts,

blog, scrapbook, relax?"

"All of the above," she says in a flash.

"But I'll have to be quick because I know it won't last."

Three days is the time she was given,

And she'll make the most of her temporary heaven.

Yes, the monkeys are away. They're spending a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Picasso went without batting an eye. Einstein batted both eyes and almost shed a few tears. He's always reluctant to spend more than a few hours away from his mommy, but he went. It's party time! No, not really. I'm actually going to enjoy listening to the walls creak, and hearing myself think.

I'm going to clean the house and enjoy not picking up after little monkeys for a few days. I'm going to get started on my digital scrapbooking without interruptions. I might even do some reading. I can do whatever my little heart desires. Woo hoo!

{Happy Birthday} Picasso!

I can't believe how quick the time goes by. It was seven years ago today that Picasso came into this world. My, how he's grown. Here he is as a little - okay, maybe "little" isn't quite the right adjective - baby.

And here he is, seven years later, daydreaming in our local Best Buy store.


And playing in the snow. The most snow he's ever seen in his seven years on this earth.


Although you'll, on occasion, read my banter about how the monkeys drive me crazy, I love them to death. It amazes me to see their personalities and talents develop. Picasso is a strong student and very artistic. I'm looking forward to being amazed even more as he gets older. I always wonder what he'll be when he grows up.

I'll share a short story that Daddy Sparky likes to tell people about the day Picasso was born. If you already know this story, then skip this part. We were living in Hawaii. I started having contractions in the late afternoon, but they were far apart. While I was watching CSI the contractions started getting closer together. We were only ten minutes away from the hospital so I decided to wait until my TV show was done before heading to the hospital. Three hours later, we had a bouncing baby boy. At least, that's the way I remember the story.

We're having family and friends over for pizza and home made birthday cake to celebrate. Yes, I said "home made" birthday cake. Yesterday I baked the two round chocolate cakes. That was the easy part. This morning I whipped up two batches of buttercream frosting to frost and decorate the cake. Picasso wanted a basketball cake. Why did I volunteer to do this? It would have been so much easier just to buy a cake. I need to take a cake decorating class. But, the monkeys seem to think it came out nice, so I guess it passes the quality control test. Getting the frosting orange was "a piece of cake," but trying to get the other batch black for the decorating just didn't happen. I call the end result "sweet potato" because it's more of a deep purple color. Anyway, I'll post pictures later.

And now, I'm off to take care of the final details for our little celebration.

Photo Hunt #36 {Squeaky}

I know, my photo hunt post is mega late today. I've been busy, busy, busy doing things to prepare for Picasso's 7th birthday tomorrow. We did some shopping to get ingredients to make his cake. I baked a batch of Banana Chocolate Chip bread to use up the very soft bananas that Kristy brought over on Christmas day. I baked two round cakes to assemble tomorrow. I even cleaned the house here and there. We can't have the house looking like two messy monkeys live here when company comes over. Now, I can sit and relax for a spell.

So, back to my "squeaky" photo. I couldn't think of anything at first. Then I came up with this. I had the boys step on one of the squeaky spots on our hallway floor. So there you have it. I hope everyone is having a wonderful after Christmas weekend.

Christmas Aftermath

This year, our Christmas tree wasn't spewing gifts, but we received a few nice things that we've grown attached to. My sister made these "monkey" blankets for the boys and me. I knew about the blankets, but even I was surprised to see the print because I thought she was getting them flames.

I was even MORE surprised to open my gift: a blanket with PINK monkeys. How cute is that?! It's my new favorite cuddly blanket.



My second favorite gift was Picasso's Guitar Hero for the Wii. It's a lot of fun, but not as easy as it looks.

Today we ventured out of our neighborhood to do a little shopping. Talk about four wheeling taken to a new level. The roads were so bumpy and slick. Once we reached the main roads we were fine. On our way back home we stopped at the mailboxes for our mail and had to work extra hard to get back home. Since we got off of the beaten path and drove into the deep snow it was a more difficult trek.

And now, I'm going to relax and enjoy a glass of wine and play a little more Boom Blox on the Wii with the monkeys. That game is a little addicting.

Mele Kalikimaka!

"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say,
On a bright Washington Christmas Day,
That's the mainland greeting that we send to you
From the land where pine trees sway,
Here we know that Christmas will be snowy and bright,
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night,
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say 'Merry Christmas to you.'"

Okay, so I changed some of the words to fit our snowy weather here in Washington.

We ended up staying home yesterday. By the time Daddy Sparky got home the road conditions had worsened. We'll see how the roads are this weekend to see if we can have a Christmas hanahou.

While I made my coffee (at 8:00 this morning...that's pushing it), whipped up a batch of scones and buttermilk pancakes, Daddy Sparky helped the boys set up the Guitar Hero. The claws were out and they weren't being retracted until AFTER my coffeee was consumed.

The monkeys had a Wii Christmas. Santa left the Guitar Hero III for Picasso, and a Boom Blox for Einstein. From everyone else, they got Wii Music (which is what Picasso is playing right now), Star Wars the Clone Wars (complete with light sabers), and Game Party. It's going to be a Wii day. As soon as I get off this computer I'm going to try the Guitar Hero-Yeah!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and good cheer! Don't drink too much egg-nog.

Aloha,
The Aloha Monkeys

{Merry Christmas} Eve

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Well, it was snowing earlier but has stopped--so far. Our bags are packed and we're ready to head down south to spend Christmas Eve with family--I think. We're waiting for Daddy Sparky to get home from work and give us the report on the road conditions. We don't plan on spending the night in Toledo, but with these icy roads you never can tell. Yesterday my mom got stuck in our driveway. I felt a little guilty watching her shovel snow. But with my bad back I wasn't willing to risk throwing it out again.

So, I wish everyone a very merry Christmas Eve and safe travels.

Snowed In and Bored

Not me! I'm not bored. I could stay on the computer and do my digital scrapbooking until the cows come home. No, it's Picasso who's bored. These monkeys have hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars worth of toys and video games, and DVDs in their playroom, but they're bored! How could this possibly be? Does this mean I can go in their room and empty it out and they wouldn't care? Of course not. It just means they're going to drive me crazy until after Christmas when they can open their gifts and add to their collection of things they're bored of.

Speaking of which, I can't wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow is Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas morning. We'll definitely have a "White Christmas" this year because our snow is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Well, I'm getting kicked off of the computer because the monkeys want to play chess on pogo. I think I'll bake some cookies for Santa. Both of the boys received hand signed letters from Santa yesterday and he reminded them that to leave out some cookies on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Claus had to sew him a new suit because he picked up some weight over the year. Santa says he's going to need a new suit next year, too, because he loves all those cookies that the boys and girls leave out for him. He also reminded the boys that the reindeer love carrots.

I'm off to my baking.

Manic Monday {14}

If you were at a friend’s house for a holiday dinner and you found a dead cockroach in your salad, what would you do?
That's just gross, but I think I would probably mention it to my friend--discretely, of course.

If you could put anyone you know on Prozac, who would you choose?
The monkeys! I know their energy is just them being kids, but they drive me insane sometimes!

How do you feel about public displays of affection?
A small smooch is okay, but sometimes I feel like yelling, "Get a room!" I mean, come on people, there could be children present.

SOOC Sunday {5}

Well, the only thing I've really been taking pictures of for the past week is snow, snow, and more snow. So I thought it would be fitting to post some of my recent snow pictures that are "straight out of camera."

This one shows how deep the snow is in our driveway. We're getting more snowfall right now. I'm sure it'll get deeper.

You gotta love the snow covered slippers. I wonder if the rubber will freeze and crack?

Here's another snow gauge; our Brinks Security sign.

I took this shot while standing in our garage. Our vehicles are surrounded by snow.

I threw on some boots and took a walk in our yard. There was a crunch with every step I took. The entire surface of snow was a thin sheet of ice.

This is one of the trees in our front yard. I think the snow collecting on the branches are pretty in contrast to the green.

Our roof collected a few inches of snow too.

This was a fun photo opp. Sparky was scraping snow off of our vehicles and created a snow sculpture, or a tunnel, however you want to categorize it.

That's about it for now. I'm now contemplating getting dressed in my snow gear to play out in the snow with the monkeys. Do I dare go out in that frigid air? We don't get this kind of snow all the time. You have to live in the moment sometimes, right? Okay, okay, I'm going now. Maybe you'll be seeing more snow pictures in future posts. Actually, you can count on it.

Mommy's Modified Wish List

We did it again--we hit the snowy, slick roads. Add to that people who don't know how to drive and are in a hurry and you have a recipe for disaster. But, thank God, we survived!

We did a little shopping at Best Buy where I test drove the Guitar Hero for the Nintendo DS. Oh my goodness! It was so much fun! I want one.

Last week I posted my unrealistic wish list. You can see the original post here. Since then, I've thought of a few more items to add to that list. So, here goes:

1. Guitar Hero for the Nintendo DS (yes, I already have a pink DS).
2. A Keurig Platinum Brewing System--because I love sipping a cup of fresh coffee every single time ($129.99 at Costco).
   
3. Wii Fit--it looks like so much fun!
4. Maid service for a year--because I'm tired of picking up after everyone else.

That's all for now. Since we've been getting snowfall for most of the day, I don't think we'll be going anywhere any time soon. We're snowed in. I hope everyone else is staying comfortable.

Photo Hunt #35 {Wide}

Okay, one of the things that I'm most self-conscious of is my "wide" feet. If I could change just one thing about myself, it would be my wide, luau feet. So here are a few photos to help me get over my complex.

One I took yesterday. Standing in the snow.

And a couple I took in Hawaii. Right now my slippers are sitting in my closet collecting dust until Spring.


If you'd like to participate or see other "wide" photos, go here. Happy hunting, everyone!

Snow Trek

Today was the first time the boys and I left our neighborhood since Tuesday. We went to Costco and Wal Mart to pick up a few things. First, Sparky had to prepare the Durango for our snow trek. Scrape off the snow and get the heat going inside.



I took tons of pictures along the way. There's something about fresh, white snow that makes the soul feel uplifted. Maybe because white is such a pure color. There were so many beautiful snow covered things to take photos of; especially trees.




When we got back home we took a drive around our neighborhood to see what everyone has been up to. We came across a few more snowmen.


When we got back home we tried to build our own snowman, but the snow was too powdery. So we just threw snow at each other instead.




I remembered that my mom dropped off Kristy's "Leadsinger" karaoke unit yesterday, so we hooked it up to test it out. Oh my goodness . . . I can sing with the radio, but I could never take the lead. Still, we all had fun trying. The unit gives you a score, and we earned a few perfect scores. Maybe we'll give it another whirl tomorrow since we don't have anywhere to go.

Closed Schools and Burning Temptation

The kids are officially on winter break. Schools were closed yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The monkeys spent more time playing in the snow today. Before they could go out they had to do the snow ritual: socks, snow pants, snow coats, gloves, caps, and boots. Just one small problem. Can you spot it here? Picasso couldn't find the boot for his right foot. Hmmm, I wonder why? Could it be because Einstein had two right feet?

Picasso was pushing his luck by burying his gloves in the snow to play scavenger hunt. He quickly found them when I gave him five minutes to find them or go back in the house.



I ventured out to the mailbox to drop off the last of our Christmas cards. It seemed that all the families on our cul-de-sac made snowmen to welcome the snow. This is the most snowfall we've seen since we moved to Washington, and there's no end in sight. We're expected to get hit again on Sunday.




Here's our cul-de-sac covered with snow.


Yesterday, after Sparky replaced our baking element in our stove I baked up a batch of Molasses Jumbles for Einstein's cookie exchange (which he won't need anymore, since schools will be closed tomorrow). Right after I took the pan out of the oven Picasso couldn't resist the aroma of the spiced cookies, so he stuck his nose in there and touched his chin to the hot pan and burned himself.


Then, this morning while I was making a fresh batch of scones for breakfast I dropped a towel. I reached to catch it before it hit the ground, but I whacked my thumb hard on my iPod (which was clipped to my pants) and bruised it. [God, help us to avoid any more injuries while we're on winter break.]

What will tomorrow bring? Other than more snow?

Wordless Wednesday {8}

In my previous post I talked about our first snow day. Here's a photo that I took after the boys came back in the house. As soon as I saw the sun shining, creating shadows, I had to grab my camera and snap a couple of shots. I think it's pretty cool.

First {Snow}

The monkeys got their first snow today. First thing this morning I got the e-mail on my Blackberry telling me that all North Thurston District schools were closed. Yay! No need to get out of bed right away. Instead, I turned on my warming pad to heat up my poor, aching back.

When I finally got out of bed I put on a fresh pot of coffee and made a batch of chocolate chip scones. Just one small problem--our oven didn't even get close to hot after 30 minutes of preheating. Our baking element was fried. [As I type Sparky is facing the elements outside to pick up a new element for our oven.] I had to improvise and transfer the scone dough to a small pan to bake in our toaster oven in two batches.




Once the scones were baked the monkeys and I had them for breakfast. Yum. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks, Davina, for sharing it with us.

Shortly after breakfast the boys headed out in the snow. They made snow balls and snow angels and colored the snow with colored water. They were out there for a little over an hour then came inside and had a warm bath. Now, a couple hours later, they want to head back out in the snow. They can go out if they dress themselves in their snow gear. I'm done for the day.

Winter Wonderland

It's so over-rated! Our local temperature has been below 30 degrees for the past couple of days. We've even seen a little bit of snow. This morning it was 22 degrees outside! I wimped out and drove Picasso to the bus stop because I wasn't willing to walk the short distance while having freezing wind blowing in my face. Not to mention the fact that I tweaked my back--again.



I had to take this picture of the moon. It wasn't easy to operate the little buttons on my camera while wearing gloves. My fingers were like ice.

When Einstein and I got back home, in our nice warm house, he decided to put his Cuddles Bear in a Santa hat to keep him warm. He looks nice and toasty.

Then I put him to work. He cut and stamped labels for the candy canes he'll be giving his classmates.

The temperature is supposed to drop even more tomorrow. It would be nice if it could stay stable until after Friday. That's the last day of school for the boys. Then they're on winter break for two weeks. That means sleeping in for Mom.

Manic Monday {13}

Have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?

Yup, lots of times. But the one thing that I remember the most is when Costco used to have their one year, no questions asked return policy. My boys gave me a Zune for Christmas. I had it for a few months and decided I wanted an iPod instead. I returned the Zune and got a 8GB iPod Classic. Then less than a year later I returned my iPod and traded it in for a 20GB iPod. It was an even exchange. Now Costco only gives you 90 days to return electronics.

You are going out for the evening. If your partner objects to what you are wearing, would you change your clothing?

This is a mute question since I'm always the one my family comes to for a wardrobe check. But if this ever happened, I'd where whatever I want. I'm not really stuck on other peoples opinions.

What item that you don’t currently possess would you most like to have in your home?

Does it need to be an item? Because I'd really like to have a maid. Well, if it has to be an object then right now I'd say a massage chair. I would probably park myself in the chair and not move.

SOOC Sunday {4}

I love taking pictures of flowers. It's always a challenge to take shots indoors. I thought this one came out pretty good, though. I think I captured enough depth without too much flash.

She's Got Skills

Okay, I just had to brag a teensie weensie bit. The cub scout pack went Christmas caroling at an apartment for senior citizens today. We were running a little late so I had to park in the first available stall I could find. This was the stall, which required parallel parking between two cars. I was a little offended when Sparky said I could just park across the street where there were three consecutive spaces available. He didn't think I had enough confidence to pull it off. Little did he know that his wife had mad parking skills. I got the Durango in the space on my first attempt. Okay, I must admit that luck could have something to do with it, but I don't think so. I think it's skill.

When we finally got into the building and out of the arctic cold air, Picasso put up a small fight and didn't want to jump in with the rest of the pack who was already in the middle of caroling.

They sang one last song before we hiked up four levels of stairs while singing. Yeah, right. I sang whenever I could catch my breath. That was no easy task, let me tell you. The reward was sweet, though. I do mean that in the literal sense.

This is the selection of sweet treats that was waiting for us upon returning. Everything was yummy. The treats weren't our only reward. It was also very rewarding to see the smiles on the seniors' faces. They seem to enjoy having some Christmas cheer knock on their doors.

Photo Hunt #34 : {Favorite}

Today's theme has many possibilities. Favorite food, color, flavor, pastimes, etc. I decided to go with my favorite drink:wine :)

We have a friend who comes to town for business every once in awhile. Whenever he's in town we have him over for dinner and he never comes empty handed. He usually has a bottle of wine. I really enjoyed this bottle that he brought.

You'll notice that this bottle happens to be empty. No, I didn't drink it all by myself. I shared. If I happen to find it on the shelf, I'll Pick up a bottle . . . or two.

Let's see some of your "favorites."

Aloha Friday {12}

It's Aloha Friday again . . . yay! Today at An Island Life Kailani is asking:

"What do you want for Christmas?"

That's easy. I want a MacBook Pro with all the bells and whistles! I know I won't be getting it, but a girl can dream, can't she?

The question I'm asking today is:

"What's the weather like today in your neck of the woods?"

We're supposed to get snow tomorrow. Today it's dark, cold, windy, and wet. Our power flickered off while I was picking up Einstein from school. As I type I'm making a fresh pot of rice and started cooking our teriyaki chicken before the power goes out again. Then we have to round up all our flashlights so we're not searching for them in the dark. I hope I don't miss Ghost Whisperer tonight. The story line is getting so good.

If you want to play or see other answers, visit Kailani here. Happy Aloha Friday, everyone!

Thursday Thirteen {12}

This weeks list is simple. Things I definitely won't find under our Christmas tree this year or any other year. I guess it's my unrealistic wish list.

1. Shiatsu Massaging Cushion with Heat
2. COOLPIX S60
3. Canon Rebel XTi
4. Blackberry Bold
5. MacBook Pro
6. Adobe CS4 (to go with the MacBook Pro)
7. Pink Flip Video (to carry in my purse to take spur of the moment video of the boys)

That's all I could think of. See, I'm not asking for much.

Secret Vehicle Prowls

Einstein and I perused in Target for a little while, then we stopped at the snack bar for a pretzel and latte. It was nice to sit and relax for a few minutes. This is where a couple of nice ladies observed Einstein and commented on how well behaved he was. He waited patiently while I paid for his pretzel.

When we got back to the Durango I strapped Einstein in his seat then got myself situated. Then I got annoyed when I was ready to start the engine and noticed a card stuck under my wiper blade. All I could see were the words "Lacey Police Department." Apparently I failed their "Vehicle Prowls" inspection because I left my back pack and a small gift bag on the passenger seat.

I don't normally do that. I'm usually pretty good at tucking things away in the car, but I failed to place these items out of plain sight today. So slap my hand. If a thief broke into our Durango to steal my stuff they would've been blessed with a bible and framed 5 x 7 photo of Sparky and me. Whew, I guess I got lucky [sarcasm]. I was reminded to avoid being a victim, courtesy of the folks at LPD. I wonder how many tax dollars are going toward this campaign?

Blog Facelift

I've been wasting...I mean spending way too much time trying to give my blog a face lift using the designs I picked up from Sweet Shoppe Designs. The background and separators are so cute, but I'm having problems making the code work. Ugh, I'm getting so frustrated that I just settled on using the blog header. Even that doesn't look the way it's suppose to. Maybe I'll get it figured out before Christmas is over.

Still Not "Back" On Track

Yesterday, after seeing my doctor I stopped at Wal Mart to fill my prescriptions. She gave me a prescription strength Naproxen and some sort of muscle relaxer that supposedly could cause drowsiness (A couple glasses of wine would cause more drowsiness than this medication did). I think all I got were sugar pills because it did absolutely nothing for my back pain. Today I was still in discomfort with limited range of movement. I hope it's better by tomorrow.

Small Fortune Spent . . .

. . . at the laundromat! Rewind to yesterday morning. Picasso was watching TV and says, "I think I barfed on the blanket." You would think that's something that would be obvious, no questions asked. I could tell it was going to be a less-than-fun morning for me, washing icky bedding.

When I inspected the sheets I found a wet spot, but nothing solid. The comforter was spotted too. No big deal. Simple clean up (so I thought).

I had a little surprise when I pulled the comforter out of the washer. Little chunks fell on the floor. Upon closer inspection I found that Picasso did, indeed, barf on the blanket. Ew! Gross!

This morning Sparky and I spent an hour at the laundromat washing the comforters in the commercial machines. I nearly had a coronary when I found out it cost $6.00 a load! We were able to fit both comforters (the boys' and ours) in one machine.

It was another fifty cents to put them in the dryer for about a dozen minutes. The comforters weren't completely dry, but enough to take home and finish the job in our own dryer.

I took a few interesting shots of the very commercial sized dryer. You could probably fit a horse in there. They were huge!


Then there was this double duty vending machine. At first glance you can see that it vends the candies and chips.


But look again, and it also vends soda. How cool is that? Okay, maybe it's not THAT cool, but I'd never seen anything like it.

So, the boys now have a clean, barf-free comforter to keep them warm. I hope I don't have to go to the laundromat anytime soon.

I do, however, have to visit my doctor today. I hurt my back (again) over the weekend and have been barely able to stand straight due to the pain. Maybe I'll be able to get some pharmaceutical products to take the edge off. This is the worst I've hurt my back in two years. It reminds me of the major injury back on Friday the 13th, October of 2006. Picture me coming down a big slide with Einstein. We came down so fast that I couldn't slow down. I jammed my feet into the ground and basically caused my spine to crumple like an accordion. I was in the ER with some good drugs and could hardly walk for days. This is a reminder to not take my back for granted.

Wedding Bells

Yesterday was the "big day" for my sister Kristy and, her now husband, Kamu. They tied the knot with about a hundred witnesses. It was a small, but joyous affair.

I had the privilege of being the maid of honor-even though Kamu didn't have a clue and gave my lei to Kristy's best friend instead (No worry, Kamu, I thought the same thing).

In true Hawaiian tradition, the ceremony started on "Hawaiian time." Only about one and a half hours late.

Picasso was supposed to be the ring-bearer but was no where to be found when the time came, so Einstein took the job in his place. He did a good job standing still in front of everyone (he's my shy monkey).

When all was said and done, it was time to eat-finally!

Here are a few pictures I took with my camera in the order they were taken. I don't have any photos of the ceremony because I was part of the wedding party. (Don't think I didn't consider keeping my camera with me to take pictures from the maid of honors point of view.) Claudia was assigned photography duty since she has mad skills and a big camera.

Here's a rare family photo opportunity that just may be Christmas card worthy.

Table decorations made by "Jan's Floral," aka, Mom.

SPAM won ton waiting to be deep fried.

The wedding cake topper depicting the newlyweds life together (just kidding-maybe).

The rings.

The groom and his tutu.

Okay, Claudia the photographer took this one with her camera, but it's my favorite picture that is blog-worthy.

And, last but not least, this is me with my sister and one of her hula sisters.

SOOC Sunday {3}

I took this picture yesterday, while on our way to my sister's wedding. No, I wasn't driving at the time. I was in the passengers seat.

Photo Hunt #33 {Breakfast}

At first, I had trouble finding photos for "breakfast," but once I got started I found a few of them. The first one is a batch of banana muffins that I whipped up for the boys, complete with strudel topping. They tasted okay, but I don't think I'll use this recipe again.
This is the breakfast I had at the SeaTac Airport's Starbuck's on the morning I flew to Hawaii. Carbs and Coffee. Breakfast of champions.
This is a traditional Hawaiian breakfast I had while I was in Hawaii: Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice. You'll actually find this on McDonald's menus there. A couple other unique food items on Hawaii's McDonald's menus are saimin and fruit punch. Sometimes I miss the local food, but I definitely don't miss the local calories.
What did you find for "breakfast?"

Friday Fill-Ins {1}

1. Snow White.

2. I'm looking forward to Summer time.

3. Summer is the best season ever!

4. One of my favorite old TV shows is Family Matters.

5. I'm done with Fall and Winter.

6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is having an excuse to drink egg nog or any other alcoholic beverage.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Ghost Whisperer, tomorrow my plans include my sister’s wedding and Sunday, I want to relax and do NOTHING!

Santa & Grumpy

Last night was Picasso's Cub Scout Pack meeting. There were craft stations set up for the boys to make snow flakes, bookmarks, and ornaments. There was also a station to make Christmas cards to take to the retirement home that the boys will be visiting next week to sing Christmas carols at.






At the end of the meeting the boys were paid a special visit by the big man himself. Santa handed each Scout a little gift. It was a car kit for next month's Pine Derby.


I had no problems having Picasso pose with Santa, but Einstein was a different story. He was being his usual stubborn self and didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. So here's the end result. Picasso, Santa, and Grumpy.

Aloha Friday {11}

Today, at An Island Life, Kailani poses the question:

"What are you putting off doing?"

My answer to that would have to be decking the halls. The holiday season came upon us quick as ever. It seems like just last month that we packed all our decorations into the attic. Now we have to pack them back down? Maybe I'm just a scrooge this year. It just seems like way too much work.

My question of the week is:

"When do you traditionally start decking your halls?"

If you'd like to see other answers to Kailani's question or want to participate just go here. Happy Aloha Friday to all!

Am I Dreaming?

A dollar seventy-seven for regular gas at Costco? Somebody, pinch me. I must be dreaming! How long has it been since the gas prices have been this low?! I was just looking through Einstein's baby book. The year he was born (2003) the gas price at Hawaii Costco was $1.86. The dropping prices of gas is a trend I can live with.

Smoothies, Teen Magazines, and Bad Haircuts

After picking Einstein up from school we stopped at Cutter's Point Coffee to use my "Two-for-One" card. Not to mention, I needed my caffeine fix since I ran out of coffee. I was also meeting a friend to deliver her Pampered Chef Muffin Stone.

I savored my 16 oz. Candy Cane Mocha while Einstein sipped his chocolate smoothie.


Our next stop was Wal Mart to pick up a few ingredients for the salad I'm making for my sister's wedding reception. [Did I mention that my sister is getting married this Saturday? It's just going to be a small ceremony and celebration with a few close friends and family.]

While we were there we made a small detour down the magazine aisle because I was curious to see the spread of the Twilight cast in the December "Teen" magazine. I'm still giggling to myself just as I did while I was skimming through the magazine at the store.

I found what I was looking for right where it should be; by the rest of the teenie bopper magazines. But I had to laugh out loud when I took a few steps and also found a stack by the "women'" magazines. Whoever is in charge of stocking the shelves really knows how to target the Twilight fans, including the moms.
After Picasso got home from school I took the boys to get their hair cut. I decided to take them to a very well-known hair styling franchise that's closer to home. We had good experiences when we went to the same franchise that was a little farther from home, so I figured it would be safe. Boy was I wrong. They don't have nearly as much experience as the other location.

Two different "stylists" (I'm using the term loosely) cut the boys' hair at the same time. At first they asked me the usual question. . ."how do you want it cut?" Then they expected me to know what number clipper the last stylist used to cut Picasso's hair. I didn't know I was supposed to be taking notes.

Then the other stylist started with the questions about Einstein's hair: "Should I cut his sideburns?", "Can I cut his bangs?" Although I've never been asked these questions before, I wasn't suspicious until she asked a third stylist for help. Then Picasso's stylist needed help with his hair too. The first two stylists were commenting on the boys' wicked cowlicks. I understand that they both have coarse hair (they get that from me), but I've never witnessed anyone so challenged to cut their hair before.

Thankfully, Picasso's cut came out "okay," but Einstein came off the chair looking like Richie Rich with his hair parted in the middle. I'll never use the $5 off coupons that I got from today's visit because I won't be taking the boys back there ever again.

As soon as we got home the boys took a bath and washed their hair. I needed to know that I could salvage their haircuts by running a comb through their hair. It looks mediocre. I should have waited until after we take pictures on Saturday to get their hair cut. Thankfully, it's only hair and it'll grow back.

I Never Win Anything . . .

. . .until today. I actually won a $5 Amazon gift card just for successfully participating in November's NaBloPoMo. My name was randomly selected. I sure wasn't expecting to win anything, but I'm glad I did.

If you're a blogger, are you participating in NaBloPoMo this month?

Manic Monday {13}

It's "Cyber Monday" today, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States. Do you do much online shopping, holiday or otherwise?

Every once in awhile. I really don't do a lot of shopping, but if I'm looking for something specific I like to look on e-bay first.

Are you a Mac or a PC user? Why?

I'm currently a PC user because it's just what I learned on, but I'm dying to get a Mac Book since I do a lot of graphic oriented things; digital scrapbooking. I'd also love to learn to edit home movies and stuff. This PC that I have now just ain't gonna cut it.

What website do you spend more time on than you care to admit?

Um, my blog. Does that count? Yeah, I spend way too much time blogging.

And the Winner Is . . .

. . . not Picasso. Yesterday I posted about the Awana Cookie Bake-Off. You can read all about it here. After the cookies were cooled and frosted the boys had a little sample. Picasso was convinced that he was going to be the winner. He wasn't that far off. Out of ten entries in his age category his "Holiday Chip Cookies" placed 2nd. This on top of getting two sections of his Sparks book signed off was cause for celebration. I was so proud of him.

If you'd like to bake up a batch of these delicious cookies go to Nestle's website here for the recipe. You won't be sorry.

Here are a few photos of the cookies from beginning to end.

Picasso adds the flour mixture to the bowl.

Then he stirs in the chocolate chips.

The cookies were supposed to be on sticks, but we quickly ran low on cookie cough.

These cookies on a stick are huge!

Einstein took these cookies for his Cubbies friends.

The table is covered with cookie entries. There's Picasso's cookies: front and center.