you might think i'm crazy...

& i probably am. i don't think you can watch as much late night television, as i have lately, without going a bit loopy. but that's what happens when you watch zillions of informercials. unfortunately, my recent lack of sleep makes me a sucker - look what showed up on my front porch recently... come on! admit you're jealous. you want a topsy turvy upside down tomato planter too! maybe i'll have to order your baby can read or snuggie next.

hawaiian staycation.

so, i've got a hawaiian itch, & i've got it bad. unfortunately, it's looking like it's not going getting scratched anytime soon. not a problem - i'm adaptable like that.... enter the hawaiian staycation. the waves might not be crashing outside my window, or a breeze rustling through the palm trees, but it's doesn't take much to create a little island paradise of my own...

* jack johnson on repeat
* a little bit of johnson's baby oil gel with cocoa butter slathered on. (the lotion is wonderful too!)
* piña coladas complete with tiny umbrella, whipped cream & cherry
* & all the makings of my own personal hawaiian luau:

hawaiian kalua pork
4-5 lb. pork butt or shoulder
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2-3 tablespoons hawaiian salt (or coarse sea salt)
2 cups apple cider

the night before... rub the pork with salt & liquid smoke, and place in the crockpot. cover with apple cider. turn crockpot on low & leave it to cook for 10-16 hours, flipping pork over halfway through. take meat out of crockpot and shred with two forks.

serve the pork with sticky rice, macaroni salad & finish the feast with a big 'ole slice of ted's chocolate haupia pie. yum! yum! yum!


so break out your grass skirt & coconut bra... let's staycation together. at the very least, whip up a ted's chocolate haupia pie, it's heavenly! i think i'll go cut myself another slice.

playlist emergency.

i made caramel crack this past weekend & unfortunately, it's as yummy and addicting as ever - so, i've been nibbling at it ever since. (the rolled oats make it a practical choice for breakfast!) & although it is definitely delicious, i am no longer "with child", so i can no longer blame any weight gain on the fact that i'm eating for two. seeing as i'm not planning on giving up desserts any time soon, i really need to stick to my running regime. but, it's hard to coax my lazy bum out the door when i've got no "tunes" to get me motivated, energized & ready to "feel the burn."


i am definitely in need of a new playlist that will get my toes tapping & my heart racing... any suggestions? i'd love to hear from you - what's your favorite song or songs that get you going? i've got an itunes gift card that i'm just itching to spend. any ideas? play my little game & there just might be an itunes gift card in store for you too, at least one of you that is!

today was historic...

that's right! today, charlie made her first official visit to the happiest place on earth& received hervery own pair of mickey ears to celebrate the occasion.

in the words of the fabulous judy garland...

"always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

carbo loading.

it's BBQ time at our house. some of our favorite menu items? patio beans, sizzling country ribs, coleen's beach week pasta salad, layered spinach tortellini salad, lemonade cake & frosting. another BBQ staple at our house is the cheese bread. just thinking about it is making me hungry.

cheese bread
ingredients:
one loaf of french bread
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup mayonnaise (we are best foods kind of people)
3/4 cup chopped onion
dash of worcestershire sauce
dash of salt & pepper

mix the all of the ingredients (except the bread) & let the flavors "mix" for about an hour or more.

split the loaf of french bread lengthwise. spread topping on top of each half. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until topping is hot & bubbly. cut into serving pieces & serve hot.

enjoy!

$1 flippity flops

it's that time of year again... just in time for summer, one of my favorite sales is here. the annual, "one day wonder" old navy $1 flippity flop sale. yep! yep! you can outfit your entire family with solid colored flip flops for just one buck each. with a deal this good, you know they are going to go fast, so be sure to hit your local old navy
early in the morning this Saturday, May 23rd. you don't want to miss the "feeting frenzy."

today, my running shoes came out of retirement.

luckily, their forced retirement was short-lived... boy did it feel good to tie those babies on. & within moments of tying my laces, gigi came running, ready to hit the pavement with me. seeing as she has put on a few sympathy pounds, as i've continually gained more & more weight over the last several months, i guess it's only fitting that she accompany me. unfortunately, the whole "running" part didn't come as easily as i imagined. in fact, today i realized that i run like a girl. actually, i run more like a granny - some one's great granny that is.

i started out strong. going up the hill i was feeling pretty good. but it didn't take long for me to realize how out of shape i am. pretty soon i was huffing & puffing along. my steps started to slow, if not drag. good thing i had brought gigi along - she was able to pull me along. i may have been slow (so slow, i probably could have walked faster) but i didn't stop once, & i never walked... i just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

i wouldn't say i ran very far, but, it was a start. by the time we were done, both gigi & i were exhausted. gigi's tongue was nearly dragging on the pavement & mine probably looked pretty similar. not only was i tired, but i felt like all my girly parts were going to fall out - like i just had another baby... but i'm sure that was just all the fat melting away.

& how did i celebrate this first post-pregnancy workout? by finishing up the remainders of a tub of coffee heath bar crunch. okay, so that doesn't exactly help me eliminate the big fat post pregnancy butt i've developed, but it's all about the baby steps here.

super fantastic, totally awesome giveaway.

do you live in or near orange county? even if you don't - if you are willing to jump on a jet plane, ride the train, travel by car, run, hop or skip your way to the OC.... then, boy! do i have a giveaway for you.


one lucky person is going to win an on-location orange county portrait sitting & a complimentary 8x10 portrait (a package worth a whopping $320) from michelle photography. so how do YOU win? simply go HERE & leave a comment. how easy is that? so what are you still doing here? now go enter NOW! (& just because you aren't local to the OC doesn't mean you can't enter... if you happen to win, you could always just "gift" your session to me as a baby present. i'm totally okay with that.) good luck... & may the force be with you.

playing dress up.

okay, okay... i've got something to admit. i'm kinda getting used to the whole "girly" thing, & a little bit of pink, doesn't exactly mean the end of the world. i'm slowly adjusting to this new life, with this new little girl. & it's definitely true what they say... dressing the little princess for the day is way more fun than the boys ever were. there's just something magical about ruffles & lace. 

singing charlie into the world.

my gal pal, let's call her "c" for anonymity's sake, is the ultimate party planner. construction themed birthday parties (complete with dirt cupcakes) & winter parties involving an incredible hot chocolate bar, just to describe a few of her past soirees. so, when i requested an unconventional baby shower, she didn't even bat an eye. instead of making me & all the other guests play "guess mom's tummy size" or "name that baby food," we sang our little hearts out. that's right! we celebrated charlie's impending arrival into this world at a korean karaoke studio. (i didn't realize places like this actually existed outside of the movie lost in translation, let alone my own hometown suburbia.) the evening consisted of good friends, good food & lots of songs involving the words baby & girl. for those of you who missed out on the fun, & those of you in attendance that want to re-live the night, here's a 3 minute & 38 second recap. & i apologize in advance for the quality.... but, the room was dark with a strobe light, which made it hard to video tape. plus, it'll help protect the identity of the singer's, even if just a little bit.

charlie's world.

if you've been following my baby drama, then you know i was having a tough time making any kind of decision regarding the newest little princess' palace. which quilt to hang, what color to paint the dresser, blah blah blah. at that "point in my life," i felt like these decisions were uber-important... you know, a "make it, or break it" type of thing. but we all know, that was just the hormones talking.

after agonizing over the decisions for weeks, boring my hubby, mom & friends by constantly asking them over & over again for their opinion, i still couldn't make up my mind. the night before going to the hospital i must have changed the quilt on the wall four different times. eventually i settled on one i thought i like best. but there still wasn't anything on the walls. we packed up the boys & headed out in search of some "artwork"... there's nothing like last minute. we did find a little something, but i still wasn't exactly loving the room, but with a hospital stay drawing nearer to my future i finally decided i would just deal with it all later.

luckily for me though i have a doll of a hubby. while i was vacationing at the hospital, the hubby, my mil & the boys were playing "surprise by design." as i sipped apple juice & feasted on crushed ice they were painting, decorating & putting the finishing touches on charlie's world...

she's done cooking.

almost every day for the past nine months, gavin has asked the same question "is the baby done cooking yet?" after months of anticipation & preparation, we can finally answer "YES!" but, if you've been following me on twitter, you probably already knew that. (missed the play-by-play action? you can catch up on all the recent happenings HERE.) anyway, without further ado, i'm pleased to introduce you to our little bundle of joy...

charlie (charlotte) mae. born saturday, may 2, 2009. 2:20 pm. 7 lbs. & 19 inches.

the boys are already smitten with her (as are we!), so it looks like we are going to keep her. & i might be a tad biased, but one look at her chubby cheeks, button nose, rosebud lips & mini fro-hawk and i can pretty much guarantee - she will melt your heart.

it's a giveaway.

holy cow! THIS is one awesome giveaway! with summer on it's way, i definitely wish i could win. but since i can't, maybe YOU can. try your luck HERE.

today's the day.

yep! yep! the BIG day is finally here. it's amazing - even with a deadline, i still don't feel ready. and yet, the fact that i can no longer see my toes tells me otherwise. i did manage to get almost everything done on my ginormous list of to-dos (which might help explain my lack of posts lately). the nursery is kinda done (i'm not sure i LOVE it yet, but we wre getting there), i finally bought some diapers, there are lots of frozen meals in the freezer, my bag is packed, the cameras are charged, car seat is installed... it's time to pop this baby out.

so, i might be just a bit busy over the nexy few days... if you don't hear from me, no worries. in the meantime, if you happen to miss me, check me out HERE on twitter - i'm sure i'll have lots to say.