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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Quick update and the last stretch...


Hello guys this is a quick post just to let you know how I am doing.  Yesterday I started week 26 ( total of 40 weeks in pregnancy)  Ninety-seven days to meet my baby girl! Basically the last stretch! I certainly feel slower, heavier and anxious.  During the first and second trimester as I had trouble sleeping at night ( and I still am ) I took a lot of day naps as I was feeling tired. I listened to my body after all it's making a baby.  I don't feel as tired now but now I have that nesting feeling yup cleaning and cleaning that's all I wanna do!  Getting things ready for when baby is here. 

Every morning I walk 30 minutes at Xavi's school before the bell rings.  At first he walked with me but as he made friends he told me that scientists say that kids that walk with their moms are not cool.  I got it :(  So now he walks with his friends while I walk alone.

I am sticking to that walking ritual religiously because a couple of weeks ago I found what I thought it was a bump on the road.  I failed my glucose screening.  My hospital set the standards very low to catch potential Gestational Diabetes.  A couple of days after that I had to do the three hour glucose test.  You have to be fasting they draw blood, then you drink this nasty sugary drink, they draw blood again three more times every hour to find out how your body processes glucose.   So my fasting numbers were good, then they rose with the sugary drink, after an hour the numbers were supposed to lower but mine rose a bit, then at the very last blood draw my numbers finally lowered.  So I failed one blood draw out of 4.  That was a Friday so obviously all weekend I broke down and cried and cried.  I googled and googled Gestational Diabetes I think that did not helped at all it only made me more anxious.  Monday morning I called my doctor's office and they said that my body was having a little bit of trouble processing glucose.  Gestational diabetes was not diagnosed. Small dietary changes would help such as getting rid of sugar, soda, juices, breads, pastries and all that stuff that we already know is soo good but bad for our healths.  I don't have a sweet tooth at all but I am not taking any chances so I am strictly sticking to the dietary changes hence the walking every morning.

Oh! Xavi received the student of the month award he makes me so proud and Sophie has been at her best behavior helping out as never before.  The floor has never felt so far.  I don't know why but I drop things constantly I've been so clumsy lately.  Everybody knows that the floor is so far away for me.  They even help me tie my shoes ha ha! I am happy to say that I am being pampered! Braxton Hicks contractions have started to kick in.  They are painless contractions that come and go and make my stomach feel tight and heavy.  Basically they are practice contractions because they are a preparation for the real event and allow the opportunity to practice breathing. My dreams have been so vivid lately weird things really! Last night I dreamed I had my baby girl in my arms and was going crazy looking for this specific outfit that I wanted to put on her and absolutely could not find it.

I hope you guys have been fine and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving  hoping that you and your loved ones be blessed this season and throughout the rest of the year!


Saturday, October 11, 2014

so the world knows...

so the world knows...I mean Facebook.  I announced my pregnancy today.  A lot of my family and friends didn't know it yet. Next Tuesday I will be 20 weeks which marks the middle of my pregnancy, I thought this was good timing or next thing they'll know is Claudia with new baby when did this happen?!?! Baby girl will arrive by the beginning of March 2015. Everything is going smooth, I do have to tell you that sleeping is getting harder and harder.  The trips to the bathroom don't help.  Also, I miss sleeping on my stomach, now it's like impossible to balance on a cantaloupe...besides baby girl might not like it.  I started feeling her movements about three weeks ago.  It's such a magical feeling.  I read that they sleep 90 % of the time nice ah?  I wish I could do that!  She sleeps most of the day when I am up and about she loves being rocked. But when mommy decides to take a rest and lie on the bed or couch baby girl is active.

A little update on all my children follows:  (yeah my life sounds like a soap opera)

-Valeria started working at Kmart and I am pretty sure will be very busy with this coming holiday season her college classes and her boyfriend.

-Sophia is doing good in school she is my little revolutionary, always questioning things, trying to change the world.  She always speaks up her mind. Always pointing out when she thinks something is not right.  There are days where she is not in the best of her moods and others where she is the friendliest and more lovable child you can find (excuse me not a child almost a teenager.)  She loves music and defines herself as a rocker she likes older bands as well as newer bands.  In fact all she wants to wear are shirt bands...flower prints, ruffles, pink and pastel colors are long gone.  She wanted to but combat boots and she did it with her own money she wears them once a week and her converse are back in action.

-Xavi lover boy struck again one day he came home telling me mom I found the love of my life her name is so and so (to be honest I forgot the name)  This girl is not in her class he told me.  So the next day I asked him what happened with the girl...She didn't talk to me today he answered sadly awww young love!  He turned 8 last month.  He keeps being so crafty and creative.  He loves making the rainbow loom bracelets for family and friends.  He makes the very difficult ones. He also loves watching you tube tutorials about origami, magic tricks and all sorts of crafts he is so patient and dedicated. I love seeing him give my belly love.

We definitely can't wait to welcome baby girl so that she can complete our family!

I am sending hugs to you all


Saturday, September 6, 2014

lately...

Life has been still a bit chaotic lately around here.  Just a few days after the kids started school I kinda had a panic attack and pulled them out of school grabbed the dogs and headed down for San Diego.  As crazy as it sounds I refuse to stay here while my husband works in San Diego.  So the kids started school over there and are adjusting ok to the temporary move.  This will only be until the baby is born or until he finds a job closer to home (which he has been looking for since the beginning of this year).  The hardest part is not being in my own home.  Right now we are in between my father in law's tiny apartment and my mom's house.  With no internet connection.  We have to go to the public library to connect.

One of the biggest challenges of this pregnancy that I am facing is my age.  Two weeks ago I was referred to the Genetics department.  Scary stuff indeed, the counselor was very nice and explained everything in an easy to understand way from Down Syndrome to chromosomal abnormalities to neural tube defects everything from screening testing to diagnostic testing if needed.   I came out of the counseling meeting a bit  relaxed because she was very nice and made me see things in a positive way kind of like a glass half full rather than half empty.  But still my age was my concern I will be 43 this next Tuesday.  A woman of maternal age of 20 has a chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome of 1 in 1600, a woman aged 40 is 1 in 90 and a woman aged 45 is 1 in 30. I had a non invasive blood test which they say has a 99% accuracy and can also tell you the sex of the baby.

My anxiety only grew while having to wait a whole week for results.  It's only statistics I tried to calm myself.  It is what it is.  When I got the call I felt like my heart was going to explode.  My baby passed the test and no abnormalities were detected.  The bonus, she is a girl!!  So thank goodness  I can relax now. 

Little by little I've watched my waist or what I used to call my waist disappear. It is a funny situation because I know people wonder is she fat or is she pregnant?  It's amazing how fast toilet paper goes with all the peeing involved day and night unfortunately.

At times I don't know if I am hungry or not it's really a weird feeling because I have to eat every three hours or so and it only makes me think of how huge I will get.  I've only gained like 4 lbs but I look like 5 months pregnant already :(

At my first prenatal appointment they drew 8 tubes of blood!  What do they think?  do they sell it or what?  At least the lab should have given me a coupon for a free donut at the cafeteria or something...see I am thinking of food most of the time.

I also cried at the dentist because they refused to do the routine cleaning on me. I blamed it on the hormones. A dental cleaning is very important during pregnancy because gum disease may result in premature birth. They say they needed to do x rays in order to perform the cleaning.  What??  no x rays for me while pregnant even if the doctor and the dentist say it's safe.  So I changed providers and they say the dentist will first do a visual examination and then perform a basic cleaning.  I have my appointment in one week.

The first day Xavi learned that he was going to be a big brother he said  that he will love the baby more than his legos.  He also said that he will act like a baby to teach the baby all the skills needed like talk or walk isn't he a caring sweet kid?  As I had to buy better supporting bras he mentioned that he had never seen such big bras before :/ Oh and listen to this before I knew the results of my screening test I asked him what would you think if our baby had Down Syndrome?  He said he would cry but still love him and take care of it.  That broke my heart and silently cried myself to sleep. He was hoping for a boy but is happy with a girl as well.

Sophia on the other hand hugs my belly and tells me I am hugging the baby not you...of course she is kidding (I have a whole post coming up on her)  She is hoping that I go into labor while she is in her math class so that she can skip it :/

Everybody was thinking this was a boy.  All kinds of boys names were coming up so now we need to rethink the whole perspective. When my belly started popping Javier told me this baby is coming and there is no stopping it...he got closer to the belly and said baby if you are in there knock three times ja ja!  no answer from baby but as I enter the second trimester things are looking good and I plan to enjoy this journey.  I am glad to check on you as wifi permits and certainly hope things are good for you all. 




Saturday, August 23, 2014

we're growing...

Hello guys, I hope you been enjoying your Summer.  I have been drafting this post in my mind for over a month and a half now.  How to tell you the news?  Big news, baby news... I'm pregnant!  There I said it!!  What pregnant??  Yes it's crazy ah??  that was not on my bucket list at all!! We are still digesting the news specially Javier.  It's really been a roller coaster of emotions lately...really so many things going on in our lives and this so very unexpected news!

You see I don't want to make this a long story, I've only talked about this a little bit on my blog (by the way I am bummed because I don't know why my pics are gone on that entry back in 2010)

I spent a great number of years trying to get pregnant.  I took meds to ovulate and conceived Sophia at the age of 30 then had two miscarriages.  After that came Xavi at 35 yrs of age.  My husband did the vasectomy when Xavi was about six months old then six months later he reversed it thinking we had made a mistake and wanted more kids.  That is when the real stress began test, doctors, medicines, timing  we had two failed artificial inseminations and one failed IVF.  My husband had a low to null sperm count I had 19 eggs retrieved they extracted his sperms only 4 alive and only one egg fertilized, it didn't stick.

I felt totally devastated, sad, angry at God.  That was our final attempt we knew we could not go through the emotional and financial stress again.  It really was not fun making a baby the non traditional way, Javier really hated it when I handed him the cup for a sample... plus my age was not helping at all I was 38 at the time.  I won't lie after the big disappointment I secretly prayed that one little guy escaped and that I got pregnant by a miracle after all that's all it takes right? only one!

But things changed and not long ago I remember we talked about maybe it was a good thing we didn't have any more kids.  Our three kids are growing up now.  Valeria is 18 just graduated High School got her first job and is off to community college so eager to go into the world, Sophia soon to be a teen thinks she knows everything and is at a weird stage and my sweet Xavi that is soon to be 8 not really a baby anymore.

For a few years now I have been on this medicine for a prolactinoma situation hard to explain but it's something to regulate my hormones. Ever since that medicine my periods have been pretty regular. Early in July I let my period be ten days late before I had the guts to go take a pregnancy test.  This was the first time in about four years that I've been late. I was thinking oh boy maybe this is menopause :(  because of the hot flashes.  
I remember being so nervous waiting for the results and telling the nurse my whole story and how I was sure I was not pregnant.  She turned around and with a frownie face the words came out of her mouth"you know what? you ARE pregnant"  almost with a I am sorry tone of voice.  I will never forget Hope that was the nurse's name.

That was unexpected, not planned and a total shock.  I just sat there and asked several times did you say pregnant?  is it really positive? A pregnancy was not in our plans at this point in our lives. We have had a whole range of emotions happy, scared, surprised, worried we never thought another pregnancy could happen. I myself have many fears because of my age and all the other fears that came along with pregnancy labor and delivery and raising another child.  

It felt so unreal like a dream specially after I had no symptoms at all.  
I had my first prenatal appointment at week 8 and then it was postponed a couple of times so I got to see my baby at 10 weeks 2 days of pregnancy. I got to see his/her heart thumping and he/she was moving inside That was 15 days ago so my little guy or gal has grown a bit now. I am currently 12 weeks 3 days.


This is the only picture I'd like to share with you today.  
Our not so little family is growing by two feet and one heart!

I am glad to be back blogging and hope you guys had been ok.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

two questions

Hey there!  How are you guys?? I trust you've been all right I know life is busy, there is no stopping time.  It seems like time goes by fast when you are having fun and it goes sooo slow when you are waiting for something.  I have been busy but actually haven't done a whole lot.  In this post I will attempt to answer two questions:

1.  Where the heck have I been?
2.  What the heck have I been up too?

Let me start by saying that we've been spending a lot of time in San Diego and we've gone to the beach a great deal.  You know I am not a beach person but I do enjoy sitting and reading.  I checked out a book about green beauty, very interesting but as I read along it's scary to find out all the things we put into our bodies via shampoo, creams, lotions, deodorants you name it  lots of chemicals and harmful substances.  To be honest I didn't read the whole book and mostly browsed through the DIY recipes for natural beauty after all natural is the best and we all know that.
We celebrated my hubby's 41 Birthday, he is a young cub.  That is my mom right in between Sophia and I and my father in law is to my left.  The cake was delicious if you must know a little too sweet but nothing that milk can't fix.
We attended Valeria's graduation.  Yay she did it.! I remember my own graduation a few years back :)  Congratulations class of 2014! Welcome to the real world!
I've been admiring my twinkly lights on my backyard.  Well, they don't really twinkle but I love them and I also love it when my husband calls them my 'New York lights' :)
I cannot forget my shop and lately I've been going crazy wrapping tons of pencils .
When we go to San Diego the whole family goes!
Some more beach.  This is the pier at Imperial Beach California.
We've become beach bums.
We've enjoyed the dog park after Javier is off work.  There is Lucky and my dog niece.  Her name is also Lola apparently a popular name for dogs.
Soccer fever is at it highest and we can't help but root for Mexico!
I've been able to squeeze my early bike rides on the weekends.  Gotta beat the heat!  I like breezy mornings!
More handwrapped pencils!
My sister and her kids spent a few days at my mom's just like we did.
We had a blast on the second match Mexico vs. Brazil.  Very intense moments!
We also celebrated my dad's Birthday he turned 67, went out to a buffet for lunch wow six kids that was a task in itself!
This weekend Sophia wanted to watch Grease, she's never watched it before.  We started watching it on Netflix.  I got up to go to the kitchen and when I came back the song Summer Nights was playing and started signing and humming it and both kids were like 'You know the song??' of course I know it...in Spanish though!  Xavi noted how different the cheerleaders dressed with the sweaters and the long skirts.  Sophia enjoyed the movie but thought it was cheesy.  I was happy we watched it because nowadays everybody watches their own thing on their own device.  That is one thing the kids hate my mom does not have internet so we have to make trips to the library so they can connect for a little while!

That's it for now!  Enjoy Summer that just started but as always my request is not too hot pleaseeee!!!!

Friday, May 30, 2014

summer

This is the last day of school for the kids  It has been a busy week, awards assembly, family picnics, book fairs, puzzle and movie days, patriotic program...I gotta remember each one of the events!!

so I really join the kids on the feeling of free at last!!


Time  to brag now  Xavi got two medals! a gold one for his reading scores and another one for perfect attendance plus a certificate!  Hey don't I deserve a medal as well?  After all I made him read all year long and took him to school on time every single day.  I am just kidding of course, the fact is that the best reward of all is seeing him kiss his medals as he received them. 

Last year as we headed for summer I had lots of plans...this time I have none.
I will just plan to wake up and see what the day brings about! Go where the wind takes me! I sound like a hippie ah??  No, not really I do have a family to tend to but I really don't have any plans. 

I will be taking a blogging break during this time and do plan to pop up by your blogs to catch up with you guys. I might also post here and there.

I am not a social butterfly.  Although I am on instagram,  I am not very active on it at the time but might just might take up on it during this time just to stay connected but I repeat just might!  I am not one to take pictures of everything I eat or let the world know that I run out of toilet paper :/

If you are on instagram let me know so that I can follow you and if you'd like to follow me you can do that under the name of moncy3

Enjoy your Summer and see you soon my friends.

Love,

Claudia

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

bathroom dresser

This was supposed to be a before and after post but there is no before picture...I was so excited I forgot to take one, my husband did though but he deleted the picture :( 

Maybe I should start the story at the beginning you see I been wanting a bathroom dresser for a while now because I was just storing my bathroom towels in a basket.  So one Saturday morning I mentioned it to my husband and showed him my pinterest board where I had pinned some ideas. Go ahead he said let's look for one on Craigslist.  I did and was not successful, those things take time right?  even on thrift shops you have to keep looking and looking.  So that morning we headed for yard sales like we do some times.

Guess want I got lucky!!  I found it!  I found the perfect dresser for only 15 dollars I saw it and fell in love instantly!  How lucky am I?  only 15 dollars? as my husband and I were putting it in the back of the truck a lady parked behind us and told the seller "oh you sold that already?"  Yes, lady it's sold can't you see we're putting it in the back of our truck?!  It's been paid for and we are taking it home! of course I didn't say any of this, I am not rude like that but these words went through my mind with excitement as I had snatched it and it was mine now.  I only smiled and nodded a yes...

So the next Sunday we went out for breakfast, went towel shopping at kohls, we stopped for some paint got home and I could not wait to get started.  This is where the before picture should be!  But no such thing like I mentioned at the beginning, Javier said he downloaded the picture but cannot find it I say he deleted it.

Anyways, the dresser had some glass which I didn't really care for because I wanted chicken wire instead.
I took off the hardware and did some sanding.
A little paint...
It took me half a day to paint it but it sat in the garage for an ENTIRE WHOLE WEEK before my husband and neighbor carried it upstairs. 
Once it was upstairs all decked out I loved it some more!
New towels always feel great don't you agree?
I asked everybody over and over...how do you like it?  my husband liked it a lot, the kids did too but said loose the creepy pictures!  No, I like them.
I really liked the color and how it all came together. 
I plan to put some flowers on the top baskets, I really don't know how long will it take my dear husband to install the chicken wire but if it does not happen I am still happy with it!  oh and the middle knob is in its place now it needed a screw I just couldn't wait any longer to share with you guys!  I am happy I get to stare at my bathroom dresser every single day!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

92545

I am a fan of overcast days.  A nice break from the beating sun.  I love it when clouds move with the wind and let the sun rays show up here and there...only here and there that's how I like it.  The landscaping is sketched with different colors and shades all throughout the day.  A cloudy day invites to stay home watch movies, sip on hot chocolate and crochet all day long, but only in a perfect world and we are in the middle of Spring and Summer is just around the corner I know I know. 

What's not to like about a cloudy day??

Monday, May 19, 2014

morning laughs

Being honest here lately Sophia has not contributed much to my morning laughs segment on this little blog of mine...No she hasn't!  In a way I get it she is growing up, her interests are changing, hormones fluctuating, sometimes she is happy and all of a sudden she flips out, her patience is very little specially with her little brother. Yes she does, she takes it out on him... he is her scape goat.  Truth is he can get on people's nerves at times. Most of the time I catch it and of course talk to her about but at times I am sure I don't.  Last week I learned a new word berate, I've never heard it before but with this picture that Xavi drew it made it totally easy to understand the meaning.  I was saddened by looking at it.  
His facial and body expressions says it all and Sophia's tone of voice just kills me.  
They used to play together, and hold hands together while walking.  Good thing he is very forgiving and always telling her how much he loves her and hugs her.  I hope this phase passes soon,  I remind Sophia the first words that came out of her mouth when Xavi was born "Yay I have someone to play with".  
Anyways if you grew up with brothers and sisters you know what this is all about.

But there is hope or so I think a few days ago I was in the kitchen and I overheard Sophia telling Xavi "I love you" What?? I couldn't help it but be surprised!  She noticed my amazement and said  "what?  
I haven't said it in a long time and I felt like saying it"  that's my girl! 

one more thing...on Friday she was trying very hard to open a childproof bottle  "YES, YES!! I'VE PROVED MYSELF...I AM NOT A CHILD ANYMORE!  she yelled frantically once she opened it...
 what was that bottle? ironically her gummie bear vitamins! She is trying so hard to grow up, my dear child.

Should I consider this a contribution to the segment of morning laughs?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

morning laughs

Every day as I pick up Xavi after school he greets me lovingly with the words "mom I missed you so much, I thought of you all day long!" how sweet and caring of him.  He has always been like that a lovable and caring boy.  Last week he added one more line to his greeting, he told me...

"I bet if I tested all the moms in the world you would be the bestest one, you would be the one for me".

That warmed my heart and almost made me teary eyed.  These are moments truly to be cherished...

 This past Mother's Day he had a little surprise for me...breakfast in bed! 

Of course I thanked him we hugged I also told him
"Xavi I love your picture you came out great!"  Mom that's you he replied...
oh yeah I see the short hair and the red lips. :/

On the other hand last week I asked Sophia to give me a kiss as I dropped her off to school and she said eww!! no mom let's not do this.  I'll give you a kiss at home.

I guess it's not cool to kiss your parents in front of your peers when you are 12 years old.

Anyways I'll just keep the happy memories on this post. sigh*

Thursday, May 8, 2014

92545

Just like in Beverly hills the houses on the hills are the ones with more real state value.  Nice to live up there to not have noisy or nasty neighbors, to have a great view of the city.  But rethinking that I wouldn't want to get caught up there in the middle of the night all dark, what if there is a power outage?, an emergency?  a wild animal roaming the house? maybe the chupacabras??   Nay! I'd rather live in the city as a simple peasant.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Viva la Vida VivaVoxBox


Ok guys it's time to share my VivaVoxBox.   It's a goodie box complimentary from influenster for testing purposes.  Free.  Who does not like to receive free items?  I don't see many hands up.  It came just in time to pamper myself, lately I've had some days that I've been feeling blahh~!...

Here are some of the fun stuff I received this time:
NYC New York Color City Proof Twistable Intense Lip Color

The Fuel Rewards Network at Shell

Pure Ice Nail Polish

Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Cloths

Montagne Jeunesse Peel Off Masks

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Cocoa Radiant

I love receiving these boxes because it gives me the opportunity of trying things that I normally wouldn't buy  myself.  For example this red shade named South Berry Ferry it's hard to see on this picture because of the lighting but is has a very nice pigmentation very very red and it glides just like a crayon ;) 

Here I am wearing my MontagneJeunesse #FaceBeauty masque...I don't mean to scare you I just want to thank @Influenster definitely you should give it a try! you know the skin benefits of honey and coconut plus it's super rich and thick. It took a little while to dry but more relaxing time :)  the convenience of ready made cannot be beat.

Here I am trying Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths. They're perfect to remove makeup at night or just clean your face!! They won't dry your face at all and they are the perfect size. I think they are also perfect for Sophia who thinks washing her face it's another chore.

Definitely like the sparkles on my nails! See I tell you I would paint my nails but really would not have bought sparkly nail polish...thanks to influenster I see now that sparkles look good.

With these Summer like temperatures it's time to show some legs and Vaseline Spray & Go it's so convenient you can carry it along with you moisturizes deeply and absorbs quickly non greasy and leaves your skin smelling great!

Last I have to be honest I don't pump gas at shell so the Shell Fuel Rewards Network I will just have to pass it along if you are interested email me at claudiaaguilar_99@yahoo.com

Influenster lets me turn my social influence into rewards while at the same time I pamper myself :0
You can do that too if you register as well.

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from influenster, 
all opinions are mine.
  

Thursday, May 1, 2014

92545



I hate Santa Ana...winds that is, they are gusty strong winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California. They blow mostly in autumn and winter, but can arise at other times of the year also like the past two days :(   Summer like temperatures in this arising month of May don't help .  
By the way Happy May Day. 

It's just been awful these couple of days specially yesterday to resume serious winds 70-75 miles per hour, air quality terrible, no visibility because of sand storms.  High temperatures and  no moisture means everything is very dry and lots fuel for fires to start quickly, Yesterday we were out of power for more than 10 hours, the kids got home and were like WHAT NO WIFI??  That was the worst part for them. It was so sad for me seeing broken trees all over the city.

We have one more day before the Santa Ana looses its grip.
I know we Californians complain too much weather wise because we are just used to sunny days, but I've never certainly experienced such hurricane strong Santa Ana winds have you??

I have to remind myself this shall pass.


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

hand wrapped pencils

Something funny happened to me last week.  I was working on a project and instead of using glue I used sunscreen lotion.  Aggh...after all the bottle size was the same and it looked very similar. Boy oh boy am I glad I didn't use the glue on me!
The worst thing is that I was wearing my glasses.  Is that a sign of old age or what??  Anyways, so I only realized I was using the wrong thing because the paper was not sticking!
I was working on my new hand wrapped pencils for my shop.  I have sold them before mini pencils, pencils wrapped in Japanese Washi paper, wooden color pencils and more!  Now they are back!

I am so excited because there are so many possibilities, I want to wrap these pencils in every pretty, creative  way possible ;)  I go crazy with all the paper options around a thrift store!!
I specially like using maps and music sheet.

  Following are some examples of the sets I have for sale already:

Traveler's Set made out of vintage and newer maps, Thomas Guides and World Atlases.

Office Lady Set hand wrapped in scrapbook paper.

Music Sheet set hand wrapped in vintage and newer music sheet.

Check out my hand wrapped pencil section in my shop, 
I am working on new sets that I will be adding soon.
Meanwhile I am keeping the sunscreen lotion far away from my projects.

I am offering coupon code SAVE20 to save 20% on the purchase of my hand wrapped pencils
starting today until next Sunday May 4th.  Domestic and international purchases :)






Thursday, April 24, 2014

92545

Los Vaqueros cantina & grill...a nice restaurant that offers all of the Mexican food you can think of plus more because they also have burgers and pizza for the kiddos.  When we moved to Hemet there was a colorful billboard right in the corner of our cross street and it look so inviting lighted up at night, this place is only 2.3 miles away from our house.  It took us about a year to finally go there.  It was simply delicious and colorful and nice inside.  Although you cannot really compare it to real homemade Mexican food it's nice to treat yourself once in a while and let others do the cooking for you right??   When we went there Xavi dressed up as a real cowboy, plaid shirt, cowboy boots, jeans, hat and all...he was about four years old my boy...that's the spirit wouldn't you say??

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

indoor herb garden...in progress

ok, so this is my attempt to my indoor herb garden
am I cheating if I didn't start from scratch?
I am cheating If I am still trying to figure it out?
you should know I don't have the green thumb (insert a sad face here)
you should also know that I don't use fresh herbs much

but this is my attempt to do it

the only herbs I buy fresh are cilantro, mint and parsley at times
...most of the time they go bad in the refrigerator (insert a sadder face here)
 I searched ways to do an indoor garden,  it needs a least 6+ hours of sun  a window would do
I choose 4 herbs that I've used before or that I think I will use, I bought parsley, rosemary, sage and mint... there are so many kinds of herbs to choose from!
I knew I couldn't pot them on this basket. I saw this great an easy video tutorial, the herbs still being on their pots were stuck on a  jar with water and then the jars are set in a basket.  Pretty, I know.  Easy, yeah that too. Once I find the jars I will see how this works out, if not I will have to search for a tub or pretty planter to pot them.
Meanwhile I am admiring how my herb garden looks on my kitchen and the wonderful smell.  I will have to search for recipes to give them some use while cooking or making herb infused water ;) 

 I've printed this lovely chart
wonderful artwork wouldn't you say?


I am studying studying!
This completes another prompt on my bucket list :)
 
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