Monthly Archives: February 2011

Sprinkle some Valentines Day LOVE

Yesterday we picked up Aimee and went to our fave spot Sprinkles. As I excepted, it was packed…
like, a line around the block.

All those bags are preorders. Sprinkles is making a killing…$$

this is just a 10th of the line!

We pre-ordered so we walked right in and out, VIP status.
So we drove back to her house, put Liv in her stroller and hit the boardwalk *eye roll, I can’t stand the Venice boardwalk, full of bummers, weed peddlers and annoying tourists* but I digress, we were delivering cupcakes to Mr Big who was playing at the paddle tennis courts.

Aimee *who looked adorable* gave him his cupcakes and informed him, he was her Valentine. Mr Big was grinning ear to ear!!

OMG, I know, I should call him Mr Huge. He is the sweetest guy ever. Liv is a big fan of his.

Yep, Aimee is dating a Sparten from Belgium!!

We hung out and tried our best to cheer him on during an intense game *but who were we fooling? we were lost at who was winning* however Mr Big won and Aimee got a kiss on the cheek because they are PG13 like that. I need to make up my mind what to do for my birthday. I would like to double date with them but choose a place we can take Liv.
I am still sicko and it appears to be finding its way to Antz. Last night he was coughing and his throat is dry, BOO! Nonetheless we had a sweet Valentines night, understated but perfect for us. I am thinking of trying this restaurant this weekend in Eagle Rock called Larkins. The owner also owns Mac & Cheza but to be honest, I didn’t love the food so I am apprehensive about trying Larkins but the place is so cute and I’ve read quite a few good reviews about them on yelp *despite many warning that its overpriced* We can see if our niece and nephew want to check it out. Speaking of them, they got their PeaceCorp assignment
They are going to PARAGUAY!!!

Umm, hello Iguazu Falls *nominee for a Natural Wonder of the World* SCORE!!! And guess who happens to be right next door in Peru?

Machu Picchu
I couldn’t be happier for them! We will Skype them all the time and hopefully visit *just another place to add to my endless places to go list*
Now I’ve got a vanilla cupcake with my name all over it! Lates

Dear Olivia,

Thank you for bringing so much bliss, fulfillment, patience, sense of calm and smiles *that absolutely melt me* to my life. Ever since I found out I was having my little girl, I have had butterflies in my stomach from excitement. I’ve envisioned you at ballet class wearing your pink leotard and tutu, riding your first pony and your Dad proudly framing your first *of millions* drawing. I am trying to soak up the present time with you. Your newborn days were a blink, I already miss the days when you couldn’t sit up on your own, when you slept all day and I couldn’t bare to put you down. One night in particular I remember being up with you in a sleep-deprived stupor, feeling paralyzed with fear that I wouldn’t give you everything you deserved, that I wasn’t strong enough to be your Mom, your confider, your teacher, your cheerleader. I cried so hard and prayed for the strength to go beyond my self *and selfishness* for you. How would I pass the wisdom my Mom has instilled in me to you? Then you opened your eyes and I stared at you and felt strong. I felt like I was more than prepared to deal with anything life would throw my way because I had you. The hard part was over. You were here in my arms and safe, healthy, beautiful and lovely. It felt like I was meant to be your Mother.

Then your personality sprung up overnight. *Which proves that you are our kid*

You began to break records in milestones, smiling, laughing, sitting up, sleeping through the night. You gave me such a joyful pregnancy, a piece of cake birth and a rad infancy, I feel we hit the jackpot. The days I spend with you are invaluable. I feel like every time I smell you, hear you or touch you, I am indebted. I am filled with gratitude that you are our daughter. I am proud that you are ours. I am unconditionally in love with you. I wanted you for so long, now that I have you, I want to shower you with kisses.

I love you, I love you truly, truly I do!!
XOXO,
Your Mommy

Pre Valentines Day Brunch

This morning I baked the blueberry muffins to perfection and of course I forgot to take a pic. My Mom spontaneously stopped by so I was a bit distracted. We did bring a few home with us so Antz took a pic for me. I am still feeling lame and grody so this will be a short but sweet post.

Speaking of sweet, Liv wore her new dress *the vintage one I got from Grow Kid Grow in Silverlake*

Mommy and Liv striking a pose
Leslie outdid herself as she always does. The setup was lovely, the food was yummy and the playlist was rocking *Sugarcubes for me, 80’s pop and hip hop*

Liv & her cute Godbrother, Elias

Liv’s Uncle Keith

I love the blue cupid and sweet red tulips

Joice made this lovely apple pie. She claims shes a beginner baker like me but I can’t throw down like that.

Walking with her Godfather, Nino
Bah, I look grey and sicko!!

My blueberry muffin
I just realized my muffins are lacking Muffintop!!!

Tomorrow I’m going to Sprinkles with Aimee to pick up some cupcakes. She is giving one to Mr Big *things are going well with them, although moving at a snail’s pace* and I’m going to give one to my 2 Valentines…❤

Disneyland Photo Shoot

Tragedy struck our lovely Disneyland trip. I got sick. REAL sick! I got a bad case of germies, sneezing, coughing, achy, stuffy all those Nyquil symptons yet I can’t take any meds until I talk to Dr. Wang. I bought some Cold Eaze and drank tea but this cold is here to stay.

We met Sarah at 11:30. I made a reservation at Ariel’s Grotto for a character lunch but we were trying to get as many Disneyland shots in 2 hours that we had to skip going to California Adventures. It was a nice day and surprisingly not crowded *I’m talking 5-10 minute waiting in lines* We got some awesome shots but I couldn’t find any balloon vendors so I was lacking them in my jump shots. But man, my jump shots were freaking stellar!! I jumped off of a bench in front of the Enchanted Castle and I got some major air. Sarah had to leave around 2 but we stayed until 6pm. I finally found the one balloon vendor at the park and she let me take pics with all the balloons.

We bought a Minnie one for Liv.

Antz made this fantastic sign for me and we used our moustaches.
We were able to go on a ton of rides, Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, Mad Hatter Teacups, Pinocchio, Snow White, and Jungle Cruise

This is my iphone, we look weird, like we’re made of clay

We scored a pic with the big Kahuna on Main Street but we had to ask the woman in line behind us to take our pic and of course the pics came out crappy. Antz is going to work his magic and try to lighten the shots before I post them. I took some shots with Goofy that came out okay.

I took this one
Thanks lady….sheesh!
Antz brightened this picture in Photoshop, unfortunately Liv wasn’t looking

My camera always manages to fail me when it comes to night shots. If I use the auto setting, the flash makes everything dark as seen here;

Auto with flash

No Flash, this was taken at dusk

No flash, see how blurry

With flash, Boo!

We had a yummy lunch at the French Market. Usually we get a corn dog but the food was super yum!! I had 3 cheese pasta and veggies and Antz had the garlic herb chicken. We shared cheesecake and listening to a jazz band *why was I the only one that knew all the songs, NERD!!*

I knew I was sick on the drive home, I had to pull over and let Antz drive. Friday we had our tax appt. with Gail and she made us very happy indeed again this year. *happy, happy, joy, joy dance*

She gave us some peas from her amazing organic garden. Antz and I really want to make a raised garden in the backyard but I am apprehensive from several past garden attempts *spinach, strawberries, herbs, chili peppers and greens, all sadly no longer with us*

This was our best spring garden, we used manure and the daisies were my favorite.

Aww, I love my gnomie, he’s all faded from the sun now.

This is how the garden looked the week we moved in.

I really liked the flowers this year 2008 but it always looks awesome in early spring but by summer it’s dead from the sun exposure.

The spinach was doing great but eventually it died.

The current state of our garden. We threw some random wildflower seeds out there that are starting to bloom but I would like it to fill out in the middle.

I would like to have something like this.

So maybe we’ll put something together in the next month but my priority project is our bathroom. I want new tile floors, plaster the tub and shower wall in white, paint and new storage.
I still need to get quotes and work on the budget. We picked up the shoes from the Pump Station and bought the hat which were on sale *sweet*

Sneeze, sniff, sniff, cough! I hope I’m not so miserable tomorrow at Leslie & Stephen’s Valentines Brunch. I’m making blueberry muffins in the morning *while wearing a medicinal mask, of course*.  
AH-CHOO!!

Disneyland tomorrow!!!

I’ve been running around all day prepping for our photo shoot with Sarah at Disneyland tomorrow. I am tired, I don’t know where I’ll get my energy for the long day tomorrow. The most important stuff has been taken care of, I made a reservation for a character lunch at California Adventures. It’s pricey but it guarantees pics with 5 Disney Princesses. The other challenge was finding the perfect look for Liv. I was bummed BabyGap didn’t have the shorts I wanted, but we came up with a rad alternative. Sadly, I’m sworn to secrecy until we get the pics back from Sarah. I am sewing my mouth shut but I will give you a sneak peek.

I’m such a tease!
Possibly maybe, I’ll post Liv’s week 36 this evening if I’m not passed out from exhaustion.
Toodles

35 Weeks of Love

I Just Can’t Get Enough!!!

I can not get over how much Liv has changed. Tonight we were trying to convince her to not eat her shoes and she is actually giving us attitude!! She screams *in a bratty wince* when we take her shoes from her!!
It sucks because she is so darn cute when she does it, it’s difficult to actually consider disciplining her. You can see a bit of the teeth since she never lets me take a photo of them.

So, she is on her road to toddlerville and I couldn’t be more sad. I miss my little quiet, sleep all day, totally dependant on me bebe!!

In case you didn’t catch that, here they are week by week

Olivia Lily June 2, 2010

Mommy & Daddy Love you tremendously!!

The Dub-ya

As I have mentioned about 400 times, I would like to stay at all 50+ W Hotels around the world #18. This is quite the accomplishment because I somehow continue staying at the same W, multiple times. In this case, it’s the W San Diego.

We stayed there in April 2008 to see a Lily Allen concert *which was fantastic*

I am close to booking again for Liv’s 1st birthday yet I hit a snag when I was informed that my preferred membership wasn’t being applied to my online booking. Gah, I had to call customer service and am I glad I did. I was originally going to pay $339 per night for 3 nights with the 4th night free *the benefits of preferred membership* but the agent told me I can get the same room for $191 per night with the 4th night free. Bollocks!! why am I always getting the shitty deals? Well, as much as I wanted to go ahead and book over the phone, I have to wait until Friday when we have our tax appt. so I know with 100% certainty we are going to San Diego. The rate is prepaid and non refundable so I have to proceed with caution. I was also trying to see how much the rates would be if we booked a room during Comic Con *I’m attending this year with Antz as his guest* so I expected the rates to be sky high being that it’s the biggest convention and it’s in July but she told me nothing was available at all! Sheesh, the tickets just went on sale last week. Boo! I thought being a preferred member would have gotten me a little bit of clout but all she had was a nearby Sheraton for $399 per night. Well, maybe we’ll book it or maybe we’ll just do one day at the show and drive home that night. Either way it’s still not adding to my list of W’s!! Maybe we could go to San Francisco for Liv’s birthday. We did stay at the W Silicon Valley but I haven’t stayed at the Dub in SF and the San Francisco zoo is pretty rad *we went in 2005*.

I really miss SF, when I worked at JetBlue we would go all the time. However, that would bump up the birthday budget because we would have to fly and rent a car, sigh! What really inspired me was this post of Maggie’s sponsored trip to Restaurant Week in New York with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome

Our gnome, Henry is quite jealous!!

I have been so indecisive lately. I am second guessing everything because I want to stay true to my Scarlett O’Hara pact “As God as my witness, I’ll buy a house in Atwater Village before Liv starts kindergarden.” so I’m trying my hardest to chill on the expenditures. I already want to spend a fortune on presents…

 

 

 

 

So many awesome options! That’s not including her convertible car seat *which I’m sure we’ll have to get in the next few months* and new clothes. Whatever W we end up at, I’ll thank my lucky stars, it’s been 2 years since we took a real vacay and I am itching to get out of town. I am still mourning our trip to London but I keep reminding myself it’s for the greater good. Well, keep your fingers crossed I will have a prosperous appt with Gail and snag the cheaper rate. I’ll have to order her Radio Flyer wagon before June so she can use it at the zoo and Sea World. Tonight, we went to the mall to pick up an outfit for Liv for D-land. I really wanted these shorts from BabyGap

But sadly they didn’t get the spring line in store yet *the salesperson told us to come back tomorrow* but we got a cute outfit and a pair of shoes that will be terrific for the photo shoot *Antz made me promise to stay mum until the photos are done* so of course I’m itching to blab! He took me to the children’s stores he has been getting really cute stuff from lately but I didn’t see much I liked. Well, I started this post at 10pm and it’s already past midnight so I’m ready to hit the sack.

Nighty Night Lovelies!!

Lame-o Stupidbowl!!

Allow me to express my complete and utter annoyance with football *or any other professional sports* particularly the lame fanatics. I could care less about over paid neanderthals stuck in PE class. I might have more respect for the athletes of America if they weren’t constantly getting caught doing the dumbest things *dog murder, maid rape, driving drunk with guns in the car*, just another reason why I despise sports. Also, I think the halftime show and commercials are overrated and unless you are flashing a boob, I’m unimpressed. Okay, I have completed my rant.

Now it’s shame on me time, I have been really lazing on posting. Last week was pretty hectic but that’s no excuse. 
*Bad Lizzie!*
Wednesday night Antz came home early enough to take a sunset walk through Atwater. It was like we were in the Twilight Zone because we were shocked to discover the children’s shop we always drool at their windows was actually open. Turns out they have very sporatic business hours but we met the owner’s husband and he was super nice. We bought a skirt and he threw in some free barrettes for Liv. Now another reason for me to heart Atwater Village! We randomly ended the evening having steaks at Applebee’s in Alhambra *I know, Applebees makes a pretty decent steak for under $20!* It was Liv’s 8 month birthday so we had to celebrate. The hostess gave Liv a balloon and she ate veggies/fruit from our plates. She was giving Antz’s steak a look straight from Tom & Jerry with cartoon eyes. I think we may start bigger meals since she’s always wanting more food.
So Thursday Aimee, Liv and I went to a cosignment shop in Silverlake
I was all excited to sell Liv’s 0-3 clothes and my preggo books but after the owner evaluated my stuff she offered me a store credit of $19.50 for my $70 Stella McCartney set, Janie & Jack tutu bathing suit, 5 of my preggo books and several BabyGap onesies. I was dumbfounded. I wasn’t expecting more than $50 but she definitely got over $200 worth of stuff. I texted Antz to see if he thought I should keep the stuff and try another store but he said just get rid of it *since we are already keeping more of her newborn stuff than we should*. The store was pretty sweet, there was tons of adorable vintage clothes although they were too big for her *like 4 years and up* but Aimee and I picked out a few cute dresses and a handmade diaper cover.

Aimee loves the green dress but I would have to add some thick striped thighs, cream thermal or turtleneck and a these Mary Janes by Livie & Luca to complete the style I’m going for.

Very Brady Bunch, I know but that dress totes reminds me of my Girl Scout days and she needs a little kookiness in her wardrobe. The red dress *that looks like a dolls dress* will make it’s debut next weekend at Leslie & Stephen’s 2nd Annual Valentines Day Brunch *last year was fantastic*
We had our regular Target shopping spree but I had the bright idea to take a shirt Antz bought Liv and have her name embroidered on the collar *I am an embroidery-holic* So we went to the mall but the guy at the cart couldn’t fit his machine on the collar so I had to settle for this

The embroidery came out rad but I would have much rather had her collar monogrammed. Friday I was running around all day with my Mommy and her BFF. My Mom’s style and mine are like oil and vinegar, we never like the same stuff BUT…for some reason her BFF, Debbie mentioned to my Mommy that I was looking for baby Uggs and she found a substitute until I could find them. She told my Mom to buy these Zutano Cozie Booties. Adorable right? Say whaaa… Okay, score one for Mommy!! So we went to the store that was advertising them only to find out they didn’t have the color I wanted *turquoise* so the saleperson said she would have them transferred from another store and I could pick them up when they call me *still waiting as of today* but I think they are sweet, they are adjustable and will keep her tootsies warm *hopefully she won’t try to eat them like she does with all her shoes*. I took them to lunch at Afloat Sushi but Debbie doesn’t eat sushi and we went around 4pm so there wasn’t much selection on the boats.
3 generations of ONLY CHILDREN!!

*Debbie is always a joy to be around*
I seem to have bad luck with that place whenever I take someone and tell them how fabulous it is. I drove them home and by the time I got home it was close the 10pm *hence Friday’s lame post*!
Saturday was just as busy. We met Antz Mommy, his sister and his nephew at the cemetery his Dad is buried at and we hung out together *it was Liv’s first time going to visit her Granddad’s grave* afterwards, we went to the East LA farmers market since we were nearby and we totes lucked out on some perfect pears, yams and peanuts for myself *which I thought it would be funny to spill the entire bag in my car, lame!* We feed the ducks and ate paletas *that’s Mexican frozen fruit bars for you pale faces* and when we got home I vegged out on the couch  catching up with my DVR *An Idiot Abroad is my fave at the moment* I also finally watched A Single Man *after it was on my Netflix queue forever* which I LOVED not just for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore’s brilliance but Tom Ford’s impeccable taste for 60’s fashion, music and architecture *what I would give to have a time machine and be able to experience that decade sans the civil rights crap*. It’s pretty much the 60’s equivalent of Revolutionary Road another film I really adore.
And now that brings us up to date for today. We had to go to the Happiest place on Earth to pick up a ticket for Sarah *our amazing photographer* since this Thursday is our photoshoot and I need to drop it off at her sister’s house tomorrow. One the drive to Anaheim we noticed there was an open house around the corner from our house so we checked it out. When we saw the house, our jaws hit the ground! I am shocked there is a house this cool in Highland Park.
As you can see this house is a diamond in the rough, check out the neighbors dump…I mean apartments?

Mid Century Modern style among all these icky stucco traditional ranch houses.

Antz was sold the minute he saw this kitchen, everything was brand new, clean and tastefully designed.

This is the identical tile I want to put in our bathroom

2 bathrooms, I’m super jealous!

I am definitely inspired to renovate our bathroom and kitchen

The 3 bedrooms were modestly sized but ample closet space.

The backyard was the dealbreaker for me. The stairs may be a problem for when Liv gets older but we have stairs in our backyard so we’ll have to address the safety soon. Zero privacy from the 3 surrounding neighbors and the only view was of the noisy street below. There was 3 seperate terraces with enough space for a pool at the top but no way would I put a pool in a space with people gawking at us.
I had to get my car washed since it reeked of peanuts *I am such a clutz* and away we went to buy the Disneyland tix. We walked through Downtown Disney and checked out the Disney Store since Antz needs some new ears *his old ones won’t work for our photoshoot because they light up at night so you won’t really see them*
He tried a bunch on
Retro ears are too generic, yawn!
This one screams Dorky Dad!
*I am thinking it getting this for Antz as a Valentines Day gift but his desk is pretty crowded and I am worried Lola may knock it over, as she’s done with his figurines in the past*
We picked up a new pair of ears for Liv *in case we want to change hers during the shoot* but no luck for Papa, hopefully we’ll find some cute ones next Thursday. We went to Target to get the dog food *I forgot to buy on Thursday* and on a whim, we stopped at Old Navy to take a look at their spring line. I was hoping to score some shorts and a yellow cardigan but didn’t find any I liked. I did get an adorable dress *that I will be wearing to Disneyland* that is a total knock off of this Katie-Bot Holmes Celine dress
Antz bought some shirts and we looked at the bebe clothes but nothing really wowed me. So that was my week, I will try break my lazy habit and get back into daily posts. As a treat, here is our lovely’s latest weeklies but first, please check out my fierce Lola’s PETicure *soft paws are the best, since she’s always sneaking into the nursery against our wishes*
I crack up whenever I see her strutting around with her hot pink nails!!

This sweet girl has my heart, I cherish every hair on her head!

Antz made fun of my style choice this shoot but I love the stripes *and she is trying to eat her shoe as always*

*this is the new skirt we bought at Milas Boutique*
She’ll be a year before we know it. Stay little sweet baby, don’t grow up!!

Do I dare…?

Everyone seems to be blogging these days. Some do it for therapeutic reasons *to vent, mostly* others share their love of music, film, food, home design, vampires, porn, whatever you fancy and keep it impersonal. My blog is sort of stuck in between the two. After spending the last 2 years in bebe fever mode, I’m wondering if I can evolve my blog into a full-time *ahem, money maker* job rather than a I went to Target today…pasttime. Antz often asks me “why do you need to blog about everything?” Thats a good question, I mean my life isn’t that exceptional and I have enough tweets and facebook updates to keep my friends informed of my daily grind. So why do I feel the need to share the color nail polish I’m wearing or the socks I buy Olivia? Well, I think it’s mostly because I read about nail polish and bebe socks on other blogs and I feel a weird connection to the blogasphere when I share a common interest, sense of style or even good taste with a stranger across the country. Dork, I admit it, but the difference is these folks are professional writers/bloggers and therefore can finance their life list as Mighty Maggie does, their new basement remodel, like Nicole’s from Making it Lovely or partake in weekly giveaways from incredible sponsors as John & Sherry from Young House Love do.

The point I’m trying to make is, I would love to learn more about the professional side of blogging and find a blend of my personal life with my Violently Happy life. I would love to reach more people and be able to devote more time and projects to this blog. I feel like I am the only one among my friends that has a passion for blogs and Antz can only take so much of “isn’t this cute?” in one evening. I am constantly comparing my blog to the famous ones. What I lack is knowledge of basic web design, traffic and sponsorship *my paltry Google ads aren’t bringing home the bacon* So, what needs to happen next? I think I should take a basic html class *no more wonky photos* do further research and I would love to attend the Altitude Design Summit next January. All my blog celebs are on the panels and it has invaluable info, networking and it’s a sponsor rich event *Kate Spade, dreamy*. This year it was held in Salt Lake City which I hear is beautiful this time of year.

I wish I could find someone to go with me but I don’t know anyone who is willing to commit to it *looks around to see if anyone raises their hand* I think I could turn my hobby into a business venture but I need a solid plan and continue to find an audience *my lovelies*

 

Later Skaters!!