Creativity!

I've been working little at a time on a new blanket for Maggie. I've interspersed it with some socks, a knit along hat with friends and my Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves.

The blanket is to replace her original "Mommy Blanket" aka MB which was somehow gotten to and destroyed by the neighborhood kids during play :o(

Rather than recreate the old one from a pattern I purchased, I decided to create a unique pattern just for Maggie so it's 100% Mommy created.

Oh yes, when I was sick this past weekend I got creative in my beady way and made some earrings. I know, I know... I just really have a hard time "sitting still". :o)

Atta boy!

I think it's fair to say that this time around as dog owners we're more confident and competent. Not only that but I think our boy Darwin is exceptionally bright. I think President Obama and family would enjoy a labradoodle!

Anyhoo, Chris has been working on newspaper retrieval and Darwin's been doing quite well for a couple of weeks. Here's our boy looking rather proud methinks!

Obamacupcakes!

Per my previous post, here is our version of the Obamacupcakes!
Thanks again to Vanessa and Alpha+Mom!

Wow.. for more ode to Obama-cupcakes.. check this blog out!

Inauguration Day

I have a feeling of profound patriotic pride today. So much so, that I proudly put our flag out.

It is a historical day in many ways. Maggie wanted to stay home from school to watch Barack Obama be sworn in as the 44th President. Thankfully her teacher put the broadcast on in class - yay!

I have alot of hope for the future and as I work I can see the flag billowing in the wind outside of my office and I smile.



Later, I will bake cupcakes and decorate them for today's occasion thanks to the idea of my friend Vanessa who is a super blogophile and always finds the neatest things!

Caveat Emptor!!!!

I usually vote with my feet. If I don't like service or product I won't go back. After alll, we work hard for our money. We don't have a magic money tree growing in our backyard (as much as I wish I did).

This is the first time in my life where I've had such poor service, lack of goods. apparent apathy and obfuscation from a company I feel compelled to warn others.
DO NOT SHOP AT SAHALIE!

Chris ordered my Christmas pressies from them on December 12th. He got one smaller item but not until after Christmas. As for the other two... one was "staged for shipping" from December 26th until January 7th when it finally shipped. We are still waiting for USPS to deliver. Did I mention their shipping fees were userous? The last item has been "on the docks" for about two weeks now with no promise of ship date. He called Monday the 12th and asked it be shipped overnight immediately. They said they would.

Thursday the 15th he called and it was still "staged" and no shipping info. Additionally they kept telling Chris they don't have a way to track a package. WHAT?!? When he finally spoke to a manager they said they weren't sure it was even in stock anymore since it had gone on sale since the order over a month ago. Apparently a call to the warehouse to see if something is in stock is sort of a difficult task for a company that sells goods and ships "since 1972". The sad thing is the amount of apathy and lack of motivation the customer service people had toward us. No one was willing to think outside of the box or take it upon themselves to research further. They simply said "sorry that's the way it is".

The other thing they told him was that they were overwhelmed this holiday season and caught off guard. I'm sorry but in this economy a smallish company should be GRATEFUL for the business and be prepared to serve their customers at 110%.


My poor hubby was fraught my Christmas pressie was not only late but apparently never shipping. I told him to cancel it because it was not worth this daily aggravation. So there it is. Sahalie stinks. If you like anything in Sahalie, simply look it up because I found other items on other sites. BTW, he ordered my replacement gift last night and this morning got a shipment notification. How hard is that?



So if you value your dollar, want good products at decent prices without being gouged on shipping (not that you'll ever GET the item anyway) then DO NOT SHOP AT SAHALIE.

Happy New Year!

Well, I've let quite a while pass between postings. Let's see a bit has happened. My 37th birthday, Christmas, New Year's, we got a new puppy!

So let's focus on the furry one. It all happened so fast one November afternoon. One minute we were walking past a neighbors house and their German Boxer was outside and I admired her mentioning a dog would be great save for my horrible newly developed dog allergies. The dad mentioned a friend of his is severely allergic to dogs and has labradoodles.

Next thing you know I'm on Google searching labradoodles and found a bunch of sites, but was drawn to one in particular, Brasken Kennels. We weren't actually thinking about a new puppy until Spring of 2009, but Kristen and Brandon happened to have one puppy left from a recent litter. So in an effort to ascertain if we were truly going to have no allergy problems, we planned a visit down there to play and get a sniff test.

Kristen and Brandon were just the nicest folks. Right away you can tell they are "good people" and care about their pups and the parents. We got to play with a pup from their very first litter, Jack and he was our litmus test. I got in there and took a big whiff into the nape of his neck and I made sure to touch my eyes and nose without washing my hands just to see if I'd have a reaction. To our happy surprise neither Maggie or I had a problem! That's when we met him.... Orange Collar Boy.

Let me just say there is truly nothing cuter than seeing 6 week old puppies bounding toward you in their clumsy roly poly way. Orange wasn't as overtly friendly as a few... he wasn't the alpha but he wasn't a pushover either. He played with us for a while and when it was time for us to go, he waddled over to the fence to give us a sniff goodbye when none of the other puppies had. Ahhhhh true love had smote us!

Well, two weeks later we left Disneyland.. one of the first times I've ever seen Maggie EAGER to leave Disneyland and head home.... all because we were on our way back up to get our pup whom we lovingly named Darwin.

Darwin has given us alot of joy and we're so excited to be dog owners once more. It's a blast having a puppy and watching him grow and grow. Add to that Chris and I have dicussed (though not definitively yet) that a sibling for Darwin might be a good idea down the road. Never say never!

Here are a few photos of our Darwin.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

One of the best reads ever! This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to everyone .. especially if you are a dog owner. It's touching, funny and poignant.

Mr. Charles Alexander

This man moved me to tears. This is what it's all about.

NO ON 8 - Oppose discrimation and support separation of church and state

Money from a religious group in another state is the primary funding source to change OUR CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION! I think they should stay in THEIR state and have their laws, but leave MY STATE LAWS alone!

I urge you to say no to bigotry, hate and ignorance by voting NO ON 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9T7ux8M4Go

Star Wars is life, the rest is just details - A New Hope

I'm rarely political outside of my own personal bubble save for the little things I choose to share. So much is at stake this election. I have to say that in the primaries, I wasn't opposed to McCain. He certainly would have been the better of the two in 2000, but something happened along the way.

Since I'm a major Star Wars geek, I'll use some Star War references to help explain my feelings. The McCain of 2000 and early primaries 2008 was like the free spirited kid-Anakin Skywalker - full of ideas and promise, but something happened on the way to the Presidency during the general election.

Cut to: the moment that Anakin Skywalker finds his mother dying at the hands of the Sand People. Cue music crescendo and... **POW** a nut goes loose and things start to get hairy... the lines between good and not so good get blurred, the means to the end become slightly askew. I had hope he'd get back on the rails, but then we get the Rogue Diva and never before have I NOT connected with a woman in my life. She's so different I'm not even sure I can find an adequate Star Wars character by which to compare her. Darth Maul.. well they both have painted faces, but wrong timeline... maybe she's more like Emperor Palpatine. After all she's gone rogue and once in a campaign rally referred to it as the Palin/McCain ticket. These are the dark times... the Clone War era, if you will.

Cut to: Princess Leia as her ship is being attacked by Darth Vader. She places information in R2-D2 which is later viewed by Luke Skywalker.

These are the words that I think are the most germane to the time.....she says:

"This is our most desperate hour. Help us Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope."

Yes it is our most desperate hour and I've got my eyes fixed on a ray of hope and his name is Barack Obama.

I believe in HOPE over fear and UNITY over division

A New Hope

Vote for Pat Finger?!

Maybe I have the mind of an 11yr old boy. So what? Undeniably funny.

Amy Poehler, genius!

Well, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are great friends... and both fantastic entertainers. At least they both give me a chuckle and make me feel better.

Catching Up

"Life moves pretty fast.." yes, Ferris had it right. So much has happened in the past couple of months. I suffered a wicked blister on the bottom of my foot during a compass hike (somehow it ended up competitive), celebrated Chris' birthday, learned to play chess at the tender age of 36, visited the new and improved California Academy of Sciences, celebrated 15 years of marriage with my groom, enjoyed a week in Mexico with the fam, trick-a-dooring at school, night before Cal-UCLA game party, Haunted Halloween hikes, corn mazes, TB test for volunteering at school, running like a hamster on my treadmill, running in Veteran's park with deer to keep me company, donating to the Obama campaign, putting up red ribbons at school with awesome families and getting ready for Halloween. Oh yes, and I was a magicians assistant in Mexico! :o)

Here are some photos from Mexico. Click to enlarge.

Happy Birthday Chris

Today is my hubby's birthday.

He still has that boyish impishness to his face when he crinkles up and smiles. I love to hear him laugh. I wish I had magical powers to give him anything that he wants for his birthday and every unbirthday. For now, I'll just give him all of my love.

Maggie and I are lucky girls to have him.

Love you, babela. Happy Birthday!

Omnivore's 100

Thanks to cousin Brandon on this one...

Everyone is doing it these days, so now its my turn. Pass it on.

Here are the instructions:

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: Post a comment here linking to your results.

The Very Good Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (BAM tried to get me to eat that.. I knew better)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (I’m counting the ballpark here)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (as in the latte from Starbucks?)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (Timmy's in the well?)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (unintentionally, things move fast on a Vespa)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (at least I don’t think so.. I would probably be dead.. very lightweight.. we Asians can’t process the hooch)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (once and if you put anything in butter/garlic it’s palatable)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (had braised rabbit once)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (nasturtium)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta (once and hated it)
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

34, not too bad?

I don't think I can stay here if it's going to be this hot

I finished my "Disneyland queue knit project" yesterday. I always like to bring a little knit project to whittle away in the queues at Disneyland. I created this little chapeau for Maggie. It's a pattern I've adapted .. I replaced the single Knit Rib with a bobble for fun and more texture. This is made with Noro Silk Garden though I forget what colourway.

Maggie was so excited it was done, she didn't care it was 75 by the time she left for school wearing it (it's 103 today... bleh)

Third Grade

Special day today... today is my mom's birthday. She would have been 72.

Today is also the day that my baby begins anew at school and enters 3rd grade.

It was exciting (and a wee bit disorienting - see "looping") lining up for first bell in a new line, with new classmates and walking to a new classroom! Our school "loops" for 1st/2nd grade and 3rd/4th grade which means they have the same class/teacher/classmates for two years.

Maggie's teacher is Mrs. Pennybacker and meeting her first thing in the morning I knew we had won the lottery. She greets the kids every morning with a handshake as they walk in to start the day off right. Our class mascot is The Bookworms! Which is right up our little family's alley as we are certified book nuts.

Speaking of books... I am reading the most quirky, amusing book right now. I highly recommend this book!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.... The year promises to be an incredible one filled with new ideas, new learning and .... cursive! Haa! We sure miss our 2nd grade teacher Ms. Rivas but Mags already found her and gave her a hug on the first day.

What was really cool was waiting to see Mrs. Pennybacker after school... a couple of newly minted 5th grade gals popped by to see her and asked Maggie if she was in her class. When Mags said yes, they both heaved an emphatic "you're soooo lucky.. you're going to LOVE HER!!!" You can't get a higher endorsement than tween girls, in my humble opinion.

Still, a little part of me is the tiniest bit sad that we're inching into the "upper elementary" years and soon ... middle school. Sigh. Time really does fly when you're having fun.

click to view larger

Happiest Place on Earth

Shakespeare had it right when he wrote "Summer's lease hath all too short a date". Where did the time go?

To celebrate the beginning of a new school year, we had a last summer hurrah in the Happiest Place on Earth or as Maggie says "we're home" :o)

Here are a some photos from our fun times in Disneyland and DCA. Click to view larger.

Babes for the Brave - Flo, Liberty & Drake

Save for the remaining itty bitty lace skivs I'm knitting for Flo... ze Babes et Dude are feeneeshed. I must say I find them tres jolie and I'm very excited to be sending them imminently.

Below are a few photos of the Babe friends. I was a little miffed at myself that Dude Drake's shirt doesn't close, but he looks so surfer I figured that was cos he wants to show off his surfer washboard abs. I should probably give these kids some noses. I almost always forget that part.

Maggie presents Babes for the Brave!!! YAY!

~ Fin ~