Sending out Christmas cards...

This is one of my favorite activities to do around the holiday season. I love getting cards and I love giving cards. I like to send them out early, so I can guilt people into sending one back (insert evil laugh here). No really, it's not pulling teeth like it is with other people. I love getting the kids all dressed up, yelling about eating a drippy peanut butter sandwich right when we're about to go out, the kids telling me they are done with pictures after just 2 minutes....sigh.... it's just bliss

I figured no one really cares what Rhead and I look like, we don't change that much, I only include the kids. Plus Rhead gives me hell more than the kids do and I can't bribe him with a dollar. Sean was trying his hardest to please me, as always and Sami was being a diva, AS always. But I did get this LOVELY shot of the 2 of them.

Don't you just love digital cameras??? This was taken with my canon rebel xt, 50mm lens, RAW, manual, at around 4 pm as the sun was setting. Rhead WAS suppose to be holding the reflector but he kept walking into my shot or distracting the kids and I think by the time I took this shot, he was in the car reading! He wanted to get paid to like the kids did ($2 each!) but I told him he was fired!

I did very light post processing: level, wb, sharpen and burn the door. Which I didn't blow out her shirt, but no untrained eye will be able to tell. I got this super cute card template from a fellow ILP, have I mentioned how much I love ILP??? If you want to learn about photography, join! I've learned so much from reading other people's posts and critiques.

This was our picture 3 years go, look how Rhead is holding the baby! You'd think she was a football or something! And the picture just reminds me of this weird phenomenum that Rhead is shorter than me when we are both sitting even though standing, he is about 5 inches taller than me! It's fun to look at old photos right?? Sometimes I wish I had Sean a little later, so I would have all his baby pictures on digital... scary to think, I had Sean before digital camera was cheap! I'm not gonna go there today I think....


As always, blog love appreciated! Untill next time...

Trimming The Tree

Don't you just love this time of the year?? My mother in law has scented candles burning, which she must because we have this fake tree up. It's a little hard to adjust for Rhead and I but the kids don't mind one little bit. They had fun putting up all the ornaments, singing Christmas songs, drinking hot cocoa, and eating gingerbread.



Then when all was quiet, I took my camera, prop it up on a box on a stand, turned off all the lights except for the ones on the tree. I had my aperture to 22 and shutter speed at 1 second and took this shot. Doesn't it just make you want to snuggle up with your family?? LOVE IT!!! I want to try it again with my kids later when all the boxes get put away and tripod out. We'll see how it goes...

Miss E - 3 Months Shoot

Miss E had her 3rd session with me yesterday, BY HERSELF!! It was tough trying to take her picture and keep her happy without her mom's help, on top of my 4 year old "trying to help!"

I did get some good ones though, but the post processing needs work. When I got to the school lab yesterday to use their programs, it was closed already! So I'm hoping to go back next week to get better results. You'll just have to bear with me with the 3 below :) Just see how cute she is, not how bad the processing is.

As always, blog love welcome!

Until next time...

Waiting to get LOST

I missed last episode of Grey's Anatomy yesterday so I went abc.com to see it online, and they had a little promo for LOST! Lost has to be one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It is so good and frustrating at the same time. If you're a fan of lost, this promo will get your blood pumping. I got mad goose bumps when the scene flashed to Desmond and Penny. My heart just aches for those 2! Anyways, I won't tease you anymore, check it out yourself!

Playing with my camera

I've been trying to teach myself about photography and photoshop this past year. And although at times it has been rough, I'm pretty proud of how far I've come. I read tons on the internet and on my ILP forum, and the photography class I've been taking has helped me out a lot too. But I could not have improve one iota without practice, practice, practice! These 3 pictures are just the latest I've taken. I've moved on to RAW (woooo hooooo) and full manual. It is a LOT easier to edit this way but I don't have enough computer space to shoot in that mode all the time. I can't believe how much you have to buy to support this hobby! But I'm having fun trying to improvise :)

Holiday BOGO SALE!!!!

I need to jump start the economy (my little economy anyways) so I'm having a Buy One Get One SALE! Click here to go to my etsy store, or click on the etsy logo on the right hand side.

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

The new Harry Potter Trailer

While I'm just TICKED that they moved the movie back ALL THE WAY to next summer, I'm glad there is a new trailer out! Check it out here!

The Endless Possibilities of Nutella

I've recently developed this love for this chocolaty hazelnut spread that is Nutella. I can't even tell you how good it is! It's great on crackers, any type of fruit but my fav is bananas, pretzels, and anything you can think of. It's this fun little snack from Italy that can be found in most grocery stores. I got 2 big jars from costco for cheap but you can buy little jars else where. To get you started, I just tried this awesome and easy reciepe from Everyday Italian and it is quick, easy and fun to do with kids.

Easy Fried Nutella Ravioli

Ingredients

• 16 wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, beaten to blend
• 1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 16 fresh mint leaves
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• Granulated sugar, for dredging
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

Spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.

Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. Garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve.

I wish I had some pictures to show you but we ate them up so fast, I had no time to get the camera :) We didn't get fancy and do the mint leaves, but it was just as good!

My handsome boy

Isn't he the cutest?? I may be biased but just LOOK! even with 2 front teeth missing, he is still as cute as can be! Fine, be that way, don't agree with me... but I know what I'm talking about, I promise you that!

Are you emotionally mature??

I found this fun little quiz that tests your emotional maturity.
This is my result....

You Are 60% Grown Up, 40% Kid

You've grown up a good bit, but you still have a way to go before you're emotionally mature. You have the skills to control your emotions, you just have to use them. Whenever you feel yourself acting out, just stop. It's really that simple. Acting like an adult is all about doing the best you can.

How Emotionally Mature Are You?

Hey! Not too bad for someone in her twenties right? Now, you have to answer the questions honestly, not what you hope you might be!

Go Bears!

Okay, have you seen a cuter cheerleader??!!? When Tammi emailed about a pink Chicago Bears shirt, I was so excited to make it for her! It was such a project to work on, searching for the team logo and font. Don't you think it turned out adorable? I gotta admit, I'm not a fanatic when it comes to football teams (maybe because Utah doesn't have a pro ball team?), but if I did, I would totally make one for my kid. Maybe even for myself! GOOOOOOOOOOOO BEARS!

The ever-so-wonderful Mr. Gomez

My ol' Alma Mater had it's 50th anniversary party last month and the pictures just came out today. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't go to my class 10 year reunion and I missed the 50th birthday party. Granted, the pictures looked like a buncha people that are my grandpa's age, but it would have been nice to hear papa do run run, and see old teachers. Like Mr. Gomez!! He has to be my all time favorite teacher. He taught me band for 4 years and it truly was a wonderful experience.

Some of them were:

~ Meeting him for the first time at the freshman orientation and he told me I had to join band and it would be an easy A for 4 years

~ Mr. Gomez walking around with that blowhorn, yelling at us about how we NEED to march and play at the same time

~ inspecting us on the bus, making sure we weren't doing any hanky panky

~ inspecting us at pismo beach, doing room checks, making sure we weren't doing any hanky panky


awwww, fond memories...

Fall Festival 2008

Ahhhh... Fall Festival, are there any other 2 words in the English dictionary that sound more fun than that?? Okay, maybe, but for now, it's the most exciting thing in our lives. Here in Cache Valley, we have this historical working farm that literally takes you back into the pioneer period. The American West Heritage Center has farm animals, covered wagons, oprah house, really old looking houses, and handcarts. Saturday was their Fall Festival, and of course, we went! The price was resonable for something that allows you to have in and out priviliges, a huge corn maze (more on that later), live bands, and activites for the kiddos. Time for picture share!

A yummy bucket full of apples...


Sean learning how they used to make apples ciders (with an apples press)


So my kids grew up in silicon valley, not on a ranch like those punks over at The Pioneer Woman, so this is how he rode a horse... i mean pony


To add to his many talents (pretending, playing nintendo, making his sister nuts), he decided to pick up a bow and arrow

Here is one of Sami just being oh-so-cute


Jumping off a hay fort at the end of the day, is there any other way to finish off the festival?

First Day of Fall

This is our first fall in Cache Valley and the leaves on the mountain are changing colors already. We decided to take a Sunday Family Drive up to see the beautiful colors. Sean was not feeling so well so he had to carry his spuge bucket ( very essential for sick kids or those who get car sick easily.) The road was rocky and bumpy but we did make it eventually and it was beautiful! We saw leaves of all sorts of colors, but they were mostly maple trees (seeing how the place was called Maple Bench!)


Around here, they have these things on the ground call "cattle guards." They are basically widely spread slats of metal to prevent cattle from crossing it. Humans with large feet could easily cross them with no problem, but if you are humans with small feet, "cattle guards" proved to be problematic. As demonstrated here....



This is the how those of with small feet feel after crossing the guard:



(I didn't get a picture of her falling in, because, HELLO! too busy laughing!)

A Special Foofa Request

A sweet customer, Tammi, asked me to make this Foofa outfit for her darling little daughter to wear for her birthday. She wanted a stripe work twirl skirt to match her Foofa applique tee. It was daunting to find all the pink fabrics to match but I knew all I had to do is diving into my fabric stash. The twirl skirt is a double layer skirt, with 4 different type of fabric on the top layer to make up the stripe work. This skirt is made with yards of fabric to insure maximum twirlability! (yes that is a word in my book) The whole outfit just turned out so cute and I hope she had a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

BabyGap & GapKids Casting Call

I got the email for a Gap casting call, and I thought it would be fun to enter! I mean sure it would be nice to see your kid in national ads, but really I want a trip to San Francisco! That's only 45 minutes from my mom, and it would be really nice to visit her. Samantha grace her smile for 1 picture, and luckily I got it on my rebel. I used the 50mm lens because the background is not something to be desired and I need a large apature to blur out the background. After some photoshop magic, and viola... here is the end result. Not bad for an amateur right?

Meeting Eliza...

I finally took the kids to meet their brand new cousin, Eliza. She was born on Wednesday September 3rd, at 3 weeks early. At a healthy 7 pounds 6 ounce, I bet her mom was glad that she came early :) The reason she is under that hediuous aqua blue thing is she is a bit jaundice, and is getting light treatment. I still wanted to get pictures anyways. I will be going back when she is done, to take her picture for the birth announcement, let's hope she will cooperate with me then. Congrats to the proud parents: Blaine and Lindsey.

My Big Fat Chinese Family

This was taken a couple of weeks ago at my mom's cousin, Peter and his wife Susan's wedding banquet. We Chinese people love to get together and EAT! This is just my mom's side of the family, and not everyone was present! Yes, just like the Greeks, we like to eat and procreate. My great grandmother had 10 kids and it just went on from there! Congratulations Peter and Susan!

I want to SEW!

Samantha has watched me sew for more than 2 years now. She's my little helper, I use that term very loosely. After countless times of asking me to let her sew, I finally caved today. She was a natural! I, of course, set the speed to the slowest, showed her how to set the foot up and down, needle up and down, and start and stop. She just sewed the same square over and over again, she has even learned how to pivot! She told me that she wanted to learn how to serge next, I'm like "slow down, little girl!" But I'm so proud of her! She is learning to sew at 4 years old! Soon, She will be better at sewing than I am! After Sewing for 10 minutes, she told me, "Tomorrow, you can be my customer and I will sew for you. But you serge for me, because that is scary." My little girl, all grown up! Sniff.... Sniff.....

Look at her go! (yes, she is in her PJs)

Perfect Form ...

Perfect Concentration! (there is a little smirk there... hehe!)

Customer Spotlight: Georgia

Thank you so much to Georgia for emailing me these adorable pictures of her daughter, Althea, wearing her own Sweetheart Dress, from my ebook. I love seeing other seamstress' creations especially from my own patterns. Georgia did a great job and I hope that she will continue to sew because custom boutique sewing is addicting! Or is it the attention that is addicting? I can't tell anymore.

Citizenship: An update...

Thank you to all those wonderful contributions that I've received, I am able to take the next step towards getting my US citizenship. I filled out the application, took passport photos, wrote a check and sent the whole thing in on Saturday, August 23. On "A Guide To Naturalization" it states the process from start to finish (meaning when I am actually an American) normally takes 6 months. But I've also heard that in less populated states, it will be faster. I'm thinking not that many people are applying for citizenships in Utah, so I am hoping for a shorter waiting period. Meanwhile, I get to do these sample civics questions, do you know them??

1. Who elects the President of the United States?
2. What are the three branches of our government?
3. What were the original 13 states?
4. What is the Bill of Rights?
5. What group has the power to declare war?

answer below....(no peeking)






1. The Electoral College
2. Executive, Judicial, and Legislative
3. Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia
4. The first ten amendments to the Constitution
5. Congress

How did you do??

First Day Of First Grade

Alas.... This day has come... My baby, my first born, my one and only son is off to his first day of first grade. On top of that, he is going to a brand new school where he is not in the same class as his bestest friend, Treyson. He is SO nervous (perhaps I have instill some fear into him) about where he is suppose to be, who to be friends with, and if I will be home when he gets back! I just hope he brings his jacket home and not leave it at school. It was tough for him to get up even though he's had 11 hours of sleep. We did have to wake him up at 5 AM the day before to get to the airport.

So it was a sleepy start....


But I did manage to get a smile...


Time to wait for the bus...


Here it is!


Judy the bus driver greets with an enthusiastic "HI SEAN!"


I hope he has a good time and will want to go back again tomorrow!

Life's Tough Choices

For kids, there are some tough choices in life: to listen to parents or do what he/she wants, to share or not, who to make friends, and perhaps the toughest of all: which prize to pick at the Chuck E. Cheese counter. Anna got the mood of the picture perfect! It almost takes as long for them to pick out what they want as me winning the tickets for them. Why do I keep winning tickets for them??? It must be my competitive streak. I love winning tickets! I like to play twister and winning the bonus. But I couldn't get that darn I yesterday but Sean came to the rescue and did it with just 1 token! All in all, we got 625 tickets, and the kids picked some little toys and a whole bunch of tootsie roll pop. I love taking the kids to Chuck E Cheese! Yes, it's loud, rowdy, kind of dirty.... but it's where a kid can be a kid (mommies too)!

Customer Spotlight

I made this sweet cupcake twirl skirt and white peasant blouse for Christi's sweet daughter for her birthday. It just turned out so adorable and she is such a cutie pie! She looked like she had a ton of fun at her birthday party! To by young again... when all you worry about is when you're going to be fed and when you're going to sleep! Thank you Christi for sharing these adorable pictures!

Modeling for My Pouty Princess

Hollie from My Pouty Princess asked us to model some adorable sets for her. We had a lot of fun and the sets are just so cute and well made! I also got to try out my cousin's Canon 28-135mm IS AF lens and I think I am in love! That is an awesome lens and the image stabilization is great for my shaky hands! Here are some fav of mine from the shoot:

You've Got Mail!

Thanks to the overwhelming response, I had the privilege of writing many Thank You notes! The first batch of note are on their way to many places! The furtherest note is going to Ms Beth in Holland! (I hope I put enough stamps!) The most exotic, is to Ms Rachel, in Hawaii. Most note are going to South, but California has the most note right now coming to their states! It is so fun addressing them by hand and seeing these fun town names that people are from!

I am really close now, and can't wait to go back home to fill out my form! I am visiting family right now in CA and won't be back until the end of August. So much yummy food to eat but way too much carb! eek! We still have to go to the beach and go see the Golden Gate Bridge!

More updates to come!

The Countdown

Mugglenet just put out a countdown for the newest Harry Potter Movie: Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. I can't wait to watch it, I am a BIG fan of the Harry Potter series!

I am currently reading Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix and getting to the part where Harry is about to return to Hogwarts after the Christmas break. I really dislike Umbridge, that woman is FOUL! If you have not picked up the series, you should! it's so good!!

A new listing :)

Let's hope people will not troll on me again :)

I have my new listing up now, with very specific wording (hee hee)

Check it out here, or click on the ebay button on the left.

Please help me spread the word and watch the auction on your ebay so I can make the pulse!

I WANT To BE an American! Help me with my DREAM!

UPDATE: Someone trolled on my and ebay decided to pull my auction.....grrrrrrrr! But the good news is I am at $306, and that is almost at the half way mark!!! That is just in 1 day :) Less than 24 hours no less! Well, I'm headed to the airport, so I'll deal with all this ebay stuff tomorrow! Funny enough, I will be only 10 minutes from ebay headquarter, protest anyone???


I have a green card but now in need of applying for a citizenship! I need to raise $670 to pay for the fee, so I've put up an auction to help me. For $10, you'll receive a personalized handwritten Thank You note from me and the satisfaction that you've helped someone realize her dream

Please see more details in my auction

If you can't contribute, I totally understand. But if you could watch the auction on your ebay, or help spread the word, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Keep Checking back for more updates!