creek to bay clean up {we did good}

a few weeks ago my little volunteer crew & i participated in the I Love A Clean San Diego's 9th annual Creek to Bay Clean-up. 

such a feel good way to spend a weekend morning helping out our local community. i spared alot of the pix, but we learned good info about native plants & animal(good & bad), local history & the environmental/ ecological mission.

all right up my alley.

my crew. we did good :)

we love paws in the park {3 & Ollie steal the show}

a few weeks ago we did one of our fave local fundraising events.

Paws In the Park

we have done this show almost every year we've lived here. each of the girls & one of the doggies has won something each time. this year was no exception in a big way.

Kahlua, 1, Prince Oliver Coco,3, Mahalo & 2 at the entrance.

girls & doggies at our fave groomers booth.

LOVE Paradise Pets.

they are so creative. we do all kinds of fun stuff, pink dye, rainbow dye, dye hearts, doggie hairstyles, doggie nail polish, mohawks etc...

2 & her bff Mahalo entered prettiest female. 2 designed their outfits.

these cuties won a ribbon.

(a few years ago, 2 designed super fancy outfits & won cutest puppy with her dog Daisy)

the fam watching the events & chasing the shade.

OH MY GOSH! 

we love seeing all the different breeds or combinations of breeds at the show. but 

she was in LOVE with this little guy. 6 yo chihuahua, no teeth hence extra long dangly tongue, no hair left in the middle of his back, but the uglier the cuter to my girls.

3 & Ollie in the Owner-Look-A-Like ring.

Ollie has won this category a few times...

Owner-Look-A-Like 1st place blue ribbon winner!!! 

biggest surprise of all:

 all of the blue ribbon winner from each event come together for best in show &

3 & Ollie win it!

we were so shocked!

stars of the show! blue ribbon, trophy, dog toy, framed photo, photo in the paper.

 next year she will be Miss Paws in the Park, sash, tiara...all of it.

she's such a happy girl & Ollie is sooo happy to retire.

3's trophy video...(hope this one works!)

Friday flowers {getting ready for May Gray}

Friday Flowers {getting ready for May Gray}

backyard roses from my BB STILL Grrr!!!

will have to show off the $1 estate sale jar later i guess :)

eventhough we live inland we're only 7 miles from the beach. which means among other things we get to enjoy coastal weather influences. for example: cool breezy mornings & evenings, clean clear air, fab temps.

eventhough it's usually beautifully sunny & clear most days, during May & June when the temps rise we have May Gray & June Gloom.

im so affected by these hazy-most-of-the-day--only-afternoon-sunshine days, so im bring in cheery flowers to get me thru it.

10 of my fave things

i started putting this fun post together when i started simplifying my STUFF. making my life simpler by keeping only my fave-true-to-me possesions esp in my closet.  since i dont have my camera back yet, im sharing.

 {a few of my faves}

i know it's a little shallow & materialistic. i really am not a STUFF person but these are of few things that make this mama happy so indulge me a little. you may have fun & even get to know me a little better.

1. i heart the sun but my face is allergic to alot of it & the combo of sun & sunscreen...go figure. so aside from just being super cute...i heart big sunglasses & big sunhats...together they are the sunscreen. thoroughly apply lipgloss (see #3) & your done!

 

2. i heart black leggings. easy, stylish, classic & comfie anytime anyplace.

 3. i heart Carmex & Bare Escentuals mineral lipgloss (only kind i can wear). i dont leave my house, go anywhere someone might see me or drive my car without either. allday everyday (addicted).

 4. i still heart Domino mag. i almost died when it was discontinued. i still have all my old copies (one of my only collections). being the nerd that i am i actually re-read old issues for every corresponding current month. (still good stuff)

 5. i heart my (many) yellow Livestrong wristbands, Lance Armstrong, the whole thing. even wore one around my ankle during labor.

 6. i heart my LV Petit Noa. im not into switching my bags & haven't carried another bag since sweet hubby bought it for my anniversary almost 3 years ago. perfect patina, classic style, size, everything... everyday.

 7. i heart princess cut diamonds. my wedding ring, earrings & necklace (used to be my engagement ring) all solitaires. my wedding ring is identical to the pic, simple, clean, classic lines, not too fancy, but VERY pretty. i wear them almost all day everyday.

 8. i heart hibiscus of any kind, color etc. yaaay that they grow easily in this climate. & roses, esp David Austin white cabbage roses in big bunches(classic!) if i could recieve one type of flower for the rest of my life this is it!

9. i heart rice kripy treats & cupcakes with a eat-a-whole-batch kinda passion. (so i rarely make them) 

10. i heart my Uggs. beach must. anytime must. (in fact i have them on while i type)i have a few a pair in different colors (Uggs & Ugg-like), esp with BEANIES!!! all kinds...i heart them. all day everyday!

 

so what do you think? kinda fun? there's more, but that's it for now. a little bit of me at a time :)

here we go again...snake #1 (&i forgot my camera!)

(pic from my Blackberry)

here we go again!

this weekend snake #1 of the season was on my front porch.

i had to rescue the poor baby gophersnake & my cat from each other. they were going back & forth striking at each other forever with no chance of a winner. the little guy was relocated...prob not the last we'll see of him.

*WHEW! i volunteered in the kinder workshop class today (all day...OMG!!!).

3 was sooo happy to have Mama in class. BUMMED i left my camera in there & i cant share what we've been eating these last few super hot days.

soon!

whats been up? the short list.

this image is called Black-Woman-Relaxing .

i really NEED to be A-Black-Woman-Relaxing right now!

this has been one of those insane never ending MONTHS.
you know what i mean right?

last week started out mellow, but spiraled out of control into one of the longest & busiest weeks ever towards the end.
our life isn't usually like this. 

i wanted to stay home & sit down for more than a few minutes the entire week. NO DEAL!

what's been up?

the short list.

• soccer practice started for 1. back to back nights (only 1 hour for preseason, not too bad. i've been trying to workout on the field those 2 nights.
• spring break is over so we got most of our classroom repacked & semi organized again. we're back with our charter & trying to get in the swing of things.
• trying to get our Bible study & our spiritual life back in balance. we've had such a wacky year all over the place year.
• couple of big fam camping trips in the works.(& that will be IT for big trips this summer)
• over the weekend we did a few fun outdoor volunteer projects. (more later)
• we dug up plants from our neighbor's (local native plant swap) & planted them. huge project. lots of work & time left, but we as well as our neighbors will be sooo happy with the outcome :)
• the girls & i shot a video for a private project. it was fun, but took about 1 hour longer than supposed. i had to go to a job site & STILL run errands.(w/ phone calls on the way for another project BTW). such a loooong day that didn't end until the night!
• i have been helping out my hubby w/our fam engineering company. we got a few new projects & im the "GREEN design consultant & assistant". i'm sooo excited this is right up my alley!
• i FINALLY got pix uploaded & getting my thoughts together for new blog post to share with you guys. i know it's about time!
• BUT were seriously trying to take it easy this week!
• i even shut down my Facebook page for a much needed brain break. i'll miss keeping up with the fam & good friends, but my entire brain is TIRED!!!

WHEW!!!

i know im not the only busy person in the world, this crazy world is designed to keep us on the go & frazzled.

 i hope you guys are finding time to rest & slow down...im scheduling some on my calendar right now :) 





spring purge & spring break

*spring purge*

this is what's going on in my house right now.

CHAOS!!!

while we were gone the girls have been taking on more chores & so they decided they wanted to do a serious hardcore purge of all their unnecessary belongings so they can clean less, be more organized, play more, pick up & go to the beach whenever we want, cut their chore time down & have more free time in general.

(YAAAAY!!! i hate stuff) 

the above bags are just some of the clothes we took out.

next are the toys & knick knacks.

my dedicated girls worked hard about 8 hours a day a few days in a row last week trying on,purging,cleaning & organizing.

 they needed a break.

these came from my room

this is my e-bay/ craigslist pile.

many brand names (that i paid good money for & never used mind you)...please note the Dooney & Bourke Cabrio leather bag (retail @ $258!!!)that i've only put my stuff in twice....about 10 years ago!!!

im reevaluating my entire handbag collection.

this purge is serious!

stuff i still need to try on from my closet.

but now my room is ready for paint!!!

i already have the paint color, the bedding & decor.

out of all the moving & houses we've lived in, He & i never had a completed bedroom before.

im soooo excited!!!

 it is spring break so we've also been throwing some fun in there.

here's a few:

• we went to our charter's outdoor fam movie night. Toy Story 3 was much better outside w/ friends in sleeping bags :)
• 1's soccer practice started.
• we did the Paws in the Park dog show...more later...one of my girlies came out a big winner!
• then of course to the beach afterwards since it was soooo hot!
• been enjoying good coffee & fantastic wine.
• had new friends over.
• hung out & got caught up with our fab neighbors.
• Mahalo & i have went hiking. too gorgeous NOT to be outside!
• i started landscaping my front yard outside my courtyard.
• i went to the Memorial of Jesus Christ's death.
• & today we are finally headed out to our new state of the art library.