Pictures to Prove She's Growing Up

I haven't edited these yet, but I still think she's cute enough for another spot on the Internet.

I love the gummy smile; it's so Siena.

Exploring nature

Making a funny face, and not on purpose

Mr. Raincloud came to threaten our fun

We love her to pieces!!

Professionally Locateable

Guess who finally took a proactive approach to her floral business. Yep, intimidated, little ol' me. I drove out to New Jersey today while Juan was at school to take a look at a floral wholesale company, then meandered my way to another floral supply store in South Philly. After touring each facility, I opened accounts and was on my way. Whew! The first big step in starting (or re-starting) a business is finding suppliers, and I'm glad I can finally check that off my list.

Next, I have to organize the basement into a home studio; this is one task that I am not ready to tackle because it takes money and a lot of patience, both of which I lack at the moment. Once that is complete, I will be ready to advertise. Where?, What?, How?... all questions running through my mind. It didn't seem this difficult when I first began my business, probably because I had a lot of help along the way (Britnee at Bloomers was a great help, among many other wonderful people.)

Anyway, one of the last things I need to do is get a website that is legit (which is in progress... fingers crossed,) and we're up and running.

Here's to the American Dream!

Sat. Morning

I feel the need to blog about this, even though it's pretty stupid. So skip this post if you have a weak stomach for "used items".

I went yard sale hopping yesterday and had some pretty good finds; actually I am so proud of what I bought that I can't stop myself from blurting it out (which I do too often anyway.)

(Drum roll)

• Craftsman Professional Drill + 2 batteries and charger
  
• Craftsman Professional Jigsaw
  
• Microscope (...and a childhood dream fulfilled!)
  
• Olympus film camera- bad choice: film and batteries cost more than the actual camera
  
• 7 classic novels + 1 Bathroom Book to let me cheat on the rest of the novels I haven't read
• 6 tartlet pans to promote my inner "Ina"
  
• 2 brand new pair of shoes for Siena because her feet are growing too rapidly
  
• 1 German bowling bag (free... I needed "something to help carry the books to my car," said the nice German oma.)
  

Everything I got was in near new condition and under $50, which made the morning an even greater success. Should I have spent that money on yard sale items? No. However, when I brought home the drill and the saw, the blow wasn't so hard on Juan. How did I justify it? Well, for his birthday, I got Juan a raincheck for a drill at Sears... remember? He never actually bought it, so now he has one. Used and for less moolah. I'm a horrible wife.

Is She The Only One Who Does This?

Siena likes to scream. No, no... I mean she really likes to scream. She does it when she is in her happiest mood, and sometimes that is not always convenient. Today I was getting some grocery shopping done and isle after isle, she spurted out shrieks of joy. I was so embarrassed... and deaf. At one point, one of the workers in the meat department looked over at me and the expression on his face was as if he were saying, "Look lady, either you make your baby shut her yapper or I'll take you out with this Porterhouse!" Needless to say, I stuck to the shopping list today--in and out in 15 minutes.

Thanks to Emily, I have more pictures to post:

Palin Update:

So after watching the RNC, I am reassured about Gov. Palin and feel that she is a good pick for the White House. However, I still think McCain could have done better by choosing someone with more experience and economic strength. That's my two cents.

OBX (as the cool crowd calls it)

Our OBX Crew
(Camera lens didn't de-humidify in time.)

First things first-- there are only a few pictures of our latest adventure. If there is one thing I can be counted on to do, it is to take pictures. Guess not this time....

The Outer Banks of North Carolina are now one of my favorite places to vacation. Maybe it's because of the warmer-than-40-degrees ocean water, the relaxed atmosphere, or the Super Wings Beach Stores... no, scratch that. It's because, like the brochure said, "you track time by the sunrise and sunset, blah-blah, blah-blah."

The 7-hour drive didn't seem too long, and once we were there we walked straight into the ocean without unpacking first. Sunday, we got all of our sight-seeing done; after church, we drove over to Roanoke Island to visit the Lost Colony. We skipped the Elizabethan Gardens and just drove straight to the Bodie Lighthouse. (Thanks to Mike & Marin, we have proof of that.) Day after day, we built sand bucket castles with Siena, jumped into the water with the boogie board in tow, honed our beach volleyball skills, ate delicious food, stayed up late into the night playing the Wii, and watched the NRC on MSNBC with the rest of the OBX crew. (One day, we even saw a sting ray jump out of a wave near us.)

So, I honestly was going to take pictures on Friday, while we were enjoying our last day on the beach. That didn't happen--"Hurricane" Hanna was on her way. The beach patrol people cleared the beach of the few people who wanted to brave the storm and that was that. It was exciting to us to think that we were going to be driving home in a hurricane the next day. If it had been up to me, I would have waited it out at the house, but since check-out time was 10:00 am, we had to pack up and get out of there. Luckily, Hanna was downgraded to a "tropical storm", and we only caught about 30 minutes of horrible, windy downpour on the road. Want to catch a glimpse? (It's only one second long because I thought I was taking a picture.)

OBX or BUST next year!

By the way, here and here and here and here are some friends who went with us. They've got pictures and such to demonstrate the beach, house, etc.

Okay, One More Thing....

Check out who is running with McCain as his VP candidate! Is anyone else shocked at this? I can't help but ask myself, "WHY?!" I'm sure it has nothing to do with her youthful spirit and the fact that she is a woman--certainly not. No, I think McCain chose her because of her two years of experience as Alaska's governor and lack of strength in foreign policy.

I don't care which party you are affiliated with, I don't think the future leaders of our country should just choose people who fit in as "wild cards" on the ballot. Candidates should be chosen for the character, knowledge and experience they don't have singly from nature--like being a female born in the 60's.

I'll probably change my mind... as I am willing to do sometimes, but I can't help but be frustrated with the little knowledge I have of this current event.

And We're Off Again!

Wow, this week went by entirely too fast.

...and we're leaving again tomorrow bright and early for North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Creativity is lacking and there is nothing new to post anyway, so....... goodbye for one week more.

Back On It.

Network of Life-Support

I have to take a break in the fun and exciting photos of our trip to Utah for something I think deserves a prayer and a pondering moment.


Many people in my "web-of-blog-stalking" already have brought this piece of information to their own blogs for others to see, but I feel that it remains primarily in the "Utah/Arizona Blog-o-Sphere"; So, I hope this is informative for those of us who are on the Eastern side and hope that through your blogs, this news (and more importantly, prayers) will spread.

Stephanie Nielson and her husband, Christian, were injured in a small plane crash in Arizona the beginning of this month. I have never met either of them (although I did go to high school with her and her sister,) but I have come to know their family through Stephanie's (NieNie's)blog, NieNie Dialogues.

I know, it sounds silly to say that I have come to care for her family simply through blog-stalking, but she invites everyone in through the blog-window of her life and you can't help but fall in love with the Nielsons. They are a fascinating couple making day-to-day life look like bliss. Just from the way she writes and the photos she posts, she reminds me of June Cleaver, aka Mom of the Year. At first, I have to admit, her blog threw me for a loop when I saw a woman in a vintage dress, high heels and bright red lipstick in the kitchen with an apron on. "What world is this woman living in?" I thought. But I couldn't help but go back a week later.

Over the time I have been reading her blog, I realized that she has her own style, and it's cool, but more importantly, she's just trying to make her children's lives wonderful and full of good memories. She makes events like birthdays and Back to School special with fancy meals, flowers and banners. She inspires creativity in her home and I'm always looking forward to finding out what her next mantle display is... strange as that sounds. I can honestly say that I have thought to myself, "I hope I am a wife/mother/homemaker like her when I grow up...."

So when I read that she and her husband were severely burned and that she will be in a coma for the next few months, I was stunned. With four children and a dog, plus the countless friends and family who are suffering with them, they need much support and countless prayers of faith and hope. I hope by spreading this through all of our blogs, we can demonstrate a "life-support" of strangers that could help buoy a family in need of some good news. Although you may not know Nie nor her husband, please take a moment to send a prayer for two wonderful parents, two examples of faith and good principles, and two quality human beings which the world needs more than ever.

Round One of Pictures

To Start Off:

Thanks to T who first mentioned this blog to me, and Dani, who led me to the link, I have another constant source of entertainment: Seriously, So Blessed... So before I catch up on what we've been up to, I want to say this: I admit that I have written a couple entries worthy of a spot on that blog. (For example: refer to this entry, which I unabashedly will admit to having penned.)

I guess I just have to laugh.

iVamos!

We'Re oFf To UtAh!!!

...maybe I'll blog... maybe I'll not blog...

I'm already looking forward to the 3-hour blog spree I will go on when we get back. To all of our friends who have blogs: don't post anything juicy until I return! ;^)

Last Friday: Beach

Juan didn't have to work last Friday, so we packed up and left for the beach. Since we had never been to an Atlantic beach before, we relied on our GPS to show us the way. Instead of taking us to Rehoboth Beach (our original plan,) we ended up in New Jersey near Cape May. So we rolled with it and went to Wildwood Beach. After a packed lunch of crab sandwiches garnished with sand, we played to our hearts content in the ocean. It was a perfect day for going to the beach-- actually, too perfect. Juan and I got sunburned. I actually don't mind it because I now don't blend in with the white caps in the ocean tide (refer to picture #3... on second thought, don't.) Siena just received a more envious skin color, and dodged the sunburn altogether. We ended the day outing at Cape May's Lighthouse. The East Coast has a different "vibe" than that of, say, Seattle/Victoria. Although the architecture and landscape are similar, it definitely makes you feel more hoity-toity... take what you will from that. Names like "Kennedy", "Martha Stewart", and "Barefoot Contessa" keep running through my mind. I think I prefer the West Coast over the East Coast, but both are fun and hold their own little gems.

(That dragonfly was as big as the palm of my hand and it refused to detach from Juan's swim shorts. He had to walk into the ocean waves to get it off.)

Siena with Papi

Siena with Mommy
ps. "Thank You" to Photoshop.

Breaking Dawn is HERE!

Guess who went to the bookstore at midnight last night for a BOOK... yep, Amber and I are the guilty Edward fans. Okay, I didn't actually buy the book, but the party was fun! We got to Barnes and Noble at about 11:50 pm and didn't get home until about 1:00 in the morning. The store was PACKED, and girls (the majority around the age of 16) were decked out in "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" t-shirts. Every minute of the countdown, there were shrieks of excitement and when they finally counted down to zero, I thought I had lost my hearing. The first girl in line went to pay for the book and as she was handing the money to the cashier, she was shaking like a leaf. It was pretty funny. We started reading it on the way home and I can't wait to finish it. I've just got to think of a really good bribe for Amber so I can borrow her copy when she's done reading it.

Rental Car

We started off with this little number while our car is getting repaired:

...the last car on the planet that we would have willingly chosen. (No offense to those who own one.)

Let's just say that the PT Cruiser comes with a little "label" that automatically is stapled to the forehead of the male driver. We found out that Juan was no exception. While he was driving by himself, another man on the road caught his attention and winked at him! Eww! I don't want other women looking at him, let alone men!

Luckily, we were going to exchange it anyway because it was giving us headaches from the intense smell of cigarette smoke. We searched near and far for another Enterprise that had available cars, and eventually we found one. When we got there they told us they only had 2 cars left--PT Cruisers (Groan....) However, they tried a little harder and were able to find a Dodge Avenger. GONE are the days of the PT! Now Juan can drive around with his head held high.

Juan's Surprise Party

This year, I decided to throw Juan a
surprise birthday party
- something I had never done before. The whole week was spent lying to him, trying to cover up what was really going to happen. But it was all worth it.

First, the invitations. I printed some as 4x6 photos for the people in the Spanish Branch and handing them out last Sunday was NOT a piece of cake. It seemed like he was always there when I gave them out. I have NO idea how they all got to the safety of purses and coat pockets without him finding out. That was my first lucky break.

Oh, it gets better.

Since we only have one car, and since he drives it to work (even though it's ONLY 4 blocks away,) I walked to the store to get all of the supplies for the party. This was the hard part. I needed the car to take all the bags home, and lucky for me, his work is near the store. So I walked with bags and baby in tow to our car, sneaked them into the trunk (not baby, of course,) and walked in to Sears to see him. I told him I was going over to Ross to look for a couple of things (web of lies!) Lucky break #2: his shift was over and he offered to walk Siena back home in the stroller while I browsed in Ross, then I could drive the car home. Wow! That worked out well. Anyway, long story short-- he was locked out AGAIN (or so he thought,) and had to come back for the keys. Meanwhile, I was in Sears, trying to find this drill that he wanted. I had stolen his wallet so I could use his employee discount card and finally had Sears to myself, "no Juan" to see me buy his gift. ;^) Unfortunately, they were out of those drills, so I had to give him a raincheck... a little anticlimactic.

I had to have pretty much everything ready by Friday night because we were going to be in NYC all of Saturday and at church on Sunday. While he was working Friday night, I was rapidly beating cake batter, decorating cupcakes, preparing a cheese tray (which I forgot to serve,) and getting the rest of the decorations ready. When he got home, I had to come up with an explanation for the foil-covered platters. I told a little lie and told him they were cupcakes for a "cupcake cake" I had seen on Martha Stewart, or something like that. I told him that it was a cake in lieu of the birthday cake I hadn't made yet. Lucky Break numero tres: he believed me.

Lastly, and most importantly, I had not yet figured out how to get him out of the house so everyone could come without him knowing. Wow! He happened to have a mandatory meeting at work exactly one hour before people were supposed to show up. Could I have been more lucky? I think not.

Thanks to two wonderful women from the branch, everything was ready to go in time, and it all went over well. Thanks to all 43 people who came! Now, I know you want pictures, and although I didn't take a lot, here are the pics I do have:

Everyone: "Surprise!"

Correction:

(The street fair was on Bleecker Street, not in the Bronx.)

(And no, I was not the one who made us go to the Botanical Gardens; we had never been, so we both decided to go for his birthday. ;^)

Juan's Birthday in NYC

I am THAT person.

I've been "bitten" with the Twilight books. I finally yielded after many, many months of protesting and opened to page one. I sporadically read for the next two weeks and frankly, I didn't get very far... oh, say... only to page 48! Despite my half-hearted efforts and the encouragement from friends, I wasn't really that into it. I had my reservations planted long before I took that bold step forward, and it didn't look like I was about to change my mind about this so-called "faddish book". However, since I did agree to read to at least Chapter 8, I felt compelled to remain loyal to that promise and I forged on through the pages. I started page 49 last night at around 7:30.

Can you guess what happened?

Yep, I found myself drawn in like you would not believe. I read until 11:15 and, after a large exertion of self-control, dragged my heels to bed. I could barely sleep I was so anxious.

So this afternoon I took Siena to a park and read for about an hour while she played around on the blanket arrayed with toys. Later, while she was napping, I read to my heart's content, ignoring my household responsibilities. Juan let me indulge myself this afternoon and watched Siena while I read for another hour. After I finally put Siena down for bed tonight, I raced back to finish the book. YES! I finally finished it!

It was so good, I had to start the next... and so far, I am not disappointed.

My, How The Time Flies

About 1 month old:

Just yesterday: