Summer Bucket List

I know what you think when you hear "bucket list" but this isn't "that" kind of list.  Just the stuff we plan on doing for summer.  I was thinking a checklist of stuff to do would motivate us to to turn the DVR off and start doing something.  I recently read an article in HGTV magazine about creating a summer list and then read about on http://thehappyfamilymovement.com/.  I love this idea - so cute.  So, me and the Z made our list:

1.       Enjoy an Outdoor Concert
2.     Go See an Outdoor Movie
3.      Bike Ride on a New Trail
4.       Family Game Night
5.     Go to a Flea Market
6.      Go to the Farmer’s Market
7.       Make Popsicles
8.     Make a Pie
9.      Go to Dana Point Baby Beach
10.     Try Paddle Boarding
11.   Meet Friends for Brunch
12.    Take the Ferry to Balboa Island
13.     River Trip
14.   Have a Lazy Day
15.    Enjoy Stargazing
16.     Go Cherry Picking
17.   Paint a New Masterpiece
18.    Read Books Outside
19.     Go Fly a Kite
20.   Go on a Picnic
21.    Visit a Garden
22.     Build a Sand Castle
23.   Go to a Museum
24.    Learn to Hula Hoop
25.     Make Strawberry Jam
26.   Hunt for Sea Shells
27.    Watch a Fireworks Show
28.     Have a Lemonade Stand
29.   Make Bird Houses
30.    Go to an Angels Game
31.     Watch the Sunset
32.   Have a Root Beer Float
33.    Make friendship bracelets
34.     Try a new food
35.   Tell ghost stories
36.    Go for a walk at twilight
37.     Learn to sew
38.   Learn a new card game
39.    Go on a road trip
40.     Have a sleepover
41.   Go to the O.C. Fair
42.    Play Miniature Golf
43.     Go Bowling
44.   Make Donuts
45.    Have a Tea Party
46.     Go Jump at Sky High or Sky Zone
47.   Make a New Craft
48.    Girls Night Out
49.     Visit the American Girl Store
50.  Outlet Store Shopping
51.    Visit the Library
52.     Ice Cream at Farrells
53.   Make homemade waffles and whip cream
54.    Weekend Trip to Laughlin
55.     Make a Scrapbook of Our Summer Fun!

We've already marked a few off the list - cherry picking, lemonade stand and sleepover.  :)

Me & Z are so excited about summer starting and it will be so fun to be like, "what should we do this weekend?" "I don't know - let's check out the list."

HELLO STRANGER

It's been a while - but what the heck I figured I should start doing a lil blogging - especially now that my daughter started her blog.  Did you hear what I said?? My daughter is writing a blog.  It's official - I am old as dirt if my daughter is blogging, right. Okay - maybe not old as dirt, but... Z has been really into craft projects and wanted a place to document her projects.  So cute.  My lil' blogger.  Gush gush. :)  Check it out at http://ducktapediary.blogspot.com/.  Okay so if Z is going to start doing updates I am going to try really hard to do some updates too.  :)  

CONFESSIONS OF A REAL SHOPAHOLIC

9:18am - Just opened up a Plum District email. Oh - how I want to order the cabana service at the Pacific Edge Hotel - only $175 for a weekend day. Z would love this for her birthday. Wouldn’t it be awesome. I can see it now all the kids running around laughing and playing. I can make cupcakes with little sea shells on top.

9:51am - Ideeli - IRENE SUCHOCKI art $70 - $180. This prints are beautiful and would look lovely in my family room. I am already mentally hanging them up.

10:40am - Just received a call from Toyota re: cars wiring problem.  Need to remove engine to get to wires.  Cost for removing engine is $775. Repairs will be additional. Deleted all emails from shopping sites, as now I can not even afford to look at them. :(



　

THE PERFECT SELF TANNER

Summer will be here soon - not soon enough though. Anyways, I found the perfect self tanner - thought I’d share. It’s Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa Glow and Steady Daily Moisturizer and Gradual Self Tanner SPF 15 for Body. This stuff is awesome for those of us that are self tanner challenged. (Did that even make sense? You understand me though, right?) I am horrible about self tanners - I never rub them in completely and always miss a spot and then the next day I’m splotchy and orange - not a good look. And they usually have an awful odor. This self tanner does not turn you orange and leaves you with a nice even tan. I don’t know how it evens itself out - but it does. It also doesn’t smell bad. It has a slight self tanner fragrance - but not bad. Thank goodness I found this lotion, now I can wear shorts without people making jokes.

Hey - who knows maybe I will win Brown Day at the river this year.

JANE EYRE - ANOTHER BOOK I LOVE

Have you seen the movie Definitely, Maybe? I recently saw this movie & it was great - a nice romantic comedy with Ryan Reynolds (yum) and Isla Fisher (luv her). Isla Fisher’s character talks about the book, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. So, it peeked my interest and when I saw it at Borders - the cutest little book with a fabric cover and an attached ribbon book mark I had to buy it. Let me just say, this is not the typical book I read. The last time I read a classic was in school when I had to. I usually stick to books written after 1990. The book starts out kind of slow and sometimes I don’t quite understand the phrases used, but now I am about halfway through and I adore it. Last night I was reading in bed and couldn’t put it down - I just had to find out what would happen next with Jane and Mr. Rochester. Oh - I just love it. It gave me the same feeling as when I watched the movie Pride and Prejudice and kept thinking - “You love her - just tell her already.” The build-up you know I hate it & I love it. Well, if you haven’t read this book - you should - I think you will love it too!

MOTHER’S DAY

Hello all. Long time no blog, right? I just had to write a little bit about my Mother’s Day. It was great this year. My whole family got together for a picnic at the park. It was nice, the food was yummy and the kids had fun playing at the playground. It was a little colder than I would’ve liked, but after stealing my sister’s jacket I felt much better.

Z made the cutest cards for me. Love them. She also gave me the cutest frame from Bath & Body. You can record a message on the frame - how clever. Now when Zena’s not feeling up to being a mush ball I can just press a button and hear about how much she loves me. It also came with travel sized lotion and bath wash, which smell wonderful.

After the park, me and Z headed over to Bonnie’s (Rebecca’s mom) house for some cake and wine. Cake for Z and wine for me, that is. We had a wonderful time. Zena played with Rebecca’s son Riley while me and Rebecca caught up on some gossip. Then we all sat down to watch my favorite movie, Mama Mia. We weren’t sitting for long though. We couldn’t help it - we were all singing along with the movie and couldn’t resist jumping out of our seats to dance. It was so much fun.

I hope all you mothers out there had a wonderful day!

VAMPIRE DIARIES

Can you say, “Obsessed?” I am loving the Vampire Diaries on the CW. This show is great - perfect for me, I love anything vampires in a PG-13 way. I am too squeamish for True Blood (although I love the Sookie Stackhouse novels), so Vampire Diaries is right up my alley. And I just love the 3 main characters, Elena, Stefan & Damon. Whoa - that Stefan is nice to look at. Anyways, if you are anything like me and haven’t seen this show you need too. The show is completely addictive though, I must warn you.

Oh - I am also reading the books. Right now I am on Book #5. The first 4 books are really good, the 5th book not so much. :( If you like the show - you should check them out.

P.S. NYLON interviwed the 3 main characters and I had to rush out and buy the magazine, but you can check out a little bit of the online interview here: http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&parid=4132

Hello - Nina Dobrev's hair looks amazing. Love it.

A DAY FOR LOVE

For Valentine’s weekend me and Z headed over to my sister’s. We had lot’s of fun. We made red velvet cupcakes. And the kids worked on Valentine cards. FYI: The cupcakes were delicious - yummmmm. If you’re looking for a good recipe check this out: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Desserts/Red-Velvet-Cupcakes.aspx

The kids also had lots of fun running around and me and my sisters had a nice time catching up on some shows (Vampire Diaries - of course) and drinking some wine (obviously). BevMo is having their 5 Cent wine sale - so we were well stocked.

On the actual holiday, me and Z headed to the hair salon. Zena’s hair is extremely long and she decided that it was time for a haircut. Thank goodness - my arm muscles have been aching from brushing out her long locks. So, she decided that she wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love. They need at least 10 inches and she donated 12. Can you believe it? 12 inches & her hair is still long. Anyways, I am so proud of her - what a sweetie & I think her new do looks great. Ain’t she the cutest?

SNOW BUNNIES

I love snow. It is my favorite & my best. Whoa - too many Charlie & Lola books. Me & Z and my sisters, Jen & Sherry, along with their husbands and kids headed to Big Bear recently. Short trip, but we did stay overnight at this cute cabin. It was awesome. The little sledding hills for the kids were within walking distance from our cabin. Doesn’t get any better than that, right? Oh - I did have a bad mommy moment... On our way up we had to stop and get snow chains on my car (thanks Ray!) - Z asks for her snow jacket so she can get out and check things out and, uh, er well.. oops. I totally forgot her jacket. We went to the snow & I forgot her jacket. Terrible. It worked out okay though - there was always one extra jacket floating around for her to wear. Next time we go to snow I will not forget - I’m sure no one will let me forget, if you know what I mean.

THE CHRISTMAS SNUGGIE

(Go ahead sing it - to the tune of “Oh Christmas Tree”)

Oh Christmas Snuggie
Oh Christmas Snuggie
How warm and cozy you are
Oh Christmas Snuggie
Oh Christmas Snuggie
What a wonderful gift you make

Ha Ha


Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the Snuggie. Am I right or am I right? Wow the Snuggie is so popular this Christmas. So, I couldn’t resist...I bought one for my friend, Rebecca, her son and their dog. Now, am I a great friend or what? Who knows...maybe if you are really good all year you might have a special Snuggie under your Christmas tree.

THANKSGIVING

I am so excited to for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up, drink lots of champagne and wine, eat lots of yummy food and the desserts - pumpkin cheesecake here I come. Oh yeah, and spending time with my family. :) I have lots to be thankful for. I am so thankful for my daughter - Zena. She is the sweetest thing & I don’t know what I’d do without her. I am also thankful that my sister Sherry and her newborn, Connor are both healthy and back at home. The little guy decided it was time to make an appearance 6 weeks early, giving us all something to pray about.

Now that Thanksgiving is here - Christmas will be right around the corner. The parties, the sales, the parties, the parties - I can’t wait!

THE OC FAIR

Oh How I love the fair.

The couture...

The fabulous cuisine...



And let’s not forget the drama...


So, the fair was in town. I just love the fair - the rides, the food, the games, the animals. So, me, Z, my sister Sherry with her kids, Mason (aka Mister), Dahlia (aka DD) and my sister Jen with her son, Bodhi (aka Bo Bo) all went to the fair. Got to let you in on the nicknames although I have been warned about giving other people’s kids nicknames.

Anyways it was a lot of fun. The kids had lots of fun going on rides, playing in a huge sand box, petting the farm animals and eating fro yo. Zena enjoyed playing the games and won a huge monkey. Zena was tempted by and wanted to try a deep fried Twinkie but I have to draw the line somewhere, so I let her have a deep fried Ding Dong instead. Just kidding - that was a joke I swear. :)

We had a great time and wish we had a chance to go a second time before the fair blew out of town. Dang it - okay next year we gotta go at least twice and try some deep fried cheese on a stick.

THROUGH A CHILD'S EYE

Fashion Island is the best mall ever. I just love outdoor malls. Its so much fun to be outside on a nice warm day and get to window shop - oh and a little shopping also. I couldn't resist popping in to Anthropologie. While I was making a pile of clothes to try on Zena walked around with my sister and niece and took these picks. Love them.

ZENA IS 8 - GOING ON 18

So, my lil ZZ turned 8 on the 21st. Can you believe it? I have an 8-year-old. Man am I getting old or what? So, this was the 1st year since she was born that we did not throw her a humongous party. I felt bad about it - but we really are trying to save money. We also made an agreement - no big party & I would buy her an iPod Nano. So, I held up my part of the deal & she has had those darn things in her ears ever since. We did, however, go to Disneyland on her b-day. How could we pass up that great deal - free on your b-day. I worked that day but as soon as I got home we headed to the park. We were able to go on about 6 rides and then by 11:30 p.m. when we were almost falling asleep on Pirates of the Caribbean - we decided to call it a night. I had a great time with Z. We are always so busy going to parties & visiting friends that we hardly spend time alone together so that was real nice.

SANTA BARBARA TRIP

Me and my girlfriends went to Santa Barbara for the weekend. OMG - I had a fabulous time. There was a group of about 10 of us gals that went to celebrate our friend, Barb’s birthday. We went on this awesome wine tour in a big van. We went to 3 different wineries, a lavender farm, did an olive oil tasting and went to Neverland Ranch to see the freak show. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun. It was awesome. We stayed in this cottage. It was so cute & had a Jacuzzi outside. The neighborhood looked a little suspect - but we’re tough kids. ;) And there was a liquor store about 2 blocks from the house. Perfect for walking to - when you seriously can’t drive. Know what I’m saying? We spent a good deal of one night in the Jacuzzi - singing and laughing and drinking lots of wine (of course). Hope the birthday girl had as much fun as I did!

OKAY I LIED - I DON’T HATE WEDDINGS

Okay, so I’ve said it a few times, “I hate weddings.” But I think I will have to take it back, in fact, I think I actually love weddings. However, I still am all about Vegas & reciting vows in front of Elvis! My friend April’s wedding was on July 12th and it was beautiful. My friend, April is an amazing person. Me and her were these crazy party girls who were regulars at bars & clubs. (Before my Z of course.) Now she has totally turned her life around. She goes to church three times a week. Seriously, three times a week. Yes, churches are not just open on Sundays, people.

April has become an awesome Christian that is truly inspiring. She stopped drinking also. So, it was a dry wedding - which I thought “torture” but it wasn’t bad. I was one of her bridesmaids in the wedding and she was a wonderful gracious bride. No bridezilla here. She also did the most amazing thing - she sang this beautiful song (On this Day! By Ashley Reynolds) to her husband in the middle of the ceremony. Unconventional and a surprise to him but she sounded amazing. I totally lost my bet with her - she said I would cry & I said no way. Dang it - at least it was only a 50 cent bet.

WASHINGTON

Me, Z & my friend, Maggie went to visit our friend, Ellen, in Washington for the 4th of July weekend. I had a wonderful, relaxing and completely laid back trip. We loved it. Ellen and her husband, Fred, moved there about 3 years ago and this was our first trip to see them. They have 5 acres of property that they landscaped & it was like being in a beautiful park or something. They even have a stream running through their property. Their neighbors have cows that would walk up to the backyard fence. They were so cute. I love cows with their big brown eyes and long lashes. Too cute to eat, that’s for sure. Her house was also amazing. She has 2 guestrooms with their own bathroom. So me and Z stayed in one and Maggie stayed in the other room. It was like staying at a B&B. Ellen also cooks the most amazing food. I gained at least 5 lbs. there. Who am I kidding? I could gain 5 lbs just looking at food - so let’s make it 8 lbs. We went o Pikes Market in Seattle one day. What an awesome place - I loved looking at all the fresh produce. Yum! And the fish markets - amazing. We also went to the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA. That was a lot of fun for Z seeing all those animals. She said the bison were her favorite.

As a side note, as I was only a couple hours away from Forks - I did try looking for vampires, but darn it I wasn’t able to find any.

SHECKY'S GIRLS NIGHT OUT

Me and my sisters recently went to Shecky’s Girls Night Out. Have you ever been to this fabulous shopping event? It is the best. All my favorite things happen at this event. Hanging out with my girlfriends, shopping, having a couple drinkie drink drinks & goodie bags. The price per ticket is $25 - but they usually have promos going on - buy 1 get 1 free. There are a bunch of cool vendors (clothes, jewelry, beauty products & more) and the goodie bags are packed with tons of stuff. In my bag I got a book, 3 Venus Razors, 2 deodorants, Rembrandt toothpaste. Listerine Whitening mouth wash, several body washes, hand soaps, lip balm, - all kinds of stuff. I love Shecky’s!

BRACE FACE

So, I guess it was inevitable - my little ZZ had to get braces. OMG. Too be honest I was scared for her. I never had braces so I didn’t know if they would hurt or not. Zena was excited. Excited about all the different colored bands she could put on her braces. She was a real trooper at the Ortho - no tears. So brave. She hasn’t complained about pain too much & I think the worst part is flossing every night. Also - giving up all her favorite snacks, candy, chocolate, chips. I told her she is going to be a skinny minnie by the time she gets her braces off. I think she looks so cute in braces.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Me: “Zena do you think it’s weird that I am in love with fro yo [frozen yogurt]?”
Z: “Mom you can’t be in love with fro yo. If you got married it would just melt.”