remarks to the weather

i love the words from mrs. dashwood in sense and sensibility:

"If you cannot think of anything appropriate to say, you will please restrict your remarks to the weather."

well, i guess jane asten should take the credit.

garlic stuffed olives

these days, i have such a craving for these garlic stuffed olives.

never really liked olives. had little bits of kalamata and black olives in the past. i usually "pass." but a recipe for salmon nicoise called for them. so i trusted my favorite chef barefoot contessa and i tried these olives for the first time last year. i have to admit, i wasn't in love with them then. pungent. interesting. and yet, not repulsive. definitely needed a little time to get used to.

but oh, man, ever since then, i just felt so drawn to it at the store every time i passed by the olive bar. after discovering the mezzetta brand at a cheaper price, i've been picking these up at the store every time i went shopping. i'm so addicted to these briny fruit these days, i finish a whole jar in a couple of days all by myself!

if it wasn't for the sodium content, i'd gobble them all in one sitting! i feel bad about eating 4 or 5 at a time (about 15-20 total per day). but i console myself with the thought of adding many health benefits to my diet by this indulgence.

well, gotta go. gotta get my olive fix!

fruit & vegetable alphabet

i saw a fruit & vegetable alphabet picture yesterday.

it had everything from A-Z.

i wanted to make a cloth book for my kids with that picture.

sadly, my safari closed on me unexpectedly, and so i lost the site.

but today, i came across this one by nan carey.

although it's missing the "x" fruit/vegetable, this picture is so much nicer.

starbucks VIA

starbucks VIA is good stuff.

very strong version of regular instant coffee.

but it was so strong it made me jittery in 2 hours.

a brand new bike

... seeing my daughter's face when she got her very own bike.

no hand-me-down, for a change.

thank God for birthdays!

rainbow cake

determined to make this rainbow cake* tomorrow.

my daughter saw this while i was watching the martha stewart show a few months ago. she told me she wanted it. so i made up my mind to do it for her 4th b-day, which is tomorrow.

i don't think it'll be easy. it's a lot of steps. it takes a long time. it requires me to follow the directions "to a T." cutting off the tops of each layer is not easy to do. plus, frosting it on the crumby cake layers can also be tricky.

but i'm not giving up. i want the "WOW!" factor at her party.

also want to look like a cool mom.

*credit: the whisk kid, not martha stewart.

stuart weitzman

just bought these stuart weitzmans.

are these cute or are these cute!!

sadly, these are for my 4 year-old daughter.

(fooled ya with this picture that lacks the sense of size!)

I don't even have a pair of stuart weitzman.

star special reserve olive oil with garlic

a few years ago, i was fortunate enough to randomly pick up this star special reserve olive oil with garlic from costco. and i have become, not quite a connoisseur of olive oil, but at the least a garlic-infused-olive-oil snob. i've had other olive oils with garlic. but they are not the same. doesn't compare. AT ALL.

i used up the whole bottle (maybe 1.5 ltr) really quick. since then, i have been looking for it all across the country. no one seems to carry it. i wish costco would carry it again soon.

i am craving it.

yes, "craving," if that is at all possible to crave olive oil.

free starbucks coffee today

good stuff by starbucks: free coffee on april 15.

good stuff, not b/c it's free... well, that too. but for the cause.

stacy's pita chips

i love this stuff. so versatile b/c it goes w/ so many things.

case in point: even with salsa. (but it's gotta be homemade.)

Thank You, Jesus.

sur la table's free knife sharpening

new le creusets

my new le creuset: 6.75 qt. oval french oven in dijon yellow. i never thought i'd get a yellow one. but it looked very lemony and bright. and on sale for $170.25!

got my hubby a new crepe pan for his pancake-making business too. this one in cobalt blue. it was a bit more than i cared to spend on a pan. but they had the "save 25% on all cobalt & dijon" so i was a bit more inclined to consider this crepe pan. see, all other cheaper pans have been warping, sticking, caking, etc. nothing's been suitable for the pancakes. but this seems perfect. feels sturdy. a one of a kind. we'll see how this one fares.

i got these square baking dishes also. i already have a cobalt blue set. but i got another set (in kiwi green) because they are just perfect in so many ways (e.g., for presentation, for their perfect sizes, for use under the broiler, to name a few) and they were only $17! a cook can never have enough cookware & bakeware.

sur la table

another favorite: sur la table.

i wish this store is closer to where i live.

they offer special demos for free which sound really interesting. they offer cooking classes and even have a kids' cooking camp! i think i want to host a party here.

recipe for happy

in order to see me happy, i gotta have at least one of three things, if not a combination of two, or all:

1. sunshine (preferably w/ warm temp)

2. no mess in the house

3. health

if i don't have at least one of these, i tend to be cranky. but all these combined puts me in a perky mood, or at least allows me to be positive and kind to other people around me.

just a little side note: the claim above is voided if i see a bug. my husband tells me to just ignore it (the bug). but i can't ignore it on command. i just can't relax. all my senses are focused on that one bug and i cannot even concentrate on doing anything until it is terminated. we cannot coexist. i cannot be happy.

v-day presents

got these things for v-day along w/ a bouquet of hot pink roses.

(fyi, the choco pearls are from my darling daughter robyn.)

Word of God Speak

i heard the song Word of God Speak by Mercy Me at the bible study today.

i heard it for the first time, really listening to the words in silence, rather than as the radio background music. wow, it was so powerful! it may possibly become my new favorite song for a while.

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay

white collar

hubz and i are enjoying white collar these days.

3-in-1 Foosball Table

my family is having fun w/ this new baby. another costco find.

movie night

normally we don't go out to see movies. w/ kids, it's tough to find one that's good for the whole family. it's also so expensive~ we'd rather wait for the dvd.

but my honey's coworkers were having a movie outing to see avatar, and spouses were invited. so i managed to find a babysitter and i tagged along. oh, just a disclaimer that the movie itself is not "one of my favorite things." but going out with him and enjoying the time w/out needy kids was. it was my very first time going out together since our almost-5-month-old baby came along. and definitely one of the very few times i hired babysitters during our 10 years of marriage just so that we can go out alone!

russell & olivia

russell is, by far, my new favorite disney character.

actually, i never had a favorite character before.

it was not like this from the beginning. when i saw the movie for the first time last summer, i didn't think anything of the boy, except that he cracked me up a lot throughout the movie, just like any other character in a disney movie. but recently, ever since we got the dvd and started watching it, i noticed he resembles my baby~ their chubbiness & small eyes.

and b/c he reminded me so much of my baby, i started thinking he was cute. and he just grew on me.

and this is my favorite scene from the movie, when he begs mr. fredericksen, "please let me in."

and after the storm when he says, in relief, "whooooo! i thought you were DEAD," i just think the way he says it is so funny & adorable.

he's such a good kid w/ a big heart. i wish olivia would grow up and become like him. but i know she's not gonna look like this when she grows older. i will miss this look very much.

"do all the good you can..."

"do all the good you can, in all the ways you can,

to all the souls you can, in every place you can,

at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can,

as long as ever you can."

-john wesley

i read this quote the other day.

but, for the life of me, i couldn't remember where!

i went through all the books, magazines, websites, devotionals, and letters i read this week. still coudn't figure out. i hate that feeling. but i'm glad i remembered most of it, so i could look it up and find it online.

recipe card holder & UP

for new year's presents, robyn & hubby got me very special presents.

robyn got me a mini rolling pin style recipe card holder.

as always, she insisted that she buy me something nice. but anything that's considered "nice" is always so expensive, esp. from le creuset. so it worked out really nicely when she found this for $3! it was affordable for her, and she was so excited to give me something so cute and useful. i agree.

and i got this blue-ray disc and DVD from my husband, too.

i love this movie. so sad, funny, and adorable!

cole haan genevieve plaid travel woven wallet

what have i done to deserve another great gift?

here is cole haan's "genevieve plaid travel woven wallet," pictured in detail in a black model.

i received a black & white version, as seen below. it's beautiful and luxurious. the workmanship is flawless. but i feel so guilty accepting it.

coach soho business tote

another coach bag as a gift. beautiful.

vera bradley's "saddle up"

my new bag: vera bradley's "saddle up."

this picture looks a bit orangey, therefore i'm not proud to brag here. but really, it's more of a raspberry color, like its color name "raspberry fizz."

the following picture of the duffle bag shows a better "true-to-life" color scheme. but this link (a larger picture of the same duffle) shows more detail. thank God for high resolution pics.

thanksgiving in LA

spent thanksgiving in LA.

for the first time, we were able to wear short-sleeves & shorts on thanksgiving, open a large sliding door for some breeze, and even turn on the AC for a little while.

we brought food, serving platters, and bakeware to my cousin's to cook.

here's our turkey.

thankful for good weather.

thankful for abundant amount of good food our Father provides.

thankful for one another.

i am especially thankful for happy and healthy kids.

jibjab halloween

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

love for my king ranch

last night, for some reason, we traded in my expedition for some mercedes sedan. i'm not sure what prompted us to do so. but i didn't like it. no, not the mercedes, because that was great. but i didn't like the fact that we traded it in.

i missed my car and went frantic trying to find a way to redeem it. nothing was working out. the dealer had already turned my expedition over to a third party. i kept worrying about where i was going to find another king ranch. a mercedes can be replaced. there are plenty of those around. but not another king ranch expedition. i almost cried thinking to myself, "where am i going to find it? where am i going to get another one? how can i afford another one?..."

i woke up this morning so sad about what happened yesterday. i went downstairs for breakfast and walked past the open door to the garage. and what do i see? my expedition was back! it was either an early christmas gift from my honey who managed to pull it off, or it was a bad nightmare. i found out it was the latter.

thank you, Lord. i don't know why you give me these things even though i am more materialistic than you want me to be. but thank you anyway.

my new kate spade bag

i kept talking about the kate spade bag. couldn't let go for some reason.

hubby suggested that we go down to camarillo, i think, to make me happy.

so i called the kate spade store to check the price again.

i couldn't believe it! it was still available and marked down to $67!

although it's a lot more than what i'd like to spend at target or tj maxx or marshalls, i thought it was a good deal.

so what did we do? we hurried down and picked it up.

it was a sweet moment.

ipod touch

belated anniversary gift from my husband. for last year.

i feel like i got something already, although i can't remember what.

but who's complaining? :)

kate spade's delano serena hobo

this is a kate spade delano serena hobo.

saw this one at the factory outlet store today.

it was an imperfect item~ thread coming off a little inside.

i liked that it looked classy, yet trendy. but even w/ the factory outlet price, the markdown, and another 40% storewide sale, it was still close to $200.

couldn't justify the cost. so i didn't get it.

if there was a special occasion, i wouldn't feel bad asking honey for it as a gift.

charleston hobo

i found this b makowsky "charleston" hobo in the nordstrom catalog.  

i'm not a fan of hobo bags.  but this, i like the look of it.

and i like the color, too, which actually was much nicer in the catalog.

and at $148, it doesn't seem so pricy considering it's found at nordstrom.

cascade complete

i've never been a believer of dishwashers.  

my dishes always came out looking unwashed.  

they came out clean only when they were pre-washed by own hands. 

but what would be the point in that?

not only so, they were still spotty.

perhaps the problem had been the detergents we've been using.

so today we bought CASCADE COMPLETE ALL-IN-1.

my, my!  it got rid of everything.  i mean, everything.

so glad we got it when we did instead of waiting to finish our other detergent (palmolive gel).

marc jacobs watches

how pretty are these!

marc jacobs pam watches for $179.  each, of course.

godiva's dark chocolate w/ orange

strange.  now that i'm not pregnant anymore, i have a craving.  from day one (since the delivery of the baby), i've been craving for something sweet, esp. chocolaty things.

yesterday, i bought me a bar of GODIVA DARK CHOCOLATE W/ ORANGE for $4.

it was worth every penny.

i almost finished it single-handedly if it weren't for my kids who wanted "just a little."

coach trench coat

loving my new coach trench coat i received as a "thank-you-for-giving-birth-again" gift. i love every detail about it. my favorite of all the trench coats i own. (have 5. now 6.)

"You Are God Alone"

Phillips Craig & Dean - You Are God Alone
(From the album Let the Worshippers Arise)

You are not a god 
Created by human hands
You are not a god 
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god 
In need of anything we can give 
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is

Chorus: 
You are God alone 
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now 
In the good times and bad 
You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God 
Whose name and praise will never end 
You’re the only God 
Who’s worthy of everything we can give 
You are God 
And that’s just the way it is

Unchangeable 
Unshakable 
Unstoppable
That’s what You are 

LG washer & dryer

the samsung ones had to go back.  the washer failed to function after a few tries.

got ourselves a new set: LG.  it's wonderful.

once again, it's amazing how just spinning and tumbling can get clothes clean.

UGG erin booties

saw these adorable UGG erin booties in solvang today.

$50 for something that the baby can sport around in only a few times?

i dunno.

iced caramel macchiato vs. the ice cream

my favorite drink from starbucks is the iced caramel macchiato.  i have tried a few others but i always go back to this one. so when i found the ice cream version at the commissary (and for $1.50 after the coupon!), i had to try it.

the verdict: it was too creamy and caramel-y.  but i shouldn't say i hated it.  after all, this blogspot of mine is about "a few of my favorite things."  so, i will say this: if i had the choice between the original drink or the ice cream, i think the real thing wins.