Bittersweet End To Christmas

Well, Christmas is offically over for 2010 and it's a bittersweet ending.  Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year but I have noticed that each year, I enjoy it less and less.  Maybe it's because instead of savoring every day and really taking in the sights, smells, sound and meaning of Christmas, I instead am running around like a crazy woman trying to cram shopping, baking, decorating, etc., etc., into the week before the big day.  I used to start enjoying the holidays the week before Thanksgiving when I looked forward to seeing family and planning all the fun activities for Christmas.  That was when I had so much less responsibility and didn't really have much in life to do but have fun.  I didn't have to cook, clean, run kids around town, handle a family budget and deal with life's rollercoaster ride of unexpected challenges.  It seemed back then that it took forever for Christmas to get here and now it's as if it just finished and there it is again. 


This year, finances were strained and I kept putting off doing things that should have been done a long time ago.  I have realized that doesn't help because they need to be done anyway and waiting till the last minute not only causes much more stress but it actually ends up costing much more money.  Yesterday as we drove to grama's house, once again we were behind schedule by about 45 minutes.  As we drove on the freeway, I decided to write down my feelings in a little book I carry so that in a few months as I look ahead to next Christmas and that feeling of frustration for lack of planning is no longer there, I can look in my little book and relive the way it feels to be unorganized, unprepared and lacking the "Christmas Spirit!"  We didn't buy gifts this year except for our kids and kids in the extended family.  It was really hard for me to not have something to give everyone.  I thought it would be rude to receive and not give or that people would be upset if they didn't get anything from us.  But not having money forced me to realize a couple of things though.  Sometimes we give to "look good" or just because someone gives to us, or maybe just out of a feeling of obligation.  This is not giving in the spirit.  As my 9 year old son says, "It's not about the presents, it's about Jesus."  This is true and I believe we have gotten away from the true meaning of Christmas.  If money hadn't of been tight, I would have done what I always do...give gifts whether I meant it or not.


I have vowed for things to be different in 2011.  This is the year I look at life as less of a chore and more of an adventure.  I have vowed to plan ahead, put money away now, even if it's just $5-$10 per paycheck, and think about ideas for Christmas.  The secret I think is also not just to think but to act.  Many times, not just with Christmas but with anything, I think of something I should do but don't do it.  I read somewhere that everytime we think of something we should be doing or should do, we need to act on it and just do it.  That way things don't slip by us and pile up for later.  Giving shouldn't just be about buying gifts but giving of ourselves out of love.  I have received homemade gifts this year and I have received store bought gifts this year and I must say that there is something special about receiving something that someone took the time to actually think about and create just for me.  Don't get me wrong, I do like receiving gifts but sometimes when shopping for others, we just buy something just for the sake of buying it without thinking of what the other person really likes and wants.  There are also times we buy for people who we may not even feel connected to but do it out of obligation.  I choose not to do that anymore.


I vow to make 2011 the year I look ahead at what needs to be done and do it that way I have more time to enjoy life as it comes.  No more running around the day before birthdays and holidays getting things ready so that by the time the "special day" arrives, I am too tired and frazzled to enjoy it.  No more worrying about what other people think.  When I plan things it will be what's best for me and my family and not to impress others.   No more looking back wishing I would have enjoyed Christmas more.  Next year, I will enjoy everything about the holidays starting with cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  I plan to enjoy decorating for Christmas, going out looking at Christmas lights, taking my kids to see Santa, wrapping gifts and I actually plan to mail the Christmas cards I write out next year instead of just leaving them sit until it's too late to mail.  I also hope that I can be a better mother, wife, sister and friend by just being a more relaxed, organized and happy me!

What Do You Do When You Can't Bake?

Well, you get a little creative.   I actually did bake a little on Tuesday nite.  My sister let me come by and use her oven.  Baked 6 mini loaves of Cranberry Orange Bread.  Mmm!  It was so good.  Then last night I made chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles on them for the kids in Neecy's class.  I also tried something I have been wanting to do for a couple of years now.  I made Marshmallows!!  Oh my goodness....they were sooooo good and much easier than I thought.  I had homemade marshmallows a couple of years ago and they were great.  Ever since then, I have thought about making my own but for one reason or another I don't get to it.  Now that the holidays are here and I usually make homemade gifts I had to figure out what to make without my oven. 


I went to the Dollar Tree and bought some of the mini Chinese take-out type boxes.  They have them 4 for $1.00 and are really decorated cute for Christmas.  I added a small sheet of tissue paper and put some chocolate covered pretzels in each one and gave those to her classmatess.  Then for the teachers, I took one loaf of bread, a package of hot chocolate and I packaged some marshmallows in Cello bags and packaged them up in really cute bags I also found at the Dollar Tree and tied them with ribbon.  I attached a homemade card letting them know what was in the bag .


Those marshmallow were so good, I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them...they're gone!  I plan to make more this week-end and add these to my homemade treat bags.

Purse Party Tonight!

Well, the day is finally here.  Tonight is our 1st Purse Party for Chic Boutique.  We will have it at Jessica's apartment complex for the residents of the complex.  It's an open house type sale and we are hoping for a positive response.  We are so excited and can't wait to see what happens.  We already have parties lined up for the first of the year and haven't even had a party yet. 

Tomorrow is our 2nd party at my house and it's for our family and friends.  This is exciting and I can't wait to see where this takes us.  Maybe someday, we'll be designing our own purses!!

Will post pics and details of how tonight went.

Pictures of Purses

Here are some pictures of the purses, wallets and purse hooks we have.  Didn't get a chance to take many pictures but it was nice.  Not a huge turn-out (her building would only let her put flyers out the day before) but we met many of the people that live there and they seemed really interested in us doing another one before Christmas.  They loved the purses!

CHIC BOUTIQUE

Well.....the time has come to announce my new business.  It's called "CHIC BOUTIQUE!"  I am sooo excited.  Together with my niece Jessica, we have partnered to start this new venture.  We will sell purses and wallets.  The concept of the business is just like Tupperware, Partylite, Pampered Chef etc.  We will do "Purse Parties."  The only difference is there is no presentation to sit through.  Just attend a party (or host one of your own) and shop.  Very fun, relaxing and convenient.

We will have our first purse party in December.  We are in the process of creating a Blog for our business since we don't have a website yet.   We will also post pictures of our purses on our Blog.

Wish us luck!

Finding fault with everything you see

We all know people who just like to complain. It seems that no matter how good they have it, they're always spreading negative energy. Even the best, most painstaking listener can have trouble with someone who finds fault with everything around them. You can shine even in the worst situations if your character is strong. If you're starting to see the "dark side" too often and find yourself blaming your circumstances on other people, take another look. If you think a change of scenery will solve all your problems, think again. Change can be good. Moving on to new things can be an exciting chance to stretch yourself and break a rut. But it's important to start with yourself when you're finding things to improve. No matter where you live, work or play, the only constant is you. You can't escape yourself. Change on the outside will have no effect on your happiness or fulfillment unless you change on the inside, too.


A very wise person told me this exact thing many, many years ago.  I didn't quite understand it at that particular time in my life, but over time and many pep talks, I began to understand the importance of looking inward for change instead of blaming others for problems or for our unhappiness.  

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Hoping you and your loved ones have a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Let's all remember to stop and give thanks for everything in our lives.  Not only the big things but mostly the small things that we take for granted every single day!

Enjoy your day, your meal and your family and friends:))

Camarillo Road Trip

Yesterday I was invited to drive up to Camarillo to check out a business I'm interested in getting into.  My aunt had mentioned there would be a chance for me to see what it's all about and I decided I wanted to really get as much information about it.  Robert and I were going to go but since Amber couldn't be left alone, I decided to take Alyssa.  We left O.C. about 3pm and thankfully the rain stopped when we left. We headed out the 91 and cut across the 110 to the 101.  We enjoyed the view of Downtown LA with the sun peeking through the clouds and shining on the tall glass buildings.  We got stuck in some traffic near the Staple Center and again when we got on the 101 in the Northridge/Van Nuys area. 

As we continued to drive north, we could see less and less congestion and more open space.  It was about 4:15pm and the sun was hiding behind the clouds but the colors of the sky were like orange, purple and reds.  It was absolutley beautiful.  As we drove through the hills and crossed into Camarillo, the lights of the city were just coming on and the air was a cool 55 degrees.  It felt like we were so far from home and yet not so far. 

We left Camarillo about 7:30pm and as we drove home, we listened to the music as loud as we wanted, we talked and laughed.  We stopped for Starbucks in Van Nuys and enjoyed the 49 degree temperature.  It really felt like the holidays were near.  We sipped our Starbucks and enjoyed the last little bit of being away from home and wondered why we don't take more road trips.  This is definatley something I plan to do more of.  Fun trip just mom and daughter!

Exciting News To Come!!!

Oh, I'm so excited about a new venture I am starting.  I can't say anything about it right now but had to just write a snip-it before I bust.  I hope to make it known by Thanksgiving but right now there are some loose ends that need to be taken care of first.

Me along with Jessica my neice are partnering to start a business. (We promised each other we wouldn't say anything until we have all the legal stuff done)  Oh, can't wait to make it known.  The only thing I can say is we are doing home parties.  I think it'll be alot of fun!

Life is Crazy But I Remain Thankful!

Life around the Felipe household has been a bit crazy latley.  We have been trying really hard to pull ourselves out of the pit we fell into when hubby lost his job for over a year.  Even though he's working again, it takes time to recover financially from something like that.  Kinda like the economy! 

Our kids have been really great and patient but have needs that we have been trying to attend to.  Namely, furniture in their rooms.  Beds to be exact!  Every time we think we are finally at a place where we can start saving, life throws another curve at us.  A few months ago, it was the dishwasher, then our TV, then the dryer now this week, the oven.   We did without a TV until Daniel and Jessica came into one and surprised us with it.  They also were selling a dryer when they moved into their new apartment and we were able to replace our dryer.  We don't need a dishwasher because we have already have 6 in the house.  (Well, only 5, Neecy doesn't wash, only dry)  But an oven....at the holidays???  I decided that we will do without the oven for as long as we can and I will only concentrate on the kids beds.

You realize how strong you are when things like this happen.  I really wanted to just crawl under a rock and come out when everything was good and well but that's not what life is all about.  Sometimes I have to look at things like a child.  My little ones don't care if the oven is broken or not.  They only care that they have food, not how it's prepared.  Patrick doesn't care that the dishwasher is broken, he washes dishes and takes 30 minutes to do what should only take 15 but he is too busy playing with the water and the bubbles.  He gets the water in his hands and is present in what he's doing.  When he gets a big bubble he gets so excited! 

I felt really bad Friday and was just focusing on what was wrong but then God showed me how selfish I was being.  I have my house, car, health and family.  There are others who are suffering real pain and have real needs.  I AM SO THANKFUL AND BLESSED!

When things don't go our way, we should just stop and think like a child and be glad every day!

Look What I Made!

Baptism Card

Who Wants To Clean House????

Ugh!  Today is Thursday and that means it's cleaning day.  Since I shop estate and yard sales on Friday and Saturday and list my Ebay items on Saturday, I always clean my house on Thursday.  Today, however, I didn't quite get to it.  I felt tired and lazy and it has been sooooo hot here.  It was 98° today, November 4th.  Too hot to clean or do laundry or cook.  I did manage to throw a pork shoulder onto the stove to cook for a couple hours but that's as far as I got with dinner. 

I finally ventured back out around 5pm to pick up Alyssa at school and decided to do some shopping at Michaels.  I needed to pick up a couple things to finish a Baptism card I'm making. Finally finished it and it is now 9:15pm.  My head keeps saying clean tomorrow but the little voice inside says do it now.  I know from experience when I put thing off, something else comes up and I end up kicking myself for not doing it when I should have.  I guess I'll put something interesting on TV and clean my house tonight...after all, I am on a mission to stop procrastinating!

Happy cleaning!!

Homecoming!

Wow! What a day.  Took Alyssa to get her manicure and pedicure, got the car washed then off to do eyebrows, pick up last minute accessories and then to Diamond Bar for hair and make-up.  Alyssa looked beautiful with her hair done and make-up.  Lisa Cramer at Tashi's Hair Studio in Diamond Bar is the best!  She is the daughter of my former boss and she knows her stuff. 

About 4:15 kids started arriving for pictures.  We had Cindy come and take pictures.  She's so funny and such a social person that she made everyone feel so comfortable.  We set up snacks in the backyard and pictures took about an hour.  There were 7 couples here.  We drove them to Spaghetti Factory where they met up with another group and total they had 30 in their group!  How fun:)

We picked them up at 7:00 and drove them to the dance.  The front of the school looked fantastic and Alyssa said the quad was decorated really nice.  Dance ended at 11:30 and all in all, it was a great nite.  She come home beaming from ear to ear. 

Today is the Day!

Well today is the big day.  Homecoming has finally arrived and I woke up this morning to rain.  Now, I love the rain normally, but today we have 18 kids coming to take pictures before they head out to dinner and I don't know where to put them if it rains.  I'm getting ready to take Aly for a manicure, pedicure, make-up and hair appointment.  My sister-in-law will be taking the photos because she is awsome!  She takes the best pictures.  Alyssa already warned her friends that this picture taking thing could take at least an hour because of her aunts obsession with picture taking.  She'll take one with just the girls, just the boys, girls and boys together, each date, whole group, parents and kids, and so on and so on.  But in the end we'll be glad with the results.  I can't wait for the final hour to see how beautiful Alyssa looks.

Autumn Stew and Homemade Biscuits

Oh I love fall!  I think it's my favorite time of year.  Maybe because I was born in the fall, I don't know.  There is something about the weather, or maybe the warm colors of fall and the excitement of Halloween and Thanksgiving!  Whatever it is, I feel like I want to take advantage of every day and savor it to the fullest. 

Last week-end, we went apple picking and had a blast.  Now what to do with all those apples?  Actually, there weren't that many apples left over.  We split the apples with Jessica and gave some away to neighbors.  But, tonight, I used some for my Autumn Stew!  I started making this stew about 3 years ago.  I happened to see the recipe on the Rachael Ray show and thought it sounded good and it had all the things I love - pork, apples, cider, onion, celery, carrots and cranberries.  Robert was really sick that year with the flu and this stew really hit the spot for him.  Every year, I look forward to making it and today was the day!  I even made homemade biscuits, which I had never made before.  What a fantastic dinner!  The best part is that I made enough for leftovers and I just know tomorrow it'll taste even better than today!  Check out the recipe page for the entire recipe.

Apple Picking Fun!

Today we went apple pickin'.  Drove up to Oak Glen and when we got there, it was 58 degrees and foggy.  We bought our bag and started pickin.  Wow! The trees were full this year.  We picked Double Red Delicious, Winesap and Rome Beauty's.  We ate lunch at Los Rios and shopped for our goodies to bring home.  We watched as they made apple cider and decided we'll make our own next year.  Amber and Alyssa have made cider but the little one's haven't. 

We finished at Los Rios and drove to Snow Line to get our donuts.  Cider donuts are the best!  We tasted the different ciders and in my opinion, rasberry cider is the best and we even picked up some cider donut mix to make donuts at home.  I think I'll stash it away for awhile since it'll be a year before we get more donuts.  Of course we couldn't leave without Robert picking up his pie at Oak Tree Village.  The kids love to walk around this place...there's so much to see.  On the way out, we stopped at a place called Wood Acres.  It's a farm and they have a varity of apples to sample.  The folks there are so nice.  They'll slice each kind of apple for you to try and answer all your questions. 

We couldn't resist buying a few more apples there. 

The weather was so beautiful today.  Usually when we go, it's hot but today was cool and crisp and it felt like real fall weather.  We came home, had apple pie, apple cider and sat by the fire and talked about what a great time we had!  We always look so forward to going and once we get home, we are sad that it'll be so long before we go back.  We're already planning for next  year's visit!

Nightmare Before Homecoming

That's the theme of Alyssa's Homecoming this year.  Just shopping for a dress was a nightmare.  I can't believe how expensive dresses are for such a small amount of material.  Funny, that almost sounds like something my parents would have said but it's true in this case.  The dresses are so short I don't know how anyone could be comfortable in them.  Not to mention most of them are strapless.  It's comical to see the girls trying on dresses and pulling them up on top and then pulling them down on the bottom.  We finally found a dress that we both agreed on and it's very, very cute. 

Now we need to shop for shoes which is another nightmare because Aly doesn't wear heels.  A couple of years ago she went to a dance, we bought shoes and when I picked her up, I noticed her holding her shoes in her hand.  When I asked why, she said, "I took them off during the dance because my feet were tired."  So why did I buy shoes? 

Tomorrow a friend of Amber's is coming to do a practice make-up application to see if we like it.  I know she'll look beautiful!  Then it's off to the hairstylist next week for ideas.  I can't wait to see her the night of her homecoming!

Oh, so Good Chili

Well, every Sunday we get together to watch football and we also decide what the menu will be the following week.  Last week was my turn to decide for yesterday's game.  I have been thinking of a nice pot of chili for awhile now but the weather has been so darn hot that it didn't seem like chili weather to me but I decided to go for it anyway.  I got all my ingredients together on Saturday and didn't really have any direction but knew what I wanted the end result to be.  As I chopped and sauted, browned and seasoned, I didn't pay attention to quantity until I put everthing into the crockpot and realized it was up to the brim with ingredients.  Oh well I decide, I can freeze whatever is leftover for future dinners.  Sunday morning, I woke up and the pot was so full and it smelled delicious!  The day was grey and cloudy, and it was cool outside.  We lit a fire and had hot dogs, cornbread, tortilla chips and all the fixins to go with it.  I have never seen such a mellow bunch of guys on a football day.  They ate and just kinda sank into their seats and watched the game.  All the elements added up to a great day!  Oh, and the leftovers.....there are none!

Family Time is the Best Time!

Sundays are set aside for football and family.  As I sit here and watch everyone root for their favorite team and eat, talk and laugh it reminds me how very blessed I am.  Sometimes I loose sight of what's really important by focusing on the things we don't have or the problems of our world but in reality all of that seems really small compared to all that I do have.  No one knows the future and I don't know what tomorrow or any other day brings but I know one thing for sure......I have everything I want and need right here today!  Love like there is no tomorrow

Monday Blues

Oh this cold doesn't want to leave me.  I started getting sick last Sunday and then Robert came down with it Tuesday and was sick all week.  I didn't feel good either but someone had to do the running around while he rested and that was me!  I thought I was getting better but yesterday I woke up feeling horrible.  We had some people over for football Sunday but I didn't move from the couch.  At one point I realized I was feeling worse so I took myself  to my room and went to sleep.  This morning I woke up just as bad as when I went to bed.  All I want to do is curl up and sleep but it just hurts too much.  You know when your face hurts so bad that it even hurts to sleep?  That's how I feel.  To make it worse I just saw the weather report and it's going to hit 105 today!  I hate being sick especially when it's hot.

FRIDAY NITE FUN!

 Hey, once upon a time, Friday meant shopping for new clothes to go out in, taking hours to get ready and deciding which club to hit.  Nowadays, Fridays are a chance to relax and spend time with my family.  Once in awhile though I get brave and hit the streets on Friday nite for some fun.  That's just what I did last night.  The difference is, I didn't have to shop for anything to wear... jeans, tennis shoes and a shirt were acceptable dress.   I didn't have to spend hours getting ready.  I just grabbed my supplies and went - to a friends house for a craft fest that is.   It felt so good to be around folks who love crafts (specifically scrapbooking and card making) as much as I do.  No pressures, no selling, just great fun!  We made a card box and 4 cards.  So much fun talking, laughing and getting mad at paper and ribbon because it doesn't do what you want it to do.  Now they are talking about once a month craft get-to-gethers.  Yippee!  I am getting in the mood and looking forward to letting my creative juices flow once again!  

   



I'm a Winner!!!

Well fall is in the air and that means FOOTBALL! This Sunday kicked off the football season and our first football BBQ at our house. Actually Robert's brother Joe barbequed for the day. We ate chicken, potatoe salad, thai salad and I made a cranberry, apple crisp for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream. YUMMY:=))

Now football isn't just a game in our house. Me and Robert do the UPickem Football picks each week through various online sites and that makes it more exciting for us because there are prizes involved. Each site has something different to offer. Aside from having our own favorite teams (and usually we are on opposite sides) we get to pick the winners of each game for that particular week. Last week I made my picks and on one of the sites had won all but 1 game on Sunday. Two games were played on Monday night and my teams lost. I figured I had lost the contest for the week....but low and behold when I logged into the site last night to pick for this week, my username was on the top of the winners page. I won the first week of the My Fox LA UPickem contest. The prize $25 Jack in the Box. That's gonna buy me a lot of ice teas in the mornings!

I know this Sunday is gonna be fierce. Let the games begin...LET'S GO CHARGERS!!!!! 

BACK TO SCHOOL

Wow! this summer went way too fast! I guess because Alyssa went to summer school for most of the summer it didn't really seem like there was a break. Now it's back to the routine of things. As always, I make my back to school resolutions...wake up early, make a healthy breakfast for everyone, stay organized. So far I got up at 5:30 - showered and got ready, cooked some bacon for egg muffins, cut up some cantaloupe, set the juice on the table and am waiting for everyone to come to the table. Sounds so perfect...just like on TV. This usually lasts about 1 week before I start hitting the snooze button thinking I can sleep in a little while longer. Eventually these nice little breakfasts will turn into cereal and frozen waffles that the kids can make themselves while I squeeze in all the sleep I can get before I have to get ready to start the day.

For now though, I will enjoy my breakfast with my family...who knows tomorrow might be the day I sleep in!

Rearrange Your Thoughts

How many times do we look around at our furniture and think this stuff is old or outdated and then we proceed to rearrange or redecorate.   Or we look at our outer shell and think, I need to change my style of hair, make-up or clothing to reflect my age or the current trend.  We've all done it at one time or another but, how many times to we pay attention to our thoughts.  That little voice in our head that is our constant companion telling us things.  Many of us need a 'makeover" when it comes to how we think.  

I know that for myself, I try to stay positive.  Sometimes though the thought process creeps in and changes the positive to negative thoughts and feelings.  I am currently on another attempt to lose weight.  I have been here many times before and for one reason or another, have fallen off the routine.  As I sit here, I think about where I'd be if I had continued last year with the work-outs and good eating habits.  I get angry at myself for not following through and then I proceed to give many excuses why I had to stop.   Groceries are too expensive, no time to exercise, too hot, too cold blah blah blah!  The truth is that I made the choices I made because I didn't re-arrange my thinking.  I let laziness and self indulgence rule me.  I was basically powerless. 

What am I doing different?  Re-arranging my thoughts!  I am in charge!  I can't make excuses anymore.  Groceries are expensive but instead of complaining about that, I need to ask "How can I afford to buy healthy foods?"  There's many options...better meal planning to cut out take-out, use more coupons, start growing fruits and veggies at home, stop buying junk food.  As far as exercising goes, I need to stop telling myself that I don't have time.  I need to ask myself, "How can I make more time in my day?" 

We do this with money also.  We walk around telling ourselves we can't afford this or that or we don't have money for things.  Instead we should ask,  "How can we afford this" or "How can I bring home more money."  

Four years ago, I had a good friend of mine suggest I start selling on EBAY.  The suggestion overwhelmed me and my first thought was, "I can't do that."  Then about a year later one of my cousin's mentioned her daughter was selling on EBAY and brought in close to $500 a month.  Again, my thought was, "Well, she sells fashion and knows her name brands but I don't know any of that"  Then Robert lost his job 2 years ago and I didn't know what we were going to do.  As he searched and searched for work, the bills kept coming in.  I tried to stay positive but the longer he was out of work, the harder it bacame.  Then one day,  we heard about a men's suit shop that was going out of business and went to look because Robert needed a suit for interviews.  It was the last day the store would be open and although the suits were selling for $20, they still had a store full.  I asked the saleslady what they were going to do with all the merchandise that didn't sell.  She replied that a gentleman had made arrangements to purchase all the merchandise after the store closed and was going to sell it on EBAY.  She also said that her friend sell's toys on EBAY and makes good money each month.  This time instead of letting the negative thoughts over take me, I began to think "How can I make money doing that."  Well, I 've been doing it now for almost 2 years .   I had to re-arrange my thinking.  Always look for a solution to a problem rather than looking at the problem. 

I must admit, re-arranging and re-decorating are easier and much more fun but in order to have a healthy life, we must, from time to time, get rid of the old musty thoughts and allow new positive thoughts to take over.

SHOPPING IN LA!

Today I spent the day in LA with Alyssa, Lou and her daughter Alyssa and our friend Liza. Took our girls shopping for school clothes at Santee Alley. This is a great place to shop (if you don't mind crowds) and find bargains on clothes and shoes. Lots and lots of really cute clothes, purses and shoes! They have everyday clothes, jeans & tops and then they have formal wear, great for homecoming and proms. This is located off the 10 fwy at San Pedro St. Take San Pedro to Maple and go left to Santee and turn right. You will see all the shops on both sides of the street. Jeans sell for $11.00 and shorts for $9.00. We found really cute sandles for $9.00 and dress style shoes for $20. Of course you can always try to bargain to try to get a better deal.

After a long day of shopping we went to Lou's and Liza made us fish tacos. Really good. For dessert, Mike made peach strudel and blueberry strudel topped with ice cream!!! Nothing like sitting around laughing with good friends!

Alyssa

Summer Beach Party

Alyssa had been wanting to have a beach party and kept trying to pinpoint a date for this event.  Knowing that Robert is not a big fan of the beach and not wanting to do it without him, I tried to find every excuse to not have it but just like a teenager, she had a rebuttal for every excuse.  Reluctantly, we scheduled it for last week-end the 31st.  I think when we schedule it, we thought somehow the day would never come but it did.


The planning started the week before.  What to eat, where to go, what time to be there and so on and so on.  While I was busy planning every detail so that we could have an enjoyable day, the only thing on Alyssa's mind was that her friends would find us.  There was shopping, cooking, gathering supplies and equipment and making sure we didn't forget anything.  Finally the day was here.  We had picked up 5 pallets the night before but since they don't allow pallets at the beach, Robert had to get up early and start cutting up all the wood.  Amber and Alyssa helped get the 2 little ones ready while I went down the checklist making sure we had everything.  Who knew a day at the beach would require so much.  It looked like we were going camping for a week!


Luckily Daniel and Jessica met us here and we put some stuff in their car.  It's 11am and off to the beach we go.  Arrived at 11:30 and lo and behold, people actually arrive at 6am to get a fire ring.  Well, we decided to make the best of it.  We find an empty area on the beach and unpack everything and set up camp for the day.  Everyone is having a great time, playing volleyball, frisbee, playing in the water and sunbathing.  We have a group of about 30 and about 6pm, it starts to get a bit breezy.  The later it gets, the colder it gets and I realize, Alyssa's friends are not getting picked up until 10pm when the beach closes.  Without a fire pit, I know how cold it's going to get.  We give everyone the option to call their parents to pick them up earlier but they decide they would rather stay at the beach and be cold than to go home and be bored.  Yippee for me!


About 7:15, Jessica and Daniel decide, it's too cold for them and they pack it up to leave but will look for an empty pit on the crowded beach on their drive out.  Feeling hopeful, I tell everyone to please say a prayer that they will find an empty pit or at least one we can share with someone.  About 10 minutes later, my phone rings and it's Jessica.  "Hurry Tori, we found a pit!"  I load 12 teenagers into the truck and drive them about 1 mile to hold the pit with Jessica and Daniel.  Then I go back so we can load everything into the truck and move to the new spot.  We get to the new spot thinking we'll just take the wood and some chairs since we only have 2 hours but everyone is hungry and they want to eat.  We take the bbq and ice chest and decide we need the tables to put the food.  We end up unloading the whole truck.  We're enjoying a bonfire, smores and hot dogs when the lifeguard drives by announcing the beach is now closed.  We all have to hurry and pack it all up.  Parents are trying to pick up their kids but they are not allowed to enter the beach so we have to walk the kids to their parents cars while still trying to pack it all up.  At one point the lights at the beach are shut off and boy is it dark!  We finally get everything packed, kids are with their parents and we load up the truck.


On the 1/2 hour drive home, we are beat.  Our feet are killing us as the sand was full of debri and was hard to walk on.  We are recapping the day and still can't believe we found a pit but somehow are not too surprised because that's how God works in our lives.  We may not get what we want when we want it but we always get what we need when we need it.  Just as each kid is dropping to sleep and it begins to get quiet, we hear Alyssa in the back seat say "Thanks mom and dad for today!" I in turn thank God for all he did today.  I look at Robert and we confess that we had a really good time and it was well worth the work to see our kids happy!

Frisbee!

Smile!

Giving massages to the one in front

Monday Mornings

Monday mornings are hard after a fun week-end.  I'm glad I took care of business last night that I normally would do in the morning, like check emails, balance checkbook after week-end spending and doing week-end laundry.  I had to stay up a bit later to do it but it really pays off this morning.  Now I just need to continue with my late morning activities and I don't feel guilty about sleeping in a little.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my blog.  My hope is to share tips and stories that will simplify your life.  I believe that life is all about lessons learned.  Hopefully the more lessons the better your life becomes.  I look back at my life and marvel at all I have seen and learned and am excited about what lies ahead.  I strive to become a better person today than I was yesterday and hopefully, through example, others can learn from me as much as I learn from others.