[Steamed buns with pork filling]

So I had to go to the DMV today... I thought I was gonna be the first one there arriving at 8.58am... unfortunately they opened at 8am with a line of people already waiting. Ick... so I had to wait 2 hours to get my drivers license renewed due to expire on Saturday!

I sat next to a nice gentlemen who also lived in Lincoln at Sun City and he asked me if I knew a place to get Dim Sum (Yum Cha) around here? I told him the closest one I know is in Sacramento. He said gee, if I drive that far I have to stay the night! LOL! But that's why neither of us gets any Dim Sum very often.

So I was very HAPPY to find these beauties at my local SAFEWAY! Mmmmmhhhh... YUM!

After I got home for the DMV I put these on stove-top steamed for 14 minutes and they made me fell so much better! They are waiting for you to pick them up in the frozen section $5.99 for 8, and I must admit pretty good for frozen. Everyone liked them... except of course Miss Avy. Heh.

Thank you SAFEWAY for bringing a bit of Dim Sum to Lincoln. :-)

[sew sweet]

During the last blogging hiatus, I sewed a couple of things for the girls, this apron was simple and fun, it has a little pocket in the front just big enough to carry special goodies!

I also made this skirt, the flowers were a bit time consuming, but it turned out super-cute.

Sewing is a bit of a lost trade, sometimes not really worth the time and materials since everything is so cheap, but hey, at least I can say it was made in the USA! haha... it really isn't as hard as you think it is, here are a couple of fun blogs online with great tutorials for easy projects.

* Made a Creative Collection

* Grand Revivial

And I love to check in on this blog, she is so creative!

* Made by Lex

This stay-at-home-mom is putting pottery barn's knickers in a knot! Its awesome. She gives you the building instructions to something that would cost you $1,400 at PB but only $150.00 to make it yourself. I'm not there yet, but I think there are some fun project I would love to tackle one day http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/

Happy Hump Day!

[women carry their lives in their purses]

Last night my friend's purse got stolen from her car that was parked on my driveway!!! Dang, that makes me mad! Thieving is so wrong, and we've all at some point in our lives lost our purse or wallet. It totally SUCKS! Last week I lost my cellphone, and thank goodness Raley's called me to let me know I had left it there and that they had it and come collect it. Perhaps Raley's can help my friend too this time, because the thieves went directly over there and pumped gas and purchased products from their gas station. They were caught on surveillance! So I am really hoping that they will find these girls! Girls! Two ladies. Can you believe it? What's the world coming too?

But seriously we carry EVERYTHING in our purses, and its insane. I always carry a huge bag, because I carry everything but the kitchen sink, and it makes me so frustrated when I can't find what I'm looking for. So I went ahead and made this purse organizer, in the hopes it will help make life easier. Unfortunately it doesn't have a tracking device! :-(

On one side it has compartments for all the necessities:

More pockets on the other side for everything else....

Inside there is room for my wallet, appt. book, and checkbook. A velcro enclosure helps keep it from falling out.

Then it slips directly into whichever purse I want to carry that day... now its a lot easier to switch bags without having to forget something in your last bag. I wish I could say I thought of it on my own, but I've seen these online before.

Hope you're all having a lovely day! OXOXOXOX.

[Springtime blooms]

I know I've been complaining about the rain and all. But California really is the BEST state, especially in the north where we usually get all four seasons. With Winter being a pretty short one. Already we've had tons of trees blossoming like crazy, and wild flowers all over. Look how beautiful these early Spring pics are, these were taken three weeks ago when my friends came to visit.

My friend Kelli is expecting her second baby in a few months. And she looks amazing, we quickly took a few minutes to snap a couple of pics before she was completely eaten alive by the mosquitoes ew!

Isn't she just beautiful? Also an amazing photographer you can check out her work at her blog/website!

One last one of her BIG girl Riley, just gorgeous like her mommy. I'm hoping to get some more pics of Kelli and her sweet belly soon.

[Meet Ryan... a fresh strawberry!]

Ryan was so excited to have her first photoshoot that she decided to arrive a MONTH early! LOL! I'm so excited to introduce these first sneak previews of Miss Ryan only 3 weeks old weighing in at a teeny weeny 5lbs!

Only 3 weeks old and she rocked her photoshoot, what a supermodel, she was so strong she could hold her head up! And she would not sleep a wink... she was so tired but she did not want to miss a minute. LOL! How cute is her little calic on her forehead??

Love me some toseys!

Daddy's ear...

aaahhh... such sweetness.

catching up on the good ole' blog.. more to come soon, Spring has finally sprung.. yay!

[Spring in 2 weeks??!?!]

I don't know about you guys, but i am so ready for less rain and more sunshine. Look at what I found at H&M.com... oooh loving the 70s look, lace & tunics, must have this!! And for only $14.95?? Would be so cute for a photoshoot. Or just lounging by the pool.

Speaking of poolside... I was in Target and saw this super cute polka-dotted one piece... gotta have that! I have been looking for a one-piece for ages, and finally found one that I like!

Seriously I am so ready, I already stocked up on my summer must haves like this zinc cream.

Cya all poolside soon!! I hope! XOXOX

[cupcake boquet]

Just wanted to post this quick and fun idea. These are mini-cupcakes frosted to look like flowers. Then you take a vase and place florist foam inside, wrap like a bouquet, then add the cupcakes using bamboo skewers. I made this for Avila's birthday celebration at school, it totally surprised her and was a hit amongst the kids. I made banana muffins so they weren't all bad! :-)

[High Tea Party for a Grown Up Six Year Old!!]

So little Miss Avy turned SIX!!! My little baby girl is no longer a baby! It was a big event, and we racked our brains on what to do... and we finally decided on a tea party... but not any tea party and fancy High Tea party! It was like Christmas when we opened up the box that's been sitting in our garage the last 10 years labeled 'Grandma's China' and found 12 perfect tea settings!

This year I let Avila make the guest list since we had to limit it to only 12, and to set the mood we hand-made these invitations:

The dress... sent from our friends from Australia, Thank you Sylvia and Tung for this perfect shade of pink dress from Willow and Finn! We then made a sign for the door to greet our guests!

And here she is, in all her party glory... hostess and Birthday Girl... have you ever seen a happier smile?

The table was set for fine dining, high tea fit for a queen!

We also had a craft table for the girls to decorate a foam photo-frame and garden hat.

All set for little hands and creative minds, glitter, glue and silk flowers make for a fun afternoon:

Our menu consisted of the staple PB&J, egg sandwiches, freshly baked scones and cream, and animal crackers. Yummy...

Each guest was given a strand of pearls and lace gloves to complete their pretty outfits.

And we can't forget the chocolate cake! Just too cute!!

Lots of tea (decaffeinated I promise!) was had by all, the girls just loved it, having it English style with milk and sugar.

Watching Avila open presents is nothing short of entertaining, she treasures each and every one, and her reactions are hilarious!

Phew! Too much fun for one day, I have to thank daddy, Alannah, Shawn, Mom & Dad, & Kelly for staying and helping out, I couldn't have done it without you guys. OXOXOXOX!

[March Already??]

The MARCH issue of Sacramento Parents Magazine is already on newstands looking fabulous, one of my favorite shots was featured, little Jake made an awesome cover!! LOVED IT, you click here to check out his awesome family's session:

I am sorry for being such a blogging slacker! I don't know what happened to February, its always such a fast month, and I blinked, and there it went. But I must be sure to mention February AWESOME cover of Miss Amanda and her braces! So adorable... .see her family session HERE!

And I can't forget the mom next door, Suzanne Hopkins, she has an awesome blogsite, and she's a way better blogger than me! Check out her tips on fashion, and all things hip & chic at http://shoptalkbuzz.blogspot.com/