Home is where the heart is

We've been renovating our home for the last four months and we're finally ready to move in. We're down to painting our kitchen but for the most part the other rooms are ready to be decorated and vacated.

For the last few weeks I've been doing online browsing and getting inspired for nugget's first birthday coming up in December. I've decided to go with a jungle/animal theme inspired by Hefty zoo pal paper plates I bought when nugget was just a mere 3 months old. Oh how time flies by!



Aside from that major task we've been looking purchase new items for our home. From drapery, to floor lamps, to bar items and even credenza's. I'd like to share an easy picture blog post with you of some things that I admire and some that inspire.


Okay so this item wasn't on the 'to buy' list but like pavlov's dog, I had a sudden craving for ramen.


credenza


Far from your typical college dorm torchiere floor lamp

These among other items really inspired me to make our house into a home that was warm and inviting, function yet hip to our taste. I'll be sure to post up pictures noting our changes along the way.

Thanks for your readership!



xoxo

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

These toddler alice in wonderland costumes are so beautifully detailed and intricate. You can see the love and time put into them that you don't ever get from store bought costumes. Hope I win this costume set! Click on the link for you chance to win. Good luck!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Home made tempura shrimp udon

This one was a doozy. Between making the dough, cutting the dough, setting up the broth, to cutting veggies, prepping and frying the prawns, to tending to my infant it took several hours that I was able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Hard work tastes too good.


xoxo

Happy birthday Fort!

We're lazy when it comes to food and dining out. This has become a really bad habit for my husby and since having met me has gotten better, but not quite.

I love cooking and entertaining it's true. Yet those moments when the easiest cop out to nourishment is going out for food, often times fast, we're terrible. When opportunity permits (ie when we have a sitter) we look forward to trying out the newest restaurants and taking in some couple's time and letting go for those few hours. It's tough for us. We don't, whoops I mean I don't, have the luxury to spend hours looking in my closet for an outfit to wear to date night or spend time getting made up. Forget about switching up purses I'm wearing a diaper bag where my only necessities taking up space are my cell, chapstick, wallet and car keys. So when my husby's best friend AKA brother since the age of 4 called to ask us out to dinner we obliged (after some debating of course).

Where you ask will this birthday dinner be? Alhambra's The Boiling Crab Restaurant. Shit. So we, the couple who relys on fast food and take out, has to not only drive through insane SGV traffic but we have to wait god knows how long for some boiled seafood? Sure we've been wanting to try this place out for years now but hearing about their ridiculous policy about "all parties must be present before being seated," turned us off. This better be good and hot damn it was.





The joint was filled to the brim and lucky for us, a 4 top, only waited 30 minutes to be seated. After scanning the dry erase board menu we decided to got with pounds of their shrimp smothered in their 'whole shabang' sauce. Yes, I understand that their crawfish are what set this place apart, actually no, it's their sauce that does but you know what I mean, yet having shrimp we felt would get more bang for our buck. Besides I haven't had crawdaddies since I was 8 years old and I'm positive I'd look like a fool trying to pry the meat out of them.

I've read bad reviews about their quality of seafood and outcome of the finished product but our bags of shrimp came out sweet, firm and not overcooked. The sauce is addicting and quite potent on your fingers as most of you probably already know. A great way to get that garlickly spicy smell is to rub the lime wedges that they offer you onto your hands. They help tons!






Notice all the shrimp heads on my pile? That's because my husband throws them away. I love sucking on them. It's the best part aside from licking my fingers.


Another satisfied customer

Our bill after tip and tax was just under $50. We went a little beer happy this round and the next few visits our bill run just under $23 each time and yes, you guessed correctly we opted for take out. Score! Now if only we could find away 'round SGV traffic.


The Boiling Crab
742 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803-3231
(626) 576-9368


xoxo

Vroom! The newest edition to our family

Papa, aka Husby, got a new toy for his birthday two months ago. We bade farewell and gave a warm thank-you to our silver bullet (one of the fastest V6 stang's in SoCal) and said, "Hello!" to our newest edition...



She's a beaut and fast too.


xoxo

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Diaz

In a society where over 50% of marriages end in divorce and/or seperation, falling in love and staying in a loving and commited marriage can be a daunting and frightening thought. To begin with, how does one know if that person is the one?

You can go by the many expressions like: "You feel like you have butterflies in your stomach," "You can't eat or sleep because all you want is to be with them, see them or touch them," or "When you know, you just know."

For me I met my husband by happenstance. We were both in semi-serious relationships at the time and as all relationships go, had some disagreements with our then-partners. It was through this wonderful virtual world that we connected. It all began with a band named KoRn and this little city of Bakersfield.

Through friendly phone converstaions and with those two things in common our phone calls grew into a trusting and comforting friendship where we could come to one another for a shoulder to lean on, cry on, or for a good laugh. We had filled a void that was empty in our then-relationships and out of respect to them, decided it best to part ways. I would miss him.

Fast forward several years later. I received a birthday email reminder. He's alive! *The strange thing about this bit of info is that I hadn't received birthday reminders for years past. I tried to contact him through several outlets and finally was able to reach him. A simple, "N***? How are you? Btw, it's Novy" was all it took to spark another one of our epic conversations. We had so much to say! I had reunited with my friend!

Our friendship budded into a relationship. My friend became my best friend. I knew the moment after our reunion conversation that I would marry this man. And I did. He was the one who was there for me from the beginning and though time had past he never left my heart. There isn't a day that I don't want to be away from him. I still get butterflies in my stomach and when I knew, I knew.

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The Donato's had the privilege this last weekend to join a church filled with people who love, respect and care for our friends Anne and Robey, and witness as they pledge their wedding vows. This day had finally arrived and they were forever joined in matrimony. It was a beautiful ceremony and I teared, I must admit.

I could not express enough how much love filled the air, how not a single frown appeared throughout the day (except maybe at the heat wave), and how each guest left confident and in faith of the happy couple.



"Marriage should not be so much about looking at each other but looking in the same direction together. Remember the positive things that brought you together and then concentrate on positive goals to achieve as a couple."

May our friends out-do one another in kindness, never go to bed angry and continue to love and support one another. Thank you both for including us in your special day. Anne and Robey we wish you all the very best that God has to offer in this beautiful journey of marriage and we're so happy you found your "one's." We love you both!


xoxo