Break out of Boring

Crafty ♥ Birds Nest Necklace

2012-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

Cute piece of jewelry.
Found this awesome DIY necklace on Pinterest! It's surprisingly easy with a great end product. This necklace is easy to customize - a perfect gift for someone on a budget.
Happy Crafting!!

♥Donna

What You Need.be creative/think of alternatives.

SUPPLIES:
♥ Jewelry Chain
♥ Pearl or Glass Beads
♥ Beading Wire
♥ Jump Ring
♥ Clasp (optional)
♥ Wire Cutters
♥ Pliers

Put It All Together.patience in crafting results in smiles all around.

STEPS:
♥ Cut chain to preferred length - I like them long, so I usually use about 1.5 to 2 feet of chain)
♥ Select your bead(s)
♥ Take beading wire and measure about 2 yards and cut with a wire cutter
♥ Take the end of the beading wire and make a loop at the end of it
♥ Feed your beads onto the wire, all the way to the end
♥ Start to wrap the wire around the beads until you get the desired birds nest look
♥ Wrap some wire around the nest for added detail (with this, we made three loops on the side)
♥ Feed the jump ring into the loop you made at the beginning
♥ Attach the chain and close the jump ring

Voila!

Crafty♥ Halloween Treat Bags

2011-10-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat.
These treat bags are a great idea for Halloween giveaways. You can turn this into another fun-filled family craft event. Have fun with it. Be creative! Kids will LOVE receiving these little goodies.
Have a Happy and Safe Halloween Everyone!!

♥Jesiree

Witches Broom Treat Bags
.patience in crafting results in smiles all around .

Supplies:
♥ Pretzel Sticks (I used the ones from Trader Joe's but they're a little too short - had to cling wrap two to make it longer; they do sell longer ones at BevMo.)
♥ Black Pipe Cleaners (from Michaels)
♥ Small Brown Paper Bags (from Michaels - I used the size 3.5inx2inx6.75in; there's 16 bags in a pack; you're going to need to 2 bags per person so make sure your count is right)

♥ Halloween Stamp (I found mine at the dollar section in Michaels)

♥ Black Ink Pad
♥ Cling Wrap
♥ Scissors
♥ Hole Puncher
♥ White Paper
♥ Treats - candies and other goodies

Put It All Together:

Cut strips down one brown bag, all around the bag - don't cut all the way to the bottom, just a little close to.

Fill your second brown bag with candy and other goodies.

Open up the shredded bag and place the goodie bag inside.

Stamp your paper and cut, making sure you have alittle extra to the side for a hole punch. Put your pipe cleaner through the hole punch.

Cling Wrap your Pretzel sticks (for health reasons; especially when giving out to kids)

Last step is to lift up the shredded pieces. While holding around the top, place the pretzel stick inside and then wrap it tightly closed with the pipe cleaner.

Pumpkin and Ghost Treat Bags
.be creative/think of alternatives.

Supplies:

♥ Small Orange and White Paper Bags (from Michaels - I used the size 3.5inx2inx6.75in; there's 16 bags in a pack)

♥ Treats and Other Goodies

♥ Black Paper

♥ Scissors

♥ Glue

Put It All Together:

Cut out your character faces and glue onto the bag.

Stuff bag with your goodies.

Fold top to close. So Simple, right!? Gotta love it.

Crafty♥ Halloween Glass Lanterns

2011-10-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

Bring home some Halloween Spirit.
How awesome are these glass lanterns!? This is a great craft project for the whole family to enjoy together. Not only were they quick and easy to make, they were CHEAP too - score! The shapes of the glass jars we found at the Dollar Tree brought out PERFECT character. You can use your imagination to come up with many Halloween spooky (or friendly) faces to decorate your house with so go get craftin'...

♥Jesiree

What You Need
.be creative/think of alternatives.

Supplies:
♥ Mod Podge ($3-$6 at Michaels)
♥ Brush ($0.30 at Michaels)
♥ Glass Jars (you can use any jar you can find; bought ours at the Dollar Tree for $1 ea. and the shapes were perfect for the characters we chose)

♥ Tea Candles (bought a pack from the Dollar Tree)

♥ Black paper (we used a black poster board from the Dollar Tree)
♥ Colored Tissue (bought an assorted pack for $3.99 at Party City)
♥ Scissors

Put It All Together
.patience in crafting results in smiles all around.

Shred tissue in to small pieces. Cut out faces for your characters.

Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the glass jar.

Cover the jar with your shredded tissue pieces - layer them all around.

Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge all around.

Stick the characters face on the jar then apply a thin coat over the cut-out pieces. After 15 minutes, apply one last thin coat around the jar to seal.

Yelp's "Sunset Showdown" 2011

2011-06-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

My First Yelp Elite Event! Although I haven't been to any others, this one was pretty epic. Supposedly this was the start of an annual event. It was held at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA - such a beautiful venue along the Bay. My plus one, Eddy, joined me and we had a blast together. This "Sunset Showdown" event was actually open to the public with RSVP only and Yelp Elite members got to enter an hour early...sweet! Since we were part of that crowd, we got to sample most of the food. Besides all that yummy food, there was plenty of alcohol samples and live entertainment. We stayed until the end and enjoyed every moment of it. Can't wait until our next event!

♥Jesiree

all our free goodies.

awesome entertainment.

such a beautiful venue.

Ariana's First Holy Communion

2011-05-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

more pics: Ariana's First Communion

"Christ held Himself in His hands when He gave His Body to His disciples saying, 'This is my Body.' No one partakes of this flesh before he has adored it." - St. Augustine

A Milestone for Ariana. A First Holy Communion is an important part of a child's life - receiving the Body (and Blood) of Christ; bringing in a closer connection to Jesus Christ and ones faith. To understand the importance of this day, click here.

It was a beautiful ceremony, held at St. Augustine Church in South San Francisco. We weren't allowed to take photo's inside the church so we didn't get a chance to capture that special moment - waiting on the prints from the professional photographer that was hired. A few of our relatives attended. After the ceremony, we all headed to Kome Buffet, in Daly City, for a celebration.

a rosary Isabella made for Ariana.

♥Eddy and Jesiree

Ortaleza Wedding

2011-05-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

more pics: Ortaleza Wedding

Our good friends Jay and Christina got married on May 18, 2011. Their beautiful ceremony was held at St. Thomas More Church in SF, and their reception was held inside a tent at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame. The tent made for an intimate reception...so perfect! Loved everything about it - the decor, wedding party entrance, food, photobooth, and the energy all around. They really pulled off an epic wedding! We wish the newlyweds a great, loving adventure ahead of them.

♥Eddy and Jesiree

I was happy to play a little part in their wedding - helping out with the cupcake escort table! It was a fun craft project. I didn't bake the cupcakes but I did make the label toppers and the cupcake stands, with the help of Eddy, Karen and Christina.

For the labels, I bought the round 1", sage colored ones from Paper Source. I got the template from their website and just custom printed them at home - one side had the guests' name and table; other side had the bride and groom's names and date of the wedding. I stuck both sides together on toothpick.
For the stands, I wrapped up some shoe boxes with solid, sage colored wrapping paper from Paper Source - loved that it matched the labels! I also wrapped the bottom of the boxes with caramel colored ribbon for a little accent to match their theme. I also taped the boxes together using double-sided tape so they would stay in place.

Loved that everyone loved the display, especially the bride and groom!

♥Jesiree

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

more pics: Easter 2011

Hop you all had a Hoppy Easter this year!
Had an awesome Easter w/ the family. The kids really put their Homemade Easter Baskets to good use and we actually had time to make some of the Easter Ideas we found! We attended a couple of Egg Hunts...

Orange Park in South San Francisco: A pretty big turn out but we didn't have a good experience since there was not enough candy for everyone - Ariana and Noel were so sad they didn't get any! Some kids were nice enough to give up their own. The candy wasn't even in plastic eggs - they were in sandwich bags!
Our own Egg Hunt at Commodore Park in San Bruno: The kids had a blast finding eggs at the park. We spread 'em out pretty good!
Precita Park in San Francisco: The best one! This event was so organized and everything was FREE - they had jumpers everywhere; giveaways; games; prizes; face painting; and of course, Egg Hunting! The age groups were set up perfectly and there were soooo many eggs spread out for the kids to find! This is an annual event held by a local church. We can't wait to attend again next year!

Egg Hunt at Orange Park, SSF.

A private Egg Hunt at Commodore Park, San Bruno.

Egg Hunt Event at Precita Park, SF.

On Easter Sunday, we all went to church. The kids were sweet enough to pass out some goodies after mass. We had lunch at Benihana in Burlingame then met up with some relatives at Fort Funston in SF. The weather was actually pretty nice so we hung around for a few hours. After watching the sunset together, we ended it with some yummy crepes at Crepe Temptations in SSF.

Home-made/crafted Easter goodies that were inspired by the Easter Ideas we found.

yummy and fun lunch at Benihana, Burlingame.

Quality time with the family at Fort Funston, SF.

Chicken Tikka Masala CREPE...say what!?

Had some yummy crepes w/ the fam at Crepe Temptations, SF.

♥Eddy and Jesiree

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. - Robert Flatt

Crafty/Foodie♥ Easter Ideas

2011-04-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hop right to it!
With Easter right around the corner, I thought I'd share with you both crafty and foodie ideas. I'm probably not going to have enough time to make ALL of these this year but I'll try! I hope you like these as much as I do...

Paint Chip Easter Garland by Modern Parents Messy Kids : How cute is this! Plus, its FREE!!

Plastic Egg Chicks by She Know Parenting : Save your plastic eggs for next year! I love this cute, simple, and easy idea.

Chick Cookies by Creative Itch : I can't wait to bake these! Hopefully they'll look as cute lol.

Sweet Tweets by It Is What It Is : A cool way to package your favorite Peeps.

GoldFish Carrots by The Moody Fashionista : Easy, simple, and cute! I love it.

Easter Bunny Cupcakes by My Family Loves it: I plan to design these on Ube and Pandan Cupcakes!

Easter Cake Pops by Bakerella: These are perfect giveaways to fill the kids' Easter Baskets with!

♥Jesiree

Crafty♥ Easter Baskets

2011-04-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Pimp my Easter basket!
I didn't really have much time to do Easter crafts this year so I thought I'd do a quick and easy Easter basket fix. The kids and I went to Michael's and picked out baskets and ribbon - we only spent about $5 each basket since they were 40% off...DEAL! You still have time to make a cute basket so get going!

To dress the baskets up...
• Weave ribbon through the sides of the basket
• Wrap ribbon around handle
• Wrap ribbon and make bows on sides of handle
• Personalize, personalize, personalize!
• Most of all...be crafty and ENJOY!

♥Jesiree

Foodie♥ Mini Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Oreo Frosting

2011-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

How do you eat your OREO's?
Now here's a new way...eat 'em as cupcakes! Without even a taste, nor smell-o-vision, that already sounds like a yummy combination. My cousin, Rae Ann, suggested I bake some of these goodies, so I began my recipe hunt online. There were a few out there, but the one that stood out most was from a blog called My Food Affair. This recipe has been taste approved by myself, as well as a whole bunch of my friends and family - I've made plenty of batches before blogging it out. The Chocolate Cupcakes and the Oreo Buttercream Frosting she chose were perfect together!! Also, the piece of Oreo topper not only decorates the cupcake, it adds a yummy crunch to it - so don't leave it out! I will definitely be messing around with these two recipes in the future. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did...

♥Jesiree

Gather Your Ingredients
.think outside the box - alter it to your own style of taste.

INGREDIENTS: makes about 46 mini cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes...
♥ 1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened
♥ 1 1/4 Cup Sugar
♥ 2 Large Eggs
♥ 3/4 Cup Flour
♥ 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
♥ 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
♥ 1/4 teaspoon Salt
♥ 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
♥ 1/2 Cup Milk
♥ 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Oreo Frosting...

♥ 2 Large Egg Whites
♥ 1/2 Cup Sugar
♥ 12 Tablespoon (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
♥ 6 Oreo Cookies, crushed
♥ Oreo Cookies cut into 1/4 for Topper

The Cupcake
.the more passion you have for cupcakin', the better the taste.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES - by Chockylit

Directions:
♥ Preheat oven to 375 degrees (turn oven down to 350 degrees before popping cupcakes in the oven).
♥ Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
♥ Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
♥ Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
♥ Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.
♥ Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
♥ Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3's full - ****CAREFUL NOT TO FILL MORE THAN 2/3 FULL BECAUSE THEY WILL SINK!!!!!!
♥ (Turn oven down to 350 degrees) Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until "toothpick-check" comes out clean. (3 minutes for regular sized cupcakes)

The Frosting On The Cake
.that's what matters most.

OREO FROSTING

Directions:
♥ Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot (approximately 160 degrees).
♥ Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth.
♥ Add crushed Oreo cookies and continue to beat until they are well incorporated, smooth, and thick enough to frost. [**make sure Oreo's are really crushed before adding to the frosting - it can clog up your frosting tips // **if frosting is not thick enough, refrigerate it for a few minutes or until thick enough to frost]
♥ Frost each cupcake any way you like.
♥ Place the 1/4'd Oreo piece on each cupcake.

Travel♥ A Day in Berkeley/Oakland

2011-04-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

Spent a foodie/sports day around Berkeley and Oakland.
Since we had tickets to see the Warriors game, thanks to my friends Yen and Sherwin, we thought it would be nice to go a little early and roam around for a bit. Surprisingly, there was no sign of traffic on the way to the bridge - it was smooth sailing! Once we got the to East Bay, we visited the North Face Outlet - there were a lot of nice jackets but just not enough good deals. For ~~a late~~ lunch, we had a really good Southern meal at Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen - OMG those hush puppies are sooo addicting!

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen - Berkeley, CA. [gumbo, hush puppies, buttermilk fried chicken, crawfish etouffee]

Then we headed to the Oracle Arena to watch an exciting Golden State Warriors WIN against the Dallas Mavericks!! We had great seats, parking, and even scored a free poster. After an awesome night with our favorite team, we drove back to Berkeley to grab some Top Dog - $3 for a super yummy/one of a kind hotdog...now thats a foodie deal!! For dessert, we walked around the corner to a new spot called C.R.E.A.M. (COOKIES Rule Everything Around Me) - this place is basically the Bay Area's version of L.A.'s Diddy Riese Cookies! What a perfect ending to a lovely day. [FYI: these two Berkeley foodie spots are great for late night eats]

awesome seats for an exciting game! [final score: GSW 99 DAL 92]

C.R.E.A.M. - Berkeley, CA. [double choc. chip cookies with matcha green tea ice cream; white choc. macadamia nut cookies w/ cinnamon caramel ice cream]

♥Eddy and Jesiree

A Glimpse of Indonesia @ NTL

2011-03-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

We attended an event called "A Glimpse of Indonesia" at our local coffee shop, Never Too Latte. The place was packed full of people interested to know more about Indonesia. We spent a few hours...

Listening to Indonesian music (actually, just one song since they were having technical difficulties)
Hearing author Lian Gouw read from her historical novel, Only A Girl
Tasting Indonesian snacks and beverages - oh so YUMMY!

Risol - chicken pot pie type of egg roll
Lemper - sticky coconut rice with chicken stuffed in the middle
Pandan Cake
Iced Cendol - Indonesian version of filipino's "Halo Halo"

♥Eddy and Jesiree

Crafty♥ Scrapbook Expo 2011 - Pleasanton, CA

2011-03-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

more pics: Scrapbook Expo 2011

"Scrap Or Die B*#CHES!" - Anna and Jesiree
It's been awhile since I attended a Scrapbook Expo - I usually go to the ones in South Cali. The last time I went was back in 2007!

When my friend, Karen, invited me to this expo, I was super excited to attend!! The location was held here in the Bay Area, CA, at the Alameda County Fair Grounds in Pleasanton. Before the event, I had already planned out what I was going to buy - stamps, ink, paper, ribbons, embellishments. Once inside, we walked around each aisle, making sure we didn't miss any goodies. We were there for about two hours - not so bad. Our shopping bags were pretty full too!! I think I did pretty good, keeping true to my budget and shopping list.

HERE's WHAT I GOT...

finally found a cute bird stamp! I also got some cool brush markers and ofcourse the Copic pens, which are so popular right now! I need to learn how to use 'em lol.

ribbon, paper, and rings - so cheap!

$1 a bunch for some felt texts! What a STEAL/DEAL!!

samples from the letter press machine (karen bought below) and samples from the stamps and brush markers I bought.


my friend, karen, purchased this cool letterpress machine - I can't wait to try it out lol!! I LOVE letter press.

♥Jesiree

Travel♥ Road Trip to Reno

2011-03-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

more pics: Road Trip to Reno

TRIP DETAILS

Destination: Reno, Nevada
Length of Trip: March 11-14, 2011
Transportation: Rental Car
Passengers: Eddy and Jesiree
Stayed @: Cousins Apartment - Ray-J and Raymond (Sacramento, CA); Nugget Hotel (Sparks, NV), Grand Sierra Hotel (Reno, NV)
Reason for Trip: Jesiree's birthday weekend getaway. We didn't want to travel too far, especially since it was raining all week, so we thought we'd drive up to Reno. On our trip, we made some nice pit stops, explored away from downtown Reno, and of course had a foodie adventure!!
Photo Album: Road Trip to Reno

DAY ONE
.headed to the biggest little city.

packed and ready to go.

After spending the night at my cousins house in Sacramento, we were on our way up to Reno. Along the way, we stopped at the historic Old Town Auburn - the oldest gold mining town in the West; established in the 49er Gold Rush era! This is one of our usual rest stops when traveling up to the Nevadas. After walking around a bit and enjoying the scenery, we were back on the road again.

awesome pit stop.

The weather was perfect for driving through the Sierra Mountains. There was snow everywhere!! During the drive, we found out that our friend Jen was going to be in Reno at the same time. We felt like we were stalking each other because our trip was for the same amount of days and we were even staying at the same hotel lol - on top of all that, when we got to our hotel, guess who happened to park right next to us...JEN! Amazing hahaha.

perfect weather for a road trip.

Nugget Hotel - it was worth upgrading to the east tower!

After checking in, we headed to the Outlets at Legend in Sparks, NV (a few miles east of Reno) - looks pretty new; they even have the largest sports store in the world (Scheels). We window shopped a little but then it got really cold outside so we stepped into Grimaldi's Pizza. We were so excited to find out they had a location here. I heard a lot about this place from my friends and family in Las Vegas, NV! They serve NY style pizza (thin crust) and OMG...HELLA GOOD!! I wish there was a location closer to home. After having an awesome dinner, we headed back to the hotel, had drinks with Jen and her boyfriend Peter, and did a little gambling before calling it a night.

[Day ONE over: it was looong day.]

Outlets at Legends - pretty new shopping center.

nom nom nom. drool!

the biggest little city in the world.

DAY TWO
.downtown reno.
Checked out of our hotel to check into another at the Grand Sierra in Reno. The room we got was a little more outdated and too pricey to upgrade but it was still a great stay. I believe it's the largest hotel in Reno. After getting situated, we had lunch at Asian Noodles - great pho' place to go on chilly type of day. Then we headed downtown where we met up with Jen and Peter. We spent a few hours there since Jen introduced Eddy to the craps table - got him soo interested!

awesome pho find in Reno.

fountain at the El Dorado Hotel

When it came time to dinner we all headed to Sushi Pier for some All-You-Can-Eat Sushi!! If you're ever in town, this is a must! Make sure you sit at the bar area because the chefs hook you up! Everything we had was so good and well worth the price! We were all so stuffed after. We went back to downtown where we went to Circus Circus to see if we could win the kiddies some prizes. Jen and Peter were actually the ones winning everything and they were nice enough to give some goodies to the kids (thanks guys!). Then we played a little basketball at the arcade - fun times acting like a kid without any real kids around lol.

[Day TWO over: ended the night with you guessed it...gambling and drinks.]

highlight of the foodie trip!

we wanted to win a Domo so bad! we suck at carnival games.

DAY THREE
.a rough road home.

Reno, it's been fun!
After doing a late check out, we grabbed lunch at a Peruvian Restaurant called El Tumi - yummy Peruvian food in Reno...say what!!? WINNER! We went back to the Nugget Hotel because we had some gambling credits left over from the other night. We were there for a few hours since we started winning our money back. Before heading home we grabbed some coffee at the Hub Coffee Company (awesome cappuccino) and an Awful Awful Burger at the Nugget Hotel (downtown) for the road. The drive was treturous! It started snowing in the Sierra Mountains. Good thing we weren't required to have chains.

[Day THREE over / trip over: so glad to be home after driving through that storm!!]

surprisingly good Peruvian food.

lovely cappuccino.

Reno's famous Awful Awful Burger.

♥Eddy and Jesiree

My Birthday 2011.

2011-03-09T23:51:00.000-08:00

more pics: My Birthday 2011

Happy Birthday to MEEE!
You know it's your birthday when you get woken up by a bunch of notifications on your phone - Twitter, Facebook, text messages, phone calls...oh my! I didn't even need an alarm.

I jokingly asked Noel where he was going to take me for my birthday and he replied with "CHUCK E CHEESE" lol! Since Ariana was off of school early, I said "sure, why not" and so the three of us went to our local Chuck E Cheese's. We had lots of fun together - pizza, games, pictures, tickets, prizes, and ice cream! Time flew by so quickly. I didn't think we would spend 3 hours there lol.

In the evening, my whole family and I went to church for Ash Wednesday. Then we had a yummy dinner together at our favorite family restaurant - Rice and Roll. Thanks to my family, my birthday was good times for sure!

♥Jesiree

Travel♥ A Weekend At The Museum

2011-03-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

more pics: A Weekend at the Museum

Staycation in Vacaville.
Eddy and I stayed at my relatives house in Vacaville over the weekend. My Uncle Chet had suggested that we visit the Air and Space Museum inside Travis Air Force Base, so off we all went! Once we pulled into the parking lot, we were greeted by these HUGE planes!! It was so exciting. We didn't get a chance to see the inside exhibits since we got there late but walking around the outdoor exhibit was amazing enough. Plus, it was FREE!! My uncle, the "'Nam Vet", gave us a little tour - educating us on each of the planes [you could find the info of each plane here]. It was a great experience and we would definitely come back!! If only this museum was located outside of the base, more people would get to appreciate it as much as we did.

BOMBERS: B-29 "Stratofortress"; B-52D "Superfortress"; A-26K "Counter Invader"

FIGHTERS: F-102A "Delta Dagger"; F-105D "Thunderchief"; F101B "VooDoo"; F-86L "Sabre"

TRANSPORTS: C-47 "Skytrain"; C-123K "Provider"; C-124C "Globemaster II"

On Sunday we visited the Pence Art Museum in downtown Davis, CA. Once we entered, the lady at the gift shop told us there was only one exhibit open since the other two were still being set up. It was a pretty small space but hey...another FREE museum! The main (and only) exhibit featured Paper Work by artists Laura Morton, Jed Alexander, and Marilyn Judson - talented!! We had a nice visit but wished there was more to see. If we're ever in town again, we would be sure to check out the new exhibits.

Insect Drawings by Jed Alexander.

Dry Brush Animal Drawings by Jed Alexander.

Paper Sculptures by Marilyn Judson.

♥ Jesiree

Madeleine and Her Battle with Lupus

2011-03-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

My friend Mik recently wrote a story about his litte sister, Madeline, who's been battling Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and its recent complications. SLE is a long-term chronic autoimmune disorder that affects many organs. There are mild cases, but in Madeline's case its more severe. My heart breaks, hearing what she's been going through. I hope and pray the best for her and that she recovers from this quickly.

Social Networks are a perfect place for sharing and that's why I'm doing so in hopes to find better answers for Madeline and her strong, loving family and friends. If you or someone you know can help this family in any way, please reach out. Thanks!

♥Jesiree

You could find her story (w/ links) on Mik's site
or read the copy below...

"Madeleine June Morco was born on, you guessed it, June 20th 1997. Currently 13 years old, she is the last of the Dolores' three children; the baby girl. Growing up she loved swimming and being with her family and friends. Since Madeleine was a child my mother noticed that she was very thoughtful, considerate, brilliant minded, and loving. During her first year in elementary school she immediately excelled academically and her test results exceeded her grade level. Teachers noticed this and acknowledged her accomplishments with rewards, ribbons, and certificates on a regular basis. We are so proud of her because, not only is she smart, she is very humble for such a young person.

At the age of seven, she had a nosebleed that would not stop. She was brought to Children’s Hospital in Oakland where she stayed for two weeks. After many tests, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus* was the final diagnosis. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that affects people differently. In Madeleine’s case, her platelets were affected, which caused her blood to clot very slowly. She was told to avoid the sun because it made the Lupus flare up. I was saddened because that meant less swimming and less outdoor activities, which she loved. Madeleine was not fazed or discouraged by this and she continued to be bright, considerate and happy. She took her daily medication and kept on going to school because, quite simply, she loved to learn.

Since 2008 Madeleine’s Lupus gradually increased in severity, keeping her away from school as time went on. She started to feel sick and stayed home once a week, then twice a week, three times a week, until she could no longer attend school regularly and was signed up for home school. Late 2009 she kept on getting more and more tired and as she got tired the visits to the hospitals increased.

In April of 2010 after her regular overnight treatment at the hospital she woke up with an unbearable stomach pain caused by Pancreatitis. They put her stomach to rest and started feeding her through the nose. She went home for ten days and during her follow up appointment they discovered multiple Pseudocysts that started to press on her stomach. To sustain her, she was placed on numerous amounts of IV fluids that contained the necessary nutrients her body needed to stay alive. Cystgastrostomy was performed to help relieve pressure and a “JP” drain was placed on another cyst to drain its fluids. Other complications arose during this time where the kidneys and liver were affected. She stayed in this condition in the hospital for 6 months when she finally seemed to get better and was able to transfer to George Mark’s Childrens House, a transitional facility, where she would stay for 3 weeks, then hopefully finally be able to come home before New Years. However, a week prior to Christmas Madeleine developed a fever that that did not subside. She was readmitted to the hospital. She spent Christmas with our family in Long Hospital at UCSF and shortly after New Years she was sent to Pediatric ICU because they found blood in her stool and vomit. Shortly after, she had two seizures due to a high blood pressure and was then diagnosed with Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS). A new drug called Cyclosporine was administered to treat the MAS, but that medication continued to induce more seizures. Treatment was halted as she was stabilized from the seizures and the swelling in her brain had gone down. Her condition seemed to improve, but Madeleine suddenly lost all feeling in her legs. This prompted for CT scans and a MRI. While waiting for the results, a new medication called Etoposide - a drug used in chemotherapy - was introduced to replace the Cyclosporine. Finally, diagnostic-imaging results showed that two spots in her spine had bleeding so off into surgery she went. A few days after surgery they re-assessed the feeling in her legs. ‘Till this day feeling has not returned and she still constantly attempts to wiggle her toes but cannot. Paralysis is now from her chest down. Etoposide was stopped because her white blood cell count dropped. Since then she has had several bleeding episodes where blood builds up in her GI tract and she vomits and defecates blood. Blood products such as plasma, platelets, and red blood cells are being infused to help her body cope with all the internal bleeding. As I write this, she is currently going through dialysis to help remove the large amount of fluids and medications being introduced to her body daily, along with medications to control her blood pressure and pain.

On February 23, 2011, surgeons and several specialist doctors met to discuss where to go with my sister’s condition. That evening they discussed their conclusions with my mother and I to tell us there are no surgical options because the inflammation spread to other organs, causing them to “stick” together. The surgeons feel that her condition of being Immuno-suppressed and having a bleeding disorder will not allow her to survive a major surgery. Medically they have run-out of ideas. Her illness is a vicious cycle. Treat the Lupus and the pancreatitis flares; treat the pancreatitis and her MAS flares. The doctors and surgeons have come to the conclusion that all we can do is maintain her, make her days as happy as possible, and keep her as comfortable as the she can be.

In spite of all this she remains in good spirit. These last few days have been very good to her. She has been watching TV, reading books, and having conversations with us. Although she has not been drawing like she used to because her arms are too weak, I’m going to try and exercise her so she has enough strength to hold her pencil and draw.

The reason I’m writing this is because I feel helpless. I’m hoping if I can write something about Madeleine - this very beautiful person who can do so much for this society - people’s hearts will be reached, word will spread, and hopefully reach someone or a group of people who can help her. I’ve been told that there is no surgical or medical option, but that is only the conclusion that this hospital has come to. It would be foolish of me not to try and reach other doctors or surgeons. We have a whole country, a whole world of bright minds that can find a solution, why shouldn’t we try? She deserves a good shot at life. Please help me by either emailing this or sharing it with others to somehow get her case to as many Hematologists, Rheumatologists, Neurologists, Surgeons, Pediatricians and Internal medicine doctors as possible so we can come up with a better plan than just leaving Madeleine to fight this by herself.

UPDATE 3/2/2011: Last Friday, our resident doctor was replaced. Already we have made strides in my sister's health. Her life threatening internal bleeding caused by 2 pseudoaneurysms has been resolved by means of a procedure to embolize the vessels via coil occlusion. These were found during a CT scan that her GI doctor requested be done to locate the bleed while it was active. She is now extubated and breathing on her own although she still has a bit of fluid in her lungs. Dialysis is currently being done twice a day to help her body manage the massive amounts of fluid being given to her.

This new resident has been very proactive with my sisters care. He has spent plenty of time tending to her and doesn't give up on procedures that need to be done if possible. Previously, my family felt that the hospital has given up on moving my sisters health forward. That is no longer the case, the hospital is now approaching everything step by step which is what she needs. I believe the continuity of care from her current resident doctor and nurses is very important at this point.

The need to find another hospital has now shifted into finding more opinions/options regarding treatment of her active Lupus, MAS, and Pancreatitis. The more ideas we have regarding these conditions the more we can brainstorm with the doctors to help her. So let's keep them coming.

Last but not least, We would like to say thank you for the ongoing support."

Update
.rest in peace madeleine.
03.29.11
God gave another Angel her wings this morning and ended all her pain and suffering. I didn't really know you Madeleine but your story by your brother, my friend Mik, has touched my heart along with many others. May you rest in peace beautiful girl. My love, support, and prayers out to Mik and his family during this difficult time.

Foodie♥ Peruvian Alfajores

2011-02-24T14:25:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite yummy treats.
After having Peruvian food the other day, I started to crave for Alfajores - if you don't know what these are, they are basically shortbread cookie sandwiches filled with Manjar Blanco (dulce de leche). Since I've been into baking lately, I thought "hey, I could try to make some myself!". So after searching online, I found this recipe. It took me awhile to put everything together because: 1) it required a lot of labor; 2) I chose to make the manjar blanco old school style; and 3) I'm a "newbie" at kneading dough hehe. After all that hard work, I thought the cookies came out pretty good but when Eddy got home to try 'em he told me they were just okay - I didn't like that answer, especially since he's the "expert" with his Peruvian background lol. I was planning not to post this recipe BUT after trying the cookies again a few hours later, he said the taste had improved a whole lot for some reason (maybe it takes awhile for everything to settle)...and I AGREED! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.

♥Jesiree

Gather Your Ingredients and Prep
.think outside the box - alter it to your own style of taste.

Ingredients: makes about 52 mini cookie sandwiches
♥ 1 Cup Sugar
♥ 3/4 Cups Butter
♥ 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
♥ 2 1/2 Cups Cornstarch
♥ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
♥ 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
♥ 1 Egg
♥ 2 Egg Yolks
♥ 1 Can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
♥ Powdered Sugar

Prep:
♥ FIRST...using the can of condensed milk, make the Dulce de Leche (directions here) since it takes 3 to 4 hours to form!!!
♥ cream together Butter and Sugar
♥ add Flour, Cornstarch, Vanilla Extract, Baking Powder, Egg, and Yolks - mix well
♥ knead dough on floured surface until smooth, allowing it to rest for 15-20 minutes before rolling out - I heard it's better if you refrigerate the dough for awhile before kneading
♥ roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick
♥ cut out your cookie shapes

Time To Put It All Together
.the more passion you have for cooking, the better the taste.

Directions:
♥ preheat oven to 300 degrees
♥ bake cookies for 15-20 minutes or until edges are a little brown
♥ let cookies cool
♥ put the cookie sandwiches together - spread Dulce de Leche on one cookie and then place another cookie on top
♥ sprinkle the cookie sandwiches with powdered sugar
♥ ENJOY!

*We gave some of these cookies to Eddy's sister, Anngie, and she gave us a seal of approval in return...

Foodie♥ Dulce de Leche / Manjar Blanco

2011-02-23T17:57:00.001-08:00

Dulce de Leche (Manjar Blanco)...made Old School style.
Dulce de Leche is a type of Spanish milk candy that tastes just like caramel. It can be used in a variety of ways: a spread for sandwiches; cakes; cookies; ice cream; and more - kinda like a Spanish version of Nutella...huh!? I will be using it for a Peruvian Alfajores recipe. Yes, you could always buy a can of pre-made Dulce de Leche but why not make it the traditional way!? This is how Eddy remembers his Mom cooking it. He also told me that they call this Manjar Blanco. The steps are super simple BUT it may take awhile to cook - trust me, it's so worth the wait.

♥Jesiree

Ingredients: 1 Can of Condensed Milk

Directions: so simple that I can show you a picture of every step...

1.) Take the wrapper off the can of condensed milk.

2.) Boil can inside a pot that's big enough to fully cover can w/ water.

3.) Once boiled, put heat to low and cover. Simmer for 3-4 hours, making sure can is covered with water at all times.

4.) After 3-4 hours, carefully take out can and let it completely cool.

5.) Once it's completely cooled, open can and ENJOY!!!!

Valentines 2011

2011-02-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

more pics: Valentines 2011

Spread the Love.
Had a pretty fun Valentines weekend. It was filled with craft projects for Ariana's class, baking, and spending time with loved ones. The biggest part of this holiday would have to be our Annual Valentines Dinner with our fellow "cupcakers" - it's all about spreading/sharing the love; it's a celebration! This year we decided to have dinner at Roy's in San Francisco. It was a great choice! The food was so YUM, especially that Butterfish and how it just melts in your mouth! For a little gift, we made our friends Red Velvet Whoopie Pie's packaged in a CUTE handmade (by me ofcourse) Cookie Box. They all LOVED it! Good times once again.

To all the folks who dislike this holiday or who are always lonely on this day...We're sending you the most LOVE!!

♥Eddy and Jesiree

Crafty♥ Valentines Card Quick Fix • Love Folder

2011-02-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

Calling all last minute card/gift getters!
No need to run to the store. I made a Valentines Day card that was super quick, easy, and cute of course - looks like a mini folder! I actually put this together randomly for a friend (Leila), while I was waiting for her to cook me dinner lol. Just by looking at the pic above, you can tell how to put it together. No need for a long tutorial so here's a few simple steps...

Just take your choice of card sized paper
Fold bottom and inch up - glue or double tape bottom corners
Cut 2 sheets of lined paper to slip into each side of "folder"
Embelish it however you like
Decorate front cover however you like

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

♥Jesiree

Crafty♥ Valentines Giveaways • Clothespin Cards

2011-02-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Be My Valentine.
Since I've been obsessed with mini clothespins lately, I decided to make use of them by putting together Valentines giveaways for Ariana's second grade class. [FYI: they have assorted colored mini clothespins at Daiso - I usually get the plain wooden ones and just soak 'em in my choice of craft paint.] It took me awhile to come up with a design and I'm pretty satisfied with this one. There was a lot of painting, cutting, stamping, and gluing involved and I'm thankful that Ariana was a big help. We had fun putting everything together!

♥Jesiree

What You Need
.be creative/think of alternatives.

Supplies: I made 24 giveaways
♥ Mini Wooden Clothespins
♥ Craft Paint - Red (watered down to make pink)
♥ Cardstock - White (cut into 24 wallet size)
♥ 1 1/2"x 2 1/2" Valentines notes printed on (2) 8.5"x11" Cardstock [instead of printing, you could also handwrite the note yourself]
♥ Love Themed Stamps and Ink Pads (of your choice)
♥ Felt Sticker Hearts
♥ Googly/Wiggly Eyes
♥ Felt Glue
♥ Elmers Glue
♥ Double Sided Tape
♥ Valentines Candy - Mini MM's [2 (9.5 oz) bags were enough for 24 cards]

Put It All Together
.patience in crafting results in smiles all around.

Prep Work:
♥ Paint Clothespins and Let Dry.
♥ Stamp Wallet Sized Cardstock Paper - I layered stamps on one side (front) and made it simple on the other (back).
♥ Rip printed notes around the edges. Take a black ink pad and ink the ripped edges of the note.
♥ Glue googly/wiggly eyes onto felt hearts with felt glue.
♥ Stick hearts onto each clothespin.

Put it all together:
♥ Have child write her "To" and "From"'s on the backside of card.
♥ Glue clothespin to card and let dry.
♥ Clip note with clothespin.
♥ Use double-sided tape to tape the candy bag to back of card - tape only the top of back so that way your child can flip it over to see the name of his/her classmate when passing it out.

Margarita's Birthday Tea Party!

2011-02-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

Tea Time With My Besties.
Celebrated my friend, Margarita's, 30th Birthday in a different fashion. After hanging out at my favorite coffee spot (Never Too Latte) last week, I discovered they had a new item on their "secret menu" - High Tea Time. My besties (Margarita, Donna, Aimee, and Jinky) and I never experienced this before so I thought it would be a perfect idea! The owners of the place set everything up perfectly. We even added our own flare to the decorations with the premier of our "Peacoat Coffee Sleeve/Warmers". The Food and the Tea was SO YUMmay - everyone loved it, especially since it was all homemade! It was a fun night overall - great company, good food, and good times once again.

♥Jesiree

On The Menu:
♥ Top Tier - Bite Sized Sandwiches (tuna melt, chicken club, turkey, and smoked salmon with cream cheese)
♥ Middle Tier - Madaleines and Macaroons
♥ Bottom Tier - Tiramisu, Triple Mousse Cake, and a Crepe (nutella, banana, cheese - yes, cheese!)
♥ Tea - Malaysian Pulled Tea

Thanks to the folks at Never Too Latte for making it a memorable night!

Anngie's 34th Birthday!

2011-02-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

more pics: Anngie's 34th Birthday!

Good Company. Good Food. Good Times.
Celebrated my sister, Anngie's, birthday at her choice - K's Kitchen in SF. Walked in and I was feeling this place from the get-go. The restaurant design grabbed me with clean lines and dope art hanging on the walls. A private room awaited us, having made reservations. We hanged, joked about not touching any dishes until properly photographed (blessed), talked about pops missing out, and toasted with sake! Then the food came - LOVE. No dish was a miss!

Killer Hamachi.

Pumpkin Ravioli.

French Kiss.

Considering that this is a Japanese tapas restaurant, we mindlessly failed to eat before coming - small plates! We passed around dishes as they arrived and each person experienced their single serving lol. But like I said, there were no bad dishes. Each dish was a savory and delightful topic of conversation: from the "Killer Hamachi" to the "Pumpkin Ravioli." - "mmm, that was good"; "that was SPICY!"; "never had that before..."; "it's a soup. no, it's a sauce!".

All in all it was a fun night. What else would you expect with the Navarro's in the house? We laughed, hanged some more, and discussed whether tipping should be based on the total balance of the check or the before tax subtotal. Then came long division haha. It was all good. Happy Birthday Anng. Peace

ヅEddy

Bay Area Discovery Museum II

2011-02-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

more beautiful pics: Bay Area Discovery Museum 2011

Playing "under" the Golden Gate Bridge...Seriously, how cool is that!?
This was our second time coming here to the Bay Area Discovery Museum on a "Free First Wednesday". On this visit, it was just Eddy, Noel, and myself since Ariana had school. Everything about this place is truly awesome, especially on a beautiful day. This museum is a perfect place for curious kids to let their imagination explore. As you move along the museum your are invited to "Discover" and participate in different activities which challenge the child's sense of music, arts and crafts, fantasy/role play, imagination, exploring and more! I love this place and you know me...I'M ALL ABOUT CREATIVENESS!!

the other kids (behind me) were dancing to his jams.

play / motor skills at lookout cove.

painting in the art room.

more crawl spaces outdoors.

discovering motion.

role playing and use of imagination w/ other kids around.

If you have never visited this kids museum, look into planning your visit because you are currently missing out hehe!! Even though we went on another "Free First Wednesday", I think it's definitely a place worth paying for.

♥Jesiree

ACLS: Advanced Cardiac Life Support.

2011-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

Stable. Unstable. Dead.

Over the weekend, I took a class from Project Heartbeat at San Francisco State to get certified for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). For those of you you who don't know what this class is about...

It's an extension to Basic Life Support (CPR) - more advanced interventions are applied (ie. medications, defibrillators, pacing, cardioversion, reading heart monitors, airway management) towards cardiovascular emergencies.
The goal of ACLS: the return of spontaneous circulation.
Algorithm's and Megacodes are involved, which are steps you follow in order to help stabilize the patient.
This is more of a team effort. You are given emergency situations where you have to act fast and become a team leader, getting your team involved in all the right ways.

Before taking the class, I was already nervous just looking at all the steps to remember on the Algorithm's and Megacodes. It was so OVERWHELMING and a bit confusing!! Once in the class, the teachers made things sound so simple and helped us understand everything more clear - this got my nerves to settle a little and it was very helpful during my turn to be team leader. If you ever need to take ACLS or need re-certification, I would definitely recommend taking this class from Project Heartbeat!

my class notes on the "Rule of 3" - very helpful

A few tips that were helpful:

Remember the "Rule of 3" (look at pic above) - Classify your patients as stable, unstable, or dead/unresponsive and follow steps for treatment/intervention.
Initial Assessments - A.V.P.U. (awake, voice, pain, unresponsive); Call for Help; A.B.C. checks (airway, breathing, circulation) - ventilate/cpr; V.O.M.I.T. (vital signs, oxygen, monitor heart rhythm, IV, think)
Always Defib VFib/VT
Atropine doses: "0.5 (mg) if you're ALIVE. 1 (mg) if you're DONE."
We're shooting for these to be stable: pulse/monitor, blood pressure, breathing. Also think "H's and T's" to correct problems.
"H's and T's" cause PEA (hypovolemia, hypoxia, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, hydrogen ion (acidosis) hypo-/hyperkalemia, toxins, tamponade (cardiac), tension pneumothorax, thrombosis, trauma)
When reading heart rhythms think: fast/slow? narrow/wide?
Treatment: BLS - ventilation/cpr; ALS - electricity/drugs
Pulseless Arrest: Remember Cycle - CPR/Rhythm Check/Charge/Shock/repeat [alternate drugs after second shock, starting w/ a vasopressor (epinephrine) then an antiarrythmic (amiodarone) after the next shock]
PEA drugs: Push Epi Atropine (P.E.A.)

I'm ready to save lives...

♥Jesiree

Crafty♥ New Stamps and an Accident

2011-01-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

after trying out my new stamps, I started stamping them dry onto a piece of index paper...this is what I accidently created!

Stamping might be my FUTURE (not now) hobby. I recently bought new stamps while visiting Paper Source in Pacific Heights, SF. I'm not really all that big on stamping because I know I'll get addicted to it and I currently have no time for another crafty addiction! There's just so much you can do with stamps - it's a huge section on its own...and another expensive hobby lol. For now, I will play around with what I have and do simple projects.


New Stamps from Paper Source: simple but super cute!

New Stamps from Michaels: found in the $1 section!

As soon as I got home from buying my new stamps, I was excited to try 'em out on paper. I also brought out some other recent stamp buys I had. You could find inspiration just by staring at a stamp - my thoughts were running around like crazy trying to think of a new craft project!

♥Jesiree

Alvin's "Dirty 30".

2011-01-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

more photos: Alvin's "Dirty 30"

Time to say deuces to the 20's.
It didn't take long to get the party started! With the alcohol flowing, the music bumpin', it was fun but started to get a bit hyphy! Alvin getting in pretty (gay) boy's face, Alvin picking up stool, Alvin sitting on ledge, Alvin kissing the fellas and then..see above lol...16, 17, 18 shots (ask Lil' Cee - he's the statistician) - OVER! But let 's rewind...it wasn't all bad - shouts to Anette: great setup, great location, and food was fantastic. Those noodles with pulled crab had kick and were so good. Sisig, soba noodles, adobo chicken wings - all delicious as well. The owner and manager of the locale were more than accommodating (shouts to Attic Restaurant and Lounge!)

ヅEddy

A Post Christmas Get-Together.

2011-01-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

A first (annual?) Kris Kringle with some of my besties. I know, I know...Kris Kringle in January!? That's what happens when the date keeps getting postponed. It's so hard for all of us to get together since often our schedules conflict and even with the postponements not everyone was able to make it out. Although we would've loved for all invitees to attend, it was definitely a fun reunion nonetheless. The party was held at my friend Ysabel's house in Antioch. It quickly felt like the good ol' times: we joked; we laughed; we caught up. As far as food, this was a potluck - so of course everyone brought chicken (inside joke lol. sorry Jinky!). All dishes were really YUM and I'm glad that the oven worked (another inside joke. sorry Ysabel!).

A good thing about a post holiday get-together is...just when you thought the Christmas festivities and gift receiving were over, here comes more gift cards! As you can tell, we put a lot of thought into our gift(~~card~~)s lol. Hopefully next year we could all be a little bit more creative...

♥Jesiree

Foodie♥ Laceys Sprinkled Mini Caramel Apples

2011-01-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

Don't get addicted!
I just had to make more of these since they were a hit at my brother's party. They are super easy to make and you get best results if you have plenty of helpers! Melted caramel hardens pretty fast so you got to be QUICK putting this all together. Let me know how it goes...

♥Jesiree

Gather Your Ingredients and Prep
.think outside the box - alter it to your own style of taste.

Ingredients: makes about 6-8 mini caramel apples
♥ 6-8 Mini Granny Smith Apples (my preference: Trader Joe's bag of mini apples)
♥ 1 (14 oz) package individually wrapped caramels (I'd get an extra bag just in case...)
♥ 2 1/2 Tablespoons milk
♥ 1 (8 oz) package Lacey's Cookies (my preference: Trader Joe's - they have different flavors; i chose the dark chocolate almond since it's less sweet)
♥ 6-8 Craft Sticks
♥ Parchment Paper

Prep:
♥ Crush the Lacey's Cookies and place it back into container
♥ Remove stems from apples and insert craft sticks
♥ Unwrap caramel and place in a microwave safe bowl
♥ Lay out parchment paper for placement of finished caramel apples

Time To Put It All Together
.the more passion you have for cooking, the better the taste.

Directions: Quick. Quick. Quick.
♥ Microwave caramel for 2 minutes. Take out and mix. Microwave for another 1 minute or until caramel is melted. Be careful not to heat too long...your caramel will burn!
♥ Quickly roll apple into melted caramel sauce. If apple can't be dipped all the way, just pour caramel over missed spots with a spoon. Let excess caramel sauce drip off a little.
♥ Quickly roll (or sprinkle) caramel apple into container of crushed Lacey's Cookies.
♥ Place finished apple on parchment paper.

Time to brainstorm on what other mini caramel apple toppings I could make...

Lorenzo's Surprise Birthday Party

2011-01-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

more pics: Lorenzo's Surprise Party!

Happy ~~21st~~ 20th Birthday Broski!!
My sister and I decided to throw my youngest brother, Lorenzo, a surprise party. This would be the first birthday bash he's had with his friends. His previous parties were always ones with family and they were all held at Round Table Pizza hehe.

The Plan:
• Eddy and I prep the food and decorations (he didn't even know we were doing all this because he was in his room the whole time lol)
• Lorenzo leaves at 5:30 pm to pick up my sister, Nina, at work
• Surprise between 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm - when they get back (which only gave us 15-30 minutes to get everyone in the house and set up)

We rushed a little but the surprise and the party was a success!! When Lorenzo came in, he was in shock and of course surprised. He even hid in a corner for a few seconds just to take it all in lol. Everyone enjoyed the food (our homemade food ran out pretty fast - had to order more at Lorenzo's favorite place...Rice and Roll), beer pong (hmmm!?), Just Dance 2 on the Wii (hilarious), and most of all...the company! Happy to see my bro happy and enjoying his day.

♥Jesiree

PS. I felt hella old supervising the party lol

Foodie♥ Mini Chicken Pot Pies

2011-01-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

A perfect mini sized meal.
Since finding mini tin foil cups at Daiso, I was inspired to make some mini pot pies. I Googled a "Chicken Pot Pie" recipe, added a few things, and made it a mini! It was a huge success - everyone that tried it...LOVED it. If I could do it, you could do it! Let me know how it goes...

♥Jesiree

Gather Your Ingredients and Prep
.think outside the box - alter it to your own style of taste.

Ingredients: makes about 7 mini pies
♥ 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - small cubed
♥ 1/2 lb (8 oz) frozen mixed veggies - peas, carrots, corn, celery, brocolli, etc.
♥ 1/3 cup butter
♥ 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
♥ 1/3 cup chopped onion
♥ 1/3 cup chopped mushroom
♥ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
♥ 1/2 teaspoon salt
♥ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
♥ 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
♥ 2/3 cup milk
♥ 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
♥ 7 mini tin foil cups
♥ butter spray - or your choice of grease

Prep:
♥ Chop - chicken, garlic, onion, mushroom
♥ Brush tin foil cups with butter spray
♥ Unroll 1 unbaked pie crust. Trace top of tin foil cup onto crust and cut a little more than the trace. You will get to trace about 5 circles from the unrolled pie crust - you will need to put the excess dough together and roll it out to get 2 more circles
♥ Line tin foil cups with the circle cut dough/crust
♥ Unroll second unbaked pie crust. Trace 7 more circles - these will be the top crust of the pies. Make slits (i just made an x) to allow steam to escape

Time To Put It All Together
.the more passion you have for cooking, the better the taste.

Directions:
♥ Preheat oven at 425 degrees
♥ In a pot, combine chicken and frozen veggies. Add water to cover and let boil for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
♥ In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook garlic, onions, mushrooms in butter until soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Let simmer over medium-low heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
♥ Fill pie cups in this order: 1) bottom half w/ chicken and veggies 2) fill rest of cup with sauce mixture 3) cover and seal with top crust 4) brush top crust w/ butter spray.
♥ Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
♥ Let cool for about 10 minutes - don't burn your tongue!

What's great about these mini pies is that you can always freeze the unbaked ones!

Time to brainstorm on what other mini pies I could make hehe.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

More Pics from: Christmas 2010

Christmas was kept simple this year - no huge family functions for us.
Eddy and I pretty much spent it with our immediate families along with random visits with extended ones. Lots of laughs and good times all around! I found myself doing a whole bunch of craft projects, which you can find in my previous posts: Candy Cane Sleigh Giveaways, Christmas Clothespin Wreath/Card Holder, and a Ribbon Tree. Since I found my hand mixer I also went on a baking craze lol. I made Sushi Bake and Red Velvet Moon Pies - SUPER YUM and a hit at every household! To keep everyone entertained, we played "Just Dance 2" on the Wii which was perfect for gatherings like these. The highlight of the Christmas weekend would probably have to be the kids' facial expressions during every gift opened...EPIC lol!

Crafty♥ Holiday Clothespin Wreath / Christmas Card Holder

2010-12-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

This is a great Christmas Card Holder Idea!!
Funny Me: I'm bad at sending out Christmas Cards but there's still some family and friends of mine out there that are faithful in sending them every year - THANKS peeps...you're the best! I've seen different versions of these online and I thought it would be a fun idea as a Christmas project. It requires a little help so it would be great to get the family involved. Warning...it can get a little messy since paint is involved! Have fun with it...

What You Need
.be creative/think of alternatives.

(35) Clothespins - i bought a pack of 36 at the DollarTree
Wire Hanger (*you can use floral stem wire for smaller wreaths)
(34) 3/8 in. Wooden Round Beads - I bought a pack of 71 at Michaels
String - long enough to string through all your beads
(4-5) Green Pipe Cleaners
Red Craft Paint
Green Craft Paint
Pliers with Cutter
Paint Brushes
Plastic Containers - to paint the clothespins and beads
Scraps of Cardstock - folded 3x thick at 1in.x11in.
1 1/2 to 2 in. Satin Ribbon

Put It All Together
.patience in crafting results in smiles all around.

Paint: here's where it gets messy!
• cover your work area w/ newspaper
• string through all your beads (this makes it easier to paint them evenly all at once)
• place 5 clothespins on each folded cardstock (the cardstock helps to hold the clothespins in place and makes it easier to paint all around)
• get your paint ready on seperate plastic containers - i mixed each color with a little bit of water for a washed look
• start painting the clothespins and wooden beads - *you don't need perfect in crafting!
• let clothespins and wooden beads dry

Put the wreath together:
• take wire hanger and shape it round/circle (mine was not really round lol) - do not secure
• Alternate beads and clothespins until wire is filled (except on ends where it's to be secured) - slide them in the hole at the clothespins spring
• As you're putting in the beads and clothespins, ease/slide pipe cleaner through the side slit of the clothespin, right behind the mouth - tie together new ones when needed; this is to keep the clothespins from spinning in place
• When filled, secure the loop

Tie a big bow to top off your wreath and start clipping on your Christmas cards!

Crafty♥ Renegade Craft Fair SF 2010

2010-12-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

The Renegade Craft Fair is a large-scale DIY event featuring hundreds of independent artists and their unique handmade items. RCF is held in cities across the US every year- including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. The fair is known for being one of the first events of its kind, and for having the top-notch indie-craft artists and designers who travel from all over the map to participate. - Renegade Craft Fair

You Crafty Huh!?
This event was held at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. If it wasn't for my cousin, Anna, I would have never known about this event. There were plenty of booths to visit - all with cute/unique items being sold. It was a little overwhelming but sooo exciting to be around! I decided to take the kids along because I figured there would be a lot of arts and crafts for them but I was wrong - there were like 1-2 stations for kids. It was pretty hard to stop and stare at everything so I ended up grabbing a bunch of business cards from all the vendors that caught my eye. Even though I wished I could have taken my sweet little time, we still had fun with crafting and taking pictures in the photo-booth.
Next year, I plan to leave the kids at home lol...

met up w/ Chase who was all SMILES.

Ariana working on her pop-up card.

photo-booth fun.

Crafty♥ Candy Cane Sleigh Giveaways.

2010-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane Sleigh w/ Santa's Bag of Candies.
I came across this cute idea on the Busy Bee Kids Crafts site. I decided to make them as giveaways for Ariana's 2nd Grade Class. It would've taken me forever to make so I asked my usual helpers (Ariana and my sister, Nina) for a hand. It's a pretty easy/simple project that anyone can make!

What You Need
.be creative/think of alternatives.

(2) Candy Canes
Small Sized Candy (to fill "Santa's Bag")
8.5x11 Cardstock paper
Sleigh Template
Scissors
Bone Folder
Tape
Glue
(1/8 sheet) Red Gift Tissue Paper
(1/8 sheet) White Gift Tissue Paper
Yarn (i chose a rope color)

Put It All Together
.patience in crafting results in smiles all around.Sleigh: This is what took me forever since I had to cut 24 of these!

Print out the sleigh template on to the cardstock paper then cut out.
With a bone folder, crease on the dotted lines and on the tabs that say "glue". (if you don't have a bone folder, you can always fold and crease paper with your own hands/fingers)
Glue where it says "glue" to attach all corners of the sleigh and let it sit until it's settled.
Tape candy canes to the bottom of the sleigh.

Santa's Bag of Candies: I was originally going to use those little mesh favor bags but they cost way too much. The gift tissue I ended up using were a lot cheaper and looked much more like a Santa sac.

Cut out one of each (red and white) tissue at 8.5x6.5, which is about 1/8 of a regular sized gift tissue
Place white sheet on top of red sheet.
Place 3-4 small pieces of candy on top of the white sheet.
Grab the outer sheet to form bag.
Wrap the yarn around the top of the bag to seal - I wrapped it around a few times and kept the bow long to showcase the rope accent a little more.

Place Santa's Bag in his sleigh and he'll be on his way...

Perfect for: giveaways for a child's class; a party favor; decorations; a gift/gift topper

E&J 10 Year Anniversary!

2010-12-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

I slipped Eddy a note in his scrub shirt pocket before he went to work...

[12.10.10] A Decade Love.
I can't believe it's been 10 years already - that's a whole lot of memories shared! Life around us hasn't been smooth sailing but we stuck by each other. To love and be affectionate is important but communication and support is the key to a strong relationship IMO.

...he found it in his wallet and was surprised.

Eddy was working on the day of our Anniversary so I hung out with one of my best (Rebecca) instead lol. She took me to watch a Warriors game, which was good times spent! Eddy was off the next day so we decided to drive down to the South Bay. [Shopping. Dinner. Movie] First we shopped around for Christmas presents in Valley Fair Mall. After draining ourselves, we ate at White Shallot where we had some really good French Vietnamese food! Then we walked around Santa Row before watching "Tourist" at the Winchester 22 Theaters. It was a nice and memorable night out with my love.

food was "to-drool-for" at White Shallot in San Jose, CA


enjoying the Christmas scene at Santana Row, San Jose, CA

I look forward to many more years so lets keep the love strong any way we can...
[see more pics here]

Blogged OUT! II

2010-12-08T18:15:00.001-08:00

I've been backlogged AGAIN! The second half of 2010 has gone by soooo fast so I'm giving you another quick recap. Please click on the pics to enjoy the following albums...

Cabin Trip in Arnold's, CA
.080710 to 080810.

A weekend at a cabin after coming home from our South Cali Road Trip...our vacation from a vacation. Eddy's brother, David, invited us to join them at their company cabin in Arnold, CA. We had a very outdoorsy time. The cabin was beautiful and the weather was PERFECT! We hiked a trail at the Calaveres Big Trees State Park - love getting in touch with nature; so peaceful. We also went swimming in the river - how fun is that! I can't wait to get invited again hehe.

CA Academy of Science
.081810.

Took the kids here on the museums "Free THIRD Wednesday" deal. We've been here a few times since it reopened. The place has cleaned up and it has a more modern feel. Honestly, I like the old set up better. For some reason the museum seems smaller, as in, not much to look at. Is it just me?

Eddy's Grandma's 80th Birthday
.082110.

Eddy's family threw their Grandma a huge 80th birthday bash. It was held at the Marriott in San Ramon. The setup was beautifully planned out; The food was super yummy; And the dancing after was (as always), entertaining! It was nice to see them all together - their Grandma looked really happy, especially when all her grandchildren made their individual speeches. Memorial day in the family books.

Arian's 7th Birthday
.082910.
7th Birthday's are suppose to be memorable ones...in my opinion! Spent a lot of my time planning this special party for her. It was tons of fun! She decided she wanted a Hello Kitty theme, which was easy because there's a whole bunch of products you can find on this cute cat. I found myself, along with the help of my family, doing plenty of DIY's: invites, food pics, games. Everyone seemed to have a blast, especially the birthday girl!

Ghiradelli Chocolate Festival
.091210.

My first time at this chocolate festival! Came here with the family and had good times of course. If you haven't been here before, you basically buy a ticket for $20 (i think) and you get a sample from 15 vendors of your choice. I didn't think it was enough since there were so many booths but I was wrong and it was so worth it, especially since some random lady gave me her card that had 10 samples left...SCORE! Most of the samples I tried were pretty good and NO I didn't get a chance to try the chocolate martini (the line was too long!).

U. Jorn's Tri4Real
.091910.
Swim. Bike. Run. This was my Uncle Jorn's first Triathlon. It was held at Shadow Cliff Recreation Area in Pleasanton, CA. Woke up pretty early to see him start his race. It was an incredible experience that I hope one day I can push myself to be a part of (sure jes...will there ever be a day lol). The race went by pretty smoothly. My Uncle finished at about 2 hours. He made us all proud! Check out the cool poster me and Isabella made (don't mind the mix up of the drawings hehe...we were first timers).

Jetta Blessing and Apple Hill
.092610.

An apple a day helps keep the doctor away. After getting our new car blessed at the Mater Ecclesiae Church in Thornton, CA, we all decided to go to Apple Hill near Placerville, CA. I was excited to finally visit, especially since my cousins Brandon and Antoinette talked about their visits there a couple of times. It's basically like a strip-street of farm growers selling their products. Since it was a random, last minute trip, we only had time to visit two farms: Abel's Apple Acres and Boa Vista Orchars and Vineyards. Both places were awesome! My mom loves the apple wine and I love the food (pies and even an apple dumpling...say what!?). I look forward to visiting the other farms in the near future.

Pet Blessing
.100310.

Pet's need to be blessed too you know! I don't own a dog myself but my family started getting dogs all of a sudden. They were taking over the family lol. My Auntie Shirley found out about the blessing so of course they all wanted to join. The ceremony was pretty cool. Once all the pets were blessed, we headed to Orange Park in San Bruno to celebrate.

Chase's 1st Birthday
.101510.

Happy Birthday Chasey! Wow, 1 year...ALREADY!? Time flies. We met up with the little man and his parents (my cousins Anna and Paul) on his actual birthday at the Habitot Children's Museum in Berkeley, CA. This place is AWESOME! It's specifically for toddlers only so it was a perfect place to go. It might be a little too small to have a party there but it's definitely a place to visit, especially if you have a little one. The next day was his birthday picnic party at Coyote Point in San Mateo, CA. He had a cute theme: ROBOTS! I swear, his parent's are so creative....love it! The highlight of the party: Chase munchin' on his little personal cake!

Our Lady of Fatima Festival
.101610.

The Immaculate Heart. My Auntie Brenda had told us about this Festival that was going on at the Mater Ecclesiae Church in Thornton, CA. She had her own booth that she asked us to help run. It was our first time at this Festival. We were surprised to see such a HUGE TURNOUT. My auntie's booth was actually inside the Church, which was in a good location, especially since it started to rain towards the end of the day...shelter! We look forward to attending this again next year!

Halloween 2010
.103110.

My favorite holiday! In this album you will find pictures from: Great America's Halloween Haunt; Ariana's School Parade; Cruz-Guanzon Costume Party in Vallejo; Suarez's Halloween Party in Vacaville; and Trick-or-Treating at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Another fun celebration all around! I'm also proud of myself for making some cute Halloween crafts!

SF Giants 2010 World Series Champions
.110110.

Black and Orange FTW! Proud of this city and of these miSFits for taking it all the way. It was an amazing post-season! In this album you will find pictures mostly from: Game 5 of the World Series, where we watched it in front of City Hall with a bunch of other fans; and the Parade, where we posted at Civic Center (the streets were FLOODED with Giants fans!). Glad to be a part of HISTORY for sure!

Allen's 25th Birthday
.112310.

Surprised our friend Allen at the Golden State Warriors' Filipino Heritage Night - big thanks to Cherry for setting it all up. We had a group of 27 at the game! Even though the Warriors lost (sad face), it was a fun time spent with friends. We even scored a post-game "meet-and-greet" with Monta Ellis just for checkin' in at the game on Facebook lol. After the game, we headed to the Torres household for an after party. Good food, Great company!

Noel's 4th Birthday // Thanksgiving 2010
.112510.

Happy Thanksgiving Birthday Noel! His birthday fell on the same day as Thanksgiving so it was a double celebration. My Auntie Brenda set up a unique holiday gathering for us at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA...say what!? The night before, Eddy and I stayed at my Auntie's apartment in Elk Grove to prep. We made cute blue velvet cake balls for Noel's favors and some Turkey crafts - both were a hit at the party. Once we got to the hotel, we checked in and met up with the rest of the family. Then we had our Thanksgiving Dinner/Birthday at the Casino's Buffet...great idea! You already know we were stuffed at the end lol. Noel was super happy when the staff came out singing and with a cake for him to blow...classic smiles. Then we hung out at the suite so he could open his presents, which the adults were enjoying (the DJ set). Eddy and I left early the next day since he had work and everyone else stayed for three more nights...jealous!

Anette's 30th Birthday
.112710.

Dirty Thirtay! Celebrated my friend Anette's birthday at Morac Restaurant and Hookah Lounge in SF. I was kinda iffy about this ethnic food but OMG the food was so good! I loved the roasted red pepper and walnut dip I had with the pita chips. Their hookah was also pretty darn tasty. After the good eats, we all headed to Pier 23 for the after party where the birthday girl was off the hook (lol) and Native Elements was performing! Epic night and another good day spent with good company.

Travel♥ Road Trip to South Cali 2010

2010-08-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Trip Details...

Destination: Southern California
Length of Trip: August 1-5, 2010
Transportaion: Rental Car
Passengers: Eddy and Jesiree
Stayed @: My Cousins Houses - Paul and Nikko's (North Hills); Jaela and Pat's (Oceanside/San Diego); Pineda's (West Covina)
Reason For Trip: A summer getaway to Southern Cali since we haven't visited in a while. We didn't really plan this out ahead of time. Instead, we let most of whatever happened...happen. We were pretty much nomads - stayed at different cousins house throughout the trip which was a super great idea since we got to see all of them. What a road trip accomplishment!
Photo Album: Road Trip to South Cali 2010

DAY ONE
.a long road ahead.

my driver is dead tired!

Started our trip at 4am. We drove the scenic route (101 South/Pacific Coast Highway) and visited a couple of Old Missions along the way. Our first stop was in Solvang. We made it just in time for breakfast at Paula's Pancake House - if you're ever visiting this town, you have to try their Danish Pancakes and Shrimp Omelette...total YUM! After stuffing ourselves, we visited the Santa Ines Mission and paid $5 to tour the place. Just like most of the Old Missions, the garden was the place to be. We were planning to go to Sunday mass but it had ended by the time we got there. Our next stop was the Santa Barbara Mission - this place was BEAUTIFUL! Since we were tired and a little bit behind schedule, we didn't take the tour. We ended up just hanging out in front, looking at the fountain and laying in the grass - super relaxing!

best brunch ever!

Old Mission Santa Ines - Solvang, CA

Old Mission Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA

After the LONG drive all morning and our Old Mission "rest stops", we finally headed to our final destination...Nikko/Paul/Chase's house in North Hills. Even though we were so tired from being on the road all day, we couldn't pass doing what we do best when we're all around eachother...EATING OUT! Talk about foodie overload - we got take-out from two different food bangin' locations [Mario's Peruvian and Seafood + Pizzeria Mozza] then found a local park and feasted under the sun. After all that, we still managed to make room for dessert at Milk where I discovered the Blue Velvet Cake...drool! [Day ONE over: OoOhWEE...had a good night sleep!]

my cutie pie nephew...Chase!

a "take-out" picnic at the park

blue velvet cake from Milk...yum!

stopped by Munky King on Melrose Ave.

DAY TWO
.botanical gardens.

Woke up, as usual, admiring all the art work around us at the Salumbides' house. Like I mentioned earlier, we had no set agenda for our trip so Nikko recommended that we check out the Huntington Botanical Gardens - great choice! The place was beautiful and HUGE. I wish they stayed open longer because we didn't have time to see everything.

Japanese Tea Garden

zen garden

someone broke the rules

green all around

While waiting for my cousins to get off work, we hung out at the Alcove Cafe - perfect patio place to chill at for hours. Since we had dinner plans soon after, we shared a shrimp salad (loved it) and some refreshing drinks. When it came time, we met up with my cousins at an AYCE (all-you-can-eat) Korean restaurant called Mu Dung San. Prices here are so much cheaper and tastier than in the Bay Area! After a super yummy dinner, we FINALLY got to try Get Shaved. OMG...addicting! [Day TWO over: it seems to always end with good food!]

that shrimp salad was BOMB!

AYCE Korean Yumminess

I wish they had these rice wraps in the Bay Area

you are seriously addicting!

DAY THREE
.san diego.
Time to pack up and get going to our next destination: to visit my cousin Jaela and her fiance Pat. Before starting our 2 hour (+) road trip, we went on a Twitter mission to find some of the LA food trucks we've been wanting to try. We went to three different locations (Studio City - South Weddington Park and NBC Studios; and one near Paul's work in Santa Monica somewhere). I don't know if it was because Andrew Zimmern was in town but there were over 10 trucks in each location...HYPED! The trucks I got to stop at were all pretty darn good - the Dim Sum Truck has to be my fav. After our street food adventure, we were off to San Diego.

pretty good dim sum from the Dim Sum Truck

spicy garlic shrimp plate from The Shrimp Guys Truck

a street full of street food from some LA Food Trucks

taking our food truck goodies to a local park on Paul's lunch break

hanging out on the patio of Lavender Lounge Tea Company in San Clemente

it's sorta like boba but they call it "choobee's"

While searching for a decent "bathroom break stop", we came across this hidden little tea shop called Lavender Lounge Tea Company in San Clemente - if you're ever driving down to San Diego, this place is a perfect pitstop and another great patio area to hang out in. After de/rehydrating, we were on the road again. Once we reached my cousin's house, there was no time to waste because "Nighttime" at the San Diego Zoo was our plan of the day. Our first time at this zoo was a FUN one - took the tour bus to make sure we saw the whole park; walked around at night, not knowing what type of animal was near us...yea, pretty scary; we even got lost and found by a park ranger lol)! Once we found our way back to the car, we decided to get some late night eats at El Zarape (yummy lobster burrito) then ended it with slices of cake at Extraordinary Desserts. [Day THREE over: dreaming about being stuck in a jungle full of wild animals...]

why pay $30 for a photo when you can snap a shot of it w/ your phone!?

so fierce

the elephants were the best part of the SD Zoo

took the zoo back to Jaela and Pat's house lol

DAY FOUR
.county fair.
On the road again...say what!? Off to visit the next set of family: The Pineda's in West Covina. Before heading out, we had a filling bagel brunch at Vinaka Cafe in Carlsbad. Then we decided to go to the beach to hang out under the sun for a little bit (which ended up feeling like a lotta bit because it was so peaceful and relaxing).

lox bagel from Vinaka Cafe in Carlsbad

fun under the sun at Carlsbad Beach

"grocery" shopping for shoes at Blends in the cute LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa

Habana - another great patio seating spot w/ yummy eats

On our way up Cali, my West Covina cousins called us to ask if we wanted to meet them at the OC County Fair - randomness...told ya this trip had no agenda; love it! It was only fitting for us to go since it was: 1) on the way; and 2) the location was right around the corner from where we planned to eat lunch. We a blast at the fair - HUGE Ferris Wheel (which Eddy was scared to ride at first...*shh); yummy funnel cake and char-broiled corn; and even a Prince concert...what a night! Once we got to the house, we were poooped but kept ourselves up to do a little catchin' up with my Auntie Loret and cousin Daisy. [Day FOUR over: FaceTime ending w/ my Bay Area Fam (Daisy and Auntie Loret were having fun with it)...been missing home and the kids.]

cool little circus act

SMH at the heart attack menu's

met up w/ the cousins and niece

huge Ferris Wheel

Prince performance (some random chick next to me told me to email this to her)

DAY FIVE
.last day.

Woke up late but hey...needed that good night sleep, especially since we were heading home today. There were places we wanted to try and visit but we decided to just spend more quality/chatty time with my cousin Daisy. We hung out at the house for awhile longer - I made Daisy pluck my eyebrows since she's the best at it hehe!! Then we had lunch at Daisy's choice: Guppy Tea House - home of the Gigantic Shaved Ice (which we weren't up to ordering at the time; had pineapple fried rice, popcorn chicken, and yummy toast instead).

you da you da best!

Daisy and her truck lol

great presentation

yummy toast!

Bye-bye South Cali Family! We stopped in Glendale to grab some pasalubong at Porto's Bakery for our family and friends back in the Bay Area...lucky them! I started to crave for more LA Food Truck goodies so we went on another Twitter mission to find the Buttermilk Truck and Coolhaus Truck. We found them close by at the Americana Mall, where they were posted next to an outdoor movie being played. OMG red velvet pancakes...i want more of you! We made one last stop to Sanamluang (our favorite late-night eats in South Cali) before heading back home. [Day FIVE over / trip over: ever felt like having a vacation...from a vaction!?]

pasalubong time!

yummy ice cream sandwich w/ a eatable wrap from the Coolhaus Truck

red velvet pancakes "to-drool-for" from the Buttermilk Truck

Sanamluang - our favorite late-night eats here in South Cali

my navigator wasn't very helpful!

Travel♥ A Weekend in Angels Camp

2010-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Trip Details...

Destination: Angels Camp, CA
Length of Trip: July 24-25, 2010
Transportaion: Eddy's Car
Passengers: Eddy and Jesiree
Stay @: WorldMark by Wyndham
Reason For Trip: My Uncle invited us to join them up in Angels Camp. Their friends reserved them a unit/hotel at their time share (not really sure how that works). Originally, their other friends were going to stay with them but they canceled last minute. We never been there before, and since they invited, we decided to go check it out. Even though it was scorching hot, we enjoyed every minute of our stay. It was definitely a fun-filled weekend!
Photo Album: Angels Camp

day ONE
.the cavern.

"I'm not an Angel...I'm a BAT"

Woke up to some yummy Filipino breakfast on top of banana leaves! [My Uncle and Auntie pretty much cooked this whole weekend.] After breakfast, we walked around WorldMark and discovered plenty of things to do - swimming, arcade, basketball, tennis, golf, billiards, pingpong, and more. After exploring the vicinity, we all headed to my Mercer Caverns to do a 45-minute cave walk/tour. It was so much fun!! Listening to the history, during the tour, made you appreciate the place even more. When we were done with our little adventure, we went to Scotts Yogurt Factory to cool down. I'm not usually a fan of fro-yo places but the Dulce de Leche flavor was off tha hook!! Our day ended with a feast and some s'mores.

its all about the banana leaf

swimming in the kiddie pool

fun but there was a lot of STEEP steps

oh soooo YUM!

made some spicy pork tacos

Pineapple Spareribs

i want s'more!!

day TWO
.copperopolis.

Copperopolis - we were the only ones walking around

We decided to visit the town of Copperopolis, which was 10 miles from Angels Camp. We got lost, at first, but we were able to find it after a couple of U-turns lol. This was a cute little town - a little dead, but plenty of unique stores to visit. We spent almost 2 hours here and enjoyed every minute of it. The highlight of the visit was the Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar taste testing at the Copperopolis Olive Oil Company - I never knew there were so many different flavors! Once we made our round, we had some ice cream at Cruisers Ice Cream Parlor. Then we headed back to Wyndham, where we rested and had our last feast before heading back home to the Bay Area.

Supposedly this town and Angels town is home to the jumping frog

taste testing at Copperopolis Olive Oil Company

our winning combo

Espresso from Cruisers Ice Cream Parlor in Copperopolis

thanks for a fun-filled weekend!!

the kids relaxing out in the back balcony

a sky full of cotton balls during sunset

Blogged OUT!

2010-07-21T19:19:00.001-07:00

Summertime is here! With so my things going on, I've been totally behind on blogging. I still want to share with you my recent outings - so, for now, here's a quick recap. Please click on the pics to enjoy the following albums...

playing sf tourist
.061310.

Sometimes I take for granted the fact that we live in such a beautiful place like San Francisco. Tourists pay thousands and thousands of money just to visit this city!! Since my Auntie Edna was in town, staying at the Hyatt Regency for work, it was a perfect time for us all to be SF Tourists. We visited a few places around the area - Embarcadero Center, Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fisherman's Warf, and Chinatown. Good times w/ the family!

fathers day '10
.062010.

For Father's Day, we had a small picnic at Commodore Park in San Bruno. It was actually a pretty nice day out. For Father's Day, my dad was the cook - hey, we offered but he refused!

4th of july weekend '10
.070310 to 070410.

Auntie Mylene's Bday Picnic

4th of July BBQ w/ the Navarro's

Spent fourth of July weekend w/ family.
On the 3rd, we had a picnic at Commodore park in San Bruno to celebrate my Auntie Mylene's Birthday. We pretty much spent the whole day there! Another great outing with my family - happy to see auntie brenda, chris, and jerel celebrating with us.
On the 4th, we spent it with Eddy's family. His sister, Anngie, threw a BBQ in her newly remodeled backyard. The weather was actually perfect to be hanging out outside.

karen's birthday '10
.070610.

Spent Karen's Birthday at Thunder Valley Casino. Since it was the premiere of their new hotel, we decided to stay overnight. The rooms were sOoOo nice - there was a Keurig coffee maker and even TFC on TV...say what!?? Enjoyed our time spent.

gianna's baptism
.071010.

Eddy and I were chosen as Ninong and Ninang for Gianna - we are very honored to be a part of Gianna's life. The ceremony was held at Church of Visitacion and the reception was held at the newly remodeled War Memorial. There were plenty of people celebrating her special day. Great time spent with friends.

OutsideIn5 - The Dogpatch

2010-06-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

More pics from OutsideIn5

SF Food Cart Dinner AND an Outdoor Movie...say what!? I've been to 4/5 of these OutsideIn events and each one seems to grow and grow everytime. It was only fitting for this next edition to be held in a bigger space - the Dogpatch district in SF. The Food Carts took over the whole neighborhood - different carts were found in front of local business', which benefited from the buzz. It was almost like a scavenger hunt or trick-or-treating with a price. There was a huge crowd found at each flag/location!

French Tacos from @sfdeliciouschef

Ramen from @haparamen

Fish Tacos from @weirdfishsf

Gumbo from @gumbocart

Strawberry Guava Madeleines from @Mad4Madeleines

Bahn Mi Burgers from @kitchensidecar

Chicken Adobo Tacos from @AdoboHobo

We had great company with us - our family and friends finally got to see what the hype was all about; my cousin, Jaela, even flew all the way here from San Diego lol! I was happy to see everyone enjoying the experience of yummy food, an awesome outing, and even an outdoor movie. Looking forward to the next...

the fam w/ @adobohobo

Friends w/ their yummy pizza from @pizzhacker

@HapaSF truck

@seoulonwheels truck

more friends joining the experiene

an outdoor movie - "The Big Night"

#thegreatpotatorace - A SF Food Cart event

2010-06-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

More pics from SF Food Carts - #thegreatpotatorace day

Precita Park, SF w/ the family for the First Annual Great Potato Sack Race. A few of the carts were there and the theme of the day was potatoes of course! This was a first-time experience for my Auntie Shirley and the Suarez Family. Everyone had fun - some of us even participated in the race!! It was also a perfect day for us to hang around and lay out on the binigs.

hangin' around at the park.

family participating in the potato sack race.

my fav of the day - shepard's pie from @POTPIEJUNKIE

Videos
.family and #thegreatpotatorace.

Travel♥ Random Trip to Vegas.

2010-06-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

view from our room! - more pics from Vegas Trip 2010

Trip Details...

Destination: Las Vegas
Length of Trip: June 5-8, 2010
Transportaion: Airplane - JetBlue (departure) and Virgin America (return)
Passengers: Eddy and Jesiree
Stay @: Bravo's LV (first night) and Bally's (rest of stay)
Reason For Trip: Our Virgin America voucher (from our flight delay in NY a year ago) was about to expire so we decided to take a quick Vegas trip. We also used our free two-night stay at Balley's.
Photo Album: Vegas Trip 2010

Day ONE
.on route to vegas.

high on love - fun on the plane w/ babes.

Funny moment happened while going through security at SFO - guard took my shoes and told me he needed to "random" check it for explosives...lol at my dirty chucks! Anyways. We flew JetBlue for the first time - nice airline but still got the most love for VirginAmerica. We had a 2hr layover at Long Beach airport. Loved this unique, little airport! We didn't think we could fill those hours, since it was so small, but we managed and enjoyed - ate some good food out on the patio that overlooked the runway on perfect day.

loved how we exited the plane.

ejoying our yummy lunch and view at LB Airport

Once in Vegas (scorching hot BTW - 100+ degree weather!), my Uncle Bubong picked us up and we hung out on the strip until my Grandparents flew in from New York - walked along the strip; gambled in Harrah's; and got some goodies at Bouchon Bakery in Venetian. Once my Grandparents got here, we headed to the Bravo LV house to stay there for the night.

FREE drinks while we gamble to kill time.

yummy chocolate macaroon

Day TWO
.blue man group.

SMILE grandpa!!

Church w/ the family in the morning then treated to a lunch buffet at the Hilton by my Uncle Bubong. [I was happy I got to see my Grandpa during our trip. He's actually much better than when I last saw him - walks more straight and faster, and more responsive. It's definitely the change of meds (again) that's gotten him better.] After hanging out with my fam, we got dropped off at Bally's to check-in. We ended up getting the upgrade - bigger room and better view (yay)...BUT it looked so out dated lol!

lunch at the Hilton.

After settling in, we headed to Tix4Less and bought some show tickets for Blue Man Group and Matsuri - great deals! While waiting for this nights show (Blue Man Group), we...walked the strip, visited the Habitat at the Flamingo, walked around the Venetian and Palazzo, visited the nice Walgreens (that has a cafe and a souvenier section), got some Coffee Bean, and gambled.

Habitat at the Flamingo.

Cafe W...say what!?

found some cool rings!

Blue Man Group - great show! We had some really good seats and sat next to some cool folks. After the show, we walked super far (and off the strip) to eat a very late dinner at Ellis Island Casino and Brewery - $6.99 for a Steak Dinner!

we had a BLAST!

great dinner deal!

Day THREE
.matsuri.

our own booth at the show.

Had some brunch at Hash House A Go Go. The Sage Chicken and Waffles plus the Brown Sugar Banana Flapjacks was SOOOO Yum.....BUT OMG w/ the HUGE portions!! We were so stuffed after. Good thing our show was at the same casino we ate at. Matsuri was a great afternoon entertainment! Once again, we had great seats - could have sat closer, but chose the option to sit in our own booth. After the show, we...walked the strip s'more, visited more hotels, and checked out the outlets.

HUGE portions.

w/ some of the cast from Matsuri

We planned to go up the Paris Eiffel Tower and have dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris hotel BUT both places had a looooong wait. We ended up walking all the way back to the Venetian and ate at Trattoria Reggiano - it was a GREAT choice; probably our best meal during the whole trip!!

see you next time.

yummy linguine bolognese

this brand was soo good - was about to buy it!

best iced tea i've ever had!! where can i get this!?

Day FOUR
.bye-bye vegas.

Happy Birthday to Bianca!! After checking out of our hotel, my family picked us up to eat lunch at Bucca Di Beppo for my cousin, Bianca's, bday. Then we walked around City Center and shopped at the Miracle Mile shops in Planet Hollywood. We spent our last few hours at the Aria Hotel - checked out the rooms my LV fam was staying in (beauty); visited the pool; and gambled. My Uncle Bubong dropped us off at the airport, where we flew home via Virgin America (ahhhhh, we just LOVE this airline). Lovely flight...BUT our trip ended w/ the freezing bay area weather and some family FB drama...just wonderful!

city center steps.

tallest stripper ever! there's an up-skirt cam there.

Virgin America - best airline EVER!

Travel♥ Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-06-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

more pics from Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Salute the Men and Women who have served and continue to serve for OUR freedom.

day ONE
.cherry picking and a picnic.

more pics from Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Cherry Picking @ Nunn Better Farms in Brentwood CA. Super hot day but fun overall! Spent about an hour picking cherries w/ the family. Not sure if they provided ladders but we were like monkeys climbing trees...especially my cousin Isabella! While most of us were busy finding the perfect cherries, my Uncle Jorn was being silly, building his fake trees.

beautiful cherries.

isabella climbing to the top.

my uncle jorn and his "perfect" cherry tree.

After sweating a bit, we took our cherries and went to the park to have a "filipino-styled" picnic. We had a good spot - good thing we arrived just when a reserved party ended! My Uncle prepared soooo much food wrapped in banana leaf and my mom even brought a burner to make some Vietnamese coffee.

kamayan.

great company.

now serving: vietnamese iced coffee

relaxing.

day TWO
.AYCE: all-you-can-eat.

more pics from Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Stayed the night at the Suarez household in Vacaville. They took us to this really good filipino buffet called Roline's Asian Market. It was kinda crazy going to a buffet knowing that we planned to go to the Lobster buffet later for dinner but it was worth it. After eating lunch, we walked it off at the thrift store then relaxed at the house for a few hours.
After eating lunch, walking it off at the thrift store, then relaxing at the house for a few hours...we were off to Reno to eat at the Lobster Buffet in Boomtown. On the way there, we drove by snow (yes, there's still snow up there!) and stopped at a newly remodeled rest stop. We stayed in Boomtown for a few hours - eating, gambling, and having drinks while watching the band play.

buffet before a buffet

all-you-can-eat LOBSTER.

drinks and entertainment.

our "living room" for the day.

more pics from Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Eddy and I planned to head home today after shopping at the outlets. Plans changed as soon as we realized that the keys to his car were inside my auntie shirley's car, who left earlier to go back to daly city. To make a long story short...my parents, who also left earlier, ended up driving the keys back to us. They also left us w/ Noel...for torture maybe!? jk.
While waiting for the keys, we hung out w/ Quimbo, went to outlets, and even went biking w/ my cousin Ray-J. Biking kicked my butt, BUT it was very rewarding at the end. Later on in the day, we took Ray-J to watch "Prince of Persia" for his bday. We ended up spending one last night at the Saurez's. Fun-filled weekend overall!!

Quimbo is such a character - you can easily fall in love w/ him.

one of may rest stops lol.

noel and raymond doing "insanity"

noel requested a bubble bath.

day THREE
.memorial day.

video highlight
.mud skiing FAIL.

At first Noel was afraid of the mud, then all of a sudden he thought of "Mud Skiing". His shoes got so stuck that he ended up falling out of 'em and landing, butt first, on the mud. Hilarious!

Paolo's 6th Birthday!

2010-05-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

More pics from Paolo's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Pao!!
After Ysabella's Christening, earlier in the day, we drove to Newark for Paolo's birthday party at Kids Castle. Before getting there, we kind of got lost and ended up at some shopping center where we saw a cupcake place called Let's Cupcake. I, of course, had to drop in to check it out! We decided to buy a dozen cupcakes to give to the aunties since it was Mother's Day the next day. They were so happy and excited to eat 'em when we got there. While the kids were busy having fun in the play area, the adults were all busy on their iPhones - it was actually pretty funny. Overall, the party was lots of fun. Everyone had a blast! Thanks Uncle Jorn and Family.

Happy Mother's Day!

Paolo has nothing but "Big Kids" at his party.

Make-Over iPhone App - Robert Downey Jr. attended the party!

My mom is really good at this game

My mom won some stuffed animals for Ysabella

Classic!

The party was held at a very interesting place...

You'll notice a strong curry smell throughout the whole place (if you've been here, you'll know what I'm talking about)
They sell Indian Pizza...say what!?
The pizza place (inside) is called Desi Pizza <--- that's Jerel's dogs name...oh no!
It's connected to a gym and a tanning salon
Bathroom FAIL (check pic below)

The check-in table for both the kids play area and the gym

the bathroom door leads us to the gym!

They even sell AVON here!

Ysabella's First Holy Communion

2010-05-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

More pics from Ysabella's First Communion

Ysabella, my brother's first child, had her first communion ceremony at St. Andrew's Church. It was nice to see that my brother was a part of it and that our family got to spend time w/ her. She is now 8 years old and all grown up! We don't really get to see her much but when we do...we make the most of it. After the ceremony, we had lunch at the Grand Palace Restaurant. It was basically just us Bravo's and the Castillo family. Ysabella came home with us after lunch was over. We even got to bring her to Paolo's Birthday Party, in Newark, later that evening (next post).

my dad, noel, and eddy are missing from this pic

Ysabella sitting at our table...FAMILY!

Braveo.

Chase Salumbides' Baptism

2010-05-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

More pics from Chase's Baptism

"May you be granted all of God's blessings...today, and everyday".

bap·tism (bāp'tĭz'əm): n. - A ceremony, trial, or experience by which one is initiated, purified, or given a name. Chase's Baptism was held at St. Andrew's Church in Daly City, CA. We got a little lost at first and also thought we were late but when we got inside it hadn't even started. Nikko & Paul purposely told everyone that the Baptism started 30 min before the actual time, knowing that some guests would be on "Filipino-time" lol...SMART. The definite highlight of this memorable day would have to be Chase falling asleep during most of the ceremony...especially during the pouring of the Holy Water - AMAZING!

The reception area was packed w/ guests! It was held at the hall near Paul's parents house, which is pretty close to the church. There was plenty of food to feed everyone. The sun was shining BUT the wind was blowing! Overall, it was a fun and successful day.

centerpieces i helped nikko with - great project

crowded!

basketball court was locked so they crawled under the fence

SFGiants' Filipino Heritage Night

2010-04-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

More pics from SF Giants

Ako ay Pilipino. Good times w/ friends and family at the SFGiants' Filipino Heritage Night - tickets came w/ a Filipino beanie. We originally had tickets for View Reserve, which was up on the nose bleeds...but we soon got lucky! While waiting for my friend Alvin to park the car at the garage he works at, a business man walks by then turns and goes towards us...

Man: Are you all going to the Giants game tonight?
Us: YES (plus it was obvious since we were in our Giants gear)
Man: (he then hands us tickets...) Here's 4 tickets. I have to pick up my kids and I won't be able to make it back in time. You guys can either keep 'em, sell 'em, or do whatever w/ 'em.
Us: (grabbed the tickets, stared at 'em, paused for a bit...) Wow. Thanks!!

SCORE! Lower Box seats - which were soooo much better than our original seats ofcourse. Yay for random season ticket holders like him! Since they was 4 tickets, we asked our friends (who were sitting in a different section) to join us at our section. After a few innings passed, there was some empty seats available so I called my cousin Tracy and Uncle Bob (who were sitting in the nose bleeds) to come down and join us. We all got to sit w/ eachother. It was such a fun game, especially since the Giants WON!

Grandparents Visit

2010-04-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

More pics from Grandparents Visit

My Grandparents came to visit for the weekend. We were all so happy to see them, even if it was only for a short time. I cooked my yummy salmon on the day they arrived. =). Everyone loved it! It was great spending time with them - we took them to the Farmer's Market, the mall, Bingo!, Benihana, and I even brought my Grandma to the casino. It was nice spending time w/ my Grandma - she deserved the stress relief. She kept me up while driving home late at night from the casino - we had a long/good conversation.

the kids helping me cook

Serramonte Farmer's Market

taking a break from walking around the mall

hanging out at home after a long day out

My Grandpa seems to be getting a little more weak since the last time I seen him, which was during Christmas. By weak, I'm referring to his gait (walking) - he shuffles a lot. It's probably due to all the meds he's on. He didn't really talk much but he did SMILE a lot while he was here!! He kept giving us the BIGGEST smiles ever lol. He loved seeing the kids - he loved dancing with them, and getting hugs from them all the time. It was nice to see.

he loved being w/ the kids

bingo time

my dad w/ his parents - my grandpa is CHEESIN'

took them to my favorite Indonesian coffee spot - Never Too Latte