Bakerella

My friend just introduced me to this baking blog, Bakerella. I'm drooling over all the delicious cookies, cupcakes, cake POPS, pie POPS, and other scrumptious desserts. Mini desserts on a stick are ingenious! They'd be perfect for a party. Ohh...and the cupcake toppers! Can you imagine them for a kids' birthday party? I'm dying from all this cuteness!

Te + Alex's Wedding, Part I: Buddhist Ceremony

[I did a little research on Cambodian weddings on the web. This is what I learned...] A Cambodian wedding traditionally consists of three days of ceremonies and celebrations. The three days represent the three jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, Sangha (brotherhood of monks), and Dhamma (teachings of Buddha). Modern Cambodian weddings will often condense these ceremonies into one day. The first day is set aside for blessings from the Buddhist monks for the couple and their family.

Doesn't Alex look like royalty with the flashy gold medallion and blue sash? Te looked beautiful, as usual. :)

Buying multiples...

Like Sarah, I also tend to buy multiple colors of the same item of clothing. It's usually tops, but I've also bought 2 different colors of the same pair of shorts...and shoes. Is that so bad? If I find something I like, why not buy another? I found myself doing this today. Haha. I found this striped tank top at the Gap (it actually came with a dark blue flower–which is much cuter.) They were having an awesome buy 1 top, get 1 free sale. How could I not pick up another?? So that was my excuse for buying more than one of the same thing.

Oh, another tank that I've been loving this summer is the Mossimo Long & Lean ribbed tank from (my favorite store) Target. At under $8, how can you resist? I love the length and the stretch in them. I bought one a couple months ago, and then just recently picked up a different color last week. I'll admit my wardrobe needs some more pizazz. Maybe this "problem" is just adding to it?

Sambellina: Partyware + Stationery

I found Sambellina on Sharnel's site. I dunno why, but their pictures really made me want to buy some pretty ribbon. :) ...and decorate more kids' parties. Cute, no?

Joshua's 3rd Birthday Party

I had a lot of fun making the decorations for my favorite nephew's party. =) His parents supplied the grub and I decorated. Have you ever had Costco's pizzas? Wow, it is REALLY good. Especially the supreme. YUM! Their pizzas are large and only $10!

Joshua couldn't wait to open up his presents. Everytime a guest came in w/ a gift, he would have to be reminded to wait to open them. Once the time came for the presents, he ripped the wrapping little piece by little piece. If it was clothing, he quickly put it down and looked for another gift to open. It was hilarious! At least he doesn't kick the "bad" ones anymore like he did one Christmas. Hahaha...

:: the birthday boy ::
:: sidewalk chalk, bubbles, & Cars tattoos ::

:: outdoor decorations - fabric garland & door sign ::

:: indoor decorations - paper garlands & birthday banner ::

Joshua's Turning 3!

We're going to the zoo tomorrow to celebrate my nephew's birthday. Happy birthday, Joshua!

"My Life—My Loves"

Here's another beautiful blog, "My Life—My Loves" I just started following. I'm not sure how I found it. I came across it on our drive back from MN when I was looking for party decoration ideas. Wow, right?

One Charming Party

[Yay! My internet is back up and running!]

I came upon Brittany's "One Charming Party" blog on Sarah's site. She has the cutest party ideas, and I love how she gives tutorials for her crafts! I'll be decorating Te & Alex's Chicago reception in a couple weekends, so I've been surfing the blogs for cute ideas. I think Brittany mostly decorates for children's parties, but her ideas will definitely work for a simple, backyard (2nd) wedding reception.

I finally busted out my sewing machine yesterday and figured out how to thread the bobbin and everything! I tried to make a banner yesterday and it turned out pretty swell for my first try. :) I'll have to post pics next week. Pictures from Te & Alex's MN wedding to come soon...

Modem down. I repeat, modem down.

*sigh* It stinks not having the internet!  I'm updating from my phone again. We finally got a new modem today. But we're experiencing some technical difficulty with it though. The husband is speaking to an AT&T rep as I type.  Goodness....

I have so many things to report about but no internet on the computer! I have to post pictures of Te + Alex's Cambodian wedding ceremonies, and the projects I'm working on this week.  Ok, I guess it can wait until tomorrow!

Until next week...

My internet at home hasn't been working for days. Thank goodness I have a so-called smart phone now.  So I'm posting from my phone now. Our new modem won't be here until Thursday (sheesh.)

The husband and I are going to MN for a long weekend for his cousin's wedding.  It should be a fun time since it'll be our first time seeing a Cambodian ceremony. Actually, there are going to be several Cambodian ceremonies on Friday and Saturday with lots of bright, colorful garments.  I've heard a lot about Indian weddings and how they're long wknd affairs.  Maybe Cambodian weddings are somewhat similar?  I'll report back next Monday w/ lots of pictures. (my internet better be working by then!) Until next week then... Off we go on road trip!

Congratulations to Jennine + Trevor!

The girls and I spent the day before the wedding decorating a gazillion cupcakes. I'm so glad Mama G (aka Trevor's mom) baked and froze all of them beforehand. It helped a ton! Don't the girls look cute in Mama G's aprons?

All our planning and hard work paid off. Everything went smoothly and the wedding totally exceeded my expectations. The reception was held in a friend, DeeDee's, backyard. DeeDee and her "staff" were amazing. They transformed their backyard into a beautiful garden reception space. Cinthia and I gave them some vague directions for setting up the paper flowers and tables. They took what we said and made it even better! They tied the flowers to this white arch, strung up white lights and set it up behind the head table. Cinthia did an amazing job w/ the flowers. They definitely gave the space a little more oomph w/ the splash of bright pink. (Click here to see our inspiration.)

Don't worry, Sarah! MORE PICTURES TO COME....

A month of eating, Part II

Cho Sun Ok: this is one of my favorite Korean BBQ restaurants. There's usually a line out the door of this small establishment. Luckily, we went early on a weeknight before the rush, so there was no wait! We had to take Cinthia to a Korean restaurant during her visit with us. She loved the food the last time we took her to one. Isn't she so cute? She loved the banchan (small side dishes). The naeng myun (cold buckwheat noodles) completed the meal after devouring a ton of meat.

The Goddess and Grocer: This became the girls and my favorite shop within walking distance of my house. I love their vanilla lattes and super scrumptious Rice Krispy treats. I think we went there 4 times in 2 weeks. You should definitely stop by to grab some. You won't be sorry! They also have really good sandwiches. I loved my Magic Mushroom sandwich (portobello, brie, spinach, and roasted tomatoes.)

Tapas Barcelona: Jenny and I took Cinthia out for some Spanish tapas one Friday evening. It was my 2nd time there, and it was pretty good. I love how suburban restaurants don't usually have a wait at 9pm. If it was somewhere downtown, I'm sure it would've been a happenin' place.

Urban Belly: This was my 2nd time at this restaurant, and I was disappointed once again. Jenny had heard really great things about this place, so I thought I would give it another shot. But neither of us were very satisfied w/ our noodles. I had #12: the Urbanbelly Ramen. I didn't really like the spices they used in the broth. I can't pinpoint what they used though. The other dish is #15: Rice Cake w/ chicken, mango and Korean chili sauce. The chicken was battered like Tonkatsu (which was pretty yummy), but I think the problem was the broth again. It's too bad.

Sonic: We randomly found this Sonic as we were going to our friend's in the Southern suburbs. You should've seen how excited we were! The closest Sonic to my house is 23 miles away–much too far. We got a Blue Coconut CreamSlush Treat, a Strawberry Limeade smoothie, and chili cheese tots...oh my! What a treat!

Good Golly Miss Molly...

Why is my cousin, Judy, and her husband so good at making cakes? They just learned by watching the Food Network. How crazy is that? Check out some of the creations they made... I am SO impressed. You guys should seriously start a cake business. I would so hire you to make my cakes. :)






Gosh, the frosting on that cupcake looks so professional! I really could've used your expertise last weekend, Judy! The girls and I had to help Jennine decorate a million cupcakes for her wedding. I'll be posting pics of the wedding in the new few days. It turned out to be a success, by the way. )