Yesterday, it was finally warm enough for Lucas to go outside and play. His walker is super cute. It's designed to look just like a car, with headlights and a steering wheel. At first, he wasn't sure about playing outside. He kept looking over at me with a look at said "so now what?" However, the shyness of being outside wore off and he was quickly cruising around at top speeds.  

My baby boy is growing up so fast. 

events of the week

On Friday, Denny went to visit the vet. It was a sad day for our sweet  puppy. But, as responsible pet owners, we all knew that this day would come. Once Denny got home, my husband put the cone-of-shame on. At first, Denny refused to move while wearing the cone-of-shame. He backed into a corner and just stood there with the saddest expression on his little face. His poor head hung low. All you could see was his little black nose peaking out. In Denny's mind, his life was over and he was doomed to walk this earth with limited visibility and in discomfort. It only took about a day for Denny to adjusted to his new attire. Four more days until the cone-of-shame can officially retire, until then, we all get to listen as Denny bumps around scrapping the plastic cone around the backyard running into stationary objects.

On Sunday I decided to take Lucas outside for a quick seventh month photo shoot. After about twenty-something shots, he finally smiled. The picture on the left was taken in his room just before bath time. He wasn't in the mood for smiling then either. Sigh. I'll try again on another day.  

Here is our mantle all decorated for Christmas. Hubby built a fire and everything looked cozy. Hot coco anyone? With just two more weeks until Christmas, I still have lots to do. I have a few last minute Christmas shopping items that I need to pick up, gifts to wrap and baking to do. 

Tis' the season..

Our family kicked off the holiday season with two yummy thanksgiving dinners, several family photo shoots and a trip to the San Diego Zoo. This year I have so much to be thankful for. We have a house, my husband is about to graduate from Law School, our son is healthy, and we have our family and friends. Growing up my Mom had a thanksgiving tradition of writing what we are thankful for on a special table cloth. This table cloth only came out during the holiday season. It is neat looking back and reading all the different things I have been thankful for in the past twenty-something years. One of my favorite entries written on the table cloth was when I was seven years old. I wrote that I was thankful "that my barbies did not burn up in the fire." Yup, I had my priorities. I've decided to keep this tradition in my own home. I feel that it is a way for our family to keep record of all the things we have been and are still thankful for.

While my Thanksgiving dinner was digesting, I decided that it was time to finish my Christmas stockings. I'm really happy with how the stockings turned out. I found the pattern here on Diary of a Quilter. I still want to add our names to the stockings, along with some decorations. At first my husband wasn't interested in my project. That was until he realized that JoAnn's had Star Wars fabric. :) And as you can see, although I had originally envisioned cute Christmas stockings...my boys ended up with their Star Wars stockings. 

baby gates and scrap booking

Rainy days are perfect for staying in, baking, drinking hot tea and for scrap booking. I finished my first book, and I am quite proud of it. The book documents my first year as a married women, ending with the birth of my son. Scrap booking is therapeutic. I enjoy putting on some music or a movie and simply allowing myself to become lost in the creative process of documenting memories. I will use just about anything to enhance a scrapbook page: ticket stubs, ribbons, maps, stickers and pretty paper (just to name a few). I can spend many hours (and many dollars) on scrap booking. Below I have posted a few of my favorite scrap book pages from my first book.

Honeymoon Time :)

Newborn Page

One Month

Notice the main character in the pictures? Lucas has dominated my book. I didn't realize how many pictures I have taken of him until it was time to sort through and make prints of the best ones.

Baby gates are life savers! Lucas is crawling everywhere, standing of everything and enjoys going places where it is not safe. Prior to buying baby gates, I made walls with the ottoman furniture, diaper boxes and giant over stuffed pillows. This lasted for a day before Lucas realized that pillows can be climbed, and the ottoman could be chewed. With the baby gates I am actually able to get stuff done again.

Happy baby = happy Mommy  

procrastination

This morning I made myself a to-do list.

-walk Denny
-Prep house for painting
-clean house
-bake cookies
-finish test
-pick up box @ Promenade Elem.


 I've walked the dog. Check.

 Instead of ploughing through my to-do list, I created this....I call it a...

Lucas cage!

However, Lucas is one smart cookie and...

...he decided to attempt an escape. Thankfully, he tired himself out and finally went to sleep and I was able to complete my list.

Psalms 100

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations." 

What am I thankful for? 

1. My husband

He is my best friend, my teammate and the one whom I love. I have known my husband for ten years. In those ten years I have had the opportunity to get to know an amazing man. When I look up at him, I see a godly man, a strong leader and a wonderful father. He has supported me through the thick and thin and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him. 

2. My son

Last Sabbath Lucas started crawling. I love watching him explore our living room, testing his new skills. He tries so hard to follow me around the house. Last night I placed him on his play mat in the living room. I had gone into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. All of a sudden I heard his adorable babble behind me. I turned around and my heart melted. Lucas was trying his hardest to crawl towards me. He had the biggest smile on his face. I knelt down, opened my arms wide and encouraged him to come to his Mamma. It took him a little while, but he got there and was rewarded with the biggest hug I could give him.   

3. My home

Words can not express how grateful I am for our home. I love being able to design, decorate, clean (yes clean) and spend time in our home. We are forever in debt to those who have helped us purchase our home. 

I leave you with a question. What are you thankful for? 

Lucas @ Five Months

Lucas is now five months old. 

Where has the time gone?  

Denny wanted his picture taken too. 

Too cute for words. :)

Revamping the master bath

As most of you know, this summer my Husband and I purchased our first home. Over the past couple of weeks I have been planning, making lists and faithfully flipping through home decor magazines in search of inspiration. I choose to start in the master bathroom. It needed a serious makeover, and I felt that the bathroom was the least intimidating. Although our home is at least fifty-years old, the previous owners did upgrade/updated the bathroom fixtures...the sink, shower, window, toilet and the lights.

Before: please excuse the mess. 

Blah, blah, blah!                                

The original walls were a light beige/off white color. After digging around in the garage, I discovered that the previous owners had left a gallon of paint that would work well in the master bathroom. The color wasn't labeled, but it looks like a dark beige or maybe Straw Basket (http://www.behr.com). I painted four walls this color. I contrasted this color by painted two walls Chocolate Swirl; also by Behr. I choose to paint the "hidden" walls the dark chocolate color. The idea was that the dark color was hidden from the outside view, and would be a surprise once you were inside of the bathroom. In addition, I thought that the dark paint above the sink would really bring out the white trim around the mirror and white counter top. I love the initial decor above the toilet. At first my husband thought it was weird to highlight the toilet...lol...but I think it grew on him. The lettering I bought at Michael's craft store and used left over chocolate swirl paint to match the color with the walls. The curtains I bought on sale @ JCPenny. I took one curtain panel, cut it in half and sewed a new seam on the outside panel. I'm very happy with the results. 

What do you all think??

I still have a few more things that I'd like to do, however, overall I am really happy with how everything turned out.

Up Next: The Master Bedroom :) 

The Joy of Teaching

I found this while I was cleaning out my old school binder.

Then Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain and gathered them around him. 

He taught his disciples this saying:    

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are the meek. 

Blessed are they that morn.

Blessed are the merciful. 

Blessed are they that thirst for justice. 

Blessed are you when you suffer. 

Be Glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven. 

Then Simon Peter said, "Are we suppose to know this?" 

And Andrew said, "Do we have to write this down?" 

And James said, "Will we have a test on this?" 

And Phillip said, "I don't have any paper!" 

And Bartholomew said, "Do we have to turn this in?"

And John said, "The other disciples didn't have to learn this."

And Matthew said, "May I go to the bathroom?"

Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus' lesson plan and inquired of Jesus, "Where is your anticipatory set and your objectives in the cognitive domain?" 

And Jesus wept. 

 Oh the joys of teaching...

Home Life

Camp is over, we are back from vacation; it is time to get back on schedule. Last weekend after we got home, my husband and I decided to adopt a three month old Queensland Healer puppy. Denny is now the newest member of our family. He has an abundance of energy, enjoys chewing of socks, chasing rubber balls and exploring the backyard. Queensland are smart dogs. They need mental stimulation, or else they will become board and will cause trouble. I have been working with Denny on and off the leash. I'm hopping for a well behaved future running buddy.

I had several interesting conversations this week. It is frustrating when family and friends make ignorant assumptions about me. Most of the time, I don't know or understand the logic behind their assumptions. One friend assumed that I was going to let my husband vote for me in the upcoming presidential election. Someone else assumed that because I am Seventh-Day-Adventist, that I wasn't going to vaccinate Lucas. I enjoy wearing jeans. This resulted in someone assuming that because I enjoy wearing jeans, that I should sell my car and buy a mini-can. Lastly, it was assumed that I would be decorating my home in a "stereotypical Indian style." Apparently, because I married an Indian, my home now must reflect a stereotypical Indian home. I am not sure what a stereotypical Indian home looks like. Hindu gods? Elephants? Incenses? Bright colors? Gold and red with lots of ornate objects? I'm not really sure.

Speaking of home decor, last night I spent hours hunting for inspiration on pinterest, deign blogs and web sites. My goal is to create a home that is inviting, cohesive and functional. Due to budget restrains, this project will develop over time...I am patient...and a firm believer that good things come  to people who wait. Hopefully, by Christmas time or sooner I'll have at least the living and kitchen finished.

For my birthday I was given a sewing machine. It is similar to the one I used at camp. I foresee many fun projects in the near future. Look out wardrobe. If it hasn't been worn in at least 6 months its fair game for a little refashioning. :)

road trips and more....

As much as I love traveling, it's good to be home! This week my family and I flew the coop and headed out to the Fabulous Las Vegas, Zion National Park and Hoover Dam. We crossed four states, survived a desert thunder storm and walked the Vegas Strip - all with Lucas (and Dada) in tow. Believe me. The idea of taking a road trip and flying back with a 4 month old worried me a bit, however in the end, the trip was 100% worth it. Lucas did very well.

We crossed the Nevada boarder just after the sun went down. From miles away, I could see the glow of the Vegas Strip lighting up the night sky. The tip of the Luxor hotel stood out among the lights with its fixed position spotlight pointing directly towards the heavens. Apparently, the spotlight can be seen from outer space. At night, Las Vegas is impressive. The hotels and casinos are beautiful to look at. However, during the day...it's a whole other story. Vegas looses its glamour. The surrounding geography, desert hills and overall cleanliness reminds me of Hemet (on a bad day) or banning.

 

I snapped a quick shot of my husband and Lucas just as they got out of the car. Lucas did very well until the last hour or so...it was a long drive from Riverside to Las Vegas. He was tired of being in the car seat, and was ready for his bath and bed. When I got up to our room, I opened the window expecting to see a view of the strip...but no...instead I saw a herd of cattle. The cows were for the South Point NCHA Futurity Show. The next morning my husband and I walked over and watch the riders warm up for the preliminary qualification rounds.

I could get use to this arena. Indoors, without the sun, heat, wind, and or dust. With air conditioning..These horses and riders have it good!

One of the many highlights from the trip was staying at Zion National Park. Unfortunately, words can not express the natural wild beauty of the park. My neck was aching from looking up at the towering canyon walls, high mountain peaks and crisp water dripping down the rocks. The hikers on top of the canyon looked like miniature birds clinging to the ropes and chains that kept them safe from falling. We stayed at the Zion Lodge, which had a quaint rustic feel. I took the opportunity to go horseback riding. My horse's name was Chester. He was a good horse. On horseback, our guide took me and the other riders out into the national forest. The views were breath taking! Later, the whole family gathered at the Cafe, boarded the Zion Tram and headed to the Riverside Trail at the top of the Canyon.

Back in Vegas, we walked through the casinos. I was impressed with the shops in The Venetian. For serious shoppers, the sales associates provide cake and Champagne. Not that I'd be able to afford anything to be a serious shopper, but it was fun to look through the windows. After walking around, we headed back and Lucas stayed with Dada and Dadi, which allowed my husband and I to go back out and enjoy the night life in Vegas.

Hoover Dam was amazing! A monument to pure American ingenuity. My husband and I took the power plant tower while Lucas waited with Dada and Dadi in the visitor's center. The rumble of the vibrations from the water flowing through the pipes could be felt deep in my chest. 

The trip was amazing...and I am glad to be home. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel. Now its time to get back to reality...to everyday life. :) 

Photography

As an amateur photographer, I enjoy capturing my family, friends, pets and the world around me. My interest in photography started around ten years old. I would borrow my Mom's point-and-shoot film camera and go outside with my sisters to conduct silly photo shoots. In high school, my parents bought me a cannon rebel (film) camera. I still have the camera and will use it periodically. Some of the pictures I shot with that camera I ended up exhibiting in a local art show. Last year, my husband and I treated ourselves and bought the cannon eos rebel t2i camera. It was a wedding present to ourselves. :) I am very happy with this camera and am looking forward to using it for the years to come.

Summer Snapshots: 

PSR - Friday Nights 

Zion National Park - Utah