Fireproof

Every now and then a great movie comes along and you just can't stop thinking about it. It moves you and makes a difference in your life. This afternoon I rented Fireproof at the video store and it was wonderful!! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is married or about to get married.

As most of you know my husband and I got married really young. We started dating at 16 and married when we were 19. We have practically grown up together. It's a fact that we've changed. We are not 19 years old anymore. It's not always been easy, no marriage is. But we knew that God put us together and that He had a purpose and plan for our lives. No matter what we face with His help we can stay on that path together. Fireproof is a great reminder to work on honoring those promises and that covenant that we shared all those years ago:)

My name is Becky and I'm addicted to blogging:)

I learned something about myself yesterday...I'm an addict. For some reason the Internet would not let me get to my blog. There was a glitch of some sort. I became agitated, irritable and stir crazy. I called my husband at work probably 3 or 4 times to have him fix it, which of course he couldn't. I was a little crazy. I don't really have many vices. I don't smoke, drink or do drugs etc... Except for the occasional sugar binge I have a reasonable amount of self control, but I think I have found my kryptonite. I love blogging. I look forward to sharing my life, my art, my world with anyone who will take a minute. It has become more than just a winter distraction. It is my voice, my outlet and hopefully my way of sharing my piece of the world. Thank you to anyone out there who actually reads this. It really means alot to me!!

Newport Beach

The highlight of my trip was on Saturday. We started the day taking a walk in Jeane's neighborhood. I love walks!! Nothing excites me more than the beauty of nature. Just being somewhere in the dead of winter and seeing color was such a treat. For months at a time all Midwesterner's see is grey and white. I just had to take a picture of this beautiful flower. I don't even know what kind it is, but it's just a gorgeous pink puffball.
Jeane is so blessed.
This is her view as she walks the hills near her home. You can't make it out very well, but in the distance the mountains are all covered in snow.

Later in the day we had the treat of visiting her step mom Deanne in Newport Beach. She lives right in the harbor and the picture above is the view from her condo...wow!

Here we are standing in her living room with this giant sliding window that overlooks the harbor. She just keeps it open. The weather was so comfortable that you didn't even need to close it. I could soooo get used to that.

Deanne took us on a Duffy boat ride all through the Newport Beach area. She was an excellent tour guide giving us the story on who lives where etc... The house above used to belong to Nick Cage.

Later that night we went for drinks in the City of Orange at a restaurant called Orange Hill. The picture above fails to show you the absolutely gorgeous view behind us. You can see forever and it was all lit up. It was breathtaking. We drank our "special" coffee out by a firepit and just took in the view. It was definitely a memory making moment. Then we went to Javier's Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was a great way to end a wonderful week. Thank you so much Tammy and Jeane for showing us such a good time!!

Venice Beach

Remember your first baby?? It was so much fun to see my cousin Tammy in the role of mommy. They only have eyes for each other.
On Friday
we said goodbye to Tammy and went our separate ways. My friend Jeane picked us up and we were off to Venice Beach.

When you are from the Midwest there is absolutely nothing like seeing the ocean. It always evokes a powerful response in me.

My friend Jeane moved out to California last summer. Even though I miss her terribly it is so nice that she lives somewhere that I want to go on vacation.

This is the third time I've been to Venice Beach. I love to people watch and there is no better place, but it makes me sad in a way. Does that make sense?? There are all of these "weird" people who are either high, drunk or desperately in need of attention. It just seems like they all have giant signs on them that read "Look at me, I need help". From the greased up muscle guys, to the homeless people smoking pot it's a far departure from what we see in a normal day.

This is Missy cracking up outside the public restroom. It is the most disgusting place. We had our arsenal of disinfectant wipes ready!

Melrose, Sprinkles & more

I'm a planner when I go on vacation. I always have a list of places I want to see. I think this is great because I have this mental check list in my brain. One of the places I wanted to go was Melrose Ave. I had read about it on http://www.seeing-stars.com/. It is supposed to be a great place to people watch and it has some really trendy shops. On Thursday when we went we really didn't see too many people, but we did get some great deals shopping. Melrose has been hit hard by the recession and the shop owners were very willing to barter.

Another place on my list was Sprinkles Cupcakes. It's a famous cupcake store close to Rodeo Drive. It's been on Oprah etc... So we stood in line for about 20 minutes if you can believe that, to get our goodies. And I have to say I thought it was worth it. Oh so yummy. I got two cupcakes, the red velvet and the milk chocolate. Very moist and the icing was super creamy...yum!Me pigging out!!!

Our next stop was the Beverly Center and Loehman's Department store. The Beverly Center is supposed to be good for spotting celebrities, which of course we didn't see any. It paled in comparison to the Mall of America. I didn't really like Loehman's either. I thought it was like a TJ Maxx, but it was super expensive. I couldn't find a purse that I liked there for under $200. I guess I'm just a little too cheap for Beverly Hills.

For dinner we went to Tammy's favorite restaurant in Sherman Oaks, Cafe Bizou. It was just a warm cozy atmosphere. Perfect for unwinding and visiting with your people. We had the lobster bisque and a seafood pasta with black noodles. It was really good.

When we got home it was PJ time. We curled up on the couch and had chocolate chip cookies and milk and just laughed and had fun. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day...thanks Tammy:)

Our first night in LA

We made it back last night and although I have lots of other stuff to do, I just can't wait to share our trip. The view above is our drive from L.A. to Simi Valley...gorgeous. I could get used to that view. The mountains were super green and lush due to the recent fires out there.
My cousin Tammy, Missy and I at Claim Jumpers.
I have to admit I'm kind of a dork when it comes to touristy things and celebrities. I couldn't wait to get down to Hollywood and Highland to see the red carpet. We were there on Wednesday and they had it all blocked off for the Academy Awards on Sunday. Missy and Tammy are standing right by the outside bleachers.

This is the view from the top of the stairs right at the entrance to the Kodak Theatre. The red carpet was covered with plastic, but I still managed to find a spot and step on it:)

Here we are on the stairs heading up to the Theatre. We had some weird foregners take this picture. I thought they were going to run off with my camera.

California here we come!!

(Picture source Ted Percival)

Oh Joy the day has finally arrived. By the time you read this Missy and I will be on our way to California. I'm officially packed, spray tanned and detailed out! It's a lot of work to get away from it all. I have long lists for my husband, explained to my chicks what's to come and planned and plotted every day of this trip to the point of sheer exhaustion. Anyway I won't be at a computer until next week, but there are sure to be lots of great pictures and wonderful memories to share when I return...until then:)

My Fruity Bathroom

These paintings are hanging in my main floor bathroom. A little wacky right? But it works. The walls are apple green and I just love the funky "flavor" that the fruit brings.
I painted the kiwi fruit and the strawberry this week.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all have a blessed Valentine's Day weekend!

Special Person's Day & Jump Rope for Heart

Lots of activities last week at school for the girls. Little Chick had "Special Person Day" and I was her person:) I think it was a really cool idea where the kids get to share their day with a special grown up..very sweet.
We played with play-dough (cherry flavored with glitter added), painted pictures, read stories, sang, danced and of course ate yummy heart shaped cookies.

Play Dough Recipe:
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tarter
Mix these three ingredients.
Mix 1 cup water with 1 Tbsp. oil and Kool Aid or food coloring. Kool Aid adds smell as well as color. Blend the wet and dry, cook over medium heat and knead when necessary. You can also make it by adding boiling water to the dry ingredients and then knead - no cooking necessary.
Big Chick had Jump Rope for Heart. This is a fund raising event for the American Heart Association. The kids all take turns jumping rope for a minute a piece for an hour. Lots of kids, very packed, sweaty and noisy...but fun and for a great cause. My dad has had heart problems, so it's something we feel strongly about.

American Girl Store

Last night Missy and I pulled off our big surprise for the girls with a trip to the American Girl Doll Store and bistro. This has been a plan of ours for awhile now and it was a huge hit.

The lights in the bistro are just adorable. I want one!!! Even the bulbs are cool.

How cute is this?

Big Chick's dolly "Holly" eatin' dinner in the bistro.

Big Chick's B-day

This weekend was really busy. It was our oldest daughter's 9th birthday!!

I really cannot believe it's been nine years already. I will never forget the day she was born and they wheeled her into my room for the first time. I was getting ready to eat my breakfast and I was alone and I felt this panic...like oh no what am I supposed to do with her. I just want to eat my breakfast:) It was so surreal, being a mother. I really kept having to tell myself over and over for that first year that I am a MOM! It's so true that feeling of love that makes you feel like you are going to burst.
Anyway nine years later here we are going roller skating, hanging with friends...making sweet memories. As a parent it's a constant barrage of memories. I remember my roller skating party and now it's my daughter's turn...weird.

(The gang's all here)

Desperate Housewives

I'm not sure if any of you caught the January 18th episode of Desperate Housewives, but it was oh so good. I'm a little slow, I have a DVR and finally got around to watching it last night. It was seriously the best episode of that show I've ever seen. I couldn't believe how good the writers did at making it compassionate and fairly "wholesome". Except for the one scene where Edie seduces the handyman. How can she possibly look that good?? I had to rewind. She is just in the best shape ever... Holy Cow! The episode was about their handyman Eli Scruggs. He passes away and it recalled from each woman their memories of how he shaped their lives. It was such a great reminder of the impact each one of us has on the lives of those around us. Anyway I want to be like Eli Scruggs. Instead of minding my own business, I want to care about others and to make a point of listening and helping when I can. If you missed this episode and want to watch it you can view it on ABC.com. It's called "The Best thing that ever could have happened", episode 13. It's definitely worth the time...so good:)

Butterflies

This is the very first piece I did in my art class. I found a painting in a Pottery Barn kids catalog that I loved and "tried" to reproduce it. It was my first attempt at watercolor. I used acrylic paints and watered it down to achieve an almost tie-dyed look. You can't really see it, but the butterfly wings have glitter on them. My art teacher framed it for me and now it hangs in my daughter's room.

hunt & gather

Today was a fun day. Missy and I were on the hunt for a cheap sidetable to put in my "new" piano room. First stop was the American Red Cross donation center and then on to one of my all time favorite stores Hunt and Gather Antiques in Edina. It's located on Xerxes and 50th. It is just a plethora of all things old and unusual. If you are looking for something specific you will probably find it here.
And so I did. This is an old sewing machine table. Perfect size for what I wanted. It will go under the big Amsterdam picture and will be a great spot for my morning coffee. I'm sure I'll redo it with some painting and distressing. But now I'm on the hunt for some funky knobs. I'll post the before and after pictures when I'm done painting it.

It's a little hard to make out all of the unique items in the pictures above, but in person it's really neat. I just love the way they merchandise the antiques. It's usually in a way that you would never think to use it. Very cool and retro.
After shopping it was off to lunch at Salut. A yummy French bistro known for their "french fries". I have to say it was a really fun day.