Love~Bre

Not a Pro...yet?

2010-05-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to join the club and purchase a digital SLR camera!

Confession - I have no clue how to really use it but I feel super cool with it! I've managed to take pictures in its auto settings but am not really using it to its full potential. I sure feel like a professional photographer when I'm holding it though!

I'll be enrolling in classes soon so I can understand photography better, until then I'm lucky enough to have a brother who has some basic knowledge I can bug him for.

Oh so for the big reveal...I purchased a...

Photo and details from Canon's website

Canon EOS Digital Rebel T2i

For what its worth, I'm in love!

18 megapixels, full 1080 HD movies, 3" LCD monitor, wireless memory card support and a whole bunch of other stuff I have no clue about!

Here are a few pictures I took at Disneyland with it...

By the way, if you are looking for some good beginner photography tips, I highly recommend the posts Kristen Duke has been sharing at The Idea Room!

I ♥ Mom

2010-05-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day!

With restaurants being so crowded on Mother's Day, I decided to plan a special luncheon for my fabulous mom and thought I would share it with you.

My inspiration came from the printable circles that TomKat Studio provided on her blog and kindly shared with everyone.

My mom is my best friend who loves me unconditionally and supports me in all my decisions, no matter how crazy or lame my ideas may be. I'm not a mom but it looks pretty challenging to me! So to all those moms out there, I applaud you for your daily efforts :)

Be The Match!

2010-05-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

I admit I'm a huge soap opera fan of All My Children...I've been watching it for YEARS...I remember coming home from kindergarden and watching it with my mom.

One of the characters, JR, needed a bone marrow transplant and most of the Pine Valley residents were tested to see if they could be a match. Turns out in a twisted soap opera plot, his crazy step mother ended up being a match (who...by the way...he is now having an affair with...uh...strange).

Anyways...back to reality....the story line did touch me and it made me think of the people in the non-soap world who were hoping for a match just like JR was...so I did a little research and found the National Marrow Donor Program's website.

Super simple to join the registry...you can find a place to register in person or all you have to do is log online, answer some basic health questions and a kit is sent to you via mail. The kit is quick and easy....I just sent mine back to them in the mail today!

Find out more information at the National Marrow Donor Program's website.

Cupcakes for a frog-tastic co-worker!

2010-05-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last week was my friend/co-worker's birthday. I volunteered to make cupcakes for her special day.

Brenda has frog items on her desk so we decided it was appropriate to decorate in a green/orange frog theme!

I was super busy the night I needed to bake and scrambled at the last minute to figure how I was going to decorate them...lucky for me I came up with a cute frog cupcake and I amazingly had everything I needed in my cupboard...if it could only always be that easy :)

Eyes were made from white candy melts with melted chocolate frosting piped on top for eyeballs...I stuck those in the freezer to harden frosting while I was frosting the cupcakes green. Mouth was piped with melted chocolate frosting!

I also threw in some orange cupcakes to tie the desk theme together.

Sorry for the bad photo, I just ordered a new fancy camera online today so it should be here soon!

Help! Need a good potluck recipe...

2010-05-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Blog Friends...

I have a potluck during work on Friday and I need help finding a good easy recipe...anyone have any ideas? I've searched online but haven't found anything that really strikes my fancy. Any recommendations would be great!

My Etsy Store Grand Opening + GIVEAWAY!

2010-04-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Recently I opened my Etsy store - featuring fabric key chains, burp cloths, bibs, cupcake toppers and more great items will be coming soon!

So let's celebrate with my first giveaway!

Prize: A fabric key chain of your choice from my Etsy store

If you'd like to win, please FOLLOW my blog and POST a comment telling me what your favorite item is from my Etsy store!

One Comment Entry Per Person.

Deadline to enter is: Wednesday, April 28th, 9pm PST.

DINNER: Thin Steak Marinade

2010-04-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

What's for dinner?

I purchased flank steak last night at Ralph's and decided to marinade it and cook on the George Foreman grill tonight.

My Grandma used this super simple marinade for thin steak pieces and I LOVE it because all it is is Italian dressing and ketchup. I'm obsessed with adding garlic salt and onion powder to EVERYTHING I cook so I added that!

Recipe: Throw enough of the dressing, ketchup, garlic salt, and onion powder to cover the meat into a plastic storage bag (easy clean up) and let it marinade for several hours in fridge until you are ready to cook :)

I read on other websites you can add some Coca-Cola to help tenderize the meat and add flavor...Has anyone else tried this?

TOMS Shoes: One Day Without Shoes

2010-04-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today is TOMS Shoes "One Day Without Shoes" event.

TOMS is asking people to go barefoot the whole day, part of the day or just for a few minutes.

I love TOMS Shoes and what they do.

Their concept is simple: One-For-One.

The point of going barefoot today is to spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life and to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.

Here are the facts:

In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

For Christmas I received the Ash Canvas Classics pictured above, what a great gift! So not only do I have a cute, comfy pair of shoes but I know that a child in need will also have a pair on their feet :)

I just purchased this cute shirt and should be receiving it any day now :)

I'm eyeing this pair for my next purchase:

Have you ever purchased a pair of TOMS shoes, which ones are your favorite?

Easter Blessings!

2010-04-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!

Spent the afternoon with my family and enjoyed every minute of it.

My Grandma passed away 2 years ago last Tuesday and she loved the Lord with all of her heart and she was known for loving butterflies so it was very fitting today that as we all were gathered around enjoying each others company that a beautiful yellow butterfly flew between all of us and landed in the grass nearby. It reminded me that one day I'll get to be with her and Jesus :)

About a week ago I had posted that I wanted to make these cupcakes:

Well I ended up changing my plans and found these...
So here is what my Easter cupcakes ended up looking like...

What do you think?

SEWING: Muno Blankie

2010-03-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I made a Muno blankie for a very special 2 year old's birthday and was actually surprised it turned out so decently :)

I used red Soft & Comfy fabric from Joann's and flannel fabric for the face details.

In case you don't know who Muno is, he is a one-eyed monster character from Yo Gabba Gabba. I had never heard of it until a few weeks ago but I guess Yo Gabba Gabba is the new Barney?

DIET: Attempt Last Week...FAIL

2010-03-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

FAIL...FAIL...FAIL

That summarizes last week's diet attempt...actually this is better -

Porto's Potato Ball...FAIL

3 cupcakes baked by me for my coworker's birthday...FAIL

Pink's Hot Dog with Chili & Nacho Cheese

Bites of FEAST from Famous Dave's...FAIL (yes, its served on a trashcan lid)

Yardhouse Chicken Tenders with Fries and drinks and shots...FAIL

McDonald's Double Cheeseburger and Fries...FAIL

Piece of Chocolate Chip Cookie...FAIL

Sliver of Chocolate Cheesecake...FAIL

Pizza Hut Pizza...FAIL

I think that summarizes it.

So it was a BIG FAT FAIL!!!

Positive Note: I did eat chicken and brown rice and hard boiled egg whites and almonds and oatmeal in between all that horrible (horribly good) stuff.

So I'm happy that I attempted and I'm learning to make healthier choices and I will start again fresh tomorrow!

I think my motto is going to be: If at first you don't succeed, try again!

Love,

Bre

Dear Blog Friends ~

2010-03-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

First I want to welcome my newest blog friends that have joined us from Precious Cupcake's blog!

I hope you enjoy my blog just as much as I enjoy hers!

Since my blog is fairly new I keep debating what direction to go with it, so driving home from work today I decided to keep it about everything I love and share it with you.

My life's passions are my family, friendships, baking, cooking, sewing, crafting, shopping, bargain hunting, coupon clipping, dining out, blogging/web surfing, dieting/exercising (not really a passion, but you get the point), my dog, and anything else that I think will make me a better more well rounded person.

I'd like to consider all of you my new blog friends and share of all my thoughts and passions with you and hope you'll comment and participate along the way. Since not all friends share the same passions what I'm hoping to do is label each post with its specific content in the title so you can choose to skip it if it may not interest you.

Coming soon -
Etsy shop opening, my dieting ups/downs, latest sewing projects, a GIVEAWAY and more!!!

Cheers to all of the great posts to come!

Love,

Bre

Adorable Easter Cupcake Toppers

2010-03-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I had to share these adorable Easter cupcake toppers that Cindy from Skip To My Lou posted on her website!

I'm planning on making these for Easter, I'll make sure to share my pictures.

Visit her website for these free printable cupcake toppers and more fabulous ideas!

Diet Update

2010-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Ugh! So last Monday I posted that I was going to start my diet..blah...blah...blah...well I tried to start it but I kept finding excuses to not dedicate myself to it. So today was my first official day!

The diet that I'm following was recommended by my friend, Karla who is my expert on working out and dieting. It's from Lipo-6 Hers Diet Pills; I haven't tried the diet pills yet, hopefully I can add those to the routine soon but Karla said to just follow the diet as a guideline and exercise.

I've been debating back and forth about what my goal should be for losing weight. Finally decided on two goals, a short term and long term.

Short term goal:
Lose 5 pounds by April 15th

Long term goal:
Lose 20 pounds by July 15th

So right now I weight 176 lbs. and I feel that losing 20 pounds in 4 months is an obtainable goal and will be a great start to continuing to lose all the weight I would love to lose!

I hope you all won't mind if I continue to update you weekly with my meal plans/exercise/weight loss updates! If anyone wants to join in on the dieting fun, feel free to comment and keep me updated with your results as well.

Off to the gym, wish me luck!

Love,
Bre

Last-minute attempt to get ready by summer!

2010-03-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

Usually I try to avoid diets even though I complain or joke almost daily that I'm overweight.

My favorite diet is the "mañana" diet cause I'd rather justify my bad eating by saying I'm going to start watching what I eat tomorrow!

I had tried the body cleanse I posted about earlier and it helped "cleanse" but it didn't help with energy or weight loss.

Karla, my co-worker was nice enough to share her diet plan with me so I'll be trying to follow that and incorporate exercise into my daily routine.

I'll share with you tomorrow the plan and my goals.

Enough is enough...starting tomorrow!

Etsy Store Coming Soon...

2010-03-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

Excited to announce that my Etsy store will be coming soon!

I will be featuring items I've sewn at affordable prices.

First to be listed will be fabric key chains followed by baby burp cloths!

Love,
Bre

My Dinner Menu for Week

2010-03-03T00:33:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of myself, this was the first week in months (alright maybe years) that I've planned my meals in advance and actually followed through with them.

Here's what we've had so far and what's on the menu for the rest of the week!

Menu
Saturday: Barbeque Chicken Drumsticks, Rice Pilaf, Corn and Rolls

Sunday: Omaha Steaks filet mignon and stuffed baked potatoes with green salad

Monday: English Muffin Pizzas with green salad

Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Thursday: Leftovers day (we still have more fixings for pizzas & extra chicken noodle soup)

Friday: Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Notes about this week's menu:
*I used chicken drumsticks for Saturday's barbeque chicken because I've been reading in blogs and magazines that you can save money by using cheaper pieces of the chicken or whole chicken rather than chicken breasts. My drumsticks were only .99/lb at Fresh & Easy compared to usually $1.99/lb for breasts.
*I chose chicken noodle soup and pot roast because they both called for celery and carrots so I was able to use the vegetables 2 days in a row. All I had to add was potatoes for the roast.
*I was also able to use the leftover shredded chicken that I didn't need for the soup for the chicken alfredo pasta.

What's in my freezer?

2010-02-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

All week I've been waiting for my package to be delivered and it finally arrived Friday.

Hooray for Omaha Steaks!

This is my 2nd time ordering from Omaha Steaks.

I had been wanting to try them for FOREVER! So last September, I finally decided to give in. I ordered the steak pet treats (for Skipper), bacon wrapped filet of top sirloin, top sirloin, burgers, and stuffed baked potatoes.

I wasn't planning on ordering again because to me - beef is beef? It was good but so good I would pay $6-$8 for a 6oz. top sirloin...not so much. Skipper did love his pet treats but its also hard to justify $6 for 3oz of pet treats when he'll gladly eat a regular non-fancy dog treat for much cheaper.

Downside to ordering from Omaha Steaks...uhh the daily or two or three times a day phone calls I received for about 45 days after I ordered from them. Luckily the calls have cut back to only once or twice a month :)

Well the meat must have been good and the calls must not have been that bad because I finally cracked again and ordered Round 2!

Luckily I'd been holding off until I found a good deal on them and free shipping. I refuse to pay $18 or more to ship steaks even if they are from Omaha :)

This time the freezer is stocked with 10 burgers, 2 filet mignons, 2 top sirloins, chicken breasts, gourmet franks, and stuffed baked potatoes.

Dinner updates to come!

Love~
Bre

Found a new blog

2010-02-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed on the top of the blog you are reading it has a link that says "Next Post".

I clicked it for the first time. Ever. And I found this great blog which I've now become a follower of.

Partridge in a Pear Tree - Full of creativity, I'm sure you'll love her posts just as much as I have!

Love,
Bre

Cleanse Update

2010-02-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

So far I'm happy with the cleanse, it hasn't effected me with any negative effects. Only thing I dread is taking 4 pills in the morning and 8 pills at night.

A co-worker suggested that I take measurements of myself so I can compare results. I know I should but I figured I weighed myself and I know how tight my jeans are (LOL), that should be enough to compare the results.

2 days down, 12 more days to go!

Love,
Bre

Starting a whole body cleanse

2010-02-25T00:59:00.000-08:00

My co-worker and I decided we wanted to try doing a body cleanse. Neither of us have tried one before so we went tonight to The Vitamin Shoppe.

We were told it's advisable to pick a cleanse that is longer than a week, they said a week really isn't enough time to detox. So we ended up picking a 2-week program called Whole Body Cleanse.

We are starting our cleanse in the morning, wish me luck I'll keep you updated!

Love,
Bre

Join me in my daily journey?

2010-02-23T23:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog....

Everyday I think of something or I find something cool or an event occurs and I always wish I had a place to write and tell everyone about it...

And now I do!

Join me on my daily journey...we'll be baking cupcakes, having adventures with my dog-Skipper, cutting coupons, shopping, crafting, cooking, trying to exercise and lose weight, find love, become a better person, help others and who knows what else will happen along the way!

Love,
Bre