sweet little cakes and a simple little 'scape

Happy Easter!

I spent Saturday baking Easter cupcakes for the first Easter dinner Mark and I hosted in our home. I found the cutest liners, crackers and napkins for my tablescape, and used the arrangement from my first floral design class for the centerpiece. {The candles and burlap runner were from my wedding tablescapes.}

~butter and eggs captured with my new lens~

~pretty liners found on sale: pink & yellow petals for vanilla and chocolate cakes~

~the first time I EVER over-portioned~

~completely unsalvageable~

~cupcake toppers~

~napkins from ikea and crackers from sur la table~

~simple tablescape with plenty of room for the food~

happy hearts day

Yesterday, my mailman (mailwoman? mailcarrier.) delivered a sweet little package.

And inside, was this sweet little treat from my sweet friend.

It made my heart smile.

I hope you have someone who makes your heart shine - a friend, a significant other, someone special, a child or even a pet.

Happy Valentine's Day

life lately

A few snapshots of what I've been up to during my hibernation.

Handmade banner and Christmas cards from friends and family.

Setting the stage for our New Year's Eve eve family dinner {mark and I hosted 14 people!}

Festive fingers - gold and glittery for the new year.

Canadian water has made its way on to grocery store shelves. {p.s. it's delicious}

best friends

After a busy day at work, I attended the Nordstrom private holiday shopping event. I got to pick up a few things {including this gift for one of my besties}, shop with my one of my best friends, help her select her Christmas outfit and enjoyed some sweet treats {tray-passed hors d'oeuvres, wine and martinis!}.

While we were browsing, I stumbled upon these cute iPhone cases from Rebecca Minkoff. I absolutely love the new twist on the old best friend necklaces.

~it even comes in pink!~

And now I'm more obsessed than ever to upgrade to an iPhone...c'mon iPhone 5!

A side note: I have never seen so many Louis Vuitton handbags in one place before - except for an actual Louis Vuitton store. It was crazy!

happy halloween!

This weekend, I spent time with Superman and Bumblebee. How lucky am I?

~my nephews in their costumes at their school's fall carnival~

This year, I didn't dress up myself - or my house, really, since we're still unpacking - but I'm loving this festive look. And with Halloween decorations on sale now, I can stock up on items at a discount. Who doesn't love that?

~via~

Happy Halloween!

easter...italian-style

As I mentioned here, this Easter Sunday was a special treat. Since Mark and my dad were in Virginia, my sister-in-law invited my mom and I over to celebrate with homemade raviolis, chicken, pork, pasta, salad, bread and lots of dessert.

And there was only five adults and two kids.

But that's the way our holiday meals are. Lots of food, lots of fun and even more love {if you can imagine it}.

~ Nonna and L finishing up the pork ~

~ homemade raviolis from scratch...you can't beat it ~

~ M being goofy with his salad in his teeth ~

~ J checking out the dessert ~

~ tuckered out ~

~ doesn't he look like the cutest zombie ever? S just up from a nap ~

childhood easter memories

When I was little, my community's Jaycees Club would put on an annual Easter parade. I would usually walk - or ride on a float - in the parade as either part of my church or my Girl Scouts troop. Either way, I enjoyed tossing candy to the other kids.

I found out that this year the parade celebrated its 35th anniversary and is now sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. I think it's so cool that this tradition continues.

When I stopped by my parent's place to spend some time with my mom, I saw their new neighbors were planning to participate.

easter weekend

Today, my mom is headed over to my future sister-in-law's house to learn how to make handmade raviolis {from scratch} with my SIL's 90-year-old Nonna. Nonna is amazing and an absolutely beautiful woman. We'll be enjoying the made-from-scratch meals on Easter Sunday, and I can't wait. Nonna's pasta is the best, so I'm excited my mom is learning the tricks of the trade.

I'll be putting together Easter baskets for my nephews tonight, filled with candy, arts and crafts. What goes in your Easter basket?

~image~

cupcake candids

My famous Peanut Butter Bliss cupcakes are usually a big hit, and these shots of my little nephews enjoying them are priceless.

M loves to eat them in one bite...though even the mini ones are a little too big for his mouth.

...the shove...

...the chew...

...the paper scrape...

couch cruiser

Two of my favorite Christmas gifts this year have to be this...

and this...

And thanks to my company gifting me with a few days off, I was able to fully enjoy what these two have to offer. Mark and I spent some quality time snuggling on the sofa and catching up on old episodes of Arrested Development  and movies like "Food Inc." {as if I wasn't already making a change in the way I eat, this movie helped pushed me over the edge} and "District 9."

Of course, my holiday wasn't entirely spent in front of the TV - Mark and I completed some much-needed home improvement projects. Just some little things but they've made a big difference. Check back later this week for a full update!

miss me?

Sorry I've not been posting this past week - my company gave me a wonderful Christmas gift...four extra days off, and I've been taking advantage of them to the fullest!

I promise to get back to my usual posting schedule next week.


Happy New Year!

frohe weihnachten

When I was in high school, I went on a whirlwind trip through Europe one summer and was lucky enough to visit seven countries in three weeks. One of my top spots was in Germany - Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg is this picture-perfect Medieval town full of history {and, consequently, tourists}. It's home to a beautiful church, a gorgeous city square, the Medieval Crime Museum {complete with torture devices and an impressive collection of chastity belts} and my personal favorite : the Kathe Wohlfahrt store. The store has the most amazing collection of Christmas treasures I've ever seen and it had me wishing of a Bavarian Christmas, especially since it was the middle of a hot and sticky summer.

The other day, my 1,000 Places to See Before you Die calendar surprised me with this:

Although it's not Rothenburg and the Kathie Wohlfahrt store, Nuremberg's Christkindlmarkt has me adding a trip to Germany to my Christmas list for next year. Anyone have an in with Santa? I've been a very good girl this year...

weekend update

I don't usually wait until the last minute to finish my Christmas shopping, let alone wait until the last minute to even start, but such is the case this year. From 8 a.m. Saturday to 10:30 Sunday night, I was going non-stop.

Saturday morning started with a hike up South Mountain's Telegraph Pass with two friends, then to America's Taco Shop with Mark. Neither he nor I had been there before, but I'd been dying to try it for a while now. It was so yummy that I didn't stop to take photos of all the carne asada goodness.

Then I was off to do some Christmas shopping...and in the middle of suburbia {San Tan Mall, for those of you who live in the Valley} were three deputies on horseback. Welcome to the Wild West!

Sunday morning had me up-and-at-'em early again. House chores mixed with some more shopping and a stop by Lux Coffee for a mid-morning pick-me-up.

~that's a non-fat iced caramel latte - delish!~

Mark and I headed out for a quick lunch at one of our fave fast-food burger joints - Five Guys. They just opened one near our house. And while they're delicious, you can't eat more than one every couple of months.

And then, cookie-making madness {photos to come tomorrow} followed by selecting our Christmas tree - told you we were pulling off a last-minute holiday.

~decorations to come soon~

~another great find from Trader Joe's. Only $5!~

And back to work today. I need a day off from my weekend! How did you spend your weekend?

maui wowie

Finally! I've gone through the hundreds of photos from our trip to Maui and, boy, what I wouldn't give to go back.

We relaxed on the beach  

{so much so that I actually napped on the sand. And in the lounge chairs by the pool. Several days in a row. Highly uncharacteristic of me since I'm always begging Mark to go-go-go.} 

We drove the Road to Hana

We hiked to some waterfalls

We explored a lava tube

We enjoyed each others' company

Here are a few of my favorite shots. Please excuse the plethora of SPS {self photo shoots} - it's what happens when you vacation a deux. And Mark is a fantastic SPS photographer.

~don't you just love mark's duck face?~

~very lara croft : tomb raider, non?~

~a gorgeous old banyan tree~