Boom Boom Pow Knockoff!

Deborah Lippmann's Boom Boom Pow polish is all the rage right now....

Lippmann Collection Nail Lacquer - Boom Boom Pow

 at $20 a bottle (yes, it does contain 24-karat gold dust), I was NOT interested.

So...I did a little research and found that Sally Hansen had made something similar

at only $3 a bottle...NOW I was interested :)

I first applied 2 coats of Essie's Sand Tropez (love that color)

Essie Spring 2011 French Affair Polish, Sand Tropez

 and then added two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Set the Stage....

I love this type of glitter polish because there are some bigger flecks mixed in, it does not cover the entire nail, and for me, makes this look more "wearable".

So, I think this is a .....

BOOM BOOM WOW!!!!

Celebrating 3 years with Our Lucy Joy!

 3 years ago today,  this little "light" came into our lives....

Our tradition is to ask Lucy what she would like to do on her day, you can go HERE to see last years festivities :).  So, here are her choices for today....

Out to breakfast with Daddy

Swim Lessons

Our friends, The Brown's asked to take her to lunch :)

Go to the park

Pedicure from Mommy

Pasta or Tacos for dinner

and

Rootbeer Floats

"Gotcha" Lucy Joy!!

xoxo

What I'm Reading!

My lastest "haul" from the library :)

I just finished A Vintage Affair...I thought it was great!

Just getting started on As Husbands Go

I am anxious to get into The Beauty Detox Solution...I had heard it was "similar" to Crazy Sexy Diet, but some liked it better...we shall see :)

Clean Start is a "clean eating" cookbook, I am anxious to check out the recipes :)

I need to get reading...I have two more books to pick up from the library that I have been waiting for, Cutting for Stone and Room: a novel!!

Perfect Iced Coffee {In My Kitchen}

I love Iced Coffee in the summer...BUT I usually don't love it when I make it using our coffee leftover from the morning...it always tastes too diluted for me.

So...I was reading the Pioneer Woman's blog and, of course, she showed me how to make the Perfect Iced Coffee...the trick, "cold pressing"!!

So...here is how I made mine!

Take 2/3 cup of coffee grounds and mix with 3 cups cold water...

let this mix sit out on your counter overnight... 

in the morning pour through a filter into a container to keep in the fridge...I used the filter basket from my coffee pot and a regular old coffee filter ( I think the PW uses cheese cloth...no need :)...

fill your glass with ice, pour 2/3 full with your cold coffee and add milk (I use non-fat) and something to sweeten if you need (I add a couple pumps of vanilla syrup)...

There you have it...the Perfect Iced Coffee!

♥18 Years♥

18 Years ago, my dream was to create this with you...

Toby, thank you for making my dreams come true!

I Love You

What I'm Reading~

My Life From Scratch...I just started this one...Gesine Bullock-Prado former Hollywood film developer and the sister of actress Sandra Bullock (LOVE HER!) leaves her career to move to Vermont with her Husband and open a patisserie...I am looking forward to it! 

A Homemade Life...this one sounded good...the author lives here in Seattle and is author of the foodie blog Orangette

Crazy Sexy Diet....love this book.  I have read through it, and I keep going back to re-read ...I am keeping this one until it's due date...might have to own it at some point!

(I also have The Beauty Detox Solution on hold, so it will be fun to compare the two)

Clean Food...on the heels of reading Crazy Sexy Diet, this has LOTS of great vegetarian/vegan recipes...now I am not either of these (yet), but am finding myself more and more interested :)  Looking through this book last night, I saw LOTS of great recipes using clean whole foods...her motto "keep it simple...keep it natural"!

Chasing Harry Winston...this was a frivolous read and not my "usual", but since all the other books I was waiting for were still on hold I checked it out.  It is acutally by the author of "The Devil wears Prada" which was a fun read, and this was too.

Something's missing....

do you know what it is??

Lucy lost her bottom 2 teeth, within just a couple weeks of each other!

She's pretty happy about it, but then I mentioned the top two are the next to go...and she is not so sure about that :)

It is so amazing to watch this little Girl grow up.

She came to the United States when she was 3 1/2 years old...she learned a new language, a way of life, and had so much "catching up" to do with kids her age develpmentally...and here we are almost exactly 3 years later, and she ONLY speaks English :), she has gotten taller and stronger (she still is a little peanut), and she is meeting all those developmental milestones right on target!

This is one of my FAVORITE hairstyles on her! 

Fourth of July Weekending!

 Red White and Blue

Flags

Festivals

Sunshine

Sunglasses

Crafts

Bouncies

Ice Cream

Car Show

Face Painting

Reading

Relaxing

Iced Tea

Grilled Corn

Pasta Salad 

S'mores 

and 

Sparklers

Happy 4th of July!

2008

2009

Wishing you a Happy and Safe 4th of July!