if not now...when?

merry christmas... to ME!

why is it when we are supposed to out shopping for all of our family and friends that we find sooooo many cute things for OURSELVES?? i can't be the only one who does this, am i?

  

had to go to anthropologie (that took a lot of arm twisting ;)) to get a gift and found this adorable little orla kiely journal. it is the coolest little book - most journals seem to have lined pages. not this baby - it has lined, blank, and graph paper pages, and cool little vellum dividers. so cute. AND it fits perfectly in the middle pocket of my new lori marie  bag!!! i have been wanting one of her bags ever since i saw cheryl's like a year ago. i just hadn't seen the right one until i saw this little lovebird tote. i love it - thanks to lori marie for being so creative and so sweet, and well, for being such a fast shipper. her stuff is definitely first rate! :)  (and, beth, i know you're jealous! :P)

we are freezing our little butts off here in so cal. now yes, i know that the high 30's sounds downright balmy to some of you, but oh baby, it feels chilly to us. the warm weather - i think it thins our blood... but, i have to say that i enjoy having my fireplace running and snuggling down with the family. it's kinda fun, but i'm still cold! ;)

hoping to get out to the mission inn out in riverside sometime in the next two weeks to see their festival of lights. it is supposed to be one of the best christmas light displays in the country. if that isn't calling my name, i just don't know what would.

  

yep, this one looks like it could become a new holiday tradition.

we are going to LA tomorrow to see Wicked! very excited to take sarah to see this. and in an effort to miss traffic, we are going up early. hopefully, we will be able to find some good light displays in hollywood or los feliz. i will try to get pictures - wish me luck! :) and finally, it should be a very disney christmas around here very soon... stay tuned, and stay warm! :)

almost midway thru december...

and i am really hating typepad right now. i just had a long post, complete with CHRISTMAS LIGHT info, and POOF, typepad made it disappear like jimmy hoffa. grrrr... i think it is this new editor. it's making typepad act really weird for me.

i'll give links to the maps for what i think are two of the best christmas light displays in south orange county.

bramford street candy cane lane 

this is a very special neighborhood where i think about 99.9% of the houses are lit up. so worth the trip! :)

el corzo, rancho santa margarita 

this winter wonderland is kind of out of the way for a lot of people, and the crowds can be off-putting, but once you get out of your car and walk down this street, you'll feel like you are in another world, complete with SNOW and a mini ice rink. GO - you will not be disappointed, i promise! ;) i posted a ton of pictures of it a couple of years ago here. 

and yay!! snowdays is back!! you can go here and make the coolest virtual snowflakes. my kids LOVE this site, and i bet yours will, too!   

one last thing. if you love christmas treats, you must go to trader joe's. they have so many yummies - peppermint joe joes (oreos), salted caramels, triple gingersnaps, the list goes on and on. so good - make sure you put some of these delicacies on your christmas list. ;)

and if you scrapbookers out there need something really, really cool to ask for for christmas, THIS might be the perfect thing to ask for under the tree. it is being put on by scrapbook oasis and my awesome friend, susan lyons. i know that susan is a planner extraordinaire, and that karen and scrapbook oasis always hit it out of the park with their events, so this should be amazing.    

sorry no pics on this post, but typepad is *NOT* my friend right now.

hope everyone had a great weekend! :) 

pearl harbor day

one of the most striking places i have ever visited was the USS Arizona memorial in pearl harbor, hawaii. it seemed hard for me to process what had happened when it is now such a peaceful place.

it is believed that there are only 6,000 pearl harbor survivors still alive. and each year, it seems as though there is less remember of that day, and their sacrifices.

so, a remembrance of a day and a sacrifice that we should never forget...

'tis the season...

for appetizers!

these little frittatas are soooo good. i made them in a mini cupcake pan. it worked perfectly. they weren't hard to make, but they did take a lot of work, if i remember correctly...

from cooking light (can you tell i like that magazine?):

Individual Potato-Bacon Frittatas

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 2 frittatas)

Ingredients

• 3/4  pound  small red potatoes (about 6)
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
• 4  bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (drained)
• 1 3/4  cups  egg substitute
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook 25 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in potato, cheese, and bacon.

Combine egg substitute, salt, and black pepper. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups or 6-ounce ramekins coated with cooking spray. Pour egg mixture evenly over vegetable mixture. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until set. Remove from muffin cups, and cool slightly.

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here is a fun holiday/wintery event i found for this weekend. these snow events are always fun. i would be going if sarah wasn't sick... :(

20th Annual Winter Wonderland

Saturday, December 6th

10:30am-1pm

Bonita Creek Park (3010 La Vida, Newport Beach

Celebrate the warm sounds of holiday mustic and enjoy 100 tons of snow with the Recreation and Senior Services Department during the 20th Annual Winter Wonderland Event. Bonita Creek Park is transformed into a winter escapade, with sledding, snowman building, holiday crafts and more. Although Santa and his elves are busy, they will make a special visit. Throughout the festivities, food and photos will be for sale. Additional parking and shuttle service is available in the lot located at 1701 Camelback Street.

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here is a link for a map to a christmas light display in aliso viejo. greenbriar is the main street with the lights, but they are really kind all over the whole area. i haven't been this year, but there were lots of good displays here.

apparently, i don't have street addresses saved for a lot of the really good lights that we go to every year. i will be on a MISSION this weekend, out finding them and bringing them to you. i hope that there are a lot of you who love christmas lights like we do! :)

i actually scrapbooked last night for the first time in about 6 months. when i get all my stuff organized, i'll post some pictures of the merry day album i'm working on! it was so fun to get out and see some friends! ;)

3 weeks and counting people!!! :D

button lovers, check this out!

from martha stewart, look at this totally darling button wreath!

how fun and easy this would be to make with your kids. i know that i am not the only scrapbooker who got caught up in buying 2,968,563 buttons. time to dig into the stash. ;) martha has a bunch of other button ornaments that you can make, but i love the simplicity of this.

i was wondering in anyone has ever made homemade marshmallows? i saw a recipe for them here, and i wondered if they are worth the trouble? one of the commenters over there said they taste just like store-bought. i thought the little stars were soooo cute... it makes me want to make hot chocolate! :)

the countdown is on!

we got this starbucks advent calendar a few years ago. my kids totally love it - they have been waiting to start it ever since we started getting the christmas decorations down.

   

i'm going to post a picture of it as my profile picture everyday as our official countdown to christmas! 24 days to go. will you be ready?

i will also be doing an album along with girls over at freckle friends for merry days 2008. even though i am no longer on the design team, i know that they have the best group of girls over there, merry days is album with a daily scrapping prompt for the month of december. lots of good christmas goodies, i'm sure. sharing traditions and ideas and inspiration - sounds like heaven! i might be a couple of days late in starting it, but once i do, i'll try to post my layouts. :)

one little last glimpse into our holiday preparations - our new lighted deer. love them!

i have lots more to post - some really special local light displays in time for some christmas light touring by the weekend - so stay tuned!