if not now...when?

moving on up...

been working on a little project for a while now, and i am so happy to announce that i've made a big move!

 

welcome to suburban crafty !

i've been working hard at getting it all together, and coming from someone who doesn't know HTML from CSS, it's been a challenge! but i think it's coming together! definitely a work in progress. still, i didn't want to keep posting over here when i have such a nice new home. i hope you'll come visit!

unfortunately, this blog will be taken down within a few weeks, so any links or subscriptions that you might have will no longer work. lucky for me, wordpress makes migrating blogs very, very simple, so all of my years of posts and PICTURES (yay!!) from here are now nestled snug in their beds in our new home.

inspired...

seriously, how inspired must i be to blog TWICE in one day? 

i am a fan of barn light electric on facebook. they post amazing makeovers in which people use their very cool, retro looking light fixtures. love them so much. today, they posted the bathroom makeover  of a very talented designer, michelle of three men and a lady. take a gander at this bathroom:

 

the shower curtain. swoon. and that mirror - divine!!

 

my bathroom is so similar to hers - it's a bit smaller, but same basic layout. i just hate the big boring mirror and the ugly 80's apartment light strip. and the oak - ugh.

    

  i think i see a makeover in my future. i'm sure my husband will be thrilled! ;)

in other "inspiration" news, i realized that i had FINISHED layouts(!!!) that i never shared!! i know, i was the girl who thought a while back that she might not be a scrapbooker anymore. but all i need to to be around the right people and in the right atmosphere, and actually created (and enjoyed it).

 

   

 

oh, scrapbooking, how i've missed you.

 
 

 

back to school 2010

well, another summer has come to a close here in so cal. it was late this year - furlough days kept us on vacation until mid-september... not that i'm complaining! if there is one thing most people know about me, it's that i LOVE having my kids home with me. sending them back to school is just sad, sad, sad for me. this year was tough because we have had some pretty major changes at our school, and i have actually been dreading it more than the average year.

thankfully, though, kids are so resilient and much stronger than we as parents give them credit for. we had our first day yesterday, and i think we can make this a successful year for everyone. happy dance for mama! i'm going to do my level best to keep from yanking them out and homeschooling every time i am frustrated. ;)

 

my little social butterfly was the one in the family utterly excited to go back. this one loves flitting from the playground to the soccer field, playing with her friends and just having a general great time. it's so nice to see her blossom with the other kids. she's just the outgoing on in the family. hopefully, second grade with be a great year for her!

 

and then there is this guy. just looking at this picture makes me want to burst with pride and have a massive anxiety attack all at once. it's so HIM - the big boy with the VERY grown up face, with the little boy in the star wars lego shirt still hanging on. i cannot believe how old he looks here. he was hesitant about this year. our school is unusual in that the kids stay with the same teachers for multiple years. he absolutely loved his teacher last year, and she has always been the fourth grade teacher as well. with the mess that our school districts are in and facing massive budget cuts, we lost one of our 4 teachers last year, and the classroom shuffle was on. both of my kids got caught up in it, but jack was pretty devastated to lose his favorite teacher. change doesn't sit well with this one. ;) but the day really went smoothly and i think he accepted the situation with a great deal of maturity and poise. proud of this one, i am...

i found these cute little back to school treats via my friend lisa on facebook. rolo pencils and hershey's kisses points?? seriously, who comes up with this stuff?? i made them for the kids, their teachers, their new principal, and our sweet school secretary. how CUTE are these??

 

 

i guess they were featured in creating keepsakes recently, but i must have missed that issue. i'm so glad i saw them online. they were really fun.

and me, well, only 173 days of school until summer vacation, so there ya go! ;) no, really,  i am going to work to make this a productive and fun year for them both. even though we might not choose the homeschool route, i still have some plans in store for us. i think fourth grade in CA is the BEST year, so i have a big "field trip" planned for me and jack to visit sacramento and some of the historical sights in nor cal. really, really looking forward to that. sarah will be getting the chance to take some fun classes and maybe join another soccer team. she enjoyed it last year. and of course, time to go back to brownies and boy scouts. busy busy busy!

have a great day! :)

 

never forget

annually, on the anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11, i share this post to remember Giann F. Gamboa, who tragically lost his life in the World Trade Center on that tragic day. this remembrance is part of project 2.996, a collection of stories and blog posts about the people who were killed that day.

in addition to Giann's story, i wanted to share a message that i received from one of his close friends, Rich Costa. 

Thanks so much for doing this for Giann. He was a special man and like a son to me. Although he did not work for Windows on the World in the North Tower, (but rather the Top of the World Observation Deck in the South Tower), I am told he did get off of an elevator on the 78th floor of the South tower to let others leave. While waiting for the next elevator, the second plane struck. 
It is good to know he is up there watching us.
Rich Costa

as a part of the 2,996 project, i remember and honor Giann F. Gamboa.

 

as a manager at the windows on the world restaurant atop the north tower of the world trade center, Giann was among 73 employees who died in the collapse of the tower. ( Mr. Costa has corrected me that Giann actually worked at the South Tower Observation Deck.)

Giann was one of the countless heroes that terrible day - thinking of someone more frightened and more fragile than himself when he gave his employee his spot in the elevator. 


in the years since I originally posted a tribute to Giann, people have continued to share their memories from near and far. this spring, a beautiful young lady named Gaby Gamboa posted her own tribute to Giann. Gaby is Giann's sister. here is her tribute to a brother she obviously loves very much.

June 06, 2009

Giann is my brother, and he was my best friend too, every day I remember all the things I used to do with him when he came to Ecuador, Giann was the most important person in my life and my big pride, I miss him a lot... I am grateful to all hes friends especially Rich Costa, because I know how my brother appreciated you.

Gaby Gamboa Ambato, Equador

and just this week, a cousin of Giann's posted her thoughts on the man she never got a chance to know.

September 10, 2009

Even though i did not know Giann F. Gamboa I just found out he had died and was apart of my mom's side the family and i just turned 12,i really never knew him our really seen him i was only little but i will regret it for the rest of my life i hope that i will see him in the after life my god take care of you and my the lord bless you with all his might i wish you luck up there i will always remember you for the rest of my life love ur distant cousin xoxo <3

Krystal Penafiel, Miami, Florida

gaby and crystal, if you ever read this, i am so sorry for your loss.

here are some comments about giann that were left in internet guestbooks in the months and years following 9/11/2001.

Giann,
You were a great co-worker with a heart of gold. One significant thing I remember about you was your (Smile) For his smile could brighten up anyone's day. May God continue to watch over your soul for eternalty.

Terry Edwards (Queens, NY)

How I miss you Giann. You took my spot to manage that Observation Deck and you learned the ropes. I always remember your battle cry (Uhyuuhhuhh!!!) echo through the core from the 107 to the 110 floors. We spent alot of time together, and we had plans to open the best eating place in NY. You will always remain the strong, kind and wonderful person that I will always remember. We helped each other many times, even that last Friday. If you did get to Ecuador that week, I bet you would have been made El Presidente!! God keep you. I miss you, hermano.

Tony

Giann worked for me when I was GM of the Observation Deck. He was the best. He was both a hard worker and a really nice and kind person. When ever things got tense, he would tell me "Rich, relax". I try to imagine him telling me that know as I worry that he is ok.
He did not really get into religion until after I left to become a theology teacher. We had a great relationship, but I wish we could have had some talks about what became his passion. 
I have two sons, and I would be honored if they turned out like Giann.

I miss him so much.



Rich Costa

here is a photo of giann's church friends, desperate to find word on their missing friend.

 

Jenny Mosquera, Claudia Marmolejo and Margerie Cuartas hold a picture of their friend and church member Giann Gamboa who worked at Windows on the World Restaurant on the 107th floor and is now missing.

(Newsday /Bruce Gilbert)

Copyright © 2006, Newsday, Inc.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i couldn't find a lot of information on Giann. i was able to glean that he was probably born in equador, south america. i imagine that he was an immigrant to this country, full of homes and dreams of a better life.  with his job, his friends and girlfriend, and his church, it sounds as though he had found that.

Giann Gamboa was only 26 years old on that day in september. his dreams were only beginning to come true. it make me so angry that his life was extiguished in such a terrible way.

from the ashes of the wtc and windows on the world come a glimmer of hope. proof that life does go on - proof that lower manhattan is still alive and that they will never forget those who were lost. the surviving employees of the windows on the world who, by fate or luck or chance, were not at work that crisp morning, have opened a co-operative restaurant called Colors. you can read about the genesis of the restaurant here.

i am so sorry that this happened to you, Giann. i honor you and the others who died on 9/11. you may not have been known by many, but i will never, ever forget you.

postcards...

of summer.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we wish it wasn't over quite so soon!
  

 

 

  

the summer of... cupcakes??

who knew that this would become a season of baked goods and buttercream! with the dreadful weather we've been experiencing, i guess it's good to have something to look forward to. ;)

i know that cupcakes have been all the rage lately, and we've sort of taken them on lately! sarah asks to watch cupcake wars and ace of cakes  every day, and i happily comply. definitely preferable to the days of icarly and spongebob, you know?

i was also fortunate enough to attend oc cupcake camp last month. holy confections batman!! i heard that there were over 800 people in attendance. it sure felt like it - very crowded, but there were some great cupcake bakers with some amazing offerings.

a new favorite: two parts sugar. yummy orange-vanilla bean cupcake. loved it. they had such a dramatic display! (oh, and if you have a child who loves yo gabba gabba, you MUST check out her site - trust me on this one!) 
 

another notable was fellow blog crusher, meringue bakeshop. her best in show orange crush cupcake was yummy and adorable!

 

frostings cupcakes had a great lemon drop cupcake - i tend to judge cupcakeries by their lemon cupcakes if at all possible. i had tried a cupcake at their bakery in lake forest when they first opened and was a bit underwhelmed, but this lemon cake was quite good.

 

my delight cupcakery was another award winner (their chocolate sundae smile was awarded "most childhood inspired"). their more interesting choice was their breakfast cake, complete with bacon and maple syrup?!?! i wish i had found the nerve to try that one! bacon seems to be as popular as cupcakes this year...

 

in the amateur division, who wouldn't love this "most OC" entry?? an in-n-out burger! i loved this!

 

and a selection of other offerings from the event...

and apart from the participants at cupcake camp, a brand spankin' new bakery opened up in the neighborhood - the cupcake store. we visited them just a few days after they open. a bit of a mixed bag. one of their cupcakes - the celebration cupcake - was awful. we ended up throwing it away. but i have to say that their lemon drop cupcake was fabulous. really good! and the pure chocolate was very good, too. i could have used a bit less frosting. why is it that cupcakes are almost always sold with a ridiculous over-abundance of frosting?? i know i can't be the only one was feels this way...

still, that lemon filling was mmm mmm good! 

so go find yourself a fabulous cupcake and toast these final days of summer. *cheers*
 

 
  

 
   

reflections made me do it!

last weekend, my friends susan and karen held their annual scrapbook retreat reflections in newport beach. i was fortunate to be able to be on hand to help out by being a TA and a general runner-arounder-and-get-stuff-doner. true to the bar that they set at their inaugural event last year, the did a fabulous job again this year. they really pay attention to details and to the happiness and comfort of their guests. the amount of work that goes into an event like this is astounding, and i am happy that it was so successful for them! :)

i was able to help out in the classes of a couple of their instructors, kelly goree and kelly purkey. both of these girls just really ooze talent. you know i'm not one to suck up to someone because they are well known in the scrapbook industry or anything, so believe me when i say from the heart that there is a heap of talent and creativitity going on there. they both inspired me to go home and do some scrapping, and that's just what i did! 

i've been doing some traveling in the past month, so i have an abundance of photos to scrap. hopefully, i will stay on this creative streak! 

this one is based on a studio calico sketch, and it is sarah with her little best bud at her birthday party.

 

i was fortunate enough to take a trip with some friends to victoria, BC last month, and let me tell you, the flowers up there were outstanding. i took sooooo many pictures, it will be a challenge to be able to display or share them all. i thought this layout would be a good little sample.

 

i found this layout i did recently that i don't think i have shared. my sweet babies.

 

hmmm, that is a little crooked, and look, they actually look like they love each other here!! ;) that's what my journaling was about - for them to remember these times when they are getting along. otherwise they might go through life thinking that they just want to rip each others throats out... lol! 

mother's day was very sweet around here this year. i got a couple of books from my amazon wish list (love those things!!) - pioneer woman cooks and blogging your bliss. looks like i have some reading to do, and maybe some cooking, too. PW's book is beautifully put together and photographed - very colorful, just like her cooking tutorials on her blog. love those crash hot potatoes!! and if you haven't heard of blogging your bliss, you really should check out tara frey's blog. beee-u-tiful!!

my best gifts, however, came from the heart. really deep down in the heart. like this.

 

now THAT, my friends, is what it is all about. hope your day was as wonderful as mine! xoxo

it's been a fairy land around here...

we had a big birthday around here a couple of weeks ago, and this past weekend brought the big fairy party to celebrate! it was very fun, very girly, and very, very cute to see a bunch of little little 5-7 year old girls running around in little tutus and princess gowns.

 

our whole theme was based around the little fairies on top of the cupcakes. we found this meri meri fairy wishes cupcake kit at the heavenly hostess store in old towne orange. SO cute.

 

from there, we picked out goodies. lots of goodies. thank goodness for the dollar spot for these cute pails. 

 

i baked and baked.

 

and i decorated and decorated and decorated...

 

 

 

the girls pranced and ran around the house and the yard, enjoying the beautiful day and each other's company. i painted brown frames from the dollar store for them to decorate, and then snapped a picture of each guest with the birthday girl. i printed them with my selphy - instant party favor. 

searching for rollie pollies...

what's a party without a pinata?

 

overall, i think it was a great party with a lot of laughter and a lot of little girl happiness. 

happy birthday, sarah!

 

hello typepad

how are you this fine day? i'm actually thinking of leaving you. you might think it's because i rarely blog anymore, but really, i have some ideas brewing in my head. i think it might be time to move on. the economy - it sucks, you know. i'm sure that there are others who have moved along their merry way. (shhhh... i even bought a new domain name, and i know i can take it somewhere else for a lot less money every month.) change is hard, but necessary to move forward sometimes. so many ideas... keep an eye out to see where i land.... ;)

in the meantime, look! i actually scrapped! i was waiting ever so patiently since CHA for the girls paperie to arrive in stores. imagine my glee when i walked into scrapbook oasis this weekend and there it was. and voila! i got out my slice and my sewing machine and had some fun.

 

note to self...in the future, sewing in circles on multiple layers of cardstock might not be your wisest move. but i like how it turned out. something different...

so nice to see my boy out having fun with his friends. it felt like summer this past weekend, so it was a great day for a bike ride. the rain that has been drenching us this winter is allegedly on its way back today... i can't wait! i have loved having "weather" this year. the hills are so green and there are wildflowers everywhere. love the poppies and lupine cropping up along the sides of the roads and on the hillsides. oh, and the $1.29 daffodils at trader joe's. now that is true love! xo

 

another sign that spring is here... look what we have right next to our front door.

 
these are not the best pictures but if you look closely, it's a little mommy hummingbird!! little eggs about the size of a jelly belly. she's the cutest thing - brave and protective. i can't wait until these babies hatch - i love that birds flock to our house to nest. every year, we have one or two. i guess they feel safe here. i can just sit on the patio and watch the bird community go about their business. the crazy neighbor has a huge (overgrown) tree that they love. it's like my own little nature sanctuary in the middle of suburbia.

countdown to easter break is on - two more days of school and we are FREEEEEE!!! i love school vacations! and after that, i have a grown-up vacation planned. in two weeks, you can find me here, perhaps sipping on some tea or exploring a garden or two. 

april is going to be a good month! ;) 

villa romano green farms

thanks to blythe over at orange county daily photo, i learned about Villa Romano Green Farms in san clemente. words are almost inadequate to describe what we found at this little spot situated on a bank of dirt over a golf course parking lot, tucked in the hills behind my sleepy little hometown. it's such a gem, a diamond in the rough, really... i think the pictures we took really tell their story. (iphone photos, so excuse the quality).

VR Green Farms is a teeny tiny little farm located on the grounds of the bella collina golf course in rancho san clemente. in an attempt to bring some old world italian flavor to orange county, this farm is cultivating old-world foods like sicilian tomatoes, italian romaine lettuces, and a true bounty of other selections.

 

so much going on in this picture. on the plate is a garlic plant that was roasting in an open air fire pit. you peel the layers off and eat the delicious garlicky goodness inside. YUM. that little brown roll? fresh fig and honey bread. the breads were baked that morning and delivered while we were standing there. they have honey - so good. mango honey, sage honey, and in the jar here, lemon curd honey. it was so sweet - it was really like candy. and all that you see here? it was being generously doled out by this very nice man.

 

this is farmer nic. this is a man who clearly loves food and loves italy. what a great combo! ;) we could have stayed here all day and talked about cooking and traveling all day long. he clearly has a passion that is infectious. oh, if only we could all find that kind of passion. he finds wonderful baked goods, fresh olive oil, those amazing honeys, and in a unique twist, heirloom seeds from all over italy.

 

golden beets that i brought home and added to a root vegetable mixture in the crockpot. loved the rustic wine crates that held a lot of the food.

flowering arugula - it was beautiful and had a sort of nutty flavor.

sweet organic carrots and fennel (actually not my favorite food) alongside the long garlic plants we ate from the fire.

 

the rain started coming and we got this shot of the farm from a distance. it may not look like much, but they are growing and really, it's the hospitality and the aromas and the flavors that lure you in.

VR Green Farms offers a weekly basket CSA type program. each basket includes 10-12 different fruits and vegetables, along with one of the freshly baked bread products for $25/week. they will also send you on your way with recipes to help you enjoy your goodies. (they also offer a section of recipes on their website.) they also make all of their surplus veggies, along with a great selection of breads and other items, available at the farm on saturdays. 

and last, but certainly not least, VR Green Farms offers cooking classes, food and cultural events, and even kid's classes (complete with pizza tasting). 

i look forward to visiting VR Green Farms again (and again and again)! i can't wait for their tomatoes to come into season. oh, and did i mention ARTICHOKES?? yep, i saw them growing over on a hill above their stone patio. i. can't. wait. if you are in OC, i'd highly recommend that you pay them a visit. 

VR Green Farms

200 Avenida de la Pata, San Clemente, CA 92673.