Erin Go Braugh!

CSH and I hosted our weekly dinner with a "Eat Green" theme!

My very green plate and beer...chicken with pesto, green beans, and a green salad with Parmesan cheese..yum!

Here's the festive table...succulent centerpieces, green candles, and scrapbook paper as placemats. Everyone also had a mini shot glass for Irish Car Bombs..

The loves of my life...

Who make every day special in their own ways...

Flea Marketing...

The Rose Bowl Flea Market is very famous and a rather large flea market...I have always wanted to go but never got around to it. Until a few weeks ago. My mom, her friend Sonia and I decided on a beautiful March Sunday to hit Pasadena...and a little Porto's on the way home...

We're here...parking was a breeze...I think we went too late and got lucky.

This is a small sampling of the people...I think the true bargain shoppers come early!

Still found some treasures...like this rocket that I thought CSH would love...it was a promo item for a bank that no longer exists.

I nearly died when I saw this phone. The guy who was selling it must have thought I came from another planet. I had this phone when I was little...who knew I had a treasure!

I have a set of these fairies as well..from 1-18 years...again, didn't know!

Thought this would be a nice motivator for saving my pennies...

My mom and Sonia were impressed I knew this was a hair dryer..imagine that people used this...

I'd buy these only to take the tea pots, they are so pretty.

For the golf fanatics in my family, tacky does not even begin to cover it!

For my father-in-law, the avid wine enthusiast...too bad he's been ebay hunting and has two of these already!

Next time, I am going early so I can see the fabulous furniture that people always claim they buy at these things...oh, and a treat. Going through some jewelery I found what appeared to be a woman's rolex...my mom quickly snapped it up...we wonder if it's real, but at $20 who cares. It's a nice watch, it fits and it runs...

Not a bad Sunday Funday!

Back to work...

I had a couple of days off last week since I've been working like crazy. It's too bad I can't be a lady of leisure...I'd get to hang out with these two all day long!

The Art of Baking

A little sampling of my baking endeavors...



Snowman Cupcakes


Easter Baskets and Bunnies



Easter Rabbit




Hamburgers and French Fries for Father's Day

Giant cupcake for a co-worker's birthday


Sunflowers for a going-away party

October 20

It's been almost four months...and it still seems like yesterday. It was a normal work day. The weekend before I had spent taking care of my grandmother, as my parents had gone to the USC v. NotreDame away game. I thought it would be fun - we'd get to cook and hang out. My grandmother had not been feeling well for weeks, and was due for a procedure to remove some kidney stones the following Friday.

That Tuesday, I called her around 4 o'clock to see how she was feeling. She sounded as best as she had in weeks. Cheerful, she told me she was eating soup that her friend had made for her and that it tasted good. I was happy to hear it, so I went on with my day, working on finalizing homework for my class that night.

I ran late to class that day, had my cell phone on vibrate because we were doing media training. After doing my portion of the media training, I look down at my phone. There were 30+ missed calls, texts, emails...

I knew right then and there what had happened. The voicemail from my husband confirmed it...my grandmother had passed away. I drove to the hospital thinking - this is a dream...it can't be happening...but unfortunately for me, it was the truth.

I walk into the room, and my mom just comes crying to me, that she had tried, but that they couldn't save her...my grandmother was a special person. She was a fighter, stubborn and beautiful at the same time. A person who was not happy in life. The only thing that made her happy was being with me. I looked at her, laying on the gurney, with a sheet over her, just her head exposed. I touched her cold hand and held it for what seemed to be hours, and I could swear that it was warm again. How could this person whom I love so much be gone. There were so many things running through my head...I never said goodbye, I never said I love you, I never gave you a great-grandchild....I complained about you, and wondered why you wanted to talk to me every day....we never got to cook that weekend...

Abuela, I miss you every single day. I know you are with me...I can smell and feel you, your blocked phone calls are still coming through. I'm listening, I promise. I'm trying really hard. I hope I am making you proud and I hope you are taking care of me in your own special way....

Te quiero mi abuelita...

Wishing life away...

Aren't we all just wishing our lives away?  "I wish it were the weekend...I wish this event would come already...I wish it was my birthday..."  I am guilty of it.  As an event professional, I am CONSTANTLY wishing my life away.  Always wanting that next event to come and be over with, so I can cross that sucker off my list and "move on with life".  

As I get closer to what I call my scary age (30..it's looming - and yes, I know, 30 is the new 20), I am wanting to revert back to the glorious times of middle school.  No care in the world other than to do my homework, get the straight A's, and get a chance to play.  My only care was to make sure no braces fell out for fear that I would have to pay to have them replaced...I was bad, I didn't listen to the lecture of what foods not to eat.  

If only I could go back to that moment in time, knowing what I know now about life.  A time when I wasn't wishing to wear makeup and heels, where I could go to work wearing whatever I wanted. Not worrying about grown-up things like paying the mortgage or wondering how I'm going to make it through a 14-hour day.  Not worrying about my mom and how she's dealing with having two ill people to take care of.  Not worrying about a missing relationship in life or what people think of me.  

Just not worrying...now that's something I still wish for...and something I desperately want to come true.