On Demand

Because I can't resist the lure of posting another homemade video, I present Tyler and Joshua doing what they love....Scootering!!

somethin different

But Wait, There's More!

Okay, I'm on a roll now with this Flip Mino video. Here are the boys goofing off before heading off to school this morning.....

Loop's Homecoming

I absolutely love this Flip Mino!! I can drag the stuff I film into the order I want them to appear and make movies....so easy! Then load them onto Youtube and voila! Instant movie!

Surprise!

I totally forgot to mention that last week I was picking up around the house, specifically in the dining room area and came across a grocery bag that had some Korean ramen noodles in it. They are packed like Top Ramen noodles but a million times better. Hector had picked these up when he and Carlos went to Market World then threw the bag in the dining room thinking it was fine.
Well, it wasn't fine because when I inspected the bag closely, I found another item in there that should have been put in the freezer! A package of eel! Ugh! Okay, to those who aren't familiar with this..it is a piece of eel already pre-cooked then frozen so you can heat it up with rice or you can make your own eel sushi or dragon rolls. Thankfully, the eel is vacuumed packed otherwise I would have found this thing a LOT sooner. Oh yes, the bag was puffy and the eel was not the normal color (if you know what I mean). I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of it. That eel must have been sitting there for about a month..pretty scary in that we don't use that room hardly at all. Gak, what else can be lurking in the house?
I was almost tempted to throw the package in Hector's truck but he meant well...he did the buy the eel for me to enjoy. Too bad it was a nasty surprise! :)

Gift Yarn

My resolution to not buy yarn is working out okay so far this year; I figured that I can receive yarn as gifts or buy yarn with the gift cards I receive. That way I don't really buy yarn. It is definitely a gray area because anyone that knows me knows that I have plenty of yarn in bins.

Well, that leads up to this...my birthday is coming up. I asked Hector if I could have some sock yarn for my birthday. I've had my eye on a sock kit package for a while and my birthday is the perfect opportunity to get it. Hector said yes (yay).

Oh, that reminds me of another kind of sneaky way to get yarn...our friend K went to Argentina & Antartica last month so I asked him if he saw any yarn to buy me a bit. Well, it worked...K said he found yarn in the Falkland Islands so eventually I'll get it when I see him again. Also, Loop went to Italy and I made the same request. She brought me back 3 skeins of sock yarn. Woot!

So far, with this method I got 3 pairs of socks. I'm not sure what kind of yarn K got but I can make it work into anything. With Hector's gift, I get another 6 pairs of socks and it came with 6 sock patterns. As I was reading it over, all the socks are knit toe up. Ha! Good thing I learned that recently!!

this is the spring/summer sock pack....love these colors.

Italian sock yarn....yippee!

Seriously, I gotta stop asking/begging for yarn. Less receiving and more knitting....Sigh.

Toe-Up

I finished another quick project...this time I learned to knit socks from the toe up. All my other socks were knit from the cuff down. I suppose it doesn't really matter but there are instances when knitting toe up socks are preferred.
First, when you're not sure if you'll have enough yarn for a pair of socks. Knitting top down, I knit about 6 inches of leg and then "x" inches for the foot (depending on the size). It would really blow if you didn't have enough yarn to do the toes (unless you want toeless socks, maybe for a pedicure?). So that's when knitting toe up comes in handy where you finish the foot first then when you're almost out of yarn, you can just make a shorter leg and bind off.
Second, some sock patterns are specifically designed to be knit toe up. The pattern of stitches just look better that way. I have a book with a lot of stitch patterns I want to knit but they are toe up which I had to skip (for now).
Well, I finally figured out the cast on for toe up socks and knit up some baby-sized socks to get the general idea since the heel is a bit different too.Luckily I know a baby who can wear them now...baby D.

See? Baby D likes them and they fit perfectly!!

Here is the really cool gadget that has been filming my little home videos. See? It is smaller than my Blackberry! I carry it around in my purse so if the need arises, I can whip it out and film it.

Awesome LA vs. Dallas comebacks

Hector and I were talking about LA vs Dallas games are always interesting...the first series of goals when the Kings were down by 4 goals is soooo cool. We were watching the game on TV because we gave our seats to a co-worker of Hector. He said that he and his wife left in the 3rd period because the Kings were losing 4-0. Hector said the Kings won and you NEVER EVER leave a game because this is what can happen.

Last night LA played at Dallas and won in a shootout. Barely....:) I wonder what Dallas does to prepare playing the Kings because whatever they're doing, the Kings manage to win.

Tricks

More video goodness...




Oh, these tricks are done by a professional so don't try this at home.

Goodies

A few day ago I was clearing out the pile of mail that accumulates on our kitchen counter and found our Costco rebate check from American Express. SWEET! Hector said I could have it to buy whatever I want...DOUBLE SWEET! I went to Costco yesterday morning, found the goodies I wanted, get to the checkout and um, Hector has to be present for me to use it (he has to endorse it). BOOOOOOO!

So that night we go back again, this time with Hector and I got a digital frame which I've always wanted to display my photos, some plastic bins for yarn (of course), itunes cards and a Flip Mino HD camcorder. This little Flip Mino is so small, it's smaller than my Blackberry and ultra simple to use. I just turned it on and use.

Now it needs to upload and I need to do an errand for Hector in OC so hopefully it won't take too long....this is just a little video of Tyler.

More candids

Now it's time to showcase Joshua... He is my little jumping bean.

Joshua is such a sweet kid...

Candids

I don't get enough pictures of Tyler but I managed today. He is usually too impatient to allow me to get everything set. I just shot away and came up with some good ones. Joshua is the usual jumping subject because he really launches himself in the air where Tyler will just step off the ledge. This time Tyler slightly bent his legs so it made the photo work. Good effort!

Tyler does like to act silly for me so he is spraying water from his imaginary hose.

He is getting so big now...the top of his head reaches my chin. That reminds me that I need to start looking for some new summer clothes for him.

Only The Lonely

We found this last lonely potsticker that never made it into the pot/pan to be cooked. How sad that it was left behind. Thinking of you, Carlos!! ;)

Field trip

Today I met up with my friend Veronica for some coffee and some photography practice. I was expecting it to rain later today but the wind was blowing so hard and gusty, we had our hands full. I drove us up to Palos Verdes for some ocean scenery.

Then to Long Beach by the Queen Mary. I was playing around on Photoshop to get this neat effect.

Food Fest

Last night (Saturday) we headed over to my Aunt Ruth's house for some dumplings. It is very simple to make the filling according to Hannah but it does require some hands to make the actual dumplings. We got there a bit late but Hannah and I quickly churned out tray after tray that waited to be boiled or fried. I think I lost count after 6 trays, that about 30 - 40 dumplings per tray.

Here I am filling and stuffing them happily in anticipation of EATING them!!

Hannah and I are working hard to churn these babies out.

We managed to use up all of the meat filling that took up about 1/2 a big stockpot and about 6-7 packages of wonton skins. Aunt Ruth was astonished that we used it all up but Hannah and I stuffed those dumplings to the max.

Then the first few plates are done and we start to eat and eat and eat. Ugh. SO DELICIOUS!! I briefly thought about counting how many I can eat but that idea quickly went out of my mind. Hmmmm, ground pork and turkey.....

These are just the first 2 plates of the 10 or so we ate with lots of gusto!

And the good thing is that we're doing it again....April 25th so write that down. You know you want some....

Lake Las Vegas

Our lovely view from our balcony at the hotel. I understand we are in the desert so this is perfectly normal. Some people would disagree...

A nice spacious room...too bad we didn't spend more time here.

An awesome view at the outdoor reception. We were at the Loews Lake Las Vegas resort.

Gorgeous cake and it was so delish!


Some of the nice touches to the reception.

The bride and groom...her gown was fantastic and she looked stunning. I didn't get any good pictures of her but congrats to Robin and Shawn.

Punk''d

St. Patrick's day was Tuesday so I agreed to help out. We made cute shamrock hats and the kids' big buddies from the 5th grade came by. The teachers made it very clear that the leprechauns left the children a treat and it was for Kids Only. If adults had the treat, their feet would turn green. The teachers pulled me aside to see if I wanted to join in on the fun so I went to another room where I put green ink on me feet, let it dry and came back into the room.
The snack was a green pudding so one was handed to me which I began eating. A few minutes later, the teachers are asking if I ate it and I said yes because I didn't think my feet would turn green. The kids kept asking us to take our shoes off so we did and the kindergartners' eyes went huge!!! It was great! Some of the kids took their shoes off to check their feet and it was really cute.

Those pesky leprechauns turned my feet GREEN! The kids still ask me if my feet are still green.

:)

Boys Gone Wild

I had a lovely visit to Henderson, NV for Robin's wedding. She is a friend of Lupe and I was invited as Lupe's guest. On the flipside, Hector took the boys to Legoland where they got to spend the night at our usual hotel The Embassy Suites. We really enjoy this hotel because of the indoor pool and breakfast buffet.



I had to share some pictures of their wild weekend without Mom.....








Thanks to Hector's waterproof camera, he can capture all of the antics. The kids like taking pictures too.

WARNING: These pictures may make you spit your drink out so please NO EATING OR DRINKING AT THIS TIME!!!

I think Josh took these pics of Hector which is pretty good....

More later.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Another pair of socks!! These are the Chevron pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks using Kroy Stripes in Mulberry Stripes. I used size 3 needles on 52 stitches. These will be perfect as slipper socks for my mom and her cold feet. I had to do a heel flap instead of the 'bullseye heel' that the book suggested but I couldn't figure out how to do that 2 at a time.

Machine washable which is always good (for my mom)! :)

Oh, remember that I knit kinda slow, I just have several projects going on at various stages.

Separate Ways

This weekend will be fun. I will be heading to Vegas (Henderson) with my SIL Loop and another lady to attend their friend Robin's wedding. I only know Robin through Loop. Of course I don't remember the name of the resort but I'll get to that later. It should be lots of fun, a wedding with gambling on the premises! I usually drive my BMW because I don't drive it enough and it's great on long road trips but for this weekend Loop is driving her Explorer. We are driving out early Saturday morning and coming back Sunday with some stops at the outlets. Btw, Loop will be leaving 4 days after to head to Florence, Italy. Lucky duck!

So that means Hector will be having a boys weekend and he plans to take them to Legoland. To sweeten the deal, they will stay at the Embassy Suites in La Jolla (that's kind of our usual place to stay in SD). They absolutely LOVE the indoor pool and full breakfast buffet plus the suite is kind of essential for my rambunctious boys.

I'll try to take lots of pictures...I'm debating whether to lug my DSLR and try out my new filters. It might be worth it.

stuff that happened today

1. Yippee! I finished the 2nd pair of Monkey socks. These are for my dear friend Kathy whom I've known since the 2nd grade. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock yarn in Sage. Her birthday was January 27 and yes I realize I'm very late but I think she will LOVE them. Plus they are from her childhood friend! :) I am lightly blocking them which means I sprayed them with water and put them into shape. For some items I pin it down so it'll look nice and neat. Otherwise the socks looks kinda of misshapen ed and funky. Hopefully these babies will dry so I can mail them off. Yay! That means I can work on something else...what to try now?


Close -up of the stitches. It still amazes me at all the different ways the finished product looks with variations of the knit and purl stitch.




The toe.




The heel flap and turn.



The foot.





2. The kids and I played our usual game of driveway hockey. I took some pictures because they are so cute and enjoy a fun game of hockey (without the fighting). I need to put captions of them.

Josh: Look at me funny and I'll whack you with my stick!
Tyler and his impression of the Grim Reaper.


Serious hockey action.


Joshua: It's my turn!

Joshua: You WANT a piece of ME?

Joshua: I am the ULTIMATE CHAMPION!

Tyler: Yeah, right! I let you win so you wouldn't cry like a baby!

Spending

More so than ever, I try to keep my spending to the essentials. But it's hard to resist some things...luckily I have a lot of gift cards. I have some that are multi-functional like Target where I can get almost about anything I want or need. Then I have some like Gap Kids (for the boys) which is a little harder since their inventory is limited (plus I don't feel like I get my moneys worth). I've had a gift certificate from a local photo shop with a $200 balance.

Today I decided to go and spend the remainder because I don't know if they'll stay in business although I hope so. I make a little list in my head and promise not to go over the gift amount. I went after mailing out some photo calendars (yes, I know its March) but I mailed them out anyway. The store was not busy so I roped some guy into helping spend my money. We got the remote control shutter release for $15, a high speed 4GB CF card for $100 so leaves me $85 left for filters. The man tells me they're selling used filters for $4. Sold. He brought out all sorts and picked out the different ones that I might be interested in or would be good in my arsenal. Warming filters, red, deep blue, light blue, starburst and something else (I can't remember the name) and more which totalled 9 filters. $36 for filters. Sold. A multi-card reader for $30 and a couple of lens cloths ($10) which cleared out my gift certificate. Yay!!! Actually, I was about $2 under my limit but the head dude said he could discount another lens cloth for me to spend it all.

So now I have all sorts of filters to read up on and play with. I need to install my card reader which will be easier for the camera and post some pictures.

Here is the starburst filter used on my bedside lamp. Ooooh, pretty lights! I can't wait to try this one out...

Rockin It Hockey Style

On Saturday we had another hockey game. This game was against the Minnesota Wild who are a few points ahead of us in the standings so these 2 points are very important. The Kings won...woo hoo!!
There is another couple of season ticket holders in our row and have been for a long time. That day was their day to be recognized for their support. The lady, Lori was there and she brought her daughter & grand-daughter. Lori ended up with all sorts of cool swag but the best was this limited-edition guitar!!
They had several bags of stuff along with the necessary stroller and diaper bag so we offered to help them to their car. Lori was nice enough to let us take a look at the guitar and take pictures.

Heh heh, it was lots of fun playing around and tonight (Monday) is another game so GO KINGS GO!!