Happy Anniversary #36.....

36 Anniversaries!!!!!  Yikes!!!
Where did the time go?  When I think back at all of the anniversaries that we have had....they always start off with red roses from Kim.  Every year Kim gets up and leaves the house and comes back with my roses and a wonderful card. This is what always starts our anniversary day.
 Some years we had great get-away anniversaries on road trips to some beautiful resort or up to Cambria and some years we have been as poor as church mice and we just enjoyed each others company. But no matter what we did or how we did it our anniversary has always been even more special when our family or friends are a part of our day.  There is nothing like family and friends that really make you feel good at a special time like your anniversary.  That phone call, that card, that text or email always makes us feel loved. This year we felt very special. It started off with Kim going out of course and then I received a text from my friend Cindy Smith wishing us a great anniversary.  Then Kamron called me to wish me happy anniversary.  Shortly after that Korey texted me to see if I was going to be home.  He later came over with Summuer and brought me my vintage bike that he fixed up for me and refurbished.  I was so excited to get it and it looked great!  They surprised Kim with a beautiful leather bookbag for field service (I think Kim hinted to them of course how much he needed one).  Then I got a text from my brother-in-law Keith wishing us a happy anniversary.

Then Liz and Hiram picked us up in the evening.

We had such a wonderful evening with our daughter Liz & son-in-law Hiram.  They surprised us.  We went to the Mission Inn in Riverside where we had a wonderful dinner in the most beautiful atmosphere.  The lights were twinkling, the air was fresh and crisp, and we had great company. What else can you ask for!

Liz and Hiram looked so nice.  I especially loved Liz' shoes!  I don't think that I have ever seen Liz wear heals! And she worked it!!!! She looked beautiful! Hmmm...maybe I'll get another grandbaby soon....Just kidding.

Liz & Hiram truly spoiled us tonight.  There was a bouquet of flowers waiting for us at the table to take home. This restaurant was absolutely beautiful and had a wonderful atmosphere. We had a fabulous dinner. I had filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.  The filet melted in my mouth!  Kim, Liz and Hiram had porterhouse steaks with green beans and asparagus.  Before this we had Hors D'Oeuvres of Shrimp cocktail, sushi, lobster bisque, three onion soup and fresh warm bread along with our cocktails and wine. What a feast!!!!

And of course to top our dinner off we had chocolate souffle for dessert!

Oh, yeah it was good!!!!
We couldn't of asked for a more perfect evening to complete our 36th anniversary.
Thank you Liz & Hiriam for the wonderful time and for always making us feel special.


This anniversary was very special for me & Kim this year and we thank all of you Liz, Hiriam, Korey & Summuer, Kamron, Cindy and Keith for thinking of us.  Love Mom & Dad.

Unique Boutique Sale Coming Up Soon....

We are at it again!!!! 
Our last sale was such a success that we decided to have just one more before the end of the year.  So if you missed the last boutique, come and join us next month and see our new items!
If you miss this one you will have to wait until Spring of 2013 to see us again.
Set Your Calendars and join in on the fun with us at the Unique Boutique!

Friday & Saturday November 2nd & 3rd 2012
8:00 am to 3:00 pm
31218 Gardenside Lane, Menifee, CA 92584
(951) 575-5026 Carlena or (951) 375-2888 Donna

I LOVE To Bake........

Which is why I haven't been able to stay focused on my Weight Watchers!!!

 This has been a tough summer! My garden failed with this horrible heat wave that we've had here in Sun City, California! That is why I have no follow up pictures of my garden this year.  But I'm not giving up.  I will have one next year!

So there was my excuse to not stay focused on eating all of my fresh veggies and grilling my meats and veggies as I planned to do all summer.  It has been so hot out here, we haven't even enjoyed our yard this summer. When we come home we stay in our air conditioned home and sit because we are exhausted from this heat!  

I had a few girls from the "Unique Boutique" over two weeks ago to discuss our next boutique on November 2nd & 3rd, 2012.  So of course I had to "Bake" which I love to do and so I  made this beautiful lemon tart (all from scratch including the whipped cream that we made sure we had extra of for my friend Carlina who loves whipped cream).  This tart not only looks great but it tasted absolutely delicious! Very refreshing!

Of course no gathering is complete without a triple layer chocolate cake!

And I made four Quiche's:  Chicken with goat cheese and asparagus, Chicken with cheddar and spinach and two bacon and spinach quiches.
Needless to say this was not a Weight Watchers evening!!!!

But I was in my element of good friends, good food and good conversation!  What a nice evening we shared, I look forward to our next meeting.  But I "DO" have to focus on my diet!!!!!  I "WILL" I promise!!!!

Fun Day in Encinitas

Ok, I had a wonderful day today with my mom and two of my friends in Encinitas.  We left at around 9:00 a.m. and went to Penfold's for breakfast then we hit the road.  We mapped out several garage sales on our way to the beach area.  And we had a blast finding little treasures.  We started in Vista and made our way to Encinitas and Solana Beach.  What a fun day! 

 I brought along two pieces of art that I planned on abandoning to an unsuspecting person who might find them.  I joined a group of artists on facebook called Art Abandonment.  What a fun thing to do!

So these two pieces are not very good but they were my first attempt to create something on canvas.  (I have gotten much better I think).  So I decided to leave these special treasures with a note attached to them down in Encinitas for some one to find.

So here is one of the pieces of art  that I left beside a utility box along the pathway.  I left it with a note attached:The note read: This is a handmade item that I created and secretly placed here for you to find.  I hope you enjoy it.  Since you found this special treasure, it was meant for YOU!

I am a member of a group of artists on FaceBook called Art Abandonment who just want to share a little piece of art and perhaps put a smile on your face today.  If you would like to let me know how finding this hidden treasure made you feel you can go to: i.found.artwork@gmail.com   

If you would like to join us you can go to: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtAbandonment/

Have a great day!

D. Horn/ Artist

There were so many people around shopping in Encinitas today so I had to be creative and pretend I was taking a picture of my friend Sharon on this bench.  When she got up to leave we left the picture on the bench for someone to find.  This was so fun!!!!! And Addicting!!!!

Our day ended with this beautiful sunset as I was going home.  What a fun day!!!!
Can't wait for our next excursion!!!!

Cae Cae gets her first break!!!!

OK....we just left the Urgent Care with Liz & Hiram and our grand babies!  Cae Cae broke her collar bone!!!!!!
I think we are more traumatized than our Cae Cae!
She's not even crying! She even moves her arm around like it is OK.  But it definitely is NOT OK! It's a clear break! These are the X-Rays (I wish they were clearer on the screen but in person it shows a clear break).  

Bike Obsession......

I seem to be obsessed with vintage bikes lately.  I was given a vintage bike by my friend Sharon that hasn't been ridden since the 70's.  

The bike is still in great shape and just needs a little cleaning up.  I can't wait to start riding it.
I'm going to purchase a black wicker basket for it and line it with some cool vintage fabric.  Then I'll be ready for my first journey!

Check out this beauty! I love the color!

Not too old......

There is something about a bike with a basket and flowers that totally says vintage!

Now this is a cool bike!!!!!

Even a wooden crate looks pretty good on this bike......

So I can't wait to get my basket and it's off to see the city.....

Unique Boutique was a Success!!!!!

Our Unique Boutique was a huge success!!!!
We were very surprised at the response from our new customers.  They can't wait until our next sale!  We are going to need to restock for the next sale because we sold A Lot!!!!

These are some items that were at the first sale and how we were able to display them.....

We couldn't believe how successful the children's boutique was!  That was one of the most popular areas for the two days.  We have a lot of shopping to do for the next event!

The clothing and accessories were also a huge success.  It really helped to have our new dressing room set up.....

Liz and Irmgard held the fort down while my mom and I took a break from the register....

All of the girls agreed that this was a great experience for our first sale and we can't wait until the next one!  We had record sales and we can't wait to spend our money on new and beautiful things for the next sale.......In October!
We also would like to welcome two new friends, Cindy & Sabrina, to our "Unique Boutique" who are going to be adding our garden area this October and we are also planning a dessert court.....So hope to see you there!

"Unique Boutique" Sale this Friday & Saturday!!!!!

We are having our very first "Unique Boutique" Sale this weekend.  

You may ask what is a "Unique Boutique"?  Well, It is a sale of gently used items that are too nice to sell at a garage sale. We completely transformed a friends 4-car garage into our boutique.   We have furniture, a women's clothing boutique (complete with a dressing room), a children's boutique that includes children's furniture, clothing and toys, bedding, accessories and hand-made crafted items and jewelry that are being sold at great prices. 

The "Unique Boutique" started when a group of friends decided to get together to join their talents and their desire to have fun with their mutual hobby of treasure hunting and turn it into a semi-annual sales event.   We are hoping to add a garden section and a dessert court on our future sales!

So come and join us this Friday & Saturday from 8:00 am to 4pm and see what treasures you can find. Please tell all of your friends!!!!

Unique Boutique location:   31218 Gardenside Ln.,Menifee, CA 

Hope to see you there!

Vacation Week with Liz, Hiram and the Grand Kids....

My Sentiments Exactly........

We started off our vacation at the Disneyland Hotel on Sunday, where Liz and Hiram had a little congratulations party for Micaiah.  He is going into Junior High School!  Liz rented the cabana for the afternoon and we couldn't of asked for a prettier day!

Micaiah was very surprised to see all of us there!  And he loved the gifts and balloons and cake!

Micaiah starts opening his gifts......

Then is was time for the pool for the babies and moms.....

Cae Cae our little "Diva" was basking in the sun.....

And Papa was snoozing in the cabana.....Nice!

The next day we went to DISNEYLAND!!!!! And of course Miss Cae Cae was totally decked out in her Minnie Mouse outfit!  Isn't she cute!!!!

By the end of the day Papa and I were wiped out and sitting in one of the cafe's with Cae Cae and Papa entertained Miss Cae Cae while he wore her ears.

The next day it was on to California Adventure.  Mom was in her pink Minnie Mouse Tee Shirt and Cae Cae now had her pink ears on....

Micaiah had a neon mohawk for the night.

Tooooo CUTE!!!!!!

Then Thursday we went to Hollywood to see the Advengers in 3D and then to see the stars at the Chinese Theatre.

This pic is for the Ducks....

At the wax museum I ran into Alfred Hitchcock.....

Cae Cae was in a line up with her Papa and of course she insisted that "she was the boss"!

I even did a little bit of skate boarding to see if I still had it......

Liz couldn't keep her hands off of "The Rock"......

Oh, and Cae Cae decided to do a tribute to Kamron......

Zaden was having a blast at the party......

Bree and Liz having a moment together......
We really enjoyed our time as a family and can't wait to do it again soon!!!!