Not Invisible, But Visible!

So sorry about not having much posted during vacation! Don't worry, I'm not invisible! It turns out things got a little crazy before we left town and my plans to get posts written and scheduled, just didn't happen! I will explain more later this week! 

In the mean time, I do have some new stuff to show you... well you should already be looking at it at this point! 

Do you like the new look of this blog?

I even added some social media buttons!  

I am in love with it!

I will be back tomorrow with a few shots from our vacation! 

PS Lee Lou Blogs is a great source for some really cute backgrounds and templates! This background was completely free! Love it! Oh and before I forget, I know a few months back I said i would be adding in teacher created materials for sale as well as changing the look of this blog. The change you see here today is not exactly what I had in mind, but finances aren't allowing me to spend $$$ on this blog. Also, I am just not finding the time to make anything for teachers! Life tends to get busy when we least expect it! 

Easy Summer Cooking

While I am off gallivanting through Colorado, Meredith, from readyseteat.com has so kindly offered to share her thought on summer food! This recipe looks great and I can't wait to try it myself! Hope you enjoy!

Getting tired of your summer recipes? As we head into the last full month of summer, you've probably had your fill of hot dogs, burgers and barbecue chicken. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with these classic meals—they’re easy, cheap and so delicious—but even the yummiest dinners can get a little tired if you eat them too often!

Luckily, there are dozens of easy grilling recipes out there besides your plain old hot dog. Whether you use salmon or turkey in your next burger recipe or marinate your chicken in spices or pesto instead of typical barbecue sauce, there are lots of ways to make your average summer meals a little more interesting.

This simple summer recipe calls for two of the cheapest and most popular easy dinner ingredients out there—pasta and chicken breasts—but uses them in a unique, ultra-flavorful way that you may not have tried yet this summer! With peanut sauce, soy sauce and lots of crunchy veggies, these peanut noodles and chicken skewers put a delicious twist on your average grilled chicken dinner.

Best of all, this dinner can be ready in just half an hour, which is perfect for those nights when you’re pressed for time or it’s just too hot to be spending hours in the kitchen!  To save even more time, make the noodles and sauce the night before so that all you’ll have to do at dinnertime is grill up the chicken; the noodles can be warmed up before dinner or kept in the fridge and eaten chilled. 

 

Peanut Noodles and Chicken Skewers

Total Time: 30 min

Serves: 6

•          PAM® Grilling Spray
•          8 ounces dry linguine pasta, uncooked
•          1 cup Peter Pan® Crunchy Peanut Butter
•          ½ cup hot water
•          ¼ cup La Choy® Soy Sauce
•          2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
•          1¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½ inch pieces
•            4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
•          1 28-oz can La Choy® Stir Fry Vegetables, drained

Spray the grate of an outdoor grill with grilling spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions or until al dente.

Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter, water, soy sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until smooth. Divide peanut sauce into 2 bowls.

Thread chicken pieces onto skewers; brush liberally with peanut sauce from 1 bowl. Grill chicken for 7 minutes; turn and grill for 7 more minutes or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add stir fry vegetables and cook and stir for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain pasta and add it to skillet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; toss to combine. Add peanut sauce to the second bowl and toss together. Serve noodles with chicken skewers.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of ReadySetEat®. For this dinner and other easy chicken recipes to make this summer, visit www.readyseteat.com.

My Tube

Thought I would share some of my favorite YouTube finds lately:

A penguin getting tickeld?? Who ever heard of it? It is so darling!

This one had tears flowing:

One word: AMAZING! 

How's this for a prank!

Love the dance break! 

Let's end on that happy note! 

Loving the Silence

I'm going to start this post like so many of us are thinking:

"I cannot believe it's August ALREADY!?!? Where does the time go?!?!"

So here's what is currently happening:

So here's my short explanation to go with it all:

listening: there is nothing on in our apartment right now! Awesome! 

loving: We leave for Colorado on Thursday and have stops planned in Vegas, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Then off Colorado. On the way home we will stop at the Grand Canyon and then straight back to sunny so cal! 

thinking: packing, laundry, dr. appointment, hair apointment, blogging, Autism Authorization work, errands and more! Gotta get it all done! 

wanting: I have an itch to shop. I particularly would like a maxi dress or two, some new tops, maybe a few new pants or skirts.... just wanting to shop! 

needing: I wish that my lesson plans would plan themselves! Summer is not the same when you have to crack something like that open at some point! 

B2s must haves: 

I love this lesson plan book - 

I love these pens - 

And I have spent way too much time on my pinterest boards looking for things to add into my repertoire! Love that site! I makes teacher work a bit easier! 

There's my post for today! hope you enjoyed my currently! 

PS. In case I did not mention it before, I will be posting on the SoCal Blog 2x a week - Tuesday and Thursdays! Head on over now and check out today's post! Better yet, follow and visit regularly! 

Relaxation & News

Another Random Thursday! 

They really aren't so random when you do them each week, but at least the topics are! 

But be sure to stick around to the end! Good news is at the end of this post! 

Topic:

So here goes, here are the things that help me relax:

|one|

Summer Vacation. 

Do i need to explain this one?

{source}

|two|

Getting my monthly massage! 

I originally started going or a few reasons and after about 2 years of regular monthly those reasons are not as strong. One reason was for a shoulder that would not stop hurting and my neck that was so filled with tension that it was difficult to move! It was also intended for me to relax as well. I wanted "me time" and to take care of myself! After these last two year, I am not stopping, NO WAY!

|three|

Lavender 

The scent really gets me to a whole different level of relaxation! This was like heaven: 

|four|

Wine! 

Epoch is one of my favorites! 

Here's their labels and I would gladly take a bottle of either the Authenticity or the Ingenuity like now! 

|five|

Friends & Family

Lets face it these people are usually associated with something fun, whether it be a holiday, trip to Disneyland, lunch or dinner out, and even a hike or two! Surrounding myself with good people really helps me relax! 

That's what helps me to relax... what helps you relax? 

Check out what others have to say: 

And now for the GOOD NEWS! 

Hmm let's see ... how do i put this... 

Starting today, I will also be blogging over at 

with my friends Windy and Lin! 

I am way excited about this and think the trio we have formed will be all kinds of awesome! 

Stop by and check out my post over there today too! That's right, two posts from me today! 

My, What A Cute Little Card You Have!

A few weeks ago I saw this post and left an innocent comment. 

Who knew that it would lead to an awesome and easy experience!?

I knew I needed a wonderful card for our 3rd wedding anniversary and so when  I was contacted to give Card Store a chance, I was excited! 

Here's what I ended up with: 

A personalized 4.75 x 4.75 inch card!

cover:

inside cover:

inside:

inside message:

back cover:

  

It was so easy and they really were quick on the shipping! 

The pictures were all mine in this case, but that's just cause i really wanted a really personalized card! They have so many other cute options too! 

Check these out: 

See! So many cute options and I've only shown you three!!! 

From what I can tell they have great selection, customization, personalized or not, colorful and beautiful cards for every occasion! Oh and stationary too! Wow! So much under one roof... or .. er um... site! 

Check them out by visiting

Cardstore.com

Ready for a Round Up - July 2013

I have been trying to write a post like this for ages! But i am now committing to doing a monthly round up post every month! Hold me to it! 

So here's my top 5 posts that I loved reading from around the blog world!

One that made me laugh: 
My Life With a Cherry on Top- this post

One that touched my heart:

lowercaseletters - this post

One that scratched an itch:

Life Hand in Hand - this post

One with a recipe I need to try:

Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee on lowercase letters

*normally i would not feature one blog 2x, but both posts were worth sharing! 

One NEW blog I'm following and loving:

The Brandon and Amanda Story

And in case you missed it, here are my top posts from this month:

Not Gonna Be a Ball & Chain

Bingo was his Name-o

Never Ever Ever First

A Little DIY for your Thursday

Blog Planner Love

And that's the monthly round up! 

Have a great Tuesday! 

PS. Big news is coming on the blog! Check out my Random Thursday post this week! 

Pronounced Fa-yeh

Do you like Greek yogurt? 

I know I do! 

Here's how I normally eat it. I wrote about it on THIS post. 

But here's how I recently gave it a try: 

Have you tried these before? 

I will admit, that the sugar content is a bit high, but for a healthier dessert or snack these are really not that bad! 

Here's a glance at the nutritional information: 

0% Fat

2% Fat

My husband gane the 2% fat one a try and I stuck to the 0% fat ones. 

Hubs gave the yogurt rave reviews and asked for more! 

I loved both flavors, but I really liked the raspberry flavor! 

I can't wait to try any of these flavors:

AGE TOTAL 0%:

Honey

Strawberry

Cherry

Peach

Blueberry

Raspberry

Strawberry Goji

Cherry Pomegranate

Mango Guanabana

Blueberry Acai

NEW Apple Cinnamon Raisins

NEW Orange Cinnamon

NEW Passion Fruit Clementine

NEW Kiwi Papaya Passion Fruit

FAGE TOTAL 2% AND CLASSIC:

Honey

Strawberry

Cherry

Peach

Blueberry

I love that they have new flavors! I plan to try more of these awesome flavors!

What flavor would you choose?

RT: Travel anyone?

Gosh I need a vacation...

But with a kitty that has been sick, it has not been decided whether we are still going on our planned road trip or not. Our little Lily has been feeling better, but i would hate to see her relapse. It wouldn't be a good thing. And this girl would not be up for traveling. All I would be in the mood for would be movies and a Costco sized box of Kleenex! (Look at me, all pessimistic... ) She's doing well and all I can do is THANK GOD for that! It's not time for that cute kitty to leave this world. She still has so much to do and see! 

So, all this talk of a possible canceled vacation has me only thinking that i need to take one! So which would it be...

Well... let's choose one for each because I just love to travel! So I guess my answer is ALL THREE! 

|one|

Beach

This beach is on the island my mother grew up on. I love the red sand and in the summer months, there are tourists as far as the eye can see! I love the shallow water and the history of the place in general! There is a wall built under the water that was built to protect the beach during war times. There is also said to be a cave that was built that went from a high cliff above this beach to under the water all the way to Sicily! All for people to escape! So if I took a trip to a beach, I would love to take my hubby here! He would also get to meet my family! 

|two|

Rustic Cabin

These may not count so much as cabins, but they are close enough. These are not far from home, but my hubby and I have definitely wanted to give them a try! We would love to do this with a bunch of friends and just hang by the beach for a week! Shopping and restaurants are close by if you want a quick trip down to hang out, but if you stay down there, you can cook your own meals in the kitchen that is fully functional! 

|three|

City

My sister lives here, so this would kill two birds with one stone. My hubby and I really want to visit Europe period and this would be my choice for the city we would see together! So much still that I'd love to go back to see more of or even just see anew! 

That's my Random Thursday post for the week! 

Link up with us! 

Dining Out Together

{source}

I've been seeing quite a bit about "Same side sitters" and I've decided to throw my hat in the ring. Gonna share my opinion on this whole thing! 

Here's the thing, it is assumed that same side sitters sit side by side in restaurants becasue: 

-they want to be close (sappy)

-their love is new

-maybe they miss the one they love

-less reach for that next kiss at the table

-many more reasons, many unknown to this gal! 

If this is the reason you sit on the same side as your partner, I have a response for you! 

Ugh! You will have plenty of time to be close to your loved one if it is meant to be and sitting across a table is REALLY not that far away! Kissing is not a preferred activity at a table anyway and maybe should be done in a more private location. In fact, please spare the other diners the trauma of seeing you kiss at the table. The only spit that should be flying is maybe your drool over a delicious meal headed your way! Please save that touchy feely stuff for your home and not for right in front of us. It's just weird! 

I feel this is the general consensus in the blogging world. Nothing new. 

However, I have felt a little self conscious because my husband and I SOMETIMES are that weird couple sitting on the same side of the booth. Trust me though, it is for none of the above reasons! We are perfectly content to have our own space while eating. Elbow room is preferred by us both! 

So here are the reasons we sit on the same side: 

1. We are reading something together. Usually on our iPad. Usually planning a trip or lately house shopping together. 

2. We are watching a TV which would not be view-able to both if we sat separately. This usually occurs when an Angels game is on! In fact I'm not sure it happens any other time. 

So there it is my opinion on the whole thing! 

What do you think? Are my reasons acceptable ones? Or are we just weird? 

Davines Dares

Recently I was introduced to some pretty awesome products. 

Hold on. 

Before I begin this post let me be honest about something:

My scalp has been dry and flaky for YEARS! I don't rememebr a time when it wasn't. 

And so...

My hair stylist recommended and kindly gave me a treatment that she and her salon were new to. She had used the products on her son and had great results. She claimed my case was not as bad as her son's, which I thought was just a nice way of saying "it's not so bad." 

(Sidenote: My hair stylist has become more of a friend than a hair stylist over the years and she is always honest with me, it was maybe a little of my insecurity saying how awful my scalp was.) 

I followed her directions to a T. 

1st 3 weeks: Use the shampoo 3x a week along with the gel for 10 minutes. Do not condition the roots. 

2nd 3 weeks: Use the shampoo and the gel the same way but only 1x a week. 

It worked pretty much the first two times I used the stuff and loved it! Finally I had great hair AND scalp! Its been great! However, I am seeing spots where I need to go back and reapply. Time to treat again. This could be because of the season, time spent with wet hair, time out by the pool, etc. Also, I dyed my hair and it definitely changed my scalp again! 

Regardless, this product did work and though it has changed, it is definitely not as bad as it used to be. I will continue to use the stuff and treat my scalp with great care! 

The best part is my Birchbox had some of the Davines products as well! 

Here they are:

The shampoo and conditioner were nothing super great. I did like the conditioner, but the shampoo is pretty average. However, the Oi (Oil) Absolute Beautifying Potion was great. I am considering getting it with my Birchbox points! 

Overall, Davines' new line of products for the scalp are pretty awesome. I also really like the finishing Oil product! Davines definitely has a new customer and I can't wait to get my hands on other products! 

Have you tried any of these products? 

Do you have dry scalp? If so, what do you do to keep the flakes away?