Oliver's Surprise Birthday Dinner

Lately things have been a little stressful and Oliver didn't really want to do anything for his birthday. But I wanted to do something special for him. I never gave him a surprise party before. So with everything going on in our lives I thought it would be nice to surprise him this year.

I had about 20+ friends meet us at Rockin Baja at the Oceanside Pier for dinner. (Thank you everyone who showed up! ) It was perfect because almost everyone was there before us but Oliver spotted a few friends in the parking lot and didn't think anything of it. I got nervous at that point but it all worked out in the long run.

Oliver was VERY surprised. He thought I was only taking him on a date for his birthday. And for everyone that was there... You all know he got very VERY alcohol happy LOL. Seemed like the drinks just kept being bought for the birthday boy and this was before dinner so you can only imagine the turn out.. I was a little annoyed and didn't like the drinks being bought early because I know we didn't eat and Oliver would be like that all night.  I usually don't like when Oliver gets like that but since it was his birthday and times have been stressful, I think it was much needed.  He even said (yelled) that this was the best birthday ever! So in the end, that comment made it all worth it.

The night in a nutshell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks guys! I could enjoy these presents too! LOL ;)

 

 

So for Oliver's REAL birthday, we decided to have a nice dinner at home and bought him a cake. I asked him what he wanted to do and he wanted to use his present and watch a movie. We had planned on that but we both got tired LOL. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Baby!

 

Another Week Project: Eating At The Dinner Table.

This probably shouldn't be a project but it is.  We ALWAYS eat in front of the TV. One of my best friends told me her and her husband always eat at the dinner table with the TV off. They even do candle light dinners every night! How romantic! I think it's a great idea and it makes you communicate more. Not saying we don't communicate because we do, but the few times we've done that, I noticed we did communicate a lot more than we usually do at dinner. I'd actually like to make this a habit but I am guilty of putting our food on the coffee table LOL. The TV is very distracting and before I know it I realize we barely said anything to each other!

Monday & Tuesday 
Tacos with ground turkey and whole wheat tortillas

I'm surprised how much catching up we did! I can say that if we didn't do that, we wouldn't have talked as much LOL.  But since you might be bored about what we talk about I'll just post our dinner every night this week at the table. Pictures are more entertaining.

Wednesday

Stir fry with marinated chicken and rice

 

Thursday

 

Spaghetti with Ground Turkey and Whole Wheat Pasta

 

 

Friday & Saturday didn't happen. We were both out Friday and Saturday we made an exception eating at the coffee table because, well.. It was Saturday and it was a dinner and a movie thing. Oh and it was left over spaghetti!

 

What did I learn?

- Oliver doesn't mind eating at the table from now on.

- I really appreciate that when I don't do the dishes, Oliver will. I noticed dishes get done a lot quicker after eating at the dinner table!

-We communicate a lot more. Which was the goal so I'm happy to say this worked out! Sometimes, we forget to tell each other things because we're distracted, and this helped with that.

I'd be happy if most nights we were at the table.  

 

The 'Let My Husband Dress Me For a Week' Project

This blog may have more interest towards the women.

I was inspired by a blog I read with this same project. A girl decided to have her boyfriend dress her for a week and the turn out was pretty good. I liked it so much, I decided to try it and asked Oliver to dress me for a week. (That included accessories.) and YAY he was a good sport even though he didn't like the accessory picking part ("I don't know how to pick accessories!") LOL. My major rule was that I couldn't object to his outfits either because what's the point of letting him pick it out if I say no?

 

I know most women including myself usually wouldn't let their other half pick out their outfits because we think it'll be ridiculous or too drastic... but hopefully this gives a little hope to you gals. ;)

Day 1

 Sunday





We went to a baby christening on Sunday and this is what he picked out. Yes, even the shoes and earrings! This is something I would actually put together myself so I wasn't out of my comfort zone. But it was nice that he chose this instead of me. He said to go for a
 Kardashian-ish look.



Day 2
Monday

I usually save my jeans for Thursday and Friday but this made Monday a little more pleasant. :) I was actually going to give the baby doll blazer thingy away because I haven't worn it for a while but Oliver said he loved it and decided I should wear it to work. When he picked the accessories for this, I was a little worried they wouldn't go together but surprisingly I got compliments on it and the outfit. Oliver even text me, " Sooo how do you like your outfit?" LOL he's so cute. I told him I like it which I did and made sure he knew the credit went to him when people asked...and I think I'll keep the blazer thingy. :)



Day 3

Tuesday

 

 

Please excuse the work badge! I've only worn this blouse once and it wasn't to work. But Oliver wanted me to wear this to work with the heels which I barely wear to work also! I do have to mention when he picked out the accessories, he said I only needed earrings because a necklace is too much for the cheetah print pattern... Gotta love that he pays attention to those things! So he had me wear simple pearl earrings and a bracelet.  

 

 

Day 4

Wednesday

 

 

 Strike a pose! I feel like I have a little 60's-ish vibe. I also only wore this blouse once and been meaning to make more ensembles out of it. These pants are fairly new but it didn't cross my mind to pair the blouse with it until now. I've gotten compliments on this and even had a co worker say if I didn't want this outfit anymore, she'd gladly take it. Oliver is on a roll!

 

 

 Day 5

Thursday

 

 

 I know it seems like most pictures are taken at work....But that's because they're taken at work. :)

At this point you probably think my wardrobe looks normal, but each outfit has something that I usually don't wear to work. Remember these jeans? He must be a fan! When Oliver picked out this outfit he specifically said to roll the sleeves right under the elbow and yes, he's still picking the accessories! He was very specific with the outfit and accessories. It's summer time right now so I always look pass this blouse because it's long sleeves. Maybe I'm just lazy to roll my sleeves up.  Even though this is simple, I think it looks sexy. (In my opinion at least!)

 

 Day 6

Friday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yay TGIF! Last day of my experiment at work. I didn't think to pair this blouse with these pants so yay for Oliver! I think he's getting use to the style of colors not having to exactly match. Today I got the comment, " You're dressing so cute these days, what's going on?" That could be taken any other way I guess but I'll look at it positively! I'm usually pretty casual and wear the same things at work, so that comment didn't bug me. It was actually nice to hear someone notice with out them knowing the experiment. :) Later that night, I went out with one of my best friends and only changed the shoes to flats. I know it's usually the other way around but I knew we'd be walking.

 

 Day 7

Saturday

 

 

 

Today, I got to see another good friend of mine. She was going to take me out to lunch so I told Oliver to pick something out real quick and this is what he did in a few minutes with the same accessories as yesterday. Notice the white pants again? I like this because it's simple and the colors are nice. Later that night we went to another good friend's house to celebrate a birthday. I'm glad I didn't have to pick anything out or change.

 

 

So what did I learn from this?

 

1. It's nice to have your outfit picked out the night before. (And someone pick it out for you! )This helps put more effort into dressing up because you're not going through your closet in a hurry the next morning. Not sure if this is common with other women, but I noticed the night before I'll want to wear something completely different from what I decide to wear when I wake up.

 

2. I have more outfits.

You'll be surprised  how many ways you can pair your blouses with different pants or skirts. You can come up with outfits you haven't even thought of. Like I mentioned earlier, Oliver picked things I usually don't wear together or to work but I've gotten compliments on them.

 

3. I wore more of my accessories. I'm one of those girls, who will wear one necklace and my ring of course and have all these earrings, bracelets, shoes, etc. collecting dust. So having Oliver pick them out was a nice way to get me to wear them again. People were impressed on what he picked with each outfit. 

 

 4. Get a different opinion

  If it's not your husband or boyfriend that you'll let pick your outfits, have your friends pick it out. Like # 2, you can see what they come up with. This is fun to do especially if you feel the need to change up your wardrobe. And if you don't like what they come up with, at least you got an idea. When you step out of your comfort zone, you can wind up with pretty neat results.

 

 Would I ever do this again?

 

Ehh.. Probably not but it was fun while it lasted. I'm sure Oliver is glad this experiment is over but I think he did a really good job! My co workers who knew about this said he did really well. I knew he wouldn't make me wear short skirts and halter tops to work so I had faith in him. :) I've told a few friends about this and they said they would never let their other half pick out their outfits. That just made me feel more grateful for Oliver's taste.

 

Would I recommend doing this?

Sure if you think your other half has what it takes! ;) Besides it will be fun to see what other people came up with.

 

Well I hope you were at least a little entertained with this blog! Thank you for letting me share and taking the time to read!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York, New York

 



I've always wanted to go to New York as long as I can remember. I love big cities. Maybe it's because of my age right now. But I wanted to go to THE city. Thanks to my company's bonus's we get for Christmas, I decided to save it for our trip in May. That helped pay for our flight and hotel the whole time we were there. We were in New York for about 4 days and did a lot but I have to admit, you can't do everything in New York with just 4 days. It rained the few days we were there but that didn't stop us. There is so much to do and so much to see that you have to at least stay for a few weeks. But I'm glad we got to do all the touristy things. Enjoy the pictures!

Where we stayed for our trip. Howard Johnson, Soho in China Town. I recommend this place. They're very friendly, helpful, free breakfast and good value for your money.

 

China Town

 

Our friend Melissa lives in New York and thanks to her she gave us tips and advice on how to get around in the city. We're so glad we met up with her! Hope to see you again Melissa!

 

This was in Little Italy where we had dessert.

 

 

 

Grand Central Station

 

Time Square

Time Square is so nice at night.

 

 

Carrie's House from the show Sex & the City (I have the whole collection and movies)

 

 

On the boat tour to see the Statue of Liberty (this was a huge deal to me)

 

Empire State Building. Right before we went to the top.

 

 

Central Park

 

 

I Love New York!

 

 

 

The Iron Building

Ground Zero

 

 

Behind us is the new World Trade Center

 



 

New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street

 

 

Café Lalo from the movie You've Got Mail. Still looks the same inside!

 



 

Inside the Café

 

 

 

When you go to New York, you must try the pizza and cheesecake. They were both delicious!

 

 

There are a bunch of pictures but wanted to narrow them down. Going to New York was a huge cross off my bucket list. In fact, probably the first thing off my bucket list! Since we did most of the tourist attractions, I'd love to go back and do other things like go to a Broadway show. Until next time New York!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Pop's Surprise 50th Birthday & A God Son.

My step dad, Dave (Pop) turned 50 on April 20th. A while back my mom wanted to give him a surprise party for his 50th birthday. What's funny is that we weren't sure if he suspected anything because he mentioned he knew that I was sneaky! ( He helped me throw my mom's surprise party).

The outcome:

 

Awesome! We got him! He had to work overtime on his birthday so it worked out perfectly with all the planning. We had his co-worker help keep him occupied at work and text us when he was on his way home. Thanks Tony!

 

Mom went all out for his special day. TONS of food, people, drinks and even a DJ.

 

 

Happy Birthday Pop! Thanks for always being there! We love you.

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone knows me really well, they know Ginger and I go waaaaay back. I don't know if the title "best friend" even fits because she is more like a sister. That's how deep our relationship goes. We have a lot of history! When she asked me to be her youngest son, Jarren's God Mother, I was more than honored and touched. Both her kids Donovan and Jarren are such smart and funny boys!

Jarren has the same birthday as my step dad's and Ginger wanted to have him baptized on his birthday and have a birthday party after. Unfortunately, since I was part of planning Pop's birthday I couldn't make it to Jarren's big day. I still wanted to be a part of his birthday and celebrate with him so we decided to take him to Chuck E Cheeses the day before. Seems like he had a great time and I'm glad I could at least give that to him :)

 

 

 

His Baptism.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Jarr!! I hope you enjoy Freaky Forms ;)... and Ill be watching you! LOL

Love Ninang. 

 

 

 



Left Over Brown Rice Cakes

I'm not crazy about brown rice but I try to make it every now and then. Nothing beats white jasmine rice! The other night I tried to make brown rice with stir fry I made for dinner. I had the idea to put a lot more water in our rice cooker so the brown rice wouldn't be so chewy...Well, it definitely wasn't chewy. It was a little too mushy. (3 cups brown jasmine rice & 6 cups water) With the 2 cups of mushy brown rice left over, I decided I could make rice cakes. I looked on line just to see if it's been done before and sure enough it has.

The turn out:

They're not half bad! Actually Oliver loves them! (Yay!) I feel like I could have seasoned them a little more so feel free to season how ever you want! I didn't measure so here is what I dumped in the mixing bowl.

- 2 cups mushy brown rice
-1 egg
- Panko bread crumbs
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Dried parsley
- Paula Deen's house seasoning (1 cup salt, 1/4 cup ground black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder)
  I put this on just about anything.

Hand mix and make patties, fry in olive oil until you get a golden brown crust and enjoy!

* I meant to put onions in this but forgot to. Think it would taste great!

Valentine's Day 2013

Happy Belated Hearts Day! I hope everyone had a nice one! This year we decided not to go out and wait an hour at crowded restaurants. I thought it would be nice to have something at home and do a steakhouse theme dinner. When I got home from work, Oliver wasn't home yet (he usually is before me) A few minutes later he came in with long stem red roses and a really good red wine blend (Apothic Red). We enjoyed that whole bottle to by the way!

The menu: Wedge salad with feta cheese, tomatoes, and greek dressing, T-bone steak and home made red mashed potatoes. Dessert was chocolate cupcakes I made and our good friend Marie was so sweet enough to drop off icecream cupcakes from Coldstone. :)

We really had a nice simple Valentine's Day. The sweetest moment to me was when I came home from working out and Oliver dressed up for me. :) He can be a real sweetie sometimes.