Springtime Creations!

Yesterday it was 78 here in the St. Louis area. It was so nice! I immediately have more energy and am in a better mood when it is warm.

Here are some cards I have made for fun and a spring centerpiece that I had a vision of and just HAD to create. It has lots of glitter on the branches which you can't see in the photos.



I took a branch I found in my yard, spray painted it white, then covered it in "Diamond Dust" glitter and spray glitter. For the flowers, I took pieces of crepe paper and bunched them, and then adhered them to the branches with floral tape. It is stuck in a stryofoam chunk that I found in the garage and cut to fit in my vase.

Happy St. Pat's Day!

Hola Everyone! I am finally back online after Paul chopped the cable in half with a shovel. The duct tape he tried to repair it with didn't work too well, so the Charter guy was finally out here on Friday.

Here are Tate and I at the local St. Pat's Day parade. It was fun, but cold. Do you see the little kid crouching in the far right? That child was ruthless when it came to scurrying for beads and candy. Poor Tate didn't have a chance! Her dad is in the striped beanie, and he was just as bad as he kept carrying her about a foot in front of the rest of the sideline crowd. The kid looked like Mr. T at Mardi Gras by the time the parade was over. We only had about 4-5 strands of beads and a few tootsie rolls :(

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

Iowa Reflections

I am typing from my computer tent, which is my quilt over my head and laptop so Stinky will go to sleep. As I type, Paul is at the local Japanese Steakhouse for a rehearsal dinner of his friends, Weylon and Amber.

Exciting tidbits from today (besides the Super Target trip...)
1. Watching "Arthur"cartoon, the head lice episode.
(I'm still itching my head)

2. Eating at a catmeat, 3rd rate chinese buffet in the middle of Iowa.
(Have to admit, I was just satisfied to be able eat w/ chopsticks. Tate WOLFED down his lo mein. The kid won't eat a burger, but will scarf the lo mein.)

3. This is NOT a cute, new Kenneth Cole shoe kind of place. Should have worn some boots or something.

4. I love Paul, ok even adore him at times, but OH MY GOODNESS HOW DID WE EVER END UP MARRIED????

Back in Iowa...wheeeeeeeeee!

No offense to those of you who love this place, but for me, IOWA SUCKS. I know, I know...last time I was here I got to discover the bright spot about being here and was turning more positive. However, right now I am tired, cranky and cold.

We got in at 8pm, with Tate transforming from crack baby to screamer within moments. When he doesn't get to bed on time, it aint pretty... In fact, sometimes he tells us by putting his little hand on his ear and leaning to one side, saying "night-night" as he was the entire last 45 minutes of driving. Oh, and did I mention the DVD battery had run out by then. NOT FUN.

OK--the bright spot for today? We went to huge Super Target right near the hotel. We were able to put a gift basket together for the bride and groom (we're here for a wedding), get some new makeup and a coloring set for Stinky and had a blast. Tate loves Targe' as well, probably because we go there so often and it feels like a 2nd home.

Email me if you want: PCSchwartz@charter.net

as I am bored and working on the computer is the only thing I can do as Tate naps. Oh yea, Naps are the best....

Life is too short for bad food

I love food. I love it so much, that I really should weigh a LOT more than I do. But not just any food. I love lots of flavor, unique and interesting fare, trying new things and the perfect ambiance to enjoy it all.

It's not just the eating...I love to make cookies and cupcakes even more than I like to eat them. I even like food related items in my scrapbooking...My zodiac sign is Cancer and you usually get fed by a Cancer woman, kind of like an Italian grandmother. Or in my case, a Mexican Grandmother...


Because of this love, I have decided no more wasting $$ or stomach space on "crap". I live in the "burbs" of St. Louis and that means that EVERYTHING is a chain restaurant close by. Not that I don't "jones" for a Crunch Wrap from Taco Bell every now and then, but I refuse to go to Chili's/Applebee's/TGIF etc etc etc if I can help it. Life is too short!

To fully enjoy St. Louis, some friends and I are planning to go out about once a month and try out a new restaurant AWAY from the suburbs. We went to Cafe Eau for our first trip and great ambiance, good, but not excellent food. I hate when there is a lot of fried appetizers on the menu! The crabcake with black beans I had was excellent, though.

Also, Paul, Tate and I have started meeting our friend, Stacy, for brunch on Sundays in St. Louis. We have been to The Creperie in Clayton and it is excellent. It is as close to my California cafes that I am used to. Today we went to Chris' Pancakes. It was pretty good, but was just your standard IHOP/Denny's stuff, which can be quite satifying.

Oh, and if anyone has a good recipe, send it my way!

TGIF!

Al Bundy? Paul? Nope--it's Tate in Sesame watching mode. And to answer Paul's question, No, I did not stage this picture!

Check out his "Bling"... "Master T, mini-rapper". (He had a necklace of mine on while coloring.)

These pics are a few weeks old, but it is Friday and I am lazy, so here you go. On Fridays, I feel like it is a holiday and I always am very lazy. I get why it was always "Pizza Day" in our house growing up for dinner!