AAAAAaaahhhHHHH!!!!

New toy!!!

Now if I can figure out how to use it.
For real, no user manual.

Not a political statement

OMG!!

Best cake ever!!

Before cutting


After cutting.
SHAZAM!!!



I used this tutorial, but made my cake the regualr way, not with the soda. And frosted with home made buttercream frosting.

Yummy! And superduper cute.

I <3 British TV

I would say that it is pretty well established that I love me some TV.

But I especially love British TV. BBC, in all it's glory, iTV. Yay!!

Where else can you see something as awesome as TJ Wheels!!!


And then there was "Hoop-La-La". Hoop-La-Freakin-Awesome if you ask me. I do have to say that they really benefited from the professional styling that the show gave them. They were on Britain's Got Talent. Even Simon ended up liking them.


Of course this video does not work now, but you can view it on the Hoop-La-La website. I think I just like saying "Hoop-La-La".

Lots of great variety talent shows on, that I enjoy so much more than Crap Idol.

Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow is DR. SEUSS's birthday!!

Of course I'm a huge dork and made this for Piko deGallo's kindergarten class.
What the?
"That's great Mommy!" Piko deGallo says. "It will be better when you put the face in"
The action shot, with the "face"!



Check out SkipToMyLou for some awesome Dr. Seuss activities.
Like making your own Cat in the Hat hat.
Have fun with Ooobleck!

The Aunties are here!! THE AUNTES ARE HERE!!!

This was Piko de G's rally cry last week.

As I had mentioned, The Librarian came for a long awaited visit to deGallo Land. We truly were spoiled when she lived in Richmond and would come up to visit us at least twice a month. It was a sad, sad day when she moved away.

Anyhoo, Piko deG was elated when Aunty Librarian came. Not only had she not seen her for almost a year, but Aunty Librarian was taking her to Hell on earth Build A Bear, for a belated Christmas gift!!!! Or, as Piko told everyone she knew "MY Aunty Librarian was too busy to go shopping for Christmas, so she is taking me to Build A BEAR!!!!!!!"

Oh the bliss to be in her favorite store in the world, with her favorite person in the world!!! This was The Librarian's first visit for full blown picking and stuffing at BaB. All I told her was take a deep breath and bring your credit card.

And as you can see that my shrug jacket thing came out quite well. She must like it because she wore it all week.

It was a good time. We were smart about it and went at about 1:30 on a Monday afternoon. I think that we were the only people in there. I know I go on and on about how much I hate this store, but actually it's quite fun when the place is empty. I've also dug myself a bit of a hole, because we're actually going back. Yeah, yeah, but Piko deG raised all of her grades significantly this quarter at school, and as a reward I'm taking her to buy a new doll outfit, complete with shoes, which on a normal day I refuse to buy.. I'm such a sucker!

I did say AuntieS right?

Well, my other good friend Red the Air Hostess happened to fly into DC for a meeting the same week that The Librarian was here. I was a bad mom and pulled Piko de G from school (with much guilt and hand wringing on my part, I was actually accused of being a Drama Queen about the whole thing) for another day so that we could all go to lunch.

Here is the happy bunch taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, walking in DC on our way to Zaytinya for lunch. The best Hummus EVER!! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. Seriously yummy!

Again with the leopard print shrug I made.

What a great week for Piko deG.

And on a geeky personal note, the Jane Austen Masterpiece Theatre three-month tribute starts tonight! Whee!

The Week in WIP

Many, many projects going on this week. Mostly Piko related. Usually after her Halloween costume is done she gets no more projects until after Christmas.

My very first clothing item actually made from a commercial pattern. This is going to be a little shrug jacket, and I'm going to make her a matching one for her favorite stuffed animal.

This one if for me. I think that I have been saying that I am going to make a quilt for my own bed for about a year and a half now. This one is going to end up on my bed eventually. The stitching is very slow going.

A pair (or more as it seems) of Cecily Beanies, for Piko and the Librarian, so that they can be beanie buddies while she's here for a visit.
Another project for Piko. Refurbish these thrifted infant clothes into clothes for her stuffed animals. You may remember my anti-BuildABear-ness. Well, I have discovered that those animals fit well into 0-3 mo. infant clothing. Just a snip to the seat of the pants for a tail hole, shorten the sleeves or straps on a cute shirt, and a perfect fit.

There were some completed projects this week too. Kiki got a new custom gown.


We took down the Christmas decorations! Huzza! And reduced our decoration cache by two huge boxes. Though the candy cane tree is still up. Piko needs to eat those candy canes.

79 squares were completed for my 2nd "MY" quilt of the year, based off of my pattern for The Librarian's quilt.

And, more fabric came in for future late birthday gifts.


Did I mention that The Librarian is visiting?!?! We are so happy. I had to sit Piko down and get her to understand that she is going to have to share her.

Merry Christmas to all...

Here's to sugar plums and wishes come true.

Her Royalness

Lady Piko deGallo.

Every month Sarge has to attend Airman Leadership School Graduation dinners for his Airman who are graduating. Some time ago he decided to take Piko along with him to these very boring semi-formal dinners. "That's crazy!" you might be thinking. A 5 year old at a very boring semi-formal dinner?!! It actually works out to a win, win, win situation for all of us. Sarge gets props for being a good father, as well as for having a well behaved child, AND most importantly has a great excuse for cutting out early. Piko gets to get dressed up all fancy, and have a special night out with daddy. And I get to have a night off, and eat a peanut butter sandwich for dinner, and take a 20 minute uninterrupted shower.

Everyone's happy, everyone wins.

Here she is with Sarge doing their "Prom Pose".

EVERY time!!!

I think sometime in late October I mentioned I was getting started on Christmas. Weeeeellll, yeah, No.

It's been a heck-a-busy-crafty-rush-race-to-the-finish month.

"What?!?" you say.

Well, it all started out with some crafty mittens. 24 sets of crafty mitten ornaments decorations for Piko's kindergarten class. I really feel for kids these days. Budget cuts and pushing for high test scores means little or no art time in class, even at the Kindergarten level. I volunteered on morning to make these ornaments decorations with the class.
Prepping the mittens.

The finished product!! I was so proud of these children. They all were very excited to be creating something of their very own. Mrs. Potts (Piko's teacher) incorporated it into her lesson plan for the day. They talked about winter weather, and their letter of the day was "M".

The mittens displayed in class. Thank you Liesl for the pattern and inspiration for this project!!


Next came a birthday for Piko's best friend from Preschool. Guess what her favorite color is!
She got:
A sweet little kitty made with a pattern from Sew Pretty Homestyle.

A Sube Sac to carry her around in.

And a Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt in her favorite color. Can you guess what that color might be? Any clues??

And finally a Pinata!! I had a hard time making the wings myself, and then had a brain fart and realized that if I bought some cute wings the Birthday girl would have them to wear later! Bonus!! And then I was at Target, and the antenna headband was in the $1.00 section! Double bonus!
I love me some Pinatas!

And then another Disappearing Nine Patch quilt for my good friend AJ in Hawaii. This had to be done and ready to mail by the 15th!

I put the last stitch into it at 9:45 PM on the 14th. Whew! The backing of the quilt is a thrifted flannel duvet cover, how awesome are those cherries?!

Wow, I must say again that my camera is crap!

And this is why I can never have more babies (click on the picture to enlarge). Inevitably while quilting on the couch, the couch arm ends up looking like this, and will stay this way for days. Luckily Piko is old enough to know to stay away, though she will steal my thread scraps and make little bird nests with them. Our house is filled with poking, scratching, swallowing, burning hazards like that on a daily basis.


Add to all this fun, our first real snow of the year.

And a trip to see Santa, standing in line at the post office, PTA meetings, Sarge's staff Holiday party, non-Christmas Card sending guilt, and about 4 power outages at the house.

Fun times, and I have not even started baking yet.

The Sacrifice, and the Reward.

Here is the sacrifice.

That is 4 bags of toys and clothes that Piko and I cleaned out of her room to donate to the thrift store. 4 BAGS!!! This does not even count the one huge bag of things we threw away.

And here is the reward.


Now, I know, I know. We just cleaned out that room. Look at how nice it is!

The floor!!! I can see a sea of floor!!

And then we add a new toy.

Well, we went to Build-a-Bear because well, we NEVER go there. NEVER. My sister-in-law ruined us by taking Piko there when we were in Hawaii. She actually refused to tell me where they were going because she was afraid I would say no. I wouldn't have, it's just something that Sarge and I don't do. But as it turns out, surprise, surprise, Piko loved it, and loves her doll, Kiki.

So back to why we ended up going to B-a-B. One of Piko's favorite shows is Clean House. I don't know why. Anyway, while we were cleaning her room I kept talking like Niecy Nash. "Foolishness!!! unh!" "Get rid of the clutter!! uh-huh, that's what I'm talking about!" Anyway, it worked so well, that I decided (after talking with Sarge) that I would offer her a Clean House like reward. For those who don't watch, Niecy usually offers rewards as incentive for people to get rid of things. It's usually big ticket items like furniture or flooring. I didn't want to take her to Toys R' Us or anything like that with Christmas looming in the future. So I thought why not something that we would not normally do.

Now Kiki has a new friend named Tabbytha, as well as a clean house.




And all three of them like Mythbusters.

Glad That's Over....

Halloween, over for another year. And we were heck-a busy.
Fall Festival, 2 birthday parties, soccer, pinata smash, all cumulating in the sugar fest of Trick O' Treating.

Finished shots of my horns, completing the outfit, heavy black eyeliner and awesome Drag Queen false eyelashes.

Piko in her costume last night, she eschewed(??) the makeup and hairstyling tonight, she just wanted to get outside with her friends.

Pumpkin pinata after it had been smashed. I forgot to take a picture of it hanging up.

The candy scramble.

Piko taking a shot at the second spider sack pinata.


And the aftermath. Poor pinatas, I know that's what they're made for, but still...


Sarge took Piko around the block for Treating, he had to be home by 7:00 or so because he had to be somewhere at 8:00. Well, they didn't make it back until almost 7:30!!! Sarge was carrying Piko's candy bucket, and his pockets were stuffed with more candy. Holy crap!!! Luckily more kids were still coming to our door, so I was able to sort Piko's stuff and get all of the taffy, gum, and things that she does not eat and redistribute. I swear she had about 6 lbs. of junk. And I have to say that Milk Duds are kicking my butt this year.

WOOO!HOOO!WEEE!!!

Piko de Gallo won a prize in her school's costume parade lastnight!
Score one for home made costumes.
I am recovering from 4 hours at the face painting table.
That is all.

Tuesday Two Days Later

I have desginated every Tuesday as my "Lock myself in the sewing room and get projects done" day. I seriously need to get working on Christmas presents, and I'm still thinking on a Robot Quilt for Mrs. Snarkolepsy. But this week was all about Piko. We have been butting heads alot lately, mostly about manners, and school work. I think that many of the problems are hangups on my end, but still, I want my dear girl to do well.

Anyhoo, the first thing out this week was matching Smocketts for her and her kitty "Kiki". Heck if I'm going to Build A Bear and spending $15 on a dress for a doll.

Here is Piko's action shot.

From the back.

And Kiki's action shot.

Then wouldn't you know it, the very next day a box arrives for her from Aunty Red, and Aunty Taki with two new outfits from Build-A-Bear. My home made frock has been tossed aside. Boo-hoo.

Next up, I though that Kiki deserved her own little quilt, and a small quilt is quick and easy. I also happened to have some very cute Amy Butler pre-cut squares that would go very nicely.

As if Piko does not have enough things on her bed as it is.

Man! I seriously need a better camera. Or I suppose, better camera skills.

Next Tuesday, I'm starting on Christmas.

I Play Favorites

Here are some of the things that I just can't live without.

1. CamelBak 24 oz bottle. (I know this is a link to the 36 oz.)I have it in green. I absolutely love this drink bottle. My only issues with it are that the replacement bite valves are not readily available at most sports stores, and the replacement pack includes two replacement straws and one valve. And be sure to close the bite valve all the way when you're using it in the gym, because if it falls over, the valve is sure to touch the ground. yeah, yuck. It is also available in 36 and 16 oz sizes.

2. Stevia Packets (I get mine from Trader Joe's). Oh yes, I'm a huge sugar in my coffee kind of gal, think 2 Tbsp, in a 20 oz coffee. I truly believe that this stuff is saving my waistline. Now, I have no proof, but ever since I've been using it in my morning Joe instead of regular cane sugar, I've lost 6 pounds. Granted I've also been eating frequent smaller meals, and have returned to the gym. But STILL!! It tastes great, and NO FUNNY AFTERTASTE!

3. Vichy Normaderm Daily Exfoliating Cleansing Gel. This stuff is truly amazing. How amazing you ask? So amazing that since it is not available locally, I actually have to order it. And I do. I have to thank blogger Jacy for pointing me in it's direction. She truly knows what she is talking about.

4. Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil Gel. Once again pointed in that direction by the lovely Jacy. I'm cancelling my subscription to Marie Claire and making her my style and beauty consultant. Anyhoo, this stuff is wonderful. Sarge started using the bottle of baby oil we have had (since Piko was born) lying around in the bathroom at the end of his shower. It worked pretty well, so when he ran out I thought of Jacy's recommendation and went out and got him the gel. Well, he does not care for it, he prefers the liquid because it's easier to get it on his back, and other hard to reach places. Soooooo, I started using it, and it's great, I don't think that my skin has ever been softer, and no slippery tub floor to worry about.

5. Kellogs Special K Bar. (Well, this is a stupid site, you have to navigate it to get to the page you want.) I'm intensely fond of the Vanilla Crisp, Strawberry is nice as well, but the Chocolatey Drizzle was strangely disappointing. However, with between 7 and 9 grams of sugar and 90 calories they make for a pretty healthy and yummy treat between lunch and dinner.

6. Dove Ultimate Clear Radiant Silk deodorant. This is the one that is supposed to make your underarms smooth. Well, it does, and provides very good perspiration and odor control. I have just started using it, and actually I can see that my armpits are smoother, not that I had armpit issues before, but why not give them a little pampering too.

7. Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit. I'm not one who keeps on top of my brow grooming as I should, I do not maintain by checking and plucking every other day, or even every other week as it turns out. I also have naturally bushy brows and very fine but dark hairs that grow over my entire eyelid, almost to my eyelash line. That used to make for some very unhappy plucking. These are great, no complicated gauze strips or applicators, just cut to size, warm between your hands, apply and rip off! I have never used them on any other body part, but I'm sure they will work quite well.

I am so weak

I just ordered these shoes.

As I am getting older I'm a bit more concerned about my feet. I figure I'll spend $50.00 on some comfortable supportive shoes to wear, rather than going down to the Payless and saving $25.oo only to find my big toe going numb, and my back aching.

I tried these on once, and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet. Light, supportive, and flexible. And hey, I'm a sucker for Mary Janes. The only problem is that they only had them in this tangerine color. Well, I guess I have to sneak my flair into life somehow.

I also don't feel bad about getting these, because Sarge just ordered a pair of $70.00 socks. That's right. $70.00 SOCKS. What the heck do $70.00 socks look like? Yeah, I thought that they would be woven out of cashmere by albino virgins or something. Ok, so they're not exactly socks either. But still!!

Home at last!

Finally, home at last. I know, cry me a river, but who knew that a three week vacation in Hawaii could be too much.

We're tanner, actaully Sarge is "not white", fatter, well, I'm fatter, and ready for school to start.

Tanner (not white) because Piko wanted to go to the beach every day. So this was our view for about 75% of our vacation.



Piko turned out to be a swimming champ, she even learned how to use a snorkel.

Fatter, well, I'm fatter, because Sarge is a sadists and went exercising every other day. Boo-hoo for him, he gained 4 lbs, he weighed himself on the scale at the airport check in counter. I refused, because I am "Big Mama" indeed! This is the reason why.

This was my lunch one day from Aloha Poi Bowl at the Ala Moana food court. The Laulau and Kalua Pork plate lunch, with mac salad and two scoops rice.


This is my lunch 20 minutes later. It hardly looks like I had eaten anything. I had to take that big boy home and have it for breakfast a couple of times.


Genki Sushi in Kaneohe with my brother did not help either. Who can resist sushi flying at you on a conveyor belt?


Shave Ice! Only about 8 times. Sarge and I are boring and have settled on Strawberry with a scoop of ice cream as our go to flavor. And no we did not share.

And finally, grandpa's mutant fruit.

So this looks like a normal mango right?


Well, given the right scale, you can see that it's as big as Piko's head! And that's a small one. Grandpa would bring home buckets of these.

Yes, the eating was out of control.

What was not out of control however was "Hurricane" Flossie. This was the view from my parents back yard at 6pm on the night it "hit".

Some island areas got heavy rain and wind, but it did not rain at all where we were.

So now to unpack and refill my fridge.