A Dance For 5

So long farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye!

2012-02-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

I am going on a long trip. It’s just too busy for me right now trying to get everything ready to even make an attempt at blogging. I will miss you all and will try to squeeze in a few posts while I’m oceans away. I’ll “see” you when I get back.

“Because the world is a book and I want to read more than one page…”

via

Love always,

Vivian

Happy Valentine’s Day

2012-02-13T23:40:00.001-07:00

On this Valentine’s day:

Her wish: “10 mil besos.” Ten thousand kisses because you are worth it.

His wish: “May the force be with you”

Her wish: Let all that you do today be done in LOVE.

Wishing you a wonderful and happy Valentine’s day.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2012-02-09T07:51:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends! I haven’t done Awkward and Awesome Thursdays for a while. I should do them more often. They are sure FUN!

Awkward
**Flakes, Flakes Flakes! If there is an attribute of the person I’ve become, that would be: Reliable. Maybe the next step now is for me to learn to accept those who are not. But for now, let me just say: I can’t stand people without a word. Poor them. How do they make it in life? Just saying….

**My childhood friend is gone. And I miss her terribly already. She brought a piece of home to me. What a happy upbringing we had and she certainly, like no one else, reminded me of that.

**My other childhood friend’s birthday was the other day, too and I couldn’t get a hold of her. Technology failed me and I was SO MAD. Why do we have to rely on technology so much these days?

**Women and their drama. So you walk through life innocently to find out there are “haters” or shall I rather say: ~~a bit o~~f jealousy out there and you don’t even know what you did to them. Their loss, their wasted energy, not mine.

**It’s gray. Utah weather is BAD. No color, no sun, just gray.

AWESOME!

**With the excuse it’s Valentine’s day, my awesome friend took some pictures of us (To be posted soon).Very low key, very improvised and you know what? They turned out the best! Sometimes the best things aren’t planned. And have I told you enough that Valentine’s is my absolute favorite holiday?

**And talking about photo shoots: SO good to know that there’s beauty out there without a need to be photoshoped; it wouldn’t be the real thing, right? As far as me and my family goes, expect the real thing, as always :)

**The store, you know, the one I told you I keep in business; well, they had their awesome “buy one pair of boots, get another pair completely FREE” sale. And I walked away with more than a handful of pairs. Shoes make me happy! Anyone else?

**Pilates! I do the whole works: Zumba, Spin, Weight training, etc but a few months ago I incorporated Pilates to my routine. Oh Goodness! I think this has to be the most challenging of all workouts, and therefore, the most rewarding. And here I was pre-pilates thinking I was fit (not). My new mantra: “I can do hard things” “I can do hard things.” And to you Pilates: I’m hooked!

**Breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe with my best friend (and childless) and my three little ones who can only stay seated long enough to give you time to order. She is pregnant and already made up her mind she only wants one child. The whole “child wandering” syndrome my kids suffer from, got her too scared. I tell her she should not base her decision solely on me and my kids. At least they are ~~good~~ great with the camera (ha!)

**My son is a Karate KID. He is turning our two-year-old daughter into one, too. Can’t even describe the hysteria that as a family we experience as we hear and see these words coming out of her mouth (loudly): “KIA!” “INSIDE SWORD,” “OUTSIDE SWORD,” “NOSE PUNCH”…together with the actions. She is intense.

**Talented and gifted daughter has been chosen to do a solo at the annual dance recital. At the same time, she is in the run to obtain a scholarship for next years dance-school tuition based on achievement and excellent performance. She is quite THE DANCER (and the piano player, and the guitar player...) Ok I’ll stop bragging now. I have an awesome daughter and that makes my life pretty AWESOME!

Wishing you all an AWESOME Thursday!

Las Mañanitas

2012-02-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

I remember how on everyone of my birthdays my mom would wake me up as she serenaded me by singing Las Mañanitas, a traditional birthday song customary pretty much in every Spanish speaking country with a very significant meaning.

How would you like being awaken by a close to angelical voice telling you: “how lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you
we all come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you.
The day you were born all the flowers bloomed…?”

This and every day “Las Mañanitas” is for you Mami.

Happy Birthday!

Te amo!

Linking up with And then she snapped, Live and love outloud, Parenting by dummies, Seven clown circus, Naptime momtog, Project Alicia.

Shoot for the stars

2012-02-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

For a few years now, one and/or two of my kids have been involved in quite a few things. They have gone from dance, guitar and piano, to karate and baseball, to soccer to until recently basketball.

Do you know what’s history? Sleeping in on Saturday mornings.

I lived for my Saturday mornings! In fact, I think I was sort of the sleep-in “addict.” It seems like it was forever ago. And I can’t remember no more how it used to be before I had ALWAYS something to do.

Do you think I mind? Nope. Even with the newly spotted dark circles under my eyes, I don’t mind it at all. I consider this selfless love and sacrifice. I don’t know how else I would call something I gave up so “dear” to me for the sake of my children.

I read once a quote that said “Going to bed with a dream and waking up with a purpose”

Every night, I dream. Every day, yet even every Saturday morning, I wake up with a purpose. My purpose is my family. My purpose is for my kids to become well rounded and be prepared to “shoot for the stars.”

What is your purpose?

Heart Cupcakes

2012-02-06T07:56:00.001-07:00

I made cupcakes on of those afternoons when (unusually) things seemed to slow down. I remembered I’d seen this idea on Pinterest. So we decided to put the Valentine’s twist to the cupcakes. I think the pictures speak for themselves. Easy and Fun! You should try it.

Can you imagine how the kids felt when they arrived home from school to this?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Valentine’s envelopes

2012-02-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

You have 12 days until Valentine’s to surprise your kids each day with love notes (or anything you can think of that will make their day even more special ) inside this Valentine’s felt envelopes.

I got this fabulous idea from these ladies.

I made them last year and I got them out a few days ago. So far, my kids have found, aside from love notes, treats, coupons for play dates and outings, inspirational quotes, pictures, etc.

To make them you will need:

Felt sheets 12x18 size of any color of your choice(1 sheet .75 at Hobby Lobby)

Embroidery floss and needle

Ribbon

Decorative trim (white)

Hot glue gun

Scissors

Ruler

I took two sheets of felt of the same color. I cut one of the sheets of felt in half to make a piece that is 9 x 12 inches in size. This will be the front of the envelope.Next I cut a half circle out of this 9×12 inch front sheet (I used a round plate to make the half a circle).

The other 12×18 piece will be the back of the envelope and the triangular flap. I estimated the angles to make the envelope flap, traced it with a pencil and ruler and then cut along the line with scissors.

So here are the two pieces that make up the envelope: the back piece with the envelope flap, and the front piece with the half-circle.

Then I hot glued the front and back pieces together. Subsequently I added the embellishments on the front. First the embroidery floss:

and the decorative trim (also with the glue gun)

Once it was done I made hearts with the remaining felt and hot glued it on the tip of the flap.

I used the ribbon to hang them up from their bedroom doors so that they can find their little surprises each morning when they wake up.

Linking up here

It’s the Climb

2012-02-01T08:50:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I forget how necessary it is to have a real childhood and to be a real kid. To find the fun in the daily tasks that we adults try to accomplish day to day. The children’s museum in our town does precisely that. And the kids get to become adults and the adults get to become kids. We really enjoy this place, and it really pleases me how my kid’s imagination can go beyond boundaries at a place like this.

From a news anchor

To a busy mom’s task of grocery shopping.

And from an expert and melodic marimba player

To the very fine gentleman on a horse.

They can do it all because there is “NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH.”

Keep climbing!

Linking up with and then she snapped, Live and Love outloud, Parenting by dummies, Seven clown circus, Naptime momtog.

How about that…

2012-01-31T13:48:00.001-07:00

via

Valentine’s wreath

2012-01-30T12:04:00.001-07:00

I used a different wreath last year. See here. I didn’t like it anymore. I wanted more to it but at the same time to keep it as burlap. I removed the hearts, the glue was still stuck to the burlap so the only way to save this wreath was by somehow covering the glue spots, which I did.

To make the wreath I used:

The old wreath with burlap

Several strings of tulle in different shades of pink and red

Valentine’s Buttons and letters

Ribbon

**First was to tie all the tulle strings around the wreath interchanging colors. It would end up looking like this:

**Second cut the strings. I wanted the knots to look uneven and in different lengths:

Later I tied some pink ribbon to it as well and this is how it looked:

and after hotglueing the valentine’s buttons (no picture) I completed my wreath. And I like it!

Linking up here today!

A Lucky Visit

2012-01-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

Not too much can top that joy and excitement of being able to spend a few days with a childhood friend. We both came from far away, but at least having her live across the country from me seems less of odyssey than living two continents away. I am brought back to my childhood, I am brought back to the good old life, I am brought back to home when she is around.

I’m glad Utah didn’t scare her enough the first time to keep her from coming back. In matter fact, she has grown in love with the culture here and the pretty mountains. Maybe I can convince her to move someday and then I could have more of home with me.

Sushi, Greek kabobs, sancocho, empanadas, all things dulce de leche were amongst the many culinary experiences we had. We went dancing, ice-skating, museum touring, and delighted ourselves in the bond our children have developed, just like her and I.

And as simple as that, I consider myself lucky! Lucky for long lasting friendships, Lucky to have her!

Linking up with the Rebecca here

Genuine

2012-01-26T01:53:00.001-07:00

I went to dinner with a friend the other night. We talked about our fears and worries, about our dreams and goals, about our joys and sorrows. We talked about life.

People will be mean and disappointing. They will lie and hurt your feelings. They will find a reason to dislike you and criticize you. They will stop caring. They will come and go out of our lives. And you miss them…

I am sure I’m guilty of all of the above, too. After all, I’m part of the people and I’m just as imperfect as them.

The reality is that even with the struggles that present with our human interactions, we keep going, we move forward with hope in change, with lessons learned, and hopefully each time we make it better.

My kids have taught me a precious lesson throughout the years: You forgive. You forget. You become genuine. Genuine to care, genuine to befriend, genuine to love. And then everything else will follow and fall into place.

I am not worried about how much I’m liked by others or admired by others or how much I can obtain from my relationships with others. To be honest, I’m not worried one bit. I am worried about applying the principles my children have taught me. They know better. And they seem to have all the answers to this complex world in small and simple ways. They are special spirits. If I can do something more as a mother, that is to become more like them: GENUINE!

Why don’t you try it, too? And then together we could make our world a better place.

The ones whom I learn from each. and. every. day

P.S. And because some things don’t need learning and are simply naturally inherited from older to youngest -model attitude- (ha!)

Linking up with Project Alicia, Seven clown circus, The paper mama, Live and Love out loud, Parenting by dummies and Naptime momtog.

Meet them

2012-01-24T12:21:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone! A great idea today would be for you to meet some of my other lovely sponsors. You’ll be glad you did. They are such fun ladies!

Nadine

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I like music and movies a lot, also I love frozen yogurt and pasta equally as much. I tend to dramatize tiny, little problems and I really enjoy rambling about these to anyone who wants to listen - or not. This is why I started to write this blog in the first place, but over time blogging really

took my heart and now it's an important part of my life. I would have never imagined how much joy it would bring into my life - namely meeting you guys from all over the world!

Anyways, there are loads of things I like to write about. Let me think. There would be my love for TV series (Hart of Dixie, newest addiction), my passion for books, my obsession for all things

Australia...

I'd be happy to meet you. Feel free to say hello...

*****

Carina

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Hello! My name is Carina and I am: a mama to a punk, a pumpkin and a peanut, a happy wife, a terrible housekeeper, a thrifter, procrastinator, and lover of all things crafty. I blog about all of it in the (rare) quiet moments in my day. You can also find my shop lovely little whimsy on etsy, where I sell little lovelies to help raise money for our next adoption. I am also on twitter and facebook: come say hello!

*****

Siri

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Hi! I'm Siri! I am a girl who is madly in love with her husband, working extremely hard on school, traveling at every chance, living my faith, and taking pictures of pretty much everything along the way! I am a photographer so feel free to check out my photography (Freckled Lemonade Photography) from the link on top of my blog or find it on Facebook. My blog is basically a window into my thoughts and life. I try to fill it with things that I want to remember and things that I am inspired by. After all, isn't that what moves anyone to do something great?Inspiration? I think so. Come visit and hopefully you will find some for yourself.

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Krista Ewert

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Life is meant to be shared. We are not called to struggle in solitude or rejoice silently, but as a community celebrate the beauty in this One Beautiful Life. I am, like so many of you, a woman, a wife, a mother and a friend and have been given a voice. A voice to reach out, a voice to stand up for what I believe in and a voice to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I write to inspire and encourage as I share my passion for food, photography, travel, children with special needs and all other beautiful blessings in this life. So come on over and take a look! Let's share this One Beautiful Life together.

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Ellie

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The Ellie Life is the tale of one young dreamer who plans to change this lovely little world for the better with the faith on her mind and the love in her heart.

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Gina

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Hi, I am Gina and you can find my blog at Contemplating Beauty; I am a wife, mother and writer. You will see me blogging about my anything from my day to days about family, my apricot bichon-poo, managing my teenage daughter's hectic schedule and my heart for God.

I love to share and connect with others, which is why I started blogging. Hope to meet you soon!

Love Sacks

2012-01-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

I do a lot with burlap. I’ve accumulated a ton of burlap material. I once got this potatoes sacks at the thrift store and not only do I still use it for sack races at the kid’s birthday parties, but also to turn them into craft projects. Who would’ve known that 4 years back when I got them, burlap would become so IN today. Lucky me!

The following project, I also made last year. I blogged about it here. I got the idea from these lovely ladies.

I got my Love Sacks out over the weekend as I was decorating my house for Valentines’ and I knew I had to share this with my new readers. Enjoy!

***

Print the letters that spell “Love” from the computer and then cut them out.

I don’t sew, so a friend of mind was kind enough to do it for me. She turned the fabric into smaller burlap sacks.

Place the letter cutouts over the sacks.

Spray paint red above the letters (Be careful as you spray paint to not go over the fabric, try to stay within the limits of the paper. I also put some paper inside the sacks to make sure the paint wouldn’t soak through and stain the other side of the sack)

Fill the sacks up with old fabric remnants and tighten them close with red ribbon. Put them in the correct order to spell the word “LOVE” and there you have them!

My Valentine’s entryway table is complete. And I’m in LOVE…

**Linking up here**

Hope

2012-01-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Just in case you need this today:

Source

One Beautiful Life

2012-01-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends! I have a wonderful lady visiting today. Krista from One Beautiful Life has a gem of a blog. Krista has never failed to inspire me since I’ve been visiting her blog. This particular post brought tears of joy and made me start my day with hope and a smile on my face. Continue on and you will see what I mean.

Take it away Krista!

***

Hi Everyone!

I'm Krista and I write over at One Beautiful Life

where I celebrate all things naturally beautiful including my family,

food, and photography.

Thank you for letting me share with you.

[Set Scene: I have just finished putting the kids to bed and folding the laundry. The chances of my littlest one actually sleeping are slim to none, but I am going to act like she is. A glass of bordeaux has been poured and I am nibbling some dark chocolate. The hubby is in London, watching a Grammy nominated artist conducting a recording session with his professional choir as I sit alone in my living room in Cambridge, England.]

When I was younger, I suppose in my pre-teen and teen years, I always thought 30 would be the perfect age. I imagined myself, settled and married to a very handsome, very tall, very rich doctor, or lawyer or architect. I thought about how, by then, I would have matured into a very secure, confident and wise woman ready and willing to impart my knowledge and counsel on impressionable young minds. I pictured my adorable children, David and Charlotte, running around, yet playing very politely and contently with each other, as I cooked a fabulous meal that they all would love. I would map out plans for our rather large but comfortable home complete with a spacious porch overlooking the ocean.

Fast-forward and here we are: one month from my 30th birthday. And while I have two adorable children and a wonderful husband, that is about where the similarities end. We are anything but settled and the thought of imparting wisdom makes me run in fear of what I might say. But the funny thing is that I take a look around me, the opportunities that I have had, married to...a musician [gasp!], the blessings I have experience through my children, one of which has designer genes, and our funny little transient life and it seems like anything but a tragedy that I am not living the life I always dreamed of. Never would I have dreamed of living abroad. Never would I have dreamed of meeting the people I have through being a parent of a special needs child and never would I have dreamed of having the freedom to explore, experience and capture every moment of this One Beautiful Life that I am living.

Picnicking on New Years Day

Because sometimes, even the life we dream of is not nearly as wonderful as the life God has planned for us. It's just that our finite minds cannot even fathom the amazing plans that He has in store if we only keep our eyes on Him. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Love Tree

2012-01-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

These days you will see the Love Tree on Pinterest quite a bit. Before there was Pinterest, I had actually created a Love Tree of my own. I made it last year for Valentine’s. I blogged abut it here when I was just a new blogger and had like 3 followers.

And because it’s one of my favorite DYI projects I’ve ever done, and because Valentine’s it’s actually my favorite Holiday of all, and because this precious Love Tree is UP once more in my house, here you have it:

I used a clear flower vase, a few tree branches, heart shaped ornaments from Hobby Lobby (a dozen for $2.00 when their Valentine’s stuff was 50% off), red ribbon, wallet size black and white family pictures and clips to pin pictures to the ornaments.

These are some of the pictures I displayed. I trimmed the edges of the pictures with scrapbook scissors

The final product:

I’m excited for Valentine’s day. Are you?

xoxo

Vivian

**Linking up with these lovely ladies today**

Single in Salt Lake City

2012-01-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

I’m not single, nor have any plans of being single. Nothing against single people, it’s just that time of my life has been long gone.

I do have quite a few single friends. All of them due to divorce. This post is not about marriage but in case you would like to know my position on it I will tell you: I BELIVE in marriage. I believe that it is basic for a good-functioning society and the upbringing of children who will contribute to a better world. With that said, I also know marriage is hard, but it’s good. It’s a good thing… and we work hard to maintain it. I don’t know how I would do it alone. I admire those who do.

At the same time it's not my intention to offend anybody. These are my own perceptions and views.

***

So my two really good friends, both divorced, found each other somewhere along the path of singlehood. I couldn’t be any happier for them. The other night we double dated. They proposed we did something different by trying a new place. We went to a single adult dance, where “luckily” there were no entrance restrictions if you were married. Therefore, Amor and I got in with a two for one deal. Yahoo!!

I know it’s Utah and a large piece of its population is married but the “minority” is still catered with the goals of getting them finally married, I suppose. A single adult dance is a very common activity held here, mostly among Mormons (Note: these dances are not sponsored by the LDS church. They are put on by a specific organization or group who happen to be Mormon).They hold these dances seeking for an atmosphere different from the clubs where alcohol and other non-Mormon values are prevalent. I personally go to this club downtown because it’s the only and best place for me to Latin dance and that’s what I do. I go for the dancing nothing else. And I enjoy it so very much.

These dances also give single people the opportunity to meet. I used to go to those, many many times when I was single, and they were fun. But boy how things have changed now…

Upon entrance we found this:

and I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard!

Shortly after, the sign started making sense because as we looked around everybody looked at least 40 or older. And there was so much obesity that you could understand why their hearts could fail. They actually fed you at this dance. But look what you got:

And they were playing top 40…I’m sorry but that music just didn’t suit most of the people there well. I asked the DJ if he could play Shakira (because I was hoping to give this dance some flavor) and he said her music and videos were too “immoral” but yet every other song he played was Pitbull who sings about getting drunk and naked women. (Hello?!!)

Amor and I didn’t fit in, nor did our friends. What a surreal experience, really. Such a different world. Not many pretty people...I don’t know why not stay looking young and charming as you age….or at least try. I don’t get it. Most of the men there looked like they hadn’t gone shopping for new clothes in ages and the women…ughhh…I’m not even getting into that…

I suggest that if you are in your 40’s or 50’s you should be doing partner dancing and not top 40 unless you want to look like a fool. But if you really insist and you are really in the mood for Pitbull and dancing in front of your mirror is not enough…then go to Zumba!

I’m sticking with Latin dancing at my lovely place downtown.

I’m sticking with my marriage. I am grateful I found a good man. I’m grateful Amor and I are in this together.

I’m sure grateful I don’t have to worry about the lack of choices. Because that’s the reality I saw in just that one night.

I’m sure grateful I’m not single in Salt Lake City! (Ha!)

Earrings storage

2012-01-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

If you are like me, who has earrings laying all around the house, and they get mixed up and you can never find their matching pair and/or their backs that hold them in place, then I think you will -very much- like this idea.

Give your oven rack a makeover. And if you don’t have one, you can find them by the handful, for merely a penny, at the thrift store. Spray paint it ( I chose a red color that would go with my bedroom), add ribbon to hang it…

and you get this:

Idea from here via Pinterest

How practical and smart is this idea! Don’t you think? And on a budget. Just how I like it.

My “getting ready” time has even shortened by quite the minutes because I can finally visualize the earrings that match the best with my outfit. What can I say?…I’m an earring kind of girl. Up to this date I have been able to fit over 30 pairs on this rack (not all shown here).

Linking up here, here and here

Sassy

2012-01-15T12:03:00.001-07:00

Ever seen a more sassy trio? And they like Mickey… A LOT!

My girls and I wish you a Happy Sunday my friends!

My Favorites This Week

2012-01-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I have done one of “My Favorites” post. I’ve missed doing them. I’m still pinning and actually making what I pin. I will post a cool little project I made out of Pinterest next week.

For now this is what’s on my mind this week:

I am SO doing this to my son. If you haven’t followed me for long, then you should know my son besides refusing to speak Spanish, thinks that I’m sometimes a “LOCA” mom because I’m Colombian. And he will not get in front of the camera for me unless there is some major bribery going on. And I LOVE him that way…and I can’t get enough of his “kind of love” towards me…and I’m going to show him who looks more “LOCO” (if him or me) after this photo shoot gets done. (ha!) via

And also in honor of Valentine’s day coming up, how original and fun is this? Heart Cinnamon Rolls via

What a fun project to do with the kids: A “Get Well Soon” card

via

Silverware tray to keep toothbrushes off the counter. Dollar store tray. What a smart idea!

via

Australia!!!….Someday.via

Out and about outfit. Love aqua!

via

I want to remember this every.single.day:via

Hope you all are having a PERFECT day.

xoxo

Vivian

2012-01-11T01:45:00.001-07:00

Hope you enjoyed the first part of my adventures. If you haven’t seen it yet, go here!

I have MORE!

More Legoland FUN:

Kids being part of one of the shows

The all-Lego pirate, star wars, triceratops, and Santa. Seriously..so cool!

More sassiness in front of the Lego replica Capital Building

More beach days:

***Can I tell you how my heart melts when I see my girls like this…***

More baby craziness and never camera shy…never! Such a natural!

I’m a beach girl, always will be. Looks like my kids, to my joy, may turn out like me.

Grandma and her beach love notes to the children

More culture: Catholic Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside California, the largest of all California Missions and the home of a community of Franciscans Friars. I am not catholic but I was raised around them. The last time I saw the Franciscans was in my mom’s hometown in Colombia. She actually attended their school.

More good food: Ruby’s the classic American diner. With many locations in the area this place is a must.

More of the reasons why I always cheat on my diets: The Shake Shack at Newport Coast. We had the most delicious shakes every.single.day here. The only shake shack I know by the beach…

…with a million dollar view

My vacation is over and I wish I could have MORE of it. Back to life, back to reality…

Linking up with: And then she snapped, the paper mama, Jenni from the blog, Project Alicia, Parenting by dummies, and Naptime momtog.

The story of an Unclaimed Bag

2012-01-10T11:30:00.001-07:00

Remember this post and how after so many travels, yet even with my kids, I specially agree with this so very much:

Then read my story:

Everything happened so fast. I don’t remember packing nor remember how we had managed to accumulate so much more than what we had brought. I do remember, though, counting all the bags we had. I counted them in our hotel, and again when we put them in the car, and when we returned the rental car and when we got to the airline counter and then again when they were being weighed. I counted and counted. That turned into my specialty. Between all of us we had over 15 bags. (Remember it wasn’t only my family of 5 who tagged along). Which leaves me convinced of my new theory: No one could ever possibly enjoy being behind such a large party at the check-in counter, or any kind of counter for a matter fact. We brought spice to the mellow and slow pace Long Beach airport, in other words: true commotion. This brings me to the next part.

Having checked in most of our bags, we are left each with only our laptops, purses and carry ones (or so we thought). We let our guard down (finally) and we sit and relax waiting for our flight. The worse was “over.” And then we keep hearing the TSA agents calling through intercom for an unidentified passenger to come retrieve their bag left at security checkpoint. They called over and over again. They really sounded like a broken record I thought so I turn to my mother in law and tell her: “Who would be that dumb to leave their carry-on at the scanning machines?”

We board our flight. Halfway through our flight my feet get cold, and I want to change from my flip-flops to my FAVORITE pair of boots. After all is 40 degrees once we get home and my brain is reluctantly adjusting to a dreaded Utah freezing mode. I also think it might be a good idea to change baby’s almost-soaked-through-diaper which cannot withstand one. more. bottle. ( I have a two-year-old who still drinks the bottle, we have an addict in our home…more about this on a future post). And that was IT. That is when I got it. I was the DUMB ONE (… all along)!

My carry-on and my favorite boots arrive tomorrow; screw the diapers (Ha!).

Southern California Adventures

2012-01-09T02:33:00.001-07:00

As you know I was gone and this time Southern California was the destination for our vacation. We were lucky enough to go with family. This made it so much easier in terms of traveling with kids because of all their help. I know that as grandparents, the opportunity to spend never-ending hours with the grandchildren, is a precious gift, and in return, my children will not only have some cherished memories with them, but love them even more; for time…equals love. At least in my book.

So how do you condensed 10 days worth of pictures? I’ve done my best and here are some of the highlights. Enjoy!

***

**We visited among others Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. I think few people in life get to have a friend with a star on the walk of fame. I’m one of those. And also, like I like to call it: A star with another star:

**We did Disneyland as well. Two years ago, at this same time, we were in Disneyworld (Florida), so I can say with assurance, that this is my most favorite time of the year to visit Disney. With all the holiday spirit floating in the air, the abundance of Christmas decorations and the shows all geared towards Christmas, your experience becomes truly magical. Even though we live in Utah, we’ve been to Disney a handful of times and we cannot get enough of it. They sure live up to their motto: The happiest place on earth!

Below: The castle light up at night; Rapunzel, the new “celebrity'” in Fantasyland and baby mesmerized as she plays with her hair; Tinker Bell making a wish come true for baby of meeting life; Grandma’s first Disney visit with the grandkids; Star Wars dudes; Famous Dumbo; My high speed car race with my son (not looking forward to when he turns 16).

**Part of our time, we spent in the San Diego area. In honor of the countless times I’m on the floor picking up Lego pieces or (even better) the times of me screaming because I stepped on one of them, we took the Lego- obsessed 5-year-old boy to LEGOLAND, aka heaven for little boys. Did I mention HEAVEN? What an AMAZING place! Everything you can possibly imagine (and not imagine) is made out of Legos, so colorful it keeps you awake. And on top of the list: fast moving lines. We liked it so much we went back to the place a second time.

**We had days at the beach with friends. The pacific waters are cold but the kids didn’t mind at all. With the 80 degree weather, I happily laid out while some others decided to get buried in the sand. We spent our childhood during the holidays and New Years just like that: in the ocean. What a better way to do it again with the same people we used to share those moments with, showing our children the way it used to be.

But how abut the funny pelican on the pier who thrived on posing for pictures with all sorts of strangers? Well that is a new story of its own.

Come back tomorrow and I’ll show you more.

Linking up here. and here.

BACK

2012-01-06T21:44:00.001-07:00

I Like Who We Are When We Are Around Us

And there it is: our last picture together of 2011.

I am so excited for this year: So many goals, so many dreams. This year represents for me another year to banish all fears. Another year to love, another year to laugh, another year to give, another year to LIVE.

I welcome you with open arms 2012.

I am back from our trip and back to blogging. Post on our adventures lately coming up. Stay tuned.

What did I miss friends?

Vivian

Still here…and a Real Housewife visiting today!

2012-01-05T01:01:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic new year. I haven’t disappeared from the face of the earth, I’m still here…just not really here. I’m on vacation and it’s pretty hard to blog while you are out of your routine. I miss you and promise will be back ready to rumble blogland next week. In the meantime I leave you with a special friend who will give you a small glance of her wonderful world. Jenn from Riverton Housewives is one of those very special mothers and human beings. I admire her and feel so blessed to not only have met her but to be able to see her in person and have our children become friends. In addition she is as FUN as can be. Go check her out!

Take it away Jenn!

***

Hello to all of you *A Dance For 5* readers. I am so excited that Vivian invited me to share our blog with you and hope you'll have time to come visit our blog. I'm Jenn from over at Riverton Housewives.

I'm a pretty busy stay at home mom to my 7 kiddos and wife to my wonderful husband.

We Housewives are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of our blog and we're pretty excited about it. We're still learning and growing and figuring out all this blogging stuff but we're sure having fun with it!

I have had a personal/family blog for years where I've documented our lives and posted more pictures than probably any blog has the right of having. The Housewife blog came about one LONG drive to San Francisco with some of my most favorite ladies (the rest of the housewives) when we were talking about all the fun that we have and that we should probably share with the rest of the world :)

Since it is now officially 2012 and we are past the holiday season the stores are throwing Valentine candy and decorations our direction I thought I'd share some of our past Valentine classroom/friend treats. One of my goals is always to get the kids involved, the Valentines are from them and I want them to be able to get excited and have fun.

So without further ado here are some of our Valentines.

(a little note, sadly no tutorials because these are from back in the personal blogging days)

One year the oldest was very against giving candy for Valentine's day! They say "you're the *apple* of my eye!, "ORANGE" you glad we're friends! and "I'm BANANAS for you Valentine!" Just little Ziploc bags with notes printed up on red & pink paper with Valentine ribbon attached.

These say Have a BEARY great Valentine's Day, You're SO Beary nice and I'm Beary glad we're friends. They have teddy grahams, candy hearts and gummy bears in them.

Miss A REALLY wanted to do gum instead of my other ideas and you know me, I'm ALL about pleasing the children :D So her's say "I *chews* you Valentine! or Valentine I *chews* you! These we taped onto the notes and she got to do most of the taping.

I'm sure you've seen this one but she had so much fun cutting out all those flowers

Tutorials for both are Here.

Last year was one of the most intensive projects we did. The girls are getting older and so we're able to tackle harder projects.

I can't tell you how much these would cost you to make because thanks to others I had all the supplies on hand.

They had to take each of the flat backed marbles and trace them onto paper and then cut them out (since they're all different shapes)

Once we had them all cut out and matched up the went through their lists of classmates and wrote 1st initials on each of the printed sides of the paper.

Here they are all finished. I used a hot glue gun to attach the paper to the marbles and that worked great. I suggest something stronger to attach the bail to the back of the marble.

After that the girls got to work putting the key rings through the bails (that was a project for sure).

I know the kids probably don't have many keys but around here key chains hanging from the backpack zippers are pretty popular.

Here they are, all packaged up with some candy (since candy is a requirement it seems!)

I hope these give you some ideas for the upcoming Valentine holiday and of course we'd love to see your Valentine projects as well.

Thanks again Vivian for letting me share some of our crafts with you!

Happy 2012!!!

-- ~Jenn check out our blog http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/

Melanie from Keeping up with the Cantelmo’s

2011-12-28T10:03:00.001-07:00

Today I happily introduce you to Melanie. She sure is an amazing person. I have enjoyed learning about her and her story. I admire her strength and courage. She is an example to many so go check her out. You will find her blog as source of inspiration.

Take it away Melanie!

***

I’m so excited to be sharing with all you Dance for 5 readers.

Thank you Vivian for allowing me to share today!

My name is Melanie Cantelmo and I blog over at

Keeping up with the Cantelmo's

I started blogging to keep my family updated on our daily lives.

Soon I realized I could bless others with my blog.

My goal with my blogging is to be real and encouraging.

I hope I can be a blessing to you today!

For the past 6 months our family has been going through a challenging season. My husband lost his job this past June. He has been unable to find a job in his field, so he has picked up extra hours at a local cigar shop to help make ends meet. Not ideal but we have to survive.

We have also experienced some interesting illnesses in our family during this time. I was in the hospital for a few days in August and my son Luke was in the hospital this past week.

As you can tell, this season has not been an easy one for us.

Today I want to share with you how we survive challenging times.

Hopefully these tips will help you if you are going through a hard time.

Remind yourself of who you are

Just because my husband lost his job doesn’t mean he is any less of a person. Just because we are struggling financially doesn’t mean we are bad parents. My husband and I have to take time to remind ourselves who we are, we are still valuable people who have a lot to offer despite our current situation.

(source)

Take time for renewal

Go on a bike ride, long walk, head to the bookstore, or a take long bath. Schedule time for yourself. This is helps me survive! My husband and I trade, I go on a long bike ride and he gets to meet up with a friend. It’s such a blessing!

Remind yourself that this is only a season

So cliché but “This too shall pass.” This is literally how I get through! Everyday I just tell myself that there will be an end and there are better times ahead.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else

Isn’t this so hard? Sometimes I get caught up in “they have it so easy” or “why can’t I have _____.” Then I just have to remind myself “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

(source)

Ask for help

I hate asking for help. It’s a pride thing. But sometimes I just have to do it.

Yesterday a friend brought us dinner, I can’t tell you how much this dinner blessed our family!

Trust in His plan

Even though the season we are going through is hard. I know God has plans for us. We are growing closer together as a family, I am becoming stronger and my faith is growing. God is so good!

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Count your blessings

I always try to remind myself all the things we do have. Full bellies, roof over our head and lots of love! That’s really all we need.

Make a “to do” list

This just helps me stay on task and not get caught up in worry or fear. It keeps me focused.

Serve someone else

Even though we don’t have much money right now, I try to take time to do something for someone else. Maybe we surprise someone with a kind note or cookies. Or help them with my time. Whatever it is, it takes the focus off of me and onto them.

Take time to mourn the loss of your plans

It’s okay to feel sad or angry about what you are going through. I have spent plenty of nights feeling sad or angry. I try to journal about my feelings. This helps me process what I’m going through without denying my emotions.

Remember that you are not alone

Share what you are going through! You'd be surprised at how many people are going through or have just been through similar circumstances.

(source)

If you are going through a hard time,

I would love to connect (melaniemd@live.com) with you or pray for you.

You can read more of my story here.

Thank you, Vivian for allowing me to share today!

Love,

Kyna from Great Expectations is in the house!

2011-12-27T10:43:00.001-07:00

Hello Dear Friends! I have Kyna today and she is darling. I absolutely love her and her blog. I mean just look, isn’t she adorable? I am so thrilled to be able to introduce her to you. Go visit her here. I am sure you will enjoy her as much as I do.

Take it away Kyna!

***

Hello all of you wonderful A Dance for 5 readers! My name is Kyna, and I blog over at Great Expectations. My blog is a journal of my thoughts, my ponderings, and the daily memories I make with my family. I have been married to an incredible guy, Matt, for 8 years and together we have the most amazing 2 year old little girl, Ellie. My life is a never ending balance of work, fun, and being the absolute best wife and momma that I can be!

Some of you might have met me a couple of weeks ago, as I just featured the lovely Vivian over on my blog, here. I was so honored when Vivian asked me to guest post on her blog because I really love reading her blog! She has such a great view on life and it's so refreshing to read!

Since Vivian just shared one of her favorite recipes with my readers, I thought it would be a perfect time to share with her readers one of my favorite recipes. This is a super tasty, but super easy recipe that I love!

Like I mentioned, my life can get crazy at times with everything I have to balance. That's why I am always looking for fast and healthy recipes that I can whip up at home. I think it is very, very important to eat well balanced and healthy meals. We try to avoid processed, pre-packaged food at all costs, but it can be very challenging to find the time to cook every single night.

This is where my crock pot saves the day!

I used to think crock pots where only for making Sunday roasts, and mushy cooked carrots that I was such not a fan of when I was young (...sorry mom). I actually laughed when my mom suggested I buy one. Now, it's my "go to" tool that I rely on at least once a week if not more! It makes cooking a warm, healthy meal so easy. This recipe in particular is one of my favorites because it combines meat and veggies all in one. Plus, it's so tasty!

So, without further ado, let me present to you my amazing Crock Pot Chicken!

(hmmm, I guess technically not mine as I adapted it from The Domestic Wannabe)

What you'll need:

1 package of uncooked chicken breasts or thighs cut into small cubes/pieces

*tip - breasts are healthier but thighs stay juicier

1 bunch of green or white asparagus cut into pieces

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms

2 jars of marinated, quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

2 cans of low fat cream of mushroom soup

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

salt and pepper

What you'll do:

Add the chicken, asparagus, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes to the crock pot.

Top with the mushroom soup, garlic, and lemon juice. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Mix all of the ingredients a couple of times the best you can. Cook on low, 4-5 hours...

(Allow me to interrupt with a great crock pot tip! If you work all day, like I do, and you don't have a fancy, schmancy crock pot that has a digital timer, it can be almost impossible to be able to cook something for only 4-5 hours when you are away from your house for 8+ hours. Try using a digital lamp timer like this one. As long as it is not extremely hot in your house, the food can be prepped in the crock pot before you leave, and the lamp timer will automatically turn the crock pot on at the desired time. Then you won't come home to a mushy over cooked meal!)

We serve the chicken and vegetables over brown rice, or whole wheat pasta to add a some healthy grains to the meal. And of course, feel free to sprinkle a bit of parmesan or feta cheese on top. We've tried both, and either one is tasty!

ENJOY!

xoxo, Kyna

Feliz Navidad

2011-12-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

Christmas is here. And this is on my mind:

A Christmas Pasodoble:

Dancing with Amor at the annual Colombian Christmas Celebration:

Kids got to see Santa after all and baby stood quite a few feet away from him. Still it looks like she was happy (she wasn’t). What is it about kids and their fear towards Santa? I wouldn’t know I wasn’t raised with one (Ha!)

Visits to the SPOT at Target and finding the perfect teacher’s and school staff Christmas gifts:

Making gingerbread houses with the kiddos at the school:

Our Christmas card:

Merry Merry Christmas my dear Friends! or shall I say Feliz Navidad!

***

I’m going on a trip so I’ll be off for a while. Hope you enjoy some of the guest posts I have lined up for you. Thank you for following, Thank you for such a great year. I look forward to sharing 2012 with you.

Love,

Vivian

Posada Time

2011-12-22T08:06:00.001-07:00

So this was the second year for our Posada. And this year it was held at my house. Last year, as friends we decided that we would keep this tradition going. And so we did.

A posada is a get together of family and friends. It’s done for nine consecutive days until the 24th of December. We rotate homes each night. Everyone brings a dish to share, we sing traditional Spanish Christmas songs, and there is even a piñata for the kids involved.

I didn’t take many pictures, not even of the kids. But we had a ton of kids, and of course, they were excited to be able to have a “late night” just like their parents. I was told that night that “only at a Latin party would you find 7- month-old babies awake at midnight.” Oh C’mon! It’s the HOLIDAYS! And we like to celebrate…and we are trained to do so since we are young!

Some dishes from the menu included: Tamales – Mexico, Papas a la huancaina – Peru, Flautas – Mexico, Au Gratin Potatoes – America, Deditos (cheese sticks) - Colombia

Some of the girls!

Some of the cool dudes!

Our handsome “gringo” husbands

And the small representation of one of our many differences: sense of fashion (ha!)

It’s almost here: Christmas! I have enjoyed sharing with you a little bit of my world and how my traditions are incorporated into this special time. I will publish my final “Christmas” post tomorrow and then I’m off blogging to get some very-well-deserved warmth and sunshine. Loving the Holidays and hope you are, too!

Happy Thursday Friends!

Linking up with Emily here

The Castle

2011-12-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

Once in a while you come across a castle looking structure on Pinterest. Many on this site have referred to it as such “pretty castle.”

It’s not a castle, although I would have to say, it looks like one and it’s very common to find many little girls (that was once me) who dream of the day they can go inside. It’s the Salt Lake Mormon temple. A special and sacred place for me and my family and for many more. It’s also where I got married.

Temple Square is beautifully decorated around Christmas time. We went to see the lights the other night and despite my camera phone, we Amor got a really good shot of our “castle.”

And you know boys: So hard to get them on a family picture, hence we took another shot and now our family is complete.

Liked what you saw, today? And how about yesterday? Tomorrow another post on my pre-Christmas celebrations/activities. Such a joyous happy time!

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Linking up with: And then she snapped, The paper mama, Jenni from the blog, Project Alicia, Parenting by dummies, and Naptime Momtog

Christmas around the world

2011-12-19T22:33:00.001-07:00

Our church held its annual Christmas party this year themed no other than: “Christmas around the world.”

The cultural hall had a variety of country flags adjoined to all the walls. The dinning tables were decorated with centerpieces that consisted of different country’s souvenirs and memorabilia. These are some of the things I had that were used for the Colombia table.

One of my most favorites was this nativity scene from Israel

The “flight itinerary from SLC- Utah to Bogota - Colombia.” These itineraries were the actual programs for the party and each table had their own itinerary depending on the country.

Each family brought a dish to share representing a different country. The food was abundant and delicious. I specially enjoyed being able to try foods from the Philippines, Italy and Russia.

My family’s contribution was Natilla, see here. Below, one of the dessert tables.

The kids came dressed up in typical costumes from the country they were representing. My kids were dressed up with Colombian costumes typical from the northern region where I come from. These costumes are called Garabato and are used more common around the month of February when the Carnival is held.

There was a play, which plot was about a mother teaching her little girl how children celebrate Christmas around the world and although miles away and languages away, the meaning of Christ’s birth is the same.

As part of the play the kids got to go up on stage and while holding a sign with the country they were representing, wish Merry Christmas to the public in many different languages. This was followed by a Polynesian Christmas dance performed by the youth and a live nativity.

This is how we gear up for a special holiday season. One of those perfect mixes of fun, spirituality and culture. We are so blessed to be part of this community. I love that my kids are learning to love the Savior, to know what he did for us and to embrace each and every culture around us.

Stay tuned to see part II of my pre-Christmas’ Celebrations galore!

Pumpkin Thieves and Buffalo Wings

2011-12-16T00:14:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends! I have a special guest today. Siri is one TALENTED girl. I have enjoyed her blog dearly and I hope you do, too.
Take it away Siri!

***

Hi everyone! My name is Siri and I am guest posting from Of Pumpkin Thieves and Buffalo Wings! Come visit me sometime! I'm excited to be over here on Vivian's blog today and I'll be writing about being a Newlywed (I've been married for 7 months, but as far as I'm concerned you can be a "newlywed" for life)! :)

When I was engaged, people would often say things like, "You think you're in love? Just give it ten or twenty years," or "When you are old you will look back and think, man I didn't even know what love was!" I know that the sentiments were meant be kind and I know that I will love my husband more with each passing day, but I didn't really agree with their perspective of newlyweds not knowing what love is. I even heard one person tell me, "You'll like seeing that face when you wake up, but it will get boring after a while." Sad!

I believe in a growing love, just like they do, but that does not diminish the fact that strong love can be there right from the start. I think someday I will look back and think, "Wow... we were so crazy in love and what's grown from it!" We newer newlyweds (Lance & I) do things like celebrate "monthiversaries" for the first eleven months of marriage because we are so excited about the journey that we have embarked on. We like to sticky note the house with messages of love. We like to dance madly to music to get each others' attention. We make date night a priority. We like to do newlywed stuff. We love to watch each other sleep when one of us wakes before the other. But as far as I'm concerned, you could honestly be a newlywed forever. We are planning on it. Love grows, but nothing can grow that does not have life to begin with. So to all of you readers who are married, I challenge you to be a newlywed forever... go leave a love note today.

Lovely ladies

2011-12-15T00:03:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Notice my sidebar to your right? They are my lovely sponsors and such wonderful ladies. Let me introduce you to some of them. Go check them out. They sure make blogland a better place.

Heather

Blog Twitter Facebook Pinterest

I blog over at Dreaming Big, a place where you'll find tools, motivation and encouragement to pursue your big dreams. I blog about being a wife, mother and friend who is pursuing the abundant life Christ has for all who follow Him.

Rachel

Blog Facebook Twitter G+

Hi! I'm Rachel. I take pictures. And stuff.

Melanie

Blog Twitter

Hi! My name is Melanie and I have a little blog over here. I started blogging to keep my family updated; soon I realized I could be a blessing to others! My desire is to bless others by inspiring them and just being real. One of my favorite post: I'll love you forever. I share with you about one of those mommy moments that make us mommy’s want to just pull our hair out!

***

And on another note: Karen!!! You won my $25 Bed Bath and Beyond gift card giveaway!

Congratulations!!!

Night in the town

2011-12-14T13:05:00.001-07:00

I love to dance, it’s no secret. We have our nights when we get out and do what I can do best.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce held a gala in honor or this coming year college scholarship recipients. I can’t express enough how proud I feel of those kids who choose to represent the Hispanic community well and strive to become the leaders of the future.

The venue at one of the most elegant hotels in Salt Lake City was beautifully decorated, the food exquisite and the music kept my feet moving all night long.

Nothing better than a live salsa band.

Linking up with And then she snapped, the paper mama, Jenni from the blog, Project Alicia, Parenting by dummies and Naptime mom tog.

FESTIVE!!

2011-12-13T01:22:00.001-07:00

**$25 gift card to Beth Bad and Beyond giveaway closes tonight. Go here to enter!**

Hope it’s not too late to show you what we did for neighbor’s gifts this year. You are welcome to use this idea anytime.

We live in a very close community. We all know each other and are friends. How do you come up with 30 + gifts without breaking your wallet. I found this idea, you guessed it right, in Pinterest. The funny thing is that I didn’t pin it because I wanted it to be a surprise for my neighbors, who happen to also follow me on Pinterest. And now I can’t find it anywhere, nor the source…sorry! (Ha!)

You will need:

30 + sheets of regular letter size scrapbook paper. I got mine from Hobby Lobby when it was on sale for 50% off (.22/each).

Modpodge and a glue stick

ribbon (picture shows red but I ended up using silver for contrast)

and your favorite treat (we used Muddy Buddies since my kids seem to be obsessed with it lately)

For the labels: white cardstock, liquid glue and glitter (not pictured)

Make a cone shape with the scrapbook paper:

Put everyone to work making labels. Cut the white cardstock in a label shape, dip the borders into a small bowl containing glue and then into another bowl containing glitter. Let it dry:

The labels will look like this:

Cut pieces of ribbon (mine were about 4 inches in length):

Fill up the cones with the treats

When I meant put everyone to work, I meant e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. Husband’s hands applying glue to flap. Fold it over and close cone. It will then look more like an envelope of some sort:

Hot glue ribbon and later the labels.

And here you have it! (Great project for the whole family. So fun to make). And yes, the tags say: “Feliz Navidad!” You know…just trying to keep the culture alive:

Ready to deliver!

Do you want to hear the story on how the kids fought over who would hand out the gifts? And how toddler ended up “winning” because she lives by: “If I want it, it’s mine. If we make something together, it’s mine. If it looks like mine, it’s mine. If I think is mine, IT’S MINE!

I think you get the point!

P.S: Look what else I made from Pinterest? Glitter balls (package of 4 fromTarget spot at $1.00/ea) ribbon and wreath. Perfect backdrop for my dinning room. Love it!

And proudly I introduce you to our darling tree: Gold and white!

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Linking up here

No regrets

2011-12-12T00:36:00.001-07:00

A friend passed away yesterday. He was driving to work early in the morning, his car rolled over. He died leaving his wife and two small children. We are saddened by the loss. He was such a good man. We believe that families can be together forever and that his family (and us) will see him again. That doesn’t make it any easy to not wonder why him, why at this time. It’s not easy.

When I found out about this tragedy, I was having more than the typical day. I had clearly over committed and had been rushing all day to get from place to place trying to get everything done. I almost lost it. I was already hyperventilating when I realized that here she was, my friend who had just lost her husband: alone. I still have mine and I still have my family. I rather have a so called crazy, busy, overscheduled life than to not have my family at all. I’m grateful.

I thought about the time of the day in which my friend left for work: 4 am. I questioned: Did him and his wife said their usual goodbyes? Did they say I love you? If it had been my situation: probably not. My husband is also an early “riser.” I am not. I wouldn’t wake up for “that sort of thing.” Not sure I will now but if I am going to take anything good out of this experience is to always ALWAYS remember to express my love and appreciation to my family. You never know what you are going to get thrown at you in life, you never know if that’ the last time you may see that special someone. I don’t want to live with regrets. I refuse to! (I asked Amor to start leaving me again the love notes I used to find each morning when I woke up).

In the midst of all these emotions, I remember my visit to the great-grandparents not long ago. We hadn’t seen them in a while. Because of their poor health, they are now housebound and can’t drive. It looks like sadly they don’t get many family visitors these days except from the daily nurses visits. I feel horrible it took me so long to go see them.

We had an absolute lovely time. The kids had so much fun playing with all the toys still at their house from years past. We listened to Christmas music, looked at old picture albums, and with real dissected sea horses in hand, heard them tell stories of their travels abroad.

I know we made them very happy. I also know this visit wasn’t enough. I want to be better, I want my children to have plenty of memories and stories to tell about their ancestors. I want to let go of the things that don’t matter. I want to serve more, love more. I want to have no regrets.

P.s: On the funny side: Only one thing could that mouse trap get instead of a mouse, my son’s finger (of course). Poor guy. He had never seen one of those and didn’t know what it was. What can I say? Hmmmm…We don’t usually have mice in my home…who does?

Have you enter my Bed Bath and Beyond giveaway? You should! Only two days left!

Happy Monday Friends!

Linking up here and here

My Favorites

2011-12-11T01:08:00.001-07:00

I haven’t posted my favorites in a while. I’m still pinning just life is quite busy lately. I WANT you to enter my BED BATH AND BEYOND giveaway. It’s for you. FOR YOU! ENTER here. Thank you for making my little corner of the internet what it is today. Thank you for allowing me to share my journey with you. Have I told you lately I heart my followers? I DO!

***

Cuuuute! I ordered mine. For $12.75 plus shipping not bad at all. It looks like it only comes in one size. I took the risk and I hope it fits or I’m going to cry… here via Pinterest

Wouldn’t this be the best way to get your kids to eat their veggies at those Holiday parties? I know it’s the Holidays and it’s a party and healthy eating is probably the least of our worries…just saying…here via Pinterest

And talking about parties. Look at an original and affordable way to decorate your party: Tulle wrapped around Christmas lights! Love it! via

For those of you, who like me, one day overbought too many mason jars. And the wonders that metallic spray paint can do to them. Never again will I lose my make-up brushes!! here via Pinterest

Still looking for Neighbor/Teacher, etc Christmas gifts? You can get all these at the dollar store or Target dollar spot. And it looks lovely! I personally would be thrilled to get something like this.

here via Pinterest

For those who don’t have a chimney. I miss my old house, I miss my old chimney. I am SO doing this! here via Pinterest

So true. I get told “mean mom” often. And the kids rather be with grandma than me at times. Thanks for the uplifting Pinterest (ha!) here via Pinterest

I laughed hysterically! Try doing this with three little ones: With the boy who won’t let go of his video game, with the girl who is afraid her glitter shoes wont’ make it to the other side and with the independent toddler who has to do it all by herself (slowwwwwly). Question is: Shall I try talking to them about it for the…what? …50th time? or simply let the line behind me give me the look? After all, it’s the same look I get at the grocery store, when at check out, I have a job to take care of: couponing. I warned the line. Always do. I will at TSA territory. But I’m pretty sure it’s still going to be MORE ANNOYING (ha!).

here via Pinterest

Alyx from Every day is a new adventure is in the HOUSE!

2011-12-09T11:20:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone! Yesterday I posted about my latest and pretty cool giveaway (Bed Bath and Beyond anyone?). Go here and enter! You don’t want to miss this one!

Today I have a very special guest: Alyx from Every day is a New Adventure. She makes me laugh, she keeps me smiling. I feel so blessed I met her and can’t wait to meet her in person. We hope to go to Prague together someday! Go see her. She is simply WONDERFUL!

Take it away Alyx

***

Guten Tag! Ich heiße Alyx... oh, wait. Wrong language. The name is Alyx, and I have my own little bloggy-blog over here where you can visit if you so desire. You can read all about my life as a Fremdsprachenassistentin (wow... try saying that 10 times fast. No, really - I double dog dare you) in the wonderful land of the Lederhosen. For now, though, I'm so excited that Vivian asked me to do a guest post today! She is awesome, and so is her blog. I just love it!

I've thought about this post a lot over the past couple of weeks. I thought about doing something crafty, but I'm totally not creative. I thought about giving you an awesome recipe, but didn't feel like baking or cooking. I thought about doing a music video, but... actually that's a lie. I definitely did not think about that. I also thought about writing a 10 page paper on the life span of the African Elephant (a subject which I know nothing about), but decided that no one would stick it out to the end.

source

After ~~ripping up the idea list into a million little pieces and throwing it out the window of a moving car~~ deciding that none of these ideas were good, I decided to tell you about (drum roll please) Germany.

What do you think of when you hear the word Germany? A bunch of drunk men playing Beethoven on the accordion while wearing Lederhosen and eating Sauerkraut and Bratwurst (because we all know how skilled the Germans are at multi-tasking)? BEEP. Sorry, you're wrong (unless, of course, you visit Bavaria, because they are kind of silly out there).

Let me give you a little bit of background on my experience with this wonderful country:

- I lived here for 3 years as a small child. My dad was in the USAF, and we were stationed near Cologne in a small town called Nörvenich.

- I came back to Germany for 10 days with my German class when I was 17 years old. This time we toured the country.

- I came back again to live here for 3 months as an intern at a small German company in Offenbach am Main (the equivalent of the Bronx) called JuicyWalls (I did PR work).

- I am back now as a Fulbright ETA working at Gymnasium Nidda. Haven't heard of Nidda? Join the club.

So. You Wanna Know the Truth About the Germans and Germany (as perceived by an American)?

- Germany is beautiful. The architecture is amazing, the grass is always green, and there's no pollution (even in big cities).

- If you live in a small town, you need a car. Yeah, I missed that memo. I'm what we like to call a moocher. I have to mooch rides.

- Germans love to tell you your opinion. No, that's not a typo. They like to tell you what you [should] think or do. Many a time have I been scolded in the street by an old German lady.

- Germans are nice people. Even though the language sounds evil and they're always the bad guys in movies, they're actually really kind and generous. They just sound like they're being mean all the time.

- Germans do like Sauerkraut, Bratwurst, and beer. That is not, however, all their diet consists of. They also have chocolate. Ha. Seriously, though. The food here is amazing.

- Everything here is fun-sized, right down to the showers and beds. Don't believe me? This is our kitchen. That thing in the bottom left is our fridge, then our washing machine, some cupboards, dishwasher, and oven.

I could probably go on for days, but I'll leave it at that for now. Hopefully you made it this far! Come by my blog sometime and say hello! I promise my posts don't always take 525,600 minutes to read. If you think Germany sounds like fun, ~~you should do what we did - sell your cars, pack your life into 4 suitcases, and move halfway around the world~~ you're right. It's a blast. I must warn you, though... They don't do peanut butter.

***

Thank you so much Alyx! Hope you all enjoyed her. And have a great weekend!

Bed Bath and Beyond Giveaway

2011-12-08T20:11:00.001-07:00

And like I promised it’s time again for another giveaway!!

The winner gets a $25 gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond. Not bad huh? And perfect for any holiday shopping you’ve got left to do!

You MUST do this three steps to enter the giveaway (required):

(please leave a SEPARATE comment for each one or your entry will not count)

1. You must be a follower of Dance for 5 (write a comment you are)

2. I guest posted here about one of my most favorite and traditional holiday dishes from Colombia. What is it? (write a comment telling me what it is)

3. I guest posted here about a few of my Christmas traditions. Which one did you enjoy leaning about the most (write a comment telling me so).

For any extra entries (not required)

1. Follow me on facebook

2. Blog about this giveaway

I’m keeping this giveaway open until Tuesday December 13th at midnight. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day.

Good luck my friends!

30th Birthday???

2011-12-06T23:54:00.001-07:00

So you know I had a birthday over a week ago, right?

Can you guess how old I turned?

And even though they all made it seemed like I was turning the big 3-0…

and the cake displayed a very light up 30 candle…

I didn’t turn 30. Really.

They ALL decided to play a very nice joke on me; to the one who hates confessing her age :)

Regardless, it was a blast playing along, the teasing and the laughs were unstoppable. And at the end of the day what matters is how I feel: young, vibrant, full of life…and HAPPY!

We had the most delicious (and my favorite) Indian food:

And it was a packed house, (masterly decorated with balloons and everything)

And you know I can’t end this post without a picture of the girls, except that this time something (rather someone) caught our attention as he crossed our paths minding his own business…

so we HAD to include him in the picture. Poor guy had no choice! And that’s why you NEVER walk in front of a very anxious, never camera-shy group of Latin girls: you can’t imagine what they’ll make you do (HA!)

Me and my Mango Lassi had a wonderful night. Cheers to birthdays!

Linking up with and then she snapped, the paper mama, Jenni from the blog, Project Alicia, Naptime mom tog and Parenting by dummies

Christmas Traditions and Giveaway

2011-12-06T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I prepared two special posts today as part of the Home for the Holidays series that two of my favorite bloggy friends, living in one of my favorite places (Germany), have put together. Please come visit me there!

With Daryl you will get the most sought after Colombian recipe during the Holidays there. You will LOVE IT!

And with Alyx I go into detail about the different fun and unique Christmas traditions I grew up with and how I’ve incorporated them to my life as a mom and wife here in America. You will sure enjoy to read them…just don’t call me “crazy” (Ha!)

via

I am so excited to tell you I will be announcing a giveaway on Thursday. And every week until Christmas there will be a new giveaway for you. The Holidays are upon us and I have such gratitude for you and for making this year a better one for me. It’s the least I can do for you, for your comments, for your loyalty. I HEART my followers.

**For the upcoming giveaways you will have to read both of my guest post from today because the only entry requirement will have to do with them**

Loves,

Vivian

My Advent Calendar

2011-12-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

I made this Advent Calendar last year after I saw it somewhere where I can’t remember (before there was Pinterest and I could file pretty ideas in an orderly fashion). I will tell you that as I was putting my Christmas decorations up, I was more excited about this one, than the actual Christmas tree.

I posted about it last year when I had like what? ...5 followers. But because I so LOVE the way it turned out, I believe it to be worth repeating the post.

You will need:

plastic cups (I bought the common red party cups from Target)

twine (from Hobby Lobby)

tree branches (got trees in your backyard?)

a single hole punch opener

Christmas flowers for that extra touch and color

It was very easy to make but it does take some time.

1. Spray paint the cups with silver paint. For the numbers I used white craft paint.

2. While the paint dries cut the branches to the desired length using garden scissors.

3. Make two holes with hole punch opener on the upper part of cups. Run a small string of twine trough both holes.

4. After all the cups have their holders (or twine) place them in branch. Then tie the branches to each other ( I made 5 rows so you’ll need to tie five branches to each other). I didn't really measure anything, just kind of did it by eye.

5. At the end, I added some Christmas flowers to the corners.

I am not only depositing candy and treats inside the cups, but my kids will find little messages at times or vouchers for activities we will do.

Needless to say my kids are so EXCITED!

Let the countdown begin!!

Linking up here and here

Skiing

2011-12-04T12:42:00.001-07:00

I’m a beach girl living in the snowy Rocky Mountains. At times, I find it sort of weird that my own children aren’t playing on the beach every weekend when that’s all I did as a child.

Instead they ski.

I stayed home getting my Christmas decorations up.

I don’t ski…nor have any desire for it (don’t judge me). But I do have a perfect world: the amazing and loving grandparents, aunts and uncles who give my kids the opportunities to do some things that most likely would have gone right through my head.

I was content to get a full report on their skiing adventures through the camera and their excited words.

Don’t they look HAPPY? They SURE were!

And the whole gang:

Happy Sunday Friends!

Linking up here and here

Nothing But Blue Skies in the house

2011-12-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone! Happy Friday! Today I have a special guest visiting. She is Sarah Kate and one of the first bloggy friends I made. I will always be grateful for her warm personality and enthusiasm she has shown towards me and my blog. Go pay her a visit. You will enjoy her. Take it away Sarah Kate!

***

I’m Sarah Kate. I run a little blog called Nothing But Blue Skies . Over there you’ll find a whole bunch of ramblings, the occasional recipe, and plenty of tales of our adventures on the farm. Most importantly, I try to make the blog a positive place. I know life isn’t perfect, but when you learn to focus on the good, you start to see it everywhere. But don’t worry – I’m not going to get all sappy. You won’t have to cue the Full House music just yet. ;o)

Today I’m going to be sharing with you five unexpected things I’ve learned since moving out to the country a year ago…

1. If you buy a drafty old farmhouse, expect it to sound like the creepiest haunted house ever at just the slightest gust of wind. Also know that this same farmhouse will have faulty electrical and when the wind picks up, the electricity will go out leaving you alone in the dark with scary wind coming through your windows. (When this happens, you’ll find me huddled in my bed with the candles lit and an assorted array of weapons at my side.)

2. There are all kinds of animals hiding in the woods, and the scariest of them come out at night. Just 2-3 coyotes can sound like a pack of 100. It’s enough to make a grown man take off at a full sprint to the house and lock the doors.

3. You will step in some sort of poo at least once a day. In my case, the culprit is normally the chickens. I just don’t understand why they can’t be like cats and go in the same spot every time. Maybe one day I will learn how to train them. In the meantime, I’m rarely ever barefoot outside.

4. There will be no more lazy Saturdays. Every weekend will be filled with some sort of outdoor work to maintain your property. There is always hay to be cut, fences to be mended, wood to be chopped, and on and on. Unexpected bonus: You will be in the best shape of your life. Lazy Saturdays are overrated. :o)

5. This is the kicker, folks. Just because you live in the middle of nowhere and are hidden from view from any possible neighbors, don’t think you can go outside and water your plants in your skivvies. It is inevitable that the FedEx delivery guy will show up at that exact time and catch you in a very awkward situation. Then you’ll be forced to stop ordering stuff online, or face the FedEx guy again. I’m not sure which is worse.

Thanks for reading!! And a big thank you to Vivian for offering me the opportunity to guest post over here at her wonderful blog! I hope you all have a very happy holiday season!!

Got your questions answered!

2011-11-30T01:35:00.011-07:00

Remember this? Thank you! I had fun and here are the answers!

**Hi! I haven't been a reader here for long so I'm not sure if you've addressed this in previous posts... but I'm curious if you speak to your kids in Spanish and do they speak/understand the language fluently?

Yes, I DO speak to my kids in Spanish. It used to be easier when I only had one kid and she had no one else she could talk to, so Spanish is all she knew. She is also the one who speaks it the best compared to the other two. The kids speak English with one another but as far as mom and dad, we speak Spanish to them, even if they respond back in English. English is the language that dominates their daily activities because of school, church, etc, but luckily, in general, they are exposed to a lot of opportunities to speak Spanish since we have family and friends who are constantly around them. They have also been taught to read and write it. Still need to work a lot more on it, specially with my son but we do make it a priority to keep the language and the culture going. I can’t tell you enough how IMPORTANT this is to me and I know they will thank me for it later in their future - not so much now :) -

**What are your thoughts on Australia, do you picture it being a particular way in looks and culture? Does it feel so far away from where you are?
It's always nice to hear another's opinion ;)

Australia??? I would not be lying if I tell you I once thought about moving there. I still do, just not so much. We were actually planning a trip there in November but it looks like it will have to wait another year. My husband lived there for a while. I’m fascinated with his stories and every so often I will look at his pictures and wonder more about such place. The way I see it: super friendly and happy people (this would have to be the most valuable fact for me) beach paradise, melting pot, wool, gold galore, unique wildlife and Queensland Barrier Reef. It does feel FAR. Wish it was closer and then my dream wouldn’t seem so hard to obtain :)

**Also a newish reader! So I'll ask an easier question-- Do you do your own photography? I love the B & w pics of your family across the top of your blog.

I do most of my own photography. I have a lot to learn and it’s one of those things I haven’t dedicated the right amount of time to do. I will though! I am looking forward to getting a new camera. Hoping for Christmas. The banner, as well as the nicer and more professional pictures you come across in the blog, have been done by my very talented sister-in-law.

**What made you decide to start blogging?

I started blogging because I knew I had no ordinary life. I am different from your typical Mormon, Utahn, Colombian, or whatever other title I am called. I have “been around” and seen a lot. I felt like I have so much to genuinely share with the world not only from my past but from my current views and the many experiences I live day to day, which, believe me, they are many and they keep me going and they give my life color and passion. It sure has been a FUN ride!

Let me put it this way:

**Is LDS a large religion in Columbia?
Why did you move to America?
If it was because of hubs how did you meet him?

My parents were “pioneers” of our church in my hometown of Barranquilla. When I was born they were already members of the LDS church (them and a few other families) so I have been LDS since I was born. The religion has grown so much over the years making it one of the most prevalent religions in my country after Catholicism. The church always has been the biggest in the capital: Bogota.
I moved here to go to school and because back then that was just what everyone did after graduating from High School, at least among the social setting in which I lived. All my friends ended up abroad, except they all chose Germany; I chose the US because I wanted to live in Utah the place where “all” foreign and out-of-state Mormons went and where BYU was located. Funny enough I didn’t end up going to BYU.
I met my husband here. I had already been living here for 6 years before I met him.

**Ever since you posted that German is your 2nd language I am curious to know more! So I am assuming you are fluent? Why did you learn? Do you have any kind of family that lives in Germany?

I grew up speaking German. Went to a German school, a private school where we learned it since kindergarten and spoke it fluent by the time we were 12 years old. Many of my friends were second generation Germans. My hometown, a melting pot, is a costal city, which brought a large influx of Europeans, Lebanese, Turks, etc. I’ve lived in Germany, gone back to visit it a few times and do have many very close friends there. Like I said in the previous question, most of my friends ended up settling there after graduation while I ended up in good old Utah!

Dreaming with our feet

2011-11-29T00:40:00.002-07:00

I think about December and how among the many things and events that characterize this month, it is also the month of performances. We make it a priority to attend as many Christmas concerts and plays as we can, but I would have to say, there is this one small show that means the world to us. Although the studio doesn’t do a formal recital during the Holidays, as parents, we get to watch the dancers put on a Christmas dance (very low key) on a designated date.

Last year they did the Nutcracker. I got the perfect shot:

When she could barely talk she started calling it: “dreaming with my feet.” She has been dancing since she was 2 and giving us her share of joy ever since.

The road will go on and we shall continue to breath dance. And pray and hope that no one or anything takes that passion away from one of the most gifted dancers I have ever seen.

Today I cherish the memories of the last six years I’ve had with my daughter’s dancing. Teaching me all along that determination will take you places, that you teach them young and give it all you got, for no sacrifice is bad enough for the sake of a child’s future. And that for all of those (like me) who saw a dream vanish long ago, dance is still possible…anywhere… even in our heart.

She is my pride. I LOVE her without measures.

One of my favorite recipes and LUCKY

2011-11-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a lovely Monday. Today I am here at my friend Kyna’s blog sharing one of my most favorite recipes, which I know will come in handy, not only for the upcoming Holiday get- togethers, but also as neighbor’s gifts, etc. It’s delicious, it’s easy to make and believe me: everyone will love it…even those non-banana lovers.

I invite you to come back tomorrow and participate in my “Cherishing my Memories” link up. Your memories from event’s or life’s past are inspiring. Share anything you would like, I’m sure there is so much you can share now with Thanksgiving having past.

here via Pinterest

Do you feel Lucky today? I was feeding the kids breakfast this morning when this song came on. It’s been out for a while but I knew I had to dance to it even if it was on the kitchen floor and feel like I was the one whose feet were walking on the beach…

8

2011-11-27T10:30:00.001-07:00

Turning 8 is a very significant time for us. It’s when we, in our church, get baptized. By doing so, we make certain promises that we strive to keep as we grow physically and spiritually. It is also when we become “officially” members of our church.

This is the year when not only my daughter but her friends and most of my friend’s children are getting baptized -Talk about a busy year ahead…-

A little while ago it was my daughter’s best friend’s turn. I love this little girl like she is my own. I get to have her often in my house and we feel so complete when she is there. On her “BIG DAY” she was glowing, her spirit touched us deeply and it continues to do so. She is one SPECIAL little girl full of talents and gifts and without a doubt I know she will go far in life. Her mother is an excellent example of courage, passion and strength in a Christ-centered life. I could not be more proud of having her in my life.

Below a few of my memories from that day.

Some of the highlights were the CTR (choose the right ) cupcakes, little sister singing her first solo to “I’m a child of God” in English and Spanish, and talking pregnancy matters with a sweet friend expecting her first baby girl.

I will share a Thanksgiving and Birthday post with you soon. In the meantime: Did you want to know about me? Go here and ask me! I heart questions.

Happy Sunday Friends!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-11-25T16:37:00.001-07:00

via

One of the best feelings in life is waking up the day of you birthday.

My phone has been overflowed with texts

The many phone calls and hearing my family and friend’s voices is like music to my ears

My Facebook wall is full of birthday wishes, many coming from all the corners of the world.

I slept in until 11 this morning

My daughter made me breakfast in bed

My son told me “ Mami, I’m not going to be mean today because it’s your birthday!” and so far he has lived up to his promise

We are going on a trip. Amor announced it today as my Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas present. Can’t hardly wait.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Did you see me gratitude list here. We started a new tradition as a family.

I will be getting together with my favorite people tonight and we’ll be dining my favorite food (INDIAN) followed by my favorite activity of all: Dancing!

And the celebration may not end tonight. I will be celebrating ALL weekend!

I could’ve not asked for a better Birthday! My heart is FULL!

My LIST

2011-11-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

I wrote this post as a guest in my friend Mary’s blog a little while ago. There is no better time than to share it with you NOW.

Keeping track of everything I’m grateful for heals my soul and brings me hope.

This time is not only special to me because of Thanksgiving but also because it’s when I celebrate my birthday. (I know I know, like I haven’t mentioned that enough, see here) Fortunately, my gratitude list is overflowing. But I will go over what’s on my mind TODAY:

Today I am grateful for my family. Because I will always have them. Because they make me smile, they make me cry. They give me the most joy.

I am grateful for music and dance. Because it has the ability to take me far away and for a moment forget about the problems I may be facing.

I am grateful for my friends. Because their support and unconditional love cannot be measured. Because I have those who completely understand me just the way I am without judgment, and most importantly, give me the gift of laughter.

I am grateful for the country in which I live. Where I can find peace and freedom. Where I can find never ending opportunities to grow and progress.

I am grateful for the country where I came from. Where I learned to be unique, to appreciate the simple things, to give to those in need and to see people, not things as my GREATEST fortune.

I am grateful for blogging. Because through it, I have been able to express the desires of my heart.

I am grateful to have the undying faith of better things to come in this life and in the next.

I am grateful for prayer for I know they are answered and my children have witnessed such miracles.

I am grateful for life. One more day of sun, one more day of snow, one more day to be grateful.

Wishing you a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

***

Remember: If there is anything you wonder about me and have longed to ask, this is your chance. Go here and ask me anything you want. This is your chance to get to know me better.

Partying here: Seven clown circus, Live and Love outloud, And then she snapped, Project Alicia and The Paper Mama

Countdown

2011-11-22T14:19:00.001-07:00

I foresee a great week ahead. In less than two days we will solidify, together with our loved ones, what we’ve been feeling for days: GRATITUDE. But the day after…it’s. my. BIRTHDAY! I promise you will also get a post on Thanksgiving but since it’s Cherishing your Memories today, I got really excited at sharing these:

Pictures of my early Birthdays (made in Colombia)

Join me as I tell you what I see in those pictures. Allow me to show you and maybe you will too transport yourself to my “once upon a time:”

I can see my house: Spacious, with big windows; I see me standing by them and feeling the strong November breeze.

I can see the delicious cakes my grandma with love, out of scratch, would spend hours making. I can taste them right now…and I can smell how my house did when she baked as if I was there. I miss my grandma dearly.

I can see our dinning room table. The table where we spent countless hours eating as family and blowing many candles.

I can see the handmade tablecloth my other grandma sent as a gift to my mother from far away.

I can see the dresses and outfits my mom would design. I see me going to the seamstress for measurements and fittings and my mom’s look in her face if a job hadn’t been well-done. The dresses had to look just perfect. - Wonder where I got my thrive for perfection?-

I can see how much I hated my glasses. I’ve been practically blind since I was 7 years old. Those were some ugly and humongous things.

I can see how there was that one birthday when I was recovering from varicella. I had no party. The only other children who could come to be with me were the other two who were also recovering from varicella. And my brother, of course. There had been an epidemic. Everybody else was sick as dog. My friend and I had been the first ones to get it and possibly the ones who spread it, too. (oops!)

Finally, I can see LOVE

Come link up. What do you remember from birthdays past, or Thanksgivings past, etc? Inspire us!

Roots, Wings and other Things is in the house!

2011-11-21T08:34:00.001-07:00

First off did you know that my second language is not English but actually German? And did you know that I’ve traveled to many places and I’m FAR from being rich? I assure you there is SO MUCH you don’t know about me. Then you should go here and ask ME. I heart questions!

Did you see I’m almost at 300 followers? If you spread the word about my beloved little blog, and help me gain more followers, you are in for another treat. Remember my target gift card giveaway? I think I’m in the mood for another one of those…just on time for the Holidays.(hint).

And speaking of Germany, Daryl from Roots and Wings and other Things is visiting today. Daryl is an American living in Germany and her blog is simply fascinating. Her stories about what is like to live far away from home will keep you coming back. I am guest posting at her blog as well, so I can’t wait to “see” you there, too. Enjoy my friends!

Take it away Daryl!

***

Hello beautiful readers of A Dance For Five! My name is Daryl and I blog over at Roots, Wings, and Other Things. I am so happy to be guest posting here today. In fact, when Vivian contacted me about sharing tales of Thanksgivings past, I couldn't have been more excited because I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to post about.

Last year's Thanksgiving was one of my most memorable holiday experiences and I've been itching to blog about it for some time. For those of you who don't know, I met my now-husband while working as an Au Pair in Germany last year. We'd started dating in early September, but it wasn't until mid-November that things began to grow more serious and we started to realize that this was no little fling. It was also about this time that I began to truly miss my friends and family back home. I heard word of friends returning home from school to spend Thanksgiving with their families, of my own family having a huge reunion I wouldn't be able to attend, of nieces and nephews (pseudo or the real thing) having their "first" everything and me missing all of it. I had enrolled in Homesickness 101, and I was quickly earning an A++.

Having my first Thanksgiving away from family didn't help either. You could imagine my surprise when my (German) boyfriend of only two months tells me that his family would like to make Thanksgiving dinner for me this year. I was shocked. Shocked, but grateful. Steven's mom and I got together and we got to planning, and then came the execution: a gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner with Turkey, stuffing, twice-baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, lots of other potatoes, roasted squash, corn bread, green bean casserole, and of course we can't leave out pumpkin pie. Each bite felt like warmth and wonder and home.

During dinner, each person went around and talked about what we were thankful for. With the exception of my boyfriend who had served an LDS mission in America, no one besides me had celebrated Thanksgiving before. They didn't know me well, in fact some of them I'd barely spoken to at that point...and yet there they were, a bunch of Germans taking part in an American tradition to make a stranger feel more at home. At that moment, these people weren't just my boyfriend's family....they were my family too. I've never been more thankful.

...some people weren't ready for this photo.

....or this one.

My beautiful (now) sisters-in-law, Janine and Jamie.

This was the day that everything changed. A beautiful act of kindness from Steven and his family changed my perspective of them forever; they were not just nice people I enjoyed being around for the time being...they were a family I knew I would love to be a part of.

Happy (Almost) Thanksgiving, Everyone!

GlassesUSA

2011-11-20T09:36:00.002-07:00

Did you know that an estimated 60% of adults wear eyeglasses? And I’m one of them. But what’s mind boggling is that most of us are overpaying for our eyewear. Because I wear my glasses mostly at nights for reading before I go to bed and also during some days when my eyes need to rest from contact wear, I need a pair that is not only comfortable but also trendy.

In addition, in the past, my children have unfortunately gotten a hold of my glasses and damaged them leaving me with no choice but to get a new pair of glasses. For that reason one of the most important factors for me is knowing that I’m not breaking the bank every time I have to purchase a new pair of glasses.

GlassesUSA.com is the perfect place I found where I am able to meet my eyewear needs.

They offer not only high quality eyeglasses frames and lenses, but they offer a 110% lowest price guarantee and a 100% satisfaction guarantee along with a generous refer-a-friend program.

Additionally, you can stay up-to-date on all GlassesUSA happenings through their Facebook page here and their Twitter feed: @GlassesUSA.

And just on time for Thanksgiving, GlassesUSA is offering a "THANKS"giving Sale:
Take 20% off any frame in their iSee Eyewear collection and get free shipping within the US. Code: iSee20FS (you can find the collection here).

Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses. Code: Blog10

If you are in the need of new and cheap glasses or simply need an extra pair or a backup pair for emergencies (because you never know), I hope you take advantage of this great deal. I know I am.

My FAVORITES

2011-11-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

So in case you haven’t heard, I’m all YOURS! Go here and ask me anything you’ve wanted to know about me. ANYTHING! Come on, don’t be shy!

***

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. If you are planning on giving out gifts I think these make the cut!

here via Pinterest

The idea was to do this throughout the year but never too late right? A Memory Jar. Add memories throughout the year and read them on New Years Eve. I’m starting today. Who is going to join me?

here via Pinterest

Did you know this? plastic bag, vinegar and rubber band, and that’s all you need to get rid of the hard water stains and yuckyness in your shower head.

here via Pinterest

Garlic chicken puffs out of crescent rolls? See why I LOVE crescent rolls! You can make pretty much anything you want with them and they taste SO GOOD!

here via Pinterest

Would you like to transform your look in a fantastic way? Hair tinsels! Bet you can find good use to them for the holiday parties coming up. I know I will.

here via Pinterest

Flamenco anyone? I want to dance Flamenco with this dress so bad.

here via Pinterest

And I guess I must be in SPANISH mode: Burgundy Street in Madrid. Please take me there!!

via

Couldn’t be said any better

here via Pinterest

And Pinterest just knows me too WELL (HA!)

via

Ask me!

2011-11-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know more about me? Here is your chance! Don't be shy, leave me your questions and I will answer them all in a later post.

Thank you Taylor for this idea. I'm excited to play!

Happy Friday Friends!!!

Who says?

2011-11-17T10:17:00.002-07:00

Excuse the camera phone picture but who says grown ups can’t jump on a trampoline, even better on a trampoline arena filled with hundreds of kids and teenagers?

I did it! Promise. It’s just that the camera captured us when we HAD to take a break because…you know… after you’ve had babies there are certain “things” that sometimes you can’t control coming out of your body, especially when jumping.

My suggestion would be to take a friend, or like I call it: your “sister from another Mister” who is worse than you at the gymnast skills and you won’t feel you have it that bad. (Ha!)

And by the way guess who owns the place and was there watching us in action? HIM! I’ve heard he is not very nice…but maybe he is after all if he let these two ~~sexy~~ mamas monkey around looking like fools. I mean we could’ve hurt his business baaaad, right?

Embracing the camera here

Mini Pumpkins Fall Arrangement

2011-11-16T00:09:00.001-07:00

I had these mini pumpkins left over from the Halloween festivities. And then I remembered I had seen this in Pinterest here. In case you are curious, this is the website Pinterest links it up to. I didn’t get a chance to look if they had a tutorial or not so this is my own way of making these, which was super easy. It did take more than the average time I spend in crafting, because as you will see, you end up carving. Mini pumpkins or not: I. do. not. carve.

This is what you will need:

Mini pumpkins. (If you can’t find real ones, you can work just as good with fake ones)

Fall leaves ($1 from Dollar store)

Dry moss ($1 from Dollar store)

Candles (.50 each )

Hot glue

And a knife: At least that’s what I used to make the hole on the top of the pumpkin the same size as the candle.

Carve the pumpkin. So glad these were mini (ha!)

Super glue the candle to the inside and the moss and leaves on the top of pumpkin.

And VOILA!

I made three and they go perfect on my entry way table.

I think I’m ready for Thanksgiving!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, my sponsor friend Jamie is having some very cool Holiday giveaways in her blog. Just click in the button below and check them out.

And thought I’d happily share that I was featured here. This girl is the BEST! And she lives in the place I called my almost-second-home for so many years: GERMANY! Go pay her a visit and you are bound to enjoy her many fun adventures as an American in that foreign land.

Linking up here today

Problem fixed

2011-11-15T08:32:00.001-07:00

My linky tools wasn’t working last night when I published my Cherishing my Memories post. It’s all fixed now so PLEASE go to my previous post and link up! I would LOVE to have you!

Happy Tuesday Friends!!

Cherishing my Memories: Curly Hair

2011-11-14T22:49:00.006-07:00

He used to have curly hair. What happened? I miss it…

When you read mother’s expressions of regret or wishful thinking about time not passing by too fast, it's all true.

Today it wasn’t only his pants who no longer fit anymore, but it was the talk about wanting to be friends with Ella (his little girl-friend) because he is “too young to marry”- good boy! Did I mention I caught those two once playing doctor? And that she actually had put a baby doll inside her shirt, which later, after he used his tool to examine her ear, “came out of her belly and was finally born?”

I miss his curly hair but I think deep inside I really miss the “baby” he used to be. I pray I can always remember to make every little moment with him count. I don’t want to live a life of regrets because I sat still when time didn’t.

Proud MAMI moment (with lines in between)

2011-11-14T12:21:00.001-07:00

Mac and Cheese has become my biggest torture when offered to my kids. I don’t feed myself or my family with processed or unnatural foods. Ok I take that back, most of the time I try not to do it. (Plus we REALLY like Chick Fil A, but at least that’s a healthier alternative to the Big Mac right?)

For those of you moms or individuals, who have decided to embark in this journey of “we are what we eat,” you know how HARD it is to pass it on to your children. There is a lot, I mean a LOT, of whining and complaining. The peer pressure and the media don’t make it any easier. Even those close to you, who don’t believe in the same way of living as you do, don’t support you in this quest. Sometimes it’s just unavoidable given the culture in which we live in and in the way the schools are run (more so in this state). But how do I know what I’m doing is even worth the effort?

When you daughter tells you that the school lunch choices that day were Mac and Cheese and Salmon Sandwich. The line was out the door for the Mac and cheese (of course); my daughter (regardless of the long line or not) and one other child were the only ones, out of the whole second grade class, who happily stood in the Salmon line. A proud moment for me!

And talking about lines: H&M, one of my favorite stores for years, just opened here a few days ago. The other day, not on opening day, the wait to get in: Two hours. As much as I love the store, think I was going to waist two hours of my time standing in line? Don’t think so.

Maybe people thought the same as me but they changed their mind once they found a DJ had started the party. Made the wait more pleasant I guess…I still didn’t stand in line, but got my picture of a historic moment in the shopping world in Salt Lake City (HA!).

***

Tomorrow again we’ll have the Cherishing my Memories series. Don't forget to come link up. Grab the button on my sidebar and share about your past, something that helped you, inspired you, something that touched you and made you who you are TODAY. Can't wait to see what you got.

AND

The winner of the vinyl letters giveaway is Lex. Congratulations Lex!

If you didn’t get a chance to see the Thanksgiving bottles I made, go here.

Happy Monday Friends!!

My FAVORITES this week!

2011-11-13T14:24:00.002-07:00

Still looking for some Fall decorating ideas? These are called Hurricane vases, filled with corn, beans and peas, tie twine around it, place a candle and there you have it. I actually saw some smaller glass vases like those, except that I don’t think they were called Hurricane, at the dollar store. I think I want to make this, too. here via Pinterest

Do you remember how it used to be before texting took over? I certainly do. Between my friends and I, we would write love/friendship notes folded like this to each other. I still have a handful I saved from those early years. Made it so much more personal and meaningful, I think.

here via Pinterest

Worried about what to wear for your Holiday parties? I got you an idea. Too bad the dress is a $1000 but maybe a similar could be found somewhere else. Anyone? I think this shade of green is lovely.

here via Pinterest

Just as I type this, my husband comes downstairs to ask me for the 10th time if I’ve seen his car keys. I haven’t used his car in ages. He found them, guess where? Inside the car, still inside the ignition. They’ve been there since yesterday. And yes he parks outside. We sure live in a great and safe neighborhood. But just in case I really need to start working on this:

Kid’s blocks spray painted with chalk paint. And I have a TON of those blocks so no excuses!

here via Pinterest

This chilly weather makes me think of a few things, one of them being HOT CHOCOLATE. I’m addicted! I want to have a party just for the sake of having this HOT CHOCOLATE BAR! You can bet I will!

here via Pinterest

I can usually get my kids to eat zucchini by squirting lime juice (fresh right out of the fruit) to it. I think they wouldn’t have a problem eating it fried: Shredded zucchini with Parmesan cheese, garlic and a few other spices. YUM!

here via Pinterest

Innsbruck, Austria is a beautiful place. The winter Olympic games were held there once. Look how they decorate one of their main streets during the Holiday season. Another reason why I have to go to Europe again but during Winter.

via Pinterest

Ordinary? Rather EXTRAORDINARY!

here via Pinterest

And I know I just go all inspirational and everything but I HAD to post this one. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this? (HA!)

via Pinterest

It’s a Sun Kissed Life visiting

2011-11-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends! Did you get a chance to see my Thanksgiving bottles here? If you want to make the same super CUTE and super EASY project I am giving away the vinyl letters for it. Since you are already a follower of my blog, all you would have to do is like me on on Facebook and leave me a comment and you are ENTERED to win! Check it out!

Today I have the honor of having Mary from It's a Sun Kissed Life. I’m over there today, too so make sure you come visit. Mary is my lovely bloggy friend, her blog is precious and she lives in Paradise. Need I say more?

Take it away Mary!

***

Hello Dance for 5 readers! or as we like to say in Hawaii, "aloha"! My name is Mary and I blog over at it's a sun kissed life. I'm so glad to be guest posting for Vivian today. She's become a great friend in bloggy land and I enjoy reading her blog daily.

I'm here to share with you a little piece of the paradise I call home. I live in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. There are so many things I want to share with you guys about life on the island but that would probably be a very very long post. So I decided to break it down and pick the top ten things I love about living here.

1. The diversity: Hawaii is a melting pot of so many different ethnicities; Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiians, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Samoans, and so much more. most locals here are mixed, like my kids who are Filipino, Okinawan, Puerto Rican, Spanish and French.

2. Endless fun in the sun: When you're surrounded by lush green mountains and the beach is never more than 15 minutes away, there's so much you can do; tan, swim, surf, kayak, snorkel, paddle board, hike, zip line. I could go on and on... nature is our play ground.

3. hawaiian food.

4. Island hopping: Bored on the island you're on? Hop on a plane for a short flight to another island. Each island is just as gorgeous and has something different to offer.

5. The beautiful colors in the sky during a sunset.

6. The hula: such a graceful Hawaiian dance. I took hula lessons for about six years and enjoyed it. I miss dancing.

7. What's better than a rainbow? A double rainbow!

8. You can get away with walking around in a bikini anywhere without everyone staring at you. And slippers (flip flops) are acceptable daily footwear.

9. Shave ice: the perfect treat to enjoy on a hot sunny day. Or any day.

10. Aloha spirit: You greet friends, family and even people you just met with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Wave a shaka at the person who let you cut in while you're trying to merge onto another lane when driving. So that's a glimpse of what life is like on the island. come visit my blog and you can see a little more of our life in Hawaiian paradise.

XO, Mary

http://itsasunkissedlife.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving Bottles

2011-11-09T14:04:00.002-07:00

I can’t believe I’m already blogging a second time around during this time of the year. Last year I made a gratitude tree for my kids. Each and every day they would write on leaves what they were grateful for and then place the leaves on the branches. At the beginning the tree was just a bunch of empty branches, by the time Thanksgiving arrived, it had turned into a full and gorgeous tree. See the post here.

Although I liked the idea of a gratitude tree so much, I had to experiment with something new. I saw this idea on Pinterest. (The pin eventually leads you to this website) And you know me, I had to try what I saw.

Purchase brown glass bottles. I tried finding Root Beer ones but the ones I found had roughness on the surface. You want the surface of the bottles to be smooth and flat. So I ended up buying Beer. For the record, I don’t drink, let alone buy beer. This specific beer was non-alcoholic and I still got ID...that’s Utah for you (HA!).

I know there are more efficient ways of removing labels but I simply soaked them in hot water for about 15 minutes. Even 15 minutes are precious to me. I used that time to clean the bathrooms after a sleepless night from kids throwing up (Yuck!) By the time I was done with such horrific labor, the labels were very easy to peel from the bottles.

After the bottles had dried out, I glued the vinyl letters to the bottles and added the Fall foliage. (You can get a full tutorial here).

Voila!:

Do you like it? If you do, you now have the chance to make this same easy, inexpensive and fun project. I am giving away the “THANKS” vinyl letters exactly as you see them on the pictures to one lucky reader (all you have to do is come up with your own bottles).

To enter you MUST do this 2 simple steps (please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry)
1. You must be a follower of my blog
2. Like me on Facebook

For additional entries:
-Leave me a comment telling me what you are GRATEFUL for today-

I am keeping this giveaway open until Saturday the 12th at midnight (MST). Winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day.

Good Luck my friends! I am so GRATEFUL for YOU!

Linking up here

BIRTHDAY

2011-11-08T00:26:00.002-07:00

Some facts about Birthdays a la Vivian:

1. I LOVE birthdays.

2. I LOVE celebrating them and making a BIG deal out of them.

3. I’m lucky to have such special family and friends who also believe in making BIG DEAL of that ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of YOU.

4. I don’t like telling people how old I am. My own kids don’t even know because I KNOW they will tell. You can say it’s got to be a Colombian thing. After all, we are raised to never ask a lady how old she is because it’s bad manners. Here it’s such a common rather frivolous question but not for me.

5. It’s my birthday month. It always falls either on Thanksgiving day or around it. If you want to know how that feels: LAME. Many of my friends and family are usually out of town or busy with their own Thanksgiving agenda.

6. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Colombia so I got to have, for my first 17 years of life, ALL my birthdays ALL to myself without having to share them with turkey and sweet potatoes.

7. I’ve danced at almost all my birthdays (even since I was a baby).

8. I have a friend who is a celebrity. When we were in our teens, she surprised in more than one of my birthdays and serenaded me by singing my favorite songs from that moment in time. It was beautiful. She forever touched me. She was no one yet…just my friend. No one has done that for me since.

9. My kids have been counting the days to celebrate ME. Well, truth is, mainly my daughter. I promised her she gets to go to the spa with me…don’t ask what I was thinking when I did that. She is convinced she will be getting a massage…what a “hard” life she has (ha!).

I look at this pictures and think about how, ever since I became a mother, my birthdays have a different meaning. Every day, especially on that day, I thank my Father in Heaven that I get to spend one more year with my children. I also realize that, not too long ago, they looked that little. They are much grown up now and their baby faces are pretty much gone. I miss my son’s curly hair. I see my old house and all the memories we left there. Our first home, the home where our three children were born. I see the homemade Tres Leches Cake and I have the sudden urge to eat a whole one by myself. This post must stop now. Too dangerous. I’m still on a diet.

So how about you?

Giveaway winner and Cherishing my Memories

2011-11-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

And the winner of the Paparazzi bracelets giveaway is Rheana

Congratulations Rheana!!

Don't forget to come link up tomorrow in the Cherishing my memories series. Come share about your past, something that helped you, something that touched you and made you who you are TODAY. Can't wait to see what you got.

Hope you are having a marvelous Monday friends!

Before it snowed

2011-11-06T16:36:00.002-07:00

It has already snowed in my neck of the woods. I don’t like snow. It doesn’t matter how many years I’ve lived here I will never get used to the cold or the snow. I already miss my open toe shoes and being able to sit on my porch as I watch my kids play on the street.

Before this last snow we got a chance to drive up the canyon and see the pretty leaves. We picked a spot on the side of the road near a little stream and had a picnic. My son pretended to surf on the stream (and that’s just an idea on how my “beach” family rolls). The colors were beautiful, we even spotted a couple of deer not too far from us. The time together was PERFECT.

Fall is never long enough.

And one of my favorite moments of it all: Papi and his little girls:

Linking up with The Simple Things, Lower Case Letters and Sweet shot Tuesday