green drink challenge

 i'm a leo. i love a good challenge. so here i go again.

this is a short one and probably not so fun to view but i have decided to do a green drink challenge and drink the green for 7 days straight as my breakfast.

i know. sure i will probably gag somewhere along the way but i plan on making these healthy but sweet. sweet will be key for me. yesterday i had to do a trial run because if i was gonna commit and go buy a zillion ingredients i needed to know if i was gonna give it a "nuh-uh" after the first gulp.

i called my friend erin who drinks these regularly. erin is like my "mama earth" friend. she always claims how i give her so much as far as kid advice goes (mine are a little older so what i have been through she is going through) but really i scratch her back and she scratches mine because she does all kinds of things for me too without even knowing it. she inspired me to give yoga another try- which i love. she inspired me to blog-which i love. she convinced me it was ok to stop reading a book that i don't like sparing me all kinds of time. yes, i needed permission.

 erin is my only friend that will agree it is okay to stop and dance in a parking lot, to make a human pyramid on a busy beach or to "borrow" road signs on new years eve and leave them on friends porches. erin will cry when i tell her a sad story and cry when i tell her a happy story. sometimes i start a story by saying, "ok, so you might cry...." as a matter of fact she might read this and she might cry. i knew when i texted her that i was gonna drink the greens she would be all kinds of "proud mama" for me. actually, i texted it to her and she called me right away with awesome advice to help me through. ok, ok, so i'm getting way off track here back to the green (but i do loves mah mama-e and could talk about what a kick ass friend she is for hours.)

so, here is what my lil trial run today was all about:

i'm not gonna lie- i put all the ingredients out on the counter where my youngest maile and i stared at them for a good amount of time before i actually started to put them in the mixer.

i put together 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of water

half of a banana (frozen)

1/4 avocado (frozen)

i have a vita mixer so that thing literally pulverizes everything so i think that helped me not to taste chunks.

i didn't taste the spinach at all and it was actually really good. erin suggested a straw because it is easier to drink and i have to agree.

both my girls loved it but my son gave it a scrunchy face and quickly left the premises. whatev.

as a matter of fact when i went to go fill my glass up a little more the pitcher was empty and all i heard was the slurping of a straw as my youngest sucked down the remainder. 

what my phone saw this week

as long as i have fun pics-i will share....

traylor was having a hat party. i suggested the african beaded tribal hat.
it seemed like a good idea at the time???

     i may have to rename myself soon. lady bug lady

sometimes in life you are lucky to meet genuine people.
you love them, they love you. dig?

this is what happens when you have awesome neighbors that think of you and buy you mini cupcakes.

uh, why is shit in quotes. are we talking about hypothetical shit? i gots all kinds of questions here!!

we love the part where they wash our car with rainbow water...

"you're really awesome-thanks for all your help today siri"

bringin it

aloha friday weekly wrap up

-me getting another unexpected new client which means this siri chick that resides in my phone and is suppose to keep me reminded and organized betta get her game on!

-remembering i had 4 packs of skinny cows in the freezer but only polishing off 2 packs....yep, more of that awesome restraint.

-finding lemon pudding at target after asking bestie to go buy and ship me lots of boxes.
what the !!!
i have looked in every grocery store from L.A. to the valley for this stuff for years!!! God loves target. i'm convinced.

-remembering a great story with the kids: trying to make a good impression on a new friend with my family when one of my kids blurts out, "hey we should all play quarters"......silence......i quickly try to recover the fumble, "oh, we play with water of course"....still doesn't sound right. yep, vote for me, raising kids since '95!!

-winning a hula hoop contest -boom! know this: mama still gots it and she WILL bring it!

-setting a trip to glenn ivy hotsprings with my bestie and my favorite cali girl. this has become a yearly tradition and we have the best time! why? coz friends and mud are like pb&j-goes together without question!


Have a great week-end y'all!!!

coconut candy

if you've ever been to maui and been brave enough to drive the road to hana (i lovingly call this trek puke path) then you have probably had the luxury of eating some of the best coconut candy eva' and it was probably made by shane's auntie pearl (we LOVES pearl!). i don't like coconut however, i will throw punches in order to get the last bag of this coconut candy. i'm not proud of that but the bag is mine!

i have been playing with making this candy and i think i am getting better. there are varying levels of toastiness and sugary goodness so you can sort of add as much as you'd like and keep it slow baking as long as you'd like-whateva' ya flava!

here is what i use:

2 coconuts- don't even do it with just 1 it isn't worth it

natural cane sugar (i use turbinado sugar)

natural dark brown sugar

hammer and nail to crack the coconut (i just use a real hawaiian-much more effective)

true story:

1st time i made this i told my hawaiian that i needed his help in the cracking of the coconut. i left hawaiian in the kitchen with coconut and went to the garage to get a hammer and nail. i couldn't find a nail so i went back to the kitchen to ask hawaiian where he keeps the nails. hawaiian was already draining the coconut juice and drinking it. i still have no idea what hawaiian used to crack open coconut and i am good with not having to know. (swoon)

-be sure your hawaiian has cracked the coconut in many smaller pieces so you can start to peel or cut away the outer brown shell. it's okay if the thin layer of brown shell is left on the meat.

-once you have all the chunks of meat you can either take a vegetable peeler and shave off pieces or you can cut them. i like to cut them because i like when some of the pieces have thicker edges. thicker edges just make the candy a little chewier in the end and that's how my family likes it.

-put the shavings in a zip-lock back with about 1/2 cup of the turbinado sugar and a sprinkle of the brown sugar. put this bag in the fridge for about 20 minutes so the sugar can melt. don't leave it much longer or it will get soggy and won't turn out.

-layer the shavings on a baking sheet and sprinkle with more brown sugar if you'd like. i do coz we are super good friends with sugar in my family.

-bake at lowest temp (i did 170) for about 6-8 hours. every hour you will turn the coconut over and you sprinkle it with a little more sugar. take it out when you feel it is as toasty as you want it. the last 3-5 minutes i pump that oven up to 350 to give it a last toast- but watch it if you do this- it can burn quick.

taaaa-daaaa!!!!

feel that inner aloha? good stuff brah!

the day i wore a dress....for no reason

check me getting all feminine and such.

just a quick convo with myself this morning:

"oh i should wear the cute blue dress today"

"wait, thats dumb. why would i wear a dress?"

"but maybe i should, i mean why wouldn't i?"

"i could, i should, i'm sure-what did i buy it for then you dumb ass?"

"did, did you just call you dumb?"

"yup"

"well, i'll show you, i'm wearing the dress you dumb ass"

i'm such a lady.....

and tell me that bun doesn't scare all other buns away?!

there goes my phone again- showin off her stuff

 i'm a sharer....

awww...loves

check out mah teef

my badass neighbor's car-he also has a prison type bench set and lifts weights in his driveway...yeah!!!!

this right herrrrre is a tempura lemon slice. pretty fly right? it's one of those things that you don't wanna try but then you do and the first bite is alarming coz it's so weird but you decide you should take another then another and you are done. and it's good.

can we not mix our puppies and STD's? please? gracias.

wow- this girl is in the wrong biz.

ohhhh, wait that's hooker furniture.

ok so right biz but just not very good at it???

this is getting creepy. my daughter took this pic yesterday on our walk when a 

ladybug flew up and landed 

on my collar bone.

aloha friday weekly wrap up

yep it's that time. aloha friday-no work til monday....

aloha friday song- sing it loud people!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYxnXMYHMPY



awesome high points:

-my sons teacher telling me whatever i'm doing i am doing it right and thanking me for my "fine young man". lump in throat.

-me not throwing my arms around my son's teacher and hugging him (for 5 seconds of course) coz this would have literally killed my son with embarrassment. check that restraint!

-getting back into the habit of drinking lots and lots of H2Omy this is good with lemons and cucumbers -(thanks shane for making my special spa water)

-having an awesome anni dinner with just shane. that's all. just shane.

-taking a nap with my oldest daughter on her "way more comfy than my bed" bed sunday. naps just don't happen in my world.

-walking around the grocery store for 20 minutes before i realize that not only my top button on my shirt is open but the button below it decided to open on up as well...i mean, it's not a party unless you wore the silver sparkle bra which, thankfully for all the grocery shoppers, i suuuuuure diiiid! i, uh, i will just go ahead and put my shirt back on here and leave my cart in aisle 4 and come back later....huge walk of shame to the doors! (actually, this has nothing awesome about it)

-getting the "whoa, what" shocked face when my daughter calls me mom and the lady next to us is like, "wait you are her mom? i thought you were her friend!" oh yeeah, uh-huh, feelin' good, thasss right (yep, i am cabbage patching right now).

-opening an email that says "tickets booked" and knowing your bestie is on her way and life just got super happy today!

 the girl on the left is coming to see me the girl on the right is trying to find a way. sadly the cover band behind behind us is not coming but that would rock if they did (literally)

everyone meet my new fav shoes. shoes, everyone.

first of all i have no biz being in nordstroms rack. it just carries way too many cute shoes and i instantly have my right shoe off (yep, that's my larger foot) and i'm pushing, pullin', zipping, strapping, lacing up....it's a work out of the funnest kind.

these are crazy comfy and soft too i know coz when i got home i wore them around my house (cute look with sweats) until i went to bed that night. i love the tassle zipper oh, and a slammin deal coz the regular tag said $230 -but i always wonder if they were reallly that price tag originally right?

anyway, just thought i'd share coz i fell in love. i won't be changing my facebook status from shane to these wedgies or anything but still. love.

"I wanna be just like you. I figure all I need is a lobotomy and some tights."

so here we are again...showin' up for work wearing the same type o' gear. ok traylor! i get it-you want a raise...

p.s. chose that blog title coz it's from breakfast club and dontcha think traylors hair is so john hughes movie material???

meet atwater

atwater made me work. atwater made me feel stressed and tired and overwhelmed. atwater needed to be completed in 2 weeks.  atwater is beautiful-dontcha think?

this job was very high pressure mainly due to timing and budget. in the end it turned out beautifully and came together without any hiccups which is unheard of in my business! check out all my stars linin' up!

the architecture is beautiful. very masculine in feel and has that new york loft vibe with a little industrial and a whole lotta sexy. it's a very cool space and perfect for a professional that can use the bottom floor for office space and live in the rest of the home. generally i like to design with a bit more of a feminine touch but atwater demanded masculine love. if budget allowed i would have done so much more but i think it turned out really great!

here are a few of the finished photos.

with a total of 3 stories and a rooftop deck it is really stunning inside. 

can i just move in?  like even for a night??

my husband is not my best friend

disclaimer: don't be offended if your spouse is your bff- this is simply my opinion which isn't worth crap anyway....

today is my 18 year anniversary. wow. hitting numbers like a boss!!

i have known my husband well over half of my life. we met in high school to be exact. ahhhh, cute right?? i have literally grown up with this man. he is my friend. he is not my best friend. this isn't because i don't find him worthy or don't like him as much as someone else but for me i don't want him to have to carry that title. i need him to be all kinds of other things to me and the pressure of having to be a best friend? to a girl? your wife? nah, i will find a chick for that.

i don't like to bother shane with certain things like asking if my butt looks big in jeans. a best friend will answer truthfully saying, "hmmmm.....ya know what? it does look kinda big - i don't like them on you" then they will shop for 6 hours and help you find a better pair. my husband on the other hand will tell me no, (because he damn better) then proceed to attack said butt mostly to get out of the impending 6 hour shopping trip.

there are all kinds of best friend jobs that shane would simply hate. like first of all he would have to hear me rave about my latest cookie recipe-he wants to eat the cookie not hear how i put in a secret ingredient that really made them super moist this time.

he doesn't want to sit on the phone with me during my drive home and hear all about the jack-hole that just cut me off and how i could have had a kid in the car and how dare this ass put me and my family in jeopardy! i can get all road rage crazy and that's probably not the cutest look.

he doesn't want to help me figure out what to wear to an important meeting and he truly has no opinion if the light nail polish looks better than the dark. he doesn't have a cute shirt i can borrow and he certainly doesn't care to hear about how this latest form of birth control is making me crabby. if it has to do with my lady town he would rather live in the world that says this is the best run town around and all systems are in check.

i just can't put this guy through all that knowing that he'd honestly rather not.

friendship is definitely one of the key ingredients in our marriage. we have a great time together he just isn't my bestie. besides i wouldn't make out with my bestie- that's just weird........

oh man, ya know what? i think i married my best friend.....

happy anniversary to the BEST husband and friend ever!!

what my phone saw this week

 another ladybug landed on me....

my son actually sent me this one. i like when things are labeled correctly coz you see there is curved yellow fruit and then straight yellow fruit, round yellow fruit...it can get quite confusing....

this is what a happy baby looks like when he gets to learn to play the ukuele

yep, i know bunnies are suppose to hop and run and hide but uh...this is a pahukoa bunny. his life is gooooood. (no he isnt dead)













thankfully she put a circle around the left eye so i could solve this!

             love that i'm setting up an install and i get a reminder that my kid put on my new phone for me. she is so very thoughtful.....

Aloha Friday weekly wrap up

sooooo, this week was nutso.

i had another install of ridiculous proportions along with all other kinds of crazy mixed into my week. at one point i just found my inner courtney love and went with the whole, "what, whatchoo lookin' at- i was born crazy"......kinda works, got me through...

even though it was crazy i had things that were awesome:

-my install looks amazing- i will post pics soon

-i figured out how to do the sock bun (successfully-not the kind that looks like a birds nest on mah head)

-i found the original popcorn chip at -they are at gelsons but i will spar for them if i have to so leave a bag or 4 for me. i have surprising strength.

-i made it through not just 1 but 2 trips to IKEA which falls at number 3 for my least favorite places to be. in case you are wondering the dentist is first and the DMV is second. it was really touch and go there for a few minutes. aisle 21, bin 8000 wasn't workin' for me and those yellow shirts are nowhere to be found when you need them. with 1 minor melt down and a yogurt cone for my good behavior from my brother i made it through....

-i ate my weight in deviled eggs on easter- this is awesome because i also had access to chocolate bunnies. it could have been ugly....

-i have stepped into 2012. i did it. i kicked, i screamed but i'm here and the proud owner of a new iphone. this is huge for me. i still don't know what to do with it other than answer it, call out and text but expect some really fly pics soon from me coz i gots apps!!

and because no blog is as good without a fun pic- i will leave you with this photo of a neighbors dog that deep down really wants me to throw her ball when i see her but shakes her head around when i get my hand close....this pic is what i imagined i looked like this week....

happy aloha friday-have a great week-end!!

5 second hug tee diy

so while i am planning my world tour (bringing the 5 second hug to people near and far) i decided i should probably advertise to let people know why i am charging them with both arms open. ya know, to give them a head start to either run or comply.

awhile back i saw a really cool post about painting bleach on tee shirts with sayings.
i can't remember where i saw it to give the street cred to but it has stuck in my mind ever since.

i am a pretty crafty girl but am finding that i have less and less time to craft. but this! this i can do. 

basically my plan is that i will do this in the bathroom. i will lock the door and because i'm using beach i will say i am cleaning. kids know that when you pull out the cleaning supplies stuff's about to get real. they WILL scatter. brilliant! 

here is what you need:

dark tee (if it's too light it doesn't show up, you get bummed, think i suck, it's disappointing all around)

piece of chalk

piece of cardboard

thin brush (bristles should be stiff)

bleach

1. i put my tee on first so i can mark a boxed area (with the chalk) where i would paint. nothing worse than having an "o" or to have to dot an "i" right by your boob so this step is fairly important you see.

2. slip the piece of cardboard between the tee so the bleach doesn't seep through the back- although who knows this could look cool to see the reverse design from the back.

 3. use your chalk to write out what you want to say so you don't mess up when you are using the bleach. 

4. take your brush and dip it in a bowl of the bleach. be sure the bleach isn't dripping off the brush. then draw.

 the heart has already been painted by bleach

5. after it dries you will start to see the words or the design you just made appear. you may need to go back over a few areas. put the tee in the sun for an hour or 2 to help it develop.

 cool secret: if you do this on a heathered tee the 

bleach does the reverse and turns black.

this would be really cute to make for a friend who is gonna have a baby on tiny onesies dontcha think? anyone wanna take one for the team and have a baby so we can get crafty up in here??

i have plans to make more of these fun tee's and this was seriously so easy a trained monkey on CBS could do it. that's my kind of craft!

for the love of lemon lush

truth.
for years lemon lush was my nemesis.
truth.
i got this now.

my husbands favorite all time desert is lemon lush. i could never make it the way his mom could so out of frustration for a large gap of time i just simply refused. i made everything else instead because dammit i can bake!! lemon lush really couldn't be any easier but he always gave me the "meh, it's awwight face".

one day after making this lemony goodness i presented it to him and right as he was about to take his first bite i made my announcement, "listen, if this isn't good then i am done, seriously, like no more lemon lush ever, period, dunzo". i saw the look. the one that says, "she is no joke, she isn't kidding here, she will put an end to this all." he took the bite and smiled. i knew it was a courtesy smile and i knew in his head he was probably going through the list of things that didn't taste exactly like his mom's version.
he understood that he could either live the rest of his life out with "almost as good as mom's lemon lush" or never have another lush again. he is a smart man. he told me it was perfect. i told him he was full of it.

every year this is our birthday "cake", our "yay-you did it" desert, our "school is out, summer is here" treat, our "happy graduation" celebration, or our "hey, doesn't lemon lush sound good" indulgence.
every time shane eats more than half........whose your mama now huh?!!!

what my phone saw this last week

 i pulled some photos off my phone that made me laugh or made me smile-i'm  passing the smile on to you...happy saturday!

whoever said nothing in life is free is 

welcome to this clearly free hamburger.

hi little ladybug girl

     in other words, huh?

 just today? i might want a half juicy maneater tomorrow too.....wait, are y'all leaving these for free on parking meters???

Look who popped up on aol today! meet my sister tory. she's kinda a big deal.

apparently i said something funny. 

it was the first time i wasn't gripping the door  and praying so i thought it deserved a photo.

 i don't know them but i want to