Wedding Bells and Cooking trials... Plus a new title!

Our little boy is taking a bride!!!

♥ Bubba proposed to his Lindsey ♥
Our future daughter-in-law is such a sweetheart -

She has the cutest laugh and a kind spirit.

Best of all, she makes our boy happy :-)

We consider ourselves lucky to have her in our family.

Since the kids had already planned a trip home this weekend, dear daughter (Sissy) and I are throwing together a small engagement party for them!!

Our Bubba loves him some dark beer, and Sissy found a recipe for CarBomb cupcakes!!

I went right to work to make a batch of prototypes...

The recipe is laden with an Irish flair which is right up our alley too!!

The cupcakes came out great! I did not take a picture of one cut open, but they each have a little genache filling inside! The flavor is fantastic, they're moist and will definitely be a hit!!

The frosting is sweet, so I would not put too much more than this on each!

In other cooking news I have been keeping busy trying out recipes..

~ Chicken Parmesan ~

~ Pasta Carbonara ~

~ Coq Au Van ~
This turned out extremely well, but I did not take an after picture!!! I'll let you imagine by seeing all of the ingredients...

My dear daughter recently received her board certification from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as a Neurologic Clinical Specialist!!

This weekend she has been invited to San Diego, CA where she will formally recognized for her newly achieved specialty!!

- We are so proud of you Sissy -

She & her prince charming will be off on a mini vacation...

which means I get to dog-sit my favorite Grand-Dog!!!

I think that about brings y'all up to speed on what has been happening around here!!

Love is... PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!!

**VOTING LINK** Scroll down to the bottom to vote!!!
Each month, An Island Life hosts a photo contest with a specific theme.

For February the theme is: Love Is . . .

Here’s how it works:
I have posted a picture taken by me below and how this photo relates to what LOVE IS and what it means to me; which enters me in the contest! Voting will begin on Feb 9th and will run till Feb 13th. I am asking you to VOTE FOR ME!!! Scroll down to the bottom to cast a vote...
The photo with the most votes will be announced on Feb 14th.

Thank you for taking the time to vote ~


I hope you take a few moments also to check out Kailani's blog - She is a busy Momma to 3 daughters, works part-time as a flight attendant and is living in Hawaii (MY DREAM!!!)

This photo for me says Love is... The LOVE of a family sharing a vacation; the LOVE that is felt each and every sunset in Hawaii; the LOVE bestowed upon you by the shear beauty of this magical place.

Aloha Friday #1

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend.

I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question is: WHAT FOOD TASTES BETTER AS LEFTOVERS???
My response: Hands down, PIZZA!! To me there is just something about cold pizza that is so satisfying! I have been known to hide a few pieces to ensure I have leftovers the next morning ~

Leave your response in my comments and if you would like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link here.

Blushing...

After having healed my wounds from the Viking loss on Sunday I am glad to report some happy news!

My new friend Nicolasa over at Low Expectations honored me with this sweet award!! Nicholasa writes such fun blogs depicting her life as an elementary school teacher, crafter and doggie Mom to Daisy! She is also a fantastic photographer... She inspires me to push myself at being more creative in my own photography. Check out her blogs!!


Just like with all good things, I need to pay it forward and here is how this works:

1. List 10 things that make you happy.
2. Try to do at least one thing on the list today.
3. List 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
4. Those of you who receive this award are to link back to my blog and create your own list of happiness

10 things that make me happy:

1. My husband!! He is my best friend and I love sharing my life with him!!

2. My daughter! She is my sunshine and I am so happy that I get to call her my friend!

3. My son! He is my little spark plug - always makes me laugh!

4. My son-in-law! He brings such happiness to my daughter and he has such a great spirit!

5. My son's girlfriend! She makes my son so happy and she has the cutest laugh!

6. My health! I feel fortunate to be able to do things that I want to do!
7. Seeing family pictures around my home - They always make me smile at the good times!

8. FOOD!! I love to cook especially for others, it makes me VERY happy!

9. My home! Happy to have a warm home filled with such love!

10. My new blogger friends! I love how we have clicked and find new things to chat about daily!

Bloggers that brighten my day !!

Alicia @ New England Girl

Angie @ Messy Cars & Muddy Shoes

Brittany @ Our Little Family

Bridgette @ Life's a Beach

Amanda @ Amanda's Thoughts

Katie @ Katy's "Life"

Tracy @ Then I Got to Thinking

Kristen @ All the Drama


Thank you ladies for brightening my day !!!

VIKINGS + BRETT FAVRE = GAME DAY!!!

Well guys, it's game ON!!!

Big game today in New Orleanes...

I simply adore watching Brett play! He plays with a love of the game that you seldom see; he plays with a Pop Warner player's enthusiasm... I wish for this 40 year old to lead his team to another Super Bowl this year!

I will be glued to my TV on Sunday afternoon cheering on the Vikings, cheering on Brett and praying for another WIN!!!

Back to work... NOT!!!

Yesterday was my first day back at work following my tennis elbow release surgery. I had been off work since November 20th and was quite excited to return to my normal scheduled days!!

When my boss came to me after reading my Doctor's Release that stated NO repetive motion, she asked "why are you here?" I suppose I should have read the note!! DOH!!! After a call to verify with the Doc, it was decided that I had to return home for another 6 weeks! My job IS repetitive motion; I'm an Accounts Payable Technician.

I will continue to rest my arm, go to physical therapy and train for my 10k!! I am working on talking The Fireguy into running a half marathon as a team!! I think that I could do 6.5 miles by March???

The weather has been awful here in CA, so I am also busying myself with movies (LOVE The Redbox)!!!

10k Training update 1a

On January 1st I began a training program prepared for me by my 'Marathon Maniac' daughter.

The program is a 16 week program with the ending goal being me running a 10k (6 miles) race. I have run plenty of 5k's (3 miles) but have never gone beyond that. I don't consider myself a runner, so this is really a challenge for me; I have rather short legs and don't run very fast. I have changed my mindset to FINISH, which is my goal!

Although it is early into my training, I wanted to get my progress posted so that I can be held accountable :-) !!

With the help of Dailymile I am able to track my training ~ So for the first two weeks I have logged the following:

Running ~ 13.4 miles
Cycle ~ 41.9 miles
Other Fitness (Walking, elliptical machine, rollerblade) ~ 12.21 miles

Total of 67.51 miles first two weeks of training !!!! YEAH ME!!!

Check back for updates ~

You can't sleep... What do you turn to in hopes of falling asleep or embracing your insomnia?

I am about at my wits end... Do any of you feel ready to sleep around 8 o'clock in the evening? However, by the time you get the house closed down & get ready for bed and lay down you are wide awake??? I have tried the following:

* sleep aids (oral tablets) that I power right through, meaning they don't put me to sleep.
* tea (chamomile, lavender, mint) which only seem to make me get up and piddle a couple of times through the night
* staying up later - which is really tough since my alarm goes off at 4:10AM...

I can usually get in a couple hours of true sleep, but then around 11PM or 2AM I start tossing & turning and then my brain starts churning and I have a difficult time turning it off.

What I would give for a full 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep!!

Any suggestions????