New Shoes...

I have slowly become obsessed with red.. I used to be scared of red. It was too powerful.. I also had memories of my dad saying I could not wear red nail polish for Sprit Fridays in high school.. (To this day I can't wear any nail polish except clear, yes, I am that weird)..

Over time I have found myself more attracted to red in all its variations.. It started with a deep wine red for my walls.. I was thrilled when Martin humored me and painted the entire family room and kitchen in my chosen red. (I know best hubby)... To this day I love the color and now even my laundry room is deep wine red...

Then one day I had a pedicure and ventured to red with a little shimmer.. I was pleasantly surprised at how feminine my feet looked..I mean I have size 9s there is nothing dainty about them...

In quilting, I was drawn to Amerciana quilts and somehow always find a little red in my quilts. It's just that little pop in a flower, a gigham check.. a little heart.... I love that Julie claims Red as her favorite color..Someday I hope to be that brave..

It's funny because now that I think about it Martin must like red too because he bought me a red sweater for Christmas that made it into a family picture..

Then there's Candy, my new kitchen aid. It was her Ferrari red that I couldn't resist (again, best hubby).

The last frontier was shoes.. I mean forget the fact that I am Ms. Practical and boring, my shoes tend to also be functional and not so stylish... Deanna has tried to educate me on the finer points of clothes but without her I am not always as successful at finding the right outfit.. I am a work in progress and Deanna has her work cut out for her.. But I digress..

Deanna owns this FABULOUS pair of Charles & David platform heels that I admire.. I have tried them on and felt amazingly daring but in a fun way... Then about a year ago another blog I read had this cute pair of red shoes in the banner.. Super cute and not as amazing as Deanna's but safer. Something that I could picture myself wearing.. But me, I don't own anything like that, or I didnt..

Saturday morning Maya and I headed to the mall in search of a gift.. Next thing I know I come across these

My first instinct was to get them in black or brown..but my little fashion forward side kick said "RED"... I debated.. I didn't find my size at first.. when I did find them I knew it was meant to be.. They didn't dissapoint.. With a $5 buck coupon for Old Navy in hand (I told you practical, frugal, that's me) I took these home..
They are fun and not too high.. Looking forward to sporting them this summer.. I wonder if they will transport me to Oz if I click my heels?

Hee Hee,
Alex

We must remember all the soldiers...

On this Memorial day I have to take a minute to give thanks.. I have always had a special respect for soldiers, how could I not?. I grew up with a Marine Dad and surrounded by cousins in the service. Thankfully our family has been blessed and our soliders always came home..

The same can not be said for so many soliders and today we honor them.. The fallen.

"Tomb of the unknown solider" from Google images...

We can not forget that many gave their lives so we can sleep safe... Thank you to those soldiers. May we honor your memory as we embrace the freedoms of the U.S.A.

A grateful American,

Alex

GO Sock-er Monkeys!

After missing last Saturday's game I was bummed to hear that our girls were missing their spark.. I struggled all week to try to figure out how I would put the excitement back in soccer.. I started Thursday's practice asking the girls to share what they liked about playing soccer.. I made it a point to make sure we had fun and us coaches all spent extra time working with them and cheering them on. After practice I was still stumped but by Saturday morning, I had a good feeling.. and a fun idea....
I went out with Maya and got some PINK GLITTER HAIR SPRAY and some temporary tattoos.. (at first the prude in me was against the tattoos but I figured, they were like stickers and I knew the girls would enjoy them). The girls laughed and giggled as their lovely locks went PINK.. Their smiles sparkled even brighter with the glittery crown...

After a fun round of warm up with coach Steve (OUR ROCK) the girls were pumped.. We coaches were ready to cheer them on..

Maya's cheering section was full courtesy of a surprise visit from grandpa, grandma Galvan, auntie KENYA and the Hernandez family with noise maker!

The game was intense, the score was all over and the girls pushed harder, faster and stronger.. Once again, my heart swelled with pride. I saw them trying so hard. I wanted to run around the fields and tell others families that they needed to watch these girls. Our opponents were pushing us and we were with them every step.. We didn't let them take an inch..

Look at the determination and the effort..these girls were in the game!

It was everything a soccer game should be.. It was exciting. It was energetic. It was fun to watch.. Thank you to all my Sock-er Monkeys for the memories.. The season is not done and I know we will finish it with flare..keep up the good work! I am so privledged to be on the sidelines watching these little girls play, cheer, learn, cry and take soccer to the next level. I am not coaching them, they are teaching me about what sports can be. Inspiration and Fun..

Coach Alex

Our Mother's day gathering..

Once again Monica hosted and cooked up a feast..

It's our yearly reason to meet, eat and trade goodies.. I made goodie boxes with scones, white cookies and homemade almond biscotti courtesy of a recipe from who else? Smittenkitchen... I was also lucky enough to find these lovely boxes at Cost Plus.. So cute...
It was a multgenerational affair.
My aunt Josefina is the oldest, my aunt Chelo is the middle and my mom is the last of 15 children..
My Aunt Lidia and her girls, Ally and Irma..the always bring the CHINATOWN cake! Love it!

Ally and Adrian..

Maya and I got one picture! Every once in awhile I have to turn the camera over so I can get a memory shot..
Mona and her kids were spotted enjoying a mom moment..


As were Monica and her 2 silly family..

My mom, Arthur and I posed for our annual shot..

We all ate and laughed, watched TV, caught up on family events and sooner or later we all ended up in a mountain of people..

It was a great Mother's day!

Alex

50 years!

My cousin Monica celebrated her 50th this year.. She has been a constant in my life.. From the time I was born I don't think I have ever lived farther than 1 hr from her.. I remember sharng a room with her and Mona when I could..

It's neat that our lives have come full circle.. She babysit me.. I got to babysit her kids and now my little one loves to play with her kids, dogs and hug her "auntie Monica"..

Monica was the recipient of the 5 lady's quilt..I had to make something worthy of Monica..

Her kids Joe and Miriam shared some smiles and a seat at the party...

Thankfully Ed was home safe and sound from Iraq and there was lots of Love and goofing around in honor of Monica..

Happy Birthday Monica..

Big Hugs!
Beeba

Birthday fun..

May is the month for birthday's in our family..

My mom's is so close to Mother's day that I always feel like I have to make sure I don't forget about her birthday.. I baked her favorite cake and we celebrated surrounded by family..

Happy Birthday Mom!

May you have 100 candles on your cake..

Love ya!
Alex

Dreams do come true...

Look what I woke up to this morning... Meet Candy...

What can I say.. I was truly surprised.. It felt like Christmas in May..
I told you my husband was perfect and wonderful.. I am constantly amazed at how blessed I am to have Martin as my husband and then he does something like this.. What can I say? Well, I will start with "Thank you, God"..
Candy mixed up her first batch of my oatmeal scones.. She purred..

Thank you, Honey!
Alex

Cheers for Teachers!

I am a nerd.. I love school, love paper, learning and yes, teachers.. Some of my favorite people are..You guessed it... Teachers.. Well it was teacher appreciation week this week at LES. The Lions all came out to thank those special people who take on teaching..

Thank you Mrs. Iverson!

Friday we managed to bring in the heartfelt and homemade. The pencil covered vase was a huge hit.. Don't we love crafty bloggers? I Do.. I have to find the link to where I got that idea last year..

Missy made sure we remembered to bake for Mrs. Iverson.. However, because we are so blessed to have extra "teachers" in the form of aides and child care workers, we could not stop at with Mrs. Iverson.. Of course she got some extra goodies, but we figured sweets all around would be a nice way to show our appreciation..

Hurray for Teachers!
Alex

I am dreaming in RED..

I saw this mixer and I can't get it out of my head.. I want it!

I need this for all my baking craziness.. Of course, I already have a stand mixer, I can not justify buying another one..
Look at this thing! Can you blame me for wanting it? Did you notice its RED? It's called Ferrari Red... It has this beautiful glass bowl. I will be able to see that stuff that always sticks to the bottom and requires extra mixing.

Send your donations my way and I will bake you up some cookies, scones, cake, or any other sweet concotion that I can whip up in that beautiful creation..I know, its a problem.. I am sure there is help for me.. Somewhere.. William Sonoma would be a great place to start..

Sweet Dreams,
Alex

Cinco de Maya!

No, that is not a typo.. At our house Missy decided it was all about Cinco de Mayo.. She wanted to take Tostadas to school and oh yeah, she also wanted some authentic Mexican garb.. Sure, let me just wave my magic wand..

Of course, I had to scramble to think of what she could possibly wear to pull a Mexican look for the day.. With all of 24 hours notice I went into action. I called neighbors and aunts.. I was able to get a home made skirt with the colors of the flag.. Why didnt I think of that? I ran to Joann's on my way to book club and picked up spools of ribbon in the traditional Red, White and Green of the Mexican flag and some Red Satin.. I figured I could make a wrap/shawl of some sort..

I was up until 12 cursing satin (Note: Fray block does not dry clear on satin. Don't say I didnt warn you..) but I managed to get the edges stiched..

Maya was thrilled with the shawl but couldnt believe I hadn't sewn her a blouse! What?? I don't sew! I quilt! Is she new? I am amazed I could even figure out the shawl but that was a rectangle trimmed in lace, close enough to a quilt top.. I am just saying..

It makes me giggle at how funny Maya is..She gets an idea and then its all about making it happen.. Wish me luck I have a life time of ideas coming my way.. The adventures of mommyhood..
Here is little Missy in her "Authentic Mexican" outfit..

OLE!
Alex

Teamwork!

This week our girls worked hard!

Taylor took charge and SCORED!

Jessica must have heard me saying "Let no goal go unfinished" because she finished a goal that was almost lost after her two players went down..

Maya ran a ball from one end to another on a fast break..

Alexandra kept the other team on their toes with her power shots..

It was clear this week that the girls gelled as a team and just about everyone scored a goal..

It was amazing to see those girls spring into action this week.. We spent our last practice focused on a skill per girl.. On Satuday they showed us the pay off..

Look at Katelyn taking command and Jessica and Alexandra blocking..

They each stepped up, kept the pressure on the other team and ran that ball! The coverage was spot on...

Here's a shot of Rylee going in for a goal.. She is determined.. Awesome!

Those are the moments that make coaching worth every minute..

Thank you to my girls for their hard work..
Coach Alex

A sneak peek...

I am working on a gift.. Julie quilted it for me.. I can't believe it turned out..Her blog here makes it look amazing...

I have loved the ideas in Jan Patek's book for years.. I finally had a good reason to make one.. Miss Jump walking in the garden was just too perfect for words..

I can only hope that the person on the receiving end will love it!

Buzz,

Alex

A new "Do"

Missy has been asking and pleading in every convincing way she could for a HAIRCUT.. She finally convinced me to take her for a trim.. Yeah well.. So much for a trim.. This is what she started with..a full head of hair down to her waist..

And after she had this new do.. She loves it. She hasn't stopped smiling since the day of the cut..

Yes, she is one happy girl..

Buzz,
Alex

Say Cheese-cake!

We celebrated Martin's 37th at home with friends and family.. The birthday boy worked hard over the grill on his bday..

I experimented with a traditional cheesecake since Martin and Maya only like cheesecake.. It was almost perfect, missing that balancing act of sour cream.. With that said I believe there is only one portion left! It was a hit with the neighbors..

I can't believe another year has come and gone..

Happy Birthday Honey!

Love your girls,
Alex and Maya