GLOW AND HER PINK CHAIR

Following suit to Soul and Boogie, which seem to stop right around 14 months for Soul and probably because I was in the midst of morning sickness and pregnant with Glow. We got Glow her very own chair and in pink because let's face it, pink is kinda fantastic (always loved this mama's pink chair). I am kinda late in sharing it here because I wanted to think of a clever name for the chair (Soul's chair got its name from this hilarious surprise) and well, nothing ever came to me, so "her pink chair" it is!

One month.

Two months.

Three months.

Four months.

Five months.

I can hardly believe Glow is on her way to being six months old. I take daily pictures of her and post it on instagram and twitter, though the past few days don't seem to want to load on Ben's iphone, but you can follow along here and here.

She is a happy little joy and we all love her to pieces. And my oh my... that hair of hers is always crazy!!!

*idea inspired by Nicole from Making It Lovely.

FAMILY MEALS: WEEK SIX

I have been finding it more pleasurable to be spending time in the kitchen. I actually started decorating it a bit. Kinda. Our kitchen is pretty clean, but not really decorated. You won't really find it on a house tour because as much as we like the openness of it, I don't really like the color of our cabinets. I dream of white cabinets. One day, it will happen, if God allows of course.

Monday we ate Pasta Puttanesca with Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Lemon Juice...

I followed the recipe exactly and it came out fantastic. Ben and I could have use more red pepper flakes in it, but the girls are eating it too, so we kind of have to go light on the kick. The recipe didn't call for any protein, so we used shrimp.

The Oven Roasted Cauliflower was another yum. It was a variation of a normal vegetable dish we make, but this recipe called for lemon which was a good zing. The recipe says to put 1/4 cup olive oil, which I think is a bit much, so I put 2 tbsp and kinda stuck my hands in and rubbed it all around the florets. I think that worked just as fine. Will make this again.

Tuesday, we had Salmon Cakes BLT Burgers...

We actually made this on Sunday too and it was thanks to Jen from Our Happy Family leaving a comment on how to make it. Once I saw her comment, I knew I wanted to try it right away. I love crab cakes, so I thought this one sounded good and pretty healthy.

I used whole wheat panko bread crumbs along with two cans of salmon. I don't like celery, so I didn't use it. I used half an onion and four cloves are garlic. For seasoning, I used cayenne pepper (lots!) and cumin. Mixed in a bowl along with two eggs. Then, formed patties and placed on a pan and stuck it in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes. Thanks Jen!

For the burger, I baked some soy bacon (tastes like the real thing to me!), mixed some siracha and eggless mayo together for a sauce. Toasted some whole wheat buns, added some greens, a dollop or two of sauce, the salmon cakes, 3 slices of soy bacon, and some avocado and we had ourselves a winning burger! For veggies, we had some canned beets.

Wednesday, we indulged in Chicken Cacciatore...

A pretty good dish, though Ben felt like it was missing something. I accidentally chopped the onions instead of slicing and I used shiitake mushrooms instead of white mushrooms. While we were eating it, Ben and I both added more red pepper flakes to our own plates because we love things spicy and felt it just needed something more. The girls seemed like big fans of this dish as they were all devouring it, so that's a good sign.

Out of this week's dishes, Monday was by far my favorite.

Week 2/27 - 3/2

Monday: Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze with Spiced Coconut Spinach

Tuesday: Ginger Soba Noodles

Wednesday: Ground Turkey Tacos (something I already know to do)

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Pizza or something easy

I am in need of more vegetable dishes to accompany our meals. Ben is good at figuring those out on a whim. Me, not so much. Have any good quick veggie dishes to share! We have canned veggies ready to eat on hand, in case I don't plan for it, but I would like to start planning for it more.

DIY: FANCIFUL BARRETTES

And just like that you have yourself some fancy things for your hair!

I was the one glueing things on the barrette for the girls because I don't dare let them use a hot glue gun just yet, but they were the ones putting the combos together. We have been short on things for the hair because somehow they all end up magically missing, so I thought it was time to make some new ones. The result was happy girls, so I think it was mission accomplished.

We used 1.5'' and 2'' barrettes from here, the pom poms were bought at the dollar store, and the jewels and cabachons were bought on etsy. Now, you can make your own colorful stock of fanciful barrettes!

HAPPY SPOTS

Yesterday, my baby sister came over to start her first day as my one-afternoon-a-week nanny. It was nice. I got to do errands and clean up a bit. We have figured out that I need at least a few hours a week for someone to watch the kids so I can catch up on things like emails, cleaning, or errand running. This will help with my sanity a bit and help me get the house from crazy messes to happy messes. Plus, she will get paid with clothes and shoes. Not a bad deal. I would have gladly done that for my older sister, if I had one. The bonus is that she gets to spend time with her nieces that adore her!

The girls have been bugging me to do some baking, so we will see if we can squeeze some in today.

BIG GIRLS AND MAMA

Out with two is so much easier than out with four. Plus, we had my baby sister was with us, so that made it really easy peasy. The girls went to the dentist and it is the same dentist I used when I was their age and at that time, I thought my dentist was really old, but I think I probably thought everyone old was old cause he is still young enough now to work on my kids' teeth! They like going to the dentist cause they get to pick out a prize from the treat box, which seemed a lot bigger to me back then, but that used to be my favorite part of the dentist too!

on me: knit triangle top, c/o reverie market. scarf, from our pacific nw road trip. denim jacket, vintage. jeans, c/o levi's. bag, vintage. oxfords, boutique 9.

on true: shirt, vintage from 3 ring circus. poncho, vintage. skirt, misha lulu. shoes, toms.

on brave: shirt and shorts, misha lulu. shoes, toms.

Happy Monday! Technically, True doesn't have school this week, but we homeschool and are a tad behind in math, so we will be schooling. Love the flexibility we have!

FEBRUARY

February things that make this month busy...

- My middle sister's wedding came and went.

- Recuperating from my sister's wedding.

- Valentine's came and went.

- My parents celebrated 31 years of marriage on Feb. 14th. That's right. Them lovebirds got married on Valentine's Day! And that's right... I was a honeymoon baby!

- My friend's bachelorette luncheon this coming Saturday. I have another wedding to be a part of on March 10th!

- Signed up for my first official 5k. My current distance ability is 5k (I started running in December), but I have time to improve my run time before the race on April 22nd.

I still have a few things to sew for my friend's upcoming wedding in March, along with the regular housekeepings and goings, so the theme here is always "Busy, busy, busy!" What things keep your Februarys busy?

p.s. don't forget the giveaways going on and if you want to be a sponsor for March, send me an email!

:: SPONSOR WELCOME ::

Meet See the Skyline a blog penned by a mama named Tiffany. Tiffany writes about her life as a mom and wife in Southern California, as well as being a small shop owner for custom stationary and invitation work. She creates beautiful custom stationary for weddings, birthday parties, posters, labels and more! Tiffany's work is mainly hand-drawn and tailored to the customer's style. I really love the uniqueness of every piece!

For one Cakies reader Tiffany is giving away a 25 card stationary set and custom rubber stamp from the See the Skyline shop. Here are some things you can do to get yourself in this lovely giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite item in her shop.

2. Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and leave each separate links here.

Now, if you do all of the things mentioned above, you might even be able to up your chances by getting your name in 4 times! Fantastic, right? Even if you are overseas, please feel welcomed to join in on the fun!

The giveaway will end at 8am PST on Wednesday, February 22md and the winner will be announced via twitter (follow me on twitter here). Good luck!

see the skyline blog...

see the skyline shop...

:: SPONSOR WELCOME ::

Thalita creates such whimsical illustrations that encapsulate childhood so perfectly. Each piece is dreamy, child-like, and utterly sweet. She has prints ready made that would be perfect for a nursery, child's room or adorning some sweet little spot in your home. There are also ready made birthday sets with ready-made invitations, birthday and thank you cards all with coordinating red envelopes. Her notecard sets are also absolutely adorable for the special notes of encouragement or just because you may need to send out. My favorite in her shop is her custom illustration prints that she offers, and here is one she did of True a few years ago.

As a little treat for you, Thalita is offering one "I read" print (boy or girl) and a set of matching bookplates. Cakies readers can also get 15% orders just use coupon code mycakies.

Here are some things you can do to get yourself in this lovely giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite item in her shop.

2. Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and leave each separate links here.

Now, if you do all of the things mentioned above, you might even be able to up your chances by getting your name in 4 times! Fantastic, right? Even if you are overseas, please feel welcomed to join in on the fun!

The giveaway will end at 8am PST on Wednesday, February 22md and the winner will be announced via twitter (follow me on twitter here). Good luck! Thank you so much Thalita!!!

thalita dol illustrations shop...

thalita dol blog...

HUZZAH!

It's been a few weeks since I did a recap. Lots of things have gone on here. The girls keep growing like crazy. I don't think that will stop anytime soon as much as I want to press freeze from time to time.

Learned and links...

- A call to help Suzy Delgado. This is important because someone needs your help. They are looking for a bone marrow match which is a matter of life or death, and if you are of Filipino-Mexican descent, you may be especially able to help! Visit this facebook page or this list of bone marrow drives for more information.

- Soul says, "Mama, go down." "True won't share." " Read me book." "Read again." Language is finally coming out of her. A little slower than most, but it is finally coming.

- Glow weighs a whopping 11 pounds 8 ounces at 4 months. She is a teeny little thing. She rolls over and gets her head up and her happy place is my bed. Once she is on there, she laughs and smiles like crazy.

- True and Brave are both getting better at reading, but we are a little behind in math.

- Ben and I finally got a nice date in.

- Kinda loving these shoes and really want to try colored jeans. Ben is a little iffy on the colored denim thing cause they aren't classic enough for him.

- Madewell is my favorite store along with anthropologie. Dear Madewell, I will gladly take anything you don't want off your hands, especially these shoes. xoxo, Ruby

- Do you read my baby sister's blog? She's the cutest. We are bascially the same with ten years between us. We call her R.J., which stands for Ruby Junior. Kidding. No, her real name is Richelle Jean and she is the sweeter, but lazier version of me and I am the tougher, take charge version of her.

- I got to meet a reader all the way from New Zealand (Hi Ester!) who is living in the states for a bit. She came to visit our church gathering last Sunday! If you are in the L.A. area, you could visit CrossView too!

- This post is good and this DIY is excellent.

- Thank you for all your excitement for those who have seen a little something buzzing about the internet. I can't wait until I am officially able to share it with you all soon!!!

There will be some sponsors to share about this weekend, along with some giveaways so stay tuned friends!!!

THRIFTED ON THURSDAY

Yesterday was a good day. Despite the fact, I had very little sleep that night due to Glow having a cold, but a good thrift day is good in re-energizing a tired body. Wouldn't you agree?

I took the two big girls to the dentist with my baby sister, while my mama watched the two baby girls, and we sandwiched the dental visit with two thrift visits. I was most giddy about my shirts, a book for my girls (and one for my mama), especially the load of records we came home with. Wait. That means I am giddy about every. single. thing I found. Well, indeed I am! My sister made out like a bandit too, looky at her treasures here!

I love finding some good treasures!

FAMILY MEALS: WEEK FIVE

It feels to good to be meal planning. We have eaten less frozen food boxes from Trader Joe's, in fact none at all during the week, though those are still nice in a pinch. Meal planning also helps save time in the evening because usually it takes us forever to figure out what to eat after Ben gets home and he is usually the one who would have been cooking it. Now, it is actually me cooking. I am not as good as Ben, but it works.

Wednesday started the new recipes for the week and I tried the Rice and Black Bean Pilaf...

It is a quick recipe, but I substituted celery with red bell peppers because I don't like celery. Also, the recipe calls for parsley, which we used, but I think would have tasted better with cilantro. The flavors were pretty mild and if I were making it for just me and Ben, I would have sauteed the veggies with some chopped serrano peppers. A whole lot of them actually. Fresh slices of avocado is also good mixed in.

Thursday, I tried Korean Spicy Quick Braised Tofu that BFF and Jane recommended (those ladies know me well)...

Ben was completely loving this dish and said if it were at a restaurant, he would order it! My only change would be to double the sauce recipe, so that you would have more sauce to drizzle on! It was yummy and had a really nice kick! We love kick!!! We will make this again soon.

Knowing that our dish would be quite spicy, I made the girls Citrus Soy Tofu and Broccoli...

I used the leftover marinade from last week's squid dish and let the tofu sit in that for a bit and then cooked that along with broccoli in a pan. When Brave saw the dish she said, "Ooh! I love tofu!!!" It was really cute. True ate all her broccoli and Brave ate her tofu, but I think if Brave weren't so tired at the dinner table, she would have eaten more on her plate.

I have got my eye on some of the other tofu recipes you all shared. I can't wait to try them out! If you have more recipes to share, keep them coming!

Week of 2/20 - 2/24:
Monday: Pasta Puttanesca and Roasted Cauliflower
Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore and Brussel Sprouts
Wednesday: Monday's leftovers
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (we have some church family coming over)
Friday: Pizza or something super easy

I haven't made any salmon recipes yet, anyone have any good and healthy ones to share?

DIY: SURPRISE LOVE BALL

Each note coordinated with the gift it was attached with. For example, the hotwheel car note said, "You're hot!" and the whoopee cushion note said, "You make my heart go, "Whoopee!"" or the yo-yo note said, "Yo my favorite thing!" Some also may be a little too risque to share here! *wink*

The ball actually took Ben 15 minutes to unravel and he was tired by the end of it, but loving it all. I like making surprises for him! He's one of a kind!!! The video condensed that time into a minute and a half. I had seen these surprise balls circulate the blogosphere a few years ago and was always waiting for the perfect opportunity to make one for Ben. I was loving making that ball so much, I am kind of in need to make another. I hope I have to make another present for someone soon!