It usually goes without saying that, "A bad day snowboarding is better than a good day at work"; but in this case I am not to sure about that.

A few weeks ago I came down with the 24-Hour Snowboarding bug and had to ditch work. I went with my buddy Vaughnster up to Mt. Baldy because we had won some tickets at Ski Dazzle, like we normally do (that's another story).

So we get up there and ride the rickety lift up to the top of the hill. What I mean by rickety is that the chairs are made of wood, with some of the wood being broken. The liftees are all toothless tweekers from Fontucky (allegedly) and the ticket booth is a wood shack that doubles as a meth-lab in the evenings (again, allegedly). By the time we get to the top I have repented of all my sins in anticipation that I might not survive the lift ride up.

We get to the top and we go in to phone our wives and call in sick to work, you know, the usual. We stick our boards outside the lodge and go in to use the public phones because our cell phones don't get reception there (of course).

We walk over to the bleach blond girl in a tank top (who is crying for some reason) at the gear shop, which consists of Zinka, circa 1993, some chapstick, K-Mart Brand snow gloves and some batteries (probably for use in the methamphetamine production process that goes down on the premises) and get change for the pay phone. After using the tin-can phone we begin to walk out to snowboard.

No sooner are we about to leave the building than these 2 guys come in and yell, "Someone's board just blew off the mountain"! Well of course it was mine...and of course it was before I got one run in. And just like that $500 worth of gear, gone.

So Vaughn and I spend the next 2-3 hours hiking the steep precipice that absconded away with my board, to no avail.

I would go into more detail about the search for my board, but it just pains me too much still.

There is a happy ending however. I bought a new board. The Omatic Wig-Out 161! Rated as one of Transworld's 2008 Good Wood. A $400 board I snagged for $150!


The moral of my story is NEVER go boarding at Mount Baldy! EVER!!! NOT EVEN FOR FREE!

Our original plan was to take Devan to The Happiest Place on Earth on the way home, but it was raining and we had already been to Balboa Park that morning and decided we would try Disneyland another time. Devan did pretty good on the car ride home. And even though she didn't get to go to the happiest place on earth, she did get to come with me to my happiest place on earth: Ikea! They have a brand spanking new one in Costa Mesa. We had lunch and did some shopping, but not as much as I'd liked. I told John that for Mothers Day I want to go back to Ikea. Alone. All by myself. No husbands or children allowed. And shop, for as long as I want. He said that was fine, and I'm gunna hold him to it.

We've stayed pretty busy since we came home. Today we ran lots of errands, John had a basketball game, we met John's Dad and sister for sushi and then went to a friends going away party where we stayed until 9pm! (ps- to my friends that are moving away- you need to start a blog!) Devan had such a blast playing with all her friends. She would literally stay up all night if we let her. Oh, and I got new shoes!

A friend recently told me that it's been over four days since I posted last, so I thought I'd get some new material up here. However before I do, I'd like to mention that my wonderful hubby is also a contributer on this blog, so he is much more past due than I. He still has a snowboard story to share.

Today was a good day. I got a big box on my doorstep from Crate and Barrel. My awesome sisters in law got me a gift card for Christmas and I just recently got around to using it. I got some great items, including this tray. During the summer we usually eat outside almost every night, and this tray will be perfect for carrying things to the table. I also got some cute soup bowls, and cupcake stencils. It's time for me to go take my little one on a walk, but later I will post a story about her chipped teeth and subsequent trip to the dentist! Stay tuned.

Today was a good day. First, this morning, Devan got a visit from her Grandma, who didn't come empty handed. My Mother in law came with a balloon and chocolate. Devan heard the door bell and came down the stairs to see who it was. As soon as she saw the balloon she exclaimed "My balloon!" as if she had been searching all over for it. (Devan is obsessed with balloons, and assumes any balloon in sight is automatically hers.)


Next, I spent all morning baking. More like all day. I love baking. It's more like a hobby for me I find, however I just wish I didn't eat everything I bake. A Valentines cake:

I also made some lollipops. I used this recipe, however my candy thermometer is broken and I cooked them a little longer than I should have. They came out OK. I wish they were better, but I think I will try another batch one day. I'm sure little kids would love them, Devan didn't seem to notice they didn't come out right. Now if only I had 19 more kids so I could get rid of them.

When John got home from work the day got better. First, his new snowboard came. I wish I could say that I bought him a snowboard for Valentines day, but I didn't. He bought it himself, only after the devastating loss of his old board. Maybe he will blog about it one day. So he got a new board and he also bought a rose for both Devan and me! What a sweet guy. Devan is so lucky to have a father who has set the precedent for all her future Valentines days!

Next we went out to dinner at Wood Ranch. We went early enough to beat the crowds and had a tasty meal. After dinner we visited with John's family. John's sister is home from college for the weekend and brought Devan a nice Valentines day gift. She works at Gap, and got Devan some super cute clothes. Shout out, Adrienne! I don't even know if she reads the blog, but thanks again for the awesome gift!

We had such a great day. We were so lucky to share the day with our wonderful, generous family members. I can't even express how grateful I am for our awesome families.

Now, since this post was so full of lovey dovey-ness, I feel like I have to dedicate it to our dear friend who will soon be moving away, Mr. Annonymous. I know how much you love hearing about things like lollipops, roses and heart shaped cakes, so this one's for you!

It's been warm here. All you local readers know this. I'm talking warm. Warm enough to go to the beach, warm enough to have a picnic, and absolutely warm enough for homemade lemonade.

Yesterday my awesome in laws came by in the morning to pick up Devan. They had her all morning, which left John and I with some free time. We decided to go to the mall. We did some shopping and even got to go into places we normally wouldn't when we have our little one along with us, like Pottery Barn. Thats where I found the mugs for my lemonade. They were on clearance so I bought four. I'm regretting not buying more and I think I might go back tomorrow.

We didn't stop enjoying the warmth with just lemonade. We blew bubbles, wore shorts and colored the backyard with sidewalk chalk. Devan was happy to get out of the house for a while. I know it probably won't, but I hope this weather lasts until the real summer comes!

Here is the only problem: She doesn't sleep in it. If anyone out there has any advice on how to get an almost 2 year old to sleep in her own bed at night, let me know. And just so you know, I've tried almost everything including the "cry it out" theory. She cries it out, alright. She cries it out ALL NIGHT LONG.

Anyway, on to a happier subject. Devan has become quite the problem solver. This morning when we woke up she asked for a bottle. She hasn't had a morning bottle in quite some time. In fact, the only time she has a bottle is before bed. So this morning when she asked I told her that the bottles were all dirty. She looked at me and said "Wash 'em".

Later, when I was asking her what she wanted for breakfast, she replied "Rolls". (A few days ago I made some rolls.) I told her we didn't have any more because we ate them all. She then said " Cook em!" What a little problem solver. Now if she could only solve the problem of her not sleeping in her bed!

(The 'G' on the card does not stand for girl.) I love it when the things I make come out they way I think they will. The opposite it true as well. I've had many "this is SO not what I pictured" projects.

On a side note, I bought Devan a pack of six plastic cups yesterday at where else but Target, and she LOVES them. She played with them all night. Cups. Seriously, who needs toys?

Lately I've had this yearning to make trifle. The only problem was that I didn't have a trifle bowl. So I began looking when I was out but never found one that I loved enough to justify spending 20+ dollars on. I came really close to buying this one but I was able to talk myself out of it, saying that I surely could find one cheaper. And I did. I was at Ross the other day and came across this bowl. It wasn't exactly a trifle bowl, but I knew it could serve the same purpose. I got more excited when I picked it up and noticed it's weight and thickness. I was feeling more and more like this was the bowl for me. Then I looked at the price tag and knew this was the bowl for me. 99 cents! How could I say no to that? It's like it was meant to be. I always get this great sense of triumph when I know that my thriftiness has paid off. Needless to say, we made trifle. We meaning I started it and got sidetracked with making dinner so John finished it for me. If I haven't already mentioned it, I have the best hubby! Here is our creation:




We used this recipe only because I already had the ingredients. There are better recipes, I'm sure, but this one came out really good.


On a side note, I 've been working on more Valentines decorations. I haven't been that diligent, but I have made a few things including some heart garland for our mantle and some of these little ornaments to hang from our kitchen window. I like these because they require no sewing and are super easy.



Have a great weekend!