spiCes

my daughter is now a certified cheerleader! yay! this is her very first ever cheerleading stint and so i am glad that she is truly enjoying the new activity. it’ll also be something to help her get busy during the upcoming summer months together with their karate classes. something to keep me busy too, i should say…playing chauffer, that is!:)

she has a lot to learn, i know. still a little awkward and shy during the tryouts and practices…but with her natural flexibility and interest in dancing, i am positive she’ll get the hang of it soon.

these are some on the side shots. with C and his old and new pals.

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these shots were snapped during my daughter and the rest of the moving up 5th graders to Middle School’s recent Spring Concert…and some. i never had the opportunity to show them off, HEE! blame it on the spring break!

little girls [not mine though and i am asking permission from the parents for posting this, hope you don't mind. and instead i hope you like it!] playing the violin and piano.

a little late in the day, but i don’t want to miss this chance to post this for the specific theme this week on Thematic Photographic…which is MUSICAL.

this is just one part of our first day in Virginia. seeing the city/state on a clear day as compared to our first trip about 2 years ago was a total ‘awakening’ from an Easterner stand point of sorts. in a nut shell, it is absolutely cleaner, fresher and manicured with wide and lush greeneries as compared to New York and Massachusetts where we have lived during the past 5 years. even Connecticut and New Jersey in comparison, I would aptly say that I find Virginia, the northern part at least is a place where I would love to have my kids grow up in too.

From a foodie and shopaholic standpoint,  it is spotted with all sorts of restaurants and specialty shops all over.  and from a mother and designer’s perspective… clusters within clusters of perfectly sized and well planned residential houses are prominently appealing, that is to my standards at least.

Not to mention that our closest friends in the country  [and that goes for the kids too], reside in this part of the East Coast now, before which we used to be so close by and just a few subway stations away in NY. This explains why we try as much as we can to visit each other at least once a year. or at least meet halfway just like how we did last summer when we met up at Six Flags, CT. before that, it was their turn to go up this far. this year we cruised 9-12 hours [blame it on the GW bridge traffic, on our way back home] and spent the whole spring break with the Evangelistas! thanks again for the warm and relaxing week that has put this website into a halt up until this day. hangover is hard to cure…’bringing back that blog-ving feeling’ is like a ‘last-song-syndrome’ that’s attacking me up to this very minute! next year…the Cape?

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…a continuation of some of my Easter weekend snapshots right by my yard.

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since we sent most of these to school for the bake sale, we didn’t really have enough of it to satisfy our craving for brownies. now i am truly desperate for more. desperate! so i bought another Betty Crocker Cookie and Brownie Bar box today. i can’t wait!

…i know, i know. after all these binges and summer is fast approaching, i should be considering some natural appetite suppressant really soon, huh?
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…as is. or,

thinly sliced, to add flavor and zest on to your cereals, together with a half a handful of dried cranberries.  topped with almond slivers/slices for some added crunch…ishgooood!!!

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Old Americana, that’s how they call this burger joint. It’s hip and retro style interiors prove this true, decor wise and this is what draws me back to Johnny Rockets…beyond the milk shakes and burgers.

More about Johnny Rockets on my previous post.  An entry to .

…last friday night was the kid’s school Luau Dance and we all know how colorful these parties can get. it is a great way to show you some GREENS as this is Ruby Tuesday’s selected shade this week for it coincides with St. Patrick’s Day celebration. my son C’s funky and fishy specs and lei are both in green…

my daughter S on the other hand is wearing a very colorful flower headband and grass skirt in the same color combination…with bits and pieces of the shade…

…it was in all a whole 2 hours of gyrating, running, limbo rocking fun for the kiddos!:] the place was filled with all Hawaiian decors and it’s almost like i was expecting some animals roaming around and even cattle supplies there! hee!

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we moved recently and we are all so loving this hotel vibe that this smaller but cozier place resonates. for me it’s more of a ’starting-anew’ or ’starting-all-over’ phase once again. and as always, what goes with moving is the opportunity to practice my craft in interior design. so my good ‘ol turquoise and chocolate brown theme is now the color of spring-summer-fall rolled into one. winter is all behind us now…so to speak! think blood oranges…cinnamon, pumpkin and some chunky chocolates.  which used to be the color scheme of my NY bedroom, then it went to my daughter’s bedroom in our previous house here in Mass…and now has evolved into my living room.

i even have a new comfy sofa! it is in chocolate brown and i am just trying to protect it from two not-so-spill-proof-critters…[read:my lovely kids] hee! design, painting, arranging, organizing has all been taken cared of [except for the kids room, wherein organizing and cleaning is never ending! geesh!] and this is the exact reason why i haven’t been blogging and cooking [or vice versa] much lately. see? this is what i get so hyped about moving, the creativity part. and there’s still more to be accomplished…sewing some panels, cushion covers probably, some artworks to be painted by my artsy daughter and /or created by another artsy me and some shelvings, frames to be hung still…notice that almost bare wall with just one artwork?  i am still contemplating on other options to put up there.

…as for the kitchen, stay tuned as that’s another story:] on my Saturday/Sunday post to be exact.
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…i might have gone overboard and so into all the heart-shaped themed memes recently, as evident in our Valentine’s day breakfast and pre-Vday dinner. this breakfast is just your ordinary all American fare composed primarily of bacon and eggs, toast with the heart-shaped Holland cheese, coffee and orange juice.

the CHEESE, i used though is just one of the 3 cheeses sent my way by a very sweet lady all the way from…where else? Holland! Tita Thess, through the kindness of her aunt from Las Vegas. thanks again! hmmm, Vegas vacations must be good at this time of year, eh?
anyway, this sharp sort of smokey herb infused slice is the tops among the 2 that we’ve tried. ahem, ahem…:] as we speak, it’s all gone! i have the Baby Gouda with cumin yet to anticipate next.

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