Free and easy down the road I go..

I've always been a traveler, always loved a road trip and being behind the wheel. I'm pretty much known for racking up the miles on my Jetta and I love it. I have seen so many beautiful, crazy, wonderful things that some people may never see and I am so grateful for that.

Today my sister and I get to take a road trip and I am beyond excited. My grandfather bought a home in Phoenix,AZ. recently and he wants us to drive his truck down to keep at the house. Of course it wouldn't be much fun to just drive straight to Phoenix and come home, so we are making a few detours along the way. My sister is in love with Hollywood and all the celebrity's that come with it. I have been to L.A. several times for racing and got the opportunity to check out parts of the area and I had a great time doing it so I'm excited to show my sister around and also explore some new things too.

We will definitely be hitting up: The Fashion district, Santa Monica Pier & Beach, Robertson Blvd. and Irwindale Speedway..didn't think I would take a road trip and not catch a race did ya? ;) We will also see the Hollywood sign, a cupcake shop or three, and who knows what else.

That's the reason why I love trips like this, no set time to be anywhere and just the open road to take us wherever it may lead...

Over already?

I just love 3 day weekends and especially when I get to spend them with wonderful people!

Saturday morning Campbell and I headed over to Yakima, only making 1 stop at Maurices in Ellensburg. We checked in to our hotel, went to Old Navy and then met up with Rachel, Becca and Dailey. We had some dinner before heading to the races and Dailey kept us all entertained. She is just so funny and she has the cutest little laugh. Everyone around us was smiling at her and saying how cute she was. She is getting so big and talking much more and she definitely loves her Auntie Rachel, the bond they have is a pretty sweet thing :)





We had a good time at the races and Campbell loved to see Lightning McQueen. He didn't win, but he got 2nd! After the races, Campbell and I went to our hotel and fell right asleep, we were both pretty tired!





Sunday we woke up and got ready and had lunch at The Olive Garden, imagine that! We stopped in North Bend at the outlets on the way home and got come clothes for both Cami and I at the Gap & Gap kids. There were some really good deals and I couldn't pass them up. We got home just in time to watch the last 100 laps of the race and I thought Rowdy could pull off the win but not quite. He did however win the Nationwide race on Saturday :)

Yesterday I headed up to Shane and Shae's to see Baby Cadence and she was just a little doll like usual. Shae and I took her to The Olive Garden for her first of many visits and she didn't make a peep. She just slept in her car seat with her little hands crossed. After lunch we just went home and hung out and watched her sleep. It's amazing how long you can just stare at a baby, but it's so cute to watch all her little facial expressions when she is sleeping.

Weekend..

Today Campbell and I are heading to Yakima for the tour race and we are so excited. I took her last year to Yakima and we got a hotel for the night and she thought she was about the coolest kid on the planet. Granted the hotel upgraded us to a suite for no extra charge and we had an unusually big room, I already told her that would not be the case this time as it is Memorial Weekend and we were lucky to get a room in the first place. Nonetheless, she had a great time at the races last year watching "Lightning McQueen" a local Yakima racer that did his street stock up like Lightning. He is definitely a fan favorite and Campbell just knows that going to Yakima means seeing Lightning!

Of course along the way we will be stopping for some shopping :) It's the Nordstrom Half Yearly sale right now and I always like to stop at Maurice's in Ellensburg. On the way home on Sunday we will probably hit up the Outlet's in North Bend, I can usually find a good deal or four there :)

Sunday afternoon I plan to head up to Shane and Shae's to see Baby Cadence. I didn't get up there all week and I am missing that little girl!

I love 3 day weekends and now I am off to enjoy mine, I hope you do the same!

Well..

"You can't overcome talent" -- Darrell Waltrip

And that is so true! Kyle just keeps on keepin on. He won the pole for the Coca Cola 600 this Sunday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

I'm tellin ya, being a Kyle Busch fan is a sweet, sweet thing :)

My tote..

Awhile ago, I posted about wanting this tote from The Container Store.

I got the green one and I am in love with it. I take it everywhere with me and I love how I can put so much stuff in it but it doesnt seem that heavy. It has a nice heavy duty handle and it's cute too!

The Princess is turning 5..

And of course she needed the perfect invitations to invite her friends to her Pampered Princess Party!





She watched me make them last night and She is so excited to take them to school and hand them out to her friends today :)

Isn't she lovely..

Miss Cadence Rae, the little model:

(this is my absolute favorite!)

Becca and I spent the day at Shane & Shae's on Friday and we had some fun with Cadence, making her pose for us :) She was so good! I could take pictures of her and just look at her all day.

The weekend

What does, a BBQ, a race track, 80 degree weather and Jay being home for the weekend equal?

A perfect weekend that I'm off to enjoy!

Nascar Day -- May 16th, 2008

3 Reason's why I love Nascar:

Kyle Busch get's to race in 3 different series.


Kyle get's to win in all three series.


Kyle gets the opportunity to make many fans.



Oh wait..Nascar Day isn't a day to Celebrate why I love Kyle? Hmmm, that's the way I took it :)

Happy Day..

The ever changing weather here has thrown us for another loop. After being rainy and cold the past few days, we are going to see 75 degrees today and 85 tomorrow and Saturday!! Crazy to me but I'm just happy that the sun will be out and I will get to wear these:

Maybe go have my first one of these:

And also get a pedicure with one of these cute colors

Thank heaven for little girls!

And Miss Cadence is definitely a piece of Heaven!

On Monday after work, Amy and I headed up to Shae and Shane's, right across the Canadian border. We couldn't wait to see Cadence! She was born on May 7th at 7:50 pm and she weighed 8lbs 2 ounces and she was 21 inches long. She is absolutely gorgeous and such a good baby. She sleeps a lot and she is so funny to watch as she is sleeping. She makes the funniest faces and she yawns a lot and stretches out her body which is just so cute! I loved holding her and just looking at her. Amy and I left at about 9:30 but I decided that I couldn't wait until the weekend to see her again, so I drove up yesterday after work too. It's about an hour and a half drive and well worth it.



When I got there yesterday, Shae's mom Pam gave her right to me and I just held her and watched her sleep. The only time she fusses at all is when she is getting her diaper changed, but after that's done, she is so quiet. Shae laid her in her crib for the first time, just for a few minutes, and we all stood there and took pictures and stared at her. There is a musical aquarium on the side of her crib that kept her attention for quite awhile and then Shane was singing a song to her which was so sweet. She looked so tiny in the crib!



That little sweetie is one loved little girl! I can't wait until Friday when Becca and I go up there to see them again. She is just precious!

Happy Monday!

What a wonderful weekend I had!

I spent Saturday afternoon and evening shopping with Melinda at Bellevue square and we literally shopped until we dropped. That is a place I could be at from the time it opened until the time it closed :) We found lots of good deals and there are so many stores we didn't even get to. We took a break to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and watched the first 50 laps of the race. I had taped it to watch when we got home, but the text's were rolling in when Kyle won. The kid truly is unstoppable. As Darrell Waltrip said, "You can't overcome talent!" So, so true. And yes Karen..there are yet even more M&M's on their way haha :)

Some of my favorite things I got while shopping:


Hanae Mori perfume. The most delicious smell.


Cupcake Carrier from Crate & Barrel.


Roxy flip flops.

I definitely got some great stuff!

Sunday was spent going to Trophy Cupcakes in the morning with my sisters and brother and then shopping at Northgate Mall with my brother. I really didn't intend to shop so much this weekend but since we were going by Northgate anyhow...you know how that goes :)

After that I went to my parents for a nice Mother's Day dinner with my family to celebrate my mom and grandmother. We watched America's funniest home video's and there was the cutest video of this little baby with the cutest laugh I've ever heard. They didn't win the $100,000 but in my opinion they should have, too cute!

I can hardly wait for 3:00 today, that is when my friend Amy and I are heading to our friend Shae and Shane's house to meet their brand new baby girl, Cadence Rae Harding, born May 7th. Shae's family has gone back home to Portland and she wants us to come over and I can't wait to see that little baby :)

Happy Mother's Day!

"Of all the blessings in life, being a Mother is the greatest"

I found this while looking through quotes to make Mother's Day cards and I think it is absolutely true.



I know some pretty amazing mom's like this one, this one and this one .

For all that you are and all that you do, Thank you!

Mother's Day Tea

Thursday morning was the Mother's Day Tea at Campbell's preschool and Melinda and I attended. We showed up and they had all the tables set so nicely and all the kids were so excited for everyone to be there. They were all sitting at their tables while the mom's sat at the big tables and enjoyed finger sandwich's, scones, fruit and tea. It was so nice and the mom's that put it together really did a great job. Melinda and I were impressed by the tablescapes.



After tea, Campbell's class got up and sang a really cute song. They were all kind of nervous but they were so cute! The younger class sang a song afterwards and then both classes joined together for the last song.



The Mom's that set the event up, made a little recipe book and had them waiting on the tables. I picked a recipe out of it and Campbell and I made it Thursday night. They were Chocolate Oatmeal Bars and they turned out so good. I will include the recipe.

We had a great time at Campbell's school. I always enjoy watching her interact with the kids in her class.









Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Melt 2/3 Cup butter, add 1/2 cup white Karo syrup - Stir.
Add in, 3 tsp vanilla, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 cups oatmeal.
Mix well.

Place in a greased 13x9 inch pan. Press down. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes. Watch so it will not burn, but turns a golden brown. After cooled, melt together 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup peanut butter. Spread on bars. Chill before serving.

Pleasant Surprise

Yesterday was a wonderful day for a few reasons, but this just topped my day off. I came home to find these waiting for me:

Aren't they gorgeous?

My dear, sweet friend KAREN, sent these to me. There was no special occasion, other than to celebrate our wonderful friendship, which I am so thankful for. Karen is such a great friend. She is always thinking of others and spreading random acts of kindness all around. People like Karen make this world a better place and if you have a friend like Karen, cherish them, because people like her are few and far between!

Thank you Karen, you truly made my week! I think I had a smile on my face all evening :)

Time for an update..

Since it is finally starting to feel more and more like Spring, I decided my blog space needed a bit of a lift. I found this lady on this blog and instantly fell in love with her unique and fun headers. She had a nice selection of designs and she will also customize them for you with different fonts, or colors or designs. Just what this little bliggity blog needed! Here's a few more of her designs and for a complete list of what she offers, visit her Etsy Shop, Sunali Design.

Just who will you be?

Last week I saw Maria Shriver on Oprah talking about her new book and it sounded like something I would be interested in, so I picked it up at Border's the other night.

It is much smaller than I thought and different than I thought, but still good. It is under 100 pages and there is not very much wording on each page which made for easy reading. It is mostly a speech that she wrote for her nephews Senior class graduation and then she talks about it before and after. It was good though and definitely did get me thinking which I always love.

Worth checking out!

New Addiction!

These have become quite the addiction at our house since the shower. They are just way too good! My favorite is the Rootbeer one, tastes just like a rootbeer float, which reminds me of summer :) So yummy and so easy to make!

Lynsie's Shower!

I had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my good friend Lynsie. She and Brandon are expecting their first baby, a little boy, on June 17th and Saturday May 3rd was the big day I have been planning to help welcome him in style. From the beginning I chose a bird theme with the brown and blue color combo..with some hints of green too. When I pick a theme, I am religious about sticking to it and finding everything and anything I can that fits the theme and color combo. My favorite part of any party is the small, sometimes overlooked, details. It is the funnest part to me.


I started out with the invitations. I found them on a site and decided to make them myself since I love making invitations. Papersource was my friend, I got everything I needed there and probably more than I needed :)

I added magnets to the invitations so that people could put them on their fridge to not forget and funny enough, Lynsie never got her invitation that I mailed. Friday night when she and Brandon were leaving their house to head up to her mom's, they checked the mail. Brandon opened the box and there was no mail, but he thought he saw something on the side of the box so he grabbed it, and sure enough, it was the invitation I had sent weeks ago. The magnet had stuck to their mailbox and since it was a brown envelope they never saw it. I thought that was pretty funny :)





For the decorations, I used paper lanterns since that seems to be the popular thing right now for parties/weddings. I have seen so many inspiration boards with pictures of them and I just love the look. I spray painted 2 of them a light blue and left the others white and Melinda hung 3 above each of our tables. I think they looked amazing, It just made me so happy to see them there. Since our theme was birds, I looked for everything bird related. I ordered mini nests online for the favors and I also used a few for tea light holders. Melinda has quite the collection of birds and birdhouses so we incorporated those all over and as part of our table scape.

For the favors I went to a candy shop in the University District, The Confectionery, which I talked about here and got some blue and brown taffy. The blue, which was cotton candy flavored, was definitely the hit. Lynsie loved it! I filled the nests with the taffy and then put them in cellophane bags and tied them with brown/white bakers string. Then I got round blue circles and stamped "Thank you" on them with a cute little bird.




Ben Franklin must have known I was doing this shower, and so they sold these cute little bird houses for only $1.00 each!! I was so excited when I walked in and saw them. Melinda loves to paint so I knew that would be right up her alley, and I bought 22 of them. She did a few every night until she was done and I think she had a lot of fun coming up with cute ways to paint and decorate them. We displayed them on our tables and all over the room in different spots and then when the shower was over I told everyone to pick one to take home. Everyone was excited to pick one, and we let Lynsie take 2 :)



For the food, I decided to do a salad buffet. We did: taco salad, macaroni salad, fresh fruit salad, pea salad, Chinese chicken salad, spinach dip and then chicken salad in pita's. Everyone loved the huge selection and I think Melinda's macaroni salad and fresh fruit salads were the favorites, they were both delicious.



For the drinks, I wanted to come up with something creative and fun. I'm not really a fan of punch, I think it's messy, and let's face it..I didn't have a punch bowl haha. On my way to work one day, I passed an espresso stand and an idea popped in my head. I thought of having an Italian Soda bar. I was so excited and I was definitely set on doing it. I went to Cash & Carry and got the real Italian soda cups with the dome lids and I got raspberry, blueberry and root beer flavors. Everyone loved them and most people took one to go too. Shelby works at a Coffee stand so she made them for everyone, complete with some whipped cream on top. I also had a little blue tub filled with mini waters and mini soda's.




The Dessert table was filled with chocolate covered strawberry's that Breanne made. I had bought strawberry's from Costco for Melinda's fruit salad and we had a bunch left over. It was a last minute decision but definitely a hit. I made the Smore's Cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes. They were quite the process to make, but definitely worth it. They were delicious and several people asked for the recipe.






For games, we played the dirty diaper game where Shelby melted some candy in diapers and people had to smell them and guess which one was which candy bar. I can't believe how realistic it looked and it was hilarious to see the looks on people's faces as they were opening the diapers. Definitely a great game to play, and Grandma Annie was the winner.



The other activity was "Name Baby Riehl" since Brandon & Lynsie still haven't come up with a name. I made cards with A-Z on them and told everyone to come up with as many names as possible and the cards were going straight to Brandon since he is the one having the difficulty :) It was fun and got everyone talking. I think we came up with some pretty cool names. After that, I passed out little cards to everyone that I am going to include in the scrapbook to give to Lynsie. Everyone was to write when they think the little one will be born, how much he will weigh and how long he will be and then also they could include a quote or anything really. My favorite one was by Lynsie's Grandma Annie, her card simply said "I hope you have a name by the time your one. Love Grandma Annie" :) I read through the cards last night and laughed out loud at that one! So true too :)







Overall the shower was a huge hit. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and Lynsie got so many nice things. Her and Brandon are so very excited to be having a little boy and I can't wait to see their life with their new little one, even though he is still nameless :)

I had so much fun working on this, it really is fun to have an event like this, especially when the occasion is to welcome a new baby. Baby Riehl will definitely be one loved little boy!