Traveling Jewels

Of course when I travel I have to bring my favorite jewelry pieces--it's a good way to accessorize and change around your minimal number of outfits. Anyway, I wish I had Toss Designs' darling travel jewelry case for my trip to St. John. Not only are they cute, but they have 12 compartments inside and would have helped to separate my earrings from my necklaces. Only $22, not bad.

Snorkeling

Seth and I went snorkeling almost everyday while we were in St. John. There are a lot of cays (tiny little islands) off the island that we would snorkel over to or sea kayak. We saw a lot of sea life--a lot of fish (most of them I don't know the name), octopus, sting rays, eel, nurse sharks, sea turtles, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, conches, and starfish. And most of this sea life was seen right off the beach. There was one area we snorkeled and we came across a field of hundreds of starfish. We were ecstatic because on previous scuba dives and snorkel trips we had never seen a starfish. We also came across a beach with hundreds of conches in the shallow waters. Seth is hold a conch in on the pictures. Anyway it was pretty cool, but one thing we were disappointed in was that the coral wasn't as colorful compared to other places we have been. They say the coral's been bleached out from the water current and global warming.

Yummy!

There is a new frozen yogurt franchise--it's called Pinkberry. They sell all natural yogurt with no preservatives or additives. And the toppings are fresh fruit (no canned fruit in the yucky syrup). Anyway, I found out there is one in the city. May have to make a trip to sample their flavor, also to check out their cool store design. It looks pretty sweet on their website.

Shower Curtain Art

The owner of this darling little room did a few style updates for only $300. One of the main style update is she bought a shower curtain and attached it to a batted-covered board--voila...artwork! Then she put a new slipcover on her sofa with new pillows and refinished her coffee table with a metallic paint. Cute!

{via BHG}

Return from Paradise

Ahh...I feel refreshed and renewed! Our trip to St. John was very enjoyable and most needed! We had lots of fun and kept ourselves very busy exploring the little island, which is roughly the size of Manhattan. St. John is two-thirds a national park so there are alot of hidden beaches, hiking trials and untouched forest. Soft white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters surround the hilly island. Everyday we went snorkeling/sea kayaking in the morning (conveniently off the beach), hiking in the afternoon, evening beach walks and nightime star gazing, and somewhere in between there was sunbathing and swimming in the ocean. We were away from our kids a long time, but are already thinking when our next visit will be. I'll try to share bits and pieces of our trip this week.

Glamour Sunglasses

I noticed while I was sunbathing on the island that I was in need of some new sunglasses--more glam. I guess I haven't kept up on it. Anyway, Oliver Peoples is a favorite for sunglasses. I like how they don't have logos on the side. Here are few of my picks.

Pretty Umbrella

I noticed a few people in St. Johns carrying umbrellas to shade from the sun because it's so hot. I like this umbrella for summer cooling. Very Missoni.

Far Far Away

I like the new children's collection "Far Far Away" from Harlequin. It reminds me of when I was a child and would pretend to be on an African safari.

St.Johns

Au revoir! I'm heading off to St. Johns, Virgin Islands to enjoy some R & R with my honey. I'll be back, but not until after Memorial weekend, so enjoy your holiday!

Flower Arrangement

I thought this was a creative way for a flower arrangement--fishbowls, lots of them. Stack one on top of other. Fun for a table display.

SkaterBoy

Yo! Hip Moms with little boys--here are some cute clothes you don't want to pass up! My friend Julie has raved to me about her friend's clothing business that makes really hip, urban little boy clothes. They are too cute! Knucklehead is the company, and I'm sure you'll hear more about them in the future. Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears sport their boys in Knucklehead gear. And I'm sure Lucas will soon be cool like them too. :)

Happy 96th Birthday!

Today is my Grandpa's 96th Birthday! I rarely get to see him--I live so far away. But I'm proud and feel lucky to be his granddaughter and to carry on his lineage. I'm happy to know that today all of his children have traveled afar to be with him on his special day. He has lived such an amazing life and has a huge family tree legacy. Below is an old picture of me, my sister, Grandpa at Grandma's funeral.

Coupons for the Dad (or Mom)

Hahaha! I used to make coupons for my parents for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Now kids have the luxury to just go and buy them. My Mom called me the other day and said she went through old Mother's Day cards and came across some of my homemade coupons. I laughed and asked her if any were used. She said nope they were all intact. Unfortunately I would always do rainchecks.

Butterfly Dress

Crewcuts (aka J.Crew) has a really cute little girl butterfly dress on sale. I just love it because it brings back memories of my friend Lauren who had this butterfly dress that she would wear all the time--I think she even wore it to a high school dance. It became her stamp of signature, and she would wear it with these funny looking shoes. Anyway this little dress is almost the same cut too.

Recipe Book Heaven

Okay Ladies--if you are like me, when dinnertime comes I'm usually clueless on what to make. And then I pull out my Mom's Kitchen recipe book (yummy recipes for adults and kids) and I'm back in business cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Every year my clever friend Natalie requests favorite recipes to be submitted to her and she puts together HUGE "themed" recipe books. They have become my favorite kitchen item. And I'm so excited and need to act on it for her upcoming recipe submission--a summertime edition. Yum, yum. So, if you'd like to participate or download past recipe books--click here and scroll down to May 10th.

Here are pic of past recipe book covers. Love it.

Castles in the Sand

This weekend we went to "Castles in the Sand" event at one of the local beaches. Sand artists come out to make sculptures in the sand to benefit Interfaith Housing Association. We did get there late so some of the sculptures were already destroyed. Don't know why, but we were still impressed.

DMJ's May Email Blast

A Mother's Day Flower

This post is for my Mom. I'm sending her a picture of my beautiful lilac tree--her favorite flower. A flower that reminds me of her. The weather is getting warm here, and my windows are open--the smell of lilac aroma fills my home. It puts a yummy smile on my face.

Baby Shower Invitations

I'm throwing a baby shower next month for my sweet, close friend. These are the invitations that I made. I think they came out pretty cute. New blossoms--perfect for baby.

Shiny Lamps

Shine Home has some really cool but expensive lamps. They are your traditional style with a twist--COLOR. And I do love color.

Calling All Gardeners!

My rhondodendron has died. I'm so sad. It hasn't even been a year. If it was alive it would be blooming soon. Any reviving suggestions? I'm new to all this.

Grand Central Terminal

I love to see watch the face expression of visiting friends or family when it's the first time they've been to Grand Central Terminal. It's a lot of ooing and aahing, and of course picture taking. But I can understand, it's pretty impressive and there's a lot of history. Here's a picture of my friend Carla and Kate during their visit. It's always hard for pictures to capture the beauty.

I'm In!

I'm running the St. George Marathon! Crap! What was I thinking?

Here's a picture of me running a 5K, and I won 3rd place in women's. This was a few years back.

Adaptive Action Sport

I should of blogged about this yesterday, but I just read the message that my friend Amy Purdy was on the TV show "Entertainment Tonight/The Insider" on 5/7. Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sport, which is a non-profit organization that promotes "action sport" opportunities for individuals with permanent physical disabilities (snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, wakeboarding). Amy is a double amputee, and it hasn't stopped her from doing what she loves. She kicks butt at snowboarding and wakeboarding and puts others to shame. And not only that she is a model and actress. Go Amy! Visit Adaptive Action Sport to find out how you can help promote a good cause.

The Waiting Game

I am eagerly waiting to see if I made it into the St. George Marathon. Lottery results are suppose to be released today, but of course they are experiencing problems. And the wait goes on.