Celebrations Archives

Celebrations, Family Field Trips, Food, n, Vacation

In Search of the Superbloom in Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve

March 26, 2019 No Comments

It has been a while since I have done a vacation post. Well, last week we went on a road trip with stops in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas during spring break. That means I have a lot to share!

We left early in the morning on what was coincidentally n’s 10th birthday! Our first stop was Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve because I had heard you could see some Superbloom action there.

We arrived before 8:00 a.m., and the parking lot was pretty empty. Nothing like the crowds in Lake Elsinore!

There is a small visitor’s center, but we did not go inside. There was a friendly volunteer/docent who directed us on the main path to McCallum Pond. He told us that if we went just past the pond, we would see a lot of flowers (toward Moon Country).

At the beginning of the trail there was a boardwalk. k noted there was a small placard showing that it was an Eagle Scout project–nice!

I have never seen such massive palm trees!

During our hike, we came across this small patch of flowers. I could not believe how they look like a bouquet that was put together by a florist!

McCallum Pond is where the palm trees are, off in the distance.

We continued on the path as directed and found the Superbloom!

Not sure why D is doing the tough guy pose.

I was not planning on hiking as much as we did, but it was good for us since we were about to spend another six or so hours in the car.

On our way back to the 10 freeway, we drove by this amazing field of flowers and I had to ask D to stop so I could take a picture. Superbloom 2019 is for real!

We continued our drive along 10-E. It was much more picturesque than usual thanks to the flowers that were blooming along the highway. We also found ourselves in the midst of the Painted Lady butterfly migration. Several smashed right against our car as we were driving, leaving bright yellow stains on our windshield and wings in our grill–yuck. Soon we would arrive in Tuscon for the first night of our road trip…

Celebrations, Sponsored

Snuggle Up On The Couch With The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix

November 18, 2018 No Comments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Review Wire Media for Netflix.

I love to watch Christmas movies with my family while we snuggle up on the couch with blankets, hot chocolate and popcorn. In fact, I would say that watching Christmas movies is one of my all-time favorite Christmas traditions. My family has certain movies that we like to watch every year, but we also like discovering new movies to add to our list of Christmas favorites.

The Christmas Chronicles is a new Christmas movie that is coming to Netflix on November 22 (Thanksgiving Day!). I am excited about this movie because it is from producer Chris Columbus who did “Home Alone” (one of our Christmas movie faves) and “Harry Potter”. The movie is about a sister and brother who devise a plan to catch Santa Claus (played by Kurt Russell) on camera but end up on a whirlwind adventure instead. The kids must work together with Santa to save Christmas before it’s too late.

Netflix movies are so great because you can queue them up whenever the Christmas-movie-watching-mood hits. We will definitely be putting this movie at the top of our list for our first family movie night of the season.

Celebrations, Crafts, k, n

DIY Halloween Costumes: Referee + Charlie Brown

November 1, 2018 No Comments

The past couple of years n has been able to wear some hand-me-down Star Wars costumes. Since he has outgrown them, we needed to come up with a new costume idea. He agreed to be a referee.

I bought a cheap white polo and painted the stripes with black fabric paint from Michaels and painter’s tape. I only painted stripes on the front because I was too lazy–ha! We bought the black baseball cap from Michaels (the last one in the store!) and he already had the pants.

k went to a Halloween dance a couple of weeks ago and her friends all dressed up as different Peanuts characters. She made her own Charlie Brown t-shirt with the same bottle of black fabric paint. Again, I bought the yellow t-shirt from Michaels. (What would I do without Michaels and their 40%-50% coupons?)

This year k wanted to hand out candy instead of going trick or treating. Too bad we only had five groups of kids come by!

Celebrations, Featured, Food, Sponsored

Easy and Festive Fall Gatherings With Tyson® Any’tizers®

October 3, 2018 10 Comments

This post is sponsored by Tyson Foods, Inc but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I am so excited that fall is finally here! One of the reasons fall is my favorite is that it signals gathering around the table with friends and family. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving, and birthdays for both me and my husband, we have many occasions to celebrate this season. As the weather cools down, I feel drawn to entertain indoors, in a warm and cozy environment.

Fall entertaining should not be stressful, as the focus should be on spending quality time with those you love. Tyson® Any’tizers® Snacks are an easy option, and can be used for an appetizer, snack, or light meal.

Here I placed some Tyson® Any’tizers® Popcorn Chicken in mini muffin liners and added some fancy toothpicks to make them portable. Having different dipping sauces allows guests to customize their flavor experience.

This is an easy recipe for Spicy, Sweet & Sour Sauce:

1 1/2 t. cornstarch

1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. water

1/4 c. ketchup

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. hot sauce

Combine the cornstarch and sugar in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in water, and blend until there are no lumps. Add ketchup, cider vinegar, and hot sauce. Cook until thickened.

Tyson® Any’tizers®Boneless Chicken Bites come in Honey BBQ and Buffalo Style. These flavorful bites add a nice variety and would pair well with a vegetable platter and other finger foods.

Being grateful is something that should be done year-round, but fall is a natural time to really stop and reflect upon all that you have been given. Delicious food, conversation, and laughter are some of the things for which I am grateful.

This guy could not wait to take a bite!

It is a good idea to stock up on Tyson® Any’tizers® Snacks to make sure you have them ready in your freezer for fall entertaining. They are available at your local Walmart, as well as other grocery stores.

Celebrations, k

k’s Fifth Grade Promotion

June 11, 2018 No Comments

Last week k had her fifth grade promotion ceremony on the morning of the last day of school. D and I attended, along with my parents. n was in class, but he participated in the “clap-out” at the end.

The ceremony was held in the lunch table area. I did not think there would be enough room, but it was ok. I think a few people had to stand in the back. It was an overcast morning, and we were under the shade, so it was nice.

The principal handed out certificates and awards and some of the students gave speeches of their elementary school “memoirs”. I did not expect to be teary, but when k’s teacher sang an emotional version of Elton John’s “Your Song” as a tribute to his students and his parents, it was on.

That night we had a little dinner party at our house to celebrate.

I had fun making a playlist on Spotify for our gathering. It is amazing how much music provides an emotional connection to my past. Maybe k feel will feel the same way about these songs (at least some of them, anyway!)

Celebrations, Restaurant Reviews

Ladies Who Lunch Birthday Celebration

March 26, 2018 No Comments

My college roommates decided to get together for a joint birthday celebration. We kind of had a difficult time figuring out what do since we all have different interests. First we ate lunch at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach. I had never been to this restaurant before, so I was excited to try it out. Parking was a hassle, so it was a good thing that we carpooled.

We started out with the fried calamari appetizer.

I ordered the tostada salad with shrimp. Underneath the salad there was a tostada shell and black beans which made it more filling. The guacamole was also really good.

Then we went outside to take some pictures with beautiful backdrop. It was a gorgeous day after a couple of rainy days.

We walked around a little bit and had some ice cream.

Then we drove to Irvine to do an escape room called Unlocked OC. Two of us had done an escape room before, but it was my first time. It ended up being really fun! We ended up “escaping”, but not without asking for a lot of clues via walkie-talkie. It was definitely challenging, and not scary, which one of us was concerned about.

It ended up being such a fun afternoon. I am so glad that we have kept in touch after all of these years.

Celebrations, n, Restaurant Reviews

Nine Year Old Birthday Party @ Benihana

March 23, 2018 No Comments

After we went skiing we had a birthday dinner scheduled for n at Benihana in Newport Beach.

The chef hat kids menus kept them busy while waiting to be seated.

Hosting seven active 8 and 9 year old boys was quite an experience! D saw a co-worker and they were joking how we have a big family–ha!

I was going to skip the fried rice, until I remembered that it is a big part of the “show”. The boys’ commentary during the onion volcano is pretty funny.

There was a lively rendition of happy birthday for n. I think we heard it about three other times that night for other parties as well. Are they really singing in Japanese the second time? I do not even know!

For dessert, there was a choice of rainbow sherbet or vanilla, chocolate, or green tea ice cream. n received a special sundae with some whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a pocky stick.

This was our keepsake photo taken by the server. The boys also chose a ceramic mug to as a souvenir since I signed up for Kabuki Kids. I also bought Ramune soda from Cost Plus World Market as a favor.

All in all, the party worked out well. I think it works for a wide range of ages, too. I liked that there was minimal planning, and that the Benihana experience includes food and entertainment. I do not know why, but hosting birthday parties makes me anxious. My only regret is that I should have told the parents to pick up the boys in two hours, instead of one and a half hours. I felt bad that they had to wait around while we were eating dessert and picking out the mugs since the service was a bit slow.

Celebrations, n

n is 9!

March 19, 2018 No Comments

n’s birthday celebration lasted for about a week. Last Sunday, we had a dinner at my parents’ house with my side of the family. On Friday, we had a small birthday celebration at home with just us. And yesterday we went skiing in the morning/early afternoon and had a dinner party with some of his friends at Benihana.

For the dinner at my parents’ house, my mom made it an emoji-themed party.

Yes, those are what you think they are.

If you need another clue, look at n’s new slippers–ha!

For n’s birthday dinner at our house, he requested his favorite, salmon. I bought a large slab at Costco and he basically ate it for Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner–ha!

I found these cute strawberry shortcake desserts at Costco. When I bought them I did not even realize that they come with six real glasses. Not bad for around $11. I want to make my own mini parfaits now!

Happiest of birthdays to our n. I love that he still calls me mommy, likes to give and receive hugs and tells me that he loves me. He is my affectionate one, for sure. I am not sure how much longer that will last, but I will take it while I can!

Celebrations, Food

Korean Winter Olympics Viewing Party

February 13, 2018 No Comments

D can be kind of obsessive about the Olympics. He memorizes medal counts and has been vigilantly tracking how many medals Russia has had taken away. To celebrate the start of each Olympics, we try to have the food of the host country. For example, see our celebration for London 2012. Sochi 2014 was a little more difficult!

Korea was a fun challenge. We were having our small group over on Friday night, so I made it into a Korean potluck and viewing party. Two of our friends are Korean American, so we felt the pressure to keep it real–ha!

Our main dish was an attempt at bibimbap. I just went to Zion Market and bought a bunch of bulgogi meat ($4.99/lb). I cooked it in a wok and then kept it warm in a crockpot, which worked really well. I added a little of the juice so it would not dry out. Other guests brought the various toppings, including carrots, spinach, lettuce, and zucchini. D fried up some eggs right before for the final touch. We also topped it off with sesame oil and gochujang.

Yum! We also had homemade japchae (noodles) and pa jeon (scallion pancakes) from Trader Joe’s. The pa jeon passed the test of our Korean American friends, in case you were wondering!

We went simple with our viewing setup. I really like Soohorang, the white tiger mascot this year!

I also set up a seaweed tasting bar with a new snack I found at ShiftCon called Sea Snax.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dereklauren/40249625561/in/dateposted/

I like the Onion Chomperz and the Lime flavored Sea Snax!

Getting in the spirit! Let’s go, U*S*A*!!

Celebrations

Christmas 2017 Recap

January 3, 2018 No Comments

We went on a road trip the day after Christmas, so I never had a chance to write about our Christmas. We went to church on Christmas Eve Sunday and my parents hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas.

As much as I appreciate a nicely wrapped gift, I just cannot be bothered. Although this pile of presents may not look like much, they took forever to wrap (plus stocking stuffers not shown).

The faux fireplace on television is always fun to have on Christmas morning.

I bought these mini mugs at Crate & Barrel years ago, and the kids still use them! Perfect for hot chocolate.

The only time you can find D in the kitchen is for breakfast on the weekends. I really appreciate it, though! My only contribution was “making” the cinnamon rolls from Trader Joe’s–pretty good!

Our artificial tree is a behemoth that takes up two boxes in the garage. It was a hand-me-down from my sister and BIL. D wants to downsize, but I would prefer to keep it until we really need a new one. And yes, a tree skirt would be nice. One of these days…