Quick Catch Up

I mentioned a few blogs ago about wanting to learn how to make tulip sleeves.  That began my quest to search You Tube and Blogger for tutorials, only to come up empty.  

During a quick visit to my mom's, I asked her "Hey mom, by chance do you know how to make tulip sleeves?"  Not only did she know how, she made a mini pattern out of a paper napkin to explain the process.  I got the best tutorial ever.

Mammoth Way to End Summer Vacation

We had a last opportunity for a family vacation.  Mammoth Lakes, in Nor Cal.

We all went hiking and both boys were very excited to see this rock formation.  Alex, was eager to teach his old mom all about this being the most perfect example of a Basalt formation.  He went on to explain how they are formed.  Eli chimed in here and there.  I couldn't retain any of it, other than what I already stated. It doesn't look like a mammoth sized formation, so I added something to help put it to scale.

 Eli is at the very bottom of this Basalt formation, better known as the Devil's Postpile.  The hexagon stone chips are larger than my kid.  You wanna know what else I remembered?  My legs almost falling off climbing to the top of the rocks. There is a path, so no rock climbing necessary.

After the coming down from the rock formation we continued our hike.  We kept on the main trail until the roaring water called us closer and off the beaten path.  The powerful river shot a cool mist upward that was refreshing after the mammoth climb.

Our final destination was Rainbow Falls.

A semi-family pix after the hike.  

Of coarse I had to do some shopping.  I'm a "baller on a budget", so I went into a thrift store. I found this basket that holds my towels nicely.

My daughter found this handmade mirror.  Super cute.

My Birthday

 Yesterday (8/1) was my birthday.  Happy Birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday dear....  Ok, ok, you get it.  It was also a HOT & HUMID day, so we vegged out all day in our non air conditioned home.  Several hours and showers later, my honey came home from work and we

got dressed to enter a nicely air conditioned restaurant for dinner.  BUT, before dinner, I had to take pictures w/my munchkins.  

  They are so cuuuuute, and no longer munchkin size, but they will always be My Munchkins.

My honey and I

No pictures during the feast, but I snuck in a shot of my two photo friendly munchkins.

Alex, is anti-photography and covered his face every time I tried to capture him.

The picture taken below was taken by Eli, so I had to include it.  I thought he did real good.  The pix is centered, my head is not cut off and he got a candid shot.  

Thanks honey for taking us out to eat to beat the heat at home.  I had yummy steak and shrimp.  Any family members probably just gasped.  Yup, I ate shrimp.  It had lots of seasoning, so no fishy taste.  The texture was gummy so I chose to ignore it and swallow quickly.  I don't think I will do it again, but I can say, I tried shrimp.  The steak was perfect.

Watching re-runs of the Big Bang Theory before going to bed.  Sheldon is a crack up with his smart, awkward, inflexible, close minded self.

Family is all I needed on my B-day.  Thank you Jesus that I also received an out pouring of calls from my beloved sisters, bro, and many birthday wishes from friends on FB.

Oceanside, CA

My hubby had a mini family get together after receiving a call that a few of his cousins from Colorado and Florida came to Cali.  We met @ an Oceanside beach near his auntie's house.  After many hours of playing in the water, the kids returned to their comfort zone...video games!

My older kid hangs out with the adults now and they kicked the soccer ball around.  Alex and my hubby were too quick w/their dribbling skills for me to catch it on camera.  I'm not sure if it's even called "dribbling", but it's that thing where they bounce the ball on their knee, kick it w/their feet and mix it up (from foot to foot to knee to foot, etc.) until they drop the ball.

The pier during sunset was a must.  I never grow tired of the beauty of a sunset.

What dad and son were talking about is anyone's guess.

The after glow of the sunset.   Breathless.

Finally a pix of the couple that made those beautiful kiddos.

Where's Waldo (AKA: Sabrina)?

My big girl couldn't come along because she had to work, and is too responsible to call in with a ....cough, cough, sniffle, cough.....sick.  

Simple Summer Smock

I purchased this inexpensive quilting fabric this past winter.  I am a fan of paisleys, so it won me over.  I made this simple summer smock blouse that I can wear around the house as I clean & do the mom things this summer.  because it is not fitted, it's comfy and it'll be a nice change to my customary T-shirts once in a while.  I used the fit of another similar blouse to make my brown paper bag pattern.

Brief intermission:  I remember my mom carefully opening up brown paper grocery bags to make her own pattern pieces.  I went back to what I knew and did the same.  All it took was four pattern pieces.  This design is an ode to my mom's old Mexican aprons.  Ok. back on track.

I like that a simple belt can make this lazy summer top transform into something chic when I step into the world..... to lets say....run errands.  I would feel confident if someone I knew ran into me out there if my waist was girded.

The design is so comfy that I want to buy softer fabric and make a simple smock dress w/a braided belt...when I have to go out in the world.  

My next endeavor is....learning how to make tulip sleeves.

Adios

Soooo Sad :'(

Well, apparently nobody wanted to enter my giveaway.  I'm so sad, cuz my work is so good & I take lots of pride in my craftsmanship.  Oh, well.

Goya Designs at etsy is closing it's doors.

Signing out.

Have a Happy Friday everyone.

Goya Designs' Farewell Give Away

My Etsy shop, Goya Designs is closing soon.  I thought of hosting a Farewell Give Away.  The winner will win a Grab Bag by GD, so the content won't be discovered until the winner receives it in the mail and opens their surprize :)   Now, if in the future, Goya Designs is meant to have a rebirth, then so be it.  Enough about that, lets get to how to enter to win.

To enter, tell me what you or someone u know has done to make a good-bye a positive experience (in the comment section).  If you are not registered on blogger, then you will need to open a free account before allowed to leave a comment in the comment section, thus before entering for the chance to win the grab bag.

Entries begin today and will close on July 14th @ 10 pm (Pacific Time).  The winner will be picked randomly by the number generator.  I will announce the winner on July 15th here.

Lots of love,

Gloria

Bottle Opener Reef Sandals

We all have summer musts in our wardrobe.  My summer musts are my brown and black Reef Sandals (wedge flip flops).  Today, I came across a Reef Sandal that serves double duty.  It is a shoe,  duh... and a bottle opener.  I don't drink beer, but I think these are so cool.  I wanna go by some old school, glass bottled soda pop & these sandals.  I know people would wonder how did she open her Coke w/her flip flop? 

http://islandsurf.com/islandsurf/page/product/sku/2416/p/Mens-Reef-Leather-Fanning-Bottle-Opener-Sandals.html?af_id=8&c=Brown-%7CSL%

Vintage Inspired Summer Dress

 I bought this Summer dress pattern this past Winter. A major fabric store had their patterns on sale for $1.99.  I knew this one was going to challenge me because it called for a hidden zipper and it is fully lined.  I have never done either.  I am also a novice, so I shook a little when I cut into my expensive fabric (which I used a 50% off coupon for, so it wasn't as expensive as it could of been)

As always Gigi is a gr8 help & always seems to wear things so much better than me, but I have a head and limbs, so I there.

Biggest Problem:  I cannot seem to trust pattern sizes.  Even though my measurements tell me I'm a particular size on their pattern, it is too big.  The three dresses I have made so far have produced the same results (regardless of the pattern maker).  These miscalculations result in me making alterations, getting frustrated, and prolonging my results.  On the positive side, I learned new techniques, changed the bodice to reflect my personal taste and made it my own design.

Taaadaaa!

Sorry the pix quality is not gr8.  I will keep the photographer anonymous, so as not to hurt feelings.

Cal Tech Tour

 My son, Alex received an invite from California Institute of Technology to visit their campus.

Cal Tech was est. in the 1800's and the older buildings reflect it.

During the tour, we learned that the students like to have fun to relieve stress...in their geeky way.  You'll understand as I explain the pictures.

The building below is where students and faculty can listen to visiting speakers.

Steven Hawkings visits Cal Tech every year and speaks in this forum.  Alex, my non emotional child

looked at me and smiled.  In Alex World a smile is equivalent to your child jumping up and down and screaming "Yay" with excitement.  Steven Hawkings also judges their food preparation elective contest.  Cal Tech promotes each student to learn how to cook, as evidenced by a kitchenette in every hall way in the dorms.  They also reinforce a sense of family, by having each dorm participate in family style dinners, go on field trips together, & collaborate on dorm performances to entertain the other students.  

This fountain leads to the tallest building in Pasadena, the Millikan Library.  The fountain slowly makes a 360 turn.  I'm standing on a bridge that crosses the water area.

This is the library.  We were told that Pasadena did not want towering buildings, so this library became the measuring stick by which all other buildings could not surpass.  Every Halloween, students will freeze pumpkins with liquid nitrogen and drop them from the roof top of Millikan Library.  Robert Millikan did something or other with liquid nitrogen, so it is a tribute to his work.

The Cal Tech Cannon sits in front of the Flemming House (dorm).  A few years ago MIT stole the cannon and displayed it on their campus in a brotherly feud.  Cal Tech students went to MIT to bring it back and left a toy cannon in its place with a note saying "this is more your size".  Other pranks have been Cal Tech going to MIT and hacking their newspaper with an article saying Cal Tech bought MIT and made MIT their Humanities buildings.  They also gave out Tee shirts to MIT students saying Because you couldn't get into Cal Tech.  This is their geeky fun, along w/the frozen nitrogen, dorm projects, & listening to Steven Hawkings.

 Oh, yes, nearly forgot.  The chain around the cannon is to prevent further removal.  MIT students made another attempt, but campus security stopped them.

Alex, in the charming patio near the admissions office.  I hope the tour motivates him to continue to press on during his last two years.  In the car ride home,  He said, "It was awesome", then he asked what we were having for lunch.

Closing My Etsy Shop

On July 18th all my current listings on Etsy.com will expire, and I will not repost any more jewelry for sale.  The Goya Designs boutique will close for business.  I've decided to focus on my private practice instead.  The jewelry shop wasn't getting much attention & traffic anyway.  I will continue to create, but as a hobby.... just like it started and was meant to be.  

Happy Wednesday!

Homemade Mint Chip Ice-cream

Five ingredients is all it took to make homemade mint chip ice-cream and this inexpensive ice-cream maker from Costco.  It was cheaper with my $6 off coupon.  The double insulated tub needs to be set flat in the freezer for 18 hrs. So buy it day before you want to make ice-cream to allow for this 18 hr. window.  This morning, around 8:30 my son got me outta bed just for this.  I just followed the recipe the machine came with and the results were fun to watch and tasty to eat.

First:  in a bowl with a pout (for easy pouring) mix:  1 cup whole milk, 2 cups (1pint) heavy cream, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract.  This makes 1.5 quarts of ice-cream.

Turn on the machine and pour mixture from the top opening.  The frozen tub spins.  Set a timer for 20 min.  then add your semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/4 cup) for 5 additional minutes.  The chips are also dropped into the ice-cream from the top opening.  Easy....right?

 Can you see the ice-cream oozing out the top and how white the frozen tub got?

Take out the mixer inside and with a silicone spatula scrap all the ice-cream in a freezer safe container...or containers as I did.  Let the ice-cream set in the freezer for an hour or two or until your family can't take it any longer and enjoy.  

If anyone has followed Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution, you know just how disgusting store bought ice-cream can be.  If you don't know about Jaime Oliver....tisk, tisk, tisk,...check him out on Utube.  He explained all the gross things put into store bought ice-cream (ie. feathers & human hair by product, and more).  No joke.  Super gross.  

anyhow, enjoy fresh ice-cream.  It's a Sorbet next.  Or as they say in Mexico "Un helado de agua".

Flavor: "Lime"

Easy French Onion Soup

Well, we've all hear of "when life gives you lemons...make lemonade",  but how bout "when your frig has too many onions, make French Onion soup". 

I did! The soup got two thumbs up from my kiddos (except from my 9 yr. old who refused to try it).  More for us, so I didn't push the issue.  If that makes me a greedy mom, oh well, I'm good w/that.

Ingredients:

two onions sliced or diced.  

approx. 2 tsp of a light oil (I used canola)

2 tsp. of butter

2 tsp. of flour

1 box of beef stock (I used Wolfgang Puck's because store was out of Kitchen Basics)

approx. 1/4 Cup of water (I eye-balled it)

approx. 1/4 Cup of white wine (eye-balled it again)...optional

French bread (toasted in the oven at 350 degrees F)

Gouda Cheese

I had all the ingredients in my kitchen except the bread and cheese, and you might too.

in a medium stock pot over med-high heat put the oil in ( I eye-balled it) and let it heat up for about 3 min.  put the onions in and stir until the onions are caramelized.  Now, add the butter and melt into the onions as you stir.  You can add a pinch of salt at this point if you'd like.  Add flour and stir it and let the flour incorporate and cook for about 2 min.  If you want add your white wine at this point and cook for about 1 min. to let the alcohol cook out.  Pour the entire carton of beef stock and water into the pot, and bring to a boil.  Then lower heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 min.

Fill ramekins with soup, place toasted bread on top of soup and then the cheese.

As you can see, I didn't cut the cheese (hehehe, Cut the cheese, get it) perfectly, but that doesn't matter. The cheese will melt and become beautiful goo after it bakes at 450 degrees F.  When the cheese is melted, they are done.  

See melted goodness!  And easy on the eyes too.  

Tip:  I lined a cookie sheet w/foil and placed ramekins on cookie sheet, so if any cheese did ooze out, clean up would be easy breezy.

Serve each rami on top of a plate and enjoy.

The nice thing about this soup, is that you can keep a lid on the French Onion Soup and save it until you are ready to do the final steps w/the ramis.  That's what I did.  I let it sit while I made the main course.

Faith Based Psychotherapy: Not a contradiction

I have heard many Christians say they believe psychotherapy is a contradiction to their faith. My faith was the primary reason I chose to start my private practice.  Unfortunately, my years working with secular agencies meant limiting my freedom to incorporate faith into the therapeutic process, even if the client shared the same beliefs.  Why?  Because of the misunderstanding that separation of church and state meant the church stays out of the state's business, instead of the other way around (which was the true intention).  


To be honest, I've always used strategies that are biblically sound and have disregarded those that aren't anyway.  The huge difference is that now I have the freedom to openly state that I can provide faith based therapy if the client chooses.  The only difference between faith based and secular is the overt mention of God and thoughtful selection of using biblical methodology (which is numerous despite popular belief).


One of the things that God has shown me is that His principals help heal the broken hearted, pained, anxious, troubled, and emotionally charged regardless if there is an overt conversation of Him.  I think that it is because His word does not return void.  


I know that I am used as His vessel to guide my clients in the application of change vs. just the head knowledge of reading a book or listening to a study.  Although those things have their purpose also and are good.  Have I arrived,  like the apostle Paul says (paraphrase), Nope, but I keep on going.


So, I encourage all my fellow Christians to seek a faith based therapist in their area if you are struggling w/relationship or emotional problems that haven't been successful managed.


:)Gloria 

Help Reduce Anxiety Naturally

As a marriage and family therapist, I work plenty with individuals struggling with anxiety.  I am the first to say that no one thing will eliminate anxiety so there is not quick fix, but every little thing helps and change in one area does bring change in other areas because we are composed of many interlocking components: thoughts, feelings, body, spirit, & environment. In my on-line research to learn more about how to physically help the body against anxiety, I found the following foods to help reduce anxiety.

I only included the foods that continuously were reported in several medical sites to be helpful in reducing anxiety.  My research included several hours a day for 4 days.  I wish I would of written down all the sites that I obtained the below information from, but alas I didn't.  Remember, I only included those foods that every website agreed upon.  There were many more, but not all made the "unanimous vote" needed to make my cut.

Now for my disclaimer:  I am not a nutritionist, nor a food specialist, and these foods were reported to be helpful by professionals in the medical field.  Don't eat any of the foods if you are allergic to them.

OK now for the list:

Kiwi
Hard Boiled Egg
Asparagus
Strawberries
Legumes
Blueberries
Fish
Orange
Melon
Rice
Pineapple
Chicken
Apple
Caramel   (did anyone else think of a caramel apple like I did, yum)
Celery
Diary
Nuts
Fennel
Avocado
Lettuce
Black berries

Enjoy reducing your anxiety.  It also helps to see a professional like myself if you experience severe symptoms you are not able to manage.

Senior Year Recap

Water Polo Begins

Sabrina was so excited to be a Senior, and big fish on Campus & on her team.

Homecoming

She loved her dress, because it was vintage inspired.  She wishes she grew up in  

an older era because of her love for their clothing. 

After Dance Performance

 From right to left:  Dancer extraordinaire, Daddy, Me, and Grandma (my mommy).

It was an amazing concert type performance. Truly professional and I was blown away and proud at how well my munchkin performed.

Last Game

 I wonder if she's thinking the season flew by.  I thought it did.

Water Polo Banquet

 The senior moms made shadow boxes to reflect their four years on the team.  Well it was four years for these two cutie patuties.

Got A Car!

 All smiles because she got a car.  And it's stick.  Oh, yeah, my baby can drive a standard.

They call it King's Ball, we called it Saddie Hawkins Dance.  The Tees were designed and silk screened by Daddy Perez.  I thought they were super cute.

Pretty Godess

I loved how her hair turned out.  My munchkin loves to take pictures.  Can you tell?

Prom

It was at the Long Beach Aquarium, and she was jazzed that she touched a sting ray and shark.  Really, in a prom dress.  That's my girl.

Grad Shoot

The vintage homecoming dress was so beloved that it was one of her outfits during her
Graduation Photo shoot.  The photographer, Dana was amaazazing.

Class of 2011

Here she is, my first born.  Aaaah!  The gold tassel represents she earned honor roll for a minimum of 

6 semesters and the gold rope that she was on principal's honor roll.

I still haven't cried.  I'm just too darn happy, proud, and excited to cry.  But, the number one question I get is, "Did you cry?"

Love You Mija,

Madre

Cupcake Bar @ Graduation Party

YAY! 

My Daughter graduated from High School, and she plans on attending UCR for business.

Good, maybe she can teach me a thing or two, so I can build up mine.

We hosted a dinner for her this past Saturday and she requested a Cupcake Bar instead of a traditional tiered cake.  She wanted several flavors, which worked out to suite guests' diverse taste buds.

(FYI:  purple and silver  are her school colors)

With the hustle and bustle of hosting, I didn't take pictures of the set up, but my sister took two pix from her phone.  Not the best resolution, but way better than the zero pictures I took.

Check it Out.

Starting from right to left I present to you:

Cinnamon Cupcakes with a whipped frosting

Not shown in picture:  Chocolate w/Chocolate Chip Cupcake
they are in the plate that is peaking underneath the

Lemon Cupcake w/Lemon custard & Lemon drop

Strawberry Cupcake w/Strawberry Cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Cupcake w/chocolate frosting (only 3 left @ time of pix)

Angel Food Coconut Caps (below)

The Lemon Cupcakes & Angel Food Coconut Caps are from the amazing book:  Cupcakes!

I made some modifications to recipes to make them more of what I wanted.  

For example:  using the Lemon custard as a frosting instead of the traditional use as a filling.  The book pairs the Lemon cake w/a totally different frosting, which I'm sure is delicious too.

May I suggest that you try a Cupcake Bar at your next celebration or dinner party.  You can pull this together w/ store bought cake mix and frosting or whipped topping if you don't wanna bake from scratch.

Sweet endings.

Baked Goodies

I purchased a wonderful cupcake cook book and began trying the recipes.

Each one was a total hit.  My munchkin is eating the chocolate

peanut butter cups.

 Yummy!  The Oreo, Chocolate chip Cupcakes were just as scrumptious.

 I took Banana Butterscotch Cupcakes and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes to my sister's birthday.

The name of the Book is called, Cupcakes!

by:  Elinor Klivans