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Monday, May 16, 2011

Del Seoul - mMmM Korean Tacos

We had Umma over for lunch on Mother’s Day and Del Seoul has been on our places-to-try list for awhile.  It’s a Korean taco joint! Well they have other stuff, but we’ve heard lots of good things about the tacos and fries.

We had two of each taco (Kalbi, Spicy BBQ Pork, Spicy BBQ Chicken, and Sesame-Chili Shrimp) and an order of kimchi fries (French fries topped with sautéed kimchi, onions, and pork belly, scallions, melted cheddar jack and sour cream) for the three of us.

Umma liked the fries so much she ate most of them J It was all sooo good! Nothing was overwhelmingly kimchi-ish either, so don’t be scared, go try it! These tacos are among our faves in addition to Pork Shoppe and La Pasadita. Yummy yummy yummy!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Monster First Birthday Party: Decorations

**Lots of pictures since I styled and photographed the party J**
When Tracy and I first talked about doing her son’s Monster First Birthday Party, I couldn’t sleep because I had a million ideas running around in my head! I literally had to get up to write them all down! You can see our inspiration board here.

{Invitation, banner and cupcake toppers by Sealed with a J}
{Big Monster made with crumpled streamers, tape, boa, balloon and paper}

Tracy pictured the party to be fun and laid back with monsters and kids running around everywhere. Like most people, she hated the thought of crafting and would rather buy stuff and call it a day. But when the crafting was done, she liked it! J Even her cousins were shocked and asked when she got so crafty. And she replied “From talking to Mindy!” 
{Little Monster made with 3 boas, wreath form, wreath stand, balloon, chopsticks and binder clips}
{Party hat made from scrapbook paper and streamers}

{Giveaways were lollipops from Oriental Trading tied with ribbons that said Thank You and a googly eye. Tracy wrapped formula cans with $1 furry scarves and googly eyes with a styrofoam ball inside for support.}

{The I-thought-I'd-hate-crafting Momma made these utensil holders out of tissue boxes and egg cartons.
She's also reusing them for future parties by adding hats depending on the event haha}

{Onesie folded into a picture frame}

She thought it was fun finding cheap supplies too - like $1 blue furry scarves from the thrift store and a blow up ball pit from Target for $7 (kept the kids busy!). I’m also proud of Tracy for thinking outside of the box like when she bought monster gift bags even though she didn’t know what to do with them. They were perfect to line the dessert table.




{Happy Birthday Sign is a book from Michael’s. I added eyes, ribbon and sign from MS Word}
{Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies – recipe courtesy of Paula Deen + 1 stick of butter}

{Marshmallows stuck in wrapped floral foam and standing on wrapping paper lined plates}
{Tablecloth is a bed sheet!}

{Momma Tre made the chocolate covered marshmallows herself}
{Cake pops by Danielle Shannon inside soup cans wrapped with boas with eyes glued on}
{Cupcake stands from World Market, $4.50 each with sale + 2 coupons, hollaaaa!} 

{Kids love cake pops!}

{Ferrero Rocher cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with fondant toppers to match invite
and Rainbow Cake by Geneveve Perada}
{Lil Cake Monster loved the sweets!}
{Birthday boy is done.}

I’m glad Tracy thought the party turned out amazing! It makes what I do worthwhile J


linked up here:
Sweet Shot Day

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Update: Baby Girl Gifts- Leg Warmers

When I posted the DIY leg warmers a few weeks ago a reader asked how I tied them into a bow. Here’s how I did it...These steps would apply to a fabric or ribbon bow too. Hope it helps!
  1. Start with one pair of leg warmers.
  2. Take one of the leg warmers (A) and tuck one end into the other.
  3. Take the other leg warmer (B) and fold (lengthwise) the edges towards the middle to make it narrower.
  4. Place A on top B.
  5. Tie B around A.
  6. Variations:
  7. v     Pull ends of B left and right so it extends past the ends of A.
    v     Pull ends of B downwards so it hangs below A.
  8. Turn it over and readjust as necessary. Super simple, no?

linked up with Little Miss Momma's I-SPY and:

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Erin's Baptism

Baby Erin’s baptism was this past weekend. I was designated to be photog, but thanks to Doug’s last minute Mother’s Day shopping, we missed half of it! But I suppose his frantic find of a gift made up for it J I looove White House | Black Market dresses.  Doug wasn’t sure, but (like a wise man should) opted for the smaller size. Luckily my (15 month) post-baby body fit in my pre-baby size and the silhouette was flattering despite the 5-10lb donut Mia left me. Ha, aaaaaanyway…

Doug picked out another really cute gift, but for Erin. Have you checked out the Calypso St. Barth for Target line yet? He picked out (all by himself!) this adorable romper…in case it ever decides to get warm here in Chicago. I definitely preferred rompers over dress & underwear cover sets at that baby girl age.
To get the romper and cd of pictures (finally finished editing!) gift ready, I neatly wrapped the dress around the cd case and finished it off with a long ribbon. To get to this bow, tie gift like a normal present. Then you’ll have realllllly long ends left. Tie another bow. And another and another until you have no more ribbon left.

Sorry we missed half the baptism Erin! But we can't wait to take you to the lakefront in your little romper like we did with Mia last year J  

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Family Reunion: Mini-me Cousins!

So last weekend, the Monster First Birthday Party (inspiration board here) was sandwiched in between an {almost complete} family reunion. The last time ALL my cousins, aunts and uncles got together was four years ago for my Grandma’s 85th birthday.  Fast forward to this year, and we have two more husbands and three more babies to add to the family! It was great to have the mini-me cousins meet.

It was so much fun watching how much Kingston (2) and Kira (3) enjoyed each other’s company....Mia (1) wandered around minding her own business....
And Ryu (6) probably would’ve had more fun if Peter (7) and Brenden (5) could make it since they’re closer in age.  Hopefully someday we can get everyone together. But it’s not easy when we’re talking 25 people from Hawaii to Florida! 

The weekend was packed with good food and wine (I was too busy eating to take pictures of the food)...
...kids running around and getting black eyes from moms dancing to the wii...
...gambling over card games (I almost beat my Dad!)...
...and hours at casinos (thanks Great Grandma for the gambling blood that we all have). I love family time and oftentimes just sat back and smiled as I enjoyed us being together. I’m guessing that’s what Great Grandma did too considering she is the foundation of this family and her house has been everyone's home base for 30+ years. Thank goodness my parents are never moving, we LOVE that backyard! J  I’m so glad that we could get {almost} everyone together since it doesn't happen that often. Hope you guys enjoyed your time in Chicago J Love you guys!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Just Like Mommy

♥ Mama and Mini-me ♥
Funny thing is that I didn’t even buy this coat for her. And Uncle Jun Jun didn’t even know I had a red coat myself haha. Good job Dad for following my instructions on how to get this shot J
Hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

linked up here:
Sweet Shot Day

Friday, May 6, 2011

Even Smells from the Street – Cumin

When my jet setter was back in town last time (also my first blog post ever!), we went to Cumin and decided to go back again for some Indian food. When paying for parking at the box, we could smell the place all the way from the street! Even when I got home Doug said I smelled. And that’s saying a lot considering he has to stick his nose in Mia’s diaper before he can tell how offensive her poop smells.

Aaaaanyway, just like last time we had vegetable samosas, Chakra beer, lamb vindaalu and naan. We also decided to try a new dish, chicken madras (chicken cooked in a savory and exotic flavored coconut broth, indian spices and creamy curry sauce). Also like last time, I couldn’t stop eating the little chip and sauce thingies. Yummy yummy yummy. Their service could be a little more attentive and the book for a menu is overwhelming, but nonetheless, it was a good night out so I could hear all about my friend’s adventures and new found love for Asia.

Sorry for the lack of photos/crafts this week. I’m trying to catch up on editing sets of Baby Erin, Baby Noah, and the Monster First Birthday party (which I still need to show you!). There's only so much I can do between the hours of 9pm and midnight! L Have a great weekend, kiss your momma for me!