Our New 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid

We have wanted to buy a Pruis for a while but decided to wait for the 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid. We have been on 3 waiting lists and talked to dealerships from Encinitas to Santa Monica. Our chance came when the woman who originally ordered this car did not want it when it arrived at South Coast Toyota in Costa Mesa.

After eating dinner at Five Guys, we went to the dealership and purchased the *Winter Gray Metallic* 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid.

So happy to have a car that won't cost us $600-800/month in gas :) Our 1997 Lexus 450LX (a.k.a. the gas guzzler/Mater) is now retired!

Grammy's Organic Garden

Yesterday we visited my mom in San Clemente and we ate lunch at South of Nick's. After lunch we walked around town and went back to my mom's house to check out her organic garden.

She is growing lettuce, radishes, broccoli, tomatoes, edamame, carrots, string-beans, cucumbers, onions, fennel, cilantro, dill, sage, basil (purple & green), jalapeno peppers, mint, boysenberries, raspberries and strawberries. All were started from seed except the tomatoes, boysenberries and raspberries.

My mom built the elevated vegetable/herb garden bed.

Bird's-eye view of my mom's wonderful organic garden. The shed is her glass studio. She designs and makes stained glass art pieces.

My son loves the hammock and would stay up there forever!

Savina HEARTS Nail Color

Today while I was out running errands, I stopped by Nordstrom Rack and I found Savina HEARTS nail polish. I immediately knew I needed it even though I'm not really a pink or red person.

Savina HEARTS has pink and red hearts in a clear base with holographic glitter. My wedding anniversary is in June, I may need to use this for an anniversary mani :) It's perfect for Valentine's Day!

Rescue Beauty Lounge

Good afternoon - I wanted to share my Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish collection and my recent purchase of Aqua Lily from the Fan Collection. I love it just as much as the others. Application was perfect in 2 coats. My favorites are Aqua Lily, Scrangie, Teal and Recycle.

My RBL Collection:
360 - dusty, greyed-out aqua with very subtle shimmer
Ani - semi-transparent golden beige shimmer sold out
Aqua Lily - gorgeous turquoise with a hint of pink shimmer sold out
Bikini Bottom - watery, pale blue jelly
Mismas - deep purple creme
Orbis Non Sufficit - moody grayed-out combat green creme
Purple Haze - vivid lilac/violet creme
Recycle - deep blackish emerald green creme sold out
Scrangie - iridescent blue-green shimmer
Teal - gorgeous greenish blue creme

Rescue Beauty Lounge is a long-wearing/high quality nail polish created with resin and high molecular weight polymers to improve flexibility, durability and high shine. Made in the U.S.A.

All Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes are Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP FREE.

Earthquake Day

Good morning-

When I woke up this morning around 5am, I could hear the rain. It had been raining for a few hours and it has continued to sprinkle throughout the morning. The weather report did not show rain until Wednesday, so I was very surprised it was raining. The weather has been so strange lately.

My son slept in today and whenever it rains we all tend to move slower around here. Also, there is always a little struggle to get my son motivated on days that rain and it definitely does not help that there was a 3.9 earthquake less than 8 miles away from us :(

Around 10:30am, I was standing in the kitchen and the ground began to shake. I ran towards my son and we stood in the doorway for a few seconds. The earthquake didn't last but a few seconds (always feels longer) but ever since I was a child...I tend to FREAK OUT a little. I really tried to tone it down for my son.

I'm really not looking forward to any aftershocks!

Lynnderella Mail: Connect the Dots

A few weeks ago I received my first Lynnderella nail polish - LavenDear. The other two polishes on my list were backordered - Love Potion No. 99 & Thank Blue. I received the second invoice for both backordered polishes a couple of days ago but I notice that the invoice had Mysterious Ways instead of Thank Blue.

I called Llarowe (*excellent customer service*) to have a new invoice sent with Thank Blue instead of Mysterious Ways. Thank Blue was still on backorder, however, I was fortunate enough to add Connect the Dots to my order. Originally I wasn't too sure about Connect the Dots but after trying LavenDear I knew that it must be just as wonderful.

I received my Lynnderella Connect the Dots on Saturday. Early Sunday morning I painted my nails with 2 coats of Cult Nails Manipulative and one coat of Connect the Dots on top. I did add 2 coats of NYC "In a New York Minute" Quick Drying Top Coat. It's a great combination!

Oso Creek Trail: Day 3 | Walking Penny

Yesterday my mom and her Miniature Australian Shepard Penny met us for a walk at Oso Creek Trail.

My son loves our dog Lily, but he would love to have a bigger dog like Penny to go on our walks with us. Really he has always wanted a Siberian Husky but we needed to get a dog that was right for our family...Lily is perfect! He enjoyed walking Penny and we plan on meeting my mom for walks with Penny :)

It was another beautiful day in Southern California. We even got to see a few of the ducklings that live down in Oso Creek Trail.

Nail Mail: Cult Nails

My Cult Nails order arrived a day early . . . a nice rainy day surprise. I ordered three polishes (My Kind of Cool Aid, Manipulative and Awakening) from their $5 sale on April 7th.

Lucky number seven, from left to right: Toxic Seaweed* (holographic powder added by me), Clairvoyant, My Kind of Cool Aid, Manipulative, Let Me Fly, Awakening and Living Water.

*I mixed my Toxic Seaweed with holographic powder that I purchased from eBay. I was hesitant to add the powder to the entire bottle but I was inspired by Cult Nails Creator - Marie's own personal version.

I loved Toxic Seaweed the way it was, but now I LOVE IT even more. The added holographic powder changes the base color from green to aqua/turquoise - it's gorgeous. Thank you Marie for creating Toxic Seaweed and sharing your holographic personal version.

All Cult Nails Lacquers are 4 Free and Cruelty Free!

***UPDATE*** Toxic Seaweed is discontinued as of 4/14/12 :(

USB Bento Warmer

Earlier this morning on Bento&co, I found a fun gadget for bento boxes. The USB Bento Warmer is an insulated carrying case that plugs into the USB port of your computer, to keep your bento warm. The USB Bento Warmer maintains the temperature of your bento - it doesn't heat it up.

I would love to get one for my son. We always travel with computers and I think it's a great way to keep his food warm while on the road.

Oso Creek Trail: Day 2

Today we parked near the Oso Creek Trail entrance on Via San Felipe/Via San Pedro in Mission Viejo. There are two pathways, we chose the dirt/bark trail to the plant maze. The paved trail takes you to the Butterfly Garden. We will take that trail another day.

The plant maze can be seen from the dirt/bark trail.

My husband and son in the center of the plant maze.

The bridge takes you to more trails, a playground and a grassy area with mosaic columns by local artists and community members.

The trails are well maintained and the pathways are wide. There is a drinking fountain and there are benches along the trail. Also, if you want to walk with your dog there are plastic bags and trash cans located along the trail too.

Oso Creek Trail: Day 1

This morning we had a late breakfast at Jamba Juice then we drove to the Jeronimo/Via San Fernando street entrance of the Oso Creek Trail in Mission Viejo.

We only hiked for 30 minutes before the weather started to get too hot for my son and I to continue. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, it feels like summer today. We plan on exploring more of the 5.5 miles of Oso Creek Trail over the next few weeks.

Oso Creek Trail is such a beautiful area! It has a collection of natural and cultural attractions along its banks. The trails are shaded by ash, oak and sycamore trees. There is an oak grove, a meadow, a butterfly garden and a plant maze.

We have talked about visiting Oso Creek Trail for a while but never found the time. We have been riding our bikes on the Salt Creek Trail, San Juan Creek Trail and Aliso Creek Riding and Hiking Trail for the past few years. It's always great to find something new :)

Easter Fun with Friends

Yesterday afternoon we went to our friends house to decorate eggs and cookies for Easter. My friend hard boiled a dozen eggs to dye and she had another dozen unboiled eggs that she had the boys poke holes on the top and bottom of the uncooked eggs.

The boys blew out the insides to make blown egg ornaments. My son was not too thrilled about blowing the insides out, he was really grossed out. It was pretty gross and fun :)

All the boys had such a good time decorating their eggs and cookies. They had dye, frosting and sprinkles everywhere.

Happy Easter!

Good Fortune at Diho Siam

A few nights ago we had dinner at our favorite Thai Chinese Restaurant Diho Siam and after dinner they give you fortune cookies with your bill. My son's fortune was, "you will never need to worry about a steady income". WHAT . . . That has to be the craziest fortune I have ever seen . . . especially for an 11 year old. He wishes it was true :)

World Autism Awareness Day

Today is the 5th annual World Autism Awareness Day | April 2, 2012. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. Join Autism Speaks in celebrating and Light It Up Blue to help shine a light on autism.

I'm so very thankful that my son does not have Autism. However, one in 88 American children has an autism spectrum disorder. Studies show that autism is 3-4x more common among boys than girls. An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States.

From shining blue lights in iconic landmarks, to raising money to find a cure, World Autism Awareness Day gives advocates the opportunity to highlight the progress that's been made and the critical work that still needs to be done in order to improve the lives of those living with autism.