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Thursday, June 30, 2011

3 Weeks & Counting!!

Yup, 3 more weeks till my 5 year wedding anniversary!! Woo Hoo!! :)

I've been scrolling through all of our pictures from the wedding lately, and it's so fun to relive and remember all those little moments that you forget about.  It makes all those feelings and emotions that I was feeling at that moment come right back. I am so grateful that I have these photos to look back on.

So, last week I shared some of the DIY's that we did. This week I thought I'd share some of the pre & post wedding festivities that we had. Mike had family flying in from as far as New York & Florida, and I had family & friends fly in from Hawaii. So we tried to spend as much time with everyone as possible.

Some of the ladies in my family went out for some pampering at Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa and it was SO much fun!!! We relaxed in their lounge pool, and got muddy in their Red Clay Mud Bath!! We were feeling oh so good after this....


After the spa we all got cleaned up and went out for Teppan at Daimon! I love Teppan!! Don't you? Some guy cooking in front of you flipping food around and catching cooked shrimp in his chefs hat. Dinner entertainment at its BEST!!  :)
This is one of my very Best Friends, Daina. She flew in from Hawaii to be in the wedding. We've known each other since we were like 11. I love this girl :) We were having fun with the name of the restaurant, Daimon. It's the beginning of both of our names!! DAIna, and MONika!! Get it!?! :) HaHa! Ok...maybe we're dorks....but we are fun dorks!

See, even my mom was amazed by the fire and smoke!! Check out my grandma in the background. She's really scared!! :)

We did a few other things before the wedding too, but the day AFTER the wedding as the icing on the cake!! You know that feeling that you feel after the big day....no worries, no pressure, no stress...the day is done...now you can REALLY relax.

So what do you do now that everything is calm????
YOU HAVE A MARGARITA PARTY!!!
Yup...that's right. If you didn't know that already...now you do ;)

and since you are so tired from the previous day...of course you don't wanna cook. So you get the Taco Lady!! :) Margarita's and Tacos....Life doesn't get any better then this!! :)









I think its about time for another Margarita Party. It is summer after all :)

Much Aloha,
Monika :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Knock, Knock, Knock

Is anyone home??? Can I come in?
Things have been kinda crazy since my last posting. Work, kids, you know...the usual. But I wanted to share a little something I'm working on for my shop.

Lil' Monster Key Chains! :)

I think they are super cute :) What do you think? Keep a look out....they may be making their debut soon.

Much Aloha,
Monika :)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

4 Years & 11 Months (the countdown begins...)

Today is June 21st (you probably already know that, but just in case you didnt). So that means, in one month exactly, Mike and I will be celebrating our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary!!!.....5 YEARS!!!  WOW!! It feels like its flown by, but at the same time, its like we've been married forever :)

So once a week until our Anniversary, I thought I'd share some of our wedding festivities!

Like most couples, we were on a tight budget for our wedding. So we did a lot ourselves. All the way down to the invitations! But you know what??? I loved it!! I got to put my own touch into everything, and kept everything very cohesive.

So to commemmorate our 4 year 11 month anniversary, I thought I would share some of  the DIY's that we did for our wedding.

We had a Hawaiian Style beach wedding, so making these slipper "Save the Dates" was so fun!!
These were are invitations & our RSVP post card. We went to the beach, carved RSVP into the sand and took the picture. I played with the pic in Photoshop and made the colors pop more and Voila! :)

We had some of my family come over to help with making the favors. Since our first initials are both "M", we put m&m's in our favor boxes (I KNOW, it's cheesy...but we all need a little cheese now and then!!!) HA!! :) The favors came out adorable.... m&m's wrapped in tulle inside Tiny Lauhala Boxes..

 And last but not least...this was probably my Favorite DIY of the whole wedding....my name cards and card box. We made the name cards, and my sister Ari made the card box. It was SO cute!!!!


We did so many other things (programs, table numbers, signs, etc.), but these were just a few of my favorites. If you are willing to put a little work in, on ANY budget, you can have the wedding of your dreams..... I did ;)

Happy 4 Year 11 Month Anniversary Babe!!!

Can't wait till next month!!

Next week I'll have a peek at our pre-wedding fun with family and friends. So stay tuned!!

Much Aloha,
Monika :)


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Busy, Busy & Busy some more

It's only Saturday night...yet I feel like I've done enough today to last me 2 weekends!! But I feel super productive, so that's a good thing.

At about 6:30 this morning we woke up to the wondrous yelling of my 2 yr old saying..."MOMMA, DADDA...I HAVE TO GO POO POO!!!" (remember...I told you we were potty training her). So after that, we were pretty much UP! Off to start our day, Gardening & Painting our Kitchen :)

My garden is struggling right now, so I called up my "Garden Whisperer" and asked for his advise. I pick up some compost, steer manure (yes, I said Steer Manure), and tomato fertilizer and went to work!! Hopefully my garden will be saved. BUT, I do have a tomato growing already.....

Just a little baby tomato!

I'll keep you posted on my gardens progress. This is my first time growing a garden, so I'm a total novice. So here is my garden so far



On top of babying my garden this morning...my hubby, Mike, was painting our kitchen cabinets. They aren't completely done, but here's a sneak peek of one of our cabinets:

Before: :(
We took our Range Hood off, so that's why the Air Duct is just hanging there

After: :)
Well...almost done, but still a HUGE difference already, Right??

Mike and I was total DIYer's, but, I can't wait until we are done with the kitchen. I has really been a Labor of Love.

I think I will give Mike the day off tomorrow. It is Father's Day after all! ;)

Happy Father's Day Dad!! Happy Father's Day Mike!! and Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's out there!!

Much Aloha,
Monika :) 




Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Thrifty Finds

I've mentioned how I love to thrift, right? Its the thrill of the hunt, you know? "Am I going to find a treasure today???" You walk in and start perusing the aisles of clothes and and rows of shoes. Then you look at all the shelves of cookware & dishes. Does something catch your eye???

Sometimes you win....and sometimes you lose.

Recently, I've been Winning  <--(I'm channeling Charlie Sheen right there....WINNING!!) HA!!

Here are some of my recent finds....




I've found a Butterprint Fridgie! :) WITH the lid!! $1.99...I couldn't pass that up...I rarely ever find fridgies, especially with lids. It's a little faded, but I still love it!!
Next, I came across this Vintage black purse. $4.99...There is no designer tag inside, only a tag that says "Made in Italy" "100% Vegetable Fibre". Its gorgeous, and I can't wait to use it :) 
Lastly....I picked this up at an Estate Sale a while ago....Its a big Ziploc back FILLED with old vintage thread spools. $5.00, I saw it at the last minute, and snatched it up. I love vintage thread, and the wooden spools are so neat!! :)

May the thrifty fairies be on your side :)

Much Aloha,
Monika

Monday, June 13, 2011

You gotta see this!

I just visited one of my fav blogs, Violet Bella, and saw her Lookbook for her new line of jewelry, Roots and Feathers. Wow....she is so inspiring!!! Take a look!!



Go check out her blog. She is truly talented, and cute as a button!!

Much Aloha,
Monika :)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

It's the little things....

It really is the little things that make me happy. I got a text the other day from one of my very best friends, Malia, and she sent me this photo:

It's she just the cutest!?!?

Malia bought my Kokeshi Doll on Etsy for her Lil' girl, Madison. So Sweet!!  The smile on her face totally makes my day!! I tell you....I have the best friends with the most adorable kids :)

We are off to hang with my sister and make dinner together. So fun, we're trying something we've never made by ourselves before...Pancit (a Filipino dish). Wish us Luck!!

Much Aloha,
Monika ;)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday Family Fun Night

So, what do you do after a long hard week???......You take the family out for burgers & fries!!

(my phone doesnt take the best pic's, so please forgive the poor quality)
I think Kourt is saying..."I'M EEEATING!!!" While Ali smiles big!

Me and the Mr. ;)


Nothing cures a long week quite like a good Burger & Fries with Hot Cheese Dip!!!.......Y-U-M!!!

(Yes...that is Hot Melty Cheese with a little bit of the Jalapeno Cheese on top)

We don't always eat like this...I Promise....But once in a while you just have to treat yourself. Tomorrow we will eat Salads and water..............maybe.... ;) haha

How do you treat yourself after a long week???

Have a relaxing weekend!

Much Aloha,
Monika

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Cream Cheese Won Tons Anyone???

Well, this weekend was full of fun! I went to my family reunion on Sunday and saw a lot of family that I have not seen in years, and some I met for the first time. What a special day, I am so glad we were able to go :)

It was a Pot Luck, so I brought won tons to fry up for everyone....and I think they were gone within 5 minutes!! I take that as a GOOD sign. But I was mad at myself for not making MORE! :) Oh well....what can you do.

So I wanted to share the recipe with you. I'm really bad with giving measurement's and stuff, because I just kinda eyeball it, but I will do my best :)

Crab & Cream Cheese Won Tons:
1 brick of Cream Cheese Softened
2-3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Green Onion Chopped Fine
1 1/2 Tablespoons Water Chestnuts Chopped Fine
2 Tablespoons Kamaboko (Fish Cake, found in Asian Markets)
3 Tablespoons Crab Meat (Imitation or Fresh, I used Imitation this time)
1 Package Won Ton Wrappers


In a Large bowl add the cream cheese and sour cream. (most recipes do not call for the sour cream, I just think it makes it a little more creamy, and this is how I was taught, so HA!) :) Chop the next 4 items up really fine and add them to the party. Mix well until everything is well incorporated.

Next get a teaspoon, a small bowl of water, and the Won Ton wrappers. Make sure that you keep a damp paper towel over the opened package of won ton wrappers so they don't dry out. Spoon about a teaspoon of the filling into the center of each wrapper and with your finger wet the edges of the wrapper and fold into a triangle. The water acts like a glue to keep the wrapper from opening up. You can either leave it in a triangle or you can fold the outer point in like its giving itself a hug :)


Repeat until all the filling is gone. This recipe will probably give you about 50 won tons (or one package of won ton wrappers)

(If you can't find Kamaboko or don't like it, you can omit it. No worries. Same with the crab.)

Just fry until golden brown.

Enjoy by itself or with a dipping sauce. I like using an Asian Sweet Chili Sauce. YUM!!!

And that's it!! :) Super easy, right!?!

Hope you like the recipe. Let me know if you try it, I would love to hear about it :)

And here is a little sneak peek of my family reunion......

Me and my "big" baby ;)
(that's my hubby in the background, he obviously didn't know we were taking a picture)

My little sis Amber, Niece Sydnie, and I

My "little" baby, and her cousin

Did I tell you that Filipinos liked Karaoke or what!! :) haha!! That one is my Daddy :)

Hope you have a great week :)

Much Aloha,
Monika ;)

Friday, June 3, 2011

Life, Diapers & Etsy...

Happy Friday!! I am SO ready for the weekend. As most of you probably are as well :)

I have a little shop update for you....I added my newest creation....my first Kokeshi Doll!!

Isn't she Cute!! :)
I also added a new BFF Heart. They are the perfect gift between Besties. I think my older daughter has called dibs on this one :)


On top of trying to sew and get things listed on Etsy, I am also in the midst of potty training my 2 1/2 year old daughter. It's going good...she's really doing a great job, but it's been so long since I've done this, I forgot what it was like. (my oldest is 12) So yeah, it's an adventure to say the least. But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for the world :)

So now I am ready for the weekend. Tomorrow I am making Won Tons!! YUM!! I will try to post some pictures (maybe a recipe post??). And on Sunday I will be bringing the won tons to fry at my Family Reunion!! This is the FIRST family reunion that I have ever gone to!! My dads side of the family has not had a reunion in eons, so this will be fun :) A whole bunch of Filipinos eating YUMMY food and singing WAY TOO much karaoke!! ha ha :) Filipinos LOVE karaoke!!

What are you doing this weekend?

Much Aloha,
Monika