NEW52 - Week 12, donations and ono pops

There were several NEW things that we did this week.  One was dinner at Azure for our 5th anniversary.  We both had their tasting menu with wine pairing.  It was delicious and we want to go back again.  I won't put up photos because I don't want you to short out your monitor as you try to lick your screen.

However, what I really wanted to share with you was my NEW donation to the American Red Cross.  This was my first ever donation to this organization.  A fabulous boutique, Eden in Love, had a special where you made a $20 donation to the American Red Cross earned you a 20% discount on your purchases.  I also visited my local scrapbook store and made a donation there and got a paper "cherry blossom" to put on their tree.  The donations will be sent to the American Red Cross to help Japan's recovery effort.

This Saturday, we went to the farmer's market at Kapiolani Community College.  This was the first time in months since we've been there.  During this visit we discovered, Ono Pops.  What are Ono Pops?  Well, simply stated as, fresh local gourmet Hawaiian Paleta (spanish for popsicles).  We had a hard time deciding on a flavor so we stuck with something basic, Mango Honey Cream.  Each popsicle has a very unique blend of flavors and personalities.  Pictured below is Honey Girl Pitt.

I can't wait to go back again and try out Honeydew Mint and Pickled Green Mango.

I've got only 2 NEW layouts to share with you.

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Since I have your attention, I just wanted to share a challenge by Che Yang Designs.  Che is celebrating her one year anniversary as a designer.  I used to be on her CT and just adore her designs.  Check out her blog for all the details and her FREE mini kit (pictured below) that she created for this challenge.  Now, I'm off to work on my page.

NEW52 - Week 11, Small World

So, I told myself that I wasn't going to use so much of "purchased" goods for my NEW52 postings.  However, I couldn't resist this one.  I purchased these from Nordstrom's "it's a small world" limited edition collection, as I fell in love with the concept and designs.  I really wanted to share this with you to spread their word of love and kindness to all.


Walt Disney created "it's a small world" for the 1964 World's Fair as an exhibit dedicated to children from around the world and to benefit UNICEF's work to save children's lives. In honor of those charitable origins, we've collaborated with FEED Projects and TOMS Shoes to create items in the Disney It's a Small World collection that will continue to support the world's children.

My purchase of the FEED bag will provide 500 children a year of vitamin A and the TOMS shoe will give a new shoe to a child in need.

When these arrived in the mail, I thought they were so cute that I went to Nordstroms and bought my nephews some "it's a small world" t-shirts for Easter.  They will get it just in time for Boy's Day on May 5th.

Speaking of my nephews, here they are on St. Patrick's Day.

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I've been busy scraping for Karla Dudley's Lift Me Up challenge.  I made 4 layouts.  The Lift Me Up gallery showcase will go live on Monday.  I can't wait to see everyone's lifts.

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NEW52 - Week 10, The Kahala

My NEW52 this week is our weekend stay at The Kahala Resort and Hotel.  We've been to this hotel before for weddings and to splurge at their fine restaurants.  However, never to spend the night.  Tate finally had some time off so this is where we headed to.  Being on-island makes for a very relaxing vacation.  First, a NEW family portrait taken from the mirror beside our bed.

Another NEW was taking Bostyn to Dolphin Quest.  They had a great program for the wee ones.  First, they start with getting comfortable with the child.  Here the dolphin trainer, Megan, showed Bostyn some stuffed animals and pointed out different anatomy parts.

Then, she had these wooden textures for Bostyn to touch and "feel" what some of the different ocean animals would feel like.

Finally, it was time.  Bostyn was amazing.  She was not shy or afraid of touching the dolphin, Kolohe.  It was so cute.  I don't know who was on exhibit, the dolphin or Bostyn.  Many of the guests were watching and commenting on how cute Bostyn was.

And the grand finale, they had the dolphin come onto the pontoon for a quick and fabulous photo op.  Now, how cute is this . . .

The next NEW was their afternoon tea services.  I love going to tea and this was one place that I've been wanting to try for some time now.  I loved my tea, Wedding Imperial, and all of my little tea sandwiches.  I didn't care for the scones or the pastries as much.  I would return with girlfriends, not my husband or daughter.

We were a little concerned because we left for The Kahala the day after the tsunami warning.  We stayed away from the water all day on Friday since we don't want to trust the power of the ocean.  However, on Saturday, we let Bostyn play near the shore under close supervision.  The ocean tides were still showing effect of the tsunami.  The water would recede to a low tide then in an hour time would rise up again to a high tide.  Even all the regulars commented on the oddity of seeing this happen all day.  The ocean was much better on Sunday.

I only have 2 new layouts to share.

This one showcases the fun we had with Annie at Chuck E. Cheese.

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This layout shows only five reasons to celebrate as part of Oscraps 5th birthday celebration.

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NEW52 - Week 9, a new tradition

For this week, I have many NEW things to share.  First is a NEW tradition.  For the past 4 Saturdays, Bostyn and I have been making pancakes for breakfast.  This gave daddy some extra time to sleep in while we enjoy this great mommy daughter activity.

First a bag of Betty Crocker blueberry muffin/pancake mix.  I love these, only $.83 on sale.  All you need to do is add 1 egg, flour, water, and oil to make the pancakes.  I also love to mash in 1/2 a banana for some extra sweetness.

Here's Bostyn mixing away.

And now enjoying her pancakes with some syrup and strawberries.

Another new for us is a visit to Re-use Hawaii.  Re-use Hawaii is a non-profit organization working to reduce waste through building material reuse and recycling.  You can find tons of recycled lumber, doors, windows, sinks, and fixtures of all kinds.

Tate was on a mission to find some old doors for his chicken coop and we knew this is where we could find some.  Sure enough, $15 a door.  This is old for someone but NEW and perfect for us.

Another NEW this week are some super special finds.  So sweet and cute and I had to take a photo of them together and actually put together a layout last night.  Just in case you can't read the text, a pair of TOMS wedges, heart boxes from Target, China Glaze nail polish, and Hello Kitty boots for Bostyn.

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NEW layouts for the week.

This first set is for Liz and Peppermint's Designer Spotlight at the O.  Here are my Q&A layouts submitted for their challenge.

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These pages are done using DHD's products that I just fell in love with!!

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One more thing before I forget, be sure to sign up for Karla's Lift Me Up scraplift challenge.