My husband and I are going with friends {in less than a month!} to see U2 in concert in Anaheim! This is something that I kind of never thought possible. They don't exactly tour a lot, and they are only there for two days. I am excited to cross something off my bucket list. A good friend of mine just crossed something off of her bucket list last week, eating dinner at The French Laundry. I had never heard of it, but after I googled it, I could see why. It has all got me thinking and I thought I would share some more of my ever-growing bucket list. These are absolutely not in order of priority!
#1 Stay at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. This is a trip I would like to take as a family, when the girls are teenagers and can appreciate the city. I went as a ninth grader on a class trip and I loved it. Ever since the movie Big Business I have wanted to stay at the Plaza Hotel, and Home Alone 2 only added to my longing. LOL.
#2 Travel to France...all over France. I took four years of French in high school and my husband will occasionally ask me to speak french but it embarrasses me to use the accent we were taught, so I always say no. I think he just wants to laugh at me. If I would have known I would be moving to California I would have chose Spanish. Not really a need for French on the west coast! lol. I learned so much about the culture, country and language that I would love to go and see it all in person. This would be a hubby trip. :)
#3 Italy-ALLOVER Italy. I have a long list of cities I'd like to visit and unfortunately I feel like this is soooo out of reach. I would love to take my mother in law. It is her ONE dream and she worries that she will never see it, and that soon she will be too old to go. I tell her she's crazy, my mother in law is only 60 and she acts like she's 40, always on the go. She could totally handle the crazy travel! I think to make this a reality we would have to have a year with no medical bills and devote an entire tax return to sending the two of us....which never seems to be possible.
#4 This is my BIGGEST, most dreamt about trip... a anniversary trip to Bora Bora. I want a hut on the water that has a glass window in the floor. This pic is from The Four Seasons Resort. I REALLY want to save my pennies for this one first!
Everything seems so far out of grasp, but what if I took them down, one by one? Losing my dad so unexpectedly in March has just reinforced the dreamer in me. Every day you wake up could be your very last. Don't get me wrong, my priorities are pursuing God and loving my family, but these are my dreams. These are what I'd like to see/do/experience before I take my last breath. I 'd better start saving my pennies {maybe devoting my party planning profits?} or I'll never cross any of them off the list. Unless of course EVERYONE in town wants a new air conditioner this year....LOL. {Hubby's business}
I always wonder what's on everyone else's bucket list....
First of all, have you ever seen an artichoke this big???? We chatted with the chef afterwards and he told us it is artichoke season in the Salinas area. Aren't they BEAUTIFUL!? Seriously this is a regular large dinner plate size! Just want that to be clear...no camera tricks here. The heart of it was the size of an average whole artichoke! I don't know about you, but I love it when food comes from our region. Makes me feel organic, even if I'm not. :)~
It's cooked and topped with crispy panko crumbs and cheese, and drizzled with lemon garlic butter. The herbs in this sauce are killer! We devoured this baby....and just to prove it....scroll down.
It was a battlefield, and we were the victors! Haha! Delicious!!! I think we'll have to start remembering to try the special appetizers!
We have had {and are having} a couple of crazy weeks wrapping up our first year homeschooling. We have had the busiest schedules, so we were unable to go out to Exeter last week. Which means....I was DYING to tickle my *favorites* fancy! If I want comfort, there is no where else for me but OBJ. It feels like an oasis for us after a long week of juggling kids, school, work, projects {did I mention I'm now an actual party planner and I have months booked in advance!! squeal!}, house, hobbies, etc.
Whenever we go with people, they always ask what my favorite is. There is so much to rave about that it's hard to narrow it down. Sometimes it will depend on my "food mood". I crave the salty crunch of their hot potato chips. My taste buds await to dance for the Cat's Meow {best salad ever by the way!}. I could go on and on, but when it comes down to choosing ONE...I'd have to say the Almond Prawns with Tequila Lime Butter. I pretty much never order shrimp at restaurants because they can so easily be made badly. Seriously there is one other restaurant that I rave over their shrimp and it's hundreds of miles away. The thin sliced almonds mixed in with the crispy breading are AMAZING and the sauce turns them into something to die for {Don't think you can't afford good food! It's $11.99!}! This is actually on the appetizer section of the menu, but they come with a scoop of mashed potatoes in the center, and I add on a dinner salad. You won't regret it!
The special dessert was a Banana Tart topped with Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge! Umm, hello! Think a slice of the best banana bread topped with homemade ice cream. I can feel summer arriving just thinking about it.
Orange Blossom Junction strikes me as a restaurant with a mission. A mission to serve food that doesn't come with a vacuum seal and microwave directions. Guess what else...did you know they just had a guitarist that did two world tours with Michael Jackson do a concert AND clinic there yesterday? No? Because you're not on their email list, silly! Go sign up, what are you waiting for? Then you'll always know what's coming up at the Junction! :)
I made these cupcakes today using some polka dot candy cups from the shop. {I'll be sharing the recipe for the homemade Chocolate Buttercream soon!} Jessie, the owner is a super friendly gal! I love that she always sends an email after you order, and she ships the products super fast! Wait until you see her prices! You're probably thinking "I don't wanna pay shipping" but with her prices so reasonable, you can afford to pay shipping! AND you won't find these adorable products at the local party store! {At least not in my city!} 
Take a look at just a FEW of my favorite products-but be sure to check out her site-she has SO much more!
She pre-painted everything and cut the vinyl lettering. She included a piece of transfer tape to make it easy. All I had to do was attach the vinyl words and wrap the white ribbon around the edges and tie a bow! Super cute!
All I had to do was attach a picture hanger on the back, flip it over and screw on the hook. Hang up the lantern and done!
I tried to just hose it off, but it didn't do the trick. My hubby was nice enough to get out his power washer and spray it off yesterday. The two inside boards on each side were originally in the middle of the pallet. I pried them up myself with a pry bar and a hammer. Then I moved them over to the sides and re-hammered them in.
I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with them until I saw 
I painted them with a robin's egg-type of aqua paint I already had. After it dried, I brushed antiquing glaze over the whole thing. The chips in it happened by accident, because of the type of finish on the shutter before I painted them, when I was wiring the pictures to it some of the paint shipped off. That's one of the best things about shabby chic. Accidents look purposeful! :)
I found this dragon on planks for $6.88. I instantly whipped out my pinterest app on my iphone and checked out the tree plank idea again to see if I thought I could do it on this.
