Happy 4th Of July, America!

Happy 4th of July!  I know everyone is busy for family fun and friends company.  There are some areas in Texas where shooting fireworks is prohibited.  Fortunately, our location is not within the city limits so we still are able to shoot fireworks on this occasion and even on New Year's Day.

Only my brother-in-law and his family were here to shoot fireworks this evening.  Our family friends are on vacation and my cousin had an important family matter to attend to.  So we did not have a July 4th photo together. :(  Anyway, it was fun shooting fireworks though.

Dinner was simple home-made hamburgers, buns, and some vegetables.  My brother-in-law brought a buffalo chicken cheese, chips and dips.

Yours truly starting with a shooting star

Hubby's home-made hamburgers

Yummy buns

Onions, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard

Fountain

Wishing you happy 4th of July, America!

Weekend Snapshot: My Picks

So we went to the Bride and Bridesmaids Luncheon yesterday and it was held at Chocolate Angel in Richardson, Texas.  It was not that huge of a place but surely had a nice pastry and chicken salad.  The area where we had the party was small and I think it only accommodates about 20 people.  It was a girls' event so everyone had a great time especially the bride.

As I was busy with watching my little girl running back and forth, I took the chance to take pictures too.

This wall decor was hanging in the ladies bathroom and looked vintage to me.

After the lunch date, the wedding rehearsal was at 6:00 P.M. in Flower Mound.  The wedding was held at the Chapelle de Fleurs.  As we entered the premises, I was stunned by the beautiful lighting in the hallway.

Inside the chapel

Nasty Weather Today

Well, I did my best with organizing in the house for two days.  Despite of a severe thunderstorm in our area that causes a few power interruption, I was able to finish my laundry and baking.  I thought I would let my sister-in-law and her daughter to sleep in our bedroom tonight.  So I quickly changed sheets.  There was a pack of brownie mix in the pantry so I baked brownies immediately before the end of the day.  

The weather started to become nasty late this afternoon.  My husband called and check with me and my little one.  He said it was haling in Plano.  Thank God we just had lots of rain but no hale.  Unusual for the month of June, this big rain is good.  I was thinking of going to the grocery store to buy a chuck roast for tomorrow's dinner.  Since the rain was pouring very hard, I decided to go when my husband came home from work.

My husband's mother and sister with her little girl arrived at about 9 P.M. this evening.  Good thing I got home earlier from grocery shopping.  We have lots of things to do for tomorrow's luncheon.  As usual, my little princess was very happy to see her grandma, aunt, cousin.  She almost did not want to go to bed because she wants be with Na-na.  Aw, bless her heart.

What's Your Bridal Flower?

June is the most popular wedding month of the year.  So expect June brides or couples registering to get the most important document - the marriage license.  Some future wives are trying to get their sexy figures back to be able to fit in their dream wedding gowns.  Wedding planners are busy with organizing and coordinating the wedding theme for the big event.

One of the most important object not be forgotten on a wedding is the bouquet.  The serenata florists are doing their best to accommodate orders for weddings and other special occasion. The bride has to select a type of flower for her wedding.  Roses are the most sought after bridal flower.  But, I think the Norma Jeane flower is adorably perfect for a bridal bouquet too!

I was very pleased how my wedding turned out four years ago.  It was a garden wedding and my husband's folks did a great job with the preparation - from the flower arrangement to the venue decor.  My wedding bouquet is still preserved at my mom-in-law's house up to now.  That was really awesome! 

How about you?  What's your bridal flower?

Cleaning And Organizing Today

We'll have company tomorrow night.  My in-laws will be coming over for a wedding this weekend.  My husband's niece is getting married.  It is a once in lifetime event so everybody is attending.  I had to clean up and put the clutters away (except the toys my little one is playing with), so I am starting to make most of my time cleaning and organizing today.  

I already did my groceries for tomorrow's dinner.  My husband and I will talk about this weekend's menu.  I already changed sheets in the guest bedroom and done cleaning the carpet with my efficient vacuum cleaner.  Since Monday and Tuesday are laundry days for me, my washer and dryer are loaded while doing all these stuff at the same time.  Whew!  Being a housewife and a mom is not easy some times.

Home Projects And Special Events

I tell you, this is a very busy year for us.  Here's why:

1.  Thanksgiving Day

      We are hosting this year's Thanksgiving Day.  That means my beauty will be busy planning for the event such as home decor, menu, dining theme, and cleaning the house.  Although my in-laws are here to help, I cannot help but think too much.

2.  Gardening

      My husband and I already started our flower and vegetable garden about four weeks ago.  The flower garden in front of our house still needs more attention.  The vegetable garden in the backyard looks nice and the plants are happy.  Gardening occupies our time too.

3.  Wedding

       My husband's niece is getting married this month.  I am one of the hostess for the luncheon for her and her bridesmaids.  The in-laws will be coming over in a few days to spend the evenings at our house.  So, our job is to do a good house cleaning again in a couple of days.

4.  Traveling and Vacation

     We are planning for a month-long vacation to the Philippines in December.  But we are not going to bring loads of packages because of the increasing fees and charges at the airport.  So, I am not gathering some gifts for everyone back home to send before Christmas. 

5.  Home Beautification Project

     As part of the home beautification project, yard work is one of the most difficult and time consuming.  The pathway in the front yard needs re-installation of paver stones.  The crack on the ground has made the pathway cement moved away from the patio floor.  So we need to get quote from systempavers for interlocking paver stones. 

Whew!  Lots of things to do.  Hopefully, we'll be able to finish at least the priorities. 

I Enjoyed Shopping Today

I went shopping at my favorite women's clothing store today to avail the special discount they have on clearance items.  Gladly I went there because it's the last day to get the discount.  It's a beautiful day and people were out to enjoy the weather.  I guess most of us are at the mall. While shopping, I saw a nice sedan at the lobby.  I tried to peek on what the inside looks like but I couldn't.  It is surrounded by velvet rope stanchions to protect the car from being scratched.  It is a promotion that someone will be lucky to win the car in a raffle. 

The distance of the stanchions from the car are few feet away so the kids who are running around will stay away from it.  Those are good crowd control tools too.  Malls host sponsored events like mini-fashion shows.  And controlling the flow of the crowd using stanchions and barricades helps a lot.

I enjoyed shopping today.  And I am happy with my purchase. :)

The Convenience Of An Online Event Management

Family occasions such as wedding anniversaries and birthdays are very important.  Hence there has to be an organized party. 

In love lives today, we rely most of our activites on the Internet.  It is undeniable that most of our family and friends are online people.  So when organizing a party or an event, invitations sent through email or an online event management website is quite practical.  And if a formal invitation should be sent in the mail, it would not cost you much.  It is kinda of a neat idea.  And for birthday celebrations, you will find various theme party ideas online.  Your planned party or gathering will become a memorable one with the help of an event manager.

High School Special Event

My cousin sent an email with a picture of her at the JS Prom. It was a nicely captured picture of her and her partner. She was wearing a gray strapless dress matched with a gray purse. Her partner was in a gray suit too. She did not know that until the prom night.

What I like about JS Prom is that, young ladies get to wear their elegant prom dresses and show the world that they are not girls anymore. To me it is a very special event for the Junior and Senior students. It is a moment worth remembering.

When I was in high school, the idea of joining the JS Prom did not came easy for me. My parents couldn't afford buying me a new dress, so they went and rent cheap prom dresses. It was fine with me because the dresses were only worn once. But it would be better if I got to own them. (Smiles.)

My cousin's dress is pretty. She looked cute in it. Reminds me of the style of the junior bridesmaid dresses that she and my sister wore at our other cousin's wedding last year.

Weekend Snapshot: The Cowboy Stadium

On our way home, we passed by the newly built Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It is huge and looks very nice. It opened May 27, 2009 and has a capacity of 80,000 and is expandable to 111,000 with standing room. One of the big event in the Cowboy Stadium this year is boxing, a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito on November 13, 2010.