Casa de Berry

2013, boys, california, zoo

CuriOdyssey & Cupcakes

July 13, 2013by casadeberry2 Comments

The boys and I had some adventuring to do yesterday – we went to a local animal/science place called CuriOdyssey. It was a gorgeous morning in the Bay Area and although the whole thing was geared to kids a little younger than my oldest, he was a rock star and both boys enjoyed themselves.

The animals at CuriOdyssey are rescues or unable to be released back into their natural habitats, there were otters, snakes, frogs, birds, all sorts of lovely local flora and fauna, as well as hands-on experiences. After a 10-minute stop at their gift shop, we headed back down 101 to get some cupcakes.

I got Cookies & Cream for my husband, the Oreo lover, Chocolate Paradise for me, and their take on a “vanilla with vanilla”, which is all my boys eat.

I am sorry to say the cupcakes were a disappointment. I won’t name the bakery but they won an episode of Cupcake Wars so we thought we’d give them a try. My chocolate paradise cake, which I had been “warned” was not recommended for kids as it had a very strong chocolate flavor, failed to deliver. The cake itself was on the dry side and the frosting was so oily that I couldn’t taste any actual flavor. My husband’s cupcake was so dry it flaked off all over and the frosting was goopy. My oldest said his vanilla/vanilla cupcake was ok, but that he’s “had better cupcakes”. My little one ate about a third of his and said he wanted no more. All in all, none of us were impressed and I don’t plan on going back.

So we won some and lost some, but our Friday was nice overall. Now we are enjoying time with Steve’s parents who are back from a trip, and I am avoiding the outdoors because it’s over 90 degrees out there.

To all my fellow Francophiles, have a wonderful Bastille Day tomorrow!

2013, craft, outdoors

Bird Buffet

July 8, 2013by casadeberry3 Comments

We’ve prettified our back fence, and it was time to share some summer goodness with our lovely bird friends. After all, they brighten our lives with their singing, it seemed a fair trade off to give them some food and water.

Our oldest chose a feeder the hummingbirds could not possibly miss:

We’ve had lots of visitors since putting it up. I took a great picture of one drinking, but we hang up our laundry to dry and some of my delicates were in the background and as much as I like to share with y’all, I’m not sharing pictures of my underwear.

My youngest chose patriotic colors for a little birdhouse – it lives on the fence, near our flower pot frames.

He was very interested in that bird seed!

Alex and Steve getting another bird house ready:

Isn’t it pretty?

Steve hung the white bird house and the hummingbird feeder away from the windows so we can see the birdies feasting:

Our backyard is now not only full of color, but full of movement and music with the birds flying in for their refreshments all day. We had a lovely weekend, hanging out together as a family and working on little projects.

Wishing you all a wonderful Monday!

2013, friends, pets, photography

Kona the Awesome

July 1, 2013by casadeberry2 Comments

I’ve mentioned before my very talented friend Lisa – she’s a great photographer and I’ve known her for over a decade, since we were both frantic brides planning our 2003 weddings.

Lately, Lisa’s been taking some photos that just make me smile. And since this week is a tough one for me (Wednesday will be three years since my dear dad died), I am taking all the smiles I can possibly get, and with Lisa’s gracious consent, I am sharing some of sweet puppy Kona’s photos.

Isn’t she talented?

This one with the inspiration for the “Kona on Things” photo series:

Lisa dedicated this one to me – for my “morning smile” – yay!

And finally, KOT (Kona on Things) the KOFE division (Kona on Farm Equipment) 😀

Aren’t these great? How could you NOT smile looking at this adorable puppy???

Thanks, Lisa, for letting me share these, and for these wonderful KOT pictures!

2013, entertaining, friends, husband, love

Bollywood Bash!

June 24, 2013July 1, 2013by casadeberry14 Comments

As I mentioned on Friday, Steve and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary this past weekend. We’d been wanting to throw a Bollywood-themed party for years and we figured this was our chance.

My husband applied henna to my hands and a couple of friends and their daughters’ hands. No stencil, all freehand. He also made an arch so people could walk through it. If at this point you are getting the impression that he’s the crafty one and I just take pictures, I wouldn’t argue with you.

Our friends’ and their daughters’ hands:

My hands:

See that on the left (my right) hand? Yep, he put in a fleur de lis for me 😀

Awwwww – ring shot.

Entrance to the “Taj Mahal”

In order to hang lovely swaths of color (i.e. dollar store tablecloths) Steve and our awesome neighbors pinned them around the fan . . .

… and then spread them out to hang away from the center.

The vanilla chai cupcakes were made by my awesome friend J. – the cupcake toppers are from Bird’s Party, so cute!

In my test batch I used a box of French Vanilla cake mix and substituted a cup of strong chai tea (3 bags steeped for 20 minutes) instead of the cup of water in the instructions. The Buttercream is from the Wilton website and has 2 T of strong chai tea. My friend offered to bake them for me and they were a hit, my uncle had six of them, I think!

I found Ellie, our party mascot, during a visit to Goodwill. She was there, right in the end cap and I thought she was perfect, so she came home with me:

Ellie and the perfect-for-our-theme doormat we got at Pier 1:

This being our tenth, we decided to splurge a bit and have a local restaurant provide the food. Everything was delicious, we had Tandoori chicken, Butter chicken, Basmati rice and Naan bread, Salad, Okra masala, and Vegetarian korma. Even though everyone who RSVPd showed up – about 40 friends and relatives – we have lots of leftovers, so we get to enjoy our yummy party food for a couple of days.

My brother, awesome bartender that he is, whipped up some delightful mango concoctions – both family-friendly and with alcohol.

They were frosty and delicious in the warm afternoon. We also enjoyed some gulab jamun for dessert.

My husband got his kurta at a local boutique, we were so happy with the customer service – the salespeople are nice, helpful, will work with your budget, etc. We sent a few friends there to get their costume and they were very happy as well. We never require people to dress up but it was nice to see so many of our dear guests embracing the theme.

I purchased some red glittery fabric – and let me tell you, I still have glitter all over my skin – and the lady from the boutique showed me how to pleat and wear it. My headdress is the necklace I made for my wedding, I was very happy to wear it again ten years later. I wore a teal shirt to coordinate with my husband’s kurta, and teal flats, tons of bracelets (from H&M), and turquoise earrings I already had.

We are so thankful to all the friends and family who joined us, everyone who helped out, and those who couldn’t make it but were there in spirit. I kept thinking my dear daddy would have had a blast at our party, he loved my husband and I know he was happy to know we are happy together.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, I am off to scrub still more glitter off me!

2013, about me, husband, love

Ten years ago

June 21, 2013June 11, 2013by casadeberry4 Comments

We swore to love each other.

Sometimes it feels like yesterday. And, let’s be real, sometimes it feels like a hundred years 😀 But I chose well. Steve is the love of my life, my best friend, and the best father I could ever have wanted for our children.

Things are going to get a little colorful this weekend . . . see you on Monday!

2013, entertaining, friends

Sa-weet!

June 12, 2013by casadeberry2 Comments

No, not just the chai cupcakes – which, seriously, are yum on a major scale.

Not just the buttercream, made by my sweet friend J.

But planning something with a good friend or two who have your back. Planning something with people who get as excited as me about the color of the paper plates. Because they’re happy for me.

I haven’t always had that, and I’m so grateful.

2013, boys

So proud

June 7, 2013by casadeberry2 Comments

And the school year is over. 2013 is going by so quickly, and yesterday was the last day of school for my boys.

First and second grade were filled with learning, laughter, tears, friends, field trips, etc. One boy wanted the same thing in his lunch bag every. single. day. And it wasn’t the autistic one. Oh no. He wanted to choose from the cafeteria offerings, giving his unsolicited opinion on the menu, such as “this pizza tastes old!” or “the chicken sandwich is yucky!”. The teachers agreed with him.

In late August they will begin 2nd and 3rd grades. Until then, our days will have structure but will allow for plenty of fun, day trips, and friends.

Congratulations, Aidan and Alexander, you have earned yourselves a wonderful summer!

2013, food, fruits

Delicious Fruit Salad

June 5, 2013by casadeberry1 Comment

We love us a yummy fruit salad. Eating sweet, ripe fruit, each bite a little different, it makes me grateful for the bounty we are able to enjoy. I’ve been wanting to try something I saw on Pinterest a while ago, a little trick from Rachel Schultz to make fruit salad even yummier.

I chose some basic ingredients:

and then added Rachel’s magic ingredient – instant vanilla pudding mix!

Mixed everything well, and then the vanilla pudding powder began mixing with the juices from the fruit. So good! I don’t think I will ever make fruit salad without pudding mix – thank you Rachel for this awesome tip!

2013, california

Sunset mag Weekend Celebration

June 3, 2013June 2, 2013by casadeberry1 Comment

My sweet friend M. invited me to go to the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend this past Saturday – we had such a good time!

The Sunset Home exhibit was interesting – the style reminded me of Mad Men and wasn’t something I’d replicate at home but there were some gorgeous touches such as this light fixture, which I want in my home. Now. Immediately.

I would LOVE a reading nook looking out onto the backyard and I have the perfect place for it. Unfortunately, that is where my children play ;D so, not happening for now.

Loved the idea of having a lit up map of California!

How sweet is this little stool with its nail head detailing? Also, need one stat, please!

What I really, truly, absolutely wanted to bring home with me were these two beauties:

Seriously, how gorgeous are they?

This lovely lady shared some of Susan Feniger’s AMAZING pork tacos. Holy crackers, those were so good. We also got a recipe card so both M and I will be attempting to recreate them.

How about THIS for a true glamping experience?

This company sets up these divine tents for your enjoyment – I’d like one in my backyard, please!

The food truck selection was amazing – including my favorite, Peruvian food truck Sanguchon – both M and I enjoyed our lunch there, even though it was a little spicy.

There was also a booth for a truck that only does Creme Brulee, my husband’s favorite! So M and I bought three, because she came over for dinner that night 😀

Putting the final touches on mine!

This being a Sunset magazine event, there were some lovely displays of plants and I got a lot of ideas for plants that will do well in our environment.

This tree basil was adorable! And yummy 😀

Of course, we partook of some wine tasting – these lovely ladies from Lola Kay had a great, easy-to-drink red wine that I loved:

I am so glad M called me to go to this event, and I am also glad my husband was able to hang out with the boys so us girls could bond over wine and window treatments and pretty plants. Lots of great ideas and now my project list is about 7 items longer!

2013, accessories, decor, display, house

The House Cleanse

May 31, 2013by casadeberry2 Comments

The Nester’s post today about having a month with no accessories in your home, is right up my alley. I am on a ruthless quest to eliminate extra baggage, be it from the kids’ closets as they grow out of things or these blubby things around my waist that didn’t use to be there.

Her idea of getting your house to the bare bones is very appealing to me, with one caveat: Not in the kids’ spaces. Sure, I will be purging too-small clothes and un-played-with toys, but I don’t think there will be anything bare bones about my boys’ rooms or the playroom.

We are having a little soiree in late June but that involves using things that will – most likely – not be used again, so all that can go out the door once that day is over.

I am a total photo fanatic so this will be tough, but it will be a good thing to see what we can live with, and what is just cluttering up our lives.

Have a wonderful weekend!