Angry Julie Monday

A Pinterest Party

August 14, 2012

A few weeks ago, my friend, Kara Noel had a Pinterest Party at her house. I was super excited to go because I know that Kara Noel was planning big things. She told us to bring $20 and some kind of food dish. She would take care of the rest. I really needed a girl’s night and the party sounded awesome.

Pinterest + Crafts + Friends = Awesomeness!

Fast forward to the day of the party. It was a warm day, and the husband was at work. I usually drop my son off at my parent’s house on Saturday afternoons because I work on Sundays. I called my mom and she advised me that they had concert tickets at The OC Fair that night. She said that she would be over early the next morning. Talk about panic! I then texted my husband whom was at work. He told me to bring the kid to him since he was getting off work soon.Unfortunately, he was 30 minutes away and there was traffic. Ugh, what is a girl to do? So I packed the kid up and went on the road to drop {dump} him off with daddy. Then, I turned around and drove back to South Orange County to Kara Noel’s house.

Because of my “adventure” and “childcare issues”, I had no time to prepare a fancy dish {aka food} to take to Kara Noel’s. But I do have a little standby that I like to make. Plus, I figured that everyone would be making all sorts of sweet treats like cupcakes, etc. I brought and prepared my famous “white goo”. It may not be fancy, but it sure is tasty! My husband’s friends love it!

White Goo

8 oz. of cream cheese

1 jar of marshmallow fluff or cream

Mix together = Builds Strong Forearms and Biceps

Serve with Fresh Fruit

Kara Noel had some fabulous craft stations set up throughout her house. She was super organized and planned everything ahead of time. She even made the projects herself for tutorials. I’m not quite sure how she found the time with four kids, a new house, and a business? But she is awesome like that. Did I mention her new place? Awesome! Huge backyard!! Cannot wait to see all of her completed house projects in the future. The new house has good bones and just needs a little Kara Noel love.

Because I was a little late and exhausted, I chose the projects that I knew I could complete. I’m not dumb, y’all! I can get super lazy with my crafts. I won’t even tell you about the 4th of July bunting sitting on my desk that still needs to be completed.

A little pot full of succulents along with spray painted creatures. Yep, I added the soil and everything all by myself. I painted the lizard orange and the frog silver. They are stuck onto little pieces of wood and nested within the plants. Super cute! And the good news, I haven’t killed them yet!

“You Are My Sunshine”. Vinyl decal with “You Are My Sunshine” applied to blank canvas, painted over canvas and vinyl with gray paint. Let the canvas dry. Then peeled off the vinyl. This is my ode to “You are my sunshine…when skies are gray”. I hope some people understand my humor. Did you know that “You Are My Sunshine” is one of the two official songs for the State of Louisiana?

There were several other “Pinterest Projects” going on during the party, but alas I only got two completed. I was pretty impressed with my two projects though. I would like to say that I got an A+ in conversation though. It was nice to see everyone and also meet some new peeps. I mostly moved from table to table chatting with everyone, and of course, snacking on the delicious food that everyone brought with them.

All of this and SWAG too? Can you believe it? Kara Noel is like the fairy godmother of crafting. She even whipped up SWAG baskets for all of her guests. How awesome is that? Angry Kid was super excited to see the basket. My husband told him, “go for it buddy, it is all for you!” The kid really likes crafting!

I had a fabulous time and cannot wait to do something like this again! Have you ever attended a Pinterest Party? Would you like to have one? It’s a great way to get a group of friends together. This was my first one, and won’t be my last.

All Of The Fun People That Attended The Party:

Aimee: http://www.byaimee.com/
Alissa: http://ragstostitchesblog.com/
Amanda: IG – @amandax5
Andrea: http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/
Andrea: IG – @pascuapartyof5
Ashlee: http://www.growingupathomas.com/
Bev: http://www.flamingotoes.com/
Chela: http://mariselaphotography.blogspot.com/
Drew: http://blog.drewbphotography.com/
Elizabeth: http://www.sewchatty.com
Jaime: http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/
Jill: http://www.sandytoesandpopsicles.com/
Julie: http://joyshope.com/
Julie: http://www.angryjuliemonday.com
Kara Noel: http://www.elislids.com/blog
Kyla: http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/
Richelle: IG – @richelleparis
Shelby: http://www.feltstories.com/
Stephanie: IG – @4purplebuds

And A Special Shout Out To The Sponsors of Kara Noel’s Pinterest Party!!!

(Yes, some really cool businesses donated to Kara Noel’s Party!)

The Board Dudes

The Decal Lab

RoseArt

Burke Williams Spa

Juice It Up (Jeffrey and Trabuco, and The Tustin Legacy)

Pretend City

OC Zoo

FarFaria

Discovery Science Center

Filed Under: Blogging, In The Home, Orange County 11 Comments

A Safari-Themed Bathroom Makeover

August 13, 2012

My parents recently bought a vacation home in Palm Springs, CA. When they bought it, it came furnished. My mom was super excited that she did not have to go out and buy a ton of furniture. I was skeptical.

I should have known. The first time that I visited the Palm Springs house, I giggled with laughter. I think that the house was decorated circa-1985. The artwork and the furniture was uh umm….interesting. I made lists room by room of the things that needed to be done. I love a good project. My mom and dad were quite hesitant. I immediately starting removing things from the walls and stacking it all in the garage, the first time I visited.

For my first makeover project, I started with something “easy”, a hallway bathroom. It is amazing what can be done with a bathroom with a few new accessories. Unfortunately, all of the rooms in the house need paint, but with 115 degree weather right now, it is not the right time to paint.

Luckily, I was given the opportunity to do a little shopping at Cost Plus World Market to check out their Kingdom Animalia Collection. I shop at World Market all of the time, and many things in my own home are from there. I love all of their furniture and accessories.

Isn’t the wood zebra super cute? The globes are pretty awesome too. I think that they would look great in my home office. I just need to clean out some of my mess {chaos}. I had to get that black/white/mustard shower curtain. It was fabulous and perfect for the bathroom makeover. I’m glad that I grabbed it because those shower curtains sold out fast.

I was given a $75 budget for my bathroom makeover via a Cost Plus World Market gift card. I wanted to get the most for my money, and luckily I had some coupons too. If you sign up for the World Market Explorer Rewards Program, you will receive coupons via email. I used a $10 off of a $30 purchase and a 15% coupon when shopping there. Using these coupons made my budget last a bit more.

So what updates to the bathroom did I make?

This black/white/mustard printed shower curtain with butterflies and giraffes was the focal point of the bathroom. It was African-Safari themed but not totally overdone with wild animal prints. Sometimes, you can go overboard with a “Safari” theme. I also got the mustard colored bath rug to match. I usually stick to basic colors like black and whites, but the mustard rug made the room pop. Because this is a vacation home, I wasn’t worried about the heavy “traffic” damaging the rug in the bathroom.

I added the black candlesticks and a mustard colored Turkish hand towel to the countertop to accessorize it a little. The battery operated candles on top of the candlesticks were borrowed from my home. The hand towel holder was already in the bathroom. I’m hoping to find some darker colored towel bars and knobs to replace the current metal ones in the bathroom.

Ya, the toilet paper holder was mounted to the cabinet door. Completely random move by whomever put it there. There is a perfect place on the other wall to put it. Now there is a big hole in the cabinet. Also, it is a complete pain to photograph a bathroom, especially a small bathroom.

I added more Mustard-colored Turkish bath towels to the towel bars in the bathroom. I’m thinking that there are way too many towel bars in this small bathroom. I’m hoping to remove one and possibly put up some kind of picture. I just don’t want to remove everything right now, because there will be big holes in the walls. This bathroom can’t be painted until November or December. Those towels are super soft. When I was purchasing the towels at Cost Plus World Market, the employee checking me out commented on “how they were her favorite towels because they were super soft”.

Although the bathroom isn’t completely finished, I’m pretty impressed with the upgrades that I did via Cost Plus World Market. With some paint and other minor editions, I think it will be finished. I sent my mom to World Market recently and she found more accessories and furniture that she wanted to purchase. She wants to wait for my “opinion” though.

To see more of the Kingdom Animalia products, be sure to check out the video here. You can also sign up for coupons, discounts, and membership benefits on their website. Be sure to follow World Market via Twitter and Facebook also.

Finally, Cost Plus World Marke t is giving away an African Safari Adventure for two to celebrate the new Kingdom Animalia Collection!

Enter The African Safari Sweepstakes via Cost Plus World Market’s Facebook Page!

Grand Prize package includes:

A trip for two to Africa (5 day Trip for 2 to Africa- includes airfare, accommodations and excursions)
A $1,000 World Market gift card

*There will also be 3 first prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!

*The African Safari Sweepstakes runs from July 14 to August 17, 2012

*If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Cost Plus World Market and Pollinate Media Group, but all opinions and photographs are my own.

Filed Under: In The Home 11 Comments

Insta-Friday: The Saturday Edition

August 11, 2012

I’m a day late, but I attempted to be somewhat productive yesterday around the house. Plus, it was way too hot to be sitting on a computer all day, even though I need to play catch up.

The kid is very happy with all of the goodies {swag} that I brought back from New York City. He asked where the rest of it was….seriously kid? Ok, I had way too much so I had to mail two boxes back. It arrived yesterday.

NYPD shirt. He loved! Win for me!

New wallet. My mommy spoils me. My old wallet is 10 years old. I was due for a new one. And perfect timing with the Olympics!

Two-day trip to Palm Springs with family. My parents recently bought a house out there so we will be going there a lot. Although 112 degree heat is not fun.

Everything about this kid says, “summer”! Bleached hair from swimming, tan, and no shirt because it is too hot. Carne asada tacos for dinner that night. Yum!

A little accident with a bottle of Mike’s Black Cherry Hard Lemonade and white carpeting. I think we spent about $30 on cleaning products. My mom checked on it today and said the stains look like they are gone. What a nightmare though!

Posing with Big Boy on the way home yesterday. My son didn’t understand my geekness and that I had to take a picture of him near this.

Watching BMX that was on the DVR from Thursday night. Our life has been consumed by the Olympics the past two weeks. I will be super sad tomorrow night when it is all over.

Filed Under: Parenting, Photography 6 Comments

Mission Possible: The Road To Good Teaching with Giveaway

August 10, 2012

Some of the hardest working people are teachers. I cannot imagine being a teacher right now. With learning disabilities being diagnosed left and right, food allergies, and helicopter parents…teachers have a full plate.

It seems that the media and special interest groups are always pointing their fingers at the teachers whether it be about pay, union contracts, or test scores. These people (teachers) have families to support and lives also. I think that sometimes people tend to forget that. Teachers are in charge of your children at least 6-7 hours a day, 5 days a week. We need to respect their education and experience more.

I went to public school from kindergarten through high school, and so did my husband. I also attended and received my Bachelor’s Degree from a state university. My son goes to our local public school. I believe in public schools and teachers.

My son is going into second grade this year, which will be his third year of public school. I’ve been involved in the beginning. I’ve volunteered in the class, signed up to work at the Book Fair, and even baked cupcakes for an event. Teachers cannot do this alone. Like I said previously, teachers have a full plate and with economic barriers, they are severely burdened.

I recently read the book, Mission Possible: How The Secrets of The Success Academies Can Work In Any School by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia. Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of the highly regarded Success Academy Charter Schools, and literacy specialist Arin Lavinia offer groundbreaking, classroom-tested methods for dramatic improvement in teaching and learning. Moskowitz and Lavinia reveal how one Harlem charter school, comprised of neighborhood children selected at random, railed against all odds to emerge as one of the top schools in New York City and State within its first three years. Success Academy scholars have met or exceeded the test results of public schools for gifted students and elite private schools.

Do I agree with everything in the book? No, but I do think that sometimes you need to look outside the box and see how things can be improved. I think in any career field, you need some kind of mentor or training program. If you don’t have staff development or education for the employees, how can they evolve?

Stagnation, being unable to accomplish one’s job at a high level, is one of the greatest sources of low teacher morale. Why do you think this country treats teaching so differently than it does other professions?

Every career field can be stagnate. People turn into robots, doing the same thing over and over. This is even more so for teachers. Can you imagine teaching the same curriculum over and over, year after year? I don’t think that their is enough input received from the actual teachers. Most teachers are given the curriculum from the administration and are told to teach it; to pass state tests, etc.

How can any of this be positive? Without a peer support system or mentoring program, there is no way for teachers to evolve. I know that every teacher has some kind of feedback that they want to give, but is there anyone listening to them? In the United States, careers in teaching are not thought of as highly as doctors, lawyers, or engineers. But who do all of these professionals start their careers with? Teachers are the foundation of everything, they should be respected. Without excellent education, there would be not doctors, lawyers, or engineers.

What can we do as parents to help out our teachers and schools? To prevent this stagnation and evolve into better and excellent academic programs. Is is charter schools, mentoring programs, volunteering?

Answer this question along with other options for a chance to win a free copy of Mission Possible along with a DVD of video from Success Academy Classrooms!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Just Julie, Parenting 2 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Rainbows, Glitter, and an Unicorn

August 8, 2012

This was my 4th year attending the BlogHer Conference. Every year I’ve looked forward to Mama Pop’s Sparklecorn Party. It is my favorite part of BlogHer. But really, the best part is the cake. This year’s cake was made by Charm City Cakes. They always have an awesome unicorn themed cake. Here are the cakes from previous BlogHer Conferences 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Welcome to “Angry Julie Monday’s Wordless Wednesday Linky”!

If this your first time here, HELLO! I do a link-up every Wednesday! Post a picture(s) and link back to it here. Wordless Wednesday is a great day to post an awesome picture that “speaks” for itself, no words needed.

Be sure to check out Wordless Wednesday Link-Ups at these other sites also:

Project Alicia, Better in Bulk, Crazy About My Baybah, Dear Crissy, Five Minutes For Mom, Live and Love…Out Loud, Naptime Momtog, Parenting By Dummies, Seven Clown Circus, The Divine Miss Mommy

Also, Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy does “What I Wore Wednesday” every week with a great big link-up.

Filed Under: Blogging, Photography, Wordless Wednesday 18 Comments

Operation Pixie-Cut Grow Out: One Year Later

August 7, 2012

For the past year, I have been growing out my long-time pixie hair cut. I had my hair cut super short for about 4-5 years. It was easy to style, cute, and fun! But sometimes, you just have to take a chance and grow it out.

I’m not sure if anyone believed me that I would actually grow it out this time. I’ve tried several times before and failed. Honestly, looking back, I think that it was the way that I was maintaining it through the grow-out process.

I went in and got my hair colored and cut last week before I left for New York City. Tera highlighted it and also gave it a trim. We were both very excited because I finally had a bob. Tera took some photos of my hair with my iPhone to show the side and back of my hair also.

Now you probably want to see the before and after, right?

Yes, you have to cut your hair while growing it out. Otherwise, you look like a hot awkward mess that no one wants to see. And you can’t wear a baseball hat twenty-four hours a day. A mullet does not look good on anyone. My hair on the back of my head was not even an inch long in July of 2011. I had the front of my hair, top, and bangs a little longer, like 2-3 inches. You can only imagine how it all looks when growing out, one word = MULLET. I actually waited to get my hair cut and colored from the end of July 2011 till mid-October 2011. By then, it was a hot mess, and needed cleaning up.

Finding Tera Rae Stephens as a hair stylist is the best thing that has EVER happened to my hair. Tera was able to fix the jagged and rough edges of my mullet, and also color my blondish-brownish mess. We discussed the grow-out process at my first appointment. I told her that I wanted my hair longer, but I was unsure how long that would be.

Every few weeks, and sometimes even a few months, I made a visit to Tera. She colored/highlighted my hair, and also gave it a trim. I was still growing out some of the razoring in my hair, and also the split ends. My hair has never been this management. It is extremely hard to grow out razored hair. It usually splits and breaks off, which for me, just means frizziness.

I learned to accessorize more. Whether it be headbands or hair clips, I pinned back those awkward pieces of hair from my face. My bangs wanted to do their own thing, and they drove me crazy. Instead of cutting them off, I just used snap clips to hold them back.

I went through all of my photos the past year and found some self-portraits that I had taken. These photos are from September 2001-June 2011. I couldn’t find a photo for December, but they are in order starting from the top left corner. Obviously, my bangs were a huge annoyance but somehow I dealt with them.

I cannot wait to have a normal ponytail. This is my next goal in this journey. I want to be able to pull my hair up, put a rubberband around it, and not have all of the side hair falling down. Hopefully, I will be near that goal around Christmastime, maybe sooner.

Filed Under: Just Julie, Orange County, Photography 25 Comments

Hello Monday: The NYC Edition

August 6, 2012

Hello Monday!

Hello Reality!

Hello Post-Travel Coma!

I got back late last night after being in New York City for the past five days. I was there for the BlogHer12′ Conference.

Hello NYC at Night!

I arrived at JFK Airport at around midnight Wednesday night. I didn’t make it to my hotel until about 1:30am or so. Luckily, I caught a cab from the airport with my friends Janice and Susan from 5 Minutes For Mom.

Hello Central Park!

Hello Six Miles Done!

I followed my training plan and my 6-mile long run for the week. Yippee!! Worst run ever though. It was hot, humid, and muggy outside. I was also having side pain the few days prior to leaving for New York. I held my side a ton while running. I also did the BlogHer 5K the next day. Nine miles of running done while in New York.

Hello Subway!

I have never taken the subway. I took the subway all by myself to meet Carrie in Chinatown at The Garment District. Go Me!

I posted on my personal Facebook that I felt like I was in an episode of Law and Order. I didn’t get attacked running in the park, and I braved the subway. Silly Julie. But seriously, the subway was so much cheaper than taking a cab. Silly bloggers were spending tons of money on cabs.

Hello Garment District!

Hello Jem Fabric Warehouse!

Jem had great stuff. I was overwhelmed.

Hello Times Square!

I went to an event at a very tall building overlooking Times Square!

I had to get a shot of The Hunger Games DVD Release Advertisement from above.

Hello Good Friends!

I was super excited to see my friend, Cynthia aka Nap Warden.

I met Cynthia in person at BlogHer in 2009. She lives in Chicago so we see each other only once a year. But we talk on the phone or text at least once a week.

I may have had a glow stick in my hair as a headband.

Hello Tired and Sore Feet!

After tons of walking and nine miles of running while in New York, my feet were done!

I was hungry and lazy. I totally wore my pj pants and flip flops to Chipotle. I dressed it up with my Lululemon jacket. I’m fancy like that.

Hello Reality!

My flight got in at 8pm last night. Got home at 9pm. Work at 7am.

Busy day at work, and a ton of laundry to do.

I hope to post more about New York soon with photos, stories, etc.

Hello Monday!

Linking up with Lisa Leonard and her “Hello Monday” series!

Filed Under: Blogging, Just Julie, Photography 3 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Sixty-One Miles

August 1, 2012

I finished my last three miles of running for the month of July, tonight. It has been a busy hectic month, plus with the heat…totally not fun to run. I got my running clothes on and the kid asked to go too. He strapped on his helmet and rode his bike ahead of me. Ya, no way was he going to wait for my slowness to catch up. My goal was to do 45 miles in July. I did 61, yipee!