The Most Amazing Muffins EVER...

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Donut Muffins:

I had been looking at these forever on pinterest &
finally decided to make them....gluten free of course!
OH MY!!! These are so stinkin good!! My husband, who
isn't enthusiastic about much, said..."you have to make
these again & sell them!" And later said "I could've eaten
all of those"
I know that may not seem like much, but coming from
him...wow!
Here's a link to the regular recipe. Look for the gluten free
version coming soon to Sweet Willo May's!!!

Hauoli La Hanau to Hannah on her 9th...

I am sad to say that I didn't take as many pictures
as I would've liked or should have!! But, here is what
I did take. I'm gonna try & get some more from my
family too :)
We did a full scale Luau for her birthday along with
pool fun! We made Kalua Pig (oh yes I did & it was
so good!! & easy!!), Poi, Haupia, Chicken Long Rice,
Lomi Lomi Salmon, Rice and I made super cool sugar
cookies. We had a great time with family & friends at
our official first party at our new home!!! It was so fun
having everyone there. And if I hadn't been sick it would
have been even better!! I know Hannah had an amazing
time too!!

Here are some from her actual birthday. She had
birthday pancakes & our neighbor got her sparklers
as a gift...so we lit them up at home after watching
a great fireworks display. We went up into the hills
to watch the fireworks in the valley & it was so
pretty & fun!!

Kiko & Daddy in the Pool...

We have been trying to get Kiko in the pool
more with us. Especially since it's so hot.
Taking her on walks is too much & she really
needs to exercise. It's also great for her knee.
So, we introduced her a few weeks after we got
her. She swims really well...but she didn't really like
it. We ended up getting a life jacket from a friend &
she's doing better with that. She jumped in from the
step on her own yesterday...a BIG step!! We usually
have to drag her in. So, we're making progress. I wish
I had gotten pics of her yesterday, but these are from
one of the first times we brought her in...

The newest member of our family...KIKO

This is the newest member of our little family.
I have never had a dog, and my husband hasn't
had one since highschool. So, this is a very new
experience for me!! We've had a bit of a bumpy
start...injured knee & a parasite (all the dog, not
us :)) But, above all...we love her!!!

She is an American Bulldog...related to English &
French bulldogs without the short legs & super squished
face. Although she does have some awesome doggy lips!!
We rescued her from a local shelter & feel good that we
can give her a loving home!!
We named her Kiko, which means "spot" in Hawaiian.
The one big spot on her head is almost perfectly round
& we felt it was a cute name for her.

She's super sweet, loves to be petted almost more than
anything else, rarely barks or makes noise, loves the girls,
listens pretty well (still a puppy though), and is just all
around a great dog!!!

We're trying to teach her to love the water...notice we said
teach...it's not her fave. But, she's getting better (almost
jumped in on her own last week) She'll get on the step &
loves running around the pool when the girls are playing.
Mostly we're trying to get her to exercise in the water since
it's too hot to walk her & because it's good for her knee.
Anyway, we love our Kiko & she's a great new addition :)

And as you can see...she loves to nap with daddy :)

Wow, I've been a horrible blogger!!!

So you all know we moved & life has been crazy!
I have so much bloggy catching up to do!!!
Let's start with my mother's day presents to my mom &
mother-in-law. We wanted to make something special that
the girls and I could both contribute to & something that they
could use & keep for a long time.
So, we decided on an embroidered table runner. I let the girls
draw whatever pics they wanted & then I embroidered their
drawings. Through this project I discovered how much I love
embroidering! It was therapeutic just like crocheting & knitting
is for me.
Anyway, here are some of the drawings they did. Super cute!

700 miles by Dec 31, 2011

So, I was in need of some motivation to get my
butt in gear. Ever since I had to give up my gym
membership, I have had a hard time getting
motivated to get out an exercise. When I gave up the
gym, I asked my hubby to get me a bike so that
I could get exercise that way. It's one of my favorite
forms of exercise. Anyway, I started biking my girls
home from school, but it's not enough. Yesterday, I
attempted to ride for 20 min before picking them up...
still not enough. I planned a route for myself & decided
to do that before I pick them up.
My husband also came home contemplating his health &
needing to get back to his weekly rides. He's in much
better shape than I am, but since our move, has not
gotten on the road.
So, as I was planning my routes, I decided to challenge
him. So, we decided that 700 mile between now & Dec.
31st would be reasonable, but would also keep us accountable.
For some cyclists, this isn't very much, but for us it's plenty.
He has a very busy job & we have 2 kiddos & we just moved
and have lots of new house projects. So for us, this seems
just right.
We wanted to invite any of you that need some motivation or
just want to see what you can do. So, join us, while we try to
kick each other's butts :)
We are tracking this challenge through the Daily Mile.
After you sign up (which is free), you can click on the challenges
& find 700mi by Dec 31st. The picture above is the pic on our
challenge.
If you are already a member, here is the link to our challenge.
Hope some of you can join us!!!

Holy Move Batman

Hey,
I know I've haven't blogged in several months
and I was starting to have withdrawls. We moved
from San Diego to Murrieta in March & our lives
have been crazy busy. This is our very first home
and we're loving it! As those of you who own homes
know...it keeps you very busy. Our house needs a little
TLC and we've been working really hard to get
everything done we can...especially on the outside
of the house before it gets too hot. Here are the pics
of all the before's and what we've been doing...

Back of the house
We have a lot of yard work ahead!!

Guest Bathroom
There was some water damage that happened during
our escrow...so out came some walls, tile & the sink.
Didn't get very many pics of the "before" we tore our
the sink...sorry!

Kitchen
Great little kitchen!

Dining Room
Well, we chose to make this our dining room.
It actually supposed to be a family room, but it
didn't really make sense in the flow of the house.
So, we have a fire place in the dining room :)

Living Room/Entry
Great space...feels huge compared to our apartment!!
This is the day we came to clean & work on the leak
problem...a week before we moved in.

The office/craft room
Oh yes, I got a room for crafting. I'm so excited!!!

The girl's bedroom

The girl's playroom
We decided instead of giving them each their own
rooms, we would give them a playroom. One of my
biggest pet peeves is seeing their room with toys
everywhere. This was actually an bonus room, because
we were only looking for a 3 bedroom. We were blessed
to get this house with 4 rooms! The girl's complained at
first (not having their own rooms) but they are now very
happy to have a place to play & do homework!!

Our bedroom
Love it! We have our own bathroom, a great closet & some
more room! Feels huge to us :)

Here is some furniture that I'm planning to make over
as part of our house decor.

I inherited my grandmother's dining set...and we love it!
I plan to paint & recover these chairs. Can't wait 'til
they're done!

Old folding trays for our master bedroom night stands.

Got this from our old neighbors a few days before we moved.
Wasn't sure what I was going to use it for, but now I'm
making it into an entryway bench/shelving/hook thingy.
It's gonna get a coat of paint & a little make over.

We've had this armoire for a long time! Since we first got married.
I plan to make it a part of our entryway & paint it.

The last thing I wanted to share today was some pics of a little nest
that showed up on our patio. We were so excited to see these little
birds building a couple of weeks after we moved in. About two weeks
later we had these little guys...

Aren't they cute!! Well, there will be more to come soon.
We're making progress & I'll be posting more soon.