The Door

The door that leads into Eke's nursery is sticky. It makes a very distinct noise when you open it. Every now and then we need to get into Little E's room for one chore or another. He used to sleep right through it, but now he associates that noise with us. Whether he is fast asleep, groggy, or wide awake with no time, he pops right up looking for that confirmation of us in the door way, and this is what we see...

Cooing and Gaing, having a good ol' time.

Then he sees my face, and I am rewarded with this!

I can't do anything but laugh because I love how he peeks over the railing just to get the right glimpse. I love that he is anxiously waiting to spend time with us and that he knows that noise means he will see our faces.

These are the simple joys of being a parent and it makes my whole day.

DUMB

The word dumb never bothered me. I never felt it was true when someone would say the word stupid or dumb. I believe it was because I knew in my heart I wasn't dumb, I just learned differently. I knew that I had different kinds of intelligence.

  

As a kid, I was always comfortable in my own skin. I had ginormous glasses, huge teeth, bulky knees and stringy blonde hair. There literally wasn't a thing you could say to me that would bring me down. I would look at someone and think, "Who cares?!?!" I overheard my teacher once tell my mom that I had great self-esteem. I still believe that is true.

This is me in 3rd or 4th grade with my cat ahahahah I told you!!!

I always surrounded myself with people who knew exactly who I was. Not one of my friends ever thought I was dumb... well I think they knew something was off because I didn't read or do other scholastic things at their same level. I have several friends who actually don't think (and express to me) that my learning disability isn't as bad as I say it really is. I think it is because they could still see other kinds of intelligence that I have. I was and am always thankful for this.

The only time I struggle with feeling dumb is when I can tell someone truly believes I am. That they think they are better then me. That they are so quick to judge and not see other talents I posses. When this becomes the case, I begin to follow into their thought process like a fly gets trapped in honey. After a while, I can easily snap out of it and realize... "Wait... They don't get who I am!"

I don't want to prove who I am. I don't believe that is the proper way to change someone's incorrect view. Yet I feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and hurt knowing that someone doesn't see my full character, that they are stuck in their way of thinking.

I have found there are two ways to address this...
(1) Call them out on it and let them know exactly how you feel, or (2) push them out because they aren't worth your while. Anyone who believes you are below them doesn't deserve your breath, PERIOD!

But what do you do when you can't do either of these options? Do you prove why you are their equal? Do you just continue to know who you are, knowing that your true character and personality isn't shining through? Do you worry about what they say when you are gone?

I don't care what other people think of me... I know this statement rings true throughout my whole soul, but I do care that I haven't allowed my true self to come across. In case you didn't read it before, I love my learning disability. It has made me the person that I want to be. It keeps my feet on the ground, and I would never wish it away. I would just wish that people would remember that everyone has feelings and would remember that by putting me or anyone else below your thumb is wrong!

What would you do?

Counting Down

I would like to inform you that Gian is graduating from BYU in 10 days!!! I am so excited to take Little Z to his graduation, watch Gian in his cap and gown, and take pictures next to the BYU sign. Ahhhh what an amazing accomplishment!!! I am very proud of him. Now he has law school to look forward to.

Here is to Gian and the next chapter in his life!!! Congratulations, you are pretty dang awesome!

CHEERS!!

If you would like to join us in the joyous occasion you may email me for info.

His People's Food

Whenever there is anything Asian, Gian will yell out, "MY PEOPLE!!!" He has no shame.... you do not want to be around us when we are in China Town. Seriously, he will yell it at anything Asian, even if it has nothing to do with Filipinos i.e. The Chinese Dragon will still get a, "MY PEOPLE!!" My dad looked at him and said, "You are not Chinese!!" Gian's response "Yeah, but I'm Asian!" My dad was bent over holding his stomach trying not to laugh harder.

Monday we started Eke on rice cereal. Gian has been anxiously waiting for this day because rice is one of his favorite things to eat with every single meal, plus he associates rice with his culture. So when I came home from the gorcery store with a box of rice cereal Gian looks at Ekemona and says, "OUR PEOPLE'S FOOD!!!" So here is Eke eating "his people's food." PS Check out his bib!!! I think it is amazing.

Drum Roll Please....

The winner of the Les Madeleines Giveaway is...

Congratulations!!! Please email me at Haolepinos{@}gmail{.}com by April 7 to claim your prize.

By the way that sounds delicious, I want to try it the next time we are in Vegas.

Magnolia Flower

The other night I was lying in bed and thinking about the fabric I just bought, when suddenly a design came to mind. I spent some time trying to cut the fabric to see how I could manipulate it to become the way I had envisioned it. After trial and error, I finally come up with this creation:

I call her Magnolia Flower

So there are some small flaws... do you see them?!? NOT THE POINT!!! The point is, through my wonderful education at FIDM, I was able to make a pattern that works. So I thought I would share the joy with you in case you choose to make these on a rainy/snowy Sunday.

First you will need:

1.) Scissors

2.) Ruler

3.) 8.5x11 sheet of felt fabric

4.) An empty cereal box

5.) Hot glue and glue gun

6.) Clips i.e. hair clips, brooch clips, etc...

7.) A decorative button

Step 1:

• On a flat piece of cardboard {cereal box}, I cut out three squares and a circle. I first made two circle that was 2" in diameter. Because I wanted to save time, I searched my pantry for something of that size and found my vitamins that worked like a charm.
• 2- 2" diameter circles

• Now for the three different size petals... three squares. I made about 15 petals for each size just in case I made a mistake.
• 1 1/2" square
• 1 1/4" square
• 1" square

Step 2:

• Now that the fabric is all cut out, you can begin the tedious part. For each square, I cut them into a pentagon shape. Once that shape was complete, I rounded the top three corners. I left the bottom two corners harsh so I knew what side to fold.
• The squares now look like artichoke leaves, can you see the shape yet?

Step 3:

• Your petals are ready for gluing. For the 1" and 1 1/4" petals I glued a small bead and pinched the fabric like so...

• The 1 1/2" petals I folded twice. Because this is bigger I found it was easier to get the correct shape by gluing it this way. See images below...

 Instead of a bead of glue, do a strip

Fold one corner to the center

Fold the second corner so it over laps the first corner. 

Creating the petal to have more of a cylinder shape.

Step 4:

• After all the petals are created, feel free to trim any you feel need more rounding or more of a point.
• With the 1 1/2" {largest} petals, you will first glue them around the edge of one of the 2" circles.
• Make sure your petals are closely touching so there are no gaps. You can decide how far out you would like your petals to be on the circle. 
• Wrap the largest petals all the way around the circle until you are no longer able to place anymore petals. You have completed the first row of petals.
• Now take the 1 1/4" {medium} petals and do the same as you did with the petals previously except move in closer into the center, making the felt circle disappear. This will create the second row of petals.
• Lastly take the 1" {smallest} petals and fill in the same way as you did with the two previous size petals.
• Once you are done with all three rows of petals you are ready to add your button. Add a large bead of  hot glue to the center of the magnolia flower and place button.

I am so sorry I have no photos to share. All of a sudden I was done, and relized I didn't document this step. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

Step 5:

• Now you have your complete flower and you are ready to add a clasp. On the second 2" circle, place the clip where you would like it to go.
• Fold the fabric and cut a very small slit for the brooch to stick through.
• Add hot glue to the back of the clip. Do not apply pressure because it can seep through the felt.
• Gently add it to the back of the flower. As the clasp is drying you can glue the "seams" shut by making a thin layer as close to the edge as possible. Again, do not add pressure, the glue will do it's job well enough.

 This is what the back of your completed flower should look like.

Cut slits in second circle. Add clasp.

Glue the clasp to the backside of the circle. {The side that will not be seen}

Step 6:

• Add it to a headband, belt, shirt or clip it in to your hair. It can make a great gift or you can add it to a present for some pretty packaging detail.
• Voila!!! You are beautiful and proud of your hand-made craft!!!

I am linked up with: Tatertots and Jello, Sew Many Ways, Finger Prints on the Fridge, Miss Crafty Pants, Mad in Crafts, The Girl Creative, Just a Girl, Todays Creative Blog, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, 

Baby Mine

The other day Ekemona was very tired because of his teething and a walk to the park. He doesn't like to cuddle when he is all happy and alert. He prefers to roll around. But the way he was curling up to me just melted my heart. I  love this little man!!!

Giveaway: Les Madeleines

Have you ever watched the Food Network and wished that you were able to teleport just to try the food from these amazing places? Well today I am here to share this opportunity. Of course I can not offer you teleportation, but through Fedex and the amazing owners of Les Madeleines, I am able to make this happen for one very lucky winner.

Les Madeleines is one of the hidden treasures here in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. They are known for their kouing-aman {it is pronounced like "queen" + "a" + "mon"} and claim they are slightly addicting... addicting is not a strong enough word! This amazing delicious master-piece truly is the best thing I ever ate! The kouing-aman has this sweet, salty, caramelized crunch on the outside, and a gooey flakey center. Hmmmm, heaven on earth!!!

Anything you buy from this shop of pure perfection is delicious. If you ever find yourself in Utah, be sure to pay a visit to Les Madeleins found in the heart of the city. They also serve breakfast and lunch and fresh beignets.

I have teamed up with the owner of Les Madeleines to give the winner 4 of the Kouing-aman, in any of the 50 states {don't worry if you are not from Utah, it will be shipped} . Here's what you need to do to enter:

* You need to become a follower of my blog and leave a comment saying you have done so.

For Extra Entries {to help boost your chances}:

*Leave a comment telling me the best thing you ever ate.

* Spread the word by social media {Facebook, blog post, Twitter} that links back to this blog, and then leave a comment that you have done so.

That means that you can have up to 5 entries: 1 for each social media that you link to {i.e. Facebook, blog, twitter}, 1 entry for becoming a follower of my blog, and 1 entry for telling me the best thing you ever ate.

If you failed to become a follower of this blog, you will be disqualified, and the prize will go to the next winner. 

If the winner lives here in Utah, you will be required to pick up the item up from the store.

The winner will NOT be responsible for shipping; however, providing information to me is necessary.  


The giveaway will end Tuesday April 5, 2011 at 11:59pm MST

A very special THANK YOU to the owner of Les Madeleins for making this possible! You truly have a heart of gold. FYI... Did you know they never throw out their food; they always donate their extra items to local shelters. To read more about their involvements you can click here.

What is Failure?

By reading my previous post you may understand that I have/had a fear of failing, or letting people down. You may recall reading what my Dad said. After having that conversation with my Dad, I am totally ready to fail. I am ready to take on new challenges; I am ready to brace new things and take that leap with my eyes closed. I AM READY!!

Just because you "failed" does not mean it is wrong. It does not mean it was a failure, it means you got a result. Your result may be different then you originally planed, but you are still able to grow and learn from it. So how can it be measured as a failure? Only we can put judgement on it. We also have the power to make it a positive experience.

One of the first things my Dad said to me when I told him I was afraid of failing was, "Have you learned nothing from me? I have failed more in my lifetime then I have succeeded. You can't learn if you don't fail." If you know my Dad then you know that this is extremely powerful. He is the most successful business man I know. I always look up to him for his knowledge and integrity, and guess what... he had a learning disability too! So his example is that much more inspirational.

After the much needed Daddy-daughter talk, I remembered one of my most favorite Disney movies. I knew I had to plop that DVD in and snuggle up with Ekemona to watch. This one scene {below} stood out more then ever. I always knew this scene was amazing, but it wasn't the reason I choose to watch the movie. This sums up everything I was feeling and thinking, and I knew I had to share it with you. PS doesn't this remind you of the talk I had with my Dad? Well I think it does.



So in case you ever fear failure, ask yourself, "What is failure?" and remember this post, remember this movie, and remember what my dad said. One of the greatest things I learned from my job at Disneyland is the power of a dream and the power of moving forward. Walt Disney is a prime example of that and how the sky is the limit. Never let your fears or doubts rule your positive emotions. You are made to do great things, so go out there and prove to the world how great you really are!

Rubic's Cube

Some of you know that Gian is pretty dang smart. Seriously, the smartest person I know! Well he has a collection of Rubics Cubes that he has compiled. The smallest one he has is a 3x3 and then the biggest one he has is 6x6. He can usually solve these within minutes while I try to pel my stickers off and try to rearrange them to look like I solved the puzzle. Which, by the way, you can totally tell because every corner of every sticker is curled and will never go straight again... I swear the manufacturer did that on purpose!!!

Well one day as I was holding Eke, he was eyeing the collection of cubes. I thought I would hand him one to kind of play with. Well I think this kid is going to be more and more like his Dad!!!