Lucky Winner!

Congratulations Nós (Andreia)!

You are the lucky winner for the May giveaway!

Check your email for your prize confirmation.

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Thank you so much to all who entered!

Stay tuned for next months giveaway TBA...

May Giveaway!

Silver Plated Mini Mum Earrings

how to enter:

• Leave a comment to this post with your email address

For additional entries:

1. Follow this blog, then post a separate comment
2. Follow me on twitter @hellopalomina, then leave a separate comment
3. Tweet about this giveaway, then post a separate comment with your twitter address
4. Add my blog badge to your blog, then leave a separate comment with your blog URL
5. Blog about this giveaway, then leave a separate comment with your blog URL

Up to 6 chances to win!

1 lucky winner!

Winner to be announced May 21st!

Good Luck

xo

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Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's Day! Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day. My husband went above and beyond to make me feel special. My gift was an Amazon Kindle (I am an avid reader and owner of hundreds of books, so this was especially awesome) and a big Edible Arrangements bouquet. He also took me to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I didn't have to change a single diaper all day and got to sleep in.

I love being a Mom, I believe becoming a Mommy is (and always will be) the best thing that has ever happened to me. Not a single day has passed, since becoming a mother, that I haven't felt intense love, devotion, pride...laughed or smiled. No matter how bad my day is, my kids always make me smile.

I also got my brand new Nikon D3000 camera in the mail today, so I'm off to go play with it...

Listing lots of new pretties in my shop:

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! So if you know one, give her (or him) a hug and thank them for the sacrifices they make in support of their service member. It is not an easy job being married to someone in the military, you often have give up so much. From moving often (we have never lived in one place/house for more than a year) to putting our own careers on hold, to raising children alone while our loved one goes off to war. I have been through 3 combat deployments with my husband, and it's one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

The day I became his wife.

When we got married, I was 18 and in my senior year of high school. We did not have a big fancy wedding...no engagement party, no reception. We simply eloped with only his best friend and a judge in attendance. May not sound very romantic to most people, but for us it was. Romantic and exciting. I would not have changed a thing.

Jasmine Sanders

This lovely lady has got to be not only one of my favorite models of all time, but one of my favorite people in my life. She's special to me because she's my oldest daughters Godmother. Just wanted to share this gorgeous pic of her because it's probably one of my favorite to date. She's mixed, like me, with German and Black. Although unlike me she has blonde hair and blue eyes, and I would kill for her hair texture. :)

In other less interesting news: I have to go to the dentist. I hate dentists...thank God for laughing gas.

Medium Boiled Eggs in Mustard Sauce

Do you have adventurous taste buds? This may excite them: Medium Boiled Eggs in Mustard Sauce. This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe my Oma (Grandmother) and Mother used to make.

What you'll need:

• 4 eggs
• water (3 and 1/2 cups)
• dijon mustard (1 tbs)
• dill (1 tsp)
• flour (1 tbs)
• butter (2 tbs)
• heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup)
• salt & pepper (to taste)

What you do:

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil
2. While the water is heating, melt butter in saucepan.
3. Add flour to the melted butter and stir vigorously and continuously until smooth and bubbly (must bring to a boil to get rid of flour taste)
4. Add 1/2 cup of cold water (water must be cold to help dissolve the flour)
5. Sprinkle in your dill, salt, and pepper.
6. When water begins to boil, gently place your 4 eggs in the pot.
7. Let eggs boil for 4-6 minutes for soft boiled, 6-9 minutes for medium-hard boiled.
8. Add heavy whipping cream to your mustard sauce, stir and cook on low.
9. Once eggs are finished boiling, remove from pot and place in ice cold water (this "shocks" them so that peeling the eggs is much easier and less messy.)
10. Peel your eggs, rinse with warm water to remove any excess pieces of shell.
11. Pour sauce over eggs...serve with a slice of buttered toast.
12. Voila, yummy and healthy lunch, German style.

DIY - Chalkboard Table

Make your own chalkboard table!

Here's what you will need:

• Table, like the one I got from Ikea for $7.99 or this one from Walmart ($17.98). As long as it has a smooth surface you're good to go, if it does not have a smooth surface (i.e. textured or peeling paint) you must first sand it to a smooth finish before beginning.
• Valspar Chalkboard paint- I got mine from Lowe's, to my knowledge they only carry this brand and only in the 1 pint size (which is way more than enough for this project)
• Polyester paint brush
• 48 hours

Let's begin...

1. First, sand your table if it has a rough surface. If you have a table with an unfinished wood surface, it must first be sealed before applying the chalkboard paint.
2. Apply your first coat of Chalkboard paint, take care to create a nice even coat.
3. Wait 24 hours.
4. After 24 hours, apply another even coat of paint.
5. Wait 24 hours.
6. Your table is now finished and ready to draw on. I use regular sidewalk chalk for my daughter, but any chalk will work just fine. :)

Birthday Party!

Because my husband is the best Dad ever...

...he put his "big tough Marine" male ego aside to make an appearance costumed as the infamous DJ Lance Rock from the Yo Gabba Gabba show for our daughters big birthday party. This is her absolute favorite show to watch so we decided on a Yo Gabba Gabba theme for her party. She LOVED it. The party was a big hit with all her toddler friends. The kids were either delighted or horrified by my husband's performance, there was no in between.

And my awesome German Heineken Bratwurst recipe was a huge hit and all 35 of those yummy babies was devoured within minutes. Hooray for beer and my German genes!