Gratitude

Our Front Yard Landscaping

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read708 views

Today has been such a wonderful day. We were able to accomplish so much, all thanks to Mom’s babysitting services. She is and has always been a tremendous help when it comes to lending a hand.

We now have some Before and After pictures of the front yard landscaping to share with you (the pictures speak for themselves). Those of you who visited with us have seen some of the progress we’ve made around our Home and while there’s still much work to be done, we will take a break for now.

I purchased a couple of Phoenix Roebelenii (Pygmy Date Palm Tree) a few days ago and planted them. I know they will look lovely in a few years and add so much charm to the yard if they survive the Winter.
We are still debating about whether to grow grass (perhaps installing synthetic grass), using stepping-stones or just let the middle section as it is (plain dirt). After all, isn’t the yard colorful enough?

Front Yard, Left.
Front Yard, Left.

Do you see the dried plants below? Those are weeds. It saddens me to know that a family with children once lived here and never thought about getting rid of those dried and ugly plants. This is a front yard for goodness’ sake! Forget for one minute about what the neighbors think of you and how much you will have to pay in fines for being careless. How do you feel going home? Those things right there are a fire hazard.

Front Yard, Right.
Front Yard, Right.

We are changing the exterior appearance of our Home one day at a time. We purchased the gravel from The Rock Yard, the garden edging from Big Lots! My husband surprised me with the Cherub Fountain and we did the work ourselves. The next outdoor project will be the backyard landscape and continued clean-up.

Happy Gardening!

Neighbors Welcome Gifts

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read674 views

Two days ago, we received a “Welcome To the Neighborhood Cake” from the Robinsons, our kindhearted neighbors from across the street. It looked delicious and I told my husband he could take it to work and indulge with his co-workers (which of course, they loved). We moved to this quiet neighborhood a couple of years ago and this thoughtful gesture shows that it’s never too late to reach out to others.

Cake.
Our “Welcome To the Neighborhood Cake.”

Today we received another surprise gift from our newest, next door neighbor, Gregory. He moved here about two months ago and was doing major renovation in his home along with his friendly twin brother, Arthur, whom I’ve seen a few times around and finally met Saturday morning. My husband and I were having a conversation in the kitchen early this evening when the door bell rang. It was a good surprise seeing Gregory holding a basket full of delicious Armenian bread in his hands. I was so touched!

Armenian Bread.
Armenian Bread.

It’s a blessing to know a few good people and I am so grateful for wonderful neighbors.

Mother’s Day at A Botanic Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read566 views

Mothers are irreplaceable and life would never be the same without them. I know for sure that mine wouldn’t. I love being a Mom and more importantly, I’m blessed to have a wonderful Mom.

We spent part of our afternoon at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, CA. This event was sponsored by Rain Bird Corporation and we received four free tickets provided by the company as well. The purpose of this event was to raise awareness of America’s Public Gardens and their important role in promoting environmental stewardship, Education, plant conservation and water conservation in Communities nationwide.

It’s impossible for one to see all the beauties this botanic garden has to offer as it is spread across 86 acres. We walked for almost two hours, admiring the native Californian plants, learning a little bit about each one and of course, taking pictures and videos. We will have to come back to see more areas of this amazing garden.

Ticket Booth.
Ticket Booth.
 Flags.

Garden Flags/Signs.
Re-creation of a Tongva family complex and dance arena.
Re-creation of a Tongva family complex and dance arena.
Gazebo.
Gazebo.
Giant Sculpture.
Giant Sculpture.
Mother's Day 2009 (Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden).
Mother’s Day 2009 (Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden).

Our day wouldn’t have been complete without stopping by Mix Bowl Café, our favorite Thai Restaurant in Pomona, CA.  I highly recommend this Thai Restaurant for its high quality authentic Thai food, the great customer service it provides as well as the warm and welcoming environment.

To all of you, beautiful and strong Women, I wish you a blessed day filled with love and appreciation.

Guest Room Renovation

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read816 views

Finally, some updated pictures of our Guest Room. The room was a mess when we finally got the House keys and got to really look around. I mean ‘really look around’ because we only had a few minutes to check out the place when the Inspector came over to evaluate the property.  I am so thankful that our Apartment Lease had not expired by the time we acquired this property. I am also grateful that our awesome realtor convinced the seller to remove the old carpet in the entire house and dispose of the furniture the last tenants left behind.

The new carpet in all the rooms are from Empire Today and were installed by their professionals (our gift from Mom). We first painted the room using a Walmart™ color called Southern Dawn and then a couple of weeks ago, we re-painted it using Streambed, also a Walmart™ color. Although I really loved the light pink color, I thought a neutral color would be more appropriate for the space considering that it’s a Guest Room.

Guest Room Renovation.
Guest Room Renovation.

We are making great progress and the results are encouraging. I know things can be unappealing, but I do not believe in ‘ugly’ and ‘lost causes.’ People and things alike are created to be beautiful and useful, but some Men have a careless nature of destroying whatever they touch; thus, turning them into waste.

With a little bit of patience, determination, some tools and much love, everything can be restored.

Father’s Day at Huntington Beach

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read514 views

What a wonderful time we spent today at Huntington Beach! We spent our afternoon celebrating Father’s Day at our friend’s parents beach condo, where we had lunch. The long walk on the beach and the Pier was relaxing.

Awesome Day at Huntington Beach.
Awesome Day at Huntington Beach.

Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome Fathers out there, who work hard to give their families the best life possible.