sooo this happened... and giveaway info!

9/9/11

Was My Birthday {As Ya'll Know}

And I celebrated at work with coworkers who brought in mountains of Delicious food! I mean..dE-LiSH 

 I ate and ate all day...

At 7:30 I met up with my closest friends and my sister for a hilarious dinner at my favorite Mexican food restaurant *Serrano's. Ladies I can not put into words {I know.. then why do I have a blog LOL} Just how much fun this dinner was. Everyone had a story, and everyone of them cracked me up! I love my girls they are the best. I got some very sweet cards that I not only have read more than once, but have teared up rereading them. I love you girls!

*History: I have gone to Serrano's every year I have lived in Arizona for my birthday dinner. it goes back as far as my 7th birthday.. I have pictures in these giant hats from each of those years Hizah!

Serrano's had the famous Sprinkles Cupcake Co. Make a Margarita Cupcake..

it was good.. it was..different

Also on Friday I received the surprise flowers..BEAUTIFUL!

From the Diamond Back of course.. After dinner Underwood and I met up with him and his roommates for some dancing and drinks... the night just got better from there and I finally scored a good night kiss ;) boo ya!

yeah this is a picture taken from my iPhone off of my camera screen..

Ghet-tttoooooo

ghetto

lol sorry.

The gift that made me leap in surprise? My besties friends mother is my coworker whom I LOVE cherish and adore. She is a hugger. She is a fierce momma bear. And she is the kindest {is that a word? most kind?} person I know! Except for the day she took my gift in a white elephant gift exchange and snagged the awesome martini glasses I was soooo happy I picked! I couldn't believe it! Here we are in September and believe it when I say I was not expecting to open my birthday gift bag to see the same box, untouched from that day!!

Behold:

Saturday morning I met up with my girlies once more to visit Sprinkles in Scottsdale, Arizona. i picked out *cough* three of them. Peanut butter, coconut, and marshmallow.. YUM

***

Did you watch the Miss Universe pageant?

 I know, me neither..

but she won!

All info from

"SAO PAULO (AP) — Newly crowned Miss Universe Leila Lopes wants to help her native Angola further escape a history of war and impoverishment and said she plans to focus on combating HIV around the globe."

-Umm this is awesome. I think they chose a really good person this year from the sound of it!

"She deftly handled the interview question that is asked of the remaining top five contestants. She was questioned about what physical trait she would change if she could.

"Thank God I'm very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn't change a thing," Lopes said. "I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life."

-What a fantastic answer from a contestant in a pageant that apparently "started as a local bathing suit revue in Long beach, California, organized by a swimwear company". Huh.. who knew?

GIVE AWAY!!!!

My aunt is the most amazing woman! She can make..pretty much Anything. And my anything I mean I have several earrings necklaces and belts from her..and have an order placed for a few dresses, tweed trousers I've been obsessing about, and jackets. This woman is fantastic!

Recently she has shared an idea of hers for a "Mommy and me" apron collection.

 I know.. ADORABLE! What a great idea right? I am iffy on kids.. but this kinda sells me on the idea.. I mean I love to bake and I love aprons.. so if I could be teaching my cute little one my "how to tricks" in her own matching apron.. I'm so in!

Here is a look at some of the aprons, although there are more, and she can make any pattern variation, and theme

(i.e birthdays, Christmas..so on)

*This one is my fav! The "mommy" fits like a freakin dream{read in Jersey accent}!

(thats a picture of my aunt kissing her daughter Elieen on the cheek! lol so cute)

I also really like the pretty colors of this one, and the small little bow details!

This one I almost bought and took home because of the sweet summer colors! Those are yellow/orange strawberries! How sweet right? I love it!

My sisters, Aunts cousins, and cousins wives, were all crammed into her room as she showed off her newest items and creations. They are the best idea for gifts for yourself, for Christmas, Birthdays, Mother's Day, Grandparents Day (which was this past Sunday) and even for the boys! She is working on some man of the house ideas for BBQ aprons, and prints for your little man!

I'll be talking to her more about what will be available for the giveaway and what the rules will be to enter!

 Stay tuned :)

Much love, and Hunger pains~ Mighty Burns

Toot Toot Beep Beep

Yep I am tooting my own horn here on this 'ol blog of mine...

Today I turn 25. Yowzah. Last night while checking for more grey silver hairs, and wrinkles, I realized I have some little Confessions to make this Friday about the habits I have held onto and the new habits of my 25 year old self..and soo..

Confession 1: I still paint my nails at stop lights... I know. its bad. probably not the safest. but.. I'm stopped. that parts ok right?

2: I have a weird toe thing. I had to perform my own toe surgery. Now I have like... a nubbin toe nail. I know. It's yuck, and I'm now super self conscious about it.. and very toe aware..

 Hey not all confessions are cute warm and fuzzy ok

 3: Now that I am a young lady.. I'm getting acne what the what! And because I have not been able to break the habit of sleeping on my hands at night (Which I am convinced leads to break out on my cheeks) I have now worn {clean!} socks on my hands to bed two nights in a row. No lies people. No lies.

4: Still to this day, I eat in my bed. Another none attractive quality. It's very Carrie circa Big hating the oranges smell in his sheets.

5: I love to dance in my car to music that are "my jams!" But when I sense that another car is watching me.. my dancing gets worst I think. I do much better thinking no one is watching me. ugh.. eyes forward people I'm trying to dance to my jam here

{Cousins Brian, and Brennan and myself. Look how super burns-y I am.. see THIS is where I get my Mighty Burns name LOL man look at them grow!}

6: Today is a massive eating day. I have not stopped eating since 6am. DUDE. Bagels and dips and cookies.. oh my! But starting Monday it is game on to a better, healthier and slimmer 25 burns bod.

7: Sometimes {and by sometimes I mean most often} I narrate in my head what's going on..

"She sat there and waited for the words to come to her while slow taps on the keyboard rang out into the quiet office.." I'm my own little movie. It's a good one.

8: I have come to realize that to be totally honest with myself I now know this:

I LOVE my mothers side of the family. Which is evident here. But I think a big part of my latching on and really holding tight is that from a young age I was disowned by my fathers parents (I think I was about nine or perhaps ten). It was very hurtful but at the same time made sense. i never seemed to fit into their clean white carpet "don't touch that" world. But now that i am older {more mature at 25 don't ya know} I realize I have Aunts and Uncles and cousins on that side of the family too.. and I really should try and get to know them as my sister recently has. It is all family. And in a family you take their good with their bad.

9: Diamond back just might be the best thing for me at this point in time. Although I feel slightly like kicking rocks and pouting in the corner when its been the 6th date and still no move has been made, it's made the feisty burns take a chill pill on the whole topic and just enjoy having someone actually get to know me. nice right :)

{My Grandpa and I at his birthday weekend}

10: I am freaking out about NYC! Everyone keeps telling me how brave it is. Although I don't feel like it is a brave act. I do feel over come with mild panic that HOLY CRAP I'M MOVING TO NYC!

 And then I pop in a Sex and the City and try to pay attention to what streets they are on to associate with the city.  

That's all I got ladies!

 Enjoy your weekend.

Tonight i am going to dinner with my ladies

Then possibly out on the town

Then cupcakes and the famous Sprinkles

Then a road trip to Sedona!

 YAHOO!

Family Album

Where do you come from?

(These pictures were taken with my iPhone from the albums, sorry for the glares)

I am a lucky lucky girl, because what I come from is a family tree that is so large, and deep rooted I picture it as a large Oak.

{The home my mother grew up in}

Branches upon branches stacked with interesting ancestry, life of the party Irish fellows, and sassy working gals that knew how to wear a fur coat in the cold Chicago weather.

{My great Grandfather-My Grandfathers' father}

Loving the hat on you both!

{Great Grandfather younger here and bottom center {John Buckley}

Dated 7-8-1917

{Great Grandpa Buckley}

Mostly what I saw page after page in all the multi colored albums was love.

Lots and lots of love.

{My Awesomely dressed Grandmother}

{My Too cool for school Grandfather J.P. Buckley far right in the shades}

 Arms wrapped around one another...

... and endearing candid glances.



Silly Skits for the clubhouse meetings..

Yes, that's My Grandpa about to "deliver", and My adorable Grandmother the expectant "father"

Turning the pages I sat with my sisters, Grandpa and Aunts and got the "who's who" on each page with a back story, or two..or three...

My Great Aunt Rita is a great Beauty

My Sister MGrace defiantly takes after her. Several times my Grandpa thought my sister walking across the room was my Great Aunt Rita {His only Sister}

{in the local Newspaper with her boys}

{most recent... very Audrey Hepburn style. Always in classic looks and the short hair *sigh*}

I love the prints! Wallpaper flowers, dress designs, and larger than life corsages.. I love seeing them all in contrast in the black and white photos...

{My Grandparents, and my Grandmothers parents John Becker, and Agnes Fitzgerald}

{Friends of My grandfathers in the Park holding their news paper framed when the war ended}

{\Great Grandparents .. Frolicking? What else! lol}

{My Grandmothers' sister and my Grandmother}

Love



Great-Great Aunt Who was A sister..

 Ireland

My Grandfather is so passionate about Ireland... patriotic to our "Mother Land", so in tune that he weeps listening to Irish songs about war, hunger, and the Irish pride.

You'd think, like I thought for so many years, that my Grandfather was there not only in spirit but as often as he could. You can practically smell the salty sea breeze from the Cliffs of Moher on him. His cheeks freshly flushed from being at a local pub...

He seems to have magicianed himself right out of the Irish countryside and landed back in

 San Marcos, Ca within the hour.

{My favorite shot: a young Irish boy on the side of the road with his donkey hitched with two baskets that served as bucket seats for two small dogs peeking out the top}

So Imagine my shock when I learned.. he has been there...Once...

His father, My Great Grandfather was brought over to the Unsited Staes from Ireland when he was a young teenage boy.

It has been a dream of mine to visit Ireland with my Grandpa.. it looks as though I won't be able to make that happen after all..

So instead I suck down the {put hair on your chest, STRONG} Irish Coffees, listen to his favorite Irish songs, and page through photo after photo of the Irish magazines he subscribes to monthly with him each visit.

**My Mother**

She is still absolutely stunning today. Anyone will tell you how blue her eyes, how silver her hair, and how bright her spirit...

{My Aunt Maggie, Aunt Trish and My Mother... in original dresses made by my Aunt Maggie}

Sitting around the dinner table long after dinner is severed talking, joking, and visiting has long been a family must...

{My Mother, Aunt Maggie, Great Grandmother Agnes, and My Grandmother}

Even as a small child in, what I call her "Mini Julie Andrews Phase" my momma was a little cutie!

The family was featured in the paper for "Family Fashions To Be Shown AT Thursday Party" article about a fashion show where my mother modeled the latest in children's dresses...

{My Uncle Danny, Mother, and Grandparents}

Below: My Aunt trish modeled here with my Grandmother and two other woman for the paper..

My fam bam was all over the local press!

Love

My Grandmothers Parents on their Wedding Day

August 19th, 1910

My Great Grandmother Agnes' wedding ring is the ring I will get from my mother, now a century old.

My Aunt Maggie replicated her flowers in her wedding which turned out just stunning!

Here! Here! To all the love that has been passed down through our family right to lil 'ol me.

 I am grateful for them. Proud of them. And so happy to be one of them!