Victorious Vixen
9:41 PM | Author: Nani Luculescu
Announcing....

Victorious Vixen! My very own Etsy shop...featuring custom creations a la Nani. =)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6978804

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6978804

These are handmade quilted wallets that double as a clutch. What'cha think of 'em?! I've sold several already in person (I have yet to actually post anything online for sale!) & have had a great response from people. Thanks guys - YOU ROCK!

So now you know what I've been up to...no, I didn't fall of the face of the earth! =)

Here is my P365 pic for yesterday. These are strips of a FREE book I got from my local library. I have no idea what it says, but I thought it would look great on a bookmarker with some of my Asian inspired fabric & stitching...

Miso crafty!!
=)

I have not been running in soooo long! The weather was nice today so I took the girls for a nature walk. There were sporting the first 2 dresses I made...pretty cute & it made me feel extra crafty! I managed to get this shot as we were walking home holding hands. It is my P365 runner-up for today...I just loved seeing me & my girls together in shadow form!

While we were out and about tonight, I snapped this one of the sky on Moody St. It's my P365 pic for today...a very fitting title too:

I loved how the sky looked tonight as the sun was setting on the west coast. The clouds were so bright & the sky so blue. No matter where we are in the world, it's the same sky we look up to.

I'm so glad to blog & post up some pics! =) I've been a very busy girl setting up my Etsy shop (almost there...) but still taking pics every day for future tinkering & posting!

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She's Baa-aack! =)
8:43 AM | Author: Nani Luculescu

YAAAAAAAAY!!! Ava's fever FINALLY broke this morning after 2 1/2 days. She is in good spirits, eating and playing. I am so thankful!
--Nani
Lots of pics...Lots of exercise!
10:31 PM | Author: Nani Luculescu
Okay...I've been trying NOT to spend soooo much time on the computer at night, so I've still been taking lots of pics everyday, but not taking the time to EDIT them...which is my favorite part! I've also been spending LESS time editing them as well (for the most part). I seem to like the same few actions and have stopped trying the crazy new ones that take forever to run & the results aren't what I'm looking for.

Project 365 is keeping me busy...and I'm lovin' it! Here's my pic of the day for Tuesday, 2/03/09. One of 2 more quilted wallets sewed up. I LOVE this dragon pattern & you always have more fun sewing with fabrics you love. I'm planning on opening up an Etsy shop & selling these.

Boost, Sharpen, Boutwell Magic Glasses, Quick Edge Burn

Wednesday, Ava had her 18 month check up & started crying as soon as we got into the elevator to go up to the Dr.'s office! She was deemed very healthy but needs to be seen by a pediactric opthalmologist to check out a potential plugged tear duct. We'll find out more next month at her appointment.
Here she is, enjoying her reward for going to the Dr.'s office...despite crying for every single examination & measurement! Luckily, she didn't have to have any shots this time around!

(Binky in hand...baby bear tucked away)

After the Dr.'s office, I stopped by my parents house to pick up my stroller & we hung out for a while. It was a HOT, HOT day so my mom busted out the ice cream & turned on the sprinklers...a great way to cool down!

Ava was apprehensive at first - running next to the sprinklers, but not going in like big sister. I showed her how to play with the sprinkler & that's all it took to get her going! She LOVED how the water splashed all over herself when she put her hand on the sprinkler. It was a fun tactile experience for her! This shot was my P365 pic for the day...I love little hands!

Boost, Sharpen, Boutwell Magic Glasses, Quick Edge Burn + my own brush strokes

Kyra got to showcase her batting skills with Grammie. They played with the tennis ball & retractable sword...my girl is pretty good!

Thursday's events & pics...I hadn't had a haircut in so long that I couldn't remember! My auntie honey (yes, that's what we call her) was in town for her birthday so I was able to get a free haircut! Yaaaaay! I always feel guilty spending money on stuff like that!

Anyhow, I've been wanting to chop my hair & donate it to "Locks of Love," a non-profit organization who makes wigs for disadvantaged children. It must be a minimum of 8 inches, tip to tip. I had my mom take a picture of me before my haircut...

...and after!And here is my P365 shot of the day...my hair, before I mail it off.

For more information on how you can donate, please visit their website at: http://www.locksoflove.org/

Friday's stuff...
Kyra & Ava...they are definitely quite a pair! This is a pic of the two of them on the kitchen floor at snack time. Legs sprawled & a Costco container of animal crackers between them! They were very happy girls...and my P365 pic!

It rained again, so we were stuck inside & my softball game was once again postponed. I wanted to get some exercise in, so I tried my "H2O bottle deadlifts" on top of my step and it kicked my butt (more like my hammies)!
These are 5 gallon bottles and have these nifty handles...just PERFECT for picking up & carrying around! Farmer walks, squats, deadlifts...I could go on! (The mirror & step are from my friend's garage sale...I swapped her for my dog backpack. Woo-hoo!)

This past week I've ran 3 times for a total of 8 miles...not bad! It rained sooooo much today...then in the afternoon the sun peeked out & it was beautiful. I took the opportunity to pack up my Kyra girl & take her on a run with me. She was pretty high maintenance at first, but soon after was singing & enjoying all the sight & sounds of a fresh rainfall.

This is the riverbed that I cut through today. It is usually mostly empty, with just a small 10 ft. wide river going down. Not today! It was so full, I had to stop and take a bunch of pictures! I liked this one the best because of the contrast between the sky & clouds vs. the brown bridge, so it's my P365 pic for the day.

Mostly done in Picasa - bumped up the saturation, sharpened.

Then ran the Boost action from Pioneer Woman.

I have seen some homeless people taking shelter in the riverbed where there are run off drains. I can't even imagine how cold & miserable they must be when it rains. I spotted a blanket hung up and some clothes too. There was a roll of toilet paper left in the sun to dry. I am so thankful for every single thing I have. I appreciate the comforts that are usually taken for granted. It sucks to run out of TP!!

Catching Up...KEEPING Up & Running
10:58 PM | Author: Nani Luculescu

I'm playing catch up with my Project 365 pics...I didn't have much to choose from since I wasn't officially doing it yet, but managed to find a few that I liked so far.

This is New Year's Day, wearing my very first pair of size 2 jeans! They are from Express, who is so generous with their sizing, so it is more like a 4-6! =) That's okay, I was just thrilled to have to buy smaller jeans because my skinny jeans were falling off of me! I had been working really hard (running 3 miles at 6 AM before my girls woke up) to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes so it was VERY satisfying for me.

I have gotten a LOT of satisfaction from sewing, so I was excited to take a picture of the new thread I got from Jo-Anns. I used the purple/pink one for the quilted wallet shown in the picture with it and I loved how it turned out.

One of my very favorite things to do is GO to the public library & GO CRAZY! I check out a million books at a time & do heavy skimming for the most part. I look for what interests me & soak up as much as I can, when I can. I love reading to my girls (Dr. Seuss is my favorite to read) and they LOVE being read to! Another thing about the library that I love is all the cheap books you can buy! I try to pick up something everytime I go. Today, I bought a little wooden bookshelf for $4! I was so excited!

So today's P365 pic is of Kyra at the library. She was excited to wear this flower clippy that I made. I love how big & bright it is! She is really soaking in Mrs. Campbell's story about Groundhog's Day...look at the focus on her face!

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I had a personal victory today - running to & from the library with the double stroller! It is a tough workout...especially against the Santa Ana winds! It works out to be a 2 mile round trip, so I feel good about that. I DO miss running my 3 mile route and will have to work up to taking the girls with me on that one. Knowing that my girls are "watching" me run makes me push that much harder. They make me tougher & better.
Sunday Driver
11:49 PM | Author: Nani Luculescu
Today was fun - we took the bikes out for a spin & we ALL had fun! At one point, Arthur had both girls in front & I was on the back, holding on for dear life! I actually TRIED to get a picture but didn't even get a shot off...thought the better of it & bailed off before I smashed my head & camera!

Here is today's Project 365 picture. Ava was very pushy with daddy on this thing. Apparently, she was complaining every time Arthur tried to steer! You can see in this picture that her hands are FIRMLY gripping the handle bars! Way to go my baby!

Kyra was on her Hello Kitty tricycle most of the time, so when daddy let her take the reigns of this baby, she was all smiles!

This Dora ATV packs some power! It startled Kyra when she pushed on the pedal! You gotta love that expression!


After the kids went down for their nap, we had a little something sweet that my hubby whipped up...he's crafty like that!

Layered from bottom to top:
  • chocolate covered caramel
  • crunchy peanut butter
  • dipped in Heath toffee pieces

Man, I LOVE me some sweets!!! This is so yummy...I love anything with peanut butter & chocolate.

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