i heart my elephant ears

No, I promise I didn't get plastic surgery on my ears to make them look like Dumbo's.

Also, don't worry because no Elephants were harmed in the making of this post....

To get my Elephant Ears I had to bug my husband for a few months, because I wanted a flower bed right in front of our downstairs window.

Yes, my Elephant Ears are a plant and now I know why "they" name it that!

I love big, luscious vegetation, specially around our yard, but unfortunately our soil is so freaking hard that we literately need a drill to make a whole.

But, I knew that creating our own raised flower bed and getting some good quality potting soil, will do the trick... And guess what? It worked.

After a few discussions (mostly because I had a vision and my husband had another), we ended up going with the better option, but don't ask who's was it, ok? At least I was the one that chose what to plant there, LOL!

So, my husband made the flower bed (and he did a fabulous job with the) and we planted the Elephant Ears on April 13th.

Now, a little over a month, this is how they look like...

Of course, if only it would rain as it's supposed to, they would be in much better shape, but they are still pretty HUGE and awesome looking.


In case you wonder how big the leaves really are, here's a pretty good comparison (I think!).

The above comparison is of my foot against the leaf. For your information- since you offered to buy me some shoes- my shoe size is 6 1/2 in American Sizing (will have to get back to my European fans about the exact size in their case).

So, yes, I don't have a huge foot, but even if I did, don't you think the leaf is pretty big anyway? I do, I do!

Oh, how I love my Elephant Ears and I am so glad we got them.

By the way, did I mentioned it is Friday? YEEEEEAH!!!!

Tonight I am going out with a group of girlfriend for a "Girls Bowling Night", it should be so much fun...

Have a HUGE, wonderful, Amazing Weekend!!!

Magical trees

Today, as I am writing this post, the Royal Poinciana Trees are in full bloom all around the island.

The bright orange colors of their flowers jump out of the scenery as if they're asking us to pay attention to them and celebrate their beauty.

They decorate the scenery as if they were little forest fires all over the foliage of the islands.

They can be found pretty  much are all over the island, our back yard included, unfortunately our two trees are too young for flowers, yet! Hopefully in the next years we will get some...

Back in March-April, it was the Yellow Birch Trees that bloom. In their case, it's like a little bit of sunshine just pours from the sky!!!

Oh My, I just love bright colors and how much they bright up the tropical scenery.

We humans are so lucky to have such an amazing planet to live in but in many cases we unfortunately fail to appreciate its beauty and importance it deserves in our life.

Today I am happy to say that I am one to notice such things and appreciate them as they should be.

I drive around this beautiful island in awe of so much beauty. Both the Royal Poincianas and the Yellow Birch tree are two of many other wonderful color vegetation that decorates my daily Caribbean life.

I feel as if living in a place like this, God gives me a gift through nature, but He also bless me with my eyes to see it, my nose to smell the perfume of the flowers and my ears to hear the birds singing in celebration of all this magic and beauty.

Do you have any magic trees or colorful nature where you live? Do you take time to slow down and smell the "roses"? Or do you just go by your day without noticing all these beautiful gifts of nature???

Have a magical day!!!

Window Shopping Wednesday

I love stickers, always have and probably always will.

When I was a kid I never wanted to stick them thinking that later on I would change my mind about were to put them.

But nowadays with the so call removable decals, it's pretty amazing the stuff that is out there and what you can do with them, specially the wall decals, I love them and I think are an affordable and funky way to decorate your place.

For example... How about giving some character to your laundry room?

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Or this lovely enchanted forest for a very serene room...

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I also love the kitties going up the stairs...

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But removable decals nowadays also go beyond just wall decor, check out this funky ones!

For example, using this decal by the front door, to remind you of money, keys, credit card, phone and even your ipod!

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There's all sorts of laptop decals, for all kinds of taste and subject... like this one that I think is pretty cool.

And how about this awesome mustaches for your glasses?!?

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or perhaps beer ones?

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Aren't those so much fun? I would love to own some and use them when we have a party.

And last but not least...

Do you somethings feel somebody is watching while you are sitting on the toilet? Perhaps with this decal you will have a real reason to feel that way, LOL!

Well, that's it for my Sticker Window Shopping.

Happy Hump Day!!!

tasty tuesday

I've always being the kind of person that loves to try new foods and recipes.

I love experimenting and although the results might not be successful all the time, to me it's worth trying new things and discovering new flavors.

So, the other day while "browsing" around some blogs, I came about a new and exciting recipe of Kale Chips. Yes, you read it right, Kale Chips.

Have you ever eaten Kale before? Well, in my case I don't think I have (that I know of) until the day that I tried it this way.

So, like many other times, when in doubt, I decided to conduct my very own research, via google on all things Kale and it's properties. And that's when I came to find out all about this vegetable extraordinaire, so naturally  I couldn't help but feeling kind of tempted to try it.

I mean, when you read information like; "Kale is packed with Vitamin A, C and E", "Kale is an excellent source of fiber and calcium", "it is extremely sparse on calories and has no saturated fat"... among other wonders!

So, I decided to give the recipe a try. And Oh My! Did I fell absolutely in love with it? YES! I did.

So, here's the recipe, if you care to give it a try one day.

Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
canola or olive oil, for cooking
good-quality coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Wash kale and dry it in a salad spinner or between tea towels. (Extra moisture will keep them from getting nice and crispy.) Cut or pull out the tough stems, tear the leaves into chip-sized pieces and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss with your hands to coat well; arrange in a single layer and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 10 to 15 minutes, until crispy and starting to turn brown on the edges, but not too dark. Serve immediately or cool completely and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

If you would like to add other condiments other than salt, just think of it as potato chips that come in flavors of onion (use union powder), lime (use lime condiment), sprinkle a bit of vinegar or just like I like to do it, experiment until you find the right condiment for your taste buds.

Disclaimer: I do have to say that Kale is a pretty exotic taste, kind of earthly, but it's just delicious to my taste buds. Perhaps is because I am the kind of person that loves eggplant and hummus- just to give you and idea of what it might taste like.

Anyway, if you feel like trying something new, perhaps this might be a good option, to me it is delicious, healthy and crunchy recipe (just like I like it!). Hope you like it as well! Bon Appettit

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

tale of the weekend

I sometimes feels like Monday sneaks up on me because the weekend is way to short. The weekend feels like 4 hours and the weekdays feel like a month, ha!

I worked for a few hours on Sat. as yesterday was Father's day and we expected some good sales at the store. We did pretty good but I didn't really sell many big pieces, although sales have been pretty decent and we are on our way to hopefully reach our monthly target.

Last Thursday we went to a beautiful beach wedding ceremony. John (who got married that day to Diane) found Mark's blog a long time ago and although he has been to Grand Cayman before, this time he wanted to come back and get married here. It was the first time we both met him and his family.

John & Diane listening to his kids speech

It was very kind of him to invite us as we never met in person before and the ceremony was very small and private one, only attended by the couple's set of children (this was bride and groom second marriage and the wife has two girls and the groom too boys), John's brother & his family, Diane's sister and her best friend.

After the wedding with their kids

Best looking couple!

The afternoon was lovely, with a fantastic sunset to close to evening...

Me, putting the sun to rest for the day!

 Then we celebrated in a small reception at a local restaurant, it was a lovely night.

Dinner at Casanovas

On Sat. like I mentioned before, I worked for a few hours and then we just hang out at the house, with the dogs, which is always a good option... We watched a few movies, but nothing really good...

Well, now it's back to the reality that it is Monday and there's another week ahead of us... So, let's make the best out of it and have a great one!

happy daddy day!!!

photo found here

 "Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a Dad"

To all Fathers, Grandfathers and specially to my two amazing Dad's;

Happy Father's Day!!