12 Years

12 years ago today I married the most loving, funny, passionate, generous man I know. He remains my bestfriend, my rock, my heart. Thank you for caring and loving me and Aston unconditionally. You may not be perfect but I thank you for striving to be the best husband and father you are today. 

Love you much. 

First Day of School

Last Tuesday was Aston's first day in Kindergarten. We are looking a little smug here. Coming from Disneyland the day before and still in PST time zone, it wasn't the best of days for him. Nevertheless, we made it fine to school and meeting turned out fun with his new teachers and classmates. 

This week is full of adjustments for him. The program ends noon all week and the transition to the After school program after lunch, seems to be a little overwhelming. We are positive he will be adjusting well soon and will cope with the demands of the new kindergarten schedule! 

Hey buddy, we are so excited for you!

Insta-Week

wow. hours and minutes go fast but the days seem to last longer although the week is almost over. we are looking forward to another weekend and hopefully, getting most things done on my to-do list including a back-to-school tax free weekend shopping that kicks off today! 

before i head on out the door, let me just dump a few iphone photos here from the past week including some shots from the past weekend! 

are you fantasizing fall? i do. i busted out my fall nailpolish colors to get some inspiration! 

oh and pink was the color past weekend! 

our little guy enjoying a ride later in the evening. it's still too hot outside and it's totally brutal. 

we also enjoyed a fantastic sunday brunch at our favorite mexican restaurant, escalante's and we shared a huge plate of french toast cooked the mexican way. i can't say no to caramelized apples! 

after brunch we walked across the street and visited the beautiful showroom of restoration hardware. 

let's just say, i want everything. nuff said. 

i finally joined the bubble necklace cult and they are really cute. they do elevate the look of a simple tshirt. so far i have that green one, a blue bubble pendant and also got a cobalt blue bubble bib necklace and a yellow one that dear friend, nina picked up for me. 

and oh, red velvet sandwich cookies are fixing my sweet cravings lately!  

i am also obsessed with BB creams lately. luckily i found the last one at CVS the other day. it does wonders to my skin so far and you can tell even when you wipe them off after a long day! 

i'm still heavy on metallic nails and this new purple one from essie is divine. it does come out looking like silver but with hints of violet in it. 

just sharing a new hair routine here : moroccan argan oil spray on damp hair adds a bit of shine and relaxes frizz hair. i have naturally wavy hair, so i don't think i need a body wave perm since i wake up with slightly curly hair anyway. so with a spray of oscar blandi dry shampoo and the moroccan argan oil, i'm set! 

lastly, i'm in love with my golden birkin art print by randa of iseenoise prints. it's going to go in my dresser or closet. still undecided. 

OK, i think that's it for the week....you all have a fabulous weekend! 

Insta-Lately

Another weekend over. Another week ahead. August is here and school will be too!

Some images here and there. Glimmer nailpolishes and lemon bars ~ just a few things that make me smile. 

Matching boat shoes for me and the little guy and a welcome packet from our friends at Disney. Yay!

Pretty pink pattern explosion and orange sailboats are perfect for summer. And so is delectable Magnum ice cream bars and the preppy pink and green combo!

How was your weekend? 

Latest Food Haunts

Restaurant week started the other day and it's a great time to check out dining places you have not visited before in the Houston area. The yearly event is for a good cause and judging from past years success, this one will be too if not better. To see if your favorite restaurant is participating, check out the list here. 

I have a few places that I frequent lately and I couldn't be more pleased with their food and service. Love to hang out here : 

• Sweet Paris - my favorite is their Dulce de leche crepe
• Tiny's (both the Saint and Rice locations) - the best choc chip cookie ever in town! 
• Guru Burgers and Crepes - with an only Sugar Land location, I'm so happy we're so close to this gem! Faves : Ukulele Burger (with egg and pineapple) and Guru Truffle fries. Oh the crepes are fantastic too! 

We also dined last Saturday at Triniti and that was a fabulous place with really high energy crowd and amazingly delicious food. They are pariticipating in HRW too! 

Growth Spurt

Where did our baby go? In a few weeks he will be in Kindergarten. Lots of mixed emotions over here. Keep me from sobbing.

He looks and acts different now - in a good way. Our little big boy is acting like he's 5. He's more verbal with his emotions and how he feels (a tender way of talking back at us). More decisive and highly inquisitive (aka very nosy). And refuses to have a haircut. He's going for the surfer dude look. 

He still loves his goldfish crackers though and he's rekindling his love for the Cars movie in preparation for a Disney California trip before school starts. Superheroes and villains take a back seat for now (thank god) as racecars and tow trucks are a new passion. 

christmas 2010

christmas 2010

fall 2010

summer 2011

christmas 2011 and spring 2012


Sweet Aston baby, please dont grow up so fast. Love, Mom and Dad.

Insta-Week

Are you in Instagram (i'm @swankychicfete)? I confess, my big camera has been in hiatus lately as I have been utilizing my iPhone documenting random daily life events aka OOTD pics, food porn pics and more (LOL). It's just more convenient, less complicated. Here's a peek of my past week.....

A few things that make me happy ~ monogrammed cupcake notecards and le pen. Magnum ice cream bars for cooling off. Fastfood Wendy's amazingly good salad. Essie's new metallic mirror nailpolishes. 

I just noticed what last week's outfit theme was ~ leopard spots! 

Have a great week ahead! 

Las Vegas according to my iPhone

We are still traveling this morning and should be back home at the end of the day. Let me share some images from our las vegas weekend. We all had a grand time and i'm not looking forward going back to the routine work grind.

Have a great Monday all!
And if you follow my other blog, don't forget to join our summer faves giveaway. It ends this Wednesday, july 25th!

Frametastic Friday

It's friday the13th!

13 has been a lucky number to me and I'm starting my friday sharing the fun past week of my so-called life! 

Have you discovered the frametastic app yet? It allows you to make photo collages straight from your phone. This time I'm gathering a few instagram (@swankychicfete) photos capturing my week.

Last week, I finally came out of my hair rut and decided to get my roots done and added some highlights at albert luiz salon and spa and I think I've finally found my girl, Yvette. She was fantastic! Couldn't be more happier. 

We also took Aston for his 5 year old check-up and didn't share this before but we had a little rash incident about a month ago after he ate a mixed nut pack bought at the airport. He's been eating PBJ since like forever with no reactions, so we thought he might be allergic to a particular nut. And sure enough, we got him tested and he's allergic to half of the variety of nuts out there. Pecans were spared, thank god. Yep, that's him showing off the book his pediatrician gave him on his visit.

My may books planner/agenda came in this week and i am excited to jot down my important notes/reminders/schedule on my fabulous notebook designed and created by me. It came in it's cute packaging and a generous discount code for my next order! LOVE it! 

It's been raining all week and lazy days and nights are here. One evening, I bust out the yummy kim chi ramen noodles I've been saving for those kinds of nights and voila - instant dinner. I paired it with my latest fave san pellegrino arianciata rossa and i am in perfect dinner heaven!

I have been bombarded by emails, comments and texts on where I got the colorful patterned paper straws I posted in facebook and instagram last week - and yes, it's from target! I looked them up online but looks like it's only available in stores. You can find them by the party supplies next to stationery. Last time i checked, they were out of them. it's by spritz and priced at $ 1.99/20 pcs. Do check your local store from time to time, i'm sure they'll stock up on them again!

I'm not a gym junkie but i sure love going to my barre classes at define. I try to go at least 2-3 times a week and if I just improve on my diet, I'd be losing weight and toning more than where i am now. Ha! Define recently opened their west u studio and it's amazing! If you're in the houston area, do check them out - Hank and the ladies there are awesome!

I've been afraid of polka dots (particularly the big dots) ever since this fashion trend started. I thought they're unflattering on me but I found an adorable inexpensive sheer dotted blouse at marshalls and thought I'd give it a try. Can't wait to wear it with my bright jeans or shorts!

Lastly, our GIVEAWAY is still open today till tomorrow midnight - stop by and join to win one bracelet of your choice! good luck and have a fantastic weekend, friends!

4th of July Parade

Summer camp's 4th of July parade was last Tuesday. Everyone were dressed in their red, whites and blues and all the kids and babies were just adorable!

They started the parade in the school's hallways then proceeded outside for a quick round and ended in the sanctuary. It was earlier in the day, so the heat was still bearable and they didn't stay that long outside. Overall, it was fun and the kiddos get to strut and showoff their DIY project streamers and marracas and pinwheels! So fun and festive! 

Here's our little guy breaking up the line as he spotted mommy and showered her with hugs and kisses! 

4th of July at home was quiet and simple. We started early with a moviedate with the Amazing Spiderman. Then we grilled BBQ at home for dinner and watched the fireworks on TV! 

Bummed that we all have to go to work the next day :(

And here's my last minute patriotic tablecenterpiece I put together using my stand-by pantry staples. To check out the complete post, visit my other blog here!