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It's been a sad week for me. The Oprah Show had its final episode.

I know, I know. It's 'just' a TV show. But, it's really not. It's so much more.

Describing Oprah and her show is almost impossible to me. I have thought and thought of how to put into words what an amazing human being she is. And what she has done for the world. For women. For minorities. For the gay community. For victims of molestation, rape and abuse. For all of those who just want to be heard. And to feel validated.

She is more than just a talk show host. She is an inspiration. A visionary. A woman that millions of women, girls (and everyone else!) can look to as a hero, as a role model.

I can't claim to have seen every episode. Not even close. I didn't start watching Oprah regularly until I was in my 20s. My mom didn't watch her, so I found her on my own. (haha, 'OWN' is her new network :) The first episode I ever watched was an episode of her Favorite Things that she had designed just for teachers in the fall of 2004. I was hooked after that.

As a teacher, woman, and especially now as a mother, her show has come to mean so much to me. I could count on it every night on the DVR to inspire me, to entertain me, to challenge me. So many episodes it seemed as though she was speaking right to me.

Oprah has kept me grateful. She's kept me thankful for the ridiculous amount of blessings I have. She's inspired me to strive to live my Best Life and be my best self. She's taught me the power of positive thinking, of being aware of the energy we put out into the world. She's taught me how to step back and take a moment, whether to enjoy the simple pleasures or to gather myself back up and focus. She has helped me to be a better mother, better wife, a better human being.

On Wednesday, Facebook had different reactions to the ending of the show. Most of my friends (the girls at least) who commented were sad, disappointed, devastated. Many chose to say nothing at all. Many didn't know or didn't care. But, a few people said things such as, "What is the big deal about Oprah anyway?" Really? REALLY???? It's clear to me that you've a) never watched the show and b) never looked into what Oprah has done with her own life and the lives of countless others. Come on now. SHAME ON YOU

Oprah, I'll miss your show at 4 every day. I still think there's a lot you can teach me. If you would just air repeats of your show at 4:00 every weekday, I think I could catch up on what I missed out on.

Thank you for inspiring me to be my Best Self. I'll keep trying.

Small Style Birthday Edition

Last year for Kalaya's first birthday, we made a really big deal and had a large party. This isn't what I'm used to, but my husband is Pacific Islander and in that culture, the 1st birthday is the big one. Kalaya wore a cute birthday dress that I loved and got on super clearance:

Dress: Fred Meyer (Carter's)
Crown: Target

This year, we scaled WAY back on the party and just had a little playdate with a couple of friends. I wanted her to wear something, but this year I wanted her to be able to wear the outfit over and over. (the dress wasn't really something to wear just anywhere) I made the shirt myself! I am not very crafty, but I'm really proud of the shirt! I cut out an iron-on patch in the shape of a 2 and put it on a white tee from Old Navy that we already had. I outlined the patch with silver glitter puff paint. (yeah puff paint!!) I thought it turned out perfect and she can wear it all year! She knows it's her 'two shirt'!!

Shirt: Old Navy and decorated by Mommy
Tutu: Old Navy
Leggings: Fred Meyer
Shoes: Hand-me-down

Small Style 5/19

I haven't been posting much lately, but here's a small style for the week. The weather is getting nicer!!

Sports teams are important at our house, especially our one and only local team!!

T Shirt (Daddy has one to match!), socks: Old Navy
Baby Legs: Target
Onesie: Carter's Outlet

This was taken right after her big present for her 2nd birthday!

Dress: Ross
White LS t-shirt: Fred Meyer
Leggings, socks: Target
Shoes: Hand-me-down

Kalaya with her BFF Elena right before going out to dinner for their Daddy's birthdays (they have several matching outfits...)

Dresses, turtlenecks: Christmas presents

This is to honor our blog friends from afar...my mom got this for me when I was pregnant and we were visiting Chico, which is where I grew up. Hi to Morgan and Laura!!

Chico Romper: Bird in Hand
Shoes: gift

I am linking up with Mama Loves Papa.

Ketchup

It has been a VERY busy couple of weeks. We/I have been busy! Here are the main things going on:

*With only a month before summer, I suddenly found myself the only person (apparently) who was still interested in planning our 10 year high school reunion. Everyone else I had originally started planning with had backed out on me. And, we hadn't finalized anything yet. Since I still wanted it to happen (and I know others do too, even if they don't want to plan), I decided to take it on myself. I found one other stay at home mom to help, which is actually turning out much better than having a committee. One text or phone call and decisions are made. We have had to do deadlines and such to keep prices down and get people to RSVP, but it's still not working. It's a lot of work and people don't seem interested. I'm really disappointed that the high school reunion days may be over, thanks to Facebook..... I've also discovered that people are going to complain no matter what you plan, yet some how don't want to plan it themselves. And, because of this, people don't realize what it costs to even have a simple reception/get together. Or that one person from the class would have to pay a large deposit to get things going!!!

*Birthday plans are in full swing for Kalaya (mainly) and Nelson as well. Kalaya's party is coming up and I didn't realize how much the theme I chose would save us so much money!! Since Kalaya LOVES bunnies (though we have more than enough stuffed bunnies and books about them!), I decided on bunny decorations and to make a bunny shaped cake. (Even the not so skilled cake decorator that I am knows how!) It turns out that it is SUPER cheap, because I hit up the Dollar Tree and the after Easter sales for party favors and decorations and have hardly spent anything. AND, our church said we could have the party there for FREE, which is great and it's a perfect space for a bunch of toddlers to run around and play. I can't wait!

*The housing search is continuing. We took a break for a few days during Easter week, because we were really busy and I didn't want to ask our realtor to work Easter weekend. (though it turns out she did anyway) We went out the Tuesday after Easter and found a couple that we were interested in and actually ended up making 3 offers. Sounds totally crazy, I know, but it makes sense in our market. One of the properties was bank owned, but the other 2 are short sale. Basically, (this is all new to me) that means that it could take 2-3 months to hear back from the short sales, but we'd hear back from the bank owned within a few days. (short sales are still owned by the owners, but are being sold for less than the people owe on the house, likely because they are no longer able to make payments)
We heard back quickly from the bank owned house. We knew it was a long shot. We made an offer under asking price the afternoon that it had dropped almost $20k. Someone else had offered more and it was accepted. That was okay, the location was actually our third choice. However, the house needed next to no work and was a really nice property and house, so we decided to try. So, that one is out.
The next house is in an okay location, but will need some work. However, the lot size (especially for Oregon) is HUGE. It is seriously like 2 full back yards. It is a corner lot and they had turned half of the back yard into an RV space. We would remove the gravel and put in turf. It's 4 bedrooms and priced really low. (it's been on the market a long time) It's short sale, so we won't hear back for quite awhile, but we couldn't pass it up.
The house that we are trying not to get our hopes up on too much, but REALLY hope is in God's plan is a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Tualatin. We lived there while I was pregnant with Kalaya and really liked the area. We hadn't even looked, because almost all of the houses are WAY out of our price range and it's more than we ever dreamed for. It has a formal living and dining room, family room, and eating area. The school district is FANTASTIC and it's a really good location for us. There is a bus stop Nelson could get to work from a block from the house, which means I could actually have a car during the day and we could put off trying to buy a car for a few more years. And, get this, it has a hot tub and a POOL. In Oregon it is almost unheard of. It's an above ground pool, but the previous owners (before the current) built a really nice deck up around it. It is fenced around the deck too and off to the side, so there is still plenty of yard left. The current owners haven't kept it up, but we sure would!!!! I am focusing on praying that I trust in God's plan... This is a short sale too, but something has happened that should let us know in the next couple of weeks!!!

Top 5 Friday: The Royal Wedding

I have been waiting and waiting for the Royal Wedding, ever since the engagement was announced last November. And dreading it too. I've been in love with William for longer than I can remember. But, that's a story for another blog.

I didn't even bother going to bed last night, I knew I was too excited. I started watching BBC at midnight and then shuffling around between the local networks to see all the action. And, it was absolutely one hundred percent worth how tired I feel today. It was absolutely perfect, a true fairy tale wedding. Every single second of it was exquisite. Here are my Top 5 favorite moments of the big day:

#5 The Vows


#4 The ride away from Buckingham Palace


#3 William whispers to Kate how beautiful she looks


#2 Tied: Kate and William each emerging from their cars and seeing them for the first time


#1 The Second Kiss


(VERY CLOSE) Runners Up:

The carriage ride

The First Kiss

Harry whispering to William as he catches a glimpse of Kate

The fabulous hats

Small Style Easter Edition 4/28

It is STILL cold and rainy almost every day here in the Northwest, so still a lot of layering going on in our house!

Dress: Old Navy
Leggings: Fred Meyer
Carrot (bubbles!) Necklace and Bunny Slippers: Easter Bunny! (Target)

(the attitude cracks me up in this picture! though it was just a coincidence of timing.)

Sweater, Socks: Target
Leggings: Fred Meyer
Shoes: Pedi Ped (thrifted)

Kalaya is going to be a flower girl for a wedding in June, so I decided to buy her dress early, so we could get some extra wear out of it for Easter. I am so glad that the bride was understanding about paying for a dress for a toddler to wear once. She requested a white dress, but didn't care where it was purchased. I looked at David's Bridal, but even the clearance dresses are $75!!! So, I found a simple dress at Target (20 bucks!) and purchased a sash ($10) at David's that will match the bridesmaids. I'll post pics of that in June! For Easter, I attempted to make a sash with ribbon and it looked okay. I don't know the first thing about even the most basic things about sewing, so this was as creative as I get!! I thought it turned out fine for what it was. : ) People at church went crazy over her, so I guess it was a hit! (on the actual day, we had to wear a turtleneck under it and tights. These pics were taken later)

Dress: Target
'Sash', Hat: The Dollar Tree

I am linking with Mama Loves Papa.

What I Wore Wednesday

Just a couple of pics this week. I swear, I'm wearing outfits cuter than sweats more days than I post, but I don't always get around to grabbing my camera. The first outfit shirt and shoes are new. I wanted to try the wedge shoes (which, by the way, make me TOWER over my husband) but didn't want to pay very much. I found a really cute pair this week that were $60 and I do NOT pay that much for shoes. So, I searched the clearance bin and found these marked down 65% (love that!) for only $13!!! Couldn't pass that up!

Shirt: Ross

Jeans: Target
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack

Yup, it is still chilly here. I can get away with these tall boots that I love and cost me next to nothing, because I bought them with Kohl's Cash and birthday money in November!!!

Sweater, T, Jeans: Target
Boots: Kohl's
Necklace: Forever 21 Accessory Store

The family picture shows my dress I wore to church for Easter. I LOVE this dress. Last summer I wanted to get a new summer print to wear to events such as weddings, etc. I absolutely love the 50s housewife-type dresses. I tried on several and made a point not to read the price tag, because I wanted to buy something that made me feel good, not just because it was inexpensive. I tried this dress on and fell in love with it (it even has housewife pockets!!) and when I checked the price tag afterward, discovered it was $100. : ( I couldn't remember if it was on a sale rack or not, because it was the last one, so I decided to brave it and go up the the cash register. And, get this???? IT WAS 75% off!!! 25 bucks!! It made it even more awesome. I love it. I may wear it to my 10 year reunion this summer. And, of course, every good house wife has to wear pearls. : )

Dress: JC Penney
Shoes (not pictured): Ross
Necklace (fake): K Mart

(Tomorrow's 'Small Style' will include a detailed description of Kalaya's Easter outfit!)

Easter 2011

We had a nice week of fun Easter activities this year. Kalaya definitely gets the Easter egg hunt concept, especially after the THREE different hunts she participated in. Luckily, we had practiced with eggs and baskets around the house and she LOVED it. She got to hunt at out church, with out mommy group and this morning, after the Easter Bunny left some eggs to find out our house to find, as well as some fun surprises! I can't believe it's been a year since this...


Enjoy the pictures! I didn't manage to get one of her in her Easter dress by herself, but will try again tomorrow and will post it when I do. It's SO pretty. She's going to be a flower girl in June and the dress is a little over the top for Easter Sunday (it's pure white!), but we wanted to get as much wear out of it as we can! I'll post more about it for Small Style this week.

Egg hunt #1 (at church) with BFF Elena. Stumped trying to find eggs.

Got one!

Egg hunt #2 with our mommy group, expert at finding eggs this time!

Checkin' the loot

Egg hunt #3, our house Easter morning!

Basket in hand, this is what we trained for!!


Wait, another basket, FULL??

Bunny Pillow Pet gets a kiss

Looking through her Easter basket

Happy Easter from the Sigrahs!

Top 5 Friday: Earth Day

Today, here are the Top 5 ways we strive to be green in the Sigrah household, in honor of one of my favorite holidays; EARTH DAY!!!

1. Recycle

One of the things I love more than anything about the Northwest is that it is weird if people DON'T recycle. It is a way of life here. From the time we're in pre-school, we're exposed to those beautiful blue bins for paper and how to separate out cans, bottles, cardboard, tin, glass, plastic and the oh-so-many more things that can be recycled. When I see people put paper, cans or anything that can be recycled in the trash, it literally hurts my heart. It is SO WASTEFUL not to recycle. We use the trash cans such a small amount that we only end up emptying for smell, not because they're full. We only have to have the trash taken every other week and could easily get away with only once a month, but our company doesn't offer that. However, the recycling bin (which is twice as big as the garbage can) is FULL every week!

2. If there's a reusable version, rather than disposable, we try to use it instead!
(this is a cloth diaper, incase you haven't seen the type we use)
In our house, this includes (but is not limited to): cloth diapers, homemade wipes, cloth towels, real dishes, table cloths, grocery bags, lunch bags, tupperware instead of baggies, wash cloths, containers that held other items previously (ex, sour cream container reused to store leftovers), cups, silverware, YOU NAME IT!


3. Buying Organic
After researching so much about how food is raised and processed in our country and world, it only makes sense to buy organic as much as possible. I want to go to local farms to be even more green and start buying more food that way. This saves so much in so many ways.


4. Breastfeeding
It may not seem like it, but nursing is so green!! It eliminates or greatly reduces bottles, formula, raising cows for milk (and ALL that goes along with that), chemicals in so many of the processes for getting these things, the gas, the materials, etc, etc, etc. AND it's kept my child healthy and not having to go to the doctor as much to help with THAT part of being green!


5. Eating meat once a week or less

I wish this could say vegetarian. Or vegan honestly. But, I don't think our family will ever quite be either. The way meat is raised, processed and shipped is awful for our planet. There are so many ways that the meat and poultry industries could improve this, but it's taking a looooong time to get there. We are trying to help a little by eating less meat than the average American.

Runners up: washing almost all of our loads in cold water, using natural cleaning products, halogen light bulbs, etc.

Ways that I want to improve on green living (once we're in our own house): a clothes line, start composting again, buying most of our produce, eggs and meat from local, organic farmers, growing our own garden, raising chickens (some day....), using Lunapads, driving even less, and so many more!!

Small Style 4/21

I was almost as lazy about taking pictures of Kalaya's outfits this week as I was with my own. I only took one 'official' small style picture and the others are from our big weekend activities of her first haircut and the church Easter egg hunt.

Shirt: Fred Meyer
Jeans: Target

Easter Egg Hunt Outfit

Shirt, skirt: Fred Meyer
Leggings: (thrifted) Once Upon a Child
Socks: Gift
Shoes: Hand-me-down

Dress: Old Navy
Onesie: Carter's Outlet
Leggings: Target
Shoes: Hand-me-down