Well, let me take your picture...Angelise Benavidez, 22 of Harlingen said she'd like to be a photographer one day...looking out for great places to take photos, I ran into her inside an old building that was turned into a cafe.  Asking her for a shot, for my blog, was a piece of cake.

Interesting piece of art..Is he an angel with chicken feet, or an angel with his wings cut off or just a fine piece of art?

She's only just begun...Gracen Garza knows who her Grandma is... When she drop in, her eyes and little hands go straight to grandma's necklaces.  We play dressup, and Oh, will she have pictures when she turns 18.

Build me a son, Oh Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory, in whatever fight he has to put up to help those in need. (anonymous)
                  Pablo Garza, III Attorney at Law ~ McAllen, Texas

At Hayashi's in McAllen, you can depend on some of the best oriental foods made right before your eyes.  Their shows are amazing and their atmosphere is so inviting.

A showdown begins at Hayashi, a Japanese restaurant in McAllen.  Children watch without a blink in their eyes while everyone else captures those flaming cones made out of onions and other tricks that chefs are professionally trained at.

A fresh, organic strawberry field, yields jumbo strawberries.  If there is any such thing as an all-American fruit, it's strawberries. They're our most popular dessert fruit. In most places local strawberries have a very short season. You can, of course, buy them year round, but like a lot of good things, the best strawberries are still the ones you get locally during those few brief weeks that they're in season.

He got accepted to Rice University.  With that in mind, an owl cake it was! As I introduced his new mascot, no words could describe the look on his face.  My husband's nephew didn't let anyone touch this for two weeks. He froze it, defrosted it and froze it again.  He came home one day after school and found a huge piece of the cake on a plate.  His mom had to finally put an end to it.  Too funny.

You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees can teach you to build a special place with that special person, out there in the great outdoors. Your mission is to find that someone, that place and those plans.

 

 

The bigger stones give it character. The rock is what makes this waterfall a place to watch, dream and sit by, feeling the February cool water with your hand and letting that water run through your feet.

Picture this right outside your window!  When the sun has set, no candles can replace the view.  Also remember, every sunset will set you closer to that goal you're reaching for.

Hello mommy, goodbye tummy...He has your finger, but you will always have his heart.

Lights, camera, indulge!  New from Victoria Secret, is the "I'm yours" collection of chocolates truffles for Valentine's Day.  They celebrate this exquisite collection that celebrates the charm of cinema idol's favorite cocktails and timeless flavors.
The flavors:  SEDUCTION, Champagne milk chocolate; FABULOUS, Pistachio White Chocolate Cream in Dark Chocolate with pink murray river salt; LOVE, Antiguan Rum with field strawberries and milk chocolate; BOMBSHELL, passion fruit, hibiscus dark chocolate ganache in white chocolate with an orange poweder; VERY SEXY, Hawaiian Black Salt Caramel ganche in dark chocolate, TEMPTATION, Handmade Dulce de Leche with deep milk chocolate and DREAM ANGEL, Cream Soda White Chocolate ganache in milk chocolate and pink sugar.

Style is in the air...how "cool," and with a great big chill inside the freezer, this 1940's refrigerator is short and perfect for those outdoor BBQ's and parties.  Keeps all your drinks chilled and it doesn't matter how many people you have over, you will always have a smile from someone on this "talk piece" of a fridge.

This collection is hard to resist.  A cookie jar collection brings a smile to everyone's face, whether young or old. Many are taken back to their grandma's kitchen with the smell of cinnamon, chocolate or vanilla wafting in the air and the selection of that one "perfect" cookie taken carefully from her cookie jar. Collecting cookie jars is such a fun thing to do.  Having over 300 cookie jars was gettings things a little congested in the kitchen. Selling most of them was easy.  However, keeping those that are a "talk piece" have always placed everyone's eyes on the counters with a great big smile.
 From left to right are Goldilocks valued at $800.00, Smiley valued at $1,600.00 and Little Red Riding Hood valued at $1,260.00 (if they are all in mint condition).

So what happened to Tip and Mitten gramma?  2 year-old Tristan loves ice-cream and has to enjoy it while listening to any cute story from Gramma.  He is such a good listener, that if I stop to ask questions, he will strike right back and tell it like it is.

Anything special on your cake, I always ask...She said, "Orchids please". Small, simple and lots of color.  This 8" cake for 20 people is a Piña Colada cake for a 40th birthday.  Not one cake has ever been the same.  Perhaps another cake may have the same idea, but whatever comes to mind as I begin to design, is where I begin a creation.  I then prepare for fresh flowers, fresh fruit or detail in icing.

A cool January sunrise with a great cup of coffee, makes it impossible to watch and not dream.

Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and a sky of the sky of a tree that can be called life; which can grow higher than soul, because life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.  I can see so much love in this tree... can you?

Replicating the American Gothic painting by Grant Wood is Iannelli Garza and Lucas Dyer.  They took my gigantic fork from my wall as a decor and posed for the shot.  The painting has become not only one of the most reproduced images  in American popular culture, it has also virtually become emblematic of the simple virtues for which America is said to stand. The actual painting is a father and daughter, not a husband and wife. 

 

                                    

                It's that time of the season in the Rio Grande Valley where
                orchards are blooming in Oranges.  Whether is fresh orange
                juice or fresh orange wedges in your salad, an orange or lemon
                tree can be one of the best choices to plant in your own backyard.

                            Inside this chapel are walls of stone, 2 bench seats,
                            its alter and you, yourself and Him.

Within nature, we can built a chapel.  A small, quaint and meaningful church chapel was built about the size of a 12 x12 in a beautiful home's backyard.  As you walk in, no matter the size or color, you feel like you are in God's home.

 This is like, over the river and through the woods....  This 100 year-old antique cart was brought in from Rodriguez Coahuila Mexico into the backyard of The Maldonado Family of  Rio Grande Steel.  It's used as a backyard decoration and for photos in all sorts of events.

PhotoJ - Photo-of-the-Day

                           Meet Molly!  She's been mine since birth.
                        She's learned to listen to the girls talk outside
                    on their phone and suddently she yells, OH MY GOD!!

"You are the most beautiful curio cabinet I've ever seen. Bow for us"? Made of all walnut wood is this gorgeous creation by Mario's Doors in Mission. Sold to a customer in Alice, Texas, this beauty sold for $3,800.00. Do you love it or do you just love it?