For those out there who don’t know, I’m in nursing school.  In fact I’m in my final semester! w00t!  I got here thanks to some great instructors and some fantastic equipment that our department purchases for us to learn with.  Due to the fact that there is a severe budget crisis, we don’t have as much income as we used to.  This means future students will be learning outdated information on outdated equipment.  For this reason, the Santa Ana College Student Nurse Association (SACSNA) is holding a fundraiser tomorrow at Knowlwood restaurant in Santa Ana.  The money from this fundraiser will not only go towards new equipment, books and videos, but is also used to send students across the country to the National Student Nurse Convention.  This is an excellent opportunity for those selected and is made possible thanks to fundraisers like this.

So PLEASE, if you are able, come by and help us out.  We will receive 15% of your order, as long as you mention Santa Ana College or nursing or SACSNA.

Here are the details:

Knowlwood Restaurant

2107 East 17th Street
(& Tustin Avenue)
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 541-0555

We get our discount from 11am-9pm.  Tell your friends too!!

I’ve been seeing a Hummingbird near our backdoor for the past few weeks. Then, the other evening, when I was taking photos of my garden flowers, I got dive-bombed, by what I thought was a giant bee. Those suckers are called Hummingbirds for a reason, their wings seriously hum.

The papier-mache looking nest

Last evening whilst I was on our patio, I noticed something that appeared to be a little nest in the potted ficus tree, which is literally at our back door. This morning I investigated further. Low and behold it is a nest with eggs in it! Little teeny tiny Hummingbird eggs. Now that I know she is there I’m afraid to go outside.

I just hope I’m around when they hatch. They will be sooo small. If anyone has any suggestions of what we should do/not do please comment away. I am going to get a Hummingbird feeder for her/them. I think she should have a name … any suggestions?

Check out the rest of the photos, after the jump.

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Sorry for the last minute post, but I just found out about this. Pinkberry is giving away free small yogurts tonight from 5pm-9pm to celebrate their new Mango flavor!!

More info can be found here.

I’m not so much a fan typically, but maybe I’ll give this new flavor a shot since its FREE. Enjoy! Have a great weekend.

Image courtesy dpfestivalofwhales.com

Are you looking for an inexpensive family-friendly event to attend this weekend or next? If so, Dana Point’s 39th Annual Festival of Whales may be just what you are looking for.

The Festival kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, March 6th at 10:00 a.m. with a parade along Pacific Coast Highway. According to the website all events are weather permitting, so you may want to call (1.888.440.4309 or 949.472.7888) before venturing out.

For more information check out the the official event program. Some of the events include: guided family tide pool hikes, street faire, free fishing clinic and trip for kids, cars, art, movie in the park and much more.

This years promotional poster was designed by John Van Hamersveld. You may not recognize the name, but you definitely know who he is. He designed one of the most iconic surfing images ever, The Endless Summer film promotional poster.

… well, at least here in SoCal. As you know, I’m from Pittsburgh and let me just say it rains there. A lot. The sky is also gray quite often. Living in Orange County for the past five years made me appreciate rain and – gasp – even miss it.

I know we’re all spoiled by the warm sunny weather here and get annoyed when it’s cool and rainy. So, I just wanted to take the time to show my appreciation for the rain and to say I enjoy the change of pace. It’s funny though, all of my East Coast friends and family think we live in the tropics, even after half a decade. I’m constantly reminding people that while it’s warmer here than Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., etc. 65° is NOT beach/pool weather.

As I’ve been driving around South County the past few days I’ve been noticing flowers and other plant life in bloom, thanks to the aforementioned rain. The onramp to the 5 North at Stonehill has some really pretty wildflowers. Seeing everything in bloom inspired me to take a closer look at my own yard. The people who lived here before us (remember, we just moved in December) really had a green thumb and things are sprouting and blooming all over the place. Of course, being the Dr. Kavorkian of all things green I figured I better document this while I can.

So follow me after the jump to take the time to “smell” the flowers.

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To read a hilarious post on the real estate woes of former OC Housewife Jeana Keough, go here.

Seriously, Your Mama is one of the most entertaining writers on the interwebs.

Good morning kids!  I wanted to bring to your attention a rock show happening tomorrow night NEXT WEDNESDAY March 10, at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.  A band called Back Pocket Memory, or BPM as they’re also known, is going to playing a show at about 7pm.  Why am I telling you about some random rock show happening next Wednesday?  Well I know all these guys.  They’re from Burbank, where I grew up.  In fact I used to play in a band with a few of them before BPM started.  Maybe I’m biased, but I think these guys rock it out.  I’m fairly certain I’m not alone in that thought, as they have definitely proven themselves recently.  Last year they won a battle of the bands contest that took them to Germany to compete in a world showcase and this year they’ve been invited to play the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX!  They were also featured on NBC4LA.com’s local music spotlight last week.

I hope many of you can make it out there.  They will be opening the show, so there’s no excuse of “I don’t want to stay out too late.”  To get tickets, just show up the night of the show, or contact the band on their Facebook page.  The BPM members will have tickets for you for $10.  So…..go!  I’ll see you there!

Update!!  It’s NEXT week March 10….not tomorrow!

For actually taking to court a couple who is trying to reduce their water consumption.  They tore out their lawn and replaced it with fencing and drought-tolerant plants, but that didn’t appease the city.  Who (because I can’t believe it and I have to repeat it to myself) is now prosecuting them for not having a lawn!

In this age of being water-conscious, ridiculous!  As long as it isn’t endangering anyone and isn’t an eyesore, it is their private property to do with as they wish.

Good luck to the Has!

Dear Something Corporate,

My husband and I were just listening to one of your best songs, “If U C Jordan” and we were wondering if you couldn’t just let bygones be bygones and get your original lineup back together?

Smooches,
Gina

Upated: They will be reunited and performing at Bamboozle Left at Anaheim Stadium this March! OMG!

Tomorrow is IHOP’s National Pancake Day!!  That means from 7am-10pm, go to participating IHOP restaurants and you can receive a FREE short stack of pancakes!!!

Being that tomorrow is also the opening of Captain EO, you can go get your FREE pancakes across the street from the Disneyland Main Entrance at the IHOP on Harbor, then head straight into the park to see Captain EO!  (And yes I called to check, though usually that IHOP does not honor promos usually, they WILL be honoring that promo.)

*Also a little tip: If you park at that IHOP, you can run into the park for a bit and save yourself the Disney parking fees. :-)

That’s right kids.  The rumors were all true.  While it was originally thought that Captain EO would return for the special Halloween celebration Disneyland had in 2009, there simply wasn’t enough time to do it up right.  According to the Disney Parks Blog the official date for it’s return is this Tuesday February 23!!!  Also, according to the blog site, there will be a special Captain EO announcement on the Disneyland Twitter account next week.  So if you have Twitter, follow them to see what it is!

I was lucky enough to be in the first audience to see the movie since 1997 last week when they were doing some special cast member testing.  It sounds great and was so fun to watch in 3D again.  I think this will be a huge success due to fans who remember it from their younger days and also for the new generation who have never seen it before.  Also, be ready for a few new surprises that didn’t exist in the original run. :-)

Anyone going opening day??  Maybe we can have a good old fashion IRL (In Real Life) meetup!

A few weekends ago we visited Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We’ve been trying to support our local business with the added bonus of actually knowing where our food is coming from.

On one side you will see a produce “stand” stocked with fresh produce as well as honey, baked goods and jarred deliciousness.

On the otherside are the wagon rides thru the farm with family friendly information on how the fruits and vegetables grow.  You’ll get to pick your own and eat there.

See what else Tanaka farms has to offer after the break…

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click to embiggen

This weekend I’m pretty much residing at the Anaheim Sport Center with my youngest who is in a basketball tournament.  The sport center is in one of the grittier sections of Anaheim (Anaheim Blvd and Cerritos).  What lightens up the trip is getting to have lunch and dinner over at George’s Best Burger’s.

George’s Best Burgers is a classic burger drive-in dive.  Its age is uncertain, but it is old, appears to date to at least the early 60’s.  It is in need of a new coat of paint but it is clean.  I firmly believe that the age of that well seasoned griddle and grill is why the burgers come out so frakkin’ tasty.  It is worlds away from the sterile main street of  ”Downtown Disney” only a few blocks away and I like it that way.

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While my poor infant daughter who has a cold attempts to nap despite having a stuffed-up nose, I came across this article in the LA Times.

And this perplexing letter:

What I expected: Magic.

What I found: It is a run-down amusement park. It feels nothing like the Disney resort in Orlando, Fla. I realize this park is older, but it is carny-like, even the newish California Adventure. I was looking forward to visiting Disneyland because of my affinity for Disney World and was sadly disappointed. There wasn’t any magic.

Tanya King, Los Angeles

Tanya! I am confuzled!

If you are from Los Angeles, how is it that you have visited Disney World before Disneyland? Are you a recent transplant?

And “carny-like?” As in old, dirty rides being manned by questionable men with even more questionable dental and/or bodily hygiene?

I wonder if she would think the Parthenon is unkempt and in need of some paint.