the life and times of the dougherty four

a new year...

2011-01-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

ok, so i have this blog that i have neglected for so long. no love at all...
this year i will try to post with some love...

time and distance...

2009-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since my last post. With the unexpected death of my brother I needed some time to heal. We find forms and ways to do it in. For me I try to find it in art, a way of incorporating the hurt into a project of some sort. I knew as soon as I spent time with my sister in law, Cassie she inspired me. You can tell the love that she has for her family and my brother, Dan. So when she left I knew exactly what I was going to do and for whom…that’s right when she left…she came all the way over from Australia just like they had intended to do for my sister wedding. She will never know how much I love her for still coming…
Projects I say…these are them…one for Kate my niece…Sisters…the banner
Sisters being all women standing strong togetherness
Cassie is the lucky gal who gets two projects a mini album…all my lovelies and a banner with the word inspire just because she does…I love her…
I didn’t make something for the guys because I didn’t think that was their “thing” but if it is I’m sure they’ll let me know.

And lastly…I have a 2nd grader!!!! His morning photo on his first day…

Only great sadness for you...

2009-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

sadder then sad is all i have and the memories of days long ago...i love you dan...rest in peace...my brother...

newspaper

Boys just wanna have fun...

2009-04-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

well...and so do us girls...
This weekend was a no brainer 95+ in Brentwood 80 on San Francisco shore...what would you choose? So we packed up and got out of Dodge. You know me any excuse for a road trip...i think that was everyone else's thought too. i have never seen so many people out to beat the heat.

Big and little...the boys enjoyed themselves...what wasn't there not to enjoy...every make and model of dog was out there for Liam...sand, dirtyness and H2O for Darren and Hayden. John was just itching to save someone...look at his lifeguard stance as his watchful eye keeps Bruce in his sight. Bruce could have had a heart attack from the coldness of the water...i only went up to my toes and that was enough.

So as we do in camping we set up camp on the beach. Comfort i tell ya...still didn't stop John from wanting to go home within two hours. But that's him and of course the general consensus was to ignore him. The views were incredible...just a gorgeous day. So what was our rush??

On Sat. we took part in a flea mkt. fundraiser...before we even set up Diane and i were in the red to Steven who was selling vintage goodies. That only meant i had to sell things to get in the black. So these are some of the goodies we shared...

As i promised...pictures of my spring banner from weeks ago. Every time i look at it...it makes me smile :) :)
Now i have to work on a summer one...hmmmmm

Spring flings....

2009-04-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

easter springtime fun at Casini Ranch on the Russian River. After all the calamities we look back and realize...yes, we did have fun...right Marian???10 stitches on the outside and 2 on the inside...no nerve or tendon damage...regardless of injury he always had a hot pot of coffee brewing in the cold morning. i thank you for spoiling me James!!!
Egg hunt madness revisited on Sat. Still no Bunny love for Liam...would you with an over 6 foot tall bunny??? I wasn't sure he was going to get down to hunt for eggs but he did eventually and the bunny stayed his distance from Liam.We made a quick trip into Guerneville...we were in need of Starbucks in the afternoon and a hunt for vintage goodies. The day we came in our favorite vintage lace spot was having a 1/2 off day...score!!! On our way back to the campground they had a donkey and miniature horse petting farm going on. The animals made a car full of ladies squeal with gleee...they were so darn cute...the baby donkeys were 1 week and 3 weeks old. Liam wanted one for his backyard. And the caretaker put Liam on one of the miniature horses.i was proud of him that he trusted her enough for that. Then we came back and all the kids colored eggs along with some adults....Cathy too!!!ahh yes we can't forget the aupair...she worked hard this weekend...twins were added to the mix for her but not identical...lucky for her!!! On Easter morning we had the hunt for the baskets...big cousin helped the little ones...Hayden's wingman Darren was not himself easter morning...it was sad because i knew how much he enjoys the holiday but after a puke/nap session he was good to go.Because it was so cold at night we had to make sure our wood supply didn't run out...i just love the way the trees frame John and Liam...

In the kids baskets were some kites that Diane and I picked up at the dollar store. Flying the kites in the late afternoon sun was just a great finish to Easter...They had so much fun flying them. i did forget to say that Granddaddy showed with Lizzy, Katie and Michael in the morning after they saw Bodega Bay five times. They were a little lost...He brought the Brunch and i cooked it up...nice time...we even had the hot cross buns...yum! Speaking of yum...us girls found a scrumptiious yummy bakery in Duncan Mills...so it was nice to have warm pastries with James great coffee in the morning....sooooo
after stitches, pink eye scare, coldness of the mornings, puke session...all in all it was still another camping adventure...

I have scrapped though...will post banner soon and pics from our other camping trip...can you beleive 3 trips already...

Spring is in the air...

2009-03-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

flowers are popping out of the ground and awakening to the warm air. hayden has been out on break now for over a week. keeping him busy is no problem...camping that's all I have to say...
we went to one of our favorite campgrounds...better when there isn't crowds and you have to share the bathrooms. the kids had a great time on their bikes riding around and around...hitting the park...playing badminton...croquet...what else do little boys do????

we set up our camp and proceeded to move right on into play mode...

now on to our next adventure...Snug Harbor...we'll be back soon

I've got nothing for ya...

2009-03-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

my son's first tooth became loose. Those of you who know Hayden he has these little teeth for this big ol' body and head. We noticed that a permanent tooth was coming in behind the baby teeth on the bottom row. On Monday I called the dentist to move up his apt. to an earlier date. Well he saw the dentist yesterday along with Liam. The dentist recommended that he pull two of the bottom along with filling two cavities. Luckily through the last days I prepped him enough to know what could play out. He was prepared and decided not to fret over his upcoming break about what could happen so he chose to have it done.

My big boy...Liam looked on so he knew what to expect if and when he went. Hayden wanted me to rub his leg and not hold his hand because somebody might see him holding his mommy's hand. He's just a rockstar in my eyes. A very well prepped boy. Later in the night he just asked for a little motrin to go to sleep with.

So do you like my tiger?? Can you catch him by the tail?? They were doing some face painting at the gym and this roared to see me along with some Batmans...but I don't have pics of them.

So isn't this just the sweetest...Liam with his Cinderella napping...he LOVES her to bits.
This is what dreams are made of...

My dreams are that I hope my husband finds a job soon or me which ever comes first. Am I scared...well it seems it's the American way these days. Something will come...but I guess my big announcement on my last post will not happen. I can't justify flying across the country for Scrapetc.2009. Some bummed but that's life...

Never would i have thought...

2009-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

i would get picked, but i did!!! As usual i was doing my average night of surfing and ran across Scrap Etc. 2009. They were discussing that Margie Romney-Aslett was giving away a ticket to the event. A ticket to ALL the classes...yes a ticket oh my!! A single golden ticket...never did i think...well i was chosen
Now i have to figure out how to fly across country to Atlanta, GA, coordinate babysitters, hotel room and meals...oh my!!

So I've been hooked on ATC swaps on SIStv. Diane and i spent a couple of Saturdays ago making them it was fun and the boys behaved themselves so we got so much done. These ATC's are from the woodgrain swap and the next is from the Dr. Seuss swap. That one was a lot of fun with the colors.

So this past Saturday Diane and i hit the road to Picture Me Perfect to take a class with Miss Nikki Peterson. We did twelve...yes 12 layouts. Good time as always was to be had. Suzy was the hostess with the mostest...snorts and all!!! It was good meeting up with some SISters and of course seeing Marie and her cousin, Crystal. i was soooo excited to see the difference in Marie's weight loss. It had been a while since i have seen her sooo i definitely saw the difference. Way to go!!!

All of us SISters together for a group shot.

Ok already...

2009-02-12T20:16:00.001-08:00

So i thought i was on that path...but keeping to it was a tough choice in my time and space. With everything going on i try and try. Did ya know i had a birthday??? Yes, i did...margaritas and tacos with my wingmen in tow.
Throughout eveything going...on the loss...we are standing strong. Unity and accountability that's all we have left with that we will come together again. So ya like these little goodies??? It was my Post Secret ATC Swap i did with SIStv. They were so funny to read. Have you been to Post Secret?

Back in Nov. i did my first 5k in San Francisco and this is my little book i made with my number and photos that i got off the website. Sure they are a little pixelated but you get the idea.

i saved my Starbucks cozy to use in the book with some bingo and beano cards. The book is now a great memory of my friends and our first 5k.

And this is my first challenge for the new year...It was from Inspired by Amelie. i just couldn't pass it up.

Am i back...probably not...i think this is depression. Never been diagnosed but i hope to get my mojo back soon.

so here we are...

2009-01-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

i am trying...
to let things get back to normal...as normal as can be...
this is something that i worked on for holiday gifts and this i finished finally for myself
we always let our things fall to the side...ain't that the truth...

My first LO of 2009...using some Kenner Road love and I spelled trippin wrong...put a "p" in after the picture was taken...

and look at this little valentine love...jealous much...you should be...from my friend Diane...

so back to my word for the year...accountablity
yes Liam should be accountable...another load washed with his pullup....yuck...and my gym clothes load...
Accountability to my food log...another yuck...but i am doing it

Accountability….

2009-01-09T14:37:00.001-08:00

One word…new year…
How do we achieve it? Do we withhold it?
Wife
Mother
Daughter
Sister
Friend
Do you honor it?
Lying only hurts you…
So with that one word i must go back in time
To be accountable

December flew by and I only made one post…difficult times for my family and i. You try to smile thru the tears of sadness. It’s the boys Christmas you have to. They had their gymnastic routines…fabulous

Then there was my Father’s annual tree trimming party. Good times to be surrounded by friends and family.
A shining light for us…the invitation to the “big table”… dinner at Ben and Judy’s. Oh how wonderful…my husband lit up at the thought of the invitation. The meal was fabulous as was the company for the Eve of Christmas.

With milk and cookies awaiting the arrival of the big man himself…my boys slowly slumbered off to sleep. Haydan as always was the first to awake had to wait for Liam to take his sweet time to wake up. He likes to sleep in. Unwraping the gifts were fast and furious. Yes, we had Cinderella, Night Vision goggles and Bakugans.

We had a visit to Yosemite for the snow. Only the wingmen! Girls and boys. We hung out at Joe’s house…no better place for the views. Snow ball fights abound. A picnic in his house. A good day trip!!

With a quiet New Years…Hayden and I took off for Disneyland to celebrate his birthday. How much fun we had. The rides…8 times on Thunder Mountain. The look on his face for Splash Mountain is the same look he had at four. No matter how tight i held him from behind was never enough.

So now we have the new year and it’s accountability time…no resolutions. hmmm how do i?

So here it is Dec...

2008-12-10T14:10:00.001-08:00

the fog is slowly lifting. i made it through my brother's frozen turkey and all the trimmings. It was wonderful seeing my sisters and hanging with the Kirby's. Somewhere in the middle of celebrating with my family my father in law went on life support and passed away. I've been very sad dealing with my emotions. The man was an incredible father. You would never know what a life the man had led. He had done so much...to me he was "Chuck". i enjoyed our conversations and i will miss him greatly. With weddings and funerals you get to see family members. In the picture are his grandchildren and the great grandchildren minus a few. Hayden really enjoyed connecting with his older cousins from New York. Now i think he wants to go there this summer. Do you think i can send him Fed Ex with a little food in the box? He asked me if we could go camping there. Hmmmm
My handsome boys all dressed up for the memorial. i never dress them alike...but they sure did look cute. And they were such good young men...i was very proud of them.
This is a little something i created before Thanksgiving. i also made one for my father and for Diane. And in this past week 75 memorial cards and a memory book for my father in law. Somewhere i need to find the time to create Christmas cards...maybe the first year i don't get them out.

So another full week of adventures...

2008-11-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

i guess that is putting it mildly. John came out clean...literally. Seriously put a damper on his life for the past month. But the Doc said he is going to live. But hey maybe the chew will be cut out. Or something else will be!!!
So with a somewhat clean bill of health and a new lease on life we all packed into the Sequoia and headed down to Monterey for a day trip. Yes we do like daytrippin'!!! The weather was GORGEoUs fall weather.

i have not been to the aquarium in years. i think since my culinary school days. Did that just date me??? John had never been either so it was fun to walk around and look at the exhibits. The boys had a great time in the wave room. i think it was Liam's favorite place...he kept running a back there.

i love Darren's expression in the wave room. the kids all screamed every time the wave went over.

One of my favorite rooms was the Jelly fish display. The colors were fantastic!!! It was hard to take photos ...no flash.

We also got to see the sea otters being fed. They are very smart and playful. The trainers did all kinds of tricks with them. The kids loved watching them most likely because they were mischievous...reminded them of each other stealing snacks and toys from each other.

After dinner we let the kids run wild at the Dennis the Menace park. i think Bruce had a good time chasing the kids around and dancing in the cage reliving his Paladium days. Overall another good trip.

The kids went back to school while the mom's packed for our last camping trip of the season. We headed out to Brannen Island. And a funny thing...no pictures. i think the only pictures were from our iphones uploaded on to our FB's. Go figure. Hayden has always wanted to camp there because we pass the campground every time we go to Sacramento or points to the North. We started in site 29 but ended in the nice sunny spot of 30. Yes Diane, Liam and I moved the whole camp to 30 when Bruce was gone on an adventure with the big boys. It was sunnier and warmer. We had a good time watching movies and scrapping at night. Kids were down by 7:30 every night. Got to love that with Daylight saving time.

So now we are weeks away from Thanksgiving and soon Christmas. i can't believe it!!!

Start your engines...

2008-11-06T09:45:00.001-08:00

So we got through our first holiday of the season. Don't you think that Halloween is a holiday? My boys do. Liam was so excited to wear his costume all day. Also there were so many princesses for him to look at. He thought they were all beautiful. Hayden's school parade was fun to watch as usual. i have memories of my paraded at school. They were always a highlight of the day. My mother only made it to a few of mine so i make it a priority every year for the boys. Some of the kids had some great homemade ones but a slough of Star War costumes.Luckily John made it home in time to carve pumpkins with us. We always wait to Halloween day to do them. i like to freehand them and John uses a stencil. To eachs own. But his way takes so long that the kids eventually lose interest.
Hayden acrually reached in and cleaned some of the pumpkin inards out. Liam on the other hand had no part of that. He looked in and was like no way!!

In the end the night eventually became dark and the rain held off so the storm troopers could go out. Liam held my hand tight so the monsters would stay away. He did try to go up to Jose's scary porch but only made it 1/2 way. Mommy had to help him make it to the candy. My boys came home with their bags full and smiles on their sweet faces.

I can't tell a lie...

2008-10-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've done it once again. Not that life stops but I just can't keep up on the blogging.
I've found facebook also. bad bad bad like crack not that i would know. But just bad.
So last week Diane and i had a mom's night out. We went to the new Rave Theater in town and saw What Happens in Vegas Ok, so i just admitted that i saw it...we also enjoyed it. The man in front of us at the end of the movie got up and said, "you ladies sure got your money's worth." We both had tears from our laughing. You know us when we start to laugh.

So Liam has been asking for a preschool...finally!!! Well my friend Jeanne son goes to a preschool and they were having a field trip to the pumpkin patch and we came along. He LOVED it!!! They had a new baby miniature donkey with the mommy. Liam said that was us because the mommy was protecting the baby. My sweet boy.

On Sat. i joined Diane in a booth for a fundraiser at her school. I purged 6 years of scrapbooking stuff.
breathe in breathe out
We did quite well but after we were starved so we picked up the boys and headed out for tacos and margaritas. Yeah then we had to go to the city park to sober up a little by way of the barbers chair. Dueling chairs that is. Hayden wanted a 1 and 1 but he got a 2 and 2. Liam just got a clean up from granddaddys buzz.
On Sunday i headed into Oakland chinatown to have brunch with about 200+ of my people. Yes the OwYangs. Very interesting lot. I hadn't planned on going until my Aunt Betty called and said that she was going. A nice surprise was to see my cousin Petrina and her daughter Jasmine. i have not seen them in a while. Talk about life getting in the way. The boys miss camping with them. Never a dull moment. While i was looking for a parking spot i did a ditzy thing. i thought the sign said 8'2 not 6'2. 8'2 was on the other side. So i headed down into the lot and heard BAM...yes it was my racks hitting. Of course i couldn't back out right away because of the pile up of little cars behind me. They had to back out then me onto to busy Webster St. They all moved fast when i went...i skidded out. Well i was on a downhill grade. What was i suppose to do. i also got to go to my favorite chinese deli YUMMY!!

challenges, inspirations and little lovelies of fall...

2008-10-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend was our Art, Wine and Jazz Festival. Hayden entered his Matisse and he also had a drawing he did with his class. Very proud of that boy i am. He started out drawing this summer with my father and this was one of his firsts.

Diane, Liam and i went to Berkeley last Sunday. Liam came along so he could go to his Grand daddy's and Lizzy. He was so funny because he asked to spend time with the 2 of them. So i dropped him off and we were off to the mecca of shopping that awaited us. A feast for the eyes also.
We hit the usuals Scapbook Territory, Castle in the Air and Anthropology. Oh My GoodNeSs we are so starving out here.
It was so good to feel the vibe of the city. The Obama bake sale had some yummy things to eat. We would never have one of those out here.

Upon picking Liam up...we walk in and my little guy is was buzzed by Grand daddy. there were long rouge hairs and pockets where the steady hand must of waivered but nonetheless it was time spent with family. He picked these beautiful little pears with Lizzy. They were just so cute.

Returning with my bag of goodness i went straight to work that night. My head was racing with inspirations. So these are some of my fun that night.
i have been consuming myself with challenges. This one that one...well my next challenge was to Diane yesterday. Finish 3 projects by the end of the month. Things that are almost finished but just not done. How many of those do we have? Why can't we just finish them? Well i have found a lot while i am cleaning out my scrappy corner. i have NEVER cleaned out gone through or thrown out my stash. Oh am i sick!!! Bring in the guys with the white coats.

Saying good-bye...

2008-10-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

to our sweet summer. Ah yes it is now fall the days are cooler the leaves are falling and the geese are flying. At least they sure were last week where we were camping at Collins Lake. If i don't hear another flock of geese flying over until next year I'll be happy. They don't have alarm clocks...one squaks and they all start in...6:30AM first light yes?
Bruce made fishing fanatics out of the boys. They loved it. Maybe not the walk back...the lake was low after 2 years of draught.

Our home sweet campsite. Yes, you can see 2 tents. i hit the dirt on this trip my husband was visiting his father. Since the boys were down on the dock fishing Diane and i found ourselves with a lot of idle time and we only brought one scrappy project Daniela's so we played many hands of solitare.

You got to be sure you explore your world above and below.

How do you teach a teenager manners?

2008-10-02T11:25:00.001-07:00

So yesterday we had the honor of meeting Claude, the albino alligator at The Academy of Sciences. Evidently he and his lady friend are unruly teenagers and have no manners when it comes time for their meals. They attack the biologists behind their wooden walls.Hayden enjoyed having the docent there to answer all of his questions regarding the alligators and fish.What a treat it was to go to the city. Of course we were there for the kids but it was absolutely worth it as an adult. The kids ran all over the facility.The boys enjoyed the fact that they could go under and over in the building.

The building was a feast for the eyes. And so nice to get out of town for the day. i guess a couple of other families thought the same also...saw some other towns people. Well for our next adventure...stay tuned!!

Do you raise your hands to stop the ride....

2008-09-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Oh man it's been a crazy week. i got strep throat somehow...the neighbor boy had it too so he was probably contagious when i picked him up from school. Just keep your fingers crossed now that it is fall break. We are trying to go to Whiskeytown to go camping.
This is a LO challenge i did for Red Velvet. This saying just fits my husband to the "t".
And this LO is for Scrapmojo # 22 challenge.

Can you believe he's a 49rrrr??

2008-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, my man turned 49 yesterday. The boys were thrilled to make him cards, pick out his cake and help me make his dinner. Thank goodness it wasn't his favorite meal...hot dogs rolled in cressent rolls. Yeah that's my guy.

This is my take on the OLW challenge. Liam and i were fooling around with the camera one morning and this picture came out just beautiful. It's funny how we as the memory keepers have to do a lot of self portraits.

And the other LO is one of my favorites because Hayden is being so mad at me. The title is from Sidney Poitier's movie...They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!

And did you know what Friday the 19th is??? i didn't either. So go out and practice your Aye maties and shiver me timbers!

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2008-09-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Vintage photos - Family photos

a moment of silence...

2008-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

In Remembrance of 9/11: Chagrin Falls Intermediate School

In Remembrance Of 9/11: Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary

never forget

catch a tiger by his toe...

2008-09-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Oh i love the challenges that are out there.
Now it's just finding the time for all of them. Which one shall i do hmmmmmm...
This is my take on Scrapjacked

And my take on the new Scrapmojo #21 The bumper sticker inspired...good one Marie!!!

Say it ain't so....

2008-09-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

the last days of summer camping. Nah, not us professionals. i have to say even the heat got to us this weekend out in Rio Vista. On our explorations...Gemma T's in town good for lunch and don't knock the lumpia until you try it. (Beef instead of Chicken) And the AC is RoCkiN!!! Yes we did find ways to keep cool. Speakin' of cool...how about our men!!! Hands up in the air with a whoot whoot. They saved a man in the water. John swam out to him and gave him a hand with his true wingman, Bruce not far behind him "Baywatching" on his windsurf board. He got out to John just in time. John had seen this man floating by on some reeds so he swam out to him just as the man decided to jump off and try to swim to shore. He started to go under and John reached out to him and gave him a hand. They got him to shore safely on the board.
Bruce also saved my son, Hayden. He said he wanted to see how deep it was and left his flotation device. Well it was deep and Bruce nabbed him.
Last weekend we were camping at Memorial Park. We went into town on Sat and went antiquing with 3 kids...yeah we found some goodies even though we were hindered. i ran across these bags of goodies and some other things too. The town of Pescadero has all kinds of little shops and fresh bread...yes, warm mmmmmm!! And i ran into a friend of mine, Amy who i use to show the Jack Russells with. She was working at the store that sold the wonderful warm artichoke bread.
These are my first attempt at an atc swap. i have never done an atc swap before so i tried one with sistv it's the sisters traveling of the traveling pants 2.

Well i made it to a fav...

2008-08-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

on my bettiescrapjack...yay!!! She rocks out her LOs and she's a good scrappin' friend so i was more than happy step up to the challenge. Speaking of challenges i worked on my latest scrapmojo # 20...Also something must have been in the air...my brother's Dan and Aaron called me last night. Now they are not local boys...Dan lives in Dubbo, Australia and Aaron lives in Hawaii. So i was more than thrilled to hear from both of them. David, i was waiting for your call (the middle brother) and it never happened. i did just see you though. So i guess that doesn't count. or maybe it does. What are you doing for your Holiday weekend? Guess where we are going? Yeah, i know another camping adventure.

scrapjack #35 (the bettiescrapjack)...

2008-08-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

how could i not do this jack?? i haven't done a scrapjack yet so it was extra fun because of my friend. She added a lot of layering to her LO which i enjoy to do.
The boys in the picture are discussing all the goodies they hope to collect from the Easter egg hunt. It was so much fun watching them scramble all over and yelling back and forth to each other to see if someone had found the golden egg.
On other notes we are off for another camping trip. Just the moms and kids. Diane had hoped to get another trip to Memorial Park this summer but everything was booked for weeks. Well that good Karma happened again. i had been checking Craigs list and found some sites for the Labor day weekend. Yay for us. Diane was thrilled to say the least. So we are off again for a camping adventure.

One little word # 33...

2008-08-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

Faith.
This was my first challenge on this sight.
i had a good time with working all the layers.
Do you like challenges? They have been helping me...my therapy to find my mojo.

Just a little family time...

2008-08-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

goes a long way.
Fresh fruit and veggies.
Ohhh and the corn.
You can't forget the corn.
Sweet white and to summer perfection.

We all came from various areas to come together for the commonality of family. The kids had a great time playing and eating. Hayden brought his drawings to show everyone. i am so proud of him. Liam just sat in any available lap he could find and eat to his hearts desire around the table.

There was plenty to choose from.
So these are the sisters five.
Five we stand strong...20s, 30s, and i need not say 40s. I'm sure they love it. Poor David, our brother, come on you don't come to this kind of event in Madras shorts. i don't care if you say you were on the course. Your sisters are gonna take the opportunity to raz you...in front of you and behind your back.

five we stand...family

Scrap Mojo # 19...

2008-08-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

ohhhh what fun i had with this one. Sorry Cathy, but Diane caught this image of you when we were camping and i had to use it. Liam is WAY into to Darth Vader...but he calls him Garp Bader. i even had to down load some star wars tunes from itunes for the car. This was another good challenge to be a part of. Keep them coming!!!

Viewer discretion advised...

2008-08-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

so you are hurling your body down the highway 65- 70 mph hanging tight to your hunny bunny. Well would you think about your butt hanging out for the world to see. Hmmmmm i just couldn't resist the shot on my iphone. Then her hunny bunny saw me do it and slowed down. Oh oh.These photos were from my little trip to Hambly last friday. Can you say new papers. When i walked in i was overtaken with all the lovelies. i also ran into Michelle from Scrap Mojo. i have met her once before over at Picture Me Perfect with Marie. i called Marie to fill her order and put Michelle on the phone to say hey. By the time i finished filling everyone's order it had been quite a while. Liam was a little champ thank's to Rose. She supplied him with all kinds of stickers and a book to put them in.
On Sat Diane and i went to Scrapbook Expo and then on to My Daughter's Wish to scrap with Daniela long into the night. We had a good time and i got to work with the Mr. Campy line from Cosmo Cricket. I'm working on a little book of our Lake Tahoe camping trip. Will show soon.
Here are some LO's I've done recentlly of the little guy and his Birthday related photos.

Friday night lights...

2008-08-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

and they were bright for the man....Tim Holtz. What a wonderful man i must say. He was in Northern CA teaching at one of my favorite stores, My Daughter's Wish.
Sheri always is the wonderful hostess along with her crew! Loved seeing Daniela,Tabitha and Nancy.
(Maybe a little less pink Nancy)

We took one of his canvas book classes. i have wanted to take this class for a while. Well worth the wait. Diane and i had a marvelous time.

At the end Tim had a raffle he stated "good things happen to good people".

Mario wanted me to pick a ticket out of the basket. So the ticket i pulled out was my own!!!! No way!!! Good things good thoughts means good Karma!! Oh yeah. Then a couple of other numbers were pulled towards the end he pulled out 2 t-shirts from CHA. OOOhhh Diane wanted the green shirt sooo bad. So he started 3....7....then i said 8 loud and so did he!!!! Diane screamed like she was at a Duran Duran concert!!! Mario said good channeling to me. Good things happen to good people!!

Scrapmojo # 18...

2008-07-31T15:10:00.001-07:00

So this is my take on the challenge. Hayden had something funny to say as always. i thought it was cute that he would buy Mac (our dog) a girlfriend. He thinks Mac is lonley. I so enjoyed getting it on especially with the lovely miss KL. Did that sound wrong??? Anyway starting to feel normal almost. Or at least the fog is lifting. Our Friday night date for Diane and i is with Tim Holtz over at My Daughter's Wish. Will post pics.

So I promised...

2008-07-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

some photos from camping. Well I'm finally getting around to it.
We camped at Camp Shelly near Baldwin Beach in South Lake Tahoe for 5 wonderful days. We have turned into some pretty fabulous campers if i don't say so myself. OK i will get off the soap box.
Almost every day we went down to the lake. With the nearby fires some days there was no visibility across the lake. i had forgotten how much i like the area.

My friend Cathy joined us on our trip, she was (not) technically the au pair/nanny. She worked sooo hard at her job. It was still good company and laughs. Liam turned 3 and had his Darth Vader Birthday up there. He was soooo happy to finally have his birthday. Big milestones for him...he officially is potty trained. The camping trip did the trick. i guess annoucing to his audience that he was going to the bathroom did it for him. (The portapotty was kept out in the open instead of in the trailer) Yay for my big guy!!!

Our campsite. Picture taken from Johnny's snore tent or what we referred to as his penthouse.

At a fair during the summer i bought some henna tattoos for the kids. So i thought on this trip it wuld be great fun to break it out. The boys all loved it. i even think some of the other camper kids were jealous of their body art. Of course the women got theirs too. It was the power to the oops...what happens at the lake stays at the lake. The guys had a night to go out on the town and so did the women. i think they had a good night. Ours started off with shots of liquor at this really expensive boutique. The owner was giving away shots for free. And let me tell you...ya had to be drunk to pay those prices. It was a good night no matter how you break it up. Oh and i won on the slot machines.

So the summer is technically over for us, and i have a first grader (will show photos later) i can only bask in the summer memories. How quickly and temporary everything is. You have to live in the moment...if you don't well are there regrets?

Before i left for South Lake Tahoe...

2008-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

i worked on this LO challenge. It was Scrapmojo's #17. i had such a good time working on it. The photo was taken on a hike we did in Memorial Park.
Later when i climb out of my laundry mound from camping i will post more about the long trailer trip home. You might want to come back because this story is a doosy.

What the heck...

2008-07-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

have kids will travel. or camp. Diane and i so wanted to get another trip this summer soooo we snuck one in to Memorial Park down near Pescadero. The men folk had to work so we took off. They of course thought we were crazy but we sat around the fire and had a good time more than we do on trips with them. Don't tell them that they would never believe us.
While we were there quite a few women were there w/out the men. Matter of fact some more mom's we knew from town showed up.
To tire the boys out we took them on a hike to hunt for the crystal skull. Liam bagged his first peak. What a trooper
he was!! But his poor little legs were so tired for the down portion i carried him. But there was no whinning to be had.As for the crystal skull...i think they had more fun counting the banana slugs.

These are a couple more LO's for the Hambly DT tryout. Like i said "what the heck" you never know unless you try. But OMG i know a whole lot of people tried out. They must have the company is soooo rocking.
i had fun with these. Why not!!! My sister's photo in Prague was just begging for a page and soooo were these dirty boys.

One of my submissions...

2008-06-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

So this is one of my submissions for the Hambly DT tryout. It was a labor of love for my boys. i have never been close to my mother...some daughters are and some aren't. Matter of fact we didn't talk for almost 20 yrs. She died though knowing that she had grand-sons. Hayden asks me a lot of about her and or Grandmothers because John and i don't have mothers that come over and dote on them as Grandmothers do. So this book is filled with questions i have of motherhood and their questions also. There are photos of her with me as a girl. It helped me heal some old childhood wounds. Art is therapy...again it saves my sanity. Or just a nasty old workout at the gym with Clint will cure your blues any day...cuz you'll be too sore to think of anything else.

Art is therapy...

2008-06-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when life gets you down creating art...getting inked, glued, and so forth helps. This is what i created in my moments of my heart being downtrodened. OK maybe not a word but it's how i feel right now. My friend bettiescrapbook did a LO of her sister that i adored. So scrapjacked her. You know that saying about flattery. Speaking of my friend...i spent the whole day on this past Sat. with good friends who enjoy the art of paper crafting. Kerry Lynn taught a class at Suzy's store and ohhh what fun we had. Daniella created these mini canvases...OMG gorgeous!!! i took 2 classes by KL and scrapped till the weeee hours. At the crop the lovely Misss Nikki Petersen showed her vivacious self to crop with us.

Wow...June came at me fast and furious...

2008-06-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

So Hayden had his Kindergarten graduation, but his last day of school was suppose to be a water day unfortunately he got a fever the night before. That meant no school for him. He was very sad not to say goodbye to his buddies. What he didn't know was that afternoon i was loading the kids, Darren and Diane and driving down to Disneyland. We decided not to tell the boys until the next day that they were in Disneyland so that they would go to sleep. The only one that noticed where we were was poor Liam. He saw Disneyland and Mickey Mouse on the busses out in front of our hotel and screamed out with delight, but it fell on deaf ears. Those two boys still had no clue. They woke up in the morning and just thought they were going out for the day with their mom's. Breakfast was up on the 5th floor of our hotel. The elevator doors opened up and all you could see were the rides at Disneyland. It was like looking out over the Grand Canyon. Very surreal like. At one point they realized it was Disneyland and they started screaming. Everyone in the restaurant then realized that the boys did not know that they were in Disneyland. We had such a great time together. Both days the boys were picked for the Jedi training. They were thrilled. A lot of milestones were made also on this trip. The boys could ride all of the big rides and enjoyed riding them too!!! No fighting in the lines or whinning. That made the mommies happy.
We got back did our laundry and then two days later we left for Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Guess what?????

2008-06-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

i have a first grader!!! His smile is so big due to his successes of his studies. Yesterday he got an award for academic achievement. Oh my happy boy!!! On Thursday his smile will be even bigger when he finds out that he is going to Disneyland for his graduation. Right after school Diane and Darren, the boys and i are headed down there for their surprise. Good times for us!!

These are a few photos of a little project that i have been working on. It has taken a little while to finish it. But don't labors of love take a while? This is a book filled with photos given to us by friends that i had laying around in my scrappy corner. Now they have a home.

Winding down the week...

2008-05-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

The first four LO's were from Nikki Peterson's class that i took at Suzy's store. We had such a good time. Who's we ...the usual suspects and some new ones. i am so looking forward to June 21st to take KL's class. Another good day on the horizon.It's on the summer solstice...so the longest day of the year. Do you ever notice that when you are at a crop the time just flies?? But when you're mopping or folding clothes the pile seems to get bigger and bigger.
Are we ready for the Lost season finale?? Oh i am !!

Can you believe that i scrapped pink?

My last LO is from a challenge that lovely Marie(bettiescrapbooks) came up with on our Scrap for a Cure forum. It has always been hard to scrap something about my mother. Sometime it 's healing...sometimes it's painful.
i can't believe that i will soon have a first grader. Oh my goodness! It seems like just yesterday he was entering into Preschool. Wow how time flies.

Lazy day under the trees...

2008-05-22T09:48:00.001-07:00

i don't think so with 3 boys. Why did i say 3...well we had one of Hayden's buddies join us. We headed out to Micke Grove in Lodi yesterday. It's this little park and zoo out in the central valley. i like the zoo because you can really get close to see the animals. Like the baboon that kept giving me think hebee geebee eye. Kinda freaked me out...like he understood what i was saying. And of course the boys couldn't resist talking about the redness of their behinds. Boys will be boys. Liam DID NOT like the bigger monkeys being so close to him and basically crawled up my leg and into my arms. The little monkeys he did like though. He thought they were cute. There were about 350 kids there before we arrived but they had just left so we had the zoo all to ourselves. When we were finished the boys and i played under the trees and in the playground. What are you doing for the long weekend? i wanted to go camping but no reservations were to be had. i might go to Picture Me Perfect to take Niki Petersen's class on Sat. but other than that maybe a BBQ.

oh my gosh...

2008-05-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

i try to keep up with the blogging but life so happens. How about you?? So much happens in the week with 2 boys. Ya know what i mean...they are just on constant busy mode. Well i did have a nice Mother's Day. They made breakfast, gave me cards and tons of kisses all before 7:30 AM. Yes, it was early but i also got in my spin class. Since I've been sick climbing back into the workout saddle has been hard. Yesterday i felt how much i had missed, especially since it was Clint wiping our @$$%# across the gym floor...along with his Officer and a Gentleman quotes.
So have you scrapped?? i did a little last night. Did you know that we at Scrap for a Cure are having our first ever online crop on Sat. the 17th? We have so many goodies to give away. So stop in and join in the fun. Oh and our DT search ends this week so if you're on the fence please post soon.

So the heat has begun....

2008-05-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

and with that the summer buzzzzz cut. Hadn't planned on Liam getting the cut but he got in the spirit of things and the next thing i new he was in the chair. He was silent through the whole thing and all he could do is look in the mirror. As soon as she was finished he ran his hand threw what was left of his hair and said, "haircut". i think they really look like John when he was their age.
Well i made it past NSD and shopping at the Alameda Antique Fair. What a weekend it was not to mention our 11th wedding anniversary. i think we are celebrating this weekend by going camping. We have Mother's Day too! So i hope we go camping. The boys want to go too!

what a week it's been....

2008-05-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Can i tell you how much i enjoy this man!!! Those hands are the marvelous Tim Holtz and the necklace is mine that he created out of his new metals.
We attended an industry event over last weekend and he was one of many people i met. So how did i get that necklace. Well i told him i enjoyed seeing the necklaces that the ladies in his CHA booth wore. i asked him if he would put on his blog how to make them and i would trade him for a GREAT swimming hole in Yosemite. He said it was easy and showed us how to make them and then handed over to me a and said "size it". Can i say OMG!! Nice and sincere man. i also spent some time with Jenni Bowlin and her husband....love her too! But then there is the fabulous Teresa Collins who is so REAL!!! Ya know what i mean. Her new travel line is right and ready for all your travels this summer. Oh and the Cosmo Cricket new line...Yum! Stay tuned for these lovelies to appear at Scrap For A Cure. The event was just small and intimate perfect to get to know everyone a little bit more than you would at a CHA event.
So I've been combating a cold for the past week...but never too sick to do a little scrapping. This is my latest little goody. For me..ya know how you have all these little photos laying around that have been given by friends, family or you just haven't scrapped yet well I'm putting them in this book. i will reveal more when i finish maybe this weekend. What are you doing for NSD? Me...I'm scrapping with friends at Suzy's store in Fremont. Can't wait!!! i know it's my 11th anniversary but John said we could celebrate the following weekend. Nice husband huh!! Well on to business...be sure to check out our wonderful kits that are now available at Scrap for a Cure. Can i say beautiful!!! And KL is our Guest designer for June. We also have a kit called Baylee's Hope Box which goes directly to her trust fund.

So it seems...

2008-04-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Take flight...
i try to keep posting but...what a week!!! Johnny came home with some sad news on the work front. i think we'll be able to bounce back. His lab is closing their doors in less then 2 weeks. i told him it might have been a good change for him. He would never look for work closer to home (right now his commute is 2 hrs one way). But change is change for him.
The boys have been dealing with their allergies. Poor things!! Over the weekend we went to visit the inlaws. Hayden loves staying at the hotel because he gets to go to the pool. Liam is a little more cautious. Plus there was a entire soccor team in the pool also. All these teenagers running around. He stayed very close to Mommy. One cool thing about going to Bakersfield is the scrappy store that is near the hotel. i love going in there. It is my sanity!!

So a little scrappin, a little socializing...

2008-04-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

my good friend Cathy came out to visit my little humble abode over the weekend. We have so much history with her. She knew me before i was a Mrs. i think before i even met him, , kids (obviously); Yes YOUNG! The days i lived in Yosemite National Park. i always look back on those days with fondness...the Park is very close to my heart. It was good to see her. i did a little scrapping and was determined to work on the Scrap Mojo challenge...my first one! Yay! If you haven't done a challenge of hers yet...you should! I've busting myself because i haven't yet. Now go out and challenge yourself to do other things...also on our Scrap for a Cure forum we have a few going on right now tool Danielle set up a fun one last night. It gets you out of your comfort zone...trying new things. Remember the word C H A L L E N G E !!!!

Ahhhh it's Friday....

2008-04-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

what are you doing for the weekend? So far John and i have gone on a bike ride with Liam while Hayden was in school. Later today i will be going to boot camp. You know i just love an ass kicking to start my weekend off. i hope to get some more scrapping in this weekend. i did step up to the challenge on our forum. i cheated i did 2 in one. Now i am working on the Scrap mojo's one. Hey I'm on a roll here...watch out!

so it's hump day...

2008-04-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

hopefully your day is not as chaotic as the torch bearers in San Francisco. The coverage cut into my soap opera time so i had to watch it. Life is tough for the protesters and torch bearers. They were all over the city...they were there and then this was cancelled or moved over here. CRAZY!!! Thank goodness i don't commute over the Golden Gate. Anyway i started working on a little mini book for my mother inlaw. We are going to the lovely town of Bakersfield next week to see them an she had asked me for one of my books. So i went at my used stash of 7gypsies. Do you have leftovers from classes you've taken? i do...tons of it. i can't part with it...i gonna use it. Today was the day...use your stash!It was fun using all the old stuff.

not a scrappin' weekend...

2008-04-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

but it happens. i so wanted to...yah know the story, that four letter word LIFE. On the upside of things i am no longer a virgin!!! Yes you heard it...i played my first game of Bunco. It was a benifit Bunco night for one of Diane's students Shayne. Just the cutest boy. The slide show they played was a real tear jerker. Over all i learned the game of Bunco and saw some good friends.
On Sat. i went and saw the tax lady in Gilroy. She is kinda like my would be Aunt. She lived with us when i was a teenager. It's always like 1 1/2 hr of talking and 1/2 hr of taxes. Good time to catch up for the year. So she said not a bad year. I'm just glad i got that monkey off my back. Afterward we headed over to Coralitos. The town has one market in the town square and it is known for their sausages. OMG we got turned on to them by another friend a few years ago. So every chance we get we stock up. i don't know what happened to Sunday...i know i worked out but after that hmmmmmm house chores.
Today i snapped a few photos of Liam. He was catching some sun rays and his big dog Mac.

Up for a challenge?

2008-04-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

On the Scrap for a Cure forum there is a word challenge..."Believe." i stepped up and did it last night. Usually i want to do one but never make the time. Why...i don't know? It was fun. Marie has great challenges on Scrapmojo. The past few have been Dr. Suess related and i so wanted to do them. Once again that thing called time. Check it out!What are you doing for the weekend? Me, oh i have a date with the tax woman. Yuck but it has to be done. After that i would like to work on my Scrap for a Cure April project...Flower Book. It is just too cute not to work on. It keeps calling me from the bag that houses it. i feel so lucky to get one! Last month i missed out on the lovely book that Maridette did. OMG and it comes with GREAT directions! They are going fast so don't miss this one...perfect for all those spring brunches and get togethers.
i threw in this photo of Liam...he was trying to be like the cartoon he was watching. The character was on a horse, so he got Rody out and his hat. Too cute!

Are you an April fool?

2008-04-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so besides the camping trip and Reno i forgot the Wiggle tickets I received from a mob member. She had extra tickets and were giving them away to the first person who responded. i had just been talking to Diane about the fact that i had never taken Hayden to see tham. Well the three of us went to see the Wiggles...a big huuurray from Liam! He did enjoy them from my lap. A huge man sat in front of us and they opened with what looked like the Easter Bunny but it was only Mary's lamb. But still we know how Liam feels about people dressed as animals. i also forgot to tell you we colored our eggs when we were camping. Hayden always enjoys himself coloring them...i do too!

Yesterday was our April launch day at Scrap for a Cure.. The project is FANTASTIC...not to be missed! I can't wait to play with mine.

Bad blogger, bad blogger...

2008-03-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well it's been all too long and i am too embarrassed to just say "I've been busy". But i have been really...i last left off where we had our booth at Scrapbook Expo.
It was a lot of fun...but a lot of work. Thank goodness for our friends and family. Michelle and Petrina came to the booth on Saturday to help. i just LOvE them!! And Kurt kept us fed both days. If it wasn't for him i don't see how we would of had nourishment. Ok i know that weekend came and went why didn't i blog then...well Hayden was out of school the next week so i had to entertain him. We then packed up the trailer and headed out to the coast. It was our first trip of the season. We were suppose to camp in Rio Vista but none of us made reservations...who camps during sping break? Nothing was available in the Delta area that is why we chose the coast. Casini Ranch was our campground of choice. Right on the Russian River. Gorgeous! The campground hosted an egghuunt on Sat. Liam wanted nothing to do with that bunny so he did not want to hunt for eggs. Hayden was the lucky finder of a Golden Easter Egg!We had fun trip even though it was very cold in the mornings but our family is crime, the Blardony's stuck it out with us. Who can resist good food, laughs and fun?Notice anything odd in the picture? No, we didn't plan the matchy matchy thing it just happened...odd huh? Well after all that we came home and were home a day ...did the laundry then left for Reno. Yeeehaw!! No I'm not a big gambler. $1.00 to be exact. Sorry Dad we did not win. i went for the Patagonia store...big disapointment and the Caballas store. i got my camp kitchen...yay! Those of you who know me know that i do all the cooking so it is only fitting to have my camp kitchen for camping. I'll tell you more tomorrow about our trip I promise.

Crazy little bees...

2008-03-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

busy bees to be exact. And I'm not talking about the boys. We are gearing up for one of our biggest undertakings yet. Scrapbook expo in Pleasanton. It starts on Friday and I've been a packing fool. Over 100 class kits. i want to buy 1/2 of our booths inventory right now...the stuff is that good. We have done our homework...You know that saying "nobody puts baby in the corner"? Well that is where we are. But we got the goods that nobody else sells at expo. So if you are going please look for us in the corner.
On to other things spring has sprung here in Brentwood. It is just gorgeous! The weather is warm and the flowers are a popping.
You know me a little more winter and i would be just fine. i love the winter. As you can see the boys are enjoying themselves in the afternoon sunlight.

So why do these things

2008-03-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

make me smile?

Night time in Paris?

Dancing with friends into the night?

Using youth to the best of our abilities. Did you? i know i look back and i have no regrets...well maybe i should have gone to Europe. i will get there...i will be just a little older. i did get to go to the Yucatan, South America, Baja Mexico, the South West...yes i did take spanish in high school. And i did live ten years in Yosemite Valley. Did you grab the bull by the horns and go out and do it? i had a great time. Looking back married 11 years and two kids later.
These are also my sisters going out and doing the same...living life!
Way to live it Rosie and Carol (she's the one shaking to the rhythm in the video)

OMG omg omg omg...

2008-03-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

i made the catwalk at sis tv. i bet those of you non scrapppy people are wondering what that is... a hint it has nothing to do with fashion. Full name is Scrap in Style and it is a message board, store, support group, and a place where you can post your scrappin works of art. Last month my friend Diane called me out on the message boards to stop lurking and start posting. Well i took her up on the challenge. A few days ago i posted my first LO to the gallery. The fashionistas made their pick on Monday night and i was chosen. Never did i think i would be chosen. Nor did i know about the catwalk. Thank you Thank you Thank you

What do you choose...

2008-03-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

coke or pepsi?
colgate or crest?
boxers or briefs?
film or digital?
safeway or raleys?
dry or wet glue?
mc donalds or jack in the box?
creative memories or outside of the box?
cheese board pizza or round table?
No brainer there...
brick and mortar store or online store?

Sunny sunday afternoon...

2008-03-02T15:08:00.001-08:00

what have you done all weekend? Were you productive or lazy? What constitutes productive or lazy? Two of my business partners were at a scrappers weekend and the other two stayed home. They worked hard and got some scrapping in. We on the home front made goody bags for Expo in a few weeks. Work is work ya know.
i also caught up on my movies again this weekend.
During my "move extravaganza" i created this little beauty from some chipboard i pulled out from Diane's Maya Road tin she won at CHA. i thought of a mini book right away.

A nonfat carmel machiato in the late afternoon not only goes to the hips but also for a good buzz into the night. i stayed up till i finished it or i think the movies ran out.
i of course got up this morning and was going to play some racket ball with Diane but no courts. So i took a spin class. Yes i did get a number and so did Diane. The class is so popular that you have to stand in line for a number at least a 1/2 hr. before class. (Rosie when you come home you have to take one with me...yes that means coming out to suburbia. But i will cook for you.)
Well i hope your weekend was either productive or lazy...remember it's your choice.

Sunny California....

2008-02-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

So spring has sprung a little...time to get those pedicures in all the colors with bling or not. Picked out any cute sandals to go with those beautiful toes? i have seen some but haven't narrowed it down yet. Oh but the hunt for the seasonal purse hase begun and probably stopped in one store. Round and round we go, where we stopped...the Cole Haan store. Ouch!!

i just love the color...i was telling my friend Mia (also a lover of bags) that the orange was not a OH my god orange but an aaaaaahh.
Ok i have to move away from the "i want" bag...what are you doing this weekend? i will most likely work on finishing up the expo classes. fun fun fun And i can't forget my date with the tax lady...that is always a hoot 15 mins of business and 1 3/4 hr of gabbing. She is kinda like my aunt. She lived with us for a short while when i was a teenager.
The Scrap for a Cure March kits go up later today...can i now say Maria Grace Abuzman is our guest designer OMG!!! Ok the business partners are gonna get me for that being let out of the bag buuut i just LOVE her. What a great designer and gal!!! Check out our blog we are giving away all kinds of goodies over there. Don't miss out!!! now go out and enjoy your weekend!!!

Busy busy busy...that is what claimed tuesday

2008-02-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

so i made it a point to blog today. What do you see through your lens on your phone? I have captured a few things in my day.

ever been to france???

2008-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

My sister Rosie is studying abroad this semester and she is there right now. One lucky duck i tell ya!!!
This photo is from her past weekend in provence...jealous much?? i miss her loads and way excited to live vicariously through her emails. Can you imagine the food mmmmmmm!!! The scents whofting through the air. The little cafes and shops tucked away on some little avenue. Do they have avenues over there??Ahhhh to be that age again and travel with no kids. Well maybe not that age just the part about traveling with no kids. Someday i will get to Europe.
Ok ok on to business things....CHA stuff is coming in like crazy!!! Can i tell you how much i love Paul Whittaker. That man RoCKs my world...well at least my scrapppy world. We are getting in 3 new Tinkering Ink lines for expo. You don't want to miss any of it.
My Zutter should be shipping any day now...can't wait to play with that. Have you played with one?
What did you scrap this weekend??
Were you satisfied with the Oscar winners? What dresses did you like??

I saw the movie Vantage Point. My friends now know i am a screamer at movies.

New "boy" band in town...

2008-02-24T12:14:00.001-08:00

have you heard the buzzz about them?
i think their lead guitarist is a little archaic to be in the "boy" band but a boy is a boy. right??? Anyway i caught one of their recent jam sessions out on the Lane. They weren't bad at all. i don't think they have been at it too long but already they are RoCKiNNN!! It's like the band to see right now so when they come to YOUR town check them out.

Saying good-bye book...

2008-02-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

In the late fall we went on a road trip starting off in Bakersfield to see John's father and Esther then over to 395 to see the quaking aspens and their color. On the way back over Tioga pass we stopped up in the meadows and tossed my grandma Edith's ashes along with my jack russell Comet's. Both were special to me and for Yosemite to be their forever spot makes me smile. Gramdma loved that crazy dog!!! They will enjoy each other forever in a beautiful spot next to the Tuolumne River. i made this book back in Dec. It's a magestical mixed up book. My labor of love to saying good bye.
Going to Yosemite this week reminded me of it so i decided to post it.
What are your plans for the weekend? Me...i have a date night with Hayden and some of his buddies at Chuck e cheese. Yeeeeehaw!!! It's a good time for them and cardboard pizzas for us. Maybe I'll talk to Diane about sneaking in some Suishi...hmmmmm. As for the rest of the weekend maybe some scrappin, some prepping of taxes (uughhh), spinning in the new cycle room...we'll see what plays out. Oh and the Oscars!!! What are your picks? i still need to see a few of them.
i did catch Juno...Rosie that should have been our Christmas movie!!!! Will we ever be able to redeem ourselves from our choice this year??? i don't even remember what we saw!!!

Ahhhh Yosemite in the winter....

2008-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

yes, Hayden and i snuck away to the mountains. On sunday early evening we drove up to the valley and stayed at our friend Joe's house. Hayden was thrilled to get there to see Joe and his friend Ted. He just has a good time with them. They always tease him by saying they wrestle bears in the early morning out on the Ahwahnee meadow. i think Hayden is catching on. Especially when they said something about gearing up, lowering down and cleaning the falls. i didn't get a chance to take many pictures because we were in such a rush. We had a fabulous breakfast a la Joe then headed up to Badger Pass. We arrived and were skiing by 10:00. Around 2:00 we decided to stop for lunch...we thought it was 12:00 ooooppps! Hayden decided he had enough so we packed up and headed home. He did a great job remembering how to get off the lift...one fall. Kinda like a pile up on i5. Not his fault though.

As always the Valley was beautiful. My favorite season up there. Not too many tourists and a lot of snow. Hayden was amazed to wake up in the morning to all that stuff.

Recovery time...

2008-02-16T21:37:00.000-08:00

oh yes, i am back in the swing of things. The gym, grocery shopping, laundry, picking up toys, cooking and the list goes on. Now are just the sweet memories of those 5 glorious days. i have added some pictures from our night out at Disneyland without kids and husbands. i am the forehead showing 4 people back.
i just got back from Kerry lynn's class and what a rockin time i had. We made a cute little book about our daily lives. i never do a book on just me. But to me it was all about the people that were there!!! The ever so lovely Maria Grace Abuzman came by to pick up our March kit...she's our guest designer....HURRRRAY!! Renee Savage was there whom i throughly enjoy her company. i met Marie Ramierez YAY!! Ok just a good time.
So my business partners took pics with all kinds of celebrities in the scrapbook industry at CHA. Tim Holtz, Heidi Swapp, Elsie and Jessica Sprague. Am i jealous...hmmmm i saw Emily Falconbridge walking around with her baby and i had a moment of star struck. i so enjoy her work. She is from Perth Australia and i just love what she does. i suppose i can hear my brother Dan cheering for the Aussies. So she is my one photo taken with a designer...HuUrRayy!!!

We are back...

2008-02-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

a little tired but we ordered a lot of goodies for the next 6 months out. OMG!!!! CHA was fantastic!!! The amount of artists that were together in one building was an incredible feeling for me. i sat back one day and really thought about all the companies, designers and distributors that were represented in one building...wow!!! It was our first trip there and overall i think team scrap for a cure did quite well. The floor was huge but we covered it quite well. Everyone got to see their favorite celebrities and all the new goodies. i have pictures but it is late and i am tired...so i will post soon.
i have on my "mommy pants" and am ready for what the boys bring my way but i think back to my FANTASTIC five days of glorious fun...lots of laughter, screaming fun and the rush of the rides at Disneyland. Did i forget to mention we went there? OOOps! 7 to 8 rides plus dinner in 4 hours...moms gone wild!!! Like i said will post pictures later.

Count down to CHA...

2008-02-06T21:21:00.001-08:00

has begun. i wish it was friday already. Long drive down the I 5 but hey 5 whole days away i just don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Who am i kidding i have never been away that long by myself. Unfortunately i leave when there is some of the best skiing available. Well I guess some things got to give. i have wanted to go to CHA for at least 3 years now and it is finally happening.
i have begun taking photos for the class with Kerri Lynn on the 16th. Should be fun. i have never done a journal of just me.
i saw over at scrapmojo Marie has her new challenge up. When to find the time to do it.
time time time time some things always got to give

Already in Feb...

2008-02-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

wow time is just flying. i had a wonderful b-day week. You know you have to celebrate all week long or for the whole month is good too! i went out to dinner with friends, scrapped a little, shopped a little but no skiing. Not condusive enough. i hope to go after we get back from CHA. It is my first time being gone so long from my boys. i hope Liam will talk to me after i get back. i am so excited to go. i have wanted to go for soooo long now. i think we are going into Disneyland one night for a mom's gone wild night...should be fun.
i will post soon my mini book i worked on over at Diana's house last night. We had a fun little challenge.

My 44th...

2008-01-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

and a nice mellow one. Had a little workout with my friends...nothing like a good sweat!! Don't know what my DH is going to do tonight, maybe a BBQ. A lot of family and friends have called and emailed which was nice that i couldn't sneak the day by.
I have uploaded some photos of my 4th of July album that i finished 3 times over (created 2 others for my friends Michelle and Jill) I just had so much fun with the boys last July on our road trip. Here it is at the end of January and my mind has been going with thoughts of the open road that summer brings. We have a few trips on the books for the summer. Trying out some new campgrounds with Diane. It must be that wonderlust that i have in me. Even with 2 kids i can still travel on my own with them. And have a good time seeing the sights. Ohh i can't wait for summer!!!

The birth of a blog

2008-01-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

and the day before my 44th birthday. Wow i sure don't feel it. What is your favorite cake? First and foremost it has to be moist. But i am a pie girl. I like pie any day to cake. Sure birthdays are special but not like my 30th which was my magical because i was 30 on the 30th and it was superbowl sunday. So what did i do? Ski from the top of Mt. Bachelor on tele-skies. Now i just try to navigate my day with the boys. We are 2 days away from our February kit debut and i can't wait. i have enjoyed playing with this kit so much. i had a little challenge with Diane to see who could do the most LOs one night. it was fun to play together.