Just dropping in to say hey!

The last month was a whirlwind of travel for me and I had a blast!  I was in a flurry of make and takes at some local and not too local places.  For now, I've stopped to rest and catch up on everything before I run off to Chicago next month.  Here's a peek at one of my trips:



Seriously, what is up with the weather?  While I was in Arizona, my son and husband were struck by lightning while fly fishing and while I was in Palm Springs last week, my father-in-law and his wife lost their garage to a tornado.  Everyone is fine with hair raising stories to tell.  I'm very grateful, but a bit hesitant to go away again, not sure what will happen next. It's just crazy.

In other crazy news, my adorable baby boy is turning 16 this week.  He towers over me at over 6' tall and has moments when the hormones take over and he's not so adorable.  I love him oceans and am treasuring every moment of these last few years he'll be here at home with us, even the challenging ones. He still loves fishing and rugby, which balances out the PS3 addiction and constant texting.  His friends are so much smarter and more important than we are, so I'd have to say he's a pretty typical teen.

On the same day that the boy turns 16, Curtis and I celebrate the 24th anniversary of our first date.  Almost a quarter of a century together, and he still surprises me.  I picked a good partner for this roller coaster of life.  I can't wait to see what the next 24 years bring.

Wishing you a fun filled summer.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Twenty years ago today I married my best friend.  He's still my best friend and I can't wait to see what wonderful new adventures the next twenty years bring.  We're getting on a plane in the morning to run away for a few days of quiet celebration.  

Happy 49th Anniversary Mom and Dad.  Hugs and Kisses and wishes for many more!

CHA photobooth silliness

I can't believe it's September already. I'm two months into my Lead Fiskateer gig and I think I have my sea legs back now. It's been a wild ride so far and I'm loving every minute of it. It seems like summer just flew by in a flash this year. Kyle is back in school as a sophomore with a very heavy load of classes. He seems happy with his classes and is studying every night already. That's a good sign. He comes home speaking french to me every day and I love that. It's been a long time since my high school french class, but it's coming back quickly. Maybe we'll have to take a trip to France or Quebec next year and try out our skills. I'm enjoying my weekly yoga classes and spending way too much time on the computer lately. I have plans of making a new video tutorial soon, hopefully this weekend. I'm carving out a little time to read The Help, and I'm loving it so far.  Curtis and I have weekend travel plans for later this fall to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It feels like we just got married yesterday.  I hope you're having a good start to your fall season.  Thanks for stopping by today.

I love the giant slide.  We took a break yesterday and ran away to the fair.  The weather cooled off just enough to make it a beautiful day out.  The baby pigs were born yesterday morning, so we got to see them on their birth day.  They were adorable and a bit wobbly in the legs.  I had to go back later to check on them because the little runts weren't getting food and I worried about those little cuties.  The volunteer  assured me she takes them home to bottle feed at night until they can get in there with the others.  I feel much better about those sweet little piglets.  So, about the food.  I had a giant cinnamon roll that was just as good as it was when I was a kid.  We also ate hot dogs at Pinks.  It's a hollywood landmark and they have a mini Pinks at the fair.  The best ever hotdogs.  We bought things we didn't need at the vendor market.  We oohed and aahed at all the amazing artwork and quilts and flowers and quirky collections that people submitted.  We marveled at the abundant garden displays.  We enjoyed all the FHA animals with the kids who raised them lounging in the pens with their charges.  Kyle and his friend ate every disgusting deep fried thing they could find and rode all the crazy rides.  We finished the day at the Train concert which rocked my world.  They were so engaged with the audience and the music was top notch.    It was a great day.

A few photos from vacation

The finale.  We drove up into Oregon and stayed in Medford for the night.  The next morning we drove into Ashland which is a place we've dreamed about for 15 years now.  I must digress to tell you that my husband was offered a job there and we almost took it, but decided to stay where we are.  I never regretted our decision, and then we drove into Ashland.  Oh my goodness, what a pretty little town.  It started with a stop at a groovy little coffee house and a walk through the downtown.  Curtis visited the fly fishing shop and Kyle and I went into the independent book store.  People were walking and biking all over town. The houses had lush gardens and there's a beautiful university in town.  It's also home to the Shakespeare Festival and has gorgeous architecture.  It just felt like home.  We have put it at the top of the list of places to retire to, now.

So, then we pushed on to visit Lassen NP which was quite different from Volcanoe's NP, but still full of amazing geography.  The mud pots and really cool stuff were still covered with snow, so go in August if you go there to see that part.  Curtis fished in a lake there and was happy.  We then drove on to Redding for the night and pushed on home the next day for a 10 hour drive. It was good to get away and it's good to be home.  I think we go on vacation just so we can appreciate our own bed when we get back.  Thanks for reading the saga of the vacation.  It wasn't the vacation we planned, but it held some wonderful surprises along the way.  Oh, and I did score some coconut m&ms here and there.  Have you found any yet?

Where in the world am I? It all started a week ago with a road trip to Cal Berkley to drop Kyle off for rugby camp. After getting him checked in we headed back south a bit to the Montery Bay area to stay with my cousin, but not before we ate the best ice cream ever at a little shop in Berkley called Ici. As we were walking down the sidewalk I noticed a woman with a stroller waiting outside the shop. When I asked her about the shop, she told me to get in line even if I hadn't had lunch yet. So of course I got in line and read the chalkboard menu while we waited for the shop to open. I tasted the apricot which was a bit tart, so opted for gingersnap. Oh, my goodness, it was divine. It was a candied ginger flavor in vanilla ice cream with cruahed up gingersnaps in a homemade cone. Heaven!

We stayed a few days with my cousin and had a wonderful visit. We ate at the wharf twice, shopped at our favorite craft store and thrift shop, canned 24 jars of apricot jam from her tree, stamped a pile of cards, went to a craft show, joined the inlaws and outlaws for a rocking barbecue, enjoyed the sea lions, and ate at the Giant Artichoke where we feasted on fried artichoke hearts, steamed artichokes, artichoke bread, and artichoke soup. It was a ton of fun and we're still on the road. More on our travels coming in the next post. Any guesses where we went next or where we are now?

School's out for summer! I love summer vacation.  We took off as soon as Kyle finished his last final of Thursday for a nice long weekend in the Eastern Sierras. Mom and Dad joined us again this year for what is now a tradition since this makes two years in a row.  We even stayed in the same condo.  I was surprised that there was still snow on the ground up at Lake George.  I read a whole book while we were there, Water for Elephants.  It was a great read and a highly entertaining account of a 90 year old man looking back on his life focusing on his time working at the circus.  Of course we did some sightseeing, hiking, shopping, and lots of eating out and visiting.  It was a great getaway.  We're home just long enough to do the laundry and pack the bags again.  Next stop- rugby camp for Kyle at Cal Berkley.  I hope you're having a great start to the summer.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Just Peachy Supplies Cardstock: Die Cuts With A View; Tag: Avery; Stamp: PSX; Ink: Tsukineko; Markers: Copic; Pencils: Prisma; Punch: Fiskars; Other: Lace

Happy Mother's Day.  Mom and I celebrated our mother's day by going out for a proper tea.  I'd love to show you the photos, but they're so blurry they made me dizzy.  Darn it all.  I didn't have my regular camera and took a newer one that I don't know how to use well.  I couldn't figure out how to review the photos that we asked the girl at the next table over to take.  Just imagine that we were smiling, happy, and wearing the most adorable flowered hats.  Our server, Lady Betty, brought out the tea leaf blends of the day for us to smell as she explained each one.  I chose a lavender earl grey and Mom chose a peach ginger.  We each got our own little pot of delicious tea.  The plates of food seemed to go on and on and each bite was even better than the last one.  If you're in Temecula, call the Truffles and Lace Tea Parlor for a reservation. You don't even have to bring a hat, she has a wonderful selection for you to put on when you get there.  It was a real treat.

We stopped in an adorable quilt shop and stamp shop after our tea and oohed and aahed over all the pretty fabrics and stamps before heading back home.  It was a grand girls' day out and we had the best time.  It feels like it's been forever since we've gone on adventures together.  The best mother's day gift of all is that my mom is finally getting well after being sick for over 2 years.  We found out last week that the disease is finally waning and that the surgery and medications are working.

The guys spoiled me yesterday with breakfast, flowers, a massage certificate and the most beautiful letter from my sweet taller than me teenager.  We rounded out the day with a trip to see Iron Man 2, which was so much fun.  Of course with a teen boy, I had to go see an action flick.  Having a boy has been an adventure that I never imagined.  Being his mom is one of the greatest joys of my life.  It was a beautiful mother's day and I'm thankful in so many ways.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Happy Hearts Day

This is the card I made for my sweetie.  You may recognize a few goodies from my treasure hunting trip a few posts back.  The old label, bingo card piece, and bingo marker are from that trip. The flower is made with a scallop circle punch and old sewing pattern directions.  I really posted this to tell you a love story, not go on and on about the card.

Nine years ago today, I met my sweet husband at El Pollo Loco for lunch.  I was working full time days and he was working full time nights so we could care for our son who was in kindergarten.  Meeting for a quick fast food lunch was a treat for us.  We met half way down the mountain most nights to switch off  the kiddo as I was coming home and he was going to work.  After doing this for 5 years, we barely saw each other.  We both felt like single parents.  I was burnt out from 12 years of social work and keeping up this crazy schedule.  I'd worked my whole adult life, gone to school, and this was my chosen profession.  The thing is it no longer worked and it no longer fit me.  Something had to give, but I didn't see it.  My sweet husband has a way of seeing what I need before I see it.  While we were eating our hurried lunch and wishing each other a happy valentine's day, he gave me a gift.  It was unexpected and intangible.  I was lamenting about the latest drama at work, and he said, "why don't you quit".  I laughed and he said he was serious.  You see up until that day, I never even imagined it as an option.  We began to ponder the idea. The more we talked about it, the more excited I became.  I sat down with our finances that night and figured out that it was possible.  It would be a huge lifestyle change, but it was possible.  We put the wheels in motion and 6 weeks later I became a stay at home mom who cooked dinner and helped in the classroom and drove her son to school, and began having a life I never knew I wanted or needed.

Over the last nine years many things have happened that wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't had that lovely fast food lunch that day.  I've been substitute teaching since about 6 months after I left my full time job.  I was able to homeschool Kyle for 2 years to help him through some learning disabilities that had gone undetected earlier.  I've been able to pursue my passion with crafting in ways I never imagined.  Mostly, though, I found my marriage.  I fell in love with my husband all over again.  Our family is stronger and I wouldn't trade one day of it for a fancy dinner out or a shopping trip to Nordstrom with a personal shopper.  Those things are fleeting pleasures.  This life gives me enduring love and contentment beyond my wildest dreams.  Happy Valentine's Day.

Wow what a fun weekend I had.  The guys went off fishing out of town and left this girl here on her own.  In short I ate out, caught up with a couple of old friends and family, had a friend over to stamp the day away, took a class, read a book, and downed a pint of haagen dazs strawberry ice cream.  Ok, so maybe it's not your ideal weekend, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

The class was a total last minute crazy thing that I'm so glad I did.  I went down to the ARTbar in Santa Ana to take a class with Suzanne McNeill on Zentangle.  She just published a book called Zentangle Basics that I can't find online anywhere, but it's a wonderful jumping off place for this fun kind of drawing. She's an amazing instructor and so warm and friendly.  The ARTbar is just about the coolest little place for creative fun.  I fell in love with it and I'm sure I'll visit again.  Oh, and I met some lovely talented orange county ladies there who invited me to join them for dinner.  Just a wonderful way to finish out my recharging weekend.

The artwork up at the top are the zentangles I made.  The top one is a traditional zentangle that is 3 1/2" square.  It's the first one I made.  Then we made the ATC on the bottom right.  I finished it at home and then made another 3 1/2" square one last night to show the guys how I made it.  I've already cut a bunch of blanks to continue on my zentangle journey.  The whole idea is that they are a quick portable art medium requiring just a fine tipped pen and paper.  You get into a zen place in the process of creating the tangle.  I'm excited to have something small and fun to carry with me to create in my down time.  It goes with my word of the year, too.  I'm still breathing.

I think the guys had as much fun as I did this weekend.  They came home chatty and happy with lots of photos and stories.  No fish, it was a catch and release trip.  They've taken up fly fishing now to add to their fishing options when it's not deep sea fishing season.  The big surprise of the trip is that Kyle had his first driving lesson.  Seriously, when did my little boy get big enough to learn how to drive.  I guess by this summer he'll be old enough to take official driver training.  Makes me just a little bit sad and proud all at the same time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm all recovered and ready for the holidays. All of the packages are wrapped up under the tree and flowing out into the living room. I still need to bake those cookies, but they can wait until tomorrow.

My sister and I saw Riverdance this afternoon. It was one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The energy was palpable. At times I wanted to jump out of my seat and then there were moments that gave me the chills and brought tears to my eyes. It was everything an experience at the theater should be and more. This is the farewell tour of this show. Be sure to grab some tickets if it comes anywhere near to you. I'm still giddy.

Mom is home and doing great after her surgery. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and kind comments. I had a little stamping time today now that I'm back home. You can see the cards I made here and my adventures in coloring with Copics here.

These next cards are all made with Darkroom Door stamps. Oh, how I love this company. Such gorgeous images and the owner is an amazing photographer. Stop by Rachel's blog here to see all of her beautiful artwork and stamps that she makes down under. I have a long wish list for her stamps. These butterflies that I worked with stamp so beautifully. I can't stop using them and they arrived on cling mount for easy storage.







I hope you had a lovely beginning to the holiday season yesterday. Thanks for stopping by today.

thankful

Mom is amazing. She came through surgery like a champ and even walked a lap around the floor today. By tomorrow afternoon all the tubes should be out. It's very likely that she'll go home on Thanksgiving. Thank you for all the beautiful wishes and sentiments and prayers. It's truly a beautiful day.

mom

Here's my beautiful mom. She's beautiful from the inside out. This picture is from a quilt show we attended in January. Quilts are something we both love and we had so much fun oohing and aahing over them. Mom's partial to the very traditional hand quilted designs and I love the wild artsy quilts. It was fun to share what we loved about all the different types of quilts. I'm feeling very sentimental today. Tomorrow morning at 7:45 Mom goes in for major surgery. It's her best shot at getting rid of this disease that she's had growing for 2 years. We're all feeling very hopeful that after her long recovery period she'll feel better and not have to take all the toxic medication she's been on for the last two years. She'd like to have more energy, more hair, more health, more quality of life. We all want that for her. Please send out some good karma, vibes, prayers, or hopes that her surgeons have a good day tomorrow, and can give her better health. Any positive energy you can send her way will be so appreciated. I'm working on breathing in and out until we get to the other side of this journey. Thanks for stopping by today.

more snow babies

These are the two little snow babies that are joining my collection. The guy on the left is made from a parmesan cheese shaker and the one on the right is an old pint milk bottle. I just can't begin to tell you how fun it is to make these. Each one took on a little personality as I worked with them. We used all sorts of goodies to create them including bits and baubles from old jewelry, old cookie cutters, jingle bells, wire, ribbons, safety pins, brads, bottle stopper and lots of glittery goodness. I think my cousin and I have started a tradition we'll long to continue. It's so much fun to get together and make things like we did when we were teenagers before college and husbands and kids and jobs took priority. That's one of the blessings of having teenagers and working part time. We can play again once in a while.



Here's last year's snow babies that were in the Cloth Paper Scissors Newsletter. That was so fun. I can hardly wait to unpack the holiday decorations. For now the two newbies are hanging out in the craft room with me. I haven't figured out their names yet.

joyful

Supplies: Cardstock: Stampin Up; Stamp: A Stamp in the Hand, Stampin Up; Ink: Tsukineko; Alcohol Ink: Ranger; Leafing Pen: Krylon; Glitter Glue: Ranger; Other: Button, Ribbon.

Here's a little joyful pear ATC to share with you this morning. I used just a part of a larger stamp for this one. The original stamp is huge and has three pears on it. I masked the stamp and used cactus green stazon ink to ink up just the last pear in the trio. I wasn't sure if the green would cover since it was a lighter color, but it worked beautifully. Getting the sentiment in that little tag was tricky, but I just eyeballed it. I know a stamp positioner is easier, but I'm too lazy to mess with it. I'm not sure what alcohol ink colors are in the background. This is one of my clean up bases. What I mean by that is when I'm doing alcohol ink techniques that I use the craft mat for, I clean it up with an ATC base. I keep some glossy cardstock cut to ATC size and when my craft mat needs to be wiped off, I add a little blending solution and wipe it up with a base. I do the same thing with regular cardstock and distress inks. Sometimes I use a tag as my clean up base with distress inks. Just spritz with a little water and wipe it up. I do the twirl and lift thing. Lay down the cardstock, then twist it around in the ink and lift. Repeat until the craft mat is clean. These are some of my favorite backgrounds and I try to always include this in my classes. It seems like the best stuff comes out of my just roll with it and see what happens play sessions. I hope you'll find some time to play in the ink this week.

On a personal note, Mom's having surgery on the 23rd. It's been a very long two years of illness for her, and this is her chance at getting rid of most or all of it. We're feeling very hopeful that this will give her the quality of life she deserves. Thanks for stopping by today.

Chicken and Dumplings

This is not your grandma's chicken and dumplings, but it's pretty darned good. I can't tell you how many pots of this I made for my mom when she was sick. It seemed to make her happy, so it made me happy. When I found out that my neighbors have H1N1 that has turned to pneumonia, I decided it was time to cook some of this elixir. If you have friends, family, or neighbors with the flu, drop some by. We need to help each other through this flu season. We're going to get our flu shots tomorrow night when I pick hubby up from the airport. He's been visiting his dad this week.

Chicken and Dumplings

Get out a great big soup pot and put a whole chicken in it, without the giblets. If you have chicken parts, that works too. Fill up the pot with water. Add in 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp. Emeril's Essence Seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. or 1 cube chicken bullion, 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion, and bring to a boil. Simmer on the stove for 2 hours. Your house will smell yummy. Take the chicken out of the pot and let it cool enough to handle it. Take all the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot. Throw away the skin and bones and garlic if you can find it. Bring back to a boil and here's the tricky part. Cut up a package of flour tortillas into squares about 2" x 2". Put them in the boiling pot, and they will puff up and make yummy dumplings. Whisk together 1/4 c. flour with water and whisk it into the pot. Taste it and add more salt if needed.

My great grandma made amazing chicken and dumplings which involved first catching a chicken from the yard and wringing it's neck. I was pretty horrified by the whole process, but she knew how to make good chicken and dumplings. This version is much easier.

I lost my mojo a few weeks ago. I missed it so much. I need to get ink on my hands. It's good for my soul. I found it, and my spirit is singing. Guess where it was? It was hiding amongst a group of incredibly talented and creative women. To my great surprise I had a nearly full class last night and I agonized about whether or not I could inspire them. They paid good money to learn and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to deliver. Their light and creativity surrounded me and I taught and laughed and learned. Ahh, it's so good to have ink stained fingers. Thank you ladies for all of your creative energy.

I made this tag using my old neglected Tombow Markers. I forgot about those fun little guys. The stamp I used is an oldie, too. It was one of the first used stamps I ever bought and it's made by Rubber Stampede. Here's how I made the tag. First I stamped the apples using a dark red and dark green marker directly on the stamp. Then I colored in the image using lighter colors and a bit of the blending marker. I put the whole thing in embossing folders and embossed it right over the image and words. A bit of distress ink over the embossing makes it pop. That's a piece of vintage measuring tape up there at the top. Stop by 2peas for their free stamp camp classes. Every monday they're posting a new class, and this week is Stamping with Markers by Nichol Magouirk. Thank you for the inspiration, Nichol.

I really want to thank all of you for your support through these last few weeks. It was a rough road, but we all have to travel the difficult roads so we can enjoy the happier times. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by.