We saw a really awesome light show last night. I don't know who was getting the brunt of this, but from here it looked absolutely amazing!!! One strike right after the other...soooooooo cool!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 11
Have you ever had a crisis in your life where scrapbooking helped you get through it?
In 2006 my son and his wife had their first child together. Caydence had somehow cut off her own oxygen supply in the last week of Kim's pregnancy and was born with almost no brain function. Having lost an infant child of my own I had so much empathy for them. It was even harder going through it with them than it was for myself. While they were at the hospital and the Ronald McDonald house for those 7 1/2 weeks the thing that got me through this was scrapbooking...every activity (donated by Ronald McDonald House), every photo of Caydence and the family. It was therapeudic for not only me but for the entire family.
Scrap Muse DT Reveal
I had the priviledge of working with this month's Specialty Kit...'School Boy'...which features papers from Cosmo Cricket and embelishments from Kaiser Craft. Check it out at http://www.scrapmuse.com/
This is the LO I did for the 'reveal'.
This is the LO I did for the 'reveal'.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 10
Have you ever wanted to kill a pet? LOL!!!!
Tyeler and Paige worked so hard yesterday helping me put up our Christmas tree. Except for help with the lights I let them do it all by themselves. Tyeler was so proud of the job they did. Last year we only put lights on the tree and made sure they were off when we went to bed so Furball wouldn't be tempted to play in it. At 3:30 this morning I was awakened by a CRASH!! The tree was knocked over and every ornament was on the floor...AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! The word 'KILL' definitely came to mind!
Furball is NOT as innocent as he looks in this photo!!
Tyeler and Paige worked so hard yesterday helping me put up our Christmas tree. Except for help with the lights I let them do it all by themselves. Tyeler was so proud of the job they did. Last year we only put lights on the tree and made sure they were off when we went to bed so Furball wouldn't be tempted to play in it. At 3:30 this morning I was awakened by a CRASH!! The tree was knocked over and every ornament was on the floor...AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! The word 'KILL' definitely came to mind!
Furball is NOT as innocent as he looks in this photo!!
Inquiring Minds...Day 9
This is kind of a scrapbooking question and kind of not. I wonder how many of you know much about your own parents? Do you know how they met?
My mom was always and still is pretty vague about her childhood. I have only 2 or 3 photos and she never talks about what her life was like as a kid. I really want to know!! It wasn't until my dad was in the hospital with cancer that he told me how he and Mom met. My dad's life story is even more vague. I only know that he grew up in Bakersfield, had 11 siblings, and went into the army at age 17 and served in WWII.
My mom's parents divorced when she was 7 and both remarried. Her mom and step-dad were living in Oklahoma while her dad moved to California. Mom was a teenager visiting her dad when she met my dad at a USO dance in LA while he was in the Army. They communicated for a while. Then when Dad was on leave Mom tricked a guy into driving her to CA where she met up with Dad and they eloped to Arizona and got married. She was just 15 and Dad was 19. A wife at 15 and a mom at 17...Mom really didn't get much time to just be a kid. I wonder if that's why she doesn't have much to talk about.
My mom was always and still is pretty vague about her childhood. I have only 2 or 3 photos and she never talks about what her life was like as a kid. I really want to know!! It wasn't until my dad was in the hospital with cancer that he told me how he and Mom met. My dad's life story is even more vague. I only know that he grew up in Bakersfield, had 11 siblings, and went into the army at age 17 and served in WWII.
My mom's parents divorced when she was 7 and both remarried. Her mom and step-dad were living in Oklahoma while her dad moved to California. Mom was a teenager visiting her dad when she met my dad at a USO dance in LA while he was in the Army. They communicated for a while. Then when Dad was on leave Mom tricked a guy into driving her to CA where she met up with Dad and they eloped to Arizona and got married. She was just 15 and Dad was 19. A wife at 15 and a mom at 17...Mom really didn't get much time to just be a kid. I wonder if that's why she doesn't have much to talk about.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 8
Do you have kids/grandkids? If not, do you want kids or plan on becoming a parent any time soon?
I was the first of the six girls to get married and the first to have a baby. Boy did grandson #1 ever get spoiled!! But...HOLY COW!!!! No one ever told me babies CRY!!! I was in the hospital 4 days and the nurses did all the caring for the baby until they sent me home. I cried right along side of Troys little bed the whole first night...
I raised five kids (and lost one in infancy). I have four sons and 1 daughter. Valerie is right in the middle. She always wanted a sister. When I came home from the hospital with our youngest son she started crying and asked me..."Mommy, don't you like girls?" When I assured her I did, she wanted to know..."Then why do you keep having little boys?" That was a hard one to explain to an 8-year old...LOL!
I also have 9 grandchildren including the infant granddaughter we lost in 2006.
I was the first of the six girls to get married and the first to have a baby. Boy did grandson #1 ever get spoiled!! But...HOLY COW!!!! No one ever told me babies CRY!!! I was in the hospital 4 days and the nurses did all the caring for the baby until they sent me home. I cried right along side of Troys little bed the whole first night...
I raised five kids (and lost one in infancy). I have four sons and 1 daughter. Valerie is right in the middle. She always wanted a sister. When I came home from the hospital with our youngest son she started crying and asked me..."Mommy, don't you like girls?" When I assured her I did, she wanted to know..."Then why do you keep having little boys?" That was a hard one to explain to an 8-year old...LOL!
I also have 9 grandchildren including the infant granddaughter we lost in 2006.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 7
How did you meet your husband/significant other?
Brad and I went to the same high school but didn't really know each other. We met one night when I was an usher at our local movie theater. He and some friends came in to see the midnight movie on New Years Eve. He was being totally obnoxious and I finally had to hit him with my flashlight. After the movie was over he asked me if I wanted a ride home. That was almost 44 years ago and we are still together!!
Brad and I went to the same high school but didn't really know each other. We met one night when I was an usher at our local movie theater. He and some friends came in to see the midnight movie on New Years Eve. He was being totally obnoxious and I finally had to hit him with my flashlight. After the movie was over he asked me if I wanted a ride home. That was almost 44 years ago and we are still together!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 6
Did you go to college after high school? Is your job now related to your education?
I graduated from high school with the dream of becoming a journalist. I loved working on the school paper and thought I'd like that as a career. However, I had an even bigger dream and that was to be a mom. Once I started having kids there just never seemed to be any time or money to continue my education. I actually thought the dream of being a writer was never going to happen. But you know what? I may not get paid for it but I am a journalist. Not for any local newspaper, but for my family.
I graduated from high school with the dream of becoming a journalist. I loved working on the school paper and thought I'd like that as a career. However, I had an even bigger dream and that was to be a mom. Once I started having kids there just never seemed to be any time or money to continue my education. I actually thought the dream of being a writer was never going to happen. But you know what? I may not get paid for it but I am a journalist. Not for any local newspaper, but for my family.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 5
For some of you the teen years were not so long ago. For others, maybe a few more years. My question today is Do you have any teenage experiences good or bad that really stand out in your mind? Share as many as you like...inquiring minds want to know!
We moved from our beautiful 5-bedroom home in the city to a 2-bedroom home on a dairy ranch the day after my 13th birthday. (don't forget there were 6 kids and 2 adults here) It was heartbreaking to leave all my friends but kind of exciting at the same time. I had just entered Junior High and left a school where there were 700 kids in the 7th grade alone to a attend a country school where there were a total of 8 kids in the 7th and 8th grades combined!!! Major culture shock!!! And dairy life...not so exciting!!! I spent five years helping out on the dairy. Even tho Dad never got that boy he was trying for, he had some pretty strong help out there in the barn. It's a life I wouldn't wish on a goat but it sure taught me about responsibility and how important it is that a family work together.
Our high school was a little bigger. 150 in my graduating class. I loved high school. Even tho the dairy took up a lot of our time and we had to schedule so many activities around that schedule, it wasn't all that bad since a lot of my friends were in the same boat. We definitely weren't the only dairy around. It's hard to imagine what life would have been like had we stayed in the city. I can't picture myself being anything but a 'country girl'.
We moved from our beautiful 5-bedroom home in the city to a 2-bedroom home on a dairy ranch the day after my 13th birthday. (don't forget there were 6 kids and 2 adults here) It was heartbreaking to leave all my friends but kind of exciting at the same time. I had just entered Junior High and left a school where there were 700 kids in the 7th grade alone to a attend a country school where there were a total of 8 kids in the 7th and 8th grades combined!!! Major culture shock!!! And dairy life...not so exciting!!! I spent five years helping out on the dairy. Even tho Dad never got that boy he was trying for, he had some pretty strong help out there in the barn. It's a life I wouldn't wish on a goat but it sure taught me about responsibility and how important it is that a family work together.
Our high school was a little bigger. 150 in my graduating class. I loved high school. Even tho the dairy took up a lot of our time and we had to schedule so many activities around that schedule, it wasn't all that bad since a lot of my friends were in the same boat. We definitely weren't the only dairy around. It's hard to imagine what life would have been like had we stayed in the city. I can't picture myself being anything but a 'country girl'.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wedding Bells
Well, there weren't actually any wedding bells but Josh and Lucie are husband and wife none the less. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey!!! They decided they wanted to get married on the anniversary of their first date which is TODAY! They asked Chief of Police, Bob Pasero, who works with Josh, and who is also an ordained minister, to do the honors of marrying them. They planned an outdoor ceremony in the park but as beautiful as it was yesterday today turned off rainy and windy....and COLD! So they had the ceremony in their own livingroom instead. They are planning a reception in the Spring. I'm so excited to have a new daughter-in-law and a granddaughter. Welcome to our crazy family, Lucie and Amanda!
Inquiring Minds...Day 4
When did you get your drivers license? Do you have any teenage driving experiences you'd like to tell us about?
I finished my drivers training just after I tuned 16. I planned to get my license that summer. HOWEVER, I was trying to learn to ride my friends mototcycle (my first time in the drivers seat), took a corner too fast and slid out of control in the gravel. Wound up with a concusion, lacerations on my chin and palms of my hands, and a sprained knee. Needless to say that ended my driving for the rest of that summer. It wasn't til the following Spring when my grandparents came out for a visit that my grandma talked me into using her brand new car for the test...awesome! I was actually a pretty careful driver when I was a teen. Brad on the other hand...not so much. But that's another story...LOL!
I finished my drivers training just after I tuned 16. I planned to get my license that summer. HOWEVER, I was trying to learn to ride my friends mototcycle (my first time in the drivers seat), took a corner too fast and slid out of control in the gravel. Wound up with a concusion, lacerations on my chin and palms of my hands, and a sprained knee. Needless to say that ended my driving for the rest of that summer. It wasn't til the following Spring when my grandparents came out for a visit that my grandma talked me into using her brand new car for the test...awesome! I was actually a pretty careful driver when I was a teen. Brad on the other hand...not so much. But that's another story...LOL!
DAISY SCOUTS
Lucie is really getting this Daisy Scout thing down. She held her first 'Investiture Ceremony' on Wednesday (Nov. 18). Paige is one of the Daisies in her troop. The ceremony was short and sweet and just too cute! A friend of theirs made this adorable Daisy cake!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Inquiring Minds...Day 3
So a lot of you have moved all over the place. My question today is what do you remember about grade school? (not High School). Did moving around a lot make it hard? Did you make any lasting friendships?
I went to school in Pacheco, CA (K-6). My closest friends in school were also the kids in my neighborhood. I still keep in touch with my best friend from back then. She still lives in the Bay Area. It's only a once a year holiday letter but it's nice.
I did this LO a few years ago right after I found out that my old school had been torn down. I can still remember walking (running) down those stairs every day to get to the playground and the yearly Halloween parade around that same playground (me on the right). The other photo of me and my sisters brings back memories of waiting across the street every morning for the bus and how every year we got new clothes and a new lunch box, and how back then girls were required to wear dresses to school.
Just a reminder ladies, if you haven't missed the opportunity already, get photos of your schools. They will not always be there. If it's too late for your own school what about your kids?
I went to school in Pacheco, CA (K-6). My closest friends in school were also the kids in my neighborhood. I still keep in touch with my best friend from back then. She still lives in the Bay Area. It's only a once a year holiday letter but it's nice.
I did this LO a few years ago right after I found out that my old school had been torn down. I can still remember walking (running) down those stairs every day to get to the playground and the yearly Halloween parade around that same playground (me on the right). The other photo of me and my sisters brings back memories of waiting across the street every morning for the bus and how every year we got new clothes and a new lunch box, and how back then girls were required to wear dresses to school.
Just a reminder ladies, if you haven't missed the opportunity already, get photos of your schools. They will not always be there. If it's too late for your own school what about your kids?
Inquiring Minds...Day 2
How many siblings do you have, where do you fit into the scheme of things? Were you close as kids? What is you relationship like now?
I was the 2nd of 6 girls. I'm pretty sure I suffered from 'middle child syndrome'...LOL! My sisters and I had the normal issues as kids, fighting over clothes, who's turn it was to do dishes, that's not my mess, and I SAW HIM FIRST!!! But when it came to loving and protecting each other we were there. My baby sister is almost nine years younger than me and she and I became way closer after we both were married and had kids. 5 of my sisters still live fairly close here in California. However my elder sister who lives in Florida is the one I talk to the most. At least weekly. I think it's because the rest of us do live close we just take that for granted. I remember plenty of times saying I wish I was an only child but I must have liked being a part of a large family as when I got married I wanted lots of kids myself.
I was the 2nd of 6 girls. I'm pretty sure I suffered from 'middle child syndrome'...LOL! My sisters and I had the normal issues as kids, fighting over clothes, who's turn it was to do dishes, that's not my mess, and I SAW HIM FIRST!!! But when it came to loving and protecting each other we were there. My baby sister is almost nine years younger than me and she and I became way closer after we both were married and had kids. 5 of my sisters still live fairly close here in California. However my elder sister who lives in Florida is the one I talk to the most. At least weekly. I think it's because the rest of us do live close we just take that for granted. I remember plenty of times saying I wish I was an only child but I must have liked being a part of a large family as when I got married I wanted lots of kids myself.
Inquiring Minds...Day 1
I started this thread over at SCRAP MUSE and thought it would be fun to keep track of my own answers.
Todays questions starts from the beginning...Where were you born and how many times have you moved in your lifetime?
I was born in Concord, California and lived in the Bay Area until I was 13. Then my parents decided to take their six daughters and move from the city to Orland, CA, a little town that we affectionately call 'Boreland'. I hated the move as a teenager. But after becoming a mom I wouldn't have wanted to raise my kids anywhere else. So I'm still here!
Todays questions starts from the beginning...Where were you born and how many times have you moved in your lifetime?
I was born in Concord, California and lived in the Bay Area until I was 13. Then my parents decided to take their six daughters and move from the city to Orland, CA, a little town that we affectionately call 'Boreland'. I hated the move as a teenager. But after becoming a mom I wouldn't have wanted to raise my kids anywhere else. So I'm still here!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
WOOHOO! I just found out yesterday that I've been selected as a new member of the SCRAP MUSE Specialty Design Team. I'm very excited to get to work with some really talented ladies. These are two layouts that I created exclusively for this call. My granddaughters are always a great inspiration for pages!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I was going through my albums and came across these Thanksgiving photos. Hey family, how many times do you rememember this happening? This particular year it was even more embarrassing because it was the first Thanksgiving that we invited Tim and Paula to dinner. Leave it to Tim to know how to lighten the mood (fire extinguisher). After several years of making this same mistake I gave up making the candied yams all together...LOL!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
2 years ago Tye and Paige called me from their mom's and asked if they could bring home a free kitten. Inside my head I was screaming "No! No! No!" But out of my mouth..."Oh I guess so, as long as YOU promise to take care of it." 2 years later when the girls are ready to move with their daddy to their own home, I am NOT ready for them to take Furball. Somewhere along the way he became my cat. Of course I let the girls think he is still theirs and they play with him whenever they come to visit now. But he is my constant companion. He follows me everywhere including the bathroom, sleeps at the foot of my bed every night, and has to be right up in the middle of my stuff whenever I'm scrapping. Look at those innocent eyes. How could I not fall in love with them!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I don't have any ink in my printer...aaaarrrrgggg! But this is my favorite season of the year and I love scrapping Halloween and Fall photos. Since I can't print out any from THIS year I've been having fun going thru pics from past Halloweens. The 'Tigger' Lo was done for a challenge at Scrap Muse to use NO pattern paper.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tyeler celebrated her 9th birthday (Oct 25) with a costume party on Oct. 29. This was her first party at their new home. There were 9 kids there including Sammy and Derek. Tyeler was dressed as a goth vampire and Paige went as Gabriella (from High School Musical). When it came to the games even 5-month-old Derek got in on the act on a couple. Too cute!!
1971...This was the best road trip we ever took. Going all the way from California to Ohio and stopping at EVERY site along the way. It was my first cross country trip. And going to Niagara Falls was definitely a highlight. Brad and I have taken a lot of trips together but this was the most memorable.
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