Ali was in the HOUSE!

It was cool to meet the famous ALI EDWARDS.

There were alot of people that came from all over to Tracy California to meet Ali. There were even two gals from Hawaii that were too cute!One of the gals won my friend Gloria's project she create for the Austism auction. The altered box and board book went for $140!! But the hottest project that brought in $400 was a Mickey Mouse Paper Bag album. WOW! The auction got us $3000 for Ali! Pre--ttt--ey cool.

Ali Edwards is coming......

Ali Edwards a celebrity scrapbooker is coming to our local scrapbook store. Ali is an advocate for Austism, her five year old son has it . To help raise funds for her autism champian people are donating projects for for an auction that will take place on saturday.

I created this altered wine case with the new Phoebe Basic Grey line to donate.

I am looking forward to meeting Ali, I met Donna Downy in January and she was so cool, so down to earth and funny. I now follow her blog and Ali's almost daily. The most 'star' struck I have ever been in my life I think... well of course there was the phase of Shaun Cassidy but hey thats another story.....

It's coming....

The start of spring is fast approaching...

These blossoms are on our apricot tree in the backyard.

Saturday it was starting and tomorrow if the prepicted rain doesn't come and wash away the full blooms I will take a full pic of these beautiful blossoms.

Its so breathtaking to drive down the interstate on Monday and see an orchard full of these trees in bloom.

So so beautiful.... so spring!

Not a snow bunny....

After the 3 hour drive ( my husband can not go the route that your suppose to .. he finds shorter more scenic routes...hmmm an hour longer doesn't mean shorter.. but more scenic it was)......

We did not see any snow even at 4,000 feet! We pulled into the snowpark and saw some snow... one hill was semi covered with melting snow. Gee it I wonder why it was only48 degrees out!

Kaitlyn was not interested in sledding.. we could not believe it... is she really our California baby born of two New Englanders ? She did attempt to make a snowman with the brownish slush she had to work with. In less than an hour she was wet and hungry and wanted to go home!

At least we had a beautiful ride up thru the foothills.. so green and spring like for this time of year. That was our president's day!

Valentine Tatoo.... hmmm what an idea... to bad I can't deal with Needles!

Really isn't this the cutest V-day tshirt I got at Target?

And what about the girl in it ? Now that is priceless.

Kailtyns preschool Valentine class party was today so I let her have the shirt early. She was so excited. I took in 24 heart shaped cookies for the kids to decorate.. it was really fun.

Hope everyone has a loving v-day!!

Simply Love

Created tis little diddty at a crop on saturday, the papers are from one of my favorite paper lines... Basic Grey. this paper series is called Blush. I used a MAYA ROADS chip board book took off the binding to get the panels.

I painted and adhered the papers to the 'panels', used Making Memory chipboard letters and painted them,

I linked the panels by ribbon... it was fast and fun AND most of all completed!!!

NOt sure I can say my friend GLoria completed her 9o ATC's for Georgia!! Get going girlfriend.....

My dad ROCKS!

My dad is the greatest, and I can still say that even if I'm forty! I admire my Dad's love and dedication of holidays. He not only never forgets a birthday he remembers all the small holidays .. Hallmark should be as proud of him as I am.

His rememberance is so appreciated by the kids.. even the almost 16 year olds.. Kaitlyn has learned to about these cards and what they mean... MONEY.

I should have taken a picture of her doing her happy dance the other day when she got the mail and asked if that card was really hers.. she read her name is more what I focused on.. she was so excited when the dollar bill fell out.. thats what she called it... we have all taken turn explaining to her that it is a ten dollar bill.....'OH a TEN dollar bill..." she keeps it in her princess purse till mommy and her go shopping.

Back to my Dad... he is so awesome to do his, it really means alot to the kids and I know they will remember it just as long as I remember ... Dad you rock! Love ya!!!

Fairy play

I just love little girls, they are so imaginative... Kailtyn came up with a combo of Little Mermaid ( the crown) and a fairy, hence the wings....

Can fairies live under water? hmmmmm

Where did they go....

Where did they go? ......The two cute snuggly boys that I once had?

Although twins were alot of work , they were very cute and huggable.

Now they have disappeared and are now replaced with TEENAGERS!

Ohhh these are some trying years, I am thankful they could be worse but

I wasn't prepared for teenagers... is anyone though ?

They often ask why don't you scrap pics of us anymore all you do is pictures of Kailtyn....

hmmm check these pics out would you want to scrap them? I will just so I can rememeber this phase....

I can remember the torcher every morning can be getting them up and out the door to school... the sound of the shower constantly running and the overdose you can get from the cologne fumes.... thats if I don't drownd in the piles of wet towels and clothes on the floor.....

oh then its the question... did you get your homework done? this brings on groans and eye rolling.... sometimes if they speak instead of being PLUGGED into the iPOD... I hear the NEW language.... Whats up dawg? ... words like gangster, pimpster, cracker and other words I am thankful Kailtyn isn't draggin into her Christian preschool..... sometimes one son thinks he's of another race... or is being discriminated against because of his brown skin.... I am constantly turning off MTV but who knows how much they are watching at Dad's house....

I still have faith someday maybe I'll get a glimpse of those sweet boys even if I have to wait for grandchildren.... then it will come around ;)

when will this PHASE end? I believe

altered clock projected

This was such a fun project. I bought a genric CHEAP clock painted it with the MM paints. Decided on one of my favorite paper lines... Crate Paper... just love the thick paperbag type of paper feel this brand has..

Granite this item doesn't have any pictures on it to make it scrapbooky.. but I could easily remedy that...

while making this my head was spinning with ideas of other versions of this... got thing I bought a couple extra clocks....

I'm thinking of making one to help Kailtyn learn to tell time.... going to into the paper stash vault to find the right paper.... tata for now....

got milk ?

Okay, I'm back to baking ... now I have a new oven..

I was inspired by Heidi Swapps blogs.. she disclosed HER choc chip recipe

Yes I have become a blog addict...

however my choc chip cookies seem to be one of the only ways to get

my teenage boys to be NICE again.... ahhhh those teenage years.. I think I'll be making lots of cookies just to get them to stop and talk to me! and even nicer give me a hug without a whole big scene.

Are Heidi cookies better than the traditional recipe ? well the jury is still out but the cookies jar is half gone..

Maya Roads Flower book

Everyone that scraps with me knows my L-O-V-E of chipboard!

So of course I love Maya roads new line and I can't wait to get my hands on the new items released at CHA last week. So .. while I was trying to get some scrapbook pages done last week I ran across this little chipboard flower book..so checkout what I created this saturday hiberating in my scrapbook..

of course I don't have the journalling done or title but I got pictures and embellishements in!

it was fun .. alot of cutting paper to fit the flower shape of the book and I got it painted.

I'm already on to something new so I'm not sure when I'll get the journalling done on this project... isn't that status quo for me (huh shauna?)

Spring green

The first sign of spring... I couldn't believe my eyes this morning... new GREEN buds on our new trees we planted last summer at the end of our new concrete patio...

February usually bring the cherry blossoms by Presidents Day weekend.. guess its not that far away...

We have had the coldest and driest winter on record since 1889. Snow pack is at 60% so the media is going at it painting the picture of the summer drought.

Personally I hope the dry weather holds out.... and the morning frosts.. well it makes me feel like home... but I'm using a credit card to scrap the windshield.. ugh!

Valentines Card

Okay I'm kickin it into high gear for Valetines Day.. for some reason I'm in the mood for RED.

Then again I always start out excited about a holiday .. get grand ideas but then things get in the way...

so this year at least I got Sean's card done first! Next is the gift.. a canvas I'm thinking....

Back to Dancing.....

After watching our dancing sugar plum fairy dance all over the house since we went and see the Childrens Theater co put on the Nutcracker I was finally able to get her into one of their dance classes.

Since losing one daycare boy I am left with one family:one little girl (3) and a boy 18mos....

this allows me to be more mobile... so I talked with the parents and got Kailtyn and Sam into a morning class.

The two of them are so adorable... they have one class half tap and half ballet..for 3 & 4 year olds so I got them in and the first class was wednesday. I was nervous about the Tap portion because last summer I had Kailtyn in a different dance studio and she hated the tap part .. it was too loud and she would cover her ears and want to go home... this time it was different I happy to say because the instructor makes them sit in chair and wait their turns instead of randomly tapping all around waiting their turns...

so it looks like we'll be liken Dance and the first dance recital is in June.. I can't wait!

New Oven for Trace aka Racheal Ray

I got a new oven/range!!! Our orginal came with the house and was 10years old!

The time of death was approx Christmas Day when the oven filled with gas and the igniter wouldn't light.

So my MR SAFTEY husband banded its use.

It took us a month to replace due to the hours Sean has been working.

A gas oven so not something I wanted to pick out by myself with a four yr old in tow.

So off we went on Sean's first avaible saturday to the Sears outlet center.

We decided on this range because of the dual ovens.. later realizing the smaller oven/broiler runs on electric for the oven but the broilers part is still gas...

We brought it home.. singing with Donkey Ollie all the way ( see pervious post if you missed it) and Sean had it hooked up and running that same night... its was a project he didn't have to make four runs to the hardware store for!!! His easiest project in the land of track housing here in California!

So another home improvement project COMPLETED!! yes I said COMPLETED!

now if I could get the tile work done in the master bath so I could use my two person shower OR my jet tub would be nice......

someday I guess....

until then I'll be cooking.... and this weekend we're off to get my birthday gift... my new pots and pans!!

WATCH OUT FOODNETWORK!!!

Loving is Sharing

Kaitlyn so loves Sierra ( our older Golden,6yrs) .
She was so sweet this morning when she covered Sierra with her
valued and much loved Princess blanket... stating that it was too cold.
This is one of those heart warming moments...
enjoy

Donkey Ollie

I decided I had to blog about this special donkey.. .
since i find myself singing along these songs with or without the dvd going...
thats how much we have been watching this dvd...
yeah I hear ya.. letting your kid watch dvds all day ( its not really all day) but
who could denie letting their child watch a Christian based singing donkey!!!

You think I've lost it but seriously check it out.. its very cute it was created
to thank people for donatiing their cars to charities.

Kailtyns preschool teacher gave this too her after her Christmas recitial.

We watch it everday at least once and its her favorite to bring in the car.. she did this when we had the boys with us for a 2 hour ride... they didn't want to get in the car... by the time returned home they too were singing the catchy christian songs!

I tried to find more but haven't had anyluck.. but check out donkey ollies site...

www.donkeyollie.com

ps those of you in the flat panel world... as you can see I haven't made it there yet!

Finally C-A-K-E

Yes we finally cut into the cake my dear friend Shauna brought me on Saturday..
since my guest on Saturday were more interested in finishing off my french toast casserole than Chocolate cake... can you imagine that!!!!
Gloria and Carole ;)

So when we cut into the cake of course I had help from my girl blowing out the candles.. thankfully the boys put one candle for each decade... how sweet huh? I guess if I had all forty on there I would NEED Kailtyns help blowning out the candles!!!

The cake was SOOOO YUM-O as Rach would say!