Chicken Soup: I shot the Sheriff

This was shared by my dear friend Nance. I thought it was too good not to share :)

BY: Kathryn Wilken

I admit it -- I shot the traffic cop, but I had a good reason.

After I made the illegal right turn, his motorcycle zoomed into my rearview mirror. Dang! I pulled to the curb and meekly handed over my license and registration. He strolled behind the car. Turning, I regarded him through the back window as he wrote the citation. His helmet gleamed in the sunlight, white against the red and yellow leaves of the liquidambar trees. I reached into my bag, my hand closing around the comforting, shiny black object I was never without. Raising it above the seat, I fixed the helmet in my sights. With a steady hand, I snapped the shutter.

I was fulfilling my 2004 New Years resolution; to take at least one photo each day. Id made it this far, and I wasnt going to abandon the project. The police officer was my photo for November 3rd.

I'd made the resolution on New Years Eve. My new digital camera was still in the box because I was resistant to learning its baffling terminology -- JPEG, CCD, TTL, TIFF. Yet I knew I needed to join the Digital Age. I resolved to create a visual record of the coming year. How hard could it be to grab a snapshot each day?

I began carrying my camera everywhere, looking for beautiful or intriguing subjects. Each evening I downloaded that days photos and designated one as the official Photo of the Day. I subscribed to a photo-sharing website and posted my daily images -- landscapes, still lifes, abstracts -- to my home page.

After a few weeks, I told family and friends about my resolution. They thought it was a little weird, but most of them posed willingly or didnt get too mad if I caught them in a candid moment. I snapped photos of my friend Jean with her new Honda Element one day, operating her printing press another day. I captured my husband several times -- hiking, grilling steaks or reading the paper.

At first I was reluctant to approach strangers. No, make that terrified. But I wanted my collection to document the community as well as my own activities. One day in January, picketers were marching in front of the supermarket. When I grabbed the camera, it almost slid from my sweaty palms. I asked two workers to pose with their signs so that I could post their photo on my website. They exchanged an is-she-loony? look. My Photo of the Day explanation sounded lame even to me. Then one man said, Okay, were doing this to get our message across. Fire away.

It got easier each time. I took a picture of a Nordstrom saleswoman, a clerk at the Italian market, a knife-twirling chef at a Japanese restaurant. After a few months I started getting bossy: Hold your saxophone like this, I said to the jazz player, and turn to the left. But people didnt seem to mind, because I tried to learn something about each one. The man in the botanical garden who was polishing a benchs brass plaque said it was a memorial to his recently-deceased wife. The handsome couple running a Greek food stand at the Los Angeles County Fair told me theyd given up high-powered careers in order to pursue their dream of a nomadic life selling gyros and spanikopita.

Not everyone cooperated. One day at the dry cleaners, I asked the proprietress to pose by the moving clothes rack for a portrait. Oh, no! she said, blushing. Hair not good today! I switched off the camera.

Another time I was zooming in on a blueberry tart at the bakery (the gum-chewing clerk had shrugged an okay when Id asked permission) when the baker stormed out of the kitchen, toque aquiver and bushy eyebrows drawn together. What are you doing? he thundered. We serve a unique product here! I assured him I was not a spy from a rival bakery, but tucked my camera away nevertheless.

It was the only New Years resolution I ever kept. At the end of 2004, I had 366 photos on my website and printed in a book -- an indelible record of the year, and hard evidence that each day of our lives is unique. Photos of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum and the towering monoliths of Stonehenge remind me of a trip to England. My nephew playing his senior percussion recital at Juilliard, a picnic overlooking the Grand Canyon, a smog-free day in downtown Los Angeles -- Id probably remember those events even without the photos.

Its the quiet domestic scenes I would have forgotten -- a kettle of French onion soup simmering on the stove, the redbud tree in bloom, a scattering of golden apricot leaves lying on a weathered bench. These photos, so mundane when I took them, have gained in value. They glow with a patina of nostalgia.

I have proof that nothing lasts. The orange grove where I picnicked with friends has since been plowed under for a housing development; the rusty motel sign on an Arizona back road was torn down soon after.

And family members look different today than they did arrayed on the front porch on Thanksgiving of 2004. The little boy coloring a starfish in one photo now wields a baseball bat instead of a purple crayon. The doll being clutched so lovingly by a little girl in another photo now sits neglected on a shelf. Life changes in such tiny twitches, you dont even notice them.

By the end of the year, my camera had become an extension of my arm. I could change white balance, turn off the pop-up flash and increase ISO without even looking. I changed too. Over the course of twelve months I gradually became family archivist, photojournalist, fine art photographer and portrait artist. And cop shooter. I never imagined I would do such a thing, but when youre desperate for a Photo of the Day, you take any opportunity life hands you.

My Favorite Things #2 ... Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

Friday Night Lights!!! We love, love LOVE this show!

The writing, the characters, and yes, dreamy, yummerific, Kyle Chandler! (okay, so I'm the one loving Kyle!)

From the cry of Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose before the game to the action on the field, which will remind us all of our high school football days, and thankfully are not the predictable win all the time endings we've come to expect from Hollywood writers, this show is one of those that fills your soul. You believe in the relationships, heck you may even envy the relationships - most of all, its REAL. Its gutty, believeable and makes you wish that t.v. executives would demand, writers would write, and allow actors to show their craft in quality productions like this show.

Thanks to DirecTV who showed the complete 3rd season, (woohoo without commercials!), I am recommending that the rest of you who don't have DirecTV, tune in on Friday Nights (hello, why on earth was this always scheduled on every other night except Friday nights?), and watch!! Tivo, DVR, tape or whatever - this is quality from the first moment to the final second.

And let me know what you think of Kyle too!

My Favorite Things #1

So, I've decided to post about some of my favorite things in my life!

Today, I'm starting with with one of my favorite t.v. shows that I record every weekday. I used to record Dr. Phil, but the message got old, the guests were still stupid, and honestly, it was depressing! Then one day I was home and caught Ellen - oh my gosh! What an energy boost! I was so darn HAPPY when I watched her show. It was so nice to sit and smile, giggle and relax during a show and I actually felt good after watching it. Ellen is sheer joy to watch. So now I come home, sometimes stressed, sometimes not. But for 45 minutes I can watch Ellen (instead of the news) and my cheeks actually hurt from smiling to much. Ellen is good for you! Better than vitamins even!

The other day Ellen had Dr. Wayne Dyer on as a guest. He remarked on the 4 Virtues that he had written about in a book several years ago and I think they're very timely considering the state of the nation, world and planet. They are:

(1) Have a REVERENCE for all of life and show respect for all living beings. See the unfolding of God in them, rather than you sitting in judgment and tut-tutting about them.
(2) Live a natural sincerity meaning honesty as a human being - be true to yourself.

(3) Service for all of your life. Make an effort and get out there and spend your life doing something for others instead of thinking "what's in it for me". Instead of wanting to attract something to me, for me ask yourself what you can attract for someone else's life - how can you make a difference.

(4) Gentleness - extend kindness to others instead of passing judgment on them. The doors of life will not open if you are wanting something to satisfy your own ego, rather than a higher source.

Finally, if you have trouble relaxing before you sleep and spend those last few moments worrying about things you need to do, can't control, what's wrong, what you don't like or what you're missing out on out there - STOP.

Now take a deep breath and instead focus on how you want your life to look - the BIG picture - feel the power of POSITIVE thoughts and the calm that comes with it. These are the things we should be thinking about - not whether our 401k will take another hit. You know what - the stock market will fall, its going to happen and we can't control it. What we CAN control though is how we feel about it.

Next Tuesday our country takes steps in a new, positive direction. Imagine if we ALL had the positive thoughts to go along with it -- think of what we could achieve - awesome huh?

A New Year ... A New Cold

So here we are - 10 days into the new year and I have a horrible cold. UGH. I'm missing an Eagle Court of Honor today because I'm sure the last thing they want is me sniffling and coughing my way thru their ceremony and food line! I dropped off Brian at the hall this morning and of course didn't realize (blaming it all on the Tylenol fog) that I dropped him there an hour early! whoops! Pays to read the fine print of the invitation ... must remember that next week! LOL!

Today is also the first Saturday that El has worked in ages. Feels a bit strange at this end, and I'm sure it must feel equally odd for him. Hopefully he'll have a good day though.

I think I'm going to curl up with my remote, kleenex and blankie and see if I can find some movies to watch today. I hate being sick!

Finally ... Brian drives!

WOOHOO!!! As I type, Brian is out driving his car and getting a feel for it. He's been so nervous about driving again and getting a car for Christmas only seemed to make it worse. So El decided that today was the day he was getting our boy out there and behind the wheel. YAY!! And bonus, they made a quick side trip to Jamba Juice to grab me breakfast - I'm a happy Mom!

New sneakers!

Brace yourself - I'm posting again! LOL!

Can I just say how much I LOVE new sneakers - especially when they're comfy! I bought 2 pairs the other day (love a sale) and now have a whitey white pair along with a pink & white pair. I think going to Ginger's retreat helped me find my "pink" side - woohoo!! I love New Balance sneakers cuz they're wider (like my feet) and they just feel good the moment you put them on. El was so excited to see me get new shoes - he insisted I wear them out of the store! I guess I held onto the Nike's for a little too long LOL

Happy New Year 2009!!!!

Resolutions - who has some, who runs the other way from them? I used to make them (okay the same one) every year. Woohoo, having the lapband and losing 68 lbs this year has lightened that load (and me) and I no longer feel compelled to make the same resolution every New Years Eve of promising to lose weight, feel better, blah blah blah. I'm on the happy road and it feels great. Course, some days I would like to EAT, but I'm quickly reminded that its not a good idea anymore!

I would like to change other things. One is that I need to post on here more often so there's that resolution. The other is to brace myself and finally face up to the horror that is my scrapbook room and ultimately begin scrapping again. Yeah okay. Laugh if you want - heck I'm laughing with you! LOL! I have literally stayed out of the room because its just too horrific to go in there -- I think paper elves have drunken parties in there because its BAD! I know there's a floor ... heck, there's carpet. I just have to ummm find it! I have 1,434 projects to complete and have done NONE of them - this must change! LOL! So I'll report in each week with my progress - I'd post photos but I think it would scare people (plus the paper elves get annoyed)!

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year ... 2008 was a rough ride at the end and we just hope the economy improves. El's work has been hit hard as all automotive dealerships have been. His "team" is officially defunct as of today and tomorrow he finds out what team he'll be on for the immediate future. He's talked with other techs in the shop and no one is making any money like they did 6 months ago. But we are optimistic - we have our health, we're happy, we have looney tuney dogs that make us giggle, Brian has a very cute used new car (woohoo!) and maybe he'll even drive it one day! LOL Things are just gonna be GOOD and better this year!

Its the Happ-Happ-Happiest Season - at our house!

Earlier this year, my co-worker offered our family a free air hockey table.
I jumped at it (much to El's utter dismay). We drove over there, trying not to calculate how much this was costing us in gas, picked it up (OMG, it was HUGE - turned out to be over 7 feet long - I mean HUGE as in it needed a name on the side - AIR HOCKEY ONE).

Driving home (with El muttering something about "his wife's compulsions to say 'yes' to everything without thinking"), we (well, he) realized that the only place it could "temporarily" live was our formal living room. Fast forward to Plan A - the boys would spring clean the garage and would put the table out there when they were done. Okay, we have a plan! (El was still muttering, but at least I could come out and play now), and I made a mental note to keep the door closed on my scrapbook room.

So kerplunk it went into place in my living room - with lots of help from the football star next door and El muttering something about Brian not getting enough of a work out with his video games!

Temporarily stored in the living room.

Uh-HUH. Sure.

6 months later (and Plan A having been long forgotten) I realized this month that I was not going to get a Christmas tree in the living room unless we had a pokey little tree sitting on top of Air Hockey One. This was so NOT an option since the cat food was already on the table, 345 boxes of Boy Scout popcorn were under the table, and finally, the one thing no family should be without - an Official Authenticated Nascar Used Tire Ice Chest was also sitting on the table (don't ask)... there was just simply no room for a Christmas tree branch on there!

So in one of my more inspired moments (tada) I mentioned to everyone I knew that regretfully we had to get rid of Air Hockey One. Such a deal I had for them ... and all I heard were crickets! So I called my SIL cuz I know she has friends who have compulsions like me ... and sure enough yesterday, her neighbors showed up and drove off with Air Hockey One in their truck bed. My living room is a living room again (hey there's a fireplace in there!) and I'm dreaming of Christmas trees and lights and stuff! Course, it looks like the Christmas tree will have to stand in the Nascar Tire Ice Chest, but its an improvement right?

Finally ... a new post!

Well, hellooooo! I have no idea where the time goes, but one minute its June and the next, gulp, October!


I spent this past weekend in Vegas, well technically Henderson, but the slogan doesn't sound quite as catchy to say "what happens in Henderson, stays in Henderson" does it? LOL


Anyway, this was Ginger's big event - Inspiration Unlimited 2008! Now Ginger puts on the most awesome crops and classes I know of - she's just SO creative and fun! I remember walking into Ever After one day with Ginger and looking at the ribbon. I'm going "oh that's pretty" and just sorta, ya know, LOOKING at the ribbon. Ginger meanwhile is touching the ribbon - and then you see it - the LOOK, the gleam - and she goes "SEAWEED" and I'm going "seaweed?" and then its like watching a video game puzzle fast forward into place. Sure enough - that night she whips out a layout using this seaweed ribbon and makes Ariel's underwater home ... oh to have a creative brain like that! So she is the force that juggled all the craziness and pulled off one inspirational awesome weekend for over 125 scrappers!


ANYWAY ... going to Inspiration Unlimited was pretty much outside of my normal Scout/Nascar scrapping world. Prior to the event I was sorta worried about how I would do, but the closer it got, the more excited I got to challenge myself, to let myself go and try new things. Oh and I'm SO glad I did!


I also have to shout out to Nance & Monica - my dear island/pirate friends. Nance is a gem - I think we were sisters at some point and then someone in control of the world realized that we better not live in the same state otherwise we'd cause a LOT of trouble together! LOL Monica is such a sweetheart - I hope one day to have as much energy as she does, but I don't think it will ever happen! They decided to make a creative leap into Inspiration Unlimited too! Yay!!!!


For IU, the amazing Ginger rounded up some extraordinary talent!


First off Teresa Collins. I had heard about her for quite some time from several of the Divas, but honestly, can someone be THAT nice, THAT beautiful, THAT creative, and still be someone you want to be friends with? OH YESSSS! Teresa is just amazing! She is genuine and real ... and honestly, listening to her speak during her session had me in tears. I don't know if she realizes just how much she changed me this weekend - she made me realize how important scrapbooking is, how important it is to showcase everyday moments, how something that she creates, SHOULD be tweaked a bit so that your project reflects YOU - and how wonderfull fulfilling it can all be. She is such a positive force in the industry and I hope she continues to succeed and succeed big! I am a HUGE fan and will now be stalking, errrr, reading her blog everyday! That, and I need to set aside some $$ for her product lines! LOL!


Second - Janna Wilson, incredible designer and Fiskars representative. First off, Fiskars needs to build an entire line around this woman! She is Southern Chic personafied ... her project was so unlike anything I had ever thought of trying ... and I found it so creatively challenging (in my head), but yet the way she broke it down step-by-step, even dorky me, artiste o' the paint-by-numbers set, managed to make something beautiful! And then she gave us the supplies for the other project we never got to - generosity definitely was the trademark of this event, and Janna was no exception.


Third - Layle Koncar representing Scenic Route. She's a hoot! Its always great to start a class near the end of the day with the instructor saying "I'm a little punchy" ... booyah, this was gonna be fun! And it was - yet again, another project that I would never even think of tackling, but ended up loving and can't wait to finish.


I shared a table with Monica and Nance, and a lovely woman from Pennsylvania named Mindy. We all just laughed and enjoyed our day. Its so nice to have fun and then make a new friend on top of it. Monica, Nance and I didn't have enough hours because by the end of the day I was basically so far on empty it wasn't even funny! I swear our hotel room had to be the furthest point from anything and technically still be on hotel property - barely!


The Divas - Star, Susan and Dani were at the other end of the classroom (talk about feeling nervous - I really had to take a deep breath once I realized it and remind myself that I could "do this" without looking like a deer in headlights); Diva Kathy and her family were at the next table over from us - my security blanket! They were over-achievers in Layle's class - we were ummm slower! LOL. Diva Mo was one of Ginger's assistants the entire weekend so the Divas were very well represented. It was nice to have us together again ... I love them dearly and I hope they realize how important they are in my life - we cheer and support each other, share laughs and hugs, they are just awesome, powerful, strong women and I am just so blessed to know and love them (see, more tears!)


More later ...

Music Music... the blog has music

Well, I finally figured out how to add music to my blog - yippee!!
Its still a work in progress but its just fun to hear tunes. Heck, maybe this will make me update more often! LOL!

Our Miss Molly Brat

So this is Miss Molly after she broke her toe. Yup, her TOE. Everyone loved her bright pink collar and leash (so cute) so she got a bright pink bandage at her favorite vet's office and we toddled home. She was so grateful that she pooped in my recently detailed SUV. Sigh. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to get up in the morning!

Anyway, since cuteness works with this girl, we got over the poop episode (okay so it took a few days), but have to admit she did make a pretty darn adorable peg-legged pink ballerina.

The photo on the left is the 2nd pink bandaging. Molly tore off the first one. Actually, she shredded it. Harumph. That's when she got the lovely plastic "cone of silence" collar. Molly immediately got a hole in the bottom of the bandage on the left so El put a sock over it and then wrapped that with an Ace bandage. Aha, success! (We thought)

Yesterday, Molly, free for a few moments from the confines of the collar, managed to take the entire bandage and brace off (she brought it to me in her mouth) so once again she and I went driving back to the vet's office.

You know you've been there too many times when everyone grins when you walk in the door (and a faint cha-ching is heard from the cash register). "Hi Molly, oh Molly" ... yeah, Oh Molly is right.

She also decided that she had a new trick to debut at the vet's office - she flopped on her side and didn't/wouldn't get up. I have a petulant 7 month old toddler puppy ... and she is convinced that she is charge. After telling her, in my most "I'm the Mom" voice that she had to get up (she didn't), I dragged her across the floor by the leash - and yes, she let me drag her! All of the other owners with perfectly behaving pets thought Molly was a hoot ... brat yes. Hoot? Not so much!

So today we have a small bandage on her paw, she's LIVING in the collar thank you very much, and we wonder how on earth we're going to survive 5 more weeks of this adventure. And meanwhile the vet's office is now calling - heck, they probably missed my credit card being swiped thru their machine today!

Tim Russert, 1950-2008

Tim Russert was one of those journalists who I totally adored.

You know how we become attached to the faces and voices we allow into our living room each night - the ones we trust to deliver good news and bad, the ones who comfort, make us smile, and make us THINK. They are people we'd love to have over for a BBQ or coffee because we feel as if we know them as if they are family because, after all, they're in our homes all the time and always by invitation. Tim Russert had that kind of impact on me.

I LOVED watching and listening to Tim on the Today Show while getting ready for work. He would be on and I would be late - simple as that! And with the primary, he's was on a LOT (and I was late a LOT!) His delight in the political process, his infamous white board (Florida, Florida, Florida!), his exhuberance, his joy, his unmitigated excitement with the way this country functioned (sometimes in a wonky fashion) - it all would come into my (our) living room in a big rush wrapped up with a smile and his "can you believe it?" How on earth does the election coverage get done the way it should without him being here? How do the important interviews that held nothing back - to either side - get done. Who will fill those huge shoes?

He died without warning and perhaps that is also why its hit me so personally. I lost my Dad without warning too also of a heart attack. I want time - time back instead of these sudden "he's gone" announcements. I hate it.

So here we sit at Father's Day weekend and the persistent "why why why" keeps going thru my head; the feeling that "this isn't happening, it isn't real". Of course there are no answers to the questions ... no great understanding of the "big picture" and all of it is painfully too real. One of the good guys is gone, and our lives are changed again.

You are missed by people you never met Mr. Russert; but you touched all of us. You made us care a little more, you made us pay attention, you made us question and listen. Thank you and Bless You.

THIRTY!!!! 30!!!! THIRRRRRTY!!!

Pounds that is ... yup, its official, according to the all knowing scale I finally hit the THIRTY lbs gone mark today!

(We pause this blog for a moment of happy, happy, joy, joy happy dancing!)!!

Its been just over 4 months since my lapband surgery and can I just say I love it and the results! I had my second adjustment (fill) on Apr. 12th and since then I've been getting my head into the same game as my stomach - thankfully, most times they play nice in the sandbox! I can eat most things just fine. In fact, this Sunday we took Brian and his friend to Red Robin's ... its been ages since we've eaten out at home and I was just all set and drooly for their fish and chips. Well a few bites later, the band reminded me it was there and was firmly in charge. But I had leftovers! LOL!

THIRTY ... oh my gosh... I keep visualizing 30 lbs of potatoes and lugging them around Vons smiling that lunatic type smile saying "look at ME, look at THESE - 30 lbs of these are gone from me-woohoo" (course, then the store manager comes up and quietly asks me to put all his potatoes back where the belong thank you very much).

HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!! (everybody dance!)

Happy April!

I know, I know, April is more than half over and I'm just getting here - I gotta work on improving my timing!


So Molly is enjoying her life in our home ... and she now has several nicknames as well. My friend Nance calls her Doll Face, we refer to her as Little Miss Pee Piddles, but this morning, I've pretty much decided that I like the name DESTRUCTOR because it just fits her only too well. Allow me to explain.


Last weekend we picked up 30 bags of mulch for our back hill along with some plants that we hope will grow and fill in the spaces (and hey its fun to pick out plants named chocolate!)

Anyway, we then put our smarty hats on and put up a fence we innocently (naively?) thought would keep her off the hill ... alas, not so much. She not only gets up on the hill, she runs back and forth gleefully enjoying puppyhood. Only when hearing MOLLY MOLLY yelled from the house does her little Doll Face head turn, the bell goes off and she remembers she's not supposed to be up there! Then, since she can't jump over the fence to get down (its scarey!), she merely runs thru it. So the cute little fence is a crumpled heap while Destructor is doing just fine!


Anyway, here's our gal, Molly, and the path of her destruction ...





This is Molly - and Mr. Hedgehog, one of many of Zeke's toys that she stole from him! Most pictures of Molly have her face hidden ... we think she does this on purpose so she can't be identified in a line-up!


Molly's mulching efforts on the patio ... notice the culprit isn't around!


This used to be a bed of 3-4 foot tall double-bearded irises ... now its Molly's playplen! The fence (the thing that bent and flat in places) apparently doesn't work! (BTW, if you click on the photo, you can see the damage up close like we do - sorta that IMAX experience!)



This is part of our vastly improved retaining wall hill in the back ... it would look much better if certain puppy paws would keep off (and again, no sign of the little vixen anywhere to be seen!)

Today we hope to get the victimized mulch bags off our patio and distributed into the front planters! And we think a trip to Petsmart may be in order so we can find a new Mr. Hedgehog!

So while I was out flinging in the Spring ....

my boyz were out looking to add to our family! And they succeeded!

This was after El and Brian went to the big REI sale of used/returned gear and equipment (can you believe, they bought yet another tent? Yeah, neither could I!!) - but they have new water shoes, hiking boots, fleece hats & vests, socks (people return socks - how odd!) and even a wonderful laptop bag for Brian at school!

So then the boys decided to go out to Camarillo to the Scout Store and after that - well, the animal shelter is only just over THERE. So that was the first phone call (hey we're at the animal shelter - you're where? LOL). Alas, that didn't pan out and so they toddled over to Newbury Feed to check that out (this, I must confess, was MY idea so I guess I'm sort of to blame for the eventual result!). The owner of Newbury Feed runs out to the Bakersfield Animal Shelter and adopts the dogs, gets them spayed & neutered, and then puts them up for adoption in his store. He doesn't make money on this venture - he breaks even (if that), but since Bakersfield's Shelter is such a high-kill facility (70-75%), he is giving dogs a chance they wouldn't get :)

Anyway, El and Brian fell in love with "Molly" - a look alike to our Zeke. Then they found out that another family said they were coming back for her. So - they waited (and made back up plans). At the end of the day, the other family was a no show, and Molly was on her way to our house!

The other dogs (including her look alike big cousin Zeke) have taken to her really well. The cats - not so much! Max hissed at her this morning and she batted him in the face - so he's been pouting! Sabrina won't come out of my scrapbook room - totally disgusted with another female in the house! LOL!

Anyway, here's a picture of Molly enjoying her chew toy (on the couch no less!)

and here'a a pic of Molly with her look alike - our Zeke boy!

More photos to follow in the weeks ahead!

Trish

Spring fling crop was wonderful!

Yesterday was Ginger's first crop of the year - and it was FUN! Star, Dani and I had a fun day of creativeness and girly time and just can't believe how FAST time goes by when one is having fun! Wouldn't it be great if our workdays went by just as fast?

Speed aka Dani played with bling & glitter (and woohoo, shared a photo of her & Mike Piazza at Petco Stadium - thank you!!!), Star experimented with different techniques (lots of oohs and aahs from my side of the table!) and then started to work on one of Ginger's kits - the amazing Goofy book - its just so wickedly cute! I can't wait to see it finished - cuz then I'll work on mine!!

Thanks to Ginger and Ginger's Mom for a VERY enjoyable day away from it all! Mom - you did AWESOME before Ginger arrived (woohoo)!!! I still can't believe I won the big prize of the night - a Quickutz Revolution - its SOOO cute!!!! What a treat - and all thanks to the Diva Happy Dance and the extra good luck rub from Mom!

Trish

SINGING A HAPPY SONG!!!

oh joy oh joy, oh wonderful happy joy joy!
Last night, totally on a fluke, we were able to sell our huge Suburban to a family that drove by, noticed the 'burb on the curb and said "hey wanna sell?" We are SO doing the happy dance. Let's face it, in the land of soon to be $4.00 a gallon gas, a 3/4 ton 'burb with a 454 wasn't going to sell and yet IT DID!!!
WOOHOO!!! And its the sale that keeps saving money - today I'm calling my insurance company and we don't have to renew the DMV registration... and hey, best yet, the mailman can now deliver our mail into our mailbox without having to get out of his Jeep (he umm was apparently irritated and wouldn't always close the mailbox), but now he can deliver (though probably not a snow & sleet type of dude!) and the mail will stay in the mailbox!
Yippee!

Happy Easter!

El is creating Easter dinner as I type - boneless leg of lamb, veggies, mashed spuds ... and of course, mint sauce! Yummm... can't wait! We rushed to Pavilions this afternoon because I suddenly remembered I had no mint sauce - one just cannot have lamb without it - its a rule, numbered even. But that has been fixed and I'm calm. Of course, it wasn't my fault that the giant bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs jumped into our cart as I walked by them. It wasn't! I gasped and whoops, there they were! In the cart, all pretty ... now they're home and even prettier! Its my one weakness at Easter ... the one candy that makes me squeal with delight (an homage to Ginger) and makes me do the happy dance! Yes, candy can do that! Frightening how easily I'm amused isn't it?

I'm on vacation this week - YAHOO!!! (visual - another happy dance!) I was off on Friday so yesterday felt like Sunday and today feels like a really odd Monday - I sure hope that straightens out this week! LOL! Brian and I have nothing planned, especially as El has to work. Of course, work already called on Friday - good grief, they were only there for half-day, and they called! HELLOOOO - I'm on vacation! So it looks like I'll be perusing the caller ID all week.

Best part is that on Saturday, I'm going to Ginger's crop in Santa Clarita! (okay... everyone with me this time - happy dance! Hey I feel like Ellen with all this happy dancing!) This week I need to figure out what I want to make, create or just chat about! I had taken a break from Scout stuff, but now I'm way behind so I don't think that was such a great plan! I need to get the photos organized, paper set and then bring some back up cards to make (that will make me open the box from QVC that arrived the other day!). We have a new printer and I have a project in mind ... I need to print photos and see if I can actually move the project from my brain to actual production mode. That means breaking out the bind-it-all that is still in the box ... well I have a week so I should be able to do this right? (ha ha ha - yeah I'm laughing too!)

Hope you all have a lovely Easter day and a happy hoppy spring!
Trish :)

I got tagged!

So I finally get around to reading blogs of my friends and whadya know, I got tagged by the one and only Ginger! How cool is that!! And there's rules!!!

* Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog.*
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.* (Okay considering I have run of the mouth disease and share everything about me with everyone, I think I may have to dredge up oddball things from my youth -- mmm and then again maybe not!
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog (course, if you're like me and don't know 7, then make it up as you go! LOL!)

1. I don't do horror films - last horror film I saw was Carrie and I only saw that cuz John Travolta was in it (and he actually had real hair then, not that helmet thing he has now).
2. I saw Saturday Night Fever 9 times at the theater ... okay so have I explained about the Travolta fetish in my youth yet? I tell ya, that is WEIRD!
3. My parents took me to horseback riding lessons at Pickwick Stables in Griffith Park when I was little. I always went just as far as the "trot" command because as soon as the horse trotted, I bounced out of the saddle, fell on my ass and refused, in tears, to get back on. This routine obviously had to be changed when I got my own horse in the late 1980's. Course, it took me a year to actually ride her - I told people I just had a REALLY big horse-dog!
4. When I was little I had to go to a French daycare ... I don't remember much except for the fact they had applesauce they would make you eat. To this day, I HATE applesauce with a passion.
5. I went to school in England for several months in 1971. Talk about culture shock. I was behind, called a yank and basically had a horrible time. My aunt would rescue me on a weekly basis. But I would love the opportunity to live thereit as an adult.
6. I'm actually starting to cook a little more, but get stumped with everyday stuff. But show me a crockpot and I'm your buddy!
7. To this day, I wish I would have gone to college.

okay not sure I know how to link you to other blogs but here is who I tag: Dani (speed!) speed's zone, Mo { got blog? } , Susan Creative Destination , Kathy L., my sister Marie (ha ha see what happens when you enter blogland!) Couch Clan Idaho ! and uhhhh I need to find some people with blogs! LOL!