I have another item up for auction at Homemade by Jen, so go check it out please! It's a really cute head scarf, I think you'll love it!

I have been browsing the crafty blogs & looking at pinterest (I don't have an invite but I think it could be dangerous if I did because I'd get nothing done), and here it is at 10am & I haven't eaten breakfast yet. I must go eat now, but I'm also making a grocery list because I have to make these salted caramel butter bars.

TTFN!

It's been a very long time since I've posted, but I feel like I need to start again. So to start off I'm going to tell you about my friend Crystal. Her dog ran away a couple weeks ago and when he was found he was in pretty bad shape and had to have surgery. Well we know surgery is expensive and the cost of his surgery was jaw-dropping! Crystal is a fabulous photographer and is selling these calendars to help pay for the vet bills. Buy one for yourself or to give as gifts they're only $20! And if you live in the Memphis area you should call her to book some holiday photo sessions!

Jen over at Homemade by Jen is holding an auction fundraiser (for more information about it click here) and I jumped at the chance to make something & help out a friend.

I made a cute little snowman "mug rug" - bigger than a coaster smaller than a placemat - it's big enough for a mug (or cup :)) and a small treat. So if you think it's cute & are interested in bidding, click on over to my auction.

Forgotten...

Upon looking for some dessert, Brett found some cookies in the cookie jar. I couldn't even think of when we made them, but eventually realized they were cookies that I made for Ashley's birthday. 1 month ago!

Can you imagine how sad those poor little cookies must have been feeling? All this time, alone in the darkness of the cookie jar? Sad, very very sad.

On the other hand, I think my hips are feeling grateful...

Schmap

So I have 2 photos included in the LA Schmap (had never heard of it before, but I'll be sure to use it in the future) - one for Laugh Factory and Grauman's Chinese Theater. So that's why the widget over there >>. I was contacted through flickr, and I said sure, I also have another picture that might be used for the San Diego Schmap. So we'll see!

Isn't he the best?

He really is, he's the best. :)
I love my husband, he's so sweet. I had emailed him that I was doing the 365 days self portrait project, and he asked me what my new profile is so he could check it out. Usually he's not allowed to go to outside websites on the work computers so I hadn't sent him a link to it or anything figuring I'd show him when he gets home. So tonight he checked it out and told me how creative I am and how good they are, etc. See when I look at other people's pictures I don't feel at all creative. I feel kind of cheesy sometimes. And I know I can not compare myself to others but there are some really amazing pictures out there. So it really made me feel good that he said that.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that many of the people doing projects like this on flickr have Photoshop and do a lot of post processing to add textures and do all kinds of fun stuff to their pictures. I don't have Photoshop, so I can just do the basic B&W, Sepia, antique settings.

One of the other things Jeff asked before he looked at the photos - "You're not doing any risque photos are you?" Hahaha, because he read my last blog post today too where I had said that. I'm definitely keeping it safe. (at least until he gets home and can approve them hehe)

baby steps

I worked out today (yay me) and will continue working 5 days a week (see I have to be positive that I *will* do it, and not just say I *plan* to). It felt good, made me tired in a good way. And then since the sun was shining(!) I walked to meet my friends for lunch, and since the sun was still shining after dinner the kids & I took Roxy on a walk. Fun times! It was a productive day :).

I have been thinking about maybe joining a 365 photo group on flickr. But then I question whether I'd take any good shots. I still use the auto setting on my camera. I try and try to read the manual and many online "schools", but I don't learn by reading. I need someone to show me what is what. I'm trying to figure it out just by doing, but even if a picture turns out good, I don't know what I did to make it that way.
Anyway, since my flickr is all of our family pictures and stuff that our families look at I don't really want to put the 365 photos on there. So I made a new profile specifically for that (not that I plan to take any "risque" pictures, but in case I do I wouldn't want my Grandma to see ;)).

Back home

We've been home for a few days now from our Super Vacation in California. The kids are happy to be back to school and settling in nicely. And I'm in the process of unpacking (and we all know how fun that can be, right?).

So today the kids wanted to play Wii and I decided before I let them play I wanted to check my weight on the Wii Fit...not such a good idea. When I came back home for a week in August to visit Jeff before he had to get underway I checked it and had lost almost 2 lbs. since June (not so good in 2 months, but we were on vacation!) Fast forward to today - about a month later - and I have gained 5.5 lbs! Shocking! I guess all that Starbucks wasn't so good to me (but it felt so good going down...).

So now I've got to get back to working out, and besides just using the elliptical and Wii Fit, I've got to take Roxy on more walks (rain or shine) because the vet said she needs to lose 4-5 lbs. My mom is doing Weight Watchers and is doing well with her weekly weight loss (and that's without working out) so I was contemplating signing up for that but we'll see. I'm just going to try to keep better track of my portions and not eat so much junk, and if that doesn't work then maybe I'll sign up for WW.

I'll try to keep this blog updated on my progress, but really I'm not very good at blog updates...

3 weeks and counting

We have 3 weeks until we leave to go home back to Alaska. We're seriously enjoying the families, the sun, and having some great times, but it will be nice to get back to our own house, our own routines, and definitely our own beds.

Some pictures (click to make them bigger):
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1.Brett boogie boarding 2.Disneyland with cousins from Missouri 3.Downtown Riverside with my Dad 4.piece of the Berlin Wall at the Reagan Library 5. Central Perk (from Friends, do I really need tosay that?) at the WB studios tour 6. Girls Day Out at the American Girl Place 7.Brett at Santa Cruz Island with Grandpa for Boys Day Out



We went bowling, roller skating, to the Santa Barbara Zoo, a kids museum. The kids had a karaoke night, "So You Think You Can Dance" night, water wars (squirt guns and water balloons), backwards dinner night (dessert first, not breakfast for dinner). We've visited with friends and family we haven't seen in a while, taken family photos (hopefully I'll post them soon).

So we've had fun and there's still more fun to be had. But I do have to start getting these kids to bed earlier and waking them up earlier, or we're all gonna be in for a rude awakenning when we get home.

Hello from California!

We're enjoying the sun, the warmth & the civilization in California. We've been here almlost a week and we've had tons of fun so far with much more to come. I've taken some pictures with my camera, but all the Disneyland pictures were taken with the kids' cameras. And I haven't found the cords for them yet, so that's sad I can't share those pictures yet.


something I can't do in Alaska - stand in the surf


Hope you had a nice Independence Day!

so exhausted

I had planned on blogging about my new little workout regimen that I started today, but it's been a long afternoon/evening.

The day started out great - relaxing in the sun with friends and the dogs (I'm dogsitting 2 dogs - Maddy & Jake), a walk down to get lunch with said friends. Then the clouds started rolling in & the wind picked up, so we all went our seperate ways.

I went to the grocery store and when I came home and brought the bags in, Jake jumped the fence & took off running. How he did it I do not know, he's a corgi with little legs and the tip of his nose barely reaches the top of the fence when he's standing on his hind legs. But he did, and he did not want to come back to me. So I chased him down, finally caught him after 5 minutes of running (and I am so not a runner).

At about 8:45 I said "Come on, guys, we're taking the dogs out." Because the dogs are crazy & I either have to walk them 1 at a time or with the kids help. Ashley's friend wanted to walk Maddy (she's a husky, she does not jog, she runs!), and after telling the girls to stay near me so if the dogs pulled too much I could help them, her friend said "I have to go where the dog tells me to". And I told her that that is not right, she has to be in control of the dog, but still she ran with Maddy - even I can not do that because she will pull you down - so she let go of the leash & away Maddy runs. ETA: I would like to add that Ashley did a good job of holding onto Jake's leash (because he can pull!) while I went running down the street chasing Maddy, and she got him safely home.

*sigh* Needless to say my legs hurt, my lungs hurt & my throat hurts, all from running after & calling the dogs. Seriously I am NOT a runner. Maddy is fast asleep on the porch, and Jake & Roxy are playing (Jake does not believe in sleep I think, he only does it because the other dogs do it), and I just want to go lay down & pass out with some Tylenol PM.

Maybe I'll tell you about my workout tomorrow...

Spring Cleaning?

I have been wanting to really get my house more organized and cleaned (clutter free. we really do have so much clutter). I had hoped to do it last week since we had a garage sale on Sat., but besides getting some old and too small clothes cleaned out I didn't get much done. I made $30 at the garage sale so I call it a success (there was only a couple things I really cared about selling, the rest I was just going to donate to the Salvation Army).

Today Jeff and I got the garage all cleaned & rearranged (that happens twice a year - each time we have to change to/from snow tires on the truck LOL), so that feels nice. And then we cleaned & washed the truck so it sparkles :). Tomorrow we're probably doing the car (have to take advantage of the sunshine-y weather).

A lot of the cleaning I need to do is a few boxes of junk in the mud room/entry (and 1 or 2 from the garage), as well as several boxes in the storage unit. I think once I get that stuff cleaned out I'll be better prepared to organize the rooms. As much as I love moving and living someplace new, it's hard because you have stuff that fits in one house but then not the next, so I don't want to get rid of things because it might work again.

Question: What do you do with your kids artwork from school? the random art, not the Christmas gift stuff...
We have so much! And I know my mom kept my stuff, but when she moved she gave a lot of it to me and I threw it away, so then what was the point? Do I keep it or do I toss it?

whoops

I've been busy making baby stuffs lately - there's so many babies due this summer! I got one gift all done and then Ashley & I delivered it this afternoon (I wanted to get her stuff done first since they're moving this month) and a couple hours later I realized that in my rush to give it to her I hadn't taken any pictures of the stuff! Dangit! Anyway, it was a super soft wool (but machine washable!) hat, washcloth & bib. Maybe she'll take pictures of it & post them on her flickr (I can hope lol).

Anyway, there's more baby stuff I'm working on, but won't post it until it's been gifted (and hopefully remember to take pictures)

Hot legs

I finished the legwarmers, and wore them last Friday with a skirt. I will admit that I felt rather silly, a little overdressed for this town, but had to tell myself that it didn't matter because I felt cute (whether I looked cute or not is a matter of opinion).

The only problem with them is that when I walk they fall down. And I don't know that could be the fault of my calves and not the legwarmers. So maybe they are better for wearing to a hangout party or backyard bbq and not a day walking around.

I'm still here

The sun has been shining, the snow is melting, and mosquitoes are out, so summer is on it's way. I had to put up the black-out curtains in our rooms so we can all sleep at night (it's "daylight bright" until after 9pm now). Only thing now is that they're not already awake when Jeff gets them up at 6:30.

It may only be upper 40s-50s right now, but the weather is nice! I bought some new capri pants & a skirt a couple weeks ago, because I have decided that I need to get out of the jeans and sweatshirts rut. It's so easy here to just put on jeans and a sweatshirt and call it good, because really where are you going? You don't want to wear nicer shoes because you don't want them to get wet or dirty/muddy, or your feet to be cold. But I know that once I get back to the real world it might be hard to break the habit of dressing like a schlub, so I am going to stop with the jeans & tees everyday. I am almost finished knitting some legwarmers, so I can still keep my calves warm when I wear a skirt (at least until it gets warmer) and look cute at the same time. It's a win-win.

so adorable!

This video is from A Place To Bark's youtube channel, it's some puggle puppies that were rescued from a puppymill. And of course I have to show you because my puppy is a puggle and they are just the darned cutest things.


Anyway, A Place to Bark is having their annual fundraiser, and I really recommend that you read their latest blog post. Obviously everyone knows we are all having a hard time with the economy the way it is, but it's so heartbreaking to read about the hard time they are having because they rely on donations. So if you have anything that you are able to donate, I encourage you to help these rescued animals as much as you can (as little as that may be). Even if it's just $3. They also need items donated, so if you have anything to donate - towels, blankets, collars, leashes, etc.

Please check out their blog & website (you can even follow them on Twitter!

Happy Day

Today is a beautiful day! The sun is shining, there are few clouds in the sky, it doesn't matter that it's 35 degrees. And ask me if I care about the temp.? I do not. I opened my sunroof, blasted the radio (CD player actually, but really it's just a technicality). I was running some errands and then all of a sudden...I see the Open signs, turn the truck around and pull into Baja Taco. (this was from the photo scavenger hunt last year)
The sign said they were open daily 10-2 (it'll change in May at least), did I care that it was 5 minutes to 2? Nope. I was getting a milkshake! Hot damn! That was like the cherry on top let me tell you, the day can't get any better.

When you've lived someplace like California most of your life, you don't know how much you'll miss the sun when it's gone and how happy it will make you when you do get some sunshine. It really makes me happy. Love it!
I tried to get a picture of my milkshake, but Roxy really wanted it, she wouldn't get out of the way.


Clearly she loves milkshakes too.

I can't wait for summer!

These first 4 pictures were taken in March 2008.








What a difference a year makes... this is today

Shop 'til she drops

We have been doing a lot of shopping while in Anchorage, and some of that includes stocking up. So we were at Costco and we got 2 big bags of dog food as well as 3 things of canned dog food and a new bed for Roxy. So the checkout people asked how many dogs we had... we said 1 they laughed, but then we explained where we live (and they seemed to understand that we needed to stock up). Then as we were getting everything into the trunk, we took Roxy out of the car and a couple of guys walking past said it looked like we were trying to grow a bigger dog... What do you think - does it look like we're trying to grow a bigger dog?



She's a year old now (her birthday was on Tuesday), so she's not getting any bigger. But I don't think the bed is too big for her. And maybe she'll share with her little dog friends (there's room for all of the ankle biters - Dublin, Bailey & Bullet) ;)

Chairman of the Board

In the back of housing is the best hills and the kids love to go sledding back there. One of the kids' friends has a snowboard and let Ashley ride it. It's a special board I guess for kids, you don't need special boots, it has straps that you just put your feet into. So here she is having fun (she looks so grown up...so scary LOL).



Thank you, Kelli, for taking the pictures!!

Top Chef

Originally uploaded by knittymel

Tonight was the Blue & Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts, and Brett's den's theme was New Orleans, so he said we had to make jambalaya. He loves, loves loves, jambalaya. I told him he had to help, so he cut up the sausage & the chicken, and followed the directions and made it himself.


Edited to add: Here's their decorations


they were going to play "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams, but they hadn't practiced and there weren't enough words to go around, so after getting ready they did nothing...Oh well.