the6ofusinca

Chelsea's Blog Candy giveaway

2011-11-12T16:43:00.001-08:00

I love Chelsea and I adore her work! She is so very talented and sweet!
Check her sweet handmade blog candy giveaway!!!

She rocks folks!!

(Click on her blog candy picture to see her blog and her awesome work and details to her giveaway!)

It's been a looooong time.....a 2 page layout....

2011-09-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Before my sisters wedding one of the bridesmaids wanted to put a scrapbook together for my sister, with each of us girls in the wedding making a layout. So Kira busted her's out and then later that night I completed mine. They turned out great but I was too tired and lazy to pull out my camera! sad, but true! The album looks great so when I head to her house soon I will snap some shots of all the layouts.

Annnnnnnnyyyyyywayyyy, After that layout I wanted to scrap so Kira and I spent the day craftin around! She made an adorable card for her bestie and of course I didn't get a picture of it before she took it to her! sigh! But the next night I completed this layout below. I was up till 1:30 am and I JUST NOW snapped some photos! ha!

These pictures of Olivia crack me up! We found the Jessie costume at Walmart as soon as they put their Halloween stuff out, so we snagged it and had it from August till October and almost everyday without fail Olivia would tell me she was sooooo excited to be Jessie! On Halloween Kira took her into her room to start the transformation! Her hair, her outfit,her makeup, her painted on freckles! A D O R A B L E!!! And our lil Ollie was dressed up as in a monkey costume!!

I have to say it's been a looooooong long time since I did a layout and it felt great to do two in a month!!! ha!

1000 Sheets of Paper Giveaway

2011-08-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Amy has the most amazing blog candy giveaway!

Remember this from last year? She's amazing and has another giveaway!

Check it here

Drew's HUGE giveaway!

2011-08-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just adore Drew's talent! He is beyond talented and funny!

He just reach over 1,200 followers on his blog and it pretty much makes sense, he is the shiznit! Check out his Thank you giveaway!!!!! Extremely over the top!!!

Check his GIVEAWAY HERE!!!

It's beyond sweet!

Our great escape

2011-07-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Tod and I took a trip up to the Klamath and fished one day with our guide Ken and his wife Kathy. I didn't take my camera only reason why was I thought the boat wouldn't be as stable as it acutaly was. So I'm super bummed, but we did have Tod's and it worked out nicely.

We rented a car and Tods treat to me was mapping out several thrift stores to hit on our way up. We stopped at one which was in Eukea and it was sooooooooooo fun! They have three little houses to buy antiques, clothes, and another barn that had clothes and shoes. What they also had were sections for furniture and yard sale finds. They would through items into bins on loooooong tables and you could walk and rummage in the bins for treasures. Once you found items you find this guy who wears a red shirt and kahke pants who prices your items. I found an old vintage suite case and some furniture, like two vintage metal bed frames one for a queen and one for a twin, which would have been perfect for Kira and Olivia's beds but we only had a rental so there was no way they would fit. So with my suitecase in hand he charged me two bucks. STEAL PEOPLE!! IT WAS A STEAL!!!! Beautiful Samsonite leather skin, PERFECT condition inside. sigh.. Yeay for me! hahah!

Anyway, the guy was local to Watsonville and a total blast to talk to. Super fun staff and great great finds. We are going back, but with our truck next time!!!

Oh, yea, back to the fishing, so we made it to Klamath and Tod and I stayed in this super cute hotel and the following morning we met Ken and Kathy and headed to the river....at the butt crack of dawn...did I mention that? sigh.

The river is beautiful. There was a bear cub roaming the river bank eating grass, he had been out there for about 2 months and he seemed to look healthy. Tod assured me berries would be coming on so he would have more to eat. He was A D O R A B L E!

I got 3 hits, and all three came off, there were 2 drive by's (hits on the line only) and then the 4th time I told Tod the next hit was his, he insisted it would be mine. When the line hit Tod tried to hand me the pole but I told him, "nope, it's all you!". So he ended up pulling in this monster! ha! nice! Tod said he almost cried when that salmon was finally on the boat! After we got off the water, which was at 3:30, we would have come in earlier but Ken and Kathy wanted to wait to see if I could get another bit and get a salmon. These peeps are awesome! What a great couple! We had such a great time on the boat, we talked and ate and talked and ate! ha!

After we got off the river we headed into town for a nice cold beer, BEST CORONA OF MY LIFE! Then headed to the Cunningham's (Ken and Kathy) to clean and bag the salmon. We met up later at the local bar right across the street from our hotel and had a great dinner yummy Ortega burger and killer fries with this "Burger Sauce" the cook made and then sat down next to Tod and told me how to make it....while he smoked is cigarette of course! haha!, We played pool and made more friends!

It was the best vacation we have had since we have been together. It was so laid back and so great to get away just the two of us. An air conditioned car always helps....I'm just sayin...

Summer updates

2011-07-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Summer has been busy this year. Lots of activities and trips planned. So this summer I have taken time off from Facebook and will return in the fall. This way I can just focus on the family and friends.

I have things I also need to accomplish this summer, I want to purge my scraproom, get chairs for our dinning room table, get Olivia's room organized and decorated, and clean Tod's mancave.....that has tons of my craft stuff in it.

So see, no need to FB when I have a full list of things to get done!

Enjoy your summer!

xoxo

Hunger Games

2011-06-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

So have you read these books? Well in January I was waiting for my sister to start her testing for her Estheticianlicense and she handed me this book....within the first chapter I thought two things, I hope they make a movie from this book and second, how am I gonna get this book from my sister!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tried and tried for months to get Kira to read these books but she just wasn't haven it. Then about two weeks ago I told her, "Just try it, you'll love it." She said, (sigh!)"Will I be hooked or will it drag on...!?!" I said, "HA! You'll be hooked in the first chapter and you won't be able to put it down till it's finished!" Yea, she loved it! hahah!

So if you haven't read it, do it now! It's a great read, great love triangle and truly great suspense.

Start of summer

2011-06-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today was Kira's final day for her junior year. No more checking in with the teacher, no more late night cram sessions of online courses and no more insane homework and stressful weeks.

Now it's time to enjoy three months of lazy days, sleeping in, late night movies, friends and family outings. She will be driving soon and even though I am so scared I could crap my pants just thinking about her on the road, I have to sit back and let God take over. She's a supa dupa smart kid and I am extremely blessed she has done so good, I just worry insanely about her....eh, it could be worse.....I just don't know how....ha!

Bin Laden is dead, God bless our troops and our country

2011-05-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

It is finally done. Late night on May 1st we started to get reports that our troops had taken him out. Along with him, his son and one of Bin Ladens wives were killed. She was used as a human shield to protect Bin Laden. As I watched the news I was overcome with emotions. The families of 9/11 that had forever been changed, our country that changed that day as well. Our troops that have done so much for so so so long. It was all too much for my brain to handle. I wept in my car on my way to pick up Kira. As I listened to my AM radio to keep up with the breaking details of the events that happened earlier in the night across the nation, I said a prayer to God, "Thank you for taking him off this Earth, thank you for giving us our elite team, for their skills, their training and for their love of their country and to fight the good fight."

The fight on terror will probably NEVER be over, but knowing that the head had been cut off the snake that night..... I slept sound that night.

God bless our men and women who serve and if my grandpa who was a Master Chief Petty Officer in the Navy was alive to see this we would be celebrating with High fives...and maybe a few beers.

Cricut Love the new E2

2011-04-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

I had been on the fence about this. Pros- Love the light, love the paper guide, love the rotation of your image, love no overlays, love that the sides can be changed to different colors- although that can be a con since I understand the Gypsy owners are STILL waiting for that feature as well.....hmmmm

Cons- Its pretty large looking, I JUST bought my fuchsia colored Expression just shy of a month ago, Is the new screen feature easy to work with and is it large enough to show images.... This is one reason why I never jumped on the Gypsy wagon- the screen was a lil too small for me......

So after waiting, thinking, and watching Babe said "Just get it!"

Free shipping worked for me, and I have 30 days to try it out, if I am not blown over impressed, then I'll pack it up ans send it back.....Done that several times with HSN and no problems there.....

As for now, the E2 will be here by Mother's Day! Thank you Babe!!!! xoxoxox

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2011-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

We are blessed to have this Aquarium about 30 minutes from our home.

Last weekend Hunter surprised Kira with a trip to the Aquarium and she said she swore her eyes turned to hearts when he told her where they were going!!! hahah!
Here are some pictures of their day. I love these kids! They make my heart smile!

4 Friends

2011-02-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

These girls have been together since elementary school. They have been together through lots of good times, and several bad times. They support each other, laugh with each other, and love one another. As they grow into young women, they remind me of how important it is to have loyal and true friends. They have that.

Yummy giveaway

2010-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm, I do love me some twine! I love the colors, love what you can do with it and just love looking at it!!!!

Head on ova HERE and check out the easy peasy giveaway!

Hunter And Kira

2010-12-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Kira's boyfriend Hunter is a sweetheart. Not only is he simply adorable, but he is super kind and loveable! He adores Kira and it shows. He is kind with her, and treats her like a queen. Not bad (Thank you God!) for a first boyfriend eh?

We were on our way to drop Kira off at his house and I had my camera, the sun was FINALLY out so I told her to tell him to come out and meet us at the covered bridge for some photos.....sigh...Teenagers act so annoyed UNTIL the camera is in their face and then they are all posey and smiley!!!! lol!

So here they are......Olivia was also snuggled around his legs in most of these pictures....you can't see her because he's 6'3!!!! But yes, she (Olivia) is smittin with him too!!!

Just cruising along.....

2010-11-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

I will be having lunch with my honey in a few hours to celebrate my birthday today, then Chinese food for dinner with the family.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I can't wait to be with my family, my aunts birthday is tomorrow and my grandma's is the 28th. Great food, great family and lots of laughs.

I am beyond blessed to have the family I have.

PROMARKER GIVEAWAY- GOING BUGGY!

2010-11-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

OOOH MY WORD!
Your gonna wanna check this giveaway out!

My mouth dropped when I read the dets! Head over HERE

to check out the great PROMARKER set of 148 giveaway!
Thank you Enfys!!!!

EEEEEEE!!!! How exciting is this one!!!

So go now, head ova and enter to win!

Halloween

2010-11-01T20:21:00.001-07:00

This was a great Halloween this year. Olivia was BEYOND excited about dressing up and going out to Trick Or Treat. My mom practiced with her over and over how to go to the door and when it opens, you say, "Trick Or Treat" ..... soooooooo at EVERY door she said that WHOLE thing as she marched up the steps to knock on a door! It was the cutest thing EVA!

We carved our pumpkins on Sunday afternoon and Liv was adamant that she wanted an intricate spider and web on her pumpkin so I got to use the stencil and spent an hour getting that perfect spider on her pumpkin!!! So here are some pics from our great Halloween of 2010. Liv is Jessie from Toy Story....which while we were out Trick Or Treating everyone asked her, "where is Woody?"........at the LAST house we went to, there was a lady and her two boys that were dressed as Woody!!!! We laughed so hard and I told her we had been looking for them all night!!! I HAD to take a pic of the three of them together!!!!! hahahah!

My blog has been pimped!

2010-10-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Man, can I just say I love Becca! Kay! I WILL! I adore her, she's super sweet, very talented, and patient!

I love my fresh new change, and am super excited about the outcome.

If you get a second, and want an affordable new blog look, I think you should hop on over to Becca's website!!!!

Thank you Becca for rockin' my blog!!

end of summer

2010-09-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Seems like summer is coming to an end, but the heat is the last to leave! It's about 90 degrees today and still is pretty hot even at almost 7 at night.

This summer wasn't my best summer, but some good times and events showed up here and there.

A few things I discovered:

I am SO not in control, and I'm now OK with that.
I have put my complete trust in God and I'm finally able to sleep at night and rest.

I have more family and friends support than I ever knew I did

I will not let people bully me

I am more in love with Tod than ever before

I know exactly what Jesus means when He says He loves me

Even though I talk a big talk of taking a mini vacation to escape the daily drama and busy life at home, I miss and yearn for my family and children more than I enjoy being away.

I will fight for my children like a big momma black bear. I am blessed to have them, and will not go down without a BIG fight. They make my heart happy with delight and at the same time break into a million pieces. Who else can do that but your own children!?

I can NOT wait to start a new year with my family and friends, and to start new adventures.

God has truly blessed me and my life, and He loves me no matter what I was in the past.

Above are some pictures from our summer

Blessings,

Jen

Awesome giveaway

2010-09-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! This is a fun one!

Ollie Ollie Oxenfreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-23T20:04:00.001-07:00

Our new lil boy Ollie came home FINALLY on June 30th 2010. Since the weather was too hot to fly across the states, we waited and waited.... and even waited some more....sigh.. He's pretty much worth the wait!
He is a lovebug, he just wants to cuddle. He follows me from room to room, he waits for me when I run outside to check the mail, (usually come back inside to find a small puddle of pee....we're still workin on the potty training!) and stands outside the shower until I get out. Yep, he's pretty much my new sidekick! He has the cutest growl and the funnest bark. He is a lover, not a fighter so he growls when he hears a strange noise, of is someone is coming to the door... I know, he's cute huh!?!? hahahah!
Anyway, The only challenge is teaching him to potty in his box and not...well....everywhere else in the house!
He's a good smart boy, so I'm sure he'll get it soon.......or .... later.......sigh!

Mother's Day family pic

2010-05-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

This year was spent at my grandma's house in Mt.View and we had a great lunch and a fun photo shoot! We laughed so hard I was tearing up!!!

Until Livie grows out of her Helen Keller moments we will spend Mother's Day at my grandmas, which I like better!

long spring break

2010-04-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

I miss this kid.... Thank Heaven's she comes home tomorrow from Spring Break.

photos and family

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and gone and I miss it already! It's my all time favorite holiday, ever since I was a little girl I loved everything about it. The smell of the candy in a colorful Easter basket, the beautiful spring days that just begin to peek out from the dark clouds and wintery cold days.
When I was growing up I learned how much Jesus loves us and the ultimate sacrifice He made for us, I loved this holiday even more.

This year, on Easter, it did rain- all day... sigh. We were surrounded by family and laughs so it was a wonderful day. Here are some pics:

Till next time, Love yourself and each other
Jen

Reno~ Cherished memories

2010-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, it's been a while! My house is now plagued with a nasty cold! I ended up with it as we were leaving on our annual Reno trip- same exact thing happened last year too! I was sicker then a dog when we went last year and then again this year........sigh.................Can you EVEN believe it?!?
As we arrived in Reno I was done with my pitty party and was determined to have a great time, yea, even though I wouldn't be able to fully taste the AWESOME all you can eat sushi bar! Or the prime rib, shrimp, or other yummieness at the very cool buffet Tod and I like to go too. sigh- So I sucked it up! Standing in line to check in to our hotel, I was helped by this young, totally adorable, 20- something, friendly clerk. I commented how cute her GREEN finger nails were since St.Patricks Day was the following day, and as I found out her birthday! Two minutes later we are laughing and chatting and then BAM! SHE UPGRADES US TO A SUITE!!!...............OOOOOOOOOHHHH SWEET JESUS! How incredibly kind was that??! The room was off the schiznit! Jacuzzi tub, marble bath room, plasma tv's in the bathroom and a bed that made me squeal!!! I was so blessed, I took advantage of the Jacuzzi and soaked for TWO hours while Tod went downstairs and gambled. I rocked out to their Bose stereo system in the room,(Thank you Lady GaGa for keeping me company) turned off the lights, and enjoyed the city lights from the 12th floor!!! hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-oh, yea, even though I couldn't breath out of my nose, or enjoy the full Bose system due to heavily plugged ears, It rocked all the same!!! I was 100% grateful for this chickies kindess!!!

In Reno Tod hit his stores he wanted to go to, then I was off to do some thrift finds.
Eh, nothing I HAD to have except for this stack of beauties below. These my friends are typed and loved recipes with a sprinkle of interesting newspaper clippings. I found them in a thrift store and had to have them. ....why you ask??? Let me paint you the picture that goes on in my head, so you will see why I had to have these:
Back in the day I would talk to my grandma and step grandma on the phone about life, like, potty training, acne, diaper rashes,planting a small garden, making my whites whiter, cleaning soap scum, etc...You get the idea... Soon after these conversations, letters would arrive from my grandmas with newspaper articles or magazine articles about the ailments that I spoke about on the phone. Also there would be a typed letter stating, "Jennifer, I found this in Woman's Day this week and thought it could be useful, Love Grandma"
First, how thoughtful to take the time to cut the article, type me a letter and send it off in an envelope full of love! Now when I saw this large ziplock bag full of clippings and hand typed recipes on the thrift store shelf, I thought that somewhere this grandma had taken A LOT of time to type these important recipes up, she also took time to clip these articles out that meant something to her... then, I think she probably passed on and her grown kids from out of state came to clean out her house- estate sale if you will, and tossed most of these things in a box for the "Goodwill"- well, my heart broke and, well, they needed to come home with me. I thought if it was my grandma and her recipes it would be one of the first things I would want to hold onto and cherish.
So next weeks task:
Get a new recipe box for them, sort them and file them and place a tag on the front of the box that will say, "Grandma's cherished recipes"

Large photodump the next time I post. Off to kiss sick kids and my honey night night

Prima looooooooooooooooove!!!!

2010-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

HOW AWESOME IS PRIMA!? They have two more HUGE surprise giveaways!!
Their products are yummy, make me drool and want each and every single design they ever come out with!!!
Head ova for your chance to enter & win!!!!

Here's a sneak peak at their giveaway package! and more info:

If you don't have a blog, don't worry, you still have a chance to win.

That's Right! Prima is giving away two more AMAZING prize packages in conjunction with our BIG SECRET!

We want EVERYONE to have a chance to win so we are changing the rules a bit.

Please copy this write-up and link us on your blog, Facebook, or any
other site that you frequent (please follow their TOU).
Then post here with a link to your blog, Facebook or site post for your chance to win BIG with Prima!
One US and one International winner will be chosen on Thursday, March 4th, 2010.

And we are getting closer and closer to revealing our secret-it won't be long now!

Just a couple more days of suspense!

HURRYYYYYYYY GOOOO!!! IT'S ALL TO YUMMY TO MISS THIS CHANCE!!!!!

GO TO PRIMA'S BLOG NOW!

Minnie & Livie

2010-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

We came home from running errands last week and Livie had received Happy Mail from a dear family friend for Valentine's Day!
Her own soft and sweet Minnie Mouse!!!
She takes her to bed each night and sets her in her rocking chair to watch Mickey Mouse Club House!!!

Uniquely Ella Vintage Giveaway!!

2010-01-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been lucky to stumble across this awesome blog by Marlene.
She is S U P E R TALENTED AND EXTREMELY SWEET!

She has a to- die- for blog and is inviting everyone over to her vintage giveaway!

Check out her vintage beautiful chic blog and enter to win her RAK!

Thanks again for the chance to win Marlene! And I so wanna go with you on your next trip to search for vintage goodies!!! The pictures of the keys made my heart sing! hahah!

Hurry, go check her out, you'll fall in love - just in time for Valentine's Day! My fav second fav time of the year!

GO.... HERE IF YA DIDNT GET ALL THE OTHER LINKS DIRECTING YOU ABOVE!!!!

A day at the park

2010-01-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

A day at the park with Livie always makes for a good time.
She LOVES it, loves the slides, the swings and loves running and SCREAMING!

JANUARY 1ST 2010

2010-01-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

I pray that the Lord finds you well and blesses you immensely in 2010.

It's AMLOST the second day of the new year..... Is time speeding by already.... ? sigh......
Today started out a little startling as I noticed a BUMP, not on one of the "girls" but a liiiiiiitle lower. I'll be keeping a watchful eye out on that one..... well not so much literally since I would be a contortionist!!!! Tod was happy to assist in my home examination though.........sigh!
Anyway, I know it will be fine, just a little startling.... "Hello 2010, here is a nice lump for you to worry night an day about!!! lol!

Since It's almost the SECOND day of the new year, and the first has slipped by so fast, I thought I would post some pics.

I hope you are all well and find new adventures and tons of dreams fulfilled in this new and exciting year. 2009 was NOT my favorite year, but blessed with my family, friends, and health all the same!

On to the pics.

Myself, Kira, and Betsy

Olivia and ALLLLLL her Elmos'

Betsy and I

Beautiful Kira on her 16th Birthday! with lil Liv

M.I.A.....? But I have pics...

2009-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone?? It is now December and days just flew by me! I did capture some high points on my camera.
I know EXACTLY when things went haywire! Right after our scrapbook retreat in Discovery Bay back in October. As soon as I got back it seemed as if my life just went into high speed and I could barley get out of bed. It wasn't that I was depressed, just overwhelmed.
Birthdays, allergies, rashes, migraines, ill cat, sick kids, bratty kids, pms, cramps, dreading your 40th birthday.... etc all seemed to take its toll on me.

Here are some of the highlights....of the Good times.
Happy holidays to you all, and remember to always tell the people you love, "I love you", you might not get a second chance.

Discovery Bay Sunset~ October 2009

Carving da pumpkins~ 2009
They look awesome!!!!!

Little Tinkerbell and her daddy! Halloween night Monterey

Baking.........
Grandma's 80th Birthday party~ November 2009
My 40th Birthday(UUUURGGHHH!) November 2009

More baking.....

Liv & her daddy preparing apples for homemade apple pies
and more baking........
And finally getting ready for Christmas!

Daddy's Boots

2009-11-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Every day when Tod gets home from work, he takes off his boots before walking on the carpet, (since I don't allow shoes on in the house!!!) and just as fast as Tod can get them off Livie is sitting on our desk chair right next to them slipping them on as quick as she can. Watching her try and walk in them racks me up!

(Future pictures to scrap!!)

Long hard rain!

2009-10-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

The storm was to come in at 3 am, and it did. It was supposed to rain all day, and it has. It's been pouring down all day, some lighter then other times, but constant. Never stopped.
I love it. We need it. I love it. I love it.
Now in three days I might change my mind. But while the house is cozy warm, it's allllllll goood.

Cricut Celebration!!!

2009-10-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Over at the CRICUT MB they are celebrating their 100th Cart!!!!
Come join in for a chance to win a free cart!
How cool is that?! so go go GO!!!!

For da love of JuJuBee's!!!

2009-09-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for the launch of her kits, and let me tell you, they rock!!
JuJu Bee's has an awesome KIT CLUB now, I was lucky to get her first month and love what I got! Tons of paper for more then one two sided 12x12 layout, yummy Prima embelli's, cool ribbon and much much more!
Check it out HERE!! You'll also wanna check out her store, she has great sales, super fast shipping and yummy products! Plus the bonus is she is always a delight to talk to, so if you have any questions, comments let her know! She's a sweetie peetie! Check out her deals HERE!

Don't miss out on her cool BLOG!!! She has tons of new fun products that she lets her peeps know about, great eye candy, and a Fall Frenzy Online Crop until Sept 27th! GAMES, CHALLENGES, PRIZES!!! HOW CAN YA NOT STOP BY!?!?!

Come join the yummieness and check her out, join the KIT CLUB, join the FORUM, Dive into the ONLINE CROP, Check her STORE out, and order some googies and then get ready to create away!

Busy summer time schtuff

2009-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have posted before that during strawberry season we are blessed by friends who bring over boxes, crates and containers of these beautiful strawberries that are grown locally.
This season I made strawberry/Rhubarb pie, strawberry jam, strawberry smoothies. Then we were SUPER blessed with flats of BlackBerries! Uhm YEA, MY ALL TIME FAV!!! I made blackberry cobblers, like 5 of them. Blackberry smoothies and then pretty much ate handfuls out of bowls all day with Livie, who, as you can see LOVES THEM TOO!!!
After we finished with the blackberries, we got some funny lookin squash..... Liv wouldnt go near 'em! lol

We also celebrated Liv's birthday which was back in June but had a party on July 4th. She was SUPER excited about her Wow Wow Wubbzy cake and when everyone sang happy birthday to her I thought she was gonna fall off of her chair! lol
Here are some pics of our summer schtuff!

Yessssssssss, It's that time again......

2009-08-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Every year about this time Tod and I have endless conversations about back to school supplies, clothes, money, school pictures, school pe clothes, pe shoes, backpacks, more money talk, sports passes, student id pictures, and again more talk about money for all these supplies.
Now that Myo is off at college she still gets back to school funds she just spends it on what she wants! haha! Every year, one of us will break into this song, and it cracks me up everytime!
As our kids sit around and sulck(HEHEHEHE!!!), I truly wish all the parentals out there HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING, BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!!

Arlene's Blog Candy HUrry ends Aug 23rd~

2009-08-06T16:08:00.001-07:00

Man, she's a pretty talented momma and from Ca!
Arlene has an awesome I MEAN KILLER blog candy contest! This is just one pic of her generous candy gift~ Head over and get in on the chance to win, plus I know you'll learn somethin'! She's got talent!

Okay, hurry, click HERE and enjoy your stay for a while, you wont be dissapointed~

Circle of Friends part II

2009-08-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, I got this awesome award from Faith and I am so thrilled to call her friend.
Have you ever chatted with a person and realized your lives are very very similar and the paths you both took seem to have way to many similarities? That's how I feel about Faith. I feel like if we were ever to meet, we could spend all day talking, laughing, crying and laughing again. I feel like I have known her for years. So thank you Faith, thank you for your friendship, for your kindness and for just being an awesome friend. Keep up the good work, your a strong, wonderful supportive momma and friend!!!

So now the rules, I need to link 5 friends to this award:

1. Janice ~ She has been my friend for a long LONG time and knows the good the bad and the pretty gross about me! and she even still likes me!

2. Lillian ~She's super talented, has a very positive personality and has a great smile!

3. Leah ~ Funny how we met on the Cricut MB but she already knew my sister! Leah is super fun, sweet and I think we have tons in common, she gives me great tips both creatively and personally!!!

4. Sandy ~ Man, she is super talented, very kind and I wish and hope to learn more about her!

5. Bridget ~ She has an awesome kind personality and I think she's wickedly talented!

Blog Candy contest.... COME & GET IT!!!

2009-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Have I told you how awesome and super talented Malisa is? She rocks with her genius ways of creating things with paper, and she is super kind! She posted a picture of her cool sb room and I told her I loved her Hello Kitty's and she sent me a pm telloing me she was popping them in the mail to me! How kind is that? Talk about an awesome rak! She truly blew me away with her kindness!
Well, if you take a few clicks and head over to her blog she has some AWESOME blog candy to win!!!! Here's a picture of her loot! Man, she rocks!!! I drolled lookin at these goodies!!!
SO HURRY HURRY HEAD OVER, SERIOUSLY, IT'S LIKE A CLICK AWAY AND ENTER TO WIN HER YUMMY CONTEST!

Thanks again Malisa for a chance to win!
Once again click here and I will even take u there myslef!!!

AND THE WINNER IS..................

2009-08-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

WAIT FOR IT.....................

AND THE WINNER IS......................

WAIT FOR IT.......................................

WINNER RANDOM NUMBER 3

~BridgetL~ said...

I love the doodling stack. Got the 12x12 and the 8x8. Great haul.

July 31, 2009 11:35 PM

congrats Bridget & thank u for watchin and playin. Please send me ur address and I'll get ur goodies off to u! (pm me @ Cricut mb partyof5inca)

Thank u all for watchin and playin!
Tuki & Lisa, please send me ur addresses and I will get your Paisley papers off to u two.
I'm on the Cricut mb as partyof5inca!!!

xoxoxoxo
Jen

STACKS, STACKS & MORE STACKS!.... AND A SURPRISE!!!

2009-07-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to give a quick glimpse of MOST of the DCWV Stacks I picked up at Joann's last week.
..... and a surprise too...
Make sure to leave a comment and I'll post back here on Sunday Aug 2nd!!!
Enjoy your weekend everyone!
xoxo
Jen

Circle of Friends Love

2009-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks Leah!!!
I am excited to call you my friend! Your a doll and you crack me up! Thank you for thinking of me on this award! xoxox!

Our party pooper on the 4th of July

2009-07-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of Livie and Kira. Livie had just woken up from a nap and was a little taken back by all the people and music. Tons of kids and tons of food laughs and music!!! She sooooooooooo wanted to hang with the older kids, but ended up clinging to her daddy and playing in the driveway with us and using her sidewalk chalk on EVERYTHING!!!

4th of July

2009-07-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to post pictures from my camera but Kira has done me a favor and downloaded some pics she took using her camera lol!
The above picture is Jackie and Tessa- Kira's friends riding on Tod's Go-cart.
Matt and Sebby, Kira's other friends under a tree at the end of our street that even Olivia HAS to stand under when passing by~

Tessa and Jackie gettin ready to take off again......... Disaster will soon strick......
Shortly after the above picture, Tessa accedentally electricuded Jackie by touching a wire on the go cart to the stearing wheel Jackie was holding........She's a little looped after being shocked.picture below.....Kira thought it was hysterical..... nice Kira....
Kira gettin in the kitchen for glasses for her friends......

Cuttlebug Spot Contest!!!

2009-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Awesome contest, lookin for more followers could get you a prize! very cool! Check them out here!

Honest Blog Award

2009-06-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jeannine for this award!

10 Honest things about me.... hmmmm let me see....

10. I hate being cut off on the road while driving
9. I love the smell of Jasmine
8. I hate lairs
7. I love being a mom and step mom
6. I am WAAAAYYYYY to obsessed with paper and my Cricut
5. I love the sound of my childrens laughter
4. I miss my cat Lucy
3. I wish I could offer more to people
2. I hope my children know how much I love them
1. I am sure Jesus hears my prayers

Father's Day

2009-06-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

We spent Father's Day in Monterey. First we ate at the Whole Enchilada at Moss Landing, then went to the beach for a few minutes. After that we headed into Monterey and strolled on the pier and bought some yummy caramel corn and some killer candied apples. Always good for the teeth!!!!!!

Pics Below

Father's Day

2009-06-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

Fahter's day in Monterey

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Freezer jamitty jam jam!

2009-06-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

Each summer we are super blessed with baskets big and small of awesome strawberries! Our neighbors, our friends all spread the love and give us tons! AND TONS! So this year Kira and I made freezer jam! Sooo yummy on PB&J and with vanilla ice cream!
Our end products!!

Your eyes

2009-05-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

So I took this picture of Olivia one day when we were messing around in Kira's room while she was at school! hehehe! I knew I wanted to have Kira edit it. She made it black and white for me and kept her eyes their original color.

This is my picture for my next layout; plan to do it this Friday at a crop with Kira.

Grease monkey

2009-05-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Tod has been working constantly on his baot getting it ready for the ocean. Even though there is AGAIN no salmon season for us here he has set his goal on a BIG halibut!!!

While getting the motor ready Little Livie makes sure she is right there to help with the tools and constant chatter with her daddy! After gettin all greasy it was off
to a nice warm tub!!!

Wii Wanna tell ya Happy Birthday!!!!

2009-05-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

So for Tod's birthday, on the 13th, we had a great night of KILLER sushi (Imura's in Watsonville) and a totally moist insane tasting cake from Freedom Bakery. We topped the night off with a bunch of games on the Wii, when we turned it on, this is what were were greeted with....
Gotta love the Wii! They thought of everything!!!

swap schtuff & NSD pics with projects!

2009-05-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to finally post some pics of some inchies and twinchies I completed for a swap. Also NSD was a blast this year, Betsy was able to stay for four days and scrap and shop! My Kira got a bunch of altered items completed too! I didn't expect to get much done, just made sure Betsy and Kira had all their supplies they needed. Ended up cutting tons of Cricut cuts out for them! ha!

This is my dinning room table covered in sb schtuff~

This is Kira's Twighlight hanging she made. She altered Dollar Tree CorkBoard coasters! She's pretty hot!!! hehehe!

This is an a layout she did for a picture frame in her room! Myoko, Aiko and Kira
~Betsy and Kira~
Another altered picture frame by Kira: Tod and Kira with Livie

My twinchie item

My cupcakes Inchies. Yes, I did end it with stickles on the cherries!!

Thanks for looking, see ya soooooon!
xoxox
Jen

Thank you Easter Bunny! BOK! BOK!

2009-04-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Easter is my favorite holiday and time of year. To me, it's the time to celebrate the rise of Jesus to Heaven and how He is planning His return for us. I love the candy and the colors and so on, don't get me wrong, I just get goosebumps knowing that when Mary of Magdala went to His tomb in the morning and found it empty!!! He was seated next to God. Awesome, truly awesome!

The day before Easter Derik and Betsy came up to spend the night and spend time with us. Livie was in the living room with Tod and fell over one of her toys and face planted into the coffee table. Yep, I was hysterical, sobbing right along with Livie, blood everywhere! Her two fonr teeth cut into her bottom lip, Her upper gum was bleeding and bruised and she tore the little flap that holds your upper lip to your gum.... yea, see why I was a mess???? She cried and cried and Tod was so quick and good. He looked it up after we got the situation calmed down and found it pretty much heals itself and heals very quickly. So for Easter pictures at my grandmas' you can see her bottom lip was still hurt. sigh.

We have Easter at my Grandma's in Mt.View and this year we brought the ham and the fix'ns. Everything was so delish!

So Miss Livie's 1st Easter egg hunt! Man, she was quick to figure it out! lol! (She's sporting her tennis shoes as she was sooooo over her pretty ballerina slippers.... I think she is a true Tom Boy! lol

Grandma and Momma

Kira and Livie searching for eggs!

got my herrdid

2009-04-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

And every time I get my hair done, she insists on straightening it for me.... so this is me with straight hair

New pics.

2009-04-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and I planned on going to the Scrapbook Expo in March, but wasn't really sure if we could go since we needed to see if Tod would have the day off to watch Livie. Well, he did so off we were..... Kira decided at the last moment to come with us!

The lines were long, but the goodies were OH, SO GOOOOD!

A few must have goodies.....

Mom stoked, she just bought some killer stamps!

Momma on her way into the Expo

I'm truly blessed she is my gurl! My favorite, my one & only Kira!

Happy Anniversary baby! April Fools! No seriously! Happy Anniversary! heheh

2009-04-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today is my Happily Ever After Anniversary with Tod!
I love this dude to pieces and can't tell ya how lucky I am to be with him!

We have our getaway planned for Reno in a few days. It will be so nice to get away just him and I. No kids, no mothers, no phone calls, no running errands.... WE get to go to Cabela's, Sportsmen's Warehouse, Scrapbook Cottage, and another scrapbook store I can't remember! yipppeee!

I have finally downloaded some more pics below..... I'm almost caught up! hehehe

oooh yes, it's Elmo!

2009-04-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

This was her favorite Christmas toy from Santa, forgot to post this earlier.....
She loves her some Elmo!!!! I mean really! She L O V E S this dude!

Elmo Love

2009-04-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

Toldya she loves him!

LaptopLuva

2009-04-01T20:36:00.001-07:00

Miwa (on the far left) is in Japan right now for spring break and I just miss that kids face! She spent the night before she left and she just makes me happy. She's a sweet girl, sweet and funnier then heck! She cracks me up and I just wanna hug the snot out of her!!!!
(YES, I gave her cash for Hello Kitty goodies from Japan! ha!- She's a shopper, she loves that stuff!)

I LOVE EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM!

2009-04-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

They are all so very different, they each have their own distinct personality..YES! EVEN LIVIE! They are so beautiful! They make me crazy, happy and proud all in the same breath!

Hello Kitty Inchies

2009-04-01T20:26:00.001-07:00

Made these for an Inchie swap.
(had the whole house to myself that day- for 8 hours.... pure bliss I tell ya!)

Christmas photos 2008

2009-03-20T01:21:00.001-07:00

Christmas Eve night Livie was in her Christmas dress for Betsy and Derek~!

Christmas photos 2008

2009-03-20T01:17:00.001-07:00

Livie was the first to wake up- of course! After she was changed and brushed the sleepies from her eyes, this was the look on her face when she saw the goodies under the tree!

Christmas photos 2008

2009-03-20T01:13:00.001-07:00

I was finished with the final touches at about 1:30 in the morning. All the wrapping was complete the stockings were done and I went to bed. Fell fast asleep. When I woke up Santa had come around 1:45 am to fill my stocking!~ I had NO IDEA Tod did this for me till the next morning~ I LOVED everything on that chair! lol! He did it alllllll himself! Not bad baby~!

Christmas photos 2008

2009-03-20T01:10:00.001-07:00

I'm almost caught up on my downloading picture quest!
This was our Christmas for 2008. It was the best Christmas so far, bot Tod and I agreed! We had a blast with the kids, Livie was in complete awe of it all! Then as she watched her sisters open their gifts, that was just too sweet to watch~

Hello Kitty

2009-03-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

So when I was a kid, my life goal was to collect and cherish as much Hello Kitty stuff as I could. My first stamp was HK, my first stationary set was HK, and my first cool pen and pencil set was HK! Believe me, I wasn't showered with the goods, I had to beg and plead for my treasures. I still have an obsession for the Kitty, she makes me giggle inside and makes me tickled when I step foor into a Sanrio store, the smell of the plastic ( I KNOW, I KNOW, BUT IT'S HELLO KITTY PEOPLE!!)
So when I was finally able to get the HK cart for my Cricut, I HAD to jump on it. Made the long drive to Joann's in Fremont that is new and a treat to shop in. All their carts were on sale for $38.88, instead of $89.00 to $99.00. (Grabbed a few more MUST HAVE'S!) Kira busted these cuties out while Livie was down for a nap.. Lucky me she only sleeps for an hour now instead of the 2 or 3 hour timeframe. lol!! Kira's just busted out the new Sesame Street Friends cart. Livie's up so I'll have to keep her in line while Kira tried to create!!

pics to share

2009-02-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

I've been PIMPED!!!

2009-01-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

I wan't feelin my blog any more, eh, it just wasn't thrilling me to open it up and post songs, comments, videos, etc.

So Ms.Val said she could PIMP my blog!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
I love it, I love my banner, I love how the body of the blog is white with pink trim, it's clean to me and me likie!!!

Thank you Val for PIMPIN my blog!!
* I think I wanna little flourish of some kind off to the side, but I'm 100% down with how it turned out!!!

Late LATE pictures

2009-01-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

I only have limited time at home to hid in my room and play on the computer. It's usually less then a half hour, and even that is a stretch. If Tod gives Livie a bath then I can download pics online, surf by my favorite blogs or try to even post a new blog of my own! ha! The problem I have is that there are 498 photos on my computer that I just downloaded and trying to get them into photobucket ends up being the long and painful process that I dread! augh! Now why would it take me 10 minutes to upload the 498 pictures to my computer but then it takes me close to 45 minutes to move 12 photos to photobucket? wtf is wrong with that? well, I'll tell ya! Tod usually gets nervous when Livie starts the whinny "beback!" meaning I am in the other room where she can't see me, so she knows I'll be back, so she calls it "beback". Then she stands at the door and tries to fit a toy- usually Elmo under it to get my attention. sigh. Heartbreaking I tell ya!
So photobucket is on mysh*tlist and if there is a better place MEANING QUICKER- to download my pictures, then someone let me know!
In the mean time, here is my attempt at catching up on late LATE pictures.....

Livie started with her pajamas on when we started but then ended up with just her diaper. She screamed like a banchiee when I took her to the room to get her cleaned up!

Halloween 2008......man, I gotta ways to go!

Oreo Cookie Kisses from Livie

2009-01-15T11:49:00.001-08:00

Little Livie with her first Oreo

Hellooooo 2009

2009-01-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's January 2009 and I have yet to write 2008 on paper work! ha! Yeay for me!

I don't have any new pics to share since I havent had a second to download them. Great!

I can tell ya our Christmas was probably the best Christmas we have all spent together. We all enjoyed each others company and laughed about gifts, listened to great music- Elvis Christmas cd-ha! And the highlight was watching Livie in the middle of her big sisters unwrapping all their gifts! Livie was with Tod and I in the morning, while the other girls were off at their other parentals until later that day. So Livie was not in the greatest of moods on Christmas morning, but when we all got home and the big sisters settled in the living room to open their gifts and dig their way through their stocking, Livie had a blast! She was tickled to have those three sisters all around her!

Jeremy Camp - There Will Be A Day ~ AL (Annotated Lyrics)

2008-12-07T01:47:00.001-08:00

When I first heard this song, I could'nt stop crying. Driving to work on a Tuesday morning, just reflecting on our world and how lost people seem to be. Listening to people talk about their pains, their worries, and their emptieness. I turned my radio to Air-1 and they were interviewing Jeremy Camp and how he came to wrighting this song- There Will Be a Day.

Blink-182 - Not Now (official music video)

2008-11-18T09:23:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite song, favorite band (that ones was...)

She can eat again

2008-11-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

So my Kira has been I N L O V E with this kid at her school. Ever since last year when their class went on their 8th grade DC Trip. They got to hang out, and they sat next to each other on the plane, they shared a tapioca for desert- I know, totally true love!

So now their in High School and Kira has been a wreck about this kid, who we'll call Little T, since Tod calls himself the Big T.

Little T has been interested in Kira but thought he liked this other girl named.uhm, Shelli...

So Kira would spend days and hours texting Little T and one night he told her that he liked both her and Shelli. Kira was heartbroken. Extremely hurt, she held it together, held her head high and made sure she laughed and had a good time when he was around, made sure she didn't show that she was crushed.... I thought that was cool since I would have been in the corner crying.

Now it's about a month later and they have spent time together, they continue to text each other every second of the day, and he has "asked her out"... what that means to us that are no longer 15 years of age? It means they are going out! duh!, It means they are boyfriend and girlfriend.

I picked her up from school yesterday and I was so excited to et her in the car and talk to her. She is just so happy right now, she is all smiles, and she just thinks he's the SCHIZNIT! We all can relate to that!!! we talked and talked and then, there was silence followed by this:

Kira: "Mom, I don't know what it is, but I just can't eat anything, I haven't been hungry since, like, last Thursday! Like I have NO APPETITE AT ALL.... What do you think it is?"

She looked at me with these big scared eyes, and it was all I could do to keep a straight face.

MOM: "Kira, that is called 'BEING IN LOVE', you can eat now!"

2008-11-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Summer beach pics

2008-11-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Us at State Park Beach, Aptos.

My sister and Derek came up to have a bbq at the beach before the summer ended.

Good food, good company, and sad to see summer go so fast!

Do the right thing

2008-11-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

So I haven't slept in days, last night was the worst. Tossing and turning.
Got in line early this morning to vote. After, a feeling overwhelmed me. I turned to Kira in the car and said, "Let me tell you Kira, remember to always do this..." She turned to me and listened as I told her, "Remember to always do your homework, your own foot work on issues." Don't act like the kids at school that just echo what their parents say, find out for yourself what potential presidents stand for, research each issue and what they believe, don't take my word for it, or even better yet, when you research and find out the facts, you are able to 'call your mom out' on issues I may view differently then you." "Don't just say what you hear your parents saying, challenge your parents, find out the truth and you'll always be able to speak intelligently on issues, to your classmates, teachers, parents, and to whomever may want to debate with you."
"Kira, it's your right to dig for the truth, to speak the truth, no matter who may agree or disagree with you."
She listened and shared her views about the last few days in school regarding the election. Some kids for Barrack Hussein Obama and some for John McCain. Kira stated clearly who she was for. Her words to me: "I wish I could vote, this is probably the most important election in my life time."
My mom's friend said it best two days ago:
Mom's friend: "I'm scared for the future."
Mom: "But as believers, we know we do not need to be afraid."
Mom's friend: "I guess I'm sad for our world, a world my children never got to know that was once good."

I believe in God, I believe Jesus died for our sins to have eternal life. I was raised that "In God We Trust" and thought for sure our American presidency would never doubt that as well.

I know now I was wrong.

I pray for Hope, Love and His coming

Talented chics

2008-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

So I have found their blog- they rock, their talented and seem pretty dang sweet!
I have stalked their work on Ebay, have them as friends on Myspace and now will stalk their blog!
I wish I was so talened as these chics!
http://makinglemonadedesignteam.blogspot.com/

Our girls

2008-10-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Kira and Aiko. I love these girls.

They have been together since they were 5 and 6 years old. They look completely different now! 13 and 14 year olds. Time has flown by.

I hope they grow up happy! I sure know how happy they have made Tod and I!!!

Aleida

2008-09-18T11:42:00.001-07:00

Since I have not had a computer for almost two weeks I have been lost. Catching up now for two days is tiresome and straining, and now I am deeply sad to hear the news of Aleida. I found Aleida (RicanLaw) through Flickr and was amazed at her work and her writting on her blog. I found her post as she was expressing her disgust about player haters. How she handled their pettyness stayed with me for a long time. She dismissed their words and focused on her family and her ability as a strong Puerto Rican woman. She inspired me and made me smile.

I'm truly sad. My heart hurts for her family.

Mini vacation

2008-09-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow we're heading off to camp with Tod's cousin and wife Mark and Miss. I love love love them! It's a short trip but we're so excited to leave tomorrow. Kira will be at a concert with her Nina and so we will have Livie and Aiko with us. Tod will be fishing and Miss and I will be hanging, not sure what Mark and Jeremy will be doing! ha!!!! I'm bringing a few WIP's (Work In Progress Spread) to see if I can finish up some layouts that have been lingering in my bin for a while now. Last week I finished up one layout that Kira and I started together about 4 years ago! ha!!! finishing touches were Stickles and some pop dots- just need to journal and done DONE! HA!!

Wish it was a longer trip but till they get their own trailer, we will have to have short trips- but still, we'll have a blast! Miss always cracks me up and I love her dearly!!! muah!!!

Right at this moment

2008-09-08T14:40:00.001-07:00

When I see this picture of Kira I can't get over how fast she has grown up. It seems like just yesterday we were watching Disney movies OOOOVER AND OOOVER & talking about things that pertained to a tween's life.

Now all I can see is a glimpse of what she will look like when she's all grown up. I adore her and miss the little girl she used to be but I'm madly in love with the young beautiful woman she is becoming.

She'll ALWAYS be my little Kira Bo Bira

Dear Diary....

2008-08-18T07:13:00.001-07:00

It seems that my emails are lost in portal hell and Janice no longer gets my important emails informing her of the boring details of my life. blah blah. So I can peak in on her life at her blog. THE WOMAN KILLS ME. Her blog about per Project Runway Losers! HA!!!! LOVE THAT!!!

Life seems to still be moving along as I (and my house) recoop from a baaaaaaaaaaad tummy virus. Livie STILL isnt 100%. This last week was a complete MUTHA!
when we were all sick the girls toilet broke, (Thank God Tod is the man he is and was able to fix it) then Friday afternoon starting my first of 80 thousand loads of laundry the washer broke.....ever have weeks like this? Thank God Tod is the kind of guy that doesnt get upset abput things, he just fixes stuff and moves on. I love that..... I on the other hand would still be in the laundry room crying and kicking the washer! Then Sunday we were all too sick still and weak to go to Tod's company picnic at the Boardwalk, so we missed that. that sucked!

Good news is Kira BooBira is back home and we couldnt be happier. We have missed her so so so so so soooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She had a blast at Gold Country with Kendra and her family. She seems to have grown even taller and got even prettier! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!? Her flauless skin, her beautiful eyes, and hair!!! Wished I looked like that when I was 14 1/2!!!!

Myoko came by the house yesterday to pack things up for college. Man, I will miss that girl. Seeing her face makes me happy. lol! She kills me! She can fustrate me to the point of breaking, and then when I see her and she talks to me she is so sweet and kind and a gentle, loving, giving soul. I hope her journey is happy as she leaves home. I love her and will miss her dearly. I pray for her daily. She's a beautiful girl inside and out and I have complete confidence in her she will go far! I just want her to be happy!!

Blue October - Into the Ocean

2008-08-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

This guy is just the shiznit to me, he just has it... Love the man and love the song

Bloggy Giveaways website

2008-08-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Just found her website (click above) and I have to tell I am in love. She's cool the giveaways are wicked cool and the peeps are no drama no stress. Love it. Keeping my fingers crossed that I win! Check it out and make sure to join! Good times, no catches. I love finding websites like this!

My Desktop

2008-07-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our new computers at work have been installed. I have missing files and yaddah yaddah, who cares about that, that will all get corrected soon enough. This is my new desktop picture.

I miss her more then I could ever express to anyone. I miss her laugh, her voice, her smell, her hugs and her beautiful face. She makes me so proud, she makes me so happy to be her momma.

I'm so blessed the Lord picked her to be my baby girl.

(This is picture is Jason and Kira- Jason is Kira's younger brother- WHO I FLIPPEN LOVE!!!!!)

I can't wait till she's hugging me again!

Mean Kitty Song

2008-07-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

I love this video. Made me laugh out loud at work and this guy reminds me of Derick, Betsy's boyfriend!

*couldnt get it to link properly-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo&feature=related

2008-07-07T21:27:00.001-07:00

Beach time

2008-07-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday we headed to the beach. It looked foggy and cold but it was pretty darn warm, with a light fog that would surely burn off by noon.
It did end up burning off and Aiko and I GOT BURNED~ Livie had a blast and Tod kicked back!
We are extremly blessed to have the beach so close to us!

My cousin William got Livie this little beach hut, and I told Tod we couldnt take her to the beach until we had one, so that worked out PERFECT! LOL!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last year little Livie was just about 2 weeks old when 4th of July came.
This year, she's a little over 1 years old and a blast to have as a new member to our family!
Grandma Joyce and Auntie Karen got her the cutest little 4th Of July outfit! We bbq'd and relaxed most of the day. Tod and Aiko are still outside playing Guitar Hero!
Due to the major fires in Ca. and here in Watsonville, they have canceled the sale of fire works. Tod is bumbed beyond words but we all know it's just so not worth it. Two weeks ago it took Tod and I each 3 hours to get home because of the HUGE fire just 3 miles away from our home and a mile from his grandma's home. She was evacuated and came to Tod's moms home, which is around the corner from us/ It was heart breaking to worry about his grandma's home all night. The next day the announced she could go back home, her home was safe! Amen, good is wonderful.
Unfortunately, there were homes lost in the fire as well as live stock.
So this year, we just chilled.
I got Livie in her bath and she had a great time, Aiko and Tod peaking in on her through our bathroom window and making her laugh! Then off to bed! Around 9:00 Aiko came in the house with a bin full of strawberries from our next door neighbors! How yyummy and sweet of them to do that! They look gorgeous and TASTE WONDERFULLLLLLL! Tomorrow Aiko and I are gonna cover some of them in chocolate and white chocolate! (Kay, my mouth is watering now!)
A few pics from today and tonight!

Your another cutie I had to have

2008-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

So I THOUGHT I did a very thourough look into alllllll the die cutting machines out there, I compared prices, prices and quality of individual dies blah blah blah.... so I went with the CK Revolution. I love her, she's a keeper...... but in the back og my mind I kept thinking of that cutie pie the cuttlebug..... I felt dirty and shameful.... should I have chose her first? Since I keep thinking of her and that great Revolution was loyal and beautiful too.....

I get this email from Janice saying that the cuttelbug is at overstock.com for cheap and their s&h was only $2.95.... wth???? seriously...???? I'm on it!
I got her Friday and she is a cutie Pa-tootie..... i lovvvvvvvvvve her..... and her dies are inexpensive and fun fun..... I'm still a faithful girl to my Revolution. But I do love me some cuttlebug!

Livie's one!

2008-06-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

What a great day. I'm finally able to get my other pictures uploaded!

pictures to share

2008-06-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

These are Kira's layouts she made at Picture Me Perfect, their all day crop.
She had a great time with her step mom and she got a lot done!!
She's a great scrapper and I love her madly!!!

And who's one years old?

2008-06-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Man, I love this girl!
She just was sooo darn cute yesterday! When Tod's mom walked in Livie's little eyes got so big and bright! She started to crawl towards her and put her arm up and said "boooooooon!"

Carol had brought Livie gifts and two milar balloons! Livie's favorite thing in the WORLD are milar balloons. It was precious!

After we got her eyes off the balloons we watched her open her gifts as her big sisters helped! Livie and all of us would say "oooooohhhhh" over the cute clothes she got and to see her little lips puckers up was touching~! Looking over at Tod- WHO MUST HAVE HAD SOMETHING IN HIS EYE(S) AGAIN!!! Laughing and gleeming at her!

We sat her in her highchair and sang to her, gave her her VERY own little pink birthday cake! She did so good eating it and was I think surprised she could do what she wanted to with it! I think she was waiting for someone in the crowed of happy family to say "no" to her!

What a great day, what a blessing it is to have her in our lives! And I can't believe how fast this year has gone by!!!!!

Can you say PoPo?

2008-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

So my manager comes over and tells me he heard these popping noises from outside, then a few minutes later, the police pull up close to our building.... wtf?

Let me back up to three days ago when our tech support guy called from Kansas and said he wanted to know the hotel right next to our building since we are having a computer conversion, they need to make sure they pic the right hotel for the team to stay at... yep, it's the Courtyard Marriott, RIGHT next door to our building. Cool? COOL!

So today we look out our building's four story windows and see the Marriott is blocked off and the entrance and drive way to our building is now ground zero for 15 cops and reporters and is taped off.... yea, and the channel 11 news chopper is above our building!

greeeeaaat!

Apparently there was a known fugitive staying at the marriott and was being apprehended..... it didn't seem to go down according to plan, so shots were fired, he was wounded and taken away. A young woman in a hot pink blouse was taken in handcuffs ( why the blouse color made it in to the report is beyond me- hey! It's California and it's stinkin hot today! Whatever keeps you cool sister!)

So this is the view out my window today....

And the Kansas people coming........... they may wanna switch hotels...... I'm just syaing....

Back to my happy place- Kira get's home from her D.C trip tomorrow and I can't WAIT to see her! I miss her face, her smile, her smell, her hugs, and her voice. She's having a blast (with a few minor girly set backs, like lets say four girls in a hotel for a week...yea, there's some drama there for ya!) She has taken over 800 picutres and has seen some awesome historical places that I will never be able to see. She knows this was a trip of a lifetime and she soaked it all in!!!

I love that babygirl more then I could ever truly express to anyone. I just can't wait to get my arms around her!!!!

Guilty Pleasure

2008-06-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's mine, all mine, but I feel guilty. I drove home with it in my car and thought, " what the heck am I doing, I have to return this..... This is so out of my leauge, I HAVE LOST MY EVER LOVIN MIND!"

I kept it in my closet for two days as I saw Kira get off to her D.C Trip and waited for the right time to take it out and look at it...

My hands were sweaty and my heart was rasing.

Livie was sleeping and Tod was on his third round of Archery on the Wii standing beside me. I took her from the box and could smell the plastic and that new electronic smell. My tummy had a knot in it and I kept thinking to myself, "I'm so afriad of you....... I'm afraid I am gonna hurt you, your just to much for me"

I read the directions, inserted the lens, the battery, the strap and took my first shot.

Lightning fast and I almost lost my breath. I shot pictures rapidly of Peaches and Tod and the television and anything else that would move! PERFECT SHOT, EVERY TIME, My forehead was now sweating.

"Tod, I'm scared of her, I think I should take her back and get something simple"

"Are you kidding Jen? Are you serious?, don't even talk to me about this, just play around with it and you'll be ok"

I put her away and then brought her back out yesterday for Father's Day. Got great pics of Livie and Tod. Got even greater pics of Tod with Myoko and Aiko.

She's here to stay and I think I love her.......... when I think about her now I don't lose my breath and my heart doesnt drop into my rear!

A New Beginning- A Spoon Full of Sugar

2008-06-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

A new beginning- A spoon full of sugar~

During our latest camping trip I finally got to "read" my scrapbook on artist studio's that Janice got for me months and months back. I sat in the camper and read each artists story about how they create, in the space they created. I came across this woman who belonged to a quilters club and that group of women chose to bring a professional organizer to the group for tips, tricks and advise. Reading the story about how this professional organizer worked with this quilting woman and transformed her studio from clutter to complete neatness. I soooooo wanted to be that woman. I read the article over several time and thought to myself, "what is stopping me from doing this?" I'm tired of buying beautiful scrap supplies and being totally overwhelmed and not wanting to go anywhere near my scrap space since its creates a chaotic atmosphere. How sad.How very sad to have so many cool things and to finally be blessed with room for it all and it ends up being piles and piles, stacks and stacks and I simply get sick to my stomach and walk away from it. To overwhelmed on where to begin,- "begin AGAIN" I should say. Right before Livie was born I purged a lot, sold tins at our local Flea Market and got one side of the room in tip top shape. Then little by little it got bad, REAAAAL BAD. With the kids and their crap they through into the room, plus buying supplies and paper and even more embellishments, it is a complete mess. I get an idea for a layout or project and then get anxiety knowing I wont find what I need and will get frustrated so I turn away and never look back.So now it's time for Sheree- Mary Poppins is how I see her. I looked into professional organizers and had a few I wanted to speak to. I put my name and requests on this board of qualified PO's and Sheree called me last night and I knew then that she would be the one for me. Her soft voice, accent, just like Mary Poppins, confident and kind in her words. She was the one.She spoke about how she had just helped a client crafter complete her basement with scrapbooking supplies on one side and quilting on the other side. So having someone KNOW about crafters put my worries at ease. I was afriad I would get someone that knew nothing of crafters and would want me to organize like a home office..... sigh......She knows of our kind and how to work with us!She also talked about working at my pase, a slow pase to ensure I not only get the scraproom I desire but the skills to apply to other parts of my life. Her price, right on, her kindness and humor made me feel like I could conquer the world and I wanted to get started RIGHT THEN!My time line is in July. Our first meeting is July 23rd for three hours.Waiting for July 23rd to arrive, will give me enough time to get the full vision of what I want my SB room to become.Things I know about me:I am a visual person and need to see EVERYTHINGI am not a stand up scrapperI do not play well with others, so all kids school stuff and papers need to have it's proper placeI need music- having my compact stereo close by will need to be incorporated into the mixI'm so excited to start this new process and this new chapter of my life. I can hardly sleep at nightJanice and Kira will be here with me. Tod will be watching the Livster and I will be taking it all in.Cheers to a new beginning