Finally! My New Year's Slide Show...

Finally, it is here (took me FOREVER to do it, too!) A small glimpse into our campout on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, beginning the morning of New Year's Eve. Enjoy the floats, the bands, and my kids for inspiration! Just click on play, then light the fuse and begin!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can't wait to scrap these photos. I think I'm probably going to do a full series of Rose Parade books... Toodles for now! lisa

Gotta Get With It!

Ok, and so I've done so much more doing things than writing... this includes buying things (which means searching the web...), reading blogs, reading e-mails, reading lots of other things, swim team stuff (go MVAQ!!!) - which, by the way... is LOTS of drama!, writing for other things, shopping, Marissa's stuff, going here, going there, etc...

And this is going to be my "first" post for March! Yeah! But I finally realized that I have been neglecting this, even though for some reason... I couldn't get on. Ok, I'd get on, but my blogspot would "freeze" when I tried to "add" a new post. Guess what! Just right now... it finally let me on!

Oh yeah... and I've made sure I don't keep my hard drive full. I guess that was the cause for problems a while ago.

I'm not really sure where to start. Should I go from here, or should I play catch up? I have some excellent pictures from my adventures from the past couple of weeks... I did go watch the L.A. Marathon... and we did some other stuff, too. Pictures are always great and always fun for me. I guess tomorrow I will try to put together some Smilebox(es) for you (and me!) and see where to go from there.

Anyway, I had tried to go to sleep, as I was VERY tired. (This time change thingy is kickin' my butt!) Now my eyes are burning... maybe I will actually be able to sleep. Toodles for now! lisa

The Princess and Marissa

We went to the quincenera last night and did not return until 1am! Whew!

OK... I finished sewing a portion of the gifts on Friday night, but Miss Marissa felt the need to wake up at 7am! Yuck! I was tired and still wanted to sleep, but so is life with kids, especially little ones.

And sew (I mean "so") the day began. Did I mention I was already tired? Hmm... So, in honor of Michelle's Quince Anos, I wrote a poem for her card:

15

You are leaving your
World of comfort and youth
Entering the unknown
Outside of your booth

Fifteen is a time,
A changing of seasons…
For many continual
Reasons

Your interests begin
To grow
You can learn to cook
And learn to sew

You can dabble and play
With objects of art
But, in the end,
You’ll follow your heart

And when you feel life
Taking its toll,
Sit down and have some
“Chicken Soup… For Your Soul”

But for now, RELAX!...
Enjoy your coming out
And have no doubt…
After all, that’s what it’s all about!

For those of you who seriously know me, you know I really like to do my own cards. Now, my program is out of whack to do the cards from, so I printed it via the computer and then stencilled (chalked) in designs and words for the cover. I think it turned out pretty good.

Then... I wrapped the gift. I love to wrap gifts. I like to be original and do things very creatively. So, it probably was a little "different" for some. But, the poem actually refers to the gifts, as well. She received (from us), 3 aprons (one Christmas, one "everyday", and one Halloween), a small starter sewing kit, and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - THE REAL DEAL. Here's a pic of the "wrapped" package...

Stacy & Rey were excited. I was letting them wear "high" wedge heels, and they were ecstatic!

Marissa fell asleep before leaving, but woke up when we got there. She seemed ok to go. However...

Upon seeing "lots" of people, she all of a sudden wanted to go home. And clung to either me or Juan for most of the first hour. The death grip was overwhelming! Eventually, she loosened up, then had to follow "the princess" around all night, or as much as we would let her. (We didn't know what she was talking about, at first, then when she pulled me to Michelle in a ballroom gown and tiara... I understood!) Marissa wanted her cake. She finally got it and loved each and every bite! She also had her first bout with sparkling cider... yummo! She danced and ran and genuinely had a great time... and finally fell asleep on the way home.

So, at the end of the night... Michelle, the birthday girl had a new name, "the Princess." That name will probably be with her forever, where Marissa is concerned. From the moment she got up this morning, she wanted "my princess." (We were given "recuerdos" - memorial photos of the occasion of Michelle in full regalia.) Marissa got her "Princess" trading card. She was just in complete awe. It was almost like going to Disneyland for her (only cheaper... lol)!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

There are more pictures in this slide show... For those of you who took really great pics... some of the photos I couldn't put in this because of the format... you wouldn't have had heads or feet... sorry! Otherwise, it's a more complete review of some of the party. It only held 20 pics, so I did the best I could. (I'm also not sending this one out to everyone. You can view it here...)

The party was beautifully done... Thank you Carlos & Olga for inviting us. It was wonderful!

Picking Fabric and Apples

Wow! I took a little mini "vacate" to enjoy everything and re-grasp my mind, but I thought it was only for one week... Let's see... where to begin...

Thursday, after the tacos, I picked up my Step-Mom, Laureen (in photo with my daughters) from the airport. We went to Anaheim and Cerritos (she's a fellow crafter and sewer). FYI - for those of you who only shop at Jo-Ann's, Walmart, or Michael's... there is a whole 'nother world out there... M&L Fabrics in Anaheim has some really great deals. We found tons of fabric (flat-fold) for $1.69 a yard. Great deals! Also, we found fabric that was really hard to find... a little more expensive, but worth the price.

Stacy loves pigs. But "pig" fabric has been extremely hard to find. I guess nobody printed it this year (or last). At M&L, we found 2 types of pig fabric. I'm still looking for fleece with pigs on it, but found the fabric. (She wants a denim tote with "pig" lining.)

Laureen loves penguins. We found that there, too! Yay! Two birds with one warehouse! She wants a denim purse.

Then off to Cerritos to The Tall Mouse - one of the greatest craft stores ever made. Check it out! You can even order online from them! They are in the process of putting up their Christmas stuff, but they have some really cool autumn items for Halloween and Thanksgiving. On their website... they have free project sheets, as well. The Tall Mouse is also in Yorba Linda (tiny store) and Laguna Hills (never been there), but I'm much more familiar with the Cerritos store, as I have been going there since it first opened.
There, we encountered lots of "Dollar Deals" for the kids to make. Such a great find. Marissa has loves crafts, especially painting, so I spent a little there.

The following day (you all know I can't miss a sale...) we went to Redlands, where we arrived at the Hancock Fabrics sale...

Butterick Patterns are almost never on sale, and they were only $.99 that day. So, we went with a list. (I've found that going to the website [pattern manufacturer] the night before and looking at there catalog online, writing down the numbers and making my list, helps keep me more focused and Marissa less fussy.) Lucky us, Marissa fell asleep on the way there and stayed asleep for most of our visit!

The store itself is kind of cramped, but it was good news! They had added extra CLEARANCE BINS!!! Good going! Cone thread (3,000 yards) was in the bins at $.25 each! Hello! I stocked up. I got about $56 (minimum value) for $7... not bad... Then we found all kinds of other little deals... iron-on "butt" patches, jean glamour iron-ons, all at 80% off! We walked out of there with the excitement still bubbling.

Saturday was a couch potato day. It was fun. We ate good food and watched movies... Have you ever seen "The Lake House?" I cried. It was that good. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have such a wonderful chemistry together. It was hard to follow if you missed some of it, so we stayed glued. Also, if you are not "open-minded" to supernatural happenings, you might not like it. But if you like a good story, that is definitely different, check it out!

Next up, one of the Jason Bourne movies. Gotta love them! So action-packed and full of excitement, you stay on the edge of your seat throughout. My heart was still racing when the movie ended. Who says watching TV isn't aerobic exercise? Huh!

After our Saturday of rest, we trekked up the hill to go apple picking in Oak Glen. Riley's Apple Farm is one of my faves! We had our choice of Red Delicious, Macintosh, Glen Seedling, Spartan, and Jonathan. Some were tart, others were sweet. Some were for cooking, other were for eating. Unfortunately, the girls did not remember which ones they picked, so we had a grab bag and sometimes got the lucky bite!

Here is the Smilebox (interactive digital scrapbook) version of our excursion...

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Oak Glen is up the hill from Yucaipa and offers a wide range of things to do. It is beautiful! At this time of year, they have apple and berry picking on some of the orchards. After picking apples, we came down the hill a little to Oak Glen Village, which has a bunch of little shops offering crafts, novelty items, food, music, etc. First we checked out the animal museum.

Inside, you find a Disney-style entrance (rock formations) and set-up with many exhibits. There were both stuffed and live animals. Some were quite ugly (not all animals are cute); some were awesome (the endangered timber wolf was a sight!), and some were just plain creepy (crawly, too! They had bugs!).

Then we found the bakery! Of course! FOOD! We each enjoyed a slice of Mile-high Apple Pie a la Mode. It was quite the tasty way! Yum! The wait was long, but even that was worth it.

We checked out a couple of the craft stores... a little too pricey for my taste, but things we could make on our own for much less. Afterall, we knew where to get the fabric...

Then we went back to the museum for their "Exotic Cat Show". We were a couple of minutes late, so we sat in the back. Showing upon entry was a millipede who releases cyanide in minute amounts on contact. Just what I wanted to see... and touch... Next there was some kind of dragon (I forgot what kind...) who was very good at staying still. And so... I politely asked if we were in the right spot for the "Exotic Cat Show." I was told, "This is it." OK.... after more joking about the abilities of the dragon, it went away and we were brought to behold the attention of an African Serval (Cat). Beautiful and dangerous (this one was trained), the cat was awe-inspiring. It's eyes really do glow like that (just kidding!)! I still think "WOW!" And that was the show!

At the bottom of the hill, we hit an American icon... ye old favorite... an A&W Restaurant. It was so good. I haven't had it in so long. So I asked how much a gallon or root beer was... uh, what! "You don't sell it anymore... You are closing in a week!" Ugh! I guess we got there just in time. For those of you who travel to Yucaipa, the A&W Restaurant on Yucaipa Blvd. is no longer... it will be the "Fat Greek", probably as you are reading this...

And so, ends the first amount of time lost for my friends, family and blog readers. I'll finish the catch up a little later. Toodles for now! lisa

Museum of Natural History - the day before Sunday

Early Saturday morning, we drove away from another hot one in the Inland Empire. The sun was already a blazing 82 as we left the valley. It was much cooler the further we got.

We finally reached our destination of Exposition Park in Los Angeles, with a couple of detours and lots of traffic surrounding the park. Unknown to us, we would have to park a hike away from the Museum of Natural History amidst the party-goers and tail-gaters of the USC community and alumni.

As we waited in the long line of cars waiting to park (who knows why there was only ONE cashier collecting money and guiding vehicles...), I spotted a dude with a cool, home-made hat! Do you drink Bud Light? (I don't.) Anyway, I thought it was cute and got a pic!

Hey! Those people are serious partiers! I could not count how many pop-up tens and canopies there were. Everyone congregates together. There were buffets set up under tents of individual groups, with generators going, crockpots, microwaves and televisions. I wonder how many of these people actually had tickets to the game... To think they would have to pack up everything and not worry about theft before going to the game... Hmm...

Anyway, back to the Museum. And so we parked and walked to the museum. Down we went to the basement (had to use the ramps, you know... strollers), where the less-traveled entrance seems to be... and entered a really cool area where insects, spiders, and a touchy-feely exhibit of bones and stuff is on display for the kids to touch and feel. Great area. The kids loved it. I did, too. (It gave me a fresher look at our turtle's environment. I think I'm going to do some redecorating in my turtle tank!)

Then we went back outside, through the main entrance (lots of steps and a HUGE ramp, going through "party central"). On the lawn of the museum was the "Butterfly Pavilion"- the reason we came that day. The exhibit was due to close that weekend. My mom and her hubby were nice enough to treat us to a day to enjoy the wonders of the butterfly world and all that the museum has to offer.

Ms. Marissa was mystified as she entered. I couldn't get enough cute pics of her... She often tried to hold her hands out to get the butterflies to land on her, but they wouldn't. She got awfully close to them, so close she could breathe on them. Her wonderful smile and delighted face were worth it.

Stacy and Rey were having fun, too. They found all of the dead butterflies, spider webs and spiders. (They are looking forward to the new exhibit, coming at the end of September... Spider Pavilion... then the Haunted Museum at the end of October...)

Jake (my nephew) is always happy. There is nothing that doesn't make this little tiny thing happy. (His laugh makes us laugh, too... it's so cute!!!)

We went through other portions of the museum, too. Marissa had to scream, "Sharptooth!" just to add dramatic affect to the dinosaur bones exhibit. And, she had to see the elephant exhibit a couple of times. We finally told her we would come back again, otherwise she wouldn't leave the museum. Those were her favorites.

This photo was taken as we left, directly outside the museum. It was a hard pic to take. Two teenagers, who wanted to do gross things while taking the pic (Rey kept trying to put her finger up the statue's nose...) and two toddlers that want to walk off make it a hard picture to get. Got the best that I could.

All in all, it was a wonderful day, and all of the kids had a good time... so did my mom and I! Thanks, Mom and John for a wonderful opportunity. We hope to go again soon! There is so much more to see!

For more information on the Museum of Natural History, visit http://www.nhm.org/ for updates on exhibits, information or membership. Also, to see our heartfelt thanks to Mom (Grandma) & John (Grandpa), visit this link: http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4d5445334e446b794e413d3d0d0a

Toodles for now! lisa

Fresh Start (again) Anyone?

OK... here we go again. Sometimes, you get caught up in the business of things and other things slip right by you. This is going to be a week of starting over...

So... I've sent some of you my digi-scrapbook pages from Sunday (hoped you like it... if you haven't seen your e-mail or didn't get one, check it out at http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4d5445334d546b344f513d3d0d0a) Enjoy the photos and the fun!

We went to the OC! It wasn't like on TV or in the movies... we stayed away from the pier, where it was TOTALLY chaotic (extreme sports contests and other Labor Day weekend fare were there). We secluded ourselves between Tower 10 and 11, and got there REALLY early! Our hot butts were out the door before 7:30am on Sunday! Yikes!

Miss Marissa was wild about it! She kept running around in circles, having a good time. We built sandcastles and made sand angels (no I didn't get pics of all that... didn't think to bring out the camera until later!). She tuckered her little self out, so she fell asleep in my arms around 7pm. What a day!

And while she slept, the rest of our group, minus the Kahuna (Juan), dug a LARGE hole. Everyone took turns getting in and taking pics, then the Jr. Kahuna (Junior... lol!), wrapped himself up, mummy-style and jumped in! The beach bums (Jolene & Ariel, Efren & Diana, Stacy and Rey-Rey) buried him alive (pics are in the scrapbook link)! He finally couldn't take the pressure of the weight and the wet sand... Breathe, Jr., Breathe!

Anyway... we closed the beach and moved on out... back to 110 degree weather in the Inland Empire.

Yesterday, it was cooler, but still hot! I have lots to show you from our trip to the Museum of Natural History on Saturday... the Butterfly Pavilion was beautiful... until later... lisa