It's Been 3 Months!

... Well, almost! Life has been extremely hectic, and I've been inundated in the small-world style of politics (people never see the full picture, only what they want to see... they just don't "get" it! and... they think they are being fair, but if they never see the big picture, how can they truly judge what is fair?). And that is my political view. Enough of that. I've had so many problems and things happen over the past couple of months, I just sort of gave up, so today... I stretch my wings again, and vow to try to not complain.

I am here, it is now, the past is gone... There are no excuses if I haven't posted or kept in touch... sorry. I just get frustrated and anxiety hits. Go figure. Where are you? What are you doing with your summer months?

Here it is in a nutshell the brief past, with lots of stuff missing (there's just too much to go through, and I don't want to harp on the negative)... Stacy got her braces off, Rey commenced to High School, Jr graduated (believe it or not!), and Renee is in a drum & bugle core. Marissa is still growing, and still doesn't want to potty train. She does occasionally want to go "sit."

I still have my squirrels, but except for a couple of peaches, a couple of blackberries, and one large tomato, we've been ok. My backyard is green, the grapes are coming in (we'll see if they last!), I have more tomatoes ripening, squash coming up, other seeds sprouting... hopefully, this will be a more productive year.

In the front, the cannas, callas and gladiolas are beautiful. The lavendar has grown so much. Much of the seeds I planted, however, have not sprouted... probably due to birds. Oh well... It's still pretty.

Scrapbooking? I've been working on a couple of pieces of projects, but haven't done much. I have made LOTS of cards, though. And I forget to take pics of most of them. I still love my Cricut. I got the Zooballoo cartridge and absolutely adore it! It is a font and shape cartridge all in one compact thing. Super cute stuff can be made from it. Here're some pics of cards I made...

Anyway... I started this much ealier today, and still am not finished. So, now, it's just kind of thrown together. I won't try to "catch up" this time... just go on! Toodles for now! lisa

A Birthday and a Squirrel Story

Hey! It's Aunt Drinda's Birthday! Have a Happy One! And...

Here is an awesome answer to my "squirrel" problem (Thanks Aunt Dianne! - sent via email):

There were five country churches in a small TEXAS town: the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Catholic Church and the Jewish Synagogue. Each church and Synagogue was overrun with pesky squirrels.

One day, the PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration, they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there, and they [the Church] shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.

In the BAPTIST CHURCH, the squirrels had taken up habitation in the baptistery. The deacons met and decided to put a cover on the baptistery and drown the squirrels in it. The squirrels escaped somehow and there were twice as many there the next week.

The METHODIST CHURCH got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creation. So, they humanely trapped the Squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.

But -- The CATHOLIC CHURCH came up with the best and most effective solution. They baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.

Not much was heard about the JEWISH SYNAGOGUE, but they took one squirrel and had a short service with him called "circumcision" and they haven't seen a squirrel on the property since.

**As some of you can see... even though these things continue to eat my produce, I still have somewhat of a sense of humor and humanity. Although it's very trying at times, I still haven't quite gotten the bug to seriously rid myself of them. Plus, it would mean cutting down my lush grape vines to get to their home... It's just too pretty right now to do! (I think I'll probably do the thing I'm best at... and procrastinate... at least until the foliage dies off..)

For all who appreciate the outdoors .. . the rarely photographed South Florida Squirrel. (courtesy of Aunt Dianne)

A Little Lipgloss and a Lost Friend Found

I love the digital camera! You can waste a ton of shots and still never get the right picture! Remarkably, every time I think I have the right timing on the delay, the battery seems to go low and take forever or something else happens. Whatever! Technology will continue to advance, and take us with it. Thank goodness, though we can "waste" all of those shots, as we really might find a good one in there... somewhere...

And so as I did my normal Thursday stuff (laundry day... isn't that fun?!), little Miss Marissa wanted to wash her hands. Now, this is really ok, as I've discovered I'm raising a really clean kid. She may not want to potty train (bummer... I HATE DIAPERS!!!), but she wants her hands clean at all times, even in the middle of a meal. And God forbid, she should get her shirt wet or dirty! Gotta get that kid clean. It can be funny but also quite trying.

I looked at her hands to find all of this pink "stuff" on her. It smelled pretty good, too! Yummy, kind of like a berry. My gosh! It smelled like lipgloss! You know... the kind you used to eat (lick it off your lips or eat it right from the tube) when either you or your sister [if you're a guy] got some in your stocking from Santa... usually came in a clear candy-cane tube... usually labelled as "Bonne Belle" or "Coca-Cola" (my fave!) and now comes in such wonderful flavors (I mean scents) such as Chocolate-covered Twinkies and other yummy sugary delights. Come on! You know you liked it, too! I still do. My older girls have started with the yummy stuff, and I see them whipping it out much too often... you know it didn't "wear" off in that short amount of time!

Hmm... maybe I should try that for a weight-loss method! I could taste the sweets without the calories! Yeah! I should patent that intellectual property right now!

Back to Miss Marissa... I sweetly asked her where she got it. She sweetly and excitedly told me from a bracelet, and pointed to her arm. I looked at her wrist and there it was... a Dora the Explorer bracelet, with the watch face twisted slightly to show a compartment containing... you guessed it!.. lipgloss! The stuff was pink and pretty, but really light, so I'm not sure you can see it in the picture. But here goes! Yeah, it looks like you can see it... I wonder if that one tastes as good as it smells! I'm guessing it is strawberry. As she was smacking her lips, saying, "MMM... mmm... Yum, yum." And she likes strawberries. I guess she gets the "make-up gene" from her sisters, because I don't think I have it! (Although I think I did when I was a teenager...)

I spent some more time answering an e-mail that was sent to me from a friend I thought I'd lost some time ago. Every once in a while, I check out the reunion-type websites and try to look for old friends. It is basically a curiosity thing. Well, out of the blue, someone e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago, slapping my hand for not signing their guestbook! OMG! Someone actually knew I had been there! But hey! That's ok. It was someone I actually missed dearly from my youth. So those are the kind of benefits you get from a paid subscription. I never paid for them, as I guess I had never figured they were worth it. Well, from a paid subscription, my lost friend found gets to view all of those who visited her profile! I'm glad she did. Now we are back in touch and maybe someday, I'll finally get to see her! (Although she still looks the same in her photos! You go, girl!) I think I overwrote her, and she may never reply again (sigh...). But I hope she will!

I checked my veggie garden. The squirrels are still there and having a blast. In the past few days, they have dug a space between the soil and the fencing, leaving an easy escape for them should I come into view. They can scamper to the neighbor's yard. Stupid things! I swear I'm going to fix them when I take everything out this year.

The plants are lush and green and filling the space nicely. You would never know I didn't get much from them this year. The squirrels had a nice feast. I'm sure every day is Thanksgiving to them. My PETA friends should be happy I am feeding the squirrels, every mangy-looking one of them.

Have you ever seen a California Ground Squirrel? They are not the cute, fluffy-tailed things of the cartoons or stuffed at the museums. They literally look like what they are... rodents. They behave in much the same manner as other rodents do. These squirrels fight off each other when rushing for food. They have scarred and half-eaten tails and look fairly ugly. They are not afraid of humans. I have been eating at the breakfast nook in my kitchen while one of them jumped and attached itself to the screen on the window, looking right at me! They like to get into the cans, the trash, and anything else you may leave outside. Not only do they destroy my vegetables, they also like to dig in my other flower beds and the lawn, killing precious plants. I have a new-found dislike in life. I don't like squirrels. Hopefully, with all of the "natural remedies" I'm planning on saturating my soil with this fall, the squirrels won't be returning to my garden in the spring.

Don't forget to check out the stuff I find interesting (to your right... no... up a little... yes, and almost all the way down...). Oh, and if you subscribe, this system will let you know when I've added a post... Have a fantastic night. Toodles for now! lisa

Tuesday's Trials and Errors

Well now. After having done a lot of research about those darned squirrels of mine, I had a thought! I invited some dogs to come over (but I told me friend she could come, too)! And so a couple of my friends and their canine creatures came. We let them run around, urinate... put their two scents everywhere. This (I was hoping) would repel the smaller critters. Well, it worked until just 5 minutes ago. We'll probably have to do this more often.

That's fine with me! I enjoy the wine and the company. (By the way, the middle DD made a GREAT dinner! Thanks Rey!) My girls thought I probably enjoyed the wine a little too much, as they didn't even think I should answer the phone... lol! Yes, well, we all know how teenagers are and how they can be. They are the superior generation (whatever!).

Friends are great to have and great to eat with and great to talk to and great... Needless to say, we all had a great time. Even one of "sick" DDs seemed to miraculously get "better".

You would never have known she was "sick" earlier. I had to stop them playing with the ball, however, as I could only envision it being kicked into the air to hit my orange tree with all of its recently pollinated buds. (This is how I got zero oranges last season!). I have a hard enough time with the squirrels... don't need a teenager/ball problem as well.

Hmm...

For those of you who know me, you know I like television after 8p.m. So, Monday night, was Dancing with the Stars and the Bachelor (only watched a couple of minutes... gotta watch the tape). I taped Drive, but haven't watched that because I haven't watched the 2-hour premiere of it yet (taped on Sunday).

Dancing: Hats off to Heather Mills for her grace and tact! That woman can pull it off and smile about her disability! Too bad Clyde (sp?) seems to not have a lot of rhythm. (He is the one who got kicked off.) Otherwise, Antonio (ooh... can we say "hottie"?) and Juliette are rip-roaring awesome! Joey and Kym did well, also. It was cool the way they got the audience involved in the dance at the beginning and at the end.

Tuesday night - saw Dancing but was way too busy to watch the re-cap show, and did manage to throw in some tapes for American Idol, House, and re-cap show. Boston Legal was not on, due to a special on Virginia Tech - let's just hope that the anti-gun crowd doesn't hop on another soap box all the way over here, as Virginia is the area that needs the laws. From what I understand, they have the most lenient gun laws around. Fix that!

I already told you who went home on Dancing... bye Clyde. He is an extremely good sport and nothing bad to say. Kudos!

This morning has been a little bit of recovery (cotton mouth) and a fiasco at the dentist's office. I'll just have to wait a little longer, I guess.

Oh well. Now I'm making taco soup and corn bread for dinner (DH's lunch, but dinner for the rest of us). One of DDs is having her braces tightened, so this is pretty soft and still very nutritious. Getting dinner made much earlier works better for us, as the girls have swimming tonight. Schedules are pretty full here. I know, I know. I stay home. What could I possibly have to do? Hmmm... let's rethink that question.

You'll have to wait for reviews and news, as I'm not quite ready yet (gotta watch it, first.) I'm planning on running out to plant some shallots and garlic really quick, though before the garlic spoils. Toodles! lisa

My New Adventure-The Beginning of My Blog and Intro

Hello to all my old friends, new friends, and futures.

This is not a gossip area, but a place where I can tell you all about what we (anyone around me and mine) are up to... and what wonderful things I've found that you might (or might not) be interested in. So, if you truly don't want anything about you... let me know. However, please understand I would never post private things about anyone. Should I write about something, names and certain details would be changed enough to give it fictitious character... (Hmm... maybe I should write a book!) Please feel free to comment, ask questions or offer something you would like to see posted.

I will show you the world from my eyes and share with you many things, including my most recent artwork, whether it be from sewing, needlework, scrapping, various other crafts, or even food. I might also show you stuff from fellow friends or even the kids (the Little Rascals themselves).

Somethings from my world are awesome deals! Sometimes I find freebies or contests that are SO worth it! Sometimes I might find something that is totally horrible, as well. I'm willing to share it all!

First, let me start by telling you (or reminding you) about me and mine...

We are a blended family, both culturally and with the previous marriage issues. There are a total of seven of us (YIKES!), and we will NOT be adding any more. There is Senior Juan (my DH - darling husband), Junior Juan (my DSS - my darling stepson), Nay-Nay (my DSD- darling stepdaughter), Stac - pronounced "stack" (my DD - darling daughter), Rey-Rey (my DD - darling daughter), and Moe (my DD - darling daughter). The kids age range is from 18 years to the youngest being 2. And so... we have many issues, very often. 2 kids do not live with us, but 3 do, so our household is very busy.

I work from home (if you could call it that). I try to find inexpensive, cheap, and sometimes even free ways to make it all work. If you want mystery shopping sites, let me know! I can and do almost anything (except keep my mouth shut!). Currently, I am working on clearing out all of the dead stuff from our winter frost (didn't know they had THAT in So Cal!), so that my yard and garden don't look so yucky. I'm also trying to repel the little critters known as the California Ground Squirrels... collecting dog hair, so if you live nearby, save yours for me, PLEASE! I am also working on Spring Cleaning and getting my projects on track. What a plateful, huh? So, I will probably be posting tips and hints I find as I go along, as well! (One wonderful site is flylady.com! She helps me through a lot! I'll talk about her later.)

My DH works a lot! He almost kills himself trying to make sure things are taken care of in our household. I pay some things, but he pretty much covers the rest. And in turn, he is spoiled. What a wonderful reward system!!! His family (hello to all of you!) is very large and therefore, brings lots of drama to our life. Anyway, maybe you'll hear more of it later.

Anyway, I'm really trying to start writing again, as this is something I blocked for so long. Time to let it all flow... therapy in a way! Toodles for now! (and thank you for reading!) lisa