Jennifer's Views

2011-12-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

It's almost finished...

I was hoping to finish my chair this past week in class, but I was having some issues.
I know what the issue was~ it takes a lot more work and time then I thought!
The very last thing that I have to do is the cushion...I just wrapped the fabric over it to take the photo. Of course the photo doesn't do it justice either, because it's really brown, not green.
I think I might be a little too partial to this chair, because it's my first.
I can't wait to finish!

2011-11-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

A Silent Gem...

This past weekend was full of old movies! Gone With The Wind, There's No Business Like Show Business, and The Music Man but this is one I have never seen before. The Mysterious Lady starring Greta Garbo.
It was beautiful even thought it was in black and white and a silent movie to top it off!

The costumes were amazing and this was my favorite dress. If you get the chance you just have to see it!

2011-11-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

If I had all the time in the world...

I would blog more! It really has been a long time~ WOW!
Well, I do things when I'm not at Mystic Paper. Really!

Besides moving once again this past Summer into a larger even cuter house than before, in the same Historic neighborhood, just back over to Grand. I am now taking an upholstery class!
I can't even tell you how excited I am about it. I have been wanting to know how to do this ever since I can remember. My Mom's best friend Mary did upholstery and I was always intrigued by the furniture that was half taken apart in her garage and up on a pedestal. Okay, it was a table...but some furniture deserves a pedestal doesn't it?

This is my very first project, some of you might recognize it from our husband holding area at the shop. I've had some of the fabric I'm using on it for a couple of years and another for at least 6 months. I can't wait to have the finished project done. If you know me, you might know that I really don't have much patience, I want instant gratification! That's why I did graphic design for so many years.
It is a little frumpy isn't it? Last week I decided to paint the wood, so I brought another chair to work on while the paint was drying! I don't want to have any idle time.
Don't you just love the stained hideous 80's country fabric? Well, it has good bones as they say.

Here is a close up of the swan on the arm. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this one. I don't have any fabric in mind and I'm not sure if I want to change the wood in any way. This one will be a play it by ear chair for sure.

I didn't think it was that old at first, but once I took it apart...there is horse hair stuffing and the seat cushion has coiled springs! You just don't see that much these days. The chair has been recovered so many times that the burlap webbing underneath is disintegrating and there isn't much wood left for more staples. Poor little old chair...I'll show you what transpires in a few weeks!

2011-06-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

More Wyatt Family Genealogy...

I would have to say, I recognized the ears!
This photo I received yesterday from a distant cousin.

These are my Great Great Grand Parents~
Elijah John Wyatt born in 1815 in Tennessee and died in Arkansas in 1889.
His lovely bride is Adeline Amanda McClannahan born in 1821 in Tennessee and died in Arkansas in 1894.

From what I can tell from Tennessee census 1830's and 1840's is that the Wyatt's and McClanahan's lived close to each other and another Wyatt/McClanahan couple exists as well!
So that makes it even more difficult to keep the facts straight.

This makes me wonder why they were posing for this picture and where they were.
Elijah totally looks like my dad. The ears, and those eyes, they look blue to me, but I could be wrong. So this is where all the leads end.

Nobody on the genealogy message boards or ancestry.com has any further information that I can tell is correct. I have been working on some theories, but now I guess I have to go to places like Arkansas and Tennessee to dig in the state archives for any more info.

Road trip anyone?

2011-06-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

"A monkey for my baby".
Specially made for Tucker, his own RED sock monkey!
Made by Lisa of House of Hullabaloo!

He is now at home hanging around Tucker's bedroom. Adorable!
Thanks Lisa!

2011-06-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Neighbors...

Yesterday I was getting ready to pull into my driveway and saw this...little Mr. Frenchy visiting the neighbors! True it is a very beautiful house, but I'm not sure why he insists on being ON their house! He is a hysterical one that Frenchy. I grabbed my camera to take some photos and he acted like I was interrupting his sleep schedule...

What do you want?

I just woke up.

See ya mom, I'll be home for dinner.

2011-05-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I went to one of my favorite stores...

Sur la Table!

I love that place and I miss going there. In Northern California I used to live a few miles from one and there was one near where I was working too. I keep forgetting that there is one right in Chandler, I've only been there a few times. Sur la Table makes me want to throw a party every time I go. I have been getting their emails and they've been having incredible sales, so last Sunday I splurged.
A couple of weeks ago while gazing threw The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, I realized that I didn't have any large baking dishes...so I just had to get one. Of course my first pick of any kitchen item is red, then pink, but I gotta tell ya, Caribbean Blue is very pretty.

Now for a little math...
1 Caribbean Blue Le Creuset Baking Dish...

PLUS Blackberries from my yard...

PLUS The Pioneer Woman Cooks book...

EQUALS 1 very yummy Blackberry Cobbler!

More experimenting to come...now I can also bake some Veggie LASAGNA!

2011-05-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mister Tucker...

Photoshopped by a longtime friend.
I love this photo!

2011-05-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's my latest Barbie. I love Cyndi Lauper!

2011-05-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Happy...
Lily.

2010-12-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas Obsessions...

Each year for the last 17, I have made paid homage to the local Hallmark store to buy my Barbie ornament. Once you start, you can't really stop now can ya? So...yes, I do have all 17...so far.

My other obsession is the little Knee Hugger Elves that I have loved since I was a tiny believer in Santa person. I do still have mine from the 60's, I think it's my little thing that is connected to my very earliest of Christmas memories. Due to that evil website known as Ebay, I now have more then my fair share of them now. I only like the cute ones, not the evil ones! This little guy is like the elves that I have and has the exact same face as mine from my childhood. Love him!

The last ATC Swap at Mystic Paper was "Santa's Little Helper" and I came up with this little elf AND I also self proclaimed myself a genius. I figured out how to make his little body out of one rectangular piece of felt. You can also pull his legs out from under his arms.

I know I am a dork, but don't you just love him?

2010-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am officially addicted...

I LOVE PAPERCLAY!

Here is another one of my little guys. This one is more traditional, with a carrot nose, felt scarf, and top hat. I made this for the family that is hosting my child this week at their house with all their fun events like Zoo Lights...but I kinda want to keep him~ he is just so stinkin' cute.

2010-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Snow Pixie...

From last Saturday's class at Mystic Paper with Jenny Hernandez, aka The Polka Dot Pixie.
I couldn't help putting a carrot nose on mine, so I guess that makes him a snowman instead of a snow pixie. I love the sparklies that Jenny supplied for us, it's nice and flat and old fashioned.

2010-10-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mr. Buttons...

Taaa Daaa!
It's a rare opportunity that I get to take any classes at Mystic Paper, but I try to never miss any of The Polka Dot Pixies classes! This class was so much fun and the time flew by. I think everyone finished their little skeletons early~ I know I was the last to finish due to failed attempts of a crepe paper collar. It just didn't fit him the right way. So yellow seam binding worked out perfectly. Thanks again Jenny for the wonderful class.

2010-08-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Shopaholic...

I'm not really a shopaholic (unless you count the fact that I am in my shop all the time), but if I were to confess anything it would be the fact that I have to be creative at all times! Or I am very sure that I will spontaneously combust.

I found this website called Polyvore about 2 or 3 years ago. It is very intriguing and I haven't really had time to play with it, but the things that people are creating on the site are amazing.

So the last couple of ATCs that I have done have been inspired by the polyvore website. I love the layers!

I love layering the Tim Holtz Tissue Tape! And vintage stuff! And Tim's Tonic scissors to cut all of the little tiny things out.

WARNING: Do not check out the above mentioned website, unless you want to become addicted.

2010-08-12T14:43:00.001-07:00

First Day of School...

Here's Tucker from waaaaay back in Kindergarten on his first day of school.

Well, this isn't Kindergarten anymore!
Here is a photo from his First Day of the 4th Grade~ can you believe it?

So cute. This year he's at a new school closer to home, which is very good for Mom. YIPPEE!

2010-07-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

Altered Barbie Swap...

My Altered Barbie went from this...Shiny and Sparkly with green eyes.

To this~Frida, not so sparkly with brown eyes and unibrow.

I couldn't find any monkeys which were her pets, but I did find some deer.
In one of her paintings she depicts herself as a wounded deer.
Cute little baby deer.

I already have two different dolls planned for next time~can't wait!

2010-07-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Frida...

I just love this photo of her, one of my favorite!

2010-07-05T13:14:00.001-07:00

Reading Update...

Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?

Along with reading the book Pride and Prejudice I also picked up the BBC's Mini Series with Colin Firth (whom I may say I quite fancy). So I have been watching and reading simultaneously. With the first DVD I did get a little ahead of my reading, so yesterday I spent a great deal of time reading the book. I am so close to being done reading and I honestly have no idea how it ends. Maybe tomorrow night I'll be able to watch the second DVD.

I have also decided that I am going to use more words than I need to in any situation.
Today I asked Tucker if he was going to come to the store with me. About 10 minutes later I asked him "What is your decision on accompanying me this fine day Master Tucker?".
And his response was "What?".

Side Note: Finished Both! Finished the book and watched the rest of the miniseries~ Yipee!

2010-06-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

I Love October Afternoon...

I really like all of their lines of papers, but I think Report Card is my favorite!
I can't remember that last time I actually did a scrapbook page,
it's been quite awhile.

One day I was waiting for Tucker to come out of class and took these photos of him. The third grade, I remember it well. Okay~ not really, but I do remember loving flash cards and math, but these days I can't even retain numbers.
Now all I need to do is get the journaling done, and maybe first and second grade too. I have time right?

2010-06-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

More Wyatt Genealogy...

How about this~ My Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather or (GGD to the 9th) Haute Wyatt came to America in 1621, with his brother Sir Frances Wyatt. Haute Wyatt GGD to the 9th was selected to serve as minister for the tenants of Jamestown, while his brother Francis was chosen Governor of Virginia by King Charles 1st.

This drawing was done by Sidney King, who painted and drew numerous scenes of Jamestown life. I love the pants!
www.historicjamestowne.org/history/

This is the vellum document the Charles 1st issued appointing Sir Francis Wyatt Royal Governor of Virgina in 1638, and is in the Library of Virginia.

Here's something else I just found today~

Colonial Families of the Southern States of America Second Edition by STELLA PICKETT HARDY; Pub. 1991, relates as follows:

REV. HAUTE WYATT, (10-6), of England and Virginia, b. 1594, at Allington Castle, Kent Co., England; d. Aug. 1, 1638 in Boxley Parish, Kent Co., England; is the ancestor of the Virginia Wyatts. The monumental inscription in Boxley Church to the Wyatt family states that "Sir George's son, Rev. Haute, died vicar of Boxley Parish, Kent Co., England, and had issue living in Virginia." He came to the Colony with his brother, Sir Francis, arriving on the [ship] Georgia, Nov. 18, 1621; he served as Minister of Jamestown, James City Co., Va., from 1621 to 1625, when he returned to England, became vicar of Boxley Parish, and so served until his death

Well, this is all so very 17th century...wait until I post about the 16th century! There really was tons of crazy going on back then.

2010-06-04T19:59:00.001-07:00

If you know anything about the Wyatt side of my family...

Those Wyatt's sure have them some EARS!

This is my Great Grandfather John David Wyatt. It says so on the bottom of his photo, see.

This is my Great Grandmother Amanda Adeline Thompson

The 16 year old on the left is my Grandfather Willie Gay Wyatt with his twin Carrie May Wyatt.

Now this guy is a Wyatt and totally looks like he should be related, but who knows, maybe I'll find out, I mean...look at those EARS!

The cowboy on the left is my Grandfather again, notice the EARS.
These are my parents, notice my Dad's EARS!

This is me and my Dad...I even have the Wyatt EARS in this photo.
The first three photos are courtesy of one of my relatives I have never met but was introduced to by Sandy (who is an ancestral genius). Sandy found one of my relatives through Ancestry.com, who is the great grand daughter to Carrie May Wyatt.
I am just starting the whole genealogical search on both sides of my family...so it's pretty exciting to see photos I never knew existed and to find out more about my family.

Thanks again Sandy!

2010-06-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is what I am attempting to read...

I do assure you, Sir, that I have no pretension whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man. I would rather be paid the compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again and again for the honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart.

WTH? That's what I mean by attempting!

2010-05-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I am officially addicted...

I had to make this cute little wall hanging, mainly because if I don't create every great once in awhile I will spontaneously combust! So this is one of my latest little creations. The newest papers from Melissa Frances is just perfect with the German Scrap that we have at Mystic Paper. The chipboard shape is also from Melissa Frances, it's perfect with this frilly little girl, pearls and crepe paper.

I can't stop making these roses, thanks to Kim! Now that she has shown me the little secret of making them...I'm addicted!

Soon I will be attending a Flower Making Anonymous group!

2010-03-08T14:49:00.001-08:00

The best "Hide & Seek" players hide in broad daylight...

~or maybe they're the worst Hide & Seek players ever~ I can't decide.
First off, the two of them shouldn't hide together, it's a dead giveaway. Then they try and hide the suitcase too, but not the pitchfork...I mean come on!

Here are photos of moving day to Downtown Mesa for the American Gothic couple.

Pieces and parts.

This was a photo of them about mid-way, mid-way....get it? I thought it was the funniest thing when I walked down the street to snap a photo and this is what I saw when I got close enough to the corner.

The sculptor J. Seward Johnson did such a great job on this. It's amazing~ just the painted detailing alone is so incredible. It literally is Grant Wood's American Gothic painting in 3-D.
I was lucky enough to be able to get this close to take a picture of the paint detail...

Here they are in their 25 foot tall glory. Cool huh?

Here is the real paining that's at the Art Institute of Chicago Grant Wood's American Gothic. He entered a contest at the museum and won $300 for his painting.

Here are the two that posed for his painting. His sister Nan and his Dentist!

If he was my dentist I think I'd laugh through my whole dental appointment!
Come Downtown and check out this amazing sculpture, it's here through July 15th. You won't miss it, it's HUGE!

2010-02-24T08:57:00.001-08:00

I was just introduced to the greatest stuff...

It's hard to even explain it~ it's a powder that you put in your hair and it gives it body and hold at the same time. So for my thin hair it's a miracle product! My hair is vey happy and sticking out all over the place. Short and messy, that's how I like it...(my HAIR)!
Their website is www.schwarzkopfusa.com

As a small business owner I feel it's important to support the small local retailers and businesses that will help keep money in our local economy. Recently I have been very conscience of where I am spending money and where it's going. I hope that all of you will focus on supporting your local businesses that you would hate to see disappear in the future. Here's one of my recent 3/50 right here in Downtown Mesa. I can't ask all of you to participate and believe in it's importance if I don't do it myself now can I?!

A couple of weeks ago, I finally was able to get my hair cut. I went to Adorn Style Lounge in Downtown Mesa. The salon has beautiful decor inside~ I especially love their chandelier cut outs and huge Audrey Hepburn poster in the restroom.
Melinda and her staff do such a great job. They were having a fund raiser "Haircuts for Haiti". Make sure to visit them when you get a chance.

2010-02-12T16:48:00.001-08:00

My Little Elvis...

And some other Elvis guy.

2009-12-19T18:13:00.001-08:00

Santa's Coming...
I know him!
(from Elf~ we love that movie at our house)

This is the latest of my paper clay creations.
I AM HOOKED!
I can't stop making them. This Santa I made in class last weekend at Mystic Paper
with Jenny aka, The Polka Dot Pixie.

I love him, I love him, I love him...he is my favorite of all of them so far. Tomorrow I will be starting my 4th Santa.

2009-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

MIA 4 Numerous Reasons...

Mainly because my little 8 year old broke my laptop screen. I can see about 1/4 of the screen.
Of course it's not a full 1/4 of the screen~ it's about 1/3 over in the bottom right of the screen and the rest in the upper left of the screen. Needless to say it's an adventure each time I turn it on.
I have to admit it's very comical trying to farm on Farmville (Facebook), but I try doing it anyway. I also can't see the middle of the screen, so if anyone on Facebook instant messages me I can't even see it, so don't be offended if I don't respond to you!
So forget about trying to blog from home on my laptop...it's impossible. So here I am at Mystic Paper typing in a quick update.
Earlier this week I took the boy child and his BFF to Legoland. But only after Tucker locked my keys in my car and I have no idea where an extra set is. The first day of course was spent driving to San Diego, the next day we went to Legoland, but guess what? They were closed! We went to Paper Tales (thanks Michelle for the great visit) and then to Coronado Island, which has been one of my favorite places since I was a teen, especially the Hotel Del Coronado!
I promise to post some photos sometime soon.

2009-09-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

After watching Dancing With The Stars...

I have to admit that I still have a little crush on Donny Osmond.
I wonder if he would be my Facebook friend?
Below is the Donny that I knew and loved as a small child. I remember my Mom making me purple curtains for my bedroom in honor of Donny~ my least favorite color now.
And YES, I still have this album.

I mean, come on!

2009-09-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

Meet BOO-mer...

He is a scrappy little Halloween guy, complete with vintage crepe paper, attitude and a little nick in his ear from tormenting all the other neighborhood cats.
I was lucky enough to take this "Spooky Kitty" paper clay class this past Saturday at...wait for it....Mystic Paper! The class was taught by "The Polka Dot Pixie" Jenny Hernandez. She will be teaching at Mystic Paper again in December. Please go to her blog to vote on the Holiday item she will teach. I have to admit, I am now completely obsessed with these little guys. I am working on a little pumpkin head guy and of course Tucker wants to make one too. He is working on a kitty. I will post our final projects sometime later.

2009-08-13T23:18:00.001-07:00

Graceland is beautiful. It was worth going to see and I really enjoyed it for many different reasons, but I felt like I was invading someone's privacy.

2009-08-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

It started here...

Well, actually it started at my house Sunday morning getting ready for to get to the airport. Then I flew here, to South Carolina. On Monday we started our little road trip to Arizona.
We went through Atlanta and decided to stop here.

This is where both Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King are buried.

Just on the next block is this...
Where MLK was born. It's nice to see this important history preserved.

Next it was north-ish to Tennessee.

This is my sister's on board navigation system, it has an English male voice. We have aptly named it~ or him "Ian". Ian is a little persnickety and a bit bossy. We make fun of him and he tells us where to go. Hmmm. Needless to say many tears were laughed with Ian as our object of ridicule. We decided to take a little detour in Tenn. and that's when Ian started acting up because we went off our original course.

History is abundant in this neck of the woods, along the way we drove by this historic landmark. Or is it a landmarker? How about a historical point of interest sign? Davy Crockett hung out in these here woods, and wrestled up many a bear and wild turkeys.
Can you see the wild turkey? You just don't see many of those in Arizona that's for sure.

This is what started the detour, we thought since we were near by this place we'd go check it out. We drove much longer than we anticipated, much, much longer.

This place of course! Jack Daniel's distillery When we finally got there, it was closed! It was a very long drive to get back to the course that Ian had set for us, and boy was he angry with us. I think he was just anxious to see the King.

2009-08-05T08:17:00.001-07:00

Update on the Home Front...

Here are my finished curtains in my bedroom. I love them, I made 8 panels that are about 86" long, so they go to the floor and drag a couple of inches. I figured if they were too long or bugged me I could raise the curtain rods up as much as I needed to. Luckily the fabric's pattern made it easy to sew and iron down all of the hems straight.

Here's something that happens in the kitchen when I am not looking, a little bug infestation in the cupboards. Can you see them yet?

Okay, there's only one little cute bug!

On Saturday I took the boy to his most favorite thing ever....MONSTER JAM!
Since I don't get out much (as we all know) I had to Google where the Cardinals Stadium was. We got to the stadium at about 4 pm and we were there until 11pm. It was action packed the whole time. It is amazing to see what they do with those huge trucks. It's also amazing to see what kind of damage happens to the trucks during these events. Here is Tucker with the driver of the "Bulldozer". Of course Tucker knows all of the trucks and what they are called. And the are HUGE, or even MONSTER!

Check out the Superman driver he is hanging out on top of the truck! When Tucker becomes a Monster Truck driver and he does unsafe things like that he will definitely be grounded! lol

2009-07-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

A lot of busy work each day adds up to a busy week!

We have been in our house for a week now and it's been tons of busy work for me, trying to get everything all put in it's place~ as if that's ever gonna happen!

First thing is you gotta power wash the house right? The house had tons of little spider webs and dirt all over the place. Luckily The Peddler has a power washer and showed Tucker how to use it. I think he was a little bored when he got around to the back of the house, but he did a great job!

Replaced the shower head, now I'm in love with the shower. I love me some HGTV and DIY.

A huge branch fell in the driveway~ that took all morning. I didn't handle this one the owner took care of it, she's just a little slow. Although it was a very huge branch...

Painted my bedroom with the help of my new neighbor~ as you can see there are many windows. What to do with this many?

Here is the $3 per yard fabric from my favorite local fabric store. I'm using the striped fabric to make curtain panels (more photos to follow)

I also bought some very inexpensive vinyl blinds for all the windows...they were so cheap that I only had to spend about $20. Here is my little tutorial on how to make the cheapy blinds look custom. You just cut them down to fit!

First remove the little cap off the bottom.

Take out all the cords.
Needle nose pliers work great to pull the cords out.

Untie the main cord if possible, you'll have to put it back through the little hole on the top again.

Cut the excess blind parts off to the desired length.

Slip the bottom rail back through the cord ladder (I just made that up, I'm not sure what it's really called, but it does look like a ladder) and feed the main cords back through the hole and pull out the bottom with pliers. Tie the knots back and shove the cords back in the hole.

Replace the cap and you're good to go.

Viola! Doesn't it look tons better without 20 extra slats at the bottom?
See, I do have many windows, just 3 more to finish!

Now here is an extra little bonus of having a young boy...this is the mess I came home to yesterday. Phone book pages all over the yard, the street, and there were some pages in the tree! I had to go find the two little culprits to come clean it all up.

Oh look, here they are now. They got side tracked with a very smelly bird egg.

This morning our new kitten Scarlett got to go to Niki's Place Spay & Neuter Clinic in Gilbert with our neighbor Buck. LUCKY ANIMALS!

2009-06-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Which house did they choose?

The house with all tiles floors, no outside storage and not in the beloved neighborhood. But it does have a great patio, complete with bbq, fireplace and grape vines?

The little bungalow in the hood, with massive curb appeal, incredible yard, nice neighbors, and studio over the garage?

Or the spacious brick house in the hood with absolutely no moving involved what so ever?

Drum roll please.....(even though they don't have a drum roll on hgtv's House Hunters, but maybe they should!)

House #2! Still in the hood, incredibly nice neighbors, and what...a studio over the gargage? That's right! Come by any time to hang out and create a little something vintage.

2009-06-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

What's happening at my house right now...

Hong Kong Phooey of course! Ya gotta love the Boomerang channel. I love the old school cartoons (you know~ all the ones I watched as a small child). I really think it's funny that one of Tucker's favorite cartoons is Tom & Jerry.

HKP is not what I was going to blog about, I was gonna blog about my moving dilemma. I was told back in February that the owner of the house I am currently in is moving back to Az and wanted to know if I could be out by March! As if that was gonna happen. If any of you have been to my house you know I have tons of stuff. I also now have my mom's ton of stuff. I guess that means I have two tons of stuff!

My lease is up at the end of this month and no houses in the hood have come to fruition. I did find a very cute house about 1 1/2 miles down the road, but it just didn't fit right. Tucker would be devastated if we have to leave all of his friends. Plus there was no storage. So we had planned to put all of my extra things down in the basement at the store (it is really big down there).
Just the day before I was to sign papers a house came up for rent in the hood....but wait there's more...
My lovely business partner's husband "The Peddlar" saw the woman putting the For Rent sign out. And you'll never believe where it is...YES! it's in the hood and Tucker and I won't have to leave~ YEAH! It also happens to be right next door to Kim and Rick. What are the chances of that happening? I figure about 5 billion to one.
Then yesterday, the company who rents this house called to tell me if I wanted to, I could resign a lease for another year!

So I went from no where to live to 3 places to live in one week!
NOW WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!??!

2009-06-07T10:53:00.001-07:00

The Facts Were These...

I love this show, Pushing Daisies. It is well written, funny and punny! Not in the Fozzy Bear sense, but in the very smart punny sense. You have to pay attention to get it all.

Last Saturday night I was so excited because a new episode was on. But alas...Last night was number 2 of the very last 3 episodes of Pushing Daisies.

I was always enamoured with this show since the beginning.
I loved the narrator, the show felt a little Bullwinkle, you know it's so Boris and Natashaesque.
At the beginning of each episode, he'd catch you up on what went down earlier and kept you up to speed during the episode you're currently watching by filling you in on the relationship backgrounds or evil doings by the characters in the episode.

The other thing I absolutely love about this show is the artistic settings, the costumes and of course the Pie Hole itself~ the Pie restaurant that Ned the Pie Maker owns.

Here is Ned the "Pie Maker"

A shy, warm-hearted loner who keeps the outside world at arm's length, mostly because of his astonishing secret -- his touch can bring the dead back to life. Ned owns and operates the Pie Hole, with the help of waitress Olive Snook. Ned's best friend since childhood is his loyal dog, Digby, whom he can never touch.

And Chuck, a.k.a. Charlotte Charles, Ned's one true love...wait a minute this sounds a little like "The Princess Bride".

Sunny, and with moxie to spare, Chuck's motto might as well be "never say die." Because she didn't. Well, she did, but thanks to a 'touching' reunion with childhood sweetheart Ned, Chuck got a second chance at life. After spending her youth caring for shut-in aunts Lily and Vivian, Chuck is determined to live her second life to the fullest.

The actress who plays Chuck~ Anna Friel is currently in Land of the Lost.

This is one of Pushing Daisies Starter Kits I found on YouTube. It basically tells the whole story in a nut...no wait... a pie shell!

2009-06-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

Mornings...

This week, Tucker started Swim Lessons at the YMCA.
He has had lessons in the past, but I think he needs the extra confidence for him to feel really comfortable in the water. Of course they only go over the important things like...

kicking
power glide
holding your breath
goggle wearing

and smiling
Next week, more of the same.

2009-05-31T11:13:00.001-07:00

Unfinished Projects...

That seems to be the story of my life...unfinished projects, and laundry, and cleaning, and packing and unpacking, and moving (yes, moving again~ I just have to find a place first), and piles of projects that are currently on my dining table.

This first one was inspired by this wonderful woman Lisa Super who came to Mystic Paper and taught her Dress Form Tag class. I of course am not a "Blingy Girlie Girl". I am much more of a "Vintage Girl". True, my earrings are usually always "Blingy", buts that's only because they are "Vintage".

I did bring some of my family photos to Lisa's class and while I was making girlie tags along with the family tags, it just didn't fit right with me. So I decided to go another way...I know, I'm always rebellious (oh boy, I know that Kim is going to have something to say about that one).
I thought it would be fun to make a family tree with my tags, so that's exactly what I'm doing.
I am finding all kinds of family photos and making tags with them, and on the back I will write all the who, what, where and when.

These are some of the finished tags...I am using vintage buttons on each with the string threaded through them to attach it to my "Tree".

Tags that I am still working on.

Some fun details:
This is my favorite thing...a vintage date stamp. I think it ranges from 1950 to 1965. So I am using it whenever I possibly can. Of course don't know the exact dates, so I'm just guessing!

This is a picture of my mom at her first communion. I love the Melissa Frances frames~it's a great way to find someone in a crowd.

I also love the Prima pebbles, the ones that are vintagey are my favorite of course.

These crocheted flowers are one of my thrift store finds, I bought a bag that had tons of hand crocheted flowers in it~ for special uses only for sure.

Here's another unfinished project, an altered book that I just had to make. Someday I'll be done.
I just can't seem to find the right finishing touches. Isn't that frustrating when that happens?

And an actual page, this is a photo that I found on a slide. I don't ever remember seeing this photo growing up. My mom looks so pretty and I love her pink fluffy sweater!

It's really hard to see, but I used the date stamp again, I just love that little thing.
Here's to finishing all unfinished projects! Yippee!

2009-05-29T17:55:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I miss these places...

These are both in the South Bay, my old stomping grounds. At both ViVi's and the Falafel Drive-In they had some great falafel. At ViVi's You'd have to get falafel and fries..oh, and a can of Dr. Pepper. At Falafel Drive-In the must haves were not only falafel, but lemonade and their baklava.

But my favorite California falafel was at a tiny place in Sacramento called Juliana's Kitchen, but I don't think it exists anymore. (a little help my Sacto peeps)

This photo is from the Falafel D-I. I of course would order minus the pickle~ ICK!
So a couple of days ago when I was really missing some good falafel I decided I just had to have some. So I went to a couple of stores for the key ingredients. Fresh & Easy has super fresh pita bread at all times. They also have some wonderful Tzatziki~some of the best I've had and it's packed with tons of cucumbers! And of course you need falafel mix, hummus, tomatoes, lettuce, and some cucumbers. This was the very first time I've made falafel from scratch, mainly because I can't find some premade falafel, so I bought the Near East mix, now I know what I'd do different. I'd use a different pan and more oil to fry the little boogers in.
I really think I can master the falafel making the next time, with the above mentioned changes of course.

And then, there's this..
Hobee's blueberry Coffee Cake

If I could only master this one!
So if any of my Nor Cal friends care to meet me at Hobee's~M, Nicole, Holly, Patty, John, Paul? Laurie...wanna fly to San Jose with me? Anyone...anyone....Bueller...

2009-05-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

2009-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix some boys and water?

Fun in my front yard!
That's what was happening yesterday.

Today the water started again, but it didn't last long...because apparently there was water and some boys.

2009-05-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned...

How much I love HGTV? Well, I do. I could watch it all day long if I could. In fact, on occasion I have many times with my Mom and my sister Katrina. It has almost turned into a holiday tradition. A holiday at Katrina' house = HGTV watching. That's what I'm doing right now, even though I should be taking a shower. Luckily I can shower & shine quickly when I need to. I'm adding sparkle to that one...shower, shine and sparkle. I can't forget my sparkly earrings!

Even though I'd love to stay home and watch HGTV and make stuff all day, I need to take a shower, wrangle up the Tuck Man, take him to a friends house at 10 a.m., head over to some Goodwill stores (50% off day today), look for a "bohemian" skirt for Kim~my lovely business partner, then get on over to Mystic Paper for a fun day spent with whomever comes in to visit us today~ Saturday's are usually the best, because so many people come in on Saturday.

So...I guess I should
A. turn off the tv and go get in the shower...or
2. turn up the tv so I can hear it in the shower...

Maybe I'll see you at MP today, and if you'd like I will talk some HGTV at ya!
I know...I am a dork...but I learn a lot about things that I may never use in this life time. But I am pretty good at Jeopardy and Cash Cab. So the next time I go to NYC and get in a cab, I may be in luck!

2009-04-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

A Super Busy Week...

I love when I find out about a school function 2 days before it happens. This week started out with a note: "Dear Mom, Come listen to me sing, on the 22 at 6:40 p.m. at Mountain View. Spring Sing listen to our voices ring. I love you, From Tucker"

After a busy week of working at the shop and a lot of errand running, today was devoted to the Tuck Man. As you might know already, Tucker wants to be a Monster Truck driver when he grows up. This weekend at Firebird Raceway there was all kinds of crazy racing going on. And today the crazy included Monster Trucks!

This truck was Tucker's favorite~ Brutus.

This was the most exciting pictures of all the ones I took, that's some major air.

Seriously...this is just a phase that he'll grow out of right? I can't even remember what I wanted to be when I was 8!

Edited Note: I forgot about Tuesday night...
Tucker and his little pack got their Bobcat badges and moved up a step on their Cub Scout ladder. I don't even know what that means...I'm such a bad out of touch Mom.
But of course they had a ceremony and everything.

Here's a really bad picture some of the goings on. Someday I will learn how to work this hand me down camera...I need all the practice I can get. I did learn at the Spring Sing that it's better to not use the flash~who'd a thunk.

2009-04-19T23:26:00.001-07:00

2009-04-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

Easter Day...

First of all, how beautiful is this baby? Just look at her, isn't she the prettiest little thing ever?!
This is Roscoe (formerly mentioned on an earlier blog post) my Niece Nicole's baby. She is 4 months old and she's so tiny. She is wearing a sleeper that was Tucker's when he was a teeny tiny baby.

And now that Tucker is 8, it's hard to even imagine that he was ever that small. Tucker had many, many Easter eggs to find. This year he sported his fire engine basket for holding all of his eggs.

This is the first year that I have seen this stuff. It is edible grass, well at least that's what the package says...it's made from corn and potato starch, not grass-tastic like the package says. I saw it in at least 5 different colors. I bought some because I thought it would be the perfect thing to use for whiskers.

This is the wacky rabbit cake that we made for Easter. My sisters and I used to make this yearly when I was younger, I don't think I've made one of these since I was 12. The whiskers were a great addition I think. I bought some extra grass because I am imagining some at cupcakes at some later date...like maybe Halloween!

2009-04-03T17:03:00.001-07:00

When I Grow Up...

That was the theme at Tucker's Cub Scout Blue & Gold Dinner. Each Cubbie was supposed to bring a cake decorated with the theme. And if you know Tucker, this will not be a surprise...he wants to be a Monster Truck Driver. Tucker looked at cake on the internet and decided this is how he wanted it. All his design~I just put it together for him, not the trucks or smashed up cars just the cake.

The cake was actually really tasty. The bottom layer was chocolate and the top half layer and the ramp was yellow cake. I used some creepy chocolate frosting that comes in a plastic thing as the glue between the layers. I made some of my own chocolate frosting that was waaaaaaaay mo' better than the store bought stuff. The fun part was throwing on the chocolate chips, broken up butterfingers, chocolate sprinkles, and a few shakes of cocoa powder for dirt. It did look like they were driving around on a big hill of mud with rocks and dirt everywhere. I am really getting into this whole cake makin' thing, it's kinda fun.

2009-03-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

Locks of Love Haircut...

Tucker's hair was finally long enough to donate and we had it cut last weekend. Wash, cut and it's all cut off! Honestly, I miss his long hair. I'm not used to seeing the back of his neck, I don't think I've really seen it since he was 3!

2009-03-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

Spring Break...Spring Training...

Tucker had spring break last week, so I thought he'd have fun going to a baseball game. The Chicago Cubs Spring training practice field is just a few blocks from my house. Hohokam park where they play their games is about a mile from the house, and if I had a bicycle we could have rode bikes to the game. (Someday I wanna get a pink Schwinn~can't you just see it?)

Tucker's bff Ricky came to the game with us, the two of them had more fun eating kettle corn and snow cones than watching the game. The Cubs played the Giants and it was a sold out game. Unfortunately the game was on a 90 degree plus day and the boys were too hot sitting in the stands and they wanted to walk around and check out the giant foam fingers. I, on the other hand found a pina colada, so I was happy.

2009-03-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

The Callaghan in me is really coming out today. All I can think about is Bailey's Irish Cream, Irish Coffee (my favorite is at the Buena Vista in S.F.) and Guinness (from the source of course)! Where can I find some of that? I also have on some killer shamrock socks!
Slainte!

I think I will have a burrito from Taco Bell.

2009-03-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Pinewood Derby 2009...

Tucker has joined cub scouts and they had their first pinewood derby race a couple of weeks ago.
This is before all the crazy racing started, he's hanging out with his pal Michael.

Getting ready for his race to start.

The blue blurr is Tucker's car winning that race. I can't remember how many he won, but it was pretty impressive. Did you know that the races are all high tech now? It's all linked up with a computer to determine wins and how many times each person wins.

This is Tucker's own car design...oddly enough, it loods like a Tucker!

This is Tucker and his best pal Ricky waiting for race results.

Tucker won third place!

His pal Michale won first place, I learned that it's all in the wheels!

2009-02-27T15:23:00.001-08:00

Seriously!

Is anyone going to blog on here anytime soon?

2009-01-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

My New BFF...

At CHA I saw Paris Hilton from a far. Is she my new BFF?
I don't think that Paris and I would get along very well.
Look at that flawless skin I think that her make-up maybe airbrushed on!
She does look pretty perfect, so it's a given that she is not dorky enough for me to hang around with. Plus the fact that I'm a light weight and I really can't stay awake passed 12 am.

Now Darth Vader (Tucker calls him Dark Vader), is more my speed. I think I could hang out with him and the Storm Troopers, maybe they could be my BEFF (best evil friends forever). And being that this is only the 21st century I think he is still nice enough and hasn't taken the dark side too seriously yet. I would have to watch out though, after all Darth is tall, dark and handsome.

And who wouldn't want Angela Cartwright to be their BFF? It was surreal to meet her~ being a child of the 60's and all, she has always been an icon from my childhood.

This is Aimee, my new PBF (paper best friend) of Graphic 45. It's always so much fun to meet someone after you have talked with them on the phone and email.

So now that we are on the subject of Graphic 45...their new lines are simply gorgeous!
Here are a few pictures that I was able to take in their booth. I love red shoes, at one time in my life I never thought I could have too many pairs of red shoes. These are so cute.

I also like the new Jenni Bowlin line. Her chipboard buttons are 2die4! I ordered many for the shop. She also has a very cute line of paper out that should be showing up soon.

Then there is 7 Gypsies, they always have a great booth and great ideas using their product. I must make on e of these Chandeliers~ grungy, yet a little blingy. I think this is more my personality then the teacup chandelier that I was planning on making.

One of my favorites at CHA was a booth featuring some metal collage artwork. So much fun, I even took a class and learned to turn a 90º angle. I was very impressed with the whole thing.

That 's it for now, I will post more CHA photos on the Mystic Paper blog soon.

2009-01-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

"So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled."

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true."

It makes my happy that we all have something to look forward to as a country~ peace and dignity.
That would be wonderful wouldn't it?

I couldn't resist putting these Barack & Michelle Obama paper dolls up on my blog. I know they are fashionably silly. Unlike Aretha's hat~I loved her hat and I think more people should wear hats, I miss them. Not just my personal hat collection, but hats in general~the more the merrier. I think I will start a campaign to bring hats back in fashion, anybody with me? I'll even let you borrow one of mine!

2009-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

I Love Old School Books...

They remind me of long, long ago~ when I was in Elementary School (does that sound like I'm really old or what?). I love the graphics and can't seem to help myself when I go to thrift stores & antique stores I always look for them. I tend to buy them and then cut them up to put in kits for the store. But some I can't bring myself to cutting them up and they end up on a shelf in the "playroom". I have even found some books that I actually read when I was knee high to a duck and have big collage plans for some of them. Now all I need is space and time. Like time to clean the playroom to make space to actually have room to work on anything creative.

My laptop has been mia~ it doesn't seem to want to log in at Mystic Paper so I haven't been doing any blogging since I've been back from South Carolina, I have also been working like crazy with Kim being out the last couple of weeks with DAM. So today before I leave the store thought I would at least post something about something. So that was something wasn't it?

2008-12-27T20:19:00.001-08:00

Tucker's Snowmallow Creations

Next year, we'll know what we're doing to try it again. I think cupcakes are the way to go to hold the bottom a bit more stable.

2008-12-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Some Happy Boys Christmas Morning...

My Grand Nephew Dante with some of his Santa Trucks.

My Nephew Bryant with his new PS3 (Play Station 3 for the non kid folks out there)

Tucker busy opening presents.

There's nothing better than a toddler on an Inch Worm! So cute!

More presents!

A very happy Tucker, with a silly grin. He keeps trying out new faces all the time.

These are Katrina's neighbors (of 10 years) from across the street. They sent their little one Keith on a scavenger hunt for his Rock Band game. Miss Cindy had many clues leading him all around the house, his last clue read something like this~ go to the place where the fish is good, somewhere in your neighborhood. Ask the man who shares your dad's name if you can join his band. So my Brother in law Joe made Keith sing a song before handing over Keith's Rock Band.

I have to admit, playing RB is fun and a little addictive, I got to play it for awhile. But I think I'm too old to play it for a couple of reasons. Reason #1~ even standing right next to the television I couldn't read the lyrics to try to sing them. Reason#2~ I only knew a few of the songs! I think they need to make song disks by decade to make it easier for older players like me.

2008-12-25T10:13:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Fireworks...

That's right, fireworks are not illegal like they are in Arizona, so when in Rome...I mean Johnston, SC we did fireworks. Bottle Rockets, Roman candles, and Sparklers~ Very festive!

Dante with a little sparkler. It was very loud at my sisters house until...

the visions of sugarplums.

2008-12-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

In SC for Xmas...

Tucker and I are at my sister Katrina's house for Christmas. I don't have a digital with me and I also forgot my slr camera (the Cannon that I love) so no photos. I'm hoping that I will be able to post some photos of Tucker and Dante~ they love playing with each other. Tucker is very Paternal with small children, it's so nice to know that your child is very gentle with other kids, I know that he will be a great dad~in 20 years! I'm not going to allow him to get married until he's 25 or 26. Like I have anything to do with it!

One of my goals today, or tomorrow is to make these cute little snowmen. Not the cupcake part, just the snowmen. I think they are so cute. If I can only find some fruit roll ups today. Fruit roll up are very handy and versatile, I used them on Tucker's birthday cake. I think I should have them in the house as a staple from now on.

Did you know that they make food grade markers? I found some last week, I'm excited because they are perfect for the little eyes and buttons. Who makes them? I don't remember, I guess I could get up off the couch and go look.

Okay, the ones that I bought are made by Wilton, I know there is another company that makes them too. Edible food writers~ how cool is that?

Have a great Christmas tomorrow everyone!

2008-12-20T19:19:00.001-08:00

A little book...

For a little baby. My niece Nicole had a baby last week! Being that I am obsessed with this particular foofala paper I decided to make her a little baby book with it.

The Wynken, Blynken, and Nod paper is Graphic 45 and the color image is from a children's book from the 50's (a recent thrift store find) These 2 were perfect together.

I'm not too sure of the 20 somethings these days...my Niece named her new baby Roscoe. Where on earth did she get that name from? Boy do I feel old. I don't get it, what on earth does that mean? And even a more pressing question, what was she thinking?

With this foofala line of papers were these gorgeous rub ons, I added a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card, but it needed a little color, so I used the rub ons, they are so cute on there I think.

I don't remember where I found this baby image, but it's what I think Roscoe might look like in a year. So next December I should post a photo of Roscoe and we can compare.

Hopefully this gets into the box and into the mail soon, or even before next December, that is my biggest challenge. Getting things to the post office, you should see the box of Christmas cards that are sitting here...staring at me...waiting...

2008-12-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Winter Sing...

Tonight was Tucker's Winter Sing at MVHS. Here's little Mr. Handsome before the big event.

Most of the pictures of the actual concert had way too many red eyes. So here are some non close up pictures. What are those kind of pictures even called? I'm too tired to think.
Can you see the little Tuck Man? He's way in the back row, and most of the time the girl in front of him had her head in the way.

Sure these second graders are cute, but they have some very serious singing to do. I always laugh so hard at these. Just to watch the kids faces and some are so serious and some don't want to be there at all, but most of them are in their own little singing world, and non singing world, they are all so busy!

Here is Tucker and his pal Michael.

I got to see Gwen and her daughter Renee who goes to Tucker's school (I get to she her every once in awhile). Although Gwen did say that she is going to come into Mystic Paper tomorrow.

Cute little smile and the end.

2008-12-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

Don't call me today...

Today on Oprah they are having a reunion of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. So I will be in front of the television from 3 to 4 Arizona time anyway.

Do any of you miss this show like I do? Sure they say that life was simpler than, but it really was wasn't it? I know for me I didn't have any responsibilities, except for making sure I was home before my curfew. I also think it really was a safer time and environment then. Not as far as global warming, although that was doing a lot better then too, but as far as being out side riding your bike, or walking to your BBF's house. Now, when I see Tucker riding his bike down the street I kind of cringe. I honestly think it's not as safe as it used to be because there are just so many people populating the country these days. When I moved back to AZ 8 years ago I was afraid to ride my bike anywhere. Too many cars driving way to many miles per hour over the speed limit. WOW! Who knew this was going to be another soap box blog?
Now I really do need a dose of MTM!

And remember, "You're gonna make it after all". Ah, words to live by.

2008-12-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

In Bloom...

All the roses are in bloom down in the Evergreen Hood. Since many of the bushes are very mature, there are roses after roses on bush after bush. In my yard, the neighbors, all the down the street. They are amazing, I think there should be a rose tour around the neighborhood or something. The house I live in was built in the fifties, I wonder if any of the bushes in the yard are that old.

The white ones smell incredilbe. Sweet, but not too strong.

These varigated roses are big, about 7 inches across.

You all should see the roses in my neighbors yard. PRETTY!

2008-12-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Donte...

My Grand Nephew is so cute! When he and my Niece Aesia were visitng last month, we were in the backyard and his Mom cut up lemons for him to eat! He LOVES them. I love the last picture with the pulp on his little squishy face and his lips a little bit puckered. He has a look in his eye like he's looking for more lemons.

I really wish that I could get better photos of my work without glare! Someday I'll get a good digital camera, I'm so jealous of those of you with real (digital) cameras and who are taking beautiful pictures.

2008-12-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Arrgh...

As they say~It's a Pirate's Life for me!
I think I would love to be sailing the Caribbean islands right about now, as long as it isn't cold.

Going back to October, the busiest month for me and Tucker. Here are some photos from his birthday party. We had a combined party with Tucker's little Allie at a place called Aqua Safe in Gilbert. It has an indoor pool which is glassed in and they have theater seats for all the parents to sit and watch. I was very happy with everything they did. Talk about easy care free party~ all you really have to do is show up! No pre-cleaning, set up or after party clean up, they do it all! They even do all the decorations, plates and napkins. They also took a picture of the birthday boy and his guests, had the kids sign their names on the matt and gave it to the birthday boy at the end of the day. Too cute I tell ya.

Here is the cake I just had to make~ I saw the inspiration photo on a blog and made my own version. Thank goodness for fruit roll ups and Little Debbie's (nose and ears) that I found at the dollar store! Now that I have made it once I want to make it again because I know it would turn out even better. Do you love his chocolate sprinkle stubble?

And speaking of the dollar store I bought ten little pirate hats, which came with an eye patch and sword, or hook. All the boys LOVED it, they all were sporting an eye patch or hat at one point during the party. I also found some skeleton pops, treasure boxes and skull rings. The dollar store ROCKS for party favors!

Here is Tucker and Allie at the end of a great party. Thanks Shirley (Artsy Fartsy Fairy) for all of your help and guidance!

2008-11-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Dedicated to my wonderful Mother...

As many of you know my Mom, Barbara Wyatt passed away a couple of weeks ago. Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers this past 6 weeks.

I have so many great photos of my Mom, I tried to find at least one from every decade. Some of these you may have already seen on the walls at Mystic Paper. Unfortunately I don't have any baby pictures, the earliest one she was 6 or 7~ So here they are.

2008-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Out of Focus...

Or maybe I should say, back in focus!

My little laptop has been out of comission, due to this cute almost 8 year old~playing online computer games. He loves any games with monster trucks. Since he was 4 he has told me that when he grows up he wants to be a monster truck driver. What's a mom to do?
Thanks Mike for fixin' up my computer life. I have been so out of touch with the world for weeks!

2008-09-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

While reading blogs today I found out that my friend Matt was just on Martha Stewart! If she only knew how obsessed he really is with her. We would stare at her magazine while at work because we thought the photography was so beautiful. You can only imagine how much work we got done together. I'll have to tell you about the time we got a new digital camera and played the day away in San Francisco...taking pictures to test out the new camera of course. We WERE working!

2008-09-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Chick Flick Aficionado...

a·fi·cio·na·do
n. pl. a·fi·cio·na·dos
An enthusiastic admirer or follower; a fan.
[Spanish, past participle of aficionar, to induce a liking for, from afición, liking, from Latin affectiō, affectiōn-; see affection.]

I admit that I LOVE THEM! Many of them, and since I am at home sick (I'm not allowed to spread germs at the shop) I was able to actually watch one today. Tucker has been sick at home too and he's watched at least 8 Disney movies. I myself have a vast collection of the "Chick Flick" variety.

As I tried to find some photos from this movie I read some reviews and they weren't that great...but I love this movie. Here's the basic story line.

A romantic comedy which tells the story of Gwen Moss and Nick Dawkan who literally bump into one another when children - and then whose lives take completely different directions. They remain utterly ignorant of the other - even though their friends meet, their acquaintances mingle, and their own paths blindly cross, notably centered around former child star Francesca Lanfield and the apartment complex La Fortuna, where Gwen resides. Though the two grow up absolutely wrong for one another, they nonetheless keep altering the course of each other's lives without knowing it - or each other.

This is one of those movies where you have to pay attention to all of the little side stories. They are very cute, which all add up in the end. I love that every time Gwen (the main female character) goes to this one specific restaurant (which Nick, Dylan McDermott's character designed) she always gets hurt. It's almost like she falls into a huge accident prone vortex!

I also love the old apartment complex that Gwen moves into "La Fortuna", it was the ideal dream place for me to live 11 years ago when this movie first came out. It was before child. So I could live in a 1920's magical bougainvillea petal filled courtyard apartment complex with a Spainish style fountain, columns and tiled staircase. But alas...life takes a different bougainvillea road.

2008-09-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Bingo Card Trade...

This is my bingo card made for the trade last week. I haven't had the chance to take photos of all of them. They were all so wonderful. I did borrow this photo from Sherry's Blog, so if you want to see all of them you can check out her flickr site. Thanks Sherry.

Tucker has been sick since Monday and now I have a cold too. I think Tucker may have had the flu. I don't know how we get different symptoms in the same household. I need to get into the shower and to the drugstore to buy some adult cold medicine.

2008-09-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Nightmare Update...

I am still hard at work on my nightmare room. This morning I emptied another 3 boxes, which means trying to put everything away where I think I might want it to go permanently. Which means it's a very hard decision for my little libra brain!
Here is my before and after photos of my dresser that was given to me. Tucker and I painted it and I finally finished putting on the new knobs yesterday. I love what a free dresser along with some paint and new knobs can turn into.

It doesn't look like the same piece of furniture does it? I also added some little wood ornaments on the top two drawers. Now I am in love with it. No more ugly purple and green!

2008-09-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've got the BLUES...
aka Welcome to My Nightmare part 2

Here's why I have the Blues, everything in this house is BLUE! Now, I like blue as much as the next person, I have more sparkly blue earrings then I can even count! I definitely don't hate blue (Sandy), but this is just too much. What I do love about older houses is that they have forgotten things like phone nooks. My Snoopy phone is VERY happy to have his own little spot.

Doesn't he look happy? Now, back to the blue issue. There is a solid navy blue wall in the living room, it's just too blue for my liking. It doesn't do my Monet justice. How can a Monet look bad? Sure there is a tiny bit of dark blue in it, but this blue is just not me. I feel the urge to paint green!

The house was built in the fifties, and the people who own it lived here for over 40 years, but I think the last time they did anything was back in the 80's.

All the tile in the bathroom...blue.

The little knobs on the drawers...blue.

Again, I like blue, but I'm not in love with it! I do have this cool vintage blue kitchen cabinet that fits exactly in my bathroom and matches the tile color. That's a happy blue thing and great storage.

More blue knobs in the blue painted kitchen.

Here's some lovely blue grey embossed vinyl wallpaper (from the 80's)

It hides the walls that are very uneven and lumpy.

Here's some crazy BLUE lattice in Tucker's room to hide some cracks in the walls. Not so pretty, but he is hanging some of his cars from it. He's very clever for 7.

Here's my BLUE bedroom with a lovely light fixture~ it's a little wacky and very heavy!

The worst thing about this blue room is that all of my bedding is Robin's Egg Blue- not babyish skyish blueish. So if I do put all of my robin's egg blue things on the bed it will look, well I'm thinking gross!

Robin's Egg Blue...I'm a little bit obsessed with, but my other favorite color is yellow. Maybe not Dyson yellow, but more like baby duck yellow. Speaking of Dyson, I think I could be a spokesperson for them. I think I sold one today to a woman shopping at Walmart. Sure, they don't sell them there, but they do at Target. That's where I got mine and they gave me a $75 gift card. You can't beat that! It is seriously the best vacuum in the world.

Here's the yellow I'm talking, see Martha knows. This mag is 10 years old, but she still knows.

Ah...a nice buttery yellow, so calming and pretty. Unless of course you hate yellow, but nobody can hate little yellow baby ducks right?

If you ever want to hurt my feelings, you can give me something purple. My very least favorite color. My friends and I had this joke about me having canned peas on a purple plate. I really hate canned peas!

So, taking my Martha inspiration and this crazy purple and green dresser- I had to paint it. YELLOW!

Ah....so much better. I decided to use it in my nightmare art room. I haven't figured out what to do about knobs yet, I thinking something a little more vintage, like glass knobs. And there's also a crazy painted desk that I am going to use in here too. I'm sure that yellow is in order for that too. Earlier today I did consider black but I'm glad I went with the yellow, it's also a good fit with all of the (you guessed it) BLUE!

So this ends day one of my nightmare in progress, more to follow.

2008-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to My Nightmare...

Isn't that an Alice Cooper song? I'm about 90% that it is. Anyway...here is my nightmare, boxes and boxes of paper and stuff. And more boxes and boxes of kitchen stuff and more books and stuff.

Furniture and boxes and things and stuff. This is supposed to be the "Playroom" it has Tucker's train table (that he can't play on) and all of my art stuff, which I can't get to anything because it's all in boxes stacked on top of more boxes. Oh, and the cat food is in their too.
I am giving myself 10 days to have this all straightened up~ my own personal challenge!
So, wish me luck and I will post photos in ten days...make it 11 because I won't start until tomorrow!

2008-08-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween Journal...

I know it's still August, but I can't wait for Halloween to get here. Mainly because it will be Tucker's 8th birthday but it will also be the first sign that Fall is actually here and it finally starts to cool down in Arizona. This whole 6 months of HOT is getting to me.

We also have some of the cutest Halloween lines at Mystic Paper and I just had to make something! So today I made this little Halloween journal, I love 7 Gypsies new paper line, this photo isn't the best so you can't really see how pretty it is. Now looking at it, I think that I might have to change the ribbon on the cover, what do you think?

2008-08-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Friday Morning Greetings...

This morning I went outside with the furry kids and was attempting to take photos of them. They weren't being very cooperative- go figure! All the doves from the big split tree in our backyard kept flying away. I looked up and was amazed to see that big huge moon still in the sky. These two little guys were (unlike the cats) ready for their photo.

I'm excited it's Friday, that means it's the last day of driving the little Tuck Man to and from school. The hardest thing is leaving the shop when it's time to pick him up. It never fails that I am right in the middle of a project-putting something out, or entering product into our computer system. I even have to set the alarm on my cell phone so I can stop in time and drive to his school. Oh yea, and Fridays is when psych is on, WOOHOO!

Have a good weekend everyone!

2008-08-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Show...psych

Now this IS FUNNY--Seriously! This show makes me laugh so hard, usually full on, out loud laughter, which doesn't happen with me while watching most tv shows. To get me to laugh out loud there has to be a little bit of thinking involved, not just (as my very good friend Vickie says) "Fozzie Bear Humor". Here is a link to the USA network's website of psych. Tucker and I last week discovered some fun games on there as well. Tucker was really good at the cafeteria food fight game, he's much better at playing it then me.

Shawn and Gus (the main characters) are life long friends and have many inside jokes. Many 80's references too. Maybe it is slap stick humor but with a more sophisticated sarcasm. The YouTube video is highlights from season 2. Yeah! I learned how to link YouTube...like it was hard right? So if you haven't watched this show yet, maybe after viewing how all over the place funny it is, (I just made up that saying) you might become a fan.

Let me know what you think!

"Doodles are a window to the soul."

2008-08-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Second Grade...

I'm not sure how it all happened so fast!

Here is the backpack for the new school year. Tucker (being born on Halloween) has always loved skeletons, his favorite movie when he was a toddler was Nightmare Before Christmas!

See ya later Mom- like at about 2:40...

2008-08-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

I guess I should clarify...

I'm actually an ex-performer, not an entertainer. I have performed in front of thousands at a time. Okay, I am really more of a geek then I'd like to admit. I was in a drum and bugle corp for 3 years. The Sacramento Freelancers. We would travel the US and Canada and compete against other drum corps from all over the world.
These photos are from 82 and I am circled in a couple of them- the ones where I could actually find myself.

The next photo is from the Olympic stadium in Montreal- you can see how many people would pack in for the "Drum Corp International" finals.

There's a photo of me at a rehearsal, I'm the one on the far left. These photos are from 83.
Ah...those were some of my strong and thin days.

Now I'm on the far right- this was the year that I literally ran all over the field.

There's a link on YouTube of Freelancers 82 finals in Montreal.

I DID IT! I FIGURED IT OUT. Well, I read directions and then did it. So if you have a lot of time on your hands and want to humor me, you can watch me on you tube.

If you pause the video at exactly 3 minutes, 10 seconds into the performance you can see me plain as day at the bottom of the screen with a flag in hand. I was in the rifle line and at the ending of the first song, we were throwing around two rifles at the same time. Can I still do this? Not very well at all.

See, I told you I was a GEEK! It has been quite a long time since I marched in a drum corp, but I still love it. Most of my very best friends are from my Freelancer days. Tucker and I just went to a Freelancer reunion in Sacramento last month. It was great seeing so many people that I haven't seen in well, forever.
Drum corp was the reason I fled Arizona after High School, Arizona didn't have a drum corp way back then. Now they do, and drum corp is a lot different from the 80's when I was in.
I could look at old photos for hours...but enough about drum corp already!

2008-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya Tomorrow...

Ahhhhhh yes! Tomorrow is Tucker's first day of SECOND GRADE! That makes me so happy. This past week has been a challenging one, everyday at the store I'd turn around and there was Tucker. Always right there...right in my way. I'm not sure if he was being clingy because he knows that school is starting, or if he was just really tired.

This is a photo from his first day last year, doesn't he look so small? So small and so sweet!

2008-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

EIGHT EIGHT EIGHT...

It's Opening Ceremony tonight! I must admit that I am a HUGE Olympic dork. I just love them. I do like the Winter Olympics better than the Summer Games.
(That may have something to do with the summer 84 games when my first love met a new girl and broke up with me. Whatever!)

I have been to a couple of Winter Games- Calgary in 88 and Lillehammar in 94
If you have never been in person it is very emotional.
I cried during the opening ceremony in Calgary- Ya see, I told you that I'm a huge dork! Maybe it's the ex-entertainer in me, but that's a whole other life time ago.

Here's a photo from Calgary, I might be in this photo, I was wearing one of the white ponchos. I actually have a poster somewhere and we found ourselves on it. Sure you have to use a magnify glass but...there I am!

In Lillehammar, I saw all of this go down. Poor little Nancy and big mean Tanya...

When the Salt Lake City Winter Games were here did I go? Of course not. Maybe it was too close to home, or maybe it was because Tucker was a very small child, I think I should have just taken him diapers and all!

Now on to Beijing!

I guess these little pandas are the Beijing Olympic mascots. Interesting. There's a definite Anime vibe going on. I think they're cute in a scary kind of way.

I can't wait to see opening ceremonies, but I don't think that will happen tonight- it's Downtown Mesa's Second Friday...The Dog Days of Summer, so if you come down with your dog you'll be one of the hip crowd and of course MP is a dog friendly store, so bring 'em in we love seeing little furrys, or even big furrys!

2008-08-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Recent Trade...

Okay, it was in June, which is about the same as last week for me.

This swap was hosted by the lovely Tina. Who I was lucky enough to meet last month when she came into Mystic Paper!

Now...I seem to really be having some issues with Picassa- I can't find some photos! I was going to blog about another recent swap, but alas...

I also can't find the photos I took from all the fun things I received in the Cowgirl Swap, from Sherry C. I have no idea where they went. I think I need some Picassa practice. Or a Picassa School Of Photo Saving In The Right Place So You Don't Lose them!

What photos I DID find was some of the ones I took from the things I made and sent for the swap. I think my favorite thing was the Cowgirl mirror, here is a little peek.

I LOVE those TH Fragments! The good news is that we do have them back in at the shop! I can make more now- YEEHAW!

2008-08-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

Summer Tag Swap...

Hosted by the lovely Sherry B. 15 wonderful tags came back in the mail. Thanks to everyone who participated. And a special Thank You to Sherry for hosting such a fun swap! Below are little treasures from the Hostess. I am now completely obsessed with finding some of those playing cards.

These are the Vintage style tags.

The one on the far right is mine. Of course it's red, white, and robin's egg blue, with a beach theme. I bet any of one who have traded for any of my ATC cards could pick mine out in the crowd.
I really like the lemonade tag below, with a little pocket and a recipe for lemonade tucked inside.
Love all the tags ladies!

Now I'm not sure how this happened, but I downloaded these photos to blogger, but I can't find them on my computer anywhere. How weird is that?

2008-08-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Locked Out...

Yesterday Tucker and I came home from MP and after unloading the car, I realized that I had loaned my door key to Tucker just the day before (it was inside in his pants pocket). So while I waited for my mom to drive over with her spare key I broke out the laptop and took some photos of the little Tuck Man riding his bike. Luckily the front porch was in the shade and I had something to do to occupy myself. Of course right after I downloaded the pictures my mom drove up. Yeah for spare keys!

2008-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

New Numbers...

The saga all started back in Mid-May when the woman I was renting from told me she wanted to sell. So every night I would go home from the shop and pack up things. I had no idea where we were going to move. Of course I didn't want to leave the lovely Evergreen Historic District where I live and love!
I was really starting to feel some pressure when the new owner of 554 (who also happened to be the old owners ex) came over to find out when we were going to be out of his house. I couldn't even begin to tell him, because I didn't have anywhere to go.
Luckily Kim's DH just happened to be driving by a house in the hood while they were literally hanging up the for rent sign! So there you have it. Our new numbers are 656, and a mere 9 doors down from our beloved 554. Seriously, 9 houses down the street! -But I gotta say, I LOVE 656 even more than 554!

How cute is the little address plaque? Honestly, I didn't even see it until we had moved in for a few days. Love it!

Who knew that the owners would be way ahead of the bird craze?
I don't know that I have seen a cuter screen door, am I right Joy?
(Okay, I have seen a cuter bird screen door, but it was in the movie Hope Floats)

With this move I decided that we will have a new tradition, whenever Tucker and I move we will always hang his portrait up in the house first!

We are moved in but I still have a million boxes to unpack and to organize. While Frenchy is waiting for all of that to happen, he looks very happy with the new back yard and Tucker does too.

I know when I was 7, tree climbing was one of my favorite past times. Can you believe this tree, right in the middle of the Arizona desert? Now that I am moved in (somewhat) and have a new wireless setup at home, I can blog more...I guess you all shouldn't hold your breath but I will definitely try!

2008-06-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

New Pimp My Blog Header...

I am trying to get my other blog up and going, cuz I don't really like the name Jennifer's Views. I think I was trying to make a statement (whatever that was at the time). I do like my new pimped header. Mike Putman took some photos for me last week with his aawesome camera and I have been editing them. I really like this one. It's not exactly what I want for my new blog, but it really fits this one! I have it so close to fitting up there within the border, but I think I need to make it a tad smaller. That's it for now.

2008-06-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tucker & Donté...

Here's a few photos of Tucker with his cousin Donté, who is about 18 months old. Tucker had a great time with him, but was glad to come home to play with all of his friends in the 554 hood.

I know that Tucker will make a great Dad someday. His is very nurturing to all small children and his friends. He might be a tad bossy, but he is just following the rules (very important to Tucker).

Aren't they so cute? They both have some major Wyatt & Callaghan genes goin' on.

2008-06-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

One of My Favorite Things..

Magnolias!
This is a photo I took walking around my sister's neighborhood in Johnston, SC. They grow like weeds there and almost everyone has them in their yards.

When I was a very small child in Northern California we had a large Magnolia tree in our front yard. I was always infatuated by it's big RED seeds. I used to walk around the yard before church and pick up the seeds an carry them in my dress. I'm not sure that my mom was too happy about the seeds all over my church clothes.

I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers. I love how huge they are, I love they way they smell, I love the scary looking seed pods, I love the texture and color of the leaves. I guess what I'm trying to say is I still love magnolias!

2008-06-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

A little bit of the South...

2008-06-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

Pink Ladies...

Have you seen these is the stores yet? I saw these dolls last week at the big W store. They are SO CUTE! To my shock, this summer marks the 30 year Anniversary of the movie Grease!
Can I even begin to tell you have much I LOVE this movie? When it first came out in the theater I saw it 7 times. Wait...does that tell you how old I am?

They also have dolls from the Dance-Off competition. I love Frenchy and her pineapple doo.

Okay...I confess when they had the 25 year anniversary I bought 2 Sandy dolls. One is wearing her super sexy leather outfit and the other she's wearing her little yellow skirt and sweater. I'll add photos later, if I remember.

Grease is the word...

2008-06-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Miles...

Doesn't he look so happy without his little cone?
I am VERY HAPPY that he doesn't have to wear his cone anymore.
He seriously has been wearing it for 5 months, it's almost odd to see him not waddling around.

This past week I have been in South Carolina at my Newphew's HS graduation.I will post some photos as soon as I get them developed, yes...developed. How archaic is that? I just love my slr camera, someday I will get a digital slr. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon." What movie is that line from? For some reason Casablanca is in my head, or at least Humphrey Bogart!

2008-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Vintage Books...

Are my latest obsession! Let me tell you about my problem with vintage books. I have found out recently that I love them! This one is from 1964. I grabbed it thinking I could take out the pages and use them in some bird kits I have been working on at Mystic Paper.

It's full of great bird images, as you can see.

When I looked in the back of the book, this was tucked in a pocket-how cute is that?

It is full of little records that you can put on a turntable (remember what this is) and it plays bird calls. Seriously! So if you ever see this book, I recommend picking it up. I saw two of them on ebay, but one without the record booklet.

I also found a couple of books at my last visit to the thrift store- The yellow one I thought I'd make a little altered book for Tucker...get it, the author's last name is Tucker. The Singing Teenagers I thought that I'd tear it up for kits.

This book is full of songs along with the music, isn't this so cute?

My next find was a Disney book with non other than Herbie the Love Bug on the cover. It has a little story in it along with pictures from the original movie. Of course I had to buy this one for Tucker-he LOVES Herbie. (He's watching a Herbie movie as we speak)

All the Little Golden Books I have been buying lately is completely Ellen's fault- If you scroll down to "Oh the Things I Love" on the class examples page of Mystic Paper's website you will see her incredible creation. Since she taught this class I have been completely obsessed with them (I think Kim is too)

It has also overflowed to Rand McNally books, the illustration are just so cute, I can't handle it!

Ellen is teaching her class again in June. I have made a very watered down version on my own featuring Thomas the Train and Tucker. Last year my Mom and I took Tucker to see Thomas in Williams, AZ. It was so fun to see his little face, so excited about seeing Thomas in person and taking his first REAL train ride. This book I actually took off of Tucker's book shelf...along with a Thomas the Train Viewmaster thing (I have no idea what those things are called), that I put in the back of the book in a pocket.

Now that I have actually made this book I'm hoping that my Little Golden Book obsession will subside, but I doubt it. I keep hitting the 50% off sales at Goodwill, and I keep finding all of these great vintage books!

2008-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Flat Cats & Flowers...

Here is what's happening at-

In Arizona, it's difficult to grow anything but cactus and bougainvillea

This is just one of my two blooms on my Gardenia plant, I know it needs a nice place in dirt, but I just haven't planted it yet.

A couple of months ago, Tucker and I planted some seeds in the front yard. I'm shocked that they are growing!

The last few days has been incredibly nice here in AZ. It has been raining! 3 days straight- how often does that happen? I don't think I have ever experienced that in all my years in AZ. I felt like I was back in Nothern California again. At the beginning of the week it was HOT- 110 degress hot! Here is what the cats did to survive. They became as flat as possible on a cool surface.

First is "Pappa" Frenchy...

Cool and flat on my bed

This is my poor cone head cat..."Baby" Miles, flat as can be on the kitchen floor. He has food allergies that we have been trying to clear up for months now. Doesn't he look pathetic?

And this is Herbie, named after the one and only, Herbie the Love Bug.

Cool and flat in the bathtub!

Today everyone is cool and dry in a safe place- 554

2008-05-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Lucky Me...

How lucky was I to find this beautiful book last weekend at the thrift store?
A first edition book from 1912. At first I was attracted to the book because of the blue spine and the green checks, then I pulled it off the shelf and saw the title and the font and I knew I had to have it. I was thinking it might be a good book to alter. It was also 50% off day at Goodwill that Saturday. I brought it home with my other finds, but didn't really look at it.

My Mom came over to visit and I showed here the book. She found a picture of the author that had been cut out of a magazine, she also found a four leaf clover.

not one...

not two...

not three...

but four!

It wasn't until this morning while taking pictures that I discovered the fourth of the 4 leaf clovers!
In the back of the book was yet another find, a magazine article from Women's World dated May 1925, most likely for Mother's Day.

Now that I am curious about Kathleen Norris, I googled her and found out that Mother was her first book of many. She was born in San Fransico and died in Palo Alto- (my hood)

Here is the dedication in the front of the book:

To J.E.T and J.A.T.

As years ago we carried to your knees
The tales and treasures of eventful days,
Knowing no deed too humble for your praise,
Nor any gift too trivial to please,
So still we bring, with older smiles and tears,
What gifts we may to claim the old, dear right;
Your faith, beyond the silence and the night,
Your love still close and watching through the years.

I am sure that this was dedicated to her parents, her maiden name was Thompson. She was born in San Fransico in tht 1880's, so she must have been in the 1906 quake. I will find out more about her and keep you posted of my findings.

2008-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Homey Kitchy Kitchen...

Do you have those little nooks where you just stick things and they all just somehow work together? I love my little shelves and window sill in my kitchen. I have a crazy collection of stuff that I love, so I stuck all kinds of miscellaneous things together. All kinds of glass on the window sill, so all the colors will show when the sun hits them. Ah...pretty colors.

I also have been somewhat of a perfectionist most of my life, but when I but my scrabble letters up on the window sill I didn't notice that the I was upside down until at least a day or two later. Maybe I have grown out of my perfectionist stage. Ah...growth and change is always a good thing.

Is it obvious that I have a little bit of a rooster thing going on? And who doesn't have a sock monkey in their kitchen? I hear that sock monkeys are the new kitchen witch!

I also have a thing for pink gooseberry pyrex-love it! Oh, and fiesta ware...and red...and...

2008-04-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Spring Sing...

Tucker has been very busy these last couple of weeks. Last Wednesday he had his Spring Sing at school. Here he is ready to go, minus a tie (we just couldn't find it).

Before the concert I had to take some photos of Tucker and his friend Allie.

During the concert, Tucker got to stand by Karen, and his was in the front row. How often does that happen?

I love a bunch of unruly first graders. They are so cute!

2008-04-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Such Pigs...

And such cute little pigs at that! Just look at those little snouty bums.

Last week I chaperoned Tucker's class on a field trip to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, it's the first time I've ever been there. It is really a cute little place they have tons of things for the kids to do there. They have a petting zoo, rides, an organic farm where they let them go into the field an pull up some vegetables. They also have a Peach Festival starting in May with all the rides fired up and spinning.

Here is a photo of Tucker and his friend Karen. We lived down the street from Karen for a few years and have known her since she was born. They are going to the same school and they also stood next to each other at the school's Spring Sing. So cute. One of my favorite photos of them together is from Halloween a few years ago. Karen is dressed as a princess and Tucker is Darth Vader. The epitome of Good & Evil. (and it's Dark Vader according to Tucker)

To sum it all up. I liked Schnepf Farm, and I'm glad I drove waaaay the heck out there because I also got to visit Family Scrapbook Studio! I have been wanting to go out there ever since they opened. They have such a fun selection of papers! If you go out that way, or live out that way-drop by to shop and tell Barbara, Shirley and Aimee Hello.

2008-04-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Half Hippie, Half Island Boy...

Many times I feel like a hippie. I'm vegetarian, and I consider myself a heck of a recycler, but I definitely don't like patchouli. I do like Bob Marley, you'd think that I was the one to purchase this awesome t-shirt for the boy. But it came from my lovely niece Heather. (I'm sure she bought it on Haight Street somewhere when she still lived in the city) When Tucker first got the shirt he told me-"I'll wear it the next time we go to the beach". Well now--who knows when that is ever going to happen? I really like the shirt and I wanted him to wear it. I finally had to bribe him and paid him $1 to wear it. Sheesh!

I'd wear a Bob Marley t-shirt if I had one. Well, maybe not, because of my fear of wearing pattern.

The other half of the Half, the Island part is that his biological father is from Trinidad.

The end...

and tell me, who doesn't like reggae?

2008-04-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is...

WOW!

Having Tim Holtz come to Mystic Paper last Saturday was absolutely incredible! You know many times when you own a business, you don't always get to play with everyone else. But Kim and I were lucky enough to be able to take one of Tim's workshops. I took the Vintage Trinkets class. I loved it, I miss making things and especially jewelry! I haven't made any jewelry in years, I think I should break out the soldering iron and get to work (even though these beauties required no soldering).

A huge thanks goes out to Tim and his wonderful crew, Mario, Sharon and Michelle. The day was more than inspiring!

p.s. Happy Birthday Katrina & Kim T