Monday, December 22, 2008

Alvin And The Chipmunks: Christmas Memories






When I was young my Grandma would let us play records on a small record player she had. It was in the spare bedroom that I think we used to call the "toy room". This is one of the many songs I remember so well. Grandma had quite a collection of Disney records too! I have fond memories of every Christmas spent with my Grandparents. I miss them so much! I hope I am carrying on that same tradition with my own grandchildren. That all the things that we do now will be their fond memories in the future. Merry Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Happy Holidays!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From Emma, Evan and Ezra
(and me too!)







Here are a few new photos of the grandkids that I took today. Some of these are going to be used for my daughter Chantel's Family Christmas card. I thought they all looked so cute but they weren't very cooperative! Oh well.....I did manage to get a few good ones in spite of them!

I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with the entire family on Christmas Eve. We have the most fun watching them open their gifts. It's Ezra's first Christmas and that is always a special time! Evan is very excited to open his gifts too and is looking forward to toys most of all, of course! Emma is looking forward to a few special gifts this year and spending time with family.

I'm hoping we can do something a little bit different this year and have a yummy Beef Pot Roast dinner with lots of sweet carrots, onions and potatoes! Just like Grandma used to make for me on special occasions. I guess I'm tired of turkey and ham. I must confess that Pot Roast is my favorite and I like it over cooked until the meat shreds! I think I would be banned from the family if we didn't have mashed potatoes and gravy too!

For dessert, I will be making chocolate fudge, pecan nut toffee and chocolate chip cookies for my son Daniel (who was very disappointed when I didn't have time to make them on Thanksgiving!). I'm sure the traditional Pumpkin pie will be there and so will the homemade cheesecake that Chantel always makes. Yum!

We will spend our day eating, opening all our gifts and visiting with my sister and her 3 kids who are going to celebrate Christmas Eve with our family. I have a lot to be thankful for this year and I look forward to 2009 with much hope! I wish you and your family well too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Monday, December 1, 2008

New Photo of Ezra



Here is a new photo of Ezra that my sister Kristy took the other day. I had to share. He is so adorable and yes. I know I keep saying that! Oh....that hair! I need to get some new photos of the other 2 soon!

Sunday, November 16, 2008






I'm a little late on my post about our local Veteran's Day parade in Albany, Oregon on November 11, 2008. This parade is touted as the largest west of the Mississippi and I believe it! My sister Kristy, my niece McKenna and my granddaughter Emma and I braved the rain and wind to support our Veteran's and their families too. I appreciate the many sacrifice's that have been made by all of our military men and women.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

DAISY


This is Daisy. She is my 19 year old son Daniel's dog. We rescued her from the county dog control about a year and a half ago. This is a pound that puts animals to sleep after a certain number of days. I can't call it a "shelter" because they euthanize animals there. I guess I'm using the old fashioned term for what we now call shelters. And that's why we chose to look there first. Daniel had wanted a black lab and there were several there all excitedly vying for our attention. I don't think Daniel saw any that called to him. In the last dog run we noticed a very familiar looking dog that was jumping on the chain link gate and barking. We saw the then nameless "Daisy" and she looked exactly like our old dog Red that had died about a year earlier. Daniel asked if we could get Daisy instead of a black lab. I told him it was up to him. I didn't mind because I never had a preference about the breed he would choose. We went inside and told the officer that we were interested in her and they gave us some more information . Daisy had been a stray that was found wandering the streets in a nearby town. She appeared to be well fed and we found out after we got her home that she was house trained too. Yay! Her age was estimated to be 1 year old. When we "met" her outside of her cage I wasn't so sure it was a good idea because she was such a "hyper" dog. She jumped all over us, scratched up our arms and just about knocked us down. We adopted her anyway...hoping that she would eventually calm down. She ran away within a few minutes of getting home (into a field across the street) and thankfully a nice UPS driver helped us catch her. It took a few weeks but Daisy did calm down and now rivals all the love and affection we had for Red. We love and still miss Red to this day but Daisy's been a great dog. Daniel loves her so much and treats her as if she was his baby. She's a very loving dog who likes nothing better than to crawl into your lap. She's a playful and fun dog and she's very gentle with the grandkids too. She likes to steal a kiss or two when she can!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Nepotism









I'm so proud of my daughter Kristina and her etsy shop DreamState that she just opened on September 11, 2008. She loves to sew and create. She is also a great photographer. She has made some amazing reversible aprons and bags. She sold 3 in the first few days of adding them to her shop. All she wants for Christmas is a commercial/industrial sewing machine so she can make more of her special creations! Please check out her shop!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Soon To Be Added To My Etsy Shop










Here are a few of the pieces of vintage jewelry that I'll be adding to my shop this week. I have so much more to list! Please visit my shop and see what treasures I have!

Ezra's FIRST Halloween


Here is Ezra on Oct 30. He is so adorable! He has the cutest smile........

Saturday, November 1, 2008

I Love Autumn


I've been busy with family lately and spending more time with them. I put my etsy shop on the back burner for the past few weeks even though I've still had a few sales a week. I just felt a little bit overwhelmed with home ,family and business obligations. I spent some time helping my sister move, babysitting my nephew one day and the grandkids a few times a week. We all got together for a family birthday at a restaurant the other day and had a good time. I've just been taking it easy. Today, I went outside to take some photos of jewelry for my etsy shop and noticed how pretty the fall colors were so I took a few photos....

Friday, October 24, 2008

Grandchildren Collage!



I'm planning an update soon! Here is a newer photo of baby Ezra and a collage I made of all three of the grandkids until then......See you soon! Kitty

Friday, September 12, 2008

New Pendants and More....







Here are a few of the things I've been working on for one of my other etsy shops: vintagelife
I really enjoy making this jewelry. I try to be unique and offer something a little different than the norm. I have about 60 more pendants in varying stages of completion. I love making the rings too. I usually try to make my rings with vintage bits and pieces of broken jewelry but I bought a lot of czech glass buttons so I am incorporating them too! Trying to get them all listed before Christmas will be the true challenge. I am trying to stock up on all my shipping supplies so I don't run out! I think most of my profits from all 3 shops have gone right back in to buy more supplies so I can be fully stocked for the holidays! If you get a chance please visit my handmade shop!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Curb Appeal...sort of.


Here is the photo I promised of my little "curb appeal" project from last weekend. This corner had a huge rhododendron and a very old yellow climbing rose that had outlived it's time in my garden. There was some very stubborn ivy hiding under the rhodie too! It really didn't take much time to do all the work.... which always leads me to wonder why I tend to avoid it! It looks so much better than before and I no longer have to wonder who may be hiding in those bushes! It was very creepy when the rose hips would scrape across the window too! I need to stay motivated to do the rest of the yard before all the good weather is gone! As all the summer flowers die down over the next month or so I will be replacing them with assorted colored Mums....oranges, reds, yellows and browns. I love autumn so will probably have lots of appropriate decor in my yard. I love to decorate with pumpkins, gourds and flowers. Okay, I will post a pic of that too when it happens!

My Latest Etsy Shop Additions...





Here are a few of the things I added to my etsy shop today. I've been promising to add more vintage compacts,cosmetic and vanity items and I finally got the chance today. Etsy is having a search "hiccup" tonight or I would still be adding to my shop so I thought I'd come here and at least stay somewhat productive! I've been taking lots of photos and trying to get the motivation to add more to my shop before the Sunday Vintage Market on August 31. I am having a contest/giveaway during the sale. I will be giving away 3 pieces of vintage costume jewelry from my shop. Please check out my shop announcement for all the details. I hope you'll come check it out on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. pacific time. Thanks for reading!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Suttle Lake Flowers In The Morning



I took these photos just as we were packing up and leaving our camp site at Suttle Lake,Oregon: Link Creek Campground, Space 20. The flowers looked so pretty in the morning light that I had to get some photos before we left! I'm not sure what they are but I like them!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

I finally did it....I quit my day job!
























Well, I finally did it! My last day at work was the night of August 13. I thought it would take me some time to get back on a normal sleeping schedule but it happened the next day! I've been busy with family and haven't been spending as much time working on my etsy shops as I thought I would. That needs to change! It seems like everything that could go wrong has lately so my "extra" money has been dwindling fast! So, I need to get on the ball and get some work done and add more to all 3 of my etsy shops! Hopefully sales will pick up soon. It's been quiet but I always do best when I continually add to my shop and I haven't been doing that.....

I feel so much better not working right now. I'm not tired anymore! We took a 3 day camping trip to Suttle Lake, Oregon (near Sisters) the morning after my last night of work which explains how I got right on track with my sleeping schedule! We had a good time sitting IN the lake with the canopy over us because it was so hot...over 100 degrees. The whole family got to go this time so it was nice spending time with my 2 younger kids who live up in Portland. I don't see them as much as I'd like to and they are very fun to be around! It took us 4 hours to find a camping spot which wasn't so much fun and I think we got the last one at Suttle Lake! We took our boat and our new towable and had fun taking the kids on rides around the lake. Got lots of photos of all the excitement! We slept in tents.... the old fashioned way! But can't live without the air mattress! My neck still hurts WITH the air mattress and we could NEVER get comfortable enough! We wanted to buy a trailer for more comfort but know it won't get much use so why bother? Still thinking about it though...


I've been having FUN cleaning my house and decluttering too! Imagine housework being fun....or enjoyable. I guess I feel a sense of accomplishment that I haven't had for over 2 years...since I started working nights and I guess that's my idea of fun for now. I love my house and spending time at home so I like it to be enjoyable to be here. My laundry is caught up, my entry closet is clean and organized-shoes all in a row, my kitchen cabinets and drawers are clean, my refrigerator and freezer too! I spent several hours this morning gardening in my very neglected front yard and got rid of some very overgrown bushes and plants. What a difference it made too! It was like the Curb Appeal show! I made a very overgrown corner into a cozy seating spot with a wooden bench and lots of potted plants. Too bad I won't have any "before" photos. I will post an "after" photo later! Wow, what an exciting blog post! Sorry, I'm excited about the smallest things now.


It just feels good to have a life. I babysat all 3 of the grandkids this week. I love them all so much. It's fun getting to see them more often and being awake and coherent for it. I will post a few new photos of them here today. Might take them to the park next week if the weather cooperates and have lunch...Emma's special request so it must be done!

Well, I need to get back to working on etsy so please check out my shop if you get a chance. I am offering free shipping right now until Sept. 1. I'm participating in a 24 hour vintage sale starting 10 am Aug. 31 to 10 am Sept. 1. It's called the Vintage Market and may be a monthly thing with many of the vintage sellers on etsy. Lots of good deals and some freebies too! I will post about any giveaways that I'm going to do in the next few days.

I will try to post more often as I get used to a schedule! I will try to have less mundane topics too!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

My Mini Vacation!
























What a fast but fun 2 day mini vacation it was! It was myself, my daughter Chantel, granddaughter Emma and her friend Jordan on an all-girl trip! Woo Hoo! We needed to deliver the little girls to bible camp by 4 pm on Monday. We left around noon on Sunday so we would have some extra time to do something fun and spend the night. We had no idea what we were going to do or where but that was part of the fun.
As usual there were problems along the way! I had just gotten my brakes done a few days earlier and they were working fine until we left! We had just gotten a few miles out of town and had noticed a strange smell but had no idea it was coming from my car! I stopped for gas (good thing)and the inside of my drivers side wheel was SMOKING! It was so hot I thought it was going to burst into flames. I called my husband, who was at the Oregon coast and had just finished crabbing on our boat. He told me to go to his friends house which was probably another 5 miles north of the gas station and he would try to help us. So, off we went, hoping that the problem could be fixed...fast....and that we could get on our way!

His friends name is Bob Barker..no..I'm not kidding! He has a shop and he figured out the problem(brake caliper), got the part, fixed it and sent us on our way within an hour or so. Thank You, BOB!

So, we were off on our little adventure. We headed south on Interstate 5. We had no idea what we were going to do but we finally settled on Grants Pass, Oregon which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from where we live. Along the way we stopped in Azalea and Glendale...where we used to live. We traveled the familiar roads and noticed that not much had changed in the area in the past 15 years. A few new houses here and there and that was it. Truthfully, I was happy to see that it hadn't changed much. I hope to retire there someday and I was happy to see it still had the rustic charm and old fashioned feel to the area. We took Emma into Glendale and pointed out her Mom's elementary and junior high school. She wasn't very excited by any of these things....just wanted to know how much longer until we got to Grants Pass. This area is so beautiful with lots of trees and mountains...it was nice to be somewhere different for a change! We made it into Grants Pass and started looking for a hotel. Chantel was set on staying on the Rogue River so we found a hotel downtown. Our room had a balcony overlooking the river. Very peaceful and pretty. We decided to take a jet boat ride on the river the next morning. We ate dinner at a little cafe next door that just happened to be in the same building as the ticket office for the Hellgate Jetboat Excursions. Bought our tickets for the lunch "cruise" set to leave at 9:30 am the next day.
Let's just say I had no idea what the experience on the boat would be. So we were there ready to go promptly at 9:30 a.m. We were waiting in line for the boats to line up since there were about 200 of us there. Each boat could hold up to 62 people. We had a little less than that in our boat. Emma and Jordan sat in front of us and Chantel and I sat together in the row directly behind them. We had a great driver named Rick and we rode on the Kelly Marie...all of the boats were named. There were life jackets for everyone but they weren't required. We were all warned that we could get wet along the way and told to protect our cameras.....I kept mine in a plastic bag and brought it out when it was "safe".

We took off slowly at the beginning and for the first few minutes Rick told us about the wildlife along the river and all the things we could expect to see along the way. We saw all kinds of wildlife...osprey,a bald eagle,several different kinds of duck,Canadian geese,a deer,a turtle and more I'm probably forgetting! It was a very peaceful ride but at the same time it was a very fun ride....like going to the amusement park! These boats literally float on top of the water (at 45-50 miles an hour!)so they are easy to maneuver and they like to "spin" them so you can get sprayed or doused with water. I have long hair and of course never thought to put it up or restrain it in any way. Big mistake!!! I was combing knots out of my hair all day....and there are still some hiding. If you are in the least vain...don't take this ride! I'm really not that vain and all I could keep saying was "look at my hair"!
Okay, enough about my hair. The setting for the lunch was so beautiful!They call it the OK Corral! A huge green lawn leading up to the massive log building. We had been on the boat for about an hour when we passed the location for our lunch and we went through Hellgate Canyon--it's a narrow passage with sheer rock cliffs. We turned around and went back when all the other boats arrived. We had been the first boat to leave and had to wait for the other boats to catch up to us so we could all unload at the dock at the same time. It was easier to feed us all at the same time and get us back onto the boats in an orderly fashion that way.

We had about an hour to spend eating lunch. The location is like a huge log pavilion. It is covered but open air with 3 large sections. Such a beautiful spot! We had to walk up the hill to get to it. That was not so much fun for me but I made it! There was a young girl singing live acoustic music that added to the whole experience. I can't remember her name but she was very good! Our table was set and ready for us. There were little plates of vegetables and black olives waiting. Then came the pitchers of lemonade, ice water and iced tea. Soon,they came around with a green salad, corn bread and drop biscuits(my favorite). Then it was barbecue chicken and au gratin potatoes. Dessert was a delicious Marionberry cobbler with REAL whipped cream. It was all very good!
We rode the tractor wagon back down the hill when it was time to leave because the girls wanted to take that ride too! I was fine with walking down but could have used the ride UP the hill!

We got back on the boat and headed back to Grants Pass. On the way up Rick had told us he was taking it easy on us because (according to his survey) the ladies don't like to get all wet before lunch so he promised us we'd get wetter on the way back and have some fun (he wasn't lying)! He spun the boat a few times and we rode across the wake from another jet boat a few times...basically racing them back to Grants Pass. I mostly covered my eyes and wouldn't look! I got really wet one time he spun the boat on our side. I was a little bit scared too! My pants were still wet after we got back home many hours later....from the water:)
Still, I have to recommend this to any one who will be in the area for a visit or passing through. It was a lot of fun and I think we're going to go on the dinner trip and bring the menfolk before summer is over!

We had a little time to spare before we dropped the girls off at camp so we took them on Upper Cow Creek Road east of Azalea to Galesville Reservoir and they swam for about an hour. It's very peaceful there and is still virtually unknown. It hasn't changed much since we moved but it looked like they had finally started building the camp ground we heard was going to be built over 15 years ago! It was always a great place to boat and fish when we lived nearby. I sure miss the area....so pristine and beautiful! We used to have a herd of elk that would roam through our back yard. My husband loved to hunt deer in the area. We used to fish all the time. Life was very simple then. Oh....how I miss it!
We dropped off the girls at camp in Glendale on our way home at about 4 pm. They checked in, unloaded all their stuff and moved into their cabin. Of course, Emma wanted the top bunk so Jordon got the lower bunk. Their cabin host was a teenage girl with guitar in tow so I think they'll have some fun with her. I hope they are having a good time. It's hard to leave Emma for so long! It's probably good to let go a little bit.....
Chantel and I continued home. We were both very tired but looking forward to doing it all again sometime soon.