a bag of chips

Give it away, now!

Here I am! And here is the long overdue post with the winner of the Stampin' Up! e*Scape set:

Congrats to Etta! I loved your darling card and I appreciate you taking part in the e*Scape challenge. Send me an email with your address and I'll get your goodies out to you.

Whew!

So, now that that's taken care of, let's do another give-away, shall we? It's time for me to purge my scrap supplies again and I'd love to send an outrageously large box of scrap goodness to someone. So, leave a post in the comments section below and I'll have one of my cute little assistants draw a name on Monday. (Really. I promise.)

We're not going anywhere or doing much for the 4th, just hanging out at home, eating lots of Otter Pops and chips and quacamole while smothered in sunscreen.

And what kind of post would this be without photos? Here is my friend Courtney's darling son, Spencer. His big sister, Cora, was on the cover of the Simple Scrapbooks "Album Shortcuts" special issue. They are two of the cutest kids in the world! 

Have a safe and happy 4th!

eScape.

When was the last time you sent a letter or a handmade card to someone? Well, it has been forever for this busy girl.  So when Stampin' Up! contacted me about participating in their eScape promotion, I knew it was something I had to do.

It has been an embarrassingly long time since I mailed a card to anyone. In fact, it was probably our '07 Holiday card that was the last thing I creating with paper and scissors that went out in the mail with a handwritten note. As a scrapper and as someone with a huge collection of stamps, there's no excuse for my being remiss in corresponding the old fashioned way.

And then, when my computer crapped out on Monday, seriously cramping my e-style, I got busy making some sweet little cards using the kit the kind folks at Stampin' Up! sent my way. I loved it. The reassuring thud of the stamp against the pad, the feel of smooth cardstock, the whiff of the ink pad, the ease of the scallop punch, and the satisfaction of the cute little handmade result.

 

So today, my challenge to you, my friends, is to get off the computer (gasp! the horror!) make a card, write a note, and make someone's day by sharing some thoughtfulness the old fashioned way. Pop something in the mail to an old friend, surprise a neighbor with a "thinking of you" card, make some birthday cards for the birthday boys and girls of July, but just do it. It feels good. Or why not get the kids into it and have them made cards for grandma and grandpa. (And don't forget that stamps are 42 cents now, like I did a few weeks ago.)

And, if you meet my challenge, post a link to your card creations in the comments section below and I'll enter your name in a drawing to receive the Rose Red stamp pad, the complete stamp set, pre-cut note cards in three colors, and the grossgrain ribbon. I'll pick a winner on Friday, June 27th at 9:00 pm.

Now get going!

PC stands for...

Pathetic Crap

Piece (of) Caca

Poorly Created

Problems Constantly

And I'm sure there are many others. But let's get into why I'm talking about what PC stands for. I go to bed last night. I wake up this morning and my hugely Problematic Computer won't start. Shit. (Sorry, mom.) Not a sound, nary a blinking light, no indication whatsoever that my day is starting off well. 

Double shit. (Oooops.)

I unplug and re-plug my computer and try, ever so impatiently, to get the stupid thing started. No luck. So I call my husband and ask him, in a rather accusatory tone of voice, if he has any idea why my computer isn't working.  Then when he sweetly denies any wrong-doing, I know that I have officially woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I have photos to edit, emails to send, contracts to prepare and websites to browse. I try calling Geek Squad only to be told that the problem is something that requires me to bring my CPU to Best Buy, my fourth-to-least favorite place to be after Chuck E. Cheese, the gynocologist's office and the dentist. Hmmm.

Then I wonder if maybe my dead Dell PC is under warranty. So, with little hope for a stroke of luck, I get online using my husband's computer and head over to Dell.com to see what might be done. And, lo and behold, after a pleasant chat with Saul, the technical support chat guy, and confirmation that my mother board and power source need replacing, he tells me that he is ordering these parts and that a tech will come to my home and replace the parts and repair my computer, all under warranty. He also gently reassures me that my data should be fine. (Enter the low, sweet sound of angels here.) My day may not be so shot afterall.

And while I'm hopeful he wasn't just blowing smoke up my backside about my (mostly backed-up) data and that I have a teeny tiny chance of actually having my computer repaired by the end of the week, I'm very glad for the warranty and for Saul's chipper chat style, typos, smiley faces and all.

And, over lunch, after recapping for my husband what's going on with my computer, and without any prompting or subtle telepathic hints on my part whatsoever, my darling suggests that perhaps this is another step toward the Mac I've been torturing begging asking him for. I love my man. Let's just hope this recent PC smackdown lands me and his MasterCard in an Apple store really, really soon. Or I'm going to go Perfectly Crazy really, really soon.

So, in a nutshell, dear friends, here are the lessons to be learned:  Extend those warranties on your computers, back-up your data, telepathy DOES work, and don't hesitate to use four-letter words when their use is pefectly justified. Amen.

More later.

(This post is brought to you via Tina's husband's working PC. Just in case you were wondering.)

Crazy busy weekend.

Starting this week, our girlies will be sharing a room. YIKES. I don't know how this new arrangement is going to work out with a 4-year-old and her 20-month-old VERY ACTIVE baby sister in twin beds in one room. We're keeping Nadia's crib handy for a while, just in case she's not quite ready for a big-girl bed yet.

So last week we started moving furnture around and turning Nadia's room back into a guest bedroom. That room went from a minty/sagey green to a nice cafe latte color. Very grown up. And Makena's room, which will now be The Girls' Room, is a lovely shade of Pepto Bismol. We purchased two of these beds from IKEA, new bedding and some closet storage stuff. Our house is total chaos right now as we wrap up this project, and both of us are quite sleep deprived after having both girls in our room for almost a week.

But, hopefully, prayerfully, our two princesses will like their new room and the new arrangement and all will be cute and perfect and pink. LOTS of pink.

And, yes, just in case you noticed, Makena got a haircut. It's short and sassy and perfect on her. She didn't like it at first but now she sure appreciates that a lot less time is spent on her do.

I'll post a photo of the girls' room once it's a done and put together. I can't wait to see them in it!

Carpinteria.

My favorite little California beach town was our home this past weekend. We were celebrating Father's Day and the end of the school year with a family four-day weekend. I headed up with Nadia in the Odyssey Friday morning, and Chris and The Bigs came up on the train in time for dinner.

Despite arriving on the doorstep of the beach house without my key after driving for four hours with a particularly grumpy girlie, we had a great weekend. Collected lots of shells and rocks in a bucket and the kids collected lots of sand in their swimsuits while surfing on their boogie boards. We had a fun dinner with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Leslie at their sweet little love shack in Santa Barbara on Saturday night and got the Grand Tour of their killer little garden, alive with tomatoes, squash, strawberries, grean beans, eggplants, ladybugs, and a baby avocado tree.  Then for Father's Day we had a pretty laid-back day and wrapped things up with a sushi dinner in town and an ice cream from the local creamery.

While everyone was napping on Sunday afternoon, I sneaked out for a walk around town and photographed some of my favorite spots:

Well, this one is actually a new favorite spot, full of antiques, off-the-wall collectables and gifts, and vintage clothing, including a pristine pair of Farragamos that if my feet weren't the size of bread boxes I'd consider buying. What caught my eye about this place was this lady:

I loved the strategically placed flowers and the ruffly skirt thingy.

This is the place I always head to first. And the coolest news about this place is now there are two Whimsy stores in town. Full of antiques and collectibles (old cameras and signage, quilts and repurposed old stuff are my favorites) and other fun things, this store takes an hour to look through. At least. And the guy running the shop on this day doesn't own a computer nor does he have a cell phone. I love that he works in an antique store.

Another must-see is Hollyhock Cottage. Quaint, charming and oh-so-cute, this boutique features so many great handmade and one-of-a-kind things, including a cute little baby room in the back full of the delightful but really over-priced things that you just can't live without. The owners are really sweet and the place is always immaculate and perfectly landscaped. I dream of living in a house just like this one in the hills near Cambria.

And although Carpinteria itself isn't known for its killer waves, a California coastal town wouldn't be the same without a surf shop. The outside of this one is so colorful and fun, and inside houses what must be the largest collection of flipflops on the West Coast.

This "spot" is the main dining attraction during the day and has been for years. It's an awesome little burger joint with a cult-like following, and it's fun to see the line forming on the sidewalk at lunchtime, sometimes 20 people deep in summertime. This place is as good as fast food gets in this sleepy, quaint little town.

And here is my sweet Uncle and his honey in front of their darling house in Santa Barbara. These two were sweethearts in college (I have seen photos of her and me from the wee early 1970's) and met again a few years ago after they both found themselves in the middle of divorces. They are so cute together. 

And, in honor of Father's Day, I profess to the world my love for my husband, the amazing father of our children, the man who does dishes and laundry and keeps the beds made, makes pancakes on weekends and bakes the best breads and cookies this side of Martha Stewart. You are more than I ever dreamed a husband and father would be. You have my heart, always and forever.

To my own daddy, up in Heaven. I miss you still, I'll love you for always.

And to Tim, the greatest step-dad there ever was. Thanks for loving us as your own, and for loving my mother so well.

I scrapped!

 

Oh, my lovely girlie. My lovely girlie who is so totally not a baby anymore. And my big baby, Mr. Aidan himself did beautifully in his "Moving On" program today at his school. I'll post photos from the program in a day or two. 

Next up for Aidan - Kindergarten. And it's going to take all summer long to wrap my mind around that one.

Happiness is...

...a piggy necklace

...a walk with a beautiful girl

...goofy, silly boys drunk on popsicles and birthday cake

What is happiness to you?

Sweet and Simple

Did you know that the staff and editorial board members at Simple Scrapbooks were hosting scrapbook and photography retreats at Sweetwater each month for through October? And guess what? I'll be there in July with the lovely Margaret Scrabrough.

And I also wanted to share that the new July/August issue of Simple Scrapbooks features "bucket" layouts done by me! I'm so excited to get see this issue in person. I'll be hunting one (or six) down this weekend when it (hopefully) hits my local newsstands and scrapbook stores.

Aunt Doni.

My mom has a friend named Donair. They're the exact same age, they share a birthday, and they've known each other since they were 12 years old. That means Donair has some major dirt on my mom. Hmmm. I'll have to revisit that later...

Donair, or Aunt Doni as I've called her since I was old enough to talk, is one of those people who have blurred the line between family and friend. She's as much a fixture in my life as any one of my mother's brothers and sisters. My memories of her go as far back as I can remember, way back to when she had really long hair and a cool pad in Brentwood.

Last year, at about this time, Donair was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. She's had more rounds of chemo than I can keep up with, and she had surgery last September to remove "all the bad stuff." And while her doctors say her chances of surviving the next five years is about 20%, her attitude seems to indicate she'll live to see her 110th birthday. This woman has a better attitude and a more positive outlook than some of the healthiest people I know. Donair seems determined to view her cancer as a life sentence rather than a death sentence, living each day with all her heart and soul. I'm inspired and encouraged by how she is choosing to live her life to the fullest, no matter how long that is.

In April Donair came down with my mom for a visit. And within minutes of their arrival, Donair and I headed out to Balboa Park for a photo shoot. I'd never seen her look more beautiful. I especially love that last one of her, showing off her darling head of new hair. Eat your heart out, Jamie Lee Curtis.

 

Sick as a dog.

Yep that's me, looking and sounding like death warmed over. And it's a sick tri-fecta. A cold, my monthly "flu" and my back is out. I need hugs and chicken noodle soup. And a fresh bottle of Nyquil.

So, before I blow snot all over my keyboard, I'm signing out for the weekend and leaving you with this photo of Miss Makena. Inspired by the incredible Dina Marie (who photographed my girls on Sunday - see a few of them here) and these fabulous photos by Tara, I took this in a field near my house.

Oh, how I love this girl.

 

 

(camera info: Canon 5D, lens 24/70L @ 5.6, ISO 250, SS 1/250, portrait mode, outdoors, natural light, cloudy, auto WB)