The Life of a Tree

M-I-C-K-E-Y...

2012-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

M-O-U-S-E!

It's Alphabe-Thursday at Jenny's Off on my Tangent. Today we're learning about the letter "M". Had you already guessed that?

Since we are Disney lovers in our house, what better way to play the alphabet game on "M" day than to talk about THE mouse himself.

MICKEY.

Our favorite place to see Mickey Mouse is at Disneyland.

Here are Taylor, Haley, Jenny & Zac in front of Mickey at Disneyland. {2002}

Here are ALL the kids (Joey included) with Mickey at Disneyland in 2003.

Me & my good friend, Pam in front of Mickey at Disneyland. {May 2005}

Disneyland was celbrating 50 years!

"Mickey" celebrating 50 years in New Orleans Square.

Joey, Jenny, Mickey & Haley {2005}

Haley wearing her new Mickey ears {2009}

Haley's Mickey hair {2011}

The 7 'Trees in Mickey shirts {2011}

"I only hope we never lose sight of one thing - It was all started by a mouse."

"Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought - sometimes it isn't much, either."

-Walt Disney

For more fun with the letter "M" be sure to check out Alphabe-Thursday.

It's my Birthday!

2012-02-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

Yep, 42 years ago today, I was born. Yep, I just told you my age. 42. What? It's just a number.

One of the kids told Mike he should let me sleep in and not have to get the kids all ready for school. Then I reminded him I CAN'T sleep in! I just can't do it. So, I'll get up, but I won't have to get myself or the kids ready to walk out the door. I can just sit back and watch. :) Maybe even have my cup of coffee.

Later Mike and I will go out to lunch. Maybe I'll go shopping. Later the kids are making dinner and I get to open presents and have cake!

While I wait, I thought I'd make a list. Like so many other people do on their blogs. How about a list of...

*42 Things I want to do Before my Next Birthday*

I know. It's been done before, but this is more for me than for you. I just thought if I put it out there for all the world to see, I might actually get some of it done. So here, in no particular order, are the 42 things I want to do before February 10, 2013.

1. Move to another state.

2. Buy a house.

3. Plant a garden.

4. Read more.

5. Practice piano.

6. Exercise.

7. Paint a room - or two.

8. Ride my bike more.

9. Send Zac (and later Taylor) snail mail at college.

10. Bake bread often.

11. Try at least one new recipe every week.

12. Read my Bible.

13. Get my hair cut.

14. Post more on my blog.

15. Get my nails done.

16. Paint something in the new house (that we have yet to buy) with chalkboard paint.

17. Eat more vegetables. (I like them, I just don't eat them as often as I should.)

18. Buy some boots.

19. Laugh.

20. Play more games with the kids.

21. Do more puzzles.

22. Make new friends.

23. Lose some weight.

24. Have a family picture taken before both big kids go off to college in the fall.

25. Scrapbook more.

26. Sew a lot.

27. Decorate our bedroom.

28. Make a quilt.

29. Keep in touch with old friends.

30. Travel more.

31. Go to the beach.

32. Take a class.

33. Do more Random Acts of Kindness

{This is a great blog!}

34. Share.

35. Craft more with the girls.

36. Teach the kids to cook.

37. Get outside.

38. Be nice.

39. Take more pictures.

40. Have more pictures taken of me.

41. Take time away from the computer.

42. Go camping.

And there you have it. 42 things.

Happy Birthday to me.

a Little thunder

2012-02-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

Thursday's weather forecast calls for PM Thunderstorms. We haven't had rain in a while, so that will be nice.

But, that's not the kind of thunder this post is about.

I'm talking about a website called ALittleThunder.org.

A Little Thunder is a blog created by my good friends, Pam & Ryan Bryson.

We've been friends for a long time. When we met they had two children. (The same age as two of ours.)

We've known them since my Joey & their Annie (now both 9) were itty bitty.

{Chad & my Haley}

In 2005 we said goodbye as their family left the states for England.

Our family then headed to Italy and there were lots of visits to each other's homes while we were overseas.

We watched, sadly, as they struggled to have another child. In November of 2008, Eastyn was born.

They came back to the states and we followed shortly after.

{Brysons and Roundtrees in 2010}

**************************************

On March 4 of last year, Isaac Thor Bryson, was born still at 20 weeks 5 days. Pam & Ryan have established an organization in memory of Isaac.

Even though his sweet little spirit was only here on earth for a short 20 weeks, it is their hope that A Little Thunder will allow his memory and life to live on for many years to come.

Their organization will donate Comfort Boxes to families at The University of Kansas Hospital (KUMED), where Isaac was born. They are doing a wonderful thing for other families going through the same thing they did.

Please visit their blog to read about the Bryson family and about sweet Isaac.

Read more about the Comfort Boxes they're giving away and find out how you can help them along in their journey.

Alphabe-Thursday

It's Groundhog Day!

2012-02-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

Posted at 07:25 AM ET, 02/02/2012

Groundhog Day 2012: Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, 6 more weeks of winter
By Jason Samenow
Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. (Groundhog.org) At 7:25 a.m. this morning, amidst mostly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the low 30s, Groundhog Phil saw his shadow in the little town of Punxsutawney, Pa...read more here.

We're not feeling well in our house today. I think we'll just laze around and watch the movie Groundhog Day over and over and over and over and over...

You put WHAT in these brownies?

2012-01-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was reading about "Power Foods" in my February issue of Better Homes & Gardens. This was a list of foods that are good for the heart. One of the foods on the list -

BLACK BEANS.

It said you can put them in BROWNIES in place of eggs and oil. I knew you could replace these things with applesauce, but BLACK BEANS? Who comes up with this stuff?

Well, we had to try it. And you know what? Sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, they are NOT that bad!

Yes, WalMart's Great Value brand. I know. But they were cheap and I didn't want to be spending much if I was going to have to throw these things away!

Drain and rinse the beans,

then puree with 1/4 cup water.

Pour in the brownie mix.

Stir in water.

Pour brownie batter in pan and bake as directed.

Allow to cool, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

The texture is a bit different, but they are still sweet and chocolatey.

In-N-Out Burger & a Quick Trip to Tucson

2012-01-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend in Tucson.

It's just 5 hours away, so not too bad a drive.

We got to spend a day with our good friend, Amy, and her kids that we knew in Italy. (They were visiting Tucson too.) We took the kids to the zoo.

Amy & I wanted our picture taken together - Mike thought it would be funny if we stood under the WARTY PIG sign! (I guess we thought it would be funny too, or we wouldn't have done it!)

I didn't get any pictures this time, but we had lunch at In-N-Out Burger. Have you EVER had lunch at In-N-Out? It is SO delicious! You used to find them only in California, but they have ventured into Arizona, Nevada, Utah and even Texas (completely skipping over New Mexico!). If you have one nearby, you MUST try it! My favorite is a Double Double. This is me (my hand & my Double Double) as Zac & I were leaving Tucson last January.

Here's the In-N-Out menu at an In-N-Out in California last March.

**In-N-Out WAS a highlight of our trip to Tucson, but not THE highlight. I'm just trying to join in Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday and the letter for the day is I.**

After lunch, we took the kids to the park, Mike & Joey got to watch a football game back at the hotel -we don't have tv at home, so this was probably a highlight for Mike. :) The girls and I met up with our friends later for dinner, shopping and coffee. It was SO great to see them - I wish we could get together more often.

Sunday was spent with my aunt, uncle and cousins. We had a GREAT time & were so glad we got to see them all. We ate out, toured their homes, discovered old Legos and found a great new dessert. U-Swirl. Frozen yogurt (and toppings) by the ounce. Yum!

Monday was our last day in Tucson. We hit Costco, Cheesecake Factory and...the Wonderbread store. I bought Hostess Raspberry filled donuts. Does anyone else like these, or is it just me? I love those things and I can never find them anywhere! I bought the last 3 boxes and I'm sure they'll be gone in no time!

We made a quick stop in Bowie, AZ on our way home. We kept seeing signs for "REALLY GOOD FRESH JERKY" and we just happened to stop at the place selling the REALLY GOOD JERKY. You know what? It was REALLY GOOD JERKY! I wish we would have bought more. If you ever travel along I-10 and happen to notice signs for Bowie, AZ, you must stop at the Shell station on the north side of the freeway for some of Dwayne's REALLY GOOD FRESH JERKY. (I just found his website - Looks like you can buy it online)

Be sure to check out Jenny's blog for more Alphabe-Thursday.

Goodbye

2012-01-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye...

Saturday Mike and our oldest daughter are flying Zac to college.

He'll be in a completely different state. Far far away.

I'm excited for him. I'm excited about getting to visit out that way.
But I don't want to say Goodbye.

We'll sure miss him around here.

**It's Saturday as I finish this post, but for more on the letter G, go see Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday.

2011 Favorites

2011-12-31T00:27:00.000-08:00

CRAFTS

Disneyland inspired subway art

FOOD

FUN

Meeting online friends

LIFE

Let's Go Caroling

2011-12-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

I'm borrowing this idea from Sara's Art blog - I hope she doesn't mind! Here's a look back at our December through Christmas Carols.

The Friendly Beasts

Taylor made these pillows and "ugly dolls" for her little brother and sisters. We saw ONE "doll" in the store for $10 - She spent less than $5 on fabric for all of them! Go Taylor!

Angels We Have Heard on High

First Snow Day.

I Wonder as I Wander

Cookie loved the snow!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Trying to figure out where the kids should stand for a family photo.

What Child is This

Joey wrapped up in the box our new Keurig came in.

Winter Wonderland

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

I don't know what Joey is doing, but he wishes you a Merry Christmas too!

Paper Mama Holiday Photo Challenge 2011

2011-12-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Paper Mama is hosting a 2011 Holiday Photo Challenge. I thought I'd join in the fun and share some of our pictures. We had a little family photo session last night. It was, um, tons of fun! Yep, that's right. Seven people and one dog.
TONS. of. fun.

I did have lots of fun playing with the photos on Picnik.com. Here are a few to share with you. I'll let you know at the end of this post, which one we chose. If you receive one in the mail, act surprised!

And last but not least...Our choice for 2011...

For more Holiday photo fun, check out The Paper Mama's 2011 Challenge!

Oh Christmas Trees....

2011-12-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

We have 5 Christmas Trees in our house. I would love to have more, but we barely have room for these. I would love to have space in the kitchen someday for a tree, but for now, the 5 will do.

Here is our main tree, in the living room. I really do hate it. It takes an hour to put it together! There is no theme. We just take every ornament we can find and hang it on the tree.

Here are the 3 little trees. Taylor wanted the strands of gold beads on them and I put a few of the smaller ornaments on. I'll try to be a little more organized about it next year.

(Please ignore the strand of beads that's falling off and the messed up skirt. The snowman/tree get kicked just about every time someone walks down the hall!)

Here's the $3.00 garage sale tree in front of the family room fire place.

This one was the most fun to decorate. I love how it turned out with the red & white candy.

Linking to:

Craft-O-Maniac's Monday Link Party - Christmas Tree edition

Holiday Housewalk Party

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, grandma!

We love and miss you very much! Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you today!

Snowy Day

2011-12-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

It snowed Monday. Again. In the desert that is Southern New Mexico. The kids came home early.

Their 2 hour delay Tuesday turned into no school.

They had a 2 hour delay on Wednesday.

They finally went back to school today for a full day. I think they were sad.

Haley, Jenny & Joey had a blast with Zac on Monday.

They're ready for more!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

We'll be spending Thanksgiving at home (just the 7 of us) for the first time in a long time this year. In the past several years we've had Thanksgiving at friends' (2005).

We've had friends come to our home.

2006

2007

We spent Thanksgiving at a castle in Austria with my parents.

2008

We spent Thanksgiving with our church family.

2009

Last year it was the 7 of us and many other random people at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri.

2010

This year we'll celebrate at home in a little town in New Mexico. Our pastor (from Italy) and dear friend shared this verse in a devotional this morning:

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

We are so thankful for all our friends and family and wish we could be celebrating with you all today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Linking up to Alphabe-Thursday.

Country Cozy Christmas Tree

2011-11-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday and that can me only one thing. No, wait. Two things.

It's Alphabe-Thursday over at Jenny Matlock Off On My Tangent and

Thrifty Thursday at Inspired By Charm.

I missed the last couple Thursdays of Alphabe-Thursday, so today we're on the Letter C.

C for Christmas tree! I bought this 6 foot pre lit Christmas tree at a garage sale for $3.00 and had no idea at the time what I'd do with it. I searched through magazines, Google and Pinterest trying to figure out how I could fit a sort of modern looking tree into my sort of country decor. Then I found this Better Homes & Gardens Basket at Walmart and I remembered the scented pinecones I'd bought and I wondered if I could get the tree to sit in the basket, then fill it with pine cones.

Over the weekend Taylor and I stopped at a little thrift store and found more pine cones. They were only $1.50, so I bought them to fill in the gaps in the basket.

We found a bag of little red and white ornaments that reminded me of peppermint candies. I thought they would look cute on the tree, but I needed more "candy"!

I stopped in WalMart and found a couple more candy ornaments for just 97 cents a piece, so I bought a few of those.

I bought two boxes of candy canes for just 98 cents each and added those to the tree.

I think I'll hit up the other "Mart" in town today and see if they have any candy ornaments! You can never have too much candy! Until then, here's how my

Thrifty Country Cozy Christmas Tree looks. I can't wait to get out the rest of the Christmas decor!

Wednesday Whine

2011-11-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

Wearing real shoes with pajama pants does not make them real pants. Just as wearing slippers with real pants does not make them real shoes.

11/11/11

2011-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up to Dear Lizzy's 11/11/11 photo challenge today.

Where were you at 11:11 on 11/11/11?? Mike and I were about to go in and see a movie when I realized it was 11:11. I said, "Hey, we have to take a picture to mark the occasion!" He thought I was weird, but did it anyway. :)

{Retire from the Air Force = Grow facial hair!}

Thrifty Sign

2011-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

It's time again for Thrifty Thursday over at Inspired by Charm.

I'd been wanting to change up the wall in the dining room for a while.

I kept finding things on Pinterest and elsewhere on the internet and finally decided to make a sign and add some pictures.

{click picture for source}

I had the perfect piece of wood in the garage. It had been the back of the bed frame Taylor and I bought at Goodwill for her to use in her room.

Now to decide what I wanted the sign to say. Hmm. How about "Sit down and shut up"? I could have a big ampersand in the middle. What? Oh, that'd be rude? How about "Sit down and EAT up"?

That's what I went with. I painted the board red and got out my Cricut to cut the letters. I was going to add arrows (one pointing down, one pointing up), but I couldn't get the size right so I left them off.

Now to figure out what to put in the frames. I had these, but I don't like the colors. (The "Over the Hill" was back from Mike's birthday.)

I put these in for Halloween.

I'll probably go with something like this for Thanksgiving,

Then something for Christmas.

This will give me till January to figure out what to put in there for the rest of the year! :)

Anybody Need a Good Laugh?

2011-11-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

You can see more here. I have tears in my eyes - These are such great pictures!

I love Basset Hounds! This is our dog, Cookie. In the girls' sweatshirt.

Thrifty Embroidery Hoops

2011-11-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm joining Inspired by Charm's Thrift Thursday again.

I've been collecting old embroidery hoops from thrift stores for a while now.

I started with about 6. Now I have 22 and I'd like more. I'm not in LOVE with the placement, but moving them around means putting even MORE holes in the wall. I went with a red, black & white theme since that's what I have through most of the house. I'd like to add another color in somewhere - maybe some aqua or yellow or ??

The empty ones are just empty till I find more fabric.

On three of them I just wrapped fabric around the outside edge and put a couple ribbons across the hoop. I usually attach pictures to these with tiny clothes pins.

Remember the bench from last week?? We finished it yesterday. It's out front for now, but we'll probably move it to the back patio till we get a house with a nice big front porch!

Be sure to go visit Inspired by Charm's Thrifty Thursday.

Never Jump into a Pile of Leaves with a Wet Sucker.

2011-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Anybody else watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?? We hadn't seen it in years. I don't know if the kids had ever seen it. We bought it the other day and have watched it 2 or 3 times already. I love it when Linus jumps into the pile of leaves Charlie Brown just raked.

We don't have any leaves to jump into, but we did have some pretty cool costumes last night!

It's been a long time since the kids have gone trick-or-treating in America. They haven't gone at all for a couple of years. Last night we just had to do it. Especially after hearing people in our neighborhood give out whole candy bars.

Before heading out, we had dinner, buffet style...including this Jello brain!

Taylor had some friends over and they all went Trick-Or-Treating. I wasn't sure how well that would go over - a bunch of teenagers trick-or-treating. They all dressed up though and everyone seemed to love them! Especially the BOY dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz!! Taylor went as Super Bum - complete with a "Will Work for Candy" sign. I could not believe the amount of candy they came home with. They even got a quarter and a nickel!

Compared to the other teenagers we saw in the neighborhood, no wonder people loved these kids!

Haley decided a while back that she wanted to be a washing machine. While trying to think of something for Jenny and Joey, we thought they could go as a "family". Here are the laundry kids:

It was so much fun making their costumes.

Joey really was happy, he just REALLY wanted to get out there and Trick-Or-Treat!

We only went around our little block, but they came home with a ton of candy. And someone really did hand out WHOLE candy bars. They even gave the kids one to give Mike and I because we looked so "cute"....

Bum Daddy & Mommy-who-doesn't-have-time-to-get-dressed-cuz-she-can't-keep-up-with-the-laundry.

Here they are with their stash. I kept teasing them about going through it when they were at school, but they didn't like that idea!

Linking up to

The St. Jude's Bazaar was a Bust

2011-10-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

I decided since I had to be up early to get Taylor to school for Cross Country, that I'd go get a coffee after dropping her off (& read my new magazine, FOLK!), then head over to the St. Jude's Bazaar.

I went to the Olive Branch for my Pumpkin Spice Latte fix and read through some of my magazine before heading to the bazaar.

It was nice to be out alone (And nobody in town was out and about yet, so I really did feel alone!), but the bazaar was kind of a bust. There were about 6 tables of crocheted doilies, handsewn trash bags, casserole carriers, rag quilts and potato bags. (Seriously.) There were also about 3 tables of used books...Then another table of boxes full of books. One of the ladies working the bazaar told me, "Those are the 'trashy' ones...but we're gonna sell them anyway!" On my way out I did get to try a piece of peanut butter fudge, so it was not a wasted trip!

Joey and I had better luck shopping at the King's Treasure thrift store last month. We found a few little things, then I spotted this Ethan Allen headboard for just $5. I've always wanted to make a headboard bench, so for $5 I couldn't pass it up!

It was painted white and someone had slopped on some stain in a sad attempt at distressing, but other than that and a little dirt, it was in great shape.

Mike and I went to Home Depot last week and bought what we needed to get started. I think this might be the first thing we've built together - The first thing that didn't come out of a box, that is!

I saw this bench online, so this is kind of what we've been thinking. We don't have as much room for a saying as on this bench, but I plan to put something on the top. I just have to think of something!

We talked about paint color. I suggested aqua, since I have a bunch left over from other projects. I quickly heard a big NO to that. We planned on going with white, but I didn't feel like paying for new paint. I remembered the "oops" paint I'd used on Joey's dresser, so we went with that. I wasn't sure about the color at first, but it's growing on me.

Everything is going well so far. Even Joey came out to help a little.

Here's proof that I helped with the building of the bench.

I'd love to have something different for the front legs, but for now, we're going with these 2x2's. They were cheap and just the right size.

I got it painted, then sanded it all over and put some stain anywhere the bare wood showed through.

We're staining the boards for the seat a dark color.

And this is where I leave you! It's actually too cold to paint right now, so we have to wait to finish it.

The kids' Halloween costumes are coming along great though!

And, did you know that you can make Butterfingers candy bars with Candy Corn?! (I would recommend Brach's though, vs. the icky store brand.)

Linking up to Inspired by Charm's Thrifty Thursday.

Costumes from Halloweens Past

2011-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've still got costumes to make for this year, but thought I'd show you what the kids have dressed up as in year's past.

2000

I made these M&M costumes for Zac and Taylor when they were little. We've got good use out of them!!

2002

Three little duckies.

2003

Little Scare Crow

Sunflower & Crow.

Mime.

2004

Clifford the Big Red Dog, Emily Elizabeth & Blue M&M.

Big bag of M&M's.

2005

Little Princesses.

What do you know? A Blue M&M!

Napoleon Dynamite & his friend, Pedro.

2006

Kitty Princess.

Fairy Princess.

Thomas (He wore this Trick or Treating, but he was a BLUE M&M for a party we went to!)

2007

Rock Star.

Dr Jenny. Vet.

Surprise. Surprise!

The top pics were for a party. This is Halloween.

2008

2009

Linking up to Alphabe-Thursday's Fall Break.

I'm Creating a Monster

2011-10-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming up, so a Monster is fitting, right?

Try bicycling monster! To the tune of 12.5 miles. And that's just today.

Last week Haley called from school and said she forgot her lunch and her basketball clothes. I jokingly said to Mike, "We should ride over to the school to give it to her." I never should have said that to the guy who owns 5 bikes and loves to read Bicycling Magazine and bicycling blogs and books about bicycling. (There are a lot of things he likes to do - Everything doesn't revolve around bikes, but he does like them.) To which he replied, "Hey...that would be fun! It's not that far. Come on. Let's do it."

Wait, what? You're serious???

So we did. And the 5 or 6 miles wasn't that bad. And my bike is really cool too. It helps to have a cool bike.

(I don't really ever ride around in my boots while carrying my purse and leaving my helmet hanging from the handlebars. I was just posing for a picture.)

Over the weekend we just hung out. Hit a few garage sales and bummed around. Monday was catch up on laundry time. Then came Tuesday.

"Hey, weren't we talking about riding to go get coffee?" So we did. We rode to get coffee. And a scone. Then we slowly rode through town and back home. And people looked at us. Because we have cool bikes. And probably because NOBODY else rides bikes in this town. Ok. I've seen two guys.

A cappuccino bicycle cart - How cool is that?!

Today we decided to go out again. We had a bunch of errands to run. How about saving some money on gas by riding bikes?! (We drive a Suburban and a gas guzzling Ford Windstar.) We drove to the school again, cuz, yep. Haley forgot her clothes! We went to the post office, got sandwiches at the deli and ate them in the park.

We rode to the watch repairman's house (his business is in his home) -

Wait, stop here. This was interesting. We had a 1:00 appointment with this guy and we pulled up to the house at 1:15. He had a carport and a dark walk up to the front door. We were a little nervous. He invited us in. More nervous. I thought he might be upset because we were late!

(That's not him, but the guy we went to had just as much stuff on his desk!)

We sat in the kitchen at the table. There were drawers and drawers of watch bits. There were watches for sale. There was a huge wooden desk with all kinds of tools. On the desk was a wooden stand for 8 different syringes! WHAT were they for? I hope it had something to do with watch repair!

Mike was nervous about the bikes so excused himself to go lock them up. The man said, "No need. They're not going anywhere." And then episodes of the X-Files began to race through my head. And I started to wonder why Mike was going to leave me alone with this guy while he went outside to check on the bikes!

Then I noticed that the tv on the table we were sitting at wasn't showing tv. It was showing outside. He had cameras set up around his house so he could see what was going on outside. I looked up and saw a camera mounted by the window above the sink. And a mirror mounted just outside the window.

30 minutes later we had our watches fixed. And they guy turned out to be really nice! Maybe a little paranoid, but still nice.

After that it was to the bike store, to WalMart, then back home. Uphill. Against hurricane force winds. Ok, maybe not, but there WAS wind!

All in all about 12.5 miles. And Mike's already talking about our next "trip".

So the monster I'm creating? I'm not sure if it's Mike. Or me.

Thanks a lot, Bicycling Magazine!

***6 or 12 miles might not seem like much to some, but for someone who doesn't do much more than walk her son to the bus each morning...this is a big deal!

And my rear end hurts!

Never Take your Kids Garage Saling.

2011-10-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Mike & I got up early yesterday to get Taylor to Cross Country and hit a few garage sales on our street. The younger 3 decided they wanted to go along, so while I took Taylor, Mike took them to the garage sales. When I got back we decided it'd be fun to get in the car and drive around looking for more sales.

While we did come away with some fun finds, I can't say it was the best garage saling experience I've ever had!

"She took it from me."

"He won't let me look at it."

"Do we have to go to ANOTHER one?"

"I just want to go home."

"I don't want to go to Eddie's Burritos. I don't even like burritos."

"Can we go home now?"

"WHAT?! I don't want to go to Home Depot."

"Can't we just go home?"

Let's just say, next time....you can stay home! :)

Here are some of our finds.

A stack of fun old books for $1 each.

A set of coasters for $1.

A stack of fabric for .25 cents a piece. I didn't notice all the pink before - I don't even really like pink!

This blue robe for $1...It's going to be part of my Halloween costume!

The girls wanted these hanging baskets for their room. They want to spray paint it, then use it for little stuffed animals. I think it was 25 cents. (I can NOT get this pic to show up right!)

The girls found this cute little chest and decided right away they wanted to paint it and use it in their room. I didn't even get a before before picture cuz they started on it so fast...and continued painting...without any help from me. At all. They did it all on their own. I wanted to offer my "help", but they weren't having it. I just had to walk away. I'm sure it will turn out great. :)

I know we bought more, but I guess it got put away before I could get a picture. Did you really need to see a picture of the 6 foot putting green Joey just HAD to buy? (SIX feet!) Or the little outlet thingy Mike bought? Or the Chinese Checkers set? (It's actually a pretty nice set!) Or the hand blender? Or the Mushabelly stuffed animal? Or...

the blue "flamenco" skirt & top that Haley just HAD to have??

Anybody else check out any garage sales over the weekend? Do you call it a garage sale? Yard sale? Tag sale?

Autumn Colors in Candy

2011-10-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

So, Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday round 3 is over. Right now I'm taking part in Alphabe-Thursday "Fall Break", then in a couple weeks, onto round 4. This week's theme is

Autumn Colors.

I've mentioned before how much I love Candy Corn. Well, last week my friend, Amy from Learning to Be an Oak Tree, talked about some treats she made for the band at her son's school. She said it's "an essential October treat". And I had never heard of it! Are you ready??

Candy corn and roasted salted peanuts! Seriously, it's GOOD!

But wait. It gets better! My friend, Carol from Around Our House, said it's better if you add Reese's Pieces! You know I HAD to run to the store!

Isn't it pretty? All those Autumn Colors mixed together like that?

Let me just reach in and get some...I might even share.

It looks so nice on my white leaf plate. I don't think there's enough for more than just me though.

You're going to have to get your own.

So so yummy.

Am I the only one that's never heard of this???

This MIGHT even beat out the pumpkin muffins I made the other day!

You're going to go buy some now, aren't you??

For more Autumn Colors, go check out Alphabe-Thursday's Fall Break at Jenny's!

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

I don't remember where I first heard about these, but I saw them again not long ago on Pinterest. So I pinned them. Pumpkin Muffins. They are SO easy to make and SO yummy! The recipe was found here - She found the recipe here. It only takes two ingredients...I added a third.

Yellow Cake Mix

15 oz can of pumpkin

Mix these two together and scoop batter into 12 muffin cups...Or, do like I did and add about a 1/2 bag of cinnamon chips. I've always wanted to add these to my pumpkin bread, but I've never been able to find them. Finally I saw them in the store the other day, so I had to get some.

Then I tried to get all fancy and use parchment paper to line my muffin tin. I saw Michael over at Inspired By Charm do this, and I thought it looked so cool! (I want to try his whole wheat apple muffins with walnut streusel sometime too!)

Put them in the oven at 350 and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Here's how they turned out.

Doesn't it look good?!

I wish you could taste it.

It's so good.

You've got to try it.

Halloween Wreath

2011-10-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

I want to continue with my cheap/free wreath theme, so I took down my fall wreath,

ripped off the leaves and ribbon, spray painted it black, added some "feathers" made from leftover 40th birthday party streamers

and made it Halloween.

I thought about adding a crow, but went with scrapbook paper flowers instead.

I think I like how it turned out - just wish I could get a picture without all the reflections.

Linking up to:

Craft-O-Maniac's Monday link Party

Making the World Cuter Monday

Z is for

2011-10-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

First, let me say, I'm really missing Italy right now. Here are some specific things I miss that begin with Z.

How about some zucchero (sugar) to put in my cappuccino?

One thing I do NOT miss - zanzara (mosquito). While they never bit me, they were LOUD and I hated them buzzing around. (They ate Mike and the kids alive, so I'm sure they don't miss them either!)

This amazing zuppa (soup). I don't even know the name of it. We used to eat at this restaurant where only one man knew English...and he just kept bringing us food. Wonderful. Italian. Food.

I don't really miss this, but I had to throw it in. Zac and his zazzera (mop of hair). I don't miss it, because I'm still "enjoying" it today. :) (Love you, Zac!)

Finally, I would love to be here right now...

Festa Della Zucca. (Festival of the Pumpkin.)

Where we could have pumpkin gnocchi or pumpkin ravioli.

Or pumpkin bread or pumpkin cookies...Mmm...pumpkin.

What words can you think of that begin with the letter "Z"? If you're having trouble thinking of Z words, head over to Jenny's blog for Alphabe-Thursday.

Fun Yard Sale Finds!

2011-10-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday Mike and I were up early to get Taylor off to Cross Country. We decided since we were up, we'd go hit a few garage sales. We went to one around the corner and bought this rug for our living room. It's a Turkish rug that supposedly cost a bajillion dollars, then the couple we bought it from bought it for only 1/2 a bajillion dollars. They sold it to us for mere pennies. Ok, $50. So far so good...every once in a while it smells funny. We're all hoping it's just "old rug smell".

(To the right of the rug is an old Ethan Allen headboard I bought at a thrift store a few weeks ago for $5. I'm hoping to make a bench out of it one of these days.)

Here's a close up. It's prettier in person.

After this house it was off to a retirement community and their annual yard sale. I think we spent about an hour and a half there. Getting good deals on stuff was almost as fun as talking with and watching the people. It was a lot of fun and we bought lots of good stuff.

The lady I bought these from was sitting down knitting. She just had one table set up at the end of her driveway. She was selling old tablecloths and placemats. Most for just 10 cents a piece.

I bought this tea towel just cuz it was so weird. There's no way it will match my kitchen, but doesn't everyone need to know how many calories a piece of cherry pie has? Or how about a couple olives? Or a hot dog. It will come in handy I'm sure.

I thought the tablecloth with the poppies was pretty. It reminds me of Italy and my friend, Rachel. The tablecloth on the right I just bought cuz the lady went on and on about it. "It's hand painted. All done by hand. There's even an autograph on it." There's not. And I don't think it was...but I bought it anyway because she was so sweet.

We have a collection of Oreo Christmas tins that we started when we first got married...but we don't have one from 1990. THE year we got married. I bought this just for the tin. Anyone want some Origami paper? I'll probably just give it to the kids.

The couple we bought this from was so cute. "Honey, what's with all these 40 cent prices? No, don't put it in the bag yet, I haven't added it up. No, I already added those. Don't count them again."

This couple was fun. The lady was "selling all her husband's hoardings". They really didn't have that much, but we enjoyed looking around. The husband was sitting in the shed cuz he was cold, but did come out for a bit to help us pack up our finds.

These are my finds. The big fat jar for 50 cents. Two Pfaltzgraff serving pieces for $2 each. Mike got more manly finds from the husband's hoardings.

The couple we bought these from was great. We got a couple dvds, these tiny Coke glasses + bonus glass for ONE dollar! I also bought a NEW looking rag quilt that the lady hadn't finished because of tendonitis? I only paid TWO dollars! The fabric is a little on the UGLY side, but it looks NEW. I'm thinking maybe the girls and I can finish it, then take it back to her! When she asked, "How much are we up to now?" We lied and told her a higher number cuz we felt like she was getting ripped off!

This wooden spoon was carved by the man above. The little rooster lamp & book from someone else. Can't wait to try some recipes!

After the super fun yard sale we hit a thrift store. We found one more Coke glass for Taylor and bought this not quite service for 8 dish set. It matches our set, but we gave it to Taylor to save for her someday house.

We ended our morning with burritos from Eddie's Burritos. Mmm.

What did you do over the weekend??

Disney Flashback Friday - First Disneyland Visit

2011-10-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

September 24, 2001

Jenny's first visit to Disneyland.

We were in the middle of moving again. This time from England to Tucson, AZ.

Here are Jenny and Haley waiting for some of us to get off a ride - Do you know where they are??

This is one of our favorite treats when we go to Disneyland. I don't even know why - You can buy them at any grocery store, but we love them! You can see from these next few pictures that Jenny loved them too!

Here's Jenny with the other kids throughout Toontown.

Jenny, Taylor & Zac.

Jenny, Taylor & Haley.

Here we all are at the end of Main Street just about ready to head out.

Aww. Walking to the car in daddy's arms.

For more Disney Flashback Friday, visit Sarah's Magical Days With the Mouse.

Y is for Yawn.

2011-10-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

YAWN.

A yawn is a reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Pandiculation is the act of yawning and stretching simultaneously.^[1]
Yawning is commonly associated with tiredness, stress, overwork, lack of stimulation and boredom. In humans, yawning is often triggered by others yawning (e.g. seeing a person yawning, talking to someone on the phone who is yawning or thinking of yawning) and is a typical example of positive feedback.^[2] This "infectious" yawning has also been observed in chimpanzees and dogs.^[3]
^(wikipedia)

^{I am so tired.}

^Yawn.

If I'm yawning and my husband touches my lip with his finger - it makes the yawn stop. I hate it, but he thinks it's so funny!

It's only 8:30pm, but I am off to bed.

Yawn.

For more of the letter "Y", check out Jenny's blog and her Alphabe-Thursday.

Candy Corn Ruffle Apron

2011-10-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

I love fall. Fall brings candy corn and I LOVE candy corn. It is, after all, one of the four main food groups! Don't believe me? Just ask Buddy the Elf.

I also love ruffles. As seen here and here.

It occurred to me the other day that I could put the two together. I combined candy corn and ruffles and
Candy Corn Ruffle Apron was born.

What do you think? Should I make more?

Linking to
Craft-O-Maniac Monday
Making the World Cuter Monday
Itsy Bitsy Paper's Wickedly Creative Halloween Ideas Linky Party
Sugar Bee Crafts Take a Look Tuesday

Disney Flashback Friday - First Disney Visit

2011-09-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

March 2000.

Disneyland Paris.

This was Haley's first visit. We were living in England at the time and decided to spend spring break of 2000 at Disneyland Paris.

This first one is of me and the kids in front of the Eiffel Tower. (Haley is in the stroller, but you can't see her.) We took the train into Paris one day to see the Tower and some other things, but weren't having the greatest time...We all wanted to be back at Disneyland! After the kids being in Disneyland for a couple days they didn't want to be touring around "boring" Paris!

Here are the kids with dad in front of the entrance to Discoveryland - or Tomorrowland.

This is Haley in Taylor's arms with Mickey. I don't remember there being a fight to get to Mickey for this picture, but some of the parents there were crazy. While waiting to get autographs from different characters, we almost had to fight people off. They were so rude!

I thought I had one more picture, but I can't find it anywhere. I guess this ends today's First Visit Flashback. For more Disney Flashback Friday be sure to check out Sarah's Magical Days with the Mouse!

eXit

2011-09-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the day.

21 years.

9 months.

11 days

in the US Air Force.

It's time to eXit.

Retirement ceremony today at 2pm.

Oh, and

HAPPY

40th

BIRTHDAY!!!

I love you!

For more of the letter X go to Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday.

Disney Flashback Friday - First Disneyland Visit

2011-09-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

March 7, 1995.

Taylor was 19 days away from her first birthday when she visited Disneyland for the first time. We were in the middle of a move from Okinawa to Washington when we visited this time.

The prices went up just a little from our 1993 visit.

{I love how the passports look like the old "E" Tickets!}

Taylor didn't look so sure about all this at first.

She soon warmed up and even had a conversation with Max.

{Look at those chubby legs!}

I think she enjoyed her first visit to Disneyland!

For more Disney fun check out Sarah's Magical Days with the Mouse and her Disney Flashback Friday.

fall Weather

2011-09-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of summer, right? Tell me it's the last day of summer.

Tomorrow is the first day of fall and that means a change in the

WEATHER!

I can not stand summer. I hate the heat.

We've seen a little bit of fall here in the southwest, but not enough. It's just been a tease.

I want cooler

WEATHER.

More rain.

Clouds.

Cool fall breezes.

And I want to see the leaves change color. Do they do that here in the desert southwest?

I want to buy more pumpkins.

I want to bake pumpkin bread, eat pumpkin soup and roast pumpkin seeds.
(Pumpkin gnocchi or ravioli would be good too!)

I want to see mums.

I want to go on a hayride

get lost in a corn maze.

I want to pick apples, eat pie and watch football.

Ok, not so much the watching football, but I do like to listen to it when Mike watches.

I love fall!

This post brought to you by the letter W.

For more Alphabe-Thursday fun, visit Jenny's blog.

My Fall Bunting

2011-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't used my scrapbooking supplies in a LONG time, but I wanted something to hang that said FALL. After Googling and Pinteresting I got some ideas and I made this.

{I am pretty sure I don't like it there over the window, but I'm too ~~tired~~ lazy to move it now.}

Linking up to

Making the World Cuter Monday

Disney Flashback Friday - First Disney Visit

2011-09-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

October 28, 1993

Zac and I flew from Okinawa (Where Mike was stationed at the time) to visit family in California and Oregon. First stop, Disneyland! Zac was 21 months old and this was his first visit. I was pregnant with Taylor at the time, so it was kind of her first visit too. :) Would you believe I don't have ANY pictures of this momentous occasion?!?!

I DO have this picture of Zac the next day at his great grandparents' house. He's even wearing his brand new Toontown t-shirt. Look at that chubby face! Isn't he cute?!

Would you check out the price of admission?! $28.00!!!! If only that were still the case today!

Looks like Toontown was new this year.

I wish they still had these guidebooks.

Be sure to check out Sarah's Magical Days With the Mouse for more Disney Flashback Friday fun.

V is for Venezia

2011-09-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Venice is one of my favorite places in the world. It's such a fun city to explore and get lost in.

Here are a just a few pictures from our last visit in November of 2010.

For more on the letter V, visit Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday.

Little Autumn Tray

2011-09-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

These little metal trays used to belong to my grandparents.

I have a big stack of them for crafting. My stack USED to be big - It's getting smaller. Today I made a simple Autumn tray for my coffee table. Or, wherever I decide to put it. I just painted it turquoise,

added a couple leaves cut with my Cricut

and wrote some autumn words on it.

The tray looks so tiny on the coffee table!

Linking up to Sweet Little Gals' Turquoise Lovin' #4 .

Ruffles and Lace

2011-09-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

So, is it ok to wear white after Labor Day? Or not? How about off-white? Not that I really care, just thought I'd ask. I've been wanting to make a ruffly-messy-shabby bag for a while, so over Labor Day weekend, I got busy. I really don't like pink, but that's what I ended up using for the inside. I totally messed up on the inside pocket, but it does have a zipper and it DOES work, so it's ok. It's big, but that just means it will hold more! (NOT always a good thing.)

Now, I can't decide if I like it? I mean, I like it, I just don't know if it's "me". Anyway, here it is in all it's shabby ruffly goodness.

I put a pin on the back of the flower so I could take it off if I wanted to.

I got all the fabric for cheap at the WalMart. I'm pretty sure the lace belonged to my grandma.

Linking up to Craft-O-Maniac's Monday Party Time.
Tatertots & Jello's Weekend Wrapup Party.

Disney Friday Flashback - Disneyland - September 2005

2011-09-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

We made a trip out to Disneyland in September 2005...right before leaving for our 5 year "vacation" to Italy!

We had such a fun time (as always!).

Joey was a little older so really enjoyed it and it was fun to see that.

{Ok, so he didn't enjoy the fireworks so much! Do you see how tight he is holding on to big brother?!}

We had lots of fun with the dinosaur in California Adventure. I'm sure people probably thought I was crazy seeing me lay on the ground trying to get the pictures just right!

And, now for my LEAST favorite ride. The Hollywood Tower of Terror. Really. I don't like it. Here's proof. (Please don't laugh too hard)

We're sitting in the front row. That's me, second from the left. What? You can't see the look on my face?

Here's a close up...

See. I really don't like it. At. All. I could live the rest of my life never riding it again and I would not feel bad about it.

For more Disneyland fun, join Sarah at Magical Days with the Mouse and her Disney Flashback Friday.

United States Air Force

2011-09-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

It's almost time to say goodbye.

It's been a crazy fun ride, but we're ready for it to be over.

Here are a few pictures through the years.

Before our digital camera -

Michigan

Okinawa

Washington

After...

{Bury St. Edmunds, England 2000}

{Tucson, AZ 2002}

{The Grand Canyon 2005}

{Venice, Italy 2006}

{Italy 2007}

{Swiss Alps 2008}

{Disneyland 2009}

{Washington D.C. 2010}

{New Mexico 2011}

Can't wait to see where God sends us for our next adventure!

For more of the letter "U", visit Jenny Matlock...Off on My Tangent for Alphabe-Thursday.

Cottonwood Festival

2011-09-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend marked the 21st annual Cottonwood Fesitval of Alamogordo, NM. Believe it or not I can't find much information to share with you about this HUGE event! You'd think with a town as big as this (Population 35,757) there would be info all over the internet! I kid.

Anyway, the Cottonwood Festival is where we were this Labor Day. We walked through the booths of local crafts. I think we saw Miss New Mexico. We saw some local seniors dance. We saw a lot of dogs. We sampled food and we even saw a few kids, um, lose their lunch.

One of the yummy foods we sampled were the Twisted Taters.

AKA Ribbon Fries or

Big Ropin' Taters.

{Is it a fry? Or a chip? I don't know, but it's pretty darned good!}

There was BBQ everywhere.

{My favorite here is actually their berry cobbler. Oh yum!}

As gross as this trailer looks, you know we had to try it!

Mike had a burrito - too spicy for me.

The FUNnel cake with powdered sugar and caramel sauce was delicious...though a BIT greasy!

The Fried Snickers bar was my favorite!

Here's a look at the carnival.

Crazy boy decided he wanted to ride THIS.

Can you believe my kids have never been to a carnival or fair? At least, not that they remember. We really need to get out more!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

2011-09-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've seen those Rainbow Cakes that are all over the place online right now. Right? You haven't? Well, WHERE have you been hiding?! They are EVERYwhere!

This is what I'm talking about:

{ Whisk Kid }

{ One Charming Party }

{ Love & Olive Oil }

Ok, so that's only three, but that's enough to give you an idea. They really are everywhere and I've been wanting to make one forever. But I don't want to be like everyone else. I want to make it my own.

So, being the lover of fall that I am... No, really, I am! Aren't you? Summer is OVER. The temperatures are cooling. The leaves are changing...

In honor of the fast (I hope) approaching fall, I bring you....

Autumn Rainbow Cake!

Two white cake mixes and lots of delicious fall color.

Caramel frosting in between layers.

A crumb coat of chocolate frosting, then in the fridge. Back out a while later for more frosting and here you have it:

Isn't it cool? I'm so excited! Oh, imagine it in Christmas colors!!!

My Fall Wreath on the Cheap

2011-09-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

It was early(ish) Sunday morning and I wanted a fall wreath for my front door. I didn't want to have to spend any money and didn't feel like going anywhere anyway. So...I made this.

I had an 18" wreath form that had just been sitting around.

I got out some paper lunch bags, cut them open and crinkled them up. Then I just wrapped them (3 of them) around the wreath and wrapped some twine around that. I made little "branches" with a 4th bag, then cut leaves from scrapbook paper and glued those on. As I was walking to the door with it, I found the orange ribbon on the floor! It belongs to one of the girls and I have to give it back after I take the wreath down!

So, this thing cost me nothing and I can take it apart later and use the form for something else! (like Christmas!)

(If we weren't renting this house, I would paint the front door....black or red or???)

Linking up to the Nesting Place "You Made a Wreath out of What?" Wreath Party.

Transformation Complete

2011-09-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday I wrote about changing my entryway. I finished this morning.

We've had this white chalkboard/corkboard since 2005.

We've probably had this bookshelf for just as long...If not longer. Once upon a time it housed Legos in Zac's room.

Here's how they both look now.

A little fabric, ribbon and red paint...

A little paint, distressing and staining...

(I got tired and Mike wanted the garage back, but I'm thinking Mod Podge and paper for the back of the shelf - Maybe book pages? It doesn't show as much when there are books and movies on it, so it will probably be a while before I tackle it!)

Entry Before

Entry After

Linking up to:

Tatertots & Jello's Weekend Wrap Up Party

Along for the Ride's Saturday is Crafty Day.

Craft-O-Maniac's {{Craft-O-Maniac Monday}}
Sweet Little Gals: Turquoise Lovin' #3

Disney Flashback Friday - 3 Kids in a Double Stroller!

2011-09-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

It was January of 2003. It was our first time to Disneyland with all FIVE kids. I wish I had all kinds of pictures of Joey on his first visit to Disneyland getting his "My First Visit" pin, etc, etc. Instead, I have pictures of our 3 youngest in ONE stroller. I have so many pictures from this visit that I could post, but I just think it's funny that we stuck 3 kids in one stroller.

Here are Haley, Joey & Jenny on Main Street. Looks like a parade is about to begin in the background.

This was the visit that Taylor road California Screamin' for the FIRST time!

This was also the year that I took the 4 youngest to Disneyland and Mike took our oldest, Zac, to Knott's Berry Farm for his 11th birthday. (They could get in free if they brought a can of food!!!)

Taylor decided she wanted to ride California Screamin' over and over. And over and over. And over and over. (She had to catch up to her brother who had already ridden it about 15 times.)

While Mike and Zac were gone, I "wore" Joey and pushed Haley and Jenny around in the stroller...and we waited for Taylor.

The girls got sleepy, but this is how we roll. No going to the hotel in the middle of the day for a nap! You nap in the stroller, (or on a bench or the ground while waiting for a parade), but we do not go back to the hotel! :)

Here are 2 of them asleep in the Lego Store after a long day. Notice the pacifier in Jenny's mouth? That is her brother's and it is connected to his shirt! She has hers in her hand! She really loved those things. We were trying to get her to stop, but she would just take Joey's. We figured since we were on vacation, we'd better bring her one too, but she still took her brother's!

Here's one last picture of all 5 kids. I don't know why Zac and Taylor look so "excited".

That was a great stroller. It was heavy, but I was eventually able to push it with one hand!

For more Disneyland Fun, go visit Sarah at Magical Days with the Mouse for Disney Flashback Friday!

Transformation

2011-09-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of painting and rearranging, but thought I'd post pictures anyway for the letter "T" today. Check out Jenny's blog for more of Alphabe-Thursday and the letter "T".

Here's our entryway before:

(Our front door is to the right, so when I say "entryway", I'm really just talking about that corner to the right.)

And here's a little peek at the coming Transformation:

(I know. It's ugly now...but remember, I'm not finished.)

Ok...since I put these pictures up here, this means I HAVE to finish it now! AND it HAS to look good, or I will be too embarrassed to show you! :)

Anniversary Date

2011-08-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

So, Mike and I didn't get to do anything together on our actual anniversary.

Saturday we decided to have a date, so we drove up to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. It's about 30 minutes away and at 9,000 feet, MUCH cooler than it is down here. It was nice!

Here are some pictures I took with my cell phone cuz we didn't want to lug around the real camera all day.

We had lunch at the Texas Pit BBQ restaurant. Mike ordered

Kevin's Mexican Burger Wrap

*Wrapped in a flour tortilla with BBQ, Green chiles and cheese. Then deep fried.*

It was ok.

I had a pulled pork sandwich and pinto beans. Mine was better!

(And then we had homemade pie. Yum! No picture.)

Can you guess what they sell in this shop?

There is a bakery in here that bakes the most delicious smelling pies. We went in once and they said they wouldn't be done for 25 minutes. Came back later...and those were all gone. The next batch still had an hour to go! We'll HAVE to go back!

On our way home we stopped here at Cabin Fever Antiques. The cutest little chihuahua came out to greet us. We asked if he was for sale, but sadly, he was not. I don't know what Cookie would've done with a tiny thing like that running around our house! Probably a good thing he wasn't for sale!

One more stop for pistachios.

I'm glad we got to spend some time away. We have fun together.

Disney Flashback Friday - Honeymoon Edition

2011-08-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

I thought since yesterday was our anniversary, I would post some of our honeymoon pictures...cuz, of course, we went to Disneyland! ...And Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios & Magic Mountain. We're not Hawaii people. Or cozy lodge in the mountains people. Or tour of wine country people. Nope. We're amusement park people. We're all about the fun!

It was August 1990.

We had origninally planned to go to Disney World, but we ended up not having much time. With the start of the Gulf War (Mike is in the Air Force), we weren't even sure we'd get a honeymoon. We decided on a few days in California and we had a blast.

These may not be the best pictures. Just remember these were taken before digital cameras!

Here I am standing in front of Bertha Mae. One of the Mike Fink Keel Boats. Anybody ever ridden them? I don't think I ever have.

Mike in front of the Rivers of America.

Getting ready for the newer bigger version of Dumbo.

Goofy and Mike. I'm not even going to mention those shorts. Nope. Not gonna do it. (But isn't he cute? Mike - not Goofy!)

The view from above. I miss the skyway.

Can you see all the big hair? (You can click on the picture to make it bigger.) And the hot pink/orange/salmon shirts and shorts! I KNOW for a fact GUYS wore that color too. (Someone I know and love may or may not have had shorts this color!)

Anyway, we must have been up on the People Mover. Anyone else remember that?

In Coke Corner checking ourselves out in the mirror. There are those shorts again. And look at that cute little white romper!

Here's a peek at Goofy in the Party Gras parade.

For even more Disneyland fun, check out Sarah's Disney Flashback Friday.

Saying I do.

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

August 25, 1990.

21 years ago today.
We said, "I do".

See Jenny's blog for more Alphabe-Thursday.

Disney Flashback Friday - Pluto

2011-08-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Seems we have lots of pictures of the girls with Pluto at Disneyland throughout the years.

Taylor & Pluto 2001

Taylor & Pluto 2002

Taylor & Pluto 2003

Jenny, Pluto & Haley 2005

Pluto is signing the autograph book. (And Taylor is wearing PINK!) 2005

We've been back twice since our 2005 visit, but sadly, don't have any other pictures with Pluto.

For more Disneyland fun, head over to Sarah's Magical Days with the Mouse for Disney Flashback Friday.