Inspired

I wanted to add a few more layouts that I finished this weekend. I feel so InSPirEd lately! Hope you all enjoy my little works of art. :)

Tee Time

Today was the day. We took Red, his new golf bag and driver out for a test drive (No pun intended!).

We decided to go to the golf course in Lindsay. It is after all Red and Papa’s stomping grounds. Red was fired up. Franky got his bag out of the car and helped him to position it where it was easy to carry.

Red was off...

Straight into the club house where he walks in and announces, “I have a new golf bag and a BIG golf club. Mom, what’s it called again? Oh, yeah. A driver. I have a new driver.” The man behind the counter smiles and we pay for our round of golf. He only charges us for one adult round ($6.00). I guess it was the camera around my neck that made him think I was not going to do much golfing! (He was right!)

It was so much fun. Especially since we were all able to enjoy it. It is definitely something we'll have to do often. It's great exercise too. When you're golfing with Red, you do a lot more walking than normal!

He can really hit the ball with his new club. There were people watching him and complimenting him on his game. He ate that up!

We didn't keep score this time. We skipped a couple of holes (by accident). The weather was beautiful. Perfect for golf. I don't know that we have the next Tiger on our hands but if the love of golf has something to do with it, we just might!
Thanks again Papa and Mow. We all love the gift. Prepare to be amazed when you guys come back to visit. We're planning to do a lot of practicing!!

Red Goes to the Firehouse

Yesterday our local fire station had open house. Red could hardly contain his excitement when he found out we were going to get to go there. He loves the fire trucks and (like every other four year old boy) is enamored with firemen.

We arrived a little before the open house started and were greeted by several firemen ready to begin showing everyone around. It was really awesome to be the early birds.

Red made quick friends with a fireman named Nick. He was great. He would lift Alex up to see things, let him turn on the siren in the fire engine, dressed him up in mini fireman gear and tirelessly answered all of the questions that little Red asked. Red was very enthusiastic and with every answered question would reply with "awesome" or "that's so cool". He LOVED it!!!

Actually, I think his Daddy was just as thrilled with the open house as he was!!! Both him and Alex left the station with a big smile on their face. Elated that they got to visit the station and learn about how everything works. What an awesome day!

Doesn't Red just look way too cute in this uniform?! His big toothy smile makes my heart melt.

Watch Out, Tiger!

Actually, anyone standing in a five foot radius of Red better watch out!!! Today when we got home, there was a box on the front porch. When Red found out it was for him, he was thrilled. He says,"Mama, 'Brown' brought something for me!"

It's funny that he recognizes the "UPS" logo. He and his Daddy are always pointing out the delivery trucks. I explained that it was actually a present from his Mow and Papa. We went inside and called my parents so they could be part of the excitement of opening the gift.
I cut the tape on the box and Red opened it. He was so excited when he saw the contents. An awesome little Red-sized golf bag and a Nike driver. He immediately asks if we can go golfing. He was raring to use that "BIG" club. We headed out to the front yard so Red could try it out.Now Papa has taught Red some golf etiquette, but I have to say as soon as we got on the grass, the reckless swinging began! Hence the "Watch Out" title! Once I was able to get him focused, we sit a ball down. Red lines up and swings sending the ball far into our neighbor's yard. "That was COOL, Mama!!". It was. I'm just thankful there were no windows broken!

After much pleading/bargaining/manipulation, I was able to get Red to put his new gear away. I have promised to take him golfing on Friday. He can't wait! Thanks so much Papa and Mow. Red is one happy little guy!!!

**So, Dad, remember the time You, Me and Tracey were practicing pitching in our yard and you made the comment that if anyone broke a window, they were going to pay to have it fixed? I think it was your very next swing that sent your golf ball screaming through the windshield of MY car!!!

I mention this because I didn't see a Responsibility Disclaimer in with the clubs...So, if Red breaks a window, we'll go in halfers with you!!! jk :) Thank you both again. He's going to have some fun with that driver and bag. As he picked it up to carry it outside, he said,"Now I'm just like Papa and Daddy." Way too cute.

Front Yard Fun

This evening, we decided instead of our usual walk, that we would play in the yard instead. We started out in the back yard. We had to check out our garden to see if there was anything exciting going on there. There was. One of our summer squash plants has ten (yes, ten) little baby squash on it. Very soon, I predict we will have squash coming out our ears!!! I planted seven plants...

Our Roma tomatoes are also doing very well. Cumulatively (with all six plants), we have 9 tomatoes and lots of blooms. Red is very excited about our home grown produce and asked if we "could eat them now."

It's hard to tell him "no" when Reeses is munching out on the little green apples from our apple trees. They are about the size of a ping pong ball and I guess very tasty to him. :)

After checking out the bounty, we headed to the front yard. Reeses and Sophie joined us. It didn't take long before the dogs were enjoying their favorite chasing game. The one that inevitably ends in Reeses jumping into my lap (basically tackling me) because he needs protection from that mean little 10 pound Rat Terrier. Honestly, the dog thinks he's a Chihuahua!!!

Red and Reese played tag. Very comical. Red got tackled and almost lost his pants. We couldn't stop laughing at that. Our neighbors probably thought we had gone crazy over here. We simply had a blast!
We will definitely take a break from walking to do this again. Red is asleep. The dogs are pooped. I am enjoying the peace and quiet of the house. Doesn't get much better than that.

"True"

The last page of the day. Everything is tucked away neatly where it belongs until another day. On the final page, I decided to use a great shot of my parents. I love when I catch my Dad glancing at my Mom. You can see that look in his eye. The one that says 'I have found my soul mate', 'I am so lucky she is mine', 'I love and respect you'. It is the look of true love.

In the journaling, I wrote how lucky I was that I had them to show me what true love is.

Thanks Mom and Dad for everything you are. I love you guys. :)

My Creative Weekend

...has almost come to an end (tear.) I had such a blast working on these pages. Some of my favorite pictures from the last year or so. I have to give another shout out to my adorable husband who helped out with Red so that I could create! THANK YOU a million times!

I now have seven finished 12x12 inch pages. Funny thing is, I don't have an album that size. I've looked several places over the weekend but being my picky self, didn't find one that I thought was perfect. So until I find it, my pages are in a plastic container.

I am so excited about these pages. Every time I finished one, I thought,"Oh, now THIS one is my favorite." I still don't know which I like the best. Let me know your favorite. I'm kind of leaning toward the "Always" page. I love the colors. The picture doesn't do it justice!

I love this picture (below)of the kids. It is too cute. They have all grown so much. I love that I've been able to take so many pictures each time we've gone to MN. I really enjoy looking back at them and seeing how much everyone has changed.

When I was snapping the picture of this layout, Red decided to get a closer look. I love that his little tootsies are in the picture!

I hope everyone enjoyed this nice long weekend. I'm taking a break to take Red to BK to get rid of some energy in their monkey cage. I hope to finish ONE more layout tonight. If I do get it done, I will post a picture of it.

Happy Memorial Day.

Doing His Work

I had to add this photo and tell the little story behind it. Since I was in the my scrap booking spot for most of the day, Red decided he wanted to do some art too. I pulled his table in the office, he brought his chair. I got out the crayons and a Cars coloring book and away he went.

Now, Reese has to be where ever I am. (I told my Aunt Sally just this evening, I feel like I have two toddlers!) Anyway, he was laying at my feet happily chewing on a rawhide. Sophie, our rat terrier comes in the room and takes the rawhide away then lays down a couple of inches from where Reese had just been. She taunts him, he taunts her. Then Reese gets upset and starts barking at her.

Red looks up from his color page and in a very serious tone says,"Reese, please be quiet. I'm doing my work."

A Rainy Day

Perfect weather to play inside. Franky and Red were watching the race so I got to have some fun. (Thanks, Honey.) I am so behind in where I should be with Alex's book that I just used a few random pictures. The "Nest" page is a photo I took in the Spring. Just something fun since I love all things "nesty."

The picture of Karlie and Chelsie in the page below was taken last fall when we visited. Such an adorable picture. Shows off what great personalities they have and what beautiful girls they have become.
The "I promise" page picture was taken of my two favorite guys on Mother's Day. Aren't they just too cute?

It was great to be able to work on something fun that also documents our lives so that we can look back at these moments and remember them like they just happened.
I hope you all find something that gives you as much pleasure.

A little escape.

Uh Oh...

For quite some time we have had a problem. You see, the neighbors who live directly behind us have three dogs. I know, so do we. There is a difference though. The neighbor's dogs bark constantly and have the very bad habit of digging into our yard. I guess it's the whole "grass is always greener" thing. They dig into our yard, use our grass as a restroom, eat our dogs' food and bark at our dogs while they stand in the center of OUR yard. To say the least this has been very frustrating. We have tried the following to rectify the situation:

1. Refill the holes as soon as they dig them. (didn't work)
2. Place pavers in the spots where they usually dig. (they dug somewhere else)
3. Talked to our neighbors. (hmm)
4. Installed a "hot" wire all along the back fence. (BINGO!)

This was working beautifully until Thursday. I guess while weeding the flower bed we caused the wire to become very loose. The biggest of the three dogs figured this out and dug a GINORMOUS hole into our backyard.

I happened to be letting our dogs into the back yard (Red in tow) when all of a sudden that big dog ran out of our dogs' kennel, across the grass and under the fence. I yelled, "Dumb dog, get in your own yard" (very effective) and threw one of Franky's tennis shoes at him (missed by a mile).

I was very distraught to see that not only had he dug that hole, but also ruined some of my flowers. AAAGGGHHH...

Red witnessed the whole account but didn't say a word.

Later that day, Alex was in our bedroom upstairs looking out the window. He notices a little girl playing in our neighbors' yard. He yells, "Hi". The little girl sees him and says "hi" back. Then Red yells, "You know, your dogs are digging holes in our backyard and it is making my Mom REALLY MAD!!!"

Twenty minutes later we were in the backyard and what do you know? The hole was filled.

Way to go, Red! (Watch what you say and DO around this guy!)

"Red"

Last week when I picked up Alex from school, his teacher pulls me aside. She has a big smile on her face so I am very relieved that it isn't one of "those"talks. She proceeds to tell me this story:

The kids had all been playing in the art & drama room. It was getting close to lunch so the teachers were asking the kids to start picking things up and get ready to line up to go into the lunch room.

Alex had been helping to pick up but when his teacher called his name to have him line up, he ignored her. She says,"Alex, did you hear me? It's time to line up." He looks up and says (very matter-of-fact) ,"My name isn't 'Alex'. My Mama calls me 'Red'." :)

Bath Time Attack...

So here it is...The proof is in the picture. Red is being attacked at bath time. It starts out innocently enough. Reeses sits wantonly by the edge of the tub just watching Red as he splashes and soaks in the bubbles. He is waiting. Waiting for the opportune time and ample space for his 40 pound body to fit in the tub.

Then with the stealthiness of a crocodile, he slips himself into the warm soapy water....

Actually, I described it wrong.

This is more like it...

Just like a three hundred pound man jumping from the edge of a high dive, he SPLASHES into the tub sending water up in a huge spray that soaks everyone in a six foot radius!!!

Red and I burst into giggles at this silly sight. Life is such a fun thing.

Throw Like a Girl...

and you might just become a celebrity in Brainerd, Minnesota.

That is if you do it like Karlie and Chelsie. Just wanted to brag a little and tell my nieces that we are so very proud of them. The photo above is from their summer league last year. This picture has both of the girls and my brother in it. Chelsie is the first one on the bottom left. Karlie is also on the bottom row and is the last girl on the right. Tracey is in the back on the left.

Currently, Karlie is a freshman and is pitching for the varsity team. Chelsie is in eighth grade and is also doing some pitching for the high school varsity team. How awesome is that?! Way to go!!!

Keep up all of the hard work girls. Have lots of fun. We love you and miss you lots. Can't wait to see you guys sometime this summer.

Question

Our new puppy (who weighs nearly forty pounds and is only 4 months old now) LOVES the water and enjoys getting wet where ever he can find water.

The question...

If Reeses jumps into the bath tub while Red is taking a bath, do I start all over or just consider it a two-fer?


*I'm leaning toward the two-fer option. Actually, by the time Reeses jumps in and out of the tub a few times, and I mop up all of the water off the bathroom floor, I'm actually killing three birds with one stone. :)

1 clean (?) red head
1 clean (wet) dog
1 mopped bath room floor

Let me know what you think...

"Great Job"

While on a walk Friday, we saw four vintage airplanes flying over head. Red was so excited. He loves anything that moves. Airplanes and trains make the top of his "favorites" list. On Saturday, we decided to take a ride out to the airport to see if there was anything going on. Lucky us! There were about 40 vintage airplanes there who had flown in to practice formations and drop flour bombs at a target there on the runway. We spent much of the day there, even had a little picnic.

We got to walk around and see all of the airplanes up close. Many of the pilots talked to Red. One of them let him and Daddy get up on the wing and look into the cock pit (I think that was just as exciting for Franky as it was for Red!). Another pilot had been talking to Alex so when he was getting in his plane he told us to watch him take off. He waved at us then took off straight up into the air (this impressed us all!).

There were a few pilots who practiced flying in formation. When they flew over the crowd, smoke trails followed behind them. Red thought this was the greatest. When they came in for a landing, one of them parked close to the fence where we were sitting. Red watched intently while the pilot took off his helmet and got out of the plane. Red says,"Mom, I'm gonna talk to him." He waited until the pilot was completely out of his plane and then tells him (in a voice that everyone watching can hear),"Excuse me, Sir. You did a great job up there." The pilot was grinning from ear to ear and tells Alex,"Well, Thank you young man." Red smiles a huge smile that makes my heart melt. What a cutie bug!!!

Oh the places we go...

A Little Fun

Lately my "scrap booking" room has been feeling a little neglected. I haven't worked on anything since February. I walk into the room, leaf through some of the neat things in there and then walk out. So, last weekend, I decided to play a little.

I have never really been one to make cards. The thought of working on a card only to have it meet an uncertain fate usually doesn't appeal to me but, I decided to make my Mother's Day cards and a birthday card for one of our nieces.

I had so much fun! It was surprising how much I enjoyed making them. The pink one was the birthday card, the "Love" card was for my Mom. I will definitely do more of these!

I hope to have a scrap booking day sometime soon. Hmm, there's a three day weekend coming up... Maybe I'll get to play some more. :)

Lucky Girl

The title says it all. This picture was taken on Mother's Day last weekend. Looking at it I am reminded how truly blessed I am. First, to be lucky enough to have married my best friend, soul mate and exceptional Daddy to Red. I couldn't have asked for a better husband. He is the person who reminds me to have faith and believe in our dreams.

One of those dreams was to be a Mom. I wasn't sure that dream would ever come true but after eight years of marriage and lots of prayers, God answered in an awesome and unexpected way. We were given the opportunity to adopt and I became a Mom. It has been such an awesome adventure. Red is an amazing, smart, BUSY, sweet, fun, social, lovable boy. I can't think of anything better than him waking me up every morning with hugs, kisses and a "good morning, Mommy."

I am a very Lucky Girl.

Meet Reeses.

We have a new family member...he is a 3 and a half month old Labradoodle. We have had him about three weeks now. We got him on the day of our 12th wedding anniversary. He is a cutie and so much fun. He is kind of shy but is coming out of his shell. He loves going for walks with Alex and I. Look for stories to come, he has a mischievous streak just like Red Head!

How Many Points Do I Have?

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have been on Weight Watcher's. Franky and I started back in February as an attempt to not only lose weight but change the way we eat and get healthy. When I told Mom we were on it, she got motivated and she and Dad started as well. When they got here, Mom joined with me and while they were here, we both attended the meetings.

I have to say it was so awesome. We all participated in making our meals. We all became addicted to pico de gallo (Franky and I had started that trend and were already addicted to it when Mom and Dad got here.) We would all help cut up the various components. Mom cooked all sorts of wonderful dishes from the Weight Watcher's cook book and we modified some of the recipes to make them even better. In the evening we walked to the strawberry patch close to our home and got fresh strawberries for shortcake. Dad would cut them up. We would take turns preparing them. Dad liked it when Franky made them the best...he really loaded up the cool whip!! Mom and I would scrap it off and give it to one of the guys!

Red caught on quickly that something was going on. All this talk about "points". He frequently asks "How many points do I have." We just tell him he has lots of points!!!

I am very proud to say that I have lost the 100+ pounds I gained over the last 12 years. I currently weigh 15 lbs. less than when Franky and I got married. Even better than losing the weight, my lab work relating to my diabetes is all normal! Yeah!!!

Franky has lost around 35 pounds and is currently weighing what he weighed in high school. We are exercising and feeling great.

Mom has lost 11 pounds so far. She and Dad have started walking now that they're at home. Yippee!!! So proud of us all.

Just Like the Pros...

While my parents were here, Papa picked up where he had left off on Red's golf lessons. Before they left for Minnesota, we had gotten Alex a putter and Papa had taught him to putt. He was actually quit good when he would take his time and line up.

My Dad was tickled when he found out that the little golf course in Lindsay didn't mind if Alex practiced there and for the bargain price of six dollars, they could play nine holes! Red loves to go places with Papa and was very excited to be able to go golfing.

The first time they went, Mom and I met them for lunch afterwards. Dad looked pooped and when I looked at the score card I felt like nominating Papa for sainthood. It looked something like this:
first hole- Papa 3, Alex 16
second hole- Papa 4, Alex 19
third hole- Papa 4, Alex 20.

After that, there were no scores. I asked Dad if things got any better. He said the scores were pretty much the same except after the third hole he let Alex putt his too. That went on for nine holes....Papa is officially a SAINT!!!

Alex was of course no worse for the wear. He was ready for the back nine. The only little hiccup was that he was so excited and having so much fun, he had a little accident.

Alex's score card:
-1 pair of camouflage undies

The next week, Papa took Alex again. We had a long talk about letting Papa know if he has to go. Even if you're having lots of fun, you can stop and then come back to playing. Red agreed.

Like the last time, Mom and I met the boys for lunch after their game. As Alex slides into the booth next to me at Taco Bell, I immediately ask him if he needs to go. He says no then changes his mind. We head to the restroom. As he sits down, I realize, he's had an accident, a bad accident...very bad...

Alex's score card:
-1 pair camouflage undies
-1 pair sport themed boxer briefs

When we get back to the table, I tell my parents about the accident. My Dad kinda giggles then proceeds to tell me that the while they were out there, he asked Alex a few times if he had to go. Alex said no. Then on the next to the last hole, Dad says Red squats down in front of his ball, kind of grunting.
Papa: Alex, do you need to go to the bathroom?
Red: No.
Papa: What are you doing?
Red: I'm doing like the pros do, Papa!

Dada says after that he was kinda acting funny... Poor guy. This will be one of those embarrassing stories that as an adult you pray no one will tell and will haunt you forever!!!

I actually joined them for the third round. I hadn't been golfing in years. I had an amazing time. No mishaps. Only a great bonding experience for Me, Alex and Papa. Can't wait to do it again.

I'm Thinking of Something...

So, as I eluded to in the previous post, I have a lot of catching up to do. I'll start by saying that it was so AweSomE to have my parents here for the entire month of April. I miss them terribly. It was great to be able to visit and spend time with them. The month seemed to fly by (as is usually the case when you wish it wouldn't.)

My parents got here right before Easter. I had to laugh, being that there has been snow on the ground in Minnesota since November, Mom and Dad hadn't seen green in a while. In fact, my Mom was so tickled by all of the greenery and flowers in Laughlin (yes, Laughlin) as they were driving through, they decided to stay there an extra day!

On Easter Sunday, we drove up to the foothills and took this and the other pictures from the slide show below this post. The weather was beautiful. Everything was so green and the wildflowers were gorgeous providing a terrific background. It was really nice.

I hate to admit this and am now wondering if indeed I did "have a bug", but these pictures are (almost) the only photos I took the entire time my folks were here...How sad is that?

Very sad, but I am happy to say that instead of pictures, I have great stories to tell. : )

The week after they arrived, we left for the coast. We had the trip planned since June of last year and were really looking forward to it. When we arrived at the beach, we were all kind of surprised by how cold it was. Even the "it's 10 degrees but feels like -15 and I'm only wearing a sweat shirt" Minnesotans were FREEZING. It was a "wet cold" don't ya know? (I'm only teasing Mom and Dad, it WAS cold there.)We made the best of it though!

The day after we arrived, Franky and Dad went golfing while Mom, Alex and I went shopping. First we went to our favorite, "Birds of a Feather". It was as wonderful as ever. We found some very yummy Easter decorations there. Next we drove to the village of Arroyo Grande. There we went to Susan Branch's store which is just too cute. I found an adorable vintage step stool there. Alex really liked it and we decided that it had some pretty great potential as a "time-out" chair! jk

After all of that shopping, we rewarded Red for being so patient (did I just use Red and patient in the same sentence?!) with a sweet treat at his favorite ice cream shop. Mom and I watched as he ate every last drop. We were (and still are) Weight Watchers and managed to stay on track. I must say though, I really enjoyed watching Red really enjoy eating his ice cream. I guess it was one of those "living vicariously through another" moments. : )

We had decided to head back to camp and were driving through SLO. It used to be that there was a terrific little shop called Anthology that we loved to go to there. The last time we were in SLO we were disappointed to see it had closed. The owner had previously had a shop Lavender in Pismo that we loved as well. On a fluke, we drove down a side street on the way back to the freeway and happened upon a shop called Nest.

We were both so excited as we walked through the door, it was fabulous!!! The funny thing was, turns out the owner is Connie, the woman whose other two shops we had admired so much. It was like a reunion. We visited with her for a while. I found a couple of great old cameras, a vintage picnic basket and a couple of "nesty" things that are perfect in my scrapbook room.
We had a great time.

The rest of the time we were in Morro Bay, we walked along the beach, rode our bikes, ate wonderful meals, played dominoes and visited with my parents, Aunt Sally, Uncle Billy and their daughter Rachel.

Red had lots of fun. He did have a few periods of naughtiness. He figured out pretty quickly that if one person told him no or not to do something, he could find someone else that would swing his way. Actually it was quite hilarious how he worked his magic.

As we were packing up getting ready to head home, Alex was having a particularly naughty behavior streak. Just not listening, doing the opposite of what we told him to do, etc. Needless to say, he had been in time out a lot that morning. When we were pulling out, Red decided to ride with Mow and Papa. You see, they are WAY more fun and they have Bubble Gum... Since he had been in trouble earlier, I told Mom not to let him have any gum until he started behaving better. She agreed and we all left. About 15 minutes into the trip we had stopped to get gas my Mom comes to our car cracking up. She told me this story:

After they got into the truck and got Alex all buckled in, he asked Papa if he could have a piece of gum. My Mom tells Red that I had said that he couldn't have any gum until he started behaving himself. She suggested they not talk about it and when they stopped for gas, he could ask me if he could have some then.

Mom says about a minute passed when Alex pipes up, "I'm thinking of something... It's squishy, and it tastes good...and you can chew it..."

Mom tells Alex he isn't supposed to be asking for gum anymore. To which Alex replies, "I didn't say gum, Mow!!!"

Little Stinker!

Easter

Got a Bug...

Not me, the laptop (aka Dill). I still don't quite understand what happened. The last time I used Dill, I was sitting in our trailer at Morro Dunes....

I was downloading all of the great photos of my parents, Franky, Alex and I that we had taken over Easter weekend. I was connected to the wireless network they offer (with the intent of posting an entry). I decided to work on the blog later. Instead of logging off, I just closed Dill.... I didn't open it until after we got back from our trip. When I did, it shut itself down right after I had logged in. Dill was not happy with me!!! The feeling was pretty mutual.

After that, I pretty much ignored the fact that I had a laptop or a blog for that matter. I enjoyed the time I spent with my parents while they were here, worked, played, chased Red...

So today was the day. A whole month and a half later. I called Dell.

They determined that Dill had caught a bug or had a problem with some sort of update. The man on the other end told me they would need to restore Dill to its factory settings (meaning I would lose everything on the computer).

Luckily, we have an external hard drive. I was able to save my 2000+ pictures. (You all thought I was joking when I said there is a paparazzo in our household! That's just the pics I've taken since Oct. 2007!!!)

Well, things are back to normal and I have a lot to catch everyone up on. Lots of silly things have happened that I have to share. So, stay tuned. : )

A Little Disney Magic