It's been some time since I posted to this blog. I find after a long day at work I lose my enthusiasm to get on the net. What do many of you do to keep motivated? Summers been busy in my neck of the woods. We had a wedding to celebrate, several birthdays, swim parties, and several short trips. I have to admit, I love being busy and I'm blessed to spend a lot of time with family and close friends. Sometimes being close means we don't have a free weekend, but I'd rather have that challenge than not see them. The kids are growing like weeds and time seems to fly by when it comes to spending time with them. As for work, well I have a few more years and I'm hoping the economy improves so I can make it to my goal date. These are nerve racking times for many. I guess that's why having family and friends close makes life so fun. Their love and support is what gets me through the hard days and makes the good days so much better.

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe we are actually in the 2nd week of 2010. While 2009 was not my best year, presenting several challenges, I also know it wasn't the worst year. Like many of you, I felt the financial crunch and worried about retaining my job. I was blessed with keeping my job even if it came with a pay cut. I still have a job!

I look back and still find many things to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family, some awesome friends, and I've made new ones on the way. I've been lucky to enjoy some mini vacation trips and outings with friends and family. My yard has suffered some but it survived. I wasn't able to plant the trees I had hoped to put in but I kept it green and flowers still bloomed.

I have a new member of the family on the way this year and we are all excited. Our family also is growing with a new member by means of an engagement. So I guess I should say we are going to have two new members. I lost an aunt, which everyone will missed but as you see the cycle of life continues and we flourish. These are blessings to be thankful for.

Our family reconnected this year (counsins, aunts and such) by means of the first of many annual picnics. Growing up we always met for a big Easter picnic and it was filled with games, food and the much anticipated egg hunt, all of which occurred after we attended Sunday services. Many years had passed since we had held one but this year my dear cousin Luis decided it was time we renewed that tradition. It was great fun and my grandchildren were overwhelmed by the number of relatives they had, and that was just on my mother's side!

I was able to enjoy several trips to Disneyland with my grandchildren this year and we even celebrated my sister's birthday there this year. We love that Disney offered free admission on your birthday and we are sad to see that go. It was a great fun and it was one Liz will remember for a long time. I think she was surprised to find my crazy bunch joining her family for the fun too.

All in all 2009 was not a bad year, but I am ready for 2010. I look forward to new memories and great fun. I even have my first "event" planned in a few weeks which hopefully will produce some wonderful scrapbooks. I am a very blessed person, I have so much to give thanks for. To everyone in my life, I cannot express to you how much each of you have meant to me and how much joy I get from knowing you. I pray I have given back at least half of what I've received.

The Magic of Disneyland

My granddaughter turned two years old so her mommy and I took her to Disneyland for a few hours. As an annual pass holder going for a few hours is worth the visit. Although she's only two, my granddaughter catches every light, every character and is in awe of every ride. She's such an adventurous little girl and it's so much fun to be there with her. There is nothing like Disneyland to bring out the child in anyone. For me, it's even more magical once the sun begins to set and the lights go on in the park. I have yet to see another place that can set a scene like Disneyland.

A Quick Trip to the Northwest

I had the good fortune of taking a quick trip to Oregon and Washington recently. I started in Portland, drove up to Seattle and across to the Washington coastline. I then continued down to Oregon's coast ending back in Portland. While the trip was quick and my time there was short, I did manage to see quite a bit of the countryside in both States.
Portland, Oregon was a nice surprise to me. I managed to arrived, unwittingly, just as their Rose Festival was getting underway so there was quite a bit of added activities going on. I'm not sure why it is not a more popular place to visit because I really did enjoy Portland. If you find time for a nice dinner you must try the Portland City Grill. If you're lucky enough to sit by the window (which I was) you will get a breath taking, almost panoramic view of the river and city. The meal was terrific, the service was great and the view was fantastic. I also stopped at Voodoo Doughnuts, which several people said was a must stop while in Portland. Their creations are interesting and there seems to always be a line. It is a fun place to stop.
If you enjoy San Francisco, you will enjoy Seattle. A friendly warning to those who have never been there before, wear very comfy shoes. Again I lucked out because they were holding the Northwest Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center. That was fun but very crowded. I was told it was crowded because they had unusually warm weather while I was visiting. Seattle has a variety of things to do and see for just about anyone's taste. This is another city worth taking a trip to.
Living in the southern part of California, especially this year, there isn't a lot of lush landscape this time of year (yes, it's already drying out). Both Oregon and Washington provided beautiful sights to see. I found that while Washington has a beautiful coastal area I really loved the beaches and towns along the coast of Oregon. Both states are a nice place to visit, I hope you make it through some time.

"Procrastination" Tales Of Mere Existence

When I saw this I really had to laugh, mostly because I can identify with this video. Come to think of it, this is actually kind of scary since I can identify with it!

DANCE TRAIN STATION BELGIUM do-re-mi The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews

Just what every traveler needs!

Mother's day

I'm lucky enough to have my daughter's living relatively close by. I'm also blessed with being able to spend Mother's Day with them, even though they are both mothers too. This year I was invited to my youngest daughter's home to spend the day scrapbooking and being catered to by her husband.

I have to let you all know that my son-in-law is an excellent cook, more like a chef. He not only prepared a meal that was amazing to the taste buds but was fit for royalty. He also made TWO desserts, and yes, all the dishes he prepared were from scratch.

We were able to work on our projects and we had her two young boys working along side on their scrapbooks. The youngest boy (3 years old) made a special one about him for his mommy, for Mother's Day. It was such a nice day and very relaxing.

Just before dinner we were joined by my son-in-law's parents and brother, and my older daughter and her little girl. It was one of the best Mother's Days I've had. What more could one ask for? I had great company, great food and the love of my family!

Dottie's World

Most of you know by now how much I love blog surfing and a contest. So it won't come as any surprise that I'm posting yet another blog contest here. Not only is this a fun blog spot for all you creative minds but they are giving away some awesome "candy". Please stop by Dottie's World and check them out. Here is the official invitation for this party:

I love to scrapbook, and part of the reason is that I love sitting with my grandchildren and answering questions they have as we go through the pages. One of the things I've discovered is that when I make a "all about" them book, they love having me read it to them often. If there's one thing my family and friends know about me is that I love to search the net for products, and inspire creativity. During one of my searches I found Custome Made for Kids and discovered their products. So if you don't scrapbook, and even if you do, this makes it very simple to create a book about your child or the child in your life. I've made some for the grandchildren and they love reading them over and over with me. Take at look at what they have to create and have fun.

Earth Day

With Earth Day approaching and everyone I know wanting to find more way to go "green" I thought this would be great to share with everyone. Electrolux is giving away a washer/dryer set so a member of our community. Just go to their site, plant a flower and then leave a comment on Mom Central and you're entered to win.

Just in time for Earth day, Electrolux is kicking off its virtual flower garden campaign to drive awareness and raise funds for Global Green USA. Starting today, when you go to electroluxappliances.com and plant a virtual flower for a friend, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA to support their healthy green schools initiatives across America. Everyone who logs on to the site and plants a virtual flower will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new eco-friendly Kelly Green front-load washer and dryer!

In addition, Mom Central will be giving away one Kelly Green washer and dryer set to a member of our community! To enter, first plant a flower on the Electrolux site. Then return to Mom Central, login or register, and leave a comment below that (1) tells us about the flower you planted on the Electrolux site and (2) shares your own “laundry tips” for saving time and energy by Monday, April 27th. We will then pick one lucky winner in a random drawing from all entries received! *

Since you're at Mom Central, take a look around their site and I'm sure you'll find something you like. This site is filled with all sorts of cool information, and I'm sure plenty of time saving ideas.