Here is a pic of apricot trees ... I do live in the Apricot Capital of the world.
and I think they just look so 'pretty' this year. The colors really speak to me.

I feel 'naked'...my son and dil kept my camera last night. Her camera ran out of 'juice' at Betsy's wedding, so when we left, dil kept it. Good news, I'll get even more pictures...bad news, I am without my camera!!!

What a fun, long, wedding. The ceremony started at noon. It was in Espanol, so I did not understand a word...but it was cool. I'm told the Father's message wasn't very traditionally Catholic, but more Evangilical with even a sense of humor.

And Betsy looked like a princess. Wowza!!

No Mexican food, the food was good, But, boy I was looking forward to fantastic Enchiladas and sopapillas. But, they had a great Mariachi band and her father also sang.

When we left after 7pm, the 'party' was just starting. They still hadn't tossed the bouquet or cut the cake.

Well, time to start my Sunday, a li'l Bible study, a li'l church then SCRAPPIN!!!

Saturday 6-28

here is a pic of sunrise this morning @6:30 am. Kind of an eerie cast. We have had these brownish skies for the past week.

Today is Betsy's wedding. I'm looking forward to it. but have a few things to do.

Last night dh and I watched Robocop, its been so long since we've seen that, we actually enjoyed it. Felt stupid, but enjoyed it.

I hope to scrap a little today, want to redo a page from dd's wedding book and have a couple more in the book I'm making for her mother in law.

But first, I need to pay bills...whoohoo!! (helping the economy is soooo much fun!!)

And, I think I'm going to use BG's Boxer for ds's academy gradution. What do you think?

So, I'm off...have a great weekend!

its official..

yup, its official, my baby boy is a rookie police officer for one of Northern CA/Bay Area Cities. I'm not sure if he wants me to say which city, but lets just say its South of Oakland and North of San Jose.

He went to the Alameda County Sherriff's training center in Dublin, right next to the mega-sized Santa Rita Jail. If you get a chance to go to a police academy graduation, you should, it is a truly awesome event. While walking into the site, I was trying to figure out all the police uniforms there. Our friend, who is a San Jose police officer attended in his dress uniform. (so cool) We had grandparents, one uncle and his family and 'the' godfather and family. Lots of pics!!

Out of a class of 52 recruits, 31 graduated. One was dropped just the day before, which had to be absolutely heartbreaking.
(it really is like that, for those of you who watch the Academy on Reality TV.
except ds's school is 10 weeks longer)

After the actual graduation, ds took us on a tour of the facilities, followed with a bbq luncheon. The commander approached us, and introduced himself, and had wonderful things to say about ds. That ds was a pecentage of a percentage from getting a couple of the special awards. and that he and the staff were 'very impressed'... most people who meet ds, are. He's always been that kind of kid.

So, yes, I am very proud of him. You know, he actually grew up and became what he dreamed of. First a Marine, now a policeman...but...I am a little worried about this career choice. So, here's to hoping he has a long, boring career...filled with lots of paperwork!!!

well, my baby boy is graduating tomorrow

My baby is graduating from the police academy tomorrow. Goodness, I am very proud of him, but have very mixed feelings about him being a police officer.

Yikes....

the above is a card I made for him...I just love that stamp set from Stampin Up.

hopefully, next entry I'll have some pics...

good night!!

"Skip into summer amid enchanting with sparkling amethyst, willow green, lagoon blue and verbena pink. Relax in happiness and well-being, while indulging in your own personal state of delirium. This is Euphoria. New Basicgrey Line!!!"

this was in an email description of Euphoria...doesn't it just SOUND great!!
(except for the one grammatical mistake...enchanting..what? or amid ...what..that is enchanting...)
I'll probably get some, sounds perfect for the wedding I went to a couple of weeks ago.


This was a busy weekend, I hosted a mini-crop on Saturday...because everyone is busy doing summer stuff, only 3 other ladies stopped by. It worked out well, because I can only fit 4 comfortably in my dining room. I brought in a couple of Ikea desk lamps for extra lighting, as my dining room's lighting is not very good, esp for crafting. Dorlene and I were here for the whole time, from @11 am to 8pm.
We are 'quiet' scrappers, though we do talk, but we do a lot of crafting. Then Gina and Ashly joined us @4pm. It was fun!

Now, the family who was supposed to stop by on Sunday, came by on Saturday. So at one point there was the 4 of us (in the dining room) 4 of the family (dh, his parents, and ds) in the living room and dil and my mom in the back suite (working on hemming her bridesmaid dress)..it got a li'l nuts. I felt a li'l bad, did not want to become a 'nightmare' crop scenario...you know. My mom is almost as bad as a li'l kid, she kept hollering, "Karen, get over here". Oh well...I think the gals were okay with it.

Sunday morning, dh tells me "I know what you do at those things. You create, pig out and socialize"...well, DUH.

I got to scrap a li'l Sunday morning, and in the afternoon we had friends over for dinner. 2 couples, and it was fun...so nice to spend time with them.

I think this is one of the reasons my li'l mom is going back to Texas, we like to entertain and she doesn't like a houseful of people. About Sunday, she kept saying, "Why do you invite people, there is no event" and "People should go to Grandma's house, why do they always come here?" (Family events are usually here)
Dh likes to cook and entertain, I don't usually set up the events, but I enjoy our friends' company. (he cooks, I clean)

Mom pretty much stayed in her room, it is baseball day, at one point she had a game on tv AND one on the radio. When she stepped out in the evening, it was to find out Clint is as big a fan as her, though for the wrong team. He looked up some information for her, and lets just say, as they were leaving, she was calling Clint "honey". (most people are 'junky kids')

oh, I woke up this morning and had 2 good emails...Lida had commented on one of my past blogs..yay! (gotta go check and see if she has 'splained her absence)
and I won a RAK from one of the Bad Girls summer school classes I participated in...yay!!

off to read blogs and start my day!

Check out my Slide Show!

lookin for scrap ideas.

Well, can't load a picture today, so I guess I'll try tomorrow.

not much happening here.

I took another day off work. So, I've got my workout this morning then going to take mom to Wally-world (aka Walmart)...then I hope I can get in my pj's and scrap.

I started a heart-shaped collage page. so far, I have the pics in place, the heart shaped cut-out piece to put over them, but am wondering what to do around the heart.
I've thought of doodling, or sewing squares of pp around it, but don't know if that is 'refined' enough for a wedding book. Ya'll have any ideas?

I've just finished 2 pages of 5x7 'family' pics and have one more to go...really getting stretched thinking of ways to display a 5x7...okay, not stretched but bored.

We also have a challenge for my local small group, using feminine products (not the kind with wings) on a guy layout. I guess it would 'cheat' to use brown flowers...so I've been trying to think of using something pink...

I've been buying 'guy' stuff like crazy.

There is a thread on 2 peas asking about Lida. I have missed her and hope she posts. Someone said she mentioned taking care of her mom who has Alzheimer's...maybe she's been way too busy or away from a computer.

well, I started this entry this morning, then lost my internet connection all day
so weird, going without internet...yikes

I got the heart shaped collage done. I ended up taking pp and creating an outline around the heart shape, then taking a Queens felt I painted and glittered and put these 'sporadically' around the heart shape, popped a cupid charm with my tagger...and its done.

actually finished the book. wooohoooo

Cassandra is adjusting...

Cassandra (our beautiful black cat, who has been dd's cat since dd was 7 years old)had a good weekend, all she had to do was put up with the 'boy'.
As soon as dd came into the house, Cassandra was there. She did well her first night having to let the 'boy' sleep in HER bed. First she took his pillow, then got under the covers and according to Chris, slept right between them.

Ahhh, its not as bad as that, when the kids were on the couch, Cassandra sat across his legs, cuz they were on dd's lap...but she doesn't hiss and growl at him anymore.

Guess what? its 2pm, Monday, and I am sitting here in my pj's..I LOVE it.
I got the day off!! My plan, pj's, Ben and Jerry's, computer, scrappin'... oh, should I throw in a little nap-e-pooh? Ok, I'll skip the B and J's...I did have my Monday morning workout this morn...or I'll just have a little.

I did spend the morning paying bills, yikes, most un-fun.
then basic errands, so I wasn't completely worthless...but I plan to be for the rest of the day!!

I finally bought the Scrapbooks Etc page maps magazine...wowza, what an inspiring book. and one of my faves, Bonnie Kellner has a section (6). I just love her style.

So, I guess I better stop blogging, read some of yours and go scrap!!
(oh dd seems to like her wedding book so far)
but it is sooooo hard!!

2 peas, biggest lesson so far in life...

so, here is what my scraproom has been looking like the past couple of weeks,
wedding stuff strewn about the floor and an unfinished layout on the desk.
My Mommy told me to pick it up, she was afraid I'd trip or something. I didn't pick it up, just reorganized the piles. teehee

Yesterday, I got a package in the mail. Some enabler on 2 peas, had a link to Crafts Etc., so I picked up 10 CD's of Autumn Leaves Fonts for $22...I am in font heaven. but having trouble with my computer as I install...oh well gotta wait till dh comes home for install.

Taking the day off today. I have my 9 am workout, take mom to bank and grocery store and one of the doggies to the vet. AND I hope some time in the scraproom!!

biggest lesson so far in life:

hmmmmm, you know when you are young and you just know how life should be, not just yours but everyone around you. How everyone should parent, should work, should keep house, should _____________. I guess as I've grown older, I've learned to accept people where they are at. It was absolutely freeing, to give up trying to be in control, (or thinking I was). Opens me up to be 'friends' with my grown children and their spouses, instead of trying to tell them what/how to do. Instead of stepping in, I encourage them to work things out.

Also, I don't take 'slights' as personally as I used to. I can accept, try to see where the other person is coming from. Now, I used to be involved in one of those ugly neighbor vs neighbor wars...front and center...and boy, did that teach me a lot about myself. And I used to hold grudges for YEARS...letting all that go, is simply freeing. I think it was a Chuck Swindoll book, about Facing Giants, that helped me change. He had a short lesson about bitterness, and I just did not want to be that person. My strategy, everytime thoughts about that person came up, with all the emotions, I would use it as a reminder to pray for that person. And there was a song, by Al Densen, "Right where I am"...so initially those prayers would be, Lord make me be willing to be willing to be willing to forgive...and the willings started to drop.

Weren't ya'll glad when Stephanie won Top Chef, last night. I was. Though it's Lisa's peanut butter mashed potatos and her soup recipe (from last night) I'll probably look up. Its too bad Richard 'choked'...I remember that happening last season when Hung won, the top gal 'choked' and the guy who barely got there did better with the final meal.

Can't wait for new episodes of the Closer, does anyone know if Heroes will be back?

randomness...

Boy, did I sleep! went to bed at 8:30 last night, got up at 7 this morn. No, it was more a coma like state. But I needed it, all day yesterday, I was DRAGGING!!!

I've been cross-training to do payroll. Okay, nowadays it is computerized, it is supposed to be EASY...Heck no!! 20+ years ago, I used to do the payroll, manually, it was soooooo much easier then!! I don't get it, back then we calculated taxes, both social security deposits, garnishments, (I don't remember 401k's)...Nope, I don't get it at all.

Next week, I'll be cross-training at the accts payable desk, as Betsy is getting married and is gong to Hawaii for her honeymoon. I keep telling her, she only has the weekend for her honeymoon, not the entire week.! (I'm a mean coworker)

Momachan cut up a cantaloupe...yummm..talk about perfection.

man, is this random.

I think I'm set for the Scrapbook Expo. I'd better see if any of the classes are full. I sure do want to go to the Friday, all day crop. This year, I'm staying at the hotel close to the site...I'm going for convenience instead of cost.

If it ain't too expensive.

Oh, I hear dh's voice, time to load up the car and go to work!!
yay, its humpday!!

finally a Big Lots score for me

Yes, I've been guilty of BL envy, I'd read those threads and think "why is my BL so lame?. Saturday, Mom and I went to Modesto and YES!! all the cool stuff others were talking about. But my fave little purchase were these acrylic jars, they are actually Caboodles, and had little bath flowers in them...but I think they are perfect for my ribbons. (if you live in Modesto, don't go looking for them, cuz I took the only 3)(teehee)

Get to start my week again! hooray. Why do the weekends have to end. At about 8pm,last night, I started to get sad. poo-ey. And this mornings weigh in was not good news. I've regained about 3 lbs. I knew it, too much Mexican food and ice cream these past couple of weeks and not enough treadmill. I've got to make the vow of at least one salad a day (it is summer) and to stop skipping the treadmill.. oh well, as I've always preached, 'consequences for chosen behaivior'...but that Ben and Jerry's creme brulee ice cream was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOD!!!!

I've got VH1's fresh on this morning, Natasha Beningfield sure does write some good songs, too bad her voice simply sucks. If these were resung by someone with good vocals...they would be great songs!! Oh well, as my li'l old Japanese mom says, "You can't have everything".

Oh has anyone watched the movie "Backwoods" with Gary Oldman? I simply did not get the ending. If you understood it, would you let me know, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!!

(oh after the last post about the 'purples' changed my blog colors, maybe ddil can use it to teach ds the diff shades) ha!!

scrappin' plans and yesterday's wedding

from 2 peas:
What are your scrappin' plans today.

After church, I plan to work on dd's wedding album. I'm at the bouquet toss page.

Yesterday, I fiddled a bit, made a wedding card for Jim and Aurora, then ended up working on my ribbon stash...did not quite get to actually working on the layout.

Oh, and someone posted instructions on using Wordart in Word, to make your words into shapes, so I played with that.

Yesterdays wedding was at 6pm...so we arrived at, oh 6pm, luckily, it hadn't started yet. Ds and ddil were there, so she got lots of fantastic pics for me.

It was nice to just go to a wedding...no worrying about the details, and yes, it was nice and no, it was not perfect...you could see a couple of little things went wrong.
But I think that is all part of the process...

We've known Jim since he was a little squirt, we are so happy for him. Aurora seems like a wonderful, gracious young woman..in many ways, we are wondering how he got so lucky!!

of course, scrap dork that I am, I went to bed last night, thinking of what pp I could use with these pics. Her colors were lavender and pale green. Ddil and I were having a li'l fun with ds, "do you think that is lavender or lilac?" oh "I don't know there's a li'l periwinkle...",...he's sitting there, shaking his head, "purple is purple!!" I just bought a pack of Making Memories Boho Chic at BL Satureday morning, I think it would be just right!!

Oh and at the venue, a golf club, a couple of deer came up to the iron fence for a peek...of course, the boys are talking about what kind of rifle...while we women are talking about getting pictures. Reminded me of Brad Paisley's new song "I'm Still A guy"..

favorite pages

from 2 peas: What are your favorite pages to work on?

hmmm, since I really only scrap according to mood, I'm not a chronological scrapper, whatever page I'm working on is my fave! I do struggle more with layouts for guys, I just don't feel as 'creative'... I just usually feel like my 'guy' layouts are missing something. But then again, I feel that way about most of my layouts. I'm such a 'simple' scrapper who wants to be more playful.

Maybe that's why I love the layouts over at Bad Girls, they sure do know how to add layers of embellies...I love the work of Iris B. But over at "I am a Scrapaholic", I love the work of their DT, Holly P.

This Saturday, we have a wedding to attend. One of my ds's best buds while growing up, there were three of them on the street, they were pretty much the 3 Musketeers, or the 3 Amigos, or the 3 Stooges. DD considers all of them her big bros.

I am SOOOOOOOOO looking forward to a wedding where all I have to do is 'show up'!!! Yahoo!!

I played with a song list for my blog last night, then watched the CMT awards and thought of more songs I wish I had. When I get tired of this one, I'll put up one of my fave scrappin' songs.

couple more projects from summer school

I thought I'd post a couple more projects from the summer school at Bad Girls,
the frame is from Iris's class...it is really different for me, as I'm not really shabbychic, but I thought it turned out pretty. And the other 2 are from Ania's class, using tp rolls to make a mini-book, I did one about dd's bachlorette party, so I used KI Memories "Pop Culture" papers.

Today is my late morning to work, Yay!! But I've got some stuff to do, boo!
I've been slowly working on organizing my closet, and after the "best tip to organize thread" on 2 peas, feeling inspired to work on the scrap room, next.
again. oh well, its a constant project, ain't it.

so, better get to the list!

Michelle and last night.

Last night was a little tough, Gordon asked us women from the office to stop by and take what we'd like from Michelle's closets and drawers...it did feel awkward, but I got to thinking, this is what I'd want dh to do when its my time. 3 of us stopped by and lets just say, Michelle has good taste. She had very nice bits of a lot of styles, so there was something for everyone. We were even picking things out for other gals in the office. My mom even got a sweat outfit. Lucky for us, she wore the same size shoes as the 3 who stopped by...so we got shoes also. She called her comfy pj's 'muggies', so we choose a 'muggie' for everyone. Gordon has her bathrobe laid out on the bed, so he and their cats can cuddle with 'her' smell at night. We were touched.

I love her decorating style also, little bits of whimsy spread out through the house.

The above is a lo I did of Michelle over the weekend, it is based on one of the classes from the Bad Girls summer school, called 'trash to treasure' I thought it was a good inspiration for a lo about her, as she used to like to comb our property for bits of tile and glass and stuff for her mosaics. (a couple of mobile homes burned down on a section of the property @10 years ago). I got a couple of the prettiest butterlies I could find on it, and picked up a 'puppy' last night to put on it. (one of the last things she said before she became comotose was that she was watching a puppy chase a butterfly)

Note her smile, in every pic of her is that contagious smile, and that is what I will miss the most. She brought such warm energy with her, she was strong and opinionated, but 'argued' her point with a sense of humor. Family get together won't be the same without her.