Finally!

Okay.. so I am finally updating my blog. I know I have been gone for a long long time and many of you were about to give up on me but I'm back. I have just been super busy and had a lot going on and every time I wanted to sit down and update my blog, I just always had something else I needed to do. Anyway.. I will just give you a little summary about what we've been up to and then I'll be back in a few days to share some more.
I want to explain this picture first... We collect Webkinz and have a bunch of them now. We love to go on the website and play the games. I bought Brad his own Webkin for his birthday because were fighting over whose turn it was to log on and play the games so now he has his own account.. Anyway.. They have a "Pet of the Month" and for April it was this Pink Poodle. If you buy the Pet of the Month and register it you get extra bonuses online and can play special games, etc. Well, when I gave it to Sammie, and stepped out of the room for a minute, she arranged this circle with her other Webkinz and then said, Mommy look, they all want to see the Pet of the Month. I thought it was so funny. She loves to arrange her animals and have one in the middle with the rest surrounding it. Silly kid!

Okay.. on to more exciting things ( I'm sure you don't think Webkinz are as exciting as I do) Even though we found the "Crown of Wonder" which is very tough to do. You have to collect 30 jewels from anywhere in 6 different mines.. I digress.. Back to my last few days..

I went scrapbooking at the Oasis to support Christine and Autism Speaks. What a great event! I had a lot of fun, won some fantastic prizes, and spent time scrapping with Christine, Donna, Jennifer, Janet, Annie, Susan, Joann, and even met a few new people! Everyone enjoyed themselves and not only were the goodie bags and prizes wonderful, the money raised went to help a special cause for kids with Autism. I am also participating in a walk next
Saturday for Autism Speaks. If you are interested in donating to that, here is the website: www.walknowforautism.org

Today was another Scrappy related day. I participated in the "Table Sale" at the Scrappin' Table. A big thank you to Michelle for having it so well-organized. She has a great store if you haven't been there yet, check it out! The link is on my blog under "my favorites". There were a lot of people at the beginning and then again at toward the end of the sale. I can't wait to find out how much money I made on my "gently used stuff". I worked really hard with the help of my dear friend Jennifer and her 2 daughters to package up all my stuff to sell. Michelle will have our totals this week so check back to find out how I did. We get to have store credit so I will sure have fun spending that!









Well, I can't have a blog post without a picture of Sammie and a horse of some kind. Here she is at Irvine Park, hugging a pony. We went there a few weeks ago with Donna and her kiddos. They had fun feeding the ponies carrots, riding ponies, riding the train, and playing in the park. It was a fun day just relaxing at the park.

Well, I am off to bed now. It is late. I will be back soon. I just checked to see when I started my blog for the first time and it was March 20, 2007 so Happy Birthday Blog! ( well a little late but I haven't been here in so long) It was one of my goals for the year and I have been better with my other goals of not buying scappy stuff, exercising more and losing some weight. This one should be the easiest one of all of those goals and it has been the one I neglected. I guess 3 out of 4 isn't bad. I should be able to do this no problem. we'll see...
I'll be back in a few days.. Say hi if you were here!!

March Madness!

Well, March always sneaks up on us because Brad's birthday is March 1st. This year was especially crazy because he turned 40 but about 3 days before his birthday, he broke his foot playing basketball so he celebrated on crutches! It has been really rough since he can't really get around very well and is in a lot of pain. We went out to dinner at Angelo's and Vinci's Restaurant. It was yummy. Sammie gave him a b-day kiss. My parents were in town so we went to Balboa Island the next day and walked around the fun zone. Brad stayed home because his foot was bothering him. My mom, dad, Sammie and I took the Harbor cruise around Balboa Island. We saw some amazing homes of celebrities and famous people. It was a beautiful day. The best part was seeing the sea lions in the water and on the buoys. My mom and Sam rode the "fursis wheel" and then the carousel. After that, Sammie bungee jumped. She loves doing that. My parents sat down in the shade and Sammie and I went for a walk down to the water. We walked along the sand and she had a blast searching for shells. She could spend the entire day with a pail picking up shells. She put them all in my pockets but that was okay. Then she knelt down and made a sand castle. I got the idea of making our handprints in the sand and took a picture. (Yes, I am such a scrapbooker, but I love that photo!)



We had a great time!

Let's see...what else? (My teaching friends will appreciate this.) I got to go on Sammie's class field trip to see Charlotte Diamond! She is a children's musical entertainer from Canada. She sings songs such as Octopus ( Slippery fish), I am a Pizza, Looking for Dracula, Each of us is a Flower, etc. It was a really good field trip. The kids got to sing and dance along with her. ( I did too) I miss my Kindergarten days!! I don't really get to do that anymore , although, I did put that CD on for my 2nd graders after I went on the field trip and they enjoyed it and they all said, "oh... that's from our kindergarten.. we like that!!" I said, "I know".. :0)

I went to the Melting Pot in Brea for a birthday dinner for a work friend. She turned 50. It was really yummy! There was a big group of us from school. The funniest part was that our waiter was Tony Barber who was the host on Scrapbook Lifesyles the online scrapbook show. I recognized him right away! ( The show isn't on anymore however! I definately recommend the Melting Pot for a nice dinner or even a fancy lunch. It is a lot of food but it is a little pricey!

Christine, and Jennifer and I went scrappin at the Oasis on Saturday. ( We missed you Donna!) Hopefully you can make it to the crop they are hosting for Christine and Autism Speaks on April 19th. There will be a lot of fantastic raffle prizes. Watch my blog for more info! This will be a great event for a wonderul cause!

Okay.. so you remember the title of my blog is RANDOM STUFF right?? So here is 1 little bit of random stuff:

Sammie's favorite ice cream flavor is called: Wild and Reckless from Baskin and Robbins (so fitting isn't it?)

One last thing.. Today was "big girl ride day" at Disneyland! I took Sammie to Disneyland and was smart this time and had her wear her boots so she would be taller. ( she is about 1/2 inch too short for Splash mountain, etc. and when i took her last month on her birthday she got on it once and then they said she was too short to ride so she burst into tears) Anyway.. I had her try on her boots last night, measured her and yep, she was 40 inches tall so today was the BIG DAY! After we rode the horse drawn street car of course, and visited the petting zoo with all the goats and sheep, she rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Tours, Space Mountain and LOVED them all! Oh my, is she hooked! She absoluely loved Space Mountain! She even charmed the employee as we were getting off she said, "Wow, that was awesome" and he said, "Oh princess,... would you like to go again?" and she said, "Oh, yes!" So we got to sneak back in through the exit and ride a 2nd time. That was so nice since it was a 35 mintue wait. She was so happy to ride it twice. Gotta love Disney magic! I don't think she'll want to go on the kiddie rides anymore now that she can ride the big girl rides! She amazes me!

Happy 94th Birthday Nana!

Today is my Nana's 94th birthday! I took her out to lunch and
shopping. She is an AMAZING woman! It is hard to believe she is 90 years older than Samantha. Her name is Bertha but she has always gone by Birdie. She has seen a lot in her 94 years and still lives an active lifestyle. She exercises everyday and always looks for the positive things in life. She doesn't let things get her down. She has been through a lot and seen a lot change in her 94 years. Just think about all the things we didn't have 94 years ago... Cars, TV, computers, cell phones, to name a few.
She was the youngest of 4 brothers, one of who passed away when he was only 18, from the flu. She married my Poppie in 1937 and they were married for 64 years. They had a long happy life together. ( He passed away 6 years ago when he was 93) Nana has 2 daughters of her own, 6 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. She loves to be with her "kids". She has many "famous" sayings of advice but she always says, "just live and be well". That sounds like good advice to me! Happy Birthday Nana! I love you!

Lots of things!

Hi Blog Friends!
I have been away for a week now and I have so many things to report! Here are some pics of Sammie's bday party and then her Disney celebration! The top photo is taken at CHA ( Craft and Hobby trade show) The girl in the middle ( if you don't know) is Teresa Collins who is a scrapbook designer and the girl on the left is Heather, a scrappy friend of mine.
CHA was a great show. There were a lot of make and takes and fun things to do. It was a lot of fun to see the new things coming out in the world of scrapbooking! It was fun hanging out with my peeps, Christine, Jennifer and Heather. We had a lot of laughs.

Christine and I went to the scrapbook expo on Saturday. We had fun walking around and shopping.. There is a lot of "old" product though and after seeing all the new exciting things at CHA, it isn't as enticing. I took a class which I enjoyed and then we went scrappin' at the OASIS afterwards which was good. It is a great place to scrap because it is so roomy and accomodating! Jennifer stopped by to say hello since she was in the area after working at the expo all day.

On a sad/bad note I got into a minor car accident the week before and had to deal with a rental car and then car repairs. It was 100% the other driver's fault so her insurance is paying for everything. My car was damaged badly in the front on the bumper but is now fixed and looks beautiful. The bad news to this whole thing is that my neck has been hurting and I finally realized it might be from the accident rather than I "slept funny" which is what I thought.. I went to the doctor today and she said I have a sprained neck as a result of the impact. It is really sore and should be better in a few weeks. Uggghhh.

On Sunday Brad and Sammie and I went with my Nana out to Temecula to Tom's farms. It was a beautiful day! We had fun. Sammie rode a pony and went to the petting zoo. We walked around there and had lunch. Brad and Sammie went on the train. I have been on it several times before and Nana didn't want to ride so I sent Sammie with Brad so they could have some time together. We had a great time.

Monday my friend Jennifer Bell came out with her daughter Julia and the girls played a bit and then we went to Hullabaloo's Clubhouse. They have open play time on Mondays and Tuesdays. It was a little crowded but the girls had fun. We went to lunch at Chili's afterwards.

Now for 7 random things about me that Jennifer W. tagged me to do:
1. I always print when I am writing. I like my handwriting but I prefer to print.
2. I learned to drive on a stick shift and can drive a stick if I need to. My first 2 cars were stick shift.
3. I am addicted to Webkinz world. I love to play on the website! I am addicted to the computer in general and love to read blogs, surf the net and play on tallyscrapper.
4. I was born in Detroit, Michigan and moved to CA when I was 12. I used to go to Ohio to an amusement park and when right before we moved, and it was going to be my last time there, I rode my favorite rollercoaster 19 times in a row. ( remember, I was only 12 at the time)
5. I name my cars. My first car was "Chuck"the champ , my 2nd car, "Fivel Fierowitz", "Pretzel the Prism", "Cami Camry", "Hi Ho Silver ( another Camry) ," and now "Sammie's car". Yes, I know this is a little over the edge but I have always done it.
6. My brother and I made up our own "language" when we were kids called "Be-Bop". We can still speak it very quickly. We even made up a Spanish version to throw people off if they started to catch on!
7. I am named after my dad's mom Ida. and My middle name is Rae after my mom's grandmother Rae.

There are many many more random things about me but there's a few to get you started.. Now I tag a few people to post on their blogs: Donna Larson, and Heather
I'll be back again soon!

Happy Birthday Sammie

Happy 4th Birthday my little Sam! I can't believe how fast time goes! You were a baby just four years ago and now a little girl! You are so independent and smart and you amaze me every day! I love your charm and personality! You are so observant and appreciative. You are strong willed but it will take you far in life! You have completely changed me as a person and I have never been the same since you arrived! I love you so much Sammie and I love being your mommy!

We had a fun day today! We went to Disneyland for Sammie's birthday. We started our day on the horse drawn street car as usual. We know several of the horses. They have 23 that they rotate on a regular basis! We know 7 of them now. ( Chief, Caleb, Brother, Orve, King, Bert, Ernie) Anyway.. that is one of Samantha's favorite things to do while we are there. She sits in the front and holds the excess reins and helps "drive". Today was special because while we were getting on the car, so was the quartet of singers and so they sang Happy Birthday to her. That was great!

For weeks now, Sammie has been talking about riding Splash Mountain. She is just a little short for the ride. (About 1 /2 inch.) I have been telling her to eat all the healthy foods she can and that's how she can grow. Well, she has been eating and eating and she keeps saying she wants to grow so she can ride Splash Mountain. Almost every day she asks me if she is tall enough. Well today she woke up and asked again. I said I wasn't sure but we'd see. She asked me again and again to go on Splash Mountain and so we walked over there. I told her that it was a safety issue if they told her no and not to get upset. She agreed. Well, today she got to ride Splash Mountain and wow, was she HAPPY! She absolutely LOVED the ride. The kid is FEARLESS! Now here is the sad part. We went on a few more rides and then went back again to ride it and a different ride attendant was at the front of the line. They measured her and said, I'm sorry, you are not tall enough. Well how do you explain to a 4 year old that an hour ago, you were tall enough and now you are not tall enough anymore??? I guess the first lady let her "squeak" by and this lady was the "tough" one. Well, Sammie burst into tears right there and cried and cried. She clenched the rope and wouldn't leave the line. I felt so bad for her. She said, "Why?" " Why can't I go on it?" I had to say, you are not tall enough, NOW. ( you just were but not now) Anyway.. I'm sure it was a judgement error from the first girl and Sammie finally got over it after a long meltdown, but it was tough. At least she got to ride it once! I told her to keep eating the healthy foods and hopefully next time she will grow that 1/2 inch we need.

We also celebrated her birthday at Disneyland in the Plaza Gardens. They have a special Disney birthday party. We met "Patrick Edward Cake" who is also known as Pat E. Cake. He came out and sang to all the birthday kids and they served small cakes and punch to all of us. Each person got to decorate their own cake and then Mickey and Minnie came to visit and take pictures.

We rode a few more rides and then headed for home. As soon as we got in the car and I was leaving the parking lot, I said to Sammie, "you were a good girl today, did you have fun?" and there was no answer. I turned around and she was out cold! I guess that's the sign of a wonderful birthday when you fall asleep instantly! She had a blast! We came home and she opened some gifts from Brad and I and then went to bed. I still can't believe she is 4 years old. Happy Birthday Samela!

Scrappy Stuff!

I went scrappin' by myself on Sunday. I just wanted a little quiet time and I made these pages. I really like how they all turned out. Sammie has been sick so we stayed home all weekend. I can always find things to do in the house to keep me busy, although, I'd much rather go running around!!! I have been sticking to my goals of not buying scrappy supplies ( I think I have spent $8.00 since Jan. 1st which is a HUGE change for me!) I am trying to use what I have already which is enough to open my own store!! I have also been walking for 30 minutes on my treadmill like I promised! I think it helps to post it publicly on my blog so you all hold me accountable!! tee hee hee!

Mickey Hugs

 

 

 

 

Sammie and I went to Disneyland all day yesterday. We had a great time! The park wasn't very crowded which is exactly how we like it! We went on so many rides and got to spend some time with Mickey Mouse who isn't out very often. We also rode the horse drawn street car ( a must every time!) Sammie sat up front and got to help "drive" the horses. When we finished I grabbed her for a photo and the horse, King, saw her and turned his head towards her for a great picture!
Her favorite ride is the Matterhorn. We also rode Snow White, Autopia, Pinocchio, Pirates, Winnie the Pooh, the rockets in Tomorrowland, Small World, saw the parade and went to the Tiki Room too! She fell asleep in the stroller on the walk to the tram to go home. I had to snap a pic because she was being sooo cranky right before she fell asleep so I found it amusing! tee hee hee

On Sunday we went to the park. We walked around, visited the ducks, played with a soccer ball and she played on the playground. She had a great time. I am amazed at how well she can run and kick a ball. She is really coordinated. I guess I will join the ranks of "soccer mom" someday!

Today Sammie went to school and I helped in her classroom. It is fun for me to get to know the kids in her class and I also get my "little kid fix" because I really miss teaching Kindergarten! I really enjoy all the fun art projects and music that I did with younger children.

I have been a good girl and have been keeping up with my New Year's goals. I have been exercising on my treadmill at home, watching what I am eating and have not been spending my paycheck on scrappy supplies! (not really my paycheck but I spent a lot of money on scrappy stuff in the past) I am really focused on using what I have and not buying more except for the occasional adhesive. I do have a gift certificate to the Scrappin' Table from Brad. I am saving it until I get that "buy scrappy supplies" urge. I should put it in a glass case with a hammer and hang it on the wall like a fire extinguisher!

I am having lunch tomorrow with my Nana (who is going to be 94 next month) and my brother, Jeff. I don't get to see him very often because he works 2 jobs and goes to school full time. He is a very busy guy but is finally almost done with college (he's on the 20 year plan) and will graduate in June with a degree in Communications/Journalism. I am so proud of him. He has had this goal for a long time and is finally completing it. He is a brilliant writer and speaker and he will be very successful at whatever he does. He is 2 years younger than me. I wish we lived closer so we could see each other more often. We were always so close growing up and now that we are both working and have families, it is tough to keep in touch. Not to mention the fact he lives in Ladera Ranch which is a little far away.

I am keeping busy with homelife, work, occasional scrapbooking and playing on the computer! I am not much of a TV person. I have a few shows I HAVE to watch ( Desparate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy) but I'd rather surf the net or play Webkinz! (this is my newest obsession!) I love Webkinz world. Brad and I fight over who is going to play all the daily games! :0) (I usually win) I am going to get him a Webkin for Valentine's day so he can open his own account! It really is so much fun! Sammie learned how to navigate on the computer by playing it. Now she knows how to play some of the games on the website.

I guess that's all for now. Thanks for visiting my blog! Leave a comment so I know you were here!