"Fursis Wheel"

Sammie calls it a "Fursis Wheel" but you know what she means. We had a great time at the Spectrum today. My parents were in town for the weekend and we met Jill and the kids. ( First we met my aunt and uncle for breakfast at Rockwell's cafe/bakery) Nana came along too and we all had fun.
The middle pic is all the "cousins". Stephanie (6) Jack ( 1) Matthew (3) and Sammie (3.5)
They rode the "Polar Express" train a few times, and the carousel a few more times than the train! After, the kids all ate churros and Matthew and Stephanie ate cheetos. It was hard to get them all to go home. We had a busy weekend but it was fun! On Saturday, we were going to go Oak Glen apple orchard but the weather wouldn't cooperate so we went to lunch instead and then my mom and I went shopping. I really want to go to the apple orchard soon. Echo and I tried to go last Fall but we were too late and the apples were "done". September and October is the best time to go. I am hoping to go in the next few weeks. If you don 't know about Oak Glen, it is a scenic drive toward the mountains and then it is a small "village" with shops and lots of different apple orchards where you can pick them yourself, and/or buy apples, pies, goodies, etc. They have pony rides, a petting zoo, etc. Being the scrapbooker I am, I just HAVE to get some Fall pics and apple picking would be just perfect!
Anyway... I'll be back again soon with some more pics! I want to wish my friend Christine's son, Nicholas, a Happy Birthday. The poor kid turned 8 yesterday and was home all weekend sick. What a bummer!

Back to school

Well, I'm finally back to the blogging world again. Once "Back to school" hits I have to jump in with both feet and then catch up with my life again afterwards. Sorry it has been so long. I thought I'd start with a few pics of my classroom and then catch you up on what we've been up to. I started back to school on Aug. 27th to attend meetings, inservices, etc. ( setting up the classroom is all done on my own time without pay!) It was tough to go back after being off all summer. My first day with the kids was Sept. 4th. I have a nice group of kids this year. So far, only 16 which is FANTASTIC!! Yes, that is their REAL art. (Self Portraits)

Well, enough about school because I am off until Thursday so no thinking about it for me right now!

Labor Day weekend was fun. Brad and I took Sammie to the beach. She had a blast picking up every shell on the sand. She was afraid to go into the water at first but after lots and lots of coaxing from daddy, she finally tried it and then loved it so much! We went to the Balboa Fun Zone afterwards and rode the carousel and had a yummy ice cream cone. ( I made scrapbook pages of all this so I'll post them soon) I did get to scrapbook a little bit so I'll share some of those pages soon.

The horse picture was taken at the Equestrian Center which just happens to be practically next to my school. Sammie and I stopped there Wedneday to visit some horses on our way home from school. That big horse is Phantom. He was HUGE! When we got there, he was in the exercise pen and was running and kicking up lots of sand. When Sammie walked up, he stopped and put his head over the fence to nuzzle her. TOO CUTE! We pet many of the horses there and talked to lots of nice horsey owners. ( one who snapped that pic of us and Phantom)

Since Sammie can't have her own horse, we went to visit the one she thinks is hers that lives in front of the 99 cent store. She rides this horse all the time. Much cheaper for me than a real one!

Trick Or Treat..... EARLY

Hi There!
Just wanted to share the photos for a class I will be teaching at The Red Bee on Sunday, Oct. 7th, 10:30-12:00 noon. It is a trick or treat can designed as a Halloween candy holder for passing out your Halloween candy or for a young trick or treater to use on Halloween night. It is decorated with the new Making Memories Halloween paper, lots of ribbon, buttons, and sparkly accents. It will be a spooky fun class and I will have a prize raffle! Feel free to post any questions or comments. Thanks for stopping by!

Check out my Slide Show!

Enjoy Summer

So now that it is nearing the end of August and the end of summer, we are keeping busy and trying to enjoy and savor each day. Here's what we've been up to....

*Disneyland to watch the "Magical Parade" ( Electrical Parade in Sammie speak)

* Turtle splash pool in our backyard
* Lots of Birthday Parties
* Cousin Dave at Pump it Up
*Julia Bell's Wizard of Oz Party
* Ellie Larson's Princess Jasmine Party
* Water Park in Tustin. Of course Sammie found a horsey water sprayer but was too afraid to run in the water. She finally attempted the small sprinklers that just spray her legs. It was a fun day with Donna, Ellie and Jake.
Scrappin' with Christine, Jennifer and Heather after the design team meeting at The Red Bee.
STILL working on the closets. UGGGH
Gymboree art class and play class.
Shopping and having lunch with friends.
Playing at the park on the swings.
Mommy day! Sammie goes to school 2 days a week so mommy can get a few things done like go to the dentist, laundry, housecleaning and a massage!
Anyway.... I will post again soon and some more pics too. I spent 2 hours creating a slideshow but couldn't figure out how to post it on my blog. To be continued...
I am going to continue to enjoy summer because a sad week is soon approaching where i have to go back to work to attend trainings, meetings and get my classroom ready for the students who start Sept. 4th. Gotta cram in as much fun as possible this week!
Bye for now!

Closet World

Well, here are some before and after pics of what I have been doing to keep busy these last few weeks. We had an entertainment center built, cabinets put in our garage and all 5 closets in our house redone. This is no small task since we have lived in our house for 13 years and have lots of "stuff". Everything had to come out of everywhere so that all was empty! EEEEKKKK The one picture shows my living room before we got it put back. ( It isn't all back yet... some is in the guest room now but my downstairs is as clutter free as possible now) Anyway.. it has been such a huge job but I am happy with the results so far. My closet is very organized and I have a HUGE scrapbook cabinet in the garage. ( yes, it is already FULL) I was hoping to have this all done before I go back to work at the end of August but as the time goes so quickly now, I just want to have fun during my last few weeks and take my time putting the rest of the guest room back in order. For those of you who are teachers you completely understand how the month of August is. For those of you who aren't teachers, I know you don't feel that sorry for me having a summer off and having to go back to work but it is really tough!! I love summer vacation and all the freedom that goes with it. I love to take Sammie everywhere, scrapbook, see my friends, travel, etc. It all comes to a screaming halt once the school year begins. I am thankful that i work part time! What have you done this summer??