Happy Halloween!

Well, today is the last day of October and I have only blogged once! Bad blogger, bad blogger.. I apologize. I actually enjoy keeping a blog. It is a fun way to keep track of life these days.. I just have been pretty busy lately and haven't had an extra block of time to update. I have over 1000 pics on my photo disc so I need some time to upload pics. I am waiting for them to get printed at Sam's club which is really exciting because that means new pics to scrapbook!!
Anyway.. this is just a quick hello so you don't give up on reading my blog and I will post some more pics that show what we have been up to! I hope you had a fun Halloween! We sure did!
Boo!

Breakfast at Disney's

I feel like I have been LIVING at Disneyland lately. We went last week to Ariel's Grotto to have breakfast with the princesses. Sammie absolutely loved it! It was a very nice meal and she got special time with all the princesses. We met Cinderella, Belle ( she calls her "Belt"), Snow White, Ariel, and Sleeping Beauty ( aka Princess Aurora). We spent the day at Disneyland and had a great time. Then, I attened a Professional Conference for school at the Disneyland hotel for 3 days. Brad had the day off today so we went again so that makes 5 trips to Disneyland in 1 week. ( OH yeah, and we went the day before the breakfast to get Brad's annual pass so that really makes 6 trips to Disneyland in 8 days.)

Today was a little more crowded than last Monday. I think many people had the day off for Columbus Day. We just went for a few hours and rode Pirates, Small World, Monster's INC. and the Matterhorn. Sammie rode it for the first time last week. She loved it! She calls it "the horn". We rode "the horn" several times and she rode the giant "fursis wheel" at California Adventure. Brad and I switched off and each got to ride Soarin' over California. It is an amazing ride. It is as if you are flying over all the scenery of CA. You are actually suspended in mid air with your feet dangling.. WEIRD! I was a little scared acutally but then I relaxed and enjoyed it. In my "old age" I am a little more afraid of rides than I used to be. I still really enjoy fast rides like roller coasters, etc. I just got a little more "chicken" over the years..
Sad news though.. I lost my cell phone there at the park today. I sure hope someone turns it in. I don't know exactly where I lost it. Possibly on Pirates since that was the last ride we rode but who knows?? boo hoo

I got to scrapbook yesterday at the Bee and was happy to have some quiet "mommy mental break" time. I got all my design team projects done.

I have been addicted to all the new TV shows. I have been recording them ( thanks to Echo who taught me how) and watching them without commercials. I am not much of a TV person except for these shows: Grey's anatomy, Desparate Housewives, Private Practice and The Bachelor.. which is starting soon so I am going to go watch it!!
Bye!

"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!