A Gold Mine.....

This is a photo of my mom when she was abotu 5 1/2 in 1938. I LOVE this photo of her.....she had one similar to this one hanging in our house next to one of my photos...people used to think that this one was me.

This photo is just the start of the gold mine of photos and slides my dad is giving me to scan and preserve. Today I came home with 3 boxes of slides that I will hopefully be able to scan. The slides date back to the late 1940's and 1950's....photos my dad took when he was in the Navy and traveled to Korea and Japan. I skimmed through some of the others and found pictures of my brother and I when I was really little that I don't remember ever seeing!

Unfortunately, all these photos are just making me miss my mom even more than I already do. I so wish she was here to share all this with me, tell me what things were, her feelings when she was holding me as a baby, and tell me all the stories that go with the photos. But she isn't so it's up to me to preserve the photos and the stories the best I can for my boys and their children.

The photos of my brother and I are just making me think of what kind of gift I can make for him for Christmas with some of these old photos I am sure he doesn't remember either!

Today I am thankful for my big brother. We may not have been close as children growing up but I can't imagine not having him in my life today as a wonderful brother and uncle!

How to BEAT the HEAT!

As we face our 12th day straight of temps over 100 the question on everyone's mind is "How to stay cool??" Here's my suggestions:

1) Spend time at the bottom of the pool or at least in it!

2) Eat popsicles and ice cream

3) Drink lots of water......or even Koolaide!

4) Do minimal amount of activity! I like this one! "Honey I couldn't clean it house...it was just too hot today!"

5) Stand in front of the open FREEZER or go stand in Costco's veggie department!

But as I listen to the weather as I type this, it sounds like we are finally in for a break! YEAH!!!

Today I am THANKFUL that my boys love the water and swimming as much as I do! I love to watch them play games, make up jumps and dives just as my friends and I did when we were children.

Larger Than Life

Sequoia Sempervirens

We spent 5 days camping under these trees.....The Coastal Redwood tree, the tallest trees in the world, the California state tree.......such an amazing sight. It is amazing to stand under these trees that tower 200+ feet tall! These trees can withstand fire, many have burned out trunks yet still live.....bugs don't like them. No wonder they live to be 1000's of years old!!!

Today's gratitude: I am thankful for friends, near and far, that are always there to lend a hand or just chat with!

It's HOTTTTTT!!!!

Wow!!! Just arrived home from camping in Big Basin (in the Santa Cruz mountains) to a VERY VERY hot house! We had forgotten to leave the AC on and it was 113 outside, 98 inside (downstairs in a cool part of the house)!! Upstairs was AWFUL...and still is at 9pm! It's going to take a few days to get everything cooled off again!

Camping was fun...not the best place we have gone but I think the heat/humidity drained us of all our energy. The trees were beautiful....what hikes we did do were very nice but it was about 100 degrees with no breeze and humid!!!!! We want to return to do a couple longer hikes it was just too hot to do this week but not sure we will return to camp there. SMALL campsites (felt like the guys next to us last night were in our tent!!!) and NOISY! One group even got kicked out of the campground at 11pm for breaking numerous rules....kind of nice that the rangers keep an eye on things.

I am very happy to be home even if it is 113 outside! Going to have a relaxing week....the Jr. Lifeguard camp Evan was to go to has been moved to next week due to problems at the pool so we will be relaxing around here! Gotta get caught up on my laundry!

My new toy arrived.......

OMG!!! My new Espon Perfection 3590 photo scanner just arrived!!! I have spent the afternoon setting it up and scanning a few things! Not only does it scan photos but also negatives and slides!

This photo of Alex (taken when he was 2) is a favorite of mine! Gotta love that face... I scanned this from a NEGATIVE!!! So AMAZING!!!

This photo of Evan when he was about 16 months old is one of my FAVORITES!! Before today I had ONE print of it and it was getting a little worn. Now it is safely stored on my computer. He looks like he is ready to hit the job site with his Grampsy (who we were visiting).

Can't wait to play more with my new toy!!!!

Today's gratitude: I am so thankful for my DH who loves me so much to buy me this new toy so I can continue to preserve our photos (new and old) for our future generations!!!

It's going to be a HOT one!

Photo of the Day

I took this photo of Joshua Tree National Park after Christmas this year. We were visiting Palm Springs and took a drive up there. Been thinking of this area lately because of the huge fires that are burning down in that area.

Perfect photo for a hot day....gonna feel like the desert here today! Predicting highs of about 107 degrees! YIKES....even too hot to be out by the pool! Shades are drawn, windows closed, air on.....time to stay inside!

Been scrappin' a lot lately.... go visit The Shaker Box to see my latest creations!

Just another day.....

Picture of the day

Alex's birthday 6/24

I love this photo of Alex....can't mistake the excitement he has for getting a set of fish that swim in the pool! A day of swimming hasn't gone by without those fish and the turtle swimming with him. In fact, I think a few of their batteries need to be replaced already!

Been a quiet day.....Evan's with Ammy and Grampsy so it's just been Alex and us. Today we worked on a project we've been wanting to do: redoing the coat closet under the stairs! Pulled EVERYTHING out, moved the closet rod, put our wine racks in, threw a bunch of stuff out...looks like a whole new closet! HATE doing the work but LOVE the result!

Today's gratitude: I am so thankful today for some quiet time to get to create some layouts!

PHOTO of the DAY

While we were in Monterey (FREEZING) on Sunday the boys had a BLAST digging holes in the playground sand and sitting in it! THANK GOODNESS the room had a washer and dryer so we could wash their clothes!

I am so proud of the boys for doing such a GREAT job cleaning the playroom. WE took a trunk load (plus the front seat) to Goodwill, gave a HUGE tub of Rescue Hero stuff to a friend, and have 2 BIG black garbage bags in the back of the truck to go to the dumpster!!! Now if they can only keep it clean!

Today's gratitude: I am thankful that my boys are not only brother's but good friends. They may fight but one is truly lost without the other. I hope and pray they continue to be friends throughtout their lives!

Photo of the day

I took this photo of Half Dome in Yosemite on Memorial Day from Glacier Point (which had just opened a few days prior). This is absolutely one of the most MAJESTIC places on EARTH!

My Mantra.......

Throw it away, give it away or put it away!!!!

How do we accumulate so much STUFF???? There is so much that hasn't been touched since we moved in....7 years ago! So I am purging!!! Today I am working on my scraproom and the drawers that were in the desk (which is now in the playroom for the boys' computer). The drawers are cleaned out and back in the desk. The boys are working on the playroom repeating my mantra.....and doing a good job! Hopefully by the end of tomorrow both rooms will be CLEAN!!!!

This afternoon I am thankful for such wonderful boys who are cleaning without an argument and for Evan being such a great big brother to let his little brother lie down for a bit while he finished the area they are working on.

1st Days of Summer Vacation....

Well...summer vacation has offically started!!! YEAH!!!! Time for sleeping in (well, as late as the boys will allow!), fun in the sun and relaxing!

Our 4th of July was FANTASTIC!!!! I think it is my favorite holiday right after Christmas! In fact, I would rather entertain on the 4th than on Christmas! Patriotic colors, songs and fireworks...combined with family and friends makes a perfect day!

WOW! Already summer!!

Didn't realize that I hadn't updated my blog since JANUARY! Wow! So much has happened!

School just finished for the year and I quit my job! Yep...going to stay home and sub next year and see how it goes. I am actually looking forward to it...spending more time with the boys, less money on child care, more time cleaning (doing Motivated Moms calendar www.motivatedmoms.com ) and hopefully more time scrappin!

Hard to believe I now have a 2nd grader and a 5th grader! The boys are looking forward to a busy July! Starting with our annual 4th of July party, then swim lessons, camping for 5 days in Big Basin, Jr. Lifeguard camp, Space and Rocket camp at the university, squeeze in a weekend at the grandparents and you've got a full weekend!

I hope to update more often and post a few more photos to keep some of you up to date on our lives!!!