Thirteen for Thursday...

Here's my 13 random thoughts for today:

1. we are starting to redo my scraproom...I am soooo EXCITED!!!!! Can't wait to post photos of it!
2. evan's heading to his grandparents for the weekend....looking forward to lunch with my MIL tomorrow!
3. so excited that alex heads back to school on monday!!!!
4. loving the new CK Easy Patterns book...can't wait to get started on some projects!
5. just found some tatting that my grandmother did....thinking about using some on some cards...or a LO about her.
6. have a bag of Mini Robin Eggs on my table...my FAVORITE Easter candy
7. so happy that the wind stopped....makes for bad hair days!
8. got my yosemite photo (see the big one below on a LO) printed 16x20 on canvas...and took it in to get framed today!!! OMG...it's going to be BEAUTIFUL!
9. Survivor is on in 5 minutes...better hurry up with my last 4!
10. i have over 9500 posts at the SHAKER!!!!
11. I'm in shock that we are planning our 20th HS reunion!
12. have a mild headache tonight.....
13. I have the BEST kids and DH ever!!!!

a wonderful time

A few photos from the trip Alex and I took to Monterey on Monday and Tuesday. We had a great time together...just the two of us. We went to the aquarium there....and were able to visit an exhibit on river otters before it opens to the public! One of the perks of being members.... what an amazing exhibit. The top photo shows a couple of the new otters....the little one showing teeth is a BABY...just born in November!!!! Not sure I would mess with that baby. Couldn't resist taking a picture of that eel...he was just ASKING to have his photo taken that night....no one was paying attention to him (we had that part of the aquarium to ourselves) and looked so incredibily icky he was cute!!!!

And that last photo...what can I say..he's my little love!!! WHO can resist that face!!!???? I cannot believe that in a few short months he will be 8! Spunky and a fighter one minute and sweet and cuddly the next......love when he comes to cuddle with me!!!!!!

Hetch Hetchy

My latest layout done just for ME!! Made this today for my Yosemite album.....an album just for my favorite photos of one of my favorite places! These photos are from last May when we took the hike out to Wapama Falls (about 5 miles round trip). Simply stunning....so lucky to live with such an amazing place in my backyard. Made 4 cards out of the scraps........ That puts me up to 15 layout pages and 76 cards for the year! That's not counting all the pages I have put together for my friend to sell........I've done 158 pages for that (probably more cause I've only been keeping track the past month or so!).

A week or so ago I sent out a letter to several family/friends that were listed in my dad's address book to tell them of him passing away in January. I have been so touched by the several responses I have gotten back. A letter from an old Navy friend talking about celebrating their birthdays in Japan....one from one of his cousins (he has tons I have never met) talking about him being one of her favorite cousins growing up.......one from his brother-in-law (dad's sister passed away when I was young) telling me how he was always so good with his daughters (who are much older than I am).....and one from the family who had the cabin behind his little house asking for a photo of him so that their kids can remember him. Each one opening my eyes to the man my dad really was......how I would love to sit down with some of these people and get the stories. The stories that will be forever lost.....

Makes me want to be sure to get my stories down now. Yes, it's important to chronical the boys' lives so that they can look back and remember but it's just as important, if not more important, for me to get mine and Dave's, my mom and dad's, Janie and Fred's stories down.........so that the boys won't have all the questions I do.

Thirteen Thursday...

Okay...seen it on other blogs going to try it....13 things on this beautiful Thursday!

1. I am NOT ready for the HOT weather to be here.....can we just enjoy a mild spring for a while!
2. We, the boys and I, had a GREAT time at Boomers this afternoon....playing mini-golf, go-carts and the rock wall!
3. I'm anxious for Dave to get home from work....haven't seen him since Tuesday night!
4. I've scrapbooked already 78 pages for my friend this month!
5. I've only scrapbooked 13 pages for myself in 2007!!! Hmm, this number is not even!
6. Thursday is my FAVORITE TV night...Survivor's on!!!
7. I have a headache this evening...probably too much sunshine and not enough caffiene today!
8. Anyone want to come by Boy Scout candy??? I need to sell a lot of it!!!
9. Evan brought home an AWESOME report card.........all 5's except for a couple 4's......that's like A's and a couple B's. I'm soo proud of him!
10. Proud of Alex too for FINALLY getting Satisfactory in FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS on his report card a couple weeks ago!
11. I seriously need to take my contacts out...their driving me crazy!
12. Am having that photo below of Yosemite blown up to 16x20 and printed on canvas today! Can't wait to see what it looks like!
13. YEAH..made it to THIRTEEN! Hope you did too!!!!!

Signs of Spring.........

Signs of spring here in town:

**blooming trees

**sunshine

**longer days

**warmer weather

But the most enjoyable part of the spring are seeing our visitors each day! Last spring the ligher colored and the mallard duck made our pool their second home! This year to our surprise they CAME BACK!!! And, this weekend they brought a friend!!! We've had fun in the afternoons sitting out by the pool 'chatting' with our friends!

Finally....

a layout done for me!!!!! Been a while since I did any real scrapping for me. This is one of my FAVORITE photos of Yosemite, taken last spring.

A NEW step

Well, Evan officially cross over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.....another step that says my baby is growing up! Wasn't it just the other day that he was a baby....I am so proud of him!!! If the boy he is today is ANY indication of the man he will be, he will be an AMAZING man who will do great things! He is such a great kid....how many 10 year olds would be happy (and understanding) to sit out of getting an award that everyone else was getting??? I just hope and pray that he keeps up the motivation to go far in life.....he's already talking Eagle Scout. And the troop he is joining in 27 years has produced 53 Eagle Scouts!!!! Watch out world...Evan's on his way up!!!!

Hope to have a few photos up tomorrow!!!!!

Here are a couple cards I made late last night for the MARCH MADNESS Card challenge at THE SHAKER BOX!!! If you haven't checked it out, come on over!!! Lots of fun happening this month!!!!! Organized all my scraps last weekend so I am trying to make cards to use them up. Last year I made over 200 cards, hoping to make more this year!

Boys, Cars and Flowers.....

Spring has sprung...or is starting to here! A few of the trees in the backyard are starting to bloom....Took this photo yesterday....still waiting for the big tree in the back to burst open with bright yellow flowers!!!

Yesterday was the Pack 451 Pinewood Derby! What an exciting afternoon for the boys. Our cars didn't do very well (I think Dad has a lot of learning to do...) but the boys had fun. Our boys designed and helped cut, sand and decorate their cars...which I think is much more important than winning the race. Two boys from Alex's den took 1st and 2nd and will go on to the region race. Maybe next year!!!!

EXHAUSTED.....

I have been teaching kinder all week......well, make that 2 kinder classes all week!!!! Let me tell you that I have learned that I could not, would not (it's Dr. Suess week!!) teach it full time!!! I have had my fill of "teacher, teacher, teacher (insert tapping me on my arm, leg, shoulder), teacher, teacher, Mrs. E, Mrs. E". AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I have done double duty for both a morning kinder teacher and an afternoon kinder teacher as the afternoon teacher could not get the same person all week and asked me if I would kindly teach her class and use her sub as basically an extra teacher. Wouldn't be so bad if one of the gals that is subbing for her this week wasn't a complete DITZ!!! Please tell me how many times in a 20 minute period do you need to check for split ends!!!!!????? There is no time in this afternoon class to check for ANYTHING except that they aren't hurting each other or running out the door!!! LOL!!!!

I am so glad that Alex is now off track which means I can take a little break from working to hang out with him! I have worked so much in the past month....big paychecks but tiring!!!!

Loving my new computer but waiting to put Yahoo on.....so sorry I haven't been around to chat!!! Will fire up the old laptop next week so I can chat on that, play on my new one and scrap!!!!! Be sure to check out the new challenges starting for March at The Shaker Box!!!!