.

Something fun

2011-11-10T20:05:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything. Work has me tied down with very little time for posting and creating. I came across a YouTube video showing how to make a cardstock mini album. It is super easy, takes very little supplies, and oh so fun to make. I've made about seven already.

I made a few as gifts for three of my co-workers. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I changed them up a bit from the video, but the base idea stayed the same.

Here is the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZtPBpzc-Bw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This was the first one I made. It was for another teacher in my department. She just had her first two grandchildren within months of each other.

I'm crazy about paper flowers and glitter.

This is the first page. It's 6x6.

As you open each page there's more and more. It's similar to a gate style card.

I added pockets for tags. I wanted more space for pictures.

It just keeps going.

The center is the final page. It's a tri fold.

Front of tri fold.

Back of tri fold.

The very back. I thought a nice picture would look really cute here.

I hope you've enjoyed this. If you have questions just ask.

Happy stampin' and scrappin'!
Marlo

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thankful Florets

2011-08-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

A quick little post. I made this card a week ago but never got around to posting it. It has been a crazy start to this school year and I'm finding less and less time to do the things I love, let alone have time for my family.

I'm still making thank you cards for the para-educators in my department. I'm wanting to make sure each one is carefully and specially made. They are very special friends.

Inkspirations Challenges #83 is a cute sketch that gave me a bit of trouble. So many fun layers that it took me forever to decide what papers I wanted to use. I was quite stumped. Check out the sketch.

Don'tcha just love all the different layers? Here is my take on it.

I chose to ruffle ribbon instead of using a strip of cardstock. I chose to use only one patterned paper because of the multiple layering. It's simple but I love it.

Again, another handmade flower. And of course, I had to add glitter.

Card recipe: all items by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock- marina mist, chocolate chip, whisper white, certainly celery
Pattern paper- Greenhouse Gala
Stamps- Fabulous Florets
Ribbon
Scallop border punch, large and small round scallop punch
Ink- basic black, marina mist, old olive
Dazzling diamond glitter

Thank you for visiting!
Marlo

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunny Florets

2011-08-20T17:52:00.001-07:00

Finally had some time to relax and catch up with some of my most favorite friends, the girls from West Coast Croppers, my local scrapbooking group.

I didn't work on any albums, but I did make some well over due cards. I needed some 'thank you' cards for the para-professionals that work in my dept. They have been super supportive with the new changes and leader transition. I'm blessed to have a great group of girls to assist me. They truly are the ones that keep our dept. going.

This first card is also for Stampin' Royalty's challenge #85. This week was a sketch challenge. Another fun sketch.

Don'tcha just love it. Here is my take on it.

The stamp set is Fabulous Florets by Stampin' Up! Such a great set. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It was one of those purchases that you just buy just because nothing else is calling out to you. Glad I bought it.

One of the flowers is layered with a second cut out image. I curled the flower petals just a bit to add some dimension. The leaves were cut out, curled and then glued down. The pumpkin pie paper ribbon strip was distressed in order to break down the fibers and pull the layers apart. This gave the strip a velvety texture.

I'm totally digging this stamp set and this card. When you get a chance, head on over to Stampin' Royalty and check out all the wonderful creations. You will have plenty of eye candy to make you drool.

Card recipe: All supplies from Stampin' Up!
Pattern paper-greenhouse gala, retired
Cardstock- pumpkin pie, old olive, chocolate chip, marina mist, whisper white
Stamps- Fabulous Florets, Friendly Phrases
Crystal lacquer, chalk, embossing template, brad, oval, and scallop punch

Thanks for looking. Happy Saturday!
Marlo

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Finally...Greenhouse Thank You~ Mojo Monday 203

2011-08-14T18:04:00.001-07:00

Finally, something done, uploaded, and blogged. And just minutes before the deadline...nothing like waiting until the last minute. Mojo Monday always has amazing sketches ready to get you going for the start of each week. If you need inspiration head on over there and be inspired.

Mojo 203 sketch

Fun, fun, fun sketch, as always. This time I did not reach inside my scrap bins, but instead decided to use something from my Stampin' Up! retired bins.

I'm using Greenhouse Gala from Stampin' Up!. Love this paper. Again I chose to use a handmade flower. I really can't seem to get enough of them. And making them is so fun and therapeutic in a way. I added some tendrils of chocolate chip and wispy leaves of certainly celery. The dimension is just yummy.

The sentiment is from the Just Believe set by Stsmpin' Up! I used marina mist to stamp it on the tag. I stamped a second and third generation of the sentiment just below the original stamped image. It's difficult to see in the picture. I dusted the flower with some dazzling diamond glitter. You know me, always has to glitter something. The blue pattern paper was embossed with the polka dot embossing folder and then lightly inked with marina mist.

The tag punch was punched from whisper white and layered on a tag punched from chocolate chip. I inked the white in marina mist. I added a thin strip of Greenhouse Gala and then adorned with some baby blue rhinestones.

Card recipe:
All items, except rhinestones and ribbon are from Stampin' Up!
Cardstock- certainly celery, chocolate chip, whisper white, and marina mist
Pattern paper- Greenhou Gala
Ink- chocolate chip, marina mist, old olive, and certainly celery
Punches- scallop flower, scallop border, and tag
Stamp set- Just Believe
Dazzling diamond glitter, polka dot embossing folder

Thank you for looking. Hop on over to Mojo Monday and check out the amazing projects.

Marlo
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So forgetful these days...

2011-08-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

Going back to work after having the summer off has been a bit of a challenge. I can't seem to remember what I need to get done. My mind is still on vacation. I think I may need to start keeping a calendar handy.

One thing I keep forgetting to do is post my cards or projects on time for the various challenges that are out in the blogging world.

Mojo Monday sketch challenge 202 was one of my favorite sketches of the week. I used the sketch to make a card for a co-worker. I failed to take pics of the card. Later in the week wanted to use up the scraps so I made another card using the sketch, only I changed it up a tad. This is the Mojo Monday sketch.

Isn't it awesome? My second attempt at this sketch incorporated all the same papers.

Only this time I rotated the sketch and made a much larger flower. I used two different size scallop punches. I distressed the pieces by folding them back and forth. This allowed the paper to separate so I can pull them apart. One side is velvety. I alternated the velvety side and normal side to layer the pieces. I used the smaller scallop punch for the center of the flower. It made it look more fuller. I topped it off with a rhinestone. The leaves are ribbon.

Instead of three ribbon strips I chose to use three rows of small rhinestones.

The inside of the card is edged with strips of the same paper. Doing this helps me use up my scraps. You'll notice that this card is using all the same papers as the card in my previous post. Again, both of these cards were made with scraps.

Card recipe:
Patterned paper by My Mind's Eye
Cardstock by Stampin' Up!
Stamp set by Stampin' Up!, Thoughts & Prayers
Ink by Stampin' Up!
Scallop, scallop border, and tag punch by Stampin' Up!
Rhinestones, ribbon

Thanks for looking. If you need some inspiration or feel the you lost your mojo, head on over to Mojo Monday.

Happy stampin' and scrappin'!
Marlo

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sympathy Challenged

2011-08-10T21:36:00.001-07:00

I love card making and trying to have a wide assortments of cards on hand. I even bought a really nice spinning card rack from a gift shop that was closing. This rack holds up to 175 cards...hahaha, and I must say, it's filled.

Yesterday, one of the teachers got word that her father passed away. One of the gals in my department said she would go out and purchase a card. Instead, I offered to bring one from home, from my card rack. After all, I have 175+ right at my fingertips.

I searched and was certain I had a 'sympathy' card, but to no avail did I find one. With very little time available I needed to get one made. I had no time to design something or be overly creative so I searched many of the blogs I peruse and came across a wonderful sketch. It was perfect and I didn't have to spend time coming up with a design because some wonderful person already did it for me.

Isn't this a wonderful sketch design? I found it at Inkspiations Challenge.

This is what I came up with.

These scraps were left over from a previous 'get well' card that I made for another co-worker. The photo does not do the card or colors justice. The inside of the card looks like this...

I had so much fun making this card and it was so quick to get done thanks to Inkspiration Challenge Blogs.

Card recipe:
Cardstock -SU!, melon mambo, certainly celery, whisper white
Patterned paper- My Mind's Eye
Ink-SU!
Scallop punch- SU!
Stamp set - SU!, Thoughts &Prayers
Accessories- rhinestones, ribbon, Cuttlebug, embossing folder

I just love how this card turned out. Today my dept. signed the card and gave it to the math teacher. She loved and was very appreciative. The greatest joy about making cards is being able to share them with people and making them smile.

Thanks for looking, and as always, Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'

Marlo

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sexy Summer Invite & Stampin' Royalty Challenge #82

2011-07-31T21:46:00.001-07:00

We've had some crazy summer storms over the weekend. Rain, wind, lightening, thunder, and a bit of hail. Worst part of it, we lost all Internet, cable, and phone service for about 20 hours. Then we lost power for close to 9 hours. Once all the utilities were back on this morning I needed something to cheer me up. Searching blogs always does that to me. Stampin' Royalty's current challenge is to create a card, scrapbook layout, 3D project or digital design related to summer. With all the rain and yucky weather I really needed a reminder that it was still summer, after all.

This first picture was with the camera flash on. The second was with the flash off.

All the card stock and patterned paper (bikini) were scraps from my latest projects. The sand paper is from my husband's garage. The beach towel is a scrap of fabric left over from a quilt project. I just frayed one edge to make it look like fringe. The sun, sky, and water were sponged.

One of the things I like to do is to make sure the inside of my cards are just as cute as the outside. I sponged the sand, water, and sun. Then I stamped a sand castle and seashell. Lastly, I drew a double line all the way around the card stock.

This picture shows the dimension of the bikini girl, tanning lotion and sand. The bikini girl is popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals by SU!

Card recipe:
Cardstock and patterned paper - SU!
Ink, journal writer, stampin' dimensionals, and dazzling diamond glitter - SU!
Copic markers used in bikini girl
You're invited stamp - SU!
Bikini girl, sand castle, seashell, tanning lotion stamps - Hanna Stamps
Bird stamp - unknown
Sandpaper and fabric scrap

Be sure to head on over to Stampin' Royalty and check out all the wonderful entries from so many talented ladies.

Thanks for looking.
Happy stampin' & scrap pin',
Marlo

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Green, Black, and White...Can't Be Stopped!

2011-07-31T14:21:00.001-07:00

I recently made 3 scrapbook albums showcasing Mystic All-Star Cheer for the 2010-2011 year. One was for my daughter's coach, Devon. One for my son's girlfriend, Aby, who also cheers with my daughter. And the third for Tiff, my daughter.

Tiff & Aby

Since Mystic's colors are green, black, and white, I made the albums to coordinate. Let's just say that after the third album I had tons of scraps and I was sick of these colors. Although I swore I didn't want to see those colors for awhile, I needed to use up the scraps.

I love to spend time making cards, it's stress therapy for me. The following cards are 4x4. All card stock is from the scrap box. Some of the card stock is Stampin' Up! And some was bought at Joann's. Border and scallop punch are by Stampin' Up, ribbon and rhinestones from the Fabric Barn. The stamps are from CTMH. The zebra paper was bought at Joann's. It has a velvety texture to it.

The card bases were cut from a lime green cardstock. The lighter green is a glitter cardstock purchased from Joann's.

The scallop is popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals by SU!

I believe I made over 20 cards so far using only scraps. I think I can get a few more before calling it quits or really not wanting to see these colors again.

Thanks for looking.
Happy Stampin' & Scrappin',
Marlo

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hello Kitty Friends Scrapbook Album

2011-07-29T00:54:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I came across a scrapbooking blog that I instantly fell in love with, bugjunkie.blogspot.com. Bug Junkie does some beautiful work and creations using the Cricut. Next thing I knew I was on YouTube watching all of her videos.

I found myself on the treadmill watching the videos and losing track of time. She has a series of videos that shows how to use The Design Studio with your Cricut. I was hooked and knew I needed this. I first tried the demo version to see if it was user friendly...and yes, it was! I made a shaped book using the trial version, but I was limited. So, I bought the full version of The Design Studio and I've been locked in my scrap house since.

Using The Design Studio, the Cricut, and my computer I was able to design the cutest Hello Kitty shaped scrapbook album. All I needed was lots of chipboard, tons of card stock and patterned paper, ribbon, rhinestones, a whole lot of adhesive, plenty of time, and an abundance of patience. I love, love, love the finished product.

It's this just adorable? Lots of texture and 3 dimensional stuff going on here.

There are 22 pages of cuteness and approximately 66 places for pictures from 3x3 to 5x7.

The zebra printed paper is velvety in texture. The cool combination of pink, red, black, and white is so trendy and fun.

There is a combination of slider cards, trifolds, pockets, tags, books, and photo mats.

It was a blast putting this together. I love my Cricut even more now and The Design Studio...I don't know how I lived without it all this time.

Now to move on to some other shaped books that I've designed. My next one is a Mickey Mouse album.

Thanks for looking!
Happy scrapping,
Marlo

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

River Fun and Scrapbook Challenge

2011-07-20T23:51:00.001-07:00

We spent the fourth of July weekend at the river enjoying the water. The weather was perfect, 118 degrees. The kids had a ton of fun and we even got to enjoy a cruise down the river. We spent Friday cruising through the Topock Gorge. It is such a beautiful area. We made our way to Havasu Lake and the London Bridge.

We enjoyed relaxing while Stevie drove. The kids tubed and played in the water. So much fun was had by all. My family has been going to the river for many, many years. As well,so has Stevie's family, yet we never spent the time together. This weekend was a rarity.

Back home after a week at the river gave me time to recoup, which means time to scrap. I knew I wanted to scrapbook my river pictures but I wasn't sure what i wanted to do quite yet. Then Jim solved my dilemma. While at the river, my niece Samantha turned 14 years old. She had a birthday brunch upon her return home from the river. With short notice of the party, I got a crazy idea to a make her a scrapbook of our river trip. I needed a bit of inspiration so I perused several of my favorite blogs and found a challenge on My Pink Stamper. This helped me coordinate my color scheme.

Hahaha! I had less than 48 hours and besides working on the scrapbook, I had a test to study for. I know, call me crazy. As I quickly planned I realized I didn't have an album so I opted for a paper bag album. Yeah, still not a great idea because I didn't have brown paper bags. Thank goodness for 24 hour supermarkets. I headed to the market and asked for paper bags. They were a bit bigger than lunch bag size, but perfect for what I wanted to do.

Unfortunately, I didn't get it done on time because I ran out of adhesive. I did get the album done and Jim delivered it to his brother. My niece called me later that evening and was so excited about her scrapbook. She loved it. And, I loved that she loved it.

I used a total of 9 paper bags. This gave me over 54 places for pictures and journalling. Each page has multiple pockets and interactive pages. A lot of work, but so fun. I tried to keep the embellishments simple since I was using bold colors.

Recipe:

Cardstock from Stampin' Up! - pink passion, tempting torquiose, pumpkin pie, old olive, basic black, white, creamy caramel, and chocolate chip.

Pattern paper from Stamapin' Up! - summer days scrapbook kit

Bind It All

Cricut cartridges - Everyday Paper Dolls, H2O, Summer Vacation, and Plantin

Cricut Design studio to weld letters.

Inks, brad, glitter, crystal lacquer, and chalk from Stampin' Up!

Sticker letters and die cuts from my scrap drawer.

Rub on words from Making Memories

Punches - flower (su!), sun and paint splat from Nankok Industries

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Something Fun

2011-01-03T01:04:00.001-08:00

It's been miserable couple of days with being sick. Every time I thought I was feeling better I would start to work around the house only to end up back in bed more miserable then before. Today I actually did feel a bit better. The body aches went away but I made sure not to over do it. Around early evening I decided to head out to the scrap house to do some scrapbooking. I wanted something fun and something to hang in the house for Valentines.

On Christmas Eve I had my sister take a few pics of my family and I. I don't usually get to be in pictures because I'm usually behind the camera. I was thrilled to actually get one of my hubby and I. That too is a rarity.

After working on my Grannie's scrapbook I had so many scraps of the SU! Bella paper. Plus, I wasn't ready to put it away. Goodness I love that paper. I decided to keep playing with it...oh my!

I first did one of my hubby and I.

Then I decided to do another. This time of my daughter Val, her fiancé Adam, and my grandson Nathaniel.

But, I couldn't stop there. I figured it would be nice to have a family one. None of the pics were great, someone was always looking at Nathaniel or walking out of the pic. But I found one that would do. This is what I came up with.

I tried to keep them simple. Each one is 8x8. If you notice they are the same layout just turned one way or the other. I found a card sketch that I liked very much and decided to use it as a layout design. After playing around with how to display them in the house I chose to make them one unit as oppose to three individual units. This is what I ended up with.

I love it so much. I was eager to hang it in the entryway in the house. I ended up being out in the scrap house for 6 hours. Thank goodness my hubby made dinner. Thanks babe. It also snowed while I was busy scrapping. Being out in my scrap house and being a little creative sure helped to lift my spirits and even made me feel like I'm on the mend.

I just might have to post this over at stampinroyalty.blogspot.com for the Stamppin' Royalty Challenge 52.

Supplies:
SU! Cardstock- riding hood red, pirouette pink
SU! Ink- riding hood red, pirouette pink
SU! Pattern paper- Bella
Accessories- circle punch, scallop punch, ribbon, tulle, rhinestones, flowers, and valentine decorations/picks from Michael's.

Next, I think I'll work on altering a few frames. Gotta love them $3 frames from Walmart!

The sketch I used is from iheart2stamp.com. It is the Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) for January.

Thanks for visiting!

XOXO, Marlo

-Posted using BlogPress
from my iPad

Mojo Monday Challenge 171

2010-12-31T00:48:00.001-08:00

Another website I visit daily is Mojo Monday, www.mojomonday.bloodspot.com. I have never participated in their challenges, I just visit to Oooooo and Aaaaaa over the wonderful designs all the talented ladies have created. This week I decided to give the challenge a try.

I also needed a birthday card for my Grandma, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity.

At the last minute I decided to make my Grandma a scrapbook. Very last minute, as I only had two days to complete. I decided to use one of my cherished and well loved paper packs from Stampin' Up!, Bella. With all the scraps lying around I decided to use the same papers for the card. I have to say I'm extremely pleased with the results.

Card recipe:
Cardstock- Stampin' Up!, riding hood red, pink pirouette, and kiwi kiss (retired).
Pattern paper- Stampin' Up!, Bella (retired)
Ink- Stampin' Up!, old olive, kiwi kiss (retired), riding hood red, and pink pirouette.
Stamps- Su! Bella Blossoms, CTMH Celebration Bouquet and You Are Beautiful
Accessories- Cricut Sweet Treats, tulle, dazzling diamond glitter (SU!), rhinestones, and slot punch (SU!).

Today, I gave Grandma her card. She loved it! Now I think I need to make another just to keep in my collection.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping! Tomorrow I'll post oils of the scrapbook pages I made for Grannie.
XOXO,
Marlo

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy 79th Birthday Grandma Mercy!

2010-12-29T14:37:00.001-08:00

Today is a special day...Grandma celebrates her 79th birthday. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate another year of her life. God has truly blessed her with good health and has taken care of her financially.

I'm a very lucky girl to have wonderful Grandma. I have so many fond memories of our times together. As a little girl my favorite place to be was with her. One of my most memorable times with her was when I was about 5 years old. We went to McMan's Furniture store to make a payment. We were parked on the side along the street when I heard a man call out, "Mercy!" This man happen to be her old high school boyfriend, Cando (said with a Spanish accent). She hadn't seen him in over 20 years. Grandma had just divorced Honey, my grandpa. Needless to say, Grandma and Cando started dating. This was a turning point for our family.

Shortly after, Grandma Mercy got very sick and ended up in the hospital. This was sometime in the early 70's. I remember sitting in this tiny waiting room watching all the adults crying and upset. From what I understand, they were there to basically say their 'goodbyes'. The doctors did not give Grandma much time, only hours. Cando was a Christian who believed in the power of prayer, and he believed that God could heal my Grandma. He had all the people from his church praying for her. Pastor Sam Gamboa, from the Good Shepherd Bible Church, prayed over my Grandma.

That was over 35 years ago! God not only answered our prayers, but He healed my Grandma. To this day she has been in good health with only having a common cold every now and then. Our family hasn't been the same since. Because of Grandma and Cando, our family has been serving God ever since. Oh, and Cando became my Grandpa, whom I loved so very much.

I have so many other wonderful memories, but this one is part of our family legacy, four generations later.

I love my Grannie so much...
Thank you Jesus for the most wonderful, loving, beautiful Grandma a girl could ever ask for.

Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you so very much.

XOXO,
Marlo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sketch challenge

2010-12-27T15:20:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite blogs to visit daily is Stampin' Roayalty, www.stampinroyalty.bloodspot.com. I have a bad habit of checking this blog two to three times daily. But it's one of those that has some beautiful cards and links to other amazing designers. Check them out, I'm sure you'll be hooked as well.

I've not participated in any of the challenges but I thought since I was on Christmas break I might as well enjoy myself and do what I love...stamping' and scrappin'.

This is challenge #51 and a very cool sketch. I can also picture a wonderful layout using this sketch.

The card base is Stampin' Up! Cardstock in Bashful Blue. The pattern paper came from a Best Occasion (Walmart) page kit titled Family. I used the polka dot embossing folder and the Cuttlebug. I lightly sanded the embossed image. The hearts are punched out. I embellished with baby blue 3" tulle and a rhinestone. Super simple. Took me about 15 minutes to put together.

I think I'm going to try a layout next.

Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!
XOXO,
Marlo

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T01:07:00.001-08:00

Take 12. Let's try this again. It is very annoying when this blogging thing does not work.

Life over the last year has been very busy and hectic. New teaching position and district, kid's activities, training upon training for work, Jim's new job, graduating with my master's degree and then enrolling for my clear credential and Autism certification, and then everyday life. Wow! There have been many things I've neglected in the last 12 months. I tried to get in some time to scrap and stamp, at least once a month if nothing more.

The one thing I wanted most was to make my Christmas cards and actually send them out. Well, I made some and managed to get them mailed out on the 23rd of December. I needed at least 100 cards but made only 30. They were not what I wanted, but I thought these would be quick and easy since I had very little time to get them mailed. They were easy, but they were not quick; hence, only 30 cards.

Here is a peek at my 2010 Christmas card.

The supplies:
All card stock, silver cording, and dazzling diamond glitter by Stampin' Up!
Patter paper by DCWV, part of a paper pack.
Ribbon and tulle from Fabric Barn.
Iridescent shimmer mist by Stewart Superior.
Foam tape, rhinestones, and chipboard from my over flowing stash, source unknown.

Tools used:
CuttleBug and Sizzix ornament dies.

I first began by spraying all the card bases with shimmer mist. This was done both inside and outside of card. While those dried, I ran the chipboard and pattern paper through the die cutting machine. I glued the pattern paper to the chipboard and then embellished the ornament. I adhered the cording and the ornament to a solid color card stock mat. This was then glued to base of card. I added the tulle or ribbon and the rhinestone. It was very simple, but time consuming since I had to wait on things to dry.

Thanks for looking...I will be back later in the week with others goodies to share.

Happy Monday!!
XOXO,
Marlo

-posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Whoa! I need to update.

2009-10-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy and FaceBook has taken over my free time.

Kids are well and school is very much underway. Things are going well.

We took Nathaniel to Disneyland for the very first time. He was a bit under the weather so didn't enjoy it as much as we expected him to. He did crack a smile a few times but he made sure not to over do it.

We hadn't been to Disneyland in over two years. It was decorated with Halloween stuff which was really cute. I love this pic of the whole family. We had a nice time. We are good for another 2 years.

What a Sad, Sad Day

2009-06-25T21:45:00.001-07:00

I loved Farrah Fawcett! I loved Charlie's Angels. This is how I remember her.

It's also sad for those of us who grew up listening to Michael Jackson. Although he turned out to be a weirdo, his music was awesome.

It's a sad day for Hollywood!!

Alive and Well!

2009-06-20T15:00:00.001-07:00

Whew! So glad the surgery is over and done with. It was a long time coming. I ended up having surgery on Tuesday instead of Thursday. My doc had to reschedule. It was actually nice to have it a few days earlier. I can recoup sooner, especially since summer school starts for me on Monday. LOL I know, I know, I should be taking the summer off, but I can't. I need to hurry and get done. I've been in school forever!!

As for the surgery, it went well. No pain as far as the surgery part goes. However, they put air in my tummy so I'm very bloated and in much discomfort. I was told to walk it off but that has not helped. I basically can't eat or drink anything. If I do then the discomfort starts all over, only very painful. Goes to my back. If I wasn't so bloated, I'd be fine. LOL So from this point on I am actually free from menstrating. OMG, I'm so glad. It needed to be done. My uterus was very enlarged, tilted and flipped. According to the doc, I should have not been able to have children. That explains the 2 miscarriages, but I was blessed with 3 wonderful, spoiled children.

Unfortunately Val has the same problem. Which explains why she had difficulty giving birth and almost losing her life. Something she'll have to consider if she plans on having more children. It's a scarey thought.

Aside from my health, all is well in the Knox household. As I was laying in my hospital bed I received a call from one of the local school districts. They want me to come in for an interview on Tuesday. I jumped at the offer. Hopefully the other two districts will call as well. The interview is for middle school. There are 4 positions available. I'm okay with middle school, taught it for about 5 years in Whittier, but if I had a choice, I would prefer elementary. So, we'll see what happens. Only God knows what is best for me and what I can handle. I'll leave it all up to Him to lead my way. I have so far and He hasn't let me down.

I have a huge Saturday crop this coming weekend. I haven't had a Saturday crop in a while. Our theme is Game Day. We will be playing Scrapbook Monopoly. Don't ask me about it...I'm revamping Monopoly to fit my needs. LOL I will have 3 new gals here, so that should be fun and interesting. It's always nice to meet new people and make new friends.

Summer is in full swing here in the high desert. The temp is warming up and kids are out and about having fun. I love summer!

I haven't posted pics in a long while, I need to. You have to see Nathaniel, he's so big and grown up. He gets more fun to be with as each week passes. He loves his grandma and grandpa so that is always a plus. I need to update pics of James and Tiffani as well. They have grown so much. They went through a growth spurt during spring. James is getting taller and taller. They both have passed me up. Tiffani is quickly losing her little girl look. It's scarey. I don't want her to grow up!

Thank you all for thinking of me and sending me well wishes. Have a fab weekend! Stay cool!

XOXO, Marlo

ps. forgot to mention that I didn't lose my job. A good thing, but it did force me to look for a teaching position which is why I was called for an interview. So, if I don't get a teaching position, I still have my job at the same site.

Hey Stranger!

2009-06-07T17:47:00.001-07:00

It has been a long several weeks. May came and went with a blink of an eye. We started May with the Revlon Walk. It was so awesome to see so many people, 55,000 people walked that day. My family and I walked among thousands of cancer survivors. I was in awe of these women. It was a very touching experience.

Mid May brought a little damper on my mood. I was pink-slipped!! Basically I was bumped by someone with more seniority. I was able to choose to use my seniority to bump someone or to take the layoff. Naturally I chose to bump. Basically it just means I won't be working at my school site. I'll be elsewhere. The principal told me to hang tight and she'll have me back within two weeks. So, we'll see where I end up. In the meantime, I have my first credential so I can actually now have my own classroom. This little bump in the road just forced me to go out and put in applications. I've applied for 21 special ed positions in the next city over. Keep me in your prayers that I get called for an interview.

The end of May was quiet. We did not get to go to the river. Unfortunatley I had to attend a workshop for school. I was floored that it was scheduled the weekend of Memorial Day. But, I think I'm done with all the 'extras' that I needed for my credential. Thank goodnesss.

It's June now. I'm really looking forward to the last day of school. We have 4 days and then it's summer vacation. It will be a busy week getting the kids here and there for last of the year activities.

The weather has been different. The sun is shining and the wind is blowing, but every once in a while we get a few sprinkles. It hasn't been hot enough to jump in the pool.

I will be having surgery June 18th. I will be in the hospital for 3 days so I will need some good reading material. I've almost depleated my stack on my nightstand. If any of you have any recommendations on some good books, pass them along. I'm suppose to be laying down for one week and then taking it easy for another 5. I will have quite a bit of time to do some reading.

Miss you all,
Xoxo,
Marlo

Revlon Walk

2009-04-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

This year my two sisters, Natalie and Renee, my daughter Valerie and my cousin Leslee will be participating in the Revlon Walk for Women. It's a 5K walk that will take place on May 9th, the day before Mother's Day.

We have tried over the years to do this but something usually came up. Time was always a factor. However, cancer has no time. The fight against cancer is NOW.

As many of you know, I lost my mother to breast cancer in 1994. She was only 41 years old. It's been a long 15 years without her. We know she is in a better place and as a Christian woman, I know that I will see her again someday. In the meantime, raising money to help find a cure is an important part of my family's life. I know that I want to be around longer to see all my children get married and have a family of their own. I want my grandchildren to live healthy, cancer free lives.

I have a dear friend who is fiercely fighting cancer. She is a strong woman with such great talent and big heart. The Revlon walk is for all cancers that women may face. Shauna, or UCLA as I call her, needs us to help fight with her and for her. She has an amazing story, each day is a journey for her. Please, if you can donate anything, no amount is too little, please donate.

You can go to www.revlonwalk.com, click on raise money. Then click on make a donation. You can look me up by my name, Marlo Knox and my bib#36825. Or simply click http://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/raisefunds/makeadonation.htm

Remember, any donation is more than no donation.

If you would like to read about Shauna and the wonderful person she is, go to the side bar and click on her name.

Thank you for you love, support, prayers and donations.
xoxo,
Marlo

Teasure Life

2009-04-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

We have had beautiful weather the last couple of days. It's been warm, high 80's, but no wind. That is the best. I live in a windy town so having a few days without wind is a blessing. It's been a rough week, actually, exhausting. It's state testing time which is rough on the kids and me as a teacher. Can't wait till this is over.

On the bright side, my sewing class was cancelled today so I got to play in my scrap studio. I love days like this. I decided to do participate in some daily challenges over at www.splitcoaststampers. Love that place.

Card 1:

SU! cardstock in rose red, basic grey, pink pirouette, whisper white

SU! ink in going grey, rose red, regal rose, old olive, garden green

Stamp set is CTMH Treasure Life

Addition items: ribbon and glitter

Card 2:

SU! cardstock same as card 1

SU! ink in going grey and rose red

Stamps: SU! Sincere Salutations, CTMH Treasure Life

Additional items: scallop punch, lg. oval punch, ribbon, glitter

The second card was quick and easy to make. I needed several quick and easy cards. This was perfect. I love these colors.

The CTMH stamp set is such a fun set to use. I could use it over and over again. I'm a sucker for stamps, so most end up being my favorite.

Enjoy the rest of the week. I'm heading out camping and riding. I'll be walking distance from the shopping outlets, so I may drive my quad to Michael Kors and see what treasures I find. A girl can always use another purse. Although Jim would beg to differ about that one.

Toodles for now,

xoxo

Marlo

Congrats cards

2009-04-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more cards for the church missionary fund. These cards were so simple and quick to make. I used the Congrats set from the Sale-a-bration catty. Great stamp set and it was FREE! The cardstock is Stampin' Up! of course. The ribbon is from Fabric Barn. The inside of the card reads, "on the birth of your beautful baby!"

The ladies of the church have had a great response to the cards as well as the little scrapbooking activities we've had. I was asked to head a scrapbooking ministry called Memory Keepers. We will meet once a month for a quick devotion and then spend the rest of the night scrapbooking. I'm really excited about this. There are about 10 women signed up so far and after the bulletin posting this coming Sunday I'm sure there'll be more. If anyone has any suggestions on putting together a devotion for a scrapbooking gathering, shoot me an email.

It's a busy week at work. The students are taking the STAR test and the teachers have to sit there and administer it. Totally boring!! LOL

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Marlo

You're so sweet...

2009-04-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

Another card for the church missionary fund. After making 100 cards, I think I need a break. LOL The crazy thing is, people are requesting special orders. How'd that happen?

This card is made with Stampin' Up! cardstock and designer paper. Have I mentioned I love thier paper? Hehehe. The stamp set is one that I bought at JoAnn's. I believe it's a ClearStamp set. It has a ton of cupcake designs and saying. The ribbon was purchased from wonderful Fabric Barn. Gotta love that place!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. I held my monthly crop Friday evening. Our group celebrated 2 years of blissful scrapping friendships. The gals left early, 3:30 a.m. I was bummed as I was on a roll. I completed 11 8x8 pages. I'm working on a 1st birthday princess book for my sweet great-niece, Audrina. The gals said they were leaving early so I can get some sleep. LOL Like that has ever stopped them.

Today I had to take my last exam for my teaching credential. Here in California it's called RICA, Reading Instruction Competence Assessment. Basically it's to measure our competence in reading instruction and to see if we know how to teach children to read. It was a stressful test. 4 hours of multiple choice and case studies. Ugh!! The longest four hours of my life. It SUCKED~

But it's over with for now. I just have to wait a few weeks to find out if I passed or not. Keeping my fingers crossed, it was pretty hard.

Sunday is church so another busy day. I'm trying to find a way to get out of going so I can sleep in and veg. LOL, can I fake sick?

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

xoxo, Marlo

Card Making

2009-04-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making cards after cards. My church
trying to raise money for the Hope Fund, which is an
Assemblies of God ministry. Actually, it's part of the
women's ministry. Each year they find a cause to
raise money for. This year it's to build wells in El
Salvador. The water the people are drinking is dirty
and filled with diseases. To help raise funds I am making
cards to sell. It has been a big hit so far, but now I'm
getting people putting in orders! LOL

This card was made with mostly scraps from my scrap
drawers. The only thing I can positively say is that the cardstock is from Stampin' Up! Which is my favorite cardstock. The stamp is an old, old one from my collection. If I'm not mistaken this stamp was part of my inventory when I owned a stamp store back in 1995. This card was one of the Easter cards I made for the church. I made so many that I didn't have time to make any for my personal collection. But all is good and it's going to a good cause. Plus, it was fun to make.

I wanted to share this cute picture of my niece Samantha and my great-niece Audrina. I love it. Samantha is 16 and just so pretty. She has a beautiful smile. She's a goo

d auntie as well. Audrina is my niece Monique's daughter. We celebrated her 1st birthday this past weekend. Audrina was the birthday princess. She reminds me so much of Monique when Monique was little. They make the same faces and pouty mouth.

Thanks for looking...
xoxo, Marlo

My Little Ham

2009-04-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

16 months already! The time is going by quickly and each time I see him he is maturing more into a little boy. He is quickly losing the baby look. He is the heart of our home.

On Easter Sunday we spent the afternoon at my mother-in-law's house. She had a wonderful luncheon prepared. After lunch Val and I decided to go take a cat nap, but Nathaniel had other plans. He got a burst of energy and started running and jumping all over the place.

Here he is jumping on Kathy's ottoman. He was jumping so hard his little arms were swinging high and low. Several times he caught air. I was impressed with how well he was able to balance himself.

Before going to Easter lunch the kids decorated eggs. Nathaniel had to get in on the act. He was tye-dying eggs. He wasn't too keen on coloring them, he wanted to eat them instead.

We had a wonderful day. It was a quiet Easter with great food and great company. This year again I wasn't with my family. I missed them dearly. They were at the compound probably pigging out and making fun of each other. I'm sure my name was thrown in on a few jokes here and there. LOL

I hope you all had a great Easter!

xoxo,

Marlo

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

Enjoy your day with family and friends! We are heading to the in-laws for a wonderful Easter luncheon. James and Tiffani love going to Grandma's and Grandpa's for Easter. My mother-in-law is a great cook and spoils us with lots of wonderful dishes. I'm sure she'll have a new dessert to delight us with.

Happy a blessed day!

He has Risen!

xoxo,

Marlo

SPRING BREAK!!

2009-03-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of the year that the kids are off for two weeks for spring break. It's kind of odd that they are off way before Easter. It's a nice break though and much needed. We'll be heading down to Long Beach for a few days. Jim has a big show that he has to be at so the kids and I will enjoy do some fun things. The kids want to go to the beach and the aquarium. Should be fun. We'll also see the famiy while we are down there.

The weather is suppose to be wonderful which will be nice.

I'll be sure to take pics so I can scrapbook them sometime in this lifetime. Have a great week!

xoxo,
marlo

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2009-03-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how quickly we have approached the middle of March. Springtime is just around the corner. The birds are chirping away and my trees are beginning to sprout little buds. The weather is warming up a tad and it stays daylight longer. Gotta love the springtime and all it's newness.

We've been busy around here as usual. Jim has been traveling every week for the last month. They just increased his territory so that means even more traveling. I'm getting used to it now, but Tiffani is still struggling with it. She still cries. James, well, he's just James and 13. No care in the world at the moment. I have to try and not complain about all the traveling. I'm just thankful he still has a job.

As for me, school is in full force. I was expecting my master's program to be quite difficult, but so far so good. Work is light, but more frequent as I'm in school more nights a week now. I was rushing to that I can quickly get my own classroom, but from the looks of it, that won't be happening for a while. Our teachers are struggling to keep their jobs. Our school districts are a mess thanks to all the cuts our state issued. It's really sad to see how this will affect our children and our community. I am thankful though that I still have my job. I may not be the head teacher, but I'm still in the classroom teaching.

My scrapbooking group meet this past Friday. I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy spending time with them. We sometimes talk about the same things but it's always refreshing to have someone agree and laugh with you. It's like, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." I made lasagna for dinner and didn't realize that all my friends are Catholic. LOL So, they couldn't eat meat. Well, I should say, they are suppose to refrain from eating meat. Only one did. I have to say that Angie is one of these gals that really lives her life in accordance to her beliefs. I like that. So, she waited until well passed midnight to have a little bit of lasagna. LOL

It was a gorgeous weekend. I spent it with Valerie and Nathaniel. We did some shopping and more shopping. Bath and Body Works was having a great promotion so we had to hit there. I hadn't bought BBW for a long time. I love their new fragrance, Dancing Waters. Had to get that. We went to Victoria secrets and tried on their new bra. HORRIBLE! I just can't use their bras. But, we fell in love with one of their body scents, Candy Baby. Oh, smells like cotton candy. Yummo! We did other fun shopping and then headed to my friends for some Gold Canyon Candles. I love them. I got 10 new scents and can't wait to light them all up. LOL

I'm always sad when Val and Nathaniel leave, but I know they have to get home and have their own life. I just wish it were here with me.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with me.

XOXO,
Marlo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SON!!

2009-02-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

We celebrated yet another birthday. This time is was James's 13th. I'm shocked that he is now officially a teenager. He's always been very mature for his age and has always acted older, but it just seems that the time has flown by too quickly. James is my spoiled brat, well wait, they all are. But James has this special bratiness about him. He knows how to get his way with me. All he has to do is call me 'mommy' or tell me he loves me the mostest and I'm putty in his hands. James is alot like his dad when it comes to being handy and fixing things, he's also very funny like his dad.

James is alot like me, his mommy, when it comes to procrastinating, he's also really good in math like me.

James is alot like Valerie, SPOILED ROTTEN and stubborn.

James is alot like Tiffani, fun loving and active.

Having a wonderful son like James has been a blessing and a joy.

Happy Birthday My Son! I love you the mostest!!

xoxo, Mommy

Another Catch All

2009-02-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

I promised I was going to update my blog on a regular basis, but time just keeps getting away.It's been a nice beginning of the year. The kids had been enjoying cool, sunny days. They spend most of their time outside riding bikes with all the neighbor kids. We have kids coming for streets over. My front porch is usually covered with kids from 3rd grade to 7th grade. I'm having to jump over bikes. The last two days we've had tons of rain, wind and freezing temps. The kids are not happy. We are suppose to get snow tonight and tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We are off school and work tomorrow so a snow day would be fun.

James had braces put on last Tuesday. He's not liking it. His mouth and jaw have been really sore so he has not been able to eat. LOL He's lost 6 pounds. He didn't really need braces, but if we wanted him to have PERFECT teeth, then it was recommended. He'll only have them on for a year. Not to bad.

Tiffani also started her Orthodontic work. Her upper jaw needed to be expanded so they started her on this horrible contraption that is cemented to her upper back teeth and sits at the top of her mouth. It has this turning device that we have to turn once a day. It is not pleasant for her. Poor thing hurts like heck. She too has not been able to eat. She's living on soups. She will have that for 3 months. She will get her braces on before that. I feel horrible for her, however, we have noticed a difference already.

There's a new book that I'm reading called, Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. This book is amazing. Basically what it comes down to is that there are four blood types; O, A, B, AB. Therefore, there are four diets. These are diets like the 3 day or the protein diet. These are ways of eating for your blood type. It has been an eye opener and it makes so much sense. Several girls at work follow this regligiously and have always been able to maintain their weight. There are also some people from church that follow this and said it's been the best thing. Apparently each blood type should avoid certain foods due to the make up of that blood type. Just like each person's DNA is different, so is blood type.

Jim is O, that is the good blood. He started to following this new way of eating about 2 1/2 weeks ago. He has had some huge results. First, he is down 15 lbs. Second, he has way more energy than usual. And third, the major one, his blood pressure is down to 110/70!!! He has never seen it that low. For 13 years Jim has suffered with high blood pressure. He takes two pills daily. At best his pressure is 145/90. He went for his yearly physical last week and it was the best ever. Jim says he can feel the difference.

I haven't followed this diet to a T, but I have omitted several of the AVOID foods for my blood type. I'm A, which is the BAD blood. The foods that I have omitted have made a difference in the acid reflux. About 3 weeks ago I was up to taking 3-4 pills a day, which is a NO NO, but I needed them. Since changing a few things I'm only taking one pill before bed and that is just as a precaution, my insurance so to say.

My in-laws have also started this and they have seen dramatic results. It's pretty amazing and I highly recommend this book. I answers alot of questions about weight gain, fatigue, blood pressure, cancer and much more.

Besides home life, work, and reading, there is school. I started my master's program last week. I'm in school two nights a week now. The first week wasn't so bad, but I'm afraid by the 5th week I'll be dragging. I'm just excited to finally be at this stage in my education. It was a long, long journey, but so worth it.

To all my TCC friends, I miss you girls. There is no posting going on, very sad. I'm hoping this year finances will be better so that I can go visit some of you or participate in a TCC event. I'm going through withdrawals.

XoXo,

Marlo

Happy Birthday Tiffani!

2009-01-11T21:36:00.001-08:00

Seemed like yesterday that I was pregnant with my baby girl, Tiffani. She was a little pink thing with blonde hair and eyes like a cat, grey. Today she is my 11 year old, smart mouthed bright pre-teen.

She's creative like her mama.
Loud like her daddy
Loves name brands like her sister,
And enjoys the outdoors like her brother.

She loves to be with her family more than anything.

She is kind and loveable.

She is friendly and popular.

She is my little baby girl.

Happy Birthday Tiffani!

Love, Mom xoxo

To My Girlfriends

2008-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Joyce, sent this via email. It was a very touching video and reminded me of how wonderful my friends are. My long distance friends from TCC and my local friends. This is really how girlfriends are. I'm truly blessed to have a wonderful circle of girlfriends. Much love to you all. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Now to read her book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4qwVLqt9Q

xoxo, Marlo

The Knox Family

2008-12-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Day and dinner with my in-laws. My mother-in-law, Kathy, makes a killer dinner. She is quite the cook and baker. Like Daniel says, "It's because she does it with love."

Jim, Marlo, Daniel, Val, Nathaniel, James and Tiffani

Kathy loves to have the family over and to spoil us with food and desserts. She is always surprising us with a special dish. The one thing she makes sure to have are her famous deviled eggs. Everyone loves, loves, loves those.

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Butch

We had a great time laughing and messing around. Although, it would have been even more perfect had John, Ligia, Matthew, RJ and Brandon were here. It stinks that they live so far away. I know the holidays just aren't the same for the Knox Family. Not to mention that Jim and Steve miss having their brother around.

Daniel, Valerie and Nathaniel

It was nice to be able to relax and enjoy a time with our family. The kids love being with Grandma and Grandpa.

Steve, Joyce, Samantha and Stevie D.

I think this is the first pics I've gotten of the individual families. I just need to get one of John and his family. I'll have to scrapbook or alter something with all the pics.

Thanks for looking.

Now to rest...Happy Sunday!

xoxo, Marlo

Christmas Craziness

2008-12-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

These were my Christmas cards this year. And yes, I did get them out. The last 5 years I have made Christmas cards and never sent them out. This time it was a challenge. My friends challenged me to get them sent out BEFORE Christmas. Jim even jumped in and made a bet with me. He would give me a $3000 check if I got them out on time. LOL, he should know better than to add MULAH to the mix. This check was an unexpected surprise...bonus. He had definite plans with it. Well, that pretty little check was ALL MINE. But, first we paid off a bill. The rest was mine to do as I please. Don't worry though, Jim has $100 in his wallet. I was generous!

No, I haven't spent it. Jim and I have had our eyes on a few goodies, so I think we'll spoil ourselves this time around. But, it was fun to take on the challenge and to get my cards out.

Now, if you didn't get a card from me, it's because I didn't have your address. But, one of my plans for 2009 is to get my address book in order so I can send out beautiful handmade cards. Don't laugh! I'm being serious.

Christmas Eve is always spent at my dad's house, about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. We get there around 9ish and leave about 2ish. This year my family arrived well after 10 p.m. We attended a Christmas Eve service at church before heading down. We had a wonderful time, a great dinner, tons of laughs and wonderful gifts. My kids look forward to Christmas Eve every year. This year there were 39 of us crammed into dad's little house.

Every year we play the White Elephant Game. We usually let the kids join in, however this year it was adults only. This is probably the funnest event of the evening. Us adults got a little carried away this year. I won't mention names...(Esther, Kendra, Alex, Erica LOL). It was alot of fun.

Here we are getting ready for the crazy game. There were 21 adults playing.

Once again the kids were spoiled by all. We were truly blessed to have another great Christmas Eve.

Christmas time is a bitter sweet time for my family. My mother loved Christmas. She hosted Christmas Eve every year. Dad has kept up that tradition. My mom loved to sing Christmas Carols, especially The 12 Days of Christmas. Her part was, "5 Golden Rings!" Off key of course. Our last Christmas with mom was 1993. She was sick and pretty much laid on the couch while the rest of us took care of things. Mom always made Christmas a special time for us. I'm blessed that my dad and Esther have kept up mom's tradition. Dad and Esther go out of their way to make us all feel that special Christmas spirit and to let us know we are truly loved and appreciated. Although mom isn't here to celebrate with us, her love and spirit continues to feel our hearts and homes.

Merry Christmas Mom!

Merry Christmas to my wonderful family and friends.

XOXO, Marlo

Graduation and the Big 40!!

2008-12-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

Just like everyone else, December has been a busy month for us. Seems like it's parties, and parties and more parties. I'm partied out.
December 13th I finally graduated from Azusa Pacific University. It was the longest 18 months of my life, but so worth it. I'm so grateful to have a husband and children that support me and encourage me to follow my dreams. My extended family; dad, brothers, sisters, in-laws, etc., have also been a great support team. I have about a month and a half break from school until I start my master's program, Feb. 2. Whew...another 18 months of intense work. However, I'm looking forward to it.

After graduation, my sister Natalie and her husband Steve, threw me a 40th birthday party. Yup, you read right. THE BIG 40!!! Do I feel 40? Nah, not one bit. My party was an 80's themed party and yes, it was required that we dress. LOL A great time was had by all. I must say, my family all dressed up, even my brothers. It was a nice evening and a nice way to be honored by my family. I am one lucky gal.
Now to finish the Christmas season and get some time to RELAX!

xoxo,

Happy 1st Birthday Nathaniel!!

2008-12-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Nathaniel!!! It seemed like just yesterday that Nathaniel entered our world and family. The day of his birth was bittersweet. We were excited for his arrival and could hardly wait.

When the time came for him to be born we found out that he was in distress with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. There were times that the doctor wasn't sure how the baby was going to enter the world. The moments leading up to his arrival, the whole family was praying that Nathaniel would be perfectly healthy and breathing. There were times that we thought we'd be coming home without a baby boy to love. I know God heard our prayers. The doctor had to be a little rough with him, but within seconds Nathaniel was breathing and doing well. As Daniel and I rejoiced and watched the nurses take care of him, little did we know that Valerie was not doing so well. She was bleeding profusely, her blood pressure was sky high and according to the doctors we were losing her. Our tears of joy went to tears of fear and confusion. After an emergency surgery, 4 pints of blood, she was finally stabilized, but not out of the woods. Our emotions were all over the place by now. Jim and I thought we'd be taking a baby home and no mommy. We were a mess. The next morning Dr. Roca arrived to check on Valerie. For 12+ hours Valerie was being monitored every 30 minutes. Dr. Roca finally gave us the all clear sign, but not before telling us that he thought we were going to lose her and that she was lucky to be alive. Those are very scarey words for parents to hear.

Today when I think about that day, December 21, 2007, I am so thankful that God heard our cries and prayers. God has always been faithful and merciful to us. Each and everyday I'm so blessed when I hear Val's voice on the phone just to say, "Hi Mom!" I'm even more blessed to have a sweet little guy to call my very own grandson. I have this say, "Who's grandma's favorite boy?" I say that everytime I see him and he just gets a kick out of it. Although, I'm sure he has no clue what I am saying, but he does know that his grandma and grandpa adore him. His first year of life has been a joy to see and be a part of. Jim and I are so blessed that Daniel, Valerie and Nathaniel come up every weekend to visit. They have allowed us to be a huge part of his life and include us in just about everything.

We have enjoyed watching him get his first 4 teeth by 3 months, crawl by 4, and walk by 9 months. He has grown so quickly, yet he's so tiny.

I'm looking forward to watching what his second year will bring.

Happy Birthday to Grandma's Favorite Boy!!! I love you Nathaniel!

xoxo, Grandma

Where do I begin?

2008-12-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

The last two months have flown by and I have no clue where they went. Life has been busy, but good. We ended October on a fun note with Nathaniel celebrating his first Halloween. What fun it was to see him in his costume go from door to door with his daddy. After about an hour though, he was pooped out, not to mention his lion mane was very heavy for him.

November was a busy month. We began by celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 16 years. Seems like we were just 22 years old getting married and getting to know eachother. It has really been a wonderful 16 years. I don't think I could have asked for a better husband and soulmate. He is everything I could have wanted and more. What's that saying? "HE COMPLETES ME?" Well, I would have to agree. Jim, completes me.

Two days later we celebrated Valerie's 21st birthday. My goodness where did the time go? It seemed like yesterday she was four years old. It has been a wonderful 21 years. I have to admit, she gave me very little headaches. I think she was a headache around the age 15 and 16. Not to bad though. Today I have to say I'm very proud of the young lady she has become. She has matured so much. I enjoy our ADULT conversations...when did she grow up??? She amazes me everytime I see her. Our relationship has always been great, but now it's a greater blessing and so much more than I would have imagined. We celebrated her birthday with the family at Acapulco's. She was planning on having some drinks. Crazy girl!

A week later it was Jim's 39th birthday. Wow, 39! I remember when he looked like a boy at 21. LOL. Jim never wants anything big for his birthday, usually just dinner and something simple at home. Next year though, he's getting a big shabang.

We celebrated Thanksgiving here at home with the kids and the in-laws. I hadn't cooked Thanksgiving dinner in a few years so it was nice to have the opportunity this year. I actually like staying home on the holidays. I need to start making my own traditions with my kids and grandbaby. Soon.

We took Nathaniel to the park and did a little photo shoot. We wanted some pics for his birthday invites. We had a blast watching him play. I took over a hundred pics. I had the easy part. Poor Daniel had to edit them. Thank goodness he's a professional photo editor. BTW, these ones are not edited. Nathaniel looks so much like my son James. It's unreal how much they are alike.

We finished off November by celebrating my niece Samantha's 16th birthday and my newphew Joshua's 10th birthday. Too many November birthdays. Can you say BROKE!!

I have a ton more to post about, but I'll give your eyes a rest for now. My December has been even crazier that November. I will update soon. Promise.

Thanks for checking in on me...xoxo, Marlo

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-10-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Taking Out to See the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy time of year for me. Looking forward to when I have a bit more free time. I have six weeks left of school, then it's graduation. I'm busy writing experiential essays, reflection essays and completing resumes. I'm wiped out! I had to take some time to enjoy the pumpkin patch with Nathaniel. He loved the pumpkins and enjoyed walking around and touching them. He's at the perfect age where everything is new and exciting. This was the highlight of my week.

Miss you all!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2008-10-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

In Celebration of Women all over the world, remember to have your mammograms and do self checks.

How to train for a mammogram...

XO, Marlo

Enabler Alert!

2008-09-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that my little sister Natalie moved up here to the high desert. She bought a beautiful new home just minutes from me. She's terribly lonely and misses my dad really bad. We spend quite a bit of time together during the week, which has been nice. She's very different from me. She's quiet and shy and well, you all know, I'm neither of those. LOL Anyhow, since her move up here she's been coming to my monthly crops. Hehehe!

She's got the scrapping and stamping bug baaaadddd! After our September crop, her hubby put together the cutest scrapbook room. It's pink and brown and ooooohhhh soooooo cute! According to her hubby, she's in there all day and night. Jenny and I are dying to break it in...which means it'll never be the same after we leave.

This is her room 1/2 way done. Super cute. She's added a cute draping around her work table. Not pic on that yet. Her table wraps around three walls. I'm totally jelly, wish my scraproom was in my house.

Jim has been enabling her hubby also. That's a whole different story. I'm thinking we might be a bad influence on them. Hehehe!

But, I'm loving that Natalie found a hobby and has her own space to keep her busy. Keeps her mind off being away from dad.

Jim says I'm a really bad influence on people. I told him he's just jealous he doesn't have a scrapbooking community like I do.

XO, Marlo

Kiss My Peaches Blog

2008-09-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided a blog was better than a myspace page. I have no clue how to work the myspace page and I was getting frustrated. I attended a sand show last weekend with the whole family, including Val, Daniel and Nathaniel. Each of us donned one of my handbags. I was stopped many, many times by people inquiring where I got my purse from. LOL, I just handed them a business card and since then, the emails have been rolling in with inquiries and orders. Having a blog will be easier to keep up and to direct customers, as well as future customers to. I still have a ton of pics to upload but there are some for now.

Thanks for taking a looksie!

http://kissmypeaches.blogspot.com/

xoxo, Marlo

Trying to get back to my old self

2008-09-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

The last couple of months have had me in a whirlwind. I feel like I have no time to do anything. Homework consumes all my time. I've been so tired that most days I'm in bed by 10:30. SERIOUSLY!! I know, hard to believe but it's true.

I had to go to the dr. yesterday because I was having problems with my eyes. Turned out to be pink eye. While at the doc's I had to be weighed and I gained 12 lbs. I was so disappointed I wanted to cry. But I knew that skipping my workouts and eating on the run was not helping the situation. So back onto www.myfooddiary.com and to my workouts. I MUST make time for this. So, my goal is to drop the 12 lbs. by the end of October. Gives me a month and a half. Should be doable. Hopefully this will help with the energy loss and the over sleeping. LOL You all know Marlo McBoing Boing likes to stay up late. LOL

On a happier note, I think I found a printer that is going to be able to do my pattern printing. They are located in Indiana, down in the tri-state area. After months of going back and forth we finally got things ironed out. I'm looking forward to getting some more patterns printed up. Won't be right away, but should happen in the next month. That reminds me, I need to have my sister update my MySpace page. I have a ton of new purses to post. Some are super duper cute too!

On a sad note, many of my dearest friends will be flying to Portland, Oregon this weekend to hang out and just have a girl's weekend. It was planned for me to attend but my schedule and finances just didn't cooperate this time. Totally bummed that I won't be there. Jim is so going to have to pamper me this weekend.

Hope all is well with everyone,
XOXO~~MARLO

Just Chillin'

2008-09-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Our weather is finally cooling down some...high 90's. LOL

I'm really looking forward to some cooler weather. I'm tired of the swamp cooler. I freeze in the house and in my classroom. LOL I know, it could be worse.

Things are pretty mellow around here at the moment. Just chugging along with our daily schedules. The kids are well into their school routine. Fall break in just around the corner.

Jim and I have been dealing with finance issues. Jim's business credit card was tampered with over a period of 3 days. Over $16,000 worth of charges. All at stores in San Francisco. Each store had at least 3 purchases and each around $500. Expensive stores also. Poor Jim has had to do some major paperwork for this. On top of that we get a letter from CountryWide, our mortgage company, that an employee stole all our information as well as social security numbers. We know it's a 'He', but that is about it. So they set us up on this credit monitoring but it's such a pain. We get daily phone calls from our bank if we use our card more than 3 times in a day. Ugh!! So far though, none of our personal accounts have been tampered with. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Other than that all is well. The kids are great. Val is doing great as well. She's driving a new car, Jeep Patriot. Her and that baby have to be styling all the time. Nathaniel is doing well. Growing quickly and such a happy little guy. Val is already planning his 1st birthday. Between Val and Daniel, they are ridiculously spoiled so they have the little guy the same way.

That's it for now. Nothing too exciting around here. It's always work and school.

Toodles for now!
Marlo

Where has the time gone?

2008-08-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

Wow, the summer just flew by. I totally lost track in everything. Seems like life has been super busy and getting on the computer to just have fun, browse my yahoo groups and read blogs is not fitting into my schedule.

Most of my summer was consumed with starting my business. I told you all that I was going to do it this year and I finally did it. I started putting my purse/apron/etc in pattern form. My first run of patterns have been a big hit. Three stores are carrying them at the moment. I only wanted to sell my designs in pattern form, but it seems that I'm selling more of my completed designs. Hasn't been bad, but it's been alot of work for my busy schedule. I have a group of ladies that test all my patterns for accuracy. They are simply wonderful and so encouraging. These ladies are spitting out dozens of purses in a weeks time. I joke with them all the time that I may have to hire them to do my piece work. LOL, If my orders keep up, they will end up working full time. I'm working on getting a website done. Seems like everyone is eager to help but once it comes right down to it, they all disappear, no where to be found. My three sisters started a myspace page for me, you can check it out at www.myspace.com/kissmypeaches.

So summer flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to return to work and school. The kids were thrilled, but for the first time I was not. We usually hit the river every other weekend in the summer and this time we didn't go at all. About the only thing I did with the kids was take them to Raging Waters, which stinks by the way.

The kids are well into school. We are in our fourth week and all is well. James is loving 7th grade and is enjoying his teachers. Wrestling season starts soon so that will take up alot of his time. Tiffani is now in 5th grade. She loves her teacher and is finally being challenged. This is my "IT" girl, a know it all and excels at everything. I'm so pleased to see her working hard.

Nathaniel is now 8 months old. We love having him over every weekend. He is growing so quickly, way to fast for us. Val is starting to get sad that her little baby is turning into a big little boy. He has 5 teeth and is realizing now that he has them. He likes to bite!!

I'm down to my last two classes of school. I have my graduation date, December 13. Yeah!! 3 days before my 40th birthday. I passed all my tests and I'm ready to go. Each day that passes I get more and more excited.

Jim is traveling alot. It's tough when he's gone. I don't get much "ME" time. Thank goodness for my friend Jenny who really helps me out and keeps me sane.

I'm looking forward to a girl's weekend out to Portland, Oregon. I'm due to go in mid September. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works for me. I had an unexpected expense, stinking water heater went out on us, UGH!! $600 in a blink of an eye. YIKES!

Well, that's been my life in a nutshell. I will try my darnest to update at least once a week.

Thanks for peeking in on me.

Marlo

Bad Blogger

2008-07-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been a bad blogger. I'm not sure where the time has gone. My head is forever buried in school books and homework. I thought I was going to get a bit of a break this summer. My stinkin' science class sucks! I don't plan on teaching science so why in the h*** do I have to take it!!

I've been teaching sewing classes everyday in the mornings so that keeps me busy as well. All my students have been very productive and I have not. When I do have spare time I making up my class samples. I've not done anything I want to do. Sad.

Oh and that dumb math class that I cried about all spring, I got an "A"!! Not sure how. I think the teacher seen that I was persistent and had good attendance. I'm guessing she felt sorry for me after I told her that I have a 4.0 gpa and that her class was going to kill it. LOL

Things are going well here besides being busy. Jim is redoing my backyard. I'm so thrilled. I'm geting a few decks and a new patio and an outdoor kitchen. It's tough with an acre property. Too much to fillup and too stinkin' expensive.

I've also been working on my purse patterns. I finally got a program that I can understand. I had adobe illustrator and that sucked. Too hard to use. So this weekend I got Visio and within 5 minutes I had one of my purse patterns laid out. Now my big job is to find a printer that can print from the Visio software. Once that is done then I'll do photo shoot with my prototypes, print out the instructions and package the pattern. I'll take a week to visit some quilting and fabric stores in the So. Cal area. Hopefully the store owners will love them and buy them.

So, that is me and my last couple of weeks in a nutshell. The kids, Val, Daniel and Nathaniel, will be coming up Thursday afternoon to stay for the weekend. I can't wait to see Nathaniel enjoy his first 4th of July.

Hope all is well with you!
Hugs,
Marlo

5 Things About Me!

2008-06-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

So, I've been tagged by my friend Ali Moll

Fives meme
The rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

This time 5 years ago I was working at Trinity Lutheran School. I was getting ready for a month long trip to Indiana. I would be our first family trip out there. It was also Jim's 15th high school reunion.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

1. Finish cleaning my scrapbook room.
2. Find a good swamp cooler for my scrapbook room.
3. Get my sewing projects in order for my upcoming classes.
4. Do all my homework...which is never ending.
5. Pack for my Vegas trip.

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Buy Val and Daniel a house near me. LOL
2. Buy Grannie a house near me.
3. Pay off Nat's new house.
4. Buy Jim a bad ass boat and not have to worry about gas prices.
5. Give to charities like Autism, Breast Cancer awareness and Special Needs in Children.

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Leaving my computer desk messy.
2. Buying too much fabric.
3. Not cleaning up after scrapbooking.
4. Hanging my bath towel on the door knob.
5. Sleeping with the lamp on. Hey...I read before going to be.

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Montebello, Calif.
2. Pico Rivera, Calif.
3. La Mirada, Calif.
4. Whittier, Calif.
5. Apple Valley, Calif.

The first four places were next to each other. The 5th is the furthest, 1 1 /2 hours away!!

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. Cashier at Mervyns when I was in high school.
2. Baker at a cookie company while in high school.
3. Aerobics instructor at Holiday Health Spa, now Bally's.
4. Pre-school Teacher
5. Teacher in a Christian schoool.

Five people I tag:

1.Sarah Riley

2.Sharon Rivera

Hmmm, this is gonna be hard because I think Ali tagged all the ones I would have tagged. I'm gonna have to come back to this part.

Father's Day Weekend

2008-06-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend. We first celebrated my sister Natalie's 26th birthday and housewarming party. She had a lot of guests in her new home, including children spilling things on her new couch and floor. She was a good sport though, and didn't complain about it.

On Father's Day we took my in-laws out to lunch at our favorite Mexican restuarant, La Casita. We had a nice time visiting and eating. Later we came home to get the pool ready. Ohh, just about 1 month late. Natalie and Steve came over to help, but instead they had a water fight. With 100+ temps, it was a welcome surprise.

My father-in-law and Jim are always dressed alike. It's really funny because we'll show up to a party or to have dinner together and they are dressed like twins. This happened on Saturday for Nat's party and on Father's Day. We get a real kick out of it. When we used to attend the same church, this happened often. They would be dressed in the same colors. People always knew they were family, not to mention they look alike.

Poor Natalie got drenched. This was her Happy Birthday gift from the kids.

Last weekend when my brother-in-law, John and his familiy were visiting from Kentucky, we had a family bbq. All the guys played football for hours. It got a little wild at times. They are all so competitive. It was nice to see Daniel fit right in the guys. I think Val was relieved also. By the end of the evening all the guys were hurting, especially Daniel. His asthma kicked in, but he wouldn't stop.

John and Daniel going head to head.

Nathaniel was an onlooker watching his daddy play football. There were times Val had to look away because the guys were being too rough.

The first weekend John was here, the guys played basketball. My nephews are really into sports and love to play. They kept the old guys moving, including grandpa.

This is John's wife, Ligia. While they were here in Cali, they celebrated thier 16th wedding anniversary. Both Ligia and I meet the boys at the same time. We even double dated. Jim and I married 5 months later. I remember making all the dresses for her wedding, they were peach. At the time it was her favorite color, she hates it now. Ligia has always been a nice sister-in-law. We aren't close and we are very different, but she is very kind and she's a very good mom. Her boys really respect her.

And of course, I had to post another pic of my little guy. I didn't get to see him this weekend. So, I'm going through withdrawals. Two weeks is too long to not be with him. Thank goodness they'll be up here this coming weekend. He'll be 6 months on Saturday. Too fast. I will be doing a photoshoot on Saturday. LOL

Thanks for sticking with me. I think my blog ends up being more of a photo blog, but hey, it keeps it interesting.

Note**If you are in the area on Friday, June 20, we will be scrapping at 6:30 p.m. We are having a bbq. We have 3 new gals that joined our group and will be here. Come on over and join us. The more the merrier!!

xo, m

Nathaniel and his daddy, Daniel

2008-06-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the Quincinera on May 17th. Nathaniel was so sick with a stomach virus, but he was so good. Daddy made him feel better with all his hugs and kisses. We are so blessed to have Daniel in our family. He loves Nathaniel so much and Nathaniel is just glued to him as well.
Happy 1st Father's Day Daniel!!!!

SummerTime is here!

2008-06-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Whew, I wasn't sure if this day would ever come...the last day of school. This day went by so slow, but we made it. I'm looking forward to my summer vacation and just spending time with the kids. I'm excited to sleep in some and to stay up all night if I choose. I'm more excited to just be home.

James and Tiffani are thrilled also. I'm still stunned though that James will be in 7th and Tiff in 5th come August. Where did the time go?

We don't have any definite plans as of now. With gas prices, I don't think we'll be visiting the river much. $5.49 per gallon is just a rip off so my truck and boat will sit for now. Next week we'll be heading to Vegas for a few days. Jim has to work out there, so the kids and I will be taggin along. I'm looking forward to just lying around the pool and doing nothing.

My summer won't be totally boring as I will be teaching a ton of sewing classes. I think I have one class a day for seven weeks. LOL But, sewing isn't work, it's more of a social time for me.

I'm looking forward to summer and the good ole bbq's and swimming.

Have a fun, safe and cool summer. I'll keep you posted on mine.

xo, m

Saying Goodby Stinks

2008-06-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of seeing Jim's brother and his family for the last week and a half. They live in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved four years ago to make a better life for themselves and that they have done.

We were lucky enough to visit them 2 years ago, but since then we hadnt' seen them. They came out to Cali this passed week and we had a blast. The 3 boys have grown so much and were so fun to be around. James was in heaven. Eventhough they hadn't seen eachother in so long, it was as if the boys were never seperated. The four of them had the time of their life. James is really sad they have to leave.

We enjoyed breakfast, dinners and bbqs with them. Tonight we had our last dinner and then had to say goodbye. It totally sucked. I was very sad. Sad for my kids, mostly James. I wish they could grow up together, they are so alike, so silly, so funny, just alot of fun.

I think I'm going to start saving my pennies so we could go out there next summer or bring the boys here for the summer.

Anyhow, thanks for listening to my ramblings. LOL I have to get some pics to post.

xo,marlo

I"M FREEEEEE!!

2008-06-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my math final for that EVIL, WICKED, HORRIBLE math class. It was the worst class ever. I love math, but the instructor was a horrible teacher. She was very nice and I liked her as a person, but as a teacher...SHE SUCKED. This was the longest 18 weeks of my life. I'm so glad to be free of it and have my life back.

I'm going to relax the next couple of days and then jump on the sewing band wagon. LOL

xo
m

Be Positive...card shower

2008-06-04T00:11:00.002-07:00

I'm joining the bandwagon, along with other friends to ask for your help. My friend, Shanna is sponsoring a card shower for a 13 year old girl, Jessie, who has cancer. Jessie goes to school with Shanna's son, Chris. Please take some time out to make Jessie a card. Below is note from Shanna:

Hello everyone! I am writing about someone really special and I would love your help. Jessie is a 13 year old girl in my son's junior high class. She is a sweet, young lady that is battling bone cancer. Jessie is undergoing chemo and has already endured surgeries for both the cancer and to reinflate her lungs. This girl has been through a lot since her recent diagnosis at the end of April. I am currently organizing a card shower for Jessie, so if you are interested in participating, please do so!! The idea is that everyone would send a card to the P.O. box listed below and we would then be able to deliver a bundle of good wishes to Jessie. This little girl would love to get good wishes from all over!! Jessie's theme is "Be positive" or "B+", like her bloodtype. Isn't that cool!??! Thanks for taking the time to be a part of this. I appreciate it!

Mailing info:
"B+" Jessie
P.O. Box 538
Monrovia, CA 91017

Thanks, everyone!
Shanna

Alrightie, you have a mission. Let's shower Jessie with words of encouragement. Remember, she's a teenager and needs all the love, support and hope she can get.

xo,
M

Counting down to summer vacation...

2008-05-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

the count is slow!! We are down to the last two weeks of school. I'm excited. It's been a long school year. Plus, it just means me being closer to getting my own classroom. Yeehaw!!

We spent the week and weekend moving my sister and brother-in-law. There brand new, beautiful home is finished. They signed their life away on the dotted line and moved their stuff in. Their house is beautiful, I'm so excited for them.

And, well, I'm happy for me too. Now I have family close by. They are 5 minutes away, 10 at the most. We spend alot of time with them anyhow, so now it'll just be even better because we won't have to make the 1 1/2 hour drive. Plus, they have lots of rooms, that means baby making time. LOL

Jim was out of town AGAIN!! I'm getting really sick of it, but it pays the bills. He's home for one day and then back out to Indy for a week. I'm living like a single middle-aged woman with kids. Something is wrong with this picture.

Last night was crop night. We had a full house, and 4 didn't end up showing up. It's always a fun evening with the girls, they just keep us laughing. I got quite a bit done, which was nice. I plan to finish my projects up and get them hung in my room. Can't wait.

I also have been working on more purses and patterns. I just got hooked up with a graphic designer that will be illustrating my designs and plotting them out. So cool!! I'm hoping they will be ready for a Trunk Show on June 28. This will hopefully be my DEBUT. Keeping my fingers crossed. If not, then I'm hoping to hit the Quilt Market in the fall. We'll see.

I'm off to bed now, it's been a long day.

Thanks for stopping by and peeking in on me.

m

Pics of my life...

2008-05-26T16:51:00.001-07:00

Nathaniel eating cereal. He loves his cereal and eating from a spoon. Excuse the Christmas bib, I keep that here at my house. Something weird, but I love for him to wear hit. Reminds me of this past Christmas when he was just days old. This was Mother's Day morning, he's almost 5 months.

Mother's Day afternoon. Valerie, Nathaniel and myself. 3 generations....amazing. My first child, my first grandbaby. Life is sweet.
All my children and grandbaby. This is what keeps me going. James 12, Tiffani, 10, Valerie 20, Nathaniel 4 months and me, 39. I've been blessed!
Two of the girls in the Quincienera, Lyndsey and Carly. Those are my dresses!!
Tiffani was also in the Quinciera. She was the only one with straps since she was the only young girl.

Tiffani and her partner, Adam. This is the beginning of the Waltz when they greet eachother. They were the best dancers of them all. Not because I'm the mom, but because they weren't embarrassed. They just did what they needed.

The birthday girl, Cliana, at her 15th birthday party. She's the one in the middle, wearing green. I made all the dresses including hers. Her dress has two parts to it. The long skirt comes off and under is a short glittery dress. Her hair and make-up was done by Valerie. It's was Val's first freelance job. The girls wore different colors. The theme was 80's.

This pic of Nathaniel is from this weekend. We had him on Friday and took him for his shots. He's 5 months here. We sat him in his highchair for the first time. He loved it. He was so happy. I can't believe how fast he is growing. Again, his Christmas bib, gotta love him in it. I'll be saving this one forever.

Thank you for taking a little look into my life. This is what keeps me busy.

I'm ALIVE!

2008-05-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

LOL, Just trying to stay afloat.

The quincienera is finally over. It was really pretty and the girls looked great. I will post some pics later. The weather was scorching hot though and it was really uncomfortable to be all dressed up.

We all got a stomach virus. It all started with Nathaniel, which lasted 2 weeks. Poor little guy lost one pound in 3 days. From him it went to Jim, myself and Tiffani. Tiffani was sick the day of the quincienera. Poor thing, she was suffering but had to suck it up as she was in the court of the quincienera. We left early, after her dance, as she was burning with a fever.

I'm down to the last couple of weeks of my dreaded math class. I'm so excited that it's almost over. I'm bombarded with homework and studying for my final. I've had very little time to play on the computer.

This is the first Memorial Weekend that we didn't go away. Our weather was really crappy and diesel is now $5.49 per gallon. We figured it was best to stay home. So we've just been catching up on housework, homework and the remodel in our bedroom/bathroom. It's been a quiet weekend, which was nice.

I have many pics to post. I'll do that later. I have much blog reading to catch up on. LOL I have to find out how my friends are doing and what they've been up too.

toodles for now.
m

This and That

2008-05-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

Well, another busy week. Story of my life. Thank goodness Jim was home all week and didn't have to go out of town. It's so nice when he's home. He helps me alot and really takes care of us and our busy schedules. Plus, it sucks when he's gone, the kids and I are pretty lonely. He likes being home too.

I'm on the countdown for this quincinera. THANK GOODNESS!! May 17th and then it's all over. YIPPPEEE! All the girls dresses are done except for the birthday girl's dress. Tomorrow she'll come by for a fitting. If it fits well, then the zipper goes on and I'm DONE! FINISH! KAPUT!

WARNING: TIFFANI WILL NOT HAVE A QUINCINERA OR A SWEET 16!!

School is getting better, but the work load is not. I just keep looking towards the light, it's faint, but I can see it.

We had a wonderful weekend. Met Val, Daniel and Nathaniel at the beach. It's was the baby's first time there. He hated it. I think he's going to be a desert rat like the rest of us. Grandpa has his quad picked out.

I find that YUMMO fabric from the previous post. I bought alot! I'm dying to cut it up and make some masterpieces, but that will have to wait till after May 17th.

Nothing special for Mother's Day going on here. Val will come up and we will enjoy her first Mother's Day with her. I'm actually excited about that.

For those asking, NSD was a blast. We had two girls not show up due to family emergencies, but the rest of us, 5, had a great time and went way passed the scheduled time. I got alot done so that made the day even better. I love the girls that I scrapbook with, they are so awesome and wonderful friends. I'm truly blessed.

My sister's house is coming along nicely. It's due to be finished by the end of the month. Almost a month ahead of schedule. I'm so excited because she will be minutes away from me as opposed to 1 1/2 hours. I'm so proud of her and her husband. Their first home and it's a custom home. They've worked hard and deserve it. Now to work on the rest of my family. I need them by me!

Happy Friday!!!

Yummo Fabric Line-Ginger Blossom

2008-04-30T23:49:00.001-07:00

Ohhhhh, my!! I just found this wonderful new line of fabrics called Ginger Blossoms. It is designed by Sandi Henderson and manufactured by Michael Miller. I'm totally in love with this fabric and need to get my hands on it. My head is whirling with ideas. My Bag-Lady sewing group is going to love it too!!! As soon as I get my hands on some I will create a new tote...I will post it, promise!

I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight...my head is whirling and whirling. LOL

nite all,

National Scrapbook Day, May 3, 2008

2008-04-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

West Coast Croppers

National Scrapbook Day Crop

Saturday, May 3, Noon til 8 p.m.

$15 fee includes;

dinner, unlimited snacks, goody bag and door prize

Layout contest: Bring a completed scrapbook page

with a tropical/hawaiian/summer theme.

The first Saturday in May is National Scrapbooking Day!National Scrapbook Day was started in 1994 by the well-known album company Creative Memories. and is celebrated on the first Saturday each May. Since 1994 scrapbookers all over the county celebrate their passion for Scrapbooking on this day! There are even online groups petitioning the US Government to make National Scrapbook Day a federal holiday!

Here are the top ten scrapping activities for this fun day:

1. Attend a crop or scrapbooking party! Of course, this would be #1 on the list! There is nothing better, and more motivating, than to scrap with friends new and old! In honor of National Scrapbook Day West Coast Croppers will be hosting their 2nd annual National Scrapbook Day Crop.

2. Go shopping! There is no better reason to treat yourself to a few new scrapbooking goodies! Or find a local Stampin' Up! or Close To My Heart demonstrator and get your hands on some of the newest, coolest, trendiest papers, stamps and accessories.

3. Learn a new technique! Sign up for a class at your local scrapbook store or host a Stampin' Up! workshop.

4. If you are local to the high desert area, join West Coast Croppers yahoo group. This group will keep you on your toes and keep you laughing.

5. Submit your best layouts to magazines! If you find that you are home on Nat'l Scrapbooking Day, why not submit some of your best layouts to magazines?

6. Have to be at ball games or other events during National Scrapbook Day? It's ok, grab some scrapbook idea books or magazines and take them along. You will be so ready to Scraplift some pages when you get home that evening!

7. Share your passion for preserving family memories with a non-scrapper! Think of at least one friend or family member who doesn't scrapbook and bring her along to the crop with you! There is no better way to spend National Scrapbook day than teaching someone your favorite hobby!

8. Try something different! Is there a technique that you have been itching to try? Do all your pages look alike. Get out of the rut and add something new!

9. If there aren't any National Scrapbook Day crops going on close to you consider inviting some friends over to scrap! Have everyone bring a dish for lunch and then scrap the day away!

10. Organize your stash! Let's face it! Organizing your stash is part of the fun of scrapping!

Be sure and go to a local National Scrapbooking Day CROP!! They are everywhere! If you are in the area or don't mind the drive, West Coast Croppers would love to show you a scrapping good time. Most of all, enjoy this day to preserve precious memories. Happy Scrapping!!!

Wordless Wednesday--Pigmy Hedgehog

2008-04-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

What does your name mean????

2008-04-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Found this on another friends blog. Thought this was pretty cool. Everytime I do a personality test, this is exactly what it says. At first I said, "NO WAY!! I wouldn't push my way around to get what I want!" But, according to Jim, he says, "Yup, that's you! Not in a bad way, but you never let people stand in the way of following your dreams or goals." Well, put it that way dear hubby and then I can agree. LOL Boy just scored points! For the most part, yup, it's all true. Pretty scarey, but that's me!!!

What Marlo Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

Try it: See if it matches you or not. Come on, I dare you!!!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/

Busy weekend, busy week, busy month! Is it vacation yet?

2008-04-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today Nathaniel is 4 months. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. He is such a doll...gotta love that cute face!

Grandma and Nathaniel

Whew.....another weekend down in Whittier. I think we spend every weekend down there these days. This weekend was for a baby shower. I had two to attend, one for my cousin and the other for my niece. I only ended up attending my niece's since they were both at the same time. It's always a wild ride when all my family is together. The shower was wonderful, Monique got a lot of beautiful stuff. Baby Audrina will be well dressed.

My nephew Christian

On Saturday Christian got his first haircut. He is such a cutie patootie! He'll be turning 2 in the summer. This kid is total boy and always has a smile on his face.

My nephew Timothy

This is Christian's big brother. He is so funny and so attached to his mommy. He does not like to get dirty, probably the cleanest kid I know. Next month is the big "4"!!

Nina Natalie and Nate

Natalie is always fighting over Nathaniel. She likes to hog him up just like grandma. She and her hubby are god-parents to Nathaniel.

Tiffani, Nathaniel, Abigail and Sarah

For the first time, all the new babies were all together. Nate was born in December and Abigail, my niece was born in February. Pretty soon they'll get to play together.

Val, Nate, Amber, Abigail, Monique, Audrina and Peter Jr.

Well our girls have been busy the last 16 months. Four new little ones to enjoy. My dad is in heaven.

Grandma Sylvia and baby Audrina

I love this picture of my sister-in-law and her grandbaby. My sister-in-law is such a beautiful person inside and out. She has 3 grandsons, now she has a grand-daughter to spoil.

My brother Al, his wife Sylvia and their grand-children

After the baby shower we went over to my dad's house. Actually, all my brothers and my dad live on the same property. There are four houses on the property and they all live there. We call it the compound, LOL. We go there and sit around a fire and just visit. Arrived home super late as usual.

Sunday was spent recovering from our trip down the hill and finishing up the quincinera dresses. This week will be spent on the birthday girl's dress. May 17th is almost here!! Yeah! After this, I'm done. Stick a fork in me. No more sewing for others. I'm exhausted and need to focus on my family now. They've been neglected too long.

So, if you're still with me, this ended up being more of a show and tell. But, this is my wonderful, crazy family that keeps growing and growing.

Thanks for looking!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY WCC!!

2008-04-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been 1 year since we started a new scrapbook group, West Coast Croppers. Originally I started this group for my SU! customers. Most were new to stamping and scrapbooking and wanted thier own time to do projects. I had one particular customer that wanted to join my stamp club, but said she'd only do it if we met on a regular basis. So we did. The girls began opening up their homes once a month on Sundays.

It was then that an old friend, who wanted nothing to do with stamping and scrapping, tells me she is 'starting' to get into it. Let me tell you, she is the one that gets 8-20 pages done at a crop night. They are elaborate too!! She plans well.

We officially decided to open a Yahoo group for our stamp club April 17th, 2007. We celebrated National Scrapbook Day together, then held our first official crop night in June. This first year has been good to us. We have new friendships, some old, lots of completed scrapbook pages, tons of handmade cards, weddings, quincineras, babies, adoptions,...you name, we've had it. Each crop night is eventful. I'm totally in awe of this first year. I'm thrilled to see what our 2nd year holds.

If all goes well, we will host our own bus tour throughout So. Cal and host a weekend retreat before this year is up.

So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEST COAST CROPPERS!!!

Here's to many more! CHEERS!

Feeling the blahs!

2008-04-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Oh, I hate to complain. Shouldn't really because I'm well and so is my family. I guess I'm just feeling the stress of school three nights a week. Two math classes back to back. I know, I know, many of you are thinking, "What! You LOVE math!" Well, I DID!! Until this lousy math teacher at the local college. She is very kind, but a lousy math teacher. She doesn't teach. For the first time I'm hating math. This is a tough class and she is no help. I'm really on the verge of dropping it, but I need it to graduate December 13th!!! So...what's a girl to do? Stick it out I guess. There goes my 4.0 gpa. CRAP!

I'm in the middle of reading this book, The Number Devil. Yup, it's a novel about numbers and math. I'm not reading it because I've chosen to. I have to read it for my APU class. I'm almost embarassed to admit, but I'm actually enjoying it. LOL Beats having nothing to read in bed.

Jim will be traveling again this week to Indiana. I hate when he's gone. He hates it also, but it comes with the job description.

We had gorgeous weather over the weekend. Felt like summer. Then Monday rolled around and the wind and cold showed up on my doorstep. Darn it!! My legs are in need of a tan. I don't think I've seen them this pale in a long, long time.

On a happier note, my niece Moni gave birth to a tiny little girl on Friday. She is so sweet. She arrived a week before her baby shower, so now it will be a WELCOME shower.

Audrina Page Centeno

I'm so excited to see her again on Saturday. I made her a beautiful quilt which I know her mom will treasure.

This makes the third baby in 5 months. Christmas will be crazy but a happy time. I think we are done with babies for the year.

No new pics of Nathaniel this week. I have cute ones on my cell phone but can't figure out how to get them on the puter. Crazy kid holds his own bottle. I miss him when he's not here. Seems like every weekend he's changed and grown some more. I'll be sure to get pics this weekend.

Well, I'm off to bed...early, I know, but my head is aching from math class. Seriously, I'm on the verge of taking up drinking!!

toodle lou!

Wordless Wednesday--Waiting for winter to end!

2008-04-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Sand-Filled Weekend

2008-04-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, I thought I'd show you the cutest little guy on the planet, Nathaniel. We came home from the Dunes to be surprised by the baby. He was up here this weekend. He just can't stay away from his grandma. He was dressed so cute, jeans, this cute tee and some Vans. Oh, and could you believe, his two bottom teeth cut through! I last seen him on Wednesday and he was teething like crazy. Today, they are there. Too fast!!

When we found out that Val was having a boy, we started picking up different tees with crazy little sayings. This one was my favorite. We joke about it now, but I'm sure in about 17 years we'll be going crazy trying to get him to respect the ladies. I'm sure his daddy though will keep him in line...now grandpa, that's a different story. This little guy has grandpa wrapped around his finger!

So we headed to Dumont Dunes to camp and ride. For years I heard the guys cry over going there. All they want to do is ride the dunes. Blah, blah!! So we go. My brothers, brother-in-law, and my family. It was a nice drive, about 2 hours away, half way between us and Vegas. I wanted to yell, "Keep going, take me to Vegas!!" But, I would have hated seeing grown men cry. LOL

This is what one of the dunes looked like Friday evening.

The dunes are amazing. Big huge mountains of sand that let the wind determine how they look day to day. When we arrived there was a huge movie crew filming a military movie. We set up camp...QUICKLY...because the dunes were calling them. Then they all jumped on their quads and headed out riding. I sat in the trailer doing math homework...my idea of a great weekend!! LOL The wind picked up really bad, 30+mph and there was no visibility. It was horrible!! There was sand everywhere...everywhere...yup, even in the chonies!! Now tell me how it can get there! My trailer was a mess and I was not happy.

Tiffani was going up and down a really small dune. She ditched her quad for a Honda TRX 440. Alot bigger than her own. This is the first time she had to shift gears. She caught on too quick and is now bugging for a bigger quad with clutch and gears. Crazy psycho chick!

The next morning was calm, sunny and the place was busy with lots of families and party goers. It wasn't even a holiday weekend. We all headed out to the dunes, including myself, against my better judgement. I begged the guys to leave me alone and let me stay in my peaceful trailer doing math homework. But NOOOOO!!! They bugged and bugged so I jumped on a quad and out I went. I HATED it!! I love riding, but not in sand. After an hour of pouting and frustration, I headed back to the trailer. Jim was not happy with me. He wants me out riding with him, he thinks when I'm in the trailer that I'm bored. H-E-L-L-O!!! I'm perfectly happy in the trailer...doing math homework! LOL

James riding the dunes. He didn't go up too far, but to him, this was big enough. He was also on a bigger quad than his own. He was riding a Raptor 660. A little too powerful according to me, but not for dad.

The guys rode for the rest of the day and had the time of their life. Unfortunately for the guys, my brothers had to go home because of their wives having to work and such, so we called it a short weekend. I tried to act all sad for them, but reality was, I was thrilled to be going home. I had about enough of the sand and the mess. Everytime I touched my hair, which btw I had just had it done Friday morning, I would get sand in my nails. If I rubbed my face, I had sand on it. It was nasty!! I'm really glad riding season is almost over and river season is in. I'd rather sit in the water in 120+ degree weather anyday.

Jim climbing a dune. Doesn't look big in this pic, but it's pretty steep. Too crazy for me!

When we arrived home, Val, Daniel and the baby were there. It was a super nice surprise. Oh, and to take a wonderful, long, hot shower was amazing.

Jim and the guys are planning to head back out to Dumont Dunes in 2 weeks. I will purposely punish myself and stay home. I don't care if I have to sleep with all the lights on, I will gladly stay home in my sand free house.

Bring on the warm weather and boating season!!

XOXO

marlo

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!!

2008-04-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

First I have to wish my bro, Al, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! He is 40-something today. He is the oldest and the craziest, but we love him that way. Happy Birthday Bro!!

Whew!! I forgot how hard it was to care for an infant 24/7. I had Nathaniel here for a few days. Val just started working so I thought I'd keep the baby for a few days so she could save on daycare fees. Wow! I'm totally wiped out. He is a good baby too! He just started teething. Crazy as he's only 3 months. But I could totally see and feel his little teeth. Sweet little guy went home today and I'm totally missing him. Jenny and I went out for coffee tonight after class and I just chilled...needed that after caring for a little one. I'm glad my baby making days are over and now I can just enjoy every one else's. Here is a cute pic of Nathaniel. He hates hats and beenies so my sister was pulling out all his beenies and trying them on him. He finally got mad and started to cry. I just love how he looks in hats, he looks like a little elf. Just don't tell Val, she'll kill us.

Well, I made great progress on the quincinera dresses. They are very pretty and so retro in color. Very 80's. I feel like I'm in a time warp. LOL

When we were in San Diego, we went to Julian, a cute little town in the mountains. It's very pretty up there. I've wanted to go there and do some apple picking, hopefully I can this coming season. While there we went and had the best apple pie in town at MOM'S. This place is fabulous and packed!! It was worth the long, long drive. The little town has alot of great little shops and the people were so friendly. I definitely need to go back.

We are headed to Dumont this weekend. I'm trying to act like I'm totally excited, but I'm really not. I really don't want to spend the weekend in sand dunes. I was hoping to head to a resort before heading back to work, but looks like I'll be a sand bunny instead. LOL I wish I could just send the family and stay home alone. Man...that would be ideal. I think I would do the whole Risky Business deal...dance around the house in a t and undies. LOL

I'm working on plans for National Scrapbook Day. The girls are really excited as many of them are new to scrapbooking and stamping. Should be a fun day if I could just decide on a theme. If you don't have NSD plans and would like to join us, come on over. We usually have a great time. This year will be with a whole new group. I'm excited and sad at the same time. I really miss my old group and friends. However, this new group is new to it all and have a whole different energy and excitement. Speaking of scrapbooking, has anyone tried this? I have two Crop-a-diles and love them. I thought about buying this new one, but I haven't. I know...SHOCKING!! But I'm really trying to buy only what I need...yeah, right, but anyways, I don't have this. I would love to hear some reviews.

Ahhh, and congrats to Angie Knight who just had her first baby girl, Grace. I'm so excited for her and can't wait to meet her. She is our little cowgirl in training.

Okie dokie, I should head to bed and do some reading. I just finished reading, "Daniel Isn't Talking," forgot the author's name, but it's a great book about a family that has a son with Autism. It's fiction, but I'm sure there was alot of truth in it and with what families have to deal with. Great read. I just started "Back on Blossom Street," by Debbie MacComber. I love her books, very light hearted and easy reading. This is the third in this series. It's about friendships, cancer, divorce, marriage, adoption, anything relating to life really. Should be done with in by the weekend. If you have any books to recommend, pass it along. The weekend in Dumont is going to be my time to read in the trailer while everyone else is riding.

Toodles and goodnight!

Sending the Search Party Out...

2008-03-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay!! I know some of you have been emailing me asking when I was going to update my blog. Boy you are all a nosey bunch of people! LOL

It definitely has been some time since I've last blogged. It wasn't out of choice, trust me. Life has just been crazy. I think for the first time I can honestly say, "I'm STRESSED!"

Jim's job has him traveling quite a bit. Which I really hate. I'm in school 3 nights a week and with him gone, I have no babysitter. So the kids have to stay home by themselves and then I leave school early which is not a good thing. Don't know how much longer this can go on.

Val was in the hospital for a week at the end of February. What we thought was the flu ended up being a kidney infection, UTI, blood infection and Ecoli. On top of all that she is allergic to every anitbiotic and pain meds they gave her. She was so sick that her blood pressure was even super high and the doctor feared that she would have a stroke. Meds didn't even bring it down. It was a rough week for all. It stinks being 1 1/2 hours away from her. We put along of miles on the car with driving up and down the hill everyday. Thank goodness though she is well and doing great.

Ahhh, and school! UGH!! Have you ever had a math teacher that plain out SUCKS!! Well, I have one right now. I love math, seriously love math. But this lady had made me hate it. She is not teaching us, basically explaining it verbally without showing us how to do it. I need visuals not words. Our class went from 40+ to about 20. I'm trying to stick it out as long as possible, but it's killing me.

My sewing classes are going great. I have a new group of women that are fabulous. We started a Bag Lady Group which meets every Thursday and we make a new purse. All the purses are my designs and are put in pattern form. I'm working with a digital designer that is doing all the digital work so that I can have these patterns up for sale. So far my purses have been a hit and I'm being bombarded with people wanting them. If you are in the area and would love to join a sewing class, go by or call Valley Sewing & Vac. They are the most awesome people and we have some great classes.

Work is going well. I work with some great people and some not so great people. Everyone is freaking out with the budget cuts. We have many teachers in our area that were pink slipped. It's very sad that our school system has come to this. We are backtracking instead of moving forward. Scares me to think what type of education my grandson will get in 5 years. As for me, well, I'm in special ed so I was told that my dept won't be touched. We shall see.

I'm also working on a quincinera for my friend's daughter, Cliana. It's May 17th. I'm trying to finish up the invites so that I can move on to the dresses. I know, I know. I said I was done doing this but I couldn't say no to Jenny. Anyhow, she helps me alot so it's not like I'll being doing it all by myself. Just about 90%!! LOL

We have been remodeling our bathroom in our bedroom. It was one of those spur of the moment things. Jim just started one day and has been working on it for the last 6 weeks. It's been tough with his schedule, but we are 99.9% done. He should have that finished tonight. Thank goodness! Having one less bathroom is killing us, especially on the weekends when we have Val, Daniel and Nathaniel here. I have to say, Jim has done a magnificent job. I'm always impressed with his work, but this just takes the cake. Especially since this was his first time doing tile. I'll tell ya, Jim will do just about anything to make me happy. Gotta love him!

Easter was great. We spent it with Jim's parents and his brother's family. Always a crazy time with the kids and Jim's brother. Nathaniel celebrated his first Easter. Here is a pic of Val's family. They all bring us alot of joy and laughter. I can't believe how grown up Valerie is and how happy she is.

We are on Spring Break. One week left. We headed down to San Diego the beginning of the week. We stayed at Embassy Suites in Downtown, right across from the bay. It was gorgeous. Jim visited customers and the kids and I walked through downtown, did some shopping and just hung out. Very relaxing time. Next week hopefully we get to do some camping, in the trailer of course!

Should be a quiet weekend, nothing spectacular except for homework. Yeah!...Ugh! My sweet little grandson will be here. He brings our home so much joy. I'm so amazed at how wonderful it feels to be a grandma. He is growing so fast though. 3 months already. I want to yell, "STOP GROWING!" But I know my family will think I'm crazy and send me to the nut house. They think I'm headed there anyhow.

Tonight is my local crop. We haven't cropped in a while, so this is long overdue. If you are in the area and feel like scrapping or stamping, come on by. The more the merrier!

I will leave you with the cutest pic ever! I have so many pictures of Nathaniel bathing. We have so much fun bathing him and doing funky things with his hair. This kid has a ton of it.

Toodles for now. I promise to be a better blogger!

Marlo

When the Cat is Away the Mice will Play....

2008-02-19T15:06:00.001-08:00

I was thinking that I might get some extra time this week to stamp, scrap or sew with Jim being out of town. But, not sure that will happen. Jim really helps me alot and I'm struggling so far this first day of him being gone. The good thing about him being gone today...he didn't see my big Stampin' Up! shipment. LOL

I had let my demonstratorship go because I just didn't have the time to do workshops anymore. But, they gave me an one-time exception so I caved and ordered over $300 worth of goodies. I was so pleased to see the box of goodies sitting on my porch when I arrived from home. Now...if I could only get these kids to cooperate and make dinner, clean the house, do my homework, attend my classes this week, get lunches packed and drive themselves to school, I just might be able to have some creative time with my new goodies.

A girl can dream can't she?

Busy Weekend!

2008-02-18T12:29:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems that I never get to just do what I want on a long holiday weekend. What I really want to do is just hid in my scraproom and stamp, sew and scrap. Just never seems to work out. I'm so swamped these days with homework that I'm lucky to even sleep. Thank goodness Jim now works from home because he helps me alot. I would have fallen off the edge by now if it weren't for my hubby.

This weekend was another busy 3 day weekend. We had family over for James's birthday. It was so cool to have my family here as well as my in-laws. James was on cloud 9. He is a big family kid. He loves to be around family, that's all he every wants for his birthday.

Val, Daniel and Nathaniel were here for the weekend, yeah!! I got to be with my grandbaby. I just love him so much. I totally miss him during the week. I get depressed when he leaves. Sunday nights are usually sad for me.

My sister, Natalie and her hubby, SteveO also came for the weekend. We have alot of fun with them. I'm so excited because they will be living up here come the end of June. They bought a brand new KB home in Victorville. Their house is in the process of being built. Actually, they just dug the trenches for the foundation.

Natalie and I did a big NO, NO this weekend. We gave Nathaniel a bath, but we didn't use anything we were suppose to. We didn't use his tub. We didn't use his special soap, and we didn't wash the onesie before putting it on him. Soooooo, he broke out in a rash. Val and Daniel were not too happy with us. LOL I felt pretty bad though because Nate had a bad rash. When we got scolded we washed him up in his 'special' soap and changed his clothes. He got better in no time. Bad Grandma!!

My sister, Renee and her family came up really late, but that's my sister. LOL But, I'm glad she showed up nonetheless. I hadn't seen my niece and nephew for a while so it was nice to see them. My Grannie also came up with them. I think the last time I seen her was at Christmas. I wish she would stop being stubborn and come live with me. I would love to have her here with me so she wouldn't have to worry about things. She spent her time holding Nate, her Great-great grandson. I'm so lucky that she is alive to share his little life with him. I know she is too. She lights up everytime she sees him.

Well, today, my day off from work due to a holiday, I figured I would do some stamping. About 2 weeks ago my wonderful order of Stamping Bellas came in. I've been dying to play with them, but homework usually comes first. Anyhow, I was hoping to play with them today, but it doesn't look that way. You see, I opened my syllabus for school and I have a ton of homework and a ton of reading. Ugh!!! I thought about not doing it, but it's the first night for this class and I would hate to make a bad impression on the first night. LOL So, looks like I have to be the good student and work. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some stuff done at the crop on Friday. Hey...if anyone is local and feels like cropping, drop me an email. West Coast Croppers will be having their monthly crop this month.

Toodles for now.....off to do homework.

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY MY SON!

2008-02-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

It was 12 years ago tonight that I was as huge as a condo...very pregnant with James. We had our typical Valentine's dinner but I was not feeling well. I knew James was about to make his appearance. All night I walked in a circle around my coffee table. My house was very little. About 5 a.m. I told Jim I wanted to go to the hospital. I called the doctor and basically lied saying I was having contractions. I wasn't but I just felt terrible. We went in and sure enough, I was dialated to 5 and 100% effaced. James arrived a few hours later. He was 8lbs. 15 ozs. and 21 1/2 inches long. He had a head full of hair!!

I love my daughters dearly, they are different in so many ways, but a son brings a different kind of joy. I can't explain it.

Today, James is a crazy kid. He loves the outdoors and loves playing his guitar. He is a jokester and is usually laughing. He has the softest lips and the most marshmellowy ears. He is alot like me, which drives me crazy because we tend to butt heads alot. But...yet...we are always together.

Happy Birthday My Son. I love you so much and I'm so proud of the young man you are becoming!

Congratulations Andrew and Amber!!

2008-02-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

Baby Abigail

A beautiful baby girl was born into our family on 2/6/08. She is my brother's first child. I'm so happy for them. I haven't seen her yet, but I will this weekend. I love this precious pic of her. I want one!!!!

Wordless Wednesday--Something Jim would say!!!

2008-01-29T23:57:00.000-08:00

Calico Ghost Town

2008-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

On Saturday a few of my classmates and our families went on a field trip out passed Barstow. We went to this old mining town called Calico. We had a great time looking at all the old buildings and reading about the history of Calico. It was fun to see the old signs that people wrote to find work or to find their spouses.

Calico was a booming mining town in 1881. They mined silver and borax there up untill 1907 when the town suddenly was abandoned. It inherited the name Calico Ghost Town. During the 1880's the population was 1,200. During the boom there was as many as 5,000 people. Today there are less than 12 people that live there.

As we investigated the town we took train rides and tunnel tours. It is said that the mining tunnels are 30 miles long. That would be able the distance back home to Apple Valley. The town even had a small area known as China Town. Amazing....

We had a great time visiting and my children enjoyed it. There was alot more to do there than just walk around. I was pretty impressed with what it had to offer. Calico also has special events throughout the year, two of which are the most popular; Civil War Days in February and a Halloween event. It is said that ghosts do walk around there and that people have actually seen them. YIKES!!! I will definitely not be visiting during Halloween.

Crazy Busy

2008-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Whoaaa!! Where did these days go? I swear I lost 3 days here. It's been a busy week, like most others, but for some reason I'm wiped out today. Tuesday we headed down to Pasadena and spent the night in a fancy Marriot hotel. All of us, including Val and the baby. We had to be in Glendale at 6 a.m. for Val to take her State Board of Cosmotology Exam. She was super nervous and even cried the night before. She was ready to give up. I was her model....YIKES!!! I'll tell you, what a stressful test. First she had her practical for 5 hours. I had to sit there and let her chop my hair off (so much for my cute haircut!), then she did a serious of other stuff. I ended up leaving with my hair plastered down with 2 bottles of gel! Ugh!! After the practical, she had a two hour written exam. When she was done she called me and said it was hard. She didn't think she did well. By 3 p.m. she had her results...she PASSED!!!!! She is officially a licensed hairdresser. She was so excited and in tears. Jim and I were in tears too! LOL She really needed this and we did too. Last year was a long year for us so we needed this year to start on a better note.

Val drove up that night, late. The pass was a mess, it had been snowing for a few hours. She was freaking out and had to call Jim to talk her through it. Little did we know that just after she came up, they closed the pass down for the night...too dangerous the news said. Thank God she arrived safe.

The rest of the week has been busy with homework and sewing classes. I keep telling myself I'm going to do some creating out in my scrapbook room, but I just can't find the time. This weekend is even a busy weekend. Saturday I have a field trip for APU. A group of us will be going to Calico Ghost Town out passed Barstow. We are making it a family thing since there is much for the children to do. Then I have a company party to attend with Jim. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can make it down the pass safely and then back home. My friend, Ali, is coming into town and I don't even think I'll get to see her. The sad part is, she'll be very close by. I'm not happy about that one bit. Hopefully I'll get to see her soon.

We are pretty water logged here in Apple Valley. We've had some wet cold days and they are suppose to continue over the weekend. No snow though, which I'm not happy about. I need a snow day!

Hopefully next week will be a bit calmer and I can actually get some fun work done. I need to make some Valentine cards for my family and students.

toodles for now!

Wordless Wednesday---- "I think I'm gonna barf!"

2008-01-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

The POWER of FRIENDSHIP

2008-01-20T15:44:00.001-08:00

As I was sitting here on this very lazy Sunday, I was browsing the many blogs that I visit daily and I noticed that many of them have touched my life in some way or another.

Back in March of 2000, a Yahoo group, The Cropping Cactus was formed. Many of us had been friends through a scrapbooking website, called Jangle. Sandy had decided to start her own group and sent invites out to several of us. Shauna, I call her UCLA, was member #1 and I was member #2. The group quickly grew to outrageous numbers and by September a few of us drove or flew out to Arizona to meet Sandy in person. It was a crazy adventure for me as I was a back seat driver with two gals I had never met!! For all I knew, they could have been ax murders!! LOL Lucky for me, they weren't. Angie, from Indiana, flew out to meet us. Her poor husband was besides himself because his wife was flying across the country to hang out with crazy California girls. Arizona we never the same once we left. Even Arizona's finest police officers were affected by TCC. From there our friendship grew.

Over the 8 years we have meet in different states and enjoyed CKU's, expos, conventions and other events together. Our friendships are of a different caliber. We have members from all over the United States, as well as Canada and New Zealand. The amazing thing is that we all have stayed connected in some way or another. Although we don't get to see eachother often, some I've only met once, we still have this amazing friendship. We have all been through many personal hurdles together, such as; deaths, divorce, unwed pregnancy, illnesses, job changes, financial struggles, new babies and grand babies, childhood illnesses, cancer, weddings, man, the list can go on. The awesome thing is that we all encourage eachother and pray for one another. It is this wonderful group of ladies that has made some of my hurdles seem like little anthills.

This year we have promised ourselves to meet up again. It's been a while since we've actually had a "big" weekend togther. Many of us are feeling the impact and desperately need a TCC fix.

When I think of true friendship, my TCC gals are first on the list. Some of them have blogs, while many others do not. If you have a little time, check their blogs out. You'll soon find out why they are so dear to my heart.

Shanna, http://shananator.blogspot.com/

Shanna is our group cheerleader. She's always cheering you on and encouraging you to press on. Even when she's down and out, she will always be there to lift you up.

Shauna (UCLA), http://shaunaimmel.blogspot.com/

Shauna is a designer with HOTP. As long as I've known her, 8+yrs, she has worked there. You can find many of her wonderful layouts throughout HOTP idea books. Shauna is a fighter and never backs down to a challenge. Today she is fighting for her life...she is going head to head with cancer. This year is her year to overcome.

Ali, http://www.alimoll.typepad.com/

Ali is our crazy Utah girl. She is sassy and spunky and just so full of life. She embraces life, family and friends with such passion. She is very active in her church, children's schools and in her children's lives.

Angie, http://angieeverton.blogspot.com/

Angie is my friend from Indiana. My family loves her and her family. We have had some fun times visiting them. She is a full time mom that is forever on the go. She loves to wakeboard and boy is she impressive. I would love to one day be her neighbor!

Nic, http://nichoward.blogspot.com/

Nicola is our little New Zealand friend. She started out with not having any access to scrapping supplies or stores. We used to ship stuff to her just so she can get a fix. Now Nic is a big time scrapper that can be found in many magazines, on many design teams and contests. She even has her own book called, That's Life. She has made scrapbooking a career and a good one at that.

There are many others to name; Karyn, Linda, Jean, Lisa, Heather, Michelle, Heidi, Laura, Missy....the list goes on........They will never really know just how much they mean to me.

TCC has truly been a Godsend to my life. Without my TCC buddies my life wouldn't be so rich.

Cheers to all who have been touched by true friendship.

Wordless Wednesday--Proud Uncle

2008-01-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday....

2008-01-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Whewww!! Today we finally went back to work and school from our way too long winter break. Two weeks is fine, but 3 just kills me. It was nice to be back at work and to see my students. They seem to have grown some over break.

We had a nice weekend with great weather. Tiffani wanted to go camping and riding for her birthday...that girl kills me. What little girl wouldn't want a party?! The weather was perfect for riding, even baby Nathaniel enjoyed being in papa's arms basking in the sunshine.

Val and Daniel had fun riding the go kart. Ummm, we laughed a bit because the wheels were screaming for help...I think there was just a little too much weight on them. LOL

SteveO went up a steep hill on the quad and got stuck on a rock. Jim had to go rescue him. At the same time, Daniel took the go kart up another steep hill and the go kart starting smoking. LOL We stood back and watched the comedy show. It was fun to watch all the guys get stuck...

It was a fun weekend. Tiffani had a great time as well as all the guys. We'll be doing this again in a few weeks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!!!

2008-01-11T00:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Tiffani's 10th birthday. Wow, I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She always amazes us with her drama queen personality. Tiffani is probably one of the most outgoing little girls that I know...that's what makes her so special. We wouldn't have it any other way. We are so proud of the girl that she has become.

We love you baby girl!! Happy 10th Birthday!!!

Love Mommy & Daddy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!

2008-01-10T00:08:00.000-08:00

Today is Daniel's 22nd birthday.

He is Val's boyfriend.

Val is so blessed to have such a nice young man.

We are blessed to know that she found a great guy.

Nathaniel is blessed to be so loved by him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!

May your day be as special as you are!

Wordless Wednesday- Who's Grandma's Favorite Boy??

2008-01-09T23:31:00.001-08:00

Been busy.....

2008-01-08T00:42:00.000-08:00

Man, I'm so ready to go back to work. I can't believe I still have another week off. It stinks! It's much

more work being home...plus, I'm sick of my children.

They are sick of me also. I don't blame them though.

So, I've been busy doing some scrapbooking. I did this really cute acrylic 8x8 book for Valerie. It's simple, but it's what she likes. The book is a brag book about baby Nathaniel. I have all the pics glued in, I just need to add some journalling and some embellishments now.

I made a Marvel Superhero acrylic book for my great-nephew's 1st birthday. It was super cute but like a dork, I forgot to snap

some pics. Ugh!!

Besides scrapping I've been making some prototypes of my purses. I have several done, along with the labels that I want. I'll hit the printers this week to get my labels made up. Now I just need to get a website up. I stink at graphic designing so I desperately need to find someone that has a clue what to do. I stink!!

Jim has also been working on his prototype. We got all the info for the patent. Kinda scarey yet exciting at the same time. We have people interested in Jim's thingy and have several on order, we just can't sell them till the patent application is processed. Jim is so stinkin' smart...I can't wait for this to take off for him. He always amazes me with his brilliant ideas...guess that's why I love him so much.

So, we are beginning the first steps into FULFILLing our goals for this year. I read a quote in the January Creating Keepsake mag that said: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!" David Thoreau

I love this quote...I'm going to print it out and put it in my scrapbook room, on my computer, in Jim's office and other places that will remind to follow my dreams with confidence.

Have a blessed day...XOXOXO

2008 Goals

2008-01-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

I visit many blogs each day, one is Ali Edward's. Her blog is always so encouraging and uplifting. She always gives you something to think about. For 2008, she was asking her readers to come up with one word to describe their goal for this new year. I chose, "FULFILL." I want to fulfill some of my long term life goals.

The first is to graduate from APU. This is something I should have done 15 years ago, but life and family were far more important. If all goes well, I should finish APU on 12/17/08 with an estimated graduation date of 12/20/08, just days after I turn 40.

I also need to pass the CSET test for teachers. I will be taking it in March and I'm totally freaking already. I have a great group of classmates that will be with me on this journey. We will start having study sessions so that we can do well on this test.

In the beginning of last year Jim and I were messing around with some ideas. We love to dirt bike ride, go to races and rock climbing events. We live in an area that caters to that sport. Our joking around lead to some fantastic ideas and we have compiled them up. We want so badly to act upon our ideas and open up this business. We just have no clue where to start. We have people saying, "We know this guy that can do this, and we know someone who can do that." But...still no emails or calls from any of them. 2008 is going to be the year we do this. I don't care what I have to do, we are doing this. I know nothing about graphic design or where to start, but I'm going to find a way. Even if it means going door to door to get the answers. So...stay tuned, you will see our business get off it's feet.

Another thing I need to get going is my scrapbooking. I've not done much of that lately. I seem to do alot of cards and altered stuff lately. I'm totally missing my scrapping. Plus, I have this cute little guy to scrap about.

Last on my "must do" list is visit with my TCC friends. These are true friends that have been a part of my life for almost 8 years. We've all been through alot with eachother's lives. Even though we all live so far apart, we still manage to have this great connection with each other. It's been a while since we've had a TCC event and we all miss them. So, hopefully this year we can all be together again like old times. There is nothing as awesome as our time together.

Now to get my bum in gear and get started on FULFILLING my dreams/goals. Toodles for now. I will leave you with a pic of Nathan and me. This was the day we were leaving the hospital. I was on zero sleep and had major bags. Isn't he just the cutest little thing.?

Happy 2008!! Good Riddens 2007!!

2008-01-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEARS 2008!!!Wow, I can't believe it's already 2008. I'm actually looking forward to a new year. 2007 was a bit overwhelming for me. It was definitly a year of trials and disappointments. I sometimes thought I was not going to get through it, but in the end we made it. Val graduated from beauty school in March. She was so excited and we were so proud. Not to mention that we were glad that she was done with that horrible school. In April Val dropped a bomb on us by telling us that she was pregnant. We were quite disappointed...but in the end, we had a wonderful little blessing, Nathaniel. Val moved back home and life changed for us. [Photo]It's amazing how much I missed her when she was gone. In June, I finally graduated with my A.A. I actually had it done a long, long, long time ago, but I never did the whole ceremony thing. I finally did it and I was glad I did. My dream to attend Azusa Pacific University had finally come true. In July we started working on wedding stuff for Nat and Steve's wedding. Lots of sweat and hard work was spent on this wedding. I was counting down. We spent the summer enjoying the river with friends and family. We had some great times with old friends and with new friends. Life on the water was great. In August I went back to work in a new school. I love working there and being in the same school as the kids. November finally arrived and we were on the last days of preparing for the wedding. YEAH! November was very busy with baby showers, bachlorette parties, and the wedding. I even forgot my own husband's birthday, how sad is that! I will never live that one down. I was finally glad when December rolled around. Count down to Nathaniel's arrival. Poor Val was tired of being pregnant and I was tired of seeing her pregnant. Nathaniel finally arrived on 12/21. His arrival came with alot of drama and distress. In the end though, God was with us and I was able to walk out of the hospital with my daughter and grandson. Nathaniel James Knox, my grandson, has brought so much joy into our home already. He was our precious Christmas gift. We spent the last days of the year chillin' with Nat, Steve and Daniel. Valerie is recouping nicely after a few little scares here and there. I'm so glad 2007 is finally over.