Productive day

So, I spent the day cleaning. Well, cleaning and then going to Wal Mart. :) LOL Cleaned my bathroom, started putting Christmas stuff away. And then I realized, I have to start purging stuff cause, I have too much stuff. Yep, too much crapola in the house. I think I'll have to start putting stuff in boxes, maybe I can give it away on freecycle or maybe someone may want my cast-offs. Who knows.

I won't get done before the New Years, but it's a great start!!

2007 is coming to an end...

Can you believe that the year will be over in only a few more days. Where did it all go? Sometimes it feels like they go by quicker and quicker the older I get.

There are so many life changes on the horizon. What will 2008 hold for all of us? Will the year be prosperous for us all? Or will life go on as normal?

Next year I want to spend more time with the people that I care about. I want to see my friends and family more than just a few times each year. I want to make time to create things to send to people, and I want to spend time with my friends creating things.

There may be many changes in the wind, we'll see where life will take us this year....

More Las Vegas

I had a great time with the girlies! It was so fun meeting up with them all! I haven't met Cindyann before, and I am SO glad that I finally got to meet her! She's just so NICE! And she made sure that I got to do things I wanted to do, and see things I wanted to see! :) How cool is that??

The first day I got there, I went to see Deb in the hotel, and got my room key. Then went to my room and saw the girlies there! We had a fun time in the room. Kay was leaving that day, so she came to the room I was sharing with Jana. Cindyann and her friend Lynn were already there when I got there! So, we all started talking, and I swear, it's like we are really old friends. We just chatted and chatted! Wish Kay could have stayed longer and spent more time with us!!

After Kay left, we all got to go to the rubber stamp expo. It was smaller than the time before, but we still found a lot of great stuff. Did a cool make and take. And just had fun visiting with each other. :)

When we got back, we had dinner with Deb, took a walk around the shark tank, and then went out to see the Fremont Experience! That was too way cool!! We saw a lot of other fun things on Fremont Street! We saw a guy paint an incredible painting using spray can paint. And the chippendales were out there, but Jana and I agreed, they weren't the best looking chippendales we've ever seen. NOT like I've seen a lot, but I thought they'd look a little better and not so...skanky? LOL

We found a gift shop there, and found a couple of things. But no beanies. I was on a Las Vegas Beanie Baby Hunt.

After hanging out on Fremont street, and seeing the light show 3 times, Cindyann and Lynn decided to go back to the hotel. Jana and I decided we weren't sleepy, and that we'd go out to the strip! Boy, that was a ton of fun!!

Las Vegas

I love going to Las Vegas. Where else can you go to see a little bit of Paris, Venice, New York, Hollywood, and medieval England?? LOL I just love going to all the casinos, and just looking in the shops and things. I don't even have to gamble.

I did love this Star Wars slot machine though, and had to try it once. It sucked up all my money, a whole $3! LOL I'm just not a gambler. I'd rather spend that buying something that says Las Vegas at the ABC gift shop!! LOL

Life in General...

Boy, I haven't blogged in a long time. Lots of things happening lately.

My truck hit 300,000 miles this week! LOL can you imagine? I have had my truck since 1989. And it has taken me everywhere! From Oregon to Nevada to Southern California, and a lot of places in between. We've gone jet skiing, camping, been the sag wagon for a bicycle trip from Oregon to SF. It's amazing! I love my truck! It's getting worn, paint's fading, but I still love my truck!

We have a new outside cat that I've named Hoover. Why Hoover? Cause it's like this little vacuum. LOL Remember the fake oreo kitty? Well, it has decided it has to eat at our house. And of course I have to feed it. :)

Sadie has won our local spot for this year's Colgate Country Showdown! We'll be going to see her perform in the California competion too! YAY!

We decided not to have a pond. Too much upkeep. And yep, we were thinking about it. LOL

And more changes will be up and coming soon. Will keep you posted as soon as things happen! :)

Happy Fourth of July!

I love the Fourth of July! It's my favorite holiday. Yes, even more than Christmas. When else can you spend the day with family and friends to celebrate the fact that you live in the greatest country in the world? I mean think about it, where else would you even want to live?

Everyone wears Red, white, and blue. they are just all in the spirit of the 4th. You see fireworks, and even play with them if you are lucky enough to live where they can have fireworks! it's just the best day in the year!

I spent the day working a booth for my cousin. It was a ton of fun cause everyone was just so happy! we had a lot of people stop by that I knew, which was so nice. Redwood City has just a small town feel, eventhough it's not really a small town. I just love it!

And then I went to the ranch with everyone else. It was fun bbqing and then watching the fireworks. Too bad I was so exhausted!! It's always fun visiting with all the animals. And we just sat and talked. It was neat. Got to spend time talking to Sadie, which I haven't done in awhile.

hope you all had a great fourth!!

Follow your Bliss...

I just finished watching the Secret. You know, it's a book, a DVD, even CD's all on how to improve your life by using the secret. And it was really interesting. You always go into that stuff thinking, uh huh. Sure. LOL But then you start thinking...

There has been a reason why I've been gravitation towards being with people who are positive influences on my life. People who have positive attitudes, who think of life as a wonderful experience. And like they say, the law of attraction...like attracts like.

For awhile my life has been stuck in a spiral of negative experiences. And looking back, I can see that I had been thinking of certain things negatively. And I watched the DVD part way before, and I could really see an improvement on certain things. And ever since a few things happened last year, or really, was it the year before that? Anyway, ever since then, I've been trying to keep positive people in my life. And things are looking up. Or at least I'm trying to focus all my energies on making things look up for me.

When you think negatively, all those things will come into being because that is where you are focusing all of your energies. And I think that is true. So, here's to looking up and focusing my energy on positive things.

Follow your bliss. Do things that make you happy. Focus on the positive things in your life. That's what I'm going to try to do. :)

Happy 30th Anniversary!

OMG, Hope that everyone is enjoying the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars!! Can you imagine, it's been 30 years?? I have a hard time believing it's been that long. Went first thing this morning to get my Star Wars Stamps!! YEE HAW! LOL

I still can remember going to see it with my church group the summer before 8th grade. I went into it thinking, OMG, they're making me go see a sci-fi movie. Who would have thought that moment in time would have started my love for all things Star Wars! From the first moment that the Blockade Runner flew across the screen, I was hooked!

I mean it changed special effects as we knew it then. Now that stuff is just the norm. But back then it was amazing to see a space ship fly across the screen with no wires! I mean remember all those Buck Rogers movies?? LOL And the aliens were so believeable! I can remember seeing A New Hope, or as we knew it then, Episode 4, and thinking...WOW!

And Yes, I'm the total geek girl! My older sister still calls me when they have a star wars question. Really. It's too funny. "In the movie..." And then she'll hear, "Well, in the movies and the books..." It's pretty scary sometimes.

Anyway, hope everyone enjoys the anniversary!!

Happy Weekend!

Hope everyone will have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I think I'm just going to laze about, re-energize, stamp, and just enjoy!

Tokyo Drift

Ok, still love this movie. Just think Sung Kang is hot too. He reminds me of some of the guys I used to hang out with a ton of years ago. Well, he was way cooler than the guys I used to hang out with, but it brings up a ton of memories of hanging with the asian crew. LOL Down to the darn little cars that make too much noise. Hated those cars back in the day. I'd still rather hang in a 4x4 truck. But that's another story...

Numb3rs

Ok, so, I was totally caught by surprise during this past week's episode of Numb3rs. Now I missed the past 2 episodes before, but OMG. Couldn't believe that Colby was like a double agent! I LOVE Colby. I'm so bummed. Phil walked in and my mouth was hanging open. He thought someone died. LOL

I gotta start watching the past episodes to see what I've missed!

What are we going to do??

Ok, maybe not WE but Me! LOL Sad to say, my life is revolving around TV shows. And OMG, next week everything is on their final episodes!!

Now, is it just me? Or in the past, did TV seasons run for much longer?? IT's almost like they make a dozen shows, and then call it a season! I remember having first run shows from when we started school till the summer. Not so these days.

Well, I guess the final episodes of shows started already. Had the season finales of Medium, Grey's, and ER already. That was so sad. I was bummed. Really not to thrilled with the final episodes of those shows. And I'll have to wait till maybe october for new episodes?? That's just wrong!

And this week is the finale's of DWTS and Idol. I wonder who will be the DWTS champ, and I hope Jordin wins.

I am going to be really REALLY bummed that Heroes is done for the season. I hope they replay the whole season again!!

Well, just have to watch DVD's or cable movies now...sigh.

Sad isn't it??

Go Rockets!

Today was the third game for the Rockets, the team Phil helps coach. And they won! YAY! It's always fun watching the games. And even more fun seeing the girls grow up so much every year. They are the Under 14's now. Can you believe it? Some of these girls are going to be in high school soon! It's amazing to see how much taller they've all gotten this year.

Rusty was saying how weird it is for him to coach this year, cause there are new female things going on this year that he didn't have last year... can you say Cramps?? ROFL. And Feminine Hygiene products. OMG, I think he'd run for the hills when the girls mention them! LOL

But this year should be fun. Can't wait till next week!!

Great day!

Today was a fun day! I sold a bracelet that I made! Well, what makes it more exciting is that it's the biggest piece of jewelry I have sold yet!

And my truck is working again. It was the fuel filter. LOL Phil just didn't know how to fit in the little space that there is to change it. Felipe did it, and he did it in 25 minutes. YAY! I'm SO glad cause eventhough it's cool driving the big blazer, I miss my truck!! I don't have to worry about starting it. And my window actually rolls down!! LOL

We had a good day today. I'm excited cause I like when we're busy.

Watched DWTS and Idol. I hope Melinda wins. I like Jordin, but I love Melinda's singing!!

Tomorrow is the results for Idol. I hope that the finals will be Melinda and Jordin!!

TV week

So, what did you all think of American Idol?? I wasn't surprised that it was Chris leaving. Cause he's never been a favorite of mine. I think the girls really do out sing the guys at this point. Was a bit surprised it was Phil because he did so well this week. But I think Blake did a whole lot better, although something about him really bugs me. I think it's the faux british look that he's going for. LOL

OMG, loved Grey's this week. Although I could only watch the first half cause I wanted to see what happened on ER. I love the cast of the hopefully spinoff show. Always LOVED Tim Daly, ever since Wings. And love Taye Diggs too. I think Addison can carry her own show, she's a great character. I would totally watch that show if it comes on this season.

I can't comment on everything yet, so bear with me. Callie is still one of my favorite characters too. And I loved that moment where Christina has to ask Callie to be her bridesmaid. I mean TOTALLY cracked up!! Not sure I like the fact that Burke is roping Christina into a big wedding. That is just mean.

Well, I'll comment more when I watch the show. I'll probably not watch it till tomorrow morning.

Spider-man...

This weekend Spiderman 3 comes out! I am very excited. Can you hear me singing the spiderman song??

"Spider-man, Spider-man
Does whatever a spider can
spins a web
any size
catches thieves
just like flies
look out! Here comes the spider-maaaaaannnnn."

LOL

I love comics and cartoons, can you tell?? And I'm even more excited that the Fantastic Four is coming out this summer too! There's a big statue of the Silver Surfer at our movie theatre, and I am way too excited. I want to go and take a picture of it! LOL

I probably won't get to see it for a while, cause Mother's day is coming up too. But it should be really cool to see when I go to see it! I think Memorial weekend is going to be a big movie going weekend for me. :)

Geese Crossing...

Today after crossing the bridge, a car was just stopped at the intersection. Wasn't sure why, but then saw that these geese were trying to cross the road.

Ok, now WHY do the geese need to cross the road?? it's a 6 lane highway, and on the right side where they were walking from, there is the bay and marshlands.

It was cute seeing the little goslings following. I'm just glad that they made it across safely!!

Conan O'Brian

Ok, I'm not the biggest Conan O'Brian fan, but his show last night really cracked me up! He's in SF taping shows this week, and OMG, it's really funny!

He had Dana Carvey on last night. And I love Dana Carvey. He actually was at one of our homecoming events my freshman year in High School before he got really big, a REALLY long time ago. His dad was a teacher at our school and was one of our track coaches, so that's how we got him at our school.

And he was really cracking me up last night.

And tonight, George Lucas is going to be on! And he's supposed to take a tour of Lucasfilms! SO, I gotta go, cause he's on now! WOO HOO!! GO GEORGE!

the 300

We went to see the movie the 300 today. I really did like it a lot. It was based on a comic book series, actually which was based on the Battle of Thermopylae. I love watching movies like this, cause I like to read about what really happened in history as opposed to what happened in movie history. LOL

Of course the movie wasn't 100% historically accurate. But it was great to watch. One of those things where I don't want to read up about the history of the event till after I watch the movie, cause I'll really pick apart the movie then, instead of enjoying it for what it is, a movie.

Of course I loved Gerard Butler and David Wenham. I first saw Gerard in Tomb Raider 2 with Angelina Jolie. LOVED him in that movie. And of course, we all know David from Lord of the Rings. He played Faramir. I didn't realize that David was doing a lot of the narrating in the 300 until pretty much the end of the movie.

Loved the special effects. And of course loved seeing the guys fight. I am so glad I am not living in that era. Having your men go off to war, not knowing if you're ever going to see them again, and they're gone for months at a time. And even how they fight. Um, yeah. I want to go running into a bunch of guys protected by shields with spears sticking out, at full speed! Sheesh!

What was interesting to me is how it kind of correlated with events happening now. How there has always been some sort of conflict happening with the middle east. Not much has changed in that in thousands of years. Anyway, more on that in my other blog when I get to it.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday! I gotta get to paperwork now...

It's Thursday!

And it's almost time for the weekend. I'm so tired this week, I can't wait till the weekend is here. Well, at least Sunday. LOL

What did you all think of Idol and DWTS? I thought it was kinda mean to have Jordin think she was leaving. I mean she was so stressed and crying, I felt really bad for her. The show was good. My favorite part was when Carrie Underwood was singing, "I'll Stand by You." I love that Pretenders song, and she sang it so well! Wasn't too hip on the couple of songs that all the idols sang. But the rest of the show was good.

Was really surprised that Heather Mills was voted off this week's DWTS. Mostly because she really is better than Achy breaky heart guy, and cliffy claven. Was that not too cool to see NORM! in the audience?? But I know I wouldn't have voted for her, cause I still have this thing with her divorcing my favorite Beatle. LOL I thought she did dance great though, but just couldn't vote for her. Loyalties. LOL

And LOVED Heroes this week. OMG, I wonder what powers Mom Petrelli has! I think it's so neat that you don't know who is good and bad, and what is really going on. I love how we're finding out more and more who people are, and how they all know each other. That's pretty cool.

Tonight's Grey's so I'll probably have something to say about that later too!!

Just one more...

Ok, just one more picture of Karl as Eomer. I LOVE this picture of him from the end of the movie. Like him way better with his dark hair, but he looks hot here too!

One of my favorite actors...

This is Karl. He's my favorite actor on Lord of the Rings. LOL And I am posting his pic for no other reason than I love looking at him. ROFL.

He's the actor in Pathfinder, which I still need to see, maybe Sunday. And he has been in Doom and in Bourne Supremacy.

Kay gets Viggo, and I get Karl. I think that works out. LOL ;)

Visit today

These are my aunts and my dad. We went out to lunch today, and it was really nice. I had a great time seeing them. Two of my aunts are from Hawaii, and my other aunt is from San Francisco. It was really great to hear all of their stories. I need to spend more time in SF talking to my aunt to hear more stories about their time growing up on Kauai.

My Aunt's house

This is my aunt and uncle's home. They were actually my dad's uncle and aunt. And so they were my great uncle and aunt. They lived here for a very long time. I can always remember coming here. We would play hide and seek in their backyard. Of course, there weren't many places to hide in, but being young, we didn't realize that. LOL

We would ride our bikes here from our house, it's only a few blocks away. I'd pass it walking to school when I was in high school. Their house was 2 blocks from my high school.

This was always the place to go to when our relatives from Hawaii came to visit. Everyone would meet here, and we'd have a great time just talking and playing.

It's just really sad that it is going to be sold instead of keeping it in the family. There are a ton of really great memories here at this house. They must have lived here over 50 years. I really do get sad to know that it's going to be sold. I think I do get way too attached to things. But I guess some other family will start their memories here too.

Pagodas...

Today I went to visit the Aunties that are visiting here from Hawaii. It's always great cause I get to hear stories that I don't normally hear about when they're not here. Like my grandparents used to make Saimin noodles, and my grandpa made a machine by scratch cause he was a blacksmith for the sugar plantations. Ok, never told that story before. LOL

One thing I did know was that my grandfather used to make these really cool concrete Pagoda statues. I remember going to Kauai, and seeing them all over the island. We would always see one and say: Grandpa made that!!

Well, come to find out, he actually made the molds that he used to make the pagodas. I remember that, before he died, he came to visit us for a few weeks to teach my dad how to make them. We would go into the garage shop, and watch them make them every day. It was always so cool to me to watch them. My grandfather only spoke Japanese, so we didn't understand what he was saying most of the time, but it was cool to be there while he was teaching my dad.

Of course it was one of those things they were handing down from father to son. But since my dad didn't have any sons, and my uncle didn't pass on the knowledge to his sons before he died, there was no way that it would be passed on to an Ehara.

So, I asked my dad today if he could teach me how to make them. I figure that the knowledge has to be passed on somehow. And if any other Ehara doesn't want to know, at least it won't end on our end. :)

And my dad isn't getting any younger, so I'd better learn now before all knowledge is lost.

So, I know that I don't have a ton of time online lately, but I think this is really important to do. Not sure when we'll start, but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

Happy Thursday!

Hope you all are having a great thursday/almost friday! LOL Yeah yeah, it's almost Friday. WOOO HOOO. We picked up a used washer off of craigslist today. After one trip to the laundromat, Phil got way tired of going to the laundromat. I won't go by myself, cause OMG, I just won't. :) So, found a washer, picked it up today. HOpefully when they hook it up tomorrow, it will work. LOL

Ashley was here yesterday, we took her out for her birthday. YAY. So, of course we went to Baldies. We always go to Baldies. LOL

Tuesday was Pizza night for the softball team that Phil helps coach. OMG, there were some of the 10 and under teams there, and they were tiny girls! LOL Phil said, "Our girls were never that small..." Um DUH! Yes they were! LOL And our girls in the 14 and unders are so different from last season. I'm just amazed at how much they all have changed. I hope this year will be a good one.

Monday went to see my aunts from Hawaii. My one aunt is in SF, and the other two are from Honalulu and Kauai. And they're both here for a visit. It's nice for my dad, cause they are the only siblings he has left. It's funny being in there with them all. I haven't seen one of my aunts for quite a few years. And what is cool is that my dad is now into taking photos. He's making sure he gets photos with them before they go home. I think he didn't get to spend a ton of time with his brothers before they passed, so he's not going to let that happen with his sisters.

Not much else going on here. I really can't wait for April to be done. Too many things going on in one month!! Not that May is going to be any more quiet. LOL I'm tired just thinking about it!! LOL

Fun Weekend!

I had a really fun weekend! My friend Kristen was here this weekend..."HI KRISTEN! I hope you made it home ok!!"

And we had a really nice time. I really miss her since she's moved away, but we still can e-mail and talk. E-mail is just a wonderful thing!

We went to a couple of bead shops yesterday. We went to my favorite, Bead Asylum. I love going there cause she has such a great selection of beads! It's so much fun seeing what she has, but I wish I could go more often! And the owner just cracks me up, she's got some funny stories, and she is so fun to listen to.

And we also ventured into Kiowa Rose. I haven't been there in so long. They were a teeny shop before, but they have grown into a bigger space with way more beads! I need to go there more often too. Like tomorrow?? LOL Now that I know what I want to make, I need to go get more findings. :)

We also went to my favorite place to eat on Saturday: Tacone Grill. When they opened I ate there almost every day! But I haven't been able to go there as often. It's more of a treat now. I think I have to go back and get another wrap next time. :)

We watched Casino Royale too! That was an awesome movie. I used to think bond movies were just ok. Not sure why I wasn't really into them. But this one was really REALLY good. Maybe it was that his awesome tools seemed more real. Loved his car! "I need to get me one of these!!" And the Spidey dude in the beginning was awesome! I gotta watch the special features now.

Oh! And Kristen, Oreo wouldn't talk to Phil for a couple of hours last night. LOL He was mad at him cause he threw off his routine. LOL

It was a fun weekend, and we need to do it again! I need to drive out there soon. :)

I Cooked!

Well, I bbq'd! I actually made these teriyaki sticks. Phil cut the meat, i put them on the sticks, marinaded them, and then I actually bbq'd! And they turned out good too!

I used to make these all the time when I was little. Ok, I was the one who put the meat on the sticks for my mom. LOL So, I actually had practice. :)

We're going to have to make these more often. And with the bottled teriyaki sauce like Yoshida sauce, that makes life so much easier!

Are you hungry now??

American idols 4/11

So, what did you all think about Haley leaving?

Well, I think she had to leave sooner rather than later. She's not a great singer, not in the caliber of Melinda and Jordin. So, her time was limited, I think. I do agree with Simon that she was there for so long because of her looks. Not that he said it in that way, but I think that is what has kept her there for so long. Cause like I said, she's not a great singer. But she's cute. LOL

I wonder how it will all go next week??

The Kids...

While at Al and Diane's house, I got to spend time with the "kids". It started out with Katzilla wanting me to pet him cause I was sitting on his chair.

Then Bender, the Great Dane, walked up to me, and wanted to be petted too. Ok, there goes the left hand.

Then Dinkie wanted to be petted. I'm thinking, um, I have run out of extremities, then realized I can use my foot. LOL

I would have been in REAL trouble if Dozer, the Rottweiler would have walked up right then. Good thing they only have 4 kids that come out when company is over. LOL And yep, they grow their kids big at their house. LOL Philip used to tell me that Oreo and Velcro were fat...Um nope! LOL

Katzilla

Go Go Katzilla! WOOoooWoooWOOoooOOOOoooo

ROFL. I LOVE Katzilla. Katzilla is Phil's nephew's cat. He's HUGE. When he sits on your lap, your legs go to sleep fast! LOL

I got to hang out with Katzilla on Saturday, that was fun. He's the coolest cat. He makes funny noises when you pet him. He lets you know when you should be petting him. I just love him!

Duct Tape Ribbon

So Al wrapped Phil's present with his normal duct tape. But instead of wrapping the entire box in duct tape, to where he can't open it. He decided to make a duct tape bow. OMG, it was so cute! Had to take a picture of it. The middle he fastened it all together with some kind of snap. he wished he would have had my crop-a-dile to put an eyelet in the middle. LOL

he could be one of those duct tape guys! i can just imagine him sitting there cutting each piece to the exact measurments. And then folding each piece so that the proportions were correct. It's totally amazing how he thinks these things up!!

Louisiana burgers

We had Louisiana Burgers for Phil's birthday today. A Louisiana burger is named after their family. The Louisianas. LOL They decided one day to make these GIGANTIC Burgers. They used the uncut sourdough bread rounds from Colombo that are HUGE. Each patty was about 6 pounds of meat. Today we couldn't find those, so we used smaller sourdough rounds. Each burger was about 2 pounds of meat.

These are the raw burgers. made about 5 patties total. Awaiting Phil's expert bbqing!

Phil flipping the burgers with a spatula specially made for turning the burgers.

This spatula was made by Al, quite a few years ago. They made it when they made the first burger, realizing that OMG! What are they going to use to flip the darn thing with??

The finished burgers. The Double Burger, 4 pounds of meat total.

The cheddar cheese burger. And the Pastrami burger which didn't get it's picture taken.

I think it was a bit shy. LOL We put the coke can there to gauge for size.

Very yummy!!

Scrapbook Buddy strikes again...

So, my scrapbook buddy found my Crop-a-dile. LOL Did you know that it can punch through jeans? He took the crop-a-dile and started punching holes in his wife's jeans. Then took an eyelet and put those on there. LOL She rides in horsing competitions, and blings her own clothes. So, he thought the eyelets would look cool on her jeans too.

So, guess who is going to Michael's in the morning to get a crop-a-dile?? ROFL

Vineyards

On the way to Phil's sister's house, we go through the vineyards of Livermore. There are lots of wineries out there. You think Napa has a lot of wineries? Livermore has a ton out there too. And a heck of a lot closer than napa.

Livermore is pretty cool. Phil's nephew lives on a ranch out there too. I love going out there to see the horses, dogs, and various cats and barn cats. It's really neat to be out there on a ranch, but still be close to home.

I actually saw a wild turkey roaming around too. But didn't have my camera out to take a picture of it. I'll have to be quicker next time.

More Flowers

These were flowers that are on a bush in the median of a roadway I was driving on. I was stuck at a light, and saw the flowers. Thought it would make a cool picture. And they are pretty nice. I mean they're pink!! LOL

I pass by these every day, but didn't think to take a photo of them till now. The things you don't pay attention to until you want to take pictures of stuff.

This is how I like my flowers...in a picture! LOL

Phil is so lucky that he doesn't have to bring me roses for Valentine's day...chocolates are way better anyway! LOL And yep Deb, especially from See's!

Bloomin' trees!

The trees are blooming around here too! They are so very pretty. I really haven't spent a lot of time taking pics of flowers, but I thought these were pretty. When the wind blows it looks like it's snowing! not too fond of the petals I have to clean up though, but it looks cool.

A sneeze waiting to happen

A mile from my home, these lovely yellow flowers are blooming. Being that I have a black thumb, which is terrible for a daughter of a gardener. You'd think I would be able to grow things, not kill them. LOL ...but I have no idea what kind of flowers these are. I'm thinking some kind of mustard? Cause there are people there picking them when I pass by.

Anyway, I swear it's a sneeze waiting to happen. This year, allergies have been really bad, really early. Don't go there with the global warming thing. I see these fields every day of my life, so I thought I'd share them with you.

They are really pretty though!

Mythbusters...

Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE Mythbusters?? I mean LOVE it! The geek in me just comes out whenever I watch this show. It reminds me of my days at Avocet working with Jim, Dave, Marty, Paul, Erik, and Tom. LOL Jim could SO be Jaime. And David could be Adam. The logical choice for Paul would be Tory. And Erik would be Grant. LOL

I watch it every morning. And if I can't watch it, I have been known to tape it. And I know, it's been on for a bunch of years, but I've just started watching it.

At least once a day, I look over at phil and say something like, "Did you know that electric eels won't demagnitize your credit card..." Or "the one thing that may stop a guard dog would be a big steak."

Then he will come back saying, "well, you know a good guard dog wouldn't even go for the steak, cause it would be trained not to eat anything other than what is given to him by his trainer."

Yes, we do have conversations like that. And Oh boy! Don't get Phil, Al, and I together talking about Mythbusters. LOL It's really funny.

I think it's mainly a reminder of some really fun memories at Avocet. Like taking David's new bicycle hostage until he sang, "I'm too sexy for my bicycle.."

Or locking David up in the shower, and then his thinking how he's going to McGyver himself out of there using the shower grate...

Or the classic one, Paul coming back from vacation after like 3 weeks of vacation. And marty and I clearing out all our stuff in our cubicles to make him think that we found other jobs, but we were really hiding in the conference room. LOL

OH! And coming to work on my birthday, and Phil and Al decorating my office so bad that I couldn't even walk into my office. And then we had a visit that day from the main office across the bay, felt like the parent trap there! LOL

I got a million of 'em! I really should scrapbook those memories before I forget them!!

My New Scrapbook Buddy

Yesterday we spent the day with Phil's sister and her husband. We went to costco, then we got back and I was showing her how to use her new cricut machine. And while we were cutting different letters and things, her son, Al and his wife, Diane come over for dinner.

Al is very interested in everything mechanical. But sometimes he gets too into things, and well, he's known to have accidents. My cricut machine was in a box everytime he came over, cause, well, I didn't want him to break it. LOL

Anyway, he saw us using the machine, and got the great idea to make a sign for their Paintball team...Team JOLT. So, he starts cutting letters, shadowing them, and even draws and cuts out a lightning bolt for the logo.

And of course, we're fighting over the one bottle of glue and exacto knife.

All the time we're there, he's giving Jackie a hard time about being the only one not scrapbooking with her scrapbooking tools. He and I are the only ones using her tools. She's having me cut letters for her, and glue them. LOL

So, he finishes his sign, and it looks pretty cool. I should have taken a picture cause that would have been a cool layout.

And as we're leaving, he says to me, "Bye Scrapbook Buddy!"

We all started ROFL! OMG, it was classic!!

We get home, and Philip was telling Phil he should have gone to play paintball with him. And I told Philip, "Well, you lost 2 paintball players today, but I gained a scrapbook buddy!"

Cleaning..

Why is it that whenever you are cleaning, it always looks worse before it can get better?? I Have piles and piles around sorting stuff off my desk. Craft stuff, earrings, beads, stamps, etc. Boy, did I have a bunch of stuff piled up. Even finding stuff that I was supposed to mail out to my e-friends.

This is just going to be phase one. Got to get to the craft room at some point this century. LOL And going to start cleaning the rugs tomorrow. Just stuff that I haven't even gotten to lately, and I really need to spend some time doing that.

At least the garage is super clean!!

Cricut

OMG! Today I finally took that Cricut machine out of the box. And I could kick myself because I hadn't done it sooner.

OMG! How fun is it to make different letters, words, shapes, and stuff?? I should have been playing with that before.

And just to let you know, the cricut tools that cost $29.99 at Michael's is a rip-off!! You can buy dental tools at the gun show for $1 each and they are the same tip! maybe the handle is different. Ok, they aren't the cool purply or green one. But I can do so much with the $28.99 that I'm going to save by NOT Buying those. I could even buy 2 cutting blades for it and have enough left to buy some paper. I couldn't believe that.

So, I've been having fun playing with it today. I am going to totally do more playing with it tomorrow. And now I want more cartridges. :D WOO HOO!

Warm days in Union City....

It was really warm yesterday. We're pretty much in summer mode. It's a nice break from the cooler temps and the rain too. But I think Jabba wasn't ready for the warm weather. He/she was running along the fence, then PLOP! LOL

I think Jabba's pretty cute. LOL Here is Jabba looking at us while we're trying to take a picture. Not too worried about us trying to get a photo I guess. Or maybe he was too warm to move?? LOL I didn't get a chance to see Jabba today, so I hope that he's doing ok. I guess we should start leaving a bit of water out for him when it's this warm.

I cannot believe...

That I'm going to have to wait until APRIL 23rd for a new episode of HEROES!!! OMG! And of course, they left you hanging... well, poor Suresh is hanging...LOL

There are so many twists and turns. WHO KNEW that Peter Petrelli's mom KNEW who Claire was! And where is Claire's mom?? Did they off her? Here I was thinking that she had some powers, but it was the shape shifter new girl.

I'm glad Ando didn't go back to Japan. He and Hiro are my favorite characters!!

Now I have more questions, and I have to wait a month and a half!

Well, at least for awhile there is the Black Donnellys. I really love that show! Joey Ice Cream is my favorite character, cause he's just too dang funny! It really is a fun show. I know there is some blood in it, but OMG, there are moments in it that really crack me up!! Mainly cause it's a serious situation, and they bring a lot of levity to it.

Makes you wonder what you'd do if your brothers kept getting into trouble like that, and would you go to help them? I would have left my brother in jail too. LOL

Rome was really good this week too, and next week it is going to be even better. They are trying to follow the true storyline a bit. Octavia did marry Marc Antony. Next week Cleopatra comes back. I wonder how many more episodes there are going to be? I Love that show too.

Tomorrow is Idol...YAY! And of course SVU. Wednesday it's Idol again! And we love watching Medium. That would really suck to have to listen to dead people, especially seeing how they died or stuff like that.

More TV updates soon!

Heroes...

I don't know who is watching Heroes, but wasn't tonight's show an awesome show?!? OMG, we're starting to find out more about how they became heroes, what Claire's father does, and it was so cool to see Hiro as a little kid. AND OMG, his DAD has something to do with what is all going on!! OMG! I can't wait for next week's show!!

And I watched the Black Donnelly's after too. I really like that show too. I had my mind set on not liking the show at all. But to my surprise, it was really good. I hope that next week's show will be just as good.

Keeping the small stores in business...

Went to Stamper's Warehouse today. There was an ownership change, and a location changed. So, I went to their grand re-opening. The store looks really nice. I'm glad that they moved, cause it's always great to have a new beginning. The store seems a little smaller than the old store, but it's still filled with a lot of new things. Reminds me of their original store on Alcosta!

I'm just glad that Therese bought it when Phyllis decided to retire, cause what a big shock to the system that would have been to know that all the other local stores like Scrapbook Dreams closed, and have SW close too?? It would be too sad!

So, I've decided that I'm going to frequent the local stores more, cause I don't want them to close! And when Tina's store was closing, all I could think was, "If you had visited the store more often, maybe you'd know it was closing" Or "Maybe that's why she has to close, cause there wasn't that much business." Then I realized, if I kept going to the big chain stores, I wasn't giving the smaller businesses a chance. I know they can't buy in quantity like the bigger stores do, therefore they can't give you the best prices.

BUT they have the best service sometimes. And if you love the store, you need to keep them in business by buying! :) So, that's what I'm going to do.

I mean if I'm on this crusade where I'm not going to use fast track to cross the bridge, cause that will put toll takers out of business. Or if I don't use the self serve checkers in the grocery stores too, cause I don't want to put a checker out of work. I might as well not always go to the big chain stores too. LOL

Like the other day at Albertson's. I went to buy somethings in the morning, and all the regular lanes were closed. NO live checkers. All they had were the self-serve checkers. So, I waited for a couple of minutes, and no one came to help me. So, I put all my stuff back and went to Safeway. Yep, I feel that strongly about it.

When I get on my soapbox, I am determined to follow through!

I know I'm a techie, and I should really love using all this high tech equipment. BUT I just think of how many people this technology is displacing, and I do get upset. I mean I definitely do NOT want to go back to horse and buggy days. But there is a line that must be drawn before we end up like I Robot! LOL

Ok, getting off my soapbox now....

Gift show...

Today my cousin took me with her to the SF gift show. That was so much fun! It is so cool to see some of the new products. We did see a lot of the same old stuff, and a lot of new things too. I just love it! Gift stuff is just so fun! You see stuff for all the people in your lives. And even though she doesn't get it for her store, you want to know where you can get it cause it's just perfect for so and so.

I love seeing how the world of stamping/scrapbooking/paper arts have influenced what is happening in things like paper products/stationery. One company really has gone the way of Somerset magazine. Lots of vintage.

You also see a lot of fun stuff for the kids. Cindyann, have you seen the Cars Pez?? I know that's been out forever, but it's cute seeing Mater on a Pez!!

It was such a fun experience for me. I'm so glad that she asked me to go with her!!

These are some beaded decorations I made for Valentine's day. They came out pretty cool! It is so fun working with the beads and wire. Think I have to make some smaller versions for earrings or something.

Our new addition to our zoo....

Philip put out his gold mining pan to feed the birds in the backyard. So tonight, we found that there is a possum eating the birdseed. I don't know how long it's been eating in our yard, but it's pretty neat to see another animal in our yard.

After it got scared away by my photo shoot, a cat ran up to the bowl thinking it was cat food. Was he surprised when it was birdseed. :)

Here's imposter oreo....

Here's the big imposter Oreo. LOL This is the cat that we all see outside of the house, then we all proceed to call him or chase him to make sure he goes back into the house, only to realize, DUR, it's not Oreo! LOL Once he turns around, and there is no half a mustache, we all just feel so dumb. And usually Oreo is sleeping on my bed. LOL

Finally got a picture of him. Or maybe it's a her? I'm actually thinking that it is a she cat. Maybe we should call her oreoina? Missy Oreo? LOL What do they call the fake oreo cookies? We should call her that! LOL

Salt flats

This is where salt comes from. I don't know exactly how they make it, but they let the salt dry like this for a few years. I am not sure how long they let it go like this before they harvest it. But then they harvest it at one of the local salt plants.

pretty cool.

The bridge is back! LOL No fog today, just a really nice sunny day! Love that it was so beautiful today. We didn't even need a jacket in the city. It was actually warm there!

I know, I know... LIfe and Spoilers!!!

I have been TOTALLY Absent from the internet. These holidays really get in the way of life, sometimes.

Now to the TV update...

What do you all think of Grey's Anatomy? I'm kind of disappointed that Shonda has moved to having a character die and go to a sort of dream sequence type thing. I thought the show was above scenes like that. It was too weird to have that in there last night. It's way too early in the life of the show to do that. Doesn't that happen usually when the show has nowhere to go?

I could be wrong, and this twist in the show could turn out to be a good thing. But it was kind of creepy to see.

Just when I thought the show was getting it's groove back.

I like Callie and Addison more and more. Liking Izzy less and less.

I just love Men in Trees!! Love where the story is going. LOVE the characters too! I mean you want Marin and Jack to get together, still. But I love how Jack feels he needs to take care of Lynn. Love Annie! She is too cute! And love the new guy! He's hot. :)

Do you like the new idols? I do really like the ones they have picked for 24. None of them annoy me yet. They all sing well. One guy is from Saratoga! I have to check out where everyone else is from.

Heroes is great! LOVE Hiro and Ando. they crack me up. I was hoping the cop wasn't going to be the one to kick the bucket. Amazed to know that the cheerleader's uncle saved her life, and she doesn't know she's related to him.

ROME is kicking butt this season. I thought last season was GREAT, but this season is Better! Love Pullo and Vorenus. Glad they found his kids.

have I left anything out??

Well, that's the TV update. Will update you more on my life later....

Where did the bridge go???

Today it was so foggy, you couldn't see the bridge. This road goes over the bridge, but the bridge is nowhere to be seen! You could really freak out some kid by saying it was gone! LOL

Will post a pic of what it should look like if it's clear tomorrow!

My Boys...

My boys are sleeping. LOL Oreo has decided that he loves Phil, and sleeps with him while I'm on the computer. I thought this was a really funny picture of them both sleeping. They look WAY too comfortable!

Here are the boys

This is a pic of the boys. They went to play paintball on superbowl sunday. They look like they had a great time. LOL

Bottom Row: Phil's BIL Mike, Phil' Nephew Al, Philip.
Top Row: Manuel, Christoph, and Phil.

Christoph used to live with us for awhile. And Manuel is his brother.

Phil is really getting back into paintball. I'm glad, cause it keeps him busy. ;)

Finished!

Finished the rock tonight. YAY! I love the history behind the rock. I never knew that the oldest dam in California used to be in Niles. And was built by General Vallejo's brother at that.

Niles is a few miles from here, it's a really cute town near the hills in Fremont. Charlie Chaplin actually went there to do many of his films. They have a Charlie Chaplin day in June I think. It's pretty cool.

I mean it's pretty neat that the rock was placed there in 1891. It is a pretty cool rock, it's so flat! LOL

Local scrapbook stores...

I'm so sad, one of our Local Scrapbook Stores is closing soon. And to top that off, found out 2 others had already closed, one I used to go to quite often when there was a stamp store next to it. I guess it made me sadder cause I just went through the closing of my cousin's store with her. That was sad enough.

It made me realize that I had better visit my LSS's more than going to Michael's or Joann's. I guess it's like I would say to my cousin when people were so surprised that they were closing. Well, guess they should have visited more, otherwise she wouldn't have been closing. I mean I figure, the one store that already closed, I hadn't been there since October or November. And before that it was a year or two.

The one that is closing, I was starting to go back there because it was more convenient to go to than a few of the others I go to. I think I have to make a trip out to stamper's this weekend just to make sure they don't close!!

A very sad day in the world of scrapbooking!

More Rock Painting...

This is the Rock I've been painting on the last couple of days. First attempt was not good. I thought you could transfer lettering with transfer paper, then paint the letters...WRONG! So, if you are trying to do that...don't. LOL

I then decided to use a dressmaker's pencil to draw the lines on it. Then decided on sketching out the letters too. That was fun. And I used Patio Paint so that it will stay on there without using a sealer. :)

Kind of weird writing on a rock, now that I look at it in 2d, it looks kinda crooked. :( Well, just a few of the letters. Looks straighter in person. LOL

I have another part to finish on the back of it. Hopefully it will be done on thursday! YAY!

Writing on a rock...

You wouldn't think that doing calligraphy on a rock would be so tough....but it is. I have to figure out how to get lines on a rock. fun fun fun. I wrote the girl's name so far. The rest of the poem will wait till tomorrow. I need to bring my white pencil home. It's interesting to do, I will take a picture when I'm done. Who would have thought i'd be writing on a rock? LOL

All stuffed up....

Sorry I've been MIA. I caught yet another cold this week. I'm all stuffed up. Makes me wish I was a Mr. Potato head, and I had an interchangeable nose.

I have watched a lot of TV though. Watching a lot of American Idol. Of course. I think there is a lot of great talent. I wish they would show more of the people who get through, and not so much of the weird people. I do feel sorry for the judges, cause they have to sit through a lot of weird stuff to find a few great people.

Heroes is getting good. Glad that it's started back up again. Can't wait for tomorrow, it's Grey's and Men in Trees. ER is only just ok for me this season.

Rome is back! And I LOVE the new season. Can't wait for this week's episode.

We finally got a DVD player/VCR combo machine. I'm glad cause I can finally watch DVD's in the back room. It was a cheapie player from WalMart, but it works really well. Our last working VCR player finally stopped working. It actually ate my last tape, REALLY! It just won't give it back. Good thing nothing was on that tape. So, I needed something that would let me tape again, so we picked that up this week. $49 wasn't too bad!

Ashley is moving out with her bf. She's an adult now, and it's good that she's moving out. Wish she would find a friend to move out with for awhile, but since they're always together anyway, I guess it's just a normal thing? She's excited, which is good. Hope that she keeps up with school.

Hope you all had a great week!

The best present ever!

One of the gifts I put together was a Sushi making set. And Ngoc and I agree, it's the best gift ever! LOL I know I could have probably gotten everything in a premade sushi set, but this was way more fun! And I got to go to the japanese grocery store to shop! I haven't done that in such a long time.

I just love the little condiment dish with the space for the chopsticks to sit on. Very cool! LOL

I wonder what the dish says on it? We were joking around that it says, "Your food is going to be very delicious." LOL

I also put together a "survival" set for Philip. He was really into the survival gear to have in his car. That one was fun to put together too. I have to think of more themed gifts!!

Jabba's tired...

I spent this morning watching Jabba the squirrel. He was taking the peanuts we'd leave out for him and bury them in the lawn. After two handfuls of nuts, I guess he got tired. So he was laying on the fence like this. LOL

It was so funny seeing him laying like that on the fence. I've never seen a squirrel just sit there like that.

Later on he buried 2 more handfuls of nuts. A crow thought that he'd get some of the nuts buried in the lawn...Not so! The squirrel chased him out of there! I've never, EVER seen a squirrel do that before. LOL

The final day...

I've been MIA the past few days. My cousin has finally closed her Hallmark store. We were all very sad today. It was our final day of cleaning up the space. It was very, very sad. She's had the store for 23 years now, worked there 2 years prior to owning it. So, it's a really big part of her life that she is closing.

It reminded me of "You've Got Mail" where Meg Ryan's character is closing her store.

We've been going there ever since she's owned it. I was in my late teens when she took it over. But to me, it seems like she's always had it.

We've seen so many people come and go during the time she's owned it. And like I told her today, she's raised a lot of girls. LOL But I guess it's time for her to move on to bigger and brighter things.

So, that's where I've been the past few days. We cleaned, moved, cleaned, moved some more. Tomorrow is the day she's handing over the keys. A really sad day for us all!

Surprise Guest....

This morning we had a surprise guest...

A Hawk! It was in the tree in our backyard. you can barely see him in the picture in the left, but he was there. I think he was waiting for one of our big fat squirrels! I was wondering where all the wildlife had gone. Usually our yard is jumping with little animals. LOL

I think the hawk was happy we were fattening up the squirrels for it! I was worried that the squirrel had gotten eaten, but we saw it later in the day...YAY!

Happy New Years!

Hope everyone is enjoying their new years! We added 2 more people to our celebration! The german kid and his brother are here tonight. We're the party house tonight. ROFL. Who would have thought that the kids would want to hang out with us. I'm glad though, cause they're not out with the crazies!!

Tomorrow I go to see my folks and eat the fun foods. Woo hoo! I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Have a great new year!