GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.17 {2016}

4.16.16 ~ SHOWER for BABY BEE

BABY SHOWERS are thoughtful, social, & emotional!

SLE's shower was NO exception! While working with my mom, daughter, niece, sister & sister-in-law, it was ALL about thoughtful details. The mother-to-be didn't want a "themed" event, but agreed on greens & yellows. Once the event was in full swing, it was ALL about the social aspect of visiting, eating, playing games, and presents. I hadn't anticipated that I would be so emotional the week following the party!!

SLE told me on the way to LAX (to catch her flight to Washington DC), she "didn't want the party to end!" YEA!!! it was a G.R.E.A.T. success! 

I wish we had taken more pictures of family... urrgh!

Friday, JPE & I met friends for dinner at the Olde Port Inn, Avila Beach. Great conversation, tasty food (although, expensive) & a beautiful evening...

a RANDOM picture of our walk on the pier. We never take for granted that we live in a beautiful community!

Several days before the shower, I scheduled some time to teach Katie to use a sewing machine. She's at that age where she's expanding her creative interests!

Some of the handmade gifts... Katie sewed five burp pads (bottom left)... Nana/Gigi made the baby quilt... Auntie Allie knit the mint green hat & purple headband! the monkey first appeared on this blog a few weeks ago. Auntie Janene (top picture) did all the table decorations for the party! & I know Baby Bee will be getting a handmade gift from Auntie Stacy... Welcome to the FUN club, Katie!!

posting with Tamar at Random-osity

Flying to Washington DC tomorrow!

catch me here, or on Instagram!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY {4.13.16}

this post will be short & definitely sweet!

BUSY... BUSY... BUSY...

cleaning house

packing a bag

packing the car

the E.X.C.I.T.E.M.E.N.T. is building!

pick up ACE & SLE from LAX

on Friday evening

for a 

BABY SHOWER

on Saturday!

memory-making weekend!!

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.15 {2016}

all pics taken 4.11.16

Okay. Here's the deal... I'm totally absorbed with the BABY SHOWER! I'm getting so excited. My daughter, SLE, is having a baby GIRL in June... but she's flying out this weekend so her sister, aunties, cousin & Nana can throw her a baby shower! No worries... GOOD thing she doesn't check my blog often (if at all?). More shower pictures will be posted next week!

Of course we have to play some RANDOM games... one of which is "How Many Kisses FOR Baby Bee?" Since we don't know the baby's name, I have lovingly started calling her "Baby Bee" as her last name begins with a "B"...

While waiting for Saturday to arrive, I've been indulging myself... by creating signs using my scrapbook stash & "whipped into shape" some picture frames (purchased from the Dollar Store) using off-white spray paint! (ok, I know my family is chuckling about my spray-paint habit)... 

Another FUN little project... this is a teaser, so you'll have to come back next week to see WHAT this will be! Needless to say, I've got the bug! crafting & sewing... Cleaning? dust balls are swirling under the beds & in the corners. Cleaning will have to wait another day!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

{sorry I missed GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. last week} 

see you soon!

SUNBEAMS & RAINDROPS...

patio stone

SUNDAY

raindrops & sunshine

friends for dinner

house guests from Lakewood

GREAT DAY!!

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS...

taken at the Golden Lamb, Lebanon, OH

The countdown begins... are you enjoying the

MAGIC of CHRISTMAS?

STORY TIME...

CHRISTMAS is MAGICAL for me!

PERHAPS... because I was born in December? because I share my birthday with my brother (who was born on my first birthday)? because RED & GREEN are cheery colors? because of the traditions from my childhood? or the traditions I created with my daughters? because it means time with family (games, laughter, seeing the Nutcracker, movies, eating, decorating cookies...)

Actually, it's difficult for me to explain... certainly, one reason I can share is my LOVE of ornaments... well, to be specific, SANTAS. I've been collecting SANTA ornaments (or decor) since the mid-nineties! (makes me sound OLD, huh)... as word of this LOVE "spread like wildfire" among my family, friends & the kids I mentored, the number of my SANTAS exploded... into a delightful collection.

Several years ago, my grand-niece, Katie, tried to count the number of SANTAS in my collection.

Actually, my SANTA collection probably numbers in the 100's??
But, let's return to the MAGICAL! a "gifted" SANTA has been marked with the year & initials of the person who "gifted" the jolly, ole chap! 

Many of my SANTAS were "gifted" by my Camp Fire girls... they are also marked with the year & initials or name of the giver. Jackie (now the mother of 3 girls) gave me this red-glass tummy SANTA in 1997 (the year she was a junior in high school).

Unwrapping my SANTAS each holiday season brings back a "flood of MAGICAL memories"...

Oh... the story behind the glittery SANTA at the top of this post? One Sunday, during a drive through Ojai, CA (a delightful place that oozes artistic talents), JPE found this SANTA & gave it to me our first CHRISTMAS together. That CHRISTMAS he also gave me a beautiful "COAT of MANY COLORS"... ummm, that's another story to share... and reveals a flaw in my character that I'd rather not share right now!!!

How are your holiday traditions MAGICAL for you???

WE DO COOKIES!!

Our HOLIDAY TRADITION... 

When my daughters were in preschool, we started a tradition of baking cookies the Sunday before the last day of school. Over the years, it became known as "COOKIE SUNDAY" and involved lots of flour, butter, sugar and sprinkles. Now, if you know me, I love a "tidy" kitchen so having these ingredients in the hands of 3-5 year olds required patience! BUT, this tradition has continued into adulthood for my daughters... 

Of course, the favorite cookie cutters are those that yield LARGE cookies (boot, mitten, bell, tree) that can be decorated with green frosting & colored sugar sprinkles. See those little cutters? the mitten, snowflake & stars... those are usually handed out to the adults (they're small, so you don't feel like you are eating TOO many - in reality, you can't just eat ONE!).

As I mentioned.... we DO cookies.... Lots of them!

For the past 5 years, I've rolled & baked the cookies... Then, Christmas afternoon, we have a "decorating station" so everyone can put together a plate for themselves to take home. It gives everyone something to do when the meal is eaten, the gifts are open & holiday spirits are starting to fade.

I'm a bit of a control-freak (no comments from my
family, please), so there are some RULES... 

1. Decorate only the cookies on the wax-paper or 
paper plate in front of you.

2. NO licking your fingers or the end of the frosting
gun. 

3. Try NOT to smash your frosted cookie into the plate of sprinkles (don't forget, NO licking your fingers).

4. Place your decorated cookies on a plate &
clean-up your work area. I MUST say... this is the
most difficult to monitor... because EVERYONE wants to start shoving the cookies in their mouth!!

Family members ooohs! & aahhs! over everyone's creativity. There are lots of offers to decorate a cookie for someone else! Ummm... the power of the frosting gun & all that frosting & sprinkles! 

A plate of the finished product!

Creative artistry by Katie (at age 8)

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V48

Sunday, JPE & I walked around Arroyo Grande Village (actually, our historic downtown area)... In addition to having a coffee of coffee at Andreini's, we watched the "locals" stake out their spot along Branch Street for watching the holiday parade that started at 5:00pm. 

Grace Bible Church performed at the gazebo on the So County Historical Society lawn... and led a sing-a-long of holiday songs.

The Santa Manuela Schoolhouse had been decorated so we took a "peek" inside.

We had to laugh at the writing on the chalkboard! It IS a GOOD idea NOT to SPIT on the STOVE... all those germs! 

Thinking of dining or having an appetizer at Rooster Creek Tavern? well, the resident rooster will be joining you!! pretty RANDOM eh? having to share your outdoor dining experience with the "local" roosters that prowl the downtown area.

In addition to the holiday decorations in the old schoolhouse, we had FUN reminiscing about how many of the items we had during our elementary school years... of course the American flag, but I didn't recognize the California map displayed. Both JPE & I recognized the two items that were used on the blackboard... I especially remember five-prong chalk holder (the bottom piece of chalk is missing) that drew parallel lines for demonstrating penmanship or for music class. Although we didn't sit at desks like these, I recognized several of the textbooks on top of the desks... a science book from 1959, a history book and penmanship book. I didn't attend a one-room schoolhouse, but there is actually one in our county that still operates. It's amazing to think this teacher is responsible for teaching lessons to multiple grades. 

Last post of November... the holidays are approaching! will share my decorating once I get over the frenzy that 2015 is almost over!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

THREE WEEKS AGO...

the daylight hours are getting shorter

flannel sheets are on the bed

sweaters & scarves are being pulled from storage

the birds were getting quiet

the water had stilled its movement

an hour before the sun dipped behind the hills

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

snapping the final pictures

fingers pulling our coats closed

the chilly air swirled deep into our lungs

as we returned to the warm car

seems like yesterday

{instead of three weeks ago}

we stood on top of this stone wall

THE EMBROIDERED SLEEVE...

"A Must-Read!! 5 out of 5 stars"

Oh my! I don't know how I learned about this book, but I'm recommending it to all my bibliophiles/book lovers!

Two women... different centuries... their lives forever woven together by a single item... an embroidered silk sleeve.

What do you remember about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? I don't know that I ever learned about this, or if I did, the history lesson has escaped my memory. How about the Geary Act of 1892? Did you know about the ethnic cleansing of Chinese immigrants? I'm embarrassed that I don't remember learning any of this.

The title of the book, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, caught my attention. The story takes place on Orcas Island, near Seattle, Washington and opens with Inara Erickson returning to the island to visit their family's summer home. Although the summer home has a tragedy attached to it, Inara feels a connection to the home she can't shake. A recent MBA graduate, she's getting ready to begin a new career, but her discovery of the embroidered silk sleeve and her love of the island peacefulness takes her life in a new direction.

In chapter 4, Mei Lien enters the story and the year is 1886. Her elderly grandmother, father and Mei Lien were dragged from their small family store in Seattle and taken aboard the Prince of the Pacific, which is bound for China. Although Mei Lien was a legal U.S. citizen, her family members had immigrated and ALL Chinese residents were being driven out of Seattle.

This story follows the lives of Inara (current day) and Mei Lien (1890's) as their lives unfold on Orcas Island. Their relationships with their fathers - connections with nature - struggles with their personal identity are key themes in this book.

The book includes a discussion guide, a conversation with the author, Kelli Estes, and peaked my interest in reading more about Chinese embroidery, the tragic purging of the Chinese people from Seattle. 

It was amazing to learn this was Kelli Estes' first published book, and that she had graduated from Arizona State with a degree in business management. 

Let me know what you think about this book by leaving a comment on this post. I'll keep checking back!

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V46

JPE & I celebrated our 11th Anniversary last Thursday. We took a drive to Cambria, CA (a 40 minute drive up Hwy 1). The weather was beautiful... we had a tasty breakfast at Linn's Restaurant... peeked into our favorite stores... and enjoyed a GOOD ole' relaxing day... topped off with massages & Linn's Chicken Pot Pies followed by a sliver of Linn's famous Olallieberry pie with a dollop of ice cream. Ahhhh! we certainly know how to celebrate!!

After Sunday's downpour, I was checking out the tree in our front yard. I've been watching our tree with "eagle-eyes"... A couple of days ago I noticed a leaf that appeared to be falling. When I put on my glasses, I could see the leaf was tangled in a spider's web. RANDOM sighting! even with a half inch of rain & some wind, the web is still hanging onto its leaf. Yeah for Mother Nature!!

Today is National Button Day. I'll bet you a "card of buttons" that you didn't know there was a website dedicated to button collecting. I looked around on the website and found a resource link for new button collectors. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I collect buttons for the "cute-ness"... my Instagram post gives some tips for using buttons in your elementary classroom!

time to "button my lips"

{sorry for the pun, couldn't help myself}

& link this post to Tamar's blog at Random-osity.

Come back tomorrow for a review of the book I finished this morning!

BUTTON, BUTTON... WHO'S GOT THE BUTTON?

TOMORROW is National Button Day!

I love the sound of running your hands through a bucket or dish of loose buttons!! if you don't know what I mean, find a fabric or hobby store that sells loose buttons by the scoop. Weave your hands through the bucket of buttons & you'll probably notice it sounds a bit like ocean waves moving shells along the sand.  I saw these buttons in a yarn shop in Cambria... they were organized in containers... and sold individually.

Have you ever washed (or hand-washed) a sweater, only to have it shrink to Barbie size proportions? Of course you have! Have to admit, I have too... but before I recycle the sweater, I cut off the buttons. The round-wheel looking buttons were removed from a green sweater that was much too itchy! (so I don't miss wearing it). And swirly buttons (there are four of them) were cut off a off-white fisherman knit sweater that belonged to my mother-in-law, Lana. I don't know how I ended up with the flat silver buttons, but I love the design on the face of them.

A flood of memories come to mind when I see these buttons. I sewed most of my daughter's clothes during their early years (6 mos-9 years). Allison loved purple! Stephanie liked unusual shapes --- so I sewed the telephones on the pockets of a corduroy jacket. Remember Hello Kitty? both girls had the pink kitty buttons on their blouses. 

Christmas is my favorite holiday! Even though I don't have plans to use these buttons, I bear to get rid of them. One year I sewed an army of gingerbread cookies on the girls bathrobes... Notice the bells! the two red metal ones actually make a noise. Oh... and the little reindeer. They're sweet, but I don't remember why I bought them?? Do you have to have a reason to buy cute-ness?

Of course I could go on & on about the VALUE of a button jar, but I'll leave you with this link to my Instagram post about National Button Day. 

If you have any buttons that you're ready to get rid of ~ I'm here! ready to take them off your hands.

Don't forget to post your button pictures tomorrow on your blog.

THANKFUL FOR....

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Skyline Drive ~ October 24, 2015

I've been sifting through 900+ photos JPE & I

captured on our trip to Virginia & Washington DC!

Words can't describe the beauty.

The trees were a RIOT of COLOR!

CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA...

Tuesday, our tour group had a FREE day

(meaning there were NO planned activities)

Rick Steve's Tours are busy & require a lot of walking,

so, at some point, you need a "vacation from your vacation"...

Fourteen of us (plus Mert, our tour guide) chartered a boat
for a two hour trip around the Antalya Harbor.
What a fabulous idea! 

The boat dock...
as you can see, it was a lovely day... sunshine, with a slight breeze!
Perfect weather after our chilly days in Cappadocia & a rainy drizzle in Istanbul.

sandals & cropped pants... what a treat after wearing walking shoes & socks!

this guy was fishing in his inflatable boat!

other fisherman had climbed down the rock cliff to fish!

our boat driver stopped the boat off a small cove so most of the group could jump in the water!

(l-r: Cathy, JPE, me, Tommy & Jennifer)

searching for a warm current!

actually, the cold currents weren't that cold!

I believe I remember Mert saying the water temperature was about 74 degrees...

a refreshing dip!

worth every penny

($25. each for our 2 hour trip)...

IT'S HER BIRTHDAY....

Our daughters

(Allison w the birthday girl, Stephanie, on the right)

have been tent camping since they were infants. 

and because...

TODAY is STEPHANIE'S BIRTHDAY!

I'm feeling a little melancholy, so I'm posting some of my "favorite photos" from her YPN* birthdays!

Most summers, SLE (Stephanie) celebrated her BIRTHDAYS during family vacations at YPN* (Yosemite National Park).

our camping trips were times to connect with family (Acosta's & Enyart's), as well as best friends (Skids & KVC). Click HERE for photos KVC took of Stephanie's birthday.

such wonderful memories!

Nana & Papa bought the three girls "Annie" tshirts for this trip. The girl cousins spent a lot of time performing Annie songs on "The STUMP"

each summer, our goal was to get the campsite with

"The STUMP"... lots of activity happened on

"The STUMP"!

(l-r: Keena & cousins Allie, Steph, Andrew, Reid & Jodi)

rafting, sunning, & dipping in the chilly Merced River was always on the agenda.

so, although Stephanie is all grown-up, and

lives on the other coast (Arlington, VA),

I still remember these days as if they happened last year!

"1-4-3" SLE

we LOVE you &

send BIRTHDAY WISHES on your special day!

JPE & OMO