Are You Ready For Some Football??

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"Sit! Sit, Dad!  Watch feetball!  I'm going for the blue team!" my baby brother said many years back, when he was a wee kidlet and we lived in Washington state.  Our Dad told him that was the Seattle Seahawks and he was promptly a fan.

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I grew up with football on in the house, but not a whole lot of interest in it.  I went to almost every Friday night home game in high school, in uniform, as a member of the marching band.  And while I could follow along from all those games on at home, I really only knew the basics and still didn't have a huge amount of interest in the game.

When I started dating the man, who is now my husband, over a decade ago, I learned quickly that if I wanted to enjoy my time with him during the football season, I better find a way to like it.  And so I reached back to a set of childhood memories, my brother's love of the Hawks, and claimed the Seahawks as my own.

One morning, Hubby ran a quick errand & since my Hawks were on (which does not happen with nearly enough frequency around here!!), he left me to watch.  I did not realize just how much I had gotten into the game, until he came home from said errand, and told me he could hear me yelling at Ricky Watters to keep his hands on the ball....from around the corner!! 

Yes, that was the moment I realized I had moved from a spectator "forced" to learn to like the game, to an actual fan, a Seattle Seahawks fan!

(Oh yes, don't get me wrong, I like Watters!  It was just a moment, in a game, and I was one of the millions who seem to think screaming at a television will make an ounce of difference in a game! lol)

We're a split house here, as Hubby is a San Francisco 49er's (cough, cough) fan and our teams are division rivals.  And through this uber wonderful blogging experience I've met another 49er fan.  In fact, I've shared her love of those boys here before and she does indeed claim to bleed red and gold (cough, cough). 

Meet Deb, an uber creative scrapbooker and fabulous queen of embellishments, of sPaRkLiNg sCrApBoOkS! 

Deb & I are playing in a Fantasy Football league together this season and since she snagged Drew Brees for our quarterback, I'm hoping we'll do quite nicely!

One of the best bits of having to learned to enjoy the game over a decade ago, our whole family loves watching it....together....as a family.  Our boy has learned enough to be a reliable source (most of the time) to give us an update when we step away and our wee girl gasps & cheers & claps & has more excitement for the game than all of us put together.  With every preseason game we watch, she asks when the "rocket helmets" will be on again.....aka Monday Night Football!

I think its going to be a fun season between this Fantasy team that Deb & I have and the Fantasy team that Hubby & I play in a different league with family friends and watching what happens with my Seahawks & their third new head coach in three years (Pete Carroll from USC) and oh wait, we're not gonna talk about that other team (cough, cough)!

Soooo.....do you watch NFL football?  College ball?  Or another sport altogether?  Who are you cheering on?  Or are you playing?  I'd love to know!

Thank You Temple Grandin & HBO

HBO's Temple Grandin movie won big at the 2010 Emmy's tonight and can I just say, I couldn't be happier. 

I'm not a movie reviewer or a celebrity blogger, so I won't attempt to do either.  But, may I just say, if you have not had the great fortune to see HBO's movie Temple Grandin, sharing some of the life of the autism advocate (living with autism) herself, please do. 

Don't wait.  It is worth the dollars to purchase or rent it (if money is tight, see it with a group of friends & split the cost).  It is worth the time as you will come away with a richer understanding of not only people with autism and their families, but of humanity as a whole.

As I have mentioned before, autism is part of our family, part of our daily lives.  And so, yes, this has personal meaning to me.  But, I do believe it is something everyone should see and I hope you do.  If you haven't already, please do meet a hero, Temple Grandin.

Five Question Friday

I've seen this weekly blog party for the last month and keep meaning to participate.  I've got my party shoes on and am ready to go!

1. How many pets do you have?

We have one dual personality Manx/Siamese/Tabby kitty.  Meet Bonnie...aka Pork, Sun Pig, Princess Pork, Superstar Pork, Skitty Kitty!  She's seventeen years old and enjoying her Golden Years.

During the day, you can almost always find her sunning herself and soaking up rays whenever they are out & shinning.  But, she never does full sun.

Her favorite bit to set in sunshine are her paws, particularly the white ends of her paws.  She moves around the yard throughout the day, chasing the shinning sun, to put those little paws out, just across the line of shadow.

Until the beginning of this year, her constant companion was her brother, Clyde.  He was extremely chatty with his full Siamese howl, an early riser, and while he was petrified of kidlets the first couple of years after having our first, he and our son became the best of buddies.

Yup, full of opinions! 

Ya know what's really funny about these two?  After Clyde passed, Bonnie adopted several of Clyde's personality characteristics.  I've never seen that happen with animals before!

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?

Just for kicks, there are a lot of people that would fit this bill from friends to celebrities to artists to politicians to writers.  Not so sure I actually want to live someone else's life, but it sure would be cool to understand how some peoples' minds work, first hand!

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?

Don't go to shopping!  Seriously.  How many of us walk into a superstore and walk out with fifteen things more than what we went in there to buy?  And worse, I've been known to not only do that, but then forget to get the one major thing I really needed! 

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?

Happy.  While I'm sure they want that too, they also have many ideas of where life will take them as they grow.  When they talk about what they want for themselves now and when they are older (sweet boy: inventor, submariner, or blacksmith and wee girl: singer, dancer, or artist), I remember my dreams as a kidlet myself.....space shuttle pilot, lawyer, doctor, and teacher.  Shuttle is retiring, haven't been to law school, wouldn't want to go to med school, but I do teach my kidlets every day.....and we're happy.

5. What is your favorite quote?

Oh goodness, I have so many, I couldn't possibly pick just one.  When I was a teen, it wasn't movie or band posters covering my walls, rather quotes on large post-its...just love an inspiring quote!  Okay, okay.....here are three that I love:

"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual." ~Arthur Koestler

"Man, we're really artists!"
~Sweet boy

"I'm not artsy, I'm an artist!"
~Wee Girl

A trip to the library (dinosaur books for wee girl & Star Wars books for sweet boy), home repair/maintenance projects, and paperwork are slated for this weekend.  Other than the kidlets' excitement for some new books, none of that holds an ounce of excitement, so I'm hoping to squeeze something creative in there.  Wonder what creative spark will strike!?!

What does this weekend have in store for you?  Adventures?  Creative journeys?  Family fun?  A good book?  Soaking up the end of summer?  I'd love to know what's spinning in your world!

A Keen Party

Last night, the clock ticked down towards the dinner hour and I had no idea what we were having.  So, we needed something quick & easy.  After ransacking the pantry & fridge, inspiration struck!

Organic quinoa to the rescue!  The cool thing about quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is that its both a gluten free grain and a protein. 

So into a saucepan went chicken stock, water, a head of minced garlic, and a little salt to start the party.  The guest of honor, quinoa, joined the party hosts after taking a quick shower in the sink. 

While they were partying (at a full boil), a chopped onion, two chopped zucchinis, one cut up roasted yellow bell pepper and two of its red cousins attended another party in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and paprika.

When the quinoa was done enjoying the saucepan party, it was fluffed with a fork and alternately layered in a bowl with the skillet party goers.  They had a meet and greet and were gently mixed up in order to get to know all the party guests better.

This combined party in a bowl then attended a family party and was introduced to a plate, a fork, and four hungry mouths!  The family party goers all agreed that this was a keen quinoa party worth repeating!

Oh yes.....all the quinoa party guests apologize that the quinoa was gobbled up before the paparazzi could get through security and start snapping pictures of that completed keen quinoa party in a bowl.  But, if you are not familiar with the star, quinoa, you can go here to learn more & see what it looks like!

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This particular party guest will be partying on and linking up here:

Don't forget to get Tickled Pink with Holly at 504 Main!!

Gettin' a little Moxie a la Tuesday Trigger!

When I saw the Light & Bright Tuesday Trigger picture on the Moxie Fab blog, I immediately knew I wanted to play along! The colors are so fresh, bold & fun!

Aren't these itty bitty composition books, only 4 1/2" x 3 1/4", cute??  I had so much fun making an altered journal for myself last month, and I thought it would be nice to have a mini version that would be small enough to fit into a purse for those creative random thoughts on the go!

The colors in the inspiration photo are what drew me in, so I reached for them in cardstock, ribbon & paints.  The Bermuda Bay cardstock was embossed with one of Tim's fabulous texture fades and then painted over with a yellow pearlescent paint, for the 'Light & Bright' element from the inspiration pic.

I used the same yellow pearlescent paint to put a top coat on the painted yellow 'K' grungeboard (more crafty goodness from uber creator Tim Holtz!), and one more place.  I painted yellow pearlescent paint all over the wide pink grosgrain ribbon!  I have never tried putting those paints onto ribbon or fabric before, but a whole new shimmery world just opened up and I like it.

I tried my best to capture the fantastic shimmer, shine & sparkle all over this little mini composition book.  All the areas that look like a camera's flash is putting a white-light look to it are indeed that shimmer, lit up not by any flash at all, but the sun.  (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

It's a simple, sparkly little book that is making me all smile happy right about now.  And I wore that smile the whole time I made it because I got a chance to get crafty AND because I had my little Princess sitting across from me with recycled colorful tissue paper, a glue stick in her hand, and many Little Mermaid songs escaping her lips.

What's making you smile today? 

Supplies:

Cardstock:  Bermuda Bay (retired) - Stampin' Up!

Embossing Folder:  Dot Matrix of the Dot Matrix & Gridlock Set - Alterations by Tim Holtz

Embellishments:  'K' Grungeboard - Tim Holtz;  Wide pink grosgrain - Stash

Paints:  yellows - Making Memories;  Yellow Pearlescent Paint - Yasutomo

Mt. Everest {Hello}

"He's here! He's here!! HE'S HERE!!!!" the kidlets cried out while jumping up and down when the doorbell rang.

It was my brother, stopping by to say 'hi' a few days after returning from his summer trek. He's one who loves to travel and hearing his stories & seeing his pictures lets me travel to distant lands vicariously.

Sooo...where was he off to this summer??

China.  Nepal.  Everest.

Gokyo Lake

After flying into Shanghai, China, seeing some old friends (from when he used to live there), he took a thirty hour train ride to Chengdu, China, then on to Kathmandu, Nepal and after a week there, he flew to Lukla to begin the three week trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp.

He mentioned that its a twelve day trek, but he and his guide stopped in villages along the way to spend time with locals....I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of those stories when we can spend more time together.

Gorak Shep

This is the last stop before continuing on to Everest Base Camp.  Wave 'Hi' to the clouds!

Mt. Everest Base Camp

Despite the shape of his feet upon arrival (and yes, you're glad I'm not posting that picture!!!), he made it and enjoyed the journey, the experience, the beauty of the environment around him, and the once in a lifetime opportunity!

I'm really looking forward to hearing more of his tales as I know he has many more to share with us.

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Because its (almost!) Friday and because this visit from my baby brother, after his summer trek, was Fabulous, and because I giggled out loud when I read her blog for the first time, I'm linking up!






And of course, its always fun to meet new peeps & make new friends (Watch out! I'm about two seconds from busting out some Girl Scout songs now....Make new friends, but keep the old, One is silver and the other gold......I warned ya!! :>)





 

PTI Card + Amy Tsuruta = Flashback!

Amy, Tsuruta Designs, posted a Flashback Friday challenge and asked us to join her in posting our first cards posted on our blogs.  Yikes!  So, I'm being a Brave Girl and digging mine up from February 6, 2009, when I began blogging. 

Isn't that scary photography?!  Actually, I took a cue from Amy and lightened the pics up as they were even dreadfully darker than they are here! 

Thankfully, not only has blogging been a fantastic adventure, I've learned so much along the way....from fellow bloggers, friends, and all of my favorite search engines.  Many thank yous to all sources of information & learning (and old & new friendship & connections!)!!  Hopefully, it has led to picture taking that doesn't require me to be a Brave Girl. :>

What's in your mailbox?

Hi Friends!  What usually greets you when you open your mailbox?  When I open ours, there is the usual assortment of bills, junk mail, and maybe a magazine or two. 

But, the other day, I was greeted by some Happy Mail.  There was a manila envelope with my name handwritten on it and I had no idea what it could possibly be.

Then I opened it and found...

...a pretty little package containing these sweet felted ball earrings from Draya.  She had sent them to me for a giveaway I had won on her blog, Say Anything! 

Happy Mail is most definitely {smile} worthy! 

Today is my son's first day of school and minus the 5:40am alarm clock & the shock that he's gotten so big, it kind of felt good to get back into the routine again. :>

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.  What's put a smile on your face today?

Creative Yarn {To Go}

Wee girl loves to write her letters & draw her tales while I'm driving and she's cruising in her carseat in the back.  She used to be limited to a pencil, as a box o' crayons made me nervous...a kind of "Oh, I don't want to clean melted crayon off my car!" kind of nervous.  But, not anymore.  Ya wanna know why??

Grammie found a free knitting pattern on the Lion Brand Yarn site for a cute little crayon caddy and began throwing blue, green, yellow, and red to quick work.

Unrolled and open, she has enough colors to work with (in this case a few Disney Princess crayons, of course! lol) and when she's done, its easy to see that she has all of them in her crayon caddy and not leaving any behind to melt!

All rolled up, its self contained and small enough to slip into a bag or purse to give wee girl oodles of creative entertainment.  And since she sings as she colors, while we drive, I get my share of sweet entertainment too!

    

A Special Day...Five Years in the Making

Some time ago, at a regularly scheduled Girl Scout meeting.....four teenage girls, bred, born, lived in different cities, states, families, schools and yet, when the four arrived in the same locale, at the same time, the Four Musketeers were born.

Twenty years later, four women are still known by many as the Four Musketeers, who are still the best of friends, Aunties to each others' kidlets, sistersinlaws to the husbands, family to each other, and respond to the Girl Scout camp names Woodstock, Gizmo, Fishey, & Snoopy.

Today is quite a special day...five years in the making. 

The Four Musketeers are all meeting up, together, at the same time, for the first time in almost five years.

One of them lives on the East Coast these days and what was weekly gatherings during their teens years, quarterly visits during the college years, and at least yearly gatherings during the rest of their twenties, has been reduced to gatherings of two or three whenever they were in the same town at the same time...but, not all four women at the same time...until now! 

Post high school, the Four Musketeers have gathered at some choice Southern California universities for sushi, a party, a concert, or some dorm time;  Tahoe for sushi, cozy fires, skiing, or chill time;  Northern California pads for sushi, pool play, BBQ'ing, or chatty time; a Northern California retreat for seafood, sight seeing, cooking,  or game time; and weddings for celebrating, toasting, dancing, brides maid'ing, giggling, chatting, smiling, and pretty sure they managed to work some sushi in there too!

Oh yes, and their favorite locale to gather, where their names are etched into a brick that thousands' feet step upon...the place where every person can feel like a child, no matter what their age...Disneyland.

A favorite tradition Snoopy started was to take a group pic in front of each of the letters of CALIFORNIA...one letter per visit, in order.  Above, the last complete Four Musketeer gathering, late 2005. 

Gizmo (in blue) was pregnant with her last child and so she did her good Mama duties and rode the cement bench while her favorite roller coaster, Space Mountain, whispered fervently in her ear.  And she told the Four Musketeers to live, love, and enjoy that dark, star lit, whirl air whipping past their faces ride.

However, the Four Musketeer never disappoint each other and they went on as many rides as they could, both big and small.  Woodstock & Fishey smile for Snoopy's camera on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train and Gizmo was smiling too because the wee ride in the bugs' big world was one she could climb aboard for.

Gizmo couldn't be too sad though.  With every step down Main Street, through the happiest place on Earth, she remembered so many other fun filled trips to Disneyland when she could ride those roller coasters....like Splash Mountain with Snoopy braving the front of the log with her.  This is the only time Gizmo has ever ridden in the front seat of the Splash's wild log ride.

And of course, there are more letter group moments of the younger years to enjoy.  The letters "I" & "L" have been brought to you by the year 2004.

Its a bit comical that Fishey & Snoopy are on the bottom here, since they are the ones who would usually climb a letter & get their goofy on for a great shot.  But, its the letter L's turn and the Four Musketeers are, as always, Four.

Each Four Musketeer gathering has an abundance of hugs, smiles, laughter, and of course, some sushi.  The girls, technically women...but, on a Friday night, just hours after gathering, with sushi and maybe a cocktail in their bellies, they feel like girls again, chatting and giggling, maybe even laughing until their eyes tear and sides hurt....began as teenage friends who met in a local elementary school library for a Girl Scout meeting, have grown, and weaved lives with many & mighty stories to tell. 

Wonder what threads Snoopy, Woodstock, Gizmo, & Fisheys' looms will weave in the years to come?  More children?  Career highs?  Home successes?  Creative journeys?  Grandchildren?  Gray hair ladies shuffling around Disneyland, living with the joy they have brought each other throughout their years? 

Maybe.  Probably.  Thankfully.

Get Your Paint On!

Get your paint on, get your paint on, yea, yea.  Show 'em how you do it now. 

As I was uploading the pics of the kidlets' art, I couldn't get Peaches and Herb's discolicious "Shake Your Groove Thing" out of my head and since its still playing itself over and over and over (so much so that I just had to pull up the whole thing, so that the kidlets could get their groove thing on while I put the pics of them getting their paint on onto the computer!), it just had to work its way into this post! :>

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In our backyard, the kidlets went from loud play, to very quiet - a few whispers could be made out, to a space full of giggles.  And that would be my cue to check up on them.  Yup, yup, they were getting their creative on.....they were full of excitement as they were painting...on the picnic table...with mud. 

Before I needed to pull the hose out, I offered them up a more colorful, but just as creative option that I knew they would jump at.  I offered up my dozens of craft acrylic paints and yes, they were thrilled!  My wee girl asks me to paint almost every day...water colors or acrylics, just give that girl a brush, paint & paper and she's a very happy camper.

My boy slathered on the orange, used two whole pours onto the paper plate, palette and then moved on to the other colors he had chosen. 

Turns out he was creating a space ship....see the windows?  The red on the left would be the thrusters and on the bottom is either more thrusters or landing gear.....he had quite an elaborate story to share and I might be missing a detail or two.  I do remember that the green on the top is a video camera though and I have no doubt that his elaborate story was being played out on the big screen in his head.  Now, that's a movie I'd pay to see!

Wee girl had many colors dancing on her canvas right away, but after her big brother's announcement that he was painting a ship, suddenly she was too.  She even made windows for her main ship, "just like brother".  Apparently, they are all ships, except the brown spot on the right side.  She tells me that's a rock. 

Whatever it all may be, I love watching both of them paint.  He focuses so closely, literally, that his nose almost ends up a tool as he leans in close to put down color, just as he wants it.  And as she concentrates, the sweet little tip of her tongue slips out and tells me how totally involved she is in her process.

My favorite moment of this particular kidlet creative session was my son's exclamation to his sister, "Man, we're really artists!"

Mama's side note:  Yes, you both are.  Live with your hearts, live with color, live with play, live with expression, and may you love it.

I hope you all can find time to live with a little creative fun too!  While they were painting, I painted right along side of them and added more paint to the canvas I'm working on.  What creativity is playing in your life right now?

Here's where I'm going to click my way to some inspiration: