WW & #iPPP { Walk the Bridge }

Saturday morning, I got a text from my best friend asking if I could meet her when she comes into town Sunday morning...for a (((hug))).

And of course I said yes!

It gave me an opportunity to finally walk across a bridge I've driven over thousands of times before.

A li'l change in perspective and the mundane & routine become beautiful.



Would you believe I was oh so not a fan of bridges when I was a kid?!  I wasn't.

Thank goodness that changed!



Don't forget to look up!



And a li'l peek at the water under the bridge.


 

Just how much do we really know about the other?

My husband and I have been together for fourteen years now as we come up on our twelfth anniversary of marriage.  And while I like to think I know every bit about about him, I didn't know him until a little over fifteen years ago.  So there were a whole lot of years and experiences that grew him into the man he is today, causing him to think this way or that....same goes for me.

My closest friends, those rockin' awesome Four Musketeers, have been a part of my life for twenty-two to twenty-four years (depending on the Musketeer).  All these years later, they are my sisters, Aunties to my kidlets, and who know more about me than most.

Yet, just how much do any of us really know about another human being, no matter how tight the relationship is?

Nine point nine times out of ten, I can predict what my husband or any of those three women, my Musketeers, would do, say, or think in any given situation.  But, there are those moments that I whip my head back hard for a complete, "Say what?!" moment.

Logic tells me that that point one moment stems from some other event or interaction in their life which guides them to that unpredictable (to me) direction they've headed in.  And rational thinking reminds me of a moment in the last year when one of my Musketeers was painting my nails a requested black.  She said something to the effect of her knowing all there is to know about me, to which I replied, "You don't know everything."

Truth is, she does know most everything.  But, even as close as we are, I don't think anyone ever discloses their whole soul.

Do you?  Would there be any surprises lurking for even those closest to you?

This post is inspired by mystery thriller GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. They may not have the perfect marriage, but after Amy goes missing, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Can he discover what happened before it's too late? Join From Left to Write on June 12 as we discuss Gone Girl. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Book links are affiliate links.

100 Years of Girl Scouts

I'm celebrating today!  Why?  Girl Scouts is celebrating their 100th Birthday!

I was a Girl Scout from Brownies, all the way up to my early adult years.  I was in Girl Scouts on both the East & West coasts, in two states, and three towns.

With my troops, I've crafted, sang more songs that I can count, hiked, participated in community and environmental service projects, learned new skills, and camped.  Camping was a blast and definitely a staple to punctuate every year of Girl Scouting. I've slept on mountains, in tents, on hills, in cabins, in more tents, and even in a big barn.

It was in my last two troops that I took on the camp name Gizmo and still respond to that name today.  Quite honestly, I think my best friend, who was also a Girl Scout, calls me Giz or Gizie more than she calls me Karen!

And I've met some of the most wonderful girls, now women, in my life through Girl Scouts, including my Four Musketeers.  In Gravity, or Instinct, I Just Knew, I shared my first meeting with Snoopy...at her first Girl Scout meeting.  And I'm grateful that thanks to emails & Facebook, I'm able to continue to keep in contact with so many of the women to this day, twenty years later!

So what are Girl Scouts up to today?  Check out http://www.togetherthere.org/ to find out!

Happy 100th Birthday,
Girl Scouts!!!

RemembeRED: When do you want me to come?

Sporting a white polo top, a short straight kelly green skirt, and white Keds, she hobbled up the small hill from the parking lot on crutches with the sun rising behind her.

That was twenty-four years ago that I met the little blonde who would become my best friend and one of my treasured Four Musketeers.  The memory wasn't stored intentionally, but back then I remembered just about every living photograph I saw.  Today, I'm glad the memory is so accessibly stored in my mind.

Looking in from the outside, we probably shouldn't be best friends.  She's blonde, I'm brunette.  She's sporty, I'm not.  She's a joiner, I'm not.  Even though she has two cats, she's a dog person.  Cats are my fur peeps.  They're great listeners, cute, don't stink, and a heck of lot cheaper than therapy.  She follows recipes, I always change things up.  She's fond of measuring, I'm not.  She rocks it in the math department, I party with words.  She checks in on Facebook, you'll more often hear me on Twitter.

And yet, twenty-four years later, whether via phone, Twitter, Facebook, an IM chat, or old school email, we never go long without hearing from the other.

A few years ago, I was more elated than usual to see her name in my email's inbox.

Exhaustion ran through every cell after having my second kidlet, particularly the days immediately following her dramatic entry.

And my husband's best friend was getting married in just a few short weeks, out of town.  He was the Best Man.  He had to be there.

Hesitation tried to hide in his eyes.  I still couldn't drive, I had a preschooler, newborn, was severely anemic, and exhausted.  It was his best friend, he needed to go.  I told him to go.

Attempting to not sound desperate, I sent out emails looking for help.  My inbox held my best friend's reply with only one question, "When do you want me to come?"

Friday, after work, she arrived.  Donning chocolate capris, cream top with coffee tinted trimming at her neck, she walked in my front door, promptly taking my daughter into her arms to meet her for the first time.

Sunshine filled the sky as she drove us out to Mom's the next morning, to drop my son off for an overnight there.  She again climbed behind the wheel to drive my newborn and I around to crafty destinations before we headed back home.

She easily transferred my slumbering daughter to her arms and sent me to my room to take a nap.

A nap?  The concept was foreign to me.  I took all of two twenty minute naps with my first baby in my arms, not because I was SuperMama, but simply because he woke up every other time I had tried.  A nap?  My baby girl was a few weeks old and I had yet to catch some shut eye during the sun's hours.  A nap?  Yes, I needed one.

Without a worry wandering in my head, I not only lay down, but quickly drifted into a dreamless solid sleep.  Waking in a dark room, my nap had lasted much longer than twenty minutes.  Climbing out of bed, I made my way out to check on my friend and my girl.

She was still contentedly in my best friend's arms, waiting quietly, patiently for me to feed her.

My friend's only question, "When do you want me to come?"  Seven simple words were like a choir singing out, filling a room with both joy and peace in the same breath.

This week, Write on Edge (formerly The Red Dress Club) prompted us to "write about a memory of yourself WITH someone else."

And just for the record, I love my husband's best friend & his wife. And yes, they both invited me to join my husband at their wedding, but it was in a very hot area, with little shade and we knew I wouldn't have lasted.  I'm glad Hubs could go, support his friend, and have a great time without worrying about me! :>

i Heart Faces { Friendship }

August snuck up on me!  We're cramming in the last of the summer fun, as well as projects around the house before the kidlets start the school year next week.  And I ended up taking an unintentional online break, all the way around the lovely interwebs.

Breaks can be quite refreshing, but I can't stay away for long!

So, I'm jumping back in with the Friendship themed i Heart Faces photo challenge.

Two of my Four Musketeers were up for my little girl's birthday party a couple months ago (hence the Little Mermaid tiaras) and I just love this pic I snapped of them!

Stop by i Heart Faces and see what Friendship is to other peeps.  That's where I'm heading now!

May, you were but a busy blink of an eye!

May. May is a crazy busy month. May tends to hurt my brain and my pockets both. (Anything that hurts our pockets is beyond exasperating!) But, May also brings lots of fun, smiles, and leaves us with oodles of new memories to treasure while we catch our breaths.

May brings us Mother's Day.  These are the roses that my kidlets picked for me from the backyard.  I'm soaking up the sweetness before we eventually hack them out to put in raised veggie beds.

May brought us wacky weather.  Actually, today is June 1st and apparently, wacky weather is still on the menu as it has been raining today....pouring just moments ago and now the sun is peeking in through a sucker hole as my fingers click clack across the board.

But, oh the rainbows!!  I'll take rain any day when there's a promise of a rainbow!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been running amuck around here.  I get that it's hilarious to a kidlet, but oh my, can that humor please stay in the books & on the pages?!  Please?!  (Oh yea and please do ignore the weeds.  When it finally stops raining and feeding them, I'll go out & pluck 'em!)

May has seen our graphed apple tree growing apples for the first time this year.  This little one is a Gala and there are five other varieties on the same tree.  Can't wait 'til fall to eat them!

May also brought us two birthdays.  No, not these gals'!  Hubs & wee girl each turned a year older, just a few days apart.  We celebrated Hubs and then had two parties, two weekends in a row with family and friends who are also family, just not blood related.

These two are two of the Four Musketeers and I love that while I wasn't raised with a sister, I've had three for over twenty years!

The Four Musketeers are Aunties to my kidlets and the one on the left above is the gal who got me started scrapbooking.  And since she's a scrapper herself, it rocks that she always takes pics of the silly bits and pieces of events that belong in a scrapbook at my kidlets' birthdays.

And no gathering with this crew is complete without a little Wii time!  Some maniacal Mario Kart driving was in order and after the kidlets went to bed, the 'grown ups' got busy playing Toy Story Mania.  We're wild, I know. {wink}

Tomorrow is the last day of this school year for us and while the weather doesn't seem to be on the same schedule, summer here we come!

What's happening this summer in your neck of the woods?

Gravity or Instinct, I Just Knew

Tuesday’s dinner was done and it was time to head out for a favorite weekly destination.  I still didn’t have my license, so I climbed into Mom’s black Integra and she drove me to the local elementary school for my Girl Scout meeting in the library.

The glowing sun was still up, but lowering in the sky, casting long light shadows across the campus.  I always felt peaceful walking towards the library from the parking lot.  Having moved many times, this was my third troop in two states and full of great girls. 

While I only joined this particular Cadette troop in the eighth grade, they had been together for several years already.  And most of us had bridged up to Seniors, when we graduated from junior high to high school.

It wasn’t like another gathering of school friends, later in the day.  Several of the girls, did go to the public high school with me, but there were also girls from the private Catholic school’s all girl campus in a neighboring town, girls from the other public high school in town, and more girls who attended the boarding school at the base of the mountain nearby as local day students.  We were quite a mix and yet, schools didn’t separate us, rather our Girl Scout troop united us.

This particular Tuesday evening, one of the girls from one of those other schools brought her best friend to a meeting, just to show and share what Girl Scouts was all about.  I couldn’t tell you what she was wearing or what she was doing, other than smiling while her eyes darted around as she took all of us in, when this new girl walked into her first Girl Scout meeting.  But I can tell you this, I knew we would be friends. 

Every neuron in my head, every molecule in my heart knew we would connect.  I could feel the strong tug of an unseen force propelling me towards her, like the ocean’s tide, compelled by the moon’s gravity.  And a split second after our introduction, I put my arm through hers, knowing she must have thought I was a total loon, and started marching her across the institutional carpet, through the small library, introducing her to everyone else.

My response was purely instinctual when I linked my arm through hers.  Twenty years later, she’s like a sister to me.

I am writing along with RemembeRED, from The Red Dress Club for this first time.  We were prompted to:  "Imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. You want to tell them about yourself.  Instead of reciting a laundry list of what you do or where you're from, please give us a scene from your life that best illustrates your true self."

If you are a regular here, you might be able to guess that this girl, now woman, is one of my Four Musketeers, who responds to the camp name, Snoopy!  And don't worry, I didn't steal her from her best friend, who responds to the camp name Woodstock, because she's also a Four Musketeer! :>

Saturday Seven

Prompt:  List some of the people who have really changed your life.

(Listing in order of entry into my life, rather than importance! :>)

1) 4 Musketeers:  I met Fishey first.  I still remember what she was wearing the day I met her in the fall of the eighth grade: skirt, white polo shirt, white Keds, and on crutches.  Next, I met Woodstock at a local Girl Scout meeting.  I was brand new to a troop that had been together since elementary school days.  And lastly, Snoopy.  Woodstock brought her to a Girl Scout meeting one night and I immediately knew we would be friends.  I put my arm through hers and took her away, introducing her to everyone.

These three women are the sisters I don't have.  They are Aunties to my kidlets.  They are there when I need to vent.  They are there when I am smiling.  We've been friends for over twenty years and I'm so looking forward to the next twenty and more.

2) Mac Truck Driver:  While driving on the freeway one morning, I was in a near fatal accident with an 18 wheeler, two trailer big rig.  I was 21 years old.  I sustained multiple injuries and that accident, all those years ago, has forever changed every part of my life.

Every single aspect of my life has changed.  There are more negatives than I would ever want to document here, but I did gain a few things of a more positive nature from that.  I learned patience, tolerance and acceptance (of pain, limitations, changes), and to always try to find that silver lining.  Sometimes, I'm quite surprised at where the smile worthy part is in a challenge, but its almost always there, if I look hard enough.

I don't ride rainbows, but I do try to see those little things that can make me smile.  And for me, life is so much better that way!

3) Hubs:  I was in my early twenties when we began dating, mid twenties when we married, and now in my mid thirties.  And I have changed so much in that time.  While we've grown together, I have also been free to grow as an individual. Giving me that freedom and support has changed who I am. 

4) Kidlets:  Becoming a Mama is a such a major change to both my life and who I am.  They teach me to see life from different perspectives, to see the beauty in the big and small, and as fast as life can move with a couple of energetic kidlets, they also teach me to slow down and see those little moments that often escape our attention.

5) Some new creative friends (you know who you are ;>):  They have changed the way I see myself.  They have given me courage to explore my creativity.  They have changed those limits I set upon myself.  And I'm grateful to them for that.

The list could go on and on, but these ten people (#s 1, 4, 5 are multiple people!) have all changed my life in significant and lasting ways.  Wonder what life has to offer and who I'll meet next?

I'm writing along with Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? today.  Go see who has changed her life and give her some comment love! :>  If you write along with her, let me know so I can come visit you too!  Happy Saturday! :>

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.

{Sew} Surprised!

Last week, when I relinquished my Grown Up Card and visited my sweet friend Jenn, she loaned me a quilted bag that she'd sewn to carry home the first three Harry Potter books that she was loaning my son to read.  She loaned it to me.

Fast forward to this last Saturday when three fabby friends who are also Aunties & Uncle to my kidlets came up for a BBQ....Jenn being one of those Aunties.

We had a great time!  Hubby Q'd up some ribs (after they slow roasted in the oven) using our favorite organic GF/CF no sugar added BBQ sauce, I made a delish GF/CF macaroni salad* that I found thanks to a gluten free blogger on Twitter (that little birdie of a site is growing on me!), Jenn made a yummy green salad (with romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, beets, avocado, green onion, and olives), and Monique & Matt brought some garlic bread and a special margarita recipe for the adults. 

We finished off the night with the exhausted kidlets finally in bed, the men, boys, goodness!, men chuckling like they were years younger (that's a nice way to say it, right?! :>) at some YouTube videos and us girls, okay women (somehow that always sounds weird to me when I'm with my friends from my teen years....probably because we've been known to regress when we're together! :>) chatting it up in the living room and checking out Monique's recent scrapbook (she's the one who started me scrapping all those years ago!).

When we were walking our three friends out to their car, apparently, Jenn turned to my Hubby and said, "Shhhhhh!!!!", pointing to her fabby quilted bag that she loaned me last week.  Seriously......loaned it!!

Look at that sweet little pocket on the front!!

Here it is!!  Isn't it cute?!  I think so.

Just as cute from the back.

Oh my goodness!!  That turquoise stitching tickles...such a happy detail!

It gets better.  On the inside there are pockets.  And polkas.

On one side its a full pocket.  And on the other side, she split it vertically.  Not only did she split the whole pocket vertically for divided storage, but she also sewed a higher bottom on one side that is just perfect to slip a cell phone into....now, how genius is that?! :>

And then, THEN, I try to give her this sweetly sewn bag she's made and loaned me to take back home with her.  She just smiles, gives me a hug and says, "You're welcome."

"What?!"  And thinking, no way, I try to give it back to her again.  She's not having any of it.  Jenn tells me that she's been looking for a good home for it.  Apparently, she thinks its happy here in my home.  I know I'm happy to see it smiling at me.  But, I'm even happier to know that it was stitched and sewn by my friend.

Am I a lucky gal, or what?!

What has made you feel lucky lately?

---------------------------------

*  Only adjustments made to make the gluten free recipe casein free as well were to use salami that is not only gluten free, but casein, nitrites, msg, antibiotic, and preservative free (Applegate Farms) and to omit the optional Parmesan cheese.  We also used fresh minced garlic & shallots instead of dried for the dressing.  The whole thing is delish and since we doubled the recipe, we're still enjoying it!

Who may I turn this in to?

You?  May I turn this into you?  Hang on a second.....I'll get right back to that!

Last night, I was in Whole Foods ritually buying their organic, gluten, casein, soy free foods.  When the cart was full, I unloaded at the register and while the woman in front of me was chatting away with the friendly cashier, I took some time to read the magnets that were in front of me.  Let me say, they were hilarious!  But, when I read one particular magnet, I spit out a chuckle.  There were retro peeps on it and one said to another, "Do you remember when all we wanted to do was grow up?" and that other replied, "Man, were we STUPID!!!"  As a disclaimer, I might be misquoting a bit, but the gist of it stuck with me. 

There may be many a thing that I love about being a grown up, with being married to my man & my kidlets at the very top of that list, but there are days when I want to hand over my Grown Up Card!

So, I ask again, who may I turn this in to??

You? May I turn in my Grown Up Card to you? Someone really needs to raise their hand because I will be turning my Grown Up Card in for the next 24 hours.  And it would be quite nice if I knew who had it so that I may take it back when that time is up!

I am off to go play with my best friend, Jenn today.  We met coming up on twenty-two years ago and would you believe it, I can actually remember what she was wearing that day!!  We went to school together and were Girl Scouts together (where our friendship connected with two other best friends, Jill & Monique, and from that, the Four Musketeers evolved.  The four of us are all still very close today!). 

Jenn & I are meeting up with a small group of gals and heading out for dinner and then off to see Eclipse.  I think that's an appropriate movie for a day that my Grown Up Card is not in my possession! :> The kidlets will be home with their Dad and I'm sure, whipping up a storm of fun!

I've been asked so many times if I worry about the kidlets on the rare occasion that I'm away from them.  I always chuckle at that one.  When they are with their Dad, I do not worry one little bit!  I often joke that the worst thing that will happen is that he'll dress them in plaids & stripes together or create an interesting 'do with our wee girl's long hair.  Its really such a gift that I don't have to worry at all!  Thanks Hubby!! :>

What are you up to this weekend??  I'd love to hear where life is taking you!

Okay!!  Time to temporarily hand over my Grown Up Card!!  Who's going to volunteer to hold it for me??

Look what followed me home!

This lovely, beautiful piece of crafty joy has been on my wishlist for awhile now. And when Hubby suggested that I go pick something out for myself for my birthday, I knew exactly what would be coming home with me! Now, I just need to some pretty little bits to run through her!

So, I bought her for what she can DO, right?! But, once I took her out of her packaging, I started looking at her and saw the two little bits o' bling on her front.....I got excited. And then when I noticed the larger piece on her handle, I had to share.....but, I didn't neccessarily share my joy with the right person.... Hubby was in the room with me, the kidlets were already in bed (I should have waited until I could show my wee daughter, who gets uber excited at all things pink and sparkly!), and so I bubbled on about how cool my lovely new tool is and look!, there's bling on her!! His response? To smack himself on the forehead and reply, "TOOLS are Not Supposed to have bling on them!!!" I just laughed and continued on with my own personal Happy Dance! :>

But, wait! There's more! In my birthday trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum post, I mentioned that my friend Jenn is creatively talented too (she sews, quilts, & does needle work) and that she sent me home with one of her creations.

I'd been eyeing one of her utility/shopping bags for awhile now. I have about a dozen (mostly from Trader Joe's) already. But, none are as fabulously chic, practical, and as super strong as hers are. I paid her (another) compliment on it and next thing I knew, she had taken it off the hook with her other (also fabulously chic) bags and handed it to me! She's creatively talented and plenty generous...thank you, Jenn!


The uber cool fabric she got at SCRAP, in San Francisco. I cannot wait to go with her sometime soon! What is also really cool is that the straps she's sewn onto the bag, go all the way around the bag, from the top, stitched down the sides, under the bottom of the bag, and back up again, making it extremely sturdy and able to hold a lot. And because the straps are long enough, its really easy to carry, even when loaded because it can just be slung onto your shoulder (instead of pinching your fingers to a bright pink, like many of my reusable grocery bags do).


I broke this gorgeous bag in with a trip to JoAnns with Jenn. And since I was with my great friend who sews, my bag was filled with my purchases, which were all fabric and a few patterns. I have a wonderful sewing machine, but other than some very square items with nothing more that a straight stitch involved, I haven't used it a lot. I really want to correct that and learn to sew.............MUCH better and more than I do now. But, in the meantime, the fabrics I picked up all have papercraft projects calling out to me! Maybe I'll have to use one of them for the current Everything But The Kitchen Sink challenge, calling for.....fabric! :>

Today is the last day to enter my Birthday Blog Giveaway for a Papertrey Ink gift certificate! Just as a reminder, here are the deets:

"Since the whole month of February is a celebratory month for me, I am leaving the giveaway open for the whole month for you. Every comment made on my posts in February, starting with this one, will give you an entry in the drawing for the PTI $25 gift certificate. If you like my blog, I would love for you to follow me, but it is not a requirement. And if you blog about the giveaway, you will get an additional three entries (either leave me the link in your comment or you can email me). "

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend! The sun is back out here and Hubby is going to BBQ tonight! One kidlet is in 'imagination land' doing a Space Police mission' (aka playing with Legos) and the other is wearing her apron & chef's hat and whipping up a delish (pretend) pineapple, onion, peach, and cauliflower soup. What's shaped up this weekend for you?

{Part Two} Fantastic Friends make me Smile!

You're back.....Yay!!! :>

Now, what were those other plans that I had for last Saturday?? What would I give up a creative day with friends for?? Well, more friends, of course!!! And specifically, my Four Musketeers! Okay, okay, so there were only three of the four of us (plus one husband)......one of us lives on the other side of the country right now (we miss you Jilly and we took you with us in spirit!!).

My Hubby kindly offered to play with our kidlets and sent me packing to go play with friends! So, I followed the yellow brick road (er, um, multiple highways?!) and headed back to the land of my teen years and to my best friend's home. From there, we, Jenn, Monique, Matt (Monique's hubby), and I zipped off to San Francisco. Well, sort of zipped since it was Chinese New Year and there was a wee bit of traffic at the Bay Bridge toll plaza! That's okay.....I was with great friends!

Guess where they were taking me??? To the new Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio (San Francisco)!! Us Four Musketeers have a long history of Disneyland trips. Jill even got the four of us one of the bricks in the ground between Disneyland and California Adventures back in 2001. And yes, we're known to take pictures with each visit of our beloved Brick!

Oh I'm having a flashback now!!! Here comes some Brick love a la 2003!! (I had forgotten how long your hair was back then, Jenn!) There's our Jill! :>

Wow! Time is flashing by, zipping to 2005! I was preggo with my Princess and we decided to do a foot shot that year........with each of our feet pointing towards our names, of course! We're cheesey, I know. But, traditions with friends is a fantastic thing. :>

And back to last Saturday, 2010!!

The museum (which really is a museum and not a Disney attraction, though with a distinct Disney flavor) was really delightful and educational. We all agreed we could go through it again to read through everything more thoroughly. There is so much information about Walt's family to read and an incredible number of drawings, cartoon cells, telegrams, hand written letters, memorabilia, video footage, and even Walt's old train that he had going around his house to read, see, and take in!

Another big surprise.....parking was free!!! Affordable parking in San Francisco is a really big deal and free is pretty much unheard of! The Presidio is beautiful and we saw one of the most striking views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from inside the museum. I highly recommend crafting your time to visit the museum the next time you are in this great city!

A kind stranger offered to take our pic before we left............me, Jenn, Monique, and Monique's husband, Matt. Monique is the crafty little sprite who introduced me to scrapbooking back in 2000! Thanks Nique!

And as a proper scrapbooker's husband, Matt took a pic of the three out of four Four Musketeers!! A little side note here.......I just love having another scrapbooker in our group! These fab friends are usually at our kidlets' birthdays and when they are, I have a perfect assortment of photos to come back to and scrap!!! And even better, her hubby always jumps in with the camera to help make sure we have those checklist photos that you need at all events from weddings to birthdays to vacations to day trips!! Thanks Matt!

Now, Jenn is creative as well.................but, I have more to share about her craft in another post (because this one is long enough, right?!) when I show you a little something that followed me to my home from hers!

Did you make it to the end????? I know, this was a long one (aren't you glad I broke that post up into two?! :>)....but, I had so much to share about such wonderful friends!! If you're here, still reading, give yourself a pat on the back, an extra cuppa, and a thank you & smile from me!

Don't forget to check out my Birthday Blog Giveaway HERE and comment......comments on all posts from February 6th, through the end of February earn you an entry into the giveaway for a Papertrey Ink gift certificate!!

GF/CF Chocolate Treat Advent Calendar

Would you believe that three, count them, three packages for Christmas arrived on my doorstep today?! And I did not order any of them! While I usually have all of my Christmas shopping done by now, I am behind this year. (Really, really behind......listen closely, you might even hear a whimper or two!!)

One of my closest friends, who is an Auntie to my kidlets (and her husband, a wonderful Uncle), grew up with a chocolate treat Advent calendar to open every day of December, leading up to Christmas. And she has continued her family tradition with my kidlets.

Since we changed our son's diet two years ago, they have been unable to enjoy the chocolate treats under each door. Well, being a good Auntie, she did some research and emailed me a link for a GF/CF Chocolate Advent Calendar, wanting to know if she had found a solution. And while several of the ingredients (soy lecithin & refined sugar), we avoid (but are not 100% removed from his diet), we told her that it should be okay for the little bit (he splits it with his sister) that he would be eating for a short time. We will see after he has it the first time if that is really the case.....fingers crossed!

Our kidlets' calendar, from a mighty nice Auntie & Uncle came from Peanut Free Planet. And while I cannot give you a review of how it tastes yet, I can tell you that it arrived very safely packed, in a zipped bag, wrapped in bubble wrap, packed in packing peanuts. I know my kidlets will be excited for the treat........as this kind of treat is a very rare one in our house!

{Oh yes, and if you are wondering, "Where's the picture?!".....I did not take one as I do not want to spoil the surprise for its intended recipients!! }

Home is where the heart is....

Hello there! Long time no see, huh?! I have been running around like that proverbial chicken.....still! There was lots of company last month, a kidlet birthday that actually stretched three weeks into this month, a four day scrapbook retreat which takes a couple of days to pack for, two or three times that to unpack (I write this as we are still tripping over my dozen plus bags in our entry way), and a couple of weeks to recover from the uber late nights! We also had the usuals, school, homework, art projects, games, playdates, and the typical daily stuff. And one of my best friends unexpectedly lost her father.

I've been in shock since receiving the news and can only imagine her and her mother's grief. They were an extremely tight family and loved each other so much. We said good-bye to this wonderful man on Friday night. My friend asked us to hug our loved ones and enjoy them for whatever time we do have with them. She also asked and hoped that whatever we learned from her father, we take out into the rest of our worlds. He was an optimist, a problem solver, warm, loving, and opened his home and heart so willingly. And his whole family makes me smile!

Hmmmmm..........I suppose I've surprised myself as this is not where I was going to go with this post. But, because I think so much of this man and his wife and daughter, my friend, I am going to leave this in here.

And just so you do not think I have completely abandoned creative pursuits, including card making, I'll share a card with you as well. There are four of us best friends and I made this card for another gal in this group, my best friend that I met over twenty years ago.

My apologies for the shadows. I did not realize they were so strong when I took the pic and I have already given her the card and cannot retake the pic. I stamped images from PTI's Boards & Beams. The small topiary trees, I colored with Prismacolor colored pencils and then cut out with a craft knife. I stamped the house twice and cut the windows out on one of the images with a craft knife as well. I then layered the cut house on top of the uncut house with foam tape for depth. I wanted you to be able to look inside the windows. And as I have discovered many times now, I seem to like the graphic look of stamped images uncolored.

Here you can see those layers a bit better. I layered all of the pieces on a Kraft base, stamped the first half of the sentiment on the bottom, and added a Sweet Blush satin bow. On the inside, I stamped and punched out a heart from PTI's Heart Prints and stamped the othe half of the sentiment from Boards & Beams.

I chose to share this card today because the sentiment rings so true. My friend's parents built their last two homes and chose every detail, but it was the people inside that made them homes that they relished being in.

My own home definitely needs updates, new carpet, a redone kitchen, and some pruning in our yards. But, it is my family that lives inside these walls with me that warms my heart, makes me smile, share hugs with, laughter, and even tears that make my life what it is. And today, I am choosing to smile as football is on the tube, my daughter playing in imagination land under the dining table, my son yelling out at the top of his lungs for every touchdown, Hubby enjoying his first real down time day in over two weeks, and me, in the middle of all of them and finally checking back in with all of you! :> What are you smiling about today?

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampers Select White, Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Onyx, Sepia - Versafine
Stamps: Heart Prints, Boards & Beams - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Sweet Blush Satin - Papertrey Ink
Punch: Small heart - EK Success (from PTI)
Other: Craft knife & Prismacolor Colored Pencils