Category Archives: Family

Someone is Going Glamping!

Good evening!

Today I have been doing a lot of dreaming about our vacation that starts next week. My sweetie and I are going camping, no let me rephrase that, we are going β€œGLAMPING!”

Glamorous + Camping = GLAMPING!!

I have been checking out a lot of websites trying to decide what exactly that all entails, but I think I pretty much have it down. You see, my sweetie and I go β€œGlamping” almost every year since we’ve been married, we just never knew it!! Glamping is basically being out in nature, but not really β€œroughing” it at all, which is EXACTLY what I do, or don’t do!! When we go camping we sleep in a HUGE tent, have individual air mattresses so we can toss and turn and not worry about waking the other up, we bring hordes of pillows, feather comforters, fuzzy blankets, and high thread count sheet sets –

A GIRLS GOTTA SLEEP AFTER ALL!!! πŸ˜‰

We stay at state run parks where there are full bathroom and shower accommodations (with hot water, thank you very much), and we are never more than 10 minutes away from town in case we want to do some shopping or want to eat to some food not prepared by us!

My husband and I LOVE LOVE LOVE our yearly outings just the two of us!! We also LOVE to bring our two four-legged β€œchildren” along so that they can have a week of pampering too (you know it can be rough being two ADORABLE little Chihuahuas!!)! During our time away, we are able to read, take the girls for walks, play card and board games, go shell-hunting on the beach, go antiquing, used booked store scavengering, take some time to do some writing, or just take naps at various times of the day without any sense of guilt!! One of my FAVORITE things about glamping is that I get to roast a marshmallow first thing every morning!!! It is a sneaky little pleasure that doesn’t cost a whole lot but ALWAYS helps make glamping feel like a super LUXURIOUS treat!!

This year, I have decided to do something a little different, and that is that my hubby and I are going to use this week out at the Oregon coast as a kind of an artist retreat!! My sweetie is working on writing a novel, and I am busy honing my arting skills – as you may already know! πŸ˜‰ There will still be plenty of pampering, and NON-ROUGHING it going on, but with a focus on taking time out of the normal hub-bub-iness of our lives and just spending some quality time giving ourselves permission to just commune with God, listen to our inner-selves, and just create!

Doesn’t that just sound DIVINE???

I know my sweetie and I are going to have a BLAST, and I, for one, just can’t WAIT to head out!!! πŸ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Getting Back to Art!

Good evening!

I have spent a portion of this evening getting back to the art! I have really been pressuring myself to do a great job, so needless to say, it really hasn’t been going too well! So, today, I came home from work early – I think I have a double ear infection – not fun, thank you very much!! Anyway, I spent a little time actually sitting in my art studio and actually painting, with no pressure, no real thinking other than just playing. That is the way it outta be. So, other than my ears still hurting, I am feeling pretty FAN-TAB-U-LOUS!!

Also, this evening my sis, and two of her kids came over this evening to go swimming with Jason. I had to miss out because of my ears, but before they went the kids had let me take pictures of them so that I can use their pictures later on to practice my drawing skills. I am teaching myself, for the most part! I thought I would share two of those pictures with you tonight!

This is my niece, Megan! She is my little girly-girl who is also very good at soccer! I am very proud of her, and she is absolutely beautiful!!! πŸ˜‰Β  She was very patient with me and let me take something like 10 different pictures of her in different head tilts and angles!! She is going to be very fun to learn to draw with!

Here is my nephew, Morgan! He is so serious in this picture, as soon as I snapped this pic, he turns my camera to see the himself, and he says, “Did you get my muscles?” He is just soooo funny!! But I am so thankful that he was willing to hold still for a few minutes just so I could take his picture.Β  What an awesome kid!!

Before I leave for the evening, I just wanted to give a big thank you to my sweetie, who very patiently cut a bunch of wood (the pic at the top of this post is some of what he cut for me)Β  for me so that I have some practice canvases for my art. He is just so supportive, and I am still in awe that I am so lucky to have been gifted a man such as WONDERFUL as him!! Thank you, Baby!! I will work very hard to make you proud!!

Anyway, I should have some ACTUAL art to share you with you tomorrow, I can’t wait!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! πŸ˜‰

Freaking Out!

Good evening!
After having such a FABULOUS creativity inspired weekend, and quite honestly a really good day at work today, I had EVERY intention of coming home and diving head first into getting some more work on my budding creative business done.

BUT…

apparently I have decided that I first need to FREAK OUT before I make any true headway this evening!

GAAACK!!

I have let my negative inner voice get to me so badly that now I am near paralyzed with fear!

I am not sure what to do!

I don’t want to make the wrong decision!

HEE! HEE! HOOO!

HEE! HEE! HOOO!

Ok, now that THAT is out of the way… I KNOW that everything is going to be ok! I just have to

STOP FREAKIN” OUT!!!

You know, Kelly Rae has been talking about this since almost day one of our class. She says we all have our fears, it doesn’t matter where in the process you are – we are allΒ  going to be afraid of SOMETHING!! You have to acknowledge your fear, thank it for looking out for you, give it a time-out and do the thing your gut tells you to do anyway!!

Ok, I hear you, I am going to feel the fear and do it anyway! You see, I have been trying to decide what to name my business, which also means that I have to decide what I am going to re-name my blog, my professional Facebook page, Flickr account, Twitter, etc, etc, etc! Your business name is a VERY BIG DEAL!! Once your reputation is established, it could be VERY expensive to go through the process of completely revamping your name!! So, I really want to take the time to get it right on the first go around!

I have a couple of ideas in my head, and some thoughts on all my choices, but I just really can’t decide! As I hear myself say all of this, I am not sure why I feel like I have to decide this right this second. Hmmmm…good question, self! Very intuitive of you!! I think I am going to make sure that I haveΒ  a mini journal next to my bed, and jot down any ideas that come to mind. I will know the right one when I hear it. It will just feel right!!

Crisis averted!!

WHEW!!

That was a close one!

I am sure that my sweetie was on standby with a small plate of dark chocolates, and foot massage chaser in case I was about to go to FULL MELTDOWN MODE!!!

Have I told you I really LOVE THAT MAN!?!?!?! πŸ˜‰

Anyway, now that my freak out has passed, my official plan for the evening is to spend some time “Arting” up in my art studio, and do some more class reading – I am ALMOST caught up, so I have got to keep on keeping on!!

Thank you for hanging with me during my time of “crisis”!! If only ALL crisis blew over so smoothly!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Stevie Wonder and Some Homemade Potato Soup!

Good evening!

I love laughing with my sweetie!! Jason and I just watched one my favorite episode of the Cosby Show, yes, I said the Cosby Show! That is how we roll here in Christinaville!! LOL!! This episode is the one where Stevie Wonder’s limo is in a car accident with Theo and Denise. Well, long story short Stevie Wonder invites the family to come to the recoding studio where they proceed to help him record a song! It is just too funny!! I have always LOVED watching the Cosby Show, Claire and Cliff Huxtable’s relationship is always so idylic, yes I realize it is fiction, but I can’t help but be happy when watching one of these reruns.

Jason is in the dining room right now, playing his guitar. He is doing such a great job teaching himself how to play, I am just so proud of him.

Today was the first day of his new job, and it sounds like he is going to be very happy there, which makes me sooooo excited for him!! He has been hired on at one of the local storage companies to be a handyman for their facility. That is so right up his alley, having always been a Mr.Β  Fix-it! And it sounds like he really enjoys his bosses, so that is always a HUGE plus!!

As for the homemade potato soup? Well, since it was Jason’s first day, I decided to make him some ham and potato soup, which I had never done before, but I know how much he likes to have a hearty soup. So, as soon as I got home from work, I got busy chopping vegetables, sauteeing, boiling, brewing, and just having a good time playing in the kitchen by myself. Well, the moment came for him to try it, and I was nervous, but of course I had nothing to worry about – Jason ate TWO bowls full!!! Which is great because it is made of mostly veggies and broth!! SO delicious, and so healthy!! He made me feel like a million dollars tonight.

Before I leave for the evening, I can’t forget my 5 Grattitiudes:

  1. I am thankful that Jason has a job that he will be happy at
  2. I am thankful that God has gifted us with the joy of laughter and that we are able to laugh so easily together
  3. I am thankful that my family loves me, even if it is from afar
  4. I am thankful for friends at work, and for laughing at lunch so hard that we all end up crying & near hyperventilating
  5. I am thankful that God has blessed every day, and continues to bless us more and more

With that said,

Have a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

Note to Chunky Dunkers: I will see you tomorrow tonight at 7 pm!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! πŸ˜‰

An Aunt Dimity Kind of Sunday!

Good evening!

I have having a really good Sunday!!

I am reading the first book in the Aunt Dimity series, by Nancy Atherton. The first book is called, Aunt Dimity’s Death. This was one of the series that was left to me by my Grandma Kay, and I have to say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it!!! The book is fun, and the premise is interesting. Matter of fact, the character reminds me so my of my sweet Kay, and even her lovely cottage in the English country-side reminds me SO MUCH of the sweet, homey vibe that I always felt out at Kay’s beach house.

Here is the book description from the inside of the cover:

When Lori Shepherd was a little girl she used to lie in bed at night with a stuffed rabbit named Reginald and listen to her mother’s stories of the indomitable Aunt Dimity, who lived in far-off England. But now Lori is a newly divorced, down-on-her-luck grownup, her mother is dead, and Lori’s long since realized that Aunt Dimity was just a character in a comforting bedtime story.

Or was she? One day the bedraggled Lori is summoned from the latest of her dreadful temp jobs to the Dickensian law firm of Willis U Willis. There Willises Junior and Senior inform her that Aunt Dimity was indeed a real person–a very rich real person who’s just died and left Lori a respectable bequest. Unfortunately, there’s one catch: Lori must visit Aunt Dimity’s English cottage and find a secret hidden among the treasure trove of letters written by her mother and Dimity over the four decades of their friendship.

What begins a fairy tale in a improbably cozy setting becomes a mystery–and a ghost story–as Aunt Dimity’s gentle spirit leads Lori on an unotherworldly quest that Dimity could not fulfill in her own lifetime. And for Lori, Dimity’s bequest is even greater than she dreamed, as she discovers that in this life, true love can conquer all.

I am almost done with this first book, and I happened to get my hands on Aunt Dimity’s oatmeal cookie recipes, so I decided to make them for my sweetie today. They are very light, fluffy, and cake-like!! I HIGHLY recommend giving this easy recipe a try! I got a copy of this off of Nancy Atherton’s website.Β  πŸ˜‰

beth’s oatmeal cookiesΒ Β Β Β 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

  • Β 1 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 jumbo eggs
  • 5 tablespoons raisin water (see below)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In small saucepan, combine raisins with water and bring to boil; lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, reserve 5 tablespoons raising water, then drain raisins in colander.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and raisin water and mix well. Blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Add nuts if desired. Add raisins and combine well.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm on top when touched with your finger. Cool on wire racks.

DELICIOUS!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! πŸ˜‰

Nesting on a Saturday Night!

Good evening!

I am having quite a lovely evening at home hanging out with my sweetie! I am busy running around the house, nesting my little heart out. Redecorating, reorganizing, arranging fresh flowers, and generally just having a GREAT time!! I feel like I am totally in my element right now!!!

Jason and I went to lunch with a friend of ours, and then the three of us went to the movies and watched Captain America. Good movie, by the way – Captain America was EXTREMELY HOT! πŸ˜‰ I can’t wait to see the movie, The Avengers next Summer. There is something about the idea of Stark, Thor, and Captain America in the same movie – YUM!! Ok, so apparently I revert back to a teenage girl at a moments’ notice! πŸ˜‰

After dropping our friend, Don, off. Jason and I headed over to Borders to see if there were any good deals to be had, which I am happy to say that there were. πŸ˜‰ I did pick up a few books, but I didn’t stick around at all because it is not longer “my” Borders. I think I will make one more pitstop in about two weeks or so, there are a couple of literature books that I am really looking forward to adding to my collection, but if I can get them at a better deal, then it will be worth it to me to wait for it!

I wanted to tell you that the pictures this evening are all taking of my favorite building downtown. This building is the building that houses the US Bank downtown. It is called the Ladd and Bush Bank building, and was built in 1867. Isn’t it lovely??

As I finish toodling around the house tonight…

Have a FABULOUS evening! πŸ˜‰

Another Short & Sweet Post!

Good evening!

I am going to keep this post short this evening! My sweetie and I have just gotten back from the play The Underpants, put on by the Pentacle Theater. It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! and we had an ABSOLUTE MARVELOUS TIME!!!

While I go off to dream about the amazing fun and laughter that Jason and I have shared tonight, here are some pictures from this play!

If you ever get the chance to get out to this little theater, I would highly recommend it!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

Swim Night with the Kiddies!

Good evening!

Tonight Jason and I had some very special visitors this evening. Nette, Megan, and Morgan came over to join Jason and I swimming this evening. We used to have swimming nights once a week, and we got out of that habit quite a few months ago, and it was nice to swim with them again!

We started out by having grilled hot-dogs together with baked beans, and Jason even got the kids puffed Cheetos – how fun!! We impatiently waited the recommended half hour before we went to the pool, and I was sure that Morgan was just going to bust a gut having to be patient to get there!! πŸ˜‰

When we did finally get there, the pool was insanely-cold, so that part wasn’t too much fun, but it was fun playing with the kiddos, and hanging out in the not-too-hot-for-once hot-tub was pretty lovely. Jason and Morgan had fun making each other fall into the freezing cold water, that while I was enjoying the hot tub, all I could hear was Jason and Morgan both squealing with laughter!! πŸ˜‰ Which is quite a happy noise to listen too!!

The kids were very excited that when we got done swimming they were going to get an ice cream sandwich. Morgan was impressed that his ice cream sandwich had THREE flavors in it – it was a Neapolitan!!! πŸ˜‰ He just kept saying, “Look! It has more than one kind in it!” Too cute!!! πŸ˜‰

As you can see, Morgan was almost completely done in by the time they were getting ready to go home, but then again, I think we all were!! All-in-all, we really did have a great visit! I am not sure when we will get the opportunity again, but I sure do hope it is soon!! I really love these kiddos (Nette included!)!!! πŸ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

NOTE TO CHUNKY DUNKERS: Don’t forget, we are on for tomorrow evening around 7 – I will see you here!!! πŸ˜‰

Monday Night Date Night!

Good evening!

Jason and I have been having some trouble getting some quality time together, so to make up for it, we decided that we would do a Monday night date, and man did we ever have fun!!

First thing we did was head over to the Wild Pear downtown to have some dinner. Jason introduced me to their French Dipped sandwich, and OOH-WEE!!! That was soooo good!! The au jus was SIMPLY LIP-SMACKINGLY GOOD!!!

Jason was patient enough to let me stop and take a bunch of pictures of this bank, which just also happens to be my favorite building downtown. I will make sure to share those pictures tomorrow. What I do want to make sure I point out today is just how LOVELY this purse is that Jason is carrying – it just brings out his eyes!! HAHAHAHA!! What a good hubbie!! πŸ˜‰

There are so many beautiful little hidey-holes downtown that are absolutely PERFECT for taking a nice picture in!! Jason is standing next to a gigantic vine arbor that grows inside one of the alleyways downtown! I just LOVE how beautiful it is, and isn’t my sweetie so adorable?? Man, I really love that man!! πŸ˜‰

After walking a little ways, we ran across Jason’s FAVORITE coffee shop. Unfortunately it has closed, and Jason is still really blue about it!! It really was a cool little place, it is a shame that it closed!! πŸ™

Oh, but onto brighter news!!! Jason and I happened to be walking by the Pentacle Theatre’s ticket office, and we decided to go inside and see what was playing this Friday.

We saw that it was “The Underpants” written by Steve Martin, one of our favorite funny men, so Jason and I picked up tickets for this Friday night! We both are SOOOO EXCITED, and just CAN’T WAIT!! πŸ˜‰

Next Jason and I stopped to get something cool to drink together and while we were just chatting it up, I realized that I had lost his attention. “UHMM… helllooooo! I am up here!”

Oh, yes! That is right Mr. Man – you have SOOOO TOTALLY been caught!! LOL!!

We had such a nice time this evening – we really needed that! We both have been spending so much time taking care of others that we somehow forgot that we both need to be tending to each other too!! So, we are making a concerted effort to make sure that we are doing just that – and man, what a GREAT TIME we are having too!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

He’s Still Got It!

Good evening!

Jason and I had some lovely visitors yesterday while we were having our garage sale, and I had just happened to capture a few of the cutest pics that I wanted to share with you.

This is my nephew Morgan, and my niece Megan. I really miss these two cuties – we haven’t spent too much time together recently – their family has been SUPER-BUSY!! πŸ˜‰

Here is our nephew, John. I took 5 pictures of him, and he was frozen like a statue – EVERY single picture was IDENTICAL!! TOO FUNNY!! πŸ˜‰

This is our adopted free-spirited little sister, Cicily!! She is taking a break from helping with our garage sale to enjoy some rare Oregon sun.

Now, when these two get with their Uncle Jay-Jay hilarity ensues!! What you can’t see is that Uncle Jay-Jay is tickling them!! πŸ˜‰

and here is little Miss Megan acting shy peeking out behind her mamma!! I definitely need to get some Auntie Time scheduled!! We need to go get some serious pampering time in!!!

I hope you enjoyed these pictures! Even though their visit was short, we made a swim date to get together again on Tuesday – I REALLY can’t wait!!! πŸ˜‰

Until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening! πŸ˜‰