A Day at the Beach ~

 This was Jordyns first time in the ocean...and it had been almost 7 years for Justin and i...

so we decided to spend a day at the beach...

I think we can all agree that the beach rules!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 But first, id like to share with you this fabulous breakfast ive eaten every morning for 3 days...the #7 special machaca & eggs from Prontos...

 Good Cal-Mex food is hard to come by in Colorado...most of it is more Tex-Mexy, and take out is definitely hard to come by where we live, so i have been enjoying fabulous take-out here every day!  Besides, who wants to dirty the kitchen with breakfast plates on Thanksgiving morning :)

 Jordyn was very fascinated with the Turkey, so she wanted to help Aunt Denise with the bird prep.  She enjoyed stuffing the turkey, but wanted to know what happened to all of the turkeys feathers.

 Jordyn's cousins are all boys, so they are very much into video games...jordyn, not so much!  So her cousin Chucky set up a fun skiing wii game to see if she might like to play with them...and she did.  Here she is playing against Chucky, while James pouts in the background because we made him turn off his shoot-em-up game, which isnt really little kid friendly :)

 Then it was time for family photos...just look at the perfect weather we had...

 and i just love this photo of the cousins together...the last time they were all together, Jordyn was only 11 months old.

 Dinner was absolutely fabulous...moms gravy turned out dark and delicious, and the turkey was moist and yummy!  The usual sides were also great...green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn and of course, the stuffing!  (one with sausage, one without)  Guess which one i had :)

 Justin joined the cousins at the kids table, while i sat next to my little nephew Corey, (whos not so little anymore), at the big kids table.  Just look at this spread!

 Then it was time for the mac junkies to get their surfing on...we are definitely a "connected" family! 

 We watched our cousins Greg and Christy on tv take first place at the World Champion Punkin Chunkin in Delaware for the centrifugal category, which was awesome!  Go team Inertia II !  Then it was time for board games and craziness!

 We played the Disney version of "scene it", which was a little harder than i thought it would be, but in between turns, we were entertained by Jordyn and James with a dance...

 Then after some late night snacking and cocktails, it was time for ice-cream...

Jordyn crashed out only minutes after this photo...and i followed close behind!  It was a magical day filled with lots of laughter, joy and good times.  I hope your holiday was the same!  Cheers~

My Old Stompin' Grounds~

 We are having a great time in California, hanging with family for the holidays!  I havent been there in almost 5 years, so it was definitely time for a visit!  Jordyn is enjoying time with her cousins, but especially time with grandma (who, naturally, is spoiling her rotten)!  She also cant get over how different the trees are out here (palm trees), and has decided these trees are awesome.

 We spent our first day at the Getty...an absolutely beautiful museum with gorgeous architecture and gardens.  My sister has taken the week off to be our chauffeur, which is great, because the traffic here is a total nightmare!  I am always reminded of why i moved, when i spend a little time on the 405!  ugh!

 But back to the Getty...

 Jordyn did rather well, considering shes 5 and wanted to run all around.  Thankfully, they have a family room, where the kids can cut loose and have fun, yet still learn about art!

 One of my favorite things at the Getty is their collection of illuminated manuscripts, but you have to admit, the view is rather spectacular too...

 After 2 hours in traffic all the way home, we were greeted with a wonderful meal of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread prepared by my brother-in-law, Chuck.  Yummo!  Thanks Chuck!

 Then it was time for the cousins to run around being silly and having fun.  Watching the kids play together reminded me of our visits to Colorado to hang with our cousins when we were little.  The adults hang around the kitchen having cocktails and sharing laughs, while the kids goof off in the other rooms, getting into who knows what kind of trouble!  :)

 Since im still on Colorado time, i woke up hours before everyone else...but check out the view i had all to myself.

 Yesterday we hung at the house, relaxing and visiting with family again.  My sister, TJ, came over to bake pies, while my mom prepared the stuffing for tomorrow.  We enjoyed take-out (something i definitely miss in the mountains),  Mexican for breakfast and Chinese for Dinner.  Afterwords, i did 2 miles on the treadmill and then took a soak in the hot tub!  Yep, vacations definitely dont suck!

Meanwhile, we presented grandma with her birthday present, and it looks like she likes it!  We are having a great time, but we certainly miss our kitties...thank you Mena for taking care of them!  Stay tuned for more holiday updates...and Happy Thanksgiving!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Forty Six

Week Forty Six : A girl and her cats

We had a successful photo shoot today while trying to get the perfect Christmas card photo.  

I decided to make this one the photo of the week...i just love the way she is sitting in this picture and the balance created by the cats coming down the bridge.  I applied a vintage action to the photo in photoshop, and i really liked the effect.  Can you believe its week 46 already?  

Here are a few more pictures from the shoot...

and finally...the photo chosen for this years Christmas card...

i kept getting her typical smile in all of the shots, so i was thrilled to capture her with a genuine smile and laughter on her face.  Happy Sunday Everyone!

Eddies Ties ~

 Well, here it is...only my second quilt completed for the year, but im soooo glad its finished!  This mini quilt is made out of my grandfathers ties (looks like someone retired in the 70's)  :)  hehehe
  I have never worked with ties before, and they were a bit of a challenge.  So many different textures...slippery silks vs course thick polyester...lots of fraying...and of course, they were all difficult to keep straight (which made it a little tough to keep it totally square).  I did a few things differently than i normally would...i hand tied it instead of quilting it...so its a "tied" tie quilt...i also stitched down the binding by machine...i wanted it to have a more finished "suit" look, and i was in a hurry to get the thing put together before any more of the fabrics started fraying :)
  But, its finished, and i think it came out rather fun.  I think my mom will enjoy looking at all of her fathers old ties and perhaps it will stir some fond memories for her.  Besides,  that's what these kind of gifts are all about!  Her birthday is in December, so im taking a chance posting it early...but she never checks my blog, so i think it will be okay to post early :) Happy Early Birthday Mom ~

  Its a beautiful snowy day out right now...a perfect day to keep cozy inside!  Cheers ~

Where Did November Go?

 okay, so i know we have almost two weeks left..but good grief!  The time seems to be flying by!  With all the activities at school, swim class on Sundays, and general preparations for Thanksgiving, wow!  I sat down to back up some photos and realized i hadnt done that in 6 months....oops!  But now i am caught up on that, and thought i would catch you up on our last week...

 Here are a few more frozen bubble photos for ya...i dont know if the pictures do it justice, but it was really quite spectacular to look at these in the ice.  Sadly, it snowed that evening and the bubbles are gone, but i am glad i was able to get a few good shots first!

 Earlier this week they had an awards ceremony at Jordyns school...she received an award for her eagerness to learn.  "She shows up at school with great energy and enthusiasm",  and the teacher encouraged her to continue her good work.  Look how proud she is of her new ribbon!  Im rather proud too :)

 For hot lunch on Wednesday, there was a delicious Thanksgiving feast served, and family and friends were invited to join the kids for lunch.

 The kids looked so cute in their little pilgrim hats and collars.  Their teacher does this with the kids every year and i think its great.

 After all that dessert, there was a fun activity planned for the kids...it involved this giant colorful parachute, running around, playing shark, and lots of laughter!  They had an absolute blast!!!

 Yesterday, with the pond froze over, Jordyn and Daddy decided to have some fun on the ice....

 Our neighbor, Mena, decided to join them :)  Our pond is a little bumpy right now...the last snow sort of ruined the skating pond...for the moment, but we plan to smooth it out soon, and then we will be ready with ice skates!

 Bumpy or not though, that doesnt mean we cant have fun!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

Meanwhile, ive been working on a gift for my mom for her birthday, and im almost finished with it (i hope), so i will post those photos soon!  Stay warm and have a fabulous weekend!