Singing a different Song Today

~ Courtney & Alex 2 years old ~

To all you out there that have kids..does it seem just like yesterday we held them in our arms, kissed their boo boos, and changed their diapers? Time is something we cannot get back. So those of you that have little ones cherish every moment. Time is a fleeting thing, it seems like yesterday that I was singing a goodnight lullaby to my little ones. Now I'm singing a different song...one of letting go....In 4 days Courtney (19) off to college and tomorrow my "baby "Alex" will be turning 14. I am so proud of them both, I am so blessed to have such special girls in my life....**tears of joy and sorrow****

Win a Nook? You Betcha!

Wouldn't it be great to win one of these? I do a lot of reading but dragging all the books along with me in my purse gets a little annoying! I would love to win this Nook from the Ten Years of Jenn Nook Giveaway! This gal has been blogging for ten years now and she is down to earth,
humorous and fun! Love ya Jenn!

Follow me on Bloglovin!

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This Blonde Needs a Little Help

Okay friends I am entering this giveaway and need your help to win! “Win a $100 GC from Shopbop from alamodest.com! You can you find the link here on Facebook and it would help me out if you like my comment on this Giveaway.
Who doesn't like a little Free shopping? This blonde sure could use it! Thanks!

Enchant Me Designs: Mixed Media With Suzi Blu: Gigi Stamp

Enchant Me Designs: Mixed Media With Suzi Blu: Gigi Stamp: "I Love Suzi Blu! She has inspired me to live life through Art & Fur Babies!




I Love Gigi!


Get your gigi stamp at: Unity Stamp Co | Suzi Blu

Enchant Me Designs: Art at the Speed of Life

Enchant Me Designs: Art at the Speed of Life:
"My awesome Art teach Suzi Blu is featured in Pam Carrikers book 'Art at the Speed of Life.' ~ Motivation and Inspiration for making Mixed m..."

Ohraa

I thought I'd explain a little about my connection with the military and how it coincides with my disposition. It may seem a little bit of a stretch of my outward appearance but, its always been in some way a part of my life. I have been drawn to warfare video games and have watched every military movie and documentary I think has been out. And why? I grew up looking up to a man in uniform, a Marine, my father, my hero. A man who would take me to the firing range on weekends so he could qualify, and sit and watch endless combat driven movies with me and discuss tactics and procedures. How to defend myself in hand to hand and pitch a tent while sporting an ass pack. Eating those awful tasting M.R.E.'s as snacks and as meals when food was low at the home front. My favorite were the peanut butter and crackers. The powdered milk on the other hand was just plain awful.
I may have been in a way the son he didn't have but, I didn't mind. I was a tomboy and proud of it. I could catch more fish than any other boy my age at the time. I even had a paper route at the age of eleven which my dad would wake with me at o dark thirty on Saturdays and Sundays to deliver papers. I can still hear his relentless revely, revely, 1st call to breakfast wake up calls.
When it came time to graduate I had already had a visit from the Marine recruiter and passed all the tests to enlist. But, my passion for art and writing is what lured me to follow that dream. I do look back and think where and what I could of become if I chose the route of a soldier. I just know in my heart my dad is proud of me of the person I have become, thanks to him.

Enchant Me Designs: Golden Goddess

Enchant Me Designs: Golden Goddess: "Liisa Elder (C) 2011 This is another incomplete drawing of another 'Goddess' I'm doing a few of these before I go to my next lesson so ..."

Enchant Me Designs: Art With Soul

Liisa Elder (c) 2011

Enchant Me Designs: Art With Soul:
"Liisa Elder (c) 2011 Another of my many faces I'm continuing to work on, now using warm and cool colors, lots of layering with crosshatchin..."

Enchant Me Designs: Adding Color to Graphite Sketches

Enchant Me Designs: Adding Color to Graphite Sketches: "Here's looking to a very creative and productive year with my art. As I continue to practice my shading and getting the hang of drawing pr..."

Baby Gifts With Special Meaning

When I choose baby gifts for friends and family I always want to give them something that will be unique and meaningful. Something with that little something extra. A little personalization goes a long way like using the babies name or initials incorporated in some way. So when I found this cute little flip stool, I just smiled. How cute is this? The child's stool can be personalized with the child's first name at no extra cost which a big plus! This is a gift that a little one will love. They can use it to reach counters to help mom cook, or brush their teeth! A gift like this is one that I would certainly love to give or receive!

Are these the Right Bridesmaids Gifts?

I think we have all been there. Receiving a gift that we could really live without. Something that was given to use that we chuck to the back of the closet. Now we can't really get away with giving our close friends something that we know that we ourselves don't even like! Let's say for instance you need to buy bridesmaids gifts or gifts for the groomsmen. These are people that we have known for years. We don't want to disappoint them or embarrass ourselves by giving them gifts that are no more than adequate. Why not give them something that they can use? Something you yourself would really love to get? How about a cool flask, tote bag, or nice piece of jewelry? The simple thing to ask yourself is would I like this? This is the sure way to know the right answer!

What are You Thankful For?

Well, Christmas is upon us yet again. I remember when I was a kid it took forever for it to arrive! But now that I have grown-up (well I'll never grow up) but, time is going by way to fast! My kids are teen-agers now and, I miss the times when they still believed in Santa Claus. I would hide wrapping paper and special tags that I would secretly wrap gifts from Santa. Now that the secret has been out for years now I still stuff their stockings with Santa gifts. I don't want them to grow up! We have our snow fall over Thanksgiving and I'm wondering if we will be lucky enough to have a white Christmas or not. We will have to wait and see I suppose.
I am just thankful that we have a wood stove that keeps us more than warm without the huge energy bill. I am thankful for having a wonderful hardworking and thoughtful husband, two great girls, an awesome mother-in-law, and four cool fur babies.
I hope that each and everyone of you really enjoys your holiday this year. I am reflecting on so many things I am thankful for and I wish you all the best this season and New Year.
Hugs to you all!

Happy Holidays!

I decided to draw our holiday Christmas Card this Year. I used shutterfly to create cards to send out.
I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season & New Year!

Funky Christmas Pink 2010 Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

The Beach

The beach is probably my favorite place to be. I love the smell of the air, the sand between my toes and the crashing of the waves. My sister lives down in Long Beach WA and at one point of my life I did as well.
I still enjoy escaping to the small secret places that only the "locals" know about. Getting away from the television, cell phones and computers is a must for me. Don't we all need to escape reality once in awhile? The day this picture was taken there was not a cloud in the sky, just a slight breeze and warm enough to wear shorts. This was just about the most perfect day you could ask for down on the Washington coast. There aren't many of these days so i cherished every minute of it.

Working from Home

I love my job for many reasons. The fact that I work from home is just one of them. I can literally, get up, grab my cup of coffee, and turn on my computer and I'm at work! My dogs seem to relish in the idea of mom being home all day to cuddle up with or keep the feet warm. In this picture you see Bowie (under my desk) my five year old peki-pom-chi who is my baby. The little guy is his son one of two pups that where born on Valentines day. My youngest daughter now has her very own dog whom she named Kodiak. (Kodiak like the bear because, he looked like a bear cub when he was born.) These little guys are much like my kids but the perk? They don't sass back and love me unconditionally! Cheers!

Shopping - One of my Favorite Things!

I have asked myself this question so many times today, "Wasn't it just Halloween yesterday?" Now Thanksgiving has fallen right into my lap and, I am in a bit of a panic! This year I feel like I am behind in everything! I'm usually done with my shopping, wrapping and decorating before I sit down to help myself to a helping of turkey and mashed potatoes! What is a girl to do when don't have enough time in a day to get your "to do list" done! I have come to the decision to take part in some Black Friday Sales and get a few gifts for the little ones in the family.
So, rummaging through countless ads and searching high and low online I found a few really good sales I want to hit. I may even skip the long lines and waking up at o dark thirty to fight over a few toys that I could easily find online at BigSmiletoys.com. Yes, from the comfort of my sweats and uggh boots and a nice big cup of Java, I can sit at the computer with bed head and shop! The best thing is I have from Friday Novemeber 27th through Monday the 30th to Free shipping when on orders of $50 or more with free gift wrapping! I don't want to be a scrooge so I'm sharing this Sale with you! Get those kids toys you would anywhere else without the hassle of all the other crazy shoppers out there!

Fall's Entrance

I have to admit I'm a warm weather type of person so, now that Fall has come I get into a little bit of a down mood. I know that darkness will soon hover over most of the day since the sun will go down sooner. I feel like crawling up into a ball in front of the wood stove and falling into a hibernation until Spring time again. But, that would mean missing out of some of my favorite Fall and winter things to do.
The upside I use this hibernation period to do my art, and crafts. I love to make jewelry and do scrap booking, crochet scarves and paint. I indulge in these things not to only pass time but, I truly enjoy doing them. I also, along with my younger daughter go all out when decorating for Halloween. She and I spend a whole afternoon setting up the front porch with cobwebs, spiders, rats, and all the good scary stuff. Last year I made two life size dummies of Jason and Micheal Myers from Halloween. With the fog machine going at night really scares the poor kids! Its one of my favorite holidays along with Christmas. I think it all started a couple years ago right after Thanksgiving, that I continually play "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase. I loved it just running in the background with the familiar little jingle going just adds to the tradition around here, the Crazy and funny family that we are. I think I drove my husband nuts quoting all the line of the movie. The girls loved it too and I think this is something they will always remember when the have their own home and family. It would make me so happy to think one day I would be visit their home for Christmas and they would have "Christmas Vacation" playing on TV.
Well, since fall has made an entrance to a long stretch of winter and hopefully snow, I will post pictures of what we do around the house during the solitude months!

Wanted! Blonde Jokes & Stories!

I would love to hear about some "blonde moments" you or someone you know have been so lucky to experience!
This is just for fun so why not? Do you have a good joke or a funny story? Please lets hear about them! Because, without all those blonde moments life would be so dull! It's okay to laugh at yourself! Heck, I do it on a daily basis!

(You can leave a comment and be totally anonymous!)

Happy Monday!

Don't we all have days like this? The phone doesn't stop ringing, your computer is loading too slow, you mess up on HTML, you cant find a file, an email or your coffee cup!
Have a great rest of the week!