obsession

we have wetlands on the brain around here, so much excitement and energy! anyone who wants to join our facebook page, please let me know and i will send you the link. we are CRAZY excited that we just might be able to save our local wetlands. lots of meaningful hard work, so worth it!


hooray for me, i earned 3 leader awards and one was for my wetlands work, so happy!!

saving our wetlands

riot in the streets!

first annual wetlands riot, be there or be square!

5pm friday march 27h.... loynes and studebaker

happy 99th birthday camp fire!

my mom came to our meeting tonight to share about being the leader of my group growing up. another mom in my group also had a mom who was the leader of her group and they both shared their stories. the kids were hit or miss with the interest on all this, but i thought it was amazing to hear the stories! i told all the girls i PROMISED them when they were old like us, they would get chills and feel tearful remembering all the magical fun times they had with their camp fire friends. what a great meeting!

holy moly

we had our meet and greet today at the church our camp fire group meets at... a truly beautiful place

not many people know we have boys in camp fire now (for like 20 years i think) so we enjoyed having them with us today


this poor kid got baptized!

it looks worse than it was, this guy was just goofing on them but the picture came out crazy!

now THATS a good picture!
this month is camp fire birthday month, 99 years of camp fire! older than the scouts but not as well known. our meeting tomorrow night will be a celebration of the history of camp fire. my mom is coming and another parent with her mom (who was the leader of her group growing up). should be fun for the girls to see two sets of mother/daughter camp fire girl/leader and interview us on what it was like growing up in camp fire. i hope the other parents get a kick out of it as well. this is our third year together and already we have built up quite a history for the girls. soon lizzie will start her own camp fire journey, can't wait!

bulldozed

yep, thats what went down last friday on the wetlands near my house. a small chunk was sold off somehow and is being developed... even though there were no permits to do it. thats how politics works folks, the owner KNOWINGLY destroyed an area where nesting birds had just nested (it's spring right?) and didnt stop until it was all done. oh and now they say, ooops i guess we shouldnt have done that. what i have found out since beginning this journey to save this area is that people dont care about following the rules. they are greedy and they want every inch of land to be "productive" for the city. they have NO CLUE that open space is productive to the birds and bees and plants and trees. that we need it for our sanity and to produce fresh air for us to breath. i am so disgusted right now, even if they fine the owner, i am sure he knew what he was doing.

birds were flying around and looking for their nests after the bulldozers came through. in the paper there are people making comments that the "liberals" need to let go of this "eyesore." i tell you, why is having respect for what is naturally growing here an eyesore? i find buildings, stripmalls, cement, highly stylized and disneylanded out landscapes to be an eyesore. southern california is diverse and has areas that dry out in the summer and flood in the winter bringing with it plants and animals that flourish in this environment. why wouldnt we want to keep the last little bit of that alive and well? i just dont understand it. the article is here... to be continued i am sure. here is what i am talking about, this area is just below the bulldozed area, actually i believe a corner of this WAS bulldozed

bluebird crazy

stumbled on to this shop and couldnt pass up the bluebird necklace! it came in such an amazing package, i had my camera out snapping photos before i realized i hadnt even opened the actual NECKLACE yet! can you say flippen satisfied customer?? i can!

overcrowded to the max (emily got a new haircut)


so i can plant the box and get some carnations? sweet! i got a free pair of umbrella earrings (yes i am wearing them right now) and oh yeah, the necklace ROCKS as well...




ok, now i just have to get something simple enough to wear this with. the girls love it as well, always a good sign. happy thursday!

one more in case you couldnt see the little bluebird in there among all the other trinkets (a jeweled bee, branch, large round locket that lizzy loves and my camera is reflected in, large flower and just about any other cool thing you can think of) i think my flu is on its way out, hoping to be back to normal soon.

yeah dallas!

today was a good day

new owls completed

new vans are always good

new clips and ponies


a nice walk thru bungalows to the dallas clayton book reading




some hank sweetness!


thanks jen, this doll was a BIG hit. emily is currently sleeping with it and would not let it go all day. thanks again!!



had to add a few more, so many lovely pony tail shots. happy sunday! thanks again dallas for a lovely book reading!

crafting, winding down

poor emily, she wears uniforms to school which is great in so many ways, but she lacks cool outfits for the weekends. lizzie gets bags and bags of thrifted clothes from my dads thrift shop so she is always wearing something new and fabulous (add emily's hand me downs to that as well). for emily's birthday i splurged on some cute tops and a pair of capris from the local surf shop and she has been happily wearing them (thank god they fit!) on and off ever since. i wish i could fit in to the tops, they are so cute, maybe someday i can squeeze in to some new clothes. i have been dieting like a madman for a month now with a very slow slow result. i guess giving myself a year to lose this weight means IT WILL TAKE A YEAR! right?


my new owls are so awesome, they are turning out so cool. love them! not sure why i chose the red and yellow combo, but it works. i am loving the linen, gives them a fancier flair. at least thats what i think. i have gifts galore to make and then i hope to have a few in the shop. there is a neat kids store that just opened nearby i might try to peddle them to, we will see! i worked today (total hell patients, just one after the other, the worst blood clots in an arm i have ever seen, so sad!!!!) so i am happily ready for a day off tomorrow. lots of bike riding, sewing and a visit to our local children's bookstore to hear dallas clayton read his book, can't wait!! happy weekend to you.

goodbye sweet charlotte

my sweet charlotte, drove us all crazy but was pure goodness to the bone. lots of tears here tonight and a creepy sky today on my lunch walk made me sappy... do you believe in doggy heaven? i think it would be a fun place to visit!

the lost disc

just a few from the lazy j disc i found

mr sweetness this guy was, pink eyed and bushy tailed. unfortunately today we have to put charlotte to sleep, she has probably pushed the envelope on life a bit. totally my fault but i felt as long as she was full of spunk she should still be here with us. i found her at a shelter in virginia back in ultrasound school so she is about 16 years old and has been falling steadily apart for about a year now. honestly, she has always been a neurotic dog, a total hound and not much of a pet. but she is super sweet and harmless, she was the funnest puppy ever (with her bird point and freeze stance). so todays the day and i am thankful chris will take her in. we have another elderly dog who may follow right behind, i knew this year was going to be like this. just gotta muster through.

gvl birthday bash

this was the easiest birthday "party" i have every put together. maybe we should do this more often

first up: snowball fight

add dad into the mix

he really shakes it up

with the shovel snowfall throw




off to our candle making adventure with sandy






izzy (with mountain sickness) makes a cool candle

the birthday girl

getting ready for the "trough"

present opening

trough time



a new family tradition (i highly recommend, its easy and the kids love it!)


slumbering part



video game reality


thank you card writing (to sandy for the candle making class)

last day snow play




happy birthday emily!