getting ready for Camp Shiwaka

today was all about planning for camp shiwaka... we go all next week. our big planning meeting is sunday to plan our menu, design our t-shirts (found freezer paper at about the sixth place i went, started to get worried!) and make a mascot. our theme is polar express and MAN the weather is supposed to be over 100 degrees! i better add two or three extra ice chests full of ice and throw a wading in pool for us to dip into (that is actually a good idea!!) been working on a few things:

big time splurge, but i want to use if for Los Cerritos Wetlands trust AND camp fire... a lot of excuse making going on over here.

after reading this,

i have been fascinated by the different types of bags our local shops are providing. being a bag fanatic, some of these are really terrific!

and last... here is my inspiration board that needs to be replaced (the cork is tooooo thin) but i still love looking at it and plan on doing something similar in the living room. maybe getting something cool from here!

the garage is back in order.

stickers: first draft

who wants one!!!!

Camp Fire Summer Bonfire

Just for fun

i thought this was really cool, and as this is my favorite magazine, could never imagine my little pad being cool enough. but i guess when it is all cleaned up... it looks pretty good! check it out!

now here's a little reality check for everyone, ha ha!!!

so what did you do today?

people often ask me how my work schedule "works" so i thought i would try and explain it. a couple times a month i get a call from my "boss" and she tells me what hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices need coverage for the next month (vacation, maternity leave, vacancy when someone quits). the work can either trickle or flood in. i try my hardest to work part time, but lets say someone wants a two week vacation covered, i usually have to do the whole two weeks. so i will block off time around it to get stuff done around the house and spend time with the family. my kids have to be in full time daycare, even if i don't use it all because my hours vary so much. when the work is super slow, i find myself having to work graveyard shifts (HELL!!!) and taking call (triple HELL!) and going to super poopy places like beverly hills and santa monica (quadruple HELL for sure, sorry if you live there but traffic SUCKS!) i work with a group of techs and we all share the work, taking turns at places we might not want to go to, but we work together as a team. i like the ebb and flow of the work, some places i like better than others. some places are challenging, but i know i need the discipline. sometimes i work too much and then i cut back the next month, i can do that. which i like. so, today, there was a mixup (my fault) and i had no real plan for the day (nice!)

ok, so what did i do today on a scheduled work day that became a day off last minute (oh, i forgot to mention i actually have a wee account to cover tonight, but thats only for two hours about two blocks away, EZ!) well, i spent some time making this:

the inside is absolutely wacked out polysester (someone will have a gift waiting for them in their mailbox today)

and this:

first time i EVER sewed a zipper, so proud! this bag replaces this:

i hope this is small enough so you don't gag when you see it. my temporary makeup "bag" was way past it's prime!

cleaned up the pad (notice beach towels dry on the elliptical trainer and you can't see the crap stacked by the front door, careful angling with a bit of blur)

spent many more HOURS than i thought it would take to email my local city council members to stop the building of a home depot down the street, oh and "save the wetlands" mention too.

i did manage to have a special breakfast with emily before she went off to camp and spent time chatting with nancy and bill (who take care of lizzie and will be greatly missed when we start preschool in sept, don't worry we'll visit!!!) and now, a quick walk with the dogs, pick up kids, visit and kid drop off to grandparents and off to the two hour gig down the street. hope i can get to the wetlands meeting for the last hour of it, did i say this was a day off? geez!

Good morning!

nice to have the morning off! sleeping in, coffee at the computer, kids jumping on the bed, screaming and yelling, oh well...

flowers up close

i think i will shoot for a picnic lunch in the park today, after i make a few bags (another gift and a much needed make-up bag for myself... trying to learn how to sew in a zipper for the first time, may take all day!)

finally got a check from my wholesale order (half of it) and splurged this weekend on this (while shopping for cleavers wedding). i also bought some coach sandals (to wear to the wedding), which of course i can't find a photo of anywhere, maybe it's a good thing i don't show how much they cost. they are super comfortable though and the last time i spent this kind of money on shoes was when i bought a pair of black dkny sandals for a trip to france (first time with chris). i splurged major but guess what? i still have them and they still look great 10 years later.

the wetlands in the news

a great article was in the los angeles times this sunday, check it out.

this came in the mail today

feels like something is brewing out there on the horizon. tomorrow is the wetlands meeting, held every other month, i am hoping to make it there to catch at least the second hour. i was going to wait until the fall to fire up my bluebirds with button making, bumper sticker printing and t-shirt screening but i think we need to begin sooner than later. even though rumors abound regarding the sale of this treasured property, if it is sold and lost to developers, it could be lost forever. no sense in waiting around to find out, stay tuned! i see some serious craft projects in my near future, maybe a "wildlife" theme?

go to the wetlands website (on my right side bar) and read up on this amazing group of people who want to not only restore the wetlands to protect wildlife, but help clean up the beaches and make an exciting nature reserve (think "el dorado nature center at the beach" theme) that children can visit and help actively restore. if you are a local, please go to the news section and send emails to all the people who can make a difference, just type in your name and address and say: " PLEASE SAVE THE WETLANDS!" this is a critical time to speak out.

i am sure we all agree, we don't need more "do-it yourself" stores and strip malls, this is the last big chunk of open land we have here locally. it can be saved (and restored) but we all need to take a stand. californians seem to have a high tolerance for allowing development on every square inch of land and we are all paying for it now, very little open space remains and EVERYONE complains about it. this is something we can fight for, please help!

:) thanks in advance!