Holiday Fundraiser to Benefit Several Charities

To all my blog readers, if you are anywhere in the vicinity of Benicia, CA., on Saturday, November 7th, stop by and check out this holiday fair and fundraiser.  I'll have a booth there!  The event benefits several charities, plus gives many of the self-employed women in the area (like me) a chance to display their products and services.

Be sure to bring the kids to see Santa!

First Christmas for the Newlyweds . . .

. . . and we were there!
Dianna and Rodrigo in front of their first Christmas tree, in their little house in Oxnard, CA. It was fun spending a few nights there; we were the first ones to use their guest room so Mike and I felt quite honored. We had a super-comfy bed with thick comforters and we were toasty warm every night in spite of the cold snap that had hit southern Cali with a vengeance.
This is the cross-stitch wedding record that I made for them. It was a lot of work, and there were a few technical difficulties because I made some modifications in the pattern and kit, but I worked them out, and I think it turned out real nice.

Here's my fave gift:
Rodrigo and Dianna gave me (among other things) a cashmere sweater and, can you believe it at my age, it's my FIRST cashmere anything! Love the color, one of my favorites, burgundy - YUM. This will be a treat to wear. You can see how super-soft it is!

The "kids" have three cats. Two are identical solid black female kittens, about 6 months old or so, Meeka and Maddy. They are nearly impossible to tell apart. Here they are playing in a pop-up cube that Mike and I brought to them:
They love it! Pancho, the third cat, likes it, too, but he's a bit older (and more dignified) and preferred spending most of his time in our laps:
Isn't he awesome? Of course, I do have a soft spot for orange male tabbies, dontcha know. He has a curly tail, too, of which this picture doesn't do justice. It curls right up over his back just like a Norwegian Elkhound! I've never seen anything like it on a cat before. I really think he should be in the movies.

We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve because Dianna had to go to work early on Christmas Day, but Rodrigo was a great host and made us a fabulous Christmas morning breakfast; cinnamon french toast, hash brown potatoes, a fancy egg scramble, and french-pressed coffee.
What a guy!
I did the dishes - in my pajamas, of course!

Merry Christmas!

A blessed Christmas to all!

One of my Favorite Holiday Cookies

(photo courtesy hersheys.com)

Peanut Blossom Cookies
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 T. milk
1 tsp. soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
48 chocolate kisses

Combine all ingredients together except candy kisses in large mixing bowl. Mix on lowest speed of mixer until dough forms. Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each. Roll balls in sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Top each cookie immediately with a candy kiss. Press down firmly so cookie cracks around edge.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Let the Turkey Hoarding Begin

My first conscious thought this morning was "Turkeys go on sale at Safeway today!" With any $25 purchase I could buy up to two turkeys for $5.99 each (up to 16 lbs.) or $7.99 each (over 16 lbs.). While supplies last, of course!

So the first item on my To-Do List for today was "Buy turkeys at Safeway." I was there by 9 a.m. and already there was a crowd around the turkey bin! But it was a friendly crowd, retirees and stay-at-home-Moms, and others with schedules flexible enough to be at the grocery store on a weekday morning.

I bought two of the larger turkeys, each over 18 lbs. They're frozen, which is fine, because they have gone straight into my freezer. We won't be cooking them anytime soon. Since we always go to my Mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner the turkeys we buy are often not cooked until after the holidays. That's why I call it "turkey hoarding." We buy them at the great holiday sale prices and then save them in the freezer until January or February.

If you've never cooked a turkey dinner with all the trimmings in January or February, or even March or April, you're missing out! Just the smell of the turkey cooking makes an ordinary day feel like a holiday. It's especially fun to do this smack in the middle of the week.

Of course, this year, since Mike is off on his sailing trip and will miss Thanksgiving, we'll probably cook a turkey in mid-December, after he returns.

Hm, I think I'd better go buy a couple more turkeys!

Cinco de Mayo at Angel Island

A little group of my family members stole away on Monday and went to Angel Island to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We consisted of Mike and I; my sister Denise, her husband, Dave, and two of her kids, Jenny and Adam; my sister Karen and her friend, Jen; and my cousin Laurel and her two boys, Bryce and Bradley. Above photo, left to right: Mike, Denise, Laurel, Karen (carrying Bradley), and Jen.
Bradley was so good; when our hike quickly became too much for his 2-year-old legs, he allowed us to simply pass him around like a sack of potatoes.
Bryce, 5, spent some of the day on Mike's shoulders. Sorry, Jenny, it looks like your spot has been taken over now that you are too tall for this mode of transportation!


Some of us travelled to Angel Island by sailboat, on the Mirage.
Usually, Mike does most of the driving. This time he had help from Captain Adam, who was at the helm just about the entire way and took his duties very seriously!
Jenny sat in the bowsprit and kept a sharp eye out for submerged navigational hazards.
Others arrived on the ferry from Tiburon. There's Karen, Jen, Laurel, Bradley, and Bryce.
Well, we had to have a pinata! It was Cinco de Mayo, after all! Mike worked the rope and the three boys took turns having a go at it with a big stick. It was an extraordinarily well-constructed pinata but they did finally manage to smash it open. Laurel helping the boys gather up candy. Bradley looks like he's found something he especially likes!

Adam and Bradley gathering up goodies. We had hoped for warmer weather but got a partly-cloudy day with more cold wind than we liked. But at least it made for a good kite-flying activity. In the late afternoon we spent some time aboard the Mirage - mainly to warm up! Bryce enjoyed "sailing" the boat.We were even treated to a little parade of geese; Mom and Papa at the front and rear, and the goslings in the middle. Happy Spring!

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

I've crossed another item off my Bucket List! I spent Mardi Gras IN Louisiana!! This picture shows me standing in front of the apartments that my friends, Judy, Ruth, Sabrina, and I stayed in on our first night in Louisiana. Ruth's friends, Kent and Tookie, let us use their apartments right IN the French Quarter!
The first thing we did the next morning was head directly over to the famous Cafe du Monde and have their world-famous beignets. Ohhhhh, they were heavenly. They are a square donut-type pastry, but even better tasting, sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar, and served warm straight from the fryer. Amazing!

That meal sort of set the stage for the rest of our week-long trip which turned out NOT to be all about Mardi Gras, but all about Cajun food! Check out all the stuff they serve at the restaurant/market in the photo below!Truly, the food is the reason to go to Louisiana, if you ask me, the food and the incredibly friendly people. I'm the sort that wants to try local cuisine, especially if there's something I've never had, and I had ample opportunity for it on this trip. More on that later!This is a picture of (allegedly) Brad Pitt's house. I don't remember exactly what parish or little town this house is in, and I say allegedly because although we drove by this house a number of times we never did see anyone outside, let alone Brad, Angelina, or their kids. Isn't it a beauty, though? And totally surrounded by very old, very stately and gorgeous oak trees hung with moss. I knew Brad lived somewhere near New Orleans from hearing about his Make it Right Foundation on the Ellen Degeneris show. The foundation is raising money for post-Katrina re-building and Ellen (who was born in New Orleans) spent most of January helping raise money for the foundation.

Speaking of Katrina damage, I'll be posting some photos of the damage I saw when Larry drove Ruth and I through the 9th Ward, which was hard hit. I'm still going through the nearly 1,000 photos I came home with, weeding out the bad ones (way more than I like to admit!) and I'll also be receiving copies of the pictures taken by my friends, so I may post some of those as well.

Also speaking of Katrina damage, let it be known that Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, is NO LONGER underwater!! The people there are very anxious for tourism to return to its pre-Katrina level because so many people make their living from tourist dollars. I HIGHLY recommend a visit there; you will love it. From the lovely old plantations, to the fascinating Bayou, to the FOOD, and the crazy Cajun patois, you'll love it!!

I'll be posting more photos and info about my trip there in future posts so I hope you'll check back soon! (Better yet, go to http://www.bloglines.com/ and register to recieve automatic notification whenever I update my blogs!) You won't be sorry!!

Puzzle-mania

What's more fun on a cold January day than a jigsaw puzzle?? Michael decided that having done one at his grandparent's house over the holidays, he needed to go to Target and buy another that he could put together at my house. He picked out one with a Thomas Kincaid picture and 1000 pieces! Now, I used to do a lot of jigsaw puzzles as a kid, but I never did one with that many pieces and it was a challenge! Of course, Michael did 90% of it, but Mike and I did help a little!

Here's the finished puzzle; only Michael would think to try picking it up to display it for a photo! One piece did fall off the edge but was quickly grabbed from the floor before the cats could capture and eat it.

Jack (one of the thwarted cats) decided to show his displeasure in another way:

Actually, I think Jack is showing how much he LIKES jigsaw puzzles!

We had a good time with the puzzle, especially Michael, who I think may have stayed up pretty late a couple of nights. I may have to buy a few more!

My friend, Judy, mentioned awhile back that she does jigsaw puzzles on-line so (and here's the danger of the internet!) I went and googled "on-line jigsaw puzzles." Holy smokes, there's tons of websites offering jigsaw puzzles that you can do on-line! I'm going to try a few out, but I do hate to get caught up in yet another addictive behavior because I'm very prone to them!

I was also talking to my sister, Karen, on the phone today and she mentioned a website that she's currently addicted to called ravelry.com. It's for knitters and crocheters and you can upload photos of your needlework projects, keep track of progress on them, share patterns and tips, look at other people's work, etc., etc., etc. I tried to "join" but got put on a waiting list! That's a first. But as soon as I get my "invitation" to join I will be uploading a photo of my now infamous purple and green socks. And then I'll go and look at all the stuff Karen has uploaded. She says you can even post photos of your stash - you know, all that yarn you have stashed away but haven't done anything with yet....!

Judy, you need to check out ravelry.com and try to wean yourself off of those jigsaw puzzles! Or...should I be sending Karen to the jigsaw puzzle sites....????

Happy New Year!!!

From our house to yours! Here's a photo of hubby Mike reading in front of the fireplace on New Year's Eve. That's our little girl tabby, Scout, in the catbed. We had all three of our cats in front of the fire all evening. It was a nice quiet New Year's . . . we relaxed in front of the fire and t.v. until midnight when we opened the back door so that we could hear the neighbors banging on pots and pans, shooting off firecrackers, and yelling "Happy new year!!" It was great! Jack and Scout didn't think so, though, and ran under our bed to escape the noise. Bo didn't even notice because he's pretty much deaf!

Today we slept late (ok, the cats and I did - Mike was up early) and are spending the day inside where it's warm. I have had a cold so am not at all inclined to go anywhere today. I'm so happy it's January because that's my favorite month of the year. It's a time for new beginnings, but it's also a time to do a little hibernating, putter around the house in slippers, pull out old needlework projects and finish them, handwash a few delicate things, take naps, bake bread or cookies (or both!) and stir up a big pot of tapioca pudding with extra vanilla. It's the quiet after the storm of the holidays.

I'm also dreaming about spring, and what kinds of flowers I'll plant in my garden this year, and wondering when the first buds will appear on our fruit trees. Living in California, we don't have a brutal winter like so many other parts of the country, but we certainly have our share of cold, wet, and dreary days. It's partly cloudy today, and there's a cold wind shaking the last of the leaves off the trees and outside in the cat's garden the first of the daffodils has come up! Brave little yellow faces, I think of them as being the first sign of spring . . . but it's only January First! I wonder if that means an early, early spring this year? Or perhaps a long, slow, and gentle awakening. . .

I'm ambivalent about making new year's resolutions this year . . . it's always frustrating to make them and then not keep them. Last year I resolved to buy only American-made products for a year. That lasted about two days! Have you ever tried to buy anything (besides food) that wasn't made in China, or another asian country? Try it -- it's really eye-opening.

This year I'll need to come up with something easier. I'm thinking I will simply resolve to finish whatever I start without getting sidetracked onto something else. Actually, that might not be easy at all . . . as anyone who has ever watched me clean house can attest. Instead of working methodically through the house one room at a time I operate more like a ball in a pinball machine bouncing from one room to the next with no logical plan. I can tell you this is not at all condusive to getting the house cleaning done; it takes a lot longer, and usually I end up with all the rooms sorta clean but none of them completely clean and then finally I pick up a book to put it away and instead I sit down on the couch and read. Well, but at least reading takes my mind off the dirty house!

A happy and prosperous New Year's to all, whether or not your house is clean!

My Best Christmas Gift Ever!

My boys laugh at me because every year when we put up our Christmas tree I say "it's the prettiest tree we've ever had" and for the last 4 or 5 years we've had an artificial tree. This year I got the best gift ever -- having BOTH of my sons with me on Christmas when I expected only one.

Michael, my younger son, has been in China this past year, teaching English at a university in Louyang City. I knew he wasn't going to be able to make it home for Christmas and was looking forward to seeing him in the U.S. when he came for a visit in January.

I was perplexed when my older son, Rodrigo, who lives in the L.A. area, began insisting that I drive from my northern Cali home to my parents' home for Christmas (they also live in the L.A. area). I had spent last Christmas with my mom and dad, I was just home from an 8-week sailing trip, and I really wanted to just stay home and relax. He kept it up, though, and even enlisted my mom's help in persuading me! Finally, I agreed, and drove the six hours to my parent's home. Well, the morning after I arrived I was expecting Rodrigo and his fiancee, Dianna, when I heard the doorbell ring. I went to answer it and who walked in right behind Rodrigo but Michael!!

Michael had drafted pretty much my entire family in an elaborate scheme to surprise me and boy did it work! I had NO idea that something like that was in the works. What a wonderful Christmas it has been! I never would have hoped to have had the chance to take the above photo of Michael on Christmas morning. Best of all, Michael will be in the U.S. for about 7 weeks and, in spite of having lots of family and friends he wants to visit, will be able to spend time with me because, as everyone knows, no one misses you like your mom, especially at Christmastime!

Here's my family as we gathered for Christmas Dinner at my mom's house. This is only a fraction of the members of my family as over the years we've become a frighteningly large group! And an ever-changing one, too, as we add a never-ending stream of spouses, in-laws, and new babies.
This most heartfelt wish I can offer you this year is that your Christmas was as wonderful as mine, and that you have just as much hope and optimism for the upcoming new year!

Life - It's for Living

Hello . . . and welcome to my blog!

I'm excited about blogging; I found blogs recently, began reading various ones and, well, I'm hooked! I feel like I have friends all over the world now. It's different from e-mail and even instant-messenger type communication. Blogs are where people write about whatever is on their mind, going on in their lives, or interests them. You really get a feel for the depth of a person by reading their blog postings.

This is my personal blog. I also have a blog for my business, "Webajeb Digital Photo Albums & Portfolios" where I blog about my experiences in getting a small business up and running, how the business is growing and changing, and new products and specials. It's called BlogWebajeb and you are welcome to read it by simply going to my website www.webajeb.com and clicking on the Blog link at the top of the Home Page.

THIS blog, however, is where I'll get more personal . . . and blog about my life & experiences, my passions, my heartaches & worries, and all the exciting changes that are going on in my little corner of the world.

For example, would you believe my husband and I BOTH just quit our high-tech jobs??? I'll be talking about why, and what we're planning to do next.

Other topics I can't wait to talk (blog!) about: Family, friends, travel, holidays, the "Baja Ha Ha," sailing, photography, digital (and traditional) scrapbooking, reading, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, handicrafts (love handmade items!), sewing, hiking, camping, handmade books & journals, gardening, writing, family reunions, cooking, cats, animal rescue, and whatever else pops into my head! I hope you'll visit my blog often and, please, leave comments!

More soon! Meanwhile, feel free to email me anytime!