Our Summer Vacation, Part 1

This year we didn't do a fun-filled road trip, partially driving Route 66 to our destination... instead, we flew. It was a smooth flight, and other than worrying about the poundage of our single checked bag, all was well...


The next day we headed to see my parents in Nebraska. It was kinda hot, so we got a slip-n-slide and played in the water.


The following day was cooler, and we went crazy with activities! We did the Lincoln Children's Museum in the morning, and Simmons' Wildlife Safari in the afternoon.


The rest of the week we just relaxed and focused on fireworks and s'mores...


Well, that's week one! Stay tuned to read about our more eventful (and stressful) week two... oh, and more pics can be seen on my Flickr.

How cute is this?

Colin in his gi, ready for karate!

Summer Gift Guide and Giveaway!

The summer edition of the Handmade in California Gift Guide has launched! Check it out - it's full of beautiful items!

And it's giveaway time... every week look for something new! All you need to do is sign up for the mailing list and you're entered. Only a few emails a year are sent, and the list will never be sold or shared with anyone!

Ups and Downs

This week has been a very emotional one. A greatly respected artist on Etsy, Slavko, suddenly passed away this week. For those of you who are not familiar with him, he was always very supportive to fellow Etsians either through his beautiful treasuries or with suggestions and kind words in the forums and convos. I am lucky enough to have several pieces of his artwork that I will cherish. I would probably no longer be selling on Etsy if it hadn't been for his support. Slavko will be greatly missed. To read his tribute, please click here.



On a happier note, my beaded apple has been noticed by Etsy admin and included in the gift guide for teachers! I am very excited about this! Thanks, Slavko, for your encouragement!

We've had a busy week!

So much going on this past week - I think I'm so tired I could sleep like this guy...


Last Saturday we stood in line for over 3 hours to see Disney's Christmas Carol Train. It wasn't too bad, really. And Colin just loved it! You can see more pictures here.


The next day our plans changed at the last minute, so we headed to Travel Town in Griffith Park to ride the trains and have a picnic. We also rode the other train at Griffith Park, over by the pony rides. Colin also tried out a simulator ride and loved it, so we plotted when we could get him on Star Tours at Disneyland..


And this week was also Colin's last day in preschool. I guess he's officially a kindergartner now.. My baby is growing up! His class went to Wilson Park here in Torrance, for a train ride and playtime.


Yesterday was a very big day for my husband - he received a Civilian Career Service Award from the City of LA. Colin did well through the two ceremonies, even though he was bored silly.



Afterward we headed to Disneyland, where we met up with friends for a few hours of fun. And Colin did indeed ride Star Tours for the first time!

Add to that swim lessons, doctor appointments and physical therapy... am I glad this week is over! I now have a little less than a month to get the house cleaned and get packed for our trip to visit our parents.

But for today, I think we will simply hang out at home. :)

Everything is just beachy...

We had a lovely day yesterday - we went to Bolsa Chica State Beach! When we left home, it was hot and sunny. Then we got to the beach - chilly and foggy! We didn't even bring jackets, but we had fun anyway!





Colin played in the sand and went for a walk by (and in) the ocean with Daddy. We started our bonfire and some friends joined us. We cooked hot dogs and had s'mores. The kids all had a really good time, and we adults had a very relaxing
evening.



Hope you all have a good week leading up to the long weekend!

Chainmaille - not just for knights!

I have been playing around with chainmaille for a while, and I have finally listed my first piece! I know there are some of you out there who hear chainmaille and think of medieval knights.. It is such a versatile craft that you can make just about anything - I'm choosing jewelry for now. Watch my shop closely over the next month for new items!

Be the First!

I will be at my first show of the year this Saturday! If you are in the LA area, please stop by to say hello! If you do, you will be the first to see my new line of chainmaille jewelry! Included in the new items are bracelets, earrings, pendants, stretchy cuffs and a necklace. I am very excited about the new line! (so excited, in fact, that last night when I was having issues seeing the little rings to weave them into maille, I realized my contacts were in the wrong eyes!)

Update on my knee: I finally had an MRI this past week, and will find out results tomorrow. I'm hoping it will be something that can be fixed without surgery. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for a good outcome! UPDATED 4/30: No surgery! I will be going to physical therapy instead! :)

Update on my favorite little guy: My son went to Kindergarten Roundup this week. My baby is growing up! He seemed very happy - not sure he'll be so happy at this time next year when he's learning the basics of geometry, algebra and statistics... We definitely did not do anything like that when I went to kindergarten! It's a bit intimidating. On another note, we now have 5 butterflies! Colin has been waiting rather impatiently for his caterpillars to turn into butterflies. We'll take them to preschool Friday, and perhaps release them with his whole class.

Once this show is over I'll be posting a bit more regularly, and I will be starting artist features once a week. If you would like to be featured, please let me know!

So sorry...

that I haven't blogged in ages! I've been dealing with that pesky thing called life. I've been fighting some knee issues. I am a pretty active person, and this knee thing has really got me down. The doctor feels there is some progress, but as I hobble around, sometimes on crutches, I'm not really seeing it. He has me starting on some physical therapy exercises to see what that does.

Anyway, sorry for being so depressing! In other news, voting will start April 1 in the CCCOE Spring Fling March challenge - I'll post more info when available. The scarf in the picture is my entry.

And have you checked out the Handmade in California Gift Guide? There is a weekly giveaway, artist spotlight, and it's full of gift ideas - and Mother's Day is just around the corner...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a very happy Valentine's Day!

It's also my 11th wedding anniversary tomorrow! We are spending the day at Disneyland, then have dinner reservations at my favorite Downtown Disney restaurant, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.

The rest of the three day weekend is busy as well, with the scrapbook expo on Sunday and a birthday party on Monday.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you next week!

mmmm.... Cake!

I'm honored that Sue of SignatureSterling passed on this wonderful Marie Antoinette blog award to me! From her blog "our dear Marie did more than wave a cake fork around and perhaps that is the mystery behind this intriguing award. What I take away from all this is, if you are a special woman ~ strong, out-spoken, and willing to stand up and be heard for what you believe in ~ you may see Marie gracing your blog sometime soon."

Now for the rules of this award. The rules are as follows...
1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Place a link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them. And that's it!

So, I am giving this award to the following:
1. Tiffany of Bam Designs
2. Tara of Combustion Glassworks
3. Angela of Lave-me! Soap Co
4. Carol of Quirky'nBerkeley
5. Marilyn of Cigarboxbeads
6. Kecia of Lemoncholy's flight of fancy
7. Michelle of Faerie Dust Dreams

I'm off to eat my piece of cake now! :)

Handmade in California Spring Gift Guide!

Looking for some great handmade items? Check out the 2009 Handmade in California Gift Guide! The spring version has a couple changes from the winter version... There is an artisan spotlight, where you can learn a little more about the people who create the incredible items you will find on the guide. There is also a chatterbox feature with news and shop specials. The popular weekly giveaways will be starting soon as well... check it out here!

A lovely Sunday..

Sunday was a beautiful day in Southern California, just a little windy. We decided to head down to Long Beach where the Queen Mary had free admission for SoCal residents. We managed hit most parts of the ship, except the engine room - my son was getting very tired. Took a few pictures - enjoy!


Chris and Colin standing by the middle smokestack.


Colin on the bridge.


Hard to get a good picture here... was trying to show one of the hotel hallways - the hallway dips down in the middle then goes up on either end.


A beautiful art deco clock in the Queen Mary art gallery. The gallery has items that have been removed from the ship during remodeling.

Super Soft!!

Check out my newest listing! It's a scarf that is so very soft... I wish you could touch it! I just want to cuddle up in bed with it!

A Magical Birthday...

Well, my little one is now 5. We had a wonderful birthday celebration for him! He wanted to stay in a hotel, and since we were heading to Disneyland on his birthday, we started checking out hotels around Anaheim. We chose Disneyland Hotel.

When we checked in, we were informed that the hotel picks one family a day to be The Magic Family - and that we had been chosen! We got an upgrade from a standard room to a suite, a certificate and a balloon bouquet.

The rooms were wonderful! Our room was classic Disney decor, while Colin's room was full of Mickey Mouse! We had a very hard time checking out... wish we could have done at least one more night - especially after a long day at Disneyland!

5 years already???

Monday is my son's 5th birthday. People who told me when he was a baby that time would go quickly weren't kidding! It's a lot of fun, though, to watch him become more creative, smart, inquisitive and independent! Luckily he still loves to cuddle with mommy!

Although we're not having a full on party this year, we are having a little get together with friends tomorrow at the Disneyland Hotel, then Monday we'll celebrate at Disneyland. What a spoiled kid! :)

Happy Birthday, Colin!

New Year's Resolution...

To actually see one of my items on the front page of Etsy!!! Yes, it happened again... third time on the front page, third time I missed it!!! Crazy!

I'm Exposed!!!

Thanks to VickiDianeDesigns! She is such a force on Etsy... If you haven't seen her treasuries, you are really missing out! She has artists put photos of themselves in listings so we can see who is behind all the beautiful items on Etsy. For the next couple of days, I get the honor of being featured with my teammates from CCCOE! Thank you, Miss Vicki! xoxo

Happy New Year!!!

Best wishes to everyone for a wonderful 2009!!!

We had a lovely New Year's Eve with friends, and today we headed to Pasadena to view the Rose Parade floats. Absolutely gorgeous - we're already making plans to do it again next year!

I have lots of new plans for Red Bess Bonney Creations... including my own web site, with help from a couple of friends... :) Stay tuned!!