Traci's blog

Lauren

2008-01-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

These are my favorites from my photo shoot with Lauren.

Just a Few More Shots

2008-01-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Cameron and Anne put up with me taking a few more pictures before they left on Thursday.

Fun in the Snow

2008-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

Cameron catching some air!

Here is proof that John is ALWAYS in shorts (when he isn't working), no matter what the weather is like.

POTD 12/30/07

2007-12-30T13:39:00.001-08:00

Cameron in the Snow

2007-12-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow this morning.

You can barely see Cameron with all his Camiflauge on.

Placerville Photo Shoot with Cameron

2007-12-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T19:06:00.001-08:00

Cameron made Anne and I these beautiful beaded necklaces. Uncle John got a beaded bookmark.

Cameron opening his Christmas gifts.

More Geocache

2007-12-24T16:01:00.002-08:00

Today we went to three more geocache sites all right here on the walking trail down the street from our house.

Geocache

2007-12-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today I dusted off my camera and Anne, Cameron and I went on a treasure hunt (or as we call it now a days Geocaching). Geocaching is were you go on the internet and get directions for a treasure hunt then you get corrdinates of where the treasure is located. You enter the cordinates into your GPS and off you go to find your treasure. Most treasures are hidden inside some kind of waterproof container. You take a treasure out of the container but you must leave a treasure for the next person. You then sign the log that you were there. We had a great time today and I really enjoyed shooting some photos, it has been awhile.

Cameron Drives the Boat

2007-12-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Anne and Cameron are here for a visit through the holidays. John took Cameron for a ride on the boat and let him drive it for awhile. It was really cold, they didn't stay out that long.

A Tough Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

Last week I lost not only a Mother but a dear friend. Although she was my husband's mother she was not just a Mother-in-Law to me but more of a real Mother. I am really proud of the relationship that we had. I loved her very much and I will miss her deeply. I enjoyed being able to call her and talk with her when important things in my life came up. I think we had a special Mother-in-Law relationship, no bickering and fighting just respect for each other. I am glad she is not in any more pain but I will still miss having her in my life even though I know she will be with me always.

John and I are having a quiet Thanksgiving here home alone. Our thoughts are with Pat and our families today. It is a tough Thanksgiving.

Nehalem Hat

2007-11-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

I finished another hat today. This one was more of a challenge for me at the end. I am really bored with my other projects right now. I have a purse that is so blah and a sock that is blah, so this was a fun one to do. I need to get a dummy head so I can take pictures of my hats on them.

One Bored Dog

2007-11-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

Poor Didjerido. Since I have been sick for the last 3 weeks this dog has not had her walks. This is one bored dog. Poor Didjerido.

Crochet

2007-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to teach myself to crochet. The internet is so great when it comes to knitting and crocheting. I can look up how to do a stitch and watch a video from my computer and learn right here at home. Well, maybe it wasn't that easy to teach myself to crochet but I am doing it. I wanted to learn to make crochet flowers so I got a pattern off the internet and then I went to the crochet site and watched how to do the stitches. This is what I have come up with:

Ravelry

2007-11-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, I got my invitation to join Ravelry and I am so excited. I love the website and I have been spending lots of time on there getting all my projects and yarn stash organized so I can see it all at a glace. Here is the link to my account there at Ravelry.

I finished my first hat tonight made with knitting needles. It was exciting because I wasn't sure if I could do it without help but it is fininsed and I like it. I swaped my friend Aly the hat (it is for her friend going through chemo) for two beautiful cerramic coffee mugs she made. They are so great. I collect hadmade mugs and I think these are my new favorites.

A Bag For My Mom

2007-10-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is a bag I made for my mom. I love the fall colors!

Fishing Trip to Lee Vining

2007-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

John took some vacation time last week and we went on an overnight trip to Lee Vining near Yosemite so he could do some fishing and I could shoot some fall pictures. It was so windy that we didnt get to do either. We tried but were not too sucessfull. Anyways, it was beautiful and nice to get away from home for a couple of days.

The Finished Bag

2007-10-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest bag after felting. The dots are made by needle felting wool roving onto the bag. It was my first try at needle felting and it too me awhile but I like the look. Scroll down to see the bag before the felting process.

This is another purse that I made that I never posted. I always get comments on it like "I love that bag where did you get it?".

GOT WOOD?

2007-09-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for Winter. We just got three cords of wood and John is so excited to start using our woodstove.

New Bag

2007-09-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my latest projects before felting. I will post a photo once it is all finished. This is a pattern by Debi Padlicki at Sierra Knitting Co..

Latest Creations

2007-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my latest creations. I have been wanting to buy a needle holder for my knitting needles but they run about $50 so I decided to try and make one. After all, I use to sew a lot of bunnies and bears. I like the way it turned out. I can put all kinds of needles in there. It took awhile to make and now my old sewing machine isn't working so I have to get it fixed so I can make more for some Knitster friends of mine.

I am also working on a sock. I knitting them on two sets of circular needles. It sounds confusing but I am getting the hang of it. I turned the heal all by myself just by reading the pattern! Woo! Hoo! Knit on!

The Knittsters

2007-08-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Jennifer, Marny, Amy and I got together for a stitch n' bitch last night. I taught Amy to knit her first scarf project, she was a natural though. I am still working on my socks that are taking forever and I also have a purse that I started last night.

Here is the backpack! I don't know if I can use it to hold my books even though it is nice and big but it will make a great knitting bag.

Tahoe Retreat

2007-08-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last week I went with some great friends to a retreat in Tahoe. We had a really nice time and got to do a lot of knitting. I have been working on the never ending backpack. On our way up to Tahoe we found this great knitting store called The Wool Tree. On our way home we stopped and I had a sock knitting lesson there. Yes, I have decided to try and use those tiny needles and make some socks.

Oregon Fishing Trip

2007-07-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here is what John and Nick caught on their Oregon fishing trip. Some mighty tasty steelhead!

John's Kokanee

2007-07-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

John went fishing yesterday and caught his first kokanee with his boat and new downrigger. He was so excited and so am I! Tonight he is going to make me grilled kokanee.

Our 15th Wedding Anniversary

2007-07-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 15th wedding anniversary!

Cameron's 1st Triathlon

2007-07-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

John and I are so proud of our nephew Cameron who just completed his first triathlon.

Knitting at Union Valley Reservoir

2007-07-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Knittsters

Jennifer and her family were camping at Union Valley Reservoir so John went up there early with the boat to go fishing and Marny, her daughter and I drove up later. We spent most of the day by the water while the kids went swimming and yes, we did knit. We had a really nice day together.

I finally finished my mitered square bag that I have been working on for weeks. I think I might try and sell it on ebay to help pay for my next project.

A Day On The Lake

2007-06-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got up real early and took the boat to Jenkinson Lake just a few miles from our home. It was my first time on the boat and we had a really nice time. John used his new downrigger and it worked because he caught a fish but we didn't get it in the boat.

Another Felted Wool Purse

2007-06-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest creation. I took a knitting class last weekend at Sierra Knitting Company and I really learned a lot. I am working on another bag right now but it is really different than anything I have done before.

Felted Purses

2007-06-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

I finally finished felting my first purse. This is what it turned out to look like.

Here is what I have been up to lately. Knitting and knitting. These felted purses are so much fun because you don't know what they will look like once you throw them in the washer with hot water. They are knitted out of wool and the hot water shrinks them down. Pretty cool.

This is the purse before felting...

and after. It turned out to be more of a bag than a purse. I have been using it to hold my latest knitting project.

This is the latest purse I have been working on.

Spring Blossoms

2007-04-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

John's New Boat!

2007-03-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is John's new old boat! He is so excited this takes his fishing to a whole new level! The best thing about it was that it was free. My friend Jennifer and her family were looking for a good home for this boat and they found us. John has wanted a boat to go fishing with for so long and we are really happy to have this boat.

So Proud of Cameron!

2007-03-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

My nephew Cameron won 2nd place in the science fair and John and I are so proud of him!

Pretty in Pink

2007-03-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

An Update On My English Class

2007-03-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

I just have to brag for a minute here. The English class that I have put off for the last 16 years, the one I wrote about awhile back, I am getting an A in it right now. I have to write 6 papers for the class. At the start of the semester that seemed impossible to me. Now I have finished 2 papers getting an A on both of them and I only have 4 more papers to go!

Emily Layout

2007-03-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

New Toy!

2007-03-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

I had such a nice birthday. I really felt special. It was so nice to hear from my friends and family. It was a really good day.

I have a new toy and it is called a Cricut. I have wanted the Cricut ever since it came out and I got it for my birthday. I think I am in love with it already. It is really going to change the way I am able to scrapbook. See the pretty flowers and the words "fun" and "family"? You just type in what you want the Cricut to cut and voila it cuts it out for you!

Here is my first layout using it. I have to say I love this photo of Jeff, Martha and family because I think I really captured what life is like in their family.

It's My Birthday!

2007-02-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday and I woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland. I am snowed in right now but I don't mind. I have got the wood stove going and I think I am going to do a few scrapbook pages. I took the dog for a walk in the snow this morning and shot a few photos. It's a good day!

Snow!

2007-02-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

Busy Scrapping

2007-02-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

More Layouts

2007-02-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

I have been working on layouts lately. Nothing new going on around here just school. I just wrote my rough draft for my first English paper. Next week I will be flying down to Southern California for a court hearing on my back injury. I am not very happy about it but it does give me the opportunity to see my family.

Most of the layouts that I have been working on are from the year 2004. Yes, I am just a little behind.

Layouts

2007-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

A Couple of Layouts

2007-01-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

I accomplished these two pages today. They are just quick and simple but that is all I am up for right now. I have not been feeling very creative lately but I know that it makes me feel good to do a layout. These photos were taken back in September of 2003, yes, 2003. How time flies!

One of the problems I am having right now is I don't have any updated pictures printed. Since I went digital I have load of pictures but I have to print them out. I think I just need to print out photos at the end of the month every month. Let me know if you have any good ideas on how to keep up with all of the digital photos.

English

2007-01-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

After 16 years, I have registered and am now attending English class. I know I speak English so this shouldn't be hard for me but it is the writing that I fear. I don't like to write papers, I don't know how to write.

I have to pass this class for my AA and I already took it once 16 years ago and got a D for the grade. I will have to write 6 papers to pass. I am not very confident about this but I do have a lot of people willing to help me. Once I finish English I then have to take a new requirement, Ethics, and then I will or should have my AA. Now they seem to change things around a lot so I have to go talk to a school counselor again and see if that will do it for me. I have all of these classes done and no degree. So I am going to try and do this, I am going to try and pass this class and write all of those papers.

More Knitting

2007-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have really been working on my knitting at night. I finished another scarf and now I am working on a bag. The bag is a little scary since it isn't just the plain old knit stitch and I am "knitting in the round" on this one. Once I am done knitting the bag I will felt it. Felting is when you take something that is knitted with wool and you wash it in hot water. Your stitches disappear and you are left with something that is smaller and softer.

One Word Challenge

2007-01-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have choosen the word Accomplish as my word for the AEzine Newsletter one word challenge for 2007. You can read more about it on Ali Edwards's blog.

Accomplish

Main Entry: ac·com·plish
Pronunciation: &-'käm-plish, -'k&m-
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English accomplisshen, from Anglo-French accompliss-, stem of accomplir, from Vulgar Latin *accomplEre, from Latin ad- + complEre to fill up -- more at COMPLETE
1 : to bring about (a result) by effort
2 : to bring to completion : FULFILL
3 : to succeed in reaching (a stage in a progression)
4 archaic a : to equip thoroughly b : PERFECT
synonym see PERFORM
- ac·com·plish·able /-pli-sh&-b&l/ adjective
- ac·com·plish·er noun

**************************************************

What does this mean to me? I am going to keep track of my accomplishments this year. Even if it is just something little like organizing my scrapbooking room. I tend to see all the things I can't do or have not been able to do mostly because of my back injury. So I think this will be really positive for me to see what I have accomplished this year.

Need A New Banner

2007-01-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know Christmas is over and I need a new banner. I also need to start posting here but I just am in a slump. I do have some new layouts to post though.

Visiting

2007-01-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

My brother, his wife Martha and their four kids came up for a visit last week from Southern CA. We played in the snow, went to the zoo and hung out with my nieces and nephew. The kids are really growing up, they each have their own personalities. Emily and Maddie got to go on a geocache treasure hunt with Uncle John and their Dad. I think they had fun but couldn't understand why there wasn't an X to mark the spot for the treasure.

Our Christmas Morning

2006-12-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

John and I had a great Christmas morning. John got me the vertical grip for my camera that I have wanted forever and I was so excited. I got John a new headlamp for when he is outside at night getting wood for the fire. He says you can't go wrong buying a guy a headlamp, it's the perfect gift. I also got him a really cool watch with a heart rate monitor.

Our dog didj hurt her leg on Christmas morning (we think it is arthritis). We were so worried about her but she is doing much better now. I love this picture of her.

John made Christmas dinner. It is so nice that John is such a good cook and enjoys cooking as well since I don't really know how to cook. We had a really nice Christmas day at home together.

Knitting

2006-12-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting lately. I even knitted a few scarves as gifts for Christmas. Here are my latest. I think I am ready to try something new now like knitting and then felting a purse but I have to find some help before I take on that project.

Miller Family Photoshoot

2006-12-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to photograph the Miller family at their beautful home last weekend here are a few of my favorites.

Final Tomorrow

2006-12-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

My final is tomorrow in my drawing class and I can't wait until this class is over! This has been the worse class I have ever taken. I wanted it to be a fun class just for self improvement but I also need it for any kind a major in art or photography. Instead it turned into the class from hell. I have hated every minute and every assignment and the teacher is the worse, absolute ... I just am so glad that it will all be over tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Photos

2006-12-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of all the Cousins at Thanksgiving dinner this year at Uncle Roger and Aunt Brenda's house. If you would like to see the photos of Thanksgiving you can go here to see them.

I am frustrated with the way the website makes my photos look blurry. It is the website that has the problem and I need to find a better place to post my photos. This site is free so I guess you get what you pay for.

I also posted a bunch of photos of our time in Pismo Beach here and more of our dinner in Pismo here.

Christmas Tree Farm

2006-12-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to Hidden Canyon Christmas Tree farm for our Christmas tree. It is so beautiful there. It can get crazy here this time of year with all of the people from Sacramento driving up to the country for their Christmas trees. So we love that Hidden Canyon is a little out of the way small family owned farm. This year we picked out a tree pretty quickly. I am so happy with our choice. I thought it would be too small but we had to trim the top so it wouldn't hit the ceiling. Since we have the wood stove this year we have to make the tree fit in a certain area of the living room so it wont get dried out. We needed a tree that was narrow enough to fit in the living room but it also had to be full enough to hold all our ornaments as well. I think we found the perfect fit.

I have been working so hard on the four drawings that I had due today for art class that I haven't had time to decorate the tree yet. Today was my last real class. I only have the final next Wendesday and then I am done!!!

What Did He Say About His Nutcracker?

2006-12-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

Anne, for Cameron's scrapbook, can you remember the comment he made the other day about the nutcracker?

Since I went digital, I have not printed any photos. So I am going through my photos and picking out what I am going to print for scrapbooking. Cameron and I decorated this nutcracker last Christmas with all of my "shiny" crafting things and he made the coolest comment the other day about it. Perfect for his scrapbook.

Amanda and Allie On The Beach

2006-12-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is one of the photos I took of Allie and Amanda on the beach. You can see the rest of them here.

A Few Crafts

2006-12-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

I have been making gifts for Chirstmas and working on my drawing assignments for art class. I love the crafts and hate the drawings. I only have two more weeks of class!!! Anyways, here are a few of the crafts I have been making. The scarf is one that I started on our trip for Thanksgiving and I finished it in the car on the drive home. The ornaments are made from scrap paper and I am on my second set of six.

My neighbor, Nicole, come over and helped me decorate so I am all ready for Christmas and John and I should go get our tree today.

Altar Boy

2006-12-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this photo Anne emailed me of my nephew Cameron. Today was his first day as an Altar Boy. We are so proud of him, especially his Godfather John (my husband), who was also an Alter Boy.

At The Beach

2006-11-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

I took a little break from my blog over the Thanksgiving weekend. We spent three wonderful days in Pismo Beach for Thanksgiving. Our hotel was 50 feet from the beach and it was perfect weather. My Aunt Linda and Uncle Rudy were so nice to get six rooms at the hotel so we could all stay together. We really had a fun time.

The best part of the Holiday was spending time with my family. We had around thirty people at my Uncle Roger and Aunt Brenda's house. The food was great and I really enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Of course, I took a lot of photos and even did a photo shoot of my counsins Allie and Amanda on the beach at sunset on evening. I will post the photos when I get a chance to catch up. Right now I am spending a lot of time working on assignments for my art class. I can't believe that I actually wrote a four page paper, an art critique. I have not wrote a paper in over 10 years!

Our Weekend

2006-11-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't she sweet! This is my next door neighbor's daughter Melia. I got to play with her for awhile this weekend while her mother, Nicole, worked in her flower bed. It was a great opportunity to grab my camera and take a few pictures. Melia is full of energy and I had a wonderful time hanging out with her.

We had a beautiful weekend here and John got to work in our "cottage garden" again. We planted 48 bulbs! I can't wait to see how they look this spring. We planted hyacinth, tulips, crocus and iris. Our little garden is starting to come together. The next step is to start planting the roses and other potted plants.

John did 99% of the work.

Didj thinks she is helping.

This is what I did most of the time.

Sisters

2006-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

She may be my sister by marriage but Anne is my friend by choice. I really enjoy the time we spend together. We can relax and be ourselves. Even though we live far away from each other, we share what is going on in our lives over the phone. It is nice to have someone to share my feelings with and she accepts me for who I am. I am sure there are times that I drive her nuts but she is always there for me. Even at my absolute worse, after I had my back surgery, she was there just to get me through the day. I can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for me. I am so lucky to have a sister like Anne.

Christmas Layout

2006-11-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is a layout of my nieces Emily and Maddie and my nephew Miles from last Christmas when they came to our house for a visit.

Sheepdog Herding Competition

2006-11-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday John and I went to the Western Regional Sheepdog Herding Competition at Thompson Ranch in Auburn. At the ranch we saw lots of sheep and cows. They had this really neat covered bridge and the ranch was just beautiful. We loved seeing all of the border collies and cattle dogs. Our dog Didjerido is a border collie and cattle dog mix.

The best part of the day was watching these dogs in action herding the sheep. The dogs take directions by whistling sounds that their owners make and it is amazing to watch. We would love to get our dog Didj involved in this because we know she would love it. We have taken her in for testing to see if she has the "instinct" and she chased the sheep so far away we thought we were going to have to buy the owner a new sheep. We have found a few people fairly local that will train you how to do this with your dog. We just had a great time watching the competition.

Pirate

2006-11-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

I finished this layout of Cameron last night. The pirate ship is one of the Hambly overlays I bought at the expo last weekend.

"It is becoming a tradition for you and I to see a movie together when we visit each other. I let you pick the movie but you tend to pick ones that you think that I will enjoy. I took this picture of you when we went to see Pirates Of The Caribbean, Dead Mans Chest with my cel phone camera. June 2006."

The Cottage Garden

2006-11-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

We are slowly planning and planting a cottage garden in our front yard. John has done so much work on it already but he has to go slow because of his back. We are really excited about this project. This weekend we put down the stepping stones. I think it looks really cool. The next step is to start planting the bulbs. We wanted to wait until after Halloween because all the kids stepping into it. Eventually we will put up a little picket fence.

What I Bought At The Scrapbook Expo

2006-11-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a little peek at what I bought at the Scrapbook Expo yesterday in Sacramento. I had a great time and I did really well sticking to my list I made before I left.

I spent a lot of time at the 7 Gypsies and Rusty Pickle booths:

I loved everything that Hambly Screen Prints had in their booth. Their overlays and rubons are just beautiful. The best quality I have every seen and their booth was packed the whole show. I did a really cool make and take that was taght by Christina Padilla who I met a few months ago at a Sprap Jazz crop. She is a great designer and an excellent teacher.

The color of the day was orange:

I had a great time. My husband John is the best for driving me down there so I could enjoy myself and not have to worry about my back pain. What a great husband I have I am so lucky.

Going To The Scrapbook Expo Today

2006-11-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

I am so excited. I am going to the Scrapbook Expo in Sacraento today. John is being such a good husband, he is going to drive me down there and then run some errands while I go shopping. I was so exited this morning I couldn't sleep. So I got up and started writting my list of must have item. Hopefully I will stick to the list!

New Layout - Long Beach Sunset

2006-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

It only took me two years but I finally scrapbooked these photos of one of my trips down to Southern Califoria. I never did get around to editing the photos. I have decided to just scrapbook all of my old photos without editing them. I now try and edit most of my photos right after I take them they will ready to go when it is time to scrapbook.

Anyways, this layout was of a fun evening going out with my family and I glad that it is now in my scrapbook.

Halloween Photos

2006-11-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween Photos from last night. We had a lot of fun making Jack-o-lanterns and handing out lots of candy. The kids were so cute!

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

OOOhhhhhh, creepy. I wasn't sure if I would ever use this photo I took in Bodie of an old coffin. It is not like you are going to hang it on a wall. It works for the photo of the day today.

I cut out my Jack-O-lantern today and I have got the candy ready to go. I am going to dress as a witch, it is easy and all I have to do is wear black and put on my witch hat. Have a Happy Halloween!

Looking Forward To Halloween

2006-10-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

So we are ready for all the kids that come to our neighborhood for Halloween. We live in a rural area and our home is in one of the few areas with a lot of homes. People bus their children into our area for trick or treating. We love it. The kids are so cute in their costumes. We have 24lbs. of Hersey's candy bars and I am looking forward to handing it all out. Stock photo from fotosearch.com.

Not Much Going On Around Here

2006-10-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated the blog much this week. Not much has been going on around here. John and I have both been sick with colds. I haven't done anything creative in awhile although today I did work on a few scrapbook pages.

Yesterday we spent the day going back and forth to Home Depot trying to find the right blinds for my craft room. Now that our big tree in the front was cut down the house is getting baked and so are all my craft supplies. We also looked at trees yesterday to replace the old one. We are trying to decide between a Maple or a Fruitless Mulberry. I think we are going with the Maple. They are so beautiful this time of year.

Lucia

2006-10-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

These are some fun photos of my cat Lucia I took the other day. She is such a cool looking cat but she does not like her picture taken.

Kokanee Salmon Run

2006-10-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

John and I went to Tahoe yesterday with Nick and Bret from his work. We spent the night in Tahoe and the guys had a great time gambling and parting all night. This morning we went and watched the Kokanee Salmon run. Basically these are land locked Sockeye Salmon that live in Lake Tahoe and swim upstream to spawn. There are hundreds of them. It is really hard to get a good picture of these salmon but here are a few so you can get the idea. It was a gorgeous Fall day, crisp but not too cold.

Bodie Photos

2006-10-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I was editing some photos from my trip to Bodie and the Eastern Sierra last Fall. Hopefully this weeend we will be going to Tahoe and I will have some Fall color photos. We are planning on seeing Kokanee run and that will be fun to photograph. I will post the photos when I get back.

TIMBER!!!

2006-10-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Full of Wonder

2006-10-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I love these photos of my niece Emily playing with my camera tripod. Mostly because my brother, when he was her age, use to spend hours playing with my parents video camera tripod. I also like them because she is just so darn cute when she was playing, in her own little imaginary world.

My laptop recently took a dive and so I spent and hour and a half on the phone today with Dell. I have to say they were very patient and helpful. They are sending me a whole new DVD hard drive. I will be so happy to have it fixed. I spend most of my time on the laptop computer instead of the desktop because it is easier on my back. I was really thankful to John's Mom for giving us her laptop. She bought it but was never able to use it because of her stroke.

My art teacher had a lot of "constructive criticism" to give me on my latest drawing I turned in today. It was helpful but it is not like I am going to become a drawing artist professionally. She takes it so seriously. I guess I do too.

We LOVE our new wood stove. It is 48 outside and 81 inside. John gets a kick out of seeing how warm we can get the house going. It is actually heating the whole house not just the living room. That means we are going to save money on our heating and electric bills.

Drawing Assignment #5

2006-10-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can't use an eraser and I had to draw 11 objects all related to each other in subject.

Dahlia

2006-10-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

I found this Dahlia growing in my backyard from an old plant that I had abandoned.

Fall Layouts

2006-10-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

I finished some more layouts today. Two of these layouts are of last Fall and the other one is from way back in the Fall of 2002. I guess I am in the mood to do Fall layouts.

I have also been working all morning on my next assignment for my drawing class that is due on Monday. Last week I spent 11 hours on the assignment and had to turn it in unfinished. I started working on this one last night. I am just not going to obsess over it like the last one. I am not sure if I am enjoying this class anymore. Although it is a good lesson for me to learn to just do the assignment and turn it in even if I am not happy with what I have drawn. It doesn't have to look perfect but I wish that it looked like the objects that I am trying to draw!

Haunted House Foamie

2006-10-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

On Thursdays I volunteer as a Big Sister at the local elementary school where I meet with my Little Sister. This week we made these really cool haunted house foamie projects. They turned out so cute and she really had a good time making them. She asked if we could do more so this weekend I will go to Michael's and look for some more of these projects.

Christmas Cookie Layout

2006-10-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is a layout of Cameron and I making Christmas cookies during his visit here last Christmas. We made a lot of Christmas cookies during that visit. It was so nice to have family here with us during the holidays. I am looking forward to Anne and Cameron coming for another visit here soon.

Our Wood Stove

2006-10-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

The installation of our wood stove was completed today. As I type, we are having a thunderstorm and rain is on it's way. So tonight we are going to have a nice cozy house. John can't wait to get it burning. I am so glad we went with the nickle trim instead of just plain ugly black.

Poor Didj is hiding under my chair right now. She was trying to squeeze through a 3 inch whole in her kennel in the back yard earlier. She hates thunder. I think it is pretty cool. I am tempted to grab my camera and go take some pictures of the storm but I don't feel up to it right now.

Our Deepest Fear

2006-10-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

by Marianne Williamson
from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of
A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I read this yesterday, I liked it so I thought I would share.

Fishing at Silver Lake

2006-10-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday John and Nick went fishing at Silver Lake. John said it was the best fishing trip he had done all year other than the Kokanee trip we did together. Nick caught this huge 4 lbs trout right away. They caught 14 fish all together, two of them were 2 lbs each.

I is a gorgeous Fall day here in Camino you just want to be outside. John, Didj and I hiked on the trail in Placerville today. John went over 6 mile and I walked two. I just love this time of year here.

Our wood stove was installed on Friday but without a door. There was a mix up with the door I wanted. I didn't want the all black ugly door, I wanted the nickle trim door. So now John is going crazy because we have the stove but he can't use it yet. They will have it all finished on Tuesday night and then look out, we will have fire!

New Layout

2006-10-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

I finished this layout of Emily when she was 6 months old. I am just a little behind (she is 4 now). I am suppose to be working on my art class assignment but I am putting it off. John went fishing this morning up at Cable's Lake with Nick from work. It is such a nice day outside I think I am going to go for a walk. I will do the art assignment later.

The Vineyard

2006-10-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up early and went to Madrona Vineyard down the street from our home. Every year I miss the chance to photograph the grapes before they are harvested. This year I was not going to miss my chance to go photograph the grapes. I had a lot of fun walking through the vineyard early in the morning with no one else around. My days go really well when I am able to shoot pictures in the morning. I am going to try and do this at least once a week.

Rain

2006-10-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

We were surprised last night by rain. Since I couldn't sleep this morning I decided to go out and take some photos of the rain. I am really glad we are getting our wood stove on Friday because it is getting cold here. We are running the propane heater but I just don't like the way it feels. A nice warm fire would be perfect on a day like today.

Lyon's Lake Hike

2006-10-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday John and Didj hiked to Lyon's Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. The round trip hike was 10.2 miles. John brought his fishing pole and caught these beautiful brook trout. Unfortunately, this may be his last hike in the mountains until next spring because we are suppose to have snow down to 6,000 elevation this week.

Girls Night Out Photos

2006-09-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to uploading the photos from the Girls Night Out Dinner when I was down in Orange County. You can order these photos from the website or just download them to your computer. I had a lot of fun that night hanging out with my family and getting to know the ladies from my mom's Bible study group.

2 Pea's Blog Challenge

2006-09-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Challenge:

You are at the magazine stand, what three magazines are you going to purchase?

This is an easy one for me:

1. Creating Keepsakes
2. Simple Scrapbooks
3. Scrapbooks Etc.

I get every issue. Recently, I have started weeding out some of my old ones and it is so hard for me to get rid of them. I love magazines but my favorite are scrapbooking magazines.

Our Praying Mantis

2006-09-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

An update on our lady praying mantis. She is still in the flower garden on the same plant that I found her on 12 days ago. John has been feeding her moths even though she has tons of bugs to eat out there. She must really like it here.

A Few Finished Pages

2006-09-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the pages I finished today. I know the photos are not that great but I just didn't have it in me to scan them today. It takes too much time on the computer right now for me to scan and stitch them together.

Our Dead Tree

2006-09-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Last week the pine tree in our front yard died. It was the strangest thing. On Tuesday our tree was beautiful and green and on Wednesday the tree was dead. It was like over night the tree just died. Now we have to hire someone to come out and cut the darn tree down. It is so ugly!

Art 300 Assignment #3

2006-09-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

More Photos

2006-09-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I spent some time on the computer today editing some more photos from the family reunion. If you would like to see more go here. Hey girls I hope you enjoy these I will post more later when my back is doing better.

First Day of Fall

2006-09-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely here in our town. We had a huge wind storm yesterday and all last night. Our yard is covered with leaves and pine needles. Our dog Didj got to sleep inside for the first time since last winter. We should have our wood stove installed and burning in the next few weeks. Our house is going to be nice and toasty this winter and I know it is going to be good for both of our backs.

Fall is my favorite season and living here we get to enjoy the change of seasons. I love the light at this time of year, the long shadows, that golden glow. It is such great light for photographing. I just need to get out there and do it. This photo is from one of John's trees in the front yard. Last year it was eaten by deer but it has grown a good three feet since.

Mom's Surgery

2006-09-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

This morning my mom had surgery to remove her gall bladder and everything went well. I just got off the phone with her and she is drugged out of her mind but sounded good. I think she will be feeling a lot better now that she had the surgery.

Since tonight is the season premier of Grey's Anatomy and Mom had her surgery today I think the following photo is fitting for the photo of the day. I can't wait to see the season premier tonight!

This Evening In Our Backyard

2006-09-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

This year we, or should I say John, has done a lot of fishing. We have so many great places to fish here close to home. John does the fishing and I bring my camera a find stuff to photograph. Recently, John purchased his first fly fishing rod. Tomorrow he is going to try it out for the first time so he was practicing his cast in the backyard.

Our dog Didjerido wasn't really happy about John paying so much attention to his rod instead of throwing the ball for her.

Did you notice the big pile of wood in the background? Yes, we finally made a decision to go with a wood stove instead of a pellet stove. We should have it installed in about 2 weeks. We are looking forward to the feel of a wood burning stove this winter.