I've been bombarded!

It seems like there are so many fun and exciting things to share with you, but no time to do it all.  I'm also quite certain that many of these things are only exciting to me, but I'll fill you in on a few before we hit the road on Wednesday.


~First~ I got my first roll of film back from Walgreen's.  Scott bought me an old Pentax K1000 from Ebay a few weeks ago, and I flew through the first roll to see how they turned out.  I love that there are so many ways to keep photography interesting and I can't believe I didn't discover film years ago!  Overall, I'm really happy with how they turned out.  I love the vintage feel to all of them and the film grain is so gorgeous and authentic.  I was also very happy to find that the light meter worked. 


The following pictures are all from that roll. 

~Second~ I've been thinking a lot about Maria starting school.  I have tossed around the idea of homeschooling, but Scott (who likes the idea) doesn't think I can do it.  I would LOVE to prove him wrong as well as prove to myself that I can do it ;)  I'm quite dissatisfied with the public school system and believe that she would get a better, FULLER education at home.  I'm sure some of you out there are teachers and most of you send your children to public schools, but it's just not the path we want to choose.


So, yesterday while Scott was at work, I took the girls to Barnes & Noble to check out the kids section and to look into the topic of homeschooling.  After Ginger had a complete meltdown in the store, we left with a Pre-K workbook for Maria.  I guess the trip wasn't a TOTAL disaster. :)  Upon our return, Maria was excited to get started, so we did a few pages before dinner.    She tried her hand at tracing numbers as well as various counting activities.  She was really receptive and eager to learn, which makes things easier.  It'll be nice to have a head start before she even begins school next year... and it's fun for her!


*if any of you homeschool (unschool) your children, I would love to hear any suggestions/feedback you might have to share*


~Third~ I was offered the chance to share our story with another website.  It's hard to explain all the details, but it's a well followed site and a really great opportunity to get our story out there.  I'm not the best writer, so sharing our story to hundreds of people won't necessarily be an easy task, but nonetheless, a FUN one!


~Fourth~ We leave on Wednesday!!  Tomorrow I'll be packing up the dishes and getting last minute things in order.  We're also planning a trip to Disneyland on the way to Arizona.  Maria is extremely excited about this, I only hope she's big enough to go on some rides.  We'll be back on the road again on Friday morning, hoping to make it to Tucson before it gets dark.  I don't think I've ever been so excited to see my parents!


So with that, we'll be away from the blog for a little while.  We're going to take time to be with family and get situated and familiar in our new surroundings.  I'm sure we'll be back with fun new pictures and lots of adventures to talk about.


Cheers!!

If I could turn back time....

~we would've installed different counter tops~

~we wouldn't have packed the Yakima box full of unnecessary stuff~

~I would've packed myself more summer clothes~

~I probably should've went with a more conventional rug~

~we should've went to a more 'qualified' upholsterer~

~wish I would've grabbed those two rolls of unused film~

~I really didn't need all those shoes~
~I would've went to some knitting groups~

Just some random thoughts I've had since being on the road.  I'm sure Scott has his own list too. :)

Spring is in the air

At least it is in California. :)

Last Sunday the girls and I took advantage of the beautiful day and walked to the post office to photograph the trees that were blossoming.  The sweet scent that permeated the parking lot was beyond wonderful.  Someday I will have a crab apple tree of my own... someday.

We spent the last couple of days out of town on a very exciting adventure... something we've been wanting to do since we've arrived here.  I hope to be sharing the post with you very soon.

We hope you are all enjoying your week.  Can you believe it's already Thursday! 

Recently....

~there's barely been a cloud in the sky~

~took part in a Saturday night bonfire~

~loving the abundance of freshly picked lemons~

~received my much needed facial~

~feeling like a kid again... sidewalk chalk is the answer~

~enjoyed a full day of shopping with a fun,new friend~

~loving the giving and receiving of Valentine's~

~finished yet another knitting project... casting on again today~

~dealing with baby tantrums... ugh!~

~getting more & more anxious to travel south... no job yet~

~planning a trip to Alcatraz~

~made our very first batch of Rice Krispy bars~

~used up the last of the Polaroid film... boo!~

~had lots of discussions on where we'll spend our summer~

have a wonderful Sunday... I think the market is calling our name ;)

Black & White

Not a whole lot going on around here lately.  I seem to have pulled myself out of my recent 'funk' and my urge to travel home has subsided.  The weather there has been bitterly cold and that's something I don't want to go back to.  Fortunately, my sister and her family will be visiting our parents in Tucson a few weeks after we arrive. We hope.


Scott has submitted his application for several travel jobs all around the Phoenix/Tucson area.  We're all very hopeful that we get to leave at the end of the month.  As much fun as it's been here in California, we're all ready for a change.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted on any great news.


The girls and I went to Santa Rosa on Monday to visit a friend.  It was a great day for a drive, as the sun was shining and the weather warm.  Kristina and her daughter Emma took us out for lunch, and afterwards we gabbed about crafting, sewing, and knitting.  It was so nice to talk with someone who has the same interests and the girls got the chance to play.  Fun for all.


I just thought I'd share some unrelated black & white pics that have been taken over the past few weeks.


Ariel the mermaid rarely leaves her side...

washing up after supper...

Scott doing his 'trailer thing'...

afternoon light during lunch...

post bath...

morning 'cheeseball' face...

crusty nose and a milk mustache...

she poses for the camera now...

a sudsy swirl...

The last picture was also featured here.  I love when that happens.


Ginger's growing too fast. Period.  I don't like that very much. She's a mommy's girl through & through.  Attached to me at the hip.  Her smile will light up a room, and I really enjoy watching her 'do her thing'.  She always finds a way to keep busy.  Still no words out of this little one, but no worries.  I know from experience that it'll happen when she's ready and at that time she won't want to stop.


Maria is smart as a whip with a wonderful memory.  The things that come out of her mouth constantly have Scott and I amazed and lots of times leaves us chuckling.  She is definitely 'little miss independent', and loves to help... when she feels like it.  She'll be four years old in April... which blows my mind! I can't fathom her going to kindergarten.  Her afternoon naps are far and few, but that just means an earlier bedtime... and she knows it. :)


Scott went snowboarding today and should be home soon... we're having chili fries for supper.  Mmmm... chili fries... I always liked meeting up with mom at Bridgeman's for those.  Scott is treating me to a MUCH needed facial tomorrow.  Perhaps it's my Valentine's Day gift?


That's all for now.  Sorry about the random post here, but that's pretty much how my brain is working these days. :)


Ta Ta for now!!

Our day at Dillon Beach

I just wanted to share some pictures of our afternoon spent at Dillon Beach.  I believe we were there last weekend and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful.  The drive was amazingly beautiful with farms and rolling hills.  We found lots of treasures and the girls had a great time playing in the sand.

I found my first sand dollar


and a crab burried in the sand. I think it was carrying an orange egg sack underneath it's body.

the water was as cold as Lake Superior, but that didn't stop him from getting his feet wet

there were surfers too!

Great memories were made that day and I hope we're able to make to the Pacific one more time before we depart from California.

Happy Monday everyone!

Lacking in motivation

I am currently feeling a lack of inspiration, motivation, energy, and patience... my reasons for the absence from this space.  Not that we haven't been enjoying ourselves, but it takes a lot of time to post about our adventures and quite honestly, I haven't felt like it.

We're looking to hit the road again come the end of February, with the hopes of finding a job in Tuscon, Arizona to visit my parents who have recently become snowbirds. I will admit that with all the excitement and fun things we've been doing, I can't ignore the fact that I miss my family terribly. I would happily hop on the next plane back to Duluth to visit my sisters, nieces and nephews (one of whom is returning for good from the Navy today), aunts and uncles, and of course good friends.  I think the only thing keeping me from doing so are the frigid temperatures and lack of a vehicle.

To keep my mind off these homesick feelings, I've been enjoying more knitting, day trips to the Pacific with the family, trips to the mall, and watching the boob tube in the evening.

The girls are well, and so is Scott.  We're taking it one day at a time and looking forward to our next destination.

Christmas... Eve

It's Christmas Eve and there's still some things that need to be done... I swear it's never ending.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy Christmas!!

A Victorian Christmas

An online friend of mine, who used to live in a Sacramento suburb, informed us about Nevada City's Victorian Christmas and suggested we go. We took her word for it, and last Sunday we drove an hour to this quaint little town to see for ourselves.

Upon our arrival, we immediately were in awe of how cute this California Gold Rush town was and you could tell from the architecture, how much history was here.

Nestled along a maze of roads were cottage homes with picket fences, moss covered sidewalks, beautiful old churches, shutters on almost every window, Victorian homes, stained glass windows, and a plethora of small tourist shops.  I seemed as though there was a Tibetan shop on every corner.

We parked on a hill, not far from the historic downtown area where the festival was being held, and walked along the river passing some Native Americans playing music outside their amazing tee pee. We entered the vendor area and were greeted by friendly locals selling their handmade items and performers playing Christmas music.

This little boy reiterates my need for a baby boy of my own. :)  He was concentrating SO hard on playing every note correctly and didn't take his eyes off his sheet of music. 

Father Christmas was there too, handing out candy canes to all the little ones.  Surprisingly, the girls weren't afraid of this tall, bearded man and eagerly took his offerings.  I got some too :)

Then there was this cute pair of singers.  I especially loved how he was dressed... they both really played the part.  As you can tell from this picture, the buildings were quite old and reminded me of an old western town with saloons and flirtatious women standing in the balconies.

This didgeridoo player was tucked away behind a cafe or two.  He drew quite the crowd and played his instrument well. I've seen these on the TV but never in person... pretty neat.

We wandered around aimlessly, taking in all the sites and grabbed a bite to eat in the food court where chestnuts were being roasted on an open fire.  Looking back, I wish we would've eaten in one of the cute cafes, but with it being past lunch time, we didn't think the girls' would've been on their best behavior.

Nevada City reminded us of a town back home, Bayfield Wisconsin... a place we always enjoyed visiting for their annual Apple Festival.  Ahh... memories of home are nice during this holiday season.

Before we knew it, is was late afternoon and time to head back home.  We took a drive through Auborn, another historic town, and we came across a Ginkgo tree that had dropped piles of it's beautiful leaves.  You can't find these in Minnesota and I just HAD to get a picture.  Now I wish I would've grabbed a few leaves to press in a book.

It was dark by the time we arrived in Sacramento and Scott mentioned that some of the neighborhoods around the hospital decorated their streets with Christmas lights.  I asked him to drive by so we could take a look.  Seeing this gave me butterflies!  I felt like I was in some sort of wonderland and it gave me the Christmas spirit that I desperately needed.

I hope everyone has been enjoying these last few days before Christmas.  I think I've completed MOST of our Christmas shopping except for those handmade gifts I need to make for my sisters.  Perhaps they'll enjoy Christmas in July :)

Stay warm out there!!

We made cookies!

I had mentioned last week that I was planning on baking sugar cookies with Maria sometime this week.  Well, Scott took Ginger for the whole afternoon on Saturday while we baked the day away... and what a day it was!

I used a recipe from the December issue of Martha Stewart magazine, which had good results in the end. She always seems to be my go-to gal when it comes to cooking or baking.

Finding enough space to make cut out cookies was not an easy task, but we made it work.  However, I was quickly realizing that making these cookies was not going to be my favorite thing to do.  What a process!!  But Maria had fun and that's all that matters.

She was such a good little helper too!

We baked some with no plans for frosting...

and by the end, I was pooped out!  It took ALL afternoon and into the evening to get them all done... and that didn't include frosting them all.  It probably didn't help that our oven is tiny and there isn't much room for an assembly line.

I think Maria was getting anxious towards the end of the day and lost interest in the whole process, as did I. 

I finally frosted them two days later... by myself.  I was ambitious in the beginning with plans of adding details to them all.  That quickly wore off and I soon found myself dreading the whole thing and got sloppy.

They still turned out festive and pretty, but there's other Christmas cookies in my recipe box that taste better and aren't so much work.  Call me a party pooper if you want, but these just aren't my thing.

The holidays are upon us...

...and that means life is starting to become a bit more hectic.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner here at the campground where there were roughly 35 people in attendance.  The feast was wonderful, complete with all the fixings, and it gave us a chance to meet our "neighbors".

Scott purchased our first Sacramento paper that morning with no intentions of us going out and braving the crowds the following day.  Maria quickly became enthralled by the Toys R Us ad commenting on how she wanted all things "princess" for Christmas. I told her to tell Grandma... ha!

We did, however, manage to pile into the truck for an afternoon romp at that wooden park I've previously mentioned.  We really like it there and the girls' enjoy watching all the ducks and geese. 

*** note to self ***

bring bread

Also, this cooler weather has been perfect for the pair of vintage overalls I bought for Ginger a while back.  They're so cute on her and fit her perfectly!  They keep her clothes clean and her chubby little body warm.

Scott's been reading on the evenings he's been home... that is if we're not wrapped up in a really good movie. ;)  He also made his first snowboard trip to Lake Tahoe for the season.  However, the change to the crisper, mountain air gave way to a dreadful head cold.  I'm sure though that it was all worth it.

He was gone all day so I decided to whip up a batch of Carmelita bars... in which I burnt.  Being that there's no snow, I find that I need to psych myself up for the holidays. I'll listen to Christmas music in the afternoon,  allow Maria to watch countless Christmas cartoons and movies, and I'm doing LOTS and LOTS of baking.  I told Maria that we would make sugar cookies sometime this week while Scott's at work.  I bought a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and $5 worth of sprinkles and sugars. Lets just hope I have the patience for an extra set of hands in this tiny kitchen.

The cooler, rainy weather has also brought out the crafter in me. With lots of knitting projects soon to be started and a 

Rubbermaid tote full of jewelry supplies waiting to be made into something lovely.  A steaming hot cup of tea by my side and my knitting needles in hand, I sit in the evenings and let my fingers get to work.  It's actually quite therapeutic and it allows me to collect my thoughts.

I still have Christmas cards to fill out, shopping to do, baking to be had, and some preparations for Christmas Day guests.  Not to mention our four year anniversary at the end of the year!

It's going to be a quick and very busy December.

Cheers!!