It's all over...

Another christmas is over....Bring on the Summer!!
We travelled to Cali, to have christmas with my sister and jeff, travis and rebecca and my mom.
It was fun, we ate lots of ham and played the wii that jeff got for christy.
We stayed at the marriott in Manhatten Beach right on rosecrans by sepulveda, uh, I do not recommend this place, it was cold and uninviting, the beer was expired by 5 months.
We had dinner across the street on christmas eve with christy and jeff at McCormick and Schmidt, that was a fabulous dinner. I wanted to go back to the hotel and get some sleep but charlie did not want to lay down on a full belly, so I walked back to mccormick with him where it was a lot nicer then our hotel! They had outdoor heaters and a roaring fireplace, so we sat there for a while until he was ready for bed.

Us at the hotel.

Christy is not allowed to shop for charlie, hahahaha!

Vegas mom and the newlyweds!

I love a real fireplace!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Bring on the New Year and may it be better then the last year!

Happy Birthday Travis Carl!

 He was so adorable!

Everybody loved him, and they still do, he can make anyone smile when we walks into a room!!

I am so happy to have him in my life!

He is now all grown up and married but he will always be my little monkey!

Happy Birthday Travis Carl....I love you to the moon and back!

xoxo Mom

A Tree!

I put colorful lights on one of my house trees and put the gifts under it. Hey, it's better then nothing!

Charlie and I went to the movies last night and saw The Tourist, I liked it, very cute movie! And Jolie and Depp went well with each other! Well, go out and see a movie or bake some cookies and try to enjoy the rest of the year!

Jewelry girl exchange!

We had the jewelry girl's christmas party and exchange last week, what a hoot! We have so much fun laughing and eating. Potlucks are fun! Each year we put all our names in a hat and draw, then you have to make a gift for the person you draw. I got Betty's name and Betty got my name, wow that was neat!
I made her a hummingbird necklace and earrings and she gave me a jewelry toolbox and lots of goodies inside! Everyone had a blast!

 The BeadMetaler (boss) opened up her home to all of us!

 Tanya made the centerpiece for the table! Gorgeous!

 Me with some fun stuff from Betty!

Opening gifts!



Blue Blue Blue Christmas!

Hey, not to worry, I am getting out of my funk! I have holiday music on the radio in my truck and on tv, I have some gifts made, bought and wrapped. So I will post some new stuff soon! Keep calm and carry on!

Christmas is almost here!

I have not been doing anything for christmas, making a few gifts and doing a lot of cooking. I have a new recipe on my cooking blog so check it out, you won't be sorry!
I may just decorate my blog, much easier then the whole house...enjoy!

Upon the Sea, She Will Forever Be!

I started this cuff at a class right after my Alaska cruise. I wanted a nautical piece, I loved my cruise to Alaska. I am so ready to go on another one! But in the meantime I can wear this cuff and know the sea is calling me and it will be only a matter of time and money before I sail agian!

I had bought the mermaid focal bead about 1 or 2 years ago at a bead show, knowing one day she would come in handy, being the full pisces that I am, mermaids beckon to me and I tend to collect them, but only in little tiny versions, yes, I am very strange.

So when the http://www.beadmetaler.blogspot.com/ offered the beaded cuff class, I pulled the bead out and started my cuff! You have to start with a nice big focal piece. It has been a long slow journey, August to December, and with the help of all my friends, the cuff is complete. What a beautiful piece of work, I am so proud of myself for finishing! Thank you to all my friends who helped me along the way!

Upon the Sea, She will Forever Be!

Green Bean Casserole

It is now up on my cooking blog http://www.onecreativecook.blogspot.com/ or click the link picture on the sidebar to take you there! Enjoy!

Whirlwind Week!

My sister flew home with me on sunday Nov. 21st from our scrapbooking trip, we went clothes shopping, she got her tattoo, we took a jewelry class, went to girl's night out, then we made thanksgiving dinner together! Wow, we had a blast! I hope to do this every year what a fun tradition that would be!!
Here is the tattoo she got on her calf. It is the Ganesha. If you would like a custom tattoo please contact Jaci Greb at Skin Factory 702-263-1005

Turkey Day 2010

It was a small turkey day but fun! Travis and Rebecca could not come out due to taking lots of time off to get married and honeymoon! But we made due, Joe and Amy and Ethan stopped by, Ethan showed Christy how to play the Wii! He is a little champ at that!
We had all the traditional foods, and I made the most amazing green bean cassarole, you will never make it with canned soup again after trying this one!! It will be posted in my cooking blog soon!

Have a great weekend!

California Scrapping

I travelled to California to scrapbook with my sister Christy, and Mary. I got in early friday morning and Mary took me to her spa for a little pampering where I got a facial. I do not really enjoy those type of things but it was fun and my skin needed it!
After that we headed to Torrance where we checked in at the hotel and then we were off to scrap for the rest of the night and all day Saturday.
Strictly scrapbooking put the event on and they had an empty strip mall store for our crop room and then had their store next door for shopping! It was a nice layout but not like the old scrapfest where we could fill the long beach convention center! I guess most scrappers have gone digital!

 Sarurday we ran over to my mom's house where we met up with Travis and Rebecca, they brought us Ramona Burrito's! Yummy!! It was my mom's birthday last week! Nothing better then a Ramona Burrito Birthday lunch!!

 They all maintained control of the burrito's!

The Happy Scrapper, signing out until next time! Go out and live the life you were meant to live, as Red and Andy would say "Get busy living, or get busy dying"!

Until we meet again, Pattycakes!

Pat left us yesterday....she is up in heaven singing along with all the great ones!

What I will miss most...

1.She loved to dunk her pizza crust in her coffee, well, anything was not off limits for dunking to Pat!

2.She loved to sing along to the oldies they played in blueberry hill coffee shop, well,

anywhere we went she sang!

3. But, I will miss her most at bingo, we loved that game!

Good-bye Patty... I will see you again someday in that big bingo parlor in the sky and we will all be winners!

Louie Anderson...

I was able to get some tickets to see Louie Anderson, he is playing over at the Palace Station Casino, so Charlie and I went over Friday night and saw him. He was very funny, I laughed all the way through the show! If you get a chance go see him! Oh, I love Butter too!

Two Shows this week!

The GNO (girl's night out) club has been busy this week!
We had the Amazing Kreskin on Saturday night and then The Lion King Musical on Sunday night!
Two great shows!
Kreskin was funny and really had us all amazed, he guessed my license plate (creativcat) and he guessed Erin's address where she grew up! He also guessed her daughter Danelle's number she was thinking, 98!!

We had a fabulous dinner at: Queen Victoria's British Pub (inside the Riviera hotel) they offer traditional British and American favorites. Try the Stilton plate, a wedge of English blue cheese served with crackers or steak and kidney pie. Traditional fish and chips, bangers and mash and Sheppard's pie, bubble and squeak, it was all good! I had the Fish and Chips, the first visit, and then Rare roast beef sandwich the second visit, Delicious!

The Lion King was fantastic! The costumes were so well done! The music was beautiful, I really enjoyed this show! A must see if you are heading to Vegas! It is playing at the Mandalay Bay hotel.

Hope you can get out and see a show or try a new dish at a local restaurant soon!
I Love Las Vegas!

Sending good thoughts!

Hey, our PattyCakes is in the hospital having a hard time getting her lung disease under control..she has Berylliosis..so please send all good thoughts and wishes for her to find a way to help those lungs get well and strong so she can come home soon!!
Hugs,
jackie

Fall is Fabulous!

Fall is really warm this year and I am loving every minute of it! It is still 85* outside and I am still in a tank top and sandals!
But we do have to start thinking about winter/christmas, so please remember to shop online at Etsy.com and support a starving artist...Like Me!!
http://www.peaceloveandartshop.com/

Well, I may not be starving but I do appreciate any business I can get!

On that note you must check out my cooking blog too, I have some new recipes posted! A nice chicken and noodle recipe to get us ready for all that good comfort food we eat during winter!

I have one last scrapbooking trip in Long Beach for the year. Then it will be Thanksgiving time, it should be fun this year, my sister and her husband, and charlie's sister from New Zealand will be here (we hope). I will be posting turkey photos soon enough!

Have a fun and fabulous fall,
Jackie

Where Words fail, Music Speaks!

My Studio:
I took down the pegboard I never used on one of the walls in my studio, pegboard is to cluttered and messy for me, I want a clean room, just like when I cook, I have to start in a clean kitchen!

So I had this blank canvas to work with, since my room is filled with music quotes, it had to be something good. Tanya and Jaci tried to help but it would have been Ozzy or Led Zeppelin words if they had their way! I could just see  "I'm going off the rails on a crazy train" on my studio wall! Hahahaha!

I ended up going with Joe Cocker...Love him! And who can resist "I get by with a little help from my friends" I printed out some of the best pics with my friends and tacked them all up around the lyric. I am so happy with it and everytime I look at it I smile, all the fun times spent with my chicas, winey scrappers, and bingo babes!

Scrapbook Expo!

Just got back from another wonderful time scrapbooking with the winey scrappers!
We were in Ontario this time, we stayed at the Ayers Hotel, dang those hotels sure are nice!
The hotel is right next door to the convention center so we just walk back and forth.
Christy and I were working on our Alaska cruise books and Mary F. made a book about Merissa's 16th birthday, and Mary NR worked on her birthday trip to Ireland. We had a fun time and on saturday Marlene and Suzi joined in! All in all it was wonderful to spend time with my friends and sister, eating and drinking and scrapping!

 "The Winey Scrappers"

The room was full and held about 500 scrapbookers!

That's me, The Happy Scrapper!

More wedding fun!

I love this photo of Travis and Rebecca dancing, how fun! Travis did a really cool dance to Rebecca, she was seated at the wedding party table and he was on the dance floor when they played..BeeGees Staying Alive, it was amazing, I hope to get some video of it from them, they were singing it to each other while he danced, so fun, and that is how I hope they live their marriage..just wake up each day in love and happy...it is what Charlie and I strive for, just have fun with it! Life is too damn serious sometimes.

The Cake was AMAZING! I think her Aunt made it, it was so delicious!! Usually wedidng cakes are dry and yucky, oh man, not this one, very moist! White cake with a fruit filling, dang that was good!! I hope I can hire her in 5 years for my 50th birthday cake!! Oh, Rebecca loves sunflowers!

Travis and I waiting to have our mother - son dance, I was so nervous, I should have drank more wine and loosened up but I only had one little plastic cup full, I am not a dancer at all, I need to put that on my bucket list to learn to dance!!

Charlie and I, 23 years together!

Charlie's mom, so glad she made the drive out with us! We had a fun time, I hope she enjoyed her hotel room and the free buffet breakfast, that was a nice hotel (Hampton Inn) out there in Banning!

They've only just begun...

A kiss for luck and....

They're on their way...

Rebecca and Travis...Married 10/16/2010
Good luck my little monkey and his beautiful bride!

My son was married yesterday to beautiful Rebecca, they had a small intimate wedding with just close family and friends.
It was a wonderful celebration!
The weather was wonderful, my mom and charlie's mom made the drives, charlie's mom drove with us from Las Vegas and my mom drove with my sister Christy and Jeff from Los Angeles.

 Christy, mom, Me

 Grandma Joyce and Travis

 Mother and Son Dance...Elvis, The Wonder of You!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Altfather!
Wishing you many years of love and happiness!!

Zenyatta is one amazing horse!

Do a youtube search on Zenyatta and you will see the most amazing horse ever! My sister, Christy,  and her husband, Jeff, were lucky enough to go see her up close and personal. Zenyatta will start a race just lopping along way in the back, then at the very end she decides, Oh, I don't want to be back here and boom she starts running and passes everyone up to win! She is a real ham in front of people too! I love how she sticks her tounge out all the time! Here are some pictures of their visit with the amazing Zenyatta!

What a ham!

Jeff had a shirt made with a photo of Zenyatta on it, she is looking at it and thinking

"Hey, is that me on your shirt!"

Christy and Zen, she said there were no words to describe being in her presence!

What an amazing animal she is! Beautiful!