Reminiscing

Isn't it funny how the mind works? You see or hear something that triggers your mind to wander from topic to topic and all of a sudden a flood of memories comes rushing thru. That's what happened to me this morning.

I was reading the blog of another scrapper, Becky June, and it reminded me of something I did when I was growing up. Her post from yesterday "Hack Job" really got me thinking:

Growing up, my mom always cut my hair. Do you remember when Fritos came in a can? I tried searching the web for a picture, but came up empty…hrumph. Anyway, I remember Fritos used to come in a BIG ole' can the size of a large can of coffee in the early 70s. That's what I used to sit on to get my hair cut (hee, hee). My dad was in the Air Force when I was growing up. When I was about three years old, we lived in Germany in an apartment-style building with lots of other military families (as I remember it). There was a friend of mine that lived across the hall or down the hall, who was about the same age as me and we played together quite often. Her mom used to put her hair in several braided pig tails. One day we were playing barber shop (not sure where our moms were). I had taken two of her pig tails and cut them off at the roots (ugh!) and she was in the process of cutting my bangs when my mom came in. Funny, I don't remember the rest of what happened, other than I cried….

As my mind continued wandering, it got onto names. I can't remember if this friend who I cut her hair was the one or not, but there was a gal who was also named Michelle in the apartment building. Several years later, when I was in the fourth grade, my dad was transferred back to Germany (I think he was actually a few years before that, but I can't remember exactly when). My fourth grade class had FOUR Michelle's in it...my mom tells me one of those Michelle's was a friend of mine when we were in Germany...

And then that got me to thinking about songs...because of how I was named. Gee, go figure...What band was popular in the mid to late 60s (no wonder there were so many Michelle's in my class). My dad named me after a popular Beetle's song...and he'll tell you the proper way to pronounce my name is Meee-shell. What is the first real song you remember growing up? For me, I remember two of them...and I'm not sure I really know their titles. One is a song my dad used to sing to me (or I remember him singing it a few times I just thought it was to me...hee, hee): "Did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world..." The other is a song my brother and I used to sing: "Rhinestone Cowboy."

Ah...my brain could go on an on as I continue to wander...but I won't bore you with my ramblings...thanks for sticking around this long if you read all the way to the end...and happy reminiscing to you!!!

Ugh...Have camera...no pix!!!

I'm a dork...again! Erica is a Daisy Girl Scout for the first time this year and I'm her Co-Leader. I have yet to be able to participate in a "Booth Sale" where the girls are trying to sell Girl Scout Cookies at a local grocery store. This past weekend I finally made it. We were so organized: had the table, a table cloth, the cookies (of course), all the girls were wearing their cute little Daisy Tunics, and I even remembered to bring my camera so I could get some good pix. DUH...the camera got stuck under all the coats and I totally forgot to take pictures. Jeff was even there helping the girls with their "technique." Those shoppers didn't even know what hit them...Erica even sold TWO boxes of cookies to a diabetic (and they weren't the sugar free ones).

So now I guess I'll just have to get a pix of Erica in her cute tunic and journal about the event...who says you have to have the EXACT picture of the event to tell the story, right???

Mt Redoubt Erupts Again

For family and friends out of the Alaska area, Mt Redoubt erupted again this morning. The ash cloud is going above Anchorage, but is at a level where the ash typically doesn't fall to the ground, so we're safe for now. The western Kenai Peninsula is different...they are in an Ash Warning until 4pm this afternoon. And of course, this impacts flights again...

Here are two links (one I provided in the last post) with info about Mt Redoubt and some volcano preparedness that we should be doing. Face masks (the disposable ones) have been in HIGH demand for a while and auto air filters have been hard to come by, too!

Alaska Volcano Observatory
National Weather Service

Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Saturday Erica and Jeff went to the bow shop again...without me (I had a crop). I couldn't convince Jeff to take the camera (hrumph!!!) because he wanted to shoot with her. Apparently this time she shot at the close target (a picture of a deer with a bulls eye) close up about three times and then wanted to shoot at the back wall like the BIG GUYS. She has to aim all the way at the ceiling because there's so little pressure on the bow strings (or something like that), but has fun none the less.

Sunday we went back again, at Erica's request (Jeff will always take her shooting when SHE requests it...so he knows it's her that wants to pursue the interest and not at his insistence). I wasn't feeling 100%, but I knew she wanted me to go, so I went...and I took my camera this time! There were two other children there shooting, and they were all girls! And of the three girls, two of them were Lefty's...interesting, huh? Once again, Erica had no desire to shoot at the close target, only at the wall. And when the other girls saw her shooting at the wall, they wanted to, also (peer pressure, I tell ya!). Finally the manager pulled out a small bear target and all three girls started shooting at that.

I hope you enjoy the pictures, I sure do! And I was soooo inspired that I used the March Sketch from AC Bailey and completed a layout tonight (using Karen Foster Design papers, stickers, and rubons)...Jeff picked the title :)

Mt Redoubt Erupts

I'm not sure how many non-Alaskans follow this, but it's been big for a few months here. Mt Redoubt erupted in 1990 (I think that was the last one) and nearly brought down a full-sized passenger plane due to the ash in the engines. Well, it's been going back and forth from orange to yellow for several months. Late last night it finally erupted...and did so FIVE times until the morning.

There's no immediate ash impact to the Anchorage area (thanks to *good* winds), but parts of "the Valley" (north of Anchorage) are expecting about a dime's width of ash fall. I'm not sure if it's just because I know the eruption happened, but my asthma seems to be a bit touchy today...maybe it's just the stress of the eruption that's done it. This morning at least 19 flights were cancelled into and out of the Anchorage Airport...and the flights to and from the North Slope (waaay up north in the oil fields) were all cancelled today, too.

Check out this link for more info if you're interested.

Pot of Gold Scavenger Layout

YEAH!!! I scrapped this week. Take a look at the AC Bailey Pot of Gold Scavenger Hunt...it's a little time consuming (but I can help with the clues), but well worth it. The grand prize is a gift certificate to the AC Bailey Store...and each submission increases the value of the certificate, so tell all your friends and let's get going!!!


As I posted earlier this month, Erica and I went to Texas for Spring Break. It turned into a mini family reunion while we were there...I saw family I haven't seen in 25 or more years. I have to laugh because the most common question asked of me was, "Can you see Russia from your back yard?" HA...the pictures in this layout were taken in my Uncle Mike's back yard (he has a small Ruby Red Grapefruit grove). Erica and cousin Beto picked the grapefruits and ate them on the spot....mmmmmm. Thanks for looking!!!



Credits: The dotted paper is from the AC Bailey March Kit of the Month (Cosmo Cricket “Girl Friday”), the flower paper is Daisy D's, the cardstock is Bazzill, ribbon from Fancy Pants, and Spellbinder's die for the journaling box.

He Hunts, I Scrap!

HA...this is SOOOOO prefect!!! i saw this in the siggy of Debbie's posts on the AC Bailey Forum and immediately knew I HAD to have it. She was very sweet to share it with me. Those of you who know Jeff and I, know this is US (plus Erica, of course). The really funny thing is Debbie's husband is going hunting in Colorado later year and she's using that as leverage to try and go to the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) event in Florida this July...what a hoot...that is exactly my story!

I'm hoping to post another message later today (tomorrow at the latest) with the resulting layout from the AC Bailey Pot of Gold Scavenger Hunt. Anyone else playing? I finally found all the clues...if you need help, let me know, the prize is a gift certificate to the AC Bailey store. This was such a GREAT challenge...and I was excited to use photos of our recent trip to Texas. Stay tuned for more info

Caught without my camera!!!

Ugh!!! Can you believe it? I just experienced a once in a lifetime moment and I HAD NO CAMERA. Me--the woman that stages family fun--had no camera. So let me tell you about it since I can't SHOW it to you (hrump!).

If you don't already know, Jeff is a HUGE FANATICAL HUNTER. He shoots pistols, rifles, shotguns, and bows (is there anything he doesn't shoot? Don't tell him if there is...I'm sure he'll get into it). Anyway, he bought an elk hunt in Colorado (I think) for this fall and now he needs some work done on his bow. Today he wanted to pick it up from the shop and make it a family event. WHAT??? A family event at the bow shop??? OK, so we went and it turns out the shop is also an indoor range.

So here's the good part...The manager/owner took some time to teach Erica how to shoot a cute little bow (ugh...and me with no camera). She was not a natural at the bow like she was with her .22, but she really enjoyed it! After a few practice shots, he put a PINK BALLOON on the target for her to shoot. She had a bit of difficulty due to closing her wrong eye. She's right-handed, but she's left eye dominant and shoots her .22 as a lefty. BUT, with the bow, she was shooting as a righty. At one point, all five arrows were in about a 4" grouping and about 18" to the left of the balloon. What a GREAT grouping, if nothing else. Jeff noticed the eye thing and tried to work with her on closing the other one. She got the arrows lined up MUCH better. Then "Mr Paul" brought out a lefty bow. She had better luck being on target, but it was awkward for her in getting the arrow set (because of the lefty thing). Needless to say, she had a BLAST and we'll be back. I will have my camera the next time...and will PRETEND it was the FIRST time she did it (shhh...don't tell anyone!).

Jeff was anxious for Erica to call Grandma and Grandpa to tell them about her new adventure, but she wanted nothing to do with that. She said she wanted to keep it a secret and show Grandpa when he came up this summer. She's no good at keeping secrets (and I'm even worse, as you can see from this post), so we'll see how long it lasts. Grandpa, if you read this, FORGET IT!!!

Heeelllooooo from the Texas Coast...

I didn't want to totally neglect my blog while on vacation so here's a quick note just to say HI and give you a few quick updates.

First, I am in hog heaven as I've been sitting by the pool and playing in the surf with Erica all week. I took the time to put SPF 60 on her, but do you think I took care of me??? NOT!!! So I'm a nice little lobster...hopefully the Hispanic blood will help me tan quickly (I know, I know...not good for the skin).

Second, I can't wait to get home to scrap some of the pictures I've taken. Here's a quick recap of all we did...keep in mind I'm in South Padre Island with my mom, who was born and raised here (and she's the 8th of 9 children).

• Saw family I haven't seen in 25 years...six aunts, five uncles, and seven cousins (four I didn't really remember, and one new one). What a hoot...my mom is Hispanic, so it was quite the "event"...we ate barbacoa (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) a Sunday breakfast tradition (I'll spare you the ingredients...I have to not think about it and just tell myself I've enjoyed it for years prior to know what it's made of), listened to traditional Mexican music courtesy of my uncle and his accordion, and spent most of the week lost in translation (I don't really speak much Spanish).
• Went to the Sea Turtle Rescue Center and saw LOTS of sea turtles...not real exciting, but Erica REALLY enjoyed it.
• Swam EVERY day and taught Erica how to body surf. Well, mostly we walked on our hands in the surf with our legs out behind us...the water was very shallow for a LONG way on the beach. We also buried Erica in the sand (she loved it).
• We wanted to go fishing...OK, so I wanted to go fishing...but the weather was too windy and unsafe for us on the water. I have been telling Erica about fishing with live shrimp. I thought for sure she'd get a kick out of it. Oh, well...hopefully next time.
• We picked ruby red grapefruits from a small grove in my uncle's backyard...and ate them fresh from the tree...YUM!!!! The grapefruits were HUGE...I brought three home (yeah!)
• Did I say we went swimming every day? Oh, sorry for repeating myself...but that was FUN!!!

So stay tuned for layouts using some of these pictures. And don't forget to check out the ACBailey forum for the latest contests. The Pot of Gold Scavenger Hunt is still going on (I can help you with the clues if you need it). And the DT challenge is to complete the Pot of Gold contest and make the layout Spring themed. Go take a look...and post your completed layout in the gallery for a chance to win a gift certificate!

Check out the Scavenger Hunt

As you know, I'm a challenge girl...there's a new challenge that is kicking my behind! Come check it out and see if you can get further than I have. AC Bailey is hosting a "Pot O Gold Scavenger Hunt." The deal is to find five shamrocks hidden on the sites (use this site as a launching point to all the ACB sites). Each shamrock has a clue with it (i.e. use these kinds of products, use this sketch, etc). You need to find all the shamrocks and then do a layout based on the clues.

I have three of the five clues, but am totally STUMPED. They're starting to give clues on where to find the shamrocks so hopefully I'll get them all soon. This is what the shamrock looks like.

Oh, and the prize is an AC Bailey Gift Certificate!!! It's starting at $10 and it increases by $1 for every post by an existing member and by $2 for every post by a NEW member. There are also other prizes for being chatty on the forum and for leaving comments on each submission. Go sign up and join in the fun!!!