Disneyland Adventures and Insider Secrets... Coming Soon!!

 

 

 

We have been going to Disneyland for the past three years as Annual Pass holders. We always do something different and learn new insider secrets EVERY time we go!
We love that there is so much behind Disneyland, from the history to the hidden gems, and that it is always changing, Every CM (cast member) will tell you that no matter how much you learn about Disneyland, there is always more!
We thought we would share some of our FAVORITE insider secrets with you!!
Coming this week....

Been So Long Since I've Psted!!

Well, there are a few reasons for my absence. We have been busier than ever with so much stuff... BUT the main reason is that the site I have used for making slideshows and sharing photos has been down for months.
I trusted the ongoing promises that they "would work the bugs out" of their new website changeover, however after several months of logging on and finding the site unstable, crashing, and missing features, I have now decided to search for another site.
I am frustrated (as are MANY people) since I don't know where to begin with moving my numerous photos to another site- in addition, I am not able to even edit the large slideshow at the top of the blog (which I usually keep fresh with new pics at the start) my only choices are to leave it - as is - or to remove it entirely.
I have spent numerous hours searching for a new site to use for photo sharing that offers a slideshow maker compatible with websites- and I am not impressed with ANY I have looked at.

So as I continue my search, I will try to fill you in on news with the kids and share with you the big project I am working on, etc... but it will just be with much fewer photos until I can get some decent slideshows going. It will have to be fewer photos since (at least for now) I will have to put photos in each post only. Using multiple photos will create a long scroll, opposed to being able to put 5-100 pics easily into a compact slideshow.

In case you are curious:
I do not email photos since my photos are GIGANTIC (often more than 10 MB each)- which is how I want them for best quality-- but to email them, I would have to compress and SAVE them to my computer - just to attach to an email- then delete-- way too much of a hassle! PLUS. when I make full size images available publicly to share, then anyone who wants any photo can download them and they get full size images- not compressed junk.

Every night this week, I will try to make new posts, so pop back over for new stuff...
BTW, if anyone knows of a good site, please let me know, thanks!

Published in Scrapbooking Magazine!

This is published in Scrapbooking.com Magazine in the April 2013 Issue. Here is a link to the article
Scrapbooking.com -- Article - Butterfly Whishes
They also posted the article on their Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube accounts. Woot! They made a "video version" of the article for their YouTube channel (posted above).



This One is Out for Publication!

Butterfly Wishes
by Shawna Pollard
 

I've always thought it was cool when I would browse an artist's gallery and I would come across a blocked photo with a message reading "Out for Publication"
So I am excited that this is In my gallery, hehe!

The Funny Things Maletch Says:

Can you believe that Maletch just turned 5?? I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! Well he is not a baby anymore but I remember bringing him home from the hospital like it was yesterday! Sheesh these 5 years went so fast! There is another part of me (the biggest part) that feels like he is so much older than 5 because of just how mature and smart he is.

I will be posting photos and deets of his birthday, but I thought I would share a few funny conversations from this week...

Medicine:
Maletch: "Mommy, I'm kind of sweaty, I think maybe I need some medicine."
Me: "You think you might have a fever?"
Maletch: "Yeah, I think I do."
Me: "Let me see... well you are just a little warm, but I think that's from playing, just relax a minute and I'll check you again."
Maletch: "I think I might need some medicine, what do you think?"
Me: "I think you want medicine but I don't think you are sick."
Maletch: "Well, maybe I am sick, will you check on me in a minute?"
Me: "You know that it is not good for you to take medicine when you are not sick."
Maletch: "Yeah, but it is my favorite food."

Palm Tree:
For Maletch's birthday, we had a "Pirates of the Caribbean" themed party. We bought two inflatable palm trees for decorations- which of course are fragile (can be popped). I came down stairs to see Maletch wrestling with one of the trees and just going nuts with it.
Me: "What are you doing?!?! You are going to pop it!"
Maletch:  "Well, I was hoping that if I shook it hard enough that coconuts would fall off."
I was trying so hard not to laugh, but that was hilarious!
He recently discovered that he loves coconuts from the new 'Coconut Oreos.' Trying to get coconuts off an inflatable palm tree- awesome!! In his defense- each palm tree does have 3 inflatable coconuts on them. :)

What happened?:
Yesterday, while Maletch was in his room (supposed to be taking a nap), I heard a loud noise and then crying. I ran in his room to see if he was alright.
Me: "Are you okay?"
Maletch: "Yeah, I'm okay"
I was still standing there trying to figure out what had happened.
Maletch: "Mommy, do you know why I am crying?"
Me: "Why?"
Maletch: "Because I am tired, that is why I am fussy. I better take my nap now."


Naptime:
John and I recently had a discussion about whether we should continue to have Maletch take an afternoon nap or whether he was old enough to not need them anymore.. It was an interesting discussion since we both remember as kids we (John and I) didn't take naps at this age, etc.. Well after some thought I felt that Maletch still benefited from them and that we should continue for one more year so we made a new rule that "When kids in this house turn 6 they don't need to take naps anymore." We  told Maletch about this and he got so excited.
Today at nap time Maletch said, "Mommy, when I turn 6, I don't have to sleep anymore."

I'm growing:
Maletch: "Daddy needs to measure me again because I am growing, I am getting really big."
Me: "Yes you are, we can meausre you if you want."
Maletch: "I am almost getting big like a grown up, You know what? I am like a grown up! I can wash clothes, drink coffee, and take a shower- just like a grown up!"
There are just so many things funny about that sentence-  I tried so hard not to laugh but I couldn't help it!
First, I thought it was so cute the things that he correlates to being grown up- and ALSO why he thinks he can do those things... he does have reasons for thinking that... but how if anyone heard that, they might think we allow our 5 yr old to drink coffee, do laundry, and take showers- haha!!  Just so funny!
In case you are curious: We get him Vanilla Bean shakes from Starbucks (which has no caffeine or coffee) but Maletch always used to call it his "coffee" (so we did too).

Watch our hands:
We were in Party City and I asked Maletch to help me pick out decorations for his party. He found these little Pirate bubbles and asked if we should get them. I said no since we have better bubble toys at home. He quickly agreed. We finished our shopping and as we were hopping in the car, he freaked out and yelled "Oh no mommy look!" (while showing me that he had the bubbles in his hand). I freaked out too. I definitely over-reacted because I responded, "Oh no, you stole that?" He turned even more flush and pale, and yelled, "We have to take this back inside!"
Although I know this is a common accident with little kids- neither of them has ever done that before.- well never got all the way out with something- because I always spotted it. He had other things in his hands (2 small toys we brought from home) so it was a total freak accident for all of us.
OK now for the funny part- so we go to the second party store since the first store didn't have everything...
as we were walking in the door Maletch says so LOUD, "Ok mommy, we can't steal anything, we have to be very careful!"
Everyone heard this, people were looking at me all crazy, and I almost died! Wait there's more- he went ON... "It would be bad if a bad guy was in here and stole something.... We have to pay for everything..." and on and on the whole time we were in the store. I had no idea what to say to stop him, and he had no idea that he was making everyone think that I was a thief! The things I said weren't working. Then to top it off as we were leaving, I had to load some big/awkward things under the cart and he asked, "Mommy did you pay for those things?"
OK, in my head I was screaming, "aaaaghhhh!"
We had a nice talk on the way home about being careful not to take things on accident-- AND that since we know that mommy doesn't steal and Maletch doesn't steal we don't need to not talk about it anymore either- hehe!

I will carve out time to get some b-day pics posted in the next few days, so definitely pop back over to check that out!

Scrapbook Contest- Week 5!

Well this week's challenge was a real challenge.... we were to create art journal pages, and we had to meet a lot of specific requirements.

Some of the rules:

Create "ART JOURNAL PAGES" using scrap pieces of paper. Simply follow Heidi's instructions on her video to get an idea of what we're looking for. We want to see what you can do when you don't have much to work with! Specifically we want to see the following:

• Layering
• Clustering
• Doodling
• Using a mask with crackle paint, or other molding/modeling mediums
• Use Gesso or white acrylic paint for a place to add journaling, or some other design element

Well, typically creating an art journal is a free style art which has no rules, but since we had so many requirements I had to really focus on the list to make sure I incorporated everything we were supposed to include.
I made 6 pages total we were required to make 2-4, so I submitted the following 4... I will also share the other 2 I made just for fun at the bottom of this post..

Well I decided that with these pages I would start an art journal that would be a "Feel Good" journal for me, one that I will enjoy looking at time after time. I would include quotes that touch or inspire me, along with anything else that makes me happy (things my kids say, snapshots of them, happy thoughts, etc.)

Well, the first set of pages is very personal to me and they have much more hidden journaling and photos that would not fit. I decided that I am at a place in my life that I can journal about the accident and my feelings about it and reflect on it positively. I journaled a bit more than would fit and I will  share/ post it all in a minute... I also included photos of the wreckage too (they are not seen from the front though).

For the design, I used cardboard, and paper scraps and LOTS of mediums to create texture. I used Modeling Paste, Paints, Glimmer Mists, Inks, Gesso, Crackle Accents, loose beads and more.
I even did a little doodling.

Lots of texture...

 

 

 

The second set of pages feature a quote that really moves me. It is simple yet I love it. "She believed she could... so she did." So awesome!!

Anyway, started off with lots of scraps again, and used lots of mediums, Used paints, glimmer mists, gesso, modeling paste, etc.

I added torn book pages to give it depth and shaded it with charcoal,

Made the butterfly with crystal gel.



 

 

 

This challenge was a lot of fun...

 

Below are the additional pages that I made, but did not submit. They include another quote that I love! "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,.. it's about learning to dance in the rain."

This reminds me of an event (we call it "That Swap Meet Day"). We were setting up a booth for the Boutique and everything that could go wrong did and more kept going wrong and John and I were laughing and joking in the face of the worst luck. It was a REALLY bad day, but on the way home, rather than feeling frustrated, I had this glad feeling in my heart that I married my best friend and that we make each other laugh even on the worst of days. This quote makes me remember that we should ALWAYS be that way.

 

 

I still incorporated all of the challenge requirements on this one too. I thought this photo of Maletch jumping in puddles was very fitting for the saying.

Scrapbook Design Contest- Week 4!

I really enjoyed this weeks challenge! It was a little intimidating since I have never tried a canvas before- but I certainly learned a lot from my first try at it! I will definitely be doing more in the future!
There were a LOT of requirements this week too:

Here were some of the rules for Week 4:
Create a TEXTURED CANVAS project, wherein you create your own background using the following techniques and mediums:

• Layering of your mediums
• Misting
• Use a mask or template
• Various texture mediums (Glass beads, modeling paste, gesso, molding paste, etc) Think TEXTURE & LAYERING of your mediums.
• Paint (doesn't matter what kind)

OK, so I first went over the canvas with some Gesso, then blended areas with Glimmer Mists, Lumiere Paints and Acrylic Paints to create the background.
Then I used Modeling Paste with a stencil to create the textured Brocade pattern going down the right side and half of the left side.
I highlighted some of the texture with some Gelatos, Inks, and Paints

Since this challenge was about Layering Mediums to create texture, I used one of my favorite techniques to create "Faux Vintage Leather" with masking tape, inks, and clear embossing enamel.
I layered a piece of Burlap on top and then stamped a Toile pattern on some tissue paper for an accent to my photo mat. I added two crocheted doilies, then lightly layered some fluffy marabou feathers on top.
I added bead gel to several areas to add even more texture and shine.
For embellishments I kept it pretty simple, a small cluster of flowers and pearls, a few chandelier beads, and an angel to finish it off.

 

 The mediums that I used have mica in them so they slightly change color when the light changes.

Photo of Maletch at 3 weeks old.

You can click on any photo to enlarge, use your right left arrows to see them all enlarged.

 

This will get the the title "Sent From Above"

and will have a poem on the back.  

I will share the poem below- I didn't write it, I found it on the internet- it was exactly what I was looking for...

 

 

 

 

 Close ups of some of the texture.

 

 

 

Update: I added a few more finishing touches here

 

The Poem Reads:

Sent straight from heaven up above

Came an angel for me to love
To hold and rock and kiss good night
To wrap my arms around real tight

To cuddle & nurture and watch him play
To kiss his boo-boo's all away
To keep him safe and warm & count all his toes
To hold the tissue for him when he blows his little nose

To laugh at his jokes, to clap as he sings
To tell him all the joy in my life that he brings
To clean up his play dough, to pull his legos apart
To pin up his drawings and tell him it's art

To watch his first day of school on the bus all alone
To fight back the tears as I make my way back home
To applaud real loud when he's in his first play
To help him with his homework at the end of his day

To adore & cherish and watch him grow
To guide and teach him all that I know
To see him through good times & help him through bad
To share in his happiness and cry when he's sad

To hold him close and be by his side
To watch him through life as my heart fills with pride
To help him with decisions, the best that I can
To know that someday he'll be a fine young man

 

I really had fun creating this canvas- and getting all messy playing with goopy things! I look forward to making more-  and have a few new ideas! But first, I hope I make it to the next round- please wish me luck! :) Fingers crossed...

Scrapbook Design Contest- Week 3!

This challenge was my favorite so far- which called for us to use metal embossing- one of my FAVS! I love, LOVE working with metal because there is just SO much you can do with it! There are so many different techniques you can do to create metal embossing- AND- it can be made to fit ANY style or project-- can be: soft and pretty OR dirty textured and grungy!
Well I had a LOT of ideas flood almost instantly, so I was torn between doing 4 different projects- yep FOUR! I was trying to decide on either doing

• An "off the page" project (lingo which means NOT a layout, but rather to alter an item like a birdhouse, etc)
• An "industrial grunge" style layout
• A "steam punk" style layout
• A soft and feminine layout

I ended up initially deciding on doing an industrial grunge layout... I had planned to use a photo of my brother doing freestyle motocross tricks. Those pics really BEG to be done that way! I was so excited once I chose the specific photos and I started sketching it all out-- BUT- I ran into a problem- I needed a few supplies that I thought I had- but didn't... so rather than doing it differently (with different supplies) - I made the decision to order the supplies and put that project on "hold" until everything gets here- so I can do it the way I want. Unfortunately this contest has a deadline- so there was no way my supplies would arrive in time for me to get this completed- so I had to choose a different idea for my contest entry.

Plan # 2:
I wanted to try to "challenge" myself and do something a little different.
I was inspired by some old Vintage Tin Tiles and their intricate embossed designs, and I wanted to do a layout that looked like it was "mounted" on one.

 

These "Vintage Tin Tiles" were my inspiration

 

Since this challenge was about embossing- when I found this photo of Sariah, it made me laugh since she was "embossing" our remote with her teeth- and I had to choose it!  I wanted to combine hard and soft elements to accent the photo, so I used lots of metal, plastic and fabric.

Used Lots of Techniques:
I made the "Tin Tile" using Foil Tape (from Home Depot). Put it on some card stock and ran it through my Big Shot using embossing folders to deboss. I painted the whole thing black to get paint in the debossed design- then wiped the paint off the top.
Then I went to work on the clock:
For the multi-tone frame, I used alcohol inks and acrylic paint.
Since I wanted "air bubbles" in the lavender ring- I used the "Acrylic Smash" technique- which was tricky since I didn't want any purple in the center of the clock. So I cut the second acetate to the size of he middle ring. I went slowly and wiped the excess paint from the middle.
I made many of the embellies such as the rolled zipper flower, metal die-cut flower, and the lace up detail with eyelets and ball chain. I also made the black plastic flower using one of my favorite techniques I learned when I did floral design.
I also used lots of mediums on the chippie clock.

The truth is I was NOWHERE near finished with this LO when my time was up- uggh!! Somehow my time just got completely away from me this week! I mean completely away! But rather than not entering anything- I submitted it "as it was" anyway.

Some things that  I still need to do to it::

• Create a fabric texture on the lace up detail (the lavender part) with a stamp and heat embossing
• Create a cracked center for the big clock by using a "broken glass" technique 
• Make a few more metal embellies (die cut flowers, leaves, and flourishes)
• Correct he composition (where everything is placed) and add a few more selected embellies
• Add a title

Well, since I was STILL making the elements to go on the page.... and I hadn't worked on the composition yet- I had to literally throw what I had- on the page- and this is how I had to submit it....

 

You can click on the photos to enlarge to see more detail

Some details are hard to see in this pic like the "light bulb" embellie, the butterfly at the bottom right of her pic, the clock key, and a few others.

 

 

Hopefully, I will get this finished on Sunday.

I will take some close ups of the two clocks I made to show the detail when I''m all done.

 

The judges vote on Sunday, but we won't know the results until Monday morning. I sure hope that I make it to the next round! The entries this week were so unbelievably AMAZING! Wish me luck- YIKES!!

Hopefully you can see where this layout is "going"- the basic "bones" are there- (the tin tile, the large acetate clock and the small clock in the peek-a-boo lacing (all that stays)... BUT--  I feel it looks like a mess- cuz it's not done-- it's making me crazy looking at these pics- I can't wait to finish!!

 

Although, I wanted to post this after I finished- I thought I would share the way the judges saw it.

Scrapbook Design Contest- Week 2!

Well, this week was no less crazy busy- so I didn't get near the amount of time to plan and play with my supplies before I got started as I was hoping for!
Funny how my crazy mind works: I had one idea from the start- but as I was thinking about it I started second guessing myself so then I had the idea -- "I should make a backup plan in case this doesn't go the way I would like- that way I can change gears and have a Plan B. Well I don't know why I didn't just do my first idea cuz I wasted so much time trying to make sure that I had Plan B-- that I didn't have time to get my plan A in gear.Next thing I know it was Friday night and I hadn't started so I said "Well I wish I could do Plan A- but since I don't have anything prepared for it-- I HAVE to do Plan B. Hehe--  I'm so crazy!!

Anyway, on to what I did...
The name of this challenge was "Paper Layering Techniques". That is all good since I use lots of those in all my layouts-- problem was if I wanted to "wow" the judges I couldn't do anything expected. So trying to think outside the box- I wanted to do a few things unusual...
I made a "Faux Shadow Box Frame" using 5 layers of card stock - and I popped up each layer (using foam in between).
I made a layer of lattice, which I wrapped in a leaf vine.
I used trims from my photo as "paper layers" (the photo had lots of grass in the background- so I used strips of that) as layers
I also did a "Faux Wood Technique" on the faux shadow box frame.(using inks and crackle paint)
I lost count after 20 layers of paper- so I used a TON!!
So that is how I "handled" the challenge part.

This will get the title "Butterfly Wishes" 

I will make custom die-cut letters when I have a little time.

Photo of Sariah on her first birthday.

This is VERY dimensional, thick and heavy!

 

Close up of the "Faux Wood" treatment

Other details about the layout: I made a "peek-a-boo" under one layer where I placed a cameo and pearls. I put glitter in a glass vial as "Fairy Dust" which I wrapped in wire and dangled from a chain from one of the butterflies. I also used lots of other embellies like a pillar which I wrapped in a vine.

The judges will vote on Sunday and we won't know until Monday morning. I really hope I make it to the next round! I saw the entries by my competition-- OMGOSH-- truly amazing! So please wish me luck!!

Scrapbook Design Contest!!

I am so excited to be entered in my first scrapbook design contest- YAY! I am competing against so many talented designers from all over the world, so of course I don't expect to win- I am just excited to be a part of it! I do really want that amazing prize though- hehe!! It is "The Ultimate Designer Challenge" which they are doing kind of like a reality show where it will run for 6 weeks- the judges will "cut" people each week until it will be down to 2 designers for the final challenge! So fun- right??
Each week they will give specific techniques and requirements that we must incorporate into our project design.

Week One:
The first challenge was really 2 parts: to create a multi-dimensional embellishment from a die cut
to be used in a project (so make the embellishment and make a project using that embellishment). These were some of the rules:

• You must use either a die cut paper or a piece of chipboard as your base shape
• You must turn that die cut/chipboard into a dimensional (layered) usable embellishment
• You must use at least TWO art mediums (gesso, gels, glazes, paints etc)
• Your final piece must be showcased on a scrapbook page (layout), card or other altered item 

So for my embellishment, I decided to use a die cut snowflake as my base shape. I cut it from cardboard that I peeled to get the corrugated texture. I had so much fun using lots of art mediums on this. First I used Gesso, then sprayed Glimmer Mists, then added some Anthology Paint, then Crackle Paint, then added some German glass glitter and beads for more texture.
I wrapped a strand of translucent pearl beads around the tips, added 2 stick pins, and then punched a small hole for a jump ring for the chandelier bead dangle, and then topped it off with the metal snowflake in the center. These pics don't capture all of the bling and dimension- in real life this is so shiny and textured!

 

Click on any photo to enlarge.

 Once enlarged, you can use your right/left arrows to see all photos enlarged.

 

For my layout, I made a few other embellies too:
I made some Frosted Branches out of twigs using Colorfill (vase filler beads), german glass glitter, and diamond dust.
I also made a Poinsettia out of a metal sheet which I die cut, embossed, and sanded. I curled the petals and added gold beads for the center.

Although we were given ample time, I had such a crazy week- so I didn't begin until I only had a few hours left- YIKES! So after making all of the embellies (which took up most of the time)- I had to really RUSH the layout. Since time was running out- I threw this together rather quickly! I ran out of time before I could add my "title" and few extra touches- but it was "Time is Up"- gasp-  just like on the shows, hehe! So I submitted it - as it is here..

 

I won't get points off or anything- since it didn't require a title- and nobody knows it was incomplete *except me.* I will add the title "Eyes Full of Wonder" and a few other things to finish this off (for myself- since it is too late for the contest). After I add the finishing touches, I can take a new photo and share it- if any of you want to see.

 

 

Here is a close up of the embossed metal poinsettia that I made

 

 

Close up of the Frosted Branches that I made

 

I had so much fun with the first challenge- I hope I make it to the next round!! I will find out in a few hours- fingers crossed! Wish me luck!!

The Funny Story of John's Christmas Stocking!

How many Christmas stockings does one man need? I am sure you are thinking just one, right?
Well yes, but no, hehe! The answer is really 5  ... I'll explain...
My hubs is a typical man, you know- not too picky when it comes to most things, like the house decor, etc.. he just leaves it to me and as long as I'm happy, he's happy- and he usually really likes things I pick out. He's even a great sport when it comes to wearing costumes- he doesn't ever complain- and he usually likes those too- or at least the fun of it- he's easy going!
Well, he has liked everything just fine - except the Christmas stockings I have picked out, LOL!!! Funny thing to be choosy about, hehe!
We have been together 9 Christmases and I have purchased him 5 stockings over the years- always to replace a previous one that he didn't like, hehe!
As it turns out, I really don't like many stockings in the stores- I like everything to be unique/different...
So for our first Christmas together, I bought these for us:

I thought these were cute- hehe, and unusual, and I loved all the bling!

Conversation when I showed John:
Me: "Look honey, I got us some stockings."
John: "What? One of those is for me? Uhhm, (pause) I don't know about that?"
Me: "You don't like them?"
John: "No, not really."
Me: "What's wrong with them?"
John: (laughing) "Well everything. They have rhinestone-things- they are all shiny- these are for girls!"
I didn't believe they were that bad, until my dad and Denise were over and my dad was laughing WITH John! They were making fun of my stockings!

But wait, it gets funnier.....
OK fine, so the next year I looked around again, and I found some new ones- great!! I was driving home with them in the car, and happened to get a call from John, so I mentioned:
Me: "Oh guess what, I finally found us some new stockings- so we can get rid of the other ones! I think you will like them this time!"
John: "I am sure I will as long as mine doesn't have like a picture of a stupid reindeer on it or something."
Me: (laughing so hard)
John: "It has a reindeer on it?"
Me: "How did you know to say -have a reindeer- cuz yeah it does! It has one that sings and its antlers move with bells!"
John: "What the??-- Are you serious??"
BOTH of us were rolling laughing so hard, we couldn't breathe!
Me: (still laughing so hard) "Well I got a dog one too, would you like the dog one better?"
John: "No, no animals would be better."

Well, I came home to show him these.... 

 

I thought they were cute... but John, not so much!

 

Before you play this video- be sure to pause the music player towards the bottom of the blog or the sounds will be battling.
Here is a short video of what the stockings do...  cuz it is funny! I was just gonna take a quick video for this post, and I was going to tell the story on video... But as you will hear, Maletch ran over talking about it- so I didn't want to tell the, "Daddy didn't like the stocking story" in front of him-  I didn't want to explain how daddy didn't like it so he gave it to you! hehe. Oh but daddy likes it for you, just not for himself! I really laugh now thinking about how I bought these WAY before the kids were born- we were just a married couple, LOL!

 

What man wouldn't want this stocking right? hehe!

OK, so then the next year, I kept looking and I found some that neither of us really liked, but they were the best I could find-- no rhinestones-- no singing reindeer-- but not my favorites...

You can't tell from the pic, but these are very 3-D. They have wooden pieces attached and all kinds of things, and very puffy appliques.

 

John gave me a funny look and asked, "Why don't we just get some regular plain stockings?"
Me: "Cuz that's too boring, who wants that??"
John: (laughing) "I wouldn't mind that."
Me: "Don't worry, one day I'll find some we both like, and they won't be plain."
Both of us laughed yet again!!


OK, so the NEXT year, I finally found THESE-- and I LOVED them!! I was so EXCITED-- finally these are really my style!! I wondered what John would say- cuz they do have a little rhinestone bling (negative for him)-- but they are more simple (plus for him)- and they are unique (perfect for me) --- I really thought these were THE ONES!!...

Well, his reaction was not exactly what I'd hoped for!

 

Me: "So what do you think?"
John: "Well, they are better than all the other ones."
Me: "You don't love them?"
John: "Well they aren't bad."
Me: "Well are they great?"
John: "They are OK."
Me: "Aww, just OK? Man, I thought these were perfect!"
John: "Well I don't hate them."
Me: "Can you try to love them?"
We both had another great laugh!!

Well each year, the ones I bought were "better" than the previous - so we used them each once- until the buckle ones. We have used those every year since the year we got them...  and then, after the kids were born, we gave them the singing ones (Maletch got daddy's singing reindeer, and Sariah got my singing dog)...
This is how they looked all together:

.... Until this year- when I surprised the family-  I ordered heirloom quality knit stockings with all of our names embroidered- YAY! I bet the kids wonder why they don't sing or do anything fun, LOL!

 

John and I BOTH love the unique, vintage look- and I know we will have these for many many years!

These remind me of the stockings my brothers and I had as kids (my dad and Denise still have them). Although these are different style-wise, my childhood stocking was crocheted so it had lots of stretch and could hold a lot of goodies- just like these! I really had fun stuffing these this year and I was AMAZED at how much I was able to get in there- compared to previous years with the no-stretch ones! I should take a pic of all the stuff I fit in just one!!

Anyway, John and I laugh at the stocking fiasco stories every year! It is funny, because we still have them all in the same Christmas bin with our current ones- and we didn't really plan to keep them, but every year when we pull our stockings out, we bust up laughing when we find them- funny memories-- John especially laughs at the first shiny ones! So maybe I will never get rid of them, so we can re-discover them every Christmas- but I wanted to scrapbook and journal this now- (while we still have them all)- and its the perfect time since the saga of the bad stockings is finally over, haha!
... and now you know why John has FIVE stockings!
I still tease John that one year, I plan to decorate in a Winter Wonderland theme that will be all white, silver, & blue- and that we will need those shiny stockings to go with the theme- hehe- it always makes him laugh and groan! I actually do want to do that one year though- hehe- so maybe the stockings he hates will be making a comeback? lol!

P.S. If you click on a pic it will enlarge- and you can see the funny details better! Once one pic is enlarged- you can just use your right/left arrows and see all the stockings enlarged.

It's Christmastime!!

 

 

 

We thought we were prepared for Christmas since I finished all my shopping early- but sheesh- we have been so busy with other things- we were unable to finish up our Christmas preparations (we still need to get everything wrapped and shipped and mail off Christmas Cards)--  but the kids are certainly ready and excited for Christmas! Can you believe it is only 9 days away?

We are especially excited to be starting traditions with our kids that we know will be memories they will grow up and treasure forever!
We  have many traditions in our house but two of my favorites are our Advent Calendar (Countdown Calendar) - which we fill with candy and little presents for each day of December!
We have a store -bought one which we like a lot and since it hangs on our wall it's a space saver but I have an idea for one I want to customize BUT that will be much bigger and floor standing- so we will use that in a future place when we have more space!- and for now we love this one!

 

It has a wooden candy cane (attached with a ribbon) that you use to mark the day you are on. It looks neat when it is all filled, I took this pic at 6 days till Christmas (so there are only 5 goodies left towards the top). Each day, the kids take turns "doing the honors" of taking out the treat/gift and moving the candy cane up one stocking- so fun! They race to it every morning- to see what they get! It is hard to see, but there is even a star on the tree (the candy canes in the top stocking are blocking it).

We have always given the kids new Christmas pajamas as a tradition, but we decided it would be more fun to have all matching Christmas pajamas- cuz we are nerds and it is fun! We will continue our traditions until our kids have kids, and we hope they will continue them with their own families!

A few other traditions we look forward to:
Every year I bake my "famous" Chocolate Chip cookies and homemade Almond Roca Candy, and Zucchini Bread.
We make Gingerbread Houses (this year we are making a Gingerbread Christmas Train).
The kids get to each open one present on Christmas Eve (this year it will be a Nativity play set).
We read Christmas stories to the kids all month (we have many favorites in our library) and daddy does a special reading of "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve.
We even have an Elf on our shelf that watches us and reports back to Santa every night when we sleep and he's back every morning in a different spot!

So what are some Christmas traditions you cherish at your house??

I posted a few sneak peeks of our matching Christmas Jammies!!

What a Fun Surprise and FUN Night!!

Well tonight was John's birthday and I surprised the family with Front Row tickets to Disney On Ice Dare To Dream! We headed to a packed house at the Staples Center all dressed up in our costumes, and on the way there I told everyone what we were gonna see!

 

 Standing at our seats after the show!

 

 

Trying to leave our house, we had all kinds of bad luck- after we locked up the house and hopped in the car- we misplaced our keys- so we couldn't start the car and actually get going. The search was long: Did they fall between the seats? in one of our bags? This was a big time sucker. Then once we started driving, I realized that I snagged and ripped my dress and needed to go back home to get something to repair it- then once we got back on the road it started raining and some cars just ahead of us got in a major accident! All of this made us pretty sure we would be late and miss some of the show. You might think that all this could wreck our mood or evening-- oh but not us- John and I always know how to laugh during chaos, and we were rolling in the car recapping our shenanigans all the way there! Our luck sure turned around when we arrived- somehow we got parked with a few minutes to spare!

When the show started, we became the luckiest ducks ever because the actors made us part of the show too!! They took notice to the family dressed like them in the front row and they interacted (spotlights and everything) with us all night! They really made this show an unforgettable experience for us and it was that much more enjoyable! Our seats were right at the ice- we could touch the ice from our chairs!!

In this show they performed three full Disney Princess movie plots: Tiana (princess and the frog), Cinderella, and Rapunzel. They also featured Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy between stories (as our hosts). Sariah was talking to them a lot! Although Mickey is one of her favorites, I heard her calling out to "Donna" (Donald Duck) a lot!
Each story was full of beauty, action, villains, scenery changes, and special effects- straight out of the movie- but LIVE on ice! Both Sariah and Maletch are fully familiar with all 3 movies in fact Maletch kept saying, "This is just like the movie!" They did this much like Toy Story 3 on ice where there was vocal dialogue, mixed with musical style singing- great storytelling!
We were all really impressed with the aerial (acrobatic stunts) that Rapunzel and Flynn did- and we were also impressed with the costuming for the horse- which looked like a real horse ice skating! The lit-up Cinderella carriage on ice was stunning and Cinderella and her prince were Olympic-style stunt skaters and amazing to watch! I also really enjoyed the indoor pyrotechnics- just a great show!

Maletch will want to tell you about this:
Although many of the actors engaged with us in a charming or funny way, unanimously our favorite part was when they were performing the Cinderella story, The Prince and The Guard were carrying the glass slipper - looking to find the girl that fit the slipper. They came up to me on bended knee and tried it on my foot!! Maletch has been retelling that and how the Duke said, "No it doesn't fit mommy." LOL!! I think John caught it on video, but he was not at the best angle (too close) but I will post it anyway.
One part that Maletch didn't understand was supposed to be funny was when the Wicked step-sisters approached me they really started acting antagonistic and making faces, and making I'm gonna get you (threatening gestures of choking and hitting) and the audience and John and I were laughing since they were doing this "to Cinderella" but Maletch did not understand it was a joke and he was worried about these mean girls that he saw being mean to mommy. He also said they were doing it to him too! At this age, everything is so literal, so I know that must have been pretty scary. Now you will understand what he is talking about when he tells you about the "wicked step-sisters being mean to mommy and me, and how the man with the prince said the shoe didn't fit mommy!"

The wicked step-sisters are coming to mess with me and Maletch again!!

Funny Story (well kind of CRAZY):
Unbeknown to me, as we were escorted to the front row (when we arrived) apparently all the people in the place (kids AND parents) for some reason thought I was part of the show.. so as we descended down the stairs, I did hear a ruckus but I didn't turn around so I didn't know it had to do with me. Well, at intermission, as I was going to go to the ladies room (by myself)- I was approached by security who told me there was a mob of people that formed and were trying to get down to my seat to "meet the princess". He said, "We can't allow that since they didn't have tickets to get down to where you are." He insisted, "I think you will get mobbed going up the stairs." I thought that was funny, but I really didn't take it seriously.. I mean come on, I am at a show with my family, I am in the audience, obviously, I am not Cinderella, just a lady in costume right?? .... Well that is what I thought, until I tried to walk up the very first step and I was attacked!! I mean freakin MOBBED! Of course it wasn't the kids shouting "Hi Cinderella!"or even the ambush hugs from kids that bothered me - it was the nutty parents (moms AND dads) that were grabbing me, saying, "Come here my kids want to meet you, can I take a pic of you with my kids?" I tried to be clear, insisting that I was not part of the show, but for whatever reason they either didn't care or didn't believe me, Once I would take a pic (almost without choice) there were 50 more people yelling, "Cinderella over here! Behind you! Cinderella turn around!" Security was laughing but I was worried that I would never make it off the stairs or to the bathroom, and I was also worried about how aggressive they all were. After someone helped me the rest of the way up the stairs, I ran into the bathroom being chased by screaming people only to be mobbed again by crazy moms in the bathroom! They were taking pics of me in the bathroom- I'm telling you crazy! It was cute I heard one girl ask her mommy, "Wow, is she going to use the bathroom? Why is she using this bathroom like us?" Somewhere in the tussle my Cinderella hair up-do fell down due to being ambushed, pulled, and grabbed! So Cinderella let her hair down for the rest of the night :)

Anyway, that was so unexpected (and weird) so I decided to not to walk ANYWHERE alone again -well actually, that was what John said when he found out what happened. John referred to himself the rest of the night as my body guard, hehe. I did try to make it fun for the hundreds of kids that I met since I realized that no one is listening that I am not part of the show-- and for most of them- they believed that they met, hugged, and took a picture with the real Cinderella! Some of the girls squealed and some had tears in their eyes- these girls are serious about Cinderella! Even when I was with my family, like after the show at the merchandise stands - I was still approached for pics but in a more orderly fashion-- surprisingly most people STILL were convinced I was part of the show and refused to see that my family was all around me! So weird! This attention made the kids, ESPECIALLY Sariah VERY uncomfortable- she did NOT like other people surrounding me at all- she was so nervous! We were almost the last ones to leave because of this madness- we kept getting stuck! As we were leaving John took a few pics of me with the kids (our kids) at the stand while Sariah was trying to use my dress as a curtain to cover herself (not in a playful way- but in a - I want all of these people to leave us alone way)- I don't blame her- it was crazy! The people that did NOTICE my family had lots of comments for everyone! I asked John what the heck was wrong with some of these people and how could they think that I am in the show when I am clearly with my family and was in the audience...  he had a few ideas, but it was still bizarre to me.

In spite of all of the crazy people- we had a really great time! We did meet a lot of nice people too! It was a great show, we made great memories, we laughed a LOT (I was laughing-so-hard-I-cried a few times)- for all of these things I am so thankful for tonight!

Pop Quiz:
On the drive home, Maletch had a big idea of something he wants us to do next... can you guess what his suggestion was??
If you guessed, we go ice skating again but this time in our Prince and Princess costumes to perform Disney on Ice Dare to Dream ... you are correct! I had a feeling that he would want to do that- John laughed and looked at me  so I responded with what else?? --"That does sound like fun!"
So stay tuned as I bet that is what we do for his birthday- you know he gets to pick the activity again!!

Below is a video clip (sorry it is a little shaky).. You can see a few fun interactions just in this 5 minutes... it starts with them trying the glass slipper on me... then the step-sisters come back making more faces at us...  and then goofy acts like he will give us the tiara.. Maletch says, "Goofy was going to give a crown to Sariah!" This continued throughout the whole show- it was so much fun!
Be sure to pause the music player towards the bottom of the blog before playing the video or the sounds will be battling.

I will post some better clips of some incredible action and special effects later.

.... Still working on this post.... but I posted just a few sneak-peek pics for anyone that stops by ....slideshow coming later today...

Disney On Ice Dare to Dream Staples Center 12-12-12 The Prince Trying th...

"The Things My Kids Say!"

Our little ones are so talkative, and so funny! Well they make me laugh, Sariah cuz she is so cute and she surprises me everyday by saying things I didn't know she knew- well they both do that - and Maletch cuz he is a funny guy, hehe!! Although I am in that famous VERY busy "with 2 kids under 5" category-- they are both at such fun ages (1 1/2 and 4 1/2) - I love this stage in their lives and I am in no rush for them to grow up!! I can always sleep and clean the house later right? hehe!

OK, so it has been a while since I posted "Funny Things Maletch Says," but now that they are BOTH  talking- we'll change it to "Things the Kids Say." The grandparents can keep up with Sariah's speech, and I think everyone will enjoy the funny things Maletch says!

We'll start with Sariah:

First of all, I was intending to keep track of all the words Sariah says until she was 18 months (which was last month)- and I will update that original post later (the best I can)-   BUT  - I have to admit, I lost track after she passed 100 words which was a while ago! She speaks in sentences now. She can communicate just about anything she wants to say.

Some Things Sariah Said Today:

"Can I have some juice please?"

"I did it!" (then dramatically clapped for her own achievement) She does this a lot (when she builds a train track/opens something/ figures something out, etc)

"You need to push it!" (explaining to me how to turn on a toy- referring to a button)

"It's not nurking" (it's not working)- she says this bringing me toys that need new batteries!

"It's broken!" (when a toy comes apart)

"That's funny!" (she says this often times when she laughs- usually when her brother is being silly)

After 'reading' (naming everything in every picture on every page) her Curious George book, she said "I want the monkey, please?" while she pointed upstairs. She was blocked by the baby gate and the toy monkey she wanted was up in Maletch's room.

When I was plating our dinner tonight, she said, "Oh tacos, I get in my chair" then she climbed in her high chair and sat down.

Walking up the stairs, Maletch always likes to 'count the stairs' ... well for a while now, Sariah counts too! We have 15 steps and she counts clearly to 10 (and sometimes higher)!

This really surprised me:
She caught a glimpse of a picture of herself (one from her birthday where she made a mess with her cake) She shouted, "My birfday"
I said, "Yes that was your birthday, how do you know that?"
She said, "I have hat." (she was wearing a party hat in the picture) I have no idea how she knows that!

She shocked me with this one tonight (playing with a spaceship) she said, "Five, four, three, two, one, (then she made blast-off noises)" Yep she counted backwards from five!!

She also LOVES our Christmas tree (she pronounces "Chrisses tree") since we have it all decorated with Disney store ornaments. She loves to talk about all the characters (she names them all) and I have caught that little bugger climbing VERY high trying to pull the ornaments down (to play). Since they are characters- she thinks they are toys! She makes me  SOOO nervous! We have a hexagon shaped baby gate around the tree (to protect her from breaking ornaments AND to prevent her from opening the presents under the tree- while we are upstairs- remember the birthday gifts opening fiasco- LOL) BUT I came out from the kitchen tonight and found her ON THE INSIDE of the gate with the presents!! She hopped that gate so fast- so it isn't really doing any good at this point- LOL-- and it is way taller than she is!

Maletch has taught her a lot of Christmastime lingo, so she likes to point out Santa all over the place, as well as snowmen, and other things - all which she can pronounce perfectly! The other night when we hung our stockings, she yelled out "Socks!" - I thought that was cute!

She also LOVES to wear her brother's clothes- I think it is for 2 reasons actually: The main reason is she likes the boy style characters that are often on his clothes (like Thomas, Buzz, Woody, McQueen) and the other because she just looks up to him so much, she wants to be like him. She will OFTEN bring me one of his shirts and ask me, "Put on shirt please?" She even tries to put them on herself (which she can't do yet)! Tonight she wanted to wear his Thomas shirt (which I did put on her- it is a dress on her) AND she wanted to wear his sweatpants (no character on those- just are big brother pants) and she asked me "Put pants please?" When I wouldn't she got pretty upset. So I had to explain to her- that they are way too big and she won't be able to walk, hehe! She still wanted to try, so I saw her trying to put them on herself too!

She often asks me, "Can we go bye-bye in the car?" She has memorized most of our routine for leaving and will often tell me (while I am getting ready), "I need shoes!"

She notices details of things too- this wasn't from today- but recently she told me, "Bunny has no shoes!" (while pointing to a stuffed bunny)

She also LOVES to point to anything with print and name letters of the alphabet. She names quite a few correctly (like D, E, I, O) but when she doesn't know them, she names random letters (I have never taught her this- she picked it all up from Maletch's Hooked on Phonics videos).

I recently started teaching her colors and she knows several already (Yellow, Purple, "Bwoo", "Gween")

I had not started teaching her shapes yet, when she pointed to a picture of a triangle and said, "Riangle." When I replied surprised, "Very good, that is a triangle!" She ran to get one of her Magna-Tiles and brought me back a triangle!

She has always talked non-stop, she used to have her own language-- but now we can understand almost everything she says. She will keep a conversation going a LONG time- although she changes the subject quite frequently (and sporadically). That makes Maletch laugh, when he is trying to have a conversation with her, and she jumps to a different topic!


Now I'll share some funny conversations with Maletch and a few stories:


Funny Things Maletch Says:

Christmas List:
Maletch: "Mommy you made the kid list this Christmas!"
Me: "I made the kid list, what's a kid list?"
Maletch: "Yep mommy, you made the kid list instead of the grown-up list this year, so you get fun toys for Christmas instead of, you know, your grown-up stuff!"
Me: "Hmm, getting toys- that sounds fun, so do you think grown up stuff is boring?"
Maletch: "Yeah, it is."

Funny Question:
Maletch: "Mommy, are you going to eat me again?"
Me: "What?!?! I would never EAT you!"
Maletch: "Well Sariah and I used to be in your belly, so you ate me one time before, right?"
Me: "Oh you mean when I was pregnant with you, and you were in my belly.... um well yeah you were in my belly, but I didn't eat you, God put you in my belly."
Maletch: "When I was in your belly, you had to eat me, right- I had to go in your mouth, right? So are you going to eat me and Sariah again?" (and he gestured to the way you eat and food goes down)
Me: "Well, I know that is how food gets in your belly, but when God puts a baby in a ladies belly it is different. He puts a baby inside a different part of the belly- it is not the same part that food goes."
Maletch: "Does it go in your belly button?"
Me: "Um... yeah."
Maletch: "Do I have a baby in my belly? (he lifted up his shirt and was looking at his belly)
Me: "No honey, only girls can get pregnant."
Maletch: "Does Sariah have a baby in her belly?
Me: "Actually only grown-up ladies can get pregnant when they are married."
Maletch: "Like you are married to daddy! Do you have a baby in your belly right now?"
Although, I answered, "No."- he lifted my shirt and examined my belly button! He was trying to look inside my belly button- hehe!

Bears:
Maletch: "Mommy did you know there are bears on the moon?"
Me: "Well there really aren't bears on the moon, but we can pretend there are. Are you pretending?"
Maletch: "No, there really are bears on the moon, real ones, I saw them!"
Me: "Where did you see this?"
Maletch: "On 'Imagination Movers'!" (a TV show)
Me: "Oh they must have been pretending that because there really aren't bears on the moon."
Maletch: "There are real bears on the moon, I promise!"
Me: "Well I know that shows seems real since it has real people/ it's not a cartoon, but not everything on TV is real. Sometimes they pretend or make up stories just like we do for fun. I promise it was for pretend"
Maletch: "Mommy, I'm telling you, there really ARE bears on the moon, I promise! Maybe we should look it up on the computer."
Me:"Well sweetheart, let's think about this for a minute: how would bears get to the moon? People can only go there by rocket ships, like the Space Shuttle. I don't think bears can fly on the Space Shuttle.
He seriously thought about it for a minute, then he asked a million questions. Now sometimes as a joke, he'll say, "Mommy there really are bears on the moon, I promise you"-  and he'll bust up laughing!!

Teaching Maletch about oral Hygeine (with visual aids):
Maletch: "Mommy what is that thing hanging in the back of that mouth?"
Me: "That is called a Uvula."
Maletch: "Do I have one?"
Me: "Yep!"
Maletch: "Do you have one?"
Me: "Yeah, and daddy and Sariah too, all people have them!"
Maletch: "The whale at Disneyland has one too" (the whale on Storybook Land ride)
Me: "You're right I remember that!"
Maletch: "What is if for?"
ahh the question I worried was coming...
Me: "Well I am not really sure."
Maletch: "Maybe we should look it up on the computer."
Me: "Good idea, let's go see"
.... a little later that night...
Maletch: "Hey maybe we can get a Uvula ornament for the Christmas tree and hang it right here."
Me: "I don't think they make those."
Maletch: "Well maybe they do, we should look because that would be cool!"
Maletch asks this all the time, "Mommy, can I see your uvula?"
Then, "Mommy can you see mine? (aaaaaaahh)" and I hear, "Sariah, open your mouth and say aaaaaahh."
So please be on the lookout for uvula ornaments, hehe, and be prepared to show him your uvula!

Jokes and Impressions:
Maletch has a very clever sense of humor for 4 yrs old! He even makes up his own one-liner jokes!
Recently, we were talking about cows (how they make milk, etc), and we were getting ready to leave, and he said, "Well, we better get moooo-ving." I was impressed since that was clever- and John and I don't make jokes like that- so we don't know where he learned that??

He does a lot of funny impressions, that are right on- (down to the voices, gestures, etc) and he does these almost constant and he figures out a way to add them (smoothly) into so many conversations.
I posted a video on YouTube- of him performing "A Magic Show" where he did a LOT of impressions in it.- BUT if you aren't familiar with the people that he is imitating then you wouldn't catch that is what he is doing- because he doesn't announce it (he just acts it out as if he is talking- but if you are familiar you totally know). In that particular video he does impressions of: "Silly Billy" (professional magician), and impressions of some audience members (from a skit), and "The Great Zucchini" (magician), and he also incorporated a saying from the Fresh Beat Band). I am pretty sure nobody will recognize the people he is imitating-  I wish I could post a video of them first- then you would totally know! Before I link it to my blog, I will try to post notes with it at least.
He does different impressions all the time. I can only guess that his talents for impressions probably comes from him always acting out movies (since he was 1 yr old). That is still his favorite thing to do with us. He assigns us all roles and likes to act out scenes from movies or shows. John and I do not have this talent- so he did NOT get that from us!

Story Time:
He loves to listen to me and daddy's "when I was a kid" stories and he has a few favorites that he always asks us to re-tell...A few of his favorites have to do with our encounters with wild animals (surprisingly we both have a lot of those stories, hehe). Every night, he asks, "Mommy/Daddy, can you tell me the ___ story?" (there are so many he asks for).

Making Up Stories:
Well, one day he decided he should make up his own stories of wild encounters too,..: (this came around the time we were studying bugs and spiders) and that is when "Pokin Spiders" were invented!! ...
The first time he told a story about Pokin Spiders, I asked, "What is a Pokin Spider?" He answered, "They are called that because they will try to poke you!" he imitated having sharp horns.
He likes to tell stories of being chased by Pokin Spiders that were trying to get him and running in the house while barely getting away! Pokin spiders are very fast! I am sure he will tell you one of his tales of Pokin spiders!

My favorite is when his stories begin with, "When I was a kid..." or "When I was young..." hehe! These are usually true stories of things that happened last year (you know when he was a kid). :)