Life On The Central Coast

I chose a Word of the Year this year, RECREATE. For those of you new to choosing a Word of the Year, it's picking a focus word that describes your intention for the upcoming year. A really good list can be found HERE at Ali Edwards Design: One Little Word: 2010 Word List. As some of you know, I've been busy for the last few years watching my grandkids during the day and wasn't able to craft as often as I would like. Our annual vacation was usually shortened too to match our daughter and her husband's schedule. The middle of last year, I let my kids know that I would not be babysitting daily anymore after the end of the year. So January 1, 2010 dawned a whole new year for me! Let me fill you in on a few things I've done to make sure I stay on track with my word this year. First, created this cute little Journal to write in with my word on the front. Then hubby and I sat down with a calendar and marked out our vacation and days off for the entire year! I can...

Are you a doodler? You know, when you talk on the phone you play around with a pencil and pad of paper. Circles, squares, swirls, stick people.... well that's me too! I've always wanted to be able to draw beautiful pictures. Heck, I'd settle for being able to draw something someone else could recognize! Over the years, I've accumulated all kinds of drawing supplies like sketch pads, pencils, erasers and instruction books hoping that one day I would actually be able to draw. So a few days ago, while looking through our local Adult Education catalog, I saw a Beginning Drawing class being offered. I've wanted to take one for a VERY long time so I signed up!! And people, yesterday was the day I'm going to claim as the day I started to draw! We had 20 minutes to sketch anything in the classroom and I chose my water bottle that I brought to class. We had to turn it in so I have nothing to show you here... yet! Well, I could show you the tools of an pencil artist.....

Around the first of this year, I put pictures of my newly cleaned and organized craft room up on my Flickr site. Right now, I am SOOOoooo in love with my space. It's pretty and functional! So was I ever surprised when I found this email in my mailbox. You've been sent a Flickr Mail from CNN iReport ----- :: Closet office photos Hi there, I came across your closet office ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtraspecial/4245732517/in/photostream/ ) and wanted to encourage you to send it to CNN iReport. We're asking people to share photos of their home offices as part of a special report and have received a few shots of closet offices -- I thought it could be fun to create a gallery of closet offices for CNN.com if we get enough. Here's the assignment: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=379044 Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you! Best, Katie Hawkins-Gaar CNN iReport producer It took me a coupl...

For the past 15 years I've admired your backyard garden. Each Spring the rows of vegetables looked so healthy. You had beautiful flowers that I'm sure you passed out to friends and neighbors. Pots were filled with cuttings and seedlings waiting to make their home in your rich garden soil. Your home looked like a cute little farm home. I could imagine it on property all by itself, surrounded by orchards, gardens and even a small flock of chickens. You walked everywhere you went toting a metal shopping cart and I used to see you take little cuttings of other peoples plants. I can still remember the day a couple of years back that the ambulance came to get your husband, a tall handsome man, most days in overalls. He didn't come back..... I've wondered ever since how you've been. My mom lost my dad and was so lonesome. Her house quiet. Lacking hugs. Lights... I came to see your lights as a sign that you were OK. I saw you out working in your garden on warm summery days,...