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,...

2009 was a very memorable year. Fast and Furious. Something going on nearly every month and not little things either.... BIG things. We started off the year with my son, his wife and their dog moving into our guest room "for a couple of months." Thankfully, we had a room for them to move into and our dogs get along with theirs because the couple of months turned into 11. That does NOT mean it was a bad 11 months. We had a bunch of fun, great dinners, rides on the beach and plenty of laughs. It was almost bittersweet when they moved out.... almost. I think my neighbors were relieved that Wilhelm the weiner found "new digs." He was a bit of a barker. But they bought a really nice home in Atascadero and are now busy decorating and fixing it up in their spare time. Willy loves his new home and has lots of property to run around on. January was also the month our daughter, Tiffany, decided to get married.... in two weeks. Yes, you heard that right, we had two weeks notic...

When I was little, I would look forward to Christmas for weeks!! All the visits to Santa, Christmas parades, and church events just added to the excitement. Then having children and watching that excitement in them was exhilarating! We had "fat" Christmas' and lean ones but we always had Christmas. Even the year we planned to go to Bass Lake to a cabin in the snow that wound up on the side of the road with a broken transmission and no presents. That Christmas day we instituted going to the movies for entertainment and bright and early on the 26th, we took the kids to Toys R Us and let them shop for about $200 of toys each. Lately though, my interest in Christmas has taken a blow. When my mom, dad and sister passed away, it was hard to celebrate "family" gatherings without our beloved ones. Also, Christmas has become so commercialized and all about the gifts rather than the gathering. Stores bring out the goods before October and the day or so before Christmas, I...

"This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Think first of someone else. Be kind and gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still once again." ~ Anonymous As this year comes to a close, I would like to thank you for visiting my blog, leaving encouraging comments and sharing my life's journey and to wish each and every one of you a Season of Joy & Peace. I Love You! Yes, I do! Yes, YOU!!