Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I feel blessed to have you in my life always.
Enjoy your parades, football games, turkey or tofu and be sure to save room for yummy pie. But most of all love and enjoy the people you are spending the day with and send some extra prayers to the ones that you wish you were with.

Cancun

When Daren said he was going to a seminar in Cancun my first response was "not without me". I mean really had he not taken me he may have just found all his clothes in the front yard when he got back. I'm Kidding. But really what kinda of crazy person would want to go to Cancun and spend the weekend inside while you have a beautiful beach outside. Yes my husband is not normal because he was very excited to do just that. I was content to enjoy some alone time on the beach though.
I thought I would make him happy and attend one of the indoor functions, 2 actually if you count the dinner and speeches afterward. Yeah that was a huge mistake on my part because I was not at all feeling what Daren was so excited about. In fact I walked away with some very strong feelings against it. This is going to be one area we are going to have to agree to disagree.

But aside from some craziness I did enjoy myself. The time there was much to short and would have enjoyed it so much more if it was a purely pleasure trip.

But it broke my heart to know that during my trip the boys got sick. I found out at the airport on the way home and all I could think about was I'm not their and nobody knows how to cuddle them when they are sick the way I do. I have since done some extra cuddling with them.

Growing Up

It is amazing to think that my sweet little girl is getting older. Yesterday she turned 19. Wow where did the time go and how can I get it back. It is crazy to look at her and see her as an adult out in the big world by herself. She really didn't waste anytime spreading her wings and flying.

I love you Miss Ashley but remember, no matter how old you get you will always and forever be my baby girl!!!!

A new direction

It is always tough to say good-bye to friends. But I am not really saying good-bye. After a a wonderful year on the Scrapping Lounge Design Team I have decided to leave. It was a decision I had been going back and forth about for some time and just had a feeling that now felt right to me. I have enjoyed the wonderful friendships I have formed and will always stop in to say "Hi" and to check out all the fun goodies. Tomorrow night I will be teaching my last class at the lounge and it is one of my favorites so I am excited. Remember this is really not good-bye because from time to time you may still see me walking around shopping.
Stay tuned because who knows what will be my next adventure.

Character breakfast at Disneyland

When we first bought our passes this year I told my boys that one morning we will splurge a little and go to the breakfast with Minnie and Friends. Oh how I wish we had done this a long time ago. To think all the years we had stood in line and rushed through pictures because there were 20 other little kids waiting to see them. We had so much fun. The characters interact with the kids and will even drag the parents into the fun. We had Captain Hook try to pop balloons and use the boys head to sign their books. The Fairy Godmother talk to the boys about how brave they are to go on Space Mountain. Chip and Dale messing up hair and making us laugh because they were booing the other.
If you have kids of any age this is something that they will enjoy. And to top it off the breakfast was all you can eat and actually really good. So good that I did smuggle a few muffins out for snacks later that day (But SHHHHH don't tell anyone)
And during this time I learned how to tell Chip and Dale apart. So now I'm gonna really test your Disney knowledge. Which one is Chip and which one is Dale????

One warm coat

My good friend Tammy is part of this wonderful cause.

Help others by giving 1 or more of your warm coats or jackets this cold Winter season by donating them. I have teamed up again this year to help One Warm Coat collect these item's for children, women, and men that are in need of these items more then ever this year. All the coats and jackets donated, will be given to the Los Angeles Mission and all items are tax deductible.

I will be collecting these items from October 21- November 21, 2009

*Please email me if u would like to drop off or need a pick up for these items at: tammyi@mac.com

*The Scrappin' table in Placentia has also generously offered to have a drop box in the store for a convenient drop location for all of your warm coats and jackets.

*You can also show your support and join the cause One Warm Coat/ tammy i on facebook today and share with other facebook friends :)

Thank you for all of your help and please take a moment to share this with others,

tammy i

The season for....

Baking.
I gave in and pulled out the sprinkles for a batch of snickerdoodles. My boys love when I make these although I do have a feeling that they are seeing $$$$ signs in their sweet little heads. Yes I found out last year that they have a little business going at school with the goodies I put in their lunches. What can I say they take after daddy

Playing catch up!!!

Just a few of my layouts that I have been working on over the past couple weeks.
I really need to get caught up on my pages and plan on spending some extra time in my scrap room. I mean really my room is my happy spot that is all about me. You would think I would spend every free minute there.

Fall is in the air

It is fall!!! Well about as fall as it will get when you are in So.Cal. The weather last week had us walking around in shorts and flip flops and wishing we had a pool to jump into. The weekend showed some signs of cooling off and today was actually a light sweater day. But to truely get a feeling of fall you need to hope in your car and drive to this little town in the hills called Oak Glen. A little piece of heaven but I guess the secret about it is out because it seemed like everyone and their mother's were there also. But if you pick just the right farm the crowds aren't that bad and then when you look around at all the cuteness you completely forget anyone else is around. This trip we were joined by my friend Tammy and her boys. It is so nice when your friends have kids the same age as yours and they actually get along and aren't just faking it. The goal for this trip was to pick apples but with all the crowds any pick-able apple was gone. So instead we headed to one of the many farm stores and bought them. Either way the apple pie I made the next day turned out so yummy. There really is nothing better then the smell of apple pie baking in the oven.

End of summer

Everytime I see this picture I think of one of my favorite songs this summer
I got my toes in the water
ass in the sand
not a worry in the world
a cold beer in my hand
life is good today, life is good today!!!
Well just substitute cold beer for a 7 up. This was the only trip to the beach this summer. With all the traveling we did none of the days included laying on the beach and I don't count the river as a beach.

The boys went back to school a few weeks ago and so far so good. I am loving that they are in the same school this year. It has made drop off and pick up so much easier. Also I feel better when I do send them off on the bike knowing that they are together. I did have to tell Joseph that I don't want the crazy name that all 6th graders get to come home. No calling your brother scab, luckily it really only was made a big deal that first week.

I will say that I am starting to get the itch again ( that would be the decorating itch) looking around the house for a new project I can tackle. And I am also feeling some of my scrappin mojo coming back finally!!!!

Class Launch

After taking the summer off from teaching any classes I am back now and ready to begin a new year. Friday August 14th will be the class launch at The Scrapping Lounge from 5:00 -7:00 pm

Here is a little peek at what I have for you. But you will have to stop by the Lounge to see more


Summer Days Gone Bye
Wed. Sept 16th

Creepy Spooks
Thurs. Oct 15th

Hearst Castle

I have always wanted to visit Hearst Castle so I took this trip as a good time to finally see it up close. I set up our time on line thinking we would have plenty of time to get from Monterey to the Castle. Boy was I mistaken! We were doing really good until we stopped for lunch. After that is was a race and the fact that we got behind several cars that took their sweet time looking at the scenery. We got there and the lady at the window said to walk VERY fast to the bus. We made it barely
I was a little nervous that the guys would not enjoy this at all but was pleased to hear that they thought it was great. They are already talking about when we can go on one of the other tours to see another part of the house. How bad would it be if next time one of us accidentally fell in the pool. It just looks so tempting

Monterey

We spent a night in Monterey. The kids loved all the rocks they could climb all over looking for crabs or starfish and I just enjoy the view.
My clan enjoyed all the dinners had along the coast. The best place for seafood. Daren will eat anything, while Hunter loves crab but I think it has more to do with all the work it takes to get the meat out of the shells and Joseph is a shrimp kid. I on the other hand do not want anything to do with seafood. I like to say if it comes out of any kind of water I don't eat it. This little fact bugs my husband and finally after all these years he has cut back on always asking me to try it.

San Francisco

This is where Daren finally joined us for the rest of our trip. I would like to say he was with us the whole time but he had to go to Chicago for a few days. Once I arrived with the boys and we successfully navigated over all the hills and one way streets we walked around. Our timeshare was right around the corner from China Town and the boys thought it was so cool. We had quickly discovered that we didn't pack well and should have packed for some very cool days.



We couldn't not take a tour of Alcatraz. I was surprised at all the beauty around a high security prison. The flowers that were grown and all the birds that have made the island home is amazing. And how cool was it to take the tour and explore the cells and common areas.

We were going to take a trolley until we found out how much it would cost for all of us to get around on one so we did the next best thing and used out feet. Walking the hills is exhausting but it is really one of the best ways to experience a new city.

Winchester House

Our first Tourist stop along the way. I have always wanted to see this crazy house. Doors that open to nothing, stairs that went to the ceiling and crazy windows. Did she confuse the spirits that died by the Winchester Rifle or did she just confirm that she was a little crazy. Maybe a little of both

Family

The first stop during our trip up north was to visit with my grandma. I don't see her as much as I would like so when I got a chance to take the boys for a visit I took it. This is my mom's side of the family and right after my mom passed the relationship I had with them was strained. It was a difficult time for me and I allowed someone to poison my thoughts. It is always hard to believe how some people can be so insecure with themselves that they would set out to ruin other relationships. Thankfully we have healed and I have my grandma back in my life. I want my kids to know and understand why I love her so much. During the trip we also spent some time with my aunt and cousin. Wow has he grown, the last time I saw Bill he was a younger then Hunter
This is a picture of my great grandparents. I think my greatest memory was the cooking that grandma Ruby would do. Oh how I wish I had paid more attention to how she made her pies while growing up. You don't realize how important the things like that are until the person is gone.

From the top

I had debated if I was up for this next adventure. Mountain biking down from the top of Snow Summit. I had no idea that you could even do something so crazy but my lovely son knew this. My first question was how do the bikes get to the top. I have enough problems just riding the hills by our house.


This is how they got up. They got their own ski lift ride. I had to admit that the ride up was great. I was scared at the thought of some of the hills I was going to encounter. Started off really slow and the guys were good and stopped often to wait for me and as I got more comfortable on the bike they didn't have to stop as much but I still used my brakes a lot. Just when I think I can do this they decided to detour onto another trail that was smaller and little did I know at the time more challenging. But I am proud to say I did not fall. Came close a few times and one time I went over a tree root and almost went head first over my handle bars. Lucky for me I was able to save myself.
I am glad I made it and don't have any broken bones.

4th of July

This year for the 4th we headed up to Big Bear with the family and some of Daren's family. We have a timeshare and reserved it last summer. We thought how cool would it be to watch the fireworks on the lake from a boat. What a great idea. The only problem was we weren't really dressed for the weather. We had worn our bathing suits although we never really hit the water because it was so cold and we had all brought sweatshirts but we should have brought a few blankets also. They put on a great display though and it was neat to just relax on the boat and watch the fireworks almost right over your head.

He's a teenager now

Joseph just turned 13 years old on Sunday. This year his birthday happen to fall on Father's Day. I tried not to let either of them get slighted but it happens. We headed to Disney for a quick shopping trip to spend his birthday fun card. Since we already have passes we opted for the spending money instead of free admission. This is where dad got slighted because he doesn't have a pass so he waited outside in Downtown Disney for about 2 hours. Then it was to Nana and Papas house to spend the rest of the day by the pool. Joseph wanted to go out to dinner but it was dad's day also so we stayed and spent time with family. I did tell him that he can have his birthday dinner later this week. I will take him to the restaurant he had picked.
But I am still in shock that he is a teenager now. Where did the time go?

The end of elementary

My baby had his promotion ceremony this morning and tomorrow is his last day in elementary school. His last day is also my last day because he is my baby. Where has the time gone? I am thankful that we had the ability of me being able to stay home and be an active part of his school years. Even though I did step back this last year the teacher always knew she could call if I was needed. Some days it felt like I was at the school as much as the kids between yearbook, room mom, field trips or just fun days. I was just saying today how nice it always was to walk into the office and have the secretary say "Hello Mrs Raskin do you need me to call for Hunter".
Thank you to the wonderful teachers and staff for being so wonderful to my kids. I know that many of you have made a huge impact on my boys and I will forever be grateful.

My loves

It wasn't until after I had Joseph that I really started taking pictures. And when I see the kids sit down and look through all the scrapbooks I have put together I know that all the pictures are worth it. To hear them say I remember when this happened and see the smiles makes me want to keep going.
I can honestly say that being a mother is what I was meant to do. You never really know and understand unconditional love until they place your tiny bundle in your arms for the first time. I don't think anyone else has the ability to keep me sane while at the same time drive me insane all in the same day and sometimes the same hour.
My first born Ashley came along a little early in my life but she has been a blessing to me. Yes I was a teen mom and those years were some of the hardest years I went through but without them I wouldn't be who I am today. Today she is a beautiful young women and I still worry about her. I don't think that ever goes away just because they are out on their own. Now I just hope that all the lessons I tried to teach her are still there. She is my wild child who is enjoying her freedom, a little more then I would like but I have to let her be. Believe me when I do see her she still gets lectured about what I have seen or read on her myspace page and she actually acts like she is listening. At some point as a parent you have to realize that all you dreamed for your child as they were growing up aren't the same as what they want.
My boys now they are a completely different story. Joseph is a mini Daren in so many ways that at times it is funny and other times a little freaky. It broke my heart the first time he didn't want to hug me in public because he didn't want his friends to see so we don't embarrass him, now have a cool handshake. But then at home he is the biggest cuddle bug ever and still wants me to tuck him in at night. He has a smile that will light up your heart and I am not looking forward to the day when he has his first broken heart.
Hunter now is going to be the one that will push the limits as much as he can. I am preparing myself for him now. He has such a temper that I can see him being the one who will be the one sent home from school for fighting. And this one is stubborn and has a one track mind. When he decides he wants something you don't hear about anything else and it doesn't help that his brother helps fuel the fire.
I love you guys!!!!!!

Day 5 of my Self portraits

I sat here trying to think of something interesting to talk about and have come up with nothing. So I figured I am going to take this moment and talk about you my friends. I always find it strange that anyone would want to read about what I am doing besides my family. I guess that is the voyeur in us because I love reading about other people and have found through some of the blogs that I read whether a friends or someone I have never met some great ideas. It could be something as small as a scrapbook idea to dealing with personal issues.
Overall I don't share really personnel things on here but in general I keep a lot to myself. I do have my core group of girlfriends that do get some of my dirt and I am thankful that I have them to share things with and offer me some great advice. Some are close by and it's just a 5 minute drive see and others I need a plane ticket so we have to settle for phone calls. You girls know who you are so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I think everyone needs people outside of their family. As much as I love my husband and kids sometimes I just need a few hours away to regroup and yes sometimes to vent. Then I can go back to them renewed and ready to jump back into my role as wife, mother and all the other things that go along with it such as nurse, maid, counselor and well you get the picture
So this post is dedicated to the girls in my life that I have laughed with and at times cried with and also to the girls that find me interesting enough to just click on my blog chances are I read your blog also.