IN LOVING MEMORY

I would like to introduce you to someone who has been a member of our family for at least 10 years . . . DOS GATO . . .

Dos Gato passed away Friday night. We do not know where he came from originally, he followed in his grandfather (Louie) and father's (the original Gato) footsteps by showing up one day in our yard and adopting our family when he was a young cat. He was the spitting image of his grandfather & father. Dos Gato was a very affectionate cat who loved people and loved to be pampered. He and my husband had a very special bond, as hubby was the first one who befriended him. Dos Gato was always there to greet my husband when he came home from work. I will miss his coming in the house & proudly dropping his latest catch at my feet so that he could receive his due praise-only problem was most of the time the critters were alive. I swear he had a smile on his face as he watch me trying to catch those critters and get them outside. He was such a charater!!! He will always have a special place in our hearts. WE LOVE YOU!!!

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST?

I know, I know . . . it's suppose to be Christmas in July and I did finish this project in July, but sometimes I am a little laid-back on taking photos and posting them (ya got to love early retirement). Anyhooooooo, a few months back I was attending a crop at my local scrapbook store (I suppose a 40 minute drive one-way could be considered local - LOL) when I saw two friends (Cheryl & Babs) making these very cute books. They told me about this wonderful web site where a very talented & funny lady shared her creations. Well, when I got home that evening after the crop (ok it was really 1:00 a.m.) I got online and went to the Paper Phenomenon site. I could not believe all the amazing creations I was seeing and wonders of wonders I could make them also (YAY). I immediately purchased the tutorial named "Occasions Folio." When Kathy created this tutorial she used the Bo Bunny paper line called "Father Christmas" and for me it was love at first site because I collect Santas. I created this album because my granddaughter helps me every year decorate my house at Christmas (this usually takes all day & does not include decking out the tree)and we would have a guide of where to put certain decorations. So here are a few pictures of what I made to hold my Santa photos in:

I pretty much followed Kathy's tutorial until this point. Because I did not want to cover up the words "Jingle Bells" I cut the flap so that it was shorter and would go all the way across. I sewed a ball to the flap to make it easier to lift the flap up.

One of the other changes I made to Kathy's design was I added a gusset to each side of the long pockets to accommodate more photos. As you can see I do have a lot of Santas and this album is perfect for holding photos of the majority of them. This Occasions Folio enabled me to place 42=4x6" photos, 1=4x10.5" photo, 1=3x4.75" photo and 12=1.5x2" photos; with room for even more Santa pictures! I cannot thank Kathy enough for sharing her creations. Her blog is not only informative, her live broadcasts (usually at 12:00 p.m. PDST on Wednesdays) are an absolute hoot. I hope that you will take a moment to visit the Paper Phenomenon blog. The next project I am working on is the "All Occasion Mini" album with the 4th of July theme. Hoping to get this one done before Christmas (LOL)! That's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB

NOT RUSHING

Saturday I attended an evening crop at my all-time favorite scrapbook store, Paradise Scrapbook Boutique, in Chico where I finally finished a cute little mini book (this is where the "not rushing" title comes in). Now quite a few of the supplies to make this little mini book were provided to attendees of the National Scrapbooking Day crop held on May 4th & 5th of this year. As I have been trying to be a good scrapper I have been trying to complete one project before I start another (ok, stop laughing). . . sooooooooo during that 2 day event - in between all the talking & eating I was working on another project (Contessa album by Paper Phenomenon) which was going to be a gift for a special girl in my son's life. Welllllll . . . as things happen I began working on a couple of projects at the same (LOL - so maybe it's really 4 or 5 projects) - sooooooooo without further ado here is the completed mini book:

Now as most of you know I am NOT an original thinker but I am an EXCELLENT copier and it is lucky for me that the owner of PSB, Karen, made an example for inspiration and I ((plus a few other people) copied her mini book. Isn't it stunning. The paper line we were given is from Cosmo Cricket. I absolutely love the shabby chic look of it. I just may be keeping this album for myself! That's all for now . . . I will be posting in a couple of days the pictures of the other project I completed this weekend (it was a very productive weekend-LOL) . . . take care and thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB

BUSY 2 WEEKS

WOW . . . I can't believe how busy the last 2 weeks have been. The first week hubby & I had the Oroville Community 4th of July concerts to sing in and a 4th of July bbq & swim party at our close friends home in the Kelly Ridge area where we viewed, from one of their balcony's, fireworks being shot over Oroville Dam. We then celebrated our 43rd annivsary on July 5th by going out to a great dinner. Then on Saturday we drove down to the bay area and visited with hubby's brother & sister-in-law. Along comes Monday and I am off to my girlfriend Jan's home where she is hosting a scrappy girls swim party & dinner (I got a bad sunburn). On Wednesday I am at my favorite scrapbook store, PSB, with friends trying to finish up a book that I started back in May. Then on Thursday our 6 year old granddaughter spent the day & night with us. I spent Saturday with the scrappy girls at Gina's home where Eva taught us how to make tamales and spanish rice. Scrappy girl Donna taught us also how to make her refried beans. There were 7 of us and we each took home 24 handmade tamales (will post pictures at a later date). It was a lot of work, but fun. In between all these fun activities I have managed to continue going to workout at Curves 3 days each week, doing the cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, and making the following:

Well that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

43 YEARS AGO

Yes that's right, 43 years ago best friends-high school/college sweethearts were married on this date. It seems that the older dear hubby and I get the faster time flies by! That's all for today . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses - LindaB

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!

REHEARSALS

A little over two & a half months ago my husband & I were approached and asked to join this year's community chorus and sing in the 4th of July concert. Well we said YES, of course. The Oroville Community Chorus was formed 20 years ago and hubby & I have sung in all but the last 6 years (life kind of got in the way for a while). It's been fun connecting with people we have not seen in some time and making new friends. I had forgotten how much practicing I need to do and how long the actual stage rehearsals are, but in the end it is always well worth it. This will be the first performance that our granddaughter will see us sing in! Hmmmmmmmmmm . . . I wonder if I can get my hands on a group photo of everyone from 20 years ago :-) Thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

A NEW KIND OF POLE DANCER

It is amazing that I can still make new discoveries of this town that I have called home for the past 24 years. Yesterday while driving on Highway 162 in search of sunflower fields (photos in a future post) I came upon this scene. Of course I had to stop and take pictures . . . These men & women are students of Northwest Lineman College and are attending hands on training to become certified power & construction linemen. I have learned that there are only 3 such schools in the Western United States and they are located in Idaho, Texas and here in Oroville, CA (next to the Oroville Airport). Once these men & women are certified they can work for any power and/or construction companies world wide (these companies usually sponsor the students). It is so wonderful to find new discoveries when you least expect to . . . Well that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB