pinkcherrymama

{a year to the day...}

yes, it has been 1 year, to the day, since my last post....

so for anyone out there in blogland... friends, family or the occasional happened-by-accident visitor... i am happy to say, I AM STILL ALIVE! i am so embarrassed for having neglected my blog... i have made it through some major bumps in the road this year and i am  finally ready to come back to blogging. i have missed sharing creative things, ideas and experiences of everyday life so much. just as i was starting to get the hang of it, i gave up. BUT, like i said, i am ready and excited to be back and share what i have been up to and some of the little things that make me happy - or, sometimes, not so happy - in life.

SO much has happened this past year! so for today and tomorrow, i'm going to try to sum it up as short and sweet as possible...

late december 2010:

new additions to our family! louie dog...

and shelby girl...but i can't seem to find any photos of her :(

february 2011:

another day in s.f. nothing really different than any other day...BUT this time, my girls decided to try a new way of taking photos...hang mom's iphone out the window and snap... i LOVED how they came out!

{by the way, HIPSTAMATIC is my MOST FAVORITE APP EVER!}

my oldest decided to compete in dance this year and her team did awesome! i have to admit, i am glad it is over though...lots of travel and fun, but very expensive...

{she's the one on the left}

little buddy began his obsession with boba fete {spelling?} and has not gotten over it yet...

 

March 2011

little buddy turned 5 and had his first trip to disneyland...that he actully remembers!

"sissy b" got a chance to do some modeling for a very good, VERY talented friend of mine... he makes the most wonderful metal art. he lives in a beautiful old mansion in the middle of alfalfa fields where the photo shoot took place...she was a trooper! she stayed in the kimono for 4 hours without a potty break! there were about 5 or 6 layers to the costume and it took about an hour and a half to get dressed. if you have a chance, please check out his work HERE 

little buddy also started playing t-ball this year... what an experience that was (for both parent and child)!

april 2011

grama and grampa had their 50th wedding anniversary! we had to rent a tent last minute because it started to sprinkle. it was FREEZING, but it turned out great...even having to pack everyone into the tent.

(i made an almost exact replica of their original wedding cake and restored their cake top...)

 

June 2011

My baby girl (oldest child really) graduated! oh my goodness, this was a big one for me this year...

AND....she turned 18!

...so we had a carnival :)

August 2011

AND THEN... she went to her very first dance audition at THE EDGE in hollywood. she ddn't get into their dance program, but it was an awesome experience...

the following week, we were back in L.A. for another audition, this time for disney... another no, but no regrets for the experience! i decided to take my baby girl for a "secret" trip to disneyland while we were in socal. it was such a blast...i haven't ever really spent time with her alone since she was a baby...

{photos to come tomorrow :)}

i really want to finish up telling about my year and feeling like i have a new start :) i am exhausted for now, but i will finish up tomorrow.

So for now, i am going to say good night.... sleep well and "see" you tomorrow!

~r

a long goodbye to summer...

i hate to admit that summer is ending, but today i was actually chilly... i am known for my long goodbyes, and summer is no exception...

bye, bye to flip flops...

naps on the beach...

 

camp...

 
late summer rain showers and double rainbows...

   
 lazy days on the boat...

my "little bros", little buddy and his turtle...

   

sand castles and my shirtless hubby...

 

 

evening boat rides...

 

the ocean...

 

the boardwalk...

 

goodbye summer...it has been one of the best yet!
 
the worst part of the changing seasons for me is the realization that my children are growing up faster than i want them to and that they will never be the same as they are now...

the best part for me is also knowing that they are growing into the people that God intends them to be and i have the honor of being able to share in their lives daily and watch them grow...

so many new and exciting things to look forward to...

junior and senior year...

  little buddy's 1 year of pre-school...

 

tomorrow i will be posting some photos of what i have been up to in my little closet of a studio :) i will be doing a friday give away every friday in october, but for those of you who have stuck with me through my irregular blogging schedule and wishy-washy postings, i am doing a giveaway this week as well! leave a comment tomorrow, when i post the giveaway item, and i will be drawing a name friday evening...sometime before bed! i will post a winner on saturday morning :)

thanks so much all of you have been so encouraging during my first full year of blogging!

There is a time for everything, 

       and a season for every activity under heaven...

Ecclesiastes 3:1

have a wonderful evening!!!

~r

{ awesomeness from "BraveGirls" }

{ last night's sunset from my backyard } i get a daily email from the wonderful ladies at BraveGirls and thought i would share with you. i know that both men and women can relate! Dear Overwhelmed Girl, Do you have the completely irrational belief that so many of us have that  you can be everything to everyone....especially to those that you love? Do  you believe it’s your job to keep them all happy, to help them with everything  that they are struggling with and to then go out and save the world in your  free time? Do you over commit and then beat yourself up when you under-deliver? Are there a million things on your list that were really really important that  you didn’t even get to because you got caught up in doing things that weren’t  nearly AS important? Ok now.....take a deep breath. Now...take another one. One more. Remember that you are wonderful. You are loved.....and, phenomenal friend... amazing woman.........you are a human being. You DO have limitations and it is  totally ok for you to say no sometimes....lots of times. In fact, it is essential. When you don’t stop to rest....to think....to recharge....to remember.... to restore.....you end up grouchy, tired, uncreative, angry and numb to lots of  life. You are a sparkling, beautiful girl and we need that sparkle.....so STOP  today and make a list....prioritize it...be realistic. Say no to at least 3  things today..........practice.  Say yes to yourself....to joy...to rest....to being 100% present to the things  that matter most to you..instead of a tired and diluted version who has too much  to do to ever do her best at ANYTHING. Don’t lose yourself while you are trying to  be everything to everyone.... If at all possible....only have enough on your plate that you can do your best at  everything you have to do.......your life will take on new meaning and happiness. Just practice...this is a hard one, but so worth it. Hang in there......you are loved! Xoxo in 2 days, we will be off on another adventure to Hume Lake with our high school youth ministry! in these rough financial times, it is going to be tough, but we know that God wants us to go and share, learn and help grow the kids. He will provide as He always does. the kids did a couple of car washes to help raise money and this past weekend, they got this little beauty to wash!, yep, that's a bentley. pretty cool :)   little buddy is so excited  to go that he can't contain himself. this morning, he brought out his "curious george" lunch pail to "pack". this is all a 4 year old needs for a week of fun...    tooth brush, "warrior head band", whoopee cushion, toothpaste....check! have a wonderful night! ~r

i'm coming back....really, i am :)

having some difficulties getting a new banner and design done...creative brain fart :P

any ideas?????? anyone know where i can get a crash course in CSS?

for now, here is a not-so-short summary of the past few months and some extreme randomness...

my oldest got her drivers license...yikes! 

this, my friends is a photo of a burning peep...yes, my daughter and her friend wanted to roast peeps instead of marshmallows, so, in her ever-so-inventive style, she fired up the power burner and went to it....please do not try this at home! 

"the castle cake"

little buddy turned 4 and  had a "prince caspian" themed b-day this year, complete with castle cake and grey chocolate castle lollipops. each of the boys had their own "montgomery family crest" placemat and shield as well. my daughter helped make the cake which included gum paste flags and fondant details.

big daddy did an AWESOME job of teaching little buddy how to spell "mama"... oh wait, my bad. he was making an egg in honor of the "museum of modern art", right?

i made 220 mad hatter journals....and didn't go crazy! if you like knitting, check out this company, woolgirl, they do monthly kits and my journals were a part of their april kit.

spring, sprung...

little buddy said, "mama, make a wish!". when mama made a wish, he said, "mama, you wished all over me!".

   
 

 
   

   
little miss kk went to prom...awww....isn't she gorgeous!?!?! dress by ouma, she is wonderful if you ever want great quality and customer service! 

don't know why my photo is tweaked to the side, but this is just one of our resident bird families.

my favorite poppy plant never fails me :)

some new things i've been working on...last photo is a special request for a certain bridal magazine that may be publishing me! yeeehaaaawwww!

mama robin and her eggs....

more new designs in the shop...       

ok, really, i don't know why this keeps happening...sorry for the sideways photo again! anyway, this is little buddy's friend, the frog. he liked grama sooooo much that he tried to jump up and kiss her in the face....poor mr. frog probably had a heart attack from the screech that grama let loose...FUNNIEST THING EVER!!!!!

so that is just a small portion of what we have been doing around these parts for the past few months,. now that i am caught up a bit, it won't take me as long to get going with this blog thing again...once i figure out the banner/CSS stuff, of course :/

hope you all have a great weekend and thank you so much for hanging in there with me and my not-so-regular postings.

see you soon!

~r 

pure and simple honesty....

this was me yesterday...

i have to be absolutely honest. i am having a BAD day.

3am: hubby is up taking ibuprofen for that nagging tooth ache he's had for a month..."what's wrong",says mama, "my tooth hurts so bad...mumble, mumble", says big daddy...and back to sleep for a couple of hours....

6:30am: up and at em' to make hubby's 4 sammy's for lunch....lovely stack of dishes waiting for me in the sink...must be those pesky trolls that sneak into my kitchen in the middle of the night for a midnight snack....

7:30 am: answer etsy emails, orders, etc. new listings...

12:40 pm: "oh ya, i forgot to fold the laundry i put in the dryer last night", says mama to herself....as mama opens the door to her prized front loading dryer, "!?#$?!?!$&, what the heck! thanks big daddy for forgetting to take that ENTIRE pack of strawberry trident gum out of your pocket before putting your jeans into the laundry basket...i REALLY appreciate it!"

12:42-2:00 pm: iPod in ears, drown out everything else and scrape away! oh the joys of being a homemaker!

1:45 pm: first born child enters laundry room with a frightened/cautious look on her face. "what's wrong", says mama. "um, well little buddy just wet his pants...BUT i took care of it already!" thankful mama breathes a sigh of relief that first born child has saved the day...or maybe mama was just taking a breath of fresh air after being inside the dryer for an hour...could be either....

2:10 pm: "i should blog", mama says to herself in a state of half dilerium, half drunken stupor brought on by the lemon scented fumes of lysol and the grotesque picture of mayonnaise, still etched in her head, used to clean her lovely dryer to prior sparkling condition... 

and guess what? mama is absolutely, positively in a GREAT mood! ahhh, the power of music and blogging....mama's world is as it should be...
2 girls in their room with friend, hanging out...little buddy playing quietly {for the moment} in his room...first born listening contently to her iPod and texting away....
spoke too soon....small child screaming....be right back....

2:25 pm: another crisis defeated by....MAMA, domestic -wonder worker!

4:55: oh crap! i forgot to mail the  christmas cards again...yes, i said "christmas cards"...better late than never!

12:45 am: went to bed after playing "rock band" with my girls for a few hours! very fun...mama's got skills...not really, but it's fun to pretend :)

ok, all joking and sarcasm aside, yes today has been yesterday was quite...eventful. but as usual, when all is said and done, i wouldn't have it any other way...."lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, love-ly day..." iPod on head, remember?

♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫

now for some nice stuff...

i promised a friend i would post pictures of my christmas decorations so here we go...

this is going to come as a complete shock to anyone who knows me, but this year, not only did i skip the over 7 foot tall tree, but, {drum roll, please} i put up a "faux" tree! yes, believe it. i did the unthinkable. and just for your information, calling it a "faux" tree does make me feel better. little buddy helped of course...

 

yet another shocker....i actually did not color coordinate the tree....this may be too much for some of you to handle...but i have to tell the truth...

  
  

my quaint, little,{ lop-sided} "faux" tree atop my favorite vintage metal desk and me behind the camera being blinded by the light from my humungous {is that even how you spell that?} windows...

another one of the 4 christmas trees i put up this year...oops, did i forget to mention that? well, yep, i put up 4... this one happens to be the "disney" tree, which little buddy seems to be rearranging every 5 minutes...

this year, we also managed to make a "shortbread" house, i don't like gingerbread, decorated by my daughter with the help of a friend,

 

and this one, REAL gingerbread, was made by my soon-to-be pastry chef, daughter, in culinary arts class...

   
 

my little "jengo phet" and no, he is not throwing up gang signs...he calls this his "jengo pose",

 

over the past year there have been lots of changes. some i am ready for, others, i am not. little buddy finally got potty trained...very ready for that one! for christmas, "santa" brought him a "big boy bed", the kind you put the crib mattress into. you know, the kind some smart person made up just for moms like me who are not willing to realize that their baby is really not a baby anymore, but if i don't actually put him in a regular size bed, i can pretend just a little bit longer...yep, you know the kind of bed i'm talking about... my etsy business has taken off beyond anything i ever imagined... the kids have had triumphs and failures in school and in life, but all for a greater purpose and with lessons learned.

there have been trials {raising 2 teenage girls has it's ups and downs} and there have been blessings... and trials WITH blessings! there has also been an abundance of joy. i am looking forward to this new year with excitement, wonder and a little bit of anxiety, to be honest...i can't wait to see what GOD has in store for me and my family. i am ready to take on whatever comes my way with an open heart and mind and to, most of all,

"find joy in the trials AND blessings of life!"

thank you so much for hanging in there with me and my random posts, regular posts, late posts, no posts....let's just say, erratic posting habits! i hope this year brings me a plethora {he, he, i like that word} of inspiration that i can pass on to you through my blog.

*** random picture of my mama and my "little sis". just brings a giggle, so i thought i'd share!*** 

have a Sparklie, Happy New Year and God Bless!!

~r

~my favorite time of year~

catching....

snowflakes....

on my tongue....

   simple joys of childhood....

it always amazes me how God's timing is so perfect. the holidays come at just the right time to satisfy my cravings to bake, re-decorate and snuggle by the fire. every year, around october, i start to settle in and prepare for the chilly weather to come. my internal "clock" starts to tell me it's time for baking and cooking meals that take all day to prepare. the kids comment on how they "love this time of year because the house always smells like something yummy is cooking in the kitchen". as a family, we all gravitate to the living room and the warm fire; the girls doing homework or watching holiday specials on t.v., crocheting (not big daddy, of course!), playing games or legos with little buddy or just chatting about how our days went. it is such a wonderful time of year that God has given us. it's like His way of telling us to slow down a bit and enjoy each other and the blessings He has given.

during the past thanksgiving week, i have been very blessed  with visits from great friends, family and a wonderful step-daughter.

 

one of our traditions at thanksgiving is to make paper bag turkey! my secret to a perfect turkey...learned from my ex-mother-in-law {is that even a word?} anyway, paper bags, that's the secret!

yep, wrap that puppy up and let er' bake for a bit and voile....

the perfect turkey! no basting no nuthin' !  be sure to allow your teenage daughter to suck out all the juices for the gravy so that, you too, can have a beautiful shot like this one, of the lovely faces made while sucking said juices from the bird ;)

this year we also made our own centerpieces out of hominy cans { i made a TON of pozole for a church function a week before} we crammed 17 people into our little dining room. not too bad, huh?

 

i had some time to add new designs to my etsy shop as well, so here are a few peeks at what's in the shop:

  
 

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay healthy throughout this wonderful season!

God bless :)

~r 

~saturday late giveaway winner...new etsy items...~

last week's winner was...

mandysea

she also happens to be the only one who entered! what is up with that?

so, i will not be doing a "friday giveaway" this week due to low {or no} participation :( thank you to those of you who did participate!

i have one new item up on etsy to show you and more to come next week.

you can find these personalized placecards and much more at my shop. click HERE!

it is amazing the new friends i have made from all around the world just by opening my etsy shop. i am honestly so THANKFUL for these people and the support they have given me during my first year on etsy. thank you all :)

i had to include this photo of my daughter and her team mates. they are on the "worship dance team" at our church and performed on halloween night for the harvest bash. they did awesome! they are great kids who love God and want to glorify Him through dance. {the "L" is mine } i had so much fun making the costumes for them and hunting for cheap items to use as makeshift super hero outfits.
red t-shirts = $4.50
pillow cases for capes = $4.50
felt sheets for letters = .34 cents each
black yoga pants = $13.00
glitter and glue from my stash = FREE!
facepaint = $5.00
watching the kids as they out performed everyone's {including their own} expectations = PRICELESS!

 something else priceless? this photo of little buddy "helping" big daddy shave. seriously, it's the little things!

well, gotta go for now..i've got many, many new designs to finish and get posted for the holidays and many orders to finish as well! 

have a bright, sparkley, blessing filled weekend!!!

~r

friday giveaway....a little bit late :)

and the winner is...nicole...since she is the only one who entered! yay, nicole....hope you like the bags :)

good morning! well, i got a little behind, which is soooooo not like me....ha,ha,ha, ya, right. i can't fool anyone. i am the QUEEN of being behind and late. so i have to apologize for completely spacing the friday giveaway yesterday. i'll make it up to you, i promise :)

so todays giveaway, or yeterdays, i guess...is :

 

a set of 10 halloween treat bags with tags and candy corn twist ties.

to enter, check out my etsy shop, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what kinds of tags or items you would like to see in my shop that i don't already have.

since this post is late, i will wait until monday morning to draw a name :) pass it on!!!

little buddy and i had some crafty time this week. he helped me paint pumpkins which we will be glittering sometime soon...i hope!

this week, i received a package from the lovely shell, from blingnets, who was last weeks giveaway sponsor. her packaging is lovely and shows how much time a care she puts into her work.

if you haven't already, be sure to check out her shop here.

we are taking our little guy to see this today:

i can't wait!!!! *squeals of joy*, i ahve wanted to redecorate my sons room in this style for a long time and now there's a movie!!! woohoo...i hope i am not disappointed...i dont' think i will be :)

 see you back here on monday. 10am ish for the giveaway winner!

have a great weekend!

~r

fishies, snow storms, kids and craftiness :)

the past couple of weeks have been busy as usual around here. i have been getting more and more orders from my etsy shop everyday. it is so cool to get orders from all over the world; australia, spain, france, canada...i am having so much fun with it. 

the weather here in northern nevada/california is always a mystery. it had been staying pretty hot up until friday. then on saturday, big daddy and i decided to take elijah to the kokanee salmon festival in tahoe. it was a very blustery day indeed! we go to the festival every year. as children, we went with our school almost every year as well, so it is a bit of a tradition in our household. this year
  marked it's 20th anniversary. jimmie and elijah made the usual fish print...

and of course we saw the spawning salmon making their way up river to their death...

 

and a visit to the stream profile chamber,

i love the face...

pit stop for lunch on the bridge,

we are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place...

the wind was a bit chilly, but not too bad...

BUT...

sunday morning, this is what we awoke to at 6am:

if  you look close, you can see the reflection of our toasty fire on the right.

pretty crazy considering i took these pictures only a couple of days before:

 

the snow caused a lot of damage to our trees. since the leaves have not fallen yet and the snow was so wet, it weighed down the branches and broke a bunch of them off.

elijah couldn't wait to get out and play in the snow today, but he was a little disappointed when he saw how much had already melted...

fall is so beautiful here even if it is very short,. the colors and textures amaze me.

now, i can't finish this post without sharing a little bit of creativity so here it is...

i was in need of an address book, and me being me, i could not possibly go out a buy one...that would simply be too easy...so i made this out of a .50 cent composition book from walmart,

i covered the comp. book in japanese paper from paper-source using yes! paste. then i cut self adhesive tabs from the office supply into smaller pieces for the alpha tabs. i used more of these tabs, uncut, for month tabs in the back to use as an event calender/reminder for b-days, anniversaries, etc.

and there you have it. my creative bit for the day...

 have a wonderful day and find some time to enjoy the season and be creative :)

sparkliness to all!

~r

simple things...

i love watching elijah as he learns new things everyday. the other day he told me that a stop sign is an octagon and that it has 8 sides! it is so awesome to see and hear the things that he learns just from being involved in our everyday activities. it also keeps me very aware of my actions and things that i say... last week he learned how to change the break pads on grampa's car!

 

*overheard while taking pictures*

"grampa, out of my way...i have to screw!"

the weather has been a teensy weensy bit cooler lately, so we went to the park to feed the ducks...

another lesson learned:

don't tease the ducks or they will take your finger along with the bread!

i'm going to take a half-day off and finish up the "spring break" album that i started a few weeks ago....i had said that i would have pictures up " tomorrow or the next day". that was like 3 weeks ago! you know how the Bible says that to God, a thousand years is but a day...well, to roberta, a day seems to mean a few weeks! i know, bad comparison...ok, gotta run!

have a most sparkly and fantastic day!

~r