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Tag Archives: family
Birthday Love, Long Distance
Fun (or not so) facts:
* distance from Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Madras, India (MAA) is…8,969 miles / 14,434 kilometers
* time difference between LAX and MAA…13 1/2 hours
* last time hubby and I visited family in MAA…2008 (too long ago!)
* time it takes for a birthday card to reach MAA from LAX by mail…about a week
I’ll admit it…I. am. spoiled! In the late 90′s while living in Japan, if I wanted to communicate with family, I used a totally high-tech call back system and I called my family. If I wanted to instant message friends (and they were willing to meet me at odd hours), I plugged in my phone cable, punched in my modem passwords, waited for the dial-up to connect, and then, by golly, we chatted. This may sound old-school now, but at least I didn’t have to send word via pony express, hope that connections were properly made along the way so that weeks later my communication would, by God’s grace, reach its destination. But NOW…things are even better! We can skype, chat, and vonage our way into the homes of loved ones and not only are we able to exchange our words and thoughts, but we can show off those extra pounds we’ve put on, parade our latest look, and add emphasis with key facial expressions. Being as spoiled as I am, however, even our most modern technology does have its drawbacks. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting, Technology
Tagged cardmaking, Color Box, Crafting, embossing, family, Hippity Hop Sketch Challenge, Ippity, Kimberly, Michaels, Papertrey Ink, Tim Holtz, Unity Stamp Co.
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My Rainy Valentine
I know, I know…Valentine’s Day was three days ago, however, hubby and I are celebrating this weekend, and what better way to keep the spirit of love alive than to extend the holiday just a wee bit.
As I’ve mentioned in past posts 2010 (and still continuing) has been quite rough on us. Fortunately, we’re not alone facing the meanness of life. We have our faith, we have our loved ones, and we have each other. Even with the challenges we’ve had so many moments of deep, rich laughter, and of course, over the silliest things. How cool is that!
When thinking about creating my Valentine’s valentine, a particular image and sentiment came to mind — Unity’s Rain or Shine. I love the sentiment, “through rain or shine, you’ll always be mine” — perfect! I used Get Sketchy’s GS#74 as my guiding inspiration for the layout, and knew that I wanted to use red, white, black, and yellow (hubby likes those classic colors) so that the card would have a clean and classic look. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting, Mean Life, Personal Journey
Tagged Bella Blvd., cardmaking, Color Box, cool tool, Crafting, embossing, faith, family, Get Sketchy, Mean Life, Michaels, Palette, Papertrey Ink, stampamajig, Unity Stamp Co., versamark
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Avoid Your Words, Please
Ahh…the memories…picking out the song. It’s a special day, you’ve waited for it all your life, and now time for the momentous first dance. Do you keep it traditional or spice it up with some silly? Do you take lessons to prepare for or decide organically “just go with it”? Whatever the decision, it’s almost a guarantee that in addition to choosing the dress another big decision hurdle will be choosing the song.
Here’s one that will be forever dear, but which didn’t quite make the cut… Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Personal Journey
Tagged faith, family, HHSC, Mean Life, Paper-Source, Papertrey Ink, sizzix, Unity Stamp Co., versamark
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Birthday Wishes
New month, new calendar pages — fresh start — I love it! Not to mention the fabulous 75° sunny and breezy weather that we have been experiencing in Southern California. And what better way to celebrate all this new, new, new than by ringing in a BIRTHDAY! That’s right — today’s my dear sister-in-law begins another new year – Happy Birthday!
So in her honor I got to play with a new Unity stamp in my collection and make this cute little card (with input and guidance from my hubby, of course — truly it becomes a gift from both of us). And contrary to my recent bad behavior — I not only made the card, but also actually sent it in the mail! Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting
Tagged cardmaking, Color Box, Crafting, embossing, family, Inkadinkado, Kimberly, Marvy, Michaels, Provo Craft, Recollections, Stamp Stuff, Unity Stamp Co.
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Happy Anni-verve-sary!
Have I mentioned that I need structure? that I need deadlines? I do. It’s genetic. My mother, my brothers, and I have become masters in the art of procrastination. Not to say we’re not responsible or ambitious — we just get wrapped up in so many things at once that without structure, deadlines, some rules — we are overwhelmed and running in circles.
Fortunately, even in the world of papercrafting and cardmaking there are deadlines to be found. Continue reading
My Two Dads
Reminiscent of the late 1980′s U.S. sitcom, I have been blessed with “My Two Dads”. My relationships with each are as different as they are. For the many reasons that makes them each unique, I wholeheartedly love them both, and am thankful to have them in my life. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Cool Tool, Crafting, Technology
Tagged cardmaking, cool tool, Crafting, family, Technology
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Happy Day, Mom
It’s one of those days — like Father’s Day, birthdays, and Thanksgiving. A day to slow down, reflect, and appreciate. And I love living in a nation where we are encouraged with space in our calendars, and even space in our schedules to do just that — pause and be thankful. Yesterday, our family did just that. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting, Personal Journey
Tagged cardmaking, Crafting, family, holidays, K & Company, Michaels, Paper-Source, peekaboo window, personal journey, Recollections
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Left My Heart in Chinatown
I think it may have started with Mrs. Wong’s kitchen, but ever since a young girl I’ve long had a soft spot for Chinese culture. Whether Mandarin or Cantonese, the languages of China are my absolute favorite to listen to — some enjoy French, others Italian, I love hearing Chinese — perhaps because I understand nearly none of it. Many of my childhood and teenage friends were from Chinese homes, growing up in the U.S., but preserving their language and culture through Saturday schools, practicing traditions at home, and maintaining a tight-knit and friendly community. The writings of Amy Tan, Aimee Liu, more recently Lisa See, and others helped to paint greater landscapes of China in my mind. And the food — don’t even get me started on the food! Continue reading
Posted in Personal Journey, Travel
Tagged cable car, Chinatown, family, personal journey, San Francisco, Travel, U.S.
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A Grand Road Trip
Driving into a land of 75 mile per hour speed limits, motorcyclists with a “no helmet” option, and signs posted outside of restaurants and shops informing patrons of just when they can or can not bear their firearm…subtle changes like this remind me of the beauty and the strangeness that it can be to enter another culture, even if that means merely crossing the stateline that is 276 miles away from home. Two words that can fill my mind and soul with such sun-warmed memories of contentment like no other words can…road trip.
My mother, a very spontaneous traveler and day-tripper, was yearning for a little getaway to celebrate the infamous and highly academic spring break. Through an everyday conversation with my uncle, my mother discovered that he’d never seen the Grand Canyon. She also remembered that although I’ve climbed Mt. Fuji, have glided over the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef, and have island-hopped around Tahiti, I’ve never seen one of the greatest natural beauties in my own backyard. Bam! It hit her – this could be the spring break trip she was longing for – perfect road trip material: 8-hour car trip, a wonder to behold, and reasonably priced accommodations. Continue reading
A Classic Yummy — Tuna Sandwich
My father came to the U.S. in his early adulthood – an immigrant from the coastal country of Perú – with big dreams for his life, an innate curiosity about nature, Science, and the world around him, and a great … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Health, Personal Journey
Tagged family, Health, lunch, recipes, Weight Watchers
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Nostalgia in a Bowl — Potsticker Soup
Many favorite childhood memories include visits to a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant called “Mrs. Wong’s Kitchen”. In addition to being a favorite dining stop for my dad, Mrs. Wong’s Kitchen also had a large, jolly Buddha statue, and in my … Continue reading
Fun Friday Festivities for HalF of Forty Dollars!
Okay, I admit it…I was having Fun with the alliteration in my post title, but seriously, it is good Fun to have Fun without breaking the bank. So what did we do and how did we do it (we being … Continue reading
Posted in Low-Cost Activities
Tagged family, Low-Cost Activities, unemployment, well-being
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You Make Me Feel…
I don’t know if it’s the message in the lyrics, the nostalgic memories of riding with my mom in a sky blue Toyota Corolla and listening to K-Earth 101, images of the Lee Jeans commercials, or just the soulfulness that … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Low-Cost Activities, Personal Journey
Tagged faith, family, Goodwill, Low-Cost Activities, personal journey, shopping, unemployment, Weight Watchers, well-being
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Happy Easter!
In years past my family and I would celebrate Easter attending worship services, “opening” Easter baskets, feasting on a delicious dinner, and spending the day gathered at my parents’ house. For the past two years, however, we have spending the … Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting
Tagged cardmaking, Crafting, family, Fiskars, K & Company, Kimberly, Marvy, masking, pop dots
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Thank You to The Muses
Being unemployed can be incredibly discouraging — not only the main element of not having a job or income, but even the hopelessness of searching for jobs and not finding possibilities. Or finding possibilities, and then facing the daunting and … Continue reading
Posted in Beading Jewelry, Cardmaking, Community, Crafting, Exercise, Health, Personal Journey
Tagged ABBA, beading, blogging, book club, cardmaking, church, Crafting, EatPrayLove, Elizabeth Gilbert, Etsy, Exercise, faith, family, iTunes, Joy of Stamping, kgarnerdesigns, Lisa See, Moxie girls, My Pink Stamper, personal journey, Shanghai Girls, shopgirlregi, unemployment, Wanderlust, Weight Watchers, well-being, women
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