Friday, December 30, 2011

My Dream House

This is the house that Derek and I are looking at renting...and I really hope we get approved for it. It's perfect and I think that Jackson and Alex are going to love it so much.

It's in Chandler, AZ
Huge backyard with a pool, grass, a shed, and gravel...LOVE it!


Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas and a Huge Family

Merry Christmas!!! I went to my mom's family gathering today! I haven't seen many of those folks in 7 years or so. Some would say that it's far too long, but I don't know...didn't really bother me all that much. I did meet my 2 step-sisters for the first time. They are really nice, and I think I'd like to hang out with them again some time. I spent most of the time by myself, testing out my new camera. I think I got some great pictures! Derek stayed home, which isn't surprising...he doesn't like to do any of my family gatherings.

I can't believe how fast my cousins are growing up. Paige is 16 now, Kyla 13...the twins are 9. My goodness, they are great looking kids too. They could all be models. Of all the people in my mom's family, my little cousins are the ones I miss the most...they were so awesome! I think that Paige and I will eventually talk more...she likes tattoos and body mods just like me...and she's an outcast in her family just like I am.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!



Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lacy's Christmas Presents

Today Derek and I went to my dad's house for Christmas. It was really nice to be able to see my dad and Lisa, and Lacy as well. We also spent alot of time with Daisy (my dad's dog) she's definitely getting on in years, and now she has diabetes. I always told them to stop giving her table scraps...well now she needs insulin shots every day.

I didn't take alot of pictures today because I gave Kevin his camera back and I haven't quite figured out my new camera yet. But I at least got pictures of Lacy opening up her presents that I got her from Omerica Organics.Her custom raven dogtagAnd her 7/16" pawprint plugs.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas With The Gaskins

Ah yes, Christmas with my favorite family!


I had a wonderful time today paying the Gaskins a visit. I gave Trinity an "I Love You" bean plant from ThinkGeek.com. I can't wait to see how it grows for them!
I gave Chance and Scooter their new custom leather collars, and also their collar bows....such handsome boys!
I also gave them some soft toys and a Zogoflex toy.

Scooter all tuckered out after the celebration.
I had so much fun with them! They gave me a wonderful monetary contribution towards getting a new camera! I can't wait to get my camera!

Only 2 more days till Christmas!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Quick Photo Do-Over & Cardboard Tubes

Today I did a petsitting appointment with Minnie and Brinkley. Today it wasn't raining, so I thought I would do a quick photo session in the club house since Minnie had been so afraid last time.

Well it went awesome this time! She did so great, even with all kinds of people coming in and out, and little kids wanting to pet her. I was so proud! Such a proud foster momma





This is one of my favorite pictures of all time! I call it "The Fart Picture!"


On another unrelated note....you always hear about how children tend to like to play with boxes rather than the toys that came in them! Well...apparently dogs are the same with cardboard wrapping paper tubes!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas Cards 2011

Most people know that I handmake my Christmas cards every year. That's largely because I love to craft. It's also because I feel it is a courtesy to all of the family that I do not see or talk to regularly/at all. It makes me happy that over the years people have started collecting our yearly Christmas cards, and look forward to the next one. This one was a doozy!
It started with 3 different colored textured cardstock, a stamp-block, stamp letters, 2 kinds of ink, a snowflake stamp, Sequined Ribbon, gluedots, zig 2-way glue pen, black thread and needle, scissors, Paper cutter, a computer designed insert, and Costco Photos!The first step I did was to cut my cardstock to the shapes it needed to be
Then I assembled the front of the cardsI made the "Naughty" stamp with semi-staggered lettering.And used a layer of black ink with silver pigment ink on topI cut the "Naughty" into random shapes, and mounted it to the left inside of the card with a 3-dimensional Glue Dot.Then I sewed my black paper coal together on a strings and pasted in the card message.

Simple as that....ok, maybe not so simple...and very time consuming. But it was worth it. Everyone will love them!
Now comes the hard part....Clean up!
But Jackson is bored about me talking about my cards...Nighty night

Friday, December 16, 2011

Scottsdale Community College

Today I took Derek to Scottsdale Community College (SCC) for his final exam for the semester. He thought it would be a nice place for me to relax and test out the camera some because it's such a lovely place. He's so sweet, and it definitely was....got lots of great photos!
I thought this was such an interesting cigarette disposal
In the middle of the grounds there was a little pond area that was full of water lillies and cat tails.
And minnowsThe campus was full of all kinds of student made art.This was so awesome, that a school would have a little zoo-type exhibitLooks like everything is hibernating right now though.My artsy picture, trying to mess around with focusing.Can you believe the beautiful fall colors?I heard some dogs barking while I was looking at the reptile enclosure...I saw this tree as I was heading the direction of the barks.Halfway across campus I stumble upon 2 pups tied to a lamp post outside of the Biology department!

This is Chaco, he's a 7 month old puppy that needs a home because he's living in an apartment and she was only planning to foster him.This is Rodney, he's camera shy the owner said...but he loved my monkey key chain.Well they both did.I played with the dogs and talked to them for about 10 minutes to try to keep them quiet before the owner came out and thanked me and told me their story. I gave her my card and told her to email me so I could send her the photos I took. And I also gave her the information for Valley Dogs rescue so they can help find Chaco a home and get the medical care he needs (he has had no shots and isn't neutered yet). She's going to keep fostering him until he finds a home and was so grateful to meet me!After talking to the dogs and their owner I continued to walk around. I spotted these food and water bowls, and I'm thinking that something lives under that building, judging the size and state of the hole in the corner.When I saw that it was the Center for Native and Urban Wildlife, it warmed my heart a little bit.I especially loved their natural deterrent to keep the animals from the vegetables and plants they were growing.They had a nice little pond as well the helped provide water to many plant root systems. It's also awesome there was a frog fountain.Another artsy photo working with depth of field focus!I saw this while casually walking by and laughed out loud. I'd love some ice cold dollar bills!
I spent a good 45 minutes on this fantastic chair in the shade, enjoying the sounds on the pond, feel of a slight breeze, and taste of some Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles! Perfect!
Overall, at SCC I had a feeling of tranquility and peace. It was an environment I enjoyed, with people that were friendly and open. There were very few closed doors, and many people offering friendly conversation and help. This is the kind of place that would be wonderful for me learn and spend time. I will be going back on Tuesday probably to meet with an adviser about going back to school again!