Day 235 - autumn snow

my beautiful autumn was blanketed in a lovely white snow

Day 234 - Milton's great grandchildren

love family gatherings
summer, august 2010

Day 221 - random order

daydreaming~♥~

who needs structure~ some people do. but i am not that person. i have a creative spirit. i thrive in the eclectic. i spent an entire month in california visiting family and friends and i got behind in my blog. instead of trying to find the order in life and in my photography to catch my blog back up, i've decided that i am going to begin to post the photos i've been taking in random order. HA! this is so much more me anyway~ i hope that my followers will enjoy the photos and the stories that accompany them. i've missed my blogging family and enjoy the comments and suggestion for my photos. i will admit a new addiction to picnik that i discovered is completely entertaining and i love altering/enhancing my photos. so, big squeezing hugs to all my followers and welcome back to my journey of photography discovery & development. i've missed you~

♥~t

Day 189 - lasagna & italian breadsticks

yeast

dough in the bread machine

getting ready to roll out the breadsticks

b layering the lasagna

our yummy homemade lasagna dinner ;)

Day 161 - i wonder how much inches it is?

Q: how many inches is God's house
A: there are enough rooms in God's house for everybody in the world
love the conversation with my girls just before bed~♥

Day 146 - road home

the peace that enters my soul when i am on this road
completely fills me~

i ♥love♥ this home

Milton & Edna Baldy's Home
Hoopa, CA

my grandfather and grandmother raised me from the time i was 15years old
i have always been able to count on their love and support
~cherished~

Day 145 - tribal graffiti

tribal graffiti @ the teen center in Hoopa, CA

Day 126 - coloring eggs

hailey got such a giggle out of picking her nose~ little stinker

coloring eggs~

one of my favorite photos from the day~ love the colors

the girls said the egg looks like the earth~

each year we create a family color outside of the prepackaged Paas colors
this is the color we created this year
Peachie
{3dropsRed+2dropsYellow+2tspVinegar+1/2cuphotwater=Peachie}
this is the one egg that I decorated ~ with swirls and LOVE ♥

playful daddy

b & alyssa, "I'm smooshy"
love seeing the girls loving life~

caitlyn is the fastest Easter egg coloring kid there ever was ;)

Day 109 - you are my sunshine!

these are the moments I will cherish "all my life" ~♥~

Hailey says "tickle me"
well, she asked for it ;)

Day 94 - table

it may seem like just a simple table to everyone else, but this is my table. i love this table. i know that i have mentioned my great grandmother Katherine before. she had a huge influence in my life. i've discovered that i want my home and my property to reflect similarly to my great grandmother's home. this dining table is the same type of wood as hers was. it is beautiful to me. i have fond memories of sitting around the table at her home, playing games, laughing, joking, eating family meals and special holiday activities. i remember cleaning the table and taking note of all the scratches, groove, nicks, & marks. and do you want to know a secret, I LOVED THEM. that table had a happy life~ and now my table has the same kind of love around it, there are marks where my girls have pressed too hard with their pen, cat scratches across the top, watercolor that i am still trying to get out, and it doesn't bother me.... for fancy dinner occasions, i can toss a table cloth over it and it looks beautiful. the size was a must for me... i wanted an oversize table where i could fit lots of family & friends around it. the chairs are amazing, because there is room not only for me, but any one of my girls can snuggle up with me on their comfortably. i LOVE my dinning table & chairs~ ♥them. and Addington wants to resurface the table top, i think i would be sad to remove all of that history~ sentimental sap! LOL

Day 92 - empty

these bottles represent some of my favorite drinks: if I'm not drinking water, I prefer red wine with dinner. My everyday favorite red wine is by Columbia-Crest.

I like to drink my vanilla mocha spiked with Kahlua if it is a dessert drink. {made at home w/♥}

If I'm out with the girls I like to drink Lemon Drops {best place for them is the La Center Tavern}.

If I want to enjoy a fun drinking experience, I'm going to head to Huber's downtown Portland for a Spanish coffee ~ truly an amazing experience and worth it {make sure to tip well}. http://www.hubers.com/

My favorite drink with Mexican food is a mango-strawberry margarita. Yummy! http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink3101.html

of course I'm expressive, and always trying new things~~~

Day 82 - coffee cup collection

can you see the rainbow reflections~ it is being created by crystals hanging in my kitchen window {my mother's} we love to spin the crystals and fill the house with rainbows of light ~ creates feelings of love & happiness ~ childhood memories ♥

my fav red cup #1♥

i have a little collection of starbucks coffee cups going on~ lol
i actually have cups to go with my moods of the day, most used cup is the red. i absolutely LOVE it ♥it

Day 79 - playing cards

Day 77 - romantic dinners include wine

bbq & wine ~ ♥it

Day 74 - ♥ my girls

Day 74 - CUPCAKE LOVE ♥

this is my favorite photo from the day~
Brianna made cupcakes for her twin sisters 6th birthday party.
She is very talented at baking. It is our new obsession.

Day 64 - Romantic Candlelight

in honor of the month of romance, we are eating dinner by candlelight each night~

Day 58 - Project Spring

preparing the yard and garden for spring, planting bulbs for a beautiful Easter show, this is the first year I've been able to plan ahead since we moved to our 5acres. gathering all my clay pots, because it is fun to add the different dimension... I always think back to my great grandmother Downings beautiful property in Willow Creek, CA. I discovered about 10 years ago, that when I plan what I want my home and property to look like that my gg.Katherine has a powerful impact on the emotions I want to convey to the family and friends that come to visit me. I know that it took her years to create the beauty of her home, so I am planning. A sense of peace, beauty, abundance, thoughtfulness, love, welcome ~ HOME.