Wednesday, March 31, 2010

March by the numbers

ONE amazing pop fly caught by Tanner during a close game(he got the game ball for this play).
TWO the # of books I read(Love Walked In & First Family)
Three the minimum # of times Brody changes his outfit on a daily basis.
FOUR amazing days spent at Bodega Bay with fun friends.
FIVE My baby brother, Tyson(#5 of the 5 Davis kids) got engaged earlier this month.
SIX wins for the Yankees(Tanner & Carter's team).
SEVEN select soccer tryouts were attended by Tanner & Carter(they both made their teams).
NINE The age Carter turned this month.
Eleven hours spent on a date with my sweetie.
Twelve blog entries this month.
THIRTEEN(out of 14) of the SHORE cousins in one place.
FOURTEEN days at home with the boys while they are on Spring Break.
SIXTEEN John Mayer songs heard live.
SEVENTEEN scrapbook layouts created (see FOUR days at the beach).
NINETEEN baseball practices attended this month.
TWENTY TWO of the Shore Great Grand kids(that was all of them) in one place...fun times.
THIRTY ONE photos of the day were taken.
NINETY days w/out a Diet Coke(I still crave it, especially when I eat Mexican Food.

With the up and downs of this month, I really do have so much to be thankful for.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

one for the books

My hubby surprised me with John Mayer concert tickets this weekend...eeeeeeeeekkkk! He arranged a sitter for the boys and everything. Do you know how happy this made me? This was my favorite date night out with my sweetie to date. In the thick of things, ie: raising four active boys, shuffling them to and from school, sports, scouts, piano, working on school projects, jobs, hobbies, etc...it's easy to feel like John & I's relationship gets lost in the shuffle during the daily grind on the home front. Please don't read this wrong, we are fine...more than fine. We are happy...just super busy. I so needed this night out on the town. We had several hours to ourselves. Lots of good conversation and each other. It really was perfect.

















Once we hit our home town, we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It is a little hole in the wall,Itallian restaurant. From there, we hit the concert. We got there an hour early...can you say excited and anxious? We sat and people watched (one of my favorite pastimes) & just enjoyed being together. I loved every minute of it. The opening act was Michael Franti and SpearHeads. I only knew one of their songs(from the Valentine Day movie- Say Hey)but they had lots of energy and really got the crowd going.

When John and his band took the stage, a screen was pulled around the perimeter of the stage and the lights went down. All of a sudden, a countdown started. It was the type of countdown you'd see in an old movie and it was projected onto this screen with pictures of JM flashing in and out. Once it hit number one, the lights went on and John started the show with Heartbreak Warfare.
Be still my heart...seriously :-).














He played set after set...two hours of John Mayer goodness. I loved every song. If I had to pick my favorite from the evening, it would be Half of my heart(with Stop this Train as a close second). He added what he said "was the other half of this song"...Fleetwood Mac's, Dream. He is so talented, both lyrically and musically. He is worth every penny to see in concert. He was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you ever have the chance to see him in concert...don't miss the opportunity.




































Thanks for an amazing night out, John Boy! I love you!
p.s. Can you guess what has been on heavy rotation in my car and on my ipod :-)?

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Clock














There were many special moments that occurred right before my Grandpa Shore passed away. Little glimpses of love, things were said & those type of memories that will forever be "hand prints left on our hearts" occurred. The day before he passed away happened to be a gorgeous California day. A day filled with warm sunshine. He was sitting out on the patio while my Grandma planted more flowers in their already gorgeous back yard. My Grandma said he was pointing and telling her where he thought she should plant their new flowers...so him :-). It was a good day for him...a wonderful last day here on earth with his sweetheart. It was the kind of day that we would all enjoy as our last day on earth.

The funeral was just as wonderful. We had lots of family and friends from near and far show up to help us remember Grandpa. My Mom gave one of the eulogy talks. She did an amazing job and for that I am grateful. She had warned Amber & I that one of us would have to jump up and finish it for her if she couldn't do it. Whew...she did it! Thanks Mom :-). Her memories and thoughts were very tender & described our Grandpa's life perfectly. The paragraph below comes directly from her thoughts at my Grandpa's funeral. Read for yourself.

The Clock by Sandy Shore Davis
There was a strange occurrence close to 4:10 am, March 19th, 2010 – about the time of Dad’s heart attack. His clock, a clock that had never required a battery change in its 25 years of existence, chose to stop at this momentous time. It is said that “Coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous”. And as a friend of my sister Carla said in a condolence note to her, “There will be some joy in the deep remembrance at the heart of all this loss; a sudden smile that re-routes a tear or two when long unspoken stories are shared by those who loved and knew him best pass from heart to heart into family legend. When the time comes to paint those pictures, use all the colors you can conjure and don’t let the actual facts get in the way of the greater truth.” A new family legend, the clock legend, has been born at Dad’s exit to pass down to future generations. He would love this story.

I am so thankful for the wonderful memories that I have of my Grandpa. I am so thankful that he chose to be such a big part of our families life. I am so grateful that my boys had the opportunity to know and love him in this life. As for today, I am so thankful for those memories that I can remember and recall at any moment.

p.s. that is an actual picture of his clock that stopped ticking about the time of his death.

Monday, March 22, 2010

brilliant...

I don't know if any of you have laundry issues at your house? It is one of my biggest mommy struggles. I have a two year old who changes his clothes about 10 times a day(I'm not exaggerating), we play sports year around, and then there are their favorite shirts. Those favorite shirts seem to end up in the bottom of the drawer. It's the digging for those favorite shirts that usually starts the mess. I know, you know the mess I am talking about...clean folded shirts in a heap on the floor, clean folded shirts in the dirty laundry basket and in the end, the drawer that looks like a tornado blew through it.

Anyway, my friend Laurie came up with this brilliant system for folding laundry and putting those clothes away.

Fold shirts in the traditional box fold(like you are putting the shirt in a box to be wrapped) fold shirts in half again. Place them in the drawers and now everyone can see what's in their drawers. We have used this system for about two weeks now & I am seeing huge improvements in the laundry area! The boys are happy to see what is in their drawers and I am happy to report that the shirts are staying folded and in their drawers. Thanks for the tip, Laurie.

Friday, March 19, 2010

fond memories














We received word, early this morning that my Grandpa Shore had passed away. The world has lost one A-M-A-Z-I-N-G man. It is so hard to imagine our lives without Grandpa present...he was such a big part of our lives, our world. We received that early, early morning phone call that everyone dreads. My Dad was on the other end, fighting back the tears as he called to let us know that Grandpa had passed away. Since the news of his passing, favorite memories have flooded my mind. While I am enjoying those memories, I am so afraid that Garrett and Brody aren't going to remember him and the wonderful human being that he was. That makes me sad. For my own sake & for the sake of my children, I want to record the things I remember & loved most about my Grandpa Shore.

- When I was born, I had crazy, dark hair that stuck straight up in the air. When I was two months old, Grandpa bought me my first curling iron for Christmas. That just gives you a glimpse of his humor :-).

- When we were younger, we knew we could always earn money for penny candy while visiting Grandpa. He would pay us a penny a snail. Those snails had to have been collected from his yard :-).

- I loved the one on one dates/sleep overs that each grandchild got with him & Grandma. That date was your ticket to some serious one on one time with them. It meant new jammies, a new toy from Sav-on and breakfast at Sambo's. I have a Polaroid photo from one of my dates and it is one of my favorite photos ever.

- He was an honest man. If he got home from the store & realized that he was given too much change (even if it was just 2 cents)...he would march right back to that store & return their money. He was a wonderful example of being honest in all you do and say.

- He had a favorite chair, his recliner. If he caught you sitting in it, he would come over and say "who's in my chair"? Then he would sit on us & we would giggle. We'd sit there just to rile him up! I can still hear & see my cousin Mike giving him nuggies on the head while Grandpa sat in that very same recliner.

- If there was a cool, new gadget to be had, he would have it. If he loved it, he would buy one for each of his kids. A few gadgets that come to mind, a dust buster, a can crusher, a bread machine, and soda racks for the fridge.

- I have many fond camping memories with Grandpa. My favorite trip ever was the summer he and Grandma took the California granddaughters camping. We camped at Grandpa's favorite spot, Hat Creek(near Mt. Lassen). I am not sure if he really new what he was in for :-). That was the summer we all learned to fish, thanks to Grandpa. The four of us girls wanted to go fish some more. He sent us on our way & yelled "first one to catch a fish gets $10.00". It was game on from there. Kerstin, Amber, Sommer & I were perched in our spots, all hoping to be the first one to catch a fish. Kerstin caught a fish and started to reel it in. As she was reeling it in,it was headed right towards Amber's face. Amber screamed & started swatting her hands at it, knocking it off of Kerstin's line. There was lots of screaming and commotion. When we settled down and looked up,there was Grandpa. He had come running when he heard the screaming. I think he had thought one of us had fallen in. Then he realized the screaming was going on due to the slimy fish being reeled in. I don't think we ever invited on a girls only trip again. :-).

- When John & I were newlyweds and had moved into our 1st apartment, it was an upstairs apartment. At this point in his life, it wasn't easy for Grandpa to climb stairs. He was determined to come see our new apartment & he did. I think he wanted to check out his old recliners that we had had re-covered :-).

- He had the best smile & chuckle...I am going to miss that the most.



















- During my college days, we would all (my sister and cousins)head to their house each Wednesday for lunch. Lots of our friends from school even started coming to lunch with us. They knew they would get a yummy home cooked meal :-).

- As one of our wedding gifts, my Grandpa bought me an industrial size bottle of Windex and new broom from Costco...he knew how much I liked to clean.

- he served in WWII & was very proud of that service, as he should be.

- He loved baseball. I can hear the Giants game being broadcast on his stereo, out in his garage. He took me and my siblings along with the Helins and Granquists to my very first Giants game.

- I have wonderful memories of celebrating all of the holidays with him. Thanksgiving and Christmas were my favorite. He was a big helper in the kitchen. He helped with the turkey and his home made gravy was to die for...perfection.

- On the day of our wedding reception, he handed John and I a $100.00 bill and told us to spend it on breakfast(mind you, my Grandparents had already been so generous with wedding presents for us).

- He loved his great grandchildren. Anytime we'd go to visit, he'd check the boys oil...code for tickling them. It never got old.

- He always wore a hat(fishing, cowboy, or baseball). it was his signature piece of clothing or maybe it was his pressed denim jeans :-).

- He loved to sit out on his patio & enjoy his garden and his family...lots of family gatherings were enjoyed out there.

- Can you believe that he never- ever changed a dirty diaper :-)? I love the story that my Mom tells. My Mom & Grandma had gone shopping & left my baby brother, Tyson with Grandpa. Tyson had pooped his pants so my Grandpa simply took Tyson outside & let him play out there till my Mom got back so SHE could change him.

- He was the hardest working man. Don't let the lack of diaper changes fool you :-). He owned and operated a KFC in San Jose for many, many years.

- A year or so ago, he new it was time to give up driving. I don't think he was ready but he knew his body was ready. Just to prove it to himself, he went and took the written test and passed. He carried that valid license in his wallet.

- He made driving through the ugly Nevada desert(on our way to Utah)very interesting. I had the chance to take a road trip with my Mom, Grandma and Grandpa Shore in 2006, He knew so many interesting things about the Nevada desert & it's surroundings...who knew?

I could seriously go on and on about my Grandpa. I am thankful to have had such a wonderful Grandpa in my life. So thankful for his involvement with our entire family. We all knew that he supported & loved us, unconditionally. I am so very thankful for the knowledge & testimony that I have in forever families. I know that I will see him again & for that I am so thankful. I am thankful that he is no longer in any pain. I am thankful that his last day on earth was filled with sunshine and time spent with his sweetheart, enjoying their patio & backyard together. He will be missed but his wonderful life filled with sweet memories will live on forever. In honor of his life, we picked up a bucket of KFC for dinner tonight & remembered him fondly.

and the winner is...

First of all, thank you for all of the organization tips/tools...so many awesome ideas. I want to try to incorporate all of your ideas into my world.














Drum roll please...
{thanks to my handsome assistant, dirty baseball field fingers & all :-)}














Congrats to Morgan -YAY! I will work on your binder this week & get it to you!

Monday, March 15, 2010

personalized gifts

Each year, during our girls weekend at the beach, we bring little gifts for each other. It is a fun tradition that was started a few years back. These little gifts can be anything from candy, mixed Cd's, lotion, to a package of brads. It is always a treat to receive these fun gifts. This year, I created binders for each of the girls. I found fun binders (they were all different) while I was out & about at various stores. I personalized each binder with their name, using American Crafts Thickers, some cardstock and a scallop punch. I then added buttons, flowers, ribbon & bling.













On the inside, I made page dividers using my Quikutz file tab die. They were simple to make & the tabs matched the color of the cover of each binder. I added a package of graph paper just in case they wanted to use their binders as sketch books. I also included meal planning & grocery shopping sheets just in case they wanted to use their binders for grocery shopping. The binders really can be used for anything. I will have to share my personal sketch book one of these days. It is red with tiny white polka dots...would you expect anything different ;-)?














I think it is time for a fun little give away. Leave a comment, sharing your favorite organization tip/tool. I will create a personalized binder for the individual that is picked(randomly)by my boys on Friday. Anyone is eligible to win, as long as they leave a comment...link your friends.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

a tab bit behind...

in sharing my Green Tangerines Kit Club layouts for February. With the store closing at the beginning of March(they are in the process of seeing if they will re-open -fingers are crossed)the Green Tangerines Kit Club is still going strong. I love how versatile this kit is. With just one kit, I was able to create a Thanksgiving layout & a Valentines Day/party layout. In this kit, you not only get lots of yummy pattern papers, you get cardstock, a full 12 X 12 sheet of this really cool wood paper, a sheet of bling, ribbons, metal clips, October Afternoon date/journaling stickers, glossy accents, big/little abc letters and square eyelets in fabulous colors.

Here are the two layouts I created using February's main kit.

Thanksgiving 2009


















3rd Grade Valentines party


















See those fun metal clips on the Valentine layout? When I received them, they were plain metal clips. With some pattern paper, glossy accents, heart punch & bling...I was able to jazz them up a bit. I will share the step by step process later this week.

You can check out other fun layouts here in the GTKC gallery.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

9 wonderful years ago...

this little blessing entered our lives. Carter has been a constant source of joy & laughter in our world. He constantly makes us proud. He is a friend to all who know him. He loves babies...he is always asking if we can have just one more baby brother or sister to love. He wants a dog...it is not happening this year. He is athletic. He is lovingly called Car-Car or Nascar by family & his coaches. He has counted the days down until his special day. He is excited to take doughnuts to school to share with his class on his birthday. His special day is finally here & we want to wish him lots of love & happiness on his 9th birthday.































































































































































Happy 9th birthday, Carter.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

weekend escape

another fabulous weekend escape to the coast with fun friends. I so needed this little get away. We stayed at the light house {again} this year. The weekend was spent scrapbooking, watching movies, reading books, staking "corners', getting massages (thanks Sheri), enjoying the sunsets, eating yummy food, listening to music, late nights, naps, and lots of laughter. It was a crazy start to the new year for most of us {insane girl scout cookie sales, a new baby, a fresh start, health issues, a death of a friend} and this weekend was exactly what each of us needed. there was no pressure to scrapbook(even though that was my mission this weekend), everyone kind of did their own thing.

even though we packed much lighter, it was still a chore(as you can see by Sheri's silly expression} to get our stuff to fit in the car. Meet my new, cute friend Sheri! She was a a fun addition to the group. She fit right in.
















Meet Max. He was another new addition to the beach this year. He is Michelle's sweet baby boy. He turned 8 weeks old while we were at the beach. All he wanted to do was eat, smile & sleep :-). He is a doll & I loved getting my baby fix.

















A few of my favorite things/photos from the weekend:

- completing 14 layouts.














- The view from the family room at the end of each day...awesome!














- watching friends relax.



















- enjoying the hobby that we all enjoy.














- these amazing girls. thrilled to call them friends.














I am happy to be back home. Reality quickly set in...sick kiddo, laundry, homework, dirty diapers, etc... I will hang tight to the happy {get away}memories to help me make it through the crazy times. There is already talk of next years trip...something to look forward to.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

remembering michael

I debated as to whether or not to share this on my blog...I have decided that I want to. It is part of my life...part of my story. It is part of my 2010 word for the year...remember.

As I was leaving my teens behind and entering my twenties, I had the opportunity to nanny for a wonderful family. I was in charge of their 4 children. I spent a lot of time with these children. I was responsible for getting them ready each day, getting them to school on time, helping with their homework, getting them to their after school activities, their sporting events, play practices, traveling with them, playing with them, Dr. appointments... loving them
I spent a lot of time with Michael, the youngest{at the time}. He was a sweet little 4 year old. He was my side kick, my constant companion while the older three were at school. He loved to laugh. He was shy. He loved Happy meals(mostly for the toy inside). He didn't like to take naps. He was your normal, 4 year old. He loved his Mommy. He cried {every time}I dropped him off at preschool. He was happy when I picked him up. He was the boy that wore his costume the entire week after Halloween(you should of seen the giggles we'd get at the mall}He had a grin that melted my heart. He was sweet and innocent.

This is cute Michael{bottom left} with his brothers, Stephen and Brandon and his Mom.
{My scanner is not working. When it is back up & running, I will add a few more pictures.}



















As I have thought an awful lot about him this last week, my heart just breaks every time. Michael took his own life on February 27th at the young age of 18. It makes me sad to think that he was that sad, sad enough that he felt the need to take his own life. My heart is breaking for his Mom & each one of his siblings. I can't even imagine the pain they are experiencing right now. With the news of Michael's death, I was once again reminded that life is precious. Reminded that we shouldn't ever take our loved ones for granted. Reminded that we need tell them that we love them any/every chance we get.
My thoughts are with his family at this time. I pray that they will find the peace that they will need to sustain them as they begin to heal.

Monday, March 1, 2010

life in the 1800's

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Carter's 3rd grade field trip today. The 3rd graders we able to experience life in the 1800's. We visited the Bernhard Museum. This was not your typical museum. The children were able to experience, hands on, what life was like during this time period. They washed laundry by hand, made their own leather pouches, made biscuits & butter, played marbles, made leavings dolls & button spinners. They even did a few chores...just as children their age would have done in that era. As part of the experience, we were all asked to dress the part. Carter had cute suspenders, a white shirt, fitted jeans that weer rolled up. All of the Moms wore shirts, bonnets, shawls, & aprons. I am so glad that I got to share this day with Carter & his classmates. It was such an enriching experience.

















He was all about the orange soda in a glass bottle that John had purchased for the field trip.








































I sure love this super cute boy.