A Quick Day Trip

Sorry I've been so quiet here the past couple weeks.  I'm getting ready to start a new (yet old) chapter in my life and along with that I had an awesome unexpected guest over the weekend!

I have been hired back into my old job at JCPenney after being laid off 2 months ago.  I left due to corporate restructuring and the elimination of my position, but I guess they just couldn't live without me :)  I'm not exactly sure what my position will consist of, but they are willing to work with me on my hours and I'll be able to be home with Miss Jellybean after she gets out of school.  I'm thinking it's really starting to come together!

James Dean monument, Cholame

But I have a better reason for neglecting my crafting and blogging recently - My cousin came for a surprise visit!  I haven't seen her in 6 years.  We used to spend summers together in Northern Michigan when we were kids.  I miss Michigan so much, but it was so cool to see her out here in California.  It was a super quick trip, so I only got to see her for a day and a half before she headed off to visit Yosemite.  We met up with my mom and took her to a few of our favorite places on the Central Coast - Morro Bay and Montana de Oro.

First, we stopped at the James Dean memorial in Cholame.  (The drive from Fresno to Paso Robles and the Central California Coast takes you through the intersection that was the site of James Dean's fatal crash)

Montana de Oro State Park

Cousins! (and the kiddo!)

Tidepools at Montana de Oro.  Yay!  The tide was actually low enough to explore the tide pools

I have been going to Morro Bay my whole life, and one of the iconic attractions is the Aquarium on the Embarcadero.  Now that I am an adult, I realize that the place is a little dirty and cramped, but I am a really nostalgic and sentimental person so I still love it.  It is a must-go place for us when we are in Morro Bay, at least now while Miss Jellybean is still young.  She loves to check out all the creepy sea life in the tanks, but she especially loves feeding the seals and sea lions..  I can't imaging walking along the Embarcadero and not hearing their obnoxious barking and fin slapping and other funny sea lion sounds.  

Hello, creepy fish...

We finally got one of these guys to climb out on the platform :)

No trip to Morro Bay is complete without a stop at the Shell Shop.  This place is virtually unchanged since I was younger than Miss Jellybean.  She picked out a couple new treasures to add to her seashell jar.

Well, goodbye for now my friends :)  I'm blogging after midnight and I'm sure I'm even less entertaining than usual.  I hope to be back to your regularly scheduled crafting soon, so stay tuned!

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Fords, Fruits, Fiber, Fitness, and Fun!

(or... I really hate having to think up a post title)

It's Mother's Day afternoon, and while The Mr. is manning the grill and Miss Jellybean is out collecting rocks and roly-polys, I thought I'd take a minute to share some pictures from our weekend so far.

 

We spent our Friday night at the opening night for the Old Town Clovis Farmer's Market.  You can find us there often on Friday nights from May through September.  We love to browse through all the vendor booths and farm fresh produce.  Miss Jellybean loves to join in with all the other kids and dance to the live music.  We always have a great time.  And I just can't resist taking pictures of old cars.  Love these Model A's!

No trip to the Farmer's Market is complete without a stop at my favorite yarn shop, The Knit Addiction.  The Mr. even encouraged me to add to my yarn stash.  Geek Chic yarn rocks!

We didn't buy a whole bunch of veggies this week, but we did get some cucumbers for pickling, cherries and apriums, Dairy Goddess chocolate milk, Smiling Oranges orange juice (the BEST orange juice ever!), Fagundes Santa Fe jack cheese, and hummus and pita from Baba Foods.  Yummy!

Saturday morning started early.  The Mr. signed up to run a 5K with a group of friends.  The race was an obstacle course based on the show Wipeout. Costumes were encouraged, and his team decided to dress up like superheroes.  They won first place in the group costume contest.  Don't they look great?  Miss Jellybean was most excited about throwing water balloons at daddy and Mr. Chad (the assistant director from her preschool).  Running is really not my "thing" but this whole race looked like fun and I would have loved to do it as well.  (Although I'm glad I didn't sign up for it because all day yesterday I was fighting bad allergies/cold/sore throat...something)

In the past year, The Mr. and I have both worked on getting healthier.  We both lost over 60 lbs (although I have fallen off the wagon a bit and have gained back about 15 since the holidays).  I need to work on getting back on track, but the hubs has been very committed, and I just want to say that I am super proud of him!

I had hoped to have more time for crafting this weekend, since my Etsy shops are looking bare and my head is full of new ideas, but I wouldn't change a thing because I had a great time with my little family and friends.  :)  On a side note, I really don't know how all you mommy bloggers do it!  I've had to come back and work on this post about half a dozen times and it's taken me almost 3 hours to post it!  I really hope to be able to keep up with this blogging thing, as well as crafting, and work, and keeping things running here at home.  I may be married to Superman, but Superwoman I am not!



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Life Changes

It's been about a month since I was laid off from my job of nearly 8 years at JCPenney.  For a creature of habit such as myself, it has been an interesting ride so far.  In the midst of all the craziness of job hunting, I realized that maybe it was time to rethink a few things.  Miss Jellybean starts Kindergarten in the fall.  Time is moving too fast.  There's not a whole lot of family time left at the end of the day.  Maybe I can find a way that I can spend more time at home with her.  We're still working on that possibility.

Step 1 - I reopened my Etsy shop.  It's not going to pay any bills at this point, but I am most happy when I am making things.  Miss Jellybean loves to sit at her own craft table next to me and work on her own projects.  

Step 2 - Figure out the job situation.  I did manage to find a temp job and I'm very thankful for that.  But the commute is long, the hours are long, and I don't know that it's the right fit for our family.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the possibility of going back to JCPenney in a part time position that I could work just during the morning hours while Miss Jellybean is in school, leaving the afternoons open for crafting and mommy-daughter time.

It all remains to be seen.

So, what is this blog going to be?  Not a just mommy blog, not just a business page, not just a collection of rants and ramblings.  We are all more that just the sum of our parts, and I don't see a reason to limit this page to one facet of who I am.  So, I think what you will find here is some craftiness, some mommy moments, and a whole lot of real life.  I hope you stick around.    

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