ADVENTURES 2011 and much more....

Da Da Ta Ta Elmo's World

2011-06-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

For Easter I got tickets to take Kate and Mommy and Daddy to see Elmo and his Sesame Street Friends in San Jose. Well Tuesday was the day! We had so much fun taking her and watching her get so excited to see ELMO!!!

Kate got so excited seeing all of her Sesame Street friends!!!

I think we were just as excited as she was watching her!!

After the show she played with some of the little kids who watched the show too. Kate got her share of confetti!!!

The Christians come in June

2011-06-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Karyn and the kids decided to come and stay for an extended visit this year in June.
Karyn was able to see many of her growing up/school friends, do her Scentsy Parties and go to Sonoma to visit her sister Kelly.

The first week it rained and rained and rained. Our activities included taking Ashley bowling, making cookies and going to the library to get books!! Finally the second week the weather cleared and we were able to get out and do some fun things with the kids.

They had fun playing in the backyard, playing with snails and rocks and running around. Ashley had a sleep-over with her friend Riley, Buddy and Allison played with Miles and Lauren and we celebrated Buddy's 3rd birthday with many of Karyn's friends and their children at Regency Park a week late due to weather but they still had lots of fun running through the water fountain etc.

Kelly and Kate came over twice to spend some time with the kids and they they drove back to Sonoma for some sister/cousin time. Kate had fun playing with her cousins and now that she is walking and talking there was never a dull moment!

These little ones are balls of energy and so fun to watch interacting together!!

HAPPY EASTER, THE LORD HAS RISEN!!!

2011-04-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day with my little Kate! We had so much fun and her Mommy became a Roman Catholic too! What a Glorious Day!!

Kate loved looking for eggs and reading the Bunny Book Nana brought her.

2011-03-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is my little Cat Lexie. She died 36 hrs later from saddle trumosis.
I will miss her, she was a very sweet addition to my family. RIP Lexie

My trip to Maui in February with the DoLaTa's

2011-02-17T12:10:00.001-08:00

We set off in February for the Fairmont, Wailea Maui....we had so much fun. We stayed in a suite that over looked the pool and out to the Pacific Ocean! Kate had so much fun in the pool and did very well for a one year old. She also ate poi, poke (raw fish) and just about anything we ate! This girl is really having a fun time and so am I sharing all of this with her and her Mom and Dad!!

2010-12-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone! Why does it go so fast?

Merry Christmas to all

2010-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

After getting home from Karyn's, Kelly and Kate came to spend some time with me and go to some Christmas Parties!! Here we are at the Hillcrest Plaza Children's Christmas Party. Kate got her picture taken with Santa and she loved all the attention..but she's had a zillon photo sessions YTD so she's a pro!! Here's a cute photo of Addison while I was visiting over Thanksgiving...

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

It's been months but I thought I'd wind up the year with a little post.
2010 was not an easy year in many ways but with the sad times came wonderful times as well. Truly the most wonderful day was February 3rd, the birth of Kate Irene Dolata.

One moment we had a new beginning but we also had an ending. Jack McLeskey "Papa" passed away this summer. We all thought he would pull through this as he did so many other times in the past but this just was bigger than he was. None of us were ready but I guess you never are. He put up a very good fight and was able to see his grandchildren more this year than most.

I had my girls and their families here twice, once in May and then in August. Karyn, Anson and their family came both times; first to see Papa and then again in August when he passed away.

I was able to spend 2 wonderful weeks with Karyn and the kids for Thanksgiving. Anson was TDY at school and other than getting the "Gordo Flu" we had a wonderful visit.

I will be spending this Christmas with the DoLaTa's and Kate's first Christmas...memories in the making!!

Miss Ashley over the Thanksgiving holiday.....
Mom and Allison having a nice dinner out while I was there
Little Miss Kate's baptism, September...
Kate spending some time at my house over the summer
Miss Kate loves her hats and her headbands!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELL'S

2010-03-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

ummmm Princess Cake for Kelly's Birthday.

Little Kate doing her Tummy Time...good girl

PRETTY DARN CUTE!!

2010-02-20T21:06:00.001-08:00

Little Miss Kate had her second photo shoot and this is my favorite.....

Then there's little miss brown girl

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

2010-02-14T12:20:00.001-08:00

Kate in her Valentine's Day outfit...This is so much fun!!!!

We took her out for her first outing to the grocery store yesterday and everyone ewed and awed!! She was so cute.......

Some of my favorite photos

2010-02-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Kate and I had a little nap before I left to go home

I love this shot of Nick and Kate....early morning naps

KATE'S FIRST PHOTO SHOOT!!!!

2010-02-10T12:31:00.001-08:00

Kate had her first Photo Shoot today with Kate Webber!! Can't wait to see the photos, stay tuned....

Cat in the Basket!

2010-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

These darn cats!! They just want to be a part of everything!! LuLee is just loving the baby basket, it's a cat-astrophy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!!!!

2010-02-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

Today Allison is 5!!!! Wow how time flys...looking forward to skyping later today.

KATE'S COMING HOME!!!

2010-02-07T13:33:00.001-08:00

MaryJean and Emily came to meet KateKate had a beautiful going home outfit...the first of many

The DoLaTa's are getting ready to go home!!

Welcome baby Kate Dolata

2010-02-07T12:22:00.001-08:00

Here I am!!!! Kate Irene Dolata, 7.9 lbs. and 21 inches long. I was born on Wed. Feb. 3, 2010 at 2:51 am Mommy and Me...
I'm so excited to be here!!

Welcome Kate DoLaTa!!!

Kelly's Sonoma Baby Shower at Cornerstone Winery

2010-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Many of the girls Kelly works with came to her shower. It was so fun to meet them.

This is Kelly who made this wonderful diaper bag cake!!

It looked so real and was so yummmy

Kristen one of Kell's friends threw her a baby shower and it was so fun!! I got to meet many of her industry friends and we had a wonderful day.

New Years at the DoLaTa's-HAPPY 2010

2010-01-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

The Pillars came to Ring in the New year

The dinner was wonderful!!

Here's to a Great 2010

Dr. Vince couldn't miss the Tennessee game and came dressed for it

Kelly's table was beautiful

After returning from The Christians I was able to spend New Years Eve with Kelly, Nick and the Cats!! The Pillars came over too and we all had a wonderful dinner and evening and all of us made it to Midnight!!

CHRISTMAS MORNING WAS PRETTY SPECIAL

2010-01-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

Nana got a Snuggy!!

Addison's new toy

Miss Allison and Addison opening their gifts

Project Runway for Ashley

Ashley was rocking out with her new iPod...

BUDDY REALLY HAD FUN AND ALLISON LOVED HER DOLLS, ASHLEY WAS VERY SURPRISED TO OPEN HER iPod!

Christmas 2009 at The Christiams

2010-01-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS AT THE CHRISTIANS 2009 WAS LOTS OF FUN

OUR TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN WAS SO MUCH FUN AND WE GOT TO SEE DEER AND SNOW!! ALLISON THOUGH IT WAS A REINDEER

GROUP PHOTO AT THE PARK WAS FUN TOO

A DATE NIGHT WHILE NANA WAS THERE

What a wonderful time we all had together!!

4th of July with the Ghiggeri's

2009-07-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

I THOUGHT THIS TABLE WAS GOING TO BE TO EAT AT?? DADDY BBQed THESE YUMMY RIBS.

PLAYING WITH TOYS IS REALLY FUN TOO, ESPECIALLY WHEN NANA AND PAPA COME OVER.

4th of July with Garr and Kass

2009-07-11T15:01:00.001-07:00

CASS' 4th OF JULY ADVENTUES....
HAVING FUN IN THE BACKYARD....PLAYING IN THE SAND BOX IS SO FUN!

PAPA IS LOTS OF FUN TO PLAY WITH

NANA GIVES ME TREATS!

NANA GOT ME THIS HAT AND I LOVE IT!!

Buddy's 1!

2009-06-07T14:03:00.001-07:00

Buddy's birthday was lots of fun. On Sunday we went to Young's Dairy a fun place for kids and adults. Young's is located outside of Fairborn in Yellow Springs.

When we came home, Buddy had a chance to play with some of his new toys!

Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs

2009-06-07T13:33:00.001-07:00

We had lunch and then off to the batting cages There was a lot to do at Youngs Dairy Farm Buddy had fun and the weather was fantastic

Anson showed the girls how to bat and Anson and Ashley did the batting cages

Buddy's 1st Birthday

2009-06-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Buddy's 1st Birthday was lots of fun

His cake was so cute!

MY TRIP TO DAYTON FOR ADDISON'S 1st BIRTHDAY

2009-06-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Three very special people!!!

ASHLEY'S NEW BIKE!!!!

2009-06-04T19:27:00.001-07:00

Ashley got a new bike and Daddy put it together for her. She took off and road like a pro! Allison got a new Scooter! What a fun evening!!

The Green

2009-06-04T19:24:00.001-07:00

The first night we went to The Green to listen to music and have some yummy ice cream at Cold Stone

Craft day with the girls

2009-06-04T19:19:00.001-07:00

We went to a ceramic studio where the girls made some fun things. Allison painted a Pig and Ashley painted a guitar and a horse

They had a bunch of fun making their special art projects.

MOTHER'S DAY 2009

2009-05-11T09:42:00.001-07:00

Having a wonderful dinner with Kelly and Nick at TraVigne in St. Helena

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

REMEMBERING MOM....What a beautiful day in Sutter

COUSINS

2009-03-24T17:33:00.001-07:00

What a treat to spend the day with the Ghiggeri's! I know Karyn was so happy to see her cousins again.

LAUGHS AND GIGGLES

2009-03-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I was blessed with 5 wonderful days of getting to know my little Grandson better last week. I can't believe that they were here and back home again already. Lexie and I have a very quite house again!

My little guy was so fantastic! Even under the circumstances and having to spend all day in the hospital waiting room while Papa had open heart surgery he was still all smiles; thus my new nick name for him, "laughs and giggles".

I sure hope they can move closer...a dream come true!!!

Addison comes to see Papa

2009-03-15T08:03:00.001-07:00

Papa is having heart surgery and Addison came to wish him well.....He loves his Papa.

I did it~

2009-03-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday I went to Robert and told him to CUT IT~

He did, and I'm happy.

Now I've just got to learn to work with short hair again.

CHANGE IS COMING!

2009-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am sick of my hair! I've let it grow since last August and I am now the pony tail queen~

There's nothing I can do with it b/c it's so long that it won't curl, it won't stay nice it just hangs there so I pull it back into a pony tail most of the time.
So, Friday is the day. I'm getting it CUT OFF! I'm going to get it STYLED! Robert here I come!!

What's really funny is I had to go to DMV today to renew my driving license and yes, get a photo taken. So now for the next years I'm not going to look like my photo with my pony tail style!

LOOKING BACK....

2009-01-12T17:08:00.001-08:00

The highlights of my year.... The birth of Addison Wales Christian

Kelly and Nick's wedding

Having my whole family together for a whole week!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!!

2009-01-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

New Years was lots of fun~ the kids had a ball with all the decorations, hats and noise makersMiss Allison
Jonnie (Anson's Mom) and Margo

K Karyn and Heather, Anson's sister

Anson and Karyn on the deck of the log cabin

Heather, Jonnie and Addison

The kids and the Grand Mothers

NEW YEARS IN TENNESSEE

2008-12-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

We had a real fun day at the acquarium! We saw lots of animals and friendsThe birds were beautiful!

These photos are at the Tennessee Aquarium!! Grandpa Anson, Grandmother Diane and I took Ash and Alli to see the animals! We had a blast! Alli almost kissed a penguin!
Ash went inside to say hello to the fishies

We saw birds, snakes and even butterflys!

We went sightseeing by the Tennessee River and the weather was wonderful! It was about 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

Christmas!!!

2008-12-26T11:18:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TOO!!

Cornerstone Winery, Sonoma, Ca.

CHRISTMAS MORNING~~~

2008-12-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

The little ones were up before the sun! Oh, a green coat for Ash!
Why does this go so fast? It seems like we wait and wait...... then WOW!!

Oh my, a cell phone!!

Merry Christmas everyone~

BYE BYE EDDIE

2008-12-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Eddie the Elf is leaving tonight to go back to the North Pole. He will be gone until next year before Christmas when he returns to watch the Christian children and report back to Santa.

See ya Eddie.

Pastry Chef's Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T11:41:00.001-08:00

Today is Christmas Eve and we were busy making cookies for Santa~

It sure was fun and most of the frosting got on the cookies!The results according to the experts were very good!
We had a whole bunch of fun baking while Mommy and Daddy went to lunch!
We even got the kitchen cleaned up before they got back (thank goodness!)

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!! HO HO HO

2008-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Dayton yesterday and what wonderful timing!! All last weekend flights were cancelled/delayed or whatever. Yesterday the skys were blue, calm and all went VERY well!! My prayers were answered in a wonderful way....no bumps!

I arrived right on time but it was a little chilly...about 4 degrees. Karyn, Ash and I went to the mall today and about froze our **** off going into the mall but mission accomplished~! Ash found Mom a real nice present and we finished up our Christmas shopping and came home to stay warm. Then Ash and I made sugar cookies which we will decorate tomorrow. Stay tuned for the results!!!!

The lake is a little frozen!! No ducks this time of the year

The big Elf is ready for Christmas!!

The little Elf is Really Ready too.

Here are some beautiful faces I just couldn't wait to see!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! NO BAD DAYS!

2008-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

kelley's no bad days cafe

napa, california

first annual holiday dinner with the DoLaTa's

the happy family!

ho, ho, ho

from the mistletoe

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

from Napa, California

Home of

Kelley's No Bad Days Cafe...

Must try the restaurant to understand how funny this blog post really is!

Happy Holidays!

p.s. please do not try this at home!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!

2008-11-29T17:41:00.001-08:00

Decking the halls....It's so much fun to decorate~ I love the holiday's more than any other time of the year! This year I will be spending Christmas with The Christians!!! I am so excited I can't stand it~ We are going to have so much fun and Ash, Alli and Addison....I've got some surprises in store for you~!

I've had so much fun the past few days decorating! I changed things around a little this year but Change is Good right? WE ARE ALL READY FOR CHANGE~ Here's a picture of my "Kitchen Tree"! Last year on Dec. 26th Kelly and I went around to all the local sales. We found the cutest little tree at Creative Interiors and then we continued on to D St. in Marysville and found the cutest kitchen ordiments! Thanks to the internet, I finished up my little Kitchen tree and added the 3 Santa's too! DON'T YOU JUST LOVE CHRISTMAS?

This year we are doing something very special at my office for Christmas! We will be giving from the heart rather than from our pocketbooks. It seems only right to do special things this year that don't cost money. I think this is bringing the Creativeness out in so many people. We will probably always remember this year as being special and nice!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Roads, Skys and Rails

2008-11-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is almost here~

Hope all of you have a wonderful day!!

Here's a photo of my new valance in the office. I decided to cut the fabric in half and put mostly black on the inside and mostly tan on the outside. At the end, I thought I'd turn some of the tan up around the bottom. (I know, way too much about a silly little valance but... things are a little slow this week at work!!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

Loose Ends

2008-11-21T11:20:00.001-08:00

My fabric finally got here for my office window valance! I was having a hard time deciding which color I liked best the tan with black or the black with tan swirls and today the black with tan came.

I'm going to make the valance for the windows this weekend. I'll show you the results soon!!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Here come the Holiday's!!

2008-11-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

I really love this time of the year. I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas. This year I get to go visit Karyn, Anson and the kids for Christmas and New Years~~~

I'm so excited!! Can't wait to see them again.

What a great year this has been with Kelly getting married, going to Colorado and finishing up the year with the Christians!!

Stay tuned for lots of photos.

The Sikh Parade

2008-11-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

The parade in front of our office

Today was the Sikh Parade...We are lucky to have a front row seat at our office as we are right on the parade route~

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Once again in true ERA Showcase Style the ladies of the Real Estate World set out to have a little fun on Halloween~
We went from place to place but no one seemed in the "spirit" as WE, the Showcase Girls!! (never say die you know!!)

A weekend in Sonoma with the Do~La~Ta's and wine tasting at Hanzell Winery

2008-10-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

OUR WINE TASTING AND TOUR WAS WONDERFUL!! LOVE THEIR PINOT'S AND CHARDONNAY'S, UMMMMM

2008-10-27T19:25:00.001-07:00

The views from Hanzell of the Sonoma Valley were beautiful!!

The Wine Tasters....

2008-10-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

The enterance to the Wine Cave

The Library that goes back years..

The tasting at Hanzell Winery was fantastic!!

Dinner at Redd in Yountville with the Newly Wed's

2008-10-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.reddnapavalley.com/ We had a wonderful evening and celebrated the Harvest~!~!

LuLu the jumping cat!

2008-10-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Miss LuLu is really something! We opened wedding presents while in Sonoma and LuLu had so much fun playing with the ribbons!!!

SHE DOES, HE DOES, SHE WILL, HE WILL.....

2008-10-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! Wish it could have lasted longer....the whole week went so fast!!
THE DO-LA-TA'S....

THE REHEARSAL...GOING TO THE CHAPEL AND WE'RE GOING TO GET MARRIED!

2008-09-24T20:56:00.001-07:00

The Beaver Creek Chapel where they will Tie the Knot!!

Waiting for his Bride..

Here comes the Bride...... I do, I will......etc.

The Bride's Maids...So serious

The Flower Girls and Dolly (with Allison)

The Rehearsal...Emarie trying to get the Boy's lined up... Easier said than done

KELLY AND NICK'S WEDDING BEGINS....

2008-09-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe after 2 years of planning the Wedding of my Daughter to Nickolas Dolata is here and we're off to Beaver Creek Colorado for a week before the Big Day.
What a week we had, Kelly and Nick, their friends and of course, Emarie who brought everything together for the Bride and Groom, worked hours and hours to make their special day one to remember for the rest of their lives.
This was a "hands on" wedding from the Rehearsal Dinner Friday, the Welcome Dinner on Saturday and the Wedding and "Big Party" on Sunday.

I will post photos of the wedding in the days to come but for now, here's how the Wedding Week began.....

WE'RE GOING TO A WEDDING AND WE CAN'T WAIT!! LET THE FUN BEGIN...

2008-09-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

We're on our way to THE WEDDING!!! Can you believe it after 2 years of planning??

The Groom

Two faces I love...

The Bride and her Nephew

The Bride...Maid of Honor #2 and my Grand Children's Father, Anson!! Love them all

Two of the best Wedding Planners in the Whole World!!!!!!!!

Playing in the condo

Two very special people having lunch in Beaver Creek Village

Ashley having fun flying through the air in Beaver Creek Village Park

Miss Allison having fun at the Beaver Creek Village park

2008-09-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

LET THE FUN BEGIN......FRIENDS AND "THE GROOM" The Christian's and The Hennesey's Cousins....Karyn and Kristin, OH YES!! Mr. and Mrs. Pillars and Jan...The Episcopal Church well represented!!

Table dancing Mother/Daughter style!! OK, I can't remember when I've had so much fun

Having fun with the Hamilton's (Ham, Mrs. Pillars..Em and James)

Pre wedding fun with Gary and Melissa Ghiggeri

2008-09-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

PARTY!!!

2008-08-17T20:43:00.001-07:00

Madge, Kristin and Melissa came to give Kelly a Bridal Shower. It was just beautiful~ The weather was so nice, the food was fantastic and the venue, The Brick in Marysville made it a day to remember.... Kell had so much fun opening her gifts!
Kim came from San Rafael, Kristin and Dom were so much fun...
The cake was delicious and so pretty, all in Kelly's wedding colors...

The Ghiggeri's throw a Party~

2008-08-17T20:31:00.001-07:00

Dom and Cass came too and had great fun in the ice barrel! THE HOSTESS!!!

Whose the tallest of them all??? Cousins...

Party at "The Brick"

2008-08-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

What a delightful day! The weather turned out beautiful after a week of 100+ days~ Kelly's YC school friends came.... It was so nice to see them again
Ms. Marlene Broker came with Diana... What a treat!!
Diana honored the Bride to Be with a wedding poem.....

4TH OF JULY...MORE THAN JUST FIRE WORKS

2008-07-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

As soon as I got home from Karyn's it was over to Kelly and Nick's in Sonoma for the 4th of July.

It turned out to be a little different than anticipated. After leaving the Studio with Kelly we headed home only to see white smoke all over the mountain to the east.

Kelly was very concerned because her friend lived just about where the smoke seemed to be coming from. We drove over to their home only to find them loading up their horses and animals to get them out while there was still time. The fire was coming over the hill behind their home.

Needless to say, they are OK. The fire fighters were amazing. They had spotter planes and helicopters dropping water right behind the neighborhood on the other side of the hill. It was a little too close for those who lived in the neighborhood!! (You can see the helicopter in the above photo),

THE PEOPLE I LOVE...

2008-07-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

WHEW.....

Why does the time go so fast when you are having so much fun?It seems as though I've been looking forward to my new grand son being born and going to visit Karyn, Anson and the girls for months. I thought being gone almost 2 weeks would be a long time but I went and I'm back~

I wanted to shars some of the cute photos and memories of my trip.

Ashley kept asking what was the most fun....

Uno, Uno and Uno...countless hours and games that would not end~~~

Texting to Aunt Kelly....Man that girl can type!

Allison running around with"hanger" and "necklace".

Dolly's surgery...Thank goodness she came through just fine and hopefully will last a few more years.

Oh yes and the 5 little bunny's born under the swing set!! We thought they were moles at first and then they grew ears!!!

These are truly priceless memories~

Thank you Christians for a this special time together. SEE YOU IN COLORADO IN SEPT!!

OUR FAMILY IS GROWING!!!!!

2008-06-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise!! Little Addison Christian arrived a week early!

Congratulations Christian Family!! Can't wait to meet my new Grand Son!

See you soon

SHOWERS AND FUN!!!

2008-06-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

Last Weekend Mary Jean and Emily gave Kelly her first Bridal Shower. We had such a wonderful time and everything was just beautiful.......
THANKS GIRLS..

2008-06-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS!
It was so nice to see not only Anita and Bobby but Janice and Robyn also! We just don't get together that much anymore...
Maybe we will in the future.

2008-06-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

Anita Holloway and Bobby Howard came with their daughters Robyn and Janice!

It was so great to see these wonderful people again!

2008-06-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

The wrap becomes you Kell!!!

A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!

2008-06-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

Kelly had a wonderful time.

She got so many pretty things!

DOES ANY BODY REALLY CARE?

2008-05-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of listening to the news telling us before the first of July we should expect to pay somewhere between $5.00 and $6.00 p/gallon gas!

What is happening to our country? Gas prices, Food prices, foreclosures controlling the real estate market...on and on. The sad thing is that we (the people) are just sitting here going on with our lives and when you see people being interviewed they are shaking their heads but smiling and scrogging their shoulders...OH WELL... life goes on they seem to think, I guess???

What is happening to our country people???? How much longer are we going to just shake our heads and put up with all this?? PLEASE USE YOUR BRAIN AND VOTE. Think about how today's events are or will impact your life and take the time to educate yourself on the issues and the people we are electing to run our country what ever side of the fence you are on.

Don't just listen to your TV as your educational source of information. Take the time, get educated and then VOTE for the Changes we so drastically need!!!

Thanks for reading....sorry to be so direct but I think it's time we UNITE and be PRO ACTIVE for CHANGE.

A GOOD DECISION

2008-05-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

At least I am seeing the benefit from buying my Lexus Hybrid. Today after I filled up at over $4.00 per gallon I re-set my millage gage and I'm getting between 27-30 MPG. That's a whole lot better than the gas model that gets an average of 17 MPG.

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO

2008-05-13T13:18:00.001-07:00

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE CITY! As we drove around I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to be so close to such a wonderful place!

San Francisco is truly one of the most fantastic cities in the world!

This little walking bridge was close to where we had tea.....

A DAY IN THE CITY

2008-05-13T13:13:00.001-07:00

MOTHER'S DAY was so fun!! Kelly took me to Lovejoy's tea room where we had the nicest lunch! The way was so pretty and we sipped tea and enjoyed the wonderful treats that make this Mother's Day so special!

Thank you Kelly!! What fun.

A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER!

2008-05-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went over to Kell and Nicks for Mother's Day. We had so much fun!! Sunday we went to the Catholic Church in Sonoma. Fr. Michael Kelly was there and it was Pentecost. What a great service!!! He is wonderful.

Then we went on to San Francisco and to Love Joy's Tea Room. We had a wonderful lunch with little sandwiches, fruits, crumpets, scones and little finger foods. What a special time.

Then we had to stop at Corte Madera and shop a little. We found some great wedding things before we went on to Petaluma, Santa Rosa and home. We didn't get home until around 9:00 pm!
Thank you Kelly for a wonderful Mother's Day!! I'll post photos tomorrow when I get home.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ALL YOU MOTHERS!!

Where's the photos?

2008-04-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well there just aren't any!.........
I've been working, working, working and have not had too much time for anything else, that is of course unless you want to see photos of homes! Well for that go to www.yubacityhomes.blogspot.com and you will get a little taste of what I've been up to.

Speaking of Real Estate (yeah) I'm into the third week of the Top Gun course (no it's not how to learn to shoot a gun or fly a plane). It's a very tough real estate class and requires a great deal of home work. One of the projects we had to do this week was call and get appointments for 5 FSBO's (for sale by owners) to see if we can help them sell their home. Quite frankly, there's not a whole lot anyone can do for some of the people out there who owe way more that their property is worth but it was actually fun and I met a couple of very nice people.....OK enough of RE for now.

I did get my closet changed around. Yes, the summer stuff is back in "my" closet and the winter stuff is out there in the other closet(s). And yes...all this week I've been back and forth getting the winter clothes out again b/c the weather went back to cold. The heat got turned on again and Ms. Lexie is fighting with me every night to get under the covers to stay warm! That darn cat...don't know what I did without her.

Today I wore a cute little spring multi colored jacket over a pair of black wool pants and a sweater! Oh well it was April Fools day, I looked the part!

Speaking of style, I had one of the implants taken out of my little toe b/c it was sticking out the side of my toe....(aren't you glad you decided to read MY blog tonight!!). However, my little toe feels so much better now and for just $14,000 worth of surgery on two toes I can now wear some of the cutest little shoes!!! I'll have to post some photos of my shoe collection.

TIP OF THE DAY......Take photos of your shoes and put them on the end of the boxes so you can spot what shoes you are looking for in your closet!! (thank you Maryjean Hamilton)

***************************************************************

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SHARON STARMER...MY BOSS...(She hates it when we call her that!)We had a fun lunch at El Zarape here in YC to celebrate the special occasion.

IS IT SPRING YET?

2008-03-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's March and the sun is shinning!

Next week is Kelly's Birthday! Time flys. I'm not going to post how old she is but she's getting up there (just kidding).

Can't wait for Thursday as Kelly and Nick are coming over for dinner then on to the Galleria in Roseville on Friday where we are going to do some wedding shopping!

I'll post some birthday photos the end of the week. I've been sick with this flu bug that's going around the last 2 weeks but as of Wed. I'm feeling much better!! He ah!!!!!!!!!!

Well, you know what I mean!!

What can I say???? Hurrrrray.......

2008-01-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

2008! What a year!! I haven't been this excited in years........
A Baby and a wedding!!!
Today I found out I'm going to have a Grandson! Karyn and Anson called this morning and told me! What an exciting year is ahead and I can't wait!!

YUBACITYHOMES.BLOGSPOT.COM

2008-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!! I've started my Real Estate Blog!!
I'm so excited about it because it's a way for me to update everyone on what our real estate market is doing on an ongoing basis.

Please check it out and if you have any questions or want to leave me a message that would be great!! Please pass it along to your friends. I will be adding informational sites too so hopefully you will find it useful.

THANK YOU KARYN and KELLY FOR YOUR HELP IN SETTING THIS UP FOR ME!! I'm learning but my girls are really a big help in the design etc.

GO TO: www.yubacityhomes.blogspot.com

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU !!!

WHAT I DO...

2008-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

THIS SATURDAY WILL BE OUR FOURTH "GET ON THE BUS" FORECLOSURE BUS TOUR.
If any of you reading this want to "Get on the Bus" give me a call 530-218-0001.

We are really getting a huge response to this event that we at ERA Showcase Real Estate offer to our clients about twice a month.

This week, weather permitting, we will be touring 10 REO (real estate owned-by banks) homes. This is a fantastic opportunity to see what's out there and learn a little about buying a home in this market.

Check out my other blog at:Yubacityhomes.blogspot.com for updates on what we are doing to help buyers take advantage of this fantastic buying real estate market!!

SOUTHLAND CHRISTMAS PARTY

2007-12-24T17:22:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.......

27 years ago, yes it was 1980 we began what was to be the traditional Southland Village Children's Christmas Party. Each year we would gather at neighborhood homes to celebrate the season with a cookie exchange and little tasties to go with the libation.

At some point there would be a knock on the door and in would come Santa with a present for each boy and girl.

Over the years this wonderful tradition would continue and the little ones grew and grew and time passed and low and behold our children are now adults!! What a wonderful group of young adults who still all look forward to getting together when they can for the annual Christmas party.

There were a few people that were really missed....Karyn, Megan, Regan, Tennley, Elan, Lauren and Lindsey. We were thinking of all of you and wishing you were here too.

This year it was hosted by the LaSalles and what a grand event it was.....

The Kids

The Pillars and future Mr and Mrs Do-la-ta

Mr and Mrs Ricky Belcastro

The futrue Mrs. Peter Belcastro

Kell and Sue Lind

Amanda and Nick..neighbors over the back fence

Ham is hilarious

Here's to you Barb

WHERE'S LEXIE?

2007-12-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

Trying to work and do Christmas things seems to be just too much for Lexie to deal with! One minute she's under the tree batting the ornaments around and next she's trying to get in between me and my computer.

This is so funny!

THE GIFT OF LIFE

2007-12-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

As I sit here wondering why I'm just not in the Christmas spirit this year I've been reflecting on this past week. 4 people I knew died last week. All were quite different; they were different ages and died for different reasons. The common thread was that all 4 died without any notice. In other words, no one really expected it. One died in a grocery store, one died in his office, one died in the hospital and the last died at home.

My Mom passed away 2 years ago yesterday. Kelly and I visited her in Sutter Cem. and left some Christmas flowers. It was a beautiful day.

This isn't a upbeat blog but I think it's a big part of what I'm feeling. Endings are never easy. Sometimes we just have to work through them. I don't know why it's harder during the holiday season but for some reason it is.

AND BABY MAKES 3...WHOOPS I MEAN 5!!!!

2007-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

I've been afraid to post anything "family" because I was afraid I would "slip" and "spill the beans"!I'm so excited that I'm going to be a Grandmother AGAIN!!

I had a feeling that maybe, just maybe they would try again and YES!!!! When I got back to visit for Ashley's 8th birthday little Allison came up to me and said "Nana, mommy has something in her tummy"!

2008 is going to be a very exciting year for our family. A new baby, a wedding and all the fun that goes with these new beginnings. I'm so excited and thankful for what's to come!!

My trip back for Ash's birthday was really fun. We accomplished quite a lot for the way Karyn was feeling. The girls are getting so big and I was so excited to see Ashley play soccer!! She reminds me so of Karyn when she played. Ashley will be a very good soccer player. She has a lot to skill and natural ability!

The soccer game was great and afterwards there was an Award Party! Ashley got a trophy! She was the best Goalie

This was a very exciting trip. Even Tennessee won!! The curse is broken. My UT shirt brought them good luck!

Ashley got balloons from her Aunt Kelly!

Allison wanted to play too.

That cake Mommy made was sooo good!! I love chocolate!!

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX!!

2007-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

As most of you know my second love (behind my family) is Real Estate and being a Realtor.

Several weeks I was feeling like I just HAD to do something to help my office get out of the "low" that many of us were feeling due to the negative press, the foreclosures and the so called Doom and Gloom the real estate market is currently experiencing.

When my girls were little I always told them that when life hands you lemons and at some point things will not be as you want them to be, you can be depressed or you can dig in your heels and make lemon aid out of those lemons and move forward. "Mountian I would say, get out of my way!!"

Then I got this idea.....Why not turn this so called Bad Market into something fun and in the process we would be helping the buyers in our community by educating them on the benifits that have opened up to them in our current real estate market. Believe me, there are some fantastic investments out there today and the interest rates are fantastic. This type of situation has not existed in a number of years and people are not getting the message by listening to the Media, or at least not yet. Hopefully that message will start happening but why wait?

Well....guess what? All of a sudden there was a positive energy going around my office and people were smiling and working hard on what was to be our first "Get on the Bus" foreclosure home tour.

Well today was the day, November 17, 2007! We had people calling in to get on the bus and by 1:30 pm we had our clients loaded up and on their way to tour over 10 foreclosure properties in Yuba City!!!

I'll keep you posted on how it's going but I'm so happy to see all these smiling faces and up beat people again running around my office and we are truly turning lemons into lemon aid in a positive community effort.

P.S. Just when you least expect it a little gift comes along. This morning when we were signing people up for the tour, some old clients of mine walked thru the door and we were so excited to see each other! I had worked in another office when they moved away almost 8 years ago and when then came back they didn't know where I had moved!! After being in 3 states, they are now back in Yuba City and I'm delighted to see and work with them again!!! Welcome back Harlan and Charlott!!

Blessings...........

Happy Birthday Ashley, here I come!!

2007-11-03T21:26:00.001-07:00

I can't wait!! I'm going to visit Karyn and her family next week for Ashley's 8th birthday!! I'm leaving Tuesday for a week! I can't wait to see my girls!

(Let's hope UT wins while I'm there....Anson told me that everytime I've been there they loose! This just HAS to change!!! GO UT)

THESE ARE CRAZY TIMES!!!!

2007-10-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got a call from the Bank I'm representing on a foreclosure property. He told me the Bank wants this home off their books in 2 weeks! At the end of the conversation he advised me to drop the price on this property $70,000! Needless to stay, I had 3 offers on Monday with more coming in. The home sold for $5,000 over list price for a Grand Total of $255,000.

This is for a 5 bedroom 2865 square foot two story home! Our market is going down about 1% per month. Hopefully this will level out soon.

The Moral of the story: Hold on, this too will pass.

MISS LEXIE GOES TO CHURCH!!!

2007-10-07T13:15:00.001-07:00

Miss Lexie, today is your day!! You get to go to church and meet some new friends. (She wasn't too excited to go but we had to get her blessed....... )

Get up Miss Lexie it's the Feast of St. Francis and you get to go to chruch and receive a Blessing!!

Today we are celebrating the Feast of St. Francis at St. John's Episcopal Church and we are having the Blessing of the animals. We held the service on the patio outside the Parish Hall just in case a little friend had an accident.....but even the turtle did an outstanding job and was grateful for his blessing (and no messes). Everyone got a treat afterwards. There were treats for the dogs, cat treats and cookies and coffee for the humans.

Most were on their best behavior.

Jan and Dolly had a wonderful time. Dolly is 20 yrs old! (she's on the left) but never too old for a blessing. It was a beautiful morning and everyone had a special time and most little friends were very polite and quiet for the services.

HANG ON PAPA!!!!

2007-09-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Look out Lincoln Hills......Papa might just give up his Harley for another way of transportation!!!!

Kelly and Nick came over this weekend and we had a lot of fun and got some important things done while here too!!

We went with Papa yesterday to Sun City Lincoln Hills to see a house Papa is interested in. Well, he was like a little kid with a grin from ear to ear! I think Sun City might be something in Papa's future.

Frozen Custard is the best!!!!

2007-09-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

Frozen custard is so good! Every time I go visit Karyn I want to go. They have great flavors and this time the bees weren't out like they were the last time I was there.

Ashley and Allison love to go too!! It's one of those special things we do when I go for a visit.

I would probably gain 100 lbs. if I could have it every day!!

The girls loved it too!!

Somebody is playing with my Blog!!!!

2007-08-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

How funny.....I see that "someone" is changing the colors on me!! I wonder who that is???? Hummmm
PS-Thanks, I like it!!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!

2007-08-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

This was so funny!! How this could have happened is beyond me! Kelly and I laughed so hard I think the cars behind us thought we were nuts!!

This is truly being in the right spot at the right time......

Read on.....

Kelly came home for a few days to help me with some "odds and ends". We went up to Loma Rica to pick up one of my signs and on the way up we passed a truck that had what looked like a roll of toilet paper coming out the back bed of the truck.

We passed the truck and the white paper caught on my rear-view mirror!! It was flowing behind my car for about 10 miles until we could stop and take it off.

It was hilarious! We were driving down the highway with about 400 feet of this white plastic packing material streaming behind my car!

It really was funny. We finally stopped up on the hill and took it off and rolled it up into this huge ball.

You never know when something crazy is going to happen. Thank goodness it was behind my car and not on the windshield or something. That may have been a completely different matter.

FOR MOM AND DAD

2007-08-26T16:11:00.001-07:00

We finally got Mom and Dad's marker and it really turned out nice. It still has the form around it here and they have to finish the edges but I'm so happy that we have finally completed the process and can't wait to add some flowers as well. I love going to Sutter, it's so beautiful there.

Back home and missing my Girls...

2007-08-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful visit I had with Anson, Karyn and the Girls!! I wish we were closer, I miss them so!! Thank you guys for a wonderful time

I took Ashley to Boarders to pick out some books. She wanted to read Harry Potter and told me today that she finished the first book and Aunt Kelly sent her book #2 so she's going to start reading it tonight!!

Wow what a reader this little 2nd grader is!!

Ashley is a fantastic reader!! Here she is with her free book from Boarders for reading so many books!! Good for you Ashley

These had to be the "buy" of the year!!! Congratulations Karyn!! These are the greatest.

Some days Allison had to catch a nap here and there to keep up with our schedule!! Don't you just love that face!!

Ash and I had loads of fun while we were driving around.

I just love my necklace Ashley made me!! (I'm the one on the right!)

We had some delicious coconut pie while I was there and Allison just loved it!

So Much Fun!!

2007-08-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Some of the fun things we are doing while I'm here visiting is making cards.

Yesterday we had Crafts Day and made some fun cards. Here are a few of the ones we made

Keeping up with the Girls.....

2007-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are having a lot of fun going fun places! We've been to the park and to Ashley's school. We won't find out who her teacher is until tomorrow. We will be there very early to find out!!
Allison is learning to climb. She is trying to crawl out of her crib. This will be interesting!!!!
Mom and Dad are off to the movies, dinner and a little fun. We are making pizza and watching Doodle Bugs.