A Life Full Of Camping Trips

Sometimes I think camping is kind of a pain.  You know, the packing, the dirt, setting up the good old tent, uncomfortable sleeping situations.  If you are like me you toss & turn most of the night, wondering what each little noise outside was.  A bear? A skunk?  A crazed killer?

But......it is so worth it!  Being outdoors, having an adventure.  My whole life I've been camping, & that is a lot of what I remember over the years, the places my parents took us as kids.  I remember the  getting up at the crack of dawn, the smell of my dad's old work truck & camper, that he would clean out & put us in.  Every once in awhile, if he turned too sharp, cans of food would come raining down on my brother & I.  Good times :)  I remember hikes, & beautiful lakes, ghost towns, & laughing around the campfire.

My kids have been camping since they were babies. At times in a tent, freezing my butt off, with a 3 month old, I've questioned my own sanity for doing it!  But you just do it, & get through the not so great parts, cause it will hopefully give them(& us) so many good memories.  I want my 3 to grow up, love being outdoors, & be in awe of all the things God created on this earth.

We just came back from Jalama Beach(near Solvang, Ca).  It was awesome.  It's a beach off the beaten path, you have to go through some hilly/twisty roads, & you finally come out on a hilltop overlook of the blue blue water.  There were mountains & wetlands behind our camp, as well as a view of the ocean. Not much more I could ask for :)

I was thinking several times over the trip, looking at my kids little faces, that life is going fast.  Their faces aren't so babyish anymore, their little bodies are getting taller & more lean. My Mom was showing the kids little dvd's of themselves from several years ago on the trip, & I can hardly remember a lot of those years.  It seems like a lot is a blur when you're a new parent, & don't know quite what to do.  I don't want to keep them young, but sometimes I wish I could freeze time, maybe for just a little while.  Cause I feel like maybe I didn't enjoy them being little as much as I could have....or I just didn't get how fast it would all go by.

**Sigh** Now that I ended it on a bittersweet note.

A Plate Of Fettucini

We returned from our first little trip, this past weekend, to Palm Springs.  It's always a fun opener to the rest of Summer.  I was a little worried about Cody around the pool, since he believes his swimming skills to be far greater then they actually are!  We loaded him up with plenty of floatation though, & he was good to go. 

It's always good to catch up with friends, & unwind for a few days!  Ahhhh but here comes the glass half empty part.  I was thinking, as I was eating one of my mayo-less, cheese-less veggie burgers on the trip.....WHY do I do this?  I don't even look terribly fit.  I  look around & I see people eating appetizers, whatever they want through out the day, & here's the kicker.....they don't seem to feel guilty! Not guilty about the animals, not about the calories, nada.  Sometimes I wish I had a little of that.  Basically, I sometimes wish I could just eat an occasional plate of Fettucini with Alfredo Sauce(which is not healthy in the least),  & not feel one iota of guilt. Ha ha.  Ok, done with my rant....& I'm not going back to dairy(except for my occasional bites of chocolate I sneak).

So I guess it's about being kind to yourself, giving yourself grace....not comparing yourself to the woman with 3% body fat across the pool.  Hmmm, I'm learning :)

 

 

That is all for today.  We have a busy Summer ahead of us, A few camping trips to come.  I have a bike race in Long Beach coming up, in a couple weeks.  Will have some new art work to show soon!

Oh, Patchy!

Hellooooo.   This past weekend was my art festival, in Long Beach, the Patchwork Festival.  I say "my" as if I owned the place, or I put it on.....which I didn't.  I think it is always a big thing for me, & I have to kind of gear myself up for it.  Cause I am not always good at putting myself out there, & when you have your creations that you poured your heart into, believe me, you are out there.  Out there for comments good & bad....mostly good, thankfully!   Because I don't have the really thick skin I sometimes pretend to have :)

Anyway, it was a good experience to do it. I like hearing that my stuff is unique, & different then a lot out there. There were so many awesome vendors, I had to reign myself in, & not spend all my earnings there. Some friends came by to visit.  One even brought me some Vegan cookies.  Thankful for my husband who sat there all day by my side....good company!

 

Our site was just supposed to be a 4 x 6 ft. size.  Ha ha...Our table looked a little tiny compared to some of the bigger set ups. 

 

 

                    Some new creations.  This girl above sold at Patchwork.

                               My love affair with Blythe dolls continues :)


So I hope to have some new Summer creations out soon, in this end of the school year craziness.  BTW, I was mentioned in this lovely art blog  TwoHandDesign .... very awesome!