MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
I have pictures to share, after we no longer have house guests.

I AM BACK, SORT OF

Have some great new pics of the kids for their Christmas photo which I will load up, as soon as I have a chance to load my programs in this new computer which I had to buy after we came back from vacation to discover my old computer decided to die while we were gone!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate it!

I have to get better about posting on this blog, too much going on right now.

I have taken pictures of the new double-paned windows in the front of the house, and will post those in a couple of days.

We are getting ready for Katie's wedding on August 10, 2008, and trying to get the house in shape for visitors. Some are things we should have done awhile ago, and didn't have energy for.

Hope everyone has a great holiday. I am working today, and after work I plan on working around the house.

Kristen is having a party tonight, but we will not be attending as I need to get up early again tomorrow morning to work. Don't know yet if we will see the kids today or not, probably tomorrow.
We had to empty the buffet in the dining room as John had to install some more screws in the French door he installed last year, and the buffet overlaps the door frame some. So need to get the glassware and dishes off the 2 dining tables before Keaton comes back and helps me with that.

I need to paint the door frame today before we move the buffet back in place. And then need to do a lot of dusting as I put things back.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, NEW PICS

Wishing all the mothers a wonderful Mother's Day!














These are my grandchildren's latest pictures:

Kyleigh Grayce, 7-1/2 years

















Jaeger Montie John 5 years

















Keaton Charles Walter, 18 months

HAPPY EASTER

Wishing you all the best this Easter season!

KYLEIGH'S GYMNASTIC PICTURE

I thought I would show a picture of Kyleigh's (DGD) gymnastic picture, I think it was taken at one of her competitions. She is in the front row.
As you are looking at the picture she is on the right side. It looks like she has what we call her "cheesy" smile on.

VALENTINE'S DAY, PART 2

I forgot I had this to share earlier...

Kyleigh Grayce 7-1/2 years.
Jaeger Monte John 5 years
Keaton Charles Walter 15 months

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Personality Recipe

The Recipe For Karrin

3 parts Intellect 2 parts Imagination 1 part Recklessness Splash of Playfulness Serve over ice

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

MY ART

This morning, I was browsing the blogs I usually visit, when Donna from Chookyblue posted some beautiful pictures, and I wrote her and asked for her permission to use them as reference for my painting, which I plan to get back into. She asked if I had posted any of my pictures on my blog, and I had never posted any of these, and I told her I would. She graciously allowed me permission to use some of her photography.

Keep in mind I have had a few adult education classes, but I am mostly self-taught, and they are probably out of perspective. I just do it for my enjoyment and relaxation, and have not painted in awhile, but I feel I need to get back into it for my "soul", as I love it. My best watercolor, I gave to a good friend, I don't have a picture of it, and when she and her DH divorced, and she remarried, we sort of lost contact.



In 1968, when I was almost 18, I traveled for 21 days around Europe with a church group, and attended a Baptist World Youth Conference. We were in Berne, Switzerland, and I took a photograph, which I painted in oil from that photograph.









This was my 1st watercolor I did while taking an adult education class in 1977. It is still one of my favorites. This was done from looking at the instructor's sample.

I had to take these at an angle so the glass over the pictures would not glare from the flash.








This watercolor I painted from an old calendar. I did this on my own in about 1978 and I gave it to John's parents. Several years ago his mother wanted to make sure I got it back in case something happened to her.











In 1979 I painted this for my dad. I think again, it was a scene from a calendar. Several years ago when I found out he was not displaying it anymore, he gave it back to me. It is another one of my favorites.















This watercolor I painted sometime in the 80's when my girls were young. It was from a picture in the paper.

















I took a water color class in 1993, the instructor would come in with something she had painted and we copied it. And this is one of the pictures I did at that time.













This was one from the same class that I painted and gave to my dad, which he gave back to me several years ago.














This was another one from the same class in 1993. I gave this to my mother, which my father returned to me after she died. I like this one too, although the flowers do not appear random, like they should have been.

Anyway that is my art, such as it is.

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!

Today is Kristen Alys' 30th birthday! I still remember the day clearly as it was one of the best days of my life.

In this picture, Kristen is 18 months old, and I am 9 months pregnant with Katie, and 29. John's parents had come up to stay with Kristen while I had a second C-section. They took this picture just before that big day.


This little bikini on Kristen was so funny. Kristen had nothing to hold the top of the bikini in place and it kept slipping up around her neck.

Jeff and Katie and another friend threw a surprise birthday party for Kristen last Friday night at Spaghetti Factory, and she was mostly surprised.

Happy Birthday Kristen, a loving daughter, wife and mother, and one of my best friends. I could not ask for a better daughter. Love, Mom

EARLY HAPPY NEW YEAR





Would like to take this opportunity early to wish you all a Happy New Year, and the best in 2008.

Grandchildren Kyleigh and Jaeger are coming over this afternoon, and will be spending the night, as Kristen and Jeff are having a party tonight. So we will have our own fun.







I am not one for resolutions, but I do have some goals for 2008:

1. I have joined a group Susan Nixon introduced me to, called Stash 4 Pounds, and it involves winning CQ stash for your weight loss. This sounded like a great incentive for me to lose much needed weight.
2. Another goal I have is of getting back into my artistic side. I recently took a class from Patricia Dibona on the Joggles website called Pollage, which I highly enjoyed, which involved painting a canvas, and adding various collage elements. I plan to start another blog for my artwork shortly. I made 3 canvases, which right now can be seen on my http://karrinscrazyworld.blogspot.com/ blog, a French-themed one for my sister, a fairy one for Kristen, and a frog one for Katie.
3. I plan to take part in Sharon B's Take it Further Challenge.
   
4. I plan on finishing up some of my WISPs (Works in Slow Progress).
5. I plan on getting more of my scrapbooks/albums in order.
   
   
   
   

Wishing you and your families the best of Holidays!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY JAEGER!

Today is Jaeger's 5th birthday. There is a big day planned, with a party with his little friend's at John's Incredible Pizza, and later on in the afternoon, a get together with family members at Leatherby's ice cream parlor.

This is my good buddy who is always ready to come to Gramma's house, and very disappointed if they drive by my street, and he doesn't get to stop, and upset if I am spending time with Kyleigh and he doesn't get a chance.

I have always told him he is my very special boy (especially before Keaton was born). When he was around 2-3 he kept telling Kristen "Gramma is my special boy", (getting the words messed up).

When taking pictures, he is always a poser, he will keep striking poses like this one and as if he is a model.



Jaeger is always ready to come to my house, and always ready to play with my pirate Lego ship, and island,
or games, or puzzles. He is a cookie monster, and a lover of root beer.

Saturday night, I watched him and Keaton while Kristen was attending Kyleigh's gymnastics competition, and we had a great time watching Home Alone and some great laughs. I always enjoy my time with him.

And he is always ready to visit with Papa John, can sit entranced while John plays one of his video games, and tells everyone that his Papa is building him a sailboat. John has the roof on the sailboat now, the hatch cover done. Jaeger always is interested in the sailboat's progress when he comes over.

And he is my Very Special Boy (#1)! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAEGER!

You Are Christmas

More than most people, you are able to find magic in life's small moments. Traditions mean a lot to you, and you tend to be quite nostalgic. You are a giving, kind person who really understands the true meaning of holidays. You inspire others to be as altruistic and caring as you are. What makes you celebrate: Tradition and a generous spirit At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The storyteller. You like to recount memories with everyone. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Give a gift to everyone you know

What Holiday Are You?

TWAS 22 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS


This nativity scene, my mother in law over 30 years ago painted for us. The pride of my Christmas collection.








I actually had most all of my Christmas decorations up last weekend, I wanted to have it done before Kyleigh and Jaeger got home from Disneyland. This was actually one of my very first quilts, I love the primitive quilts and I love applique. This was from a book called Christmas or Not by Gerry Kimmel, Linda Brannock, and Jan Patel. I had to do the feathers over twice I think.















The bit of the angel quilt you can see, is from the same book and is called Joy. The wreath below that I painted in a watercolor class one year. The Christmas bottle quilt, my secret sister a long time ago, Susan Nixon made for me. The deacon's bench to the left side John made, and also the one you can barely see on the right side.

































The Santa sitting under the piano, and the one in the background, I painted both of those. On the piano are a angel doll holding a wreath, and a little elf guy, and I made those. There is also a snowman sitting where the keys would be on the piano, and I made that guy too.












Here is another quilt I made, plus I made the Grandma and Grandpa porcelain dolls in the background, and some little cloth angel dolls sitting on the pillows.













This is another one of the primitive quilts and also one of the first I made. It was from a book by Gerry Kimmel called Plaza Trees.



















This is part of my little village, and my seaside village. I had to put the rocks in the ocean back from the edge because Keaton saw them and tried to pop them in his mouth.











The stockings were hung, and the nutcrackers out...












More of the Christmas seaside village on another table. Since John sold the pool table this year, where I usually placed my villages, I have had to scramble around to find tables. The stained glass in the background window John commissioned for me one Christmas, it is a whale diving under the water. The buffet at the right hand side John made for me.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We had a rather quiet Thanksgiving this year, as Kristen, Jeff, Kyleigh, Jaeger and Keaton are in Southern California. They have been to visit my sister Mary, and Legoland. They spent Thanksgiving with John's mother, Ada Hurd, and visited Seaworld, the San Diego Zoo, and took a 4 vesssel tour of San Diego Bay, touring the Star of India, an aircraft carrier, a Russian submarine, and the ship from Master and Commander. Jaeger was in his prime on that tour, and had to call Papa John and told him everything he had seen. Jaeger was also impressed with all that Grammy has had to shown him, and was particularly entranced with the tool she uses to pick things up off the floor.


The family next heads up to Disneyland to spend a few days before heading home on Wednesday.

Gramma Karrin is really missing her favorite little people, and we have a gingerbread house to make when they get back.

So Thanksgiving this year was spent with just the four of us, John, Karrin, Katie, and John Centers. Katie and John got an engagement ring almost 2 weeks ago, so that is exciting news!

FINALLY, MY BIRTHDAY PICTURES!

My birthday falls in October, and my daughters wondered what I would like. Kristen found a wonderful photographer that did her wedding, and also around Father's Day had taken some wonderful pictures of her and the children for Jeff's gift. The photographer, Cindy Sullivan, lives about 10 minutes from me, and takes some wonderful pictures in areas around on her property. I told Kristen, that was what I would like a photo session of the entire family.

The few days before our Saturday photo session had been raining, and had even rained the day before, and I was worried we would have to postpone our session. But even though it was overcast in the morning, we turned out to have a wonderful day to take pictures. Cindy ended up taking 307 pictures! She puts them all on a CD so you can print up your own, or take it to someone. She also gives you 6x4 inch copies of all of them. John brought his guitar along as a "prop". We all love hearing him play, and it is part of our life. The ones where Keaton appears to be clapping a lot, we were having to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" to get him to cooperate. Jaeger is a ham, and is making funny faces or expressions in a lot of them. I am thrilled with the results,even most of my pictures I don't look too bad. Right before we went to take the ones of me and the grandkids, I apparently stepped in some dog droppings, so Cindy's husband went off to clean my shoes off, the only bad part of the day. Cindy had these pictures back to us in less than a week, I have just not had time to post them. So these beautiful pictures are thanks to my 2 daughters.

Karrin, Kristen and Katie


















Keaton, Kyleigh and Jaeger
















Jeff, Kristen and family











Kristen and Jeff



















Kyleigh 7 years















Jaeger 4-1/2 years




















Keaton 1 year, had just turned 1, 11 days before this session.











Katie and John


































Papa John, Gramma Karrin and Kids





John and Karrin