Drawing Anime Girl

I had fun doing this drawing tonight. Here is the tutorial for the drawing I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8cJVMPhyJM&feature=related

Drawing Cartoon Lady

This was my practice drawing a cartoon lady tonight. It looks nothing like what was in the book called "Fantasy Cartooning" by Ben Caldwell, but I am at least trying my hand at this. And it was fun watching the Olympics and drawing on the commercials.

Dance Shoe Drawing

For this drawing, I followed the "Wardrobe" prompt from http://www.inspiremethursday.com/2008/08/08/wardrobe/

I noticed I had lots of checkered things in my wardrobe and that inspired a checkered shoe, which really was a black dance shoe I had, but I made it checkered in the drawing. This was fun to do this evening.

Manga Drawing of Spy Woman

My drawing yesterday from using the book "The Monster Book Of More Manga - Draw Like The Experts". This book has step by step exercises in drawing. I really am having fun doing this. This exercise was on pages 266 - 271.

Today's Cartoon Horse Drawing

I am practicing with cartoon drawing books and this is my cartoon horse drawing from today with pencil and colored pencil. I feel like a little kid doing this, but I do know it is fun, so why not?

Fort Bragg, California Flower Walk Photos

I got to go on that flower walk today and I made a little scrapblog of it. If you click on the scrapblog logo you can see it in full screen at their site. It was fun getting out and taking flower photos today.

Early morning writing

Waking up early - Today I woke up at 4:40 a.m. I decided not to fight it and I just went on the computer and did some window shopping for stuff. I often shop for stuff, but don't buy anything. I just go to all these stores online and see things I want, but don't buy them. It is kind of fun doing this and just a way to waste time. (I mean what else is there to do at 4:40 a.m.? Umm, don't answer that, LOL.) Well, sometimes I find something I do want, but I don't order anything until I am sure I really want the item. I also comparison shop and try to find the best deal online for the item, too. I rarely buy anything online unless it is something I really need.

I have been trying to save money lately and the best way to do that is to just not buy unnecessary stuff any more. I already have enough of that kind of stuff around. Seems I really don't need or want that much stuff anymore. So I just go for the basics of sturdy casual clothing (I bike ride lots and walk) and good shoes and a decent jacket. I get most of my bargains at the thrift stores or yard sales. And I love to go to the thrift store on half off day and I save even more.

Well, I did order some family photos online today. That was fine with me. I get good bargain prices at Kodakgallery.com. They are so easy to use. You just upload your photos to their site and order. Very easy. Plus they often run specials. You do have to wait a little bit for your order if you want to save on shipping costs, but it is worth it. Plus I really get too aggravated at those drug store digital photo machines. It just takes too long and even after you process your order there you still have to either wait in line for someone to get finished using the machine, or someone behind you in line is getting inpatient with you while you decide what photos to print. And even after all that sometimes your photos are not even ready for an hour or the next day and the prices are not that hot either. So I like the easy site at Kodak and the prints come out very well and they have good prices with no hassles.

I need to get out and take more photos. Maybe that will be my thing to do today. I love taking flower photos and I read the best time to take them is when it is cloudy or overcast and dreary out. Today looks like that so maybe that is the best time to get the flowers. The flowers really do seem to show up better without the bright sunlight. Especially colorful flowers. So I will venture out on a flower walk today.

Well, that is my early morning writing for today. I could go on and on about not having a big refrigerator as yet, but I am getting tired of thinking about that, so I will spare myself and the reader, if anyone actually ever reads my blog, of that. :-)

Cooler Weather

Well, my standard weather post when I don't know what to blog. Today was much colder than usual. Found myself bundling up more. But compared to the 100's in other parts of the world, I guess I ought to not complain.

Now we did have a nice day on Friday though. They even had some belly dancing in the street at a First Friday event. The gals did a great job and even danced to some modern music. They drew a big crowd, too, and got some great applauses which they well deserved.

Well, that is my random post for today.

Manga practice drawing

Well, I hate to admit this as I am not good at it, but I am trying to learn Manga Drawing. I have a book called "The Monster Book of More Manga" Draw Like the Experts, Edited by Ikari Studio. It really is a helpful book. I am going to see if I can take a little mini class in this at a local store in town. I better sign up soon as I saw a sign in their window saying the class is almost full. Anyway, I am having fun at this and I guess that is what matters most.

These Hands by me

I made this little scrapblog tonight. I had fun making it.

Ode to a Refrigerator

Well, since our refrigerator died, we are using this little dorm sized one. You can see our dirty old one in the background. I didn't bother cleaning it up since it is just going to be hauled away soon. That refrigerator kept food in it from around 1993 to present. That is a lot of years. I give that refrigerator lots of credit for hanging in there through all my kids growing up years. Now we are using this little shrunken refrigerator. No more big pots of food cooking here. I can't wait for the new refrigerator to arrive. Oh and by the way, the prompt today for a creative undertaking was "Shrink" at http://www.inspiremethursday.com/

Ode to a Refrigerator

My refrigerator has shrunk
Just a little dorm sized one now
I am waiting for the new refrigerator to arrive
We will manage to survive this somehow.
We miss our big cooked meals
That we could have for a few days
We miss some frozen things
We miss our big fridge in lots of ways.
No more frozen fast meals
No more stocking up on lots of things
But with life there are problems
Like losing the joy a big refrigerator brings.
We used to go grocery shopping
Our cart full to the brim
But now all we do is buy little things
This situation is getting grim.
Can't wait for the new refrigerator to arrive
Not sure what day that will be
So I will still keep hanging in there
With this shrunken refrigerator baby.
I am trying to be grateful
I at least have this shrunken one
But I have to admit
There is nothing like a big fridge when the day is done.

The Bucket List DVD and My Bucket List

I just watched "The Bucket List" on DVD. It was a great movie and I just loved it. I think everyone ought to see it. Morgan Freeman did a great job and I love his acting. And Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors and did a great job as well.

Well, now I want to make a Bucket List. I was thinking to start off my bucket list I would like to go on a date with Jack Nicholson. It sure would be amazing if I ever accomplished that now wouldn't it? I think I came close to at least meeting him once. It was in Ventura at City Hall. I purposely drove my car around the parking lot just to get a glimpse of him when "My Two Jakes" was being filmed. My husband thought I was crazy for doing that, but I just wanted to see him as I enjoy all his movies.

Anyway, on the way out of the parking lot this man pulls up in a fancy car and says, "Can I help you, Miss?" and I said, "Oh no, it is okay, I was just looking for someone. Thanks anyway." And he gave me a big smile and drove off. It then dawned on me - that was him! That was Jack Nicholson, but I was in "movie star denial" mode. I pulled over and just took some deep breaths, remembering his face and realizing how stupid I was to not even acknowledge him! Well, a wish of mine is to just go on a date with him. Just one date. (I am no longer with my husband, by the way, and even my husband didn't believe I saw him. And even if it wasn't him, it sure looked like him, LOL)

My Bucket List and not in any particular order:

Go on a date with Jack Nicholson right in the heart of my town where everyone can see me and get put in our local paper with a photo of us on a date. And I promise I would never bug him if he didn't want to talk to me again. But why wouldn't he want to talk to me again? I am a good person, LOL (Why I would want to meet Jack? Because the movies I see of him are just so realistic. He just says his lines so convincing. He really is the best actor I have ever seen in my life and I am 50 so I have seen lots of movies by now. And I just love his attitude and funny ways from what I have seen of him. And of course, he has the best smile of anyone I have ever seen, too! And he is just a good example of huge success and it would be nice to meet him.)

Get a book published with my poetry in it

Get some easy screenplay software and write a screenplay about some interesting things that have gone on in my life

Own a successful business that helps society

Own my own home

Experience more spirituality

Enjoy outdoors more

Find true love on both of our parts

Be around for as long as I can and in good enough shape to enjoy my long life

Continue to see my kids succeeding in whatever they want to accomplish in life

Have some of my personal dreams come true

***So what are some things you would like to do before you kick the bucket?***

Drawing Practice

I got some books on drawing today. Here is what I created from what I learned.

Fort Bragg Tattoo Parlor Signs

We have an interesting Tattoo Parlor in town. It is interesting to just go up the stairs and visit their place. Lots of tattoos to look at. I don't have a tattoo yet and not quite sure if I ever will get one. I have heard lots of baby boomers are getting tattoos though. I read that they are just wanting to express themselves more and tattoos are a good way to do it. Anyway, these are neat looking signs, so thought I would share them.

Broken Refrigerator and Solutions

Well, my refrigerator broke. My solution until I get the new one is I bought this little baby dorm one for $88.00. Then we threw some ice over the frozen stuff. I signed up with a program that helps out low-income people to get a new refrigerator if yours is too old and not energy efficient. I qualified, but will have to have patience in waiting for the arrival of the new one. (My old refrigerator isn't energy efficient at all since it is a loser and not even working, LOL. Well, I take it back, the light bulb works.)

Anyway, I found a lesson in patience here. I certainly will be happy when we get our new refrigerator. I do love the convenience of stocking up on groceries especially frozen stuff. But I have learned at "Green" type of a site that some people due without refrigerators at all. That made me not feel so bad with my problem. Luckily I live right in town so I "can" get groceries easily. But I just loved to stock up as I didn't have to deal with grocery shopping as much - only like once a week.

So my current solution is the baby fridge and ice in the freezer. And patience while I wait for the new fridge. I also will be buying some things that we can have on hand that don't even need to be refrigerated like: Soups, fruits and some veggies we can eat right way. So all is not lost and if this broken refrigerator was the worst problem I have had in my life, I would be very lucky.

Funny Video Of A Raccoon

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I was up late tonight and we had a raccoon jump on our trash can and knock it over. I told him to go away and he just came out of the trash can, looked at me and then just went right back in the trash can. Anyway, we tried to get a photo of him, but he quickly ran away when we opened the door. We secured our trash can and then I went to look up about raccoons. And I found this funny video

Dedicated To My Two Kids

I hope to make some scrapbooks at home of my kids. This was just a start of thinking about what I would want to say.

By The Beach in Fort Bragg Scrapblog

Inspire Me Thursdays http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ prompt was to create something having to do with the beach and this is my little scrapblog of my creation. If you click on the Scrapblog logo you can go to a page to view all this in Full Screen.

The Weather

Today was much more cooler than ever. As I complained about it, I was reminded that it was probably in the triple digits in some places and I ought to be happy about our cooler weather here. Looks like I just need to bundle up more. It just seems a little strange to be so cool in the summer. But August will be here soon and it is always warm then. And I ought to be happy because I really do live in an ideal place. Okay, enough about the weather. It is just my filler for times I don't have any idea of what to blog about.

Pretty Flowers Seen On Today's Walk

Got To See This Man With His Horses

This is just a fantastic video. I can watch it over and over.

Very Touching About A Lion

I just love this story and someone sent it my way again, so I had to post it on my blog.

A Family Sees A Mountain Lion

I have watched this a few times. It is interesting to see through the eyes of a family viewing this creature.

Peaceful Animals in Fort Bragg, California

All it takes is a bit of a walk all around Fort Bragg, California to see some peaceful animals.

Today's Bike Riding

Today I went on a nice bike ride. It is so nice to see all the pretty flowers on my ride. Here is just a little scene I saw. It feels good to be active and enjoy nature.

Playing With Colors

Just playing with colors on scrapbook. You can see I am getting obsessed with scrapblog. I guess it is just a fun thing to do. So I am just relaxing and playing.

My Purple Flower Place

Had fun making this purple flower srapblog. I love purple. These photos were taken all around Fort Bragg, California downtown area.

The Queen Cat Of The House

And here she is. She really is in charge around here. :-)

Our Tuxedo Cat Scrapblog

Our Tuxedo Cat. We really love him. This is just a little show I made of him.

Iguanas Traveling In Style

On my little walk today, I glanced at this classic car. Then I saw something moving and there it was, a real big Iguana. Well, at least I think that is what this lizard is called. He or she looked at me a bit and then just kept basking in the sun. It was amazing seeing this lovely creature today. You never know what you will see on your walks, so it pays to get out from behind the computer now and then. :-)(PS I didn't know till looking at the photo closely again, but there was another Iguana in the background. Double click on photo to see that one toward the right side of the back car window back dashboard. So I got a two for one special with this photo.)

Fort Bragg Flower Photos

Happy to get out on a walk and enjoy the beauty around Fort Bragg today. Love how people really take good care of their yards and fill them with pretty flowers.

Playing With Trolls At The Beach

Hi Everyone, I have been doing these little scrapblogs lately and posting them here. It has been fun. I have had fun making up little stories with my troll collection, too. I was thinking there needs to be more little books on social skills for little kids and maybe even adults could use them. So I made a couple stories about social skills with the trolls. I liked doing the little stories.

It was fun getting out to the beach today. I felt a bit funny getting out all the trolls, but I was at a more secluded area, so no one was there to make fun of me and that was fine with me. Today Fort Bragg had really nice weather and it was good to get out in it.

Another Social Story with Trolls for all ages

The Trolls went to the beach today with Goosey and Pretty Pony and friends. Another story about social skills for those who need a little extra help with being social.

Fun With Polka Dots

Inspire me Thursday http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ had the inspiration of the day to create something having to do with Polka Dots. So I played at Scrapblog and created these two little slides. I am still learning scrapblog, so hope to discover another way of finding more things to add to my little slides.

A Social Story For All Ages

I wrote this little story to try and help others with social skills a bit. I will keep working on other stories later. I think lots of us could always need a little refresher course in being social with the age of computers and texting.

Troll Land - Another Digital Scrapbook

I have a troll collection and was just playing around and thought I would try my hand at a little story. Fun to be a kid again.

Another Flower Digital Scrapbook - Mini

I really enjoy this digital scrapbooking. Here is another mini one of flowers from my town. I hope to make some longer scrapbooks, but they take time, so for now another mini one to share of Fort Bragg Flowers.

More Digital Scrapbook Practicing

This was the first digital scrapbook I did with some creatures from around town. Scrapblog really is a fun site to visit and create digital scrapbooks at. You can keep your scrapbooks private or public. I was thinking this will be my latest creative activity to do for a bit.

Digital Scrapbooking - Some of our Town's Flowers

I had a fun afternoon doing these digital scrapbook pages with some flower photos from around town. Looks like digital scrapbooking could be a fun hobby.

What Do You Do With Your Free Time?

This question of what I do with my free time has me wondering what others do with their free time. I will post some things I do and feel free to post what you do in the comments section. We can then all pool our ideas and see if we come up with some more interesting ideas of what to do with our free time.

Some things I do (and I have more free time than others as my kids are mostly independent now.): Walk, outdoor mountain bike riding, indoor exercise bike riding, watch DVD's that I get for free from the library, read non-fiction books, surf the net with no purpose but to rummage through different sites, visit with friends, listen to music, cook up new made up vegetarian recipes, do sewing projects or art, write poetry, write on this blog, write in my journal, take flower photos and make flower note cards, take photos of stuff around town and if I am really bored I resort to channel surfing on the TV and often find something to watch.

So what do you do with your free time? Keep in mind this is more of a "G" rated site, thanks. :-)

Friendly Beach Squirrel

We are told to not feel the wildlife around here, but people disregard that warning. There are remnants of peanut shells everywhere around this certain beach area. The little squirrels come right up to you like a little dog would when you call it and will eat nuts right out of your hand. They still have a little bit of a fear though and will quickly run away to the safety of their little underground tunnels if they sense someone or something is out to harm them, so that is good. Didn't want to name the beach area as it might draw even more people to feed the squirrels there. Also, they can bite, so one ought to consider that if you are going to feed them out of your hand.

My grandpa loved to feed squirrels in a park everyday. He fed them right out of his hand. One day a squirrel took a bite right out of his thumb by mistake and he had to get stitches to sew up the wound. Maybe it is best to just admire the creatures and let them find what they ought to "naturally" be eating, don't you think? I know it is tempting to want to feed them, but actually it could be harming them if they rely only on humans and then when the humans don't come back regularly they may suffer as they haven't gotten used to their own foraging for food.

I think maybe if you are going to feed any wildlife (even though you still are not supposed to) to stick with seagulls as they seem to survive no matter what or where they get their food from. We have some mighty healthy seagulls around here. And that is enough out of me about wildlife.

Well, one more thing. I do confess I have fed many squirrels, ducks and seagulls in my time, but now I am agreeing a bit more with the rangers and how they don't want these creatures to rely on humans and are better off finding their own natural foods from nature, not from us. Well, maybe we ought to not feed the seagulls either. Maybe best to just feed your own domestic cat or dog if you have one. Is there food in their dishes right now? If you don't have a pet, there are plenty of them in the shelters who could use a good home and a plus is you can feed that pet everyday which will hopefully be enough to quench your need to feed other animals that need to learn to survive on their own. Okay, enough out of me.

Double Click Photo To Enlarge - Look To The Lower Right Corner

What a surprise to see these out in the ocean playing on this day.

Healing Pencil Drawing

Today's Creative Prompt was "Healing" and you can create whatever comes to mind. I just did a pencil drawing. Here is the site that is worth looking at for creative ideas: http://www.inspiremethursday.com/

Some June Flowers

City of Fort Bragg, CA photos taken on the City Bus

Took the city bus today around town and thought I would share some photos of the bus trip. Some of the photos are of city street areas. There is a photo of our local Fort Bragg High in the distance. There is a photo of a mural by Noyo Adult School. And the rest are just little areas of our town to get a little idea of what it is like here.

A Way To Practice Gratitude

I went around my home and took pictures of every room. I then look back at the photos all together and practice gratitude for the nice home I live in. I know there are many who are homeless and do not have nice places to live. That is very sad when I think of it. If I ever start to feel ungrateful for things, I just look at my home photos and get very grateful. I don't own my home, as it is a rental, but I still am very grateful for this home I live in. I just looked through the photos and really appreciated how I really do have it nice. I am very grateful for my life and my place I live. I am not a rich person by any means, actually the opposite of rich, but I am rich in spirit and full of gratitude for all that I do have. Instead of focusing on all I don't have, when I really appreciate all that is good in my life, I truly am rich after all.

Today's Weather

Today was so nice out that I went on a long walk. I was so happy that we were having such nice weather that I forgot my camera. My next walk I will try to remember it and get some of our pretty June flowers in some photos. This really is a nice time of the year in our town. Not too hot and not too cold. Lovely weather. Guess when I am not sure what to post, I will just write about the weather. :-)

When My Daughter Learned To Crochet

When my daughter learned to crochet, she learned the granny square, just like I learned from my mom. And she made this pretty coverlet that I have a chair covered with. I think she did a great job on her first try when she was only 13. Actually she did way better than I ever did on any of my attempts at crocheting. On with the better, future generation. :-)

Relaxing after yard sale day

Today I just relaxed after my yard sale. I went for a little walk to the beach and back and haven't done much after that. But it is okay. I think every person who has a yard sale ought to have at least a full day of relaxation after all the work put into it. I was happy we had a nice crowd at the sale and glad I had a couple friends selling things at the sale too. :-)

Easy Vegetarian Rigatoni

For this recipe I cooked some vegetarian meatless ground with some onions. I then microwaved 4 veggies sausage patties. After they were cooked I cut them in bite size pieces. I then added them to the meatless ground that was cooked. Then I put a jar of Basil Tomato Spaghetti sauce over all that. I cooked the rigatoni and drained it. Then I poured the whole mixture of vegetarian meats and sauce over the rigatoni and stirred it all up. And dinner was served. :-)

Fourth Of July On The 5th of July

Went to try and see the fireworks this evening and it was very foggy. We could hear the sounds of them going up and see a bit of light, but that was it. Well, at least we tried. And here I added a video of fireworks for any of you who couldn't see fireworks like us. :-) I am 50, so it is okay. I have seen many fireworks shows in my time. Just too bad for the young folks with the fog, but you can't stop mother nature, so no use complaining. It was nice to see lots of people turning out to at least try to see the fireworks though. Seems like we had lots of people here over the weekend with events like our worlds famous Salmon BBQ among many other events. My yard sale went well, got a bit of a sunburn, but all is well. Donated lots to the thrift store and that was nice so I wouldn't have to fill up our walk in closet again. Now it can be used as a closet.

More Diary Of Getting Ready For The Yard Sale

What did I do today? I still sorted through some things for the yard sale. I got some nice hangers and hung up the yard sale clothing. I took down the clothesline in the back and have it ready to put out front to hang clothes on. I sorted through everything and put 25 cent things in one box, 50 cent stuff in another and so on. I am lucky I gave myself 3 weeks to get this sale ready as it really is a lot of work. I was happy to find a few things when I was going through boxes that I had wanted, so that was nice. Plus it was nice to really organize things much better in my home than they were. I hope that I get lots of people here as I do have some good bargains. I have lots of things for kids at the sale and I remember back when my kids were little how much I loved getting cute little bargains for them at yard sales. They had fun shopping with me at yard sales too and got themselves some good deals. So I am glad I priced things low for people, too. Well, that is my day so far. I will be happy to try to just relax for the rest of the evening. Oh, I will have to ride my exercise bike, but will wait a bit before I do that.

Another Kitten Preschool Creation By My Daughter

This is fabric paint on canvas. I just love artwork. And there is nothing like little kid artwork. If I had a blog back when the kids were little, I am sure it would have been full of kid art. :-)

Two Of My Son's Creations From Grade School

I am so happy I have saved these. I know I have more things saved, just have to go through things more.

Kitten Artwork By My Daughter When She Was In Preschool

My daughter used to love to paint when she was very little. Here is a painting she did when she was only in preschool. She had just gotten her very own kitten and she loved it so much. I am so glad I have this little painting saved.

A Couple Fort Bragg 4th of July Store Windows At Night

Understuff Women's Store Window


Whistle Stop Antiques Store Window

Fun Project - Coloring

This is a creative fun project from:
http://www.inspiremethursday.com/category/create/

So I just found a photo I took that I liked and got out my crayons and had fun like a little kid. It's fun to create.

Vegetarian Portabella, Noodle, Veggie Dish - Easy

There is a photo of the ingredients for this meal and a photo of what it looks like all cooked up. For this meal: Fry some Portabella Mushrooms in a little oil and then add a few stir fry veggies and then add the package of Yakisoba Stir fry noodles following package directions. If you add a little less water than the package requires, the noodles are much more flavorful. Very tasty and so easy.

Walk to the beach day

It was a real nice day at the beach today. The water was so smooth and calm. I saw a few boats out there. It was a great day for fishing boats today. I hadn't been to the beach in a little bit, so I was glad I took a nice walk there today. I just breathed in the fresh ocean air and committed to myself to get back there more often. Sometimes when you live in a pretty place you take things for granted. I want to not do that and enjoy the nature around me more. This really is the best time of the year to be in Fort Bragg, California.

Yul Brynner - Don't Smoke

I smoked cigarettes for 28 years. I am so glad that on Jan 10th I had 9 years without a cigarette. I would love to have never smoked myself. I had so many health problems due to my smoking. I am so grateful I finally got medical help to stop. I used something called Wellbutrin for 7 months to stop. It really helped me to not have such a tough time with the cravings. The reason: When a person puffs on a cigarette it saturates an area of your brain and you get satisfied. So when you give up smoking, you miss that. But the Wellbutrin goes to that exact area of your brain that the cigarette did and saturates that same area so your cravings are not strong at all. I am so glad it helped me to quit. Zyban is another name for Wellbutrin. So if you know someone who wants to give it a try, or yourself, try it. It is worth it to no longer have to sleep propped up because of a smokers cough. Too bad smoking takes away so many lives. My mom died due to her smoking and so did my mother-in-law. I am sure most people know someone whose life has been cut short due to cigarettes. And now they are what $5.00 a pack? Maybe the high cost of them is something that got me to quit as well. Anyhow, like Yul says "Don't Smoke." Get help to quit. Once you want to quit, the help will be available to you. And my nickname used to be "Smokey Joe" and if I can quit, anyone can.

The King and I - Shall We Dance

My mom and I went to Los Angeles and saw Yul Brynner in the play "The King and I" and it was a great experience for both of us. I am glad we got to go. We got some of the other actors autographs by the back stage door, but of course Yul Brynner did not come out that door, LOL.

The Singing Nun song Dominique

I just love old movies and this one was one of my favorites. I liked watching it with my mom a few times. We used to watch movies over and over it seemed. But I have good memories of spending time with my mom watching the old movies.

Honky Tonk Man Song

I cried so much when I saw this movie. I was just thinking of this song, so I found it on you tube and put it here.