Project 365 - CAMPLAND Vacation, Beach, Midway, Playing...

I CAN'T BELIEVE that I will be caught up with Project 365 after today's post... WOOO HOOOO!  Now I have to be better with a photo a day (or so) in the true spirit of the project! 

These photos are of our vacation to Campland on Mission Bay in San Diego.  We have been "camping" there for about 20 years now.  I say "camping" loosely because, although we sleep in a tent, we go with Mom and Dad who have the awesome tricked out camper... we eat steak and shrimp... there are 2 pools, a beach, a fully staffed daily recreation program with games, competitions, crafts, live bands, dances, etc., a restaurant, store, skateboard park, basketball courts... let's just say that the place is AMAZING! 

This year, as usual, we were there with Mary and John and the kids and Kyle, too.  And although there was some family drama (when is there NOT drama?) it was another nice vacation.  Hope you enjoy the photos of our trip!

Our campsite was right on Mission Bay and we were treated to the MOST AMAZING night of fireworks that we had EVER seen.  From our campfire, we could see 8 different 4th of July firework displays!  The biggest was the City of San Diego show which had multiple locations doing the same show at the same time!  We were "ohhing" and "ahhhing" for over an hour!  It was spectacular!

We spent one day exploring the USS Midway Museum in San Diego Harbor.  If you were thinking this might not be a fun day with little kids, you would be WRONG!  They have a self guided tour (one for adults and one for kids!) that tells you all about the ship... the history... how it worked... what happened on each part of the ship... it was FANTASTIC!  Dad and Jeff were almost "giddy" they had so much fun... in fact, we ended up buying the family membership so that we can go back again and again for the next year!  Uncle Paul and Bob, we have tickets so we can take you in September!!! :-)

Doesn't Mom look GREAT!?  :-)

Jeff and Dad were having so much fun together!  I have a whole series of photos like this one that I can't WAIT to scrap!

Anna was listening to the flight deck phones... and, yes... she was looking for change... (I almost peed my pants laughing so hard when I figured out what she was doing!)

Dad... cracks... me... up!  As we were passing by this display of flight deck crew members, Dad said, "Hey, Tracey.  If we pose over here, will you put us on your blog?"  (...like I hadn't already taken about 200 pictures of our visit to the Midway...)  So here is your cute photo, Dad!  I love you!! ;-)

Our last day... playing at the park adjacent to Campland... this city park is BEAUTIFUL!  Long rolling grassy lawns and hills right up against the sand and bay... playgrounds... picnic areas... biking/running path (which is where our regular bike ride around the bay usually starts)... just beautiful! 

Anna had been waiting all week to fly her Princess kite!

Another of our favorite parks in Mission Bay... one last swing before we left for home.

My Little Shoebox... CHA Design SNEAK!

So... I have been creating LIKE CRAZY and it is finally time for me to share my first design for CHA... it is one of my layouts for My Little Shoebox and the new "Sunday Market" line.  The colors, the flowers, the FUN of this line is AWESOME!  And one of my favorite accents on this layout is my FAVORITE pen... SAKURA'S Gelly Roll Black Pen... I use it on almost EVERY layout.  Talking about Sakura... meet me back here on Monday, July 26th for a WEEK OF SAKURA!  Lots of samples... lots of products... lots of fun!

There are SEVERAL posts coming in the next 48 hours... a peak at one of my "Green" layouts for My Little Shoebox, catch up (yes... FINALLY) for Project 365, a look into my scrap room during CHA design week, and a special day to celebrate... bookmark or friend me... you are NOT going to want to miss this! ;-)

Ballet Birthday... Invitation turned into a layout...

I made invitations for Anna's Ballet Birthday Party and thought it would be cute to design a layout around it.  The invitation is attached to the layout with clips, so you can remove the invitation and see the front AND the back.  Add a few photos from the party, and you have a cute memory of the special day!

There is more information about this project on the Graphic 45 Blog today (July 20th)... check it out here...

Yes... I have been absent from my blog for the past week... I have been creating like CRAZY for CHA... I finished my Graphic 45 projects and got them in the mail yesterday afternoon.  After I catch up on 3 days of dishes, it is back to my scrap studio so I can finish my My Little Shoebox assignments.  The first of my MLS CHA assignments will be posted... HERE... tomorrow!  You won't want to miss it!  Make it a GREAT day!

GRAPHIC 45 CHA RELEASES...

Holy COW!  I just recieved my design team box with all of the new Graphic 45 products and I simply can't believe what I am seeing!  Let's start with the two brand new lines... "Hallowe'en In Wonderland"... an "Alice In Wonderland" inspired Halloween line where Alice is wearing a witch costume, the Mad Hatter has the date 10/31 on his hat (instead of the hat size), and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum have pumpkin heads.  I have truely never seen a more creative or detailed Halloween line released in this industry!  Here are just a few of my favorites from the line.

The next new line is called, "Steampunk Debutante."  Hold onto your hats, because just as I said I'd never seen a Halloween line like the one above, I don't think I have ever seen a scrapbook line designed like "Steampunk"... EVER... W...O...W!!!

Then we have the re-release and expansion of the "Christmas Past" line... now called, "Deluxe Edition Christmas Past."  Ahhhhh, vintage... ohhhhhhhh, Graphic 45 Christmas.  This timeless collection will work with ANY Christmas photos or memories that you want to save... photos from today, or 100 years ago!  (I just LOVE the little angel decorating the snowman with shamrocks... darling!)

And, FINALLY... ( drum roll, please)... Graphic 45 has released their first line of EMBELLISHMENTS, called "Graphic 45 Staples."  Flowers and buttons and mini albums, OH MY!  So much to look at... so much eye candy... ahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Click on the post title above and go straight to the Graphic 45 blog to see the complete lines.  Then go STRAIGHT to the owner of your local scrapbook store and tell them they MUST bring home all these lines from CHA... and that you are going to camp outside their door until the products arrive!  Trust me... you won't be sorry!!!  Make it a GREAT day!!!

MY LITTLE SHOEBOX... CHA RELEASES!

If you haven't been stalking the "My Little Shoebox" blog (as you should be!), then here is your first look at the six new lines that will be released by MLS at CHA at the end of the month.  I am lucky enough to be one of the design team members to already have some of the new product (because I am designing samples for CHA)... let... me... tell... you... photos simply do NOT do the lines justice!  The paper is thick and the colors are SOOO rich.  The chipboard alphas, glitter stickers and the ever popular mini alphas are perfect!  The new square die cut papers are drool-worthy and the new stickers... the PERFECT accents!  Ohhhh... and did I mention that MLS is releasing their first ever STAMPS!?  OHHHHHH, YEAH!

So sit back... relax... and enjoy this preview of the new products from My Little Shoebox...

"Summer Breeze"

"Simple Life"

"Harmony"

"Green"

"Cute as a Button"

"Sunday Market" 

(yes, this one was previously previewed... just wanted to keep all the new lines together.)

Pretty great, huh!? 

The next 2 weeks before CHA are going to be FILLED with new products...

...sneaks of CHA projects...

 ...and a WEEK OF SAKURA... products, reviews, project samples and a GIVE-A-WAY!!! 

So keep checking back to make sure you don't miss a thing!!!

Project 365 - Anna's First Recital and Passing League Football

Anna has been taking ballet classes, one class per week, since January. As you saw in her birthday party post, she is really enjoying her classes and her teacher, Miss Emily. All of Miss Emily's classes have been preparing for the past few months for their annual recital, held once a year, at the end of June.

The few days before the recital were tough for Anna as she dealt with nerves... she kept saying the "butterflies were dancing in her tummy!" You can only imagine how nervous she was when a few of the gals didn't show up to the recital and about 10 minutes before the show started, the formation was changed and Anna was put front and center! As MY stomach started getting nervous for her, she all of a sudden stepped up, got this calm smile on her face and said she was ready. She HAD NEVER danced that routine BETTER than she did that day! (ahhhh... I'm tearing up with pride just thinking about it!) ALL of the girls had their best performance EVER and we couldn't have been happier for them!

Passing League Football... who says that athletes get the summer off!? Lots of practice... lots of games... with our football field still under construction (we are getting a BRAND NEW synthetic turf field and track), the boys had to play on the practice field... and Chris is doing very well. Can't wait to see what our PATRIOTS can do on their new field!!!

Project 365 - Anna's Kindergarten Promotion and Ballet Birthday Party

I told you my Project 365 catch up posts would come fast and furiously now!  I have to catch up because I have CHA posts... a SAKURA week... and MY FIRST EVER BOOK PUBLICATION to share with you!!!  So, without further adieu, here we go...

Anna's Kindergarten Promotion... ohhhhhh yes, this was soooo cute and the tears flowed (from both of us!)  It is amazing to think that little Anna will be in first grade in a few short months... didn't we just bring her home!?  Just about as crazy as Chris going off to college in just one more year.  Here she is with her class as they are holding up their report cards after their promotion performance.  Songs, rhymes... since Jeff and I both volunteered in her class all year, we had to try REALLY HARD not to sit and sing all the songs with them! 

Of course, being the saps we are, both of us started tearing up during their last song, "It's A Wonderful World." We were sitting in the front row and all the kids... during the song... started pointing at us saying, "Look! Mr. and Mrs. Locher are crying!" Ahhh... one of those "special" moments... :-)

Our special thank you gift and touching card from Anna's teachers, Mrs. Schlatter and Mrs. Shock.

Anna's Ballet Birthday Party... Now THIS was the way to throw a birthday party!  Our local YMCA is AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL and have been doing a TON of reconstruction and upgrades over the past few years.  They have this INCREDIBLE park that you can reseve for PRIVATE PARTIES!  So... here is a review of the easiest party that I ever threw!!!

1PM - 2:30PM... PRIVATE party in the park... yes, a YMCA staff member kept everyone else out of the park so we had the WHOLE place to ourselves!  Shaded seating area where we started with pizza and soda... ohhhhh... the PERFECT party lunch! (Yes, we also had a salad and water for those health conscience adults!) 

The gals playing at the (totally not crowded) park!  Also included in the birthday package was...

You got it!  A castle themed bounce house... just for the party guests!

2:30PM - 3:30PM... inside to the big dance room for a private ballet class with Anna's (awesome) teacher, Miss Emily.  The girls had (almost) as much fun as we had watching them!  Yes, the private class was also part of the birthday package!

3:30PM - 4PM...Finally, outside for gifts...

...and cake and ice cream and a bit more bouncing.  What a GREAT party to celebrate Anna's 6th birthday!!!  We love you, Sweetheart!

(side note for the future... Anna, Auntie Penny drove for 3 hours to get to your party and then had to drive 3 hours home that night.  LOVE YA, Penny!!!)

Project 365 Discussion... Lu-Owl and Father's Day Celebrations...

For those of you out there doing Project 365, my hat is OFF to you!  This special project of documenting our lives by taking a photo a day for a whole year has been kicking my tush!  I have modified the project a bit... I am not taking ONLY one day for a whole year... the past 2 months are a perfect example of life getting totally out of control... one HUGE event after another... so I may post a photo from one day, then the next 5 photos will be of one specific event.  I figure that the BIG life moments take a ton of preparation and work, so I have been posting my favorite few photos of the big events... covering days that I don't take photos of the planning/work days. 

I would have to admit, that in the true spirit of Project 365, I should be taking photos on the work days, too... documenting the work and planning that goes into the big events... I will try to be better about that in the 2nd half of this project.  YES... I am finally half way through my first Project 365!!!  I am about to catch up with posts for the past few weeks, then, I promise (to try) to do better with a... PHOTO... A... DAY...! ;-)

Lu-Owl... the end of the year fundraising event for Anna's elementary school.  It is a Luau, but spelled, "Lu-Owl" because their mascot is an owl... alright, enough groaning... there are cute photos coming!  Jeff had to work late so Chris joined us for this evening of carnival games, prizes, and fun.

Father's Day Celebrations...  the weekend before Father's Day, we went up to Mom and Dad's for the weekend... celebrated Father's Day with Dad... and had a nice family weekend.

Abby had never met a tortoise before, and she was SCARED TO DEATH by little Lightning!  Here is 55 pound Abby, with her tail down, and SHAKING LIKE A LEAF while checking out Lightning.  Now, Lightning was curious about and not at all scared by this weird dog... she crawled right up to Abby... and Abby would back off and start barking like crazy.  At one point, Lightning was staring at Abby and stretched her head out to take a sniff of Abby... well...their noses accidentally touched and Abby jumped STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR about 4 feet and ran to the other side of the yard.  Needless to say, we were all in tear running laughter all weekend... yes... this went on... ALL... WEEKEND!

Reis... this one is for you!  BACK STORY... at the Athletics Auction back in April, there was ONE BASKET full of girly princess things that Anna fell in love with!  Mom and Dad decided they would buy it for Anna, but would give it to her for her birthday in June.  It was a beautiful and very popular basket and as the silent auction ended, Mom and Dad won the basket, but we told Anna that someone else won it.  She cried and cried and we had some friends that told us we just had to give it to her right then and there.  We decided that it would be even more special when she got it for her birthday, so we distracted her as Mom and Dad scurried it out to the car.  If I remember correctly, friend Reis was the last person bidding against us for the basket and when she heard the story, she agreed to stop bidding under one condition... that I would post a picture of Anna when she finally got the basket!  I have a few other photos to send your way, too, Reis!  THANK YOU!!!  As you can see... Anna... LOVED... IT!!!

Ahhhhhh... Mom and Dad took us and Mary and John and the kids to our FAVORITE FAMILY RESTAURANT, Genghis Khan in El Toro to celebrate Father's Day and recent birthdays!  SERIOUSLY... if you live up in the OC, you HAVE TO check this place out.  Not only do they serve the most WONDERFUL Chinese food, they also have a FANTASTIC Mongolian barbeque!  We have been eating here for over 20 years... I was in labor with Jessica and went to eat my "last meal" here... timing contractions the whole dinner (yes, I still have the paper with the contractions from dinner!) ...we have watched the owners, Julie and Gary, and their kids (and now grandkids) grow up... we were there when Gary passed... and they have watched our family grow.  This was a FANTASTIC weekend!