The ball 2011

My Toad, Handsome little man

My awesome dress, THANK YOU LISA!!!

It was amazing as usual. Can't wait for next year. The toad is already looking at costume ideas. The suite was fabulous and we spent the afternoon on Saturday wandering Hollywood. The Toad loved it. He is officially a big city kid courtesy of mommy. :)

First Mortgage Corporation contact information

Hi everyone,








With the recent developments in my mother’s case, I’ve gotten some emails asking if there is contact information for my mother’s mortgage company. The company is First Mortgage Corporation. The first three are the only emails I managed to make work. The bottom two are the people we’ve been dealing with that keep changing what is being said and have held up my mom’s paperwork. Feel free to contact them, and let them know I gave out the contact information.











PDong@firstmortgage.com



RVargas@firstmortgage.com



SLehrer@firstmortgage.com



jsanders@firstmortgage.com



smandrell@firstmortgage.com



.

Make a call for MOM- Stop First Mortgage Corporation from foreclosing on a disabled teacher

Story about my mom

Everyone, please help me with this! It will be a short call
or email and it could help my mother more than you can imagine.


Congressmen Darrell Issa's office is aware of this situation
but I need to push it into the forefront with them. My mother is going to lose
her home in ELEVEN DAYS because a mortgage company refused to process paperwork
for a program to keep her in it. She was a teacher up until this last school
year and now because of a spinal cord injury is totally bedridden. They want to
make a disabled teacher homeless. It costs them money if they let her into one
of the programs, if they foreclose then the federal government backs the loan
and they get all the money. It is nothing more than greed.


Please help me by calling the Constituent services and
asking them to help my mom stay in her home. The more calls they get, the more
chance we have of them intervening on her behalf. Thank you so much.

~Kris




Leslie Bouchard is my mother, her mortgage company is First
Mortgage Corporation of Ontario.

Congressman Issa's Constituent Services:

Amy D. Walker or Phil Paul

760-599-5000

Or you can email

amy.walker@mail.house.gov

phil.paul@mail.house.gov

The Toad's birthday

Our little man is 14 today. I don't know where the last few years have gone. I'm pretty sure he was a baby not too long ago, my sister concurs. In any case, he really is a little man now, instead of a kid. It is amazing how much he has grown and changed in the last year. His dad and I couldn't be more proud.

 He asked for a table top lathe for his birthday. Barely out of junior high and he wants his own power tools. His dad spent a small fortune on one for him. He does beautiful wood work at school and wanted to be able to do it at home. I will post some pictures when I take them.

I'm trying to accept the fact that my baby is really gone. I'm in awe of the man he is becoming, but a little part of me misses the chubby cheeked baby. In honor of that.... This is the Toad, when he was a tadpole. I know, try not to be overwhelmed by the cute.

The Toad is officially a high schooler!!!!

Our little man graduated today. We are so proud of him. He got accepted to the engineering program at his high school. Next step MIT. :)  Yes, I know.... he is ridiculously handsome.

Mother's day pictures

My boys took me to get family pictures for mother's day. :)

The finished pieces

Painting Ceramics

We spent the afternoon painting today. We should be able to pick up the fired pieces tomorrow.

First plants in the ground!!!

With the help of my amazing Toad, we have started the long process of putting them in the dirt.

Petunia

She is getting so big

BALL TICKETS!!!!

The Ball is right around the corner!!!

This year, the infamous toad will be going with his daddy and I to the ball. We've already begun planning our costumes. I think it has been decided that there will be steam punk gear. (The toad and steampunk, like we didn't all see that coming)

So excited!!! We bought the tickets on pre-sale, we have our suite booked, it will be awesome.

First shoot in ages

Okay, I got in front of the camera for the first time in forever. I clean up fairly nice still. :) I have officially fallen in love with Bob Zandiegh all over again. The man is magic. And I'm feeling better about being 30 now. A little.

MINING!!!

We went to the Tourmaline Mine.

We found a 12 carat tourmaline

Toad, sluicing

So serious

Also, very serious

Digging

One of the gems he found

An example of the gems

The mine we went to:  High desert mine

Gardening

We finally got pods!!!

Mommy and Toad replanting raspberries

He gets so excited

Daddy made us bean cages

Some of our babies getting some sun on the upstairs patio

Family shots

Been out of it for a while

With Holidays, gardening, and so forth. Sorry everyone, I will post new projects soon. I've been helping the Toad with his holiday presents and obviously we haven't taken pics of those. :)

Sprouts!

Been busy planting

So no art projects lately. Trying to get all my seeds sown in the green house so that come spring I have vegetable plants to put in the dirt. I love living in the country. :) More updates soon, for now though a little busy with planting.

Petunia

My lovely little hedgehog baby

My birthday present!!!!

 I am smitten.

New Collage

Old.... very old

Well, it was bound to happen. I turn 30 today. I don't know how it happened, but it did.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas....

Busy busy busy

New items for sale in the shop!

I posted some new bottle cap magnets to the shop!

Candy making

Walnut caramels, 'Smore bites', peanut brittle and fudge.

We also made chocolate bark, rum balls, and some other fun things. The Toad is such a good helper.

My second shoot!

Rachel's shots turned out nice. :)

Marshmallows!!!!

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. hot water

1 c. light corn syrup

1/2 c. water

2 T. unflavored gelatin

2 t. vanilla

Confectioners' sugar

In sauce pan combine water, sugar and corn syrup. Cover and bring to rolling boil; uncover and cook to 240 degrees. In a mixer bowl soak gelatin in water. Slowly pour cooked mixture into gelatin mixture, beating constantly. when mixture begins to thicken, add vanilla. Beat under marshmallows stick to beaters (about 10 minutes) Pour into buttered 8X8 pan. When cool, turn out onto surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, cut into squares and dust each with confectioners' sugar.

Toad Tested and approved.

Upcoming events and other such nonsense.

Busy next few weeks…




This weekend it looks like I am shooting (paid) which is exciting. I’m still adjusting to the idea people will pay me to be a photographer. On that same note the following day I am shooting as well, though as a model. I am looking forward to that shoot. It is with one of my very favorite photographers ever, Bob Zandeigh. We’ve shot together several times, but not for a few years and I am eager to be in front of his lens again. He has a great eye, the emotion he captures in his pictures is fantastic.



And in just two short weeks from today, I hit the dreaded 3-0. My 20’s are officially behind me; I say that with a mix of indignation, incredulousness, and utter shock. I took 19 like a train wreck, so I guess it goes without saying that 30 will be harder. I don’t even know exactly where the last decade went. In any case, McHottness has already bought annual passes for universal studios for us as a family to take me out on my birthday or there abouts. It has become something of a tradition now that every year he gets family annual passes to some amusement park for us on my birthday. And we already have Social D tickets to a sold out show coming up, great venue. They were touring back east for the longest time, so it is nice to be able to get tickets here now.



Of course the holidays are quickly approaching. I booked a photo shoot for the family with another photographer friend of mine Josh Coffman, he did some of our maternity shots and several of my fine art shots from before. We wanted new ones that included the newest kids in the family. I’m looking forward to those. Sadly they won’t be done in time for holiday cards. Oh well. I’ve already gotten a head start on holiday baking, I stocked up on everything over the weekend to get going.


I’m trying to decide where to go for our 13th anniversary coming up and I am hitting a dead end in terms of making up my mind. Our anniversary being New Years is a blessing and a curse. There is *always* something to do, but it is hard to find openings. As of now I am down to a cabin at Big Bear Lake, a bed and breakfast in Morro Bay or Idyllwild, a room on the strip in Vegas or….. well, a few other things. Lol… I’m having trouble pinning one thing down. Vegas will be packed. Big Bear, Morro Bay and Idyllwild will be cold (which isn’t bad, but limits things like using our kayak or backpacking gear) I don’t know. Grrrr. I need to hurry up though or no place will have an opening.

Caramel apples....

Yummy

Cage project, almost done

Toad's feltie adventures

The Toad made a new pin cushion

Candy making with Toad

Cinnamon Rolls....

Ingredients;

Rolls:


1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast


Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened


Frosting:


1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix everything until dough is slightly coming away from edges of bowl. Turn out on to floured surface and knead until smooth. Place back in bowl and let dough rest.
2.After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

3.Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 9-12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees
4.Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving

Toad~ In Art Toad-Mode

Such a handsome kid, if I do say so myself.

Poe box

Working on a new project (of course) This started out life as a stationary box, but like all things I find lying around, it got revamped. It isn't quite done yet.