me & my BIG ideas

holiday cheer!

A few new pictures of my loved ones.  The one above is Kayla and Marlon (my adorable nephew).  Kayla just loves being a cousin.  She's very nurturing and loves hanging out with Marlon!

 

I know, right?  Grown up! 

 

 

 

This has been a really great year.  I'm so thankful to have these wonderful people in my life.  The holiday season is...once again...my favorite time of year.  We've got our annual family baking day on Tuesday.  Lauren and I are making the list...there's LOTS of butter on our shopping list!  Mmmmm...

thanksgiving with family

I had the most amazing Thanksgiving break!!!  Tyler was home so I had all my chicks in the nest! 

We started the week off with the annual UCLA golf tournament/fundraiser.  Always a good time.

 

And then Thanksgiving with my mom and that whole side of my large family tree.  We were down for our last get together at our rented beach house (Thanks Nyla!!!) for the most relaxed Thanksgiving on record!  Some photos for your viewing pleasure::

 

Tyler had his wisdom teeth out on Wednesday and was just a little sleepy from the painkillers.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Sorry for using this shot sis...but it was the one with the best exposure!

And on Friday, my Aunt Cindy came down from Reno with her husband, Mark.  They're just awesome and we had a great time with my dad's side of the family tree.  We laughed so hard that night!  More pics::

 

 

 

 

 

So much fun!  I'm now packing for my next business trip...on the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world!  I will be on their first paid passenger voyage...compliments of Royal Caribbean!!  We are the new supplier of their scrapbook activity kits.  And this is just one of the benefits of my job!  Seriously?!  Could I be any more blessed???  I'll take lots of pictures...never fear!!

I hope Thanksgiving had you remembering for all the blessings in your life!  Love to you all!!

invitation to be a bridesmaid...

Yesterday afternoon, this beautiful orchid (who I will try not to kill) was sitting on my desk.  Inside the little envelope was an invitation from my sister...

 

I told her I'd have to get back to her...just kidding!  I was honored and ran down the hall to her office to tell her yes and give her a big hug!  I'm so happy for Lauren and Blaine.  Their wedding will be beautiful.  I'm thrilled to be a part of such a special day.  And the fact that it's a fall wedding next year gives me time to get back in shape!  :)

For some mambi news::  The new mambi blog is up and running.  I still have to add some content to the side columns but it's going.  You can bookmark it and visit often @ www.meandmybigideas.typepad.com.

I'll still be here documenting my life! 

Happy Friday.  Finally...it seemed like such a long week!

monday's life lesson

Sometimes we need to stop and remember what it was like to be a 5 year old.  Remember what it was like to have a cool older "kid" take an interest in you. 

Last night, my mom brought my nephew, Marlon, over to our place for a quick visit.  I was really proud of the way my kids (now 16 & 19) are with him.  Kayla played Wii with him and untangled ALL of her gymnastics medals so that he could see what it felt like to wear them.  Tyler let him use his (I mean Kayla's) Bose headphones and they listened to some music from his phone together.  Neither one of them were concerned about "their things" getting broken or ruined.  I could see that they were just enjoying sharing all of these new things with their little cousin. 

It was me who was a little more apprehensive.  You see, I'm in a small apartment right now and I've grown a little older since my kids were running around playing with and touching everything in sight.  I was concerned, as he was playing with my exercise ball, that something was going to get broken.  I needed to CHILL! 

I can learn from my kids.  Sometimes I need to lighten up.  Life is too short to worry about things as trivial as these.  Remember what it was like...to be a young mom or a little kid.  Life is so much better when we are not so concerned about ourselves or our things and we think of others first. 

Just a little life lesson I'm reminding myself of on this beautiful Monday morning!

decisions, decisions....

I'm getting ready to make the big switch over to the official me & my BIG ideas blog and I'm having some issues.

At first, I thought I would just delete this page and focus on the mambi blog.  But then, as I looked back at all my posts, I had second thoughts.  I shared a lot about my life here....life as a working (now single) mom, moving my son off to college, vacations, creative endeavors and just some random thoughts.  I think I'd miss that.

Having a personal online space, such as a blog, opens your life up to strangers.  Unless you restrict it to only certain people.  And I've considered that because I've had a cyber-bully harass me through email and I've had information on my site used against me for various reasons.  However, I've also been able to keep my grandma informed about how Tyler's last game went, "met" many wonderful people who can relate to who I am and what I'm going through and I've been able to journal my life and thoughts. 

So, I'm keeping it!  I want this to be a place where I can really be me.  I am a mother who adores her children and always will.  I am "almost" divorced and dealing with the lovely California legal system and lawyers for what seems like an eternity.  I own a business and struggle everyday to balance that with being a mom.  I need to be creative and look for time to do so whenever possible...it's just part of who I am.  I like to travel.  And I'm an eternal optimist.

Look for some changes in the next week or so.  I'm gonna play around with the design a bit and I'll post the link for the new mambi blog on Friday.  And for those of you who still want to stick around and see what this creative working mom is up to....sweet!

enjoying the routine

WOW!  This summer has been quite a whirlwind.  I can feel Fall creeping in...and I love it. I am happy to be home and settling into my routine.  I find comfort there.

 

This picture was taken of Lauren, Kayla & Tyler at our friend, Tara's wedding.  I was in Amsterdam and couldn't make it.  When I got home and saw these pictures, I was blown away!  My kids looked SO OLD and SO GORGEOUS (if I do say so myself).  And Lauren looked like Grace Kelly!!!  The rest of the family looked equally as amazing.  Life really goes so fast.

Now for a bit of NEWS:  There will be a bit of a change in blogland!  I'm starting to complete the design for the official MAMBI blog.  It will be more focused on projects and inspiration as well as exclusive content with specific regards to mambi!  I will post the link here once it's ready.  THIS BLOG will become my personal blog...since that's kind of what it has developed into.  So, for family and friends...you will be able to keep up with what we're up to here.  And anyone else who may, for whatever reason, find us interesting...you're welcome too.  But I warn you, there will probably be a lot of baseball coverage, beach days, travel and kid updates.  

the freedom that comes with art journals::

My art journal is a place for me to write, experiment and to not be afraid of the process.  It's a place where my heart and soul can be heard yet not exposed.  In the process of learning about art and about myself, my art journal is mine and mine alone.  No editing, erasing or tearing out the imperfect pages...although I'm often tempted. 

I started this particular journal after attending Artfest and it has helped my creative voice speak out...even if I'm the only one listening.  I like it that way. 

The pages below were ones that I had to fight the urge to rip out.  I was playing around with new watercolors, brush and pens.  It was merely a spattering of nothingness but it stays as a reminder.  The perfectionist in me (diminishing as she may be now) doesn't like this.  But letting go of the need to be perfect in order to be okay is part of my lifelong lesson.  So I'm embracing it.

A "blank" canvas for my thoughts today:

You can learn to make your own art journal HERE.  Teesha Moore is the rock star of art journaling.  I was intimidated to start after seeing hers and taking Pam Garrison's class at Artfest.  Their styles were very different from mine and I wasn't sure how mine would turn out.  But I love mine.  It's unique and changing  every day. 

Find your style.  Listen to YOUR heart!

Home again....

Whew...I'm home from an amazing time in The Netherlands!  I was teaching at KKD, an event hosted by our European distributor, KARS.  I met so many new people and saw such beautiful sights.  What a fabulous country and hospitable hosts!

Patty and I worked hard but also had a chance to see some of Amsterdam's historical sights...such as The Van Gogh Museum, The Anne Frank House, the canals, architecture and little sidewalk cafes.  And what trip to Amsterdam would be complete without taking an uncomfortable stroll through the Red Light District.  Very....um.....interesting.

Here are some pictures of the trip.

That's all for now. 

I have to get some laundry done, get adjusted to this time zone again, go to the grocery store, etc.  I plan to relax this weekend before heading back to work on Monday.  I'm really a lucky person to get to travel and see the world while I'm working.  We work really hard on the road but we do get to find some time to enjoy our surroundings as well.

Lucky girl.

relaxation in full swing

my MAUI to do list

1. relax and enjoy the beauty that is HAWAII...CHECK!
2. read at least one useless, summer romance novel...CHECK!
3. celebrate kayla's sweet sixteen...CHECK!
4. eat, drink and exercise (yes, exercise)...CHECK!
5. see a rainbow...CHECK!
6. decide what we want to do on a whim...in progress!!

We're having a blast here on Maui.  I've been able to put the stresses of everyday life to rest for now and I am enjoying every minute I have here with Kayla.  We make good traveling partners.  Laughing, exploring, shopping, eating....which reminds me...we need to get down for breakfast (or maybe it's brunch by now).  ALOHA!

mambi update today:

Getting ready to high-tail it into the office.  We have SO much going on at mambi!!!  It's hard to even remember what's hitting the shelves and when.  We work about a year ahead...making it hard to keep you updated without letting out any top secret projects!  :)

I'm evaluating the mambi blog and think it's about time for a more concentrated effort to keep you informed and inspired!  So look for some changes in the near future!

As for today, I'm getting ready for vacation and I have some big deadlines to take care of before I go.  If I have a spare moment at work today, I'll take some pics or video and give you some peeks at what's going on!

Have a creative day!!