Happy New Year!

Thank you to all my wonderful friends and my fabulous family for a year of excitement. I am thankful for all the events that have occurred and look forward to another intriguing new year.

Our world has many challenges which we all must face every single day. I ask that, in the new year, your hearts be filled with love, peace, harmony, and success. Here's to life.

Happy New Year!

Time for a sing-a-long

OK...everyone please clear your throats and help me sing along. Why, you ask? Weeellll....IT'S DEBI'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! WooooooHoooooooo! Alright...on the count of three.....

ONE!
TWO!

THREE!

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthdaaay toooo you. Haaaaaaaaaaaaapy biirrrrrrrrrrthday dear (hhhmmmm...should I use the nickname???) Debi/Rocki/Sis/(nicknaaaaaaaaaaaaame). Haaaaaaaapy Birrrrrrthday toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! (oxygen please!)

Love you Sis!

A Beautiful Christmas

What a lovely holiday it has been so far. Though I spent the two weeks leading up to Christmas baking up a storm, I would not change it for the world. I have been absent from the blogs in order to spend time with my family but I am back now and just aching so share some memories and gifts I received.

First, I must share this GROOVY picture of my family and I. My sister thought of a fabulous idea and we all just went with it. This year, our family spent Christmas in the 60's. Nooo, not 60 degrees, 1960's! We had an absolute blast. So, from our family to yours- Groovy Christmas, Baby!

A very dear friend, Angie of Angie Kelly Designs, sent me a FABULOUS surprise. Here she worked me up that I would be receiving a gift, taunting me and teasing me (OK, so I did the same to a few people ;-D ), and wouldn't you know I DID receive a package from her. As I gently opened the box (tore it apart!!) there was the cutest, most darling, special little guy I have ever seen!! Written across his tummy is my favorite word that I use OOOOOHHH so often, "DUDE!" Yes. I say dude! I say it a lot!! I love the word. I love saying it. I'm sure some of you may be a little surprised but, hey, I can't tell you everything on the first date ;-) HAHAHA!! This little "dude" has found his new home right next to me so every morning I roll over to turn off my alarm, there he is reminding me, "Dude. You don't have a 9-5 job. Turn off the alarm and go back to sleep!" :-D I love this DUDE!

Another wonderful friend sent me a very special ornament. An ornament she painted herself. My dear friend of The Mum and The Rose made this gorgeous ornament. I was stunned by the art work and just the thought that she had thought of me. The colors she chose blew me away! My tree is decorated with tons of blue, silver and snowflakes and here was this darling angel in green and blue painted on a snowflake. I was shocked! It was as if she just knew. I put her on the tree towards the top, right in the front, for all of my friends and family to see. She is beautiful, much like the wonderful artist who made her :-)

And then came another great surprise...my very special friend Sharon of Mana Moon Studios sent me a gift that brought tears to my eyes. I opened the package and there it was...an apron! But not your ordinary apron. This apron is handmade by Sharon and it was made just for me. On the apron is my shop name along with the fancy design she had created for my avatar and business cards! It seemed like forever had passed when the tears finally slowed down enough for me to see two feet in front of me! Paul and Cody were home when I opened this gift and both were silent because, they too, had their breath taken away. I felt compelled to wear it right away so I put it on and pranced around the house like I was some hot-to-trot pastry chef :-D I love my apron and I AM a hot-to-trot pastry chef when I have it on ;-D

Sharon also surprised me today with a wonderful award...the Christmas Spirit Award! The giving just keeps on going even though Christmas has passed. I like this award :-D So, with this award, I am to share five reasons why I like Christmas and then pass it on to others.

So here I go:

1. Friends and Family- though I try to spend as much time with my friends and family as possible, Christmas time allows us to spend that much more time together. Even if it is just an extra hour for a day, it is time well spent.

2. Giving back- Whether it is to my friends, family, or a stranger, I love to give! I am a firm believer that what goes around comes around AND to treat others as you wish to be treated. I try to live my life this way every day and, given the wonderful people in my life, it is working :-D

3. Decorations- I love how others join in the spirit with decorations and lights. Every year we spend an evening driving around looking at the wonderful Christmas decorations as well as the Menorahs in the windows of those celebrating Hanukkah. It is very festive and peaceful.

4. Cards- I love receiving cards as much as I love to give them (OK, and made them :-D)! They are always so beautiful and there is always on special letter inside.

5. Music- Oooh how I love holiday music! My favorite, 'O Holy Night' sung by Luciano Pavarotti. I can listen to this song over and over again and never get bored of it. It is so beautiful, so graceful, and so meaningful.

Now the best part, I get to forward this on to others. I know some of you don't like to hand out awards, and I am totally OK with it, you still deserve an award ;-) And the winners are:

Rocki's Supplies

Angie Kelly Designs

Hey Harriett

The Mum and The Rose

Heart of A Cowgirl

Pup Love

AAAHHHHHH! And the crowd goes wild ;-)

Enjoy the rest of this year and, those who received the award, you all deserved it! I will end this mile long post now ;-)

Hugs,

Laura

Many wishes of love and happiness to my friends and family! May you have a beautiful holiday and a new year filled with joy!

Hugs,
Laura

Dear Santa,

I would like a bigger kitchen...

HeeHeeHeeHee!

Now that I am done with my wish list for Santa, I thought I would take a moment to share some pictures of our decorations outside the house. Some of the pics are not of the best quality but at least you get the idea ;-) Enjoy!

There are blue lights running through the riverbed..hard to see in the pic!

Up close with Santa and Rudolph! Santa's hand waves and Rudolph's nose lights up.

My favorite elf!

Busy workers...

The elves rest on the other side of the drive along with some lit-up pine trees. Maye I can get some good pictures tonight and share the elves and the trees tomorrow along with the Christmas tree inside.

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Laura

Porn in the kitchen!!

HEE HEE HEE HEE! Is it me or is this guy checking out this hotties backside?? HAH! I was looking for a cute clip art to post and these two popped up in this EXACT order. AAAhhhh yes, and my mind instantly plopped right into the gutter. HAHAHAHA! I crack myself up!

Soooo, the REAL reason for this post (no, it has nothing to do with porn in the kitchen!! PPfff...dirty minds!!), I'm just checking in with my dear friends to say "HELLO" and that I finished my large order of cookies and am continuing to receive more orders. I am absolutely thrilled and I feel like a lottery winner every time I log in to find I have had another sale. I'm sure you all can relate ;-)

I would also like to update you on our mission with our son Cody. We finally had our appointment at the Melmed Center in Scottsdale to determine if Cody has Asperger's Syndrome. According to the doctor, the two main behaviors that would classify AS are very mild in Cody, therefore he is confident that he does not have it. However, he did tell us that Cody is mildy autistic. I guess we could be upset but why? We have a diagnosis and we do not have to keep wondering anymore.

Well, time to get back into the kitchen and make more goodies to send out! Have a wonderful day :-D

Hugs,
Laura

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh, yes. Can you imagine what when through this birds mind once he realized he was being watched? Oh...I know I have MY version of what he was thinking! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Have a great weekend my dear friends!
Hugs,
Laura

Highs and lows...

When I found this picture I knew that it was going to end up on one of my postings....and here it is! I love it!!! Though I am hoping my back side doesn't end up like this from all the taste testing...I mean, baking! Yep. BAKING! heeheehee. What kind of baker would I be if I didn't sample first??

I am proud to announce that I gained the business of the customer with multi orders in the midwest. Yeah! I started the first part yesterday and it went well. Besides the cookies, I am also making gift cards to go with the gift. This has turned out to be a fabulous adventure and I am really enjoying it :-)

I can go on about my baking experience but there is something deeper I would much rather share. Last night, I logged onto the blogs for a quick peak before heading off to bed...that is when I read my dear friend Angie's blog. Her husband's step mother passed away from a long battle with cancer yesterday morning. In reading her blog, she has had cancer three times!

It angers me that we can spend millions, even billions of dollars in research to create crap that eat away at the earth's protective ozone layer, or how about creating HFCS? Really? Scientist create a synthetic sugar to add to almost EVERYTHING we eat because it is sweeter and manufacturors don't have to use so much thus saving a dollar. Here's an idea.....SAVE A LIFE INSTEAD! The percentage of cancer patients is off the charts and I am convinced that the air we breathe, the tainted waters we drink, and the packaged foods we eat are the cause of the majority of cancers.

Dan and Angie- from my family to you and yours, we send our deepest condolences and hearts filled with love for you. Here is an angel of peace to watch over her and love her.

Have You Seen Me?

Hello? Has anyone seen me?? Anyone at all?? AAAHHH, here I am!

Gosh, I thought I was lost in a pile a flour for a moment. Whew!

I am happy to report that my shop opened on schedule this past Sunday and I had received 5 sales within the first two days. YESSSSS!!!!! I am also currently working with a potential customer to send a some of my baked goods as gifts to her clients throughout the Midwest. As I told a couple of people already, if she doesn't go with my quote I am OK with it....at least I know my shop was attractive enough to bring her in to think of me :-)

I will be busy today with baking more items to post on Etsy. Today's focus will me on breads and thumbprint cookies. With this said, I need to send out a VERY special THANK YOU to my husband, Mr. Paul Crosby. TWO years ago we replaced every appliance in our kitchen (even the darn blender) and my eye spotted a very beautiful item....a stove with a double oven. I explained to Paul that we needed this oven (yes, I actually said need) and he agreed! So, THANK YOU HONEY for buying the oven that is now being consumed with ooey, gooey, yummy goodness ;-) I love you!!

It is time for me to put my apron on and get busy. Have a beautiful day my friends and thank you all again for you wonderful support :-)

Hugs,

Laura

Move over Sarah Lee...There's a new kid in town!

Tomorrow is my GRAND OPENING for my new Etsy shop, Laura Lee's Tasty Treats. I am totally excited yet totally nervous at the same time. Two shops, a family to take care of (including all my four legged kids and one "fishy" kid), and a house to keep in order. But I have met several wonderful people who have multiple shops and still succeed with their businesses and their family. I guess it just wouldn't be right if I didn't get that nervous tickle, right?



I have some incredibly wonderful friends who had agreed to be my taste testers. They went above and beyond just tasting, they even shared with others! It was important to me that I shipped these to different locations to research the USPS mail time and, quite frankly, their "handling" practices. It was also important for me to know the consistency of the product once it arrived. So, to these fine friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and would like to present you with an award- the LAURA LEE'S TASTE BUD AWARD . And the winners are (envelop please...)

1. Mana Moon (also includes Sharon's son Josh her fabulous hubby D)
2. Angie Kelly Designs (also includes her fabdabulous hubby Dan)
3. Heart of A Cowgirl (she should be getting them today)
4. Hey Harriet (this wonderful young lady is a trooper! She is test tasting all the way from Australia!)

Thank you all so very much. Your feedback, good or bad, is a blessing :-)

I have another thank you for Mana Moon Graphics. I gave Sharon some colors and a "thought" of what I wanted for my banner & avatar, what she came back with just blew me off my feet! There was no adjusting (OK, maybe the name was changed since the original was too long for Etsy). The colors are perfect, everything is perfect. Thank you so much Sharon for a beautiful banner :-) I am going to be the hottest bakery on Etsy :-D

And last but not least, a big thank you to all of my friends and family for the support and your belief in me...that is really all I need to be successful ;-)

Well, that is it my friends. Don't forget to stop by my shop tomorrow and check it out. PLEASE keep in mind that since I am just now opening, I will not have all my items listed. I still have more baking to do so I can get more pictures! Anyone hungry?? HAHAHAHA!

Hugs galore,

Laura

lauraleestastytreats.etsy.com & anyoccasionboutique.etsy.com

I have to say that I truly do have some wonderful friends. Though I may have never physically met you, my life has been lifted even higher by our loving friendship.

Once upon a time I was one who wondered, “How can you become friends with someone you never really met in person?” I take the meaning of ‘friends’ seriously and thought it was not possible to have online friendships. I was VERY wrong. I feel the human touch from the kind words and love that is poured from my wonderful friends and I am thankful that my sister, Rocki, introduced me to this wonderful website. I have met some really great people that I know will forever hold a piece of my heart. So thank you for accepting me for who I am and creating a life long friendship.

Here is a great example of what I am talking about- I was awarded two blog awards yesterday. TWO! I am tickled pink and honored to accept them. Sharon of Mana Moon honored me with the beautiful Butterfly Award and Angie of Angie Kelly Designs awarded me with the Marie Antoinette award. Thank you Sharon and Angie for the fabulous gift and I will proudly share the awards ;-)

Now, I do not have a huge list of friends so I won’t be able to give these awards to ten people but I can give them to people who truly deserve them.

For the Butterfly Award, I bestow onto you:
Heart of a Cowgirl
Angie Kelly Designs
Pup Love
Scribbles of an Ancient Soul

Here are the rules:
1. Post a copy on your blog

2. Mention who gave you the award

3. Pass the award on to 10 others

4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them.

For the Marie Antoinette Award, I bestow onto you:
Hey Harriet
Phoenix Commentaries
Rocki’s Rock ‘N Beads/Supplies
The Mum and The Rose

Here are the rules:
1. Add the logo/badge to your blog

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award

3. Nominate 7 or more blogs

4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them.

Thank you again for these fabulous awards. To my wonderful friends of whom I have bestowed them upon, do not feel you must forward these on but just know I sent them to you because I care about you.

Have a fabulous day :-D
Hugs,
Laura

Post Thanksgiving Belly

UUUuuugggggghhhhhhhhh. Though I have worked inside and out on my house over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I think I STILL feel like this cat! So many yummy foods everywhere I looked...YUMMMM!

Paul and I have almost completed decorating the outside of our house with our Christmas decorations. I still have a couple of plants I want to put lights on but, other than that, we are done with the outside. Now comes the tree; OH how I love decorating the Christmas tree! For the past couple of years my theme has been snowmen and snowflakes so my tree is primarily blue, silver and white. I have used only clear lights but I think I am going to try something new with my tree and add blue lights as well. I am only going to add a few strands since I have several blue ornaments. Anywhooo, this is my plan for later today and tomorrow.

That's it for now. Hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving with your friends and family :-D

Hugs,
Laura

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wishing everyone a wonderul, fun filled Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

Hugs,

Laura

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm.....

Hot, fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies. What could be yummier? How about buying them along with other treats on Etsy? I am opening up a "bakery" shop on Etsy. This idea came from Sharon (the fabulous Mana Moon) and I just had to roll with it. I love to bake so it just sounded perfect to me. Sharon and her family have been quite the troopers as I have recently sent them some cookie bars to try out...and not just the taste but the texture and appearance. Fortunately, they didn't get too stale. HAH! And Sharon was so sweet that she created a form to collect feedback and sent some of the cookie bars to work with her husband. I am still shocked by her generosity and, of course, she never seizes to amazed me with her creativity and kindness!!

I will not be ready to open the shop until I have perfected a way to keep the baked goodies fresh. We believe tins are the best way to go and I will be testing them out beginning Black Friday. Let me know if you are interested in trying some goodies; just send me an email with your address and I will send you some sample yummies. I would love to get more feedback. I would also love to send some international. Gee...don't I know someone who lives in Australia? heeheehee.

I was going to attempt to send pre-portioned cookie dough but the cost of shipping refrigerated/frozen items was ridiculous. Just shipping the cookies bars was a bit high but the data that was collected, a few would be willing to buy them. The cookie bars are heavy as are the Peanut Butter Jelly bars (above) and fudge brownies. But, after doing my research, it seems that people are willing to pay a little extra in shipping for homemade yummies!

I am hoping to open the shop by the 6th of December, just in time for the holiday rush. Oh boy :-O. But if it takes off and people are happy then it will be well worth it ;-)

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and enjoy your Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Hugs,
Laura

Thank You!

To all of the men and women who protect this country and our freedom, I thank you with every beat of my heart.

Thank you for being our eyes and ears while we sleep and our hands to feed the hungry when we are unable.

Thank you for protecting our skies so we may once again feel safe to fly with our families.

Thank you for raising toys for the less fortunate so they, too, can have a gift to open Christmas morning.

I know war is a touchy subject and not many want to write about it on their blog...I don't want to share my feelings about war but I do want to share my feelings for our military men and women. Too often people take advantage of their freedom, never thanking those who have sacrificed their lives so they can go to their favorite trendy coffee shops or hang out at the fancy dance clubs...never giving it a thought that, without our troops, their freedom could be stripped away in a heartbeat.

November 27th, 1990, I married a United States Marine *OO-RAH*. Three days later he left (orders...compliments of the Corp) to Desert Storm. I am proud to be a Marine's wife (once a Marine, always a Marine) and I am thankful for my husband and all the other men and women for their efforts to protect us.

So THANK YOU for our freedom. May your angels always be watching over you.

Courage Of a Young Man

Last month I shared with you a fabulous story about my oldest son and now I would like to share with you a challenging story about my youngest son, Cody. Much like his older brother, Cody is willing to drop what he is doing to help someone in need. Uh, as long as the need is not his chores. LOL! But seriously, Cody has been known to help the elderly at the grocery store by taking their items out of the electric carts and putting them onto the belt, or holding doors for people that are behind him. He will even help his fellow classmate with sticky problems on class work. Simple, gentle help that a lot of people just turn their nose up to. Oh, but not Cody.

Cody has always been extremely intelligent, always soaring beyond his class mates. But there was always something a little different with him...he would do his homework but not turn it in until the teacher would contact us...it was the same thing year after year. He would play with one or two kids at school but very rarely play with them after school. He tended to play more with CJ and HIS friends. We often suggested he go play with his friends but he would rather stay in the house.

Last year his attitude began to change abruptly. He became verbally abusive and began to get physically destructive. Paul and I were at a loss. Here was our son who had always been laid back and easy going was losing control right before our eyes; he was a ticking time bomb. We took him to a doctor who suggested he has ADD. After having an evaluation done by a child psychiatrist, it was confirmed...Cody has ADD and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). The reason for the outrage was due to his age and not being diagnosed sooner. I did not believe he had ADD because he did so well in school...so he would complete his work but not turn it in or we would tell him do something and an hour later it still was not done. We thought it was just Cody being Cody. The doctor explained that kids with ADD either soar above the other kids or they fall far behind. Also, the later in life it is diagnosed, the more complications the child occurs such and major mood swings and destruction of property. Cody was prescribed a medication that, if he indeed has ADD, we would see a difference....we did. We still struggle a little with the ODD but the medication does help.

Just when we finally got him comfortable with the thought of having ADD/ODD and needing to take medication for a while, the doctor pulled Paul and I aside last week to tell us he suspects Cody has Asperger's disorder- a mild form of autism. I didn't believe him. How, after a year, do you tell me this NOW?? First we are told Cody is ADD/ODD now he has autism? The doctor told us that he has been noticing a behavior and pattern with each visit and he didn't want to just make a quick diagnosis. He gave us some reading material and some names of centers here in AZ so we can take him to be tested. I want a second opinion and I do appreciate the fact that the doctor supports me.

After reading about Asperger's and comparing them to Cody, the doctor may be correct. But I can't help but be selfish and ask WHY? Why Cody? Hasn't he been dealt enough in his young life??? We are going to have him tested at the Melmed center in Scottsdale. We don't care about the cost, we just want a correct diagnosis so our son can get on with his life. If he as Asperger's, so be it...we will continue to support him in his plans of being a Quantum Physicist and he will succeed in life.

I didn't share this with you today to feel bad or sorry for Cody. I wrote it so you can see what a strong young man he is and how successful he has been and will be. We are so very proud of him.

Jobless and Loving It!

This is me this morning...I so excited to announce that I quit my job! YES!!! I QUIT MY JOB!!!! OH LORD I could not stand that place nor the morons that worked there. My position was within the customer service department in which customer service is excactly what they lacked. The employees would argue with the customers, even hang up on them. Worse, they acted like children in the department. The final draw was when a birthday card was being passed around to be signed when two of the girls acutally took the car and threw it away! I could not believe it. Why? Because they didn't like her. Seriously people? I cannot work with jerks like this. I have a higher standard for life and, uh, working side-by-side with garbage is not what I signed up for.

So I am back during the days again but I am going to look for another job. I need to work since my Etsy shop is extremely slow. I am going to be VERY picky this time around and I will to a thorough investigation of the place before I accept. I would like to say I got screwed but, in a way, this was a very valuable lesson.

A big thank you goes out to you, Sharon. You understood first hand what I was going through and you know where I am at now. You were a huge help in my decision making and could not thank you enough. Another big thank you to all of my wonderful friends who had to hear about the shit-hole and all my gripes. Thank you all so much for always being here for me. I love you all so dearly.

Have a wonderful day my dear friends!

It's Wednesday...

and I'm ready for the weekend! Could somebody make 5:00pm Friday happen now? HAHA. Only in our dreams, right? I anxious to start touching up on my Christmas gear, which we will start this Saturday.

Oh my Santa and his reindeer, the sleigh and the little helpers...gosh how I want to put them up now but I cannot "dis" Tom the Turkey. Poor guy doesn't get quite the attention he used to :-( But I still love you, Tom....yyyuuuummmmmmm do I love you! HAHAHAHAHA! So, here is to my fun weekend touching up the holiday gear!

Hugs,

Laura

Yesterday I left a comment on a blog in which may have offended others. My outburst may have been a bit bold for some to handle. I thought it might be noble of me to apologize but then why should I have to? I was speaking my mind (which you all know I do quite well) and, as an American, I have every right to express my thoughts as do you....but NONE of us have the right to decide on one's sexuality or their marital status. I will, however, apologize for some of the bold words I used, such as A-hole.

When I wrote my comment yesterday, I wrote it in tears and major frustration; my heart has been broken by a ridiculous proposition that passed by popular vote. I prefer to say it passed by discrimination....but I do not want to get started on this topic again.

So, if I have offended you with the bold words I used, I am very sorry.

Hugs,
Laura

Where Is......Laura??

I'm here! I'm here!!! Don't you see me? I'm being suffocated by in this crowd of people! aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! ;-)

Hello everyone! Oh I am so sorry I have been absent lately. I went to the grocery store and someone spotted me and said, "Hey! Isn't that Laura Crosby?" and next thing you know I was signing autographs for the next 3 days! Oh, wait. That was my dream....LOL!! OK, so the REAL reason is I have had a very busy schedule PLUS my Internet was down a day and a half (pooh for all of it). I wanted to write a quick hello to let everyone know I am still alive and kicking and have not forgotten about you ;-)

Since this is my hubby's birthday....HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!....I won't be back on the blogs until tomorrow. We are going out to a wonderful place for dinner with family and friends. He won't have any present to open from me since we picked it up yesterday. I set up a secret squirrel meeting with our car guy to have some stuff (seriously, don't make me talk mechanic because I'll screw it up) done to his Mustang. He was quite surprised and he is very happy with it. Yeah!

Ok, off to get ready for work. I will be back tomorrow in full swing.....smart ass comments and all! Everyone have a WONDERFUL Friday!

Love and hugs,

Laura

Let's Vote Together

It's election day so don't forget to get out there and vote! As I say every four years, "If you do not vote, you do not have the right to complain." Of course that is if you are an American citizen ;-) Paul and I will be doing our part today so, please join us and VOTE!

Have a fabulous day :-)

Laura

BOOOOOoooooooooooo.

Wishing everyone a wonderful, safe, enjoyable Halloween!

Hugs,

Laura

We are sooo proud!

This post is for our "faux" son (my sons best friend) Ryan! I'm sure many of you have read a little about Ryan in my "shrimp" post...he is like a son to us and we love him dearly. I just learned that Ryan has received a $30,000 college scholarship!!!! We are so proud of him! He has worked extremely hard all through high school and the Jr. ROTC. I just HAD to post about him and let everyone know!! YAY!

Also, I posted my "6 things that make me happy" so please check them out when you get the chance. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

I have been tagged by the wonderful Sharon of Mana Moon to share six things that make me happy. I am very much a happy person so this tag should be fairly simple. The rules are simple, post six things that make me happy, add the award, and pass it on to six others. So, without further ado, here are six things that make me, Laura Crosby, happy:

1. My family (husband, children, father, uncle, sister, brothers, nephews, wishing was niece (Lauren), distant cousins and the rest of my distant relatives). I love my family very much and I would be lost without them. There is not a day that goes by that I do not appreciate all of them. My family is what gives me the strength to wake up every morning and face the challenges put before me. I like to think of us as a flock of geese- when the leader is tired, he/she moves to the back of the flock to rest while another moves forward and keeps us in the right direction.

2. Gypsy & Sierra (my dogs), Happy & Maya (my cats), and Pepe La Zoom (my fish). They each have their own personality but the one thing they have in common is their love for me. Every morning I wake and every evening I get home, all of my animals and fish are wagging their tales, meowing/panting, and swimming wildly. When I am sad, Sierra always rests her head on me and looks me in the eyes as to say, “I love you, Mommy”. Every evening Happy climbs up on my chest and puts a paw on each side of my neck as is she is giving me a hug. Gypsy…weeeelllll….she is just AWLAYS excited to see me…even if I just walk in and out of a room, she gets so excited as if I had just made her day that much better. Maya, she’s a stubborn cat but she loves me dearly and always waits for me by my door when she hears my alarm clock go off. Pepe. Well, all I have to do is walk into my bedroom and he begins swimming circles and will literally swim back and forth as I walk past him. They may not be human but they all express their love like one!

3. FOOD! Yes, food. I know that most people would say I have a “food addiction” since food makes me happy. Well, maybe they are partially right HOWEVER I still enjoy trying new foods and making my favorite recipes. And if loving food is an addiction then arrest me for enjoying family and friends over great conversations and fabulous foods.

4. The beach. I LOVE the beach. I have a saying when Paul tells me I am getting on his nerves, “Just give me a PB&J (or honey) sandwich, a diet coke, and drop me off at the beach….you won’t hear a peep from me for the rest of the day!” I love the peacefulness, the serenity, and the magnificent views at the beach. It clears my mind and I think of nothing. Aaaahhhhhhhh……..peace.

5. My Etsy shop. I had played around with the idea of selling my cards but never thought I would really enjoy it. I was wrong. I was sooo very wrong! I love it and do not ever want to give it up (thank you Rocki for getting me started 0 ;-)

6. I saved one of things most precious to me, next to my family, that makes me every so happy…my friends. I told one of my friends recently that I have only a handful of true friends but I have several acquaintances. The meaning of ‘friend’ is widely taken advantage of and, sadly, ‘friend’ is just a word to many and not a meaning. So, to my friends, I do adore each of you and love you very much. You are my friend, my confidant, my heart.

So there you have it…the top six “what makes me happy”. Technically, I can tie these into one….#1 thing that makes me happy is my life. These six happy things make up my life; they make me smile every day and encourage me to keep pushing forward. I love my life and I love all of you!!

Since most of the people I know have already been given this award, I only have a few..

My newest friend, Elayne, of PupLove
Little Man Josh of Scribbles of an Ancient Soul
Damien of The Phoenix Commentaries

That's it! I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me!

Tons of hugs,
Laura

A Beautiful Day

I would first like to thank EVERYONE for the sweet birthday wishes… THANK YOOOOOOOU!!!! Special thank you to Angie and Sharon…they wrote such beautiful posts on their blogs for me and to my sister Rocki and her hubby Mark for the awesome early morning birthday song :-D I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends and I wish to never know what it would be like to not have you all in my life and I thank God to be a part of yours ;-)
I spent my birthday hiking at Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ. with my husband (one of my favorite places to hike) and then had a fabulous dinner with some friends at The Melting Pot; it is a fondue style restaurant. I love Sabino Canyon for its diverse scenery…you will be hiking along a desert path and turn the corner to white sand and lush green trees. It is absolutely amazing. Here are a few pics I took along the way:

We started at the base of the canyon and hiked almost to the top…I would have made the entire hike buuuuuut had a little mis-happen along the way. Yep, dorky me twisted my knee stepping on a rock! Now, this was not your ordinary rock. Nope….this sucker sought me out, stalking me with its evil rock eyes, waiting for my next move to push me over the edge when it finally struck causing me to step on it. Once I did, my leg twisted causing me to lose balance, but I managed to lean my weight to the other side and catch my balance…sadly, when the rest of my body went to the right, my knee continued to go to the left…thus, a knee strain occurred. I’m glad I didn’t break any bones and certainly glad I did not fall down the side, that would have been ugly.

We did have a few visitors along the way-

Aparently this little beauty wanted to help heal my knee by landing on my foot while I was resting it-

Dinner was a little less hazardous. I wish I had pictures to share but we were having so much fun we forgot to snap a few! For those who are not familiar with The Melting Pot, it is a fondue style restaurant where YOU actually cook the food. I’ve seen another restaurant that puts the cooking method at your table but they put the food in it instead of you. Not at The Melting Pot (geesh, one would think I’m advertising for them). Here you choose your cooking method, the foods you want to cook, and YOU do the cooking…or should I say fonduing? There are several cheese fondues to choose from for the hors d’oevres and the chocolate fondues are to die for! OOOOOOH MAN!!!!!!!! I just ate dinner but I think I’m getting hungry again!!!! LOL!
So, this was how I spent my birthday weekend and had an absolute blast. Even though I came home with a minor injury, it was all worth it! Thank you, again, to everyone for the beautiful greetings ;-)

Love and hugs,
Laura

Little Things, Great Friendships

Many of you know Sharon, the fabulous outstanding creator of Mana Moon Studios and Mana Moon Treasures. Recently, Sharon was able to score two treasuries on Etsy (lucky girl). You are already aware of her creative talent with her graphic and jewelry shops but , if you have never seen one of Sharon's treasuries, you're missing out! She is amazing they way she puts them together and she does it in a flash. I am honored that she chose two of my items to display on each of her treasuries...thank you Sharon.

Besides being this wonderful artist that we all love, Sharon is also an intelligent, respectful, loving, giving, beautiful person. To know Sharon is like having a butterfly land on your heart; her gentle spirit fills it with joy. I am blessed to have her in my life.

So thank you Sharon for being such an important part of my life, for bringing happiness and love to my heart, and most of all for being the wonderful person you are. Don't ever change!

Love,

Laura