tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49987607858446620982024-03-13T17:42:59.518-07:00Living LifeLaughing every moment of the way!(at least most of the time)Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-11125809855088141782011-02-21T23:00:00.001-08:002011-02-21T23:02:55.226-08:00Cousins Photo ShootFull Photos Available at http://milliemichelle.smugmug.comAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-6814922520230150612011-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:002011-01-30T11:33:20.035-08:00NEW WEBSITEDear readers,I'm excited to post that I have officially moved my blog to my own website.http://www.pocketfulofparadise.comThere you will find my blog for everyday fun, a blog of recipes, a blog of crafting, and photo galleries galore. Soon I will redirect this blog there.Thanks for following and I hope to see you on my personal domain!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-66683505961260522152010-05-29T21:05:00.000-07:002010-05-29T21:10:24.993-07:00Scuba QueenI haven't forgotten to post anything... I just haven't had any time!During our trip to Bali and Wakatobi I took over 7000 photos and I'm currently working on all of that to add here and on my new smugmug account that I recently began. Here is a short snippet of me getting my camera gear ready for one of our many dives in Wakatobi. Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-31103297913098186052010-04-26T14:13:00.000-07:002010-04-26T14:15:47.437-07:00Renegade OctopusStill working on my own videos and photos from our trip, but my good friend just shared this amazing footage of a renegade video camera snatching octopus and I had to post it here too!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-22830181941660357452010-01-06T19:36:00.000-08:002010-01-06T19:41:47.498-08:00New Glasses!Not only is Darby losing teeth this year, her eyesight has gone too! She got her brand new glasses today and was very excited to try them out. She continually raised and lowered them to inspect the difference between vision with the corrective lenses and without. She didn't realize how much they would help until she put them on! If she didn't already seem so grown up and in second grade to me Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-90565644758978511292010-01-01T22:18:00.000-08:002010-01-01T23:24:57.152-08:00Memories I'm Thankful For... Depicting the Decade Pt. 1After reading a few of my dear friends blogs today, I began to feel nostalgic about this past decade. So many things our family has seen and done have blessed and enriched our lives beyond measure. I decided to take a trip down memory lane and post a few of my favorite moments captured on film of our family's adventures since the beginning of 2000. Some of these images speak for themselves and I Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-48157012228959301112009-12-25T21:20:00.000-08:002009-12-26T11:31:09.867-08:00Christmas in CaliforniaThe last two Christmases our family has called the Kona coast of Hawaii our home. This year was the first that we spent with family here in California and we found ourselves at Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas Eve where, to the kid's shock and awe, Santa Claus arrived with a bag of toys for the kids to unwrap."A right jolly old elf..."It was fun to have our special guest that evening where we Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-48845230035961760472009-12-25T20:54:00.000-08:002009-12-25T23:55:23.949-08:00Gigantic Gingerbread GrandeurWe made gingerbread houses this year! We had a frosting fight! And the kids helped to decorate them! It was fantastic!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-76376852661122036902009-12-25T18:22:00.000-08:002009-12-25T19:20:00.973-08:00Iconic Golden GateIt is almost impossible to take a bad picture of this amazing structure. Whenever we are in the city I try to get a few shots if we are in a good place to do so. After our minor incident while climbing I asked Dennis to drive me over to a great location where I knew I'd be sure to capture the bridge in all it's splendor and he'd just wait in the car with the kids. I had to run quickly past a few Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-51993832802469614692009-12-24T16:34:00.001-08:002009-12-25T17:24:23.578-08:00San Francisco in DecemberOne of the kid's biggest gifts this year was a weekend trip to San Francisco. We can travel there and back in one day easily from where we live currently, but we had many plans that weekend so we decided to indulge a bit and stay at the Ritz Carlton on Stockton Street. The kids were extremely excited to be spending a few nights there. We had plans to go to the California Academy of Sciences in Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-19760397606073740022009-12-23T23:40:00.000-08:002009-12-24T00:30:06.868-08:00Spiderman-aka- Peter Parker -aka-AustinAustin found a home at the rock climbing gym. He is keenly aware of his age, that he will be in junior high next year, and, um... girls. So he has been interested in going to work out at the gym here in town which holds a boys strengthening and coordination class three times a week. This was his first introduction to rock climbing with our great friends, who are semi-professionals. Kyle, who Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-32062092854341299392009-12-23T23:23:00.000-08:002009-12-24T00:29:34.574-08:00Rock Climbing... And FallingWhile in San Francisco a couple of weekends ago, our dear friends took us to an amazing rock climbing facility. Planet Granite, is located in the Presidio park under the Golden Gate Bridge. We were all excited to try climbing for the first time as a family. After getting into all of our gear Kyle went over a few safety considerations and language used by climbers to help us start our adventure. Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-91897936994094488722009-12-23T22:36:00.000-08:002009-12-23T23:20:40.758-08:00Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!I know I haven't written anything that our family has been doing for the past few months and despite the lack of posts we have had a whirlwind end to the year! I thought I'd start to back track by posting the beautiful tree that will be laden with gifts tomorrow evening, many from friends and family that we have been able to visit these past few months. Right after Thanksgiving, and I do mean, Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-74934497932155382942009-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:002009-12-08T19:35:52.538-08:00Yes, it Snowed in Sunny California!California Winter Wonderland from Dennis Schmidt on Vimeo.What a wonderful way to start December. The kids woke up yesterday morning with a chill in the air and snow falling in clumps from the sky. It was too warm on the ground for it to "stick" but they were excited non-the-less. Dennis added my gingerbread house that I made a couple of years ago to the video, I'm hoping to make more this year, Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-19936772807712013122009-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:002009-11-11T20:39:09.325-08:00Henry Weinhard's Root Beer HeavenRoot Beer Heaven from Dennis Schmidt on Vimeo.My brother fell head over heels for his new precious little baby. We all did, she is just so adorable! According to Gerald there is just nothing better in life than drinking Henry Weinhard's Root Beer, holding your new little bundle of joy and enjoying a LSU football game.We introduced him to the brand of Henry's when he and Paige visited us the firstAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-42545949457175044862009-11-10T23:54:00.000-08:002009-11-11T00:02:28.617-08:00Firefighter DarbyDarby had a wonderful week in school. Everyday she came home with something new about fire safety and awareness. I was very proud of her while she was very determined to develop a family fire plan, write it out on paper, and display it in her room. She put it up on the back of her bedroom door, it is her escape route we discussed and she excitedly decided to put it into action. We've been to Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-91930222383463864962009-10-26T18:03:00.003-07:002009-11-05T21:22:44.197-08:00Put on Your BootsWhile visiting my grandmother, who was a model in her younger years, I discovered two pairs of Hyer Olathe boots that she would wear. I had seen these boots a number of times in various pictures of her though her youth and simply fell in love with them as she modeled them in some of her photos. I was dumbfounded to uncover the same boots tucked in two grocery bags at the bottom of an old metal Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-39430379397176445042009-10-26T18:03:00.001-07:002009-11-05T21:22:36.459-08:00Pickin' PumpkinsAfter making it to the pumpkin blasting (you know, first things first) we headed over to the pumpkin patch where everyone picked out their own pumpkin to eventually gut and carve into spooky jack-0-lanterns.The bridge behind of the pumpkins is for the hay ride that will take you around the property and through the twelve foot tall stalks of corn that surround a very well thought out maze that canAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-80497502284087711302009-10-26T18:02:00.000-07:002009-11-05T20:58:09.271-08:00Pumpkin Blasters!As annually as possible, our family travels to Dell'Osso Family Farms pumpkin patch to pick out our Halloween jack-o-lanterns for that year. Last year we were unable to make the voyage to Lathrop, California which is about a forty-five minute drive from our home in Oakdale. This year, however, we were determined to go. So amid gymnastics meets, traveling to see family in Louisiana, and various Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-83991715643000401482009-10-22T21:30:00.000-07:002009-10-22T21:49:57.612-07:00Beautiful GirlAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-76536916209042966482009-10-21T09:59:00.000-07:002009-10-21T10:06:29.647-07:00Our Beautiful Niece and New Cousin, LaneAll I can say is... it didn't take long for us all to fall in love with her! I think my kids want a new baby in the house :)Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-76025504053377446542009-10-17T21:04:00.001-07:002009-10-19T09:47:37.637-07:00Messin' on the Mississippi LeveeSometimes it's all described in the pictures! Kids having fun on the Mississippi River levee while watching the ferry load it's passengers. Oh, and then there is the bullet-hole laden signage. Fun times!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-5661677187106134912009-10-17T21:00:00.001-07:002009-10-18T19:52:54.343-07:00Deere John,Deere John,Wherefore art thou dearest John?Lost in the swamp...While making our way off the levee we stumbled upon this "John Deere" in the middle of the swampy basin. It was calling for it's photograph to be taken so I was happy to oblige the poor tractor sitting solemnly in the thicket of over brush.I tried to play around with some of my camera settings and coloring with aperture when I loaded Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-7755824979530574002009-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:002009-10-18T09:58:11.964-07:00Scenic Swamp SitesAnother of my attempts at landscape photography from the car window driving down the road going a proper 45 mph. There were so many good sites to see and take photos. Here are a few of my favorites during our brief drive to the levee on our way to let the kids see the ferry that takes cars across the Mississippi river.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998760785844662098.post-4703038250923349882009-10-17T20:18:00.001-07:002009-10-17T22:27:21.117-07:00Lunch at Roberto'sGoing home to my Southern roots means, for me, Southern cooking. Jambalaya, etoufee, shrimp creole, crawfish pie, fried alligator, and hushpuppies just to name a few, are some of the delicious eats that Baton Rouge has to offer. Before we even thought about coming back to California I made sure that we visited a local restaurant endeared by the locals for good Creole cooking. Roberto's River RoadAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10734453551017261574noreply@blogger.com0