Happy Birthday, Emma ~

Today, we celebrated our granddaughter, Emma's, twelfth birthday . . . we made spareribs, Oma's homemade BBQ sauce, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries . . . a feast fit for a princess!

Happy Birthday, Emmabeans! 

The Twilight Zone at home ~

I used to watch this as a kid . . . now my granddaughter records this show and loves watching it. Brings back some memories!

Still painting ~

Well, what started out to be a granddaughter & Oma project, turned out to be just an Oma project today! My granddaughter and I completed the  first coat of paint in her room on Friday  . . . we were unable to paint yesterday, so we made plans to do the second coat and finish today . . . well, she ended up at a friends all day . . . I wanted to get this project done and over with so I have been painting all afternoon . . . by myself . . . . which at first was fine while I listened to pleasant music . . . but being that I am no "spring chicken" . . . I can feel the aches and pains all over! I will be glad to hang up my roller and paint brush for a while.

I am almost done with the exception of one spot I cannot get to because her bed is too close to the wall and I cannot move that thing by myself - she will be home shortly and together we will move the bed and then I can paint the one spot and then  . . . we will be done!  My kitchen was also painted over the weekend, that was finished today too. I have to say, I am a little tired of the paint smell but looking forward to getting things back to normal (whatever that might be). It's all looking pretty nice though.

Painting ~

My granddaughter and I have been painting her room - it's been interesting (as you can tell by the paint can) and quite messy but we are having fun doing this project together. She has turned out to be a good little painter. We are done with the first coat . . . tomorrow we will put on the second coat . . . it's looking great  . . .  the room was in great need of painting and I think I was well over the sage green that has been on the walls for over six years now. We went with a soft white which to many is boring but to us, it's refreshing and my granddaughter wants to paint some sort of design on one wall . . . it's only paint right!?!

Lola and Koda ~

~ Click here to see more of Lola and Koda's day together ~

I had five out of seven of our grand-kids today and believe me, I am surprised I have made it to this hour! I had planned to post a different photo today but I could not resist these photos I took of, Lola, our two year old granddaughter and our three year old golden retriever, Koda.  I almost posted three of my favorites here at the same time but decided to create an online Picasa web album (link below photo) to share with you all! Some of the photos are a little blurry but these two are so cute together. I kept the ones that you can see her sweet face private for her mommy and daddy.  She just loved Koda today and wanted to hang out with him . . . he was a good sport about it all and didn't mind her crawling all over him!

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Don't mind the chewed-up baseboards and door moldings, Koda decided one day to sharpen his teeth on them! I am waiting until he is done with his chewing-my-stuff-up stage and then I will replace them . . . wasn't happy with him to say the least.

Morning tea party ~

I did a very small impromptu tea party for the grand-kids this morning! My granddaughter has a friend over and I thought it was a nice way for them to wake up and start their morning. I made cinnamon toast and the girls chose peach tea . . .  an interesting combination . . . my grandson preferred cinnamon-apple tea. My kitchen smells wonderful!

Jamboree Virtual Surname Wall ~

This is a photo of the Jamboree's Virtual Surname Wall,  located just outside the exhibit hall. You fill out a little sticky that will list general information, including surname, geography, and time frame, for up to ten family names,  SCGS will maintain the information in a searchable online database.

My granddaughter and I had a wonderful weekend together . . . we attended great classes, met new genealogy blogger friends, and caught up with many old blogger friends. My granddaughter created her own genealogy blog . . . Emmasology all by herself after attending Thomas MacEntee's Blogger Summit I and II on Saturday. She is learning how to use her blog and I know I will be helping her  . . . not sure why but already when putting the words, genealogy and family history in the posting and comment area, links are showing up when no links were inserted, so, we will work on her blog together and I will monitor things closely. She is looking forward to researching and posting her family history and getting lot of followers!

I want to express a special thank you to Paula Hinkle, Speakers, and all who made Jamboree 2011 an amazing experience and so successful  . . . somehow those words are just not enough . . . Jamboree is like no other!

Jamboree bound ~

I am just about ready for the Annual 2011 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree . . . a few things to gather up and I will be set to go. This year, I am taking my granddaughter so that one day, hopefully, she can take over for me . . . must get her started early.

The items in the above photo are from the 2010 Jamboree. I am looking forward to the many wonderful and informative classes being offered . . . maybe then I will have learned new tips and tricks and be able to research and locate my elusive "brick wall" Ancestor . . . my great-grandmother, Louella née Jarboe Ijames! I also hope to capture some Jamboree photos for my daily post here over the next few days.

RootsMagic tote bag was given to me upon registration. Beads and buttons from GeneaBloggers. Ribbons were collected from various bloggers and exhibitors. 

Family tree ~

My granddaughter was using water based paints for a school project today. She asked if she could paint a family tree on the backyard fence (which needs to be painted anyway) and I said, "sure why not!"  This is her creation . . . she spelled "family tree" backwards starting at the bottom. She said, "Here Oma, now you have your photo-of-the day!" I like the way she thinks!

Congratulations, Red Bulls!

My granddaughter and her soccer teammates won their first game today. . . 3 to 0! She was really hoping to win at least one game. . . she only has two games left in this spring soccer season, so, she is a happy girl.

Congratulations to Emma and her teammates. . . excellent game!

Cherry Blossom Tree ~

This is a photo that my granddaughter took! We were attending a family birthday dinner and my granddaughter snatched my camera and took this shot of the Cherry Blossom tree outside the restaurant. I have to say she did a pretty good job. I promised I would post it for her. The blossoms are a bit more pink than they appear in the photo.

Granddaughter's tomato plant ~

This tomato plant belongs to my granddaughter...she is watering, feeding and caring for her plant all by herself.
She has been caring for this plant for over a year now. The ripened tomatoes are very good...she's doing a wonderful job!

Oma's tea cup's ~

My granddaughter and I had a tea party today, using my grandmother "Oma's" teacups. The two teacups in front with the pretty roses at the bottom, belonged to my Oma from Germany...she handed them down to mom just a few years ago, and when mom passed...I managed to get them...I can't express how grateful I am to have them.  Of course, my granddaughter has already informed me they will be hers...I agreed!

The teapot with the peach colored roses and matching teacup, is part of a set given to me by my Oma, when I was just 19 years old...she always knew how much I loved tea.  I love the delicate pattern of the peach roses. All of these special teacups and teapot, bring wonderful memories of my mom and Oma, and the many times we sat taking tea, and chatting away when mom would come to visit. Oma lived in Germany but made several visits over the years. When she was here...I would always make sure we had tea in the cups she had given me many years before.

Warmth and Friendship ~

It's rare that we use our fireplace here in Southern California. We've actually had a few very chilly nights, so, my granddaughter and our dog Koda, decided to enjoy the warmth.