Can't wait to write a letter!

I suppose I should change the focus of my blog to "the Pensiero's Disney silhouette" page! It's true, I love the silhouettes. Friends, family and characters grace my kitchen and now my family room walls. Last December I found a site that could change your photos into personalized silhouette jewelry! I was so excited to have a silhouette we had done at Disneyworld converted into a pendant! It was the perfect gift!

I follow their blog Le Papier Studio where I learned about a wonderful new thing they are offering. A return address stamp that could have my silhouette in the center! When I saw it, I knew it was for me! I received the stamp just this past weekend and am so impressed with the quality! I highly recommend all of their things! They can make a personalized silhouette from a picture or you can choose from one of their own designs. They charge a very reasonable one time fee for a custom silhouette, and then you can use that custom art for all other future projects. It's a big thumbs up from me.

Go and check their site out! I'm very excited about all they do! And now I'm very excited about Christmas and using my stamp! Don't be surprised if you get a letter from me just because!

Good-Bye Christmas 2010, we will miss you!

I can't believe the decline in my postings this last year. I just don't seem to get a hand on managing my life. I seem to be in slow motion. I seem stiffer and slower than usual. I guess my M.S. is progressing faster now. I occasionally walk with a cane (mostly for balance). I want to do a whole post about my health, and I know there are those of you on the other side of the world who wonder so I will... Just not this morning.

Top picture is of a dear friend Grace and my sweet dog Momo. Her and her mom stopped by just before Christmas to give me a great present! A mug and calendar! But not just any mug and calendar, one with silhouettes on it! And not just any silhouettes...some from my collection!

Wwwwhhhhaaaatttt? In fact, I'm using it right now as I type! Such wonderful friends made my Christmas wonderful. I can't believe my BFF made a whole post about my pomegranate PAMAgranate Jelly! I love you MORE Marti! And Christine and Grace I love YOU!

I feel like such a looser this year...no pictures of my Christmas card, nothing. I just couldn't keep up. Now, I am tearing down everything. Maybe tomorrow I can get it together in the blog world.

Here is a couple of things I got at Christmas...

My Darling husband got me TIFFANY earrings and necklace combo. He knew I always wanted something from Tiffany but with the economy the way it is, well, let's just say I didn't think I would be getting that any time soon. The we happened on a classy second hand store (one that takes high end gently used items). The name of the store is Castaways Concepts. (link attached to name) That is where he found this amazing gift! Thank you Gene P. I love them! A LOT!

Then my son and daughter in love gave me this eclectic charm necklace. I just love it.

My sweet daughter got me three silhouettes for my wall. But by far this one was the most unexpected. CJ with Ariel. I think I created a monster, as CJ now wants her with all characters! (she has her and Cinderella as well)

Then on one dreary day...a package was there from Disney. (which I did not order!) Low and behold the D23 fan club sent me a watch! Notice how the only numbers on the watch are 2 and 3! I guess they were sending them out to members! OK..that keeps me renewing each year! (don't judge my nails!)

When it is all said and done, December went really fast, but I did a lot. I guess it was just too fast!

Happy 2011 everyone! Keep reading and I'll try and do better on the updates!

It began with a discovery

So here is the story behind the non-family silhouettes. In about 2007 I found a long lost silhouette we did in about 1977. (one on the right) In those days they apparently had that cool brown boarder around the edge. We decided to get another one that year on one of our trips to the park.

Then, as I said a few days ago, my friend Marti asked my husband Gene what to get me for my birthday. He said get her a silhouette. Of coarse, I think she might have thought I was crazy, or maybe that Gene was crazy. As a dutiful friend she did it.

Marti and two of her children were my first non-family silhouette!

So there is Jon and Lucy! My first!

After that it was on and the current stories are as follows-

Adam and Amy are Marti's other two lovely children. Adam is to the left and Amy to the right. She was the first one to do it with a character, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. You see, they call me their Fairy Godmother! :-D

I think they are the most adorable kids I know! T

And here is Marti! Her and I go way back! At least..ummmm...33 years! This last trip we met at the Silhouette Studio and we did one together!

There we are!

I started to think...Hey, I could ask people to get a silhouette, and I'd be happy to pay for it. The beauty is that you get two when they cut them. So, if someone gets one then I could just have the "extra" one! So I started to ask for the extra one or to pay for them to do one and they would get a free one! My plan was in tact!

For instance, that cutie above, Levi, is a wonderful kid at our church. He had an extra one laying around, so I boldly asked for it! He's on my wall!

Pretty sweet huh?

Then there is Pat and Kathy! A wonderful couple and parents of Luke (who I blogged about yesterday) They are AKA Mr. & Mrs. Incredible! They have been part of my life for 25 years!

Funny, but I see the resemblance with the son (bottom right) and the mom and dad-Pat and Kathy (top). He is definitely a mixture of them both!

There is Jessica. She's the aunt of Levi. She blessed me with one. She is the only one I have that has her hair up!

I love how they are all so unique! Sometimes people say..."don't they all look alike?" The answer is a big NO! And when I took the 1977 one in, they knew right away who cut it! I was completely amazed!

Here is Grace! She is an amazing junior high girl that does so much around the church.

Thanks for the silhouette Grace! I have a promise from her parents that they will get me one the next time they go!

Here are Skip and Peggy. They are also friends of mine for about 27 years! They made the mistake of texting me that they were at Disneyland and I of coarse asked to get me a silhouette! Now, the funny thing is that most people never think about doing this. They are always amazed at how quick they are at doing it!

There are Skip and Peggy in California Adventure!

Here is David and Carla. They are one of the wonderful leadership couples at our church (along with Pat and Kathy). I came into work just before Christmas and a gift was on my desk. There was no tag and they probably wondered if I could figure out who's silhouette it was.

I could tell right away it was Carla!


This is the first whole family I received. And the only one I have with 4 people in it! It is another lovely family from our Church and the wife, Sharon Lathan, is on her way to being a very famous author, I mean, she has fans finding her at Disneyland and wanting her autograph! Thanks Lathans!



Meet Zach and Katie! They are a sweet couple Gene married last summer. They went to Disneyland for their honeymoon and got me a silhouette!


Every time I look at it I think about their wedding and how wonderful it was!

Along the way I have also gotten some unique ones

We had Cecilia done with Cinderella. Which turned out to be pretty cool, since most of what I gave her for Christmas was Cinderella stuff!


Then there is this...

I decided to get an "S" made so I could work on an art project I spoke about a while ago. Click here to read. I'm thinking now, maybe I will do the letters of our last name. See, ideas keep coming!

I got one of me with the evil queen from Snow White. Why on earth would you do that? (you might we wondering) Well, one time when our whole family was there. We went into the Animation Academy and did the test where you answer questions to see what Disney character you are most like. Everyone in the family came up as a nice person except my son-in-law (who came up as Hades) and myself who came up as the Evil Queen. So, being the fairest of them all, after all, I decided to do one with her!


One time while looking around eBay, I found this for sale! A rare white on black one! Well, I had to have it! You see my grandfather worked on the Haunted Mansion (as an electrician) when it first opened! So, you see, I had no choice really!

But what do I like the best about all of this?

I love that I feel every day when I walk into my kitchen and see all the loved ones surrounding me! I love remembering all the stories and knowing I am loved enough for people to do funny things for me!

Thanks everyone!

There was a wedding! There was a special gift!

My day began (well sort of) with a quest to find a "hidden Mickey" in Fresno. On the 99 after the Olive exit and before the Shaw exit. If I could find said Mickey, I could have a prize!

Well, you know me and boxes! (hello...my name is Pandora)

There was a wedding today of a dear friends son. We drove the 99 to Madera to attend the ceremony. Of coarse, you see above that I did find the "hidden Mickey"! Right where Sarah said it would be! So I earned my prize! But first....

A kiss....but on to my prize!

Sarah (pictured so beautifully above with my lovely daughter-in-love Kelly), is such a lovely young lady. Her infectious smile causes me to smile every time I see it. We share fun things together. We text, send pictures (mostly of our dogs), talk about what to wear to weddings and play a fun game called "words with friends"! (anyone wanting to play me my name is pampensiero, start a game!) But, I digress....my prize...But first this....

Then there is Luke. Luke, or who I affectionately call "Lucky Luke" after the cartoon he and my son use to watch as little boys. When I think of Luke, I think of 20+ years of service to our Lord. Luke has been part of my life since the beginning. He might not remember being young but I do. Luke is the son on a wonderfully faithful and supportive family at our church. Luke grew up with my son and although he was a year older, they shared many things. They cut their first CD together! I still listen to it and cry every time! They both love the Lord and music. I am so thankful that both boys grew into men who love God and husbands that love and cherish their wives, a rare thing in today's world. Luke married Sarah! But, I'm still digressing....

My prize! There it is...given to me by-

Luke and Sarah! I just had to add this picture because I love it! They say they were soaking wet from splash mountain, but this picture captures them perfectly and I love looking at it!

You see, some time ago, a collection was started for me! My BFF asked "what can I get Pam for he birthday"? My husband answered "get her a silhouette from Disneyland"! Thus a collection was born. I currently have 29 and over 1/2 are from friends. My goal is to go around my kitchen.

Inside the lovely package was my latest addition-

I am so touched that Luke and Sarah would take time out of their personal trip to Disneyland to do a silhouette for me! I just love it! Thank you so much!

And there they are! Up on my wall!

As you can see, my collection is well on it's way. I feel such love and joy when I walk into my kitchen and see all the wonderful people who grace my walls. I know who each one is, I know the story behind each one. Maybe it seems strange to some, but to me it brings back memories of friends, family and many wonderful things! For Christmas I received 3. My almost children sent 2 (Adam and Amy I love you guys!), a couple from my church (David and Carla) surprised me with one. I know I need to blog about all of these (not to mention Grace, Levi, Zach and Katie, Jessie, The Lathans, Skip and Peggy, Pat and Kathy -I know I am probably forgetting someone-it's not intentional). I promise to do a post about each one with the story behind it. I will try and be faithful about that. I want all who read this know that I truly love each one! This was my day today and wanted to share it.

So, thanks again Lucky Luke and Beautiful Sarah. My life is full with wonderful memories of you both! Stop by their blogs and see what is going on in their lives. Their blogs are linked to their names in this post and they are listed on the side of my blog.

As I type, I wonder two things...where did the time go and where are the tissues?