Cotton and Work

I can't believe it's after midnight and 1) I'm still awake and 2) it's after midnight. It seems lately the time goes by so fast. No matter how early I wake up and get things done that need to get done before I can do what I want, I still don't have enough time. Alas, I know you didn't come here to hear me gripe, so let's move on...

First of all, Tyrone Wells kicks ass. I bought two of his CD's (Hold On and Remain) and they haven't left my CD player since I got home on Saturday. I can't decide which is my favorite song...but "Need" is one I love to hear and "Fallling" is a very close second. Thanks Mama for finally getting me out to see him.

Second - rain. According to the Weather Channel and OWSWeather.com (thanks Audio), the rain should be gone for my Sunday rental. =) I have been so excited about this that I can't think about much else. I keep going through in my head everything I learned in the course and as I'm driving my truck I pretend I'm on the Dyna and what I would be doing (downshifting, leaning, etc.).

Third: I mentioned in my last post how I am now part of the CCCOE Team. We have a Yahoo! Group and there have been some really cool peeps on there. I have learned about so many craft shows all over the Southern California area that I never knew existed. I hope to actually participate in one soon. Wish me luck! One that note, check out the newest addition to Cool Peeps - My Dear Darling.

Continuing with the craft notes... I splurged today and bought some cotton yarns for more cloths. I took a chance and dropped in to the Daily Fiber shop and although they were pricey, found some pretty neat colors I've not come across before. Afterwards I zipped over to JoAnn's and stocked up. The cloths aren't exactly flying off my shelves, but every once in awhile I sell a set. They are fun and I have gotten some great feedback from buyers.

The DH and I are planning a trip to Vegas Feb 25-27. We'll be at the Rio. Comp'd rooms. =) Bring on the hotel lovin! Woohoo!

Oh yeah, lastly - I did post my resume out on Monster and CareerBuilder. *sigh* All good things must come to an end and my hiatus has just about run it's course. Like Angelina Jolie takes time off from birthin babies to make a movie, I too must return to the work force.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Almost February...

I don't know about you, but I for one can't believe that January is already history. But let's be honest - it was quite a good month! I did, after all, become a licensed motorcycle driver in the state of CA. That's right fellow cool peeps - the Wrider is legit. I absolutely loved the heck out of the course and can't wait for the chance to ride. In fact, I have reserved a Harley for February 8th. Quaid Harley in Temecula does a Sunday special from 10am - 5pm. I reserved a Dyna FatBob (pic below). I swear, if I were any more excited I'd have to take a valium or a shot of whiskey. LOL

Ok, now for the not so good news ---> Rain. Yeah, rain is scheduled to come in on Friday/Saturday and remain for 3 days. So one thing is for damn sure - if it rains I will not be taking this or any other bike out. No way. Just don't have the experience for it. But alas my good souls I am not entirely bummed because as you all know - I LOVE RAIN! and the state of CA needs it so badly.

As Mama already blogged, she and I went to the El Rey to see Tyrone Wells. What an awesome guy he is - both on stage and off. I am now a Tyrone fan. Thanks Mama! =)

Through Etsy where I have my handmade items listed, I have joined the CCCOE Team. California Crafters Club of Etsy. We are trying to promote one another's shops and quite a few of them have blogs. So I'm going to slowly begin adding their blogs to my list of "Cool Peeps". Sure would appreciate it if you guys could drop in on or two every once in a while and maybe even support their craft!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Brandy" by Looking Glass. The old Merc team will no doubt recall my love and adoration of this great song. It makes me smile whenever I hear it!

Massage Therapy

Yesterday I took full advantage of a Christmas gift the DH gave me - a spa package at the Murrtown Day Spa. It was amazing. Every time I go there I always leave saying how that was the best day I've had there yet. Yesterday was no exception.

It started with my Swedish Massage. Sandra was my therapist and she did such an amazing job. I explained to her the problems I have been having with my neck and shoulders and the trouble I have been having sleeping. She went right to work on the many kinks I had in my shoulders and neck - and apparently there were quite a few! It was painful at first, but by the time she was finished I could already feel myself less tense.

Next was my European Facial. I didn't learn the young girl's name that administered my treatment, but she did a really good job. My face is undergoing some changes as I age so it's nice to hear from someone that it actually looks "good". It was very relaxing and soothing.

Then I had lunch while sitting in the "Relaxation Lounge". I had a tasty chicken curry salad on whole wheat bread, fresh potato chips and grapes. The chicken salad has a unique and yummy taste - green apples, walnuts and cranberries. Oh my!

Next it was on to my spa pedicure. Vicki and I had a great chat while she gave my feet the treatment - sloughing off dead skin, massaging my feet with apricot scrub and then putting on this blue gel that had spearmint in it. My feet tingled! She ended by putting on a nice subdued red - perfect for winter.

Lastly I was treated to a wonderful arm and hand massage and manicure by Vicki. Because of the work I do crocheting this treatment actually feels amazing. It was a great way to end my perfect day! For the guys out there - if you are ever stumped on what to get your wife or GF or Mother, I highly recommend a spa package at any local day spa. It's well worth the cost!

I went to bed early last night and when I woke up this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find I had sold 3 items on Etsy. I can't explain the feeling I get when I go to my page and see that items have sold. I get this little "jump" of adrenaline and get the urge to make more things! Yeah for me!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Womanizer" by Britney Spears. Go ahead, laugh if you must but this song is cool. Learning the words and being able to sing along kicks ass. =) "Boy don't try and front I-I know J-Just what you are are are...."

Monday already

Good Morning.. I had a rough night's sleep - again. Not sure what is going on with my sleep habits of late, but last night I kept having to clear my throat and cough. I thought perhaps I was coming down with a cold or something worse, but this morning I feel fine.

Yes, I am back - for now. Who knows how long this will last? I will do my due diligence to stay with it. =)

Yesterday was a good day. I bought my gloves for the Rider's Edge course at Quaid Harley in Temecula. Just going into that dealership sends my heart racing looking at all the bikes. It was hard not to walk out with one. As a matter of fact, the DH called me to make sure I hadn't bought one because I was taking so long. LOL I did not. All in due time!

I also bought a new pair of Levi's. I stopped at Boot Barn on my way home from Quaid and bought a kick ass pair of 550's. I figured I needed a new pair if my rear is going to be sitting on a Harley next week!

Today my items are featured in a Showcase on Etsy. You buy a 24 hour spot so your stuff is pictured on a single page. It's just a way of promoting your handmade items. Let's hope a few things sell!

I am loving this cool weather! This is how winter is supposed to be in California. During that heavy rain we had a couple of weeks back we actually could see snow on the Ortegas. It was so beautiful. It didn't last long, but while it did I was almost transformed to another place. The DH and I have resigned ourselves that we will probably be in CA at least until 2010 due to the housing market. We are trying to make the most of it and just hang in there. We do live in a gorgeous house in a great neighborhood after all!

Did anyone catch the 100 Greatest Rock Songs on VH1? I did watch it (not all in one sitting) and I wasn't surprised at the top ten except for #1. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE by G&R. Not that this isn't a kick ass song - I love it - but I found it interesting that it beat out others for the #1 Rock song of all time. #2 was AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK. I actually thought that would be #1.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "She's Gone" by Hall & Oates. FRIGGIN love this song. Have a good one!!

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I hear ya and I've got nothing in response to the question "Where the hell have you been???" I've just been out of it. Not in a bad way cause things are pretty dang cool, but just out of the blog thing. Tonight for some reason I started reading some blogs (your alls included) and I got the itch. What can I say? Will it last? I have no idea.

Soooooo, what have I been doing for the past 2 months?? Don't worry - I'm so not going to bore you with THAT. =) I have been chilling. I have been "working" (aka crocheting) and although I had a small spurt of purchases on Etsy nothing for awhile. I am still enjoying the heck out of it though and with luck and the right promotions I will sell a few more things.

Horses are all doing great. Kate (daughter of the people where we have ours) got a horse from one of her clients. So Liberty joined us about two weeks ago and he is just the cutest thing. The girls love him and they all get along so well. Kate is so great - she cleans, feeds, blankets, rides... She is awesome! Her husband (Brian) is also a really cool dude. He is going to school to be a pastor and rides a Harley. Need I say more?

The kids are all doing well. Miles is doing AWESOME as a Soldier. He is currently home on leave and will be heading to Georgia for his duty station. Then he will no doubt be deploying to Afghanistan.

The daughter is also doing great. She is working with autistic kids full time and doing hair part time. She is also going to go back to school in January for her teaching credentials.

The oldest is still ... the oldest. I don't need to elaborate. His gf is still pregnant. She is due April 23. They are having a boy - Jonathan Hunter.

The hubby is doing great! Not working as much as he would like but that's par for the course considering the holiday season. He spoiled me at Christmas (as usual) by giving me a day at the Murrieta Day Spa and then he also is paying for my Rider's Edge course which I take....

.... JANUARY 15-19TH!!!!!! Yes, I really am scheduled. I am so excited! You have no idea. I promise to keep you posted.

Other than that... I am still not working and collecting UI. This will last until the middle of April and then after that it's back to work for me. Which is OK. I am not complaining.

I hope you all are well and had a wonderful Christmas. I have missed every single one of you! You could have harrassed me more about posting!!! Hahahaha!

Horsin around

Today was a horse day. I took some pics of the girls and of me.. Though I'd share them with you guys. Here are the girls in the pasture area. They were really full of it today. I tried to take a pic of them while they were running and bucking but it was just a blur with my camera phone. They had stopped running around and were just circling here. They were feeling really good! You'd never know that Cheyenne was 28!


This is me with the old mare, Cheyenne. Sorry you can't see her face better... She was afraid of the phone.

The girls got their feet done yesterday. This is just a pic I took of my boots and some hoof clippings. How bout one for being creative?




Here is a pic of Dolly with hay sticking out of her mouth....

Here is one of me with hay in my mouth...

I'm helping Dolly find the alfalfa buds. Tell me she isn't spoiled rotten.

This is my favorite pic... Dolly's soft eye... Look at those lashes!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Figured You Out" by Nickelback. This song freakin' kicks ass. Love it. Gotta have it. Can't get enough of it.

Sons of Anarchy

I know you guys are waiting for the details of our trip to SC to see the Soldier graduate and I haven't forgotten about telling you. I've got most of the pics downloaded from my phone, but we are still waiting for the pics we turned in to have developed. No, we don't have a dig camera of our own yet! So as soon as those get done, I will tell you about the trip to Ft. Jackson.

But for now I want to talk about my new favorite show - "SONS OF ANARCHY". First off, I want to just set the record straight that my desire to get a bike started WAY before this show was even on the air or being advertised. Honest. It started for me about a year ago. I would see the bikes on the road, the different styles of bikes and riders and for some reason I just started to put them into categories and suddenly I was planning in my head the type of biker I wanted to be. SOA has started a real drive of people now wanting to ride Harleys and be part of an MC - club. Because I haven't yet taken my rider's course or gotten my bike, I really don't want to be confused with these people that just got on board because of the TV show. Not that there's anything wrong with that or they any less a bike fan than me, not at all. Just because I want to be clear I was influenced by more than the TV in my decision to ride.

The show is pretty good. If you haven't seen I recommend checking it out. The characters are starting to evolve. Tonight is the 4th show of the season. It opens up a whole new world of bikers and clubs. The web site and blog dedicated to the series is pretty informative and has lots of stuff on it about this whole other world. Jax is the main character (at least I think he is). He is quick tempered, likes to fight and did I mention HOT? LOL Here is a pic of him:




His Dad was one of the original founders of the SOA and was killed in an accident with a semi-truck. Apparently his Dad didn't believe in going down the illegal path with the club. He wrote a bunch of stuff about life and his vision for the club. Jax's Mom gave him a box of stuff she found of his Dad's and inside were all these journals and stuff. So although Jax is VP he is still starting to question the President of SOA, played by the guy that played the BEAST in Beauty and the Beast.

Now I really don't like Clay. He is just one of those characters that you love to hate. He is bad and has the club headed for trouble. They run guns mostly, but definitely are into other stuff for the almighty dollar. They kill people and have the local sheriff in their back pocket. Oddly, he is married to Jax's Mom - Gemma. I know you will recognize her when you see her. She played Peg on MARRIED WITH CHILDREN. She's come a long way. LOL Anyway, she is Clay's "old lady" and definitely Queen of the SOA. She refers to the club members and their families as her family and she is constantly manipulating someone or something. I don't much care for her either, but that's just part of the show. Here is a pic of her:

Anyway, I think the show is cool to watch and I'm definitely a fan. Sorry, I know these pics are really small. I'll try to find better ones for you to check out.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Highway to Hell" by ACDC.