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.

The beginning of an end or the end of a beginning?

Does it really matter which way you say it? Doesn't it all sort of mean the same thing - change?

Yesterday was my birthday and as much as I loathe the thought of chalking up yet another year I must admit I enjoyed the day very much. Maybe because I had most of the people I love the most around me. Maybe because we had some really awesome chow. Maybe because I got some really cool gifts. Maybe just cuz I'm up looking down and not the opposite. Either way turning 45 was alright with me. Age is just a number you know. I am reminded of that every time I go into my new favorite Starbucks and get to see this young guy that works there. I have no idea what his name is (although I would like to know so I could stop calling him "guy") but it's not like I have a crush on him or anything. Not at all. For some reason which I cannot explain we seem to have this connection. It's like when we look at each other he knows what I'm thinking and that in another time or place we would have been friends. Like when you meet someone for the first time and you automatically have some sort of chemistry and you talk and talk and feel like you could talk forever. But I know this "guy" is probably like 24, or 23 or 22... I just don't know, but he's young. Young enough to be my son and here I am now 45 old enough to be his Mom and yet we still seem to connect. It's so weird. And yet it's not weird at all because that's the kind of thing that makes life cool and worth blogging about.

The DH and I got back from South Carolina and I can't wait to tell you all about that trip but I will until I have the pics so you can see our Soldier for yourself. It was a good trip. We both really liked the South. The people were amazingly friendly and polite. The weather was unbeatable as long sleeves and jackets were a must-have. It rained and it was windy and chilly. It was perfect.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "This Love" by Maroon 5. I know, I know - old song, but I love it just the same.

Pics

This is the latest scarf from my collection. I call it "Cowgirl Up".

Is this at the local yarn shop? Nooooo, it's my new craft room!!

I'm sick....very, very sick.... LOL

Saturday

Greetings fellow bloggers! It was a tad bit chilly this morning in Murrtown! Woohoo! Can't tell you how happy I am about that! The DH woke up with a migraine today =( so he is taking it easy today. He was going to work but had to cancel. Now if I can just get him to CHILL out for the day. LOL That's not easy...

Well, my To-Do list isn't much shorter... Been working on taking pics of everything but it's not an easy job. I'm thinking I might ask our daughter to be my model for the scarves. I think with her pretty face and smile it will definitely help sell them. I'm getting quite a few views, but no buyers. The DH says to be patient and witht the holidays fast approaching my stuff will start to move. Sure hope so...

Have any of you seen the movie "Shoot Em Up"? I watched a little bit of it the other night before I went to La-La Land. It's pretty funny - way out there with the shoot scenes, but it's entertaining.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Take Back the City" by Snow Patrol. How's that for different??

F-F-F-Friday

I know, every day for me is a Friday, but hey - I'm still enjoying it. Got up this morning rather leisurely. Went to Sbux for a caramel machiatto and a slice of the pumpkin loaf. Sat outside on the back patio for a bit with the hubby enjoying the quiet of the backyard and watching our cat stalk the lizards.

I have much to do...

1. Make the most of the son's digi cam before we take it to him next Wednesday. I have to take pics of all my completed blankets and measure each as well.

2. Start going through boxes and decorating the house. Not what we want to do, but since we know we are probably going to be here for at least two years we figure we might as well enjoy the house.

3. Pack for South Cacalacky! Woohoo!

4. Organize my new craft room!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Trying to Love You" by Trisha Yearwood.

PHOTO OF THE BLOG: Hot, Hot, HOT!!!

Flippin Hot

I'm angry it's back to being so hot. All I want to do is sit in a chair staring blankly at the TV screen. It saps my energy. I have been trying to crochet - but the heat doesn't make it easy to have yarn in your hands and in your lap! Here is the most recent scarf...

Still no sales on the Etsy shop. Here is that url by the way: www.redkranch.etsy.com

Got a letter from the son in basic yesterday. It was a very cool letter. He actually told me he misses me and can't wait to see me. Awwwwwww. We are so excited to see him, too!

The Dh and I have been talking about staying here in this house now... At least for another 5 years. I'm not against it entirely and neither is he. We could do a lot worse. We both love this house and couldn't ask for better neighbors. And so it goes... Who know where we will be in 2 years? 5 years?

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Better As A Memory" by Kenny Chesney.

It wasn't in Augustana that I was Counting Crowes under a Maroon 5 sky

So Thursday my daughter texts me and asks if I like Maroon 5 and after I replied I did she asked me what I was doing Friday night. She scored two free tix from her bio mom and asked me to go. Sweet! Augustana was the opening act (double score) and then Counting Crowes played right after followed by Maroon 5. If you haven't heard Augustana, you should give them a listen, especially their song called "Boston". They were awesome. They played about six songs. Counting Crowes wasn't so awesome. Well, let me rephrase that... I suppose if you are a serious CC's fan you would have thought they were awesome. I must not be a serious fan because most of the time while they were playing I found myself looking around at the others in the audience for someone to translate and/or interpret. They did their hits, turning a 4 minute song into a 10 minute song. The lead singer with the wild hair was just "out there". I'm sure he is a great artist and talented if you get into his kind of ad-hoc singing. The best example I can give you is the rest of his band sort of went silent and he sat down at the piano and said, "I'm not going to do a lot of talking tonight - just playing a bunch of songs. (much applause and whistling and yelling from the crowd). This next song is about me...alone in my room...on a dark night...at the bottom of a canyon..." After that song I really couldn't tell you much else about what they played. It was just so bizarre. They were passing out free sticks of "5" gum - it was a new citrus flavor. We were kind of hoping you chewed it to be able to understand what the heck he was saying... No such luck!

Maroon 5 on the other hand was freakin' awesome. How I have let them slip by me is beyond comprehension. I can hear Birdman saying, "Well if you didn't listen to that shit-kicker music you might have heard them!" They were really good. James Valentine on lead guitar rocked. And Adam Levine - well, what can you say about him other than he is smokin' HOT. Needless to say I will be downloading many MV songs to my Ipod.

I have five items listed on my Etsy.com store. None of which have sold. The DH keeps telling me they have only been up for a week. I guess I am just overly anxious. I am about 95% done with the Raiders blanket and will be starting a Chargers (gag) throw. I am also crocheting scarves as an idea hits me. The most recent scarf to go up for sale is one I call Lone Star.

I have it listed for $28.00 and although it's gotten quite a few "views" no one has bought it up. Do you think the price is too high? Too low? Scarf is not appealing? What do you guys think?

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Won't Go Home Without You" by MV.

No clever title

Blah. That's how I am feeling today. I went to bed late (1:30) and although I did get sleep this morning I woke feeling...not tired, but restless. I got all dressed to go ride, stopped at Starbucks for breakfast and a few minutes of crocheting and just couldn't see myself doing much of anything the rest of the day. I realized sitting at Starbucks how it's difficult for me to fit in with any other women. There were three women there chatting about their kids in school. They were all probably my age; maybe a few years younger and their kids were in middle school. Mine are all grown; out on their own; soon to be parents, soldiers, etc. I just started to think about life and what it means to me to relax and enjoy it and I promptly packed up my yarn and instead of driving to the barn today I came home and here I am! Lucky you!! LOL

If all goes well, I will not HAVE to look for work until after the first of the year. I am enjoying the time off I have now very much. The DH has been a huge part of this and I can't thank him enough for taking the stress off of me. At the same time I wish I were bringing in more than just what the unemployment pays. I can't have everything though, so I'm trying to hard to produce quality crochet products that will sell.

Tonight is the second episode of "Sons of Anarchy". I'm looking forward to it. Like I said, it's a bit rough around the edges, but I like seeing the bikes and getting a peak into the biker club lifestyle - even if it's probably not the normal bike club of today. I am still taking the rider's course in November and then with luck will have a bike at Christmas. I have been reading a lot of blogs and forums regarding first time bike owners and their fear of riding. Seems it takes time to log on miles on your bike in different kinds of traffic and road conditions. After reading that information it makes much more sense now why there are so many used bikes with low miles. I guess women as a rule have a harder time riding solo and getting up the courage to just take their bike out on their own to gain experience of the road. Although there is no sure way to tell if I will fall into that category, I am thinking I know myself pretty good and I will be able to ride on my own. My next purchase is a pair of biker boots. There are so many styles to choose from it's difficult to know which I like. I mean, I can rule out the ones with heels. LOL But I also don't want to look like a dyke... =)

Tomorrow is the oldest's doctor appointment for his pregnant gf. We are wondering if he will call us with the news since he doesn't call us about anything else, we seriously doubt it.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Animals" by Nickelback. . I LOVE THIS SONG. I know it's old but it's on my playlist and I love it.

PHOTO OF THE BLOG: 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200. I like this bike. I don't like the color, but I like how it looks. I like the saddlebags. Only thing is that mine will have the double seat.

Monday, Monday

I can think of much better ways to spend $400 than buying a washing machine. But yesterday the DH and I took the plunge and picked up a nice one from Home Depot. It is so quiet we both have checked on it to make sure it's actually still running. LOL I think it's the nicest one I've ever owned.


My Colts and Peyton Manning got off to a rough season. Losing to the Bears. Ugh. Not that we have an excuse but Peyton didn't get any preseason playing time in due to a minor surgery he had on his knee. It was also the first game in the new Indianapolis stadium. His timing was just off - nothing he can't get back. Let's just hope it's soon.


Well, the Etsy shop is up and running. We posted four items for sale; 2 blankets and 2 scarves. Wish us luck. Oct 15th the diner is having a special evening dinner and open mike night. The owner would like me to have a book ready to pass around to the customers. So I've got some photos to take and such. Here are the two blankets finished...

Tonight we are having friends over to watch the Raiders/Broncos game. Nothing fancy - hotdogs and fixins. Let's hope they beat the Broncos so at least one of us is happy in this house right now.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Aol Summer Long" by Kid Rock

4 wheels vs 2

Ah Sunday... The day of the Lord. The day of sleeping in. The day to relax...

The DH and I are going shopping this morning for a washing machine. Ours started leaking last night. Can you say Lowes scratch & dent? We swore we wouldn't buy an awesome matching set again until we move to our final resting place. =)


Have any of you ever heard of Riccar vacuums? Long story short, we used to own a Dirt Devil bagless. That thing worked well for about a month and then things just went downhill. So the DH found this guy in Lake Elsinore (Mike) who is the vacuum king. Small ass little shop jam packed with vacuums and vacuum accessories. This guy knows his vacuums. After putting together the cost of repairing the Dirt Devil agains the price of a much better Riccar, we plopped out the plastic and dove right in. $376 - this thing kicks major BUTT. I can't even describe it. Oh and it is also very cool looking. Check it out!

Yesterday's massage was probably the best I've ever had, minus the ones given by the DH - which he calls "massages" but we all know they benefit him more than me. Anyway, the session was really good and she worked out all the kinks in my neck and upper back. I am considering joining the club. I have 30 days really to decide...

Found a great quote today:

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul." Leaning more towards vivid black now...

Birdman: I don't think I'll run drugs. I know more about guns. And yeah, if necessary I'll rough some folks up in a bar fight. Nothing I don't do now when I have to. By chance, did you watch "Sons of Anarchy"?

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger. This song requires no explanation.

Massage Envy

That's the name of the place I am going tomorrow morning at 8am for a 1.5 hour massage. I cannot wait - needless to say. I don't think I've ever shared this, but when I am stressed and tense I wish I could be runover by a steamroller. Just the thought of being squished and stretched to capacity makes me woozie. I'm like a video game - I will pop back up once the steamroller has passed and I will feel better than I did when I was born. I hope that's what this massage manages to do for me.

I have been working hot and heavy on the Raiders blanket. The DH and I are going to set up the Etsy 'store' this weekend and update the web site. That means with luck "Originals by Red" will be available to the World. It's kind of exciting, but I'm still not convinced my originals are anything anyone will want to buy. Time will tell I suppose...

It looks like the soldier is getting hit with Hurricane Hanna. I'm sure the Army has them locked down so I'm not worried about him. We made the reservations to see him the end of the month. The DH and I are excited and very proud. =)

Harley update: I will be taking the Rider's Edge course in November. That's cool - I'm fine with that. Just one step closer to getting my bike. Every indication is that the market will be flooded with used bikes when I'm ready to start looking. Buyers with cold, hard cash can get sweet deals on mid-life crisis bikes purchased by, well, women like me going thru a mid-life crisis... Gee, does that sound a little pathetic or am I just being overly sensitive? (where are those damn happy pills???)

Our oldest posted pics on MySpace of his recent trip to California. Oddly there are no pics of anyone except him, his gf and his bio mom. As I looked at the pics I realized he didn't break out his digi cam while he was in our house. Guess the other side of the family isn't photogenic enough. I mean, who would want to remember the Monopoly game? Or the killer bbq? His only sis and her beau? Or the horses? Or going to Honeycutt's? Yeah, nothing to see / remember here folks, move along....

So after reading JamieLynn's bucket list posting, I'm putting together one of my own... More to follow on that one...

I'm trying very hard to be positive about our oldest. It's difficult. I really feel like they are in a lose-lose situation. I am hoping for the best, but preparing myself for the worst. It's difficult to be happy about a baby considering the circumstances. At the same time, it is a baby and our grandchild. We should feel excited and anxious...rather than concerned and suspicious. I hope I'm dead wrong and they live happily ever after as man/wife and have many more children to follow this one. I mean, that's all we ever really want for our kids - is for them to be safe and happy, right?


SONG OF THE BLOG: "Trying to Love You" by Trisha Yearwood. I love this song for very personal reasons that shall remain that way!

PHOTO OF THE BLOG:

Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin Loaf and ... Grandma?

I just got home from taking care of the horses. It was hot over at the barn today. I had a lot of work to do since we had fallen behind while the oldest and his new gf were visiting. But I took care of business, left the girls munching their goodies and finally got home to an empty, quiet house. Ahhhh.

Stopped at Sbux on my way to the barn and was thrilled to see the Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin loaf on the menu. Guess fall is really on the way - hopefully bringing with it cooler weather. I am so doggone tired of the heat. It wears me down.

The oldest and his gf have been dating since mid June. They told us Sunday afternoon they were going to get an apartment together come Oct 1st. We thought that was pretty quick and told them so. They also share a phone plan. Again we told them we thought that was a pretty bold move for being together such a short a time. Later than same night, before we started a game of Monopoly they told us she is six weeks pregnant. To say the least we were shocked. We really didn't know what to say. I mean, "Congratulations" seems a little...fake, you know? It seems she can't be on BCP's because of clotting. So they normally use condoms, only a few times they didn't. Yeah... So the oldest doesn't see the problem or why we are so concerned. What can you do? Sit back and hope there's not a train wreck. She is due in April.

Other than that, not much else is going on... We are looking now towards Casper, Wyoming for our retirement home. =) There is a ranch being subdivided into 40 acre parcles called the BB Brooks Ranch. Anywhere but here sounds nice...

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Anywhere But Here" by Chris Cagle.

Photo of the blog:

Ready for more lists???

Yep, it's that time again - The Wrider has some things she NEEDS to get off her chest and you all know those come in the form of LISTS!!! Feel free to add your own items as the urge hits you...

Things I'm tired of...
1. Bad drivers. I don't know about you guys but it seems like they let them out on the roads on the same day. I can't just cross paths with one solo bad driver. Oh no, my misery has to last for an entire day.

2. Hearing the same stories over and over... Doesn't anyone do anything new?

3. Hot weather. I don't have to elaborate on this one, do I?

4. New Orleans and their hurricane woes.

5. Election 2008.

6. TBD


Things I'm happy about...

1. The table me and DH made today. (Pic soon to follow.)

2. An unexpected dinner invitation to a friend's house and the chow was friggin amazing!

3. Yarn. =)

4. My health. My family's health.

5. Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path body spray.

6. TBD

The oldest son is in town with his new gf. After spending some time in the OC with his mom they will drive down Sunday and be with us through Tuesday. We have a simple bbq planned on Sunday. The daughter and her bf will join us. Word has it the Monopoly board will be out for a 24 hour game day. Woohoo! Prepare to lose!

I drove to San Clemente today so the daughter could do my hair. It came out amazing as always. I stopped along the beach and took a pic of the ocean. I couldn't resist.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5

PHOTO OF THE BLOG: My transformation to a biker has started. LOL Stop laughing. It's in it's early stage. I'll have it mastered by Christmas...and if not I will probably get my ass beat by some biker chicks.

Back to life, back to reality

Greetings my fellow bloggers! I know, I know - I was MIA - again. Sorry, I know I have a tendency to do that now and then. But you can rest easy for a bit as the Wrider is back! Hope all is well with you and yours. I'll try and catch up with everyone's blogs as soon as humanly possible.

As for me... Well, I have been crocheting my @$$ off! I finished a USMC blanket (no pic available at this time) and here is a pic of the brown and green granny square blanket:

It's not 100% in this pic, but you get the idea.

The Army son is doing GREAT! He loves the Army and says military life suits him! Hooah! (That's Army talk for "Hell yeah!") We are going to see him graduate in SCarolina. Family Day is Sept 25th followed by graduation the 26th. Should be fun!

Oct is when I'll be taking my Rider's Edge course. The DH has promised me a Harley for Christmas. :-) Words escape me.

Added a new blogger to my list of Cool Peeps... Check her out! JamieLynn

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Good Time" by Alan Jackson.

Photo of the Blog: Dolly wearing my hat. Is it just me or does she look like she LIKES wearing this hat? And is pink not her color???

Progress

I have been working as often as time (and the DH) permits on my blanket inventory. I've attached photos of the newer one, which is light blue, lavendar, turquoise and a varigated yarn. The brown/green one is about 60% completed now. Once these two blankets are complete I will be providing the diner owner with the blankets.

Today I had lunch with a good friend, C. We went to Coco's, which was nice, but the service sucked. We had a great chat and caught up on all the horsie/ranch business. We are going to try and get together to do some off-site trail riding. :-)

Got two letters from the Soldier today. Both letters were two pages long and amazingly, not a single word was misspelled. Hmmm, do you suppose this means the whole time he misspelled was intentional as I said it was? Could be... Anyway, he seems to be doing well and excelling. This makes me very proud.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz.

Taking it to the ... diner?

Hey guys! What up? I know, I know... I'm horrible lately at posting. Sorry... Check it out though. You know I gave that granny square blanket to K&J and they LOVED it. Today the DH and I go in there for breakfast and J comes up to me and gives me a big ol' hug for the blanket and then says, "Why don't you make some blankets and bring them in and I'll sell them for you?" Wow! How amazing. So this afternoon I spent time going thru my finished blankets, putting a tag inside each one with the "An Original by Red" on it. I have 5 to take to her. I'm kinda excited about people actually paying money for them. It's kind of neat! =)

I don't know if I mentioned I have started back to the boot camp classes. Yep, Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are my days to torture my poor old body. Man, this morning I felt like I weighed twice as much as I normally do as I found it very difficult to get going. I've been doing this a long time and I know that the second day is often much harder to get through than the first. So I am not beating up on myself too much. It was an asskicker. Between the treadmill work, the ab work and the lunges I am one sore soul.

We did hear from the soldier in boot camp! He called us but for some reason we didn't have our phones so he left us voicemails. He is doing well.. Says it's hard but 'chill'. He was the squad leader and last we heard got promoted to platoon leader in charge of 80 guys. He said he wrote us two letters and we hope to get them soon... Very proud of him. His graduation is September 26th so we are planning that trip to Fort Jackson.

My Harley course starts Aug 21st.. Can't wait for that. Every time I see or hear a Harley I'm like an addict - I can't get enough. LOL I'm trying to talk the DH into taking the course with me. I hope he decides to!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Learning How to Bend" by Gary Allan. Yummy. Love this guy's tats on his hand...

http://www.cmt.com/videos/gary-allan/236313/learning-how-to-bend.jhtml

PHOTO OF THE BLOG: This is my latest project. Green and brown granny. It's about 20% done in this pic....

Busy day

Today was one of those days that make you shout, "I do more before 10am than most people do in a day!" OK, maybe you've never shouted that yourself, but in the military we used to dog out the other branches that way. This morning the DH and I got up and went for a walk. We stopped at Starbucks about 2/3's of the way into our walk for breakfast. After we got home we proceeded to wash two out of three cars, clean all of our horse brushes and clean the driveway with a power washer. Whew!

Still no word from our Army soldier. Hope to get something in the mail this week or at the least a phone call.

Had a very cool thing happen yesterday. The daughter brought her bf (P) to dinner. We had ribs and filet mignon, mashed taters and corn, rolls, brownies and ice cream. It was a great meal. Before dinner we were all just sitting in the living room. I had just put down my latest scrap blanket so it was sitting close by. P asked me about it and Keith pointed to the stack of blankets on the hearth and said, "P, you wanna blanket?" P said he absolutely did. Well, I didn't push the issue - in fact didn't bring it up again. As they were getting ready to leave - some 3 hours later - he went over to the stack and picked one out. He looked at me and asked, "This one OK?" I was thrilled! It was my favorite blanket! I said, "Oh yes!" and he gave me this big ol' hug. On the way home the daughter sent me a text telling me how P had said it was an awesome blanket and that homemade things were the best. Did my heart good! With that thought I'll leave you with pics of my most recent 'planned' granny blanket for K & J who won our favorite diner. I hope to give it to them tomorrow or Wednesday.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Do You Believe Me Now" by Jimmy Wayne. Yeah, it's country and yeah, it's a ballad. I know, I know.... Just give it a listen. I suffer through some of your music!

http://www.cmt.com/videos/jimmy-wayne/232975/do-you-believe-me-now.jhtml

Things I'm tired of...

1. 100+ degree temps.

2. Men always having to be mad at something.

3. No rain in Southern California.

4. Not winning the lottery.

5. Diets that don't work.

6. The radio playing the same crap over and over.

7. Never enough fudge on a McD's sundae.

8. My gray hair.

9. Gas prices, Jesse Jackson and El Torito's taking their twice grilled burrito off the menu.

10. Only 24 hours in a day.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Shiftwork" by Kenny Chesney. I think when you hear it, you'll know why this is my song for the day... I can totally see myself with a cold drink, kicking back in a comfy chair, my toes in the sand and a floppy hat to block the sun's rays from my face. Any takers on joining me?

http://www.cmt.com/videos/kenny-chesney/191900/shiftwork.jhtml

PHOTO OF THE BLOG:

Etsy bitsy scarves & blankets?

I have been checking out the Etsy.com site.. I am going to think long and hard about posting some of my scarves and afghans. I have looked at every scarf currently listed and none of them resemble mine in the least bit. I have enough of an inventory to post at least 5 scarves. Afghans are a different story. I really don't have any in inventory. I am considering doing a military blanket as I didn't see any listed. I might be able to corner the market on that, although they would be special order and take a while to complete.

I thought today was Friday. I can't be disappointed its not since I'm not working and every day is Saturday. I was checking out the want ads and came across an ad that sounds interesting to me. Driver for an automotive store. There are a lot of pros to this type of work. 1) I love to drive. 2) They provide the vehicle. 3) I have an excellent driving record. The pay varies between $12-$15/hr. Not quite what I was making before, but I am no longer interested in that rat race. I'm going to mill this idea around for a bit in my brain housing group.

I am almost finished with the blanket for Kevin & Janice. I will post pics when it's done for you to check out. It has worked up so nicely and fairly quickly. I was never a fan of the granny squares before, but adding my touch to them has made them a little more interesting to me and I enjoy the constant color change. I have so much stashed yarn that this makes the perfect answer to work my way through it. There is a method to my madness.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "I Still Miss You" by Keith Anderson. Back to country.. I love Keith Anderson. He has good song choices and this one brings a tear watching the video. I took the song to mean someone missing an ex, but the video shows more as if someone has died. Changed my whole perspective of the song. You can check it out here:

http://www.cmt.com/videos/keith-anderson/227381/i-still-miss-you.jhtml

PHOTO OF THE BLOG: Keith Anderson ...

Back to reality

Ugh. Feels like a Monday even though it's already Hump Day. Got back from Vegas yesterday around 2ish. Had a great time even though we came back BROKE. That sucks. P&N (the couple we went with) were cool and the rooms at the Rio are amazing. It was a different trip as we ate at buffets all over town (my system needs to recover), hung out in old Vegas (love those $3 blackjack tables) thereby expanding our knowledge of things to do in Vegas. Now its back to reality!

Haven't heard from the youngest son. Hope to get a postcard in the mail with an address for him soon.

Today is our oldest's b-day.. 26. Wow, I still remember when I was 26!

Glad to have the AvMan back with us. We have missed you!!! :-)

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5. Love this song. Every time it comes on my Ipod I crank it up.

Viva Lost Wages

Ten hours and counting... Remember? Our hosts pickup time for our mini vaca to the Rio in Vegas starts at 3:30AM Sunday morning. :-) Never been to the Rio, so looking forward to that.

They have an adult pool called the Saphire Pool. Apparently the women (guests as well as the cocktail waitresses) go topless. Told the DH I wasn't interested in baring the twins for all to grope with their eyes, but he was welcome to check it out. Oh and did I mention that'll cost an extra $100 in my gambling money? :-)

We now have two PCs in our house. We took the older Dell in to a local computer guy who cleaned the drives and reinstalled the original software package. We put it in the downstairs bedroom and with the help of NetGear, it's wireless and rocks. We decided not to move downstairs after all, so just moved the spare bedroom from upstairs to downstairs. It's pretty cool.

Haven't heard anymore from our youngest except for the quick call he made from Atlanta on his way to Fort Jackson. We expect to get something in the mail from him next. Hope he's doing well...

Talk to ya Tuesday when we get back from Vegas! Wish me luck!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale

Some things in life are just too awesome

One of those "things" happens to be Mr. Raul Malo. Last night the DH and I made our way to the Coach House in SJC for his show. We arrived early and stood in line for about 45 minutes. That was unnecessary as we had dinner reservations so our seats were the same if we had arrived at 5 or 8. But the thrill of seeing Raul Malo made me get there early and it was worth it as we got to see/hear him warming up for a sound check. Wow. Anyway, we had dinner, couple of drinks, suffered through the opening band (who shall remain nameless) and then at 9:30 Raul came on stage.

I do not know how to describe this man. To say he is attractive is an understatement. To say he has charisma doesn't do him justice. To say he can play guitar like no other seems to short-change him. To say he can sing seems to be an insult. The man is amazing. I tried very hard to capture some pics for you. We had great seats, but there was a lesbian lovefest/birthday party table in front of us and although the security asks that you don't stand up and block everyone else's view with your mansized body, they did anyway.

Obviously these pics taken with my phone are horrible, but it was the best I could do. He played so well. I kept thinking while listening/watching him play guitar that I wish Birdman could have been there because I know he would have appreciated the talent. Every song he sang I knew by heart. I think the DH was surprised that I knew the words to even the Spanish lyrics, but I'll let you guys in on a little secret if you promise not to tell him. When I was 19 and in college in Mexico City I had a prof named Raul _ . I lost my virginity to Raul that summer. The songs I heard last night are just a sampling of the music I came to know and love. I think my favorite of the night was "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You." I found this clip of the song on YouTube. You can see how much he loves what he does. Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o4dDo2wXbSk

Final pics from VQHA Event

Howdy! Just wanted to share some pics from Sat & Mon... Hope you enjoy them!

This is the Versatility competitors waiting for the cattle to be settled:

Here is one of the competitors coming to a slide stop during her reining portion:

This cowboy is showing his horses' ability to drive his cow in the working cow portion:

This is a cowboy crossing the water obstacle during the trail portion:

Here is a pic of the judges:

This is the pic of the top two finishers. The horse/rider on the right in this pic won the competition.

The saddle was the top prize for the winner:

I thought you might find this interesting.. This is how most of the people/horses roll to the competitions:

They have a raffle to raise money for their association. $5 got you one ticket to win the raffle. The prize was a two year old registered gelding and 3 months free training. If you didn't want the gelding they would give you $1000 instead. I thought I'd buy a ticket and if I won I would take the money. Then I made the mistake of going to see the gelding. Bad idea. Look how friggin cute this guy is!!! He is adorable and extremely friendly and he's also put together really nice. The drawing is on July 20th. I'll be in Vegas. Wouldn't it be a hoot if I got the call I'd won???

Yesterday I said goodbye to my son who left for Army basic. He is actually in San Diego processing and swearing in today. He leaves for South Carolina first thing in the morning.

Tonight is the All Star game. Tomorrow night Raul Malo.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" by U2.