Well.. this post is not my usual sort of post. I want to remind all of you that driving is an everyday occurance. You have a right to drive, but you also have a right to be safe while you are driving. It is your responsibility to make sure you are in safe condition to be driving when you are behind the wheel. This is what we were called out for at 12:30 am Saturday morning. The man driving this truck was tired. He fell asleep behind the wheel of a semi carrying hazardous material. Dry Ice. Very dangerous...
Take a look at these pictures and think of them every single time you get behind the wheel either tired or drunk or just plain in no shape to be driving..
I love you all.. I show you these only to help you understand what type of business I am in and what I see everyday.. It is scary and I hope that none of you ever have to see this or be part of it.. by the way. the driver of this truck survived. He broke his back and is covered in cuts, but he is alive and not paralized.. AMAZING!!

Your Hippie Chick Name Is:

Breeze

Hippie Chick Name Generator

What Your Pizza Reveals

People may tell you that you have a small appetite... but you aren't under eating. You just aren't a pig. You are a very picky pizza eater. Not any pizza will do. You fit in best in the Northeast part of the US. You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods. You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices. You are carefree and friendly. You should consider traveling to Hawaii. The stereotype that best fits you is redneck. Your friends secretly agree.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

Hey all.. I got an update for ya on the ebay tragedy. I am not going to say that this "gal" is a bad person.. I do not know her personally. Frankly.. I really don't think I would want to. But here it is..

I filed the paypal complaint and there have been a couple messages, but nothing major. No apology or anything to make this outfit right. So.. I left another message asking for a partial refund. She sent an email to paypal stating that she feels this should be over because I got the outfit. Apparently "who cares if it sucks, she got something in the mail and that should be good enough".. is her new philosophy. She also stated that she made the outfit to my specifications.. Hmmm...

Here is a quote from one of her emails..


the 37 inches came in because i went 37 plus you still want extra wrap but i never ahd a measurement to go on so i wung it so that you would get your package before christmas...i emailed you a couple times about the measurements with no answer so i had to wing it...

Hmmm.. interesting if you didn't get my measurements, how can you make them to the measurements I sent? LOL Idiot!!

So.. not only did she lie again, but she also escilated the paypal "non receipt" dispute to an all out claim. She has ended communication. Apparently she doesn't want to make this right. I didn't even get the chance to respond to her "I made the outfit perfect and want it closed" email. Hmmm.. see the "perfect" pictures in my other post if you needed a reminder of what "perfect" apparently is.. LOL

So.... I called paypal customer service on the phone.. I was so upset.. Well no.. I wasn't upset. I was mad as heck! Apparently it doesn't matter who files the dispute. Either one of you can escilate it to a claim.. No matter.. Seems to me she bit her own hand.. She sadly misrepresented the outfit, left it unfinished, and mailed it only after the dispute was filed. TO LATE!!! I have dealt with paypal enough to know that she is going to have to eat some crow. Either refund and take the outfit back, or make it right. You cannot just sell a piece of uncompleted fabric and call it an outfit and think you can honestly get away with it. As a buyer, i made sure it was a buyer protection item. If the buyer isn't happy, the seller has to make it right.

I can't go into to much detail since I know she (the seller) reads my blog. I didn't realize we had a mutual friend on one of the yahoo groups I belong to. Well.. this friend has informed me that this isn't the first time she has done something like this. Nice.. The last time she got away with it. but.. I hope she doesn't this time. Seems to me it is time to take the licks..

On another note.................................. I GOT A HAIR CUT TODAY!!!!!!!

They took off about 5 inches.. Holy Crap is that alot of hair.. LOL But it is so cute.. I really do like it. Took off about 5 years. Now if my body would conform to my wishes and help out, I would be happy.. LOL another 30 pounds and I would be in heaven.. Course another 40 and I would be close to what i was at graduation from high school.. LOL Like that will happen.. But it is my dream world and I can see it how I want to.. LOL

Okay. It is way to late.. I am getting a headache from to much coffee and I really need to get to bed.. Long day tomorrow and I really should get at least 5 hours of sleep. Snap.. gotta get the laundry switched around too or I will be going all day with no britches on.. LOL Guess I better switch that laundry around.. LOL

Night!!

Look what I made yesterday.. YEAH!!! I couldn't resist buying the instructions for these braided headbands. I got the instructions on ebay. They are sooo simple to make. I am not sure I like the underside. The ribbon is just laid over it and overlapped on the topside. I think I will wrap the blank headband on the next one.

I got a whole crapload of ribbon from a neighbor who doesn't craft anymore. She was cleaning out her craft room. Lots more stuff to come. They are turning this house into a "summer home" and moving south. So.. everything has to go. Lucky me she was a HUGE crafter.. I think she dabbled in everything.. LOL

So is anyone else desperate for school to start? I love my girls, but sheesh.. I really cannot wait til the first day of school. They are completely bored. Nothing else to do other than the little ones getting to Wisconsin Dells. Think we are going to skip it this year. The older 2 have already gone. Macky goes to the Best Western, Super 8 and the Country Inn to go swimming, so the Dells aren't really a big deal.. LOL Katie of course is to little to even care. She hates water anyway.

Paul has been super busy at the office. Dump Trucks seem to be needing repair this time of year. Word of advice to you if you own dump trucks. Power wash the under carriage of your trucks. Get all that gunk, dirt and yuck out of there. All hte grease zerks and such get filled up. Not pretty. And to top it off, all that crap eats the stuffing out of the frame and everything else under there. Proper maintanence will save you money in the end. Just ask the fellow that lost his driveshaft on the interstate. $4900.00 later his is wishing he had taken better care of his stuff.. LOL this includes cars, trucks.. whatever. Make sure if you are in the dirt or gunk that you are properly cleaning the undercarriage of your vehilces.
Okay.. enough of that work talk.. LOL

I am off to watch a movie. Sunday and I am so horribly tired all I want to do is lay here and do NOTHING!!!

Soooooooooooo........... before I tell you about my crappy ebay experience, here is what I accomplished today.. i made some key fobs for DH's business. P.E.R. Towing & Recovery. Aren't they cute!! I made them with nylon belting instead of cotton cause I couldn't find any. I needed them to be 1.5 inch, but could only find 1 inch. BUMMER... But they still turned out okay..




I gotta tell you.. I have lost alot of faith in my ability to choose decent people to buy things from.. I really gotta start being more choosy..Libby totally rock!! So far she has been the only one to actually get my custom orders to me in a reasonably fast time.. And she is ready to burst with pregnancy.. Go figure.. LOL

I ordered an outfit on ebay. I sent the payment which turned out to be an echeck since I forgot to update my credit card thru paypal when my back got taken over by a new bank. Took 9 or so days to clear, but I paid it. I sent the measurements a total of 3 times and this woman claims she never received them. So she adlibbed and made the waist at 37 inches. Told me she added a buttonhole to it. Left it unhemmed. okay.. unhemmed.. no problem. I can zip that up in no time..

I emailed her to ask where it was, and she emailed me asking how we liked it. I emailed her back to tell her that we never received it. She told me she mailed it 2 days after my echeck "finally" cleared the bank. That would have put the mailing on the 12th or so of July. She still claimed she mailed it.

I filed a complaint thru paypal since I could see a problem. Went to the post office and asked them about what I could do to track the package. They said to get a copy of the receipt and they would see if they could find it in the lost or damaged boxes at each post office between here and there. I requested a copy with no response. This was on the 26th. As of today, I still have not received a response. However, she stated to paypal that she did mail it "awhile ago" and that somehow I never sent her any emails since they weren't recorded with ebay. Funny thing about email is you can keep a copy in your sent folders with read receipts. She sent me one read receipt for one of the emails with the measurements.. LOL But she of course never received it.

Anyway.. I got a call from the post office today. They had a package I needed to pick up because my driver was gone before it got there. Nice to know people in the PO. Anyway.. guess what arrived???? Yep the package. Postmarked the 27th of July.. Hmmm.. I thought it was mailed out around the 12th?? I filed my complaint with paypal on the 24th. How can you say you mailed it to paypal and then have the balls to mail it 3 days after you are threatened with having to give a refund..

Okay.. so anyway.. I left the post office and opened the package while driving. Stupid.. I know.. The first thing I saw was the falling apart embroidery lightening bolt on the bodice of the apron top. I was so pissed. I slammed the skirt onto my lap and a stick pin jabbed 1 inch into my upper thigh.. OUCH!!!! I was wearing brnd new khaki pants. Bled like a stuck pig.. It was awful.. Who the hell leaves stick pins in clothing they send thru the mail????????? Okay.. I throw the whole thing into the passenger seat and proceed to the office. I got to the office and took the outfit into the shop with me. I start looking it over..

The apron top...
The lightening bolt design is literally falling out. Here is a picture of the apron top front.

Now.. here is a picture of the backside.. Nice huh!! Notice the tear away stabilizer is still on it..

Okay. So next up is the ties. You are gonna love this.. One is knotted with a bead on it and the other is not. What??


Okay.. so the patchwork on it is incredible. I do love that. It is also made nice and strong and each block is serged. Can't complain about that.. LOL And the turtle applique is super neat. i do love that. Hence the reason I bought it.. LOL

Now for the wrap skirt...
Here is a picture of the killer needle and unfinished side hem and bottom hem that is totally uneven. It hangs down on one side at least 2 inches longer than the patchwork side... Why on earth would you send this to someone who paid for a finished item?

Now another. now this one is hard to see, but it is the top of the unfinished side. Thing about this is that the tie that goes around the waist is already sewn on. How do you hem it without having to remove that tie?? Again notice that hte tear away stabilizer was not removed and the thread was not trimmed..

Now here is the applique on the wrap skirt. It is to die for. Left untrimmed.. on top of everything else wrong, it is mildly irritating..


Okay.. So there you have it. Some of the things really aren't that bad and I wouldn't have even mentioned them, however, when you add the whole package up.. I am soooo pissed off..

Lied to about receiving my emails, lied to about mailing it, and intentionally trying to make it look like it is MY fault??? ARG!!!! Double Freaking ARG!!!!!

I understand some people just don't have common sense, but crap.. do they not have a brain either??? This gal does shit work for clothing and needs alot of help learning to use her embroidery machine, but she could make a killing selling patchwork fabric.. LOL

Did I mention that the patchwork was super great? It really is.. And that is the ONLY reason I am willing to fix her mistakes. Somehow.. Oh yeah.. wouldn't that lotus applique look great as a tatoo.. One thing comes to mind.. "tramp stamp" LOL

Okay.. so here is a picture of the red and white bag finished without the handles..

Recycled "Plastic Bag" Bag Pattern

this pattern assumes you have pre cut, connected and rolled "plastic bag" yarn.

With I hook
Foundation row: Chain 15.
Round 1: sc in second chain from hook and in each chain across to 2nd chain.
3 sc in first chain and sc in each ch on foundation row. 2 sc in last chain. slip stitch to beginning sc.
chain 1.
Round 2: SC in each sc around except the middle sc in the( 3 sc clump) on the ends. 3 sc need to be put there. This will increase your bottom while allowing it to remain slightly flat. slilp stitch to first sc. chain 1
Round 3, 4 and 5: repeat round 2
Round 6: Working in front loops only this round.. Sc in each front loop of each sc around. No increases. This makes the bag take shape. No need to slip stitch to first sc.. Just mark your rows..
Round 7 thru 22: In both loops sc in each sc around.
You can make this as tall as you like...
End round: Slip stitch around and tie off.

Lay your bag flat.. Mark off the end 5 stitches on each side. You will be crocheting into these 10 stitches only.. the rest will be skipped..

Handles..
Round 1: Attach your "yarn" to the first sc in one of your marked 5 sc's. sc in those 5, chain 50, sc in next 5 marked sc's, chain 50 and attatch to first sc.
Round 2: Sc in first 5 stitches, ss in next 50 ch's, 5 sc, ss in next 50 ch's.
Round 3 and 4: SC in each stitch around both loops.
At end of round 4 finish off. Test your bag out and see how it works for you.

Feel free to adjust the pattern in any way you choose. This is just meant as a guidline..

YEAH!!!! Guess what.. I got all the taxes paid. Ontime.. Again.. My track record for keeping up is amazing even myself.. LOL!! The IRS and the Wis. Dept of Rev. is probably shittin' bricks at my ontime rarity.. LOL

Got a package of bags in the mail yesterday and another today.. YEAH!!! More to cut up. I lost my darn Q hook.. Gotta go get a new one if it doesn't turn up soon.

I also got the offer of a trade for longies. Just put in an order for some good quality wool. Nice earthy colors.. Love it.. SH is not real impressed at my stash.. But.. What the heck. I paid the taxes ontime didn't I.. LOL

Chalyn.. Thank you for the bags.. I have a check ready to send out tomorrow for the shipping.. W. Threlkeld... I cannot make out the address to send your check to.. Could you drop me a line..

I have also just got my new website up and running. Still working on it a bit, but it is up.. Bare bones, but hey.. I paid the taxes on time right!!
You can visit it at http::www.unicornspride.com

I got Pauls websites up and running too..
http://www.pertowingandrecovery.com
http://www.pertowing.com

Still works in progress, but cool nonetheless..

I am off to cut up bags since I can't crochet them until I get that hook found.. Dogs probably took it..

Oh.. forgot to telll you all a funny story... We grilled out chicken and corn on the cob the other night.. I woke up yesterday morning to a bed full of chewed up corn cobs.. LOL Yep.. dogs got into the garbage. Ate all the chicken bones and drug the rest of the crap into my bed.. YUCK!! Looking back on it, it is pretty funny.. Gross.. but funny..

Hi all,
I have updated the list of names that have donated bags to me. There are a bunch more and I would love to give you acknowledgement, but not sure hwo you are.. LOL No names on the boxes.
Thank you to all those who have graciously donated bags to me. I have mailed out a total of 33 checks to date for postage. All have received but one (2 checks send and not received as of yet.. Not sure the problem, but working to fix this). If you have not receive your postage check, please let me know so I can get it to you.
I have been cutting bags all morning. At this time I have enough for a while. You are welcome to continue sending bags, but the bank for funds is dry.. LOL So, if you require shipping reimbursement, please check with me as to the fund status. I am thinking of selling a couple bags to make money for the recycle fund. That way I can pay shipping for more bags.. LOL
Anyway.. I am off to get some yard work done. Gotta get theweeds pulled in the tomato patch before I overgrow again.. LOL Everything is coming nicely except my acorn squash and the watermelon. Not sure why they aren't growing, but I will have to give them some special attention.
off I go..

So.. how many of you stodd in line at midnight to get your copy of Harry Potter Deathly Hallows?

Yeah.. me too. LOL Got into a nasty verbal with an arse that thought it would be fun to pick on a group of 16/17 year old girls. Had one of them crying and it really pi**ed me off. I had the girls go in line in front of me. The guy was a jerk and kept spouting off. I of course lost my temper and insulted him horribly. It is a no wonder the arse was buying Stoufers for one.. LOL

But.. My faithful self made it home with my treasured book. I started reading it at 12:30am and at around 5am I must have dozed off at the table.. LOL I remember resting my head on the table to give my eyes a break and the next thing I knew it was 7:30am and I was just about to fall off my chair.. Decided it was bed time.. LOL Woke up at 9am and started reading again at 10am or so.. Lots of phone calls through the day.. I didn't want to be rude, but I really had to keep reading htat darn book.. Just plain had to.. I ended up turning my phones off so I wasn't interrupted. Unfortunately, I had to take some calls. I will just plead my case to those who I didn't pick up for. LOL Priorities you know.. LOL As you can see.. I am on the computer so that means.. You got it.. I finished the book already.. LOL

It was FANTASTIC!!! JK Rowling did a superb job on this series.. I honeslty did not put it down unless I absolutely had to.. Gripping and without spoiling it for anyone, i did predict alot of things. Like who would die, who wouldn't die, what hte horcuruxs were. Things like that. I didn't hit everything right on, but.. Close. And the back story was incredible.. Just like I predicted. You will be amazed at the book when you get to it if you choose to read it.

I also got a great package in the mail from my dear pal Libby. She made me 6 custom apron tops.. They are FANTASTIC!!! I love them all soooo much. And to top it off, they fit the sisters really well.. I will be wearing my favorite one tomorrow. Covers the giggly belly really well. LOL Not that I have a huge giggly belly, but it sure as heck isn't nice and flat like it is when I am dreaming.. LOL

I also got another box of bags.. I love it.. I will be starting another one tomorrow after I get the handles on my red and white one. Will have to make those all white.. Ran out of the red.. LOL Will post pictures when it is done..

I am off to bed now. I am really tired and just can't figure out why.. LOL You would think I was up all night reading or something.. snickering here.. LOL

As promised.. here is a picture of my newest recycled plastic bag Bag.. You can see my wound ball of yarn. I am using a Q hook. I am hoping to have enough to finish it with handles. How neat would that be..

Well.. I am off to read a spoiler epilogue for the last Harry Potter book.. Yeah.. Only a couple more days..

I am a plastic bag cutting Mama.. LOL I think I have cut at least 5 thousand or more bags and tied them into yarn balls.. Sheesh.. it is alot of work. I just started another bag. This one I used white bags with red lettering. Really neat.. I love it. I think this will have to be my bag for sure. I am going to make big thick handles. I will be able to carry a ton of stuff in it. Thinking it will be my project bag. Well.. small project bag. I will post pictures of it in progress tomorrow. I don't have alot of "yarn" in this color, but should be able to get a pretty decent size bag out of what I do have. Handles will probably be solid white though. Just not enough to do it all. Unless of course I decide to just set it aside until I get more.. Might do that too.. Just not sure until I see how big it is when I run out.

I am off to bed now. Gotta get the kiddo up for summer school. Big German breakfast for German class in the morning. She is pretty excited about it. Should be fun.. I do have to confess that this is supposed to be summer vacation. No early mornings.. LOL Yeah right. Thankfully it is over on the 22nd. Good thing too. Since the new Harry Potter book comes out soon. I will need that day to hibernate to read it without interruption.. LOL

Night all!

WOw!! It has been a very busy couple weeks.. LOL I have gotten tons of stuff accomplished.

I got another box of bags a few days ago. Thank you for them. Not sure who they came from, but somewhere in Florida. I got a great amount of brown bags in this group. YEAH!! Don't have those around here.. LOL If anyone has any colored bags, I would be greatful for those..

Okay, so now I really have to confess. I am in love with crocheting bags.. LOL It is almost an obsession. Recycling feels really good. Especially when you can actually make something usable out of it. Not just something that will get thrown away after a few days..LOL I am hoping to get into painting jars or something, but I really suck at painting..

I am looking for an artist to draw me a business logo. I really do suck at drawing as well.. If you are an artist, please holler at me.. I could really use your help in designing one..

My friend Libby just made me 6 new tops.. I am sooooo excited to get them. I cannot wait for you all to see them. I promise to post pictures. They are just the most adorable.. LOL One is Tinkerbell.. Fantastic it is gonna be. Now I just need a new pair of pettipants.. Belled legs.. Will look fantastic with my new tops. Just gotta get up the ambition to get them cut out and made.. LOL

I have been going thru all my soap and candle molds. I really need to downsize. I just don't use most of them, so they gotta go. Make room for what I do use. Maybe a few more.. LOL Seriously. I really have to get stuff cleared out. My shop isn't big enough and I want to get it all out of the house and into my shop.. So I really do not have a choice.

Time to get crocheting. I am hosting a crochet a long. Gotta get mine done.. LOL

Happy Day to all..

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to the first 2 ladies who have sent me bags.. S Reed and Jeanette. Thank you so much! I have a ton of bags to work with now. I will be dropping money in the mail for shipping on Monday. I really do appreciate it tremendously.. I have the kids sorting htem into color coordinations. I am sure I have enough for at least 5 more bags. YEAH!!!

Now.. I have a little personal info for you.. I have decided that my eldest 2 daughters no longer get to ride bicycles anymore.. LOL We just bought them each a new bike.. In the parking lot of the store, my daughters decided to ride them to the car. Eldest took a digger right over the handle bars and bruised up her leg horribly. It was really quite nasty. This was just a week or so ago.

2 days ago. My second eldest decided to go for a bike ride with eldest and her friend. So.. Dispite the fact that Poppy told them not to ride the old bike, she hopped on it and away they went. Eldest comes home in a panic and got the car. They arrive back home in an explosion of loud cries. Second eldest took a digger over the handle bars and has cuts on her foot, hide is scrapped off her hand and a HUGE bruise on her pelvic bone. Nasty.. so.. I call Poppy and have hime come over. He is the ER one in the family.. LOL Everything gets taken care of along with a lecture on how we do not tell them to stay off things just for the fun of it.. LOL We tell them things to keep them safe and injury free.. Here comes the big "Now do you see why we told you that bike was not safe??"

All is good today though. Other than the normal bickering between siblings.. LOL!! Gotta love that. So.. I am off now to get bags sorted and start cutting them into strips. Kids are doing a great job at sorting..

Okay, so yesterday was absolutely miserable. A tiny little bug decided to visit me early Sunday morning about 2ish am. Yeah.. really sucked. DH took the kids to the office with him for most of the day. And frankly.. I do not remember much of Sunday at all. Other than the trips to the bathroom. My stomach muscles are shot and I hurt in places I didn't know could hurt.. LOL

But.. The good news is I got a picture of the bag I made out of cut up WalMart bags. Notice the black speckles.. Kinda cool.. Let me know what you think..

And if you are wanting to donate bags, just give me a shout. I would love to take them off your hands. Makes no difference in color, size etc. I find that I can get different colored ones from the newspaper. The cute little ones the paper comes in.. Love em..

Hugs all, I am off to rest my aching self.. LOL With a little Vin Diesel on the screen..

Okay.. so I know I am slacking in the blog area.. LOL Time just keeps getting away from me. I just started a new apron top.. Way to cute.. I just gotta get a sewing dress form. I can't model and take pictures you know.. LOL

I finally treated myself to a new purchase for all the hard work I am putting in at the office.. A 50 inch tv.. yep.. blew a crapload of money on something I never have time to watch.. Course, it is a great excuse to be sick and have to stay home from work right?? LOL I would never do that.. not me.. I love working my arse off.. NOT HARDLY!!!

On a different note.. (attention deficit taking over).. My lawn is really coming up now.. I will have to get some new picture up to show you.. WOW!! that contractors grass grows like crazy. I am mowing the lawn every 4 days it seems.. And it is the brightest green.. Not like the rest of it.. I figure I iwll have to get more of it and see if I can't blend it in.. LOL I currently have meduim and light green in patchy spots, but at least it isn't dirt anymore.. LOL Nice and soft and you can even walk on it without rocks killing your toes.. LOL

Another change of subject.. (I should really get some medicine for this attention problem I am having tonight.LOL) I DJ'ed at McCoys on Thursday night.. What a blast.. There were troops from everywhere.. I just couldn't believe how many people were there. Baby Nick got lost.. LOL His Sgt. called Paul and told him that they couldn't find Nick. LOL Baby got drunk and went out with a lady friend is my guess. He says he doesn't remember, but we know he just doesn't want to admit it.. LOL I will definately be holding that over his head for a while. I know I probably shouldn't, but who the heck can resist.. LOL I am grinning horribly at the thought of teasing him come Monday morning.. LOL

Well.. it is after midnight and I am soo tired. Guess I am going to pour myself into bed. Here is hoping I get a really awesome dream tonight.. I don't think I can stand another boring one..

Night all my lovely friends.. Love you all!!

Wanted... PLASTIC BAGS!!!

Hey all.. I am on to another great project. It only took me 55 plastic walmart bags.. LOL But.. I crocheted it into a delightful bag. I haven't taken pictures of it yet, but... I will do that tomorrow.. So.. If you have any grocery bags, newspaper bags, or any other plastic bags that you just throw away.. Email me.. I would gladly take them off your hands. All I really have access to are the white and black ones, so colored ones would be cool to have.. unicornspride@centurytel.net is my personal email address..

It is amazing what you can create when you set your mind to it.. I am off to bed now that I just finished this bag. Wish I had taken pictures of the other ones before they were hocked.. LOL Night..

Remember that little accident I told you about a week ago? WEll.. here is the picture.. Nice isn't it. While it may not seem to bad, the estimated damage to redo it is almost $1300.00 Guess I will live with it.. LOL


Yeppers. Another storm. I snapped this picture. It is just about over our shop and office. Sure hope the boys battened down the hatches.. LOL Knew I should have built an ARK instead of those damn shelves.. LOL

Time to shut everything down for hte night. Looks like it is gonna get real ugly tonight. So much for 40% chance of light rain.. LOL
Night all

Here are some pictures of the beautiful day we had today. Aren't these clouds just gorgeous!



So.. Here are some of the storm moving in. It is really starting to get ugly out now. So far we still have electricity on my side of town. It has gone out 2 times jut across town. The lightening is fantastic! The thunder is so deep it just rattles your chest. I really love this kind of weather.


And here is a picture of the boys with a flipped car. Thankfully this is not an accident car. Just a practice car. Nick is on top of the car in all black. Kevin is the one with the white shirt. Paul (DH) is the one in the brown pants. We flipped this car, and let the boys practice flipping it upright. They did alot better than I expected. Quicker too.

Today is a beautiful day.. Sunny.. not really hot... YET! Brittnis boyfriend is here for the day. Nice kid. He is quiet. Kinda nice since Brittni is on the louder side of the spectrum.. LOL I suspect he is quiet since it is his first time meeting me.
Lucky boy gets to try and pass the "step father" test.. LOL That should be fun to watch..
My yard is finally getting green. I pulled out so many weeds. Replanted grass seed since the rain washed alot of it away. I watched it float down the road.. LOL Someone is gonna have fun when it sprouts where ever it ended up..

My wonderful neighbor and I got into a bit of a tiff.. Rotten arse decided to put all his tree cuttings and pulled up shrubs in MY yard. When I asked him to get it out of my yard he had the balls to say.. "that is wehre I always put it". Nice huh! I said "well I am going to be a bitch and tell you to trash your own yard and leave mine alone". Course he then told me that since mine looked like shit anyway what difference did it make.. That really pissed me off. Hello buddy!!! I am in the middle of reconstruction on my yard. Landscaping from hell and he has teh balls to be a jerk like that.. Well.. I woke up the next morning to a full bag of garbage in my backyard. What an ass. I of course got into a mood. I figured it must have been an accident and returned it all to them. Course the knot on the garbage bag ripped open mid toss into their backyard and it all ended up in their pool.. Needless to say.. We haven't had any more trouble with them in that respect.

Now.. I am in the process of planning out my yard still. I really want to become a bit more sufficient. We are thinking about solar panels. That would be really nice, but pretty darn costly. I am going to build some raised bed gardens. I have my herbs and everything in pots, but that isn't really working for me anymore. I really want to have more of a English garden look. Without taking away from playroom for the kids. If I have them raised, the kids will not "accidentally" crush them.. LOL
Watch this.. it is really neat.

Well.. the remainder of the day went by with no real other incident. Oh...unless you call my darling newly licensed daughter getting into an accident with my van.. Oh yeah.. I could have died when she came in and told me she hit the service truck with my van as she was backing out..

Here is the story. She went to the store for me and when she came back, she parked really close to the service van. Asked if she could re-park my van. I said sure. No biggie right?? About 10 minutes later she came in and told her step dad that she was backing out and hit his service van. She was so busy looking for oncoming traffic that she didn't pay attention to where the front of the van was and turned the wheel right into the service van. Hence.. black paint on my nice gold minivan. SIGH!!! It should come off no problem, but... being that it is my only vehicle, I am not overly impressed. Not mad... Just not impressed.. I will take a picture tomorrow. It really isn't that bad. But does stick out like a sore thumb...

I am extremely tired. Almost to the point of not being able to sleep. I have had a headache for 2 days and is almost bordering a migraine. I may end up going in tomorrow for a healthy shot in the butt. Maybe I will get something good and it will knock this bugger out of me.. Who knows..

Well.. it is again that time of the night for me to say sleep tight to all of you. I am off to bed. Hugs

I finally got around to finding the disc with all my pictures on it. Since I have time to blow today, I figured I might share some of my past creations..

Here is cherry bear. Isn't she cute. Made with cotton thread. Gotta love it.. Way to tiny and chances are I will never make another tiny bugger like this again. Not sure why the picture is showing a yellowing. Must be from the flash or something..

Okay, so I know he is really ugly.. But.. he was almost finished when my pup decided to have a snack. Gross... But.. I will recreate him one day.. LOL

I have dubbed this beauty Ginny. I made the outfit and the scarf. But not the cloak. I think I will get her patch on soon. Been long overdue. Now to get a Harry, Hermoine, and Ro. I have the dolls already, but need to find time to do facial touch ups. The costumes are almost finished, but still alot of work left.

So.. enough pictures for today. I went to the DMV to plate our new semi. That was fun.. NOT!! I am not sure how people become so mean, but the lady that waited on my was a real PITA! Rude and horrible actually. She really needs to get laid or something.. LOL

Well. It is time for me to get busy. Will update later if I get a chance..

Aren't they cute.. I just had to share. What a great framed picture this would be in my polkadot bedroom...

WOW!! Saturday morning and I am up soooo early. "Why?" you may ask?????????? Well.... my darling Courtney had a "lock-in" at school and had to be picked up by 7am. Way to punish the parents. LOL The kids had a miserable time. Nobody would listen and work together. Had a teacher crying cause the kids were out of control. Not that just sounds like they needed a MOM there.. LOL I would have had them towing the mark in about 2 seconds and everyone would have been standing in timeout... :) yeah right... Sounded good though didn't it..

I designed my new business cards last night. They are kind of generic. Nothing spectacular, but really cute. I love them. Kind of retro without being to retro. Anyway.. I do need to get things moving a bit faster. My website is just sitting there waiting to be finished and uploaded to the net. I will be working on that today. I did find lots of great graphics, but I don't want to make it to wild either..

Okay.. this is just to funny.. Not my way of thinking, but hey.. whatever works for ya...
I am off to get the lawn watered. Now that I have grass popping up, I want to keep it. Darn birds keep eating my seeds, so I have to get another bag to do some touch up work, but it is coming along nicely.. Will update with pictures tomorrow.
Hugs

Oofta.. I am sooo tired. I am catching a horrible cold. This weather changing crap is for the birds. A nice even 75 degrees and sunny would be great. Or a warm nasty thunderstorm would be nice. But this cold crap is just not right. Warm one day and cold the next. My poor nose is so completely sore from blowing, runny, blowing, runny...I just don't think it will last another day. Might just fall off you know.. LOL My eyes are swollen, red and itchy.. And to top it off, I have a headache from hell. What a wreck!!

On the good front.. my grass is growing... LOL They green shaggy stuff you have to mow in your yard you sillies... Not the grass you smoke.. LOL I pulled out tons of weeds and dandilions.. What a chore that was.. But.. next couple weeks should bring a nice carpet of soft new grass.. I can't wait.. then it will be time to get the walkway dock built, the deck stained, and the french doors put in.. I have a gal coming Saturday to help me with the garden plans. That is going to be great. I want to get my herbs growing in the ground instead of the pots they are in. They really want to be in the ground.. I also have to get bricks brought in for my retaining wall. I may just scrap that for this year, but it would be nice to have it done by the end of next month.. LOL

Kids are good. A bit of teenage drama happening, but Mama is on it.. LOL I did get a rasta scarf made. Well.. almost made. It just needs the border and it will be set. I crocheted it while I was watching... shoot.. Stomping the yard or something like that.. It was excellent... I really liked it. Will have to get to work tomorrow though.. I didn't do a thing today..

Wow.. it is late. gotta get to bed. Need that sleep you know..

Okay.. so I may ahve been a bit off this morning on my deduction regarding the grass. Guess I was a bit over-sensitive.. LOL So, there is more green, but actually calling it grass would be a bit overboard. I have plenty of dandelions and weeds. Some small grass seedlings.. I will have to go out and pull up most of those yellow nasties that I just hate.. I will wait til the ground dries up a bit more. Maybe tomorrow.
We are in for storms tonight they say.. However, the weather channel keeps changing the forecast. Just can't keep up with it. Here are updated pictures of the backyard. see.. there is more green.. LOL




I managed to get a braided scarf done. I got an order today for one in rasta colors. Will probably work on that later tonight while catching up on some well deserved television watching.. In other words.. I just feel like veggin out..

So.. here is my newest vent.. I created a myspace account. http://www.myspace.com/eviloneforyou
It really is pretty darn neat. Mostly for friends and family, but a couple other people that I know of.. Anyway.. Here it comes.. LOL.. Most of my friends are like me.. Same likes and dislikes.. Except one.. she is more of a friend by acquaintance. I like her alot, but she isn't someone I would invite with me when I am out with my other friends. Not to be mean, but because she doesn't have the same interests and really would not fit in very well.. Anyhow.. She is trying to fit in and it is appreciated, however, when she invited all my friends to her myspace, I was a bit offended. I applaud her for trying, but she has taken it to the extreme. She makes comments about things that I have told her in confidence. Sly comments.. It is driving me crazy. She is talking to them like she has known them for years. A few have commented to me about it. It makes them uncomfortable. I am beginning to wonder if she has ever kept anything private. I certainly will not tell her anything ever again. Especially when I don't want it known to... EVERYONE!!
So anyway.. I am not sure how I am going to handle it, but will have to figure something out. Okay.. I am off the vent wagon.. Life is grand.. Kids made me kabobs for supper.. They were FANTASTIC!! And I got tons of flowers and this really kick ass picture frame for my sorely lacking walls.. LOL No diamonds or pearls or anything sparkly.. But.. I did get to have all my kids and that is the most important part..
I am off now.. time to veg...

Okay.. 10 days ago we did our lawn.. Still no friggin grass!! Now.. I would have expected to see something growing.. But NOTHING!!! Not some much as a single sprout.. Yea.. I went and stuck my nose to the ground and searched the entire yard for one single sprout.. And did I mention I am tired of watering hte shit! Every morning at 7am and every evening at 8pm. It is really getting old.. LOL But.. good news is I got to skip the morning watering today. It rained.. YEAH!!! Not alot, but enough that I didn't have to water it myself.. LOL Water bill is gonna be a bummer...

So..whatcha all onto today? I am fixin to go to the shop and transfer all my files andsuch from the old computer to a portable hard drive. That way I can access it from my laptop without having to load it down. I am giving one desktop to Brittni. The other desktop that I am unloading is going into the livingroom to be turned into a gaming computer for the other kids. I will mainly use the laptop. That way I can sit in bed, watch tv and browse the net.. LOL Basically be a bum..

Well.. I am outta here. Take a shower and at least present myself as human. LOL

Here we are. Friday night. Yep.. sitting at home being bored and a bum.. Had a pretty hectic day, but not so bad. Now.. I have discovered that I am now a total redneck.. Why you might ask. Well.. Every single person on the street has nice lucious green grass growning. Beautiful flowers blooming and superb lawn decorations.. What does this have to do with me being a redneck.. LOL Look at the following pictures and tell me what you think..LOL






so really.. I am actually doing some landscaping. The creeping charlie is out of control. The yard was filled with gravel due to my yard being the waterway. And to top it off, the holes were incredible since my pooch can't seem to restrain himself. LOL I can't wait until it is finished. It is going to be wonderful being able to walk on actual grass instead of weeds..

So.. Whatcha all up to tonight? I figure I am going to curl up in bed and watch a movie and hope that one of my low-life friends (who all have things to do tonight without me)gives me a call. No.. not sour.. Just mildly annoyed.. LOL
Hugs

So.. I now have a myspace.. I love it.. LOL We are having a good time with it. Not to mention that I can keep track of the kids that way. They have them too. Without my permission and behind my back.. Little shits!

Paul got crushed by the tailgate of a dump truck the other day. Thankfully it got his hips instead of his head.. Insurance isn't paid up.. LOL Just kidding.. He really did get hurt. His hips are funny looking. Like one is more out front than the other. Bet it shifted them. I keep telling him he needs to get a second opinion. The xrays only showed that the bones weren't broke. He is getting around a bit better, but bruised and slow going.

Brittni is now hounding to use the car all the time. I am having a hard time letting go of the "my little girl" thing.. Sheesh.. Oh yeah... She met a boy at the races and they are now "dating".. LOL He is a cutie and in a band. She is going to see them play on Wednesday. Not sure what kind of trouble they will get into.

Courtney is hitting softball hard this year. They are doing really well. That girl can smack the ball hard and far. She really has a powerful swing.. Makes a mom proud!

Macky has been sick. High to med fever with no real reason behind it. They tested for Lymes.. Waiting on the results now.

Katie.. Well.. She is just a pain in the butt 5 year old.. LOL Getting into her own little personality and taking after the smart mouth of Courtney. She has been taught well.. LOL

Me.. I have just been floating around being me..

Now, I did have some excitement here yesterday.. GROANING!!! I did not know that Paul had ordered a load of dirt for the yard and to my surprise it showed up yesterday morning right after I got out of the shower..

Here is the scene.. I am soaked and bare running thru the house chasing the dog who took my towel.. Curtains open wide letting in the superb morning sunlight. I hear a noise, stand straight up and look out the window only to see the dump truck and the guy driving standing there.. Not cool!!! I almost died of embarrasment. How horrible was that!! Let me tell you.. Have you ever seen a smile on a person that just hollered out.. I JUST SAW YOU NAKED AND WET!!!LOL Well.. That was the smile I received..

Needless to say.. I ran for the bedroom and hid until he left.. LOL

Keep smiling.. Life holds many surprises for us each day!

So today was pretty mellow. Gorgeous, sunny and warm. Baby Nick came over and mowed my lawn while I sat on the deck drinking a soda watching him.. LOL

Can life get better than that.. Why yes.. yes it can.. snickering...

My neighbor who happens to be in the military had his entire unit at his house today getting his pool and yard ready for summer.. Let me just say ladies.. Oh YEAH!!!! Life just cannot get better than over 25 guys in shorts, no shirts and totally in shape walking around outsite while you are sitting there lounging.. LOL What a beautiful sight that was!! Best part was when they started singing Akon "Smack that.." It was so funny I could not resist laughing, which in turn made them all show off like school boys.. LOL

What a beautiful day!!

I also went shopping today. I found some great tops on sale at Wal-Mart. Gosh I really hate shopping there. But, they were only $4.00 so I grabbed them. Cute. If they don't fit, the girls will love them. Course I grabbed up some under clothing too.

On the topic of under clothing, I have to ask.. Have you ever noticed how everything is all padded these days? Now I ask you.. Who the hell in their right mind who wears a 44DD wants or needs a padded bra? I don't get it. They aren't big enough already that you have to have padding? I really do not get it.. I am a 38D ( more info than you needed right...) and I just cannot imagine wearing a padded bra. Mine are HUGE already without adding more to it. Guess I am destined to be confused.. LOL

So, now that we have that covered.. How was your day? I hope you were one of us that got to enjoy a bright sunny day.

Off to bed I go. Gotta call Baby Nick at 5:30 to take a Bander back to Northern Engraving by 6:00. So, if I have to get up that early, I am going to bed.. LOL
Hugs

I just wanted to share this will all my Harry Potter loving friends.
This could really be a great project. I am hoping to find the time to help out. Not sure if I will, but the thought is there anyway.

Is this not adorable! I really must find the pattern for it. I do remember that the back is shirred. Really neat. I am not much big on the really open back apron tops or halters (got some love handles to take care of) but this one is just to cute.

So.. today was really quite crappy. It rained almost all day. Was way to cold for my liking and to top it all off I ran my damn fuel tank out of heating fuel. I called and they will deliver tonight if I want to pay an extra $110.00 for night emergency service.. Yeah right.. I knew I was getting low, but I simply forgot to order it. LOL Whatcha gonna do... So, we will just wait until tomorrow. And the best part is.. It is supposed to be in the high 70's for the rest of the week.. It was actually 44 today at its warmest. I think it is 41 out there right now. To cold!!!

I really wanted to get more accomplished today, but it was just a lazy day at the office. I did get the billing done. I also mopped the floors since the boys cannot seem to remember to stomp off their boots before storming across the office tracking it all in.. I think I am going to buy them shock collars. Everytime they irk me I am going to give them a good zap! LOL Wonder if they make them big enough.. LOL.

I bought this book off ebay and I have to say.. It is really a great book. It has a ton of info. And the patterns are great too. Not real fond of having to rip them out, but I think I may just photocopy the pages and tape them together preserving the originals in the book.

I am hoping to get some sewing done tomorrow. I have 3 patchy sidepanel jeans ready to stitch together. Just got to get the ambition to get it done.. LOL

I am going to call it a night. I am really just to beat to keep my eyes open and it it only 8:45pm. Strange for me, but I know Paul and Nick will be calling to tell me all about the accident they went to. 2 semis i think. Not really sure, but they had to take both big wreckers out. State Patrol is refusing to release the vehicles yet, so they are just sitting there waiting to tow them to our impound lot. I will be lucky to hear the phone ring when they inevitably call. LOL If I don't answer, I will have both of them pounding on the door wondering what is going on.. Thankfully I wear jammies to bed. Which means I better get some sleep in.
Hugs, Lana

Okay.. here goes. Does this item look familiar to anyone? This is what people are using to make ribbon key fobs. I really want to make some of these, but I also do not want to pay out the a** for them either. 90 cents is just a bit high for me. And I did bite the bullet and order 50 of them off ebay for $35.00. But again for personal use, it just seems like I could maybe get a better deal if I could find someone who manufactures them. Anyway, here is a picture I found off the web of some really cute fobs. Talk about neat.

Now aren't these cute! I want some... LOL








On a different note.. My have you grown Mr Harry Potter.. LOL


I almost passed out when I saw this picture. It just doesn't seem right that Harry Potter should be showing off like this.. LOL Okay Daniel is looking mighty grown up and the girls wanted me to post the darn picture, so there.. I posted it.. LOL

It is that time again. I am off to bed. Long day tomorrow. I have some major reading to do if I want to get my CDL with all the endorsements. So.. I have to start early to get myself ready to take the test on Friday.
Hugs, Lana

Here are my 2 newest Rasta tams.. Just thought I would share before heading out the door.. Make sure to keep reading the last post. Exciting news..

I just have to share my morning with you.
6:00am- got up and woke the kids up.
6:30am- Got Katie dressed and ready for school
6:45am- Got Macky up and ready for school
7:00am- kicked the older 2 girls out of the can (couldn't hold it anymore.. LOL)
7:15am- loaded kids into van and took to school
7:45am- got into passendger seat
7:50am- hoping to survive the next 20 minutes
7:55am- breathe... just remember to breathe!!
8:00am- pulled into DMV and felt major weight off my shoulders.. LOL
8:05am- walked into DMV and handed my daughter over to an instructor
8:10am- they left me behind to worry
8:15am- I went outside for air and saw them doing the safety check on the car
8:25am- They are driving past me back into the parking lot
8:33am- a bright flash of light nails me in the face
8:40am- I have a tearing up daughter who is flashing her newly processed DL card
8:50am- Pulled into the school and on my way for a cup of coffee
9:00am- Called about everyone I know to pass on the news.
9:05am- Have a cup of coffee in my hand and ready for a shower.
9:10am- in the shower/speed wash. LOL No time for the legs, but pits are a must. LOL
9:25am- logged on and updating all you on my morning.. LOL

So there you have it. Here she is.. My newest driving family member..



Now for the car, insurance, gas money.. Can you say--- TIME TO GET A JOB!!!!!


Have a great day!!!