Whew!!!

Whew!!! What a week!  I worked 44 hours in 3 days and still managed to organize and attend a girls night out, pick Stevi up from dance, bring her to her competition, finish my apron and start on Sage's Wee Spin quilt.  Thursday was my worst day.  Started at 6am and didn't leave the salon until 10:50 at night, had a sewing class  the next morning, had to jam home and get Stevi for her pedicure appointment then bring her to voice lessons, all the while on the phone making arrangements for Martini's and Sex with the girls, home from 5 mins., pick up Judy and Mom, head to Silver Peak, while Lea Luis runs and picks up the very last movie tickets in town for Sex in the City, there where 16 of us at Silver Peak, and Jamie Krahne's friend Chris was sweet enough to pick up the tab or the whole table, get in the car, jam to Parklane to see the movie while my mom spits water all over my dashboard, windshield and passenger window.  We arrive with 15 minutes to get coffee and take up  half of the third row in the theatre.  Afterwards I have 20 mins. before Stevi's skate session ends so Judy and Mom and I head over and laugh at all the pubescent kids with mohawks and their pants falling down.  Get everyone home with 5 hours to sleep, jump out, well, crawl out of bed by 6am, to get Stevi to her dance competition, 51 in her junior division and she took a gold which is equivalent to a 3rd in point standings, I think she could have done better, but I think she was tired, next time, to bed early!  Her friend Jeremy tagged along, it was his 11th birthday today so we let them have all you can eat sushi at Kokopela's then we surprised him with birthday cake and our infamous birthday song.  Afterwards we played at Circus Circus and Stevi won 4 prizes, Jeremy didn't win anything, so Stevi gave him the HUGE Lakers Basketball she won.  We headed home as I text messaged Chrissi and Jack just arrived to spend the night.  We get him until noon tomorrow then we are off to Willows recital, oh and Jeremy is staying over for movie night.  No rest for the wicked, oh and by the way Sex in the City was awesome if you haven't seen it yet, do so it's great.  Jack was attacked by a stray dog in the park and just got his stitches out of his cheek yesterday, I am so sad for him!!  This is the last time we will see him for awhile,  he will be moving to Bend Oregon with Mommy and Kevin and we will miss his little chunky butt SO MUCH!!  He is going to be so missed........aaaaaahhhhhhh I wish he could stay, but it is what is best for Chrissi and Kevin and I can definitely respect that.  Love you Jack Sparrow, so much........

Melrose Place @ the Lynch house

Kevin loves Brittney, Brittney loves Casper, Casper hates Kevin and whenever Brittney teases them both, she seems satisfied that Casper and Kevin are fighting over her.  Brittney loves to hit the tanning bed because it is so warm.  Bob is the best looking of the group but he  is kind of a loner and just wants to be left alone.  The twins, Pugsly and Wednesday, are either crackheads or they have A.D.D.  They just  love the pick on everyone and get everyone riled up.  They are brats but fun to watch in action.  And Mystery was a bit neurotic, he would have anxiety attacks and hide, but then this morning, the twins attacked him and I think he was having issues because he died.  I don't know if the twins killed him or just pushed him along, but the sad thing is, Mystery is gone.  He went to the big white tidy bowl in the sky.  I am so glad we got this fish tank, it was boring around here before we did.( P.S.  the tanning bed is the heater.)

I miss my Dad.......

I miss my dad yelling at me at tax time,

telling me I have to keep my receipts in line.

I miss my dad telling me I look good for an old girl,

and watching him dance around in a jerky swirl.

I miss my dad blasting John Philip Souza,

and telling me jokes until I'm lost and confused uhhh!

I miss my dad bragging about us to every one he meets,

and telling all our stories, and repeats and repeats.

I miss my dad saying to me "You tell 'em cabbage you've got the head!"

And him not hearing everything I've said.

I miss my dad with the volume up on the TV,

and him hanging out with Jayson and Stevi.

I miss my dad coming over just to fall asleep,

and answering the remote control when he hears a beep.

I miss my dad telling me he's just so proud,

and I miss always having to talk  so loud.

I miss my dad... I just do,

I miss him so much more than I knew.......

Honor Roll Awards Ceremony

Stevi may be spoiled but I feel like we are the ones who are  spoiled.  She has been and stayed on Honor Roll all through school, straight A's despite her 9 dance class a week schedule, with singing lessons, competition and recitals, she has never dropped below an A- and that was maybe two times at the most.  Her teachers all love her and say what a pleasure it is to have such a considerate student in their class.  She has been asking for a fish tank and yesterday she won a goldfish, so we finally gave in after looking at her report card.  We waited until today because the agreement was if she got up early and helped me around the house, I would have time to take her,  and since she is always such a huge help when I ask her,  we got our chores done in a little over 2 hours.  We got ready, picked up her friend Jeremy and went to Ofishal to see what they had.  Well lucky us, they were having a Memorial Day sale so the guy who worked their showed us a 25 gallon tank with complete set up for $159 OR the deal of the day was a 55 gallon set up for $40 more......what a deal, so since Jay and I had been talking about getting another fish tank, I sprung the extra $40 and wallah, the  20 cent goldfish went from an 8"X4" plastic rectangle to a 55 gallon tank.  Jay will take Stevi tomorrow to get her 6 hardy fish to acclimate the tank for a month and then she can start introducing other fish.  So far so good, so as of right now, we have one goldfish named Mystery, and he will be the one and only goldfish, the guy told us one is plenty because they are the dirtiest fish,  but with the set up we got, the tank should need a filter change and cleaning once a month.  After a month is up, we will get a sucker fish to help us out because the tank needs to naturally build algae.

MY MOM TAUGHT ME.....

My Mom taught me to love with your whole heart,

and not be scared to get hurt.

My Mom taught me to look at a persons eyes,

not at the color of their skin.

My Mom taught me to laugh until you cry,

and to cry until you laugh.

My Mom taught me to work hard,

as nothing in life is free.

My Mom taught me to give a firm handshake,

and walk with your head held high.

My Mom taught me when things seem horrible,

they could always be worse.

My Mom taught me to respect animals,

and to respect people as well.

My Mom taught me we are all different,

that is what makes the world go round.

My Mom taught me to fight for what is right,

and to never back down.

My Mom taught me to turn the other cheek,

and apologize when you are wrong.

My Mom taught me that beauty is within,

as your looks will truly fade.

My Mom taught me if you don't have something nice to say,

you should say nothing at all.

My Mom taught me to love your man because you want him,

never because you need him.

My Mom taught me if I set my mind to it,

I can achieve anything in life.

My Mom taught me to have patience and be gentle,

with people who genuinely need it.

My Mom taught me that people make mistakes,

and it is OK to forgive them.

My Mom taught me to stand up for myself,

and it's OK to walk away.

My Mom taught me responsibility,

and to finish what I start.

My Mom taught me to be proud of who I am,

and to never look back.

But most of all,

My Mom taught me how to be a Mom.

Biker Trash

Day 2 of Run-a-mucca was not as rainy until we were on the way home, the poker run was actually called a poker stagger which means all the stops are within walking distance

so you can drink at each stop.  Since we don't drink, we completed the whole 5 stop poker run in 42 mins.  Sooooooo we hit the  County Fair and I decided it would be nice to go on the rides with Stevi since  she was such a trooper in the rain and with all the biker trash and prostitutes and crackheads running around.  So I went on rides 6 to be exact until the last ride, the Star Trooper, that goes round and round forwards and backwards and I had to put my hand over my mouth because I almost threw up, I had to beg them to stop the ride, and literally had it in the back of  my throat and thought I was going to blow as I staggered off the ride.  I am sure I was green, lets put it this way, we did not make it to the Zipper.  After that, I was done, for the day, so Stevi played games and Stevi won on a dart game, a Chris Brown picture, the Star shoot-out game she won 2 roses and on the Toss-em game, she won a gold fish.......wonderful.  So now we have a goldfish named Mystery.  Then we went to eat at the Flyin' Pig and hit the road, I slept most of the way home because I was scared I was going to get car sick, because even the two club soda's didn't even settle my granny stomach.  So, now I am home, and I survived another Rain-a-mucca!  Check out the sign that 
someone re-did in the middle of the night, it is pretty funny and 
I wonder how many people actually noticed it since most of the time we don't even read signs that are right in front of our faces, I thought it was hilarious. (Mom, if you don't know what a salad toss is, I'll tell you later, I am sure you know what weed is.)

Biker Trash

Day 1 at Run-a-mucca was nice and relaxing, the fact that Jay walks with his cane for long distances took the embarrassment of driving at a bike run.  BUT we were the only dry bikers there.  We started out with the poker run which started at the Red Lion  Inn in Winnemucca, there were 5 stops and one bonus stop at a Brothel which Stevi was fascinated with,  we also had a free BBQ at the TA Truck stop around 25 miles West of Winnemucca in a town called Mill City.  All the people who volunteered for the poker run were awesome, but some were a little strange, Jay got the same uncomfortable feeling that I got when I was in Doyle, Ca.  It is so weird how that happens sometimes.  When we went to the Brothel,  I told Stevi not to be shocked if she saw one or two of the prostitutes and that they may not have many clothes on, as we walked into the bar area, I checked to see if it was ok for her to come in, it was and she did, and there was a "working" girl sitting at the bar in a fluffy pink bathrobe.  She was very nice and talked to Stevi, who was absolutely fascinated with her 6" clear stilletto platform shoes.  We had a conversation about why a woman might choose that as a profession, or not have a choice, and Stevi was a little sad for the girl, because she seemed so nice, and I am sure she was, and was probably very pretty at one time, but the few young years that she had in her had not been very kind.  Then we went and watched the Stunt jumpers and Stevi's stomach hurt  her so bad because one of the jumpers named Devon almost didn't make a jump and you could see how nervous he was and tense, his head just wasn't in it after that so it was nerve racking, especially since they are doing all their stunts way up in the air over the blacktop parking lot.  Then, off to the burn-out competition where they object of the competition is to do a burnout until you blow your tire.  I don't know how much a tire goes for on the crotch rocket that was in the competition, but the tire that the guy on the Fat Boy blew is $169, Ummmm no thanks, and stinky! Whew!!  Smoke everywhere!  After the burning bike, we were on our way back to the Holiday Inn and Jay flipped a U-turn and took us to see Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.  It was a full day, after the movie we got to ride up the elevator with some drunk Vago's which were looking like they had been partying all day, and it was 11pm and the 'Ol Lady told her 'Ol Man that she wanted to go back downstairs a little later and have another beer......a little later.......It is already 11, I am truly a grandma!  I am going to BED!

Childhood is......

Riding until you can't stop screaming,

Riding until you are sick,

running to the next ride,

laughing at your mom's face.

Playing on the slip and slide,

not caring if your hair is wet,

sliding off the end,

 because grass stains don't matter.

Running to the swings,

getting dirty at recess,

playing tag,

 can't wait for summer break.

Kissing dogs on the mouth,

carrying them all over the house,

sleeping with them,

not noticing dog hair on your clothes.

Childhood is carefree......

Rain-a-mucca

It's called Run-a-mucca, it happens every Memorial Day weekend.  They definitely should change the name to Rain-a-mucca (click on title).  It is like a small town mini version of Street Vibrations.  Every time we have gone, it has been really crappy, I mean, snow, rain, hail, wind.  But because it gets us out of town we go.  This year we are actually driving because Stevi was having a fit that she had to ride for 3 1/2 hours on the back of Jay's bike......so that should mean that it will clear up, they can thank us for it later, we are at least going to take the Harley truck so we look somewhat like bikers, R.U.B.  is what the 1%'s call it, which is an acronym for rich urban biker.  Oh well.......if any of you have seen the movie Wild Hogs, you probably remember the rain scene, been there done that, and since Stevi has also, she knows how miserable it can be when you are wet and cold, she won so we are driving, and doing the poker runs in a cager.  So wish us luck, hopefully the Del Fuegos won't run us off the road and steal our truck!!

Nature is.....

Nature is kind

Nature is mean

Nature is confused

and everything in between.

Nature is dry

Nature is wet

Nature is windy

does things you can't forget.

Nature hurts

Nature feels great

Nature will get you

at a further date.

Nature nourishes

Nature destroys

Nature covers up

what life deploys.

Nature makes you laugh

Nature makes you cry

Nature can change

in the blink of an eye.

Ahh Nature..........

Memoirs of a crazy childhood....Chapter 4

I used to love to go to Helen Gardner's house, she had a huge yard (to me) with a compost heap, and chicken's and goats and she even had a pigpen, yes a real one.  When she would babysit us, it was very organized.....we had hide-n-seek time (I always hid under the bathroom sink because I was small enough and nobody ever found me, I even fell asleep under there once) we had play outside in the yard time, go climb the mountain time, we would walk to Bordertown to the store for ice-cream in the summer, her older boys would take us, and sewing or craft time.  I remember the first thing I sew was a purse, yes by hand.  I remember that I really enjoyed it and if I remember correctly I chose pink fabric with some sort of pattern on it.  We used to get pretty filthy and Theresa (her daughter) and I had hair down to our waists which was always in a two braids that Helen would inevitably have to re-braid before my mom came home from work.  When my mom married my step-father (who really is my dad because he raised me)  we got to stay with Helen , and I remember we had movie night.   She went to bed and we all camped out in the living room.  I am pretty sure she didn't know, I was pretty young, maybe 5 or 6? , but we watched a scary movie.   I don't know what it was called but the whole movie was in the dark in a car junk yard and they hung some guy from a cherry-picker by sewing his lips together and connecting them to the hoist and I remember that they hoisted him in the air and he hung there with his tips sewn together screaming until his lips ripped off!!  That was the first scary movie I saw and I was horrified, but I would never let Theresa and her brothers know, I remember laying there all night with my eyes wide open, staring into the dark, scared to death to fall asleep.  Somehow, I survived.  I loved those days, I think I had the most fun at Helen's house, and she still lives out here in the North Valleys,  I saw her a few years ago and remembered her and walked up to her and gave her a hug, and she remembered me also.  It was a warm loving moment......thanks Helen for taking such good care of us and letting us be kids!!

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY........

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY......

Jack in my lap

for a morning nap.

Sewing on Willow's quilt

without any guilt.

Breakfast in bed

with not a word said.

Seeing my sister

you know I've missed her.

Waking without the alarm

with my head on Jay's arm.

Watching Jack's smile

as huge as a mile.

Seeing my son Jayson

play with Jack his son.

Taking my shower

at an ungodly hour.

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY!

Memoirs of a crazy childhood....Chapter 3

I was around 5 years old when I was playing outside and a really nice doggy came and put his head on my lap.  "Nice puppy....."  I remember my mother calling to me.."LISA! GET IN THE HOUSE!"  "But Mommy, the doggy is hurt....."  "That is not a doggy Lisa, that is a wolf!"  "But Mommy! He's hurt!"  

I don't remember if that was the time he had gotten into a fight with a porcupine and lost or not, but I do remember my mother fixing his owwies and nursing him back to health.  He was then part of the family and since a wolf chooses a mate for life, he chose my mom.  She took Wolf everywhere with her........if she didn't, he would actually jump out of the trailer windows to look for her, he had terrible separation anxiety.  After awhile, she couldn't afford to keep getting our windows fixed, so where my mom went Wolf went.......  One day she had to go grocery shopping,  so we all piled in the car, including wolf and went to the Warehouse Market, next to the Bonanza Casino.  We went inside, wolf stayed out in the car.....till he got worried about my mom.  Somehow, he rolled the window down and since the store had automatic doors, he decided to go in and look for us.  Panic at the Disco.....people where running and screaming......uh yeah, you would too if a wolf was wandering down Isle 7 looking frantically for his mate!  Eventually, my mom had no choice but to give him away, she could no longer afford to feed him, and he was taking down cattle on the range and there was pretty much a "Bounty" on his head, since everyone in Reno Park knew my mom, they gave her options.  She gave Wolf to a family somewhere in California...Portola maybe, I am not sure, but I do know that around a week or so later, he found his way home, bloody paws and all.  He loved my mom so much that he ran home miles and miles to let her know that somebody had accidentally adopted him.  I know there were a lot of tears, but she gave him away again, and I think if I remember correctly he ran away from them as well, but he never made it home.  The loyalty of a wolf is amazing.......and the fact that his loyalty was to a woman who was brave enough and kind enough to fix him when he was broken......too bad we can't learn from that.

Today I Learned

Today I learned........

My mom is the only one whose never seen Sex and the City,

If you ask me I think it's a pity.

Today I learned.......

If you don't ask, you will not receive,

and if you do ask, they get up and leave.

Today I learned.........

I am a shape shifter,

Five pounds goes, but comes back swifter.

Today I learned.....

I can laugh with the dirtiest,

and I can pray with the holiest.

Today I learned.......

How to be more patient,

and to not count money spent.

Today I learned......

I work way too much,

Play way too little and such.

Today I learned.......

You should always count your blessings,

you should never count your sins.

Today I learned......

I look good for my age,

and that 40 is all the rage.

Today I learned........

To stop and smell the flowers,

and not count all the working hours.

Today I learned......

To be happy, then sad,

to be good , then bad.

Today I learned.........

MY PETS ARE.....

My Pets are Mighty Hunters

Shhhh, what is that, 

watch

wait

sniff

I think it's a bird,

mouse

spider

squirrel

I can get it if I,

 point

 creep

 bark

Where did it go,

flew

scampered

ran

hid

Oh well, maybe next time

for now I will just bask in the sun.

7 Day Blog Challenge.....

I got this idea from My World (Click on 7 day Blog).  I truly enjoy looking at all of Perry's pictures they make me smile.  So I would like to put forth a 7 day challenge.  A poem a day, incorporated into your blog, or comments, if you don't have a blog and you just like to read and comment (wink wink, MOM).  I am going to give you a chance to open your creative minds and play......so please do, it will be fun.  Poems may be in any format, one per day, as long as you would like, and you can do them separately or be creative and make people find them in what ever you are blogging about.  The ONLY rules are....I am providing 7 different titles, only use each title once and once you use it cross it off.  So put the 7 titles on your blog somewhere and that way we can look forward to what ever it is that may come up next.  If you don't blog, or comment daily don't worry, there is no time limit on this, BUT each time you log on to a blog or post a blog, you must write one of the 7 poems until they are all gone......READY, SET, PLAY! (please?)

94 Degrees in the Sun Saturday

• 9:30a.m. Roll out of bed, have Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal, French Vanilla flavored coffee, tell family what is on the agenda for today.
• 9:45a.m. Take shower and get ready to roll, borrow $200 from Jay to go shopping for today's parties, parties, parties!
• 11:00a.m. Head out the door, use Jay's truck because it has GPS
• 11:15a.m. Go to Beauty Supply to buy Bedhead make-up and Hemp lotion for Hannah, Lauryn and Katie who are all having graduation parties today, which I will attend all 3!
• 11:55a.m. Go to Toy's R Us and get my niece Kelly a bicycle and helmet for her 6th birthday, which I will also attend today.
• 12:10p.m. Make deposit at Bank of America to cover Toys R Us and so I can pay bills later(oops, went a little over budget).
• 12:48p.m. Log Hannah and Lauryn's party address into GPS and hit the road after putting together their gift bags with eyeshadow cream wands, eyeshadow pallet, lip gloss and lotion, oh and a tootsie roll for each of them!
• 1:10p.m. Arrive at party fashionable late of course (only 10 minutes) and see the awesome cake Lauryn made (pictured above) for her own high school graduation. (She is pictured in the brown dress, Hannah is in the pool.  Congrats you two!!)
• 2:00p.m. Have food and watch slide show Mallory put together, looked at book and sat with Deb, the mom, while she cried!!
• 2:50p.m. Leave party and text Stevi, pick her up from friend Kelsea's house to get to Kelly's party at Rancho San Rafael Park.
• 3:05p.m. Pick up Stevi and talk to Tori about Stevi spending the night to attend ANOTHER birthday party tomorrow at Justice with Kelsea, after all  Noelle will be there and Stevi knows her!
• 3:20p.m. Arrive at Kelly's party, get bike and helmet out, eat two sandwiches, talk to mom, Judith, Liz, Steve and everyone else, push Sage on swing (Yay! I am so glad she loves her Auntie Beautiful now!) Take pictures.
• 4:50p.m. Get Stevi and backpack, call Kelsea, bring Stevi back to Kelsea's house , give her $27 for Justice party tomorrow (hope it's enough that is all I had)
• 5:05p.m. Head home to see Jay and get ready for Katie's party.
• 5:15p.m. Talk to Jay for a few minutes, I think he got heat stroke today, so he missed Kelly's party and will not be attending Katie's BBQ as well. Go upstairs fix melted make-up from the 94,000 degree heat today, put on deodorant, hairspray and perfume and kiss Jay good-bye.
• 5:20p.m. Set up Katie's bag with her make-up.
• 5:35p.m. Get to Katie's BBQ (they have been partying since 1:30, ummm yeah.....)
• 5:45p.m. Run back to truck to get camera, this could be good, they are playing beer pong with vodka......
• 6:00p.m. Give JL a hug, can't believe he is a man, he kind of resembles Johnny Knoxville from Jackass.
• 6:15p.m. Get another bottle of water ( I must be dehydrated from the 94,000 degree heat)
• 6:30p.m. Laugh and poke fun at all the drunks, including Katie's mom Judy, Gary and I are the only sober ones on the whole block.
• 6:55p.m.  Spot Dave Silva, who I went to the movies with once when I was 15, say Hi and laugh that he is so grey, he is so old, I couldn't have dated him in high school. (I wonder if he said the same thing when he saw me?)
• 7:15p.m. Eat a brownie, I can cheat today till 8p.m. and I didn't do too bad!
• 7:40p.m. Watch JL climb a tree, no really he did just check out the picture, he is 20.
• 7:45p.m. Plan a ride for tomorrow with Gary and Judy and head home.
• 7:57p.m.  Get home and video Jay while he sleeps, it is amazing what he does, just want him to see.
• 8:15p.m. Take sweaty make-up off, yuk!
• 8:40p.m. Check e-mails and blog
• 9:00 Make some tea with honey in it, still haven't had a soda and only 1 coffee a day, (but the 2 times I went to Art-n-Soul Daycare to see my little sister, she made me fabulous lattes so I splurged!)
• 9:30 I am dead, dead I say, oh and sun burnt, and tired, but had a great day!!
• 10:58p.m. Finally finish this blog I am tired!!

Open the vents, here comes the wind!!!!

Would it be too much to ask you to just SHUT UP!  You know I don't play well with others  until I have my personality!  Oh my Gosh, you talk all night in your sleep and I really don't find it cute when you talk to me all night and all morning.  At 4:15 in the morning it is all I can do to keep my eyes open, let alone be coherent with any sort of verbiage whatsoever.  I haven't even had a sip of coffee yet and you are groping me then you ask for a massage.  What the hell!  I didn't sleep all night because you where yelling at someone to "SHUT THE F$*^ UP" all night and I have a client at 6 am, who I am pretty sure expects me to be nice, if not cordial to them first thing in the morning.  When I get up at 4ish to be to work at 6 which is only a couple times a week, it is the ONLY quiet time I get, it is one hour in the morning a couple times a week where everyone is, or should be asleep, the phone isn't ringing off the hook, and I am not having 5 different conversations a minute at work between clients, the phone, my text messaging and the other girls I work with.  Is an hour too much to ask for?  Apparently, I don't find it cute or amusing that you speak gibberish and expect a response..........SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!

Definitions......

1. Play well with others- Want to kill someone.
2. Keep my eyes open-toothpicks holding eyes open.
3. My personality-3 shots of espresso.
4. Gibberish- mumble blah shgrc I umneh gr.
5. SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! - Basically, why don't YOU just shut the f@%& up!

WHO I AM

I am a little girl at heart.

I am Bubba on the outside.

I am in love with my family and with life.

I am a hard worker and  play hard and get down and dirty.

I am clean and pretty,

I am rough and tough.

I am Auntie Beautiful,

I am my mom's best friend.

I am biker trash,

I am full of class.

I am comfortable around you, and you and you.

I am not scared.

I am afraid not to live,

I am not afraid to die.

I am afraid not to love,

I am, look me in the eye.

I am soft, and hard.

I am laughter and tears.

I am not shy.

I am laugh till you cry.

I am dance like nobody is watching.

I am sing like nobody is listening.

I am not letting life pass me by.

I am who I am.

Sew-in-Stitches

Back in January I entered a drawing at Sierra Sewing Center for free classes (click on Sew-in-stitches title) and I WON!  I never win anything, but this time it did! It was worth $100 so I put it towards a 4 week sewing class which started last Wednesday.  It is a level I  sewing class which is great, I have been playing around and taking quilting classes, however This class is geared towards garments.  I made a shirt for Stevi.....which apparently will eventually fall apart, thankfully, she is still growing.

    The first class  was more informational and we received our supply list which goes as follows:

• Palmer/Pletsch apron for Artists and chefs Pattern (#001) $8
• Fabric for apron (I chose purple and gold for the pocket)
• Construction thread to match or contrast (Gold of course to contrast)
• 60" tape measure
• Seam gauge
• Fine pins with glass heads, 1 3/8"(so you can iron over them and they don't melt)
• Pin  cushion or magnetic tray
• Chalk marking pencil-color that will show up on your fabric (I have blue and white....thank you Liz for the heads up!)
• Scissors- 7",8" or 10" work well
• Small scissors with sharp tip
• Seam ripper (I broke my first one, now I have an industrial strength ripper!)
• Pen or Pencil and notepad.
• 
  
  

  When you start class they supply a binder and the list, we are responsible for everything else, but they do supply the machines which are Viking.  I do have to say, I prefer my Pfaff, but they say you fall in love with your first machine.  Day one was getting to know your machine, I have played enough that I was actually ahead of most everyone in class....they are true beginners, as I am, but it is nice to understand exactly what is going on!  We also made sample sheets for our binders for reference, I can now do a...

•  Clean Finish which is.. Staystitching 1/4" from cut edge.  Turn fabric on stitched line and press.  Stitch folded edge, using regular stitch length.  Used to finish the edge of a facing or hem. 
  
•  Directional Staystitching..Single layer of fabric.  Regular stitch length, 1/8" inside from finished seam.  Use on curved an bias cut edges to keep them from stretching out of shape.
• 5/8" Seam..Use guide on machine throat plate.  Press flat then press open.  This is most common way of joining two pieces of fabric in garment construction.  It is the standard seam allowance width.
• Grading...Trim the layers of seam allowance to different widths so they don't all end at one point.  Used to eliminate bulk in seams.  Prevents distinct ridge from showing on the right side.
• Understitching.....Press seam.  Stitch from right side using regular stitch length.  Pull seam allowances to facing side (not garment side) and catch all layers in stitching.  Stitch 1/8" from seam.  Used to keep seams in place and weight facing to keep it from flipping out.
• Clipping and Notching.....Clip inward curves.  Notch outward curves.  Pinking shears can be used for notching.  Used to eliminate the bulk in seam allowance.
  

  I wish my sister could take this class with me....she is great at self taught sewing and I am sure she knows how to do all these things, but it sure makes sense when an instructor explains why and when to use these different stitches.  I am taking level II in June, which is Thursday evenings and it will go over making a robe......Liz I would love it if you could join me!!!  Toodles!

Bubba is weighing in at..............................

I had a debaucherous weekend, let's just put it this way, at one point, my mom asked me if I was embarrassed that I had four pieces of cake on my plate.  But let me just start at the beginning.  It all started on Friday night, my mom came over and I made a nice healthy meal, steamed rice with jumbo grilled shrimp and green onions.  Afterwards, I thought ice cream sounded good, so my mom and I ran to Raley's and got ice cream for me, Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby, for mom, Hagen Daas Coffee flavored, Jay got Ben and Jerry's Peanut Buttercup, and Stevi got two boxes of push-ups.  Mine had, yes had, 3 servings at 480 calories each.  And I ate it all.........at once.  Gross right? I am not done yet, don't go anywhere, the next morning we had a poker run to go on, I started with a cappuccino and two chocolate donuts, at lunch I ate chicken, potato salad and 4, yes 4 , large chocolate chip cookies.......oh but there is more......I had a 3 Musketeer's bar and a Reese's peanut buttercup after dinner.  Well the next day was Mother's Day,  that would be the day I had 4 pieces of cake, 2 cheesecake and 2 bundt cake.  Large pieces, not small.........I am a PIG!  What happened to me?  Reading it back it is pretty disgusting.  So I knew it would catch up to me in a few days, I waited until Wednesday to weigh myself..........are you ready for this?  I lost 4 lbs........yup you read it right......I LOST 4 lbs....I am confused.  Well I am on my way to the gym to kill myself in a Step Interval class to pay for my indiscretions. This is gonna hurt.................

Memoirs of a crazy childhood....Chapter 2

I must have been 4ish when my mother and father sold that little trailer on Gentry Way and purchased the lot out in Reno Park (which is now called Cold Springs) .  It was at the end of the valley on the Bordertown side of Reno Park and it had a huge ditch to the right of the driveway.  I remember my mother and father bringing me and Stevie there to see where our brand new trailer would be.  My mom wouldn't let us out of her sight because there were ditches and holes everywhere, they must have been putting in the plumbing and the septic tank.  I am going to guess that is was some time in the very early 70's and I know that back then the trailers didn't have to be tied down like they do now.  I do remember that some or all of it had cinder blocks underneath it, and the steps to go inside were made of wood and were stained red.  I am sure at the time, my mother and father were never happier, they had their little girl, little boy, a dog names Lucky and a brand new piece of land with a new trailer on it.  I don't remember the address.......but I know that is where I learned to ride a 2 wheeler, I actually rode that bike right into the huge ditch to the right of the driveway.  It had rocks and sticker bushes in it with a drain pipe that went under the road. At the age of 4 it seemed like the Grand Canyon and I was going to die, but I survived and must not have been too traumatized since I ride a Harley now.......the ditch was probably a gully.  I had a lot of fun times there, ahhh to be a child again.

Tales from the Chair Chapter 9

WAY TO GO HANNAH!!!...It still amazes me the way technology works....back in the day, if something was stolen, you would file a police report and hope that they would find it, or sometimes if you were lucky it would show up in a pawn shop......probably 70% of the time, it was gone.  My first client told me a story, her name is Mallory and she is married to Josh, who used to be a professional snowmobile racer.  He had a sponsor called Team Wicked.  Josh keeps his snowmobiles on a trailer at his grandfathers house off of Kings Row in Reno.  Last week his grandmother went outside to take the garbage out and came back into the house and asked grandpa if Josh had gone snowmobiling that day because the trailer, which had 3 snowmobiles and all their gear on it, was not there.  Well needless to say, no, Josh had not taken it but somebody else had.  Josh and Mallory are young and newly married, so you can imagine the financial hardship this would cause them, that it would cause ANYONE.  So Mallory sent out messages on My Space and sent out text messages to all her friends and family to let them know it had been stolen, then filed a police report.  Enter Little Sister Hannah.  Hannah goes to school at McQueen and was not supposed to have her cell phone on, but that  day she did and when she got the message from her big sister, she made announcements in every one of her classes that her big sister got her trailer and all her snowmobiles and equipment stolen.

     Two days later............Hannah gets a phone call from a girl she goes to school with named Emily.....Emily says, "There is a trailer in the park by my house that fits the description of the trailer your sister got stolen."  Hannah calls Mal, Mal says "I am not going to get too excited, but call her back."  Hannah calls Emily.....Emily.."Do you want me to walk down and take a look, it's just right down the street?"  So Hannah stays on the phone while Emily walks down the street and when she gets there describes the trailer to Hannah....."It has a NorCal sticker on it and a Team Wicked Racing sticker on it..." "THAT'S IT, THAT'S IT!"  yells Hannah.  So she calls Mallory and Mallory drives over there while Emily stays by the trailer until she gets there.  It was Hannah's sister's trailer, and not one thing was missing from it.  The trailer was stolen and only missing for 2 days, apparently from what Mallory can gather, because the trailer has a special connection because it is a larger ball that Josh has on his truck, it was probably moving around quite a bit and so they just dumped it.  Way to use your resources Mallory and good job Hannah!!!!  You guys make a great team, since Hannah is on her way to college I think she should get into journalism or some type of detective style work.  Quite impressive you guys,  way to go.  I asked Mal how she is going to prevent this from happening again?  She said they took the tires off of the trailer since they only use it in the winter, so if it happens again it will be quite comical.  Let that be a lesson to anyone with a trailer out front, apparently this happens frequently so protect your belongings and if at all possible, maybe you should take the wheels off your trailers as well.

UPDATE IN 08' (5-11-08)

1. Wildhogs 12 times
2. Stevi had her first voice lesson
3. Jay is at 75 degrees and has been on 2 bike rides
4. I have 2 bouquets of fresh flowers, (roses from Jay, mixed from Raleys)
5. I got a fabulous Ed Hardy purse for Mothers Day (click on Update in 08)
6. On Mothers Day I got Roses, a bag, a veggie omlet and a picnic in the park
7. Stevi has an orthodontist appointment in June
8. Jack is coming back over on Thursday
9. Jayson is cooking my dinner tonight

MA

WE GREW UP TOGETHER,

BEEN THOUGH ALL KINDS OF WEATHER.

YOU HAD ME SO YOUNG,

I FEEL MORE LIKE YOUR FRIEND THAN YOUR SON.

THROUGH IT ALL YOU'VE BEEN MY FRIEND,

AND ALWAYS WILL BE  THROUGH THE VERY END.

YOU ARE THE BEST GRANDMA A GRANDMA COULD BE,

AND A YOUNG GRANDMA, THANKS TO ME.

THROUGH GOOD AND BAD YOU MADE LIFE FUN,

YOUR FRIEND FOREVER, YOUR FAVORITE SON!!(ha ha)

LOVE JAY ( as interpreted by Lisa)

MOM

EVER SINCE MY LIFE BEGAN, 

YOU WERE THERE FOR FOR ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN.

I KNOW I WAS NOT ALWAYS AN EASY CHILD,

AT TIMES I WAS EVEN WILD.

EVEN AT TIMES WHEN I WAS NOT SMART,

YOU ALWAYS LOVED ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.

IF NOT FOR YOU I UNDERSTAND,

THAT TODAY I WOULD NOT BE THE WOMAN I AM.

I LOVE YOU MOM, LISA

The misadventures of a Harley Grandma!!! Chapter 2

What a gorgeous day to ride.  Today was a Poker Run that Cat Trimm put together for Operation First Response (Click on Misadventures title).  It was 77 degrees out today and was even beautiful early in the morning.  We started at the Carson Dealership then fueled up to start at the Chevron Gas Station,  Bill Dixon was our fearless leader, Mike McGuigan, Me, Jay and Stevi and newer members Keith and Suzy.  Our first stop was the Roadhouse Bar and Grill in Minden, then we road through Minden to Woodlands at the Pony Express on the way up the hill to Southlake Tahoe, then we stopped at the Minen Tahoe Airport and onto the South Lake Tahoe dealership.  Afterwards Bill, Mike, Keith and Suzy decided to head to the Genoa Bar for a drink and Jay, Stevi and I headed back to the Carson Dealership for the BBQ and our last card.  Jay ended up with 3 A's, Stevi had nothing in her hand and I had 2 pairs, 7's and 2's, but when Keith and Suzy came back, they had a full house and won $100.  We didn't win during the raffle either, but some new members won a computer service certificate that we really wanted and they were kind enough to give it to Stevi so she can get her computer cleaned out and ready to go......the lady who gave it to us won the $80 color certificate I donated so it looks like I get a new client out of it too.......I should have got her name, but sometimes things get scattered, and I had treated myself to 3 chocolate chip cookies after my burger so I was in a sugar coma, and it literally slipped my mind!  I am sure she will call me, who wouldn't use a gift like that in times like these!! Well, I am home and ready to find a recipe and cook a yummy healthy dinner tonight since I ate too many cookies at lunch (not to mention the 2 chocolate donuts I had for breakfast)  HEY I have my period, BACK OFF!! Oh Yeah, my handsome boyfriend Bill Dixon won a haircut too, so I hope he comes in to get his ears lowered, he told me AGAIN today, he wants to be my step dad, and asked what size ring my mom wears, I showed him how big the diamond should be, (around the size of a golf ball) and said she wears a LARGE!!!  I'm confused, is he flirting with me to get to my mom?  I hate it when that happens!!!