How to Unsubscribe to your friends' Junk Mail

How do you nicely ask someone to quit sending you all their junk mail? Probably no nice way to do it. That is why I just hit delete. I really am not going to forward to 10 people to save my luck. Phones will not ring and nobody is going to walk through my door. Just kidding but you know what I am talking about.

I have one friend in particular that I had been friends with for years and we moved away from each other over 7 years ago. We tried to email and phone call from time to time. In the past few years, I write an email and get nothing in return. I just get their never-ending forwards. So, I wrote her an important email when I got pregnant to catch her up. Nothing! I finally reply to one the ridiculous forwards and said, "Are you getting my emails?" Later, I received a "Yes, been real busy. Will write you tonight." Okay, if you guessed I did not get any real email, you are correct. But a few days later, I was still receiving all the junky emails. I am thinking if you have time to read this garbage and keep the flow of spam circling, then you could have written an email if you really wanted to.

So, I just hit delete and go on about my day. After a few years of frustration with this, you finally get to the point that you want to reply with the words Unsubscribe. As fitting as it would be, I will not do that. Maybe I am just hormonal and pregnant.

If BumBum could see me now

My grandmother, who I was very close to, was called BumBum. Her real name was Errolene Brimberry and went by Lynn. I spent lots of time with her and always strived to make her proud. When I was little, I use to go to church with her when I visited her. She attended the Sunset Christian Church in Grapeland, TX. She loved that I was involved in music and especially that I had started trying to play banjo in high school.

Many years later, picked up banjo again and have recently joined the Antioch Christian Church in Hooks, TX. Well, she would be super happy if she is watching me from Heaven because I am playing banjo this Sunday in a Christian Church. I am playing bluegrass style even though it is not my favorite because it is easiest to chord along with piano. I am just going to keep it simple and do some simple rolls in the chords and maybe throw in a bluegrass lick or two. We are playing 3 songs so I hope I don't choke. I was so excited when I left church yesterday. First thing I did was call Nana. I was like a little kid going "Guess what? Guess what?"

I am thankful we get to wear casual clothes in church because banjos are not made for dresses. :)

Cucumbers and Church

Here is one of my cucumber plants in my hanging basket. This isn't my biggest plant, but I have 2 good sized cucumbers growing on it plus some smaller ones. Super neat! We have to water them once or twice a day depending on the heat of the day.

We still have 4 of these hanging on my backporch. We never lost any of them. I have started using Miracle Grow spray once a week now. It seems that they have start producing a little more since I started with that.

I am so anxious to eat the cucumbers!

I have now joined the Antioch Christian Church. They will make it official in a few weeks once Grace is back from Band Camp. My daughter and I both moved our previous memberships to this church. I haven't moved my membership since I was in high school. It's a great church, and I am happy to be a part of it. Another great perk is that they don't mind you wearing casual clothes so you can wear skirts, capris, jeans, or long shorts. All is welcome.

I am taking my banjo down there this Wednesday and am going to start working on incorporating banjo into their music for them. Woohoo! I am nervous and excited.

I am 14 weeks pregnant now. My belly is starting to show, and I am having to really spend more time picking out clothes now since I don't have many loose fitting clothes. There are a few of my bottoms that absolutely don't fit anymore. I am on a tomato kick and sometimes eat 4 a day. My daddy's home grown tomatoes are awesome.

Back in the Day

Becka sent me some old pics that she scanned in. This picture seems like a lifetime ago. It was around 4 1/2 years ago, I believe. My kids are now 15 and 11 (on the left). Becka's girls aren't so little anymore, 5 and 7.  Becka is probably the one taking the picture.

Fish Babies

Yesterday, I was adding some water to my fish tank and noticed something small moving on the side. I have 3 small babies. The only livebearer fish I have are Dalmation Mollies so I am sure it belongs to them. I was totally shocked. The big Dalmation Mollies are not pictured in this image.

You will have to click the picture and look at the full version. They are hard to see because they are transparent with just a little bit of black on the tail. You can only see 2 in this picture, and I had to make red arrows to point to them. Not the most detailed picture since this was taken with my iPhone. In this picture, you can see one of the clown loaches swimming toward the camera and part of another one. They are orange and black striped.

Club Dead

I am following suit from Elissa and Kasey and sharing what I am reading. I am a slow reader because I am a spastic hobbyist and work too much. I am reading Club Dead right now from Charlaine Harris. It is the third in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I had watched True Blood and saw that Elissa was reading this series. She has good taste and suggested to read it. Wallah! She is right. It is gripping.

You can get it cheap on Half.com.

Overton Tin Whistle

This guy from Brazil commented on one of my piano videos on Youtube. He said he played the song on his Tin Whistle. I thought of a little kid's tin whistle but was curious so went and looked. What he played in one video was testing out his new Low D Overton Tin Whistle. You have to listen because it is amazing. If you remember listening to the Sacred Spirits music a long time ago, that is what it sounds like.



Beautiful!!! After hearing this, I really want one. So, I went looking for one on the internet. It will have to be a splurge in the next few months because I am tapped out after my last old banjo buy and Danny's bday and father's day. :)

Here is where you can buy it in the UK. Overton Whistles I did some quick converting from Euros to Dollars and including VAT, it would be about $303 for the Low D, Tenor D Tin Whistle. Not really sure why I am fascinated about playing instruments outside and in the woods, but wouldn't this be awesome to go find a nice hiding spot in the middle of nowhere and just play.

Canoeing on Caddo River

Saturday, I was at the church by 8:30 in the morning so we could all go on a canoe trip on Caddo River in Glenwood, AR. I was a chaperone, and both of my kids went. We had 5 adults and 8 kids. We headed out after a bit and made it there around noon. We had to do some stopping and get signed in. There were a ton of people, over a hundred. Some people were just camped out on the grass in tents. We got all geared up and waited for our big shuttle bus. This was one of those old school buses that had been painted and no a/c. It was a definite adventure about to happen. We rode the several miles in the bus to our drop off point.

We had 5 canoes, several ice chests, food, sunscreen, and such. We took off and did a 5 1/2 hour canoe trip. It was around 8 miles long. The river was low so we had lots of rocks to avoid and a lot of paddling to do. We saw 2 snakes. This picture is from the place we used, Caddo River, Camping & Canoe Rental. It shows what the river looks like. There were parts that were super peaceful. Along the way were plenty of rockbed to stop on to eat a bit of food or just rest. There were also tree swings. I rode in a canoe with my daughter. It was a lot of work, and I don't think I knew just how much it would be but it was fun.

After we got back, we grilled out some food and found the community shower and bathrooms. Later in the day, we made our way to our bunkhouse. These rooms are really just a bunkhouse. Small one room with 3 bunkbeds in it and window unit for air conditioning. We had two of the rooms. No chair or anything else. There was a community bathroom and shower at this camp. There was a front porch to sit on and plenty of fire pits to use and such. We didn't do the paint ball. I carried my 100 year old openback banjo up there with me and sat on the front porch and played my banjo. Awesome!

We hung out and the kids roasted some marshmallows and threw those little popping things. We were so tired that we didn't want to do much but sit. I had a ton of snack food so we just sat around snacking. Later by lantern light, we got a game of Spades in. I hit the hay by 12, and we were up by 7 the next morning and gone by 7:45. We hightailed it back to Hooks and made it to both sessions of church.

We were so lucky that the high school class of '49 reunion had some food left over and it was at the church. They fed us. We ate really good. We looked and smelled funny, but we made it back.

I made chicken and dumplings yesterday and did a few loads of clothes. Danny took us to see UP 3D later in the evening. I passed out pretty early and got plenty of sleep. My body still aches, and I am still wore out. If I was asked to go back and do it all over again, I definitely would. We had a few water cameras, and I am not sure how great the pictures will be, but once I get them developed, I will upload them.

Angeline the Baker Video

I decided to make another banjo video. It was hot today and the sun was really shining on my front porch. I decided to wear a crazy cowboy hat because all old time banjo players wear crazy hats. I know, I must get a really funny hat. I plan to, but this old cowboy hat will have to do. And, of course, I am barefoot because it is Texas and hot. Funniest thing is that I am barefoot and pregnant. Tuning is ADADE.

Babies and Cucumbers

I went to my first doctor visit yesterday. That always seems a little tramatic because you are anxious about going and then they make you do so much stuff. Anyway, my due date is December 30, 2009. I am 10 weeks. I had a sonogram done, and I got to see the baby move around. Very cool.

Awhile back, my dad suggested for me to grow some trailing vegetables on my backporch in hanging baskets. What a great idea. I was a bit skeptical at first and figured that they would dry out too fast. I do have to water them daily, but they are making it pretty good.

Here is what one looks like up close. They are just now starting to put baby cucumbers on them. We have one that is starting to reach the top of the backporch.

Here is my baby cucumber. I hope they do good and get big. It is starting to get hot here in Texas and the noontime sun is really hot.

Here, you can see the whole thing. I have 4 hanging on my backporch. The best part about hanging baskets is that I never have to weed, EVER.

Back in the Gym

After a month of yuckiness, fatigue, and company, I was able to make it back to the gym yesterday. I started slow and only did 30 minutes since I haven't done it in awhile. It felt great. I was watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and doing my elliptical. I really was focusing on my heartrate yesterday because it is not supposed to get too high since I am pregnant. I do those machines and my heartrates get high in a hurry. So, everytime I would get close to 140, I would start stepping slower and would let it fall again.

Even though yesterday was Sonic's Customer Appreciation Day and they were giving away free Rootbeer Floats from 8-12, I didn't get one. yeah me! My kids got them with church. I ate a big salad.

So, finally I used Staples to recycle my ink cartridges. They give you $3 a cartridge when you recycle. I always have ink cartridges around.

I got the True Blood DVD series yesterday. I am so excited because I missed most of the shows due to their nature. I wasn't able to watch them with the kids around. I have the books and love them. I am on the third book. I wish the series was a little less nasty, but I can live with it. HBO always nasties up their movies for more viewers.

Pregnancy Update & Band Banquet

I am about 9 1/2 weeks pregnant now. I don't really look pregnant, but I feel it. It seems that eating is always on my mind. I am either starving or so full I feel sick. ha! I was having a bad spell of morning sickness or all day nausea, whatever you call it. This week, I have started eating all beef hotdogs for breakfast with a tall glass of milk. Man does it make me feel good, and I haven't had a problem with the sickness now. I really never used to eat pickles and now I am eating them up. It is very strange. I have a doctor's appointment Monday. It will be my first one.

My mean old mom finally wrote back after I told her I was pregnant. 3 weeks to squeeze out a note. No mention of love. She signed her letter with "Wishing you good health, Mom." Nice!!!! Not surprised but still dissapointed. She hasn't mentioned love in the few times she has contacted me in 3 years. Hmm!

My daughter, Grace, had a band banquet last night. She is a freshman. She had a late start with band and has only been playing now for 2 years. She plays in the jazz band and had a solo last night. We are really proud of her.



Last Sunday, I went to a great church called Antioch Christian Church. It is the first church I have been to in a long time that I felt like I could call a church home. Everybody was really friendly and they were so involved. The one thing I did love was that they paid a lot of attention to their youth and they weren't a very large church. I used to attend a Christian Church with my Bum Bum when I was a kid. It reminded of my childhood, and I always felt welcome at that church. I can't wait to go back because I realy enjoyed the women's group.

I mean some Green Beans

My daddy farms in Lufkin and is always growing a ton of food. He shares with me when he sees me. He has already supplied with me with a bunch of onions, potatoes, and now green beans, radishes, and zucchini. He asked me the other day if I wanted some green beans. I love to eat stir fried green beans so I said yes. He asked if I wanted them fresh or already frozen. I said fresh. I was expecting a few handfuls. He brought me this big bushel basket thing full. Wow! I am going to learn to clean, snap them, and freeze them tonight.



I'll have to blog about the response I finally got from my mother about being pregnant. That will be for another day. I hate to spoil a good green bean blog. :)

Clown Loaches

Here is a pic of 2 of my 3 clown loaches.



iPhone to blogger stinks and the pictures don't come through. Not very handy for yall iPhone users.

Super Quick Weekend Highlights

Went to Shreveport Boardwalk and shopped a good bit. Bought more makeup like I needed it.

Got an awesome package in the mail from 2 of my highschool friends that included a Purple Mexican Blanket, my first baby tshirt (awe), and a ton of great dental stuff because they are both in the dental profession.

Played my banjo a ton. Agreed to buy a new banjo. Another 1900 banjo - S.S. Stewart.

Found a leak in my utility room ceiling last night. Oh lucky me. It is a leak in our hot water pipe that runs over our utility room. Plumber coming tomorrow. Looks like a big boobie about to explode of water. We will have to do some sheetrock repair when this is over.

Made my first baby appt for June 8th. The doctor tells you to wait till you are 8 weeks before you call and then they take 2 weeks to get you in. I believe today I am 8 weeks and 2 days. Also, I finally tossed my cookies for the first time with morning sickness today. I have came close and been totally miserable in the past but never had it just come out of nowhere and BAM!

I just finished my second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It was Living Dead in Dallas. Author's name is Charlaine Harris. It is the novels that True Blood was based on. Awesome book if you like Southern Vampire Mysteries. I have already ordered my next one on http://www.half.com/, Club Dead.

It's Ladies Night

On Friday night, Becka and Lele were going to do something. As soon as I heard food may be involved, I was like "I want to go." ha ha So, us sisters landed at Shoguns, a Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, for a ladies night. I decided to eat some California Rolls. I had only had the ones at Chinese Buffets which were never too fresh. These were good. I can't eat real sushi because the thought of raw fish disgusts me and also I am pregnant. It's no good for the baby. I can't even take the taste of salman. *cringes at fishy taste*


Yummy, this was sooo good.

We noticed that one couple at the bar was having a really good time with lots of alcohol. I saw one sipping some saki and the other two throwing back some beers. The lady sounded like she was trying to teach the Sushi Chef, Danny, how to speak his own language. It was crazy and a little hard to ignore. She did get lost on her way to the bathroom. haha Before they left, they had to give Danny, the chef, some Dap! She started staring at Becka and looked like she wanted to say something. I gave the weird glares back and then came a fake smile across her face and she started to yell "Heyyyyy!" About that time, her husband tapped her it was time to go.



The drunk people were cutting up with the Sushi Chef, Danny, and he sent a complimentary plate their way of some Fried Crab Ball things. They probably have a fancier name like Tempura Crab Roll, but it really was a crab ball. A few minutes later, a server brought a plate to our table as well and said compliments of the sushi chef. Woohoo! Free food. I asked him if it was scary. haha You know, being pregnant and all. Becka is allergic to shellfish so Lele and me tried them. I let Lele go first. haha Here is our plate of them below after Lele took one of the plate. They were round balls that had crab, seaweed, rice, and something maybe like cream cheese inside and a battered and fried with eel sauce. Wooh! I ate it, and it wasn't half bad. Not as great as a California Roll, but Free! They could grow on you.



So, after our evening and almost time for check. I thought I would see what they had for dessert. Been to Shoguns a million times and never tried dessert. I asked the server for some ice cream. He ended up giving us a free bowl of Plum Ice Cream. Woohoo! More free food. They were about to close so I guess they were in a giving mood. I asked for 3 spoons. It was very good with big chunks of fruit in it.



After the ticket, I remembered we needed a to-go salad for my daughter because she loves the ginger dressing. Another server just gave it to us. I was thinking we hit the jackpot. haha I usually pay a fortune when I go out to eat so I was really enjoying this night.

There was one saki bomber left sitting at the bar who took a liking to Becka. He was funny and kept eavesdropping on our conversation. He had the sushi chef make up something for Becka to take home. haha A flower made from a Beet, Parsley stalk, chopstick, and foil. Aweee how sweet. We made sure this guy didn't follow her home. haha



All said and done, I paid a little over $8 for my sushi dinner complete with salad and soup, complimentary crab things and ice cream with Tea. I guarantee you I will never get out that cheap again.

Yearlings in the Canebreak - Clawhammer Video

I made a video yesterday playing my banjo. This song sounds like a trance to me. I am playing it in my living room with high ceilings and you can really how beautiful the banjo's tone is. I am around 2 months pregnant playing this. :) It took a few times for me to get it right because my daughter was making belly dancing hand gestures while I was videoing this.

This is more of that old timey style clawhammer. You can just picture some old dude sitting on the front porch at dusk playing this song.



Oh Yeah! I spotted another old banjo yesterday on the BanjoHangout that I think I may not cannot live without. It is another 100 year old beauty. It is called an S.S. Stewart. Fingers crossed that it rings like mine.

Smacks for Watermelon

My little fat pug, Chia, sat by me all wrapped up in her blankets on my couch and smacked her little chops the whole time I was eating watermelon. She loves it. I only gave her one little bite but she was happy. It is pitiful how much she begs.

Morning Sickness Blahs

So lately, I have been getting the morning sickness which has really been most of the day sickness. This has been for several days. You wake up and feel fine and then later, the nausea starts to creep in. I had been trying to do really healthy breakfasts and was doing so good, but once the nausea hit, it went out the window. For a few days I could only eat a few crackers. I have lived most days off of gatorade. Yesterday, I discovered how wonderful popsicles taste. This morning, I started with crackers and tried to move to something else dry before nausea set in. I found myself Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts. I know, this is the worst thing I could eat for breakfast, but it stayed down and that is good. I feel like I just ate candybars for breakfast. The only good thing out of it is that I washed it down with milk and a prenatal. I just don't ever eat that stuff in the mornings. Usually, it is toast with peanut butter, apple or grapefuit, maybe some yogurt if no fruit.


Here is how bad they really are. The nutritional info tells you per 1 pastry. Well, they package them in 2 so obviously, you grab a pack and sit down and eat it. Bam. You just ate twice as much as you are supposed to. 402 calories, around 9 grams of fat, ungodly amount of salt and almost the sugar equivalency of 2 cokes. Only good thing is that it contains Vitamin A and Iron. I think I will not grab for these again.

I'll be glad when this yucky stuff is over because I haven't been able to go workout. By evening time, I have been so drained that all I want to do is lay around and veg on the couch. I'm ready to get some energy.

Grace went to Prom

Here is a slideshow of Grace and Ryan. He came to get her and forgot her corsage. They had to go back to his house to get it. We couldn't pin his boutteniere on so I told him he may need to get his brother to do it. He did let the top back down on the car to preserve her hair. That is good. Grace is 15, and this is the most beautiful I have ever seen her. We had a time getting ready.

Ragtime Annie Video

Earlier today I had a few minutes and thought I ought to make a banjo video. I haven't had much time lately. I just kind of went with it. No special makeup or anything.

This is one of my favorite songs to play on the banjo. It is fast paced, and I probably don't play it exactly like it is supposed to go. Anyway, here you go. First of my banjo videos where I am pregnant. ha!

Laura's Bodum Tip

My friend, Laura, who I went to school with back in the day with since elementary, took twirling with, marched in band together, and even did some brief flag corps time with, dropped a hint about a Bodum French Press. I got the French Press today, and I already love it. I got it from Amazon. She's right. The coffee is wonderful. I tried it out with some Millstone coffee that was flavored Chocolate Velvet. Yummy!



The French Press doesn't take long to get right. No electricity required. Bodum is a good brand. So, you put your course ground coffee in, fill with really hot water, stir, put the lid on and let steep for 4 minutes. Then, slowly press the plunger down and walaah, perfect coffee.

Here is me and Laura when we were in Coldspring High School Flag Corp back in the early 90's. She was on left and I was the smiley brace face in the back. I really wish I had a picture from our early days when we were Cheryl's Twirling Stars. haha Laura, do you remember Land of a Thousand Dances? I can still do the first several 8 counts in my head. Nothing like some knee pops, a flash, and a shimmy. We step together stepped touched our little hearts away. Here is to the Twirling Stars - Laura, Liddie, Brandy Hill, Michelle Hill, The Ward Twins (Pat & Fern), Brandie Currie, Kerrie Jo Humes, and me. I know I am missing a few more.



Then, 15 years later, we got together when I was visiting my mom (this was about 3 1/2 years ago, maybe). I played the banjo, of course haha, and her husband Mike played the guitar. Our kids played together. It was great. Now, she has more, and I have another one on the way. We'll need another reunion soon.



I should probably lay off the delicious coffee now or I will never go to sleep.

Blanket Number 2 Finished

I started this blanket on Friday evening. I worked most of the day Saturday on it and could have finished Saturday night, but I ran out of yarn three rows before finishing. Isn't that my luck? So, I finished it on Sunday.

This was a super easy Granny Square Baby Blanket. This is not traditional colors. I am trying to reuse some of my prettier colors since I have a lot of scrap yarn. This blanket was made with an I hook and measures to be a 36" square. Two of my color choices were the Vanna Yarn. I really do love that and can tell the difference in softness.



Here is another shot of it from a different angle.



I started the third blanket shortly after finishing this one. I am reusing more of these colors, again. The one I am working on now looks like a Log Cabin quilt. It comes out of the Vanna book I have. It says it is easy, but it seems hard because you are supposed to turn your work 90 degrees every 3 rows. It's a learning experience for me.

Happy Mommas Day To Me

Well, yesterday on Mother's Day, I got the most special gift. My baby was supposed to get its first heartbeat. I am glad that Mother's Day is over though because it is sometimes stressful. My mom quit talking to me I guess going on 3 years now for the most dumb reason. I said, "You can't keep calling me fat and making fun of me." And somehow she became the victim so I guess she would rather not talk to me at all since I won't allow myself to picked on. It's good though. One day, she will come around. If not, I have other women in my life that are great and help guide me in the ways I need. Shoutouts to Nana, Momma Rose, and Grandma Charlotte. I love them so much. You have to keep postitive influences in your life.

Danny asked me what I wanted, and I said a big fish tank. I used to have a 29 gallon that I loved, but we outgrew our first house, and it needed to leave. We went fish tank shopping yesterday and ended up with probably way too much. I love it. Alex helped me put it together last night. It is a 47 gallon tall square tank instead of the rectangular tanks. When it is on the stand, it is as tall as me - over 5 feet.



That pic above was taken with all the lights off so there wouldn't be a glare. I still want to get a little more floating bamboo in there and then I will be done and can start picking out fish. I am guessing about a week on the water ph before I can put fish in.



That isn't as good of a picture, but you can tell what it looks like. The stand is cherry wood with metal poles on the side and a glass front. There is 50 pounds of rock in this tank, and I bet it weighs a ton.

New Beginning

Started a new baby blanket. I am doing a super easy one. It will be just a granny square blanket. This is the first kind of blanket most people start with. It was my first kind of blanket I ever made. I started my first baby blanket in 1st grade. Even though this is super easy, I got the pattern out of Vanna White's Color It Beautiful Book. That link will take you to the best prices for it on http://www.half.com/. Vanna has her own line of Lion Brand yarn that is really soft and the entire color pallette looks good together.



Here is what my Friday night looked like from my perspective. I had just started my new blanket. You can see that I have my basket with all my yarns in it beside me. I have my feet proppe up on my coffee table. Beside my feet, you can see Vanna's pattern book. And to the left, you can see my rescue pug, Mickey.

First Baby Blanket down

I am so excited to be crocheting blankets for myself. I may not do some of those more elaborate patterns since I wouldn't be able to do as much. I plan on getting a little chest and filling it with homemade blankets.

I finished my first baby blanket last night. I usually make blankets and give them away so this is kind of neat for me. As always, if anybody sees a blanket I made and wants a pattern, I am happy to scan the pattern and send it to you. I am not creative enough to make my own patterns.



This blanket measures at 32" X 36". It was made with a G hook. It was a combination of just a few stitches. The alternating solid color stripes (excluding the white) was done in a puff stitch so it has a bit of texture. The white edging does a little ruffling. Right now, I have to make generic color blankets since I am unsure what sex the baby will be.

Pregnancy Scrapbook & other Stuff

Elissa brought by the most beautiful pregnancy scrapbook for me yesterday. She is super talented. It was put together with paperbags that were bound like a book. Check it out.



You can see there is a place for each month.



My favorite is the last part is left open so you can put stuff in. Too cute.



I worked out last night for an hour while watching House at the Ultimate Fitness on my favorite Elliptical machine. I was wondering if Kasey was out there somewhere close sweating at her Ultimate Fitness. I dropped another pound. Woohoo!

My sister in law, Becka, has created a blog now called Becka Boo and had her first shoe haul blog post. I am sure there are many more great posts from her to come. You should go check her out.

Shoe Haul in a Tornado Warning

This is my first "Haul Blog." I would like to dedicate it to Dreamer0703. I splurged and fed my shoe addiction with 4 pairs.

I have already previously written about the tornado scare while at the mall on Saturday in the Texarkana, TX mall on my FaceBook. While my kids and my sister-in-law (bff) and I were in the Victoria's Secret, the lights went out. They pushed us out of there and into the service hall. We all sat in the dark on the floor and up against the wall for a bit. After it past, we were allowed to get up and exit the mall and run for our cars with cloud to cloud lightning happening. Always an adventure in my world. The first 3 pairs of shoes were purchased before tornado warning. After we left the mall, we then went to Kohls and to Target because it still had power.
Green and Paisley Platform Heels from Journeys. They were in the Forty Dollar range. Maybe $44. 2 inch cork heel with buckle and ankle strap. These shoes have been calling out to me for at least 2 weeks. I bought these so I can take a picture in them before I have to put them up for 9 months. I will also have to learn to walk in them properly. haha



Conservative Black Flats with little wedge from Journeys. These were on sale and had some cushion. The sales girl showed them to me, and they were an impulse buy. These were only $20. They have a cute little fastener on the toe.



Turquoise, Black, Purple Lightning Flats with black diamond studs from Hot Topic. I think they were $22. These cute little flats have a little strap across the top of the foot that kind of reminds me of a babydoll style. There are litle skulls on the liner of the shoe. They are very thin and can bend really easily. It is almost like walking barefoot. They are a shiny vinyl style. I love Hot Topic and probably shop there every week for something cool.



Black flats with brown stitching from Target. I thought I was done for the day, but these shoes caught my eye. They were $19.99, I believe. I have already worn these and they were uber cute. I really like the little strap across the top of the foot. A little blurry, but you get the idea.

Bass Fishing Tournament

Tomorrow, my husband (Danny) and his friends will be entering this fishing tournament, Uncle Jesse's Big Bass Classic on Pat Mayse Lake. This is the first year we have had a boat. I hope he does good and has a great time making memories with his buds. A prize would be nice, too. He loves to bass fish.

I haven't been bass fishing this year yet. I have been so busy doing other things. Working out, chauffering the kids, playing my banjo, shopping, planting, cooking, cleaning. You know the routine. Last year, I happen to hold the record among all of our friends for catching the biggest bass - 6 lbs. I caught it and then didn't go back all season. I was like "Wheh! - Snakes, I'm done." This picture was taken on 6-3-08. It was HOT!

Chuck Lee Banjos In Action

After creating the last blog, I saw a video of 3 Chuck Lee Banjos in action. The players are Mary Z Cox, Judy Muldawer, and Wayne Shrubsall. The lady on the left is Mary. She is fantastic. I have a few of her books and cds, and I think she is awesome. Hearing her play Snowdrop is what made me realize I love clawhammer. I haven't heard of Judy although I bet she is also a great player. I am new to the scene so I am still learning the legends. The last guy, Wayne Shrubsall, is one of the best teachers that I have had. 2 years ago, I attended Camp Bluegrass in Leveland, TX. He taught me on the bluegrass style. He is a multitalented teacher and plays both styles, bluegrass and clawhammer.

Enjoy!

Chuck Lee Banjo Company

My dream banjo will come from Chuck Lee. This banjo builder is awesome. He creates some of the best openback banjos around and is located in Ovilla, TX. I have only been playing openback for close to a year so I couldn't justify a purchase like that yet. Sometime in the next year, I would love to order a custom banjo from him. I could go to his shop and pick out the exact piece of wood and have it custom to fit me and my hands. I can't even begin to tell you about the sound and the way it feels when you play it.

I met him at the Acoustic Music Camp last year in Arlington, TX. He is one of the coolest guys in the banjo world. You tend to find really unique openback banjo enthusiasts. I am going back this year again so I can take more training from Dan Levenson. He is one of the best clawhammer players in my opinion.

The one banjo I have kind of had my eye on is this one called the Ovilla. I believe this is one that was similar to the one I got to play on at camp. His daughter was using one of his to play at camp and we all got to take turns trying it out.

Baby Blanket for Jourdan

I created this baby blanket for my friend and coworker, Jourdan. I didn't realize how hard this pattern would be, but it ended up taking me 4 months of continuous work and twice as much yarn as the pattern called for. My stiches may now have been tight as the person who created the pattern. It was made with a G hook. This pattern was actually 4 pattern rows that repeated. You can see that there weren't many easy stitches in this one to keep it going fast. But, in the end, this is the most intense baby blanket I have made yet. It is very soft and has a metallic thread running through to keep it shining. Congratulations Jonny and Jourdan on your new bundle of joy - Hayden.


You can see it looks like alternating diamonds. This was a constant counting of stitches.


Here it is folder in quarters. It turned out 45x54 or something like that.


I have seen it in their baby pictures already with Hayden. That makes it all worth it. Now, I am crocheting for myself.

If anybody is interested in attacking this project, I would be happy to scan the pattern and send it to you.

ScreenShots on iPhone

I accidentally found out how to do this last night. You can take screenshots on your iPhone. Scared the mess out of me because my phone had froze up because a side button had got stuck down. I thought it was flipping out.

How to: While phone is on, hold the Home button down (round button at bottom) and then press the Power/Sleep button (top right). If you haven't changed your settings, you will hear the camera sound.

Here is what my background looks like before I unlock it. By the way, this is the original painting of the back tattoo I am getting. It is from shoulder to waist. I will be postponing the last 4 sessions since I am now pregnant.

It's Two Lines

Okay, some of you know that after 7 years of being married to Danny, we just now decided we would try to have a child together. I already had 2 which are 15 and 11. We didn't think we wanted anymore children, but now that we are older and more patient and have more room, we changed our minds. So, we have been trying for about 3-4 months. I took the test last night and then again this morning because I was wondering if it was really yes. Yep! I am definitely Prego! Woohoo.

This weekend, was a wild one. I got my eyebrow pierced again on Saturday. By Saturday night, my eye was black from the clamp being put on a blood vessel or whatever. Then, Grace's friend brought a cold or sickness with her this weekend. So, I ended up sick and had fever this morning.

Weekend summary: eyebrow ring, black eye, really good Italian food, lots of shopping, got sick, and found out I am Pregnant!

Now, the next step is to find a card that says this so I can send to my mother who has not talked to me in around 2 years. Hallmark says alot, we'll see.

Stumbled on some Farm Fresh Eggs

Went to look at the house we are renovating for my inlaws yesterday, and I mentioned that I needed to stop and get some eggs. It was Grace's bday, and I needed to make a cake. I heard that the lady across the road, Mrs. Hill, has some fresh eggs. I thought, Heck, I will do that and not have to go to the store. So, I bought my dozen farm fresh eggs for 2 dollars. Woohoo! These brown eggs were beautiful and the yolks looked great. I have decided that I will keep going to her and leave the store bought eggs for someone else. I got to see her chicken pen which was super clean. My husband told me that chickens are cannibals and will eat anything including other dead chickens. I can't imagine chickens in the big commercial farms grazing on dead chickens and other things and then hatching out eggs. Kind of seems gross to me.

After pizza and cake and the party stuff, I went to workout after 9 oclock last night. I love Anytime Fitness, because it doesn't matter what time it is. Oh yeah!

Birth of a new Hypochondriac

Now with the internet, there is a new breed of Hypochondriacs, they are called Cyberchondriacs. These are people who study conditions on the internet for self-treatment. These people will go against advice of their doctor because of something they read on the internet. Some people want to have the biggest and baddest disease or condition when in fact, it may be nothing at all. Lookout WebMD, you may be need to start up a support group for your visitors who are addicted to your site.