The Di Long Ranch Project

2 Year Anniversary

2011-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today Andy and I moved to Ashford Lane. The last house at the end of a dirt road sitting on top of a hill in Winchester, California. We have a 360 degree view of the skyline, we sit on our patio and watch amazing sunsets...the air smells of cow manure (most of the time) and Mother Nature is constantly reminding us who is in charge.

Its an interesting life. Sometimes it is overwhelming. Most of the time it is amazing. Every once is awhile we scratch our heads and wonder what the heck we were thinking.

Our first thoughts and goals for this property was to build a winery. In fact, within 6 months we planted our first 20 vines of Cabernet. Pretty exciting stuff. Since then we have learned that a project such as that might be a little beyond our means...between the economy, our music projects, critter issues, property maintenance and raising teenagers...we definitely have our hands full.

The reason I haven't blog about any of this for so long is because reality totally set in, and it is pretty much all we can do to maintain what we have. It won't always be this way, as we chip away at each individual project, I think the true purpose of this land will become apparent. Its definitely exciting to have property we can build upon...

Future projects include:

Vinyl Fencing

Black Top Driveway

Build carports

Drywall the garage

Hardwood Floors

Paint the Interior

Refinish Cabinets

That should keep us busy, along with ongoing landscaping projects. This year I would definitely like to finish the front yard with more myoporum and decorative rock.

Anyway, Happy 2nd Anniversary Ashford Lane. There are plenty of good things to come. Stay tuned.

Life. It Gets In The Way Sometimes.

2011-04-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, from The Ranch.

Sorry it has been awhile, the past few months have been a whirlwind of experiences. This is definitely a different kind of life.

Regardless of what I tell you...please understand, we still love it here. The challenges are extreme, and there are times when we scratch our heads and say...REALLY? This is what we signed up for? In our inexperience (and naivite) of country living, we thought we would have tons of peace & quiet; a content and soothing live full of sunsets, flowers, birds and butterflies. hahahaha

Two weeks ago, our tankless water heater caught on fire.

Rodents have been chewing the wires on my car resulting in hundreds of dollars in damage.

Andy's car has had 2 tranmission replacements, and 2 weeks ago, it went out AGAIN.

Our doggie has been having seizures since October, and regardless of her meds they were coming more frequently and violently. We had to put her down :(

To add to our rodent issues, we now also have gophers.

On the upside...

Our flower gardens around the house are thriving. I am ready to go buy some Verbena...the lady down the street has many colors of it, I can't wait!

We now have a regular water heater. Andy was able to install it himself.

Andy is building shelves in his workshop in the garage...really pretty. He is SUCH a talented handyman!

The owls are thriving, they just had fledglings, and now there are TONS of them on the property.

We have also had sightings of bald eagles...AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL!

So...life goes on. We painted a wall, built a coffeetable/bookshelf, we weed and fix and plant. We learn so much along the way. It is exhausting, but in the end...it is worth it.

I'd love to sit and write more...but I hear Andy revving up the tractor mower...so that means I gotta get to work.

The Kitchen Sink

2011-01-21T09:16:00.001-08:00

Been awhile since we've done any home improvement projects. I think last year kinda kicked our butts and it was nice to take a break. HOWEVER, we had some good friends over one night for dinner and one of them brought to our attention the leaky faucet in our kitchen sink. I had been ignoring it, plumbing is such a pain in the butt. He said if we continue to let it go, it will start leaking underneath and then it will be a huge mess.

Well...we ignored it for about 3 more weeks, and then last weekend I asked Andy if we could replace the faucet. He agreed, it was time. So, he YouTubed the project and asked me if I would also like to replace the sink...I think I said YES before he got the last word out of his mouth.

So, here it is: Pictures of our kitchen sink/faucet replacement project!

#1 Breaking the seal along the edge of the old sink. This was not easy...even cracked some of the countertop laminent. Bummer.

#2 Pulling out the old basin

#3 The empty space

#4 Plumber's putty around the drain

#5 Installing the drains into the new basin

#6 Finished install of new faucet

#7 TAH DAH!!!

Next...painting an accent wall in the living room! Stay tuned!

One Year Later

2010-11-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

It has been nearly a year since we moved to the ranch. We still love it, despite some fallbacks and countless hours of work we have put into landscaping and improvements.

We now have somewhat of a vision of the landscaping we are aiming toward...which has been a trial and error process. 5 acres of dirt, rock and weeds can be overwhelming and make it hard to envision the possibilities, but we are getting there.

We have started with small sections of flower gardens and tropical foilage; planting different types of fan palms, lavender, garlics and geraniums along with myoporum, which the rabbits do not touch. Summer is the worst, blistering heat and desperate rabbits can easily destroy everything we plant...so we built irrigation out to every section with set timers and electric fencing to discourage critters.

Once we get all the garden sections established, we are going to bring in crushed decorative rock, planters and paving stones. Its gonna look great. I think this winter we will start working on the interior as well.

We have had an exhausting week. My husband had sinus surgery, our dog started having seizures, and then my father-in-law passed away. As you can imagine, we are trying to keep our spirits and our health up as the Holidays near.

Enjoy the pictures of our tropical gardens, I will keep you updated as they grow.

My New Best Friend

2010-10-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Say Hello to my new friend Mr. Pick-shovel. He helped me dig over 300 holes for planting this weekend.

It has been a super productive weekend. No band gigs, so we stayed home and powered out some projects that have been on the back burner until summer is over. We did a lot. We are tired...but it was SOOO worth it.

Electric Fence

My husband built a series of electric fences around the flower beds to help keep our dog and rabbits out of them. It will not be a 100% fix, as the rabbits can easily squeeze underneath if they are crafty enough, but if it serves as a slight deterent, it is worth it. Jenny definitely does not like the fencing, so she has not ventured over to dig holes (which is one of her favorite pasttimes, along with stealing things, chewing things, and sitting on top of our cars). This is a picture of my husband and my son putting together the last section of fencing.

Ground Cover

Myoporum...rabbits won't touch it. That, and lavender are the only two plants that the rabbits did not chew up this summer. I bought 6 flats of myoporum on Thursday, it only cost me $30. I was able to stretch it all around the house and down the front slope. I am very encouraged that this will take off and we will finally have green around the property.

Drip Irrigation

Andy has been researching how to build drip irrigation around the house for the past few months. There are some very informative videos on YouTube, anyone can do it...AND its CHEAP. He ran it to every flower bed and the front slope where I planted the groundcover, and put them on timers, so now I do not have to go out and drag a hose all around the house a few days a week. With regular water and the warm temps we've been having, I think the ground cover will spread fairly quickly. (This is a better picture of the myoporum after I transplanted it)

This week I am going to buy more red bark mulch to spread over the flower beds to give it some instant colr until the myoporum gets established. That will also help keep the moisure in the ground.

Beautiful, isn't it? Most evenings we sit out on the back porch with our dinner and watch these lovely sunsets. We also watch massive flocks of blackbirds fly over our house the same time each evening to go to wherever they roost for the night. After dusk, Andy and I will sit out here with a glass of wine and listen for the owls. This is why we live here. We love it. Its paradise.

Our next projects? Palm trees. Decorative rock. and Man-cave. Stay tuned!

Lessons Learned

2010-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

SO, this has been a year of experimenting and getting to know our property. You never really know how much is involved until you take on 5 acres. It's a lot, but all in all, we love it. As we learn, we are taking notes about how to handle the seasons and the elements for next year.

Our goals are still in place to beautify the property. For example we want more tropical foilage, flowers and eventually full landscaping. This is going to have to manifest in stages, perhaps over the next 5 years or so. (That's a lot of blogging, eh?) Our biggest obstacles are obviously the rabbits, squirrels and weeds...but we also experience high winds, long bouts of heat and weird things like giant flying ants (don't ask).

As far as the rabbits and squirrels go (plus our sweet doggie who likes to dig holes) we are going to install some low voltage electrical fencing around our flower beds. When next season rolls around (early spring) we are going to put out bait to cut down the squirrel population, and net all of our fruit trees. The owls will probably be in place as well. Hopefully this will allow us to harvest some fruit from our grove and plant some flowers and plants around the house.

We are also noting that the rabbits will eat (or destroy) almost anything when summer hits, simply because they are desperate and the population is high after the spring breeding season (although they breed all year long...sigh). The plants they are NOT touching are lavenders, that weird ground-cover stuff I put out front, the white stinky flowers, and the light green garlics. So there is SOME hope of plant-life.

SO, our planning time-line goes something like this:

October - install electric fencing
November - drip irrigation to flower beds
December - planting (ground cover, garlics, fan palms, lavender, etc...)
January/February - rainy season, sit tight, work on garage and interior of house
March - Spray for weeds, put our squirrel bait, more planting
April - bud break for grape vines, net fruit trees
May - spray for weeds again, plant grape vines
June - mow down the weeds that grew anyway

By this time next year I hope to have the flower beds healthy and in full bloom. The grape vines may have a few grape clusters, if not then probably the year after that. Then we will have a whole new list of things we have learned. lol

Wabbit Twacks

2010-08-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would see the day when I hated rabbits. Not indifferent, not dislike...hate. I have definitely reconsidered my position on the whole Elmer Fudd vs. Bugs Bunny rivalry.

Now that the weeds have all dried up and been mowed down (it was quite a feat, but we finally got them under control) the rabbits are desperate; coming up to the house and eating EVERYTHING we have planted. Even the garlic.

This used to be a 4-foot tall Bird of Paradise.

I am just sick about the whole thing. They also took down two of my mini-palms.

So, we are learning. The hard way. Not sure if I mentioned this is a previous post, but the squirrels also ate every last stitch of fruit on our trees. The only fruit we even got to taste were the sugar plums.

In happier news, I think an owl has made his home in our owl box. YAY! Every night right after sunset we hear him flying around the property and landing on the box, we have caught a glimpse of him too. I think it is a screech owl. This is VERY good news.

The vineyard is doing nicely as well. Andy and Roger put up the trellising system for the baby vines and the little guys are creeping up and grabbing ahold already, it is SO COOL.

So, this spring and summer has been a learning experience. Next year we should have a better understanding of the in's and out's of running the property more efficiently. Hopefully we will have a family of owls living here, we will be netting trees and taking a stronger position in "rodent defense".

Another work-in-progress is a website I am building. Check it out, you can view it at www.dilongranch.com

Cheers!

Current Projects

2010-07-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Grapevines.

Meet my little friend. This is Cabernet Sauvignon. He's a happy boy, popping out of his little growing tube, isn't he cute? We now have 25 vines in full bloom. This is project #1.

Fruit.

We are now starting to harvest some fruit from our tree grove. These are sugar plums...tiny and sweet. Next we will start picking nectarines and peaches...yumm-o!

Un-flower garden.

This is my first finished un-flower bed. The mulch is great, it helps keep the moisture in the ground, loosen the soil and discourage weeds from growing. I am growing garlic, cat tails and fescue.

Owl Box.

Yesterday we raised our owl box. It is a beautiful thing. I am so proud of my husband, (and grateful to our friend Roger) for putting this together. Getting this thing off the ground was NO EASY TASK. The box itsself weighs about 50 pounds. The first post we tried to raise broke in half, so we decided to put it on a metal pole. It was a treacherous hour and a half trying to get this thing vertical. I can't believe we did it. Now we wait for an owl to come and move in...very exciting.

So, needless to say, we feel quite accomplished. Most of the weeds have been mowed down, and we are starting to beautify the property here and there. There are times when we feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, but this week we are patting ourselves on the back.

Now...its time for a vacation! HA!

Outta The Tube, Baby!

2010-07-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful sights I have seen in a long time. Just look at those glossy baby leaves! DiLong Ranch's first grape vines...wow.

Today is my birthday, I have decided to spend most of it blogging. I love to blog, but life has gotten so busy for us that I just don't have time to do it. So, this is my present to myself. I get to write.

In other ranch news, we are finally getting control over the weed situation, but the rabbits and squirrels still continue to run amok. I have not yet found the squirrel bait, Home Depot was out of stock last week, so I will make another run shortly to see if they got any more in. The rabbits are getting so desperate they are eating the garlic and the dead leaves off of our purple palms. This is NOT good. The men have started joking that they are gonna sit up at night with a pistol, a case of beer and a flood light. Aiy yai.

I am also, slowly but surely, starting to see my ground cover take hold...and I have decided to mostly landscape with garlics, since that is the last plant the rabbits are interested in eating. I also need to go out and look for the little white flowers that stink...I don't know what they are called, but the rabbits DEFINITELY don't eat them.

I have also been working on decorating the kids' bedrooms. Julian's room had NO paint at all, just the white the house came with, so his room has been the first one I tackled. It now has a warm feel, alternate walls painted brown and light blue...today perhaps I will get to the trim. But no promises...IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Progress and More Challenges

2010-06-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

Guess what THIS is???

Its a baby grape vine sprouting for the very first time in a growing tube. COOL huh?

I was so stoked when Andy came in from watering the vines last Monday and announced, "We have bud break!" It was magical. I never dreamed they would grow so quickly. Now, we have to nurture them and protect them...YES!

This past weekend we finally took a whole day to work on the property. Every weekend something has come up and we have been unable to put enough hours into the projects we have wanted to tackle. Saturday, we cut weeds. I can now say that about half of the property is cleared and we can finally see the ground again.

The fruit grove has hit a setback. Two words. Ground Squirrels. As much as I hate cute cottontail bunnies, I now equally hate adorable little squirrels. I traversed down the hillside to check out all of our lucious fruit, which is NO WHERE NEAR being ripe, but the ground squirrels have already got after it and eaten more than half of our crops. Not that we are so worried about the fruit THIS year, but in the future this will be a big problem for our grape vines. I have been counseling with several pest control experts and I am going to check out ground squirrel bait at Home Depot. GRRRRRRRRR!!!

Oh, and of course, the bunnies are still an issue. They have eaten ALL of my geraniums, which I thought they would leave alone because of the strong scent...but..NOPE. Poof. Gone. I am finding some plants that they are not eating, so I will continue to plant those, little by little...I WILL have a lovely landscape by this time next year. So much to do.

The band project is going well. We are very excited about the music...its still too soon to reveal our creation, but I will say...we are finding a groove, and it ROCKS.

I gotta get back to work, I've been sitting on the computer far too long this morning. Family to feed and chores to be done, you know how it goes. I am grateful to Blogger for designing some new templates, the blog is looking very "pro" now.

Overwhelmed

2010-06-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it. It's a big project. But, what can I say, we are dreamers and do-ers.

This week we are feeling the stress of living out here in the country and the massive challenges of owning 5 acres of property. Last night we had 3 people come out: a handyman to help us understand our irrigation lines and advise us how to make it more efficient, a pergola salesman to give us an estimate to build a patio cover on the front of the house, and our friend Roger to put protective covers around the new grape vines we planted on Memorial weekend. All three drove up to the property at the same time, just as I had put a tri-tip on the grill. The meat caught on fire and burned the outside to a crisp...(that was just a side note to add some humor to the story.) hahaha

ANYWHOOOO...Handyman Wayne was able to set Andy straight on the irrigation lines, I was not privy to this conversation, nor did I want to be. This falls under the "heavy lifting" category that Andy agreed he would manage.

The pergola salesman wanted $10,000. Good-bye!

And Roger...poor Roger! Well, let's just say he got a taste of what we are dealing with. Critters had already started chewing on the vines "stubs" we put in the ground, AND they also chewed up the drip irrigation lines we put down. Little bastards! So, he installed protective covers for each vine and he is devising a plan to get the water line up off the ground.

As for me, I am starting little projects around the house. Later this month I want to start painting the kids rooms, and I am also building a new planter outside next to the carport. It doesn't sound like much, but it something I can handle.

I guess the biggest frustration for us right now is that things keep breaking, we don't have time to get out and do all the maintenance...let alone the improvement projects we want to tackle. Its a lot. But we have time. We just have to keep telling ourselves that.

Back to Reality

2010-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

OK. It's been 5 weeks since the wedding. So much has happened, so this might be a long post. I will include some pictures to make it interesting. :)

The Wedding Day was awesome, everything we expected and more! Our timing was like clockwork, everyone did their job, showed up on time, nothing broke and it did not rain. The worse thing that happened was the wind blew like the devil for about 2 hours. It started right at the end of the ceremony and we scrambled to get bonfires lit so our guests would not freeze to death. The caterers had a tough time keeping the food warm because the wind was hitting them directly and it was pretty darned cold. Tablecloths blew everywhere, and a few people left early...but our hardcore friends stuck around, huddled in the mancave, on the porch and near the fires.

We have yet to see the proofs, but our poor photographer was definitely challenged to take decent wedding photos in 20mph winds. She told me they were awesome though, and I've had a few sneek peeks...I think I will be pleased.

My son, Dante sang for the masses and received standing ovations. He felt like a rockstar. It was cool to see his face light up as he jammed with a full band. My baby, so precious!

The honeymoon...aaaaaaaahhhhh, the much needed getaway! Very relaxing and romantic indeed. Andy was stunned by the central coast mountainsides and landscapes. We visited 14 wineries in 4 days, we ate like kings, slept and giggled, it was truly a honeymoon to be remembered. We came home with 4 cases of wine, and we are now spoiled beyond repair. There is no going back to Trader Joe's 2-buck chuck. MAN that was fun! I even took Andy to Hearst Castle so he could experience the grandeur. Touring this iconic fairytale castle on the hill makes you realize that visualization works. Anyway...I could go on and on. Enjoy the pics!

Coming back home, and back to reality, has taken us a few weeks to fall back into a normal routine. After all, what's normal? We've been kicking ass on this property for 6 months straight. Well, Mother Nature decided that for us. Two weeks after the honeymoon, our land exploded with 2-foot tall weeds. ALL OVER THE PLACE. Imagine 5 acres of weeds. It wouldn't be SO BAD if our neighbor hadn't told us that the snakes LOVE to hang out in the weeds...and in these two weeks we have had 3 snake sightings. 2 of them were rattlers. YIKES! So, now our "normal routine" is weed whacking. Our neighbors property is perfectly clean...no weeds at all. SO we asked him how he kept it so nice and he said "roundup". He sprays twice a year and the weeds don't come. Wow. Next year, we'll know.

Anyway, there are many other projects on the near horizon. I will keep blogging and let you know what's going on!

"This is Gonna Be Epic"

2010-03-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

That's what Andy said after talking to Reverend Don on the phone. And it is...going...to be...epic.

Most of the work is done, just working on minor details now...but we are counting the days to our wedding. 6 to be exact.

I will not be posting anything for a couple of weeks, the timing is just too tight and we have several to-do lists a mile long. I want to take a moment and revel in all we have accomplished:

Landscaping. Four months ago this place was barren. No greenery at all, and the rabbits were running rampant on the property eating everything that popped up out of the ground. The winter was cold, windy and rainy, but when the sun started to shine Mother Nature did her job and painted this place better than Picasso could have. We planted out rabbit resistant flowers and shrubs, plus a few fan palms (our new friend, Jenny the Hunter, is helping us keep the bunny population under control...good girl!) The kids and I also explored the property and found beautiful desert rock to place in the plant beds. The previous owners had left some loose brick on the side of the house, so I used that to line the beds as well. Although we planted clover seed around the house, I don't think any of it popped up, instead we got tons of wild flowers, aka "weeds", that have not only made everything green, but the landscape is peppered with tiny flowers, white, pink, purple and yellow. Who knew weeds could be so pretty! Where the dirt was to hard and dry for the flowers to grow, we placed stepping stones (most of them on clearance at Home Depot!) The fruit trees are blooming and the birds are chirping, its just like a Disney movie, and I am Snow White. ok middle-aged Snow White, but who cares.

Man-Cave. Although its not complete, the man-cave is clean and somewhat tidy. We have one side set up with couch, chairs and TV for the kids to play Wii.

Trampoline. This has been the biggest thorn in our side, other than the rabbits. Apparently it gets WINDY up here on the hill, and our precious christmas present took flight twice during the wind storms this winter. The first time it was completely demolished and we have to order spare parts to put it back together. The second time it flew a football field away, but was not in bad shape...so we put it back together and poured cement in the ground to strap it down. If it blows away again, forget it! Anyway, this will be another form of amusement for our children guests.

The House. The very first thing we did was paint the house and we just LOVE the colors. Once that was done, it laid the foundation for all the other projects.

Lighting. We lined the driveway with solar lights, and bought accent lighting (also solar) to shine on the house and boulders...it looks EXCELLENT! Our good friend, Tom, bought us light fixtures and a matching light post for the front yard. At night when we turn them all on at night, there is a starburst pattern splayed out across the property, it looks spectacular!

Wedding organization. We have our caterer lined up (Mexican fajitas grilled on site), we have tables and chairs and linens being delivered on Thursday, and I ordered 3 packages of flowers that I will be picking up on Wednesday to decorate with. Very exciting. Our friend, Reverend Don will be marrying us, Brenda Portillo of Be Still Images will be doing the photography, our friend Mark Preleberg will be video-taping, and superstar Dave Barrios "Johnny on the Spot" will be keeping everyone on the dance floor.

I have the boys suits, my wedding dress and accessories...Andy has his suit cleaned and pressed...so we are ready to rock and roll.

At first we envisioned perhaps 70 people...but the guest list multiplied and we are now expecting over 100...maybe even 120. Parking became an issue once we saw the RSVP's rolling in. SO we enlisted our friend Roger to figure it out, he's good at stuff like that. He came out yesterday with his little orange flags and mapped it all out...excellent!

OK, my fingers hurt and I have a ton of work to do. Wish us luck and when I get a chance I will post more to tell you ALL about it!

Loves to all!

Its Coming Along Quite Nicely!

2010-03-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

I have not had time to post to the blog in the past few weeks. Even that last post, I forgot to publish it and did not have time to add any pictures to it. Today, I really don't have time either, but I am letting my fingers flew swiftly over the keyboard to leave you all a quick note of our progress.

I have nearly finished landscaping the border around the house, it looks excellent, and I decided to use many of the rocks and gnarled pieces of wood to decorate with, it looks excellent. I did go buy some greenery and lots of garlic...I also took some of my potted plants off the porch and added them to the mix as well. I just love it!

Andy has fixed the trampoline...again. It has seen better days, but it is still in one piece and it is now soundly anchored to the ground by cement posts. We also put a light on the side of the garage to shine on it at night if the boys want to jump on warm summer evenings. Totally cool!

Andy also put up a beautiful light post that our good friend Tom gave to us as a house warming gift. It is...STUNNING! He poured a cement foundation for it on the center island in our driveway. Its just...in a word...KILLER! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that yet, but I will get one! (This is a picture of my boys helping dig a trench to run conduit to the light post.)

I am still placing stepping stones around the house, that is time consuming, but once finished, its gonna look GREAT!

The wind has not been kind to our new palms trees, but once they start growing, we can trim them up and they will look good again. I just love the look we are coming up with, its a combination of tropial island oasis and southwest-ranch, really unique and fun!

Jenny is getting better and better at hunting rabbits. In fact, I think she has discovered several dens...she comes home covered in dirt and bringing us several "prizes" a week. It was never my intention to be a rabbit-hater, and I know they are God's little creatures, but I sure wish they would go somewhere else and thrive in one of the many open fields elsewhere in the valley. I still wake up to find that they have destroyed yet another plant or flower...even if they don't eat it, they just tear it apart and leave it on the ground. They have removed several stalks off of our birds of paradise, and there is virtually nothing left of my baby palms on the driveway.

Anyway, we are about 19 days away from the wedding. All of the big projects are done, so we are down to finishing touches and organization. I really should get back to work. More to come! Stay tuned!

OK...Wow.

2010-02-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

Our weekend was productive, and fun. We didn't kill ourselves, but we accomplished a lot and the property is really starting to shape up. Then Monday showed up...

Saturday morning Andy and my Dad worked on the trampoline, installing the new parts and making it round again, instead of, you know...pretzel shape. It didn't take long and by noon the boys were bouncing away on it. SUCCESS!

After that, Andy took a nap.

Saturday afternoon we made our weekly trek to Home Depot, and picked up stepping stones. (Its comforting to know Mr. Homer Depot's children will be able to afford to go to college.) Actually we bought some clearance items and did not spend a whole lots of money. When we got home, Andy laid stones in one directions and I worked in the opposite direction. We had a silent competition to see who's stepping stone design would prosper. Mine, of course, was a little more complex...while Andy's was simple yet random, which is the look we were leaning toward...so I reset my stones to match his, and all was right in the Universe.

Sunday our friends Roger and Kathy arrived to help us pick up fan palms at ther local nursery. We all thought this was going to be a monsterous task, but it actually went off without a hitch. The palms look excellent, and I am especially excited about the giant bird of paradise we placed on the side of the house. This would be an EXCELLENT place for a Japanese style zen garden. My wheels are definitely spinning!

I know I posted about the clover coming up, but I am still not sure that's what it is. It might actually be weeds. At this point in time, I don't care...its green, which is better than brown.

OK, so here's the part you've all been waiting for. What happened Monday? All day Sunday a storm was brewing, the wind kicked up and by sunset it was freezing cold outside. It started raining right about bedtime. Monday morning we awoke and it was still partly cloudy and cold. The kids and ran a few errands at noon and came back a little after 1pm. The wind was starting to blow and we all kind of giggled looking at the trampoline as the netting was flapping in the breeze. Andy had tried many ways to anchor it down, but decided that cinder blocks were the best option...

At 1:15 Jenny cried at the door because the wind was really picking up and she was scared...so I let her in. At 1:35 the phone rang...it was my dad. "How's the trampoline holding up?" my son answered as he looked out the window..."oh its fine, we have it held down...by...some...OOOHHH NOOOOO!" All that was left were the cinder blocks. No trampoline to be found. ANYWHERE! We ran outside and looked in every direction, the trampoline had completely disappeared. No shit. My dad came over and drove around the neighborhood and still could not find it. Andy came home completely broken hearted and defeated, and set out to find what was sure to be the mangled mess. He drove up the dirt road to the neighbor's house behind us and he found the trampoline in a gulley, the two of us hiked back there with a screwdriver and a rubber mallet and disassembled the big blue giant, resembling a beached whale at this point, and dragged it home. The irony is...(and you know how much I love irony) although the wind carried it three times farther than last time, it was actually NOT in bad shape. Andy was able to hammer the pieces back into shape, all except one...and we actually had a left-over piece from the last repair to replace it. We might be short a few springs, but that remains to be seen when we start putting it back together.

The real question is...how do we anchor this sucker down so it doesn't fly off again? We bought stakes and wire at Home Depot, but the stakes easily pulled out of the ground when we tested it. Our next experiment is sand bags. The manufacturer wants you to take down the netting when high winds come, but that is easier said than done.

Hm. Anyway, it is now Tuesday and I am falling behind in my duties. I welcome any ideas readers might have about our trampoline issue.

Making Headway! We Have Clover!

2010-02-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

This has been a productive week! Last weekend we had glorious weather which managed to spill over into the work week as well, so we have gotten a lot accomplished!!!

Friday and Saturday we had a few gigs, so we weren't really able to get to work until Sunday on our home improvement projects. It was Valentine's Day. I asked Andy not to spend money on flowers or anything, I just wanted to spend the day with him working on the house. He agreed...YAY! So we drove around to Home Depot and local nurseries and picked up our next round of supplies.

In my last post I wrote that the clover had not yet germinated, but immediately after that I took a look around the property and realized I was mistaken. We - have - clover! This week's amazing weather has really encouraged growth too, the combination of rain and sun has really worked its magic. Right now it is very subtle, it looks like a light film of green over the landscape, but up close you can see how many little clover-guys have taken hold, its AMAZING!

I looked for Lantana, Veronica or Verbena at the local nurseries and both places told me straight up, it has been too cold this winter and they don't have any on hand. Home Depot had some of the Lantana but it was kind of pricey and the local growers explained that when it is grown locally it dies out in the winter. I want a plant that will be year-round, AND rabbit-proof...I know, I know...I am asking the world, right? Well, one nursery grower showed me a plant I had never heard of, it is used for ground cover, produces tiny little flowers, grows year round and it MAKES RABBITS SICK. At that point, I didn't care what it was called, I just said, "Give it to me!" hahaha. All kidding aside, I love the cute little cottontails, I think they are adorable...and I invite them with great enthusiasm to graze on the open field of green grass right next door. I will gladly wave to them from a distance, but I am afraid my plantings will be much to bitter and toxic for their delicate systems.

ANYWHOOOOO...I have been planting these new greeneries all week in my "spare time" between teaching my eldest son Quadradic formulas, my youngest son about simple and compound interest, laundry, dinner and wedding organizational duties. Who needs a hobby?

This will be an exciting weekend coming up. Andy and I have the entire weekend off, NO GIGS. We won't have another weekend like this for awhile, so we are going to power out as much work as possible. We received the replacement parts for the trampoline, so my dad is gonna help Andy put that back together in the morning. THEN we are going to pick up river rock, stepping stones and fan palms and hopefully get those put in place on Sunday.

Wish us luck! More pics to follow!

Can Anyone Identify This Bloom?

2010-02-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

OK, so no rain in the forecast for awhile. Andy and I have been miserable with sinus infections all week, but we are slowly recovering. So, it's time to regroup.

While taking a walk around the property, we noticed some of our fruit trees are starting to bloom. Most of them, we have NO IDEA what they are. This particular tree is putting out a pinkish/red bloom and it is just gorgeous! Can anyone tell me what it is?

My clover is not sprouting, and the rabbits have claimed my iceplant AND have started in on one of the birds of paradise plants as well. This is quite discouraging.

A friend told me about a ground cover called Lantana, it puts out some pretty flowers and apparently the rabbits hate it, so I guess I will give that a shot. There are a few others that are just GORGEOUS plants and not favorites of the cottontail rascals...check these out:

Veronica

Verbena

How terrible would it be to lace the property with these gorgeous flowers? I am thinking it would be pretty darned cool.

However, I am still scratching my head about the clover. It has not sprouted as of yet and our wedding date is closing in fast. What to do, what to do.

OK, I have much to do...today I am going to meet with an alterations lady to fix up my dress, and the house looks like a hurricane hit. Work, work, work!

Waiting for the rain to subside

2010-02-09T13:01:00.001-08:00

We are still having some blustery days, plus we have all been fighting a bit of a cold around here, so it is a good excuse to sit home and rest. This last weekend was sort of wet and cold and although Andy was not feeling well, but he still managed to get out and trim some trees. Other than that, I guess we just let Mother Nature water our clover seed and new plantings. :)

Sunday we went to a Superbowl party at our friends' home in Orange County and we were bombarded with wedding questions. These friends are also hosting our Engagement Party, so they want our input as far as organizing, inviting certain people and coming up with photos and music. It is a challenge to not feel overwhelmed. So, this week (as long as it is raining) I am concentrating on wedding details. I have contacted the reverend about our vows, I found my wedding shoes and need to look for a corset for my dress so I can have it altered. I also need to go to a local craft store and pick up some bowls to make centerpieces for my tables.

There is so much to do, and our number of weekends are becoming fewer and fewer. We should receive the parts to repair our trampoline this week, plus I would really like to plant the fan palms this weekend, but this might be put off for one or two more weeks. We have two gigs this weekend which really only gives us Sunday to work. Luckily, we have a free weekend after that, I hope the weather holds up!

There will be much digging in your future...

2010-02-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

Oh boy.

This weekend was kind of a bust (home improvement wise) but we expected that. We had a show Friday, I had a High School Reunion Saturday night and Andy had to fly out to Maryland Sunday morning, so we didn't get a lot accomplished. Saturday afternoon we did scoot over to Home Depot to pick up some solar lighting and a wheelbarrow, then to a sod/landscaping store to pick up our clover seed. We came home and lined the solar lighting up the driveway, raked the ground a bit and threw down the clover seed, watered it and that was about all we had time for.
I'm not sure if I mentioned the clover decision in earlier posts, but I have been researching inexpensive ground-cover that is drought resistant, doesn't need much mowing and won't die if the dog pees on it. The answer was...clover. Other good news, it grows fast and with very little encouragement. PERFECT! The above picture shows what the ground looks like now...barren. We want to green it up in time for the wedding. This weekend it is supposed to rain a little and then we should have some sunshine and it will germinate. I'll take more pictures in a few weeks to let you know how its going.

Much to my chagrin, the rabbits are finding their way in between garlic plants to get to the iceplant cuttings I put down, so...sigh...I am going to have to build a better barrier.

Since the garlic shoots come in pots, I have been moving them around the property as needed, BUT now I have decided I must take them out of the pots and just start lining the property with individual shoots. This is going to be time consuming.

More good-news/bad news...Jenny caught another rabbit, BUT she is digging holes all over the property, including where we have put down new plants. I'm not sure if she is digging out of boredom, to find more rabbits or to bury her treasures...but it is borderline destructive and I am hoping it doesn't become a huge issue. She was SO PROUD today to show off her kill...and I showered her with tons of love and gratitude. She is such a sweet dog...I just adore her.

So, wish me luck with my digging issues. I will be planting garlic until the cows come home, and refilling holes that Jenny has created. YAY! :)

And More Digging!

2010-01-28T16:40:00.001-08:00

I'm on a roll. Took the dog to the vet and on the way home we stopped at the nursery to pick up some ice plant. While I was there (waiting for them to bring out the flats) I saw a huge bush with perfect purple daisy's growing from it! "What is that?" I asked Andreas. "Daisy's" he answered. (because he is a man of few words) He took some cuttings off the bush and gave them to me, then showed me how to trim them and put them in the ground. YAY!

Off I went with my 2 flats of ice plant.

As soon as we got home, I grabbed the shovel once again and vowed to remove that UGLY dried up desert sage on the front hillside. I know, I know...it sounds cruel, but the property is loaded with them and I really don't want this one in front of my house. Because of the rain it is temporarily green, but once summer rolls around that thing will be brown and brittle. Its ugly. (did I mention that already?) So, I took it down with branch clippers and a shovel. It put up a fight, but I was determined. Once it was gone, I was able to put down my sprigs of ice plant.

OH! I also planted my cuttings of "daisy's" in front of the house next to the purple palms and bird of paradise. I am so excited!

I surrounded the new plantings with our pots of garlic, hoping the bunnies will stay away. Sic 'em Jenny!

I wanted to get this work done during the week because this weekend we have 2 shows and Andy goes out of town Sunday morning...so our weekend is pretty shot. I'm getting a lot done on my own! YAY!

Mid-Week Report, Digging!

2010-01-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

Since moving in here we have had a few serious downpours which has opened our eyes to the reality of erosion. Several slopes on the property are without vegetation and therefore a sudden downpour of rain is going to wash away the dirt and leave huge crevices in the land. Eventually this can become a problem and create sinkholes and irrepairable damage.

My goal is to put a lot more vegetation on the property, this is a difficult task when you know there are about 1,000,000 or so rabbits out there just waiting for you to plant something tasty! The good news is, Jenny caught her first rabbit this morning and decided to chew its face off. (I know, graphic...but it made me happy, thank your stars I didn't take a picture) She was quite proud of herself and now, you can see it in her eyes, she is a hunter...she is on the prowl. My guess is that bunnies aren't going to want to spend a whole lot of time on this property. So with Jenny's help and the trusty garlic plants, I am hoping it will be safe to start planting some vegetation.

Today, I started digging the soft dirt (still soaked from the rain) and filling in the eroded areas the rains caused. Next I will start planting some ice-plant in this area. I am very excited to have this slope fill in with beautiful purple flowers by April.

I also did some research on groundcover for the yard. I really wanted grass, but again, we have a few problems: 1. it is hot and dry here in the summer, making it extremely difficult to keep grass alive. 2. dog urine. dogs LOVE to pee on grass and then you have dead grass patches...not attractive. 3. None of us are very enthusiastic about mowing. 4. it is very expensive to lay sod and we have a lot of ground to cover. 5. rabbits. Well, ONCE AGAIN, I found a wonderful solution! Clover! Apparently, clover is cheap to buy, easy to grow, it is resistant to dog urine, doesn't need much mowing, nor does it need much watering. It stays green even in intense heat. AWESOME! Plus we have the bunny situation under control. YAY!

So, in the next couple of weeks, I foresee us planting ice-plant and clover seed. Green acres, here we come!

Weekend #4 - Project Man-Cave Underway

2010-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

The rain last week was intense. Thursday was the worst, the winds kicked up to what seemed like typhoon magnitude, it got a little hairy. Our internet went down three times in 4 days and we lost power Thursday for about half an hour. One of our little trees started leaning to a 45 degree angle, our garbage cans would not stay in place and we ended up putting them into the garage. Jenny stayed indoors most of Thursday, and by that time all of us were getting cabin fever. It was the perfect time, however, to address the envelopes for my wedding invitations...another thing wiped off my To-Do List! Yes!

Friday morning came and it was much calmer outside...Dante and I stared out the back window for a few moments and he said, "Mom, do you notice anything different?" and although I knew something was not quite right, I could not put my finger on it..."I'm not sure, what is it?" he pointed to the empty space in the yard where the trampoline used to be and we both said it outloud, "TRAMPOLINE!" Our eyes scoured the property and we finally saw our poor upside down Christmas gift in the field behind the garage. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!! The next morning, Andy pulled it back over the fence and it literally looked like a pretzel. Major bummer! Not only was it an expensive gift for the boys, it has been a hit with them...they jumped on that thing everyday for hours. Andy feels certain he can order parts and repair it...I hope so. Next time we know, trampoline + typhoon = Kite.

Saturday we decided to get out of the house, so we took some friends to Hamilton Oaks Winery in Trabuco Canyon and picnicked. It was freezing, but we huddled under the patio heaters and drank wine...for three hours...it was a fun day. We even explored the vineyard and got muddy. YAY!

Sunday, it was back to work. Andy got outside early and planted our new purple palms and birds of paradise in the front yard, then it was time for...Project Man-cave.

We pulled everything out of the garage, re-organized, threw out, and stowed storage boxes into the
rafters. It was great fun. The garage had about 2 inches of dirt on the floor, so I swept and shop-vac'ed. We set up the smaller side like a livingroom, complete with sectional sofa, coffee table, love seat and television. This will be a perfect alternative "hang-out" room when we have the wedding. It never ceases to amaze me how spiritually cleansing it is to clean out a room, even if it is your garage. The cleaning part is about 90% done, next we will put some drywall, put some old rugs down, set up internet and cable and organize the band equipment. Bingo...man-cave.

Next weekend's goal will be to pick up the fan palms and do some more planting. Very exciting!

In other news, Jenny is officially a hunter. She caught and killed a quail today...which means she would do the same to a rabbit...YES! GOOD GIRL!!!!

Happiness prevails at DiLong Ranch.

Weekend 3 - DONE!

2010-01-17T16:24:00.001-08:00

Well, almost done. We powered out the trim on the garage, Andy painted the front door, and then we watched as the winter storm (we had been warned about) roll in. I can't emphasize or exaggerate how cool it is to see SO MUCH SKY. We can see weather systems coming in from any direction, its just amazing. About 2 o'clock it became a race against time. We were also running out of red paint, so it was working out perfectly. Andy finished the last touches while the kids and I cleaned up the yard of DIY debris. Jenny became excited, I think she knew the storm was coming too. She followed me around the property as if to say, "what's going on? What are we going to do?"

Next weekend will be about organizing the garage (ugh) so we can turn it into a "man cave". Right now it is full of boxes of junk, filing cabinets, tools, couches, band equipment...everything we didn't want to deal with when we moved. Now its time to deal with it. We have lots of storage cabinets, and overhead storage and I think we will find there is a lot we can throw out, and things we forgot about that can come into the house. It'll be an adventure. Ya, sure...that's it. It is a 3 - car garage, and the single side will become the boys rec room...complete with TV for video games and movies, a couch and probably a mini-fridge. The 2 car part of the garage is going to be a combo of band-room, tool/hobby/repair...ok, I'll say it again...MAN CAVE.

Here's a picture of the finished house...just LOVE the colors!

So, rain is upon us. It is supposed to rain all week. How exciting!!!!

Weekend 2, 2010

2010-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

I did not get around to posting this on Monday. I was under the weather and had a list of chores a mile long. My week did not get any better. I ended up in Urgent Care Wednesday night and brought home some anti-biotics. I had a screaming UTI which was not getting any better since I was not taking the time to heal myself...I have been on the run since the day before Thanksgiving. In other words, my body is tired and wants rest.

So, I blog, and rest.

Last weekend was great. Andy and I worked on the trim some more, adding our third accent color of charcoal brown. I have to say, the back porch looks amazing!

We also visited a local nursery (there are several in the area and their prices are FANTASTIC). We found these great little palms that are the exact same color as the trim of our house...they add a great flare to the flat facade of the house. EXACTLY what we have been looking for. We asked the nursery guy, "how do you keep the rabbits out of your plants?" he pointed, and answered in one word..."green". Andy and I looked at each other a bit confused...and then looked back to the spot where he was pointing. "You mean these green plants in the pots?" In between the rows of palms and ferns were mystery unknown green plants. "Yes", he answered. "What are they?" we were DYING to know. "Garlic" was his reply. We all smiled and did the collective "OOOOOOOHHHhhhhh!" Rabbits DO NOT like plants with a strong odor, such as onion, garlic, rosemary or mint. We picked up a bunch of them for $2 a piece. The red palms were only $10 a piece...SWEET! They have been on the property for a week now and the rabbits have not touched them...so far so good.

This weekend, more trim work and possibly more plants purchased. We still want fan palms, and plenty more of these red palms. GORGEOUS, they totally POP!

Andy's butt is feeling much better, he is a fast healer. It did turn all kinds of crazy colors of black, blue and purple...he did go to the doctor and get an x-ray (just in case) and he proudly "mooned" his friends showing off his weekend DIY warrior wound. The irony is, after all the work we did, he ended up getting hurt while changing a light bulb. Pretty hilarious! I'd post a picture here, but I might get booted from Google, hahaha.

Much to do! Oh ya, I'm supposed to be resting. oooops.

What Would Be The Perfect Title For This Post?

2010-01-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

It has always been my dream to remodel a house to make it my own. This weekend was definitely the beginning of my dream come true. All weekend I kept thinking up the perfect titles for my blog post for this weekend, and now they all escape me.

Anyway, the painters showed up on time Saturday morning and got right to work. By Saturday evening our house was the perfect cream/peach color we envisioned. They also painted the porch with the ranch red. Sunday we slept in a little bit (shame on us), then we ate a huge breakfast (eggs bacon, biscuits and gravy...shame, SHAME) and then started in on painting the trim. It was the perfect weather...warm, sunny and lightly breezy. We kranked up Andy's iTunes and rocked out while we painted. Sitting on top of the hill and looking out over our amazing view, it almost felt like we owned a huge chunk of the planet.

Our new dog, Jenny, sat out on a boulder and took in the sites as well, she is LOVING her new home. She is such a sweet dog, and she loves me. She comes whenever I call, sits on command and stays in near proximity of wherever I am. When I leave the property to run and errand, she is very excited and greets me at the gate when I come home, she jumps into the car with me so I can driver back up the hill, its adorable. Unfortunely, she still has not taken to Andy. Men scare her. Everytime he approaches her and she feels she cannot "escape" she becomes incontinent and pees on the spot. So, there has been some apparent abuse in her past. Poor puppy. More good news though, she loves to chase rabbits...YAY!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the "after" shots. The weekend did not go off without a hitch, however. Andy fell off the step ladder at the end of the day Sunday and bruised his tailbone pretty badly. It was hairy for a few hours, his back swelled up with a huge goose-egg, but we iced it and by this morning the swelling had gone down considerably. Unfortunately, we also broke one of the new lamp fixtures in the process. :(

No worries, its still three steps forward and one back...and that is progress. Andy and I are a kick-ass team and we get things done. THAT, I LOVE.

Back to work.

New Years Day, a new start

2010-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Even though we've been here 5 weeks, I'd like to start counting the days of our remodel from January 1, that would make it easy, wouldn't it? Its a fresh start, a new year, and even a new decade...amazing.

Last year on New Year's Day, Andy and I had just begun our relationship together, we were newly "in love" and for some reason we both knew this was the love of our life. We walked around Laguna Beach checking out art galleries and funky gift shops, it was a fun day and we were flying high on the wings of love. Little did we know 2009 would be the most amazing year either of us had ever had.

Now it is New Year's Day 2010. We are at Di Long Ranch. We are envisioning our upcoming wedding (April 3rd), and beyond that we are building our dream of a winery. We are still flying high on love, but a little too busy to enjoy art galleries and gift shops...we are painting. The kids and I pulled up weeds and raked the leaves and brush that the winds had deposited in the yard. Andy power washed the house and this morning the painters showed up. They are taping up the windows and doors as we speak. I will write a new post in a couple of days with pictures. The painters are only spraying the peach colored base coat the the main parts of the house and garage, they are also going to spray on the red/brown color to the porch. The detail painting will be up to me and Andy after that.

Oh, Jenny is doing fine also...she loves running around the property. I tried to start her off as a indoor dog, but she was not content. Once we let her loose in the yard, she was happy as a clam.

Hope this finds all of you enjoying your new year and envisioning a future of happiness and success!

Puppy and Paint

2009-12-31T11:43:00.001-08:00

Well, we did it. We got a dog. She is beautiful and exactly what I wanted. She is a husky/german shepherd mix...her coloring is amazing, blonde and gold fur and gold eyes...she really just looks like a husky, she has all the markings and she does not bark (thank GOD)...but I guess her unusual coloring is the german shepherd part of her. We named her Jenny, she is sweet and loving. She has not figured out the pee and poop outside thing, it is really frustrating for me...I can't handle the indoor messes. So, I am practicing dilligence and patience and taking her outside as often as possible. I need a crate, but I have to get one and I haven't done that yet.

Also, Andy just e-mailed me and said the painter can come out on Saturday. THIS Saturday, as in the day after tomorrow. Aiy yai. That means our new years day will be spent taping up windows and doors and buying paint. Woot! No worries, I'd rather get it done and out of the way. The thing I love about Andy most is that he does not procrastinate...he says he's gonna do something and he does it.

Much to do. Christmas tree goes down today, and life goes back to normal. YAY!

Christmas at The Ranch

2009-12-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

I can't move. I'm exhausted.

Christmas was a success here at Di Long Ranch. The boys got a go-cart and a trampoline, we had family over for prime rib dinner and played a little music on the porch while the sun went down. It was fabulous. The day after Christmas I had to make two more cheesecakes (I made 8 cheesecakes to give as gifts to many of our friends) and then we had a gig at one of our favorite venues, "The Gambling Cowboy".

Half way through the show I hit a wall. I made it through the last two hours, but it was not easy. I was exhausted, but the audience was fun and that carried me through. Our friends Tom, Laura, Roger and Kathy came out to support us. We truly have some amazing friends.

Sunday Roger came out and helped Andy put together the trampoline. His son, Joey, brought his pellet gun and shot a jack rabbit on the property...whooo hooo! Go Joey! Our other friend, Tom, brought out some fancy outdoor lighting and installed them for us as a housewarming gift. They are SO GORGEOUS! They are going to match the paint perfectly as well.

Also, while Tom was here, he started bending our ear about our wedding plans. How many people? What time? What's the theme? Who is our photographer? What kind of tables and where will they go? Instantly our minds started swimming in TMI. He offered some great insight, however. The most interesting suggestion was to set up the right lighting, ALL OVER THE PROPERTY. Not only lighting the house, but lighting the driveway and the boulders on the property...it was an EXCELLENT idea. I knew dramatic lighting would improve the curb appeal of Di Long Ranch, but I never thought about lighting the rocks...THAT would be AMAZING! The good news is, lighting is cheap...and TOM LOVES TO INSTALL LIGHTING. Ding ding ding! Winner, winner!

Anyway, now that Christmas is over, and New Years is practically under our belt...we can really start diving into projects. Andy finished the fencing, and painting the house is next on our to-do list.

And So It Begins...

2009-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the first day Andy and I have off together to work on projects around the property...YAY! and YIKES! There is much to do, and the first challenge is knowing where to start.

We want to get a dog, or two...but before we do that, we need to make sure the fence line is secure so the dog(s) will not be tempted to roam off of the property. 3/4 of the perimeter has deer fencing, but the remainder is just barb-wire, a dog could easily slip through it. The previous owners left a roll of deer fencing, so Andy is going to unroll that in the morning and see if he can finish off the property line.

We are also looking forward to painting the house very soon, so we are planning to cover the windows and doorways with paper so we can hopefully have the painters come out next week.

Another interesting project we are considering is building a deck, or wood-plank walkway out from the porch to the steps. There are tons of 4 x 4's left behind from the previous owner, some are 10 feet long and some are 20 feet...so we are going to bring those out and see if we can find a way to build our walkway.

Other projects for this weekend include trimming trees and a general "clean-up" of the property. That should keep us pretty busy.

I took my first walk today, down the driveway and out to the dirt road. It was glorious, exhilerating and a little overwhelming. This land has so much promise, its like a blank canvas...so many things we can do, and quite a few obstacles to overcome. The first real issue we have to tackle is the rabbits. Andy is hoping that getting a dog will solve the problem, but I am not convinced. I hope he is right. We also need to find plants that the rabbits don't like and make good use of those.

I took another picture of the sheep while I was out...

Last week we had a very good rain for several days. This picture was taken outside our front door when the sun broke through the clouds. Andy and I were out of town when the heaviest rain hit. My mom was here with the kids and they locked themselves out of the house. (hahaha) They said the wind was blowing like crazy and the rain was pouring down in buckets. When we got home we saw how the water had washed away some areas around the driveway, so this is another concern we have down the road. You can tell where the previous owner had filled eroded areas with rocks, which is a really good idea. Lord knows we have plenty of ROCK! This week the sun is shining and it is a beautiful, temperate 80 degrees in Winchester, CA. The landscape is covered with a subtle layer of "green". During my walk I could hear cows moo-ing in the distance. I can't believe this is my life. Amazing.

Wabbit Twacks

2009-12-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have to laugh a little bit. One day, right before escrow closed, Andy and I were walking around the new property and he says, "wow, look at all the peppercorns on the ground!" There is no grass growing here, it is all dirt...a few sage bushes and fruit trees...but no grass and no shrubbery or flowers. Scattered all around the property there are piles of little black (perfectly round) pellets...which Andy mistook for peppercorns. I giggled outloud, "those aren't peppercorns silly, that's rabbit poop!" He looked at me in horror and disbelief..."Nooooooooooooooo!!!" We thought about it for a minute and realized, THAT'S WHY there is nothing growing on the land, not even weeds. Sure enough, the second night after we moved in, Andy's sister opened the front door to venture out to the garage and about 20 sweet little cottontail bunnies scattered in all directions. HOW CUTE, right?

WRONG!

These adorable little furballs are DESTRUCTIVE. They have eaten all of my potted plants, INCLUDING my palm trees. I can't believe it.

We have been searching the internet for solutions. Apparently they make some kind of spray that the rabbits don't like, so we will probably invest in something like that. We are also talking about getting a dog, maybe TWO very soon. I think we have also abandoned the idea of planting any grass...although I have also heard there is a grass out there that bunnies don't eat. Will have to do more investigating on that one.

On to more pleasant subjects...SHEEP!

Check it out! Last week I was driving out our dirt road to run some errands and almost hit a sheep! There is a local herder who contracts out his sheep to "mow" fields of weeds. These sheep are FAT and happy, let me tell you! My kids took a walk down to the field to take some upclose pictures, and witnessed a mama sheep giving birth. They were a little grossed out, but it was definitely an eye opening experience for them. How cool!

So, Andy and I have finally agreed on colors to paint the house. Not that we were DISAGREEING, but my ideas were to keep it simple and he wanted a little more color than I was proposing. We came to a happy agreement. The main color will be a very light peach color, and the trim will be a dark red-brown with accents of dark chocolate brown. I hadn't considered a third trim color, but when I saw the samples together it looked amazing. Let's see if I can type text samples, lol. PEACH, RED-BROWN, DARK CHOCOLATE.

In other news, yesterday we ate our first tangerine off of one of our trees, it was DELICIOUS! Also picked a pomegranite. The previous owners mapped out the different fruit trees for us, and I finally got around to looking at it the other day. WOW! We have different kinds of apples and pear trees, a cherry tree, apricot, pluot, pomegranite, tangerine, lemon and figs. I think it would be cool to also plant a pumpkin patch next year.

So much to do. Glad I finally found my uploader so I can add pictures to my posts!

and on the 5th day...they rested.

2009-11-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday. Glorious Sunday.

Friday night's gig was a success, but we were exhausted. I don't really even remember driving home or going to bed.

Saturday we got up and powered out many projects before our guests started to arrive at 3pm. We emptied the last of the "necessary" boxes and stashed the rest in the garage. We set up the kitchen table, hung a few pictures and Andy went out to buy a chiminea and a few tiki torches. My son and I made a few centerpieces out of kitchen bowls and floating roses that we cut from the arbor. A few candles placed around was the finishing touch...everyone was quite impressed!

Before the party, we had a dramatic thunderstorm...it was AMAZING! From up here we can see the weather coming in from any direction. The clouds were threatening, but beautiful...we continued to work in between raindrops and then suddenly...CRAAAAACK, KA-BOOM! Thunder and lightening! It was FABULOUS! Heavy rain followed and even a little sleet, totally COOL! Our first guests arrived as the clouds parted and the sun came out...perfect timing. I wish I had gotten it together to take pictures of the whole event, but the truth is, we were so busy (multi-tasking at its finest!) that it did not even occur to me to walk around with my camera.

The party started with red wine, burgers and dogs on the grill. I also made a batch of my famous sausage and peppers. YUM-O. We huddled on the porch, watched the sun set and talked for hours. Later in the evening we broke out the guitars and kit-drum set and started jamming. This is a tradition with Andy's close circle of friends. Every few months they get together for a "Bistro Jam". Months ago we planned my first bistro jam on November 28...NOT KNOWING we would be buying a new house and moving into it 3 days prior. We talked about postponing the date, but Andy and I wanted to keep it. We were looking forward to hosting "Lisa's Bistro Jam" on our new property...and we did. We even opened up our first bottle of Di Long Ranch wine and sampled it, the perfect christening. The whole night was perfect...just the right combination of new friends and old friends. It was fun. Really fun.

This morning we had a few lingering guests, so I made a country/hangover breakfast, complete with very strong coffee...and tylenol.

Now the house is quiet. Andy is napping, and I am taking a moment to catch up on e-mails, Facebook and of course, blogging. I know I keep promising pictures, but my downloader is in a box somewhere. I will get around to it, I promise!

Di Long Ranch is underway. It might be New Years before we get around to doing any painting or landscaping, but that is just around the corner. We look forward to hoisting a real Christmas tree in the living room and celebrating our first Christmas together as a family. It is exciting.

We're Here!

2009-11-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving...barely. 1:30 am Friday morning, I went to bed kinda early and woke up an hour ago unable to sleep anymore despite my exhaustion. We moved in here on Wednesday and it has been non-stop for about 36 hours. Tonight we have a gig, so I am hoping after this post I can lie down and get some sleep.

It's beautiful here. We sit out on the porch in the morning with a cup of coffee (and the evening with a glass of wine) and enjoy the view to the west. The weather has been just beautiful, the sky is clear so we can see the stars as well as the twinkling city lights. I can't find the words to tell you how beautiful it is. Our minds are spinning thinking about all the cool projects are ahead of us. Painting, planting, decorating...so much to look forward to.

I just wish I could sleep.

We have some friends coming out on Saturday, we are hoping to be somewhat organized by then. Andy is buying a fire pit tomorrow so we can all sit on the porch in the evening and keep warm. Andy's sister has been here since Tuesday night, she helped us move...poor girl! She thought she was coming to enjoy Thanksgiving! BUT, she loves the new house, and was totally blown away when she drove up here. It really is breath-taking.

OK, obviously I am delirious. I thought it would be cool to get up and write a blog post, but nothing profound is coming out, hahaha. I guess I just wanted to announce that we finally arrived! Oh, and more good news! One of the movers said he and his girlfriend have been wanting to rent a condo like mine, so I may have also found renters. That would be great.

Alright, I guess I'll try to get some sleep.

For Reals

2009-11-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

Our closing date is rapidly approaching. We had been forecasting Friday, November 20th all along, but LO AND BEHOLD they found some new inspection at the very last minute that needed to be completed (and cost us an additional $550)...so that may put us at Tuesday next week. Whatever it is, I am not going to sweat it.

Starting today, I am going to leisurely start going through rooms...sorting, organizing, throwing out and packing. It'll be fun! (How many of you bought into my enthusiasm?)

I am also still trying to find a renter for my condo.

OH! Our first batch of wine has been completed and bottled, we ended up with a little over 2 cases of wine, the labels and foil caps make it look SO PROFESSIONAL! (Thank you Mark!) I took some pictures, but I misplaced my camera, so when I find it, I'll post them here.

Another tid-bit of good news is that Andy's friend Mark (yes, another Mark...we know lots of Mark's and Dave's) came out to give us an estimate on paint. If we can tape off the windows and the trim his guys will come out and just throw on the paint for $1000. That's a pretty good deal. The trim we can do ourselves over time.

OK...time to get serious and start packing!

Still Waiting and Jumping Through Hoops

2009-11-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

And the drama continues...I mean escrow.

Actually, it does seem that our loan has been approved, but the bank is asking for verification of a few things. (of course) So Andy is jumping through those hoops today. We have both been a little stressed out. If all moves forward the way it should, we should close escrow on November 20. We have a show that night, which is no big deal...the rest of the weekend we have free. That actually works out perfect, there is a GOD! The kids have school Monday and Tuesday, so I am hoping to move their classroom that Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) and finish any other loose-ends that day. My sister-in-law-to-be will be coming in that day, so she can help me organize.

Friday is another day we can use for loose-ends and then we have a show that night.

Sorry, just realized I was using my blog post to sort out the move...hahaha.

So, I guess I just need to calm down and realize we have plenty of time to do this. I have been under worse time constraints in my life, this should be no problem at all.

The question still remains if Andy plans to paint the exterior before we move in. I think we have decided to live with the light-colored carpet for awhile, much to my chagrin. The way things are going though, it is an added an unnecessary expense and we really don't have the time to deal with it. I have to learn to let go of my expectations. I have to learn how to accept white carpeting...ugh.

Anyway, other than my ramblings, I really don't have much more to post. We are about to bottle our first experimental home-made batch of wine. It is a Barolo, and I'm not quite sure how it tastes...we took a sip the other night and it wasn't TERRIBLE, (but it didn't exactly taste like wine either). This is a label design my friend Mark put together! Pretty cool, huh?

More to come, stay tuned!

Let's Give Them Something To Blog About

2009-10-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Escrow = Drama

Plain and simple.

I have never had a pleasant escrow experience, even when its a simple refinance. Thank GOD this is Andy's escrow, I have been through it so many times and although I always try to keep an even keel and "go with the flow", it is always like having a match lit under your ass for 30 - 45 days. My last escrow was a nightmare...complete disaster. This is Andy's escrow, however...I get to be the observer, well...sort of. He is doing the same thing, trying to stay calm...keep the paperwork flowing, jump when they say jump, wait when they say wait...and last night, poor guy, he went to bed tied up in knots. I feel for him.

From the time he got home at 5pm, until we went to bed at 10pm...the phone kept ringing and the news kept changing. The loan is off, the loan is on, the loan is off, the loan is on...ridiculous. I can't describe in too much detail what happened, but from what I understand Andy's friend who was getting his loan for him dropped the ball and completely screwed up. I'm not sure how this is possible since we have been on the phone with him everyday for the past 3 months...but he did. The sad part is, Andy had to fire his friend. I am sure it kind of felt like a betrayal, when you hire your friends you trust that they will treat your business with kit gloves, especially when it comes to large amounts of money and personal information. Sad.

Anyway, the phone continued to ring throughout the evening. These people want to sell us this house...so SOMEONE is going to write a loan for us. It's the process that is maddening.

Soapbox is now put away. Thank you for allowing me to vent! :)

Water Tank and Hardwood Floors

2009-10-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Our Real Estate Agent did some extensive research and with the help of the current owner, we found a solution to our water pressure problem. A large holding tank is going to be installed somewhere close to the house, this tank will be filled with water from the well at the bottom of the hill and will provide us with adequate pressure. It is a pretty inexpensive fix, and the seller is kicking in $2,000 toward the project.

Andy and I have been kicking around our thoughts as to the timing of our move, the upgrades we want to do before the wedding, etc... Andy wants to paint the exterior of the house before we move. He HATES the color it is now...which he calls "battleship gray". Personally, I don't understand why we can't do interior upgrades first, then move our furniture in, and THEN paint the exterior. BUT, I have decided to bow to his judgement. If he cannot be happy with the color, then we should paint it.

My big thing is the floors. Whenever I move into a new house, I want to redo the floors before the moving truck rolls in. My family has been in the carpet business for 30 years, so flooring has been fairly inexpensive for us. New flooring just makes the house FEEL new, and it gives it that personal touch. In this particular house, I want to go with hardwood floors. It is now wall-to-wall off-white/beige colored carpet. White carpeting is like a nightmare for me. I live with three men and three cats. I love my family, but spills happen, and white carpeting is practically impossible to keep clean. Andy's suggestion is to keep the carpet until we beat the hell out of it and the kids move out...then put in the hardwood floors. The thought of it makes me cringe.

So, I have put my mind into a different perspective. I am not going to be selfish, I am going to just keep my mind focused on the hardwood floors but find a way to be content with the ivory colored carpet until that happens.

I think Andy would like us to move out of the condo ASAP so we can start collecting rent money. So, I am thinking December 1st is probably our target move-in date, since escrow is estimated to close on November 20. This gives us 10 days to paint the exterior. One month from Sunday...here we go! Hang on to your bootstraps!

In Escrow

2009-10-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday we are now in escrow. We went out to the property yesterday with our real estate agent and an property inspector. He gave the property a fairly "clean bill of health", although we discovered that the water pressure to the house is very low. VERY low. The owner even mentioned that to us before the inspector got started. The house has its own well, which is AWESOME. That means we do not have to pay for water AND the water is usually pretty clean tasting. I have lived on property with well water before and loved it. The problem is that the well is at the bottom of the hill and the house is at the top of the hill...gravity rules apparently. SO, we need to investigate the possibility of getting an additional pump that can provide better water pressure to the house. Andy says that he cannot live with the water pressure that low...and I can understand how that would be a frustration in time. So, I have my work cut out for me this week, I need to investigate how much a secondary pump would be or find out what the options might be.

On a happier note, after the inspection Andy says he is more in love with the property than ever. He brought his boss out there and he said this property is an excellent opportunity...even the inspector said he would love to have a house in a location like that. ALSO, Andy mentioned this morning he would like to have his friend Pete help us with the landscaping. Pete is an artist, not just a landscaper...he is amazing. That would take a huge weight off of both of us to have the yard professionally landscaped.

Anyway, off to work! More later on my findings!

Our Initial Goals

2009-10-13T14:18:00.001-07:00

To start, we made a list of the things we liked and disliked about this house and property.

We liked:

The house is on the hill

Although we have neighbors, they are quite a distance away.

We have room to grow

We can pretty much do whatever we want on this property

The house is cared for by the current owners, no damages to repair

We have an incredible view in every direction

It has a water well

We disliked:

The house is a modular home

The exterior color of the house

The house is smaller than we would have liked

There is minimal landscaping (this is both good and bad)

- good because we can do whatever we want

- bad because the ground is susceptible to erosion, and it is going to cost money to make it look nice

There are only 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms

Our first goals are to fix up a few things before we move in. THEN we need to work toward our wedding plan.

The finished look we are going for is a southwest style ranch home. So we decided that we will repaint the interior and exterior an eggshell white and the trim of the house brown. The white walls will open up the home, and the brown trim will give it that southwest feel. These neutral yet dramatic colors will lend to nearly any other color we choose to decorate in over the years. It also matches all of our existing furniture. We also want hardwood floors, and have not decided if we want hardwood throughout or just in the livingroom area.

Before:

(see how dark it feels?)

Here are a few pictures of the "After" looks we are shooting for:

(light, airy and more open)

So, before we move in, Andy INSISTS that we paint the exterior because he REALLY hates the color. BUT, it is really necessary to do any flooring and interior paint we want to do BEFORE we start moving furniture. SO, hardwood floors, interior paint and exterior paint. Aiy Yai! *My guess is, once we put in the hardwood floor and paint the interior he will be okay to move us in and paint the outside afterward. ;)

Still, it sounds like a hefty project, yes?

One Year Later

2009-10-12T15:45:00.001-07:00

It is nearly one year since that last post. Ten days after I wrote it, I found the man who I was meant to spend my life with. His name is Andy Long. He is a musician, a hard-worker, a partner, he has a tender heart and yet he is strong and stable. We met putting together a music project and we ended up falling in love. In June he moved into my house with me and we have been house-hunting all summer. Many of the homes in this area are bank owned (repos) and it was actually creepy walking thru these houses. Some of them have been vandalized by the owners before they left. Others, you can just feel the anger and sadness of the people who had lived there and were forced to leave. In fact, we made an offer on a house that was a short-sale and the owner made demented phone calls to us, trying to discourage us from purchasing so she could live there a little longer (without paying her house payment probably). So, after awhile I told Andy we should probably stop trying so hard...the right house will come to US when the time was right. He proposed a few weeks after that and then...lo and behold...the perfect house DID come to us.

Both of us have had a dream of owning some property...perhaps do some farming, have some horses...and ultimately we would like to grow grapes and learn how to make wine and build a family business. Andy's real estate agent e-mailed me a listing (without knowing our dream) of a property that would be perfect for that.

The house is a little smaller than we would like, and Andy does not care for the color or the decor AT ALL. So, I have been assigned to put together the design project for the interior, exterior and the landscaping. All VERY exciting. We would like to have our wedding there on the property in about 6 months. (GOOD LUCK, RIGHT?) hahaha

Anyway, escrow will open this week and it will probably close by Thanksgiving. Once we start doing a few of the initial remodeling projects we will get a feel for how long it will take us to be ready for the wedding.

Over the next few weeks I will post "before" pictures and my vision for what I would like to accomplish before March of next year. Then the following posts will be the renovation in progess...YAY! Exciting!

The Baking Story

2008-10-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

A Little Something I wrote today:

This is a story about an amazing baker who was born into the world to, well…bake. Her name, funnily enough, was Suzy Baker. Suzy loved ingredients, she would mix and concoct, enjoying every minute of adding “this” to “that”. In the beginning she prepared simple mud pies, sand cookies and play-dough cupcakes…but she always knew she would grow up to be an amazing baker. Sometimes, ok MANY times she would draw pictures of her creations, and in the picture there were always TWO bakers. Suzy and another. “Who is this other baker?”, she wondered. “Oh well”, she giggled “time will tell.” And she went on her merry way creating pretend treats, just as any little girl baker would.

Suzy grew up…as we all do, of course…no mystery there. And she became known all over school as “The Baker”. She always had some amazing doo-da to show off and share with her friends. It was fun, she loved to bake, it was in her soul.

As she grew even older, she found that the world was actually a pretty competitive place as far as baking was concerned. No longer was she a big fish in a small pond, she was a minute, miniscule, teeny tiny baker in a gigantic world of superior bakers. “No worries! I have my confidence!”, Suzy would say, and she set out into the world to bake her heart out. Along the way, she met another amazing baker and they became fast friends. Friendship turned to more, they became partners and found that their creations together were fun and challenging. Over time, the challenges became harder and tougher. Suzy found herself working overtime on many recipes while her partner grew jealous and spiteful. Suzy loved her partner though, and just kept encouraging him to help her make more pies, cakes and pastries. Suzy’s partner decided to vanish one day and Suzy cried for a bit…she scratched her head a lot and asked the Baker in the Sky…”what was THAT all about?” Suzy didn’t realize it, but her heart was broken.

Suzy went about her business. Baking sort of lost its meaning for awhile, but occasionally she would dream about baking. One time the dream was quite surprising. She dreamed of a giant, delectable cake with so many layers she could not count. The cake was not only delicious it was stunningly beautiful. “Is this MY cake?” Suzy asked no one. The answer came to her through the ether…Yes, of course this was her cake. Suzy Baker found excitement building inside of her, so many questions came to mind. “What are the ingredients? Where do I start? Is there anyone who can help me?” Suzy was not terribly patient, it was one of her many baker’s flaws. She wanted this amazing cake, she wanted to be a part of it. She was ready to build the most amazing cake of her life.

She recalled the drawings she made as a child-baker. Particularly, the drawing of two bakers, and she also remembered her previous baking partner who vanished. Could she find another partner who could help her build this amazing cake? How would she describe the cake to said potential partner? Would they all just think she was crazy? “Play it cool, Suzy Q” Suzy would say to herself, “just play it cool.” Suzy, once again went out into the wide world of bakers and swam amongst the many fishes in the ginormous baker pond.

Many bakers came to her with ideas, and she loved hearing all about them. Baking was so exciting, and she loved swapping baking stories. Suzy found that all these bakers would contribute one main ingredient…icing. Yes, Suzy loved the icing, it was delicious and sweet, and overindulgence was frequent. Icing was definitely a key ingredient to every cake, she could not deny it…but she found that an actual CAKE never really developed in any of these relationships. Sometimes there were mini-cakes, and Suzy would stack the mini-cakes together to see if it resembled the sensational cake of her dreams, but it never did. The potential baking partners would drift away, grow tired and bored and nauseated by all the icing…and Suzy agreed with them. Icing is great, but there must be more. “What other ingredients are out there I wonder?” Suzy searched and searched…but no one brought interesting ingredients to the table…other than, of course…icing.

Suzy grew despondent. Why was this dream brought to her? Why couldn’t she find anyone to build this amazing cake with her? And she realized one day…”DUH! This is MY cake, and I am the head baker! I must learn to bake this cake myself!” So Suzy shook off her depression and began her research. She wrote about cake, she talked about cake, she read about cake and she searched high and low for the best ingredients. Her kitchen became her wonderland. Many nights Suzy would fall asleep at the mixer mumbling, “three cups of refined sugar, fold the eggs gently…” but she knew that all of her hard work would be worth it. The main ingredients, she realized, were not simply sugar and flour and eggs at all…they were patience, timing, understanding, self-esteem, passion, growth, knowledge, bravery, love and tolerance. “Wow. I wonder how many people have made a cake with all of those ingredients?” Suzy pondered. The answer came to her from the ether once again, “Not many, Suzy, not many. That’s why YOUR dream cake is so spectacular. It’s a cake that few have tasted.”

Blogging on the Back Burner

2008-10-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

Yes, its been awhile since I have written a post here. My schedule is beyond hectic, and my innate tendancy is to make things even more complicated...so there you go.

In the past few weeks I have had my hose stolen, my neighbor came to my door and told me about a job in her office, had some family photos taken for Christmas, watched a few movies at home and did some shopping for myself. Yay me! Of course I am not so happy about my jhose being stolen, but in the scope of things, that is pretty minor and I am pretty happy with the way things are going. I also had vertigo for a few days which was kind of creepy, but I am very good at getting to the bottom of an illness and healing it.

Dante is not doing great in his virtual high school, but we are getting to know the program, so I think things will improve over time. Julian is doing fabulously.

So anyway, at this point in time, I am not sure what else to write about. I have been keeping up pretty well on my other blog at www.lifeonthemoon.biz if you get the urge to go over there and read something more interesting, hahaha.

MoonGirl out.

My Show Starts Tonight

2008-09-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I am a huge Grey's Anatomy fan. Season 4 was a disappointment for me on some levels, for one, because of the writers strike...(whatever, get over yourself and your multi-million dollar contracts.) But also because the season started reeeeally slow. They had two good episodes, one was about "faith" and the other was the season finale. I am really hoping Season 5 shapes up to something interesting. We will find out tonight! I really don't care if Callie and Haun have a lesbian affair, or if McSteamy joins them in a threesome...yawn. I do want to know how Meredith finds her healing place, I want to know if George can start standing up for himself, and I want to know what's up behind moody Karev and his mysterious past. To me it has been obvious all along how much Karev loves Izzy, and he is so afraid to show it or to let himself be consumed by that emotion. Izzy is also afraid. Actually...everyone is afraid.

Great topic. Fear. Read my other blog at http://www.lifeonthemoon.biz/ if you are interested in learning more about healing fear.

Moongirl out.

Did Everyone Miss Me?

2008-09-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

WOW! I have been through the craziest three weeks of my life. I have been working both jobs, fighting my mortgage lender to pay my property taxes, getting my kids set up for school (yes homeschooling again this year) and singing wherever I can fit it in.

Oh, AND my computer crashed.

So, as it turns out, my property taxes finally got paid. School is going swimmingly. And I am using my son's new computer. The singing is fun, but I need to be more serious and start practicing much more.

My new job is, in a word, extremely UNexciting. All I do all day is either data entry or package school pictures. Nobody talks to me and there is no pressure no music just me and a stack of kids pictures that need to be stuffed into envelopes. This is a GOOD thing. I can stand there and get paid to do this mundane job while I am working on healing in my head and in my heart. The work keeps my subconscious busy and my soul explores possibilities. I have found that even though I KNOW what my issues are, it is now time to manifest the actual healing. As I package pictures, I listen to what God has to say. I watch my emotions go up and down. It is amazing to learn so much about me and I am filled with gratitude.

My next project is to start writing letters. I have a few people who need to hear from me. Like REALLY hear from me as I have been holding back words and feelings over the past few years. For one, I have a hard time sifting through all the information. I ask for experiences and then I don't know how to deal with them. Right now is the time I am able to sort through it all and make sense of it, so I need to mend a few relationships.

So, in a word...I am busy. Once again, blogging has taken a back seat, but we do have seasons in our life. This has just not been a season for blogging.

What Is Next O' Lord?

2008-08-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is a crazy time in my life. By all means I should be scared shitless, angry that my work at home plans did not prevail, and exhausted from overwork and other unimaginable stressful situations that I do not care to dwell on. But the truth is, I am fairly energized, and oddly hopeful and anxious to see what The Universe has in store for me next.

Tomorrow I do have a day off and the biggest part of my day is going to be sitting down with my boys and figuring out how we can organize our days, and instill the importance of them becoming self-motivated. Can I do it? We shall see. I also plan to sit by the pool *smiling here*.

Singing is still first and foremost in my mind. There is a lady who sings at the winery where I work on Saturday. I won't post her name here because quite frankly I think she is terrible. She sings to pre-recorded music, no band...which is kind of what I am looking toward doing. She has a great stage persona, and the crowd eats her up. She doesn't really sing lyrics though, and thats what bugs me. She just sort of vamps through these songs saying the same thing over and over, and often she goes off-key or hits a note that is unsettling. There is one song she does sing that has actual lyrics, but whenever she sings it she totally screws it up...yet she is working. So, I think I can do this...

Anyway, it is an interesting life. I am sooo not going to complain. I am a student of each and every experience. Truthfully I fight tooth and nail, my subconscious says "No! No! I don't want to learn this!!!" But the Universe is relentless. I must learn.

Pictures From The Wedding

2008-08-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the awesome pictures from the August 9th Wedding of Scott and Charlie Creasy-Davis. My wonderful friends...

The Happy Couple

MoonGirl and Charlie

Mike and Pam

Sons of the Moon-Girl...Dante and Julian

Diane, Charlie and Tami

Lolita

Julian and MoonGirl

A Story About My Past

2008-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

In 1986 I moved back to Escondido from my two year course at performing arts school. The teachers took me aside before I left and told me it would be wise if I chose another profession because it was obvious I was not cut out for the theater profession. They were right in one respect, I was very shy, not very ambitious, I couldn't sing and could not dance...truthfully, it did seem there was no hope. I had a small scholarship to join another performing arts college in New Mexico, but I was not able to come up with the funding for the entire program so I gave it up. I moved home with my sister, got a real job and decided to do some theater locally, just for fun.

The first show I was cast in was Sweeney Todd at the local Jr. College, which is an amazing show. The music is intense and difficult, the story is dark and bloody, and I was honored to be part of the cast. I was so proud of myself I couldn't stand it. (If you ever hear the music of Sweeney Todd you will know why). After that production I started auditioning at the local community theater, called Patio Playhouse. I was cast in one show, and then another...and soon enough I was part of the tight knit circle of actors and musicians there. We did a production of Little Shop of Horrors, which was also an amazing experience. The musical director was Charlie Creasy and his partner, Scott Davis, played Seymour. My other close friends were Pam and Mike, who started dating after the show and eventually married. (Pam used to be a nun, but decided to give real life a try) My other close friends were Dynell Leigh and Lolita Maddelena. In a production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, I met a funny, skinny Italian boy named Bobby Di Clemente. It took awhile, but my friendship with Bobby grew to something more beautiful, we fell in love and were married in 1989. Lolita had a thing for Bobby, and I always felt bad about that...but Bobby and I were very close knit and our kinship was obvious.

As time went on, my story moved away from the theater. Our friends all went their separate ways...all except Scott and Charlie, they gay couple from Texas who have been my closest friends throughout the years. As some of you who read my blog know, Bobby (my husband) passed away after 10 years of marriage. We did not have a perfect marriage, and I will not pretend life was easy for us. Bobby was sick for a long time, and I was not a strong enough person to deal with all the sadness and pain that followed his illness. When he died, many friends made it to the funeral, and some did not. I never blamed any of the ones who could not make it, because truthfully, I was not able to make all the calls and although I had friends who DID make the calls, I don't know who was notified before or after the funeral. It was just a bad time for me.

Years have passed. I am raising Bobby's children the best I know how. I have remained closest friends with Scott and Charlie, who now live in Palm Springs. Two months ago the State of California lifted the ban on gay marriage and my two special friends set a date to be married. August 9th. The wedding was last weekend. All my theater friends from Patio Playhouse were going to be there. Lolita, Pam, Mike, Dynell, Diane and Tami...I couldn't believe it. I was actually really nervous. I had no reason to be. It was an amazing night. My friends had not changed. They were still right there, fun and supportive as always. Lolita found a wonderful man and married him. I was touched when she told him that she had a thing for Bobby but Bobby loved me and she had to step aside. Pam told me that I was the strongest person she knew and God put me in a position that she would not have been able to handle. (referring to Bobby's illness and death). Scott and Charlie's wedding was the most touching and heartfelt ceremony that I have ever witnessed. They waited 28 years for that moment, and it finally came. They looked like two teenagers who had just fallen in love. I can only wish for such an amazing relationship. When Charlie sends me some pictures, I will post them here. I could not wait to post this blog, I wanted to tell the world what an amazing weekend I had and about the wonderful people I met because I took the advice of my teachers and decided to have fun with theater instead of pursuing it professionally.

Hey Mom! I Live In A Neighborhood!

2008-08-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an awesome day. My sons have been playing with their buddies these last few days before (public) school starts. I helped my friend Kristine organize her son's pool party, then we hung out at the pool all day, BBQ'd, and drank margaritas...then later in the evening we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. I have never made a s'more in my life. It was an amazing day.

Throughout the day my memory raced back to when I was a little LITTLE girl. We lived on a farm in a very rural area, my older sister hated me and my younger brother was a brat, so I watched PBS quite a bit. (Frankly, that was about the only channel we could pick up with our TV antenna). I watched Sesame Street, Zoom, Electric Company and Lilia's Yoga & You. My favorite show, however, was Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Reminding you that I lived in the middle of nowhere, I was overly impressed with how many people lived in Fred Rogers' neighborhood. He had SO MANY friends! He could walk anywhere and visit places, he constantly had visitors, everyone was so friendly...I was smitten.

One day I went up to my Mom, and I said..."I want to live in a neighborhood," and quietly in my head I finished the sentence with "ideally right next door to Mr. Rogers". Unfortunately, not long after that I got my wish. My father passed away when I was 7, we sold the farm and all the equipment and moved to California. Over the years I have lived in many tract home developments and condo complexes. Now I am 42 years old, with kids of my own, we live in a lovely townhouse with tons of neighborhood kids and other friendly, interesting neighbors. I can walk down the sidewalk and meet friendly people from all over the world, babies who are learning to walk and talk, dogs who sniff and bark, kids riding scooters and crazy skateboards. We can go to the pool or the park and we are part of a community. Yesterday as I sat by the pool, it hit me. This is Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. This was my dream and now I am living it.

I am personally very grateful for Mr. Rogers and his show. It impressed upon my young mind that a friendly, stress-free environment where people communicate and help on another is truly beneficial and something to strive for. That image was burned into my subconscious, and I find that many people my age are very friendly and accommodating. Do you think we ALL watched Public Access TV when we were young? Chances are we did. Isn't it amazing how a childhood fantasy can turn out to be the future? Do you think that was Fred Rogers plan all along? I'm thinking YES. If you are a 40 something and have an inkling of what I am talking about, give me shout! I'd love to hear from you!

A Note About MoonGirl's House

2008-08-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today's post will be about bringing MoonGirl back into focus and cleaning up her house. You might wonder...what's going on with you woman? These sporadic, crazy posts and long periods of nothingness, what is the real story?

The real story is, I found a life outside of my computer. Outside there are people; like my kids, my family, friends (who sincerely like me), music, sunshine and tons of other really cool stuff. I have someone to thank for this wake-up call. Ironically, it is one of my blogging friends. This person has built a close relationship with me over the past 6 months or so. This person (without my realizing it) stuck a crowbar between the cracks of my prison wall and has ever so gently broken me wide open. Yes, this IS a metaphor...so go with it. Then...my friend kind of...vanished. It was weird. At first I was a bit angry, but I looked around at the place this person brought me to, and I realized...I climbed out. The prison walls were taken down and I was free to go about my life like a normal person. Free.

FREE!

FREE!!!

So, what does this mean to my writing? What does this mean to my work at home, homeschooling, blogging, social networking lifestyle? Truth? I don't know. I still love to write. But I think I am going to go out and experience some life, and that way, I will have something to write about.

Thank you to those who care enough about me to read my blogs, link to my sites, ask me how my day went, send me comments and request assistance. Thank you. Thank you also to my friend with the crowbar. What a blessing you have been to me.

I Can't Believe I Blogged About Turkey Burgers!

2008-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Man, how sad is MY LIFE? hahaha

OK, not really sad at all, after all it is fun to write about different things, especially food. But wow, what a lame post that was!

This blog has definitely steered away from its original purpose which was to write a book about my life, but that project has really taken a back seat as I find I am still working on stuff. Stuff within myself. When I am working on me...writing really doesn't happen. You guessed it, I start writing about turkey burgers.

When I started blogging back in August or September last year I had goals about making money online, and I have made a few bucks here and there. I've even been hired to write by a few online publishers. Then my blogs started becoming more personal, and I created more blogs...it became fun and addicting. Now I am working on some more emotional and spiritual things and I am learning to simply have FUN. Writing about my life doesn't quite hold the same value as it did earlier this year. My life is still happening, and I think some of the most important stuff might be happening RIGHT NOW. How amazing that all the crap and the garbage of the past is now in the back seat, and as I walk through each day, I shed layers and layers of hurt and pain and keep walking forward, smiling, laughing and singing.

Blogging has been an awesome tool for me, and I am not sure where it is going next but if you want to stick around and find out, it might be FUN! I will try not to post about turkey burgers anymore.

Turkey Burgers, YUM!

2008-07-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Probably nobody noticed, but I took a short hiatus from blogging. Just some personal wound licking that has been long past due, no biggie, life goes on.

We had turkey burgers for dinner. I was at the grocery today, watching my food budget as usual and found that ground turkey meat was half the price as hamburger meat. I decided to give it a shot. Turkey is also less fat and therefore healthier. I made up some turkey burger patties the same way I prepare hamburger patties and grilled them up. They were a total hit with my kids and just as delicious! (Do the math, costs less, healthier, tastes great) I saved 3 ways!

A personal note on how to make your burgers even HEALTHIER! Load them up with VEGGIES! Not lettuce, in fact STAY AWAY FROM LETTUCE! Use spinach leaves instead! Tomatoes! Avocado! Pickles! YUM YUM!

Moongirl out.

I Met David Blue!

2008-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at work pouting. I hate work. But toward the end of the day I was noticing a guy who was wine tasting with his friends. He looked so familiar I could not stop looking at him. I was thinking that he had been in the winery before, maybe within the last few weeks, but I wasn't sure. I was pouring him a wine sample when I blurted out, "have you been here before? You look soo familiar." He said, "no". He was surrounded by three girls and one of them said, "He's an actor, you see him on television!" I thought they were joking, so I played along. "He's on Ugly Betty!" they laughed and the guy blushed. "Ya right! I watch that show..." I did not believe them. As I poured another sample he looks at me and says, "I really am on Ugly Betty." hmmm, "really?" I asked. My mind went through the files and suddenly I recognized him...my face lit up..."OOOH! You are Mark's boyfriend!!!" YIPPEE!! I met a tv star! I was so excited I got his autograph. I have never asked for an autograph before, but he was very sweet and wrote on a wine tasting sheet, "Lisa, thanks for getting me drunk! ~David Blue"

After he wrote it, he became a little concerned, so he whispered..."I'm not really drunk!" I said, "I know!" *grinning at how cute he was*

If you do not watch Ugly Betty, I highly recommend it. It is a fun show and even with all the silliness and drama, it carries a good message. Support David Blue and the new Season of Ugly Betty this Fall, Thursday's at 8 on ABC.

Good Sunday Morning

2008-07-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am in a happy place. Not happy like fairy princess happy, but I do feel at peace. I have quieted my Subconscious, the Little Voice that used to rule my every waking and sleeping moment, the exhausting questioning, whining and complaining voices that pissed me off all day long. Today I am quiet. My heart aches, but in a good way. In an excited way. In a happy way.
I have worked for years to sew the pieces of my heart back together...but even when you do that you have another challenge. The challenge of keeping your heart whole once you have put it back together. How do you do that? Good question.

The Subconscious Self says things like, "BUILD A WALL! DON'T LET ANYONE IN! THIS IS NOW OUR FORTRESS!" and at first, that is what I did. I let a few people in, little by little...testing the grounds of trust and friendship but still keeping my distance. Sometimes a friend would push a button and I would freak out a little bit, back off and hide in the fortress again, but amazingly the fortress door was still open and once again I would venture out. My Higher Consciousness would start to talk to me over the Subconscious, it would say, "See? It's not so bad. I am bringing you loving people, its okay...talk to them, they will listen."

Recently one of my friends pushed a button, and although I freaked out I did not hide. I stood in the doorway of my fortress. I had a decision to make. Do I go back in, or do I step outside? I stood frozen in the doorway. My friend kept talking. I was listening. Finally I took a step outside, and then another. My friend embraced me and now I am exploring the aspects of a new and glorious room in my heart. The sewn patches are healing, the scars and stitches disappearing. The Subconscious voices murmuring in the background, "what if, what if, what if..." the Higher Consciousness saying "Good girl, you did it!"

I realize my mistake in the past was to put my heart in someone else's hands. Giving them the power to hurt or heal. The healthier way is to share your heart. Hold it in your own hands as if it were a prized possession and show it to the other person as a precious gift. Watch your heart glow and pulsate and smile as you present it...explain to that person why it has a few bumps and bruises but do not expect them to be the healing power. Heal it yourself, love it and treasure all the experiences. Find a way to be thankful for pain. Find a way to be yourself and that way you will have something wonderful to offer another person when that opportunity comes around.

Stop by my new website and learn more.

My Bad, Totally Bad, So Bad...Bad, Bad

2008-06-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hahahaha, I have neglected this blog for over a week. Typically I try to post to each blog once or twice a week, but it has now been over a week. My apologies. Here's what's going on with me...pretty much NOTHING! How did you guess? Actually, I am ready to take a break. I have been pounding the keys for over a year now, and I am getting a little tired. Not giving up, mind you, but a person can only take so much. First of all there is rejection...and rejection shoots you down, but on the internet, it's almost worse...there is just SILENCE. No comments, no e-mails, no inquiries...just SILENCE. This is almost worse than rejection.

I am not complaining. I know there are about 2 bazillion people just like me trying to find some kind of notoriety on the Internet, and I definitely have found some. As you will read in my post below...I have made some amazing friends. We are close, we are REALLY close and actually I would put my life in the hands of these people. But as far as making a living online or getting my music or my sites in the limelight...not so much. It's ok though, I am not depressed or down. I am loved, and this is the best kind of notoriety you can find. I am putting in more hours at my winery job, and since gas and food prices are going crazy right now, I am going to hang with a steady paycheck for awhile.

People should pray for each other. Just hold those dear to your heart close to you and send them your best wishes. That is the best you can do when the economy sucks and God knows what the politicians are going to put us through. In fact, who the fuck cares? Just keep doing what you can do, and love the people you are with.

Peace out.
MoonGirl

MoonGirl Fan Club

2008-06-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

No, I don't really have a fan club, but it sure is fun to pretend I do. I have a friend on Yuwie who calls herself an Imaginary Supermodel, and so I have crowned myself Imaginary Rockstar. Anyway, I want to take a moment to highlight some of my internet friends who work very hard to support me, maybe you could visit their sites and show them some love.

DIY Girl - visit Julie and her site that is geared toward women who literally have it all. Moms and Executives alike will appreciate this site.

Dear Bette - an advice column written by my good friend...Bette! She and I met last year through Linkreferral and have become fast friends. She is quick witted and true to the bone. You will love her, drop by and give her a holler!

Pink, Glitter, Style - this is my awesome friend Wendy who has brought me tons of business and advice. She is (admittedly) a information junkie, and a great resource to have if you are looking for online opportunities. This is a new blog for her, accentuating her FUN and PLAYFUL side!

Crazy Horse Industries - Betty Moore is a dear woman who has honored me with her friendship since last summer. She recently lost her husband to leukemia, and I would love to send some business her way. She sells fun jewelry designs for the avid horse lover (or Betty Boop or Elvis) please stop by her site and tell her MoonGirl sent you!

My Brain Station - Long time friend, Charlie Creasy has developed an ingenious site for people to track and remember all their daily information. Truly, Charlie and I have known each other 20 years (don't do the math) and I am very proud to support his site.

Darrel Day - I am friends with an incredible man who has written some pretty amazing novels, you can find them in my Amazon store. (Abduction & Until Death Do We Meet) He blogs about his life and has some amazing insights to share in regards to eternal love, bi-poler, bitter-sweet, and so much more.

I look back at this post and realize how blessed I am have these people in my life. Thank you my friends, for always supporting me. We now return to our regularly scheduled program...

David Cook is My New Friend!

2008-06-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

OK, I am so excited I can hardly sit still. When I got my video posted to YouTube, I got ambitious and started a MySpace Music page...it is fairly rockin I must say. Then the very next day, David Cook's picture appeared on my home area and I clicked it to make a friend request. I was giddy just clicking the "add" button. A few days later, lo and behold, my request was accepted! David Cook is now on the top of my friends list. I can't stand it!

Now, let me tell you something about myself. I am not celebrity crazy, unless someone is really really REALLY good. I have fallen for Harry Connick Jr., and I remember going to one of his concerts when I was 8 months pregnant with my first son. I stood up and screamed like a teenager throughout the entire concert. I don't know if my husband was embarrassed or amused, because in that moment he did not exist. It was just me and Harry.

I am also quite taken with Pierce Brosnin, Patrick Dempsey and Brenden Frasier.

OK, so I have to tell you something about my infatuation with David Cook. I started watching Season 6 of American Idol when it got to the top 12. I thought David Cook was a total loser. I hated his two-tone hair, I hated his interpretation of songs, and I was wondering if he ever had a mother who dressed him. But one week, something changed. He colored his hair a gleeming shade of chestnut brown, he grew in his facial hair around that annoying "sole-patch", and he sang Billie Jean. I hate Billie Jean, but I loved David Cook's Billie Jean. I think I even wet myself. It was phenomenal...that was the week David Cook stepped up. Apparently he read my mental e-mails, so I started voting. The next week I voted more, and it got to the place where I was voting for him 6 or more times much to my 10 year old's chagrin. Julian still hates David Cook.

I'm sorry Julian, but Mommy has to say this one thing...

"YAY! David Cook is my friend!"

It's Here!

2008-06-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I could not be prouder...this is my first music video. Many thanks to my BFF Megan who filmed and edited this AWESOME video for me, without her I would be another karaoke wannabe. Even greater thanks to Sheryl Crow for writing and producing such a great song. I am so proud to be singing your lyrics! You are one of my fem heroes of all time! If you have an account with YouTube, please visit this video, add it to your favorites and rate it for me. (5 stars preferrably!)

Enjoy!

This Grout Is Clean

2008-06-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Holy sheesh! My grout cleaning days are over...I know I am belaboring this, but I worked all week bleaching section by section in my kitchen and my right index finger is raw from working with bleach. Go ahead, laugh all you want, but my kitchen looks f*king GREAT! hahaha, ok, let's talk about something else.

Today, my friend Megan, finished my music video...did I mention I love her, and if she ever wants to leave her genius husband who has the patience of a saint, I would turn lesbo and have her children? hahahaha, again. I am soooooo funny! Anywhoooooo, the video rocks! I am going to send her one or two edits, so she can wrap it up and then we will start downloading and uploading... whatever it takes to get it on YouTube and all my blogs and Social Networking sites. You guys are gonna dig it, she really did an awesome job!

My week has been intense, so I think I will go to work tomorrow and Sunday so I can get some rest. Love to all, have a great weekend!

Do Rockstars Bleach Their Grout?

2008-06-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Here is something I never thought I would ever do, let alone blog about it...but I am bleaching my grout. I went over to my girlfriend's house the other day and she has the exact same tile countertops in her kitchen that I do with one slight difference. Her grout is sparkling white, and mine is coffee brown. I told her that she had a cleaning sickness and it just wasn't right to have a pristinely clean home when you have two rugrats rampaging through your house 18 hours out of the day. She proceeded to tell me how easy it was to keep the grout clean by simply buying a cleaning product with bleach in it and letting it sit on the countertop overnight. Grrr, she sucked me in, I had to do it. I have been cleaning my grout all week, and my hands are dry and raw from using this bleachy stuff. No, I don't believe in Donna Reed's rubber gloves, I am a badass rockstar I don't need no stinking gloves!

PS, cats get high off of the smell of bleach.

Another Week, Days Are Flying By

2008-06-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm not sure what happened to this week. I really didn't get much work done, the kids are in the final stretch of school so we are cramming to get as much done as possible, plus it was my niece's graduation this week. Also, I worked Wednesday and then afterward we auditioned another guitar player. Unfortunately the whole band thing is falling apart. I guess right now it is just not meant to be for me to be a rock and roll star. I still rock, though.

I just put together a to-do list for this week coming up, I really need to get some writing done and I want to finish my patio project. I am also ready to get some sun and start wearing my tank tops and going barefoot. Winter is not my favorite time of year, I am also not crazy about Spring. I used to hate the months from January - April. It just seemed like such a sluggish time of year, but this year was actually kind of exciting and nerve racking...I am learning to appreciate life so much more nowadays.

Yep, this is a pretty boring post, I realize that. When I walk away from my computer I think about all kinds of cool things to blog about, and then when I sit down I stare at the screen like "duhhhhh" and all those ideas go right out the window. I guess that is why I haven't written for nearly a week. Its cool, I'll get my groove back when things settle down. Summer is coming and the kids will be playing, I am hoping to have a relaxing summer.

I haven't heard from my friend about her progress on the music video, but I will talk with her this week and find out how its going. The day she and I toyed with it, it looked TOTALLY cool. I am way excited about that. I am also getting ready to launch a brand new website I have been working on, so look for that this summer as well!

Enough About Me, Let's Talk About Me!

2008-05-26T21:20:00.001-07:00

I am cracking up at myself. I am looking at this blog right now thinking, "hmmm, maybe I should post one more picture of myself up here, there just AREN'T enough!" hahaha

Actually, the way I see it, I have spent my life as a people pleaser and it pretty much got me nowhere, so if I want to post a few blog pics about myself, I think that is okay.

So did I happen to blog about my dumpster diving experience about a week ago? This was totally cool. In the back of my mind, I have been thinking that I will need another desk for my son's homeschooling next year since he will be in High School. He will be getting his own computer, and thusly will need his own desk. Since finances are a little tight at present, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to be able to afford that. So I put my feelers out into the Universe, and spoke the word that we needed a desk. In answer to my prayer, my phone rings and it is my neighbor calling me...she says somebody got evicted from one of the units in our complex and all their furniture was in the dumpster. She wanted to know if I could help her carry a few chairs home. I walked out to the dumpster and the chairs were sadly gone...but as I peered INTO the dumpster I saw an entire computer desk, and a pretty cool looking lamp! (which I have also been needing for my living room). I don't know how I did it, leverage, elbow grease...whatever...but I was able to maneuver the desk out of the dumpster and got my kids to help me carry it home. Now Dante has a computer desk. On the downside, the lamp I brought home didn't work. I was about to throw it back into the dumpster, but decided to call my dad instead. I asked him if he knew how to re-wire a lamp and he thought he could help. Long story short, the lamp is now in working order!! YAY ME!

I have had one of those weeks, where I feel almost magical. It's weird, in a good way. hmmm, let's see if I can dig up another picture of myself...JUST KIDDING!

Digital Plastic Surgery

2008-05-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Y'know, when you put your mind to it, you can really meet some amazing people. In my internet travels, I have met an advice columnist, a novelist, a drummer and a bass player who have all become very good friends of mine. I also met this incredible lady who is an information junkie, and she sends me all kinds of cool websites and ideas to look into. I have a local friend who I met while investigating homeschooling networks and we find all kinds of trouble to get into...currently she is shooting and editing my music video for me.

In the previous post I mentioned, Mark who made my ROCKSTAR picture for me. I met Mark in September of last year while looking for musicians (on Craigslist) to jam with. He is now the drummer in our fictitious band. Anyway, in an e-mail today Mark sent another re-touched version of my pic he worked up on Photoshop...he is really a genius at this stuff! We decided to call his work "digital plastic surgery". If you have any kind of picture you would like to have enhanced, just e-mail me at Lifeonthemoon@izoom.net, and I will pass it on to Mark. This can be a fantastic service to those who are pursuing a modeling career, or need promotional photos of any kind. Just to give you an idea, here is my before and after.

ROCKSTAR!

2008-05-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I might have said this before, but HOLY CRAP! On Wednesday, I got all dressed up to get ready for the video shoot and I asked my son to come in and take some pictures. We had so much fun and I really loved how they came out! I sent the photo files to my friend Mark and he played around with this one on Photoshop...CHECK ME OUT! I am so proud, I am plastering it everywhere! hahahaha! Anyway, the video shoot went fine, we had fun and we are going to do more on Sunday. Ummm, this is so cool, I might just explode. Anyone know where I can get some leather pants? LMAO!

Me...In A Music Video!

2008-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

OK, I am so excited I might just pee my pants...hahaha. My girlfriend has been telling me for a few weeks not that she can help me make a music video. Naturally I was a little skeptical, but always grateful that my friend was reaching out to me to help me get a leg up on my career. So, I was just over at her house the other day and she showed me the cool music videos she was making on her Mac program just from footage taken from her kids soccer games...they were totally PRO! I began to feel my heart race. We started discussing the possibilities of taking my recorded music and ideas for a video starring...ME! Tomorrow is our first shooting attempt, again...I am sooo excited!

My Mother's Day

2008-05-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Some Mom's get a great Mother's Day, they get taken out to lunch or dinner and surprised by gifts. Other Mom's get a crappy day filled with screaming kids and husbands who don't give a crap what day it is. My day was quite busy because I had to work my winery job. I served greek BBQ to about 50 Mom's and their families, at first it went pretty smoothly, but as the day progressed, the BBQ cook got lazy and the food was not turning out very good...the Mom's started complaining and I had to do a lot of running back and forth, sweating, apologizing and trouble shooting. This was not fun. I did get paid a $25 tip, just from the event, plus another $20 from the wine bar, so all in all, I at least made some money and got to spend the day outdoors. When I got off work, I was greeted by roses, hand-made cards, soft house-slippers and a gift certificate for a pedicure. NICE! Then I cracked open a bottle of wine a friend bought for me, and I was happy.

I am very tired today, and although I want to go use my gift certificate, I am actually too tired to leave the house. Last week was very trying for me. I apparently made a few people angry, which always baffles me because I make every effort to be a good friend and co-worker. Plus I have just felt sort of stuck in my ventures...I don't know how to move forward without advice and/or assistance, and I don't know where to turn for that kind of help. So I plug along at what feels like a snail's pace. The band is still in search of a guitar player and we cannot focus on the songs we want to play without someone to play them with. My patio really shaped up, but I have run out of money to put the finishing touches on it. I guess it was meant to be a week of rest. Now I am wondering what is up this week.

Somebody Took Grumpy Pills This Morning

2008-05-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Who rained on my parade today? Geez! I got up today feeling pretty great, I have been working on a new website and I wrote a lesson for one of my students, and then suddenly...BANG...bad mood sets in. Mostly its because the friend who has been helping me work on a few business ideas was not available to me today, because IM was down. She typed me a few notes and then she disappeared for the rest of the day. Then my son's tutoring got canceled and then my other job got canceled too...I'm sitting here staring at my computer wondering WTF! So, I made dinner and I have been sitting here for a couple of hours dabbling with layouts and just being a goofball, trying to cheer myself up. For gosh sakes I hope Jason Castro goes home tonight on American Idol...man that kid SUCKS! Could I BE more mental right now? I'm not even hormonal, I just don't know what to do with myself. I tried writing a blog here a few hours ago but it really wasn't working...now I am just finding humor in just about anything. Very rarely do I randomly babble, but here I am...enjoy!

Holy Crap

2008-05-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

OK, so something happened this weekend that is a total first for me. I have the feeling it won't be the last either. I don't see it as a problem, per se, in fact it's kind of cute and my heart swells thinking that my boys are discovering girls...but here's what happened.

My oldest son is 13, he swears he has no interest in girls...I mean gag me Mom! And my younger son is 10, he is very inquisitive about relationships and he really likes girls in a "you're fun to play with" way. He takes a lot of heat from his older brother. Anyway, my mother's next door neighbor has a teenage daughter...she's 14, tall and slender, very immature and talks 90 mph. She usually plays with the younger kids on the block, I have never seen her with anyone her own age. My kids have been spending weekends at my Mom's house and Julian really enjoys playing with Jasmine (the girl next door). She is always telling Julian about her boyfriend, and Dante typically hides from her swearing he can't stand her...but this weekend was a little different.

This weekend I went to pick up the kids and Mom said they had both been outside playing all weekend. This was good news, I am always happy when Dante has some social activity. My Mom was holding her mouth and kind of snickering and whispered "I have to talk to you later!" So, I knew something was up. On the way home, I stopped to get gas. I gave Dante some cash and asked him to go inside and pay the cashier so I could pump the gas...while he was inside, Julian says, "I have to talk to you later! I have to tell you something that I don't want my brother to know!" I said, "Just tell me, he'll be inside for a few minutes," so Julian blurts out..."I have a girlfriend!!" He was beaming.

I had a feeling right away he was talking about Jasmine, and when I asked him he confirmed it. I asked him what happened to Jasmine's other boyfriend, and he said, "oh, they broke up, I guess." He was glowing, so happy...I tried to ignore the fact that she is 14 and my baby is only 10.

Later the next day, I talked to my Mom, and come to find out...Jasmine asked Dante to be her boyfriend and he turned her down. I came to the sinking conclusion that Jasmine asked Julian after that and he probably had no idea. Aiy Yai! What's a mother to do?

This will probably continue to happen all through their lives because they do everything together, they are best friends and although they look a lot alike they are polar opposites. Girls are going to be attracted to both of them for different reasons. It's really hard not to get involved, but I think I better just stay out of it, and be there when the chips fall. There comes a point where I have to let them live their lives...it is so hard not to get involved, and this is just the first time something like this has happened. Here we go...God help me! :)

Winery Job

2008-04-27T09:08:00.001-07:00

I just realized in my last post I did not tell you about my new job. I went on a job interview to work weekends at a local winery, pouring wine. I got the job, and I was immediately pissed off. I have been grumbling about it all week. I woke up this morning and I had one of those light bulbs moments, I know now why I am so bothered.

I used to work in another winery years ago when my husband was sick. We were destitute, and the winery job pulled us through financially for many years. I started out at minimum wage, and although I was there 6 years, I only topped out at $11 per hour. My husband died while I was employed there, and my first 2 years as a widow was spent working at the winery...after that year I started figuring out how to better my income by learning how to deal cards and I was hired at an Indian Casino...I bumped my income to $27 per hour and was working FULL TIME. WOW! My first paycheck was like a lottery ticket. My mouth fell open and my heart jumped inside...I did very well financially for 4 years.

So you don't need my life story here, the bottom line is I no longer work at the casino, I have been working at home the past year and a half and really pinching pennies to make ends meet. So...when I got the job at the winery at minimum wage again, I felt that that was a major set-back. Not only that, it was like a Pavlovian response, that the job was pulling me out of the shitter once again. I don't want to be in the shitter...but that is how it made me feel. So, I have decided to create a new thought process, enjoy my new job, meet new people, and I will not sweat the money part. Here's the really FUNNY and IRONIC part. When you pour wine samples in a winery...people think you are GOD. So my intention is to go to work and play GOD for 7 hours. Surely GOD makes more than minimum wage. *smiles here*

Full Tilt

2008-04-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I mentioned Sunday that this was a good week, and it was. I have been on full tilt all week. Now it is Friday, and it is so quiet it is scary. Quiet makes me nervous! I was going to work on my patio this week, and all I really accomplished there was buying the paint, laying out a plan and washing the patio down. My dad is going to come and take away some of the plants so I can paint and install a gazebo, but he caught the flu and won't be able to help me until this weekend...so I put my plans on hold for another week. I took some "before" pictures and wrote a synopsis of my plan, I think it will be a fun DIY article.

What I really need to learn to do is take advantage of quiet time. Instead of freaking out, I should take that opportunity to write things down and make a plan. I mean, I have plans in my head, but they get muddled, so I should really write them down so I can see them and they become more concrete intentions. Reading would be good too. I have totally steered away from writing my book, but I know that inspiration will come back around, I get it in waves.

The band is going great, we are now a 4-some, and dedicated to practicing and learning new songs...yay us! We are working on 2 Pat Benetar songs and 1 Blondie song, and 1 Sheryl Crow song. The guys are great, and Mark and I have been contemplating a band name...how about...MoonShine?

Personal Growth is on the Rise

2008-04-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am having a great week, today I met with a few musicians who are actually willing to work on their craft and put together a working band. The rehearsal was a little rough because they are all learning new songs for the sake of the singer (me)! The previous band members all wanted to play blues, which is great, but doesn't lend much to a female vocalist. When I chimed in about the songs I knew, they seemed to lose interest. So, I didn't give up, and neither did my friend Mark, the drummer. He believes in me and is willing to stick it out until we find other musicians who will play with us. Today was a good day. We only played two songs, but that is more than any other practice we have ever had. We even agreed to meet twice a week to practice...wow!

Other than that, I have been reading and putting my thoughts about working at home back into focus. It's truly what I want, and believe I can do. This week, I intend to "walk away" from my freelancing and do a little home improvement project. My back patio is in need of a little re-vamping, so while the kids are doing their STAR testing this week, I plan on spending some time at home depot and plot my course of action.

So, what does this have to do with the title of my post? Good question. I have loosely been pursuing my personal growth for 15 years, but more seriously the past 2. I was so lost in my own cry-baby bs to really understand what spirituality meant to me, and now I am much more focused on what is important. I have stopped asking "why me?" and started looking at "why NOT me?" There is absolutely no reason why I cannot be successful, and no reason I cannot raise happy, healthy children. I have a good heart, I am loving, I am ambitious and sharp as a tack...so why NOT me? No reason, no reason at all.

My Library of Self-Help books really keep me in line. I stray from the path from time to time, and when I am ready to regroup I fall back on my books, revisit them, and whenever I do that I learn something new and see that I have actually taken many steps forward in healing. I highly recommend, the "Conversations With God" Series, "You Can Heal Your Life", and "The Game of Life and How To Play It". Visit my Amazon Store and check out some of these titles if you are not familiar with them!

Mother's Day

2008-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last year on Mother's Day, my kids went out with my mom to buy me a Mother's Day present. This was the first year they had done that. Usually I would get a gift that they made at school in their art class...but this year they were homeschooled and did not have a paper-mache gift. Anyway, my (at the time) 9-year old gave me a card that touched me in a way I cannot express. The card has been sitting on my window sill next to my desk all year, and I do not have the heart to throw it out or put it away. Today I read it again, and it gave me renewed strength to follow my heart. Here's what it says...remember a NINE YEAR OLD picked out this card:

"When I was young, I didn't always understand how hard it must have been for you to make certain choices in your life. But now I see how much you tried to give of yourself - both to your work and to your family. You set an example of what it means to be a good and loving person - someone who always strives to be true to the best in herself. I hope you know how much it means to me to have an example like that. It's something I try to follow every day of my life."

Wow.

Book Reviews

2008-04-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

I have a great internet friend, Hugh, who lives in Calgary. About 6 months ago I suggested he read the "Conversation With God" series, because I really felt that he was ready for the information. He ordered the books, and then we didn't speak for a long time. No big deal, internet relationships tend to drift occasionally. About a week ago, however, he dropped me a line and we have been talking again. I told him about my struggles and some of my relationshippy things that were going on and he told me that he had learned so much from the Conversations With God books. Coolness! I had totally forgotten that I had recommended them to him! I was all, "YAY!" and he was all..."You should go back and read them again!", and then I was all..."You're right." So the past few nights, I have been reading "Conversations". This book was written in such a way that simplifies all the things that we find complicated about life. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE in a "God" per se, I still recommend you take a look at this series. It is not religious Bible banging AT ALL...in fact it is very calming, very personable, and explains so many things that people have questions about in a way that makes you go..."OOOOOOOOOOH, I get it!" and then you slap yourself upside the head. You even find out that God has a sense of humor. *smiles* You can find this series in my bookstore. Seriously, it has helped me in the past to understand what my trials have represented...and it is helping me to revisit the books and bring my current situation into perspective. I am one of those people who never understood what "faith" was all about, but this book really paints a clear picture.

One question I had recently (and I almost blogged about it, but then I deleted it) was that I notice throughout my life I have always had a "Plan B". If my main goal doesn't work out, I have a back-up plan...and most of the time, I have NEEDED that back-up plan. Yep, I am living Plan B. Why is that? Is Plan B a good thing, or is it actually a detrimental to my main goals? I am really glad I deleted the blog, because I found the answer in "Conversations". In the book, God explains that our thoughts navigate us to the outcomes we experience in life. But many of us do not focus on one true goal, we have several ideas and many thoughts that crowd our mind...and the Universe answers your sponsoring thought or, the thought that is clearest. In my case, it was "Plan B". I was so busy making sure that I had something to cover my ass when Plan A failed, that Plan B was my sponsoring thought. *lightbulb here*

Here is a funny little addendum. I use my cat as an example of Plan A and Plan B. Well...my cat doesn't have a Plan B. He stares at me and stares at me until I give him what he wants. He rarely begs, he just stares. Sometimes he taps me with his paw, but mostly he just looks intently. He doesn't even MEOW. I know what he wants, and he doesn't give up. Sometimes I don't give him what he wants, but he doesn't sulk, he just waits half an hour and tries again. EVENTUALLY he gets what he wants. Its amazing. Cats are so zen.

Go read the book. It's way cool.

Sorry, I Couldn't Resist!

2008-04-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

heeheehee!

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Poor Superman!

2008-04-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

I feel really really sorry for Superman. It must be terribly frustrating to be superhuman and superfast. I realize this because I think I am superhuman too. Everyday, I put like 8 tasks on my plate and by noon I am done. My kids have barely rolled out of bed and eaten breakfast...I'm all c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!!! I work so fast and with top efficiency (lol) that I expect the rest of the world to keep up speed. Yesterday I had a day like that. The day before I had been cleaning my neighbor's house to make a couple extra bucks, I came home and cleaned my own house, then I wrote two articles for Smorty and made a video with my son so he could post it to YouTube. Then yesterday I sat down to my computer hoping for more work to show up in my e-mail and ...nothing. Grrr! Where is everyone!? Are they all sleeping? So, I cleaned my house some more and I scanned Craigslist for more work. Hours later...nothing again. I checked Smorty to see if they approved my posts...nope. I helped my son with math, I made dinner, I went to the coffee shop to check out open mic night, came home...still more nothing!!! I sent a message to my friend Darrell touting my depression. This was his reply,

"perhaps it was just the day... It is almost over and a new one is beginning. Sometimes when we are needing to see something happen, we look to hard and miss the little things that happened during the day. Lisa, you have done such a fabulous thing with you and your boys. I am inspired by the things you do each and every day and I know in my heart that things will come right for you. Scraping as you call it is a place some would not even go to. they would sit and hope a windfall would come and pick them up. YOU make the windfalls happen. Be encouraged that you are a real guide to many and I think you do wonderfully."

Maybe Supergirl needs to learn how to sit still and appreciate it when she is given a moment of peace, huh?

One of The Funniest Moments of My Life

2008-03-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

I was telling my sons this story in the car tonight, and it occurred to me that it might make a funny entry on my blog, here goes:

After I graduated High School, I went to Performing Arts School. This was a very big deal in the 80's because "Fame" was so popular. I even went out and bought "leg warmers". I was a pretty shy person and definitely did not have enough self-esteem to get through such a program...I was nervous as hell, and the competition there was mighty fierce. Luckily I made a few friends. One was my roommate, her name was Lisa too, so we were LB and LM, for short. Another friend and classmate was "Joe" from Texas. He drove a Duke's of Hazard car, chewed tobacco, and was funnier than hell. LM was in love with him, so she took every opportunity she could to spend time with him. Joe was very laid back, a total "good ol' boy", he had a mullet and everything. One day LM and I took a trip to the grocery and Joe came with us. Oh, Joe smoked a lot of weed too...so this makes the story even funnier. The three of us were standing in line with our groceries, ready to check out and Joe takes his hands out of his jacket pocket and presents a piece of cotton. (like a cotton ball) He says to me and LM, "watch this" and he sticks the cotton into his right nostril. LM and I are trying desperately not to laugh at him, he shushed us and kept a total straight face. DEAD SERIOUS. We placed our groceries onto the conveyor and Joe steps up to the cashier with this piece of cotton hanging out of his nose and while looking at the lady, he blows (exhales) through his nose and the cotton piece went flying and landed amongst the groceries she had just scanned. LM and I were dying, we could not control ourselves and we collapsed into laughter. Joe did not laugh, he kept a total straight face. He looked into the eyes of the very confused cashier, shook his head and said "will you look at that". He reached over, picked up the cotton ball and stuck it right back into his nose. If at all possible, LM and I became more hysterical than before, we literally fell on the floor laughing. Everyone in the aisles on either side of us were standing on their tiptoes to see what was going on. LM and I continued laughing as Joe picked up the groceries and walked out of the store without as much as a smile and a piece of cotton stuck up his nose.

God, that still makes me laugh.

You Get What You Get When You Need It

2008-03-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

If you don't believe in God, I hope you believe in something. To me, God and The Universe are one in the same, it just seems corny to refer to "the universe" all the time, and yet I'm not really religious, so to say "God" is also not in my comfort zone. When I refer to God, I am talking about the "all knowing and all loving", not the old man that sits on a throne and condemns people to hell.

So much for my disclaimer, here is my actual post:

I have gone through phases all my life, and each phase I am always asking God, "why am I going through this? Can't you just fix this and let me be happy? I need money, I need a relationship, I need (fill in the blank)" The truth is, God knows what you need in any given moment, and its not always the thing you think you need. As humans, we see things sort of one dimensionally...our perspective is skewed to believe that money is the answer, sex is the answer, a new car is the answer, a great career...etc...BUT (and its a big but!) God knows what you need RIGHT now. Here are my examples:

When I was 23, I was diagnosed with cancer. At the time I was smoking and taking birth control...a deadly combination. I was so angry that I would be stricken with such a horrible disease when I had just gotten married and wanted to start a life with my new husband. God knew that I needed to learn about the importance of my health. THAT was more important.

When I was 30, my husband was critically ill, we had one child already and we were poverty stricken because of his condition. I found out I was pregnant, and we had no idea how we were going to afford another child. I had the baby and we struggled financially for years afterward. My husband died 2 years later, and if it were not for my second child, my first born would be terribly lonely as an only child. He and his brother are best friends, and my younger son is my anchor. He is a precious individual, and he shows me unconditional love everyday. He was a gift. He was what we needed, and God knew that.

For the past two years I have been struggling in a relationship with someone I care about deeply. It has been weighing on my conscience, but I kept tossing the problem into the back seat and kept focusing on money and my freelance work at home projects. I kept asking God, "why can't I make more money, I am struggling, please help me make money!" my doorbell rang. It was my friend, paying me a surprise visit. I was shaken for a moment...why is he here? I don't need this right now, I have too much to deal with! Wrong. I did need to deal with it. It took a few days, But I was finally able to talk to my dear friend and relieve myself from the burden of guilt. I asked his forgiveness, and he told me there was nothing to forgive. I was worrying needlessly. I needed to hear that from him. I needed to speak my mind. God knew what I needed, and he brought me the solution.

I could go on and on with examples of my life experiences, and why things don't always turn out the way we think they should...and it's because as humans, we can't and won't see all the answers. Sometimes we just have to trust that there is a higher power than ourselves. That higher power is looking out for you. If you don't believe and you keep fighting the circumstances of your life instead of seeing the gifts...that's when you suffer. That is hell my friends. Stop living in hell and look at each "problem" as a potential gift. What can you possibly learn from cancer? How about an opportunity to have better health? Learn from poverty, learn from death, learn from accidents...open your heart and your mind to possibility that someone bigger than you loves you very much. More than you will ever know.

A Philosophical Question

2008-03-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

If I sing karaoke in my livingroom and there is no one around to hear it, am I really singing?

Sunday is family karaoke night at our local pub. But today is Easter. I called ahead to ask if karaoke was still going on, and they said yes, 7 o'clock. I showed up with my entire family and there was NO karaoke. My bottom lip protruded and I pouted a bit. I have these bursts of energy where I have to sing or do SOMETHING creative. You don't want to be around when all I do is work for weeks or months on end with no creative outlet. I become this very strange, quirky, twitchy person. I was really looking forward to karaoke night with my family. My Mom is so sweet, she came to my house and listened to me sing "Me and Bobby McGee" in my livingroom. So, my opening statement was not exactly true...my Mom heard me sing.

For the past six months it has been a challenge to keep consistent with my creative outlets. My friend's karaoke business has been rocky, and recently he was fired from his regular location, so I have had to find a new place to sing, and that is difficult to do with the kids. My Grey's Anatomy show has been off the air due to the writer's strike (that is my cathartic outlet) and the band my friend Mark & I keep trying to organize will not commit to actual practices. Grrr. So I have mostly been working the past 5 months with very little artistic expression.

I think I mentioned in another post that I have a Supergirl complex. I want it all. I want to do it all. I want to make money, run a business, be creative & artistic, and then on top of all that, I want to look HOT! hahahahahahaha...ok, that was really funny. *wiping away tears of laughter* My mind literally does not stop coming up with ideas. I admittedly lack focus. There is also an aspect of procrastination there I suppose, but the truth is, I keep jumping around from idea to idea...not knowing where to really stop and work on one project. I have this fear of wasting my life. When I am on stage singing... and the people in the audience stop what they are doing to listen to me sing, that is when I feel truly accomplished. That's when I know that I am doing what I was meant to do. I miss the stage, I miss it terribly.

Holy Crap, I haven't written for over a week...

2008-03-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

My apologies. This week has been kind of strange and challenging. I love that I can say that now instead of "I had a bad week". It wasn't bad, it was challenging. I was thrown a few hurdles and I totally found a way around all of them. Some of them were emotional hurdles too, so its not like I just stubbed my toe or something like that. Mostly I discovered that I am a fully functional human being, capable of seeing different perspectives and problem solving. Being flexible also helps. You never know when a curveball is gonna come your way.

It cracks me up when people say "Why me? Why did I deserve this?" and the answer is..."Why NOT you". Daisies and butterflies get boring and if your life was perfect and wonderful, the fact of the matter is you would be BORED out of your mind. Humans CREATE challenges so they have something to occupy their time, and also so they can move their way up the food chain. OK, so you did not ask for a broken leg, or a car accident, or a bucket of paint to spill onto your hardwood floor...but these are life's opportunities to help you think OUTSIDE of the box. If your answer is to get mad, pout and cry for 10 days, then you have just wasted 10 days of your life. If you focus on the issue, get to work then maybe the next challenge won't be so difficult.

I still get mad. But nowadays I have "mini-meltdowns" instead of weeks and months of agony and resentment. My melt-down might last 24 hours if something is really disappointing. Then I just kinda look up and say, "help me understand, so I can get through this," and its amazing what calm comes over me, and then the plan starts to unfold before my eyes. As mentioned in other posts, I see my life as magical. Even the bad parts.

I'm In Love With My Blog

2008-03-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of anyways. I miss it when I can't write like a narcissist. I haven't written in my book for about 2 weeks, but I have been healing some pretty major components in my life (see Cathartic Pizza below). I think about Bobby a lot. I was really pissed at him when he was here, but I know in my heart he was the best of almost any man I have ever met. He had problems, and I think when he met me, he thought maybe I could help him be the man he knew he was in his heart. He was that man for several years. We had fun together, we were best friends. But we were also children. Our self-esteem was not strong enough to sustain us through a marriage, or any other challenges that came our way. Little by little we fell apart. We clung to...well, I don't know what we clung to...but it was painful for a long time.

Bobby was charmingly funny. I got sick of his stories, but everyone he told them to laughed and laughed. I do miss his laugh, and so many other things about him. I haven't allowed myself to miss him. I think my angry side said "good riddance" for so many years and that has made me afraid to enter any other kind of relationship that would make me the least bit vulnerable. Cooking Italian meals with the kids has totally opened up that part of me that remembers how much I loved Bobby. That sweet Italian kid from New Jersey. I have always felt him watching over us, all these years. I feel him pulling Dante toward cooking. I feel him helping me pay the bills. idk. It's hard to explain, but I have always felt his presence.

I remember the night we were talking about maybe getting married. He didn't want to, and I was making arguments toward getting hitched. We were burning a candle and blew it out while we were talking. Moments passed and we were drifting off to sleep. Suddenly a huge light filled our room, it was as if a UFO had landed...we both bolted up-right and looked over at where the light was coming from...it was the candle. It had re-lit itsself. We decided it was a sign and we had better get married. That's how our life began together, and that's pretty much the way it ended too. Bobby knew I believed in...well, magic. So he knows he can contact me from wherever he is...and he does...quite often.

Cathartic Pizza

2008-03-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

On Friday, December 10, 1999 my husband made some pizza dough and baked 3 pizzas. On December 11, he took some pizza to his parents house and took the kids down with him for a visit. He froze the other two pizzas. When he came home with the kids, my oldest son was very ill, he had a high temperature and was almost listless. I took him to the doctor on Sunday and brought back some anti-biotics, he started feeling better, but my second son fell ill. On Monday I took my baby to the doctor, his temp was 105. The doc gave me anti-biotics, and within a few hours he started feeling better. When I drove home from the doctor's office, I found my husband on the couch. "I can't move" he said. He had the same thing. "C'mon, let's go to the doctor," I told him, "the kids got anti-biotics and they are already better". He told me, "just let me sleep, I'll go when I wake up". He slept for 24 hours, and when he woke it was too late. We rushed him to the hospital, but the doctors could not save him. He died at 11:30pm, Wednesday, December 15, 1999. There were two frozen pizzas in our freezer.

Those pizzas stayed in the freezer for months. I did not have the heart to eat them, although on some level I feel Bobby made the pizzas knowing he would not be here, and it was sort of like his legacy. If that doesn't make sense, I apologize. It does make sense to me.

I have never attempted to make pizza. Bobby came from an Italian family and pizza was their forte. I never felt I could own up to that, so I never tried. My oldest son now wants to be a chef. Yesterday, I felt brave, so we went to the grocery and bought pizza dough and all the fixings. The three of us made homemade pizza. It was delicious. It was symbolically delicious. It is now 2008. It took me over 8 years to make a pizza, but I finally did it, and we ate heartily in Bobby's honor.

Gaaah! This week has been intense!

2008-03-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

This week my friend asked me to write as many articles as I could come up with for his online magazine, my chiropractor asked me to write some informational cards, and I went on a job interview for a position as a photographer's assistant. ALL GOOD! I am SUPER happy with this work! I have just never written so much in my LIFE! hahaha! To me, this is what it is all about, I love freelancing. It's like a writer's rollercoaster. You feel sick and exhilarated at the same time. The only downside (and its not even really a downside) is that I have not had time to write in my book all week. It's all good, because I am totally taking that writing project in stride. It is a healing for me as well as a writing project. When the time comes for me to write about my husband's death, it is going to be very difficult. I guess I am "gearing up" for that, and I shouldn't. Part of my healing process is just taking each day as it comes, I guess, like an alcoholic. In the past I have always been such a negative person, sad sap, woe-is-me...and I've come to realize that is a HORRIBLE way to live. I don't live like a super happy chipmunk either...I just sort of make myself pliable, like water. I go with whatever. Somethings make me mad or nervous or scared, but I learn to recover quickly and just see where that event takes me next. I am usually pleasantly surprised.

I am anxious to get back to my book, but I am more happy that I am getting paid to write and be creative.

I Don't Know How to Juggle, but I Fake It

2008-03-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

When I close my eyes and I envision myself, I see a juggler who has many balls in the air. The balls in my life have labels. Mother, Artist, Daughter, Sister, Mentor, Girlfriend, Bread-winner, Student, Employee, Friend, Animal Enthusiast, Comedian, Woman, Teacher, Maid. Some days I have 3 balls in the air, some days I have 5 in the air, some days I have so many I can't count...some days I drop all of them and say F*k it. The problem with the latter is that people get very disappointed in you. Your phone starts ringing, you get nasty IM's...but the cool part is, you find out who your REAL friends are.

Let me put it this way. I try really hard, and I work really hard to be all the things I want to be and to show everyone they can be that too. But some days you flunk out a little...you have a moment...you have a trial that only you can handle, and for 24 hours you are coping with an issue that is just between you and God. Only your true friends understand that.

I am at a time in my life where I understand what it means to play ball, and if the person on the other end doesn't play ball back...then you just kinda wait for another player who will play with you. It seems silly to sit and expect the other person to understand you, when they JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND you. Why sit there and try to explain the heck out of it? It is literally a losing battle. My sister and I learned this many years ago. We never really understood each other. So we had this sort of "pretend"hate or resentment while we were growing up, but as years passed and we came to be more accepting, we realized...we are just PEOPLE trying to figure out what our life is about. There is NO REASON to hate, just say..."I don't understand you right now" and allow that space to be there for awhile.

At this time I'd just like to say that my sister is really excellent human being. She works really hard and she loves even harder.

Back to my juggling analogy. Here are the balls I drop quite often. Girlfriend. Bread-winner. Student. Woman. Maid. My apologies go out to then people who have to accept me under those conditions. I am working on it.

Writing as Therapy

2008-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

It's really an amazing thing to write your memoirs from a place of peace. I have tried so many times to write in the past, and only became frustrated and depressed by my own story. I have had time to heal, to see my experiences as just that...experiences. There is no blame, no finger pointing...just me and the people I have spent my life with. I am now able to write about these events as an observer, not as a victim or an innocent bi-stander. Amazingly, the memories are clearer from that stand-point as well. My friend Bette (who is also writing her memoirs) was telling me the same thing the other day, she said, "I can see the paint on the walls and the color of the tile in the kitchen" as if it happened yesterday. We are ready. We are ready to look at our past and not only face it, but write about it, and explain our journey to others without anger, and with peace in our hearts.

I had an epiphany after writing about my childhood in chapter 2 yesterday. I was writing about my brother and I playing "runaways" when we were kids. This was my favorite game to play. All I wanted to do was run away from home and create my own world, my own place, and live off of whatever meager allowances I could find. It was a fantasy for years...and I realized I was STILL playing out that fantasy. My dream actually came true. I left my second marriage, I took off, bought my own house on MY terms, quit my job and started working at home and making my dreams come true in anyway I could. The pitfall was that I clinging to the challenge of living meagerly. I have loved this game from the time I was 6 years old, and I am still playing it. Ironically, I also want to live my life with "faith"...faith that God will provide. Well, the only way for that to come true is if I have NOTHING and God provides. Am I right? Well, my subconscious is playing it out that way. Yep. I discovered something really amazing about myself yesterday, and I realize that I can overcome my current obstacles by being CONSCIOUS of my thought patterns.

I am allowed to be successful without struggling and scraping and "surviving". It is okay to thrive. It is okay to have plenty. I am allowed to have an abundant life.

New Button

2008-02-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

I added a new button to the right so everyone can listen to the music on my CD "LifeontheMoon". My disclaimer is that this was my first attempt at recording, I am much more of a stage performer. The high notes are "pitchy" and in some of the songs I can hear that I am not warmed up. I am my own worst critic, as you can tell, everyone else has given me positive feedback. Hope you enjoy it too! Just click "My Radio" it should play automatically with Windows Player.

Chapter 1

2008-02-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

I finished Chapter One today, I had been dreading it, because it was the memory of when my Dad died. I have tried writing about this many times and it was extremely painful. But now I am in a place of peace and it is easier to talk about. I actually enjoyed writing this chapter and I found a way to incorporate some humor. I think it totally helped to have my friend, Bette, talk me into writing an outline first. For some reason this really helped me organize my thoughts, and put it all into perspective. Thanks Bette.

My Blog Lacks Aesthetics

2008-02-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure what some people are looking for in a blog, but that was a comment I received today on Linkreferral. I am all for constructive criticism, but truthfully my blog here is my writing outlet, I do have some cute pictures of my kids and stuff here...but mostly what you will find is my writing. I get that some people want pictures or "shiny things" to keep them occupied, but unfortunately my blog won't have a lot of that. I like pictures too, but when I am blogging I am mostly thinking about how the words PAINT a picture. I do thank that person for their comment, I will think on it, and maybe next time I blog I will go to Photobucket for a complimentary photo.

**UPDATE** OK, that person was absolutely right, the blog is better with a few pretty pictures. Thanks again!

An Exerpt from my Book

2008-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of my strongest memories as a child. I hope you enjoy reading, it is an exerpt from my first chapter. Comments are welcome...

My sister would ride her bike down the country road, part of it was actually a hill, so she would cruise down at full speed...she loved stuff like that, she was a little daredevil. But one day, my cousin and I were playing out in the yard and we heard a strange noise in the distance. Oddly it sounded like a rooster crowing, and even though we lived in the country, no one in the vicinity owned a rooster. I heard it again and again, and it started sounding more and more human, like a cry for help. So I ran in and told my mother and grandmother I heard the strange noise...for whatever reason they drove up the street and found my sister on the side of the road. She had crashed her bike and was very banged up. They brought her home bleeding all over, and the craziest part was, she was missing her four front teeth. Between sobs my sister insisted she knew where the teeth were, she said they were there on the side of the road laying right next to one another. My mother thought she was hallucinating, surely the teeth were scattered about due to the impact and the way she had tumbled, but my sister pled with them, “please go get my teeth!” Sure enough my mom and grandma went back to the crash site and found my sister's teeth. All four of them, root and all, laying right there next to each other on the side of the road (my mom tells this story by tucking her thumb into her palm displaying four fingers). There was no blood on the teeth either, somehow she had hit her face in a perfect spot that just released the four teeth without breaking them. The story doesn't end there. I actually felt very bad for my sister, she was 14 and previously beauty queen material, which I hated her for. Now she was a bloody, toothless zombie lying in bed. I remember standing in the doorway of her bedroom just staring at her (in disbelief). I couldn't believe what had happened to her, I felt terrible even though I hated her guts. THE WORST part of the story is, that my sister was to be in my Uncle's wedding as the maid of honor within a week. Amazingly, she did not cancel out, she stood up there in her gorgeous dress, scabbed, swollen and toothless. My Uncle looked down at her as they were standing at the alter and said, “you look like 10 miles of bad road”. (he had the same wicked sense of humor as my dad) So, this is the story of my sister and why she got a plate of false teeth when she was 14.

Tell You What I Gotta Do

2008-02-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

In October last year, I got the itch to record some of the songs I sing in karaoke. The idea of recording was to have a demo CD for other musicians to hear...like a sampler to use as an audition. Also I wanted to have something for my family, and I gave them as gifts for Christmas. It was cool, everyone was stoked! Anyway, as soon as I had my first 4 songs recorded, I went to Craigslist and e-mailed other musicians and passed around my demo. I met a guy name Mark Crafford, a drummer, and we have been fast friends ever since. Last weekend, Mark and I "jammed" with some other musicians and had a BLAST! The look on all our faces showed the same expression...1. surprise, and 2. THIS ROCKS! We have been talking ever since Sunday and it looks like we will be meeting again in about 10 days for another jam. Bill, who is a lead guitar player called me last night and he wants to play parties and coffee houses until we get established. Totally my speed. None of us are really interested in being a bar band.

Anyway, I have been looking for a (gulp) J.O.B. since working at home isn't providing enough income (read my other post at LifeontheMoon - link top right of this page). At first I was depressed and now I realize that it is more motivational for me to get out of the house, make some money, boost my self esteem, and get my name out there in the neighborhood. I also need to get serious about my appearance, my health, and mostly MY VOICE. If I am going to sing rock and roll, I want to look GOOD and sound GREAT!

Here's My To-Do List:
- exercise everyday, walk, do scrunches, join a jazzercise class or SOMETHING to that effect
- sing everyday
- learn more songs, memorize lyrics
- work on my image...meaning clothes, hair, body, and state of mind

Please go read my other blog

2008-02-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! If you want to learn a very important life lesson, please go read my other blog at LifeontheMoon. I feel silly posting the same blog in two spots, this blog is both business and personal, so I posted it over there, and if you want to learn something very valuable (and get to know more about me in the process) click that link and check it out!

Try Not to Have TOOOO Much Fun

2008-02-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

This video rocks! Today, I am a rock star!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Started Writing my Preface

2008-02-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, I turned in my outline to Bette, and felt motivated enough to start writing my Preface. I dedicate the book to both of my Grandmothers, and I am also going to write about Indigos. I had a post about Indigos on my wordpress blog, but I was dumb and didn't save it in my computer. When they closed my wordpress blog (due to violation of TOS?) I lost that post. Live and learn, it was a good one too.

Anyway, Indigos are children that we typically label as ADHD or ADD. These children do not have a disability or a learning disorder or any other malfunction of the brain...they are here to teach us. Indigos are the future of our planet. They are showing us that our lives are not strictly about work, earning wages, retiring and living a miserable mundane life. They are here to show us how to have faith, how to look beyond our "responsibilities" and love regardless of what trials or ugliness comes our way. Do you know an Indigo? Do you have a child that doctors and teachers want to drug?

Indigos typically are uncomfortable in their bodies. They are edgy, they cry a lot, they seem "nervous", they are quick to anger, quick to tell a joke, they have weird allergies, they have trouble sleeping, they have separation anxiety, they hate school, they are extremely brilliant, they have photographic memories...to get along with an Indigo, you have to think outside of the box. THAT is WHY they are here. One time I heard a joke about a child with ADD, but I changed it to "Indigo".

An Indigo child tells his Dad a joke, he says, "Dad, how many Indigos does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" The Dad smiles, "I don't know son, how many?" The Indigo replies, "Can I go ride my bike?"

E-mail me: MoonLaLa@slashmysearch.com
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So, This is What It's All About For Me

2008-02-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

For the last few months I have been writing. I have been building blogs and social networking sites. I am working from home and homeschooling my kids. In a way, I have dropped out of society. Not really, I mean, I still go to the grocery and have jury duty, take my kids to the library and to piano lessons...so I get out, I'm just not a blue collar worker, and I don't believe the public school system has anything to offer my children.

My past is kind of a sad story, so I don't like to talk about it or write about it. People keep telling me to write a book, in fact, my friend Bette has practically challenged me to write about my life. She gave me a deadline to write my outline in two months. The idea of writing about my life would be to show people that bad times aren't always bad times. Sometimes we are making the bad times bad because of our thought patterns, sometimes we need the bad times to appreciate the better times, sometimes we are just learning what life is about.

I am still learning what life is about.

My parents think (as most parents do) that life is about working, saving and retiring. They say that getting old sucks, they cry about their aches and pains. They eat fast food and don't believe in vitamins or drinking water. Their doctors fill them up with prescriptions and they are worried about retirement. I am 41. I am no longer a youngster. It may seem that I have "pie in the sky" dreams...but at least I am middle-aged and I still dream. I eat pretty good, I take my supplements, I drink water and I enjoy walking around the block a few times a week. I am following my dreams. I am the boss of me, not some young guy who took a few college courses and has a Napoleon Complex. My children learn at their own pace, they have their own business too, and we spend all our days together working, eating, playing, planning, and supporting one another.

This blog will serve as a spill-over from my other blog. At www.LifeontheMoon.biz you will read about my business ventures and how I am helping others make money at home. This blog will be an outlet for me to help me write my book, and get ideas out in written form.

You can get to know more about me by bookmarking this blog and reading a few times a week. You can also join my Social Networking Site, and I can introduce you to a multitude of people who are my friends all over the world. (see the banners at the bottom of my blog) You can also e-mail me at MoonLaLa@slashmymail.com