Angel or Devil?

Today I met my friend Pam AGAIN at JoAnn's. hee hee...I actually got out of there without any purchases...but, I did visit JoAnn's earlier this week...so, I wasn't being THAT GOOD.

Pam's birthday is on Halloween, so she always has a Halloween party. Since she had trouble finding a red dress for a "Princess Buttercup" costume (from the Princess Bride movie), she is attempting to make a costume.

We found red material...and she had some really pretty gold ribbon for the "belt"...and we were searching for a pattern. After a dozen or so possibilities, we think that the Angel pattern will be a good foundation and she can alter it from there.

Jordan's basketball coach couldn't make practice tonight...so, Jeff sub'd. Those poor kids, they ran drills the entire night. hee hee...Jeff was disappointed to find out how much the kids lacked in fundamentals...which has always been important to Jeff....so, that's what they worked on. Ray came out tonight to help Jeff at practice....and he came loaded with manju, mini-cream puffs and mini-eclairs...yum...good thing my coffee maker has a timer...I set it to go off when we were driving home...so, the coffee was all brewed and nice and hot! What a great way to end the evening.

Fight on Trojans! Or, Um...UCLA Bruins...

This may be sacrilegious, but, we have a friend who went to both USC and UCLA...so, when Jeff saw the USC Fleece material at Joann's, he asked me to make Ray a blanket. We thought it would be funny to put UCLA on the reverse...since Ray wears his USC gear during football season and his UCLA gear during basketball season...fair weathered alum, eh. So, I finally finished it tonight....I had to, Ray is coming over for dinner tomorrow and I didn't want it laying around. YEAH...another Christmas present done....

***For those of you who know RAY....SHHH!!!***

YEAH...HAIR CUTS!!!!

Yeah!!! It's Picture Day tomorrow...do you know what that means? HAIRCUTS!!!! The boys are at the age, (more so Jordan...than Neil), where they don't want haircuts because the kids will make fun of them. So, after arguing...I agreed that they didn't have to cut their hair for the first day of school...BUT, they had to cut it for Picture Day. After all...I don't want to hear my FATHER complain about how "long" their hair looks in their school pictures....and I don't want to look at it for the next 8 years....and since Mom and Dad are paying for the pictures....tough!Don't worry Mom, this was half-way through Jordan's haircut....it is "high and tight", maybe not up to Len's standards...but, it's shorter.

Um...Neil was trying to hide in the drape...he actually fell off of the chair....hee hee....you should have heard him..."oh no...Mom's BLOG"....hee hee...they did get a nice break while I was taking a vacation from the BLOG....

It's been a long weekend!

This weekend was a busy one! The boys went to the Family Sleepover at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Uncle Gary. I was hoping Jordan would take some cool pictures...but, he FORGOT he had a camera....oh well...maybe Uncle Gary will burn a cd with pictures...I'll try to get Jordan and Neil to write a little bit about their "Guy Weekend".

Since the boys were in the ever capable hands of my brother Gary, Jeff and I took the Z up to Lake Tahoe. It was a fantastic ride...I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to feel my butt by the time we made the trip...but, the Z handled great! Especially through the mountains....there was no problems hugging the corners and passing cars in those ever so short passing lanes.

On our way up to Tahoe, we stopped at Red Hawk...what a beautiful casino! And, I found a great video slot...it is a multiple hand blackjack....I loved it...

Jeff played Blackjack Switch at Harvey's and did well....good thing...since I didn't have any luck on the slots and was too tired to play the tables.

We did SURPRISE Lori Pirri up in Tahoe. Lori and her husband Nick flew into Reno to meet Lori's parents who had driven from Toronto. On Saturday night they drove to Lake Tahoe. We weren't able to meet up with them on Saturday...but, surprised Lori at their "cottage" on Sunday morning on the way out. Lori, Nick, "Vivienne" and "Joe" were waiting for the plummer...don't ask...but, Jeff and I couldn't use the bathroom before we hit the road.

Regarding another Lori, the boys met Lori Yoshida on Saturday. Lori had gone to Midori-kai a few weeks ago and picked up some punches and tools for me. Perfect timing since I had to make a birthday card! Sorry the picture is a little blurry, the batteries are dead on my camera and I had to use an old one...(that's also why I have no pictures of Tahoe..sigh, I am so fired!)

SPOOOKY!!!!

My excuses have been pretty lame lately, but, I have been busy getting back into the routine. Today, I had my first session with Heather, the 24 Hr Fitness Personal Trainer. The good news is that I did lose a lot of inches since my last session, but, it may have been the way she pulled on the measuring tape. I don't remember Kyle, my last trainer, pulling so tightly. I had a good session, even though it included crunches, and I have a new routine for the treadmill.

Besides that, I have been sewing away at the quilt kit I picked up eons ago. I'll finish the binding tonight and post a picture tomorrow.

Look what I found when I was cleaning and reorganizing my craft room...my memory wire for wine charms! Luckily, I found some cute Halloween charms. I need to order some more end beads for the rest of the charms, but, I did get five done. Aren't they cute? I did originally have seed beads going throughout the wire...but, I am afraid that it may put too much pressure on the end bead...so, I just partially beaded it. The end result is the same...just not as pretty...but, I am sure the guys won't care...I just don't want Darren stealing my glass....

Royal Flush, Baby Bugs and Cranes....

What do "Royal Flush, Baby Bugs and Cranes" have in common? They have been in my "To Do" pile for a LONG TIME! I finally got some throws made. Actually, the Royal Flush and Crane material were for Quillows...("Qu"ilts that fold into a pocket to make a P"illow" = Quillow)...but, since I know that the people who are getting them won't fold it up, I just "zip-zipped" the sides...add some top-stitching and TA DA!! They are done!
The Baby Bugs quilt took a little longer. I had leftover fleece from the crane blanket, so, I cut it up into squares and made a quilt. It turned out really cute.

What's next on the sewing/cutting table? A Quilt kit and a purse...yup, another one...plus, I ordered some material today from Hancock Fabrics online. So, when the "UCLA" fleece comes in, I will zip that up for a friend.

Since he never reads my BLOG, and isn't on Facebook (oh the horrors!), I can tell you more....(Okay, all UCLA and USC people....beware)...One side will be UCLA fleece (his undergrad), the other side USC. That way he can just flip it over depending on who is over! HA HA HA....Jeff's idea....

Tonight is Jordan's first basketball practice. He is on a combined SACBC and Eden team. He FINALLY moved up to the next level...which means, no more parent Refs (YEAH!), real referees with REAL fouls...this should be enlightening!

I'm such a Diva....HAH!

What I should actually say is "my purse is a Diva Essential Designer Bag"! I finished my first project that I bought in Las Vegas....my Diva Essential Designer Bag.
I just love the print...it's a Japanese floral print in purples (of course), pinks, reds and golds...

It has a really cool and handy zipper that opens the long way....

And, it has lots of pockets...both inside and out. There is a hidden pocket on one side. This pattern was pretty easy...it took me about 3 days from cutting to finishing.

The best thing...I finished it in time for church tomorrow! hee hee...earlier today I made 20+ pounds of potato salad (with Jessie and Hiroko's assistance). It reminded me of the old days when my Dad and Uncles would have the season-end BBQ. What do you put into 20+ pounds of potato salad?

• 20 pounds of potatos
• 30 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 red onion
• 1 head of celery
• lots of mayo, mustard, relish, pepper, and salt

Okay, now I am hungry....night everyone!