The next project: walkway & sitting area

The next project has started. A walkway that goes from the patio to the garden, with a sitting area set off from the middle. Below is the progress over this weekend. The base layer of sand and paver stones will get laid next weekend.

Area dug out


Ivy supervising


Riley and Rocket checking out the pallet


We all take a break


Ivy contributes the first handful of gravel


The gravel laid


The paver stones that are going on top next week

Oh how they tease me...

So I was innocently looking though my email and a friend (and fellow DBZ nut) sent me a message entitled..."The next one may have promise" I open it up and this was what greeted me:



That my friends would unmistakeably be Vegeta...by far my favorite-ist character in the whole lengthy series.

Now neither of us are sure if this was a legit teaser pic for the movie...but damn. That's just a mean tease. I can't find any info of where the next DragonBall movie is picking up from, much less who's cast as what characters! Argh! That's so maddening!

If Vegeta is to be in the next movie, I hope they tone down his hair like that did with Goku, but at the same time keep the spiky wild look to it. Only time will tell.

I know...I'm flipping crazy to still be adament over an anime...I already know, ya don't have to tell me!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Man, he's getting old! 29 today...Ooh...that means you'll be 30 next year!

Oh wait...so will I...and before you will. Hmmm...

Well, in any case, enjoy the last year in your twenties! I sure will!

Here we go again...sort of...

Well, as many of you family-types know, I work part-time for Walmart on the overnight shift doing stocking. Now, some of that title has changed...I'm no longer a stocker and no longer part-time. Yeah...you heard me. I'm back up to 40 hours a week. But this time around, my managers are letting me do 4-10's (4 days, 10 hours). And I have a new job...a small promotion if you will. I am now a "Backroom Inventory Associate" complete with a .20 cent/hour raise. (It entails pulling and scanning overstock out of the backroom to go to the floor and re-binning/scanning new overstock freight...did that make sense?)

I really like my new job and am very fast at it...although I need to be careful...I'm getting kinda arrogant over how good am I at it. In fact, many of my co-workers that know I love Dragonball have now 'lovingly' dubbed my new name to be Ms. Vegeta. Not even kidding. They say I act alot like the so named character, which really isn't a bad thing. (Hmm...strong willed, confident, good strategy-forming, independant, physically strong...what's the downside here? Oh yeah, the angry-arrogant-pride thing.) Maybe I should get my name tag changed...

So this should be interesting...

The positives are that John can now be added back onto my insurance thru work (yeah, only me and the kids available for part-timers), I'll be earning sick-time, short-term and long-term disability coverage again, and a bigger paycheck to stock away/clear out credit cards/landscape the back yard.

The negative is that I will be losing a lot of sleep. Maybe. Since John works M-F and I'll be working Th-Su, I'll be awake from 7ish Thursday morning until 9ish Saturday morning, with 2-2 hour naps. Yikes...We've already conned my dad (being retired and all...) into coming over Friday mornings and watching the kids until it's time to take Ivy to school at noon. That will help immensely, even though Mondays will forever be my 24 hour days...at least I'm actually used to it.

So if anyone ever drops by my store in the middle of the night hoping to find me...odds are you won't. I almost never leave the back and that's only to deliver freight or go outside for breaks. So call ahead and we'll get a cup of burnt and bitter coffee on my next break...cuz God knows I'll need the caffeine!

New City - New Zip

No, we didn't move again. But apparently, I have a new city name and zip code to boot. We used to be...

Queen Creek, Arizona 85204

We now live in...

San Tan Valley, Arizona 85104

So update all those address books...obviously the street address didn't change. If you need that part, leave me a comment for it, with your email. I ain't dumb enough to put it out on my blog! =P

10 Things I love about Arizona

Well, thought of a cute idea for a tag, mainly because I wanted to know what everybody loves about the state they reside in! So Here we go!

10 Things I Love About Arizona

1. The vast wide open spaces of wilderness for backpacking, camping, canoeing, etc.

2. No snow shoveling!

3. The biodiversity...Pines to scrubby desert to sane dunes to caves!

4. Cheap houses! Well, at least for now...

5. Our beautiful pastel sunsets.

6. I can grow sunflowers in January.

7. Our "Wild West" history. Wyatt Earp, anyone?

8. Monsoon thunderstorms!

9. The vast array of poisonous critters...scorpions, black windows, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, brown recluses... Can't ya just feel the sarcasm?

10. Cleaner air than LA or New York! hehe


Now I tag...everybody! Yes, even you John! I'm curious to see what makes everyone's homes great places to live, so shoo! You're tagged so go do it! No tag backs!

Poor Ozzy

How to tell when your cat is out of water...




Hmm...I think we need to check that more often! Either that or the cat has been hanging around the dogs too much...

Happy Birthday John!

We will officially celebrating both John's and Pam's and Pierce's birthday when we get together for Labor Day. I have a really cute idea for a cake, so I'll post that later!

But for now...Happy Birthday John!

Projects Completed and New Toys Obtained

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks:

Painting the bedroom is now completed.






The second garden plot has been set up and some covers are being made to keep the birds out while things start growing.








Finally, I found a couple of useful new toys off Craigslist.com: a 12 inch miter saw and a drill press.

Ivy's First Days of School

Yup, my little girl has officially started school. Even though it's Kinder-prep and not Kindergarten yet, (she missed the cut off date) it still counts as her first days of school. Complete with the obligitory tearing up mother...but only as I walked to the car! No one saw it! lol






Ivy's having a bit of a rough time adjusting to the new routine, but is making progress. Had a couple of 'melt-downs', as the teacher calls them on Tuesday and Thursday, but not on Friday! Phew! AND we are finally getting her in (Wednesday) to be assessed for Developmental Delay and Speech Therapy. Once she starts speaking better, that will help ease her temper. But she sure loves going to school! She asks every day when she gets to go...

We survived the first week! Wahoo!