Happy Almost New Year!

In case I'm.. occupied.. I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! Hope you all had a nice xmas, too. I don't know which shocked my sister more. The fact that I opened a present xmas eve, or that I ate coleslaw at xmas dinner. I guess my taste buds changed over time. When I start liking liver, call the men in the white coats.

Ok, gonna go cuddle with Lucky, turn all the lights on, and watch Ghost Hunters. Why doesn't Paranormal State have it's own channel? It should! I'd watch it all day long..

Speaking of, has anyone seen Paranormal Activity? I never EVER plan on watching it, so somebody email me and tell me this *super secret* ending everyone is talking about.

Happy Birthday, Sissy!

It should be a crime being that hot... damn. Oh, sorry - was looking at the pics from my last post. Today is my sisters birthday! She's 6 years older than me, so that makes her... *counting, counting..* Oh, DEAR!! LMAO! I was a Thanksgiving baby, and she was almost a Xmas baby! After I was born, my parents never had sex again. I'd be scared, too. I gotta call her and sing Happy Birthday to her. She always does that on my birthday.

In a few days, I can show everyone what I've been working on. It's for my sister, from her grandson Ryan. Heidi (my neice, her kid, Ryans' mommy) commisioned me to do it. Since I was pretty caught up with my orders, I agreed. I have no idea if Ter-Ter (Terry, my sissy) reads my blog or not, so I can't elaborate too much. :) Heidi saw it when she was here 2 days ago and really liked it! I just have to finish it up today or tomorrow, as she's picking it up Thursday. It's been a pretty involved process, and I hope Terry (well, it's for both her and her husband) will love it!

Welp, as soon as my own mommy wakes up from her nap, we are going to Sam's Club to get the xmas pies, and I have to pick up some white chips and Tequila. Not for the same recipe.. lol. The Tequila is for Tequila Sunrises, which I got hooked on, thanks to the Drury Inn. Damn them! NOT! Each guest gets 3 free drinks per night. So since they never had Coors Light for him, I'd use his drink credits and get 6 Sunrises. Pretty darn tasty! And they freeze well, too!!! Nothing like a couple of Tequila Sunrises for breakfast! :^D~ I plan on making them xmas eve. That's also when my sisters' other daughter, Toni, will be here, along with her hubby, Howie, and their 2 kids. Lucky will just have to deal with being shut in the bathroom for a wee bit! I'm keeping him from today til xmas. I think I deserve to wake up with someone who loves me, too, on xmas. Then, I'll take him home for a few hours, as everyone will be here for dinner, and he hates alot of people. Plus, the kids wont stop teasing him when they are around. I don't want him to be shut in the bathroom for that long. After the guests leave, I'll go back over and get him.

I think I'm going to fire my camcorder up. It hasn't been used since Heidi's wedding.. omg! I hope the batteries are still good in it!

I Have Found God

And his name... is Shemar. :) I've always been a fan of 'cop shows', and especially Criminal Minds. Recently, I looked up pictures of this finer-than-fine man. The one I chose for my 'Eye candy of the year' near the bottom of my blog, is quite the jaw dropper. The one here, is also quiver-worthy. Too bad he was never on NYPD Blue... where they do nude scenes.

*10 minutes later*

What was I saying?

Oh, yeah. If the show ever ends, I truely hope him & Garcia get together. For every single guy I ever had a crush on or flirted with at any of the jobs I ever had - I can totally relate and feel for her.. lol.

Ya know what I hate? And it seems to be a trend. The ones I like most on a show, either leave or get fired, killed off... it's NOT fair! Like the guy on The District from years ago. The hot Irish guy. My favorite quote from him.. he was talking to his co-worker, at a xmas party outside, I believe... and he said to her.. "Do you have some Irish in ya?" She said no. Then he goes "Would ya like some?" LMAO!!! Then Stan on The Commish. And don't forget about John, from NYPD Blue. David Curuso, not Bill Brochtrup, (which I loved even more than Caruso with every fiber of my being - and suprised he wasn't killed.) The day he left, I boycotted the show for years. One that still breaks me heart, is Lem, from The Shield. *moment of silence* Oh.. I was WAY beyond livid every time Shane was on the screen. Vowing that he WOULD get his. Too bad Vic wasn't the one who gave it to him. But still. Then there's Warrick, from CSI. He had the most incredible eyes... wow. Even my mom agrees on that one. And most recently, Eric on CSI:Miami. He wasn't killed - yet. But he probably will be, with this streak! I also wont watch that show, unless he has a guest apperance. Yes, I know David Caruso is on it. But c'mon... it's ERIC! *Sighs* So I'm thinkin'... maybe I should stop liking Morgan.. it's for his own good! Lol!

Yes, I know I have no life. Sue me.

Taking A Break From Claying

Wow.. never thought I'd say *that* again! Some clay is cooling off right now in the nuker (convection oven). Doing a special order set of snowmen that are bigger than usual. Those are being baked in a few sessions.. this was thier second. Also made a pen holder for one of my snowman pens. Oh OH OHHH! ~ A N D ~ I finally made some Lentil Beads!!! Not bad for my first time! I can see how they can easily become addicting. These are blues & purples. Mm! At least I didn't burn them.

On a side note - Happy 5th anniversary to me. :( Wow... we broke up one month & one day short of 5 years. I was so excited about my lentil beads.. why did I have to go and remember that for. Yesterday was the last perfect day to get another load of stuff from his place. It was in the 40's and barely any wind. No rain. No snow. Now it's just going to get colder and colder. Maybe I'll go over tomorrow. There's absolutely no room here, but I want it out so he doesn't have to see it when he's home.

And out come the pain killers..

Forgot To Show My Earrings

My bad. I also made 4 pins. Only 3 is shown because the ones' tail stuck to the tile. So I bitch-slapped it and replaced that one with air dry clay. My very good friend Bonnie is sending me a list of craft shows for next year. Hopefully, these will sell. Some of the shows include the Watsontown Blueberry Festival, the show at the Muncy Hospital, the Muncy High School, Hughesville High School, a show in Milton... and lots more. I can't do them all, but job pending, I want to do as many as possible. I'll more than likely do the Ben Franklin Craft Show, also. That one coinsides with the Little League World Series, which is held in South Williamsport, about 1/2 an hour away.

And most of the items I have been making the past few years and trying to sell (with little luck).. my good friend Debbie is taking them off my hands for me. I want to make new things for a new year. I'm dying to try my hand at Lentil beads. And soon, I want to finally make the soap & crayons I've been wanting to. My niece Heidi may do a few shows, too. She did the Ben Franklins show last August with me. She's a talker & was probly responsible for 1/2 the sales, just by talking to people when they came up to our booth. I'm painfully shy in crowds.

Well, hope you like the earrings and pins! Other goodies I made are on my Flickr page - gumdrop earrings and the new and improved mug handles, to name a few. In the next week or so, I will show you all what I made for the Toy Challenge in PolyClayPlay! But you have to wait for the voting to be over... it's the rules! =)

New Rudolph Ornament

Oh, yes... he's a cutey, if I may say so myself. And I just did. On a recent trip to the VA Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, I took along my 'craft idea' scrapbook, and a few craft magazines. I've seen this little guy before, but this time, he called out my name. "Make me... MAKE ME!!!" I'm like, alright! Just stop yelling! Luckily, I just happened to have the right size jingle bells. And thanks to my very good friend Deborah & her Fire Mountain Gem extravaganza this year, I have loads of other tiny bells in different colors. I think I'm going to make some with red & green bells, and maybe even pastel bells. He's a little dark, but I didn't have any white clay with me at the time to lighten it up. His antlers are translucent, with a dab of light brown mixed in. I only *had* a tiny bit of light brown with me. It took 2 days to make, but on and off. Hey, at least I remembered to put a coin in for size reference this time. And yes, I do plan on trying to make a smaller one for a pin, plus even smaller ones for dangly earrings. But before any of that gets done, I still have one order to finish.

Anyhoo's, hope you guys like my ornament. A HUGE thank you to Mike for lending me the good camera plus one of his laptops for a while, so I could get my pictures out to all of you. :^D

*Happy* Thanksgiving

Here's wishing everyone a great day filled with family, friends, and enough turkey drugs to bring down a rhino. It'll just be me and my parents for the feast.. nice and quiet. As long as there's sweet potatoes with marshmallows, I'll be happy. I always apologize early for the after-effects of the baked beans.. with crossed fingers. (Beano is forbidden here) Mom was a head cook for years, so the woman can make some mean beans. And everything else, for that matter. I'm sure to wake up to the smell of baking turkey.. hell, she'll probly put it in the oven before I get to bed. I can almost smell it now...

Well, no more going to 5 different places for the holidays, anymore. Not that I ever minded. Oh, well... *sighs*

Life Is Funny

Maybe 'cruel' is the word I'm looking for. My car hauling and traveling adventures are over. We are no longer together. I have no ill feelings towards him, and still love him, matter of fact. A part of me always will. The reason, is that we are simply too drastically different. Regardless of all the plans a couple have, if both people aren't happy, it just isn't going to work. We still care about each other, and he really is being great about everything. We have joint custody of Lucky.. he'll let me have him whenever I want. Lucky'll be going back on the road - that was never even an issue. He needs Lucky. And I'll miss them both.

Pennsylvania Bound

Looks like we're heading home for Thanksgiving a wee bit early! In a way I'm pissed, because we need the money. Then again, Mike just told me for the last 2 short trips we took, we made... *drumroll please*... $192!! WOO HOO!! BOOK THE FREAKIN' CRUISE!!! For the first week, we actually owed *them* over $300. So after they took that money out of the next trip, that's what was left over. Think truck drivers are rich?? Think again..

But now I'll be able to catch up on my clay xmas orders. I even told Mike maybe we better just work through Thanksgiving. But he said no., we'll be alright. We'll see!! *sighs*

Bad Day

It was too good to be true... I was feeling better, not crying throughout the day. We pulled into the port here in Los Angeles, where there were 3 trucks already sitting. Beside us on our left, sat Charlie's truck. I didn't realize it at first, as our own truck was blocking the view of the truck number. I always look. When I walked around to the drivers side from the back of our truck, Mike says to me "We outta see if that guy wants $20 for his step." (Charlie had our shop weld a step onto the top cover of his APU unit, which is under the passenger side door. I always told Charlie I wanted it.) I gave Mike a puzzled look. "You didn't see what truck it was, did you? It's Charlie's truck.." A wave of sickness came over me and settled in my stomache. I turned and looked. I almost hate myself for the gory images I made my mind envision. The things that happened just feet away from where I was standing. Each time I walked by the cab of his truck, I looked at the bunk. Knowing that his life ended.. right.. THERE... Ok, I have to stop now.

New Stuff

Most who read this, also knows about my Flickr page. But just in case, here's the link to it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayrplayr/ I just uploaded the pics of the snowmen & snowgirls I made while home. I'll try to add a sample here, but internet is painfully slow here in Oklahoma. Along with the yellow gals here, I also made some in blue and green. Pink is next. (Why such a color was ever invented, I'll never know.)

And here's a sneak peek of special-order mugs I made for my friend Chris. The letters need touched up, then they need completely glazed, but you get the jist. More pics of the process is also on my Flickr page. After I dotted the lizards back with pearly blue paint, it just totally *popped*! The yellow ones got pearl purple dots. I'm most worried about the leaves on the handle breaking during shipping. I really should have made them thicker. Guess I still can. But I'm afraid of what the paint will do in the heat. The more I think about it, the more I want to re-do the handles. I never actually put 'Puerto Rico' anywhere on the mugs. Maybe I can tie that in there somewhere on the handle. Gotta think on it...

Back To Work

It was bound to happen sometime. This throws off our schedule for being home for Thanksgiving, but we'll figure something out. As long as we are home for xmas, that's way more important. We rushed out here to New Jersey, and our load isn't even ready yet. So here we sit in the VPC parking lot, locked in. No facilities, no nothing. We have to wait til morning for someone to turn in a vehicle going to Los Angeles. That could take all day, and we still have to load. At least I inspected everything before it got dark. We can't make California by Monday morning anyways. Well, we *could*.. but we're not. On our way back across I-80, we are gonna stop home and grab Mike's coat and the air cleaner we bought for the truck. SOMEBODY, but I wont mention names.. *a'hem* left them on the porch. Not I. Oh, well - this will give me a chance to grab the book I forgot. Since I'm not bringing crafts along this trip, I was gonna bring a book or 2 I got from my friend Connie. *waves* I got Sharon Osborn's biography, and the one by Marsha Brady. McCormick? Sorry, her first name excapes me.

I'd like to thank everyone who sent me emails with thier condolences. It's very much appreciated. I had a dream a few nights after we found out. Not sure what it meant. I'll have to talk to NJ and Debbie about that. Nothing earth-shattering, but it makes sense.

Besides the obvious, it's been the most relaxing time home I've ever spent. I did a few xmas orders, and I'll try to upload them on my Flickr site this week. Worked with my dad on his model train board he is putting together, too. Yesterday during the race, - Poor Ryan!!! :( - I was spraying that self-puffing foam stuff on a mountain he made. I helped a wee bit earlier in the week, but he did most of it. Today he painted it. When we get home again, I will help him add some little stones to it in various places. Wish I would have taken a pic yesterday - I love taking before and after pics. But what I do have pics of, is what I've been working on, clay-wise. Six of my nieces 8 snowmen are done, and I am almost done with some mugs/cups a friend wanted me to make. They turned out awesome, if I may say so myself. I'll show them to her first and see what she thinks. They aren't done yet.. I wanna see if she wants me to add anything before I put the glaze on it.

Well, that's all the catch-up I have for now. Talk to you guys later..

Life Isn't Fair

For those of you reading this that are on a few yahoo groups with me, you know that a very good friend of ours passed away recently. Tonight was his funeral. It was also webcasted (?), which I thought was weird. Technology. But I don't do funerals, so I didn't watch. Mike probly will - it's available for a month. He's out right now celebrating Charlie's life with his brother Joe, who we see more often on the road, than at home. Me, I hate bars & the drunken crowds. I'm still rather numb from the news we got about him, I believe it was on Monday. Why are the good ones always taken away first??? I wish I knew the whole story, but I never will. If he would have gotten hit by a bus, it would be easier to 'accept'. I don't know what happened, how it happened, where it happened, or how he did it. Maybe it's best I don't know the details. Mike knows we were pretty close. The last time Mike talked to Charlie on the phone was last week, and he told Mike to grab my ass for him.. lol. Last time I talked to him, it was while we were loading together in Dallas, TX about a month ago. This is the same Charlie I mentioned in an earlier blog post.. probly my last one.. that told us the best places to go in New Orleans. I can still hear his voice.. see his face.. his smile. Mike always teased him about his tight t-shirts & Magnum P.I. ringtone. When he called & it would start, Mike would always put the phone between us, so we could jam to it. When Charlie answered, Mike was disappointed. I heard him say "What..?" on the other end of the line. And Mike told him we were be-boppin' to Magnum. That was the last time I heard Charlie laugh. His obituary hit the nail on the head when it said 'he was a light in this world..'. On the church's website, there was a place to leave your condolences for the family. I think I left a book. Lucky will never get a chance to play with his doggie Louie again. And he just loved his Uncle Charlie! We all did. I'm gonna miss you.. so much..

Whew, is it hot in here??

Or is it just 90 degree's?? Good lord, I was hoping Summer would be over by now. *wipes sweat from forehead* Well, I better get used to it, especially if it's gonna be hot in New Orleans this weekend. We have 4 cars going there, but since the government don't work weekends, we have to sit. And wait. We unloaded with a great friend & fellow driver today, Charlie, and he's quite familiar with the area. Him & his boyfriend visit the French Quarter when in that area, and he suggested going. (He has to sit in Dallas & wait for a load. Wish he could come with us!) I'm gonna look it up online & do some searching, but he told us where we can park the truck.. which places to visit.. best places to eat.. to drink.. Thank god it's not Mardi Gras time, because I hate crowds.. lol. Hopefully, I remember the camera.

Ho, hum...

What a long day it's been. We're just sitting here in Los Angeles.. Waiting. Sweating. We're at least 3rd in line for a load, and they'll be closing in an hour. In a bit, we'll go park in the street til they open tomorrow. We're technically in Compton, but at least it's the business district. It's safer here than at the truck stops in Ontario, believe it or not.

There could be some MAJORLY awesome news on the horizon, but I'm not gonna jinx it by mentioning it. Just keep everything crossed for us! Ok, you twisted my arm. Damn you! We *may* be getting a dedicated East Coast run. What is it that NJ says... \(*.*)/ LOL! I think that's it! :) Instead of trecking back & forth coast to coast to all corners of the United States, we might get, what Mike calls, a milk run. How hauling cars involves cows, is boyond me. But anyhoo's.. our ports will include Edison, NJ, Baltimore, Maryland and Portsmouth, Va. Maybe a Charleston, SC thrown in for good measure. I hope, as on the way there, there's 2 places that sell my apperently unattainable peach cider. I WILL get me some of that one of these trips! God, that just sounds so mouth-watering. On the downside, I will no longer be going to Quartzsite, AZ where I get all my stone chips & bracelet supplies. But the possiblity of being home every weekend outweighs that by a ton! They have the best sales there (in Quartzsite) in Feburary, but the majority of the vendors start flocking in around November. Do you blame them? Do YOU want to be in the desert in the summer?? Me neither. Lol! Quartzsite is at the 17 mile marker on I-10, for anyone interested. We go to the side that Pilot is on. High Jolly Road, I believe is the name of the street. We park in their parking lot, and the shopping 'strip' is right directly across the street. Mike gives me $$$, sends me away, and takes a nap. LOL! He knows... :)~ Bless him...

Wow, I think we are the only ones here. Earlier, there were 5 of us, an Alaplex, and a United Road here. Good for them if they went & got a spot at the truck stop - probably hooking up to Idle Air.. with air conditioning. And a TV. We have every complete season of Two & a Half Men, so who needs TV? LOL!

Well, I have one last shot at a bathroom & running water until tomorrow, so I'm gonna go take full advantage of that. Maybe I'll try to make something tonight with the Artista clay I haven't opened yet. Just gotta make sure I have a ziplock ready for it. Man, I don't wanna open the door. I just know my skin's gonna melt off. Not to mention the dog will carry on & wake Mike up.

Well.. nature calls!

Hittin' The Bottle

Don't I wish. After this past week & a half, I sure need one. Or 3. Dozen. But anyhoo's..

After listening to my new air dry Darwi clay screaming my name, I finally took it out of the package & played with it. More like fondled. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate it as an 8 1/2. I had high expectations of this clay, and they were pretty much met, head on. When I first took it out of the package, it was not only moist, but it was wet. I subliminally rolled my eyes as I took a chunk in my hands & saw them turn chalk white. 'Great, I was hoping this wouldn't be as messy..' I thought. But much to my suprise & sheer delight, that's all the messier it got. Just one thin layer of residue. Yay! But what would I make? I've been saving this root beer bottle for just such an occasion. I didn't have anything specific in mind when I started to cover it, but I knew it was gonna be awesome. Or so I thought. One of the things that I didn't care for with this clay, is that I had one hell of a time trying to blend the seams together. Sounds impossible - a clay that wont blend with itself?? I figured I just need to try longer next time, and a lady suggested I use a tool with teeth on it to 'rough it up' a bit before blending - and I will. At first, I was disappointed that I couldn't get the bottle seamlessly smooth. Then I thought, well, this is my first time & I need to experiment. So I marched forward. Getting it as smooth as I could, I started to smell smoke. Then a tiny creaking hum was heard, far in the distance. Yes, my gears were starting to turn! The idea of a grape wine bottle presented itself, and I went for it. I had brought my chalk with me to color the clays before creating, as it only comes in white. Picking the darkest purple I had, a-scraping I did go. Dabbing my finger in the chalk dust, I carefully rubbed it upon the bottle. 'Ohh! That's purdy.. lets do it again!!' So little by little, I covered the bottle with purple chalk dust. Sadly, when I went over the cracks from where the clay butted together without blending, it REALLY stood out. *sighs* But I thought, oh well. Maybe if I get it damp, it'll blend in the crack & you wont see it. So, I spritzed it with water. Well, OMG! THAT was a mess! I had purple drippings all over everything in the bunk! Quickly rubbing it to stop the purple rain, it took on an entire different look. I cocked my head like a dog who was just told it was time for a snack. Mamma like. And when Mike said "Wow, that looks pretty cool!" - I knew it was a keeper. He also thought I put the cracks in it on purpose. Lol. Yeah.. lets say I did.

Then it was time for the grapes. I scraped some lime green chalk into some clay, blended thoroughly & made a bunch of balls. I stuck them on.. grapishly.. and they just didn't look right. Too big. So I took them all off, cut them in half, and stuck them on again. Ahh, that's better.

It was set aside to dry. A bit later, I checked on it. It was looking good. I picked it up to show Mike - and my balls fell off. Not all of them, but enough. Back to the drawing board. My thought, was that even though I made sure my balls were nice and wet & sticky, the chalk I had rubbed on didn't let them adhere. So... I popped the rest of my balls off, and rubbed off the chalk in my grapishly pattern.

Now.. with my white hurricane bottle, I continue. I wasn't perfectly happy with the grapes, either. "You should have done the grapes like the bottle.. rubbed the color on top." Well, allrighty, then. Purposely making them a bit dry, I made a new batch of balls. And a small container of slip to use as extra 'glue'. I put some slip down, and placed my grapes accordingly.

After about an hour, I *very carefully* rubbed some of the lime green chalk dust on them, barely touching them. Annnnnd, they came off. WTF?!? Being a tad beyond frustrated, I somehow resisted the urge to throw it out the window. Inhaling deeply, I picked my balls back up & placed them back on the bottle where they belonged. If my dad would have been sitting beside me, he would have been saying "TRACY!! TRACY!?! I see that 'want to' in your eyes!!" As in, wanting to slam it against a wall. He knows that look well.. lol. *blushes inoccently* =^)~ Anyhoo's.. I knew now that no matter what I did, my grapes were gonna have a mind of their own. Out comes the glue. After I knew the grapes were dry, I glued them down like there was no tomorrow. They aint goin' NOWHERE. Then I needed vines. Grapes don't grow in mid-air, ya know. Well, they do, actually. I squeezed out some ropes with my extruder & I let them lie. Lye? Lay? Whatever. You get my drift.

The stem went on first, then the vines. I did with them, what I did with the rest - rubbed the color on top. Not very satisfied with how they, in particular, turned out. But I think I can touch them up with some watered down brown paint. It was hard to get in the crack with my finger. Oh shut up, you know what I mean. These were also glued down, needless to say. I couldn't wipe off the purple chalk where the vines were going to lay, because I didn't know. They told *me* where they were going to be. It still needs leaves, but I didn't know how to make them. After we left for another trip, and me leaving the bottle at home, I remembered I have a grape leaf mold. D'oh! But anyways... the last 2 pics here show the side view. You can see where the clay didn't go together smooth, but made it look 'aged' instead. Alot of the horizontal cracks were solely caused by me covering glass with air dry clay. And maybe stroking it too hard. That's a habit of mine. Not a bad habit, just a habit.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my journey into Darwi-dom. Now, thanks to a very sweet woman on my AirDryClay list, ((ASTRID)) I now have yet another 2 clays to try out in the truck. Hearty clay, and Artista. Today, I already opened the Hearty because I'm trying to make it into the Apple Challenge on PolyClayPlay.. due at midnight tonight. I'll try to update everyone interested on that, later. But I can't post pictures until the challenge is over, as Trish likes to torment us like that. :)

Talk to you guys later!

The vintage 1970 Impala

Here's some pics of the car I mentioned earlier
this month. We delivered it to the port in Baltimore. A gem, it's so not. It looks okay on the outside, doesn't it..? One look on the inside, and it's an entirely different story. I also included a picture of the chain steering wheel, which also shows the removable dash. Lovely. We took these pics just in case the owner comes back & tries to say we ruined his car, and demands that we replace it. Um, no. I really, really really don't think so. But we got screwed that way before, so now we get proof of everything.

Testing, Testing..

Just trying to put a picture in *with* a post... lemme see here...

Is he there? Did it show up?? Not sure what size it will end up being, but the close up may be a bit decieving. His head is the shape, and size, of a lightbulb.

Okay, I'm gonna go play POGO now, since we have signal in this rest area in Kentucky! Later taters!

Trace

Happy Labor Day!

To all of you who are home today.. having a picnic.. having a relaxing day off work.. with loved ones.. with running water & a flushing toilet.. I sincerely hope you are having a great day! Us? We just hit a bird. He first slammed into the idler on our head rack. Then bounced to the cross bar between the deck. As if he wasn't dizzy enough by this point, he made a very loud *THUD* as he tumbled towards the windshield, football-style. Beaks up! (Ace Ventura reference) You know how those crows in the Windex commercial fly into the clean window, their little wings spread out straight, their face flat against the glass, cartoon style? That's what it looked like. Upon further inspection, I found a single feather woven, somehow, through 2 links of the chain he hit on the way to the windshield. Services will be held tomorrow at noon.

East Coast Bound

"We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there...." And we are actually ahead of schedule! By about 5 minutes, but hey, we'll take it. On our way to Portsmouth, VA, Baltimore, MD, then Edison, NJ. And for the first time in about 2 years, we have our next load BEFORE we are empty! GO figure!! I think it's gonna be pretty cool, though. We're going to a place we've never been to before - a submarine base! WOO HOO! =^D No, we are not hauling submarines.. but how freakin cool would *that* be?? LOL! Still cars. Hopefully, none like the one we have on now. OMFG. It's a black 1970 Impala. It grossed out our rear axel, for sure! It was made before plastic was invented, apperently.. lol. No way we could have put that monster in the belly. It's wider than a full sized pickup. Here's more about this gem; both back windows are non operational, and down an inch or 2.. they wont budge. If it rains, oh well! As the guy from the port was bringing it to us to inspect & load, the steering wheel came off in his hands. They had to snitch a few screws from the inside molding to put it back on, so they could drive it the rest of the way to our truck. The steering wheel, btw, is a giant chain, about 6 inches wide. I've *got* to get a picture of that. The door panels are hanging on by god knows what at the top, probably Hubba Bubba, and they flap back & forth when you move the door. The rest of the inside is another story all together. But hey, the dude has spiffy hubcaps. Gotta have your priorities.

After we pick up our subs, er.. cars, we are heading home for a restart, then heading out to Sandy Eggo. Our company is sending out 9 trucks for this 'base move', and we do NOT wanna be last in line for a load back outta there. Or 3rd or 4th, for that matter. Needless to say, we wont be home any longer than nesecc.. nessecc.. any more than we have to. Will stop over my mom & dad's house, or course. Need to stop in at Ben Franklins to grab some balls & see my friend Shannon, who I use to work with there. Gonna try to grab a few supplies I need to work on my air dry clay for here in the truck. When I say balls, I mean styrofoam balls. You sick puppies.

Ya know, I almost deleted this whole blog, because I don't feel I write enough in it, or have anything interesting to say when I do. You'd think by sitting on my ass all day I'd have all the time in the world. It's not that simple. Having signal is the biggest challenge. Catching up with email is another. Oh, how I long for the days of my Outlook Express..... *blissful sighs*

Oh! The race is on today.. gotta get Mike to check on it when his show is over. Not sure what he's listening to - I don't pay attention. Sam Spade, I think. Not even sure where they are this week. GO RYAN!!! =^D God, that man can just... nevermind. :P

Til next time, kidlin's!

On The Road Again....

'Bout time I updated, huh? :) Yeah, been a uber-busy 'vacation', but we are back!
It's very hard to consentrate when Mike is sitting beside me doing dead-on impressions of Carl from Slingblade. LMAO! Somebody make him stop!! OMG, I can't work under these conditions!!! Now, he's doing Carl, doing Billy Mays. LMFAO!! Never a dull moment! Oh, I can't breathe from laughing so hard... lololol

Ok, I think he finally stopped. That boy, I tell ya...

We got home the 11th, and stayed home for a few days because his 'brother' was getting married the 15th. That was the best wedding I have ever been to. Short, sweet, to the point. It started late, and still took less than 25 minites. The reception? Oh. My. God. Clearly, alcohol was the main attraction. I suppose the celebration started around 3pm. I wasn't drinking, because I knew I had to drive home later. With or without Mike - his idea.. lol. A few hours into it, he did ask me if liked banana. Which I like raw banana's, but not really things flavored like it. So he held up a wobbly finger, and went to the bar. He came back with a shot, plus the entire bottle. It was banana Shnapps. "Just take a sip" he urged. I lifted my eyebrow as I sniffed it. Smelled pretty good. So I took a sip. Not bad. So I slammed it down. Moments later, as I felt my hair slowly singe from the inside out, he told me it was 99 proof. He smiled & asked if I wanted more. "Um.. no. I'm good.." That was the only alcohol I had that night. I left a few hours later around 9 or 10, as I didn't feel that great all day. The groom brought Mike home around 12:30am. Much earlier than I would have thought. Already in bed by that time, I heard what I thought was a light knock. Then I heard it again. Then a loud *THUD* What the hell!? I jumped up & went to the door. *shakes head* I went & got dressed, then brought him in the rest of the way. After I helped him into bed, I saw his favorite tie was cut in half. Which still upsets me. It wasn't cheap. Found out the next day, the groom actually was wearing it when it got cut off - with a steak knife. I think I left the party just in time. The next day I was at my parents while Mike was at home, recovering. Lucky never left his side. They even went & peed together, then both crawled back into bed. Aww.

I got some claying done at my parents house, mostly the cinnamon dough ornaments right before the NASCAR race came on. I think I made a few snowmen, too. I don't know yet how to add pictures here, but I uploaded everything in my Flickr page. Look for ClayrPlayr. Today, I uploaded things I made for the craft show last weekend, plus a new venture for the truck - air dry clay. This was a test of the Creative Paperclay. Next, I will see how my new Darwi air dry clay works out. There's no paper fibers in it, and I hope it's not as messy to work with. We shall see!

Going through South Dakota right now.. lots of trees & cows. And fence. Don't get me wrong, it's truely gorgeous! I have always been a sight-seer. It's a requirement for being a professional traveler... Til next time, kids...

Quickie

My, how fast the days go by! I can't believe it's Friday already, and I haven't even opened my new clay yet!! I KNOW!! We've been so stinkin' busy at the other place, it's unreal. But a well-over-heaping dump truck load of crap later, it's finally starting to take shape up there. Mother nature didn't exactly help when she showed up the other day, either. "HELLO! GUESS WHO'S HERE??!?" Biotch. But anyhoo's.. As soon as I go vacuum the big truck, I'll be on my merry way to my parents house to finally get some orders done. I may make a cherry cheese cake just for S&G's.

I've had to take Mike's other truck, the land yaught, to my parents house, as I thought the battery was dead because it wouldn't start. Well, it wasn't. Someone siphoned the gas out of it while we were on the road. And it was a full tank, as I filled it up the day before we left last time. I despise this neighborhood. Last year someone went around siphoning gas from vehicles, including the neighbors lawnmower. I hope they choked on it. Now that I'm thoroughly pissed all over agin, me & my cramps are gonna go clean.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

Well, color me tickled pink! Make that maroon. I hate pink. We are officially on our way... you guessed it.. ~ H O M E ~ YAAAY!! =^D *does happy dance, scaring passing trucks* I'm tempted to get out now, and start running towards Pennsylvania.. lol. My Premo, Paperclay, Darwi clay, beads, new dragon necklace (I named him Turk, because he's turquoise)... these are all goodies awaiting me at my mom & dad's house!!! The S10 keys are already in my hand, and we're still in Maryland. :) I'm so tired, hot & dirty from unloading in Baltimore. Almost passed out it was so freakin' hot. I also blame the heat for almost crushing every bone in Mike's hand. He had ahold of the one deck above & behind the sleeper, and told me to slide it. Okay.. soo... I *may* have slid it the wrong way. Good thing he has good reflexes, because I was just *GONE*. Ooopsie.

Depending on how much signal we have when we get home, I will try to post here when I can. LOTS of orders to work on.. if I can keep my hands out of my goodie box, that is. CLAY, people. Box of clay! Sheesh.. :)

So, this is what it's like..

.. on the *inside* of a blog! Yep, I finally went & did it. Hope you guys are happy!! :) I sure wont be posting every day. Some states haven't crawled out from the stone ages yet & put up cell towers. I'll be learning as I go, here, so bare with me.