Memorial Day weekend...what's that?!

So this is Memorial Day weekend. Most people have cook-outs, pool parties, go camping or just relax. Uhm, not us...in the farming game - it's just a way to get an extra day in the fields...

Saturday I had to work for just half the day, then I came home & took a looong nap.

B-rad planted...

Today I went to jazzercise & then to the grocery store. Where I had to listen to some ladies kid SCREAMING through the whole store. Really? You're kidding me right? Dear parents - no one wants to hear your children screaming thorought the entire grocery store - especially me. XOXO - Jaime Mac.

B-rad planted....

I had plans for tomorrow to go see the Sex & the City 2 movie, but my friend that was going with me had to cancel. I could go by myself, but I don't know if I will be inspired to get up, get a shower & drive in by myself. I also need to work on some jewelry invitations. I have procrastinated & they must be mailed Tuesday so I have to do them sometime tomorrow.

B-rad had planned to be planting...

The boys are coming down the home stretch on getting planting done. Then, B-rad will have to go back over ALL the corn ground & put down nitrogen. Then - he'll be done...kinda...there's always something to do, but he can relax a little more after planting & nitrogen are done.

B-rad stopped by the house today before going out to the field to get some Gatorade & snacks to take with him. It's hard to see them, but the faithful & loyal steeds had to go up & check out what Brad had on that trailer.
He had to tell the kids bye...

He was having trouble with the tractor leaking oil. And just to get done planting, he had been 'band-aiding' it & re-filling it with oil. He called me today & said, "When you go to work Tuesday, find out how long it will take to get the tractor fixed." (Uhm, I work at the tractor fixing place...). He also said he wouldn't be home tonight until either : A) it rained or B) he was finished. I got a call around 10:00 saying the tractor was totally ca-put. And B-rad was not happy....

I hope if you got to: have a cookout, a pool party, went camping or travelled to see friends or family - you had a great time. As for us - perhaps 4th of July will be our cookout/pool party/camping weekend?!

The newest addition to our collection

B-rad's been at it again. He has made yet another purchase. But this time, he says, "This will benefit you too!" Hmph, he's always thinking of ME...

We all know about his motorcycles right? To recap: he has one he rides on the street & he had one that he rode only on the track. That way if he smashed it to smithereens, he would still have one to ride day to day & the other would be fixed cheap. And B-rad likes to ride the ones that are affectionately known as 'crotch rockets'. Now let me tell ya about the person who rides on the BACK of the crotch rocket. Your knees are in your chest. After riding for 25 minutes I couldn't hardly walk when I got off of it. You are also leaned over at the waist the entire time. And you have to hold onto the driver for dear life so you don't slip right off the back.

So B-rad looked around on the internet & surprise, surprise - he found this: We had a blow out clearance sale & B-rad sold his track bike AND his older pick up truck to purchase an FZ1. (Again, no clue what that means. I think it's the model. Like I drive an Explorer...) (Side note - he was still a tad short after the blow out clearance sale & guess where he got the rest of his moo-lah? That's right, his wife, the saver...)

The FZ1 is like a cross breed of a crotch rocket AND a cruiser. Kinda...sorta... And you may be saying, "Uhm, Jaime Mac, exsqueeze me? Are there 2 bikes in the pic?" Well, my dear watsons, you would be correct!He still has his Gixxer (another model name?) to ride when he goes solo.
Like I said before, B-rad wanted to get this bike for ME. It would benefit ME. Everything he does, he does it for ME. So whatever, I know that's not really true. He has "always wanted a FZ1." (just like he's 'always wanted a Mustang' that you see broke down in the garage collecting dust & storing stuff..) But here's where he really kicks his argument for ME into high gear. The FZ1 has handles for me to hang onto. It is also more of a 'sit up' kinda bike. So I don't have to lean over him all the time.
Its pegs are also a little lower than the pegs on the Gixxer so MY knees won't be totally up in MY chest. So I asked, "Well, could you lower the pegs a little more so my legs could be bent even less?!" Crickets.... "Uh, I don't think so...that will get in the way of something (I can't remember what word I wouldn't understand he threw at me)...." Yup, just like I thought - it's all about ME!

You can call me stupid if you want to...

but I won't like you anymore. Nor will I allow you to read my blog ever again. Just sayin'...

Last night was pretty much my first night in a long, long time to have absolutely nothing to do. Ahhhhh....

I went to jazzercise after work & came home. But what else was I to do with myself on a free night? Laundry? Boring - B-rad can turn his underwear inside out. Cook supper? Nah, we still have left-overs Shauna sent from the graduation par-tay. So I went out to play with my new fancy schmancy camera! (Anyone tired of this yet?!)

I really wanted to work on the lessons Railing gave me Saturday (before I forgot everything!). I REALLY wanted to get down the blurry stuff. Why? I have no clue. I just wannnnaaaaa (insert whiney voice here...) So I just walked around the yard & just snapped everything. (That was another Railing lesson, "You have plenty of room on your card. Just take pics of everything. You can go in & delete them later.")

I noticed the tractor in the field (yea, uhm -it's broke down...) so I stuck my face in the tree & voila. I did it! Eureka! Leaves clear, tractor blurry! Be still my heart!

B-rad happened to drive down the road with the planter while I was in the yard.
To get these pics, I kid you NOT, I was laying on the ground in the field...I've got old, hard corn stalk scrapes on my legs to prove it. I was obsessing about getting the corn in the foreground to be clear & the corn in the background to be blurry. Yea-I've got issues... But by golly, I got 'er!
Of course my Bradford Pears aren't blooming anymore, but they did have these seed thingies sticking out so I got them too!
Nothing was safe from my new found fascination.

Slowly, but surely, I'm learning. And I'm learning enough just to be dangerous. Be afraid people...be very afraid...

Gramoxone is NOT B-rad's friend

I was having people over last week for a jewelry thing & of course I've had NO time to pull weeds or put down mulch or silly stuff like that. And the sidewalk had been overtaken by the weeds. So I had to scramble & gave B-rad STRICT orders to spray round up on the weeds the weekend before I was having people over. Well, as B-rad likes to say, "I ALWAYS do what you ask me to do. I just may not do in the time frame you want in done in." Details, schmetails, right Brad?!

Ok-so it got to be the DAY BEFORE people were coming over & I was really breathing down his neck to spray the weeds & mow the yard. But B-rad knew Round up would take a week to kill the weeds. And no way, no how was that gonna work. So he consulted Brian (he does all the spraying for the farm crops.) He gave B-rad a special recipe to really knock the socks off those weeds. Of course we had all the ingredients at the barn because it's the same stuff he uses to spray the fields. (Do NOT ask me how when he sprays the weeds it doesn't kill the crops. It's like magic or something...) And I will have to admit, I was truly amazed. Within an hour of him spraying, the weeds were already wilting & not looking too good. And I was happy! These pics are 6 days after the death spray. Good stuff, huh?!
But B-rad was in a hurry. And this poor, poor hosta is a casualty of war. The overspray must've gotten the edge.

But B-rad sprayed his elixir BEFORE he mowed the yard. Well, uhm, uh - he must've driven through some of the spray. Because throughout most of the yard now...there are tire tracks...

dead grass tire tracks...

And I think this is hilarious. B-rad? Not so much. He's very picky about the yard. He will not allow me to mow with the zero turn because, "you leave little sections of grass standing because you don't turn it sharp enough!" He also 'rotates' the way he mows every time. One time he goes side to side. The next time it's diagonal. Then he goes long ways... I figure we live in the middle of a freakin' field. Who cares what our yard looks like?!

I don't know when or if the grass will recover. But in the meantime, I will laugh to myself everytime I pull down the driveway & see the dead tracks in the yard.

Aperture, depth of field & shutter speed - oh my!

Sigh... That's all I can say...

I've been working my little jewelry fingers to the bone. And I.am.exhausted. However, I believe I will hit my goal for May & get my savory little prize. Pics to come in July after I go to Texas to claim it. And hey, who knows - perhaps I will be wearing it while I'm in the new car I could win?... (also, many thanks again to all who could attend the mystery hostess show I did at my house! It was a lot of fun & my mom was the big winner of over $200 in free jewelry!)

B-rad had strict orders (the weekend before the show) to mix a concoction of chemicals to kill all the weeds I haven't had time to pull. He didn't do it until the night BEFORE the show. He also had to mow the yard. Which he did AFTER he sprayed. Uhm, we now have an interesting dynamic to our yard. Pics to come...promise...

After I got home Saturday evening, Brian & Cole were there watching B-rad work on his new(est) toy. (Yea, yea, I will take pics of it too when I get time. Sheesh!) So I had to show off MY new toy to Brian. I also informed him how I will not charge him too much for the pics I will take of him & his kiddos this summer skiing behind the boat.

So anywho, I had my fancy schmancy camera out playing with the settings & the extra lens. I figure that's the only way I'm gonna learn. However, I am impatient & this is difficult for me...the waiting to figure it out... [One of our neighbors went to college for photography so she knows her stuff. I have adopted her as my 4th mother -whether she likes it or not (behind my mom, Marcia & my Premier mom) She checked out my camera & said I made a good purchase (yay me!) & she also said we'd have a "Jaime & Judy" day & she'd show me all kinds of stuff. (Yay me, again!) ]

I was outside taking pics of birds that were 9000 feet away & things like that. Cole was up front harrassing my cats & his dad yelled at him that it was time to go. He came bouncing down the sidewalk. And I happened to catch this pic: And ya know I hate to brag, but I think it's one of the coolest pics ever. Ok, maybe not EVER, but it IS the coolest one I've ever taken. Even B-rad was like, "that's a cool pic!" Please, don't brag on me in the comments. I just hate that...

Ok-so now to Sunday. One of the motorcycle gang members wives graduated nursing school. We were one of the elite few that were invited to her par-tay.

B-rad & nurse Shauna.

Shauna is hella good at taking pics. And since I had my new fancy schmancy camera with me - her hubby just HAD to bring hers out to show me up. Hmph... One of the dudes from the gang is like a walking freakin' encyclopedia. He reads everything AND remembers it. Of course, he was telling me all kinds of stuff about my camera. He gave me a 45 minute crash course about the aperature, changing the shutter speed & which ISO to use in day light & night. Now, if I could only remember it all...

He took this pic of me. Ahhhh, this is what I wanna do. Take a pic of something in the foreground clear & the background blurry.

Nice fillings, huh?!

So I, in turn, practiced on him. Not too shabby huh?! That shed is totally blurry.

B-rad was playing corn hole when Hannah got there. We don't get to see Hannah as much now. And that's sad. We really like her.

Shauna & I got challenged to a game of cornhole by our hubbies so Railing (the walking freakin' encyclopedia) took some pics with my fancy schmancy camera.

His fiance', Lara.

Hannah doing something truly vile with her tongue. Ick!

We had the lead for awhile & the boys ended up pulling out a 'w'. Dang, so close...

Yet another reason I love my fancy schmancy camera? Shauna decided to take her bootie down the kiddie slide. So I put the camera on continuos shooting (uhm, Railing showed me how...apparently I was not doing it right before. Or at least the way HE thought was right... You remember I got Sonny yawning - classic...)

I beg of you to click on this one to see her face. Priceless!

and this one...

Please note the 2 men that pushed down the end of the slide so she'd go flying. Yup, our hubbies...

C'mon! You just can't get action shots like that with a point & click. I'm SO excited about using it this summer!

Ok, so here's what's on tap: Jewelry show tonight in Sellersburg. And it's my last one for 2 whole weeks. I do enjoy doing shows, but I've been SO busy lately trying to keep my eye on the prize that I am DEFINATELY looking forward to the break!

Memorial Day weekend is coming up. I don't know what we're doing, if anything, yet. If it doesn't rain anymore, B-rad says, "I'M PLANTING!" So if he plants, I guess I'll have to get my boo-tay in gear & put down mulch - & pull weeds.

I am also glad all the tv shows are ending for the season so I can get caught up on the dvr. I had 9 hours left on it before the weekend. Gasp! But now the problem is there are new summer shows on that you know I'm gonna wanna watch. I have an obsession...

My favorite sport...

Ok - I don't like sports.

I will pause for gasps.

I never played sports in high school. Uhm, I was in band - now THAT'S a sport!

If I was sitting at a big table with a bright light shining in my face to choose a favorite - I would say basketball. It's the only one that I half way understand & can half way stomach. Erin played basketball in school & I enjoyed going to watch her play. That's probably the reason I know that sport the best.

Football makes me want to pull my fingernails out. Baseball - same thing. How boring.

Sorry, sports just ain't my 'thang'.

But here's the other problem I have with sports. Especially in middle/high school, I feel too much emphasis is put on them. In my ever so humble opinion, I think the students that are 'athletic' are given special treatment or are placed in a higher regard than other students. For example, the principal of my high school was at my work the other day. While I was calling the manager he was here to see, I said, "Mr. Pitman is here to see you." And the guy looked at me like, "How does she know me?!" And I said, "Well, you probably don't remember me because I didn't get in trouble or play sports in school!" Then he asked me my name - & nope, he didn't remember me.

On the flip side, I do think playing sports when you're young teaches you valuable lessons. It teaches you to share, take turns, LOSING & being part of a team. However, losing is where it gets sticky because most the time (& it's the adults - NOT the kids) WINNING becomes their goal at any cost.

So, Kiersten, I'm so sorry - I'm just not a sports kinda gal. But I am proud of you for doing the tennis thang & running cross country! I'm glad you're excelling in those areas & are having fun at it! I do think sports are important, especially when you're young, because of the reasons above.

When friends try to kill their other friends

So I told ya'll how I started doing Jazzercise on Alicia & Denise's recommendations. And I normally go to the one in Floyds Knobs on Paoli Pike. I was disappointed at first because Alicia's class is at 4:15 through the week & I have to work until 5 so that doesn't work. (And maybe after you finish reading, you'll know why I am no longer disappointed...)

Jami Leigh Lee also goes to jazzercise at Alicia's facility & she's a class manager. And SHE came up with the idea that one Sunday when Alicia taught we should go. And you know me, I'm always game for stuff, so I said, "Sure! I'll find out when she's teaching the next Sunday!" She was doing the class on May 16th which was the day after I got back from Memphis, so I knew I'd be tired. I figured after my long weekend, she'd end up killing me, but alas - I made it out alive.

I also wanted Denise to know I was taking one of Alicia's classes so she could come too, because I figure - the more the merrier. And these two girls made a game out of it. They were giving their requests to Alicia & she was getting her set all ready for me! Denise was able to come, but sadly, Jami Leigh Lee was under the weather & couldn't join in the fun...

So I did a regular jazzercise class with Alicia as my drill sargeant, er I mean - instructor. And she's tough - that's a fact! I have NEVER sweated so much in a jazzercise class! I mean sweat was pouring down my face! And I think I worked so hard because I didn't want to let Alicia down. I am competitive, remember?! I sure as heck didn't want her to be disappointed in me! (And I didn't want her to yell at me!) I wish wish wish I wouldn't have been guzzling down water & trying to breathe after class so I could've taken a pic of my bright red face, but breathing & water were more important at the time...

It's now 2 days later - and the following are the parts of my body/muscles that hurt:

-stomach, -biceps, -triceps, -butt, - pecs (are those the muscles behind your boobs? Because if they're not - then my pecs AND the muscles behind my boobs hurt...) -shoulders, -big thigh muscles, -forearms & -neck. (Technically I can't blame my neck on Alicia. I think it's from driving 80 miles an hour down the interstate for 8 hours & having to turn to look in my blind spots when I was zipping around people - at my mothers urging. She's got a lead foot..)

But that's why I love jazzercise! It's a total body workout & it's kinda, sorta FUN! And it was really neat to see Alicia up front in that drill sargeant capacity! I'm not used to seeing her in that way & she did a great job! I have another level of respect for her for being so healthy & helping other ladies to be healthy! PLUS she knew the delicate balance of making me work hard, but not quite hard enough to kill me.

I'm a little scared to go to my normal class tomorrow because I know it's gonna HURT! But it may end up helping because I'll be stretching all those muscles back out & that should feel good!

So my thanks goes out to Alicia, Denise & Jami Leigh Lee! We should definately try to get together for another class soon. Just maybe in a couple of months after I recover from this one!

Blog off - round 2. Ding, ding, ding!

The 1st 'blog off' about thank you notes was a raging success. So much so that we already have 2 topics waiting to be ripped to shreds in the wings.

This months installment comes from Kiersten. She wants to know what our favorite sports are & why. Miss Kiersten is in the 7th grade at North Harrison (Go Cougars!). She is VERY involved in athletics & recently started running cross country & really enjoyed it. Check her blog out by clicking her name or find her under the "people I stalk" column.

So go forth & spew about sports, people. Again, I think everyone should be able to come up with something by Thursday, the 20th. I've already been brain storming what I want to say!

Next months topic is going to be our pet peeves. And I'm so excited about this one I can hardly stand it. Everytime I think of a pet peeve, I jot it down. I don't want to leave anything out!!!! Stay tuned...

I'm all shook up - uh huh, eeww eeww, yea yea

Mom, my aunt & myself went to Memphis over the weekend to visit Elvis. None of us had ever been there before so we had no idea what to expect.

We left Friday afternoon & it took about 8 hours to get there with stops, etc. We stayed at a Holiday Inn we reserved through mom's time share. And I normally think of Holiday Inn's as o.k. places to stay. This one? Not so much...

They were doing construction. This was the floor in front of our room. When we got there at 9:30 (their time...), the room looked like it hadn't been cleaned yet. There was an open soap bar in the bath room & a wadded up kleenex on the desk. Gag. The first thing you smelled when you walked in was smoke. And mom asks me (very curtly, I might add...), "Did you not specify a NON-smoking room?!" "Uhm, I think I did...I don't remember...) So mom was NOT a happy camper. I went to the desk & he said he'd send someone up. Mom still wasn't happy & wanted a new room. But they wouldn't give us another room because they were booked full. Uh oh. They cleaned the bathroom (kinda) & changed all the bedding.
And through my 8 hour driving exhaustion fog, I realized, "Oh crap I gotta take pics for the blog!" Mom said, "RCI WILL be hearing about this!" (Rci is her time share place...)
I love it when she plays along...

These people were in the housekeeping department. And they couldn't hardly speak English.

We'd had quite a day already & the nasty, God forsaken room didn't help our moods. So we went right to bed. The next day we travelled back downtown to get breakfast at Denny's.

Mom & my Aunt Mary! If you can't see the resemblance, they are sisters...

Ok- I took around 430 pictures while we were gone. You don't EVEN know how hard it was for me to narrow it down to the ones to put in the blog.

Before you go to the mansion, they give you these headphone thingies & a little controller to listen to information from the narrator & even Priscilla & Lisa Marie while you're touring the grounds.

The narrator takes you step by step through the house & grounds. But there's also plaques around if you get off track, you enter the number & push play & it tells you about the stuff you're looking at.

I was never so happy to have my new fancy schmancy camera! Obviously you can't use your flash inside the house. But my camera took great pics! I've decided that next time I plan to take pics for 8 hours, I need to do weight conditioning first. My freakin' arm, wrist & elbow were killin' me last night!It was neat to see all the personal messages & names written on the wall surrounding the property. There wasn't any space that didn't have writing. Yee haw! We're in front of the house! I'll try not to bore you with the details. The pics say everything themselves. But when you walk in, it's like stepping back into the 70's. It even smells musty. This is the living room.
No one is allowed upstairs out of respect for Elvis. But ya'll know I had to try to get some good pics of what I could see.

There are mirrors all over the place!

Of course I had to get a few pics of myself. Ya know, to prove I was there for prosperity & all...

The dining room.

I'm a big Priscilla fan. What an interesting life she has led. Imagine being married to Elvis?

The kitchen is just the way it was the last time Elvis re-decorated back in the mid 70's.

This is the lounge in the basement. BRIGHT blue & yellow. It had 3 tvs & a stero with some of Elvis' records.Across the hall is the pool room.

The walls & ceiling are covered in fabric.

This is the jungle room. Elvis had it built onto the house.

Big, gawdy furniture & fake fur on the sofas & chairs.

There we are looking at the jungle room. I'm the one behind the big lense.Next stop was the racquetball building. Elvis loved playing it so he built a whole building for it. It had a weight bench, pinball machine, bar & this lounge area. The dude talking to us through the headset told us that on the morning he died, Elvis sat at this very piano & played music & sang with friends. Sad... The main racquetball court has been transformed into a display case for SOME of his records, costumes, etc. Even the flag he got at his funeral is there. Who doesn't recognize this costume?!This is Lisa Marie's swing set.

Elvis' dad, Vernon's, office. One of the workers told us that Priscilla was so lonely that she'd go talk to the secretaries for hours. So much so that they weren't getting their work done. This did not go over well, so Vernon put this sign on the door. Vernon's office.Another building on the mansion property is the trophy room. It had newpaper clippings & like 5 tv's showing him on various tv shows. These are 2 of his 3 grammy's.Both walls were lined with the gold & platinum records.This was one of my favorite displays. It had their actual wedding clothes & things from Lisa Marie's room.Elvis built a meditation garden to sit & reflect. After he died, his father moved his & his mothers graves there for security reasons.

Another cool thing I read? Any & all gifts that fans send to Graceland are used at the meditation garden. If there are live flowers, they are placed in the racquetball court so they live longer. Other items are left at the grave sites until the weather makes them no longer presentable.

There are other displays to visit besides the mansion. We visited them all. This is the tribute to Elvis & his movies & tv shows. I didn't care too much about this. I've never seen any of his movies. But mom & aunt Mary liked it & read everything. That's all that matters.

They had SO many of his personal items I couldn't believe it. They had checks he had written for expenses when filming & gifts. This is a check for a watch he bought the director of a film.

We also went through the car museum. This was a Mercedes Elvis bought Priscilla.
The famous pink Cadillac.

Our tour also included going through his airplane, The Lisa Marie.Everything in the plane was covered in thick plastic. The buckles on the seat belts? All made of 24 karat gold.They had a small display of items from his '68 tv comeback special. This is the chair he sat in during that special.

Another display of his clothes. This man was definately on the leading edge of fashion in the 70's.

Elvis radio is on Sirius XM. Mom listens to it all.the.time. She always hears people say, "I drove xxx miles to be on Elvis radio live at Graceland!" And she kinda wanted to do that.

So I circled that booth looking in & staring at the guy inside. He didn't pay a bit of attention to me. Hmph. If you look inside my reflection, you can see him sitting there...not paying attention to me.

We toured the gift shops. They had an Elvis & Priscilla Barbie. I was instantly smitten. Until I saw the price tag. $69.99. C'mon, Priscilla - I like you - but not $69.99 worth. I came home with a $8.99 magnet.

I VERY much enjoyed Graceland. I felt like I was in a storybook. Like a story of American Royalty. And on hollowed ground. It was amazing to me how they have so many personal items of his & they have them so well preserved.

Of course, Elvis died so my brother could live... Gee, thanks Elvis... but I am also happy that mom & aunt Mary got to see it. Aunt Mary was a HUGE Elvis fan & she never even got to see him in concert. One thing I kinda didn't like... while you're in the mansion, you are listening to those headsets. The workers are all around, but they don't tell you anything (obviously because you have headsets on...) But they have SO much knowledge. On our shuttle ride we asked the girl questions & she just talked & talked. Like we asked about the stone wall around the property. Elvis had that built, but it took so long he got impatient & they finished it with a white picket fence. I also asked what was upstairs now. She said she didn't know because NO ONE, not even them, have been allowed up there. She did say his room was above the living room. The bathroom they found him in is above the foyer & Lisa Marie's bedroom was above the dining room. She said Lisa Marie comes back ever year for the candlelight vigil & goes up to her dad's room & looks out the window to watch. Awwww...

Lisa Marie still owns Graceland & the grounds. It is a registered National Historic Landmark, but she owns it. Pay the lady...pay the lady...