Walkin in Memphis part 1

A couple weeks ago, hubs and I went to Memphis for the day.

It was alot of fun, expensive and a tad cheesy. However, I love Elvis and grew up listening to him and remember when he died like it was yesterday. I was only 9, but it was all over the news for weeks.

It is everything you would expect and more. I am not going to post a bunch of pictures because I think it would spoil it for someone who actually wanted to go. Here are a few to whet your appetite.
Elvis loved horses and there is still a stable here with rescue horses that Priscilla brought home.

This is to the immediate right as you enter the front door.

                                      This is like a Hall of Fame in his old racquetball court,

This is the kitchen where he made his famous peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

We saw the airplanes, the car museum and a tour of different memorabilia in a different building.
Here is the famous pink Cadillac. I hope my kids buy me a cool car someday!

Thank you for stopping by and coming along to see Elvis. There is MUCH more to post and see ! You will have to come back to see the rest.
JP ~

The WOW diaries

In the famous words of my chihuahua Hank " I can't catch a break arounds here"

Poor Kid has got himself into a bit of wow trouble lately.

You have no idea how hard it is to get after this face.

Wows are just like kids, maybe worse. They have to be watched, taught and treated like a regular sized dog. Otherwise they become devils of society.

My chihuahuas "Chi- WOW- wa" are well behaved, but not today for some reason. Hank is barky, sullen and well naughty. I am busy upstairs painting and trowing away trash from moving boxes and I am paying for it.

Hank is not your ordinary wow, he likes to be outside, plays fetch and really wants to be a big dog.
He really is my therapy dog, I have become quite attached to him for company, comfort, entertainment and my general well-being.



I had better get back to work and finish so my pup can go back to being my lap dog where he belongs.

The studio is almost open !

In my house in Portland I had my own personal space. It was where I made jewelry, blogged and well hid if truth be told. Hiding is so childish sounding, I should say something like "me time" " personal space" " mom's time out" but in reality I was totally hiding.

In the new house I have the same space but the paint is an assault on my eyeballs.

FUGLY ROOM OF THE DAY. Dun Dunna Duh .. Drum Roll please..........

Poo brown with a dark poo brown stripe. It makes my eyes bleed. This may have been cool for a jungle themed room but homeboy previous renter had horrible taste in every room in this house.
Wait until you see the guest room before and afters.
Then, there is this weird drop down of the ceiling with popcorn texture. It was more than I could take really it was.

New Color is this! Viola!

A lovely shade of mossy green called Fern Valley. Ahhhhh so much better.
If I have enough left over paint I am going to paint that section of wall that angles down. It will make the ceiling look higher and the room more open. Now it feels like I have to hunch down in here.

When it is all done I will give you a tour and what you say?? A GIVE AWAY???
 Why yes, my darling blogger peeps there will be a give away.
SHUT UP you say?
Nay Nay, I have something fabulous in mind and you will swoon over it.

So, keep coming back ! You wont be disappointed I promise.

JP~

Tornados and TinkerBelle

Catchy title eh?

I thought so. Last night Arkansas made national headlines with its sever weather storm front. Shawn and I like to make fun of weather guys when a huge storm hits. It's always named Arctic Blast 2011, Rain Zilla 2012, Storm Watch of the Century. They sure do get all worked up about the " Big One".

Last night was no different, we were in the middle of a weather pattern that could have blown my house away. Shawn was at school and I was home alone with the pups. I was quite unnerved and not at all pleased with our new home of choice's shenanigans.

See the red area that says Jacksonville? That's me. EEEKS!

We survived, the weather today is not awesome either and I am not thrilled about having to go clean stalls later if this keeps up.

Then there is TBelle, the little wow that I puppy sit for friends a couple days a week.

She is my own personal tornado. She does this all day long.

Now I am off to herd cats and try and paint my studio/office while they nap.
 This little girl keeps me busy all day long, so there is no telling if I get anything done at all today.

JP~

The Absentee Blogger

Good Day Blogger Peeps and fans who are hanging on by a thread,

          Well, we did it, we moved to Arkansas. This move was not without stress, strain and some second thoughts. However, we made it, found a house and are settling in to our new life here in "The South"

 I started this blog as an online journal of sorts way back in 2008 before the rise of the Devil known as Facebook.

 I needed an outlet and a reason to take lots of pictures and tell their stories. However, I can do that via FB now in about 20 words or less. Let's face it , I am a FB sell out. My blog posts were funny, creative and at times educational.

Now I am reduced to such trivial things as posting myself as being at a bar or how my Chihuahua's look cute a million times a day.

Not that there isn't a place for my wows and their uber cuteness, but I seem to have fallen off the originality wagon somewhere along the way.

So with that, I vow to make this blog the fun and quirky place to come sit for a minute with your coffee and travel along with me.
I am no Pioneer Woman (insert snarky eyes) but I am funnier,  more entertaining and a MUCH better cook.

For real peeps :)

So, come on back if you have left me, or welcome if you are new to the world of all things food, myself and well... Star.

It's a new journey.. again..

November of 2010 we embarked on a journey to Alaska. It's been rough to say the least. It's been a huge strain on my marriage, my personality and my desire to reach out and enjoy life.

Shawn and I have done our best to get out and embrace everything Alaska has to offer, and we have had alot of fun. However, it's not where we want to spend our lives on a permanent basis. Shawn and I are cowpokes, we enjoy ranch living, ranch life, open ranges and long warm evenings. We always knew we would retire in Eastern Oregon, or somewhere near his Dad's ranch in Oklahoma.

Shawn found out a few months back at a conference, that an opportunity in Little Rock, AR would be coming open eventually. (meaning in USAF, a year to 18 months). We knew it would be perfect for us, but also knew it would give us another year in Alaska to finish some must do items on our bucket list.

He got home from the conference and I kid you not , the job came open less than 4 days later.

So here goes nothing, we are moving again, this time back to the lower 48 and a left turn at Albuquerque.

Here is downtown Little Rock.

A State Park

Another State Park.

Johnny Cash's childhood home.

Also don't think I wont be taking my Mom and my sisters, Aunts, cousins for a trip to this place !

http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/

Hellllllllloooo sweet thing .. sigh.... Mommy is coming for you. !

I will also be visiting here.

Graceland

The immortal resting place of the coolest musician that ever lived. He had a weird Oedipus complex, but he still made awesome music and a bajillion lame movies that I love to watch.

So we embark on June or July, the date isn't final but it will be soon.

It will be the Alaska Hillbillies tour 2012. Two horses, three dogs, a cat and a beta fish!

Lordy, it should be an interesting trip!

Roller Derby? Really ?

My family thinks I've gone crazy, my kids think it's cool and my husband LOVES IT.

I play for a team called the Denali Destroyer Dolls or DDD for short.

I am in the back row third helmet from the left.



Every Roller Derby girl has a nickname she goes by. Some are cute, some are tough and some are well.. Way too raunchy to put here.
 My name is Payne Killer and my number is #800 mg. I wanted something else but my son thought it sounded like a porn star. oops This is a family blog!
It was so cool to hear my name called out in front of 1000 people.

and it's number 800 Payne KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAH !!! Man, I do love me a crowd :)

These are the toe caps my sons bought me for Christmas. It's Bumble Bee from Transformers.
 I fell in love with them the moment I saw them and HAD to have them. Makes me feel like a bad ass.

Another picture of me. Far left, with white knee pads.

We won our first bout against a team called Midnight Sun Roller Girls from Fairbanks, AK. They were VERY sore losers and have made it very hard to be excited about our first win. I didn't get to skate because I had just had surgery, but I will be all good for the next one.

So that's the big excitement around here, as we have our next bout April 14th, and I actually get to play in that one.

I think I may have gone crazy, who at 43 joins Roller Derby? Me, apparently.