How does my garden grow?

It is growing pretty good right now, thanks for asking.

So this is the raised bed garden I put in last October. It is about 4 feet x 8 feet. This cold Arizona winter, even though we had a good amount of rain, has made it grow very slow and my tomato plants along with everything else barely produced anything. I was really counting on some sort of might bounty for Thanksgiving or Christmas when I put this together. Still waiting. It is going pretty well now that we have more daylight and warmer days.

I have been spending quite a bit of time working on my own personal "Farmville". My biggest concern, next to keeping all my plants from frostbite this winter has been bugs. I had a little trouble with something eating my lettuce earlier in the fall, but a bird netting seemed to make short work of that. I have been so happy, NO BUGS!

Well I celebrated to soon. Last week I found bugs. Nasty, teeny, tiny, disgusting, white, plant, sucking BUGS! I think they are white flies and aphids. >:(

Well you can't keep a good farmer down so I got my best garden tool, The Internet, and devised my plan to eradicate the unholy creatures.

My plan.......................................................

Killer Lady Bugs!

For the cost of two Venti Caramel Macchiatos (large fancy caramel coffee for those of you that don't know Starbucks) I received my army of 1,500 killer lady bugs. This is what 1,500 lady bugs look like.

The instructions said to rinse off the bag and put it in the fridge until we were ready to strike. They need to be released after the sun goes down. I guess they fly off into the sun otherwise.

I thought I had drowned them after I rinsed them off, not much movement in that bag. Next step, put in fridge. What the heck, they aren't moving anyway. Crap! Let me also back up one day. I think they sat in the hot mail box for at least a day. I thought they were coming in UPS. We don't always check our mail. These better be some Marine quality lady bugs!

I should have spent my money at Starbucks.

Our recon mission took place around 10:30p.m. I know it was a bit late but we went out to dinner. A girls gotta eat. (thank goodness they didn't go AWOL in my fridge. Can you imagine? Yuck!) There were a couple still moving so I opened up the bag (outside) and scattered them around the plants and in the morning I had live lady bugs in the garden.

The disgusting bug problem has been drastically reduced in just a few days.

Now some of you may remember our OLD house in Indiana. It was infested with lady bugs. Every spring when we would get a sunny warm day they would be out in swarms! No joke, you couldn't walk through the yard without running into them. They would be all over the house and in my house and they have this weird stink. I use to get so mad about cleaning up all the stinky dead lady bugs. It was endless.

I can't believe I payed money for Lady Bugs!

Well here are a few pictures of my bounty. It isn't much, but it is good dirty fun!

Happy Spring! Now go get dirty!

All my best,

Les :)

Easter 2010

Thanking God for washing away my sin 365 days a year! Have a Happy and blessed Easter everyone.

All my best,
Les :)

Just Dogs

"Peace On Earth, Goodwill Toward Men"

Happy 2010!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a safe and great New Year! We sure did. Very relaxing and mellow.

This holiday season has given us lots of weekend time to goof off and go junking, one of my favorite things to do. Today was the first 50% off Saturday of 2010 at the Goodwill stores out here in AZ. Mark and I went out to the Apache Junction store yesterday just for the heck of it, not looking for anything special.

I came across a chair I sort of liked, but they were asking 80 bucks for it and I really wasn't THAT interested. I can get lots of JUNK for $80. I have sort of a thing I do when I junk shop. If I love it, I grab it right up. If I'm not sure about something, I will walk away and if I remember it before I leave the store I will go have another look. It may be yes buy it or Naaa not interested. Sometimes I get home and can't stop thinking about something. Well last night I remembered today was 50% off Saturday and I couldn't stop thinking about that stupid Goodwill chair. I could see having that chair for 40 smackers!

So I asked Mark if he would take me back to Goodwill in the morning for the half off chair. I don't think he was interested in any chair from Goodwill but I really needed his help. One, I needed him to help me get the chair out of the store and into the truck. I could have gotten one of the workers there to help but that takes so long. The second reason I needed Mark to go with me was to run interference. You see on the morning of the 50% off Saturday at Goodwill, it is Bedlam!

I tell Mark it is an 8:00 a.m. opening this morning. We got over there about a hour to soon, however there were already a couple people lined up at the door. Mark gets out of the truck and goes up to the doors to check the time for me. He comes back to inform me 9:00 a.m. is when they open and he has already had words with someone. "What?"(it could be a record for him) I guess one of the three people standing at the door told Mark to get lost, they don't open until 9:00 and HE was in line first and was going to get whatever it was Mark was there for. Which Mark responded with a "Fudge You!" (only he didn't say Fudge) He makes friends everywhere he goes.

We went to kill some time at Micky D's in A.J. i.e. have coffee with all the snowbirds. Ten till 9:00 we are back at Goodwill and now there is a BIG line at the double doors. But there is a second set of double doors (the exit) and there is one lady sort of standing over there. I decide I'm going in those doors, screw that big line. There is no "line" rule at the Goodwill as far as I know. Mark is tagging along behind me. My personal Goodwill rule is don't make friends in line when you are getting a sweet deal at Goodwill. This is WAR people. First person to the best junk wins!

The next thing I know is there is this huge dude walking up to me and this other woman. We are talking over 300 lbs. I'm thinking, CRAP what does he want! He asks me what it is I'm there for. I reply, "Oh just some clothes." I mean he is definitely not my size so no confrontation here. He says he has been there since 7:30 a.m. and he was there for the sectional couch and he is not leaving without it. My hopes were that he was not lying like I was.

Meanwhile, Mark was in the background sipping his coffee and deciding what he was going to have to do if this guy gives me any trouble getting in the doors. Oh and he was making friends with all the old ladies from Minnesota now in line behind me and the big guy.

The doors finally open and I make it in behind the woman in front of me, but in front of everyone else, big guy included. I mean she was there first and I didn't want to be rude. That's Mark's job. I made a beeline to the chair and it is mine! Other than some guy in the checkout line with two bikes trying to cut in front of me (Mark gave him the business), the purchase was a success. No one was harmed during the purchase of my chair. I heard many complements about the lovely chair as we hauled the sucker across the store and out the doors.

So here is my first Goodwill deal of 2010. Drum roll please...................................................................

TaDa!

I gotta say I'm pretty happy with it. I cleaned it, used the AMAZING Steve Henry enzyme cleaner all over it and dried it in the sun all day. It is going to look really cute in my Girley guestroom. Now I have to take the bedroom door off the hinges to get it in the room. Sort of a lot of work for a $40 chair. Oh well, Mark won't mind.

Good luck with your sweet deals this 2010!

All my best,

Les ;)

What I'm Thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. I hope every ones day is filled with family and food. Break out your moo moo girls, it's time to eat.

I am so fortunate to have a long list of blessings in my life. I am really thankful for them all, but I thought I would share a few of the more unconventional things I am thankful for. You know me, I'm usually rather unconventional. Here goes........

I am thankful I have a husband who does not have the need to pass gas every time he is in my presents or even every time he walks in a room. Isn't that what brothers are for? (or even a brother-in-law) Was that a frog or a duck? Oh, it was the "dog"!

I'm thankful for my mom who always, always "Has a great idea!"

I'm thankful for my brothers that can't tell a joke to save their life, but can make me laugh so hard I cry or have to pee!

I'm thankful my brother married a girl who loves to shop at Goodwill as much as I do. Yeah, we're a classy group, DON'T JUDGE ME!

I'm thankful for my lousy uncomfortable bed. I once saw a documentary about a group of women who live out on the African plain ( I think that is where they were) who slept sitting up, Indian style, propped up on one arm with their neck all kinked over to that side while holding their smallest child in their lap with their other arm. Why did they sleep this way you ask? So bugs didn't crawl in their ears! *UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH! shiver* Now be thankful you don't sleep in the dirt!

I am thankful for my husband's family that still loves me even though I stole their Mark off to that dreaded Arizona. p.s. I thank God everyday for Arizona! I need the sun!

I'm thankful I live in a country where a girl like me can run her own business. I'm thankful for my partner in crime who I share my place of business/torture. I wouldn't want to get lost with anyone else. (GPS, don't go anywhere without it!) I am thankful for vain women. I am thankful for every client of mine that wants to look younger, prettier, and less hairy and isn't afraid to pay the price for it in money and pain! Eyelash extensions, bikini wax and chemical peels, oh my!

I'm thankful for my long time girlfriends. They love to laugh, lunch and shop. Each of my very best girlfriends, though they all live far away now and I miss them, have a Coach outlet store near them! I love you girls!

I'm thankful there is a Walgreens on every corner at every Arizona intersection. The reasons for this are many, but it basically comes down to needing cookies at 9:30 at night.(or anything with major amounts of sugar. Low carb much?) I mean, not that I ever went to Walgreens for cookies at 9:30 p.m., but this way Mark doesn't have to drive very far and he gets back pretty quick. Don't forget the milk!

I'm thankful for my smallish size 6 and a half feet. At least I can still wear one size I wore in high school! Pass me another Fudge Stripe please.

I'm thankful for Christian parents that rarely took us to church. I can't say I was ever thankful for tights and shiny dress shoes. Sunday dress up clothes were a drag and the pews were so hard and uncomfortable and the minister sooooo boring, but we are blessed to be saved and if the lack of a bit of church means I'm "pushing a broom in heaven" (as my Dad always says), well that doesn't sound to bad (I've pushed a few brooms).

I'm thankful for spell check so I don't look like a completely uneducated boob. I am also thankful for the dictionary given to me for my high school graduation, which I use now more than ever so I know how to correctly spell words like moo moo and pew. Spelling, not my strongest subject. Might want to work on the grammar too.

I think we are all thankful for the big things in our lives, family, a good husband or wife, (I could use a good wife myself) children if you have them (dogs if you don't), good health, good friends and neighbors, our free country and the soldiers who fight or have fought for us and others, so we all don't have to. Don't forget to take the time to be thankful for the little things too.

Now pass the black olives, I've got ten empty fingers and it's time to eat!

Happy Thanksgiving!

All my best,

Les ;)

Xtreme Lashes on CBS' The Early Show

Xtreme Lashes on CBS' The Early Show

Passionately Pink For The Cure

Dear friends and family,

October is breast cancer awareness month. Anyone living under a rock, that is what all the pink stuff is about.

I normally use this blog to keep everyone up to date on all of the goofy things going on in my life.
Today I am going to use it to get the message out for breast cancer awareness and prevention. Ladies, make sure you are doing your monthly check. Men, (though it is rare) 1,910 new cases of breast cancer will be found in men in 2009. So if you guys find any lumps, get them checked out.

I am leading a team on the Passionately Pink For The Cure fund raiser. I would sure appreciate any donations you could make on behalf of Team Lashology. I will try to give you some instructions to make it simple.

1. Go to
http://www.info-komen.org/goto/lesliechurch
This page should say Lashology on it.

2. Click on the big pink button that says "Donate to this team"

3. Follow directions and donate what you can.

All money donated will go to the Passionately Pink For The Cure. Let's not lose one more person to this disease. Thank you for your support.

All my best,

Les :)

This link is really great to check out for questions reguarding breast cancer.
http://ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/understandingbreastcancer.html