Hi my name is Linda and I go by the nickname lalapaloosa. As much as I talk you would think I would be comfortable on a message board or whatever these things are called...but there is a part of me that freaks out about writing in these things. Derrrrr!

I live in Northern California. I have been married 32 years this August. I have 3 grown children, 3 granddaughters and one more baby girl on the way!!! Yummy delish! Being a grammy is great fun.

I have done a lot of different things in my life but most of them center around some sort of creative bent. I have illustrated for an ISP, for some Children's stories and for a book of poetry written by a 91-year old man. He had always wanted to write a book and so he did!

I have coordinated and decorated for weddings, painted murals, made cloth dolls, designed and sewn clothing, painted furniture, oh all kinds of things. I think illustrating is the easiest and least messy, and you can do it most anywhere making it the most convenient as well. (Except when you go through the x-ray machine at the airport and your metallic pencils come up suspect)

This year I have planted a garden (all in pots) and I love to see people's faces when I tell them I have a "pot" garden! I can tell you this much about my garden...next year I am reading up on how to grow melons because mine are the miniature variety! I swear they are tiny.

Since my husband has been gone since the middle of March I am trying to get some things done to surprise him. I have tiled the entryway and am painting the front part of the house a warm creamy pale butter color with a soft green trim. I am not going to do the whole house, we can finish it together. I put up trellises and planted morning glories, campunellas, snap dragons, foxgloves, purple alyssum, texas blue bells and bright pink mandevillas. I am so excited to see his face when he comes home. All I gotta say is he BETTER like it!