Orange, Yellow, Blue and Gray

(Photograph by Raceytay)

        Not everything that's good in life is all about color. Case in point: hubby made the most delicious tuna salad yesterday...elbow noodles, bell pepper, onions, mayonnaise, grated Parmesan cheese, celery, salt and pepper...and it didn't have much color at all. In fact, I stopped him from putting any more 'color' in it! He wanted to add Dijon mustard and red pepper flakes...Uh...some times you need to leave 'well enough' alone and let things remain colorless! LOL

        That's true with tuna salad and with tennis! :-) Speaking of which...

**********  ...Maybe the Williams girls...Serena and Venus...should've left the French Open alone this year! It really hasn't been a good place for them this year...Serena lost in a crushing defeat day before yesterday. And yesterday Venus played the world number 3, Agnieszka Radwanska, and...

 (roland garros (dot) com)

      ...you guessed it...she lost 6-2, 6-3. :-( 

       Venus was playing at a major tournament for the first time since August of last year, when she had to withdraw before her second-round match at the U.S. Open. It was then that she revealed she had been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, a condition that can cause fatigue and joint pain.
      That's why yesterday's defeat wasn't as devastating as Serena's the day before, because Venus wasn't slated to win the French Open, as Serena was. Venus is enjoying her play and  working at it at her own speed, and keeping a positive attitude. She says she's not allowed to feel sorry for herself. Good for her!! 

       In other tennis news...winning and moving on to the next round are Victoria Azarenka,...Roger Federer (who was made to work yesterday when Adrian Ungur gave him a bit of a hard time!...but he kept it cool all the way to the win.),...Novak Djokovic was actively stretched during his second round match too, against Blaz Kavcic. But he somehow pulled through! :-)) 

       Already this morning Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova have won their matches; and Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal ("baby boy" ^_^),  and Wilfried Tsonga's matches are in progress. 

      Caroline Wozniacki, Li Na and Francesca Schiavone are all hoping to progress to the third round today...While Paul-Henri Mathieu (of France) vs John Isner is being touted as the match of the day!...You know where I'll be!! ^_^ **********

        But, all that being said, sometimes you need a fuller spectrum of color going on...orange, yellow, blue and gray! :-) At least that's what me and AngelaDesign think! :-)) I say so...because I'm always all about color! And I was thankful to be included in her treasury! :-)

  
           Talk about color!! :-) Here's a few of my favorites she chose...
     

    (Cotton Canvas Shoulder Bag by askidas)    

(Girl's Necklace by AllThatSassDesigns)

 (Baby Burp Cloths by ClaresClothesline)

 (Alphabet Print with Animals by CreativeWildChild)

(Vintage Tin and Glass Lampwork Bead Earrings by NuminosityBeads)

(Pillow Cushion Covers by LittleJoobieBoo)

      ...And I'm really partial to this pick (below)! ^_^

     Of course I 'would' be partial to this colorful little 'baby'....it's mine! ^_^ ...If you're interested in purchasing this little necklace, or any of my crochet creations, you can check them out in my Wuglyees shop--> HERE <--!

     Okay...that's all I got for today! I hope I'm not boring you too much with the tennis updates and all, but sit back and relax. There's only another whole week and a half...or so...to go! LOL...I'm off to do some studying, watch a video, do some eating and crocheting, and maybe a nap...or two. ^_^ Have a good and colorful day, Everybody! :-)

Color Is

Auburn is the setting sun.
Blue is a mood.
Black is the night sky.
Brown is dog food.

Green is the grass.
Yellow is the sun.
Gray is the stormy sky.
Purple is just fun.

Pink is carnations.
Plum is a fruit.
Tan is for shoes.
Beige is just cute.

Turquoise is terrific!
Teal is where it's at!
Blue-green is the color
that I have to have...STAT!

Gold is a metal.
White is plain, mild.
Red is a fire.
Orange is hog wild!     

A Day Of The Unusual And The Unexpected!

(Sterling Silver Tennis Earrings by Untwistedsister)

       Yesterday was a day of unusual Etsy finds, and unexpected tennis playing! First....the tennis!

        ********** There were wins: Maria Sharapova began her French Open run with a win over Alexandra Cadantu, 6-0, 6-0...Defending champion, world number 2, Rafael Nadal (or as I call him, "baby boy" ^_^) had a victory over Simone Bolelli, 6-2 6-2 6-1...And this morning, already, Samantha Stosur has won her match!

      There were losses too: James Blake is out...and already this morning, Vania King has lost too! I'm not gonna talk about anymore losers....Well, yes I am. One unexpected loser, Serena Williams!!!! Serena, the world #5,  lost to Virginie Razzano, the current French #4! She's #111 in the world!

      It was SHOCKING...and totally unexpected! There was grunting, yelling out loud during points, crying, cramping, and "hindrance" calls!...If anybody ever tells you that tennis doesn't get good until the second week of play....put your hand in their face, turn your head, and say: "Talk to the hand!" LOL Yesterday's tennis....The match between Serena Williams and Virginie Razzano was ALL THAT...and a bag of chips!! ^_^

       Serena has never lost in a first round at the French Open before...Ever!...And while I feel bad for her loss, it was one of the best matches I've seen in a while!...Did you see it?!...Do you wanna see the last round play?!...I got you! ^_^ 

PARTs 1 and 2 of the last points of the match!!!...

       Needless to say, Serena was not a 'happy camper' after the match...



      ...but who would've been after a devastating loss like that?!...Oh Well, maybe next year, Serena.
     Today I'm on to other matches. ^_^ Who's playing today?! Victoria Azarenka, Roger Federer, Gilles Simon, Agnieszka Radwanska, Novak Djokovic (who just won his match too!),  Juan Martin Del Potro, Aleksandra Wozniak, and Marion Bartoli are the ones I'll be on the look-out for! :-) ...I'm not one for watching only the players from the country where I live. I like good tennis....from wherever...and by whoever is playing well! :-) ...I CAN'T WAIT!!! ^_^ **********

        Aren't you glad that there's other things in the world besides tennis?...Don't answer that! ^_^ You might be considered unusual...like some of these things I found on Etsy yesterday!...

 (Sea Urchin Spine Picture Frame by madebymano) 

 (Vintage 1940s-1950s, size 6, Souvenir Carved Heel Painted Wood Tiki Shoes by PinkyAGoGo)

(Orange Fabric Beaded Necklace by kapelusznik)

(Multi Color Candle Holder by MoreThanColors)

       And lastly, Oh! How I love an unusual and interesting button!...

(3 Handmade Driftwood Buttons by Seagypsys)

      All unusual...and wonderful! :-) ... Almost as unusual and wonderful as the fact that for two nights now I've actually gotten some sleep! ^_^ And considering that we had a severe thunderstorm, with thunder and lightening, come through in full force last night, me getting good sleep really is unusual...unexpected...and wonderful!!

      Now....something not so unusual for me right now...I'm off to get something to eat, and watch some more tennis. Roger Federer is playing right now! ^_^ Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Vintage Buttons

Pull them from a shirt
that's been tossed into the pile;
Yank them from a dress
you haven't worn in quite a while.

Inherit them from friends;
Get them as a gift of love;
Take them from the back
of one of Granny's vintage gloves.

Pluck them from old hats;
Tell their story with your tears.
Now ,use those vintage buttons,
that you've saved through out the years.

Old is what they're called;
Out of style, and retro too;
But when I put them on creations,
with my eyes, they look brand new! 

YAY!!...I Figured Part Of It Out!

(Greeting Card by newmodernlove)

      Yep! I figured out part of the reason why I'm not sleeping!...I'll tell you about it in a minute. First I wanna tell you that I've been trying to figure out how to do my posts during the French Open. Should I give you tennis updates at the beginning, and then the rest of the day's goings on?...or should I put the tennis highlights at the end of the post?! O_0

      What I decided was to give you the tennis highlights first,...with a multiple starring in front of them....so you can move past them if you want to...especially those of you who have no interest whatsoever in my sports updates....booooo....Hisssssss! ^_^ So here goes:

*********** Yesterday was good! Not earth-shattering, but good. Well, Okay...so it was a bit earth-shattering for Andy Roddick. He's gone already!! O_O But for the rest of the field, good. I mean it is just the "first round". 

         Here's the ones moving on after their 1st round wins: John Isner, Agnieszka Radwanska, and defending champion Li Na. Victoria Azarenka beat Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-7, 6-4, 6-2...but it was a dog fight!

       Novak Djokovic, who's trying to win his fourth straight Grand Slam title, beat Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1. He really struggled to take the first set from Starace though. Starace was battling like he was a champ! It was good to see someone not in the top ranks give Djokovic a hard time!

     And Roger Federer.....Oh! Roger Federer! Defeating Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 yesterday, he won his 233rd match of a Grand Slam tournament, equaling the Open era record set by Jimmy Connors!  This year's French Open is his 52nd major tournament, and his 50th in a row! 

      Today I'm looking forward to seeing Francesca Schiavone and Maria Sharapova (they're both playing their matches right now....I'm watching while I type this. :-)) ...and Sam Querry, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova and Donald Young.

      And, of course, Rafael Nadal (I call him "baby boy" ^_^). He's on a quest for his record-breaking seventh title at Roland Garros this year! **********

           Now, on to other news! :-) As I said earlier, I figured out part of the reason why I'm not sleeping....

 (Half A Cup Coffee Cup by Daysgonebytreasures)

          ...and it had nothing to do with coffee! ^_^ I haven't had any anyway for over a week.

         I had to figure it out though, because I wanted to breathe...and live! ^_^ And finally.....I found out that I've developed an allergy to my fabric softener! Actually, my detergent AND fabric softener, which both have perfumes in them. :-( 

       It's been a tedious process of elimination. And, frankly, I was beginning to think something was REALLY wrong with me....like SERIOUS!...like an auto-immune disease or Cancer. O_O My body was just started to act too weird. I'm still trying to figure out a couple  of the other symptoms I'm having, but I'm leaning those toward hormones. UGH!

       So I bought some 'perfume free, additive free' detergent, and the fabric softener is gonna have to go. Everything I've been using in the house...blankets, nighties, wash cloths and towels, etc....have to be re-washed. Doesn't that sound like fun?!...NOT! I know it'll be worth it though, because last night.....I slept! :-)

        I was even rested enough to find a couple of eye-catching things on Etsy! :-) ...

       

        ...like this iPod shuffle, leather, flash drive case keychain! :-) Isn't it cool?!

        You can even personalize it! 

     And along the same color scheme.....

 

   

        ...Fresh Mango Jam from Northernlodge.  YUM!!! That reminds me, I haven't had breakfast! ^_^

       And last, this Nuno Felted Ruffle Scarf by galafilc... 

      

        I just think it's beautiful!

     

       Speaking of beautiful...and yes, I'm a little biased about these... ^_^ ...

         I made a new crochet filigree button ring yesterday!...

         

          Maybe for a bride, huh?! :-]

      And I made a little tie pin brooch to send to the gentleman that bought one of my boutonnieres yesterday.

          ...Hubby really liked it. He says I should make more little ones like this for my Wuglyees shop. So stay tuned! :-)

          And lastly...for real this time! LOL...I wanna say I'm sorry to anybody that tried to go over and look at the videos hubby and I made the other day. I'm afraid I had forgotten that they had to be on a "public" setting when I uploaded them to Youtube. But they're fixed now. So if you wanna see a Vlog (video blog post) with me and hubby looking through some of our old photos, you can check it out on our other blog --> HERE <--.

     Whew! Finally!....Breakfast....Tennis!.....Bye! Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Tennis Limerick

For a girl in the poetry bracket,
who does not own a ball or a racket,
it's a puzzlement why
tennis makes me so high,
just to watch other players "whack it!"

Animals Can Enjoy Tennis Too, Right?!

(Fine Art Print by carolscanvas)

      Let's face it. You already know where my mind is...and where it's gonna be until the French Open is over! So I've decided to share a little bit of it with you every day until it's gone...No! I'm not gonna talk non-stop about tennis. I'm just gonna talk "some"-stop. LOL

     But I "will" have some kind of tennis inspired Etsy item as my header photo every day for the next two weeks...And...I "will" be evoking the SPOILER ALERT button on occasion throughout the tournament!...In other words, I will occasionally be talking about who lost or won whatever match that day, or about any interesting developments 'Tennis-Wise' that particular day.

     AND....and don't be too excited about this please...^_^..my posts will probably be a lot shorter. {It's hard to focus and write at the same time 'as it is'!....I know that with tennis on it's gonna be even HARDER!! LOL}

     And that's it for today...except for the little video from my backyard. :-)

 See! I'm not the only one that appreciates tennis! ^_^ And isn't it interesting that my little friend decided, just as the tennis started, that he wants to not only come and drink at the feeder off and on all day, but also hang around in the tree and listen to the tennis with me! ^_^ ...That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
     By the way, this old broken down tree...from the battering it took from the storm this past winter...has a new visitor there constantly now. And no one is more shocked about it than me!...A robin is nesting there!! :-) 
     Hubby is gonna try to get some photos later on. He doesn't wanna make her skiddish right now. She's sitting on her nest most of the time..."Take care of those pretty turquoise blue eggs, Mrs. Robin...We'll wait!" :-)
     Have a good day, Everybody! May it be filled with lots of "Racket" and "Love"!! ^_^

 Backyard sounds

Flitting, flying, flapping, creeping.
Swaying, floating, chirping, leaping.
In our backyard sounds are heaping.
Me and hubby always peeping.

My Annual French Distraction Has Begun!

(Art Print by rawartletterpress)

      "I'm sorry"...."Please forgive me"..."I know I should've been more attentive"...So begins my two weeks of apologizing! LOL...It's 2012, and it's the annual  French Open Tennis Time!!! :-)

      And thanks to my sleeping issues all this week, I almost missed the beginning of the tournament too!...which started at 5 a.m. this morning, our time. O_O In fact, I owe Lisa, of grimmandgrete, for getting me to think about it...On Twitter last night she asked me when the French Open was gonna start. I told her NEXT SATURDAY!!...*shaking my head*

        My husband said: "I thought it was this weekend."....I looked at the schedule around 4 a.m. this morning....Yes, I was up! O_0 ...and YIKES!!! It was due to come on in less than an hour....and I almost missed it!!

 (Necklace by zazastory)

      Melony Oudin has already won her first match this morning, and Del Potro is at work trying to get a win under his belt too!...I'm watching!! :-)

(Love Tennis Art Print by UUPP)

      I have a meeting this morning, so I won't be in full "Watch" mode until later. Gotta keep the most important things in their place!...But rest assured, me and my annual French distraction will meet again later. :-) ...What about you?!...Are you a tennis watcher?!

(Cocktail Napkins by RetrospectiveOrange)

     Don't worry though. I'm distracted these two weeks every year, but I still find time to show off things I like on Etsy, like this...

 (Rectangle Pillow by joom)

       ...and this...

 (Wool Felt Headband by LoftFullOfGoodies)

       And I still find time to display all of my crocheted goodies too. Like these that I just did yesterday...

       ...a new tie dyed button necklace for the summer...

     ...and a new ring!...

        This is my first tie dyed ring.

       I'm gonna try to list these two new pieces right away. The bag with all of my new crocheted....but yet unlisted....items is getting too large. O_O I really need to put those things online...at least until I get them into that imaginary craft show I'm making them all for! ^_^

      Don't expect me to be too diligent about the listing over the next two weeks though...."I'm sorry"...in advance....Spiritual things, wifely things, tennis, crocheting, and THEN listing of the crocheted things.  That's gonna be the priority arrangement. ^_^ Oh Yeah...and blogging about it all! That'll be a little bit up the list too. You know I HAVE to talk!...even about the tennis! LOL

        Have a good rest of the weekend, Everybody! :-)

Yes, I am distracted

Yes, I'm gonna be a bit distracted.
Yes, I'm gonna seem a bit aloof.
Yes, I probably will annoy you,
sorta like rain through a leaky roof.

Yes, I'm gonna need your forgiveness.
Yes, your patience would be sublime.
Yes, I know it's asking a lot,
but, people, it's French Open Tennis time!!

Flip Flops, Flowers and Summertime!

(Flip Flop Flowers by krochetlady)

         It's that time of year again...right?...It is here in the northeast of the United States anyway.....Summertime! Time to get prepared for the heat waves and thunderstorms, and to pull out the barbecue grills, set up the badminton net in the yard, put on your flip flops, and slather on the sun tan lotion!...Well, for a lot of people, it's that time. :-]

       Here in Holyoke this morning...it's time for some more rain. ^_^ Just for the morning though. The clouds are suppose to clear up this afternoon. Then the temperature is suppose to climb into the 80s...and be humid...Great!...Just great!...Humidity...Grrr!

      Whatever!...Bring it on Mr. Humidity! I'm not letting YOU put a damper on my happiness...although I would be a bit more happy if I could get a little bit more sleep to go with all of this sunshine! ^_^

(Burlap HAPPY Word Pillow by whimsysweetwhimsy)

        Yes, the lack of sleeping saga continues! :-( It's really starting to aggravate me too!!!....Wait a minute! Let me go back to my 'happy place'...

(Tie Dye Shibori Pillow Cover by SeaAndStoneStudio)

        Ahhhhh! :-) Oh, if only pretty pillows could make sleeping easy to do!...But I'm not gonna talk about my lack of sleep this morning. I'm gonna share some summery things...and some flowers! :-)

       And in the case of these flip flop crochet flowers by krochetlady, some summery things that ARE flowers! :-) ... I love seeing new ways to display crochet flowers!

        

        Here are some other flowers you could display this summer...

(Indigo Red Orange Felt Brooch by Brigite)

       ...or that you could display 'any' time really, because they're beautiful! :-)

(Red Cream Felt Flower by Brigite)

         Including this flower ring...

 (Wire Wrapped Rose Ring by gabeadz)  

         Soooo pretty, right?! :-) ... And here's a couple of other summery things you could use...

   (Gold Vermeil Necklace by juliegarland)

 (Denim Pockets Wallets by SmiLeaGainCreations)

 (Football Photography Prints by thebqe)

 ("A Safari Weekend" post from Creating Trouble Blog)

      Wait!...That's not a summer photo! How did that get in there?!.... ^_^ Okay!...I just wanted to share that one. Summer, or WHENEVER, that's a photo that will just make you smile! :-) ...If you wanna see the full story about it, go on over and check out Alex's post. It was an adventure!

      Okay...I'm done with the summery stuff. But I did want to show you what I received in the mail yesterday! :-) Remember...I showed you a glimpse of it yesterday?!...

      Well, it's my Giveaway win from Cathy, of Artsy Butterfly's Blog!...It's two of her photographic art prints...and they are extraordinary!! :-)

       I'm sure my photographs of them is not gonna do them justice, but I can't help myself...I have to show them to you anyway! ^_^ First, let me show you the lovely note that came with them...

      Ooooo! I so love a handwritten note! :-) ... Okay, here they are...

       They're both New York Scenes...

           Pretty cool, right?! ^_^ And they're nice sizes too! I'm already experimenting with what Kind of frames I'm gonna put on them. I'm leaning toward black as of right now. :-) I'll keep you posted.....THANK YOU, CATHY!!!!

      Okay...off to get my weekend started....and maybe a little breakfast...and a nap! :-) Have a good one, Everybody!

Summer Is The Sun

Summer is the sun
that makes the sweat down your face run,
when you're having so much fun.
Now the school year is all done;
Your 'Playing' homework has begun.

Summer is the sun,
when your vacation web is spun,
and all your money is down to none.
A dollar bill-you've got just one.
That there's no cash is quite a stun.
But Oh! The memories that were won,
because summer is the sun.