Change Of Direction Today

      I had a blog post subject ready to go this morning, and then I made the mistake of turning on the television news....*sigh*...Another shooting. This time in a Path Mark grocery store in New Jersey....Robin Roberts (of 'Good Morning America'), her mother passed away overnight....as did some people in Louisiana. Casualties of hurricane Isaac...*sigh*
         I couldn't be all light and airy, funny and wordy, like I planned. I had to change direction this morning...Hurricane Isaac...*sigh*...Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Alabama area are  looking almost exactly like they did seven years ago when hurricane Katrina hit. :-( More torrential rain, wind, tornadoes, deaths, people being rescued from the top of their house roofs, and flooding...

 (Long Beach, MS from The Weather Channel on Facebook)

(New Orleans from The Weather Channel on Facebook)

                So, showing you my brand new boutonnieres is all I got today...*sigh... 

        I tried something new with two of these...(These will be in my Wuglyees shop later today, by the way)...I sewed a seed bead right in the center of them...That was labor intensive work, putting that little bead on there!!...But not as labor intensive as having to find somewhere to live, or having to be rescued from your roof!...*sigh*...See what I mean?!...Kinda hard to talk trivialities today...Maybe tomorrow.
      Have a good day, everybody...especially those in the path of Isaac. :-( It's gonna be a tough day to find something to be positive about, but let's do it anyway! 

How Can You Be So Positive

"How can you be so positive
with everything so bad?
When folks are so unkind
and all those doctors make you mad?"

"It's easy!" I assure them.
'Cuz one thing makes it okay.
I wake up every morning,
and I'm breathing every day!

When I can't move a muscle
and can barely lift my head,
I think of all the folks I've known
who now are gone, yes, dead!

No matter what my problem is,
and if I stand or lay,
I'm thankful that my mind still works
and I'm breathing every day!

So how am I so positive,
When things sometimes seem bleak?
It's easy, 'cuz my breathing
keeps on going every week!

Oh yes, I have a choice!
I can be miserable and whine;
Be mean to folks around me,
Be demanding and unkind.

But who would make that choice,
when there's a better way to be?
I mean, who's breathing every day
and writing poems?...ME!     

And You Had What Job?!!!!

      I've got a couple of things to talk to you about today. My hubby's 'stick figure' drawn photo that is my header photo today, I'll tell you about in a minute! :-) ... First I wanna tell you a couple of other things. 
       First let's talk about my old chairs I told you the story about a couple of days ago...I got the most wonderful message right after I posted the story. :-] It was from Sissy, of LoveSissy on Etsy. She was very touched by the story and made me a wonderful offer.
       She absolutely thinks the chairs should be redone, rather than thrown away...So do I, by the way, but..........! O_O ....But to that end, she offered me some help. She offered to talk me through a re-do of the chairs, if I wanted. Uhhhh.....I don't wanna! :-))
       Then she offered an even more wonderful thing...She offered to re-do the chairs for me! She even said that she would happily take care of the cost of supplies! The only problem is that I have to figure out how to get the chairs to her in Chicago, and then back again......Chicago is almost 800 miles away! O_O
       Oh! How I would love to see these chairs redone and useful!...So, I'm trying to figure out how to turn the story of these chairs...which, as Sissy acknowledged, technically would bring about $5 each at a thrift store around where she lives, ...into a story worthy of the friend that gave them to me to keep safe...and worthy of the kind heart of Sissy...If you have any suggestions bloggers.....fork 'em over!!! LOL

      Now, on to another wonderful story...a lapel pin/boutonniere story! :-) ... I got an email last night from one of my customers. Her husband bought three of my boutonnieres...YAY!!!!...and she sent me photos of her husband wearing them!! :-] ...

      Is that cool, or what?!!! :-) ... I love my customers!!...She went further though! She had an idea to run by me!...She teaches, and at her school all of the teachers are wearing little clips in their hair. She sent me pictures...

       Some are apples, or just plain bows. But some are little animals! She thought it would be adorable if they were crocheted, and wanted to know if it was possible to do something like that!....Hmmmmm...She even said that if it 'was' possible, she'd love to buy some from me!!
       Now, you and I know that I'm NOT gonna try to make no animals!...Baby Wuglyee bear was enough animal creation for me! LOL Just the thought of the scary look on the face of some patched together owl or bird makes me quiver! ^_^ But the thought of hearts, apples, and flowers on little hair clips makes me smile! :-) So, I'll be working on that....sometime or the other....soon. I'm in full on lapel pin and boutonniere production right now though. :-))

     NOW! About my hubby's 'stick figure' drawing!...He came running in the house yesterday, all excited. He said: "I wish I had your camera with me earlier! You should have seen the guy in the basket swinging in the wind!!! Oooooo! I wouldn't want that job!!!!"
     That started a long conversation about what jobs he and I have had in our life...I was a 'pea picker'. I literally picked peas in the hot Georgia sun...row after row after agonizing row!!...Hubby countered that by telling me the story of him being a paper boy. He said he was yelled at by customers, chased by dogs, rained on, put in uncomfortable positions...by women yelling: "Come in!" when they were not dressed well enough for a young, twelve year old, unsuspecting, impressionable minded, kid to come in!! O_O He says he still has visions burned into his brain that he wishes he could get outta there!! LOL
       I was an assistant kindergarten teacher for a short while....very short! There was too much 'booger' talk, wiping of noses, and eating of things I didn't wanna eat....because I had to set an example for the kids! ^_^ Along those lines, I wanna say that whoever started putting spinach in a can needs to be forcibly placed into a room for 80 days with 130 runny-nosed, sugar-laden pre-schoolers!!!....They're cute, but they're little walking Petrie dishes! :-))))
     Hubby was a dishwasher for a seafood restaurant called "Red Lobster". He couldn't even form whole sentences when he was trying to talk about it! ^_^ ...He said things like "hot"..."sweaty"..."waste"..."quick"!...Too quick for him in some cases. 'Bussing' tables is no joke!  ^_^
     I didn't realize how many different jobs I've had until I started to write them down...hubby either!...I've been a camp counselor for a group of 'off-from-school, full-of-energy' kids...I've been a personal assistant to a very forgetful patient...(some days she didn't know why I was in her house! O_O)...I've been a nurse's aide...etc.....
     Hubby was a machinist, working with graphite (the stuff pencil lead is made of)...a bus driver...*Hmmm...we both seem to have surrounded ourselves with kids. Maybe that's where our child-like personalities came from!....I said 'child-like', not 'child-ish'!...just so you know!!*... LOL...He worked for a newspaper company (UNBELIEVABLE to me, after the experience he had as a paper boy!!)...He worked for two different vending companies (Stocking the vending machines with snacks)...He worked for a 'temp' agency, where they sent him out on temporary, non-permanent jobs, like one where he worked at a warehouse wrapping packages...and he was a cafeteria manager....WOW! He cooked and planned meals before he started doing it for me!!...Aha! That's where the 'Cooking Fool' was born! ^_^ ...There were other jobs he had too...like his last one, as a sales route driver for Hostess/Wonder Bread...maker of the "twinkee"!
       What kind of jobs have you all had, dear bloggers?!...(pause).....Look at that!.......Ha! Ha! Ha!....Mike Rowe, the former star of the TV show "Dirty Jobs" just happens to be on the Rachel Ray show today!!! Ha! Ha! I just looked up and saw him!! ^_^ ....Anyway!...as I was saying, I'd love to hear what kind of jobs you all have had in your lives...were any of them 'dirty jobs'?! Jobs you really didn't like I mean....ones you would never want to do again?! :-]
       Okay....I'm off to do some jobs I love. Take a wild guess what them include! ^_^ Have a good day. Everybody!

 Double Take

Yes, I looked at it again,
because I couldn't believe what I saw!
Was it meant to catch attention?
Or to make you drop your jaw?

Was it what I thought it was?
Was it real, or was it fake?
Just like life and all it's wonder,
some things need a double take.

For The Men!

     There's gonna be nothing deep about this post....just letting you know now. ^_^ I'm just taking an opportunity to tell one particular man "I love you!", and doing other men of the world...or at least the Etsy handmade boutonniere and lapel pin searching men of the world...a big 'solid'!...or 'favor', in case your slang references are a little rusty! LOL {My slang is very rusty too, but my ear picks up everything...and I have relatives who like to 'school me'!!! ^_^}
     I love my husband every day, for a lot of reasons, but today I love him because he gave up his jacket so that I could take pictures of all of my boutonnieres and lapel pins. :-)  I think he wanted to wear it, but he just smiled when I asked for it, hesitated a little...*as if to say: 'Okay...let me see...what other jacket can I wear with this now!'*...and handed it over! :-)
      In the header photo, his jacket is wearing one of my latest pins...

      I made this red one, and the gray and purple, two-toned, one below...

      I sold another one yesterday. I think they've caught on! :-) They aren't selling like 'McDonald's' hamburgers and 'Apple' computers...YET!...but I'm hopeful! ^_^

      Here's a few of the others that are already in the shop, but needed a photo of them sitting on an actual jacket!..."Thank You Again, Honey!" :-) ...

  ......This one is Orange, not red...

 ....Purple and blue...

...A white lapel pin...

.....And a white boutonniere....

.....This is the black boutonniere with the two-toned purple and black in the center...

.....A purple and blue pinwheel type boutonniere...

.....Black and white square lapel pin...

....Gold lapel pin...

      And last!...

....A gold boutonniere! :-)

      They're not very large. The lapel pins are about an inch, up to an inch and a half (2.5 cm, up to 3.8cm)...and the boutonniere are, at the most, about two inches (5.1 cm)...I'm having to do hand and finger exercises to keep them from stiffening up up on me while I'm crocheting! LOL I'm not kidding! It's happened...and it wasn't pretty! ^_^

       Something that 'was' pretty though...*Do you like how I transitioned that?! ^_^*...was this Orange Autumn treasury, curated by Roxanne...

          She included my cantaloupe orange rose flower pin brooch...for women! :-) ...

       Just click on the treasury if you wanna see the other items close up...That's what I did. :-)

      Back to the T.V. for me!...I've been watching the LIVE coverage of hurricane Isaac and the U.S. Open....you choose which one is more riveting T.V. to watch...They both have people with interesting back stories. And you know how much I love a story! :-) ...Speaking of which, there's a real story developing over my chairs I was about to throw out!! I'll tell you about it tomorrow!..Have a good day, Y'all! :-)

 How Can You Tell a Good Man From a Bad One?

How  can you  tell a good man
from a bad man nowadays?
The truth is there are many,
many, many, kinds of ways.

A good man, when he meets you,
looks you straight into your eye.
A bad man, will look down,
and he can't  wait to tell a lie.

A good man, when he owes you,
pays your money right on time.
A bad man says: "I'll   pay you!"
But he never has a dime.

A good man wants to help you
if you're  ever in a pinch.
A bad man, if your car breaks down
won't  even loan a wrench.

A good man, when he dates you,
is not concerned with just 'right now'.
A bad man wants his milk' for free',
and never buys the cow.

A good man is a good boss,
and a sparkling employee.
A bad man likes to take control,
and complains exhaustively.

A good man brings you flowers,
just because he thought of it.
A bad man, if you ask for them
will quickly throw a fit.

A good man,'cause he's loved by all,
will know the world is his .
A bad man gets a poem wrote
to show how bad he is!   

"...Slower Than A Herd Of Turtles Stampeding Through Peanut Butter"!

(SLOW Square Tile Magnet by 26MileStones)

  
        WOW!....Everything has been sooooooo slow over the last few days! And it's not just me either!...even though I've been one of the things that has been slow. After sleeping a bit longer at night, I find myself moving like a snail once I get up....

(5x7 Print of Original Heart Drawing by theartofseth)

         ...and even after I'm up, and a little while has passed by, I'm still a bit slow and distracted...That may just be temporary though. I'm working on some projects not related to crocheting, blogging or writing...

  (Newborn Size T Shirt by apericots)

        ...And then, of course, the U.S. Open tennis tournament started on yesterday too! :-)  

       All of these things are making me...

(Slow Cooker from LaurasLastDitch)

      ...No, they're not making me a 'slow cooker'! :-)) ...Although I have been hungrier than usual!...

(Reversible SLOW STOP Hand Held Sign by ForYourEnjoyment)

         And no, they're not making me a slow 'sign' either!...I haven't been that stationary! LOL

     But, if he wanted to, because he's the one dealing with me in this slow state, my husband could say to me:...(Quote)...

(Pinback Button by BAYMOONSTUDIO)

     ^_^ ....*I LOVE that button!!* 

       But, as I said, it's not just me that's been slow!...I've made a few phone calls the last few days to places, looking for information, and it taken FOREVER for them to return a phone call...if they do! I'm still waiting for a return phone call of an urgent request I made  three days ago!! O_O

(Take It Slow 8x12 Photograph by RedRockPhotography)

     And even uploading photos here on Blogger.....S-L-O-W!!!!...as is everything else I've been trying to load or upload or update or download over the last few days! O_O ... Maybe it's just me....or my online server...but still!!

       Anyway...slow or not...everything will still get taken care of, right?! I mean, Look! I actually got the blog up today! ^_^ .....slow,...and late, very late!...but up!....Hey, speed isn't everything!...

(Slow But Sure 9x12 Needlepoint Canvas by Venneart)

     Sometimes you have to settle for reality.  ^_^ I'm.....

(Wall Hanging from SoulshineStudio)

         And I may be slightly delusional too!... ^_^...but that's not from slowness. That's from me believing the sweet words of a certain 'Big Bird' husband of mine! :-)) Hey! His slow spoken sweet words are good enough for me!...even though I know he probably has his own agenda going ^_^ ...and even if I am a little 'Snuffaluffagus-like' in wanting to acknowledge it!!! LOL...Mine is not to question why! Mine is just to......get the two of us ready to take our delusional act on the road then!! LOL...Have a good day, Everybody....and speed it up, will ya!! ^_^

          

      Where would I be without a sense of humor?! ^_^ ...Probably somewhere SLOWly going insane!!.....Are you laughing?!!! ^_^

Sense Of Humor

How do you gauge a sense of humor?
Is it just about a laugh?
Do you only know you're funny
when they're doubled over in half?

Can a chuckle or a giggle
be a clue that you have wit?
Or can a smile and a head shake
be the quiet proof of it?

It's the people that are laughing,
in their house, their yard, their car.
That can spot a sense of humor;
recognize it from afar.

I don't know myself.
I just know what makes me smile.
Anyone who likes themselves
and can be talking for a while.

And if they make me wanna sit
and wonder what will they say next,
then they have a sense of humor
cuz I wouldn't be here unless...

"UPDATE"...Monday!

(Word Sign by simplychi)

       It's been a while since I did it, so I decided today was the day!....Update day! Now, if you're thinking: "UGH! There she goes again!"....be patient. It's only for today...*wink! wink!*..tomorrow things will be right back to normal! :-)

       To get things off to a quick start...cuz I know you're thinking: "The quicker the better!" ^_^...let me update the chairs situation. You know, the chairs with the story. Well, they were almost out the door when I got a nice email from a fellow blogger..."Thanks, You-Know-Who! :-)"...who shared a link with me to Brassy Apple's blog, where she...just by happenstance..."happenstance" is the new 'old lady' word I'm using right now, just in case you were wondering ^_^"...did a blog post on the refurbishing of an old chair she found. An old chair that looked almost exactly like my old chairs!

       This is her old chair...

        This is my old chair!...

      After she stained her old chair and refurbished the cushion, this is what it looks like!...

      I almost wanna say: "BAM!"...Isn't it gorgeous?! :-) ...Now I'm more perplexed than ever about what to do with my chairs! O_O ...And yes, "perplexed" is another old lady word I'm using these days! LOL

        Updating my chairs, instead of throwing them out, is looking pretty good now. I mean, look at what LoveSissy did with their chair! :-) ...

 (Antique Chair with Modern Update from LoveSissy)

       Anyway! Moving on....to the kitchen. Remember my hubby, the 'Cooking Fool'?!...I have been enjoying some wonderful creations of his lately....WONDERFUL! He's been cooking all kinds of combinations of all of the stuff I like!....Well...before now I mean. O_O...We've hit a snag.

        It happened when he realized that there was too much stuff in the refrigerator, and he decided to make a "concoction"...*I'm not using that word because I'm an old lady. I'm using that word because there are no other words for it!! LOL*

      In the refrigerator, we had leftover spaghetti noodles, leftover mushrooms and tomatoes (mixed....don't ask! ^_^), and leftover peas and corn. But no cheese sauce. No onions. And no Pepto-Bismol!...I know you're thinking: "Nooooo! He didn't!!"....That's right! No, he didn't....because I stopped him cold in his tracks!! LOL

     This was no time to be the supportive doting wife. This was the time to protect the life I have left with every fiber of my being! ^_^ Seriously! Who thinks that plain spaghetti noodles, canned tuna, peas and corn, mayonnaise and a mixture of mushrooms and tomatoes should all go together?!! O_O ...NOT ME!!!!...And, if YOU do, more power to you!! But it wasn't gonna go together in this house!...or in this body!!...Not now, or ever!....Oooo! I  think I just heard my digestive system clapping! ^_^

      Updating some not so funny news, remember my friend that went in for surgery?...the one that they operated on for a little removal of something, and found cancer spread everywhere? Well...they started her Chemo treatments a lot faster than they intended. :-(  She's suppose to have her 3rd out of 4 treatments today or tomorrow. After that she's gonna be re-tested, to see if it's working. 

       Unfortunately she's having a really rough go of it. :-( She's been in a lot of pain...'to the bone' is the way she describes it. :-( And she's been vomiting a lot too. :-( The good thing?!...She's still in good humor...most of the time...and she has her children staying with her around the clock now. They take turns staying with her...It's a tough situation after living alone for a while, but she's truly thankful for their help. And I'm thankful too, because I so want to be there helping her out and making opportunities for her to laugh. But since I can't...I'm glad they are!

       Unfortunately, over the weekend when hubby and I assessed the number of close friends we have who are battling some form of Cancer right now,  we found the number waaaay too high....5!!! :-(

      I have to move on to a more positive update...ignore the tears on your computer screen. :-( ...Crocheting! Let's talk about crocheting! :-] ...Update: I sold three more lapel pins over the weekend!...

      AND....I made two more for replacements...sorta kinda :-) ...

      ...a two-toned purple and black one.....and...

     ...an experimental one. :-)) It's purple and blue, but there's a bit of green peeking through under the blue. You can see it from the back panel...

        I'm still making boutonnieres and lapel pins, as you can see! As fast as I put them in the shop, they're being bought out!....YAY!!!...Unfortunately that means that my rainbow sweater blanket and hats, scarves, and headbands are ON HOLD!...And so are my plans to crochet a couple of things inspired by these two...

 (T Shirt Yarn by kitsdiezijn)

(Small Accent Appliqued Leaf Pillow by NancyEllenStudios)

     Oh well...it's on hold...unless I get a custom request. Then the schedule for what I'm making will shift...Anything for YOU! :-)

    Okay, last update...I'm thinking that me and Facebook might not be friends anymore. For some reason I can't seem to post anything from my Etsy shop like I was doing before since I installed the 'forced upon me' TIME-LINE!...Grrrr!!!!

      If I can't share what I'm crocheting or writing, why do I have the site?!..I can talk to my friends and relatives on the phone!...and I do quite often...It's just one more thing putting my poor brain in a quandary.......Yep! "quandary"......I'm too old to tell you what it means. It just popped out of my mouth! ^_^ ...Update: I'm OLD!! ^_^ 

       Okay, while I go off and remember my little girlhood days, with my head held high...not OLD and sagging....you go off and have a good NEW week, Everybody! :-)

Head High, Little Girl

Keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Think good thoughts of who you are,
so other girls can take a look.

Your self esteem, little girl,
should be pumped up wherever you can.
But shouldn't depend on prettiness,
or the sugary words of a man.

Your self esteem needs to be balanced.
Not arrogant or smug at it's core.
For the sun does not rise and set on you,
but nor is garbage dumped at your door.

So keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Your self esteem will then be lifted,
and the whole world will take a look.