'Virtual'...'Reversible'...Friday Date Night!

 (Secluded Beach on Caye Caulker Belize, Fine Art 8 X 12 Print by LifeTravelPhotos)

      Well, another 'virtual Friday' date night with the hubby is upon me! :-) Last week we went to Acapulco, and we had a great time! The weather was 85 degrees Fahrenheit and humid though. So this week we decided to head somewhere with some beautiful weather, but with some cooling sea breezes. :-) 

      Belize was also a perfect choice because we saw on the list of vacation destinations that it was number one....for every reason! Yep! "HERE WE COME, BELIZE!!!" ^_^

 (Belize Blue by AmberFinneganPhotos)

      Beautiful skies, beautiful water, and beautiful temperatures is also on our mind because a friend of ours just shared her vacation photos from a recent cruise to the islands of the Caribbean! :-) There's nothing like a friend's photos of good weather, good food, and good fun on a cruise ship to get you dreaming about fun in the sun for yourself!!.....and, Oh Yeah, your loved one too!! ^_^

      So, I've got to pack my sandals, bathing suit, and sunglasses right away! ^_^ But first, a little reverse of this conversation...

      Or should I say...a reversible conversation about a beautiful doll! :-) She was given to me by my friend who went on the cruise!! ^_^ Isn't she beautiful?!!!! ♥ ...

      I love all of her colors, and sparklies, and head wear!!! :-)

      She even has an adorable bun hair-do! ^_^

       But her best feature is that...
 

        ...when you turn her upside down, and let her skirt go over her head...
 

     She's a whole 'nother' doll!!! ^_^

      She has a different dress, with different colors and a Bahamas sash...a completely different head scarf...a different colored shirt...and a whole party attitude! ^_^
 

      The bottom of this dress las a whole island scene on it, and FLOWERS!!! :-)

      Now, I ask you, when was the last time you were able to turn yourself upside down and have a whole makeover in a second?! LOL I would venture to assume....NEVER!!! ^_^ ... I'm still trying to think up names for her....Uhhhhh...I mean THEM!! ^_^ I'll keep you posted. :-))

       My beautiful 'doll girls' have me in a vacationing party mood now. I guess I better turn on some island music and get to packing!! ^_^ Have a nice Friday date night, and weekend, Y'all! ♥

News

News of war and near disasters,
Lots of folks who are to blame;
A world that's ever slightly shifting,
and yet still remains the same.

You can turn off your T.V.,
Unplug your phone. No one would care.
But soon you'll need to be connected,
and the news will still be there!

We have to streamline all our focus,
no matter what we use,
and keep our minds on what's important.
Now, Baby, that's some news!

There Are Only Eleven Words To Say Today!...And Some News! :-)

(Australian Open page on Facebook)

         CONGRATULATIONS Rafael Nadal!!!! :-)

 

 (Australian Open page on Facebook)

 (Tennis Channel page on Facebook)

      ...And you too, Serena Williams!!! :-)

(Tennis Channel page on Facebook)

      THAT - IS - ALL!! ^_^

News

News of war and near disasters,
Lots of folks who are to blame;
A world that's ever slightly shifting,
and yet still remains the same.

You can turn off your T.V.,
Unplug your phone. No one would care.
But soon you'll need to be connected,
and the news will still be there!

We have to streamline all our focus,
no matter what we use,
and keep our minds on what's important.
Now, Baby, that's some news!

Cookies For Relaxation?!

(Honey Lavender Shortbread Cookies by whimsyandspice)

      I figured this was a good day to start my post with cookies! :-) I sure wish I had some of them here in the house this morning! I woke up with a 'sweet tooth'...Now that I think about it though...it's probably a good thing that I 'don't' have any in the house!! ^_^ I just started watching the news!...Whew!!!...The kind of news we're getting lately...nuclear bombs being tested, rogue police officers, cruise ships floating around with no electricity...or sanitation! O_O...a pope resigning, snow storms and hurricanes going wild, etc....YIKES! It could have you running for the sugar bowl...with nothing but a spoon!...if you're the kind of person that needs something sweet to get you through, I mean!! LOL

     I'm not that kind of person usually. Usually some pretty yarn and a crochet hook does it for me!...unless hormones come into play!...*wink! wink!*...and now you know the whole story!...I.....NEED.......COOKIES!!!!!! LOL

     Thankfully I'm calmed by other things too! I read and study my Bible, (which reminds me that all of these things happening are a sure sign that 'better' is right around the corner)...listen to music, watch my birds at the feeder, chat with my hubby, look at old movies, write poetry, sip on green tea, etc...which makes me curious to know...what calms 'YOU' down (blog readers, I'm talking to 'YOU' ^_^), or helps you stay in a relaxed mood?!

     Something else that calms me is strolling through the Etsy search. :-) Seeing all of the creative energy people are putting into the things they're making...Including the delicious looking baked goods...like the shortbread cookies in the header photo! YUM!! But there's all kinds of things people are creating! Here's just a couple...

(Set of 4 Blue Leather Flower Napkin Rings by katrinshine)

      I just have to add here, that the above napkin rings gave me 'IDEAS!!!!' ^_^ I 'DO' love a new place to place a flower!!! :-) ... But moving on!!...

 (Contemporary Textile Art Mending Design Kit by MOMOlike)

(Black Bowtie with Gold Metal Tips by EveryJobCounts)

      Calm.....relaxed! :-)

     Of course, I do have one other thing that calms me...writing my blog! :-) Spilling my guts and just talking...with my fingers even...calms and relaxes me! Hmmm....does that have something to do with 'YOU'?! :-)

 ('You Calm My Crazy' Greeting Card by Parachute425)

       Yep!...Envisioning 'YOU' sitting down in front of your screen, reading my blog post, holding a cup of coffee or tea, hot chocolate or apple cider, calms me. :-) ... So, even if nobody is actually reading it....and please don't tell me if you aren't!! O_O...I'm still good! Ha! Ha! It's the perception of talking to someone that's relaxing me!...It's always good to at least 'think' you're being heard, right?... ^_^ ...or, in this case, read (sounds like 'red' LOL...Ugh! The English language!!)!

       Okay, I'm off to get some things done. I'll catch up with you tomorrow...for calmness, which, by looking at the news, I'm sure I'm gonna need again by then! ^_^

News

News of war and near disasters,
Lots of folks who are to blame;
A world that's ever slightly shifting,
and yet still remains the same.

You can turn off your T.V.,
Unplug your phone. No one would care.
But soon you'll need to be connected,
and the news will still be there!

We have to streamline all our focus,
no matter what we use,
and keep our minds on what's important.
Now, Baby, that's some news!   

Is This Chicago?!...Is This December?!...Almost January?!

(Chicago The Windy City collage by Artisticcollage)

         Even though I've never actually been there 'in person', I have a real love for it...Chicago Illinois I mean.  Besides having relatives there that I've never met, there's a lot of things I love, and look forward to seeing in person, in Chicago one day!...Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox baseball,... Wrigley Field,...Chicago Bears football at Soldier Field, {Yes! I do love them, even though they aren't my first football love. That would be the Dallas Cowboys BABY!!! LOL}...Jazz clubs and all kinds of other great music,...Deep Dish Pizza...and Oprah! ^_^ Those are just a few, by the way!

     But one thing I've heard about it...that's not so great...is the wind in Chicago! Apparently it's not called 'The Windy City' for nothing!!...I'm mentioning it this morning because apparently Holyoke tried to rival Chicago's wind last night! Overnight we got 45 MPH winds, and apparently it's suppose to be an issue all day today!

     There were power outages from the wind last night, and they're telling us to keep our flashlights close by today because they're expecting more power outages today. O_O ....So, if you don't see my blog post here tomorrow...look for me in Chicago. I may be blown there by a wind off of Lake Michigan!! ^_^

    The funny thing is...I never heard the wind last night!! I was more bothered by the rising temperature! O_0 I was up and down all night! I thought it was just another bout of my hormones acting up...I've been known to become heated like a Butterball turkey in the middle of the night for no reason at all! LOL

       Poor hubby. :-( First he had to get up to re-position the fans for me,...(I have two going at all times in the bedroom)...then he had to get up to get me some tissue so I could blow my nose, (my nose got all hot, sweaty, and clogged up inside my C-Pap machine...Can you say UNCOMFORTABLE!!)...then he had to get up to open up the door! I was H-O-T!!!!...Who knew it wasn't my internal clock, but outside's out-ternal clock?!! ^_^

      I hadn't looked at the news or the weather last night like I usually do either. It was just gonna bother me and I knew it!...After hearing about the five people that died in a house fire on Christmas day,...two of the ones that died were a grandfather and his little granddaughter he had been trying to get out of the house with, and didn't make it. :-( ...And the news of the 70 fire-fighters who were trying to fight the fire to save the five people, and couldn't. :-( They're gonna have to get counseling because of it today ;'_';)...And the news of the two robberies of '7-11 convenience stores' in my town...And the news of 100 'Sears' and 'K-Mart department stores' that are gonna be closing....And the news of a local man who is very violent and still on the loose in our local today! O_0...I didn't want to see any more news...never mind weather!!!...I wanted to keep it light!...Pink and white.......CROCHET!!! :-]

      Remember this 'frame'?!...Well, it's no longer going to be a frame. I've decided. It's going to be a pillow cover!! :-)

       This was the first step in that endeavor...I crocheted a flap piece for the back of the pillow cover. I wanted to make it so that you could easily slide a pillow in and out of it...

       Once it was crocheted, I sewed it in place...

      ...and started on the other half of it...

         Finished it...and sewed it in place.

       It looked pretty cool when it was done! :-)

           Then I sewed a button in the middle where the flap over-lays...

      Now that the back is all done, now all I have to do is figure out what I want to put in the empty space in the front. O_O ...Any ideas?!

       I'm not gonna get any ideas from hubby on this one. It's not a cheesecake or a peanut butter cookie!...and it doesn't 'move like jagger'. ^_^ Hubby...apparently 'DOES' move like jagger!! LOL...He didn't know he did, until he kept hearing that song playing in every store he went in to put his cupcakes and stuff in...and then he couldn't get it out of his head!! ^_^ 

       Now, every time he hears the song...he starts dancing like a crazy man!...And me?!...I find it extremely entertaining!!! LOL So...I may or may not play the song on purpose just to see him dance. ^_^ And I may or may not have even taken video of him while he was doing it!!! LOL............Well, I've got to have something to keep me smiling, don't I?!! :-)

       Have a good day everybody...and move like....SOMEBODY...if you want to!! ^_^

News

News of war and near disasters,
Lots of folks who are to blame;
A world that's ever slightly shifting,
and yet still remains the same.

You can turn off your T.V.,
Unplug your phone. No one would care.
But soon you'll need to be connected,
and the news will still be there!

We have to streamline all our focus,
no matter what we use,
and keep our minds on what's important.
Now, Baby, that's some news!     

Chocolate Nut Brownie.......On A Rainy Day

       Before I get into today's post, let me remind you that this coming Monday will be the drawing for the pocketbook in my recent Giveaway. You can check HERE for details on how to enter.....
       Now, on to today's post...I've been working feverishly on my Chocolate Nut Brownie Shawl/Scarf.

         It's coming along, but it was missing something...Color! And since I have a tendency to put colors together that no one else in the world would put together...case in point, exhibit A...

      ...my FUN-tastic Wuglyee Remnant Scarf! (The campaign to sell it is still on-going!! ^_^)...I thought that maybe I'd put another color on the shawl, but a color not so..."POW"...in your face!
      And since my inspiration for the shawl is an actual chocolate nut brownie, I had to pick a color that would 'gel' with the feel of the inspiration...So, because I was crocheting this chocolate nut brownie shawl/scarf on a rainy day, say hello to the inspiration for a rainy day color to add to it....

        It's gray...for a gray rainy day! :-) ...... And Chocolate Nut Brownies on a gray rainy day, with milk (that's represented by the white ^_^), are the stuff that make rainy days worth having......and worth crocheting a shawl/scarf for! :-)
       Okay....so I know it's a 'stretch' just to have some inspiration, but hey! It was raining!!!! What did you want me to do?! Crochet a blanket inspired by 'gloominess' and 'darkness'?!!......Not this time. But hmmmm...... ^_^

        I'm still working on it, and still trying to decide whether I'm going to keep it as just a shawl, or if I'm going to add buttons or something...I was gonna put one row of maroon on the other side, next to the edge. But I thought better of it...Besides, there's no way to work that maroon into my inspiration theme....unless I shed some blood trying to make it! LOL Don't worry!...I'm not that clumsy...or that desperate for inspiration!! ^_^

       As you see, I have some more work to do with it. I'll show it to you when it's all done.....In the meantime, I've got some travel plans to make. Friday 'Date Night' is coming up pretty fast, and we've got a looooong way to travel this week!

      (melissatenpas)

          Over the last few weeks we've traveled from Paris France to Brazil. This week we'll be going all the way to Ghana....in Africa!!

           ......I think we're gonna be some happy.....but tired travelers this week!! :-)

     (thedreamygiraffe)

          I'm  looking forward to getting educated about Ghana though...and seeing, tasting, and hearing some of the country's food and music! :-] Hubby is too!

       I know it's been a rough week for a lot of people. The news has been really tough! So, come and take a 'virtual' trip with us to Ghana tomorrow. Can't hurt!! 

News

News of war and near disasters,
Lots of folks who are to blame;
A world that's ever slightly shifting,
and yet still remains the same.

You can turn off your T.V.,
Unplug your phone. No one would care.
But soon you'll need to be connected,
and the news will still be there!

We have to streamline all our focus,
no matter what we use,
and keep our minds on what's important.
Now, Baby, that's some news!

Wanna Know The News?!

        I wanted to start my post today telling you what a good time we had in Paris last night, and about how delicious the shrimp, hot coffee with cream, and French crullers were! (the header photo is an up close and personal photo of one of these delicious 'babies'!)
      I didn't want to start my post today with bad news,...but because of a heavy heart for the children, after watching the morning news, it's unavoidable. These are some photos from WWLP...

         My condolences go out to all of the families of those injured and dead in the bombing in Oslo, and in the youth camp shooting on Utoya island, in Norway. :-( The last news report I saw, from WWLP,  said 7 dead and more than 90 injured in the Oslo bombing, (Some are calling this the deadliest bombing since WWII in Oslo)...

            ...and,  as of now, they are reporting 84 killed....Oh! the children...  :-( ...at the Youth camp on Utoya island in Norway...*sigh*
       The photo below of the camp area  is from  CNN...

       This photo (below) is from guardian.co.uk The Observer ...

        I'm not going to say any more about it. :-( My poem below will tell you how I'm feeling...Moving on.
       Thankfully, there is some 'good' news to tell you.  And yes...it's about 'ME'! LOL What else would I talk about here?! ^_^...except MORE French crullers!!!

      I got an email saying my Salmon Orange Circle scarf was included in another Treasury!

       Thanks to SandrasCardShop for including me!
    Here's just a few of my favorites from this Treasury...Cotton Baby Booties.

     (IraRott)

       The cutest Chickadee Art Notecard.

     (TINYKITN) 

        And these Organza Fabric Flower Appliques.

       Cute, huh?! :-] And I know she couldn't put her own items in her Treasury, so I'd like to show you one of the things I liked from SandrasCardShop too! 

       It's a Daffodil Embroidered Notecard! :-) ..........Of course it has a flower!! ^_^

      Sooooooo......some bad news. And some good news!...And more good news!! The heat wave is suppose to break after today. YAY!!!

     (WWLP.com)

       It got up to 101 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday y'all!!! `'_'` You could fry eggs on the sidewalk!!...Even my hummingbirds, 'little cuties', came to the feeders and sipped nectar from the drips forming underneath...instead of flapping their heat-exhausted wings right out there in the blaring sun! ^_^ It was as if they were old Southern women, fanning themselves in the shade, while sipping on a cool Mint Julep! LOL

       My last bit of 'good' news today has to do with a beautiful photo...and you'll quickly know why I think it's beautiful!...shared by a customer!

        I hope Donna doesn't mind me showing it to you....She said the nicest things about it too! :-) "Thank you so much Donna for being such a wonderful customer!!!"

       And just so you all know, I'm especially pleased about this purchase because Donna Carrick is a writer, a mystery writer! (You can find her books HERE). It makes me very happy to know that one of my 'babies' is being worn by a 'lover of words' like me!! :-) 

     And she's from Southern Ontario too! :-) Remember 'the Paris of Canada'?!!....Good News. I sure could use some 'good' news today! 

      {The video below was one I found this morning when I was looking for the original version of Anne Murray's song, 'A Little Good News'. I didn't know it had been re-made. I, myself, am politically neutral, but I feel the same way as the sentiments of the song below, about hearing 'a little good news'... }   

       And here's the poem I wrote too...(I'll try to be more peppy tomorrow) :-(

Who'll Remember The Children

Who'll remember how they trusted;
How they thought dad hung the moon?
How their little life is over,
and it happened waay too soon?

The laughter, play, and innocence
are gone when children die.
Replaced by mournful 'What to do?'
and an endless need to cry.

Who'll remember that they smelled like rain
and their eyes were just like glue?
Like their mothers and their teachers
and their childhood playmates do?

Their jerky dance-like movements,
and the jokes they couldn't tell.
Contagious smiles that sparked you up
when you weren't feeling well.

Who'll remember the precious children,
and the way they used to be?
God will! They're in his heart and mind,
and in his memory.