A Day For Smiles...And Large Umbrellas?!

 (Girl Toddler Cowl and Muff CROCHET PATTERN by JocelynDesigns)

      I'm gonna start this blog post off by saying that I hope all of you are dry...having no torrential rains coming down on your head, I mean! ^_^...and that you're cozy by a fire somewhere, or sitting at your kitchen table with a nice hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, looking out the window at birds or squirrels flitting here and there, or sniffing at the cooking cornbread chilli smell wafting through the morning air....Oh wait! That would be ME! ^_^

      Or...you could also be like me!...staring into a backyard full of wet (pictures below), while intermittently looking up and down at the tiny crochet flower pins I'm making for a dear friend. A little thank you for gifts galore of late. ♥ ... I love my friends, and their big spiritually secure hearts!!! :-]

      Before I show you my dreary backyard though, let me say a big thank you to Jocelyn for including my flower pin in her new Etsy treasury!...

(Violet Etsy Treasury by Jocelyn Sass)

 

 (Variegated Violet and White Clutch-Back Flower Pin Boutonniere by Wuglyees)

      Wuglyees thanks you!...and I thank you!! :-) And I'm sure all of the other shops listed in the treasury thank you too...just saying!...without permission to represent!....just saying that too! ^_^

      Anyway!...on a late November day in Massachusetts, what does the sky look like?!...

      ...It looks like it's raining! LOL And it looks like it's raining so much that if your umbrella isn't big enough you might get slammed in the head with a cat or a dog!!!...cuz it's 'raining cats and dogs'!! LOL
      But is there happiness about this storm of rain, wind, and wintry snow mix?!....Yes there is!....I'm sure.....SOMEWHERE!...But not in the Wug household!!! LOL...I'm sure there are Massachusetts' kids somewhere smiling in gleeful spurts about prospects of snow boots, hats, gloves, snowmen, snowball fights, snow sleds, and toboggans!...or at the very least, galoshes! ^_^ ... Good for them!!!...My aching joints beg to differ!!! LOL
       Rain crab that I am though, I do love looking at the rain on the backyard lawn when it looks like this! :-) ...
 

      But I'm not the only one that doesn't wanna be out there in it!!!...
 

      We found our 'woolly moth' friend cowering on the patio. Either the wind blew him here, or he was running in slow motion away from the rain...and didn't make it far. ^_^ Either way, welcome to the backyard my bushy friend! ^_^ And don't worry, if you lose any hair, with my new hormonal situation and hair growing in all manner of wrong places, I'll be happy to share a few strands...or hundreds!!! LOL

        Oh yeah, I guess I should say, by way of full disclosure, that the WHOLE backyard isn't that happy about all of this rain!!...
 

      Hubby's little flower bed and gardening section is taking a royal beating!!!...

       I just won't look at that part any more today! ^_^...
 

      Okay...off to finish my crocheting, and share some hair with a new friend! ^_^ Have a good day, Everybody! ♥

Reasons To Smile

I don't really need a reason,
to let out a great big grin;
But I do from time to time,
just to exercise my chin.

Sometimes I do it just to see
what reaction I will get,
in the places where I've gone,
and the people that I've met.

Sometimes it's just for me!
To amuse some silly thought;
Or to show just how excited
I have been at what I bought.

Sometimes a smile can change my mood,
when weather forecasts make me blue;
Or when I see a baby playing!
Oh yes! Oh Yes! I smile then too!

Truth is, I really don't need a reason.
Frowns just,frankly, aren't my style.
I could sit and write about it,
But even that would make me smile.

Just Smile!...We Sure Need To!!

 (Beige Metallic Brown Chevron Striped 4 inch wide Fabric Ribbon by GriffithGardens)

      As I mentioned on my blog yesterday...and therefore there are no surprises about today's post!...I had one of my Wuglyees shop crochet items, a boutonniere, included in yet another Etsy treasury! It's entitled 'Just Smile!'...GREAT NAMING, Dobromira! :-) ...

 (Just Smile! Etsy Treasury by Dobromira)

      The color scheme is all about beige...mostly. Of course, my boutonniere had a bright center color....you know...to break of the beige! ^_^ ...

 (Small Beige Brown and Red Crochet Boutonniere Lapel Flower by Wuglyees)

      That doesn't mean that all beige needs to be broken up though! Look at these!...

 (Natural Brown Coconut Hoop Earrings by lacylauragray)

 (Pastel Hand Knitted Shrug Cropped Cardigan Mini Sweater with Rhinestone Flower Broach by AmyLaRoux)

(Gray, Beige, and Brown Hand Crochet Fingerless Gloves by gloveshop)

      These were just a few of the other choices she made for the treasury...If you wanna see all of the shops, and items, just click on the treasury above. The link will take you over to the treasury itself, and you can click the links to the individual Etsy shops where each item is from! :-)

     Now, on to other news! :-) ... I have a new project upcoming, as soon as my customer gets a pattern she likes, and gets the yarn she wants me to use! :-) I'm kinda excited about this new project because it's a complete departure from lapel flowers! :-)

      It's not a crochet boutonniere...lapel flower...or brooch! It's a baby sweater! :-) ... Why am I making a baby sweater?!...Because I was asked to! ^_^ Well...actually, I wasn't asked...technically! My hubby was! :-)

      He was out in the backyard taking the photos of the beautiful Fall leaves, and a neighbor saw him and came over to ask if he could ask his wife to do her a favor...Apparently she has been asking everyone she knows...that crochets...to make a baby sweater for her that matches a hat she bought. This baby hat!...

      She kept asking around, and what she found was that nobody crocheted baby sweaters!...Actually, I don't generally crochet baby sweaters either...but I have in the past! And I still know how to! :-) And frankly...I'm kinda looking forward to making something that doesn't end up looking like a flower!!

       Hopefully she'll find the pattern and yarn soon and I can get started on it. But also 'frankly'...I'm glad it's not today!...It's raining and my hands and muscles are not up to it!...OUCH!!!...We had a great weekend though...for my mind and body! ^_^ SPECIAL, SPECIAL!!! (Sorry, that's all I can say about it for now. ^_^)

      Okay...breakfast is hollering! LOL Have a good day, Everybody...SMILE! :-)

Reasons To Smile

I don't really need a reason,
to let out a great big grin;
But I do from time to time,
just to exercise my chin.

Sometimes I do it just to see
what reaction I will get,
in the places where I've gone,
and the people that I've met.

Sometimes it's just for me!
To amuse some silly thought;
Or to show just how excited
I have been at what I bought.

Sometimes a smile can change my mood,
when weather forecasts make me blue;
Or when I see a baby playing!
Oh yes! Oh Yes! I smile then too!

Truth is, I really don't need a reason.
Frowns just,frankly, aren't my style.
I could sit and write about it,
But even that would make me smile.

"Pretty Girl!"...Sometimes You Just Need To Talk To Yourself!!

 (Pug Fine Art Print by RenataandJonathan)

       Let's forget it's Monday, and let's just talk. :-) Did you see the header title?!...Do you ever do this?!...talk to yourself, I mean?!...Does it usually end up to be a good conversation?! ^_^ Are you wondering why I would ask such a silly question?!.....STOP TALKING TO YOURSEL!! Ha! Ha!
      Okay...I'll tell you why I asked...The reason is because I started talking to myself last night after I asked my husband a silly question...A question that probably every wife, at some time or the other, has asked her husband: "Do you think I'm pretty?!"
      First, let me tell you why I asked!...I was watching something last night...honestly, I can't even remember what it was now!...My brain! UGH!...and the girl was talking about the different categories of girls there are in the world. She said there's the 'fat girl', and the 'pretty girl', and we all fit into one or the other!...*blink! blink!*
      Now, of course I don't believe that!! How ridiculous!!!...But for some reason the question of whether I'm a pretty girl or not got stuck in my head!...What?! O_O ... You KNOW I wasn't wondering about the other kind of girl, don't you?!!!!!...NO! LOL
      Anyway!...back to my question. I said: "Honey, tell the truth now, do you think I'm pretty?!"...

 (8x10 Framed Original Illustration by homemadepop)

      Before he answered me I started talking to myself... "What are you....CRAZY?!! Why would you ask him that?! I mean...what is he gonna say?...'Oh No, Baby, you're not pretty at all!'?!...No! He wouldn't say that!! He's not that 'outta his mind!' LOL
      But guess what he said...after he stared at me for a minute to make sure I really wanted to hear what he was about to say?!....He said: "No..."

 (Ugly Eddie a Paper Bag Covered Plushie Friend by SaintAngel)

       O_O (Talking to myself.)..."WOW!!...He really is outta his mind!! ^_^ Although wait a minute...you 'did' ask!...And if you couldn't take the truth, you shouldn't have asked!...Besides, there's worse things to have your husband say about you than 'you're not pretty!'...What am I saying?!...No there isn't!!! Grrr!"
      "Okay...so I'm not pretty! Big deal!! :-)) It's not like he's going anywhere! We've been married for over 30 years! Pretty or not he's stuck with my 'ugly' self now!! LOL"

     But while I was talking to myself, he was still deep in thought. In fact the whole conversation with myself only took about 30 seconds! :-) All of a sudden he started talking again...it was more like he was finishing his thought.
     He said: "No...I don't think of you as pretty. Pretty is not the right word.....Ummmm...I think of you as 'lovely'...But lovely is only what you look like...I think of you as 'beautiful from the inside out!"...

 (Lovely Rain Print by fashionfucsia)

       ;_; Yes...he made me cry...There I was being silly, and thinking that he and I would get into another one of 'THOSE' conversations. The conversations we usually get into that usually end up in us being silly!...and instead... I backed into a complement that I never saw coming! :-] I have to say...whether I'm talking to myself or not!...WOW! I was pleasantly surprised!
      Clearly, this was something that he had thought about before! I could tell that from the deepness of the rest of the conversation...which I will not be repeating. :-) ... So, here's the moral of my story: If you ask the question...be prepared to hear the worse, but if you hear the best....kiss your husband!!! ^_^ KISS YOUR HUSBAND!!!...That's what I said to myself...^_^...and then I did it!!!!

(Lovely Day - Ink, Watercolour & Collage Illustration Print by IllustrationsbyEmily)

      Have a good day, Everybody!! :-) I know I will, with my 'lovely' self!!!!

Reasons To Smile

I don't really need a reason,
to let out a great big grin;
But I do from time to time,
just to exercise my chin.

Sometimes I do it just to see
what reaction I will get,
in the places where I've gone,
and the people that I've met.

Sometimes it's just for me!
To amuse some silly thought;
Or to show just how excited
I have been at what I bought.

Sometimes a smile can change my mood,
when weather forecasts make me blue;
Or when I see a baby playing!
Oh yes! Oh Yes! I smile then too!

Truth is, I really don't need a reason.
Frowns just,frankly, aren't my style.
I could sit and write about it,
But even that would make me smile.

Unexpected Sadness...and Then A Smile

 (Friends 7x5 Illustration Print by majalin)

        Sometimes when the phone rings these days I get a little jolt of uneasiness. That's because I've been getting so much bad news lately. Friends going through chemo for cancer...going through stressful family issues...deaths.

       So when the phone rang yesterday, needless to say, I wasn't expecting good news! O_O But I wasn't expecting the news I got either!! :-( A girlfriend of mine...or should I say 'woman' friend, because we were real WOMEN together!...unexpectedly died!! :-( ...

 (15x22 Wrapped Watercolor Painting by AmandaNutzman)

     I won't get into the details, but suffice it to say...I was expecting to hear that any one of the other three friends of mine that I've been nervously waiting by the phone for to have died. Not her! :-( Actually, I didn't even know she was having a surgery! O_O That's how she was. Not wanting to worry anybody. :-(

     So, today I'm kinda sad. Remembering my dear, dear friend. Remembering wonderfully deep conversations with her...Remembering how she LOVED my cheddar-wurst and home fries with onions...Remembering how I had to teach her the 'correct' pronunciation of the word 'focus'. Her Spanish accent when she said it made us cringe and giggle every time!...until she found out what it sounded like...O_O...and forced herself to slow down and say it in slow motion every time after that! :-))

      I'm remembering how we talked endlessly about how crazy the world seems to be getting, and the beautiful future we both spiritually looked forward to when the whole earth was new again...

 (LUQUILLO BEACH in PUERTO RICO 16x20 Fine Art Photo by ElizabethThomasPhoto)

      I'm remembering how much I'm gonna miss those conversations, until I see her again. :-( ...

 ("Live to Tell" 50x56 Framed Oil Painting by KatherineFraser)

      *sigh*...Even tennis, crocheting, and music are gonna need a nap in between for a few days, while I get my 'sea legs' back under me again...

 (4 Kitten Cat Greeting Notecards/ Envelopes Set by ASLICEINTIME)

       Thankfully, because of other dear friends, I still have the ability to smile...

(1,000,000 Artists on Facebook)

      When I saw this illustration (above) it really made me smile! :-] I think the reason was partially because I have a wall hanging, photo, that it reminded me of!...

 

     See what I mean?! :-)) This was given to us by another dear friend many years ago....So, I'm remembering a lot of friends today. Some with sadness. But always also with smiles...because there were, and are, always smiles! :-]
      I'll try to be less sad tomorrow. See you then...Have a good day, Everybody.

 Reasons To Smile

I don't really need a reason,
to let out a great big grin;
But I do from time to time,
just to exercise my chin.

Sometimes I do it just to see
what reaction I will get,
in the places where I've gone,
and the people that I've met.

Sometimes it's just for me!
To amuse some silly thought;
Or to show just how excited
I have been at what I bought.

Sometimes a smile can change my mood,
when weather forecasts make me blue;
Or when I see a baby playing!
Oh yes! Oh Yes! I smile then too!

Truth is, I really don't need a reason.
Frowns just,frankly, aren't my style.
I could sit and write about it,
But even that would make me smile.

Coffee...Oranges...Banana Pudding...and Snow!

(8x10 Coffee Coffee Steamy Brown Print by artnewfaux)

        Ohhhh....coffee! I could sure use a cup this morning! I woke up with sleepy eyes, an ache in my body 'to beat the band', and this view (below) out my window...

      It snowed throughout the day yesterday. O_O Now the backyard has a blanket of the 'white stuff'. And it looks like we might have some ice on top of it this morning. I don't know for sure because...I'm not going anywhere near it!! LOL 

      Hubby will just have to tell me about it when he gets back. {He has to go out in it to get water for us this morning. (We drink bottled water...more for taste than anything. I don't like the creamy tasting water with the chlorine smell that we get through the pipes here at the house...except to cook with.)}

      Just looking at that snow makes me want a hot cup of coffee...and a vacation to sunny Hawaii! :-) I'm only gonna get one of those things today though...it's not 'virtual Friday' yet! ^_^

      I can get oranges though!...and you can too! Look!...

     It's a whole Orange treasury! :-) It was curated by Carla from KnitOneBead2...She included my latest necklace...

(Crochet Rose Shell Orange Yellow and Gold Flower Necklace from Wuglyees)

      Thanks, Carla! :-) ♥ 

     I also wanna share some oranges with you...oranges from the treasury I mean. :-) ...

 (Orange and Aqua Reversible Baby Booties by Molipop)

 (Fireball-Needle Felted Necklace by jessijewels)

 (Red heart Boutique Treasure Yarn from crochetgal)

(Orange Red Bikes Photograph by Raceytay)

      You can click on the above treasury to go over and see the rest of the orange shops if you like...Me?...I'm gonna move on to banana pudding! :-)

      Banana pudding, 'Wug'?!....Yes! Banana pudding! ^_^ My husband made some yesterday...between doing....Oops! I almost 'let the cat out of the bag'!! LOL I'll tell you all about what he's been doing tomorrow! ^_^ Right now I just wanna show you his banana pudding!...

      Have you ever had banana pudding?!...If so, you'll be able to see right away that hubby's banana pudding is not 'from scratch'. It's missing the bowl that shows you the layers of pudding, bananas, and vanilla wafers that normally go into a banana pudding. Well, honestly, it's missing the layers all together...and it's missing the real bananas too! LOL What can I say... 'From scratch' is up 'my' cooking alley, not his! ^_^ ...but even so...it was pretty good!! :-)

     He made it with a box vanilla pudding and a store-bought graham cracker crust! Look at him, being all creative!! ^_^ He's being creative in other ways too! :-) ...Tomorrow!...Tomorrow!...I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!! ^_^ ...Okay, that cup of coffee is calling me! ^_^ ... Before I go though, congratulations to crochetdyverse! :-) She was the only one to comment on my 1,000th blog post yesterday...and therefore the winner of my framed poem! :-) ... Just waiting for the shipping info and it'll be on it's way to you!! (I left you a comment about it on the comment you left yesterday.)

      Okay....talkie, talkie...OUT!! ^_^ Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Reasons To Smile

I don't really need a reason,
to let out a great big grin;
But I do from time to time,
just to exercise my chin.

Sometimes I do it just to see
what reaction I will get,
in the places where I've gone,
and the people that I've met.

Sometimes it's just for me!
To amuse some silly thought;
Or to show just how excited
I have been at what I bought.

Sometimes a smile can change my mood,
when weather forecasts make me blue;
Or when I see a baby playing!
Oh yes! Oh Yes! I smile then too!

Truth is, I really don't need a reason.
Frowns, just frankly, aren't my style.
I could sit and write about it,
But even that would make me smile.