Isn't this a beautiful all blue fine art print by Lori411? (You can click on any of the photos in today's post to check out details of the item) If you've been following my blog the last few days, you're probably thinking that I'm all about blue because of my car situation. Blue because we've now spent a ridiculous amount of money to get it fixed...and it's STILL not fixed! Blue because hubby has to find another way to get to work tomorrow, it seems. (unless something miraculous happens between now and tonight)...But Nooooo! We're dealing with it. At this point dealing with repairmen and car parts places is almost laughable! So, WHATEVER! ^_^
I could find other things to be blue about though, if I wanted to. Like for instance that my sister, while I was trying to have a "fix everything" conversation with her on the phone, has hung up on me two times now...with a curt "bye!" WOW!
Or that our clothes had to be taken to the Laundromat yesterday......something we haven't had to do for more than 30 years now! (except for an occasional over-sized bed comforter) ... What happened?! Well, the dryer decided it was not in the mood to 'play nice' yesterday. It no longer wants to heat up that much! (I can sympathize Mr. Dryer! I don't either!!) So the clothes were going around and around....and around. But they weren't drying!...UGH! Apparently clothes and cars have decided that our house is NOT worth the energy they have been putting into us! LOL
I feel like all I've been doing lately is complaining!! UGH! Sorry guys! But unfortunately, when I write about things here on my blog, I write about what's going on with me. I don't do it to get sympathy. I do it because writing is sort of like therapy for me. And once it's out of my head, and down on paper...I feel better!....Ahhhhhh! Feeling better already! :-)
So let me share something else "blue" with you. But this time "Blue" is good!....Very very good! :-)
This beautiful blue gourd with the sunflower on it is from the Etsy shop SharonsCustomArtwork. I absolutely love it! I wish it had a nest in it, and the holes were big enough, for the robins that have returned to my backyard! (I was going to try to get some photos, but they were too fast! ^_^ Maybe later this week.) And she has all kinds of beautiful hand-painted gourds too! Ones with butterflies, goldfinches, baby bluebirds, hummingbirds in flight, etc...Click to her shop and see for yourself!
Finally, I guess Spring has decided to arrive in the backyard!...I won't get too excited though. Snow is always lurking somewhere trying to spoil my mood....Talk about blue! :-)) ...So I'll wait until the weather is more steady before I start doing cartwheels (figuratively, of course. I'm too old to start flipping myself upside down on purpose! LOL)
Too bad I don't have some of these blue jean overalls (from youngteam1981)in my size to do some planting in! I think now would be the time!! :-)
I love sharing my blue with you! ^_^ It's making me not so "blue", emotionally speaking. But the real reason all this blue is on my mind is because I've been crocheting blue.....blue crochet flower brooches!
I've been playing around with Picassa to see which way is best to photograph them for the shop. Which one of the two shots of this blue and white brooch above do you like best?!
I did an all blue one too, with the same button though.
I;m also trying to decide whether to sell these two together or separately. Can you help me out?! What do you think?!
I know.....I'm asking for a lot of interaction today. :-)) I would appreciate it though....seriously!
Okay, one last reminder, and a poem, and I'm done for today. The reminder is that it's only two more days before the hat giveaway!
So please click the "Follow" button and leave a comment below if you want to be entered to win it! Enjoy the rest of the weekend everybody!!...And make sure you do tune ups on your cars and check your dryers to make sure their heating up properly.....just saying!! ^_^
BalanceYou teeter totter, in the middle,Lean a little, OOPS! You're off!Now you know that you're not balanced,and you hope the ground is soft.It's not easy to achieve,and once you have it, to maintain.In almost every part of lifeour balance is so hard to gain.You have to balance your emotions,how you eat, and how you spend.And when you're balancing your checkbook,try to keep a level grin.Staying somewhere in the middletakes a conscious, careful touch,because it doesn't take a lotto go from balanced to 'too much'!So try to keep a balanced eye, a balanced plate, and balanced life.Keep your feelings all in check,and minimize the stress and strife.And don't compare your sense of balance to your neighbor's...you're alone.Because your neighbor's also tryingto get some balance of his own!
YAY! Finally! The weekend is here!!...No, there are no sandy beaches in my plans today, but I sure could use one! It's been a rough week...emotionally more so than anything else.
Just as an update, the car is being worked on right now. It ended up not only needing a distributor, but also a water pump! So, it's costed us close to $1,000 all in all...so far!! What a frustrating ordeal this has been. From my hubby being stranded on the highway, to a car repair place trying to 'Jack Us' (a slang meaning to hijack, rob us) for waaaaay more than we needed to pay, to having the car towed two different times (for $100 both times), to another repair person finding another issue with the car, to having to wait for a part to be ordered for the car...and then having to pick it up at a time when it totally interrupts all of our other plans for the weekend, to having to pay $212.00 for a distributor, $70.00 for a water pump, and $475.00 for labor!!!...Oh yeah, and a thermostat and some other odds and ends!!...UGH!
What can I say.....I'm thankful for things that put me in a good mood...like snow-less backyards, and internet antique hunting, and music, and movies, and good friends, and flowers!!!!
Not ones like this gorgeous orange flower...although who wouldn't be put in a good mood looking at those kind of flowers?! :-)...but I'm talking about...of course...crocheted flowers!! I've been crocheting 'to beat the band'!! {what's with me and the slang today?! LOL} I made this little purple back-less one...
...and this little brown and black back-less one.
But the one I had the most fun making....and that took the most time making....was this sky blue baby scrapbooking brooch!
If you look close you'll see that the center button has a "B" for "Boy"! This is a button I've had for a long time and didn't know what to do with it. It seems so perfect for this brooch!....I even put my special backing on it, and some loops, so that if someone wants to attach it to something...or someone...*Teehee*....it can easily be done.
It could probably even be hung on a mobile over a baby's crib...or put in a frame for the wall! {I got that idea when I saw what Carrie, over on the blog Making Lemonade, did with some spoons and frames! You have to see how nice they came out. Click HERE to see the post.}
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day. I'm going to go and try to enjoy the sunshine that's in my backyard this morning. The grass even looks dry! I'll show you some pictures of it, and my antique hunt object tomorrow...hopefully! :-)
I'll leave you with a short poem I wrote quite a while ago for a pregnant friend who was lamenting the fact that she was walking so differently now that she was late into her pregnancy...She had a beautiful baby boy! :-)
Baby Waddle
So, you don't have a strut
like a skinny runway model.
Walk proudly as you stroll,
with your 'Hippy' baby waddle!
Pretty soon it will be over,
and you'll walk your baby's bottle
back and forth all through the night;
And who will notice if you waddle?-
With your smiling babe to coddle.
Phew! Don't you love it when your brain totally evacuates the premises and leaves you all alone trying to navigate complex problems and fried emotions?! Ha! Ha! I know....it sounds all dramatic!...Well, it was!! And I'm going to spare you the details...STOP Clapping!! LOL
The day wasn't a total dud...although I could argue that point to myself if I had another brain! ^_^ I know one thing for sure...if I don't have another day like yesterday for a while, it'll be just fine with me!
And I have to apologize to Alittlesprite, who sent me the crochet YoYo bag pattern. I made the mistake, on yesterday's post, of attributing my wonderful gift to Blooming Lovely!! How rude of me! :-( I want you to know that it was not intentional. I just happen to have two super blogger pals from Australia, and I got the names and the circumstances mixed up. {Some people have bad hair days....I have bad brain days! LOL} So please forgive me.
Part of the reason I was so scrambled yesterday had to do with the saga that is my car situation right now. The repairman said it was the distributor and would cost about $700.00 to fix. Hubby and I agonized about whether our old jalopy was worth throwing that much money into. When we finally agreed that we would...to give ourselves time to look for another car, the car repairman called back and said: 'Uh...we made a mistake. The part we thought would be this much, is actually this much!! So now it'll be $200.00 more to fix it!'.....Yeah, right! We've played this game before! Grrrr!
I'll tell you what we're doing tomorrow....In the scheme of things, my scrambled brain and frustrating car problems are nothing in comparison to this mornings news about Japan. Apparently they are now saying that there's a "Grave and Serious" breach of one of the nuclear reactor cores...*smh* So sad! Three raging meltdowns in progress?!...WOW!
Time to stop watching the news for a little while, and find something to smile about!...Thank you Berna of custombybernolli!! She included my Turquoise Green Birds on a Wire Necklace...
...in her new Treasury entitled NY Fashion Week!
So many cute things in there! Please check it out.
And something else to smile about?...My back-less flower supplies I've been feverishly making!
I also made a new brooch...
It has one of my special backs on it, and it has a vintage and rare button too!
It was good to have moments of quiet so that I could focus my brain on something besides confusion and frustration!! Have you ever had days when you wished you had an extra brain?!
I only have one brain
There've been times when I felt that I needed
an extra brain to remember some stuff.
An extra noggin to handle the chaos,
when my life and my schedule got tough.
A much bigger cranium for non-essentials;
Somewhere to go when my brain wants to bail.
An extra universe inside my skull space,
where I could place all my 'Mental Junk Mail'.
But, knowing my thinking, there's no use
having two places for my mind to stretch.
Two places to toss around ideas.
Just more balls of ideas I can't catch!
My one brain is an occupied scramble.
A pink-celled, forgetful and frustrated mess!
Do I need another brain somewhere,
holding problems that I must address?
No, I have enough things to focus on.
Things so confusing and numerous to do.
So it's a good thing I only have one brain!
What in the world would I ever do with two!
'Right off the bat' today, I need to thank Briskmamma for the wonderful honor of being thought of for a Stylish Blogger Award! It's nice to have someone say that they like what you do. :-) And even though I'm a 'Baby Blogger', not even having my blog a year yet, I do kinda like someone feeding me a little 'encouragement pablum' every once in a while! LOL {Do people even use the word "pablum" anymore?...It's baby food, for those who aren't old, like me! LOL}
The rules for accepting this award are:
1.) Give thanks to the person who gave you the award, and link back to them
2.) Mention 7 facts about yourself
3.) Pass it on
Okay, so here goes!...I'm going to move right on to rule number 2 though, since rule number 1 was done in my opening paragraph...Hmmmm.....7 facts about myself that you don't know?!...I talk about myself so much that it's going to have to send a real power surge to my brain today to think up things you don't already know! ^_^ {If any of you were here a while ago, you know I already received this wonderful award and told you some things about myself before.}
Okay.... (1.) I went to a High School where, in my first year (10th grade), I had an orientation schedule of several different career related professions...6 weeks of each, {alternating every other week with the regular school requirements of English, math, science, and social studies, etc}......This was done so that we could choose which profession we would focus on for the last 2 years of High School...It was wonderful! I learned so much! And now I know how to do so many different things!!
I had six weeks each of Waitressing (we had to serve a meal to the staff at the end of that course!); 6 weeks of Cosmetology (had to learn to manicure and pedicure, among other things); 6 weeks of art (made paper machete items and clay molds mostly); 6 weeks of Nursing (We each had to be a patient, as well as a care-giver during the course. Learned a WHOLE LOT in this course!); 6 weeks of Catering (didn't like that at all, but it came in handy with a temporary job I had years later); and 6 weeks of sewing (made a blue jean pant suit for myself, with puffy sleeves on the jacket.....it was the 70s people! LOL) Did any of you have schooling like this?!
(2.) I do not like to wear anything encumbering on my body when I'm at home. Not even my wedding ring...unless we have company coming over! This may be too much information, but any of my TRUE friends will tell you...I don't wear bras, shoes, or anything tight fitting when I'm at home. This is surprising probably to anyone that sees me out anywhere, because I love dressing up, wearing all kinds of colorful jewelry, wearing different shoes, carrying different bags, getting my nails and hair done, wearing make-up, etc.!...What can I say?! In my mind, there's a time and a place for 'encumberment'...and it ain't in my house!! LOL So call before you come over!! ^_^
(3.) I don't like to sell myself!! I like to do what I do, and if you like it....you buy it! If not....don't!...This has been the hardest thing about owning an Etsy shop (Wuglyees). I have to promote myself everywhere just to get my shop seen. It feels so fake to me sometimes! "Look at my 'THIS'!"..."Oooo! Have you seen my 'THAT'!" Yes! I know I have to do it...But I don't have to like it...and I don't!!! LOL
(4.) When I see trailers for upcoming movies I write the name of them down on a piece of paper. Then I wait to hear things about them on T.V., or by friends who've seen them, and then I use that to let me know if a movie is worth watching!...Some movies that I have written down on my paper had a trailer that was interesting, but I never saw the movie even mentioned anywhere again!!
(5.) While I buy things for my shop all the time, I haven't bought any kind of clothing in over 3 years!! Mainly because I have always spent my money on good classic type pieces that go with other things. As I bought new pieces they would always be filling in a color or material that I don't already have. So there's been no NEED to buy anything new! Although people were always saying to me: "Ooooo! Is that new?!" I just wore things differently together and they never noticed usually. {I do have some colorful stand out pieces though!}
(6.) Because I never knew who my biological father was for many, many years...I secretly believed it was Elvis Presley...STOP LAUGHING!!! LOL {Hey! He had dark hair, I had dark hair; He loved music,....so did I; He had Native American heritage,...ME TOO!!...I could go on with the similarities, but why?! You're probably just laughing at me now!! ^_^
(7.) I am slowly, but surely, turning into a 'Chia Pet'!! LOL I am growing hair in places that people....women....should not be growing hair!! F.Y.I.....menopause, I will say it again, is not for sissies!!
The last rule says to pass it on. So I'm passing this Award on to 3 wonderful new Bloggers I think deserve it: 1.) Pikes Peak Pillow Company 2.) Robbing the Bees and 3.) Skywriting
Okay, now that I'm sweating, and may need to turn the fan on 'HIGH', (yes! It's already on....It's always on!!! LOL) I need to move on to something less......sweat-inducing! ^_^ And of course it has something to do with crocheting!! :-)
Shannon, of the blog Alittlesprite, sent me the pattern for her crocheted YoYo Bag all the way from Australia!! {Apologies to everyone who read this blog earlier, including Blooming Lovely, and saw that I, in my lame brained way, gave credit to the wrong person for sending me the pattern......Arghhhhhhh! I AM SO SORRY!!!}
Isn't it gorgeous?!...I was intrigued when I saw her blog posts about her YoYo bag. I immediately thought of this kind of YoYo...
...I couldn't figure out for the life of me how she was crocheting YoYos into a bag!!! LOL Then I saw the finished bag and realized that YoYo probably had to do with the circles it was made out of! ^_^ Hey! I'm OLD!! Everything has double meanings nowadays!! LOL Anyway....I can't wait to make it in all those pretty colors!
As a quick update, the car still hasn't been looked at by the mechanic yet. As of last night it was still sitting in the garage. Apparently they only had one mechanic on duty yesterday and couldn't get to it....And I haven't started my book yet either. I was too frustrated to even think about focusing on a book yesterday, but maybe today!! :-)
Okay, poem......and DONE!! Have a good day everybody!!
I Used To Be Able
I used to be able to walk
without giving thought to every step.
I used to be able to exercise
with no hesitation, or lack of pep.
I used to be able to study for hours,
and my thoughts were as clear as a bell.
I could see so clearly what to underline.
(Now-if I do, I can`t tell!)
I used to be able to just jump out of bed,
with my movements preceding my brain;
But now there is first, lots of thought,
then a cane-preceded by pain!
I used to be able to sleep through the night,
without flipping from left to right;
But now I wake up as `Hot as can be`,
and sweating like I`ve been in a fight.
I used to be able to eat what I wanted,
and my body would just burn it off;
But now, not only does it sit where it lands,
but I get indigestion and cough!
I used to be able to paint my own toes;
and stand in the shower to wash my hair;
But now I depend on people that I pay
to pretty me up-and to care.
I used to be able to dance `heel-to-toe`;
and take deep breaths to sing.
As you can see from this poem, things have changed;
Now I hum and dance, stumbling.
Its really okay that I`m not quite the same;
It just means that I`ve been `round the bend.`
I`ve matured and grown up and got settled with it,
`cause one day I`ll do it all again.
You're probably wondering what the car reference is in my title. I'll tell you in a minute...UGH!....but first I need to show you my free gift! Or should I say free gifts! They came in the mail last night. And where I thought one free gift was good, trust me, two free gifts are better! ^_^
Remember the earrings I won about a week and a half ago on planettreasures blog?! Well, they're hereeeeeee!
Please forgive my bad photos. The light was really bad in the house last night, but I just had to show them! I love my new Peruvian Opal earrings!! I'd never seen or heard of Peruvian Opals before. I googled them so I could become more knowledgeable...I like learning new stuff! :-)) ... and little did I know, but apparently Peruvian Opals are the new gem!...Have you seen or heard of them?!
I love the natural shape of them, and the fact that I don't have any like them....because you know I have a ton of earrings, right?! LOL {I should do a blog post on them....or two...or three blog posts! ^_^}
And if these weren't good enough, she sent me another pair too!! I didn't know that it was another pair of earrings though, until I opened the other little package...
...and got a big smile on my face when these came out, in all their colorful, flower-ful glory!! :-]
Aren't they beautiful?! :-) I came online this morning, all prepared to just talk to you and show you my earrings....and as I was editing the photos the phone rang.... O_0 It was my hubby!
He was sitting on the side of the road. The car completely shut down on him!!...GREAT!!! We just got rid of the 'ghetto-mobile' a little while ago, and now our only remaining car wants to 'act up' too!...He called to get a ride to work, and then...
...had to call the towing company to come and tow the car to the car repair shop...*sigh* {The Tow Truck Wall Print above is from an Etsy shop called SweetpeaKidPrints} Something tells me that "there goes our nice tax refund!"
I have no idea how he's getting home today...but I'm sure there's going to be a conversation about buying a new car soon! He's about had it with our 'Piece of cars' as he calls them. LOL Considering....I might not argue about a new car at this point...*smh*
In other news, the backyard is almost clear of snow again!!! It's like a bad Roller Coaster ride!! Snow one day....No snow the next....Tons of snow the next day.....then the sun comes out and now? Hardly no snow!....But we're due to get a 'Spring-time Snow Storm' starting today!!...I feel like quoting Bette Davis: "Fasten your seatbelts...It's going to be a bumpy night!"
On a good note.....finally, right?! ^_^ ...me and my girlfriend were having a conversation about books to read. We have lots to read anyway, but we wanted something else to sink our brain into too. Something light. I told her about how much I enjoyed the book I recently read, "The Help". That's the one she's going to read now, I think. I told her that I always wanted to read "To Kill A Mockingbird".
So she got it for me!! :-) So you'll be hearing me talk about it soon......that's your warning! LOL I've seen the movie too many times to count, but everybody always says "You should read the book!" So now I will!! :-) I hope it doesn't disappoint....because I LOVE the movie! I hate it when movies don't live up to books. This could be a bad case of the reverse!...Anyway, I'm excited to get started on it sometime this week. Maybe I'll start it this afternoon....when the 'Spring-time Snow Storm' starts....UGH! Have you read it?!
Read a Good Book?!
Have you read any good books lately?
Have you quietly sat all alone
and thumbed through the word-filled pages,
of a story your mind made it's own?
Have you drifted away to a place
where you almost could smell the sea?
Where you found yourself so out of sorts
that you didn't quite know who to be?
Has a character brought you to tears;
Made you think of a time long since gone?
Have you been so enthralled with a writer
that their every word said formed a bond?
Have you learned new things for your future;
Remembered some things from your past;
because of great words put on paper
that made all the memories last?
Have you been so excited to finish
that you restrained the desire to look?
Have you told all your friends about it?
Well, it sounds like you've read a good book!
YES IT DID!!!...AGAIN! Snow I mean...*smh*...Pictures like these make snow look so inviting, so serene and majestic....
......so....
....Arghhhhh!....Are those sharks circling?!...Okay, so it's not THAT bad.....yet! LOL But it's bad enough! And I just heard on the morning news that we may have piles more of it coming in our direction!!!....What happened to Spring?! O_0
If you saw the photos on my blog yesterday you know that my backyard was almost completely clear of snow....But the above photo, and the next few, are what it looks like now!!
You thought I was all done with winter photos, didn't you?!!...So did I!!!...*smh*...Oh Well...*sigh*...
So, I've got to find something to keep me busy so I don't look out the window. I guess I'll make some more flowers for my "Crochet Supplies" section of my Wuglyees shop! Yes...Yes I did list some already!!! :-))
I know they're only crocheted flowers.....but I had to do something! I couldn't believe it was snowing again!! And it snowed all day too!!...But Yes!...Oh YES IT DID!!! UGH! ... WHATEVER!!! I refuse to let snow or the news completely ruin my day.....even though....*deep sigh*....it's sure giving it a good try!
Do You Ever...
Do you ever watch the news...
then you find you get the blues...
or have it really light your fuse?!
Do you try to turn away...
try not to let it ruin your day...
and then it does anyway?
Did you see the earthquake come...
Where the planes were coming from...
Or is it all now just 'Hum Drum'?
Did you say: 'Doesn't bother me!'...
'No! I really didn't see!'...
'Oh! That surely couldn't be!'?!
Do you ever want to cry...
Roll up your sleeves and give a try...
make all the children never die?!
It's hard to sometimes see the good
with all the damaged neighborhoods...
See things the way you know you should.
The T.V. news won't fill the bill...
Doesn't give our hope the needed thrill.
But God...I know he can. And will!
