I'm Tired!....But Before I Head Back To Bed.....!

(Covered, Sewn Print by tastesorangey)

         For those of you who get my blog in your 'Google Friend Connect' feed, I tried to give you a 'heads up' by using this header photo....I'M TIRED AND DRAGGING today. :-( Truth is...I've been tired and dragging for a few days now. All I wanna do is sleep!

      I'm having such a hard time motivating myself to 'get-the-lead-out'!...'move-it! move-it!'...or -get-a-move-on'!!! I hate to whine about it.....Okay, I usually like to whine about it. It gives me something to write about! ^_^ But I didn't wanna whine about it TODAY! What I wanted to do today is show you the next installment of things I received from my Giveaway win.....Okay, I'll still do that...since you twisted my arm! LOL

      It's a head-band! The tag says that it was hand-knitted with 100% hand-painted wool yarn by Donna Rose Derrer. I tried to find out if she had an Etsy shop, but I couldn't find it...if she has one...

       It's so well-made! And it has this gorgeous large handmade ceramic button on it too! She put a lot of work into this gift...and I'm very appreciative. :-] The tag also says that the yarn colors are called 'northern lights'...

        Greens, blues, purple, reds, browns and hints of gold. Soooo pretty! A sky full of these colors would be just breath-taking...And it's soooooo soft too! This will definitely be mine!! ^_^

      I also got a couple of things I can use in my crochet pocketbook making!...

       This one is sorta like a long pocket insert that you could use for compartments inside a purse!...I'm not sure if that was the intended purpose, but that's what I think I'm going to use it for. You know how much I hate doing pocketbook linings!! Any space that's covered...CHECK! :-))

       And who couldn't use a little extra place inside their purse to put their credit card, lipstick, change, gum, car keys, extra crochet thread......Okay, so maybe that last one is just 'me'! LOL

      Speaking of pocketbook linings though, this next gift is DEFINITELY gonna come in handy!...

      It looks like a pocketbook, but it's light-weight like a lining. Hmmm...I think that's exactly what I'll use it for!! ^_^

      I love it!! And why didn't I think of this before! If all I had to do was sew in an already made lining, I could have been in the crochet bag-making business long before now!! :-] Anyway!!...The bag comes from an Etsy shop called AStonesThrow. She has the cutest handmade and pleated bags!

      Wasn't this a great Giveaway box?! :-) And guess what?! THAT'S NOT ALL!!! I know! You can't believe it either! ^_^ There's one more post coming up tomorrow with the last of my items I won in it. Hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to show it to you. With all this exhaustion and dragging, I'm starting to think that maybe my body is trying to come down with something. :-(

      Wouldn't it just figure....as soon as hubby gets the 'all-clear'...I get sick!...*shaking my head*...Hubby had his check-up at the doctor yesterday, after being on a new cholesterol lowering drug for the last six months.....He had blood-work done last week in preparation for yesterday's visit, and after the doctor looked at the results he was amazed! 

       His cholesterol level, six months ago, was 183. As of yesterday...123!!! It dropped 60 points in only six months!! :-) Frankly, I was kinda amazed too! Especially since I've been prying pastries and fast-food from his white-knuckled fists for the last six months!! LOL He is so bad with the eating habits!...I mean, he gained 2 pounds, but his cholesterol dropped by 60 points!! It NEVER would work like that for me!! ^_^ *wheeze, wheeze...cough! cough!*

       Okay....that was a wee bit of an exaggeration. I'm not wheezing or coughing...yet! LOL The way I'm feeling though, I'm gonna have a serious 'whine'-fest going pretty soon!!! ^_^

      Before I move on and head back to my covers though, let me show you my 'secret' project that I was working on! ^_^....

       Okay...you caught me again! *Teehee* That was another wee bit of exaggeration...This is NOT my 'secret' project. This is what my secret project turned into!! LOL What it was going to be was a 'T.V. Remote Control caddy'! You know..the kind you hang over the arm of your favorite chair. The kind that will hold your T.V. remotes, pens, T.V. Guide puzzle books, and stuff like that!

       I was all into it! Then I kept having to take it apart because I kept getting the dimensions wrong...

        Then it didn't feel heavy enough. Then it wasn't colorful enough. Then it didn't look good....

        Then the 'tired' started to set in...Then it was pulled almost all apart, folded in half, some buttons was added, and WALLAH...a bracelet cuff!! ^_^

      "What are you looking at?!!" LOL...I still may work on the T.V. Remote control caddy another time. But right now....I'm tired! I'm not doing much of anything today...except sleep.

      The sweet lady that's coming to clean the house today can entertain me with the sound of the whirring vacuum cleaner! ^_^ 

      I did do something else with my brainless tired self...

        I crocheted a quick and 'Ugly' brooch hat...

       ..just because I liked the square button that was sitting there staring me in the face! :-)) Okay.....I really am tired...And this little guy sitting on the wall staring at me is not helping the situation one bit!!

        *Yawn*.....You can guess where I'm headed. I hope you all...*yawn*....have a good day!....*yawn* ......Zzzzzzzzzz!

Tired
 

Sapped, low,
weary, slow.

Dragging about,
plum tuckered out.

Fatigued, spent,
No power surge sent.

Depleted, drained,
almost empty-brained.

Pooped, sucked dry,
out of gas, can't try.

Exhausted, fried,
 done in, mopey-eyed.

Tired? There's no doubt!
'Cause I'm all petered out.

I'm As Happy As A Pig In Slop!

(Dancing Pig Wall Decal by WilsonGraphics)

       I'm getting old and I'm starting to scare myself! I find myself quoting my grandmother almost every day now! O_0 Do any of you do that?! Please say: "Yes!"...Anyway, the title of my post today was something my grandmother used to say all the time if anything good happened to her or someone she knew.

     When I got through opening my Giveaway gift package the other day, and I was sitting there on the bed with all of my goodies laying around me, that's what I said out loud: "I'm as happy as a pig in slop!!" ^_^

     After I got through explaining the expression to my Massachusetts born and bred husband...^_^...I put all of my things away and sat there with a silly grin on my face. And as I'm going through the pictures of it all to show you today, that's the same silly grin I have now! ^_^

    Speaking of pigs in slop though, before I show you the pretty jewelry I got, let me show you the ugly mess I made yesterday when I finally cut into one of the chocolate candy apples I got!!!...

       Is this sad or what?! I took the chocolate and nut apple out of the fridge and didn't know where to start to eat it!! ^_^ If I was a young kid, like I used to be!...and if I was running through the carnival Fair grounds holding a candy apple on a stick in my hands, like I've done a few times in my life!...I would have leaned my head sideways, took a huge bite out of it, and walked around chewing with a messy pig sloppy face! ^_^

       But I'm an old lady now! :-) So, I got out a plate to put it on, got a knife to cut it with, and tried to cut it slow enough so as not to have nuts flying all over the floor, and not slice the thumb off of my 'fool' hand!

       It took me a little bit longer than necessary because...*shaking my head*...I didn't cut it in the middle and the wooden skewer stopped me cold!! LOL I was sawing and sawing...and putting my glasses back on...and sawing and sawing....! Then it dawned on me that I probably should've gotten through the 'fool' apple by now!!...Oh boy! ^_^

       You haven't seen ugly...or pathetic...until you've seen an old lady with her glasses cocked sideways so she can only see out of one eye, a chocolate candy apple cut in pieces on a plate in front of her, and her eating it with a knife and fork, slurping the bits of nuts and chocolate off of the side in slow motion so that she doesn't get any of it on the floor where the dog or cat could get to it and die!...*shaking my head* What's even more pathetic is that I don't have a dog or a cat!! ^_^

   I am here to report though...with all ten fingers intact, and no dead animals laying around me!...that it was gooooooooood!!!...{Well worth me recommending you to take a  little 'look-see' around the shop of Nicole's Homemade Treats!}...Okay, on with the show! :-)

       This little colorful shiny box was also on top, in the back, of the pile when I opened my package...

        It was taped up so good that I had to use scissors to get into it! But 'get-into-it' I did!!...

      I got past the packaging...

       ...and found this beautiful ceramic green heart made by PotterybyJolene...

     Front and back...so cute! :-) I may make a crocheted brooch to put under it. You know me! :-) ...I went over to check out the rest of her shop too. I found this beauty there...

(White Crackle Raku Vase by PotterybyJolene)

      She has some other ceramic heart pins there too, if you're interested. :-)

      The next gift I opened was this...

        It came from an Etsy shop called dorana...

       Aren't they pretty?!! :-) I can't wait to wear these! This 'piggie' is gonna be looking 'puuuuuuurdy!' ^_^ 

       dorana has all kinds of other pretty jewelry too...like this Breakfast at Tiffany's Sterling SilverFlower Weave Cuff Bracelet...

         
    Last, but not least,...jewelry-wise...was this gorgeous necklace...

       I couldn't find the tag for the maker. Maybe I'll be able to tell you later. But isn't it gorgeous?!!

       I'm a sucker for a flower anyway!! :-)) But this one is so pretty! :-) ...No! You can't have mine! But I did a search on Etsy and I found one sorta like it. It may be by the same designer. If I find out I'll let you know who it is. :-) ......{UPDATE: I found out that the necklace is from thecuriouscupcake! YAY!!}

      So, I'm off to work on either a new scarf or a hat today. My little 'secret' project I was working on is all done. Since I have some other things to show you tomorrow from this Giveaway gift package, I'll show you my little project tomorrow too. :-) Suspense! Can you feel it?! LOL...Don't get that excited. ^_^

      As my grandmother would have said: 'That's all y'all!"...But as the cartoon  'Porky Pig' would have said: "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-That's all, folks!" ^_^ Have a good day! See you tomorrow!

     
In The Mirror, I See Me

The lines of history are there,
just like a book upon the shelf;
And they are written so that you see
that I'm no longer just myself.

I did not see it before now-
my mother's hair and brother's teeth,
my sister's honey-colored skin-
have stolen time, just like a thief.

The mirror's image always was
of me alone-just here and now;
But as I age, and years go by,
I see granddaddy's furrowed brow.

I see my auntie's pug, round nose;
and my uncle's sun-bleached spots.
It is amazing -one-by-one,
the way it all connects the dots.

They have written on the pages
of the book of life I see;
When I look into the mirror
I no longer just see me.

It is a thing I must accept,
instead of fighting who to be.
I will accept my life's reflection,
and I'll smile at what I see,
when, in the mirror, I see me.

Do I Talk Too Much?!...O_O

      (Customized Tree of Life Handmade Leather Journal by LeatherDruid)

      Do I talk too much?! ^_^ ....Okay...so maybe I already know I talk more than the average non-poetic person! But is it too much?! O_0 Just wondering because of something I heard someone say recently. Not about me. It was about themselves. But still...it got me to wondering!

       My life is an open book. Yep! Not many secrets here! LOL Wait!...I do have a few. But only a few!...Mostly I feel like 'What's the big mystery?' We're all so much alike...no matter where we live or how much money we have...or don't have!...that it's kinda scary anyway!!

      Maybe it's my upbringing. I'm from Georgia (U.S.), and southerners are notorious for telling you all kinds of things about themselves that you probably don't want to know! LOL They'll talk you to death!! ^_^

    Have you ever tried to quietly shop in a small convenience store in the south?!...MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!! ^_^ Georgians will ask you so many questions that they'll have you wondering: 'Why did she ask me that?!'...And later, 'Why did I tell her all of that?' ^_^

        Well, if you're me, an 'open book' kinda girl...and a Massachusetts resident transplanted from Georgia (I've found that Massachusians are notoriously quiet about themselves O_0)...you find keeping your life a mystery almost as hard as trying not to yawn if you see somebody else do it!!

      But, on the good side, if you're used to writing down every syllable of thought you ever have, then it makes for some good conversation and sharing, and a peaceful stress-free empty head!...Wait! What am I saying?! LOL What I mean is that nothing stays with me too long. I say what I need to say and.....move on! ^_^

         I was thinking about that when I saw this beautiful...and I mean BEAUTIFUL...writing journal (above)!! What a beautiful place to write down every random thought you ever have, huh?! :-) ...I hadn't intended to show this to you today. I had intended to show you some more things from the package I received over the weekend!...I still will, but once I spotted this, it HAD to be first!!

            Isn't it exquisite?! :-]

         I could do a lot of talking in a book like this! :-) 

      The etsy shop owner has great feedback in his shop about his work, and he makes other beautiful things too. Look at this eyeglass case!!...

         Oh! Beautiful!....Now you see what I mean about me and talking. *Teehee* I write as I think, and I think about all kinds of things....randomly!...Maybe I do talk too much! O_O 

      But then again, if I hadn't talked about this...would you have found it on your own?!...So my talking is...as my grandmother used to say...'six of one, half a dozen of the other' or 'Come-see, Come-saw'! LOL In other words...WHATEVER!! ^_^

      Okay....on to my package!!...You probably saw yesterday that in the top of the box I received was these little fishes swimming around on something! :-)

      I think it's a bath set. It appears to be two flannel-like washcloths and a little towel! :-)

         Can you tell I don't have any kids?! *Teehee* I'm not exactly sure that's what it is!!! *shaking my head*...And I'm not exactly sure what shop it came from either. It wasn't directly labeled. It was just in the box. (Unless in my haste to open everything I lost it off of it! O_O If so, I'm sorry. Whoever made it...please let me know and I'll credit you. Thank you!)

     I can tell you one thing...it's soooooo soft! I may have to give it to someone with kids. It would be a shame to let all of those soft colorful fishies go unappreciated! :-)

       Okay....next in the box was this cute little pin...

          It's small enough to put in the middle of a fun crochet brooch of mine. We'll see!...I also got some larger pins too...

      I didn't wanna look at the fronts again. SCARY!!!! LOL But very well made. Thank you scary pin making person! ^_^

       And last for today...

         ...It's a medium size handmade flannel hat! :-)

         Again....sooooo soft! And something I'm going to have to....unfortunately....give away. It's for a 19 inch head. Mine is definitely a 22 inch head....DEFINITELY!! LOL {It's all the words that are tucked inside there! LOL}

        I was trying to show you how soft it is. Can you see it in this picture?!...I'm so appreciative! But I really may need to share some of these with some of you!! :-)

      But this is nowhere near all of the things that were in the box!! Tomorrow...the jewelry I got!! :-) ...Until then...wanna go shopping with me? In a Georgia convenience store perhaps?! I'd love to find out some more about you?! ^_^

Mind-Less Talk

Lack of communication
is like a fall without the 'Splat',
like a brim without a hat,
and like a 'This' without a 'That'.

Without two minds that think as one
there is a start, but there's  no end,
there is a tear, but there's  no mend.
There is a foe, but there's  no friend.

When there's  no mental harmony
its like a sunset where there's  no night,
its like a bark where there's  no bite,
its like a wrong where there's  no right.

Without communication
its like a coat put on in June,
and a song sung out of tune;
A band-aid on a bullet wound.

And if you get it right
its like a talking symphony.
Its like the bumble , with the bee.
Its like no 'You', but always 'We',
because your heart they truly see.

{I've shared this poem before, but it seemed really appropriate today! :-) Okay...don't forget to enter the Giveaway! Details when you click the picture on the right hand sidebar.}

Fall Apples To 'Refrigerate Upon Arrival'!

      Hello! I hope you're all having a quiet Sunday like me and hubby are. Fall is my favorite season. :-) Oh! Have I said that before?!....Sorry. *Teehee* The header photo was a shot hubby took from the back door yesterday evening...Ahhhhhhhh!...Before I tell you about the BIG package I got in the mail yesterday, let me show you a couple of the other photos hubby took...

       He didn't even actually go outside to take this one. He took it right through the screen. He thought it was so pretty out there that the screen wouldn't matter! ^_^ What do you think?!
        And he didn't want to be the only one enjoying it....so he stuck Tina out there! LOL

       Poor headless Tina. Nobody pays her any attention until they wanna entertain themselves! ^_^ ...She looks chilly, doesn't she?! ^_^
      Okay....enough fooling around! I really wanna show you the package I got!!!...*jumping up and down!* :-)

      Oh Yeah! It's BIG! ...I got it from Nicole's Homemade Treats blog! I won second place in a blog Giveaway she had! :-) And I'm telling you right now...if this was 2nd prize I can't imagine what the first prize box looked like!!!!
        There were so many goodies in this box!!

         The prize: 'Goodies from 5 different Etsy shops and a small caramel & chocolate apple with your choice of topping from her shop.'...The truth is though.....there was waaaay more than that in there!!! :-)
       It's gonna take me a few days to show you all of it! For today I thought I'd just share with you what was in the two "REFRIGERATE UPON ARRIVAL" bundles. 

     Oooooo! Anybody that hasn't eaten their breakfast yet is gonna hate me! ^_^

         Sorry! ^_^ It's a chocolate and nut covered candy apple!!!! :-) YUM!!!! And I'm not saying yum because I ate it either. I actually haven't touched it yet! It's gonna be for a little bit later, after I get some food in my stomach!
      I'm gonna have to find a friend to share some of it with me though, because hubby can't have chocolate. Anybody interested?!! ^_^
       But wait! Remember how the prize list said there was " a small caramel & chocolate apple with your choice of topping"?!...Well, that wasn't all that came!! I also got this!!!...

       Oh Boy! Oh Boy! White chocolate and caramel is on this one too!! :-] ...Thank you Nicole!!!! Thanks to you, somebody is gonna have a big smile later today....and probably a toothache the size of Texas! :-))
      All of my goodies are inspiring me to get me some delicious hearty Sunday morning breakfast, a cup of hot coffee, and a quiet place to eat my apple and write! :-) Now you know what my morning is gonna look like!...What about yours?! :-]

(Ceramic Mug by JillsTreasureChest)

 Living Are The Words

All Poets through the ages,
from Poe to Maya Angelou,
have known the power of a word
and what the written word can do.

Words, alone, or in a sentence,
camouflaged or on their face,
are living breathing things,
occupying time and space.

Left within the mind
no one can hear them swear and curse.
When you release them by your speech,
their jab can go from bad to worse.

A complement is like the carving
of a golden apple's peel.
Falling gently on the hearer,
making shiny words a meal.

Cutting words are like a dagger
seeking out the mind and heart.
of the innocent and sure.
Pulling confidence apart.

Living breathing, in and out,
causing havoc every day.
You could be their vehicle.
So, be careful what you say.

Let good words inhabit spaces,
(which inevitably they do.)
And in receiving minds and hearts?
Let them flourish in there too!


Oh Yeah!...Don't forget to check out the Giveaway too!---------->