Okay...So Here's What Happened.......

(Clock Work Red Necklace by yazdi)

       Another cog in the 'work' wheel gear has grinded to a halt...It sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?! :-)) To put it simply...hubby is out of a job...at least for a few days. Probably more...And while I should be terribly sad about it. I'm strangely relieved!

      What happened was...hubby has been working ridiculously long hours at work. I'm talking 14, 15, or more hours a day! It's been really taking a toll on him. Especially because he's also my main care-giver, with all of my health issues...He's been tired. Really....EXHAUSTED! And not getting the proper amount of sleep.

      As some of you know, he's been a 'snack cake man' for quite a while. It's been all over the news about the work issues his company has been going through...and he's been on the inside...so to speak...feeling the pinch!...Well, yesterday 'Pinch' came to 'push' because of an incident that happened with hubby's truck.

     He forgot to put the emergency brake on his truck while he was at a stop, and it rolled into one of the store employee's cars! O_0 Nothing on the car was damaged, and she...in effect...waved him off and said everything was fine. So hubby left...Problem is that 'company policy' is that no matter whether there's damage or not, you're suppose to get info, take pictures, etc...before leaving a situation like that. Hubby, because there was no damage to her car, and because she waved him off anyway,...not to mention that he was in a hurry to get his work-load done in a reasonable hour for the day,....didn't do that. :-(

     So...hubby was suspended until he meets with his job representative. He tried to call him all day yesterday, but frankly...the rep has been in deep negotiations with his company anyway...Union stuff going on!...so who knows how long this suspension is gonna be! And even after the meeting...he may be out of a job just because of the way things are looking with the company...Sooooo...anybody wanna meet my hubby at some craft shows and say hi?! ^_^

     That may be the next step for us. And it may actually be an answer to some prayers, because the job has been a HUGE stress on him for quite a while. It's tough to walk away from something you're good at...and frankly, something you love to do...even when you can see it's not the best thing for you!...But when you get pushed out....Well, that's another story! LOL

      Anyway....in anticipation of the fact that we're gonna need to make some money somehow, I'm in 'crochet mama' mode! Hubby may need supplies for a craft booth somewhere or something! ^_^ So yesterday I started a 'few' men's boutonnieres...

       Yellow...pink...brown...and blue!

        All of the pretty colors were just calling my name!...They're kinda persistent too, because after I finished with these...Well, not finished exactly!...^_^...They still need backs and buttons and stuff sewn in...But first I had to make some other colors that were hollering: "POETESSWUGGGGGGGG!!!" LOL

      Some purple shades...

         Some orangy shades...

       

       And a beige colored one too!...

      Now, today, I've got to pick just the right buttons for them and put some finishing touches on them...including some backs!...

        Hey! Somebody's gotta be working around here!! LOL...On the 'for real, for real'...as they say in the south...I might sound kinda flippant about the whole job thing. I'm not. It's just that this isn't the first time we've been in this situation, and every...time...our God has pulled us through. I'm secure in the knowledge that if this job wasn't good for us, God will help us find something that is!...Experience has proved this true EVERY TIME!

      So we're gonna do all we can to keep our oars in the water...so to speak...and keep our eyes and ears open to whatever is next. And in the meantime we're gonna try to enjoy the unexpected 'virtual date night'...well...'virtual date DAYS'...lalapalooza that has dropped into our laps!! ^_^

 (Typography Art Print by PlayOnWordsArt)

          Okay....gotta go now. SOMEBODY is gonna be making me some breakfast in bed!!...By the way, don't forget the book of poetry Giveaway!...(see the right hand sidebar.)...AND we're only one follower away from the afghan blanket Giveaway now too!! :-) Have a good day everybody!

Fishing-Life

This world is like a pond in which
you can't help but get wet.
We are like the fish snatched up
into the fisher's net.

The pond-it represents all of
our jobs and bills and debt,
that we swim in every day,
chasing the bait that's hard to get.

The world throws out a line
that we follow to the top;
Then we're pulled away from safety,
and on land we flip and flop.

Even if we get away,
we're now wounded, dry and tired,
`cause we've jumped out of the frying pan,
and now we're in the fire!

I Don't Want To Talk About It Today!!

(Fossilized Seaside Glass-Drop Head Pins by HavanaBeads)

      Hello!!!...That's a little welcome to any new followers to the blog. Welcome to the backyard!! :-) And YAY! for you, you're actually here on one of those rare days when I don't feel like talking. :-)) 

     We had an incident happen here yesterday...*sigh*...Depending on how it turns out, I'll probably talk about it tomorrow. I don't even wanna THINK about recounting it right now...*shaking my head*...Instead I'm just gonna quickly show you some things I really love. Some things I ran into in my etsy searches lately...including those gorgeous pins in the header photo that look almost good enough to eat!....But don't! LOL

     (Vintage Clamper Bracelet by ohmymilky)

        And this bracelet?! Pretty, right?!...Wouldn't it be pretty on a bride?!...I think so. And NO! I'm not getting re-married! LOL Although we do have a big anniversary coming up! :-)

 ("Will You Be My Bridesmaid" card by anistadesigns)

           BUT, if I was getting re-married...which I'm NOT!...I'd love to have a card like this to officially ask my bridesmaid to stand by my side in the lead up to my special day! :-) I love this card because...first off...it's very pretty! And second, because it's the kind of card you never see!

         There's plenty of "Get Well", "Thank You", and "You're Invited" cards out there, but when you need a special card for something, it's almost impossible to find them! "Will you be my bridesmaid" being one of them! So it's kinda nice that she made a card like that....Other cards I'd love to see in the stores are: "Sorry your car died", ..."Thank you for dog-sitting for us",..."I hope you're doing better after your financial loss",...and "Congratulations on your 50 pound weight loss"!...You NEVER find cards like that in the Hallmark store!! ^_^

        

(Decoupaged Wooden Photo Frame by LyubovPolyakova)

      I thought this frame was soooo pretty. It kinda reminded me of Spring! :-) And it's the kinda gift that you can give to just about anybody!...Brides, graduating students, people moving into their new home, someone having a baby, etc...I'm keeping it on my list, just in case!

 (Multi-charm Bangles Bracelet by EileenJewelry)

         What's not to love with this bracelet?!...It's got genuine Shell, Button, Wood and multicolored Beads! :-)

 (Leather Bow Ponytail Holder Scrunchie by EmbellishedLife)

        When I first saw this bow I thought it was the kind that little boys wear on their necks. Imagine my delight when I found out that it's actually a ponytail holder scrunchie bow!...You don't know this, but I've got a ponytail...or I can have one at a moment's notice! :-) A pretty long ponytail!....A long ponytail that needs a good trim. A good trim after a good washing, along with my fingernails and toenails done, on a  long day at the hair salon with my girlfriends!! LOL.....*_*...and then I woke up!! ^_^ Our money has to stay put for the new car and the taxes upcoming!

 (Black and White Lily Pillow Cover by Mazizmuse)

        There's no explanation needed for this last love, right?! ^_^ It's a pillow cover...for a pillow....for napping the big nap! ^_^....and it has a pretty flower....for a girl who loves all kinds of flowers! (Including crocheted ones...just saying! ^_^) I love the way the lily swoops across the pillow.

       Sooooo...that's all I wanna talk about today. Catch me tomorrow....maybe. :-] 

 I don't feel like talking

I know you won't believe this,
but I don't feel like a chat!
I don't wanna talk today.
That's just not where my head's at.

I'm not all giddy gabby.
I don't feel like spilling words.
I wanna sit and watch the weather,
or the clock, or maybe birds.

My non-communication
only happens now and then,
so enjoy the tempered silence
while I keep a quiet pen.

Tomorrow may be different.
I may talk your ears right off.
You may not get a word in edge-wise,
so today...go play some golf!

Yep! If You See "That"...You Know Spring Is Almost Here...Even Though It's February!

       Brrrr! It's cold this morning...17 degrees (fahrenheit) right now. And we're suppose to get a couple of rain showers too this morning. So, you're probably wondering why my blog title and my header photo are showing signs of Spring, right?! Well, I'll tell you...because the backyard is showing signs of Spring...Big Time!
       I was minding my own business yesterday, and out of the corner of my eye....hop!....hop!....hop!....It was a red-breasted robin, hopping across my lawn in the backyard! :-) ... 

 (Fine Art Photography Print by LittleBirdTreasures)

             
           ... Then a few hours later...HOP!....HOP!....HOP!....and a H-U-G-E blackbird was hopping across the lawn! :-) ...And when I say huge, I mean HUGE!! O_O He looked like all he needed was a GPS, and a saddle, and we could've traveled the world in an hour! LOL
      The blackbird had a big piece of white material in his mouth too. I think it's nest building time!....Yep! Spring is almost here!! :-)

(Ring Dishes by MissPottery)

          With rising temperatures forecast here in our area for next week, I guess we can stop holding our breath now. Looks like 'THE BIG SNOW' is actually gonna miss us this year!...{said in a whisper, while looking left and right O_O}...Just like the title of Robin's new treasury (jarmfarm), we're all just Waiting For Robin To Arrive......Please Hurry! :-)

         The robin print and the ring dishes above were both items she chose for her treasury...and so were these romantic, brown...

 (Fingerless Gloves by fatoss)

      ...and this chocolate brown and pumpkin orange Brazilian citrine crochet necklace from my Wuglyees etsy shop...

        {You can click on any of the photos above if you wanna see details about the items, or if you'd like to buy them.}

       That's what was going on outside...birds and signs of Spring. What was going on inside was all about vegetables. Okay...not just vegetables. Also crust...and melted hot cheese! :-) ...Hubby brought home a couple of slices of Pizza! I was so excited that I forgot to take pictures of it!....but believe it or not, it looked exactly like the vegetable laden Easy Flatbread Pizza that the Pioneer Woman show-cased on her blog yesterday!!..

        No kidding!!...Except for the fact that the Pioneer Woman's veggies were cut larger, and mine was not on flatbread, it looked almost exactly like it! :-) ...I still have the Pioneer Woman's recipe on my radar though! I have to try hers at some point...soon!

        The only other interesting thing that happened to me yesterday was that in my search on Etsy for a greeting card I came across this photo...

(Comic Thank You Card by AZillionDollars)

        Yes! It's George Clooney! The description under the photo in this Etsy shop says that George was trying to find a way to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for an award he recently received, and he found just the way to do it with this card (the one he's holding in the photo)...

         Cool, right?! :-] ... And as my searches usually do, it got me to thinking what other celebrities are showing their faces on Etsy...besides Rosie O'Donnell I mean. I knew about her Etsy shop. She's been pretty successful in selling there...although she doesn't have anything for sale in her shop right now.

       When I looked around I saw these photos...

(Key Necklace-Taylor Swift Style by SouthernBelleOOAK)

         

           In the etsy shop description for the key necklace it says that Taylor Swift and other famous people have been seen wearing skeleton keys from expensive collections like Tiffany's. But you can get the look for a lot less with this Silver and Crystal rhinestone Key inspired by the one worn by Taylor Swift.

       The Etsy shop Laiuthe had a photo of Jessica Alba...

(Gold and Smokey Quartz Earrings)

         

            .....and the description said that these beautiful earrings are inspired by the earrings Jessica Alba wore while out shopping with her little girl.

        And last, I saw this photo of Jennifer Anniston...

(Celebrity Inspired Wishbone Necklace by DevinMichaels)

        All of this made me think that if I could just get one of the lovely ladies nominated in the upcoming 84th annual Academy Awards...or the Oscars...to wear one of my crochet necklaces (or one of the men to wear one of my boutonnieres!) I could be in the money!!! ^_^ Hmmmm...let me get out my Rolodex! Ha! Ha!

       Or maybe one of the celebrities who knows somebody, who knows somebody that shops on Etsy, and has seen my crochet creations, will call me!....."HELLOOOOOOOO!!!!....Poetesswug here!.....Want a free crochet necklace or boutonniere?......Sure!!!!" ^_^ ....I'm not gonna hold my breath for that call!

      Off to get my day started!...Have a good one, Everybody! :-)

Spring Is Almost Sprung!

Spring is almost sprung!
There is melting everywhere!
Soon the crocusses will be up
and the birds will search for hair.

After all the winter blankets,
piles of snow and rain and sleet,
we'll be seeing pretty flowers
and watch nature's lovers meet.

We'll see the Robins hop, hop, hopping,
hear their singing in the trees,
be "Achoo-ing" every minute,
while we duck and weave from bees.

They'll be things that need some cleaning,
given April and Pine scent;
People looking for new spaces
they can buy, transform, or rent.

Yes, Spring is almost Sprung!
Time to alter and create!
Better "Get" while things are popping!!
Yes, it's Spring! Don't wanna wait!!

What's With The Light?!...Is It Getting Dim In Here?! O_O

(Glasses Glasses set of 4 by AZillionDollars)

     How do you know when your eyesight is getting worse...or that you're going blind...or that, at the very least, you need a new lamp?!...When you find yourself squinting to look at the t.v. all the way across the room, or continuously blowing your hot breath on your glasses and cleaning them (and still wondering why they don't seem to be getting any clearer!), or you find yourself crocheting in slow motion because it's taking you forever to find the stitch that you're suppose to be going into next!

     Truth is...I don't think I'm going blind. I think I need to get my eyes examined, and get some new glasses. These old 'peepers' don't wanna work like they used to....Although hubby's new-fangled light bulbs may have something to do with it!...They're suppose to save us some money on electricity...

        You probably can't tell, with my photo-taking skills,...Ha!...but it's a small coiled bulb. One of those energy-efficient ones. Hubby put them all over the house a while ago..about the same time I started wondering if I was going blind...now that I think about it! LOL...The light bill did go down a little...

       ...but so did my ability to see!! ^_^ I didn't even know there was dust on the lamp arm there until I saw this photo!!! LOL....UGH!

       This is the lamp that I crochet by in the early hours before sunrise, and at night before bed. It used to give off really good light...before the new bulb!...But now it's giving off a golden glow, like we have a romantic movie we're trying to film in here or something! ^_^

       See what I mean?! O_O ...It's a good thing I get lots of natural light in the house during the day, or else I'd probably be in a different kind of mood all the time than the one I need to be in to crochet!! LOL...I've got boutonnieres to make, people!!!

 (Ceramic Yarn Bowl by liciapfadt)

           I need to get me a bowl like this one (above) that holds your yarn in this special bowl that guides the yarn out to you. That way I won't have to get a seeing-eye dog to 'fetch' my yarn balls...that I can't see...from all across the floor! LOL

        Or maybe I need to get a better, more light-efficient, lamp!...This one is really pretty!...

  (Driftwoood Burlwood Table Lamp by weareMFEO)

          

       So is this green one....and it has flowers!...

 (Green Lamp with Floral Paper Shade by TouchingThePast)

       With my eyes, maybe I need two of them! LOL...

(1960s Chartreuse Ceramic Swirl Lamps by KitschyVintage)

        I know hubby would love it if I got this one!...

 (Miniature Baseball Accent Lamp by Midwestclassiccrafts)

      ...but if I got it I'd have to keep going to find my lamp every time I wanted to crochet. He'd have it in the room with him or taking it somewhere for "Show and Tell"! LOL...Okay...maybe not. But I'm not gonna chance it! ^_^

       All blindness jokes aside, I really do need better light in my room to crochet by. I told hubby this morning that I think I need one of these...

        It's a headlamp. It has the little light on the front that you can direct down to your work. My local Home Depot may have them too!...for less than $20.00!! I'm gonna find out before the weekend. 

        *sigh*....As I've said in the past, getting old is not for sissies!! LOL...Moving on!!!...Just wanted to let my regular readers know...the old car...our old reliable "Betsy"..is gone. :-( Hubby turned over the title to the auto shop that did the diagnostic work on it....We couldn't afford the more than $2,000 it was gonna cost to fix it, and the most we could have gotten for the non-working car was $200 at the junk-yard! 

       So, rather than getting the $200 from the junk-yard...minus $100 to have it towed there!...and then having to pay around $150 to the auto shop for their diagnosis...$75 an hour!......we agreed to let the auto shop have it...So, in the end, it didn't cost us anything...except for a few of hubby's tears. He got really emotional when he went over to take all of his things out of the car and leave the title. :-( 

       After our meeting yesterday, he went over to see the new car that some friends are giving us. He loves it!! :-) He says it looks just like another car we used to have!...I'm glad. Maybe that'll take some of the sting out of losing his big green 'Betsy' baby. He's been, about that car, the way I am about yarn. Now you get the emotion, right?!...Oh Well, me, hubby, new 'Betsy' baby...varoom!....varoom!.....Moving on!!! ^_^

      Have a good day, Everybody!...and don't forget the Giveaway (right hand sidebar)!

Everything Is Getting Older

Everything is getting older,
past it's time, and rusting fast!
No matter how many times you oil it,
Somehow, still, it doesn't last.

Everything is getting older.
Even veggies just from the store,
have now browned and withered up.
They're not all shiny like before.

Everything is getting older.
Old dogs included, people too.
Even babies, from the womb,
start getting older, just past brand new!

Everything is getting older,
like real good books, with tales all told.
But, Wait a minute! Some books are good!
That's why "To read" will not get old.

Everything that's getting older
doesn't harm us and displease.
Just think of wisdom in the aging-
that's with people and with cheese!

All the things, those getting older,
showing marks and scars of time,
just need a tad bit more attention,
or just a small aged glass of wine!    

Yikes!!!!

(Hand Painted Mug by AZillionDollars)

Yikes!!! Where did the time go?!....Sorry y'all! I woke up late...and right now I've got a meeting....I'll be back to finish the post a little later. O_O SORRY!!!!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay...I'm back! ^_^ And I'm in a much less frazzled mood now too...now that my head is all filled with good stuff, and the sun is shining so pretty. :-)  ...I can take a deep breath now, organize my thoughts, and show you what I got as a gift! :-) 

     Do you believe it?!...A whole box full of yarns and threads! :-) There's such pretty colors in there too!...

       The only problem is...the friend that gave me the yarns and threads has cats. And the cats LOVED climbing all over the yarns and threads! O_O There's little cat hairs everywhere!!...Anybody got any suggestions on what I should do to make this yarn and thread usable?! I'd hate to have to throw it out! O_O Nobody...not even cat lovers...want cat hairs coming out of the scarf they're wearing, or the blanket or whatever they're using!

       In other news, the new men's boutonnieres I've been putting in the shop are getting lots of attention! In fact, a customer sent me a link to show me that boutonnieres are B-A-C-K in style!! --> HERE <--  And since I sold the black and white one the day after I put it in the shop, I decided to make a couple more...

         I think the special part of both of these is the buttons!...

       A pretty button in the front....

         And a button in the back, so you can button it into the buttonhole on your lapel...

         The button on this one has a vintage look, and a gold hue to it....

         And, of course, it has a button on the back also...

       Maybe it's the buttons on the back that's the draw for people. My girlfriend found a knitted headband in the store the other day, with a crocheted flower, with little sparkly bits all over it...

       ...and she sewed buttons in the back! :-) 

       They're not 'working' buttons. In other words, they don't fasten anything together, or open, or anything...They're just for decoration...Very cute! :-) Yeah, maybe it's the 'whole buttons in the back' thing that's the trend!

      As things go, I woke up late and most of the day is gone already...so, I'm not planning to do much else with this day. I'm gonna enjoy a nice lunch with my hubby, maybe watch a little T.V., and do a little bit of crocheting. I'll leave my big plans for tomorrow....getting all my books and stuff in order so we can do our taxes. O_O.....Yikes!! Is it that time again?!!!....Why couldn't I sleep through that?!!! ^_^ Have a good rest of the day Everybody!

Doing Taxes

Every year my mind gets taxed,
along with everything I own.
It's time to pay old 'Uncle Sam',
and see if I might need a loan!

It's time to tell the honest truth.
No time to 'fudge', deceive, or 'spin'.
It's now the time to 'pay the Piper'.
Grab those bills. TAX TIME AGAIN!!