"You Never Fail Me...!"

      Those were the words of the 'bestest' repeat customer a girl can ever have!! :-) That's what I saw when I went to check out my Wuglyees Etsy shop this morning! Feedback saying: "You never fail me...You know I'll be back!" {I hope she doesn't mind me repeating it! :-/ Didn't think about that before now...Too excited!}...This is what she was talking about...

          ...The red wire and yarn crochet butterfly dangle necklace she bought and received!...I love her! And I'd like 700 more customers just like her please!!! :-]
     So, needless to say, I'm in a good mood this morning! And, actually, for more reasons than just the nice words of a repeat customer!...Let me update you.
    First, the pink fingerless gloves that I've been working on for another customer...are finished!!

      They don't look like much in these photos...That could be because of my picture-taking ability, or because you need to see them on someone.

      "Hello Someone!"...I pulled the arm off of Tina {My headless dummy model} and used it to show off how cute the fingerless gloves came out!...If you'll remember, yesterday I had another edge on them...

    I really didn't like it. It looked like I was trying to make a frilly claw hand for somebody or something!! LOL No romance or softness at all!...But these...

      ...are soft and romantic, cute and warm! I really like them! :-) Even without a flower! {Which I tried to put on them during my pattern fixing process yesterday. But the flower was just too much!} So, I'll let my customer take a look at them, and if she likes them, they'll be off to a new home before nightfall.
     Other news?...The snow remains!!

        It remains....EVERYWHERE!!!! UGH!

         And the snow clouds remain too...because we're due to get more snow today!

     But the hope of Spring also remains...."Hello poor little barbecue grill!"

        "We'll see you in a couple of months or so!"...You probably can't tell that much from the above photo, but the snow right next to the patio is covered with ice!

    This is kind of a close up of it. {Don't look too closely at the photos....I' sorry, OKAYYYY! My photo taking has not gotten much better as regards SNOW and ICE!!! LOL}

        UGH!...But at least somebody is enjoying this stuff!!

    See the little animal footprints?!....What kind of animal....*cold shiver*...I don't know.....And I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!! ^_^ I'll stay in here....it can stay out there!!!
     More news.....a reminder. The Giveaway for my blanket  (pictures of it here) will be on Tuesday coming, February 15th, 2011. Get your comments down below, and if you're not a blog follower, click "FOLLOW" please. I'd hate to draw your name and then find out that you're not eligible because you're not actually a blog follower!
     Two more bits of news...One, my dad is physically feeling better. The pain meds have kicked in...Woohoo! Bad news...they kicked in just in time for him to feel good enough for surgery!...which will be on March 1st now. He's already gearing himself up for it. Me too! :-/
     And last, but not least, remember my post about my search for my Soft 'N Dry deodorant...original scent?

     Well, the search is over!!!.....:-( I couldn't find it. The only thing everybody had was the Soft Powder scent. And since I'm NOT a powder scent kind of girl, I paid very close attention to all of your comments about the different and varied deodorants you all use.....and tried....and tried.....and tried them. 
      The conclusion I came to?! Me and Oprah really are alike!!! ^_^ I'm now an Arrid Extra Dry girl!!!

        I've been using it for a few days now and I absolutely LOVE it!! Not only does it just smell wonderful....it just smells wonderful at night, after a LONG busy day....and it just smells wonderful in the morning, after a long hard night of menopausal sweating! {All my menopausal women...HOLLER!! ^_^} 
    Instead of trying to get away from my clamminess in a hurry in the morning now.....sorry for the frankness all of you who still say "perspire" instead of "sweating"...hubby has been waking up and smiling and cuddling for a while before he gets up....YAY!!!!....Of course this also has it's drawbacks. Breakfast in bed has been slow in coming! ^_^ Oh well, as long as I smell good!!!
     I like my new 'best bud' so much....I wrote a poem about it! ^_^ I'll leave you with that, and say: Have a Smelling Good Day Everybody!!! :-)


 Arrid Extra Dry

Where have you been all my life?
When I was sweating over things,
running after basketballs,
and nervously auditioning?

Where were you through my youth,
When other kids would make me cry,
when they'd tease unmercifully
while I was unsure, and un-dry?

Where were you hiding at
when I was falling deep in love,
when whether I smelled good to him
was all my poor mind could think of?

Where were you all my life
when all I knew was Soft 'N Dry?
Yes, Originally scented,
was the only one I'd try.

Oh, Mr. Arrid Extra Dry,
Now that I've given you a try,
I no longer will smell bad
and my armpits will be dry!

Inspiration From Crochet

      These are Cassy's Cuffs Fingerless Gloves. The pattern for them is available for sale at a wonderful etsy shop called lynnevogel. I LOVE them!! In fact, if the pattern had been for crochet, rather than knitted, fingerless gloves...and she allowed me to make them for sell!...I would have them!! :-) But, instead, I'm using them for inspiration in making my pink crocheted fingerless gloves for a customer.
     I'm not copying them. That's not cool! But I think she's got the formula for soft and romantic "down pat"! Look at these other two patterns she has in her shop!

     This one is called ...Spiraling Leaves... Look at the detail!! It almost makes me want to get my knitting needles out, because I do love a creative challenge!...But I've got lots of other projects on my list of things to do...including the finished pink fingerless gloves that I'm still trying to do a pattern for! I don't have time right now to fool around with knitting needles and DRIVE MYSELF CRAZY!! LOL
    This is another inspirational pattern she has too...

   ...This is a PDF Tiny Triangle...Pattern. So pretty!
    I'm going to spend some time today perfecting my pattern. This is how far I've gotten so far.

     I'm not completely satisfied with it yet. Especially the scalloped end. I think the scallops are too big and too.....something! I'll figure it out....Oh Yes! I'll figure it out!! ^_^
    I'm also not happy with the yarn. I really don't like sport weight yarns as a rule. But because it's for a customer, I feel the need to make sure they fit. So I used the sport weight yarn because it has a little bit of stretchiness to it. I'm hoping that she likes them. I'm not sure she will, since these were her inspiration...

    These are not for sale anymore. And I'm not going to copy hers exactly. {And with my eye for patterns, and my flower making ability, I think I could!!} SELF-CONTROL Wug!!! ^_^ I won't! I won't because if they were mine, I'd be mad if somebody copied them to sell to other people without my permission...'Do unto others....'!! :-)
     Okay, I'm off to have breakfast with my hubby. We're spending a lot of time together this weekend. Making up for last weekend, when he had to work...to make up a day he missed in the middle of the week...for SNOW!! *You didn't really think I'd do a whole post without using the SNOW word, did you?! LOL*
     We're old and boring though. We're just planning to read to each other, get some sleep, maybe look at a movie, and eat!! A repeat of last night's 'Date Night'! ^_^ I still can taste my fish and chips. And he can still taste his pizza. I love a family type restaurant that sells something for everybody...Saves me from eating off his plate! ^_^
    The poem that I'm leaving you today has nothing to do with yarn, but I was inspired to write it when I was watching something on television the other day. It was a show with a little girl who just didn't seem happy. I remembered that feeling from when I was a little girl. And I wanted to jump through the television and tell her what I wished someone had told me. 


Head High, Little Girl

Keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Think good thoughts of who you are,
so other girls can take a look.

Your self esteem, little girl,
should be pumped up wherever you can.
But shouldn't depend on prettiness,
or the sugary words of a man.

Your self esteem needs to be balanced.
Not arrogant or smug at it's core.
For the sun does not rise and set on you,
but nor is garbage dumped at your door.

So keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Your self esteem will then be lifted,
and the whole world will take a look.

Hmmmm...What's Going On?!

      I'm taking a chance that I'll make "Baby Wuglyee" upset today, by putting another bear on my blog. But I just had to! This bear is the cute Bear of Few Words print that Kerry is giving away, along with a Heart City postcard, on her blog seventy tree!
     She's celebrating 500 sales in her shop, and saying Thank You to her followers. All you have to do to enter is comment! The drawing will be next Friday, on February 18th. So, go on over and get your name in! And check out her cute blog while you're there. :-)
    I had my head down all day yesterday. I'm working on some crocheted fingerless gloves for a customer. I don't have the formula 'down' yet. I'm doing a lot of starting and starting. But when I figure it out, you'll be the first to know!! ^_^
    In the meantime, I wanted to show you some other things that are going on around my bloggie world...On the blog CinLynn Boutique, you just have to see my friend Cindy's venture into the wonderful world of poetry! :-) Her poem entitled If I Were A Bear is so cute, accompanied by etsy shop photos. And guess who has a starring role?!...Baby Wuglyee!! :-)) 

       (He's the mascot of my Wuglyees Etsy shop)...She did such a great job with it! It had me smiling from ear to ear! :-) ...And since Baby Wuglyee is making an appearance on her blog, I'm hoping he'll give me a 'pass' about having the Bear of Few Words here! ^_^
     Jo-anne, on the blog Blooming Lovely, has been learning to crochet flowers. And she's gotten really good! These are her latest accomplishments...

     I remember when I first started making flowers. I don't think mine looked this good. There's been a lot of trial and error over the years to get to the flowers that I make today! Looks like Jo-anne is not gonna need to take as much time as I did to perfect hers!
     I saw something really cute on Forrestina Vintage. 

      When I was reading it I realized that not only could you describe your used furniture with this list, but a whole lot of other things too!! :-)) {This is a cartoon by lunchbreath via core77.} 
    And if you want to see some of the cutest photos ever, you have to go over and check out the blog Oh What Fun! Baby Frye...i.e. 'The Baby Bump'...^_^...is coming along nicely! And Piper dog is looking pretty good too! :-)
     And last for today. guess what?!...Velma, of SnowflakeDreams1, drew the name for her Giveaway. And it's ME!!! I can't believe I won another one of her Giveaways!! I'm still enjoying my year's subscription to my Country Living magazine from last time! And this time I won another subscription!! I get to choose from these: Country Living, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Garden, Everyday Food, Redbook, Bon Appetit, or House Beautiful. It's not an easy chose, but considering how I love new recipes, it's got to be Everyday Food! {Some things I leave to those who do it best, like Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart!!:-)}

      Some other things in my win are:

A thank you card that's blank inside 

  Eight packages of mini stamps

  A necklace

 And a wall plaque!

       I'd say I did pretty good, wouldn't you?! :-) 

    Okay, I'm all rested up from yesterday, even though I didn't get much sleep last night. I've got some studying and a fingerless glove to finish. And another girlfriend is coming by later this morning, to do some cooking! Too bad I don't have my new book of recipes! :-) But before then I have some new blog posts to check out!...What would I do if I couldn't keep looking around?!...and talking about it?! ^_^ Have a good day everybody!!

 

Blogger/Looker

They're blogs of folks I hardly know.
Why do I like looking at them so?

I watch their children laugh and grow,
and every bead and artwork crow.

No, I don't do it for the 'dough'!
On my blog there's no money flow.

I like to scroll and take it slow.
An easy read, and 'Peep and Go'!

Updated blogs, all in a row,
and a new day. What will they show?!

I'm not some kind of stalker though.
I'm just a blogger/looker pro!

Me?!...With Not Much To Say?!

      You never hear me say this, but...I don't have much to talk about today!...*And the bands played, and the crowd jumped up and down, and the ocean's waves crashed against the shore, babies cried, and loud cheering was heard throughout the land!!*...^_^ But don't get too excited. You know me...that all could change as we go along here!
     The reason I don't have much to say is because I had my head down most of the day yesterday. I was finishing the fingerless gloves I started...Rest assured that this is the last post you'll see of these orangey salmon colored gloves....because they're finished!!

       As you can see, I decided on a gold colored button instead of any of the doily pieces. They just didn't look right.

      Now they have kind of a more classic look...in my opinion anyway. Now the only thing I have to do is list them in my Wuglyees etsy shop, and see if any 'Skinny Minny' armed buyers are out there! LOL

      I have quite a bit of this yarn left though. I think I'm going to make another pair of fingerless gloves. A little larger, with a shorter wrist part. And I'm gonna make a scarf to match it too, I think. Only time will tell! :-) I'm also thinking that maybe I'll alternate this color with a cream or white...A lot of thinking!! But you'll just have to wait and see what materializes! :-))
    Now, this morning I have a girlfriend coming by very early...I love it when that happens! I can do all of my talking in person instead of typing my little fingers to the bones! :-) ... And later today I have another pair of fingerless gloves to get started on, a custom ordered pair....Pink! I'm going to try to see if I can put some kind of a lacy look on them. She likes lace...We'll see what I come up with! :-)
     Okay......that's just about it! SHOCKING, isn't it?! ^_^ But of course you know there will be a poem below!...Also, I'd like to send good thoughts to the people in Warragul in Australia. I haven't seen the reports for a few days now, but this is what they were dealing with just recently...

      ....a lot of flooding rains. This is two men canoeing through a flooded street...I hope things are all drained back to normal. I have them in my thoughts!
     Okay, have a good day everybody! You know I will, because my girlfriend will be here, and....


I Like To Talk

I like to talk;
I like to gab;
I like a girlfriend
free confab!

I like to chat;
I like to speak;
I find that words
are what I seek.

I like the chatter
of a crowd;
Not in a whisper,
but out loud.

But, please no talking
while you chew.
{Speaking does 
have manners too!}

I like the noise
that utterance does.
The constant
conversation buzz.

Maybe I need a
word-free diet;
No! I could not
withstand the quiet!

So, I will talk;
Oh yes! I'll dabble
in a constant
lingo babble.

I'm A 'Soft and Dri' Girl!

    I know you're probably wondering: "What in the world is she talking about now?!!" ^_^  Well it's all about a conversation hubby and I had yesterday about what kind of "People" we were! I'll tell you about it in a minute, but first I want to show you the fingerless glove I finished yesterday!!

       I made it very small, petite.

     The wrist and forearm section are only about 6 or 7 inches (15.2 to 17.8cm) around, with a bit of stretchiness beyond that. I don't know if anyone will ever buy them, but I started them more for experimenting purposes, to see how the doily pieces would look on them. So I'll just have to wait and see if there's any tiny armed buyers out there. ;-]
     The doily circles though, will not be finding a home on these gloves! No matter how I looked at them, they were just exuding "TACKY"! LOL 
     I tried one of the doilies near the cuff.....Nahhhhh!

        I tried it a little further down.....

       Nahhhhhhh! It just looked like a big out-of-place pinwheel circle, waving at people! LOL
       I found some other, smaller, more colorful crocheted circles in the little cup she gave me too. I hadn't noticed them in there before...So I tried them, to see if 'smaller would be better'.

       The smaller ones were cuter, but.....Nahhhhhhh! Not on THESE gloves. The color is all wrong for these. Maybe yellow gloves, or blue even! I'll have to look into that later.
       So, back to the drawing board for this flower doily circle idea.

         I'm gonna just put some buttons on the cuff of these gloves...and call it a day! :-) {I still have to finish the other one first though....don't want to leave it before the project is done! Noooooo! LOL}
       Now, back to my story about what kind of "People" we are!...I was down to my last can of spray deodorant...and yes I said SPRAY CAN! I'm not a roll-on person. Well, I used to be a roll-on person...until I started stinking up the place every time I wore it! LOL I think it had something to do with my hormones changing on me in later years....Whatever!...I would smell like a pair of freshly washed linen sheets...for about an hour! And then....P-U!!! ^_^
     Well, hubby couldn't find my deodorant.....ANYWHERE! Not in the grocery store, the convenience stores, the dollar store, or anywhere!! Not even on one of his Mall walks...and you know how many nook and cranny stores are in the Mall!!
     So, he suggested I switch to another brand.....WHAT?! I'm not that kind of person! I have been a 'Soft 'N Dri', original scent, spray can girl for most of my life!! 

          {I used to be a roll-on 'Soft 'N' Dri' girl...before the stink-fest began! LOL}
      He didn't think it was that big of a deal, considering the fact that he wears whatever hits his fancy at the time, and whatever comes within the price range he's willing to spend that day! {If he ever died and I had to go and identify his body....Sorry. Leftover thought from talk about the murder mystery yesterday *Shiver*...let's just say, I wouldn't be able to identify him by smell! LOL} 
      This started a conversation about which deodorants I've used and why I ended up stuck on 'Soft 'N Dri', original scent...In a nutshell, here it is, 'Mum' {the inexpensive cream deodorant that came in a small red and white jar} was too messy; Some of the roll-ons just didn't work; Others, I was allergic to the flowery smell...traitors, considering how much I love a flower! LOL...Some gave me big knotty bumps under my arm after using them; and some were just too expensive and too hard to find.
    Once I found my beautifully smelling, original scent, long-lasting, not too expensive, non-allergenic  to me, 'Soft 'N'Dri' I was hooked....for YEARS now! I reveled in the clean smell, and the complements from friends about how GOOD I smelled all the time! {Partly because of 'Soft 'N' Dri' and partly because of my White Linen perfume by Estee' Lauder.....but I digress! LOL}...And now this!!! I can't find it anywhere! What am I going to do?!!
     For days now I have been wearing my husband's latest find, 'Degree' deodorant FOR MEN. {I don't know why they feel the need to put FOR MEN on a stick of deodorant anyway! Women have armpits just like MEN! How does the deodorant know the difference?!....And as I was using his deodorant, it dawned on me that these companies must think that all women have narrow, paper thin armpits...whereas men have wide thick armpits, because his roll-on stick is so wide compared to the female versions!...That's a subject for another day though. LOL} I think the underarm intrusion is getting to me! LOL
     I can't be the only person that has been using the same deodorant from childhood. Can I?!...My dad is a 'Right Guard' man. For as long as I can remember, he always has been!...I found out the other day that Oprah is an 'Arid Extra Dry' girl. I mean, with all of the money in the world, and the ability to MAKE and SELL her own deodorant if she wanted to, she's apparently still using the same deodorant she used as a child!! :-]
     Hubby can laugh if he wants, but I'll be Googling 'Soft 'N Dri' today to see if the company has gone out of business...like my rope sausage company did! ;'_';...and if they haven't, no matter where I have to ship it from, I'M GOING TO GET ME SOME 'SOFT 'N DRI'!!! ^_^ That's the kind of person I am!!! ^_^


Quick Ditty About "Change"

No! I don't do "change" well.
I like things just the way they are.
That's why I wear a man's deodorant
and drive an old  beat-up car!

My clothes are classic, retro style;
I still shave. Will not use NAIR.
Until my hair falls out...
then I'll be off to buy some hair! 

The above image, entitled You Stink, is from a wonderful Etsy shop called  dangerpeach. Thank you to them! Please go by and check out all of their vintage inspired creations, with a modern day urban twist.

Today I Am All About Relaxing....

      Today I'm going to be all about relaxing, and this little crocheted rainbow doily circle is going to be a part of it! I'll explain in a minute...First I'd like to show you where one of my crochet necklace "babies" showed up!

       Helen, from the blog A Crafty Kind of Truffle, and 50 other sleuths, went on a Murder Mystery Weekend. It was actually a Wedding Reception and Masked Ball. You can find the details HERE. She wore one of my crocheted necklaces!! How exciting to see my "baby" going out and having fun.....even though 3 murders were involved! LOL You'll have to read it yourself! ^_^
     I don't have murder on the mind...except for maybe me wanting to do some damage to the weather!...but I do have some things on my mind that have me wanting to slow it down, relax, be quiet...One of them being that my dad has been in so much pain lately that he's upped his surgery date. It's now going to be, instead of the end of March, at the beginning of March!...It's gonna be a rough time...for everybody!!
    So, I'm beginning now to put myself in a calm state of mind. I'm reading, studying my spiritual material and Bible, listening to music, watching funny old movies {no murder themed movies now!! LOL}, and of course, crocheting!
     I finally got the details of my custom order for the fingerless gloves all figured out, got the baby pink yarn, and her measurements, and I'll get started on them later today. First though, I'd like to finish the pair I just started...just because I know that if I don't do them now they'll end up being a project I didn't finish, just hanging in a bag somewhere! :-) This is where I am with the first one...

      ...Okay.....so I just have the cuff done so far! ^_^ But it won't take me long to finish them. I'm just going to relax myself into it today, and by tomorrow I may be able to show you a finished product!.
     I'm trying to figure out how to maybe incorporate this into it...

     This is a doily square, made up of colorful circles, that I was given by a friend as a gift. She got it from someone who, a long time ago, was making it into a tablecloth, place mat, or something! But they never finished...So she gave the already crocheted and sewn piece, and a cup full of other loose circle pieces, to me! {That's one of them in the header photo} She said: "I'm sure you can do something with them!"
     Well, today is the day I try to see if I can "do something with them!" At least some of them. I'm trying to figure out if a few of the pieces would look good on a pair of fingerless gloves!...Do you think these colors go good together?

       I'll see what it looks like when I get the glove more finished.
     While I relax this way, hubby has his own way to relax. He likes walking in the Hoyoke Mall...especially early in the morning. They open the main doors so people who like to go for walks, but the weather is too bad to do it outside, can walk up and down the Mall hallways. The stores are not open, so you can't shop at this time...{Thankfully! Because hubby and a BIG Mall, and nobody in his way, could be dangerous!! LOL}

      He goes out to get me a coffee sometimes and he comes back talking about what he saw while he was walking around in the Mall...and I get pictures of all the latest things. {Because I can't do that kind of walking anymore}...I was surprised to see a car INSIDE the Mall, but he said they always do that for promotional type things.

    He says there's "All kinds of bargains!" going on now...and he took a picture of the pretty Skylight...

     ....Oooooooo!...Awwwwww!.....What is that?...Snow?! LOL
      Alright, I've shown you what we're doing to relax. What do you do to relax.....besides reading blogs, which, if you're reading this, I KNOW YOU DO!!! LOL
     *Deep Breath!.....Blow it out!*......Ahhhhhh! I just want to get to a balanced and relaxed place today. I'm on my way! :-] I hope you all have a relaxed and balanced day too!


Balance

You 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 life
our 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 middle
takes a conscious, careful touch,
because it doesn't take a lot
to 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 trying
to get some balance of his own!