Been Thinking of Warmer Days!

We are not so happy in our household…

No, we still like each other… It’s that we have been inside… and been with each other way too much!…

This cold… snow… has to give us a break soon!…

I’ve had enough TV… enough eating and snacking… enough reading… enough computer… enough talking on the phone…

ENOUGH all ready!

I want fresh air… sunshine and warm temps!…

No more coats… scarves… gloves…warming up the car…

Our heating bill is probably going to go through the ceiling…

  

I see it all over Facebook…

wanting to wear sandals, shorts, T-shirts and feel the sand between our toes again as we head to the beach!…

Vacations are being talked…

Let’s go here…

Let’s go there…

Oh, yes… I’m ready!…

Now, to really start planning on where… when and how…

Where do we really want to go…

When would be the best time…

and how much is this excursion (vacation) going to cost…

I’ve had a lot of requests… from several people on “let’s go somewhere!”…

Since we all are thinking the same way…

I have a solution! 

We’ll all get together and decide on one place… and go!… Splitting the cost… we’ll be able to go where we want and have so much fun!…

Maybe ” Old Man Winter“…  is giving me (us) time to get it all straightened out!…

Will it be the beach???

Will it be the mountains???

Will it be a short distance???

Will it be far away???
All I know!… is that I’ll be there!

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My New “Crossover”…

I needed a new purse… I didn’t know but, the type of purse I’ve grown to like is called a Crossover … because it crosses over the front of my chest…

This leaves my hands free to shop…

You see… I’m a toucher… I have to feel everything… turn it over… turn it around… check it out from all angels…

Everyone asks, “How do you get everything in that small purse?”…

I just say, “I get everything I need in it!”…

I have a change purse with my license and important cards…

I have a card holder for other cards I don’t use all of the time, but want with me…

I have a little notebook and pen to jot down information…

I have lip gloss… brightens me up…

sanitizer… never can be too clean…

a manicure set… that hangnail may need cutting any time…

keys… my car won’t go without them…

a checkbook… rarely use… but you never know…

perfume… smelling good is always nice…

a pill holder… I sometimes get a headache…

and to be honest I rarely carry a hair brush or comb… My fingers do just right… I’m not too vain…

Getting back to the point… During one of my Thrift Store Shopping jaunts… I found the right Crossover Purse just for me…

It has the neatest bead work and tassels on the straps and at the sides…

I do look or keep an eye out for things I need or want… and there it was!

Brand new… still tagged… great fun colors for summer… and a crossover… leaving my hands free to find more things I need/want when shopping…

Everything fits… and I’m pleased with my purchase…

Looking up the brand name on the tag ( Sun ‘N’ Sand) … I found my $4.95 buy was worth $30.00…

Not too shabby for a Thrift store shopper… and I like it a lot!

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Does Blushing Keep You Warm???

It is so cold today  … I use to wonder why my Mom complained of the cold…

Cold weather meant snow … maybe off from school… sleighing with my friends… bonfires… hot chocolate … snow angels…

Even though I wore 2-3 pairs of socks … gloves and mittens… scarf and toboggan…

It was just wonderful!…

Up and down the hill at our house and then down the road to our neighbor’s hill… which was a little steeper… and scarier… due to the trees you had to maneuver around…

But, always such fun!…

No matter how cold you got…

No matter how your toes became red… and practically numb…

No matter how cold your fingers became and gloves became wet…

No matter how much snow made it’s way down your boots…

Even when a spark flew from the bonfire and went down my boot…

We stayed until everyone was called home… and the evening started setting in… the sun setting behind the trees and shadows started to form… and we were so frozen that our teeth were chattering…

Only then would we give up the fun we were having…

I don’t think we even thought of the cold…

We were so busy laughing and talking and flirting… because there was always a boy in the group that you had a crush on…

and if they liked you they would ask…

” Do you want to sleigh down the hill with me?”…

” Are you getting too cold?”…

“My gloves are dry… would you like to put them on?”…

” Would you like to go in and get warm?”…

” Can I walk you home?”…

Yes, there were signs…

No wonder we didn’t feel the cold… with young hearts beating fast… and a blush on our cheeks…

My Crocheted “Find” for the Day!

Gift…

Sometimes I just look and look and never find a thing on my jaunts to my thrift stores or peddler’s malls… We have about 5 that we frequent… I might be looking for something in particular or just discover something that catches my eye  … I do try to have a place for the item… a use for the item… and then there’s those moments of nostalgia  that hits… reminding me of someone… an event… or an occasion…

Yesterday was a day for “Dixie Peddlers Mall”… Since it is booth rental place… sometimes the prices are way out of my budget  … My husband says, “You mean you didn’t get it for nothing!”…ha, ha!…

I am definitely the bargain hound… I look and look as I said… and all of a sudden it will be there!…My item…My price! …

I’m on the lookout right now for “Paris“ items  … I’m going to do my small bathroom in this theme due to the cutest wallpaper I found… Pink, Black and some Beige is going to be the color theme… I’ve already found a picture  and will be painting one myself to place in it…

No luck yesterday with my watchful eye finding anything for this…

But…

As I was looking through a person’s booth I noticed some pot holders and pads … some were crocheted … which means they were handmade… One caught my eye…my “watchful” eye … and the price was certainly right… 77 cents… but, no look again “watchful” eye… TODAY… everything is 50% OFF… My little find will now be 39 cents… It’s mine!… I almost want to shout!… Colors of the rainbow…light greens… lavender… yellows… pinks… blues… Looking different as you turn it from one side to the other… I imagine a lady with her threads… her needles … sitting and making this item… maybe daydreaming… maybe thinking of her family… probably with a smile on her face…

Front side of Crocheted Hot Pad

Back side of crocheted Hot Pad…

So with a few bars of Dove Soap for 50 cents… That’s a good deal!… and my homemade crocheted hot pad… which by the way… reminded me of my Mom and her crocheting so many things  … I left a happy person … As you see… it’s not the find exactly… it’s the hunt that I love so much!…

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Fast…Fun…Fearless!

Gift…

When I took a friend to the doctor the other day… I was in the waiting room… browsing through whatever magazines they had… I came across a “Family Fun“ magazine

 …

Seemed pretty good… crafty things you can do with kids and even adults… On page #13… a little girl in a cute top (dress) was pictured and I began to read the topic that had caught my eye…”T-shirt Tunic“…

It was about recycling a T-shirt into a cute tunic type dress for smaller kids or a cute top I thought for my granddaughter… I love ideas… but, I usually have to make them my own in some small way…

I reread the directions, seemed simple enough… but, knowing my memory is not quite what it used to be… I did something I don’t usually do… I tore the page out of the magazine… folded it up and proceeded to put it in my purse… I just acted like it was a normal thing to do… although feeling a little guilty… It was stealing… and it kinda bothered me… but, since there were about 4-5 of the same magazine lying around the room… I did it!… and I’m confessing that I did!… Not sure that clears me of this… but, it’s done…

I want to give credit to the creator of this neat little idea… Nicole Blum… who with the editor of this cute magazine wrote the just released “Improv Sewing : 101 Fast, Fun, and Fearless Projects”… Does this get me off the hook???

The whole idea was to use a T-shirt that needed to be recycled… So I looked through my husbands and my T-shirts… but, to no avail… I then looked at T-shirts at my favorite thrift store… and a bright green one caught my eye… You know how it is… You just know that’s it!…

It seemed big enough without being too big… and you have to know my granddaughter who is 10… just fractured her ankle… so the saying on the shirt was very appropriate …”I’m Just One Big Freaking Ray of Sunshine Aren’t I?  … no swimming…no climbing…no running…no walking… Attitude has set in a little…

Directions:

Spread T-shirt… actually press it flat…  

I marked with a ruler and white crayon 3 lines as in photo…

Cut with scissors…

Turn under edges at arms about 1/4″… and press… 

Using embroidery floss… I chose bright yellow because of the yellow sunshine and words on front of shirt… and hand-stitch a running stitch with needle… (in and out)…

Turn under front and back neck area… about 1-1/2″ wide… and then stitch the same way as arms…

I chose “Peace Sign” colorful satin ribbon( Kennedy is a little “hippie” at heart)… to run through the pocket that has been made while hemming… just fasten a safety pin to the end of ribbon and work through… draw up neck area a little or adjust when shirt is on… and then tie a cute bow…

So easy… so inexpensive…so different… “ONE of a Kind!”…

If Kennedy likes it… I will try another print and color of T-shirt… and make another… Because it was a… FAST… FUN… and FEARLESS Project…

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“The Best Cold!”

A Memory…

Our really first snow … but, a little disappointed… I wait for it to snow here in Louisville… I know it will be in January around my birthday… Always is…But, today we just got the blowing kind of snow  with no accumulation to speak of… Just very cold and making the roads slippery… The kids did get out about two hours early … That of course makes the parents frantic in getting home or finding someone to pick them up and keep them until they can get off from work… Of course the kids love it…any time out of school is a blessing to them!… When I was young we had what you called “SNOWS!”… Enough to build snowmen … enough to get the sled out … enough to have to bundle up with layers and layers of clothes, two sets of gloves, scarves wrapped around our faces and a toboggan for our heads…  Boots were rubber… and anything but, warm… just kept the wet out… So many socks pulled on you couldn’t even feel your feet… We headed for the many hills in our neighborhood… We had two great spots and the neighbors down the road had a sledding hill that surpassed all… at least it seemed huge when I was young… A little scary…with trees to go around… The bravest making the first tracks , which became more slippery with each ride down but, we all were amped up to try anything the other kids were doing… We sometimes built a fire… finding any dry twigs … permissible in those days… a place to warm our hands… We stayed until our faces were red from the cold and wind… until we couldn’t feel our feet … until we weren’t able to wiggle our fingers inside our gloves or mittens … stiff from the wet and cold… until the fire had died down and we were too cold to find anything else dry to put on it… until the sky started turning dusky   and the thoughts of hot chocolate  was sounding better and better… Time to go home… Waving good-bye and hoping tomorrow we could repeat this wonderful day!

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Ragged, Thin and So Soft!

It’s probably a good thirteen-fifteen years old… tattered, deep purple in color… although faded with so many washings … Not my favorite color, but it is my favorite sleeping garment … It has a few holes… big and roomy… warm and extremely soft… I know my husband “loves” it when I put it on… but, he never says a word… I doubt that he even knows why I still wear it… I fold it up  and remember every time that it was a gift from my Momma so many years ago…a birthday present … I can’t bear to throw it out yet… It has those special memories of her wrapped up in it … I wear it when I need comfort… when I need a safe feeling… when I’m feeling blue … It seems to wrap me up as if it has arms to hold me … Someday I’ll look at it and decide it’s time to discard it… we’ll see… I might save a piece of  it to make something out of… I might just put it in a drawer  to look at every now and then… No one would want it… and I would not let anyone else see me in it except Bobby… He seems to see that I need it sometimes… without even saying a word… So, I’ll continue to wear my ragged, thin, holey, soft nightgown for now… and cherish the  I feel exuding from it…

 

 

“My Kids!”…

We had a little girl who came to our classroom a few months after school started… She was deaf and had a cochlea implant  … which was supposed to help her hear some… You see the cochlea is fully developed at birth… There are tiny delicate hair cells that communicate sound signals to the brain.. They help you hear different pitches and sounds… When these cells are damaged part or all of your hearing is lost … The implant compensates for these damaged cells … and may help the person hear … She tried to wear it but, at times it seemed to frustrate her, more than help… She was also your typical teen  … not wanting to do the things we thought were best for her… She had a special jacket that she wore to school everyday … Sometimes in need of a wash… getting a little tattered from wear…We let her wear it in class, but having school rules to abide with… she would have to remove it when she went to other classes or was in the hallway… We saw that this jacket was a source of comfort to her … She would wrap herself in it … like it kept all her problems at bay… There were times she felt her comfort came before anything… refusing to take it off… Consequences and sometimes a tug of war of wills would be raised… It’s funny how a piece of clothing can become our refuge …our peace of mind  …our safety zone …

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“PJ Day”

I hate to say it but, it is 12:30pm and I’m still in my pajamas ...I have found I do better work around the house dressed this way…My house has been straightened and cleaned …Dishes are done …Everything is presentable!…I have prepared a few food items  for later…We’ve all had a bite to eat for breakfast… I’ve talked on the phone … Folded some laundry …I’ve checked my email and started writing my blog … Now, I will get a shower, get dressed for the day, do my hair and continue on…I presume I have to be comfortable when doing housework …I know if I get up and get dressed early, I’m usually ready to get out and go somewhere …Then my house is the last thing on my mind…Are there others out there with this habit??? Let me know!

“My Kids!”…

Around Halloween we used to have dress up day at school…There were clowns , ghosts, Dracula‘s, witches , cartoon characters, army guys, cheerleaders , etc. …but, there were always a lot of girls dressed in their PJ’s …pretending to be babies with pacifiers …Their hair in pigtails with pretty bows…Fuzzy house slippers adorning their feet …carrying a Teddy Bear or Baby Doll …They were all giggling…enjoying their day in their pajamas …I imagine they felt “comfortable”…but, I wonder if they got as much work done on those days as I do when I clean my house? …I wish I had asked their teachers…but, my mind says, “I doubt it!”

“Home Sweet Home!”

School starts next week where I live…First time I don’t feel the urge to get ready …I don’t have that anticipation feeling…I guess you could say, I’m truly in the retired mode! …It took a good year to come to that closure…When you have done something for so long…well, it is hard to get over…Change of routine…because now, I don’t really have a routine…Not having to get up at a certain time…It’s nice!…I seldom shop  for new clothes…I do miss that…but, I really have all I need…Summer has been shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops …Dressing up is still casual…I used to love new school supplies as well as any kid…Don’t even look at them …have no need…The house stays pretty straight …just an occasional deeper cleaning …That’s good!…and then it can be done at my own pace…I always have loved to cook and bake …Not the best, but I like it!…And I’ve had lots of time to try some new things…I can sit and watch a whole movie …and ones I’ve never seen…during daylight hours…That’s neat!…I can meet a friend for lunch and talk as long as I want …Wonderful!…I don’t feel rushed to do anything!…I usually was running on energy I didn’t have …and getting to an event with only seconds to spare…I’m usually early now…whether they like it or not!…So as I’ve been writing…I’ve found that this retirement thing   is pretty grand!…I think I will enjoy this second year even more!

“My Kids!”…

On the first day of school the kids came in with a lot of anticipation, apprehension , some giddy, some quite, some scared with tears right there, but not yet falling, some with hugs and smiles and talking so fast you couldn’t understand them…They had been there the year before…How couldn’t you just love that first day!…There were new shoes , new uniforms, new haircuts and the wonderful new school supplies!…Bright colored pocket folders in the shades of a rainbow…packs of new pencils, crayons, colored pencils , rulers , paper, notebooks, erasers, binders with their favorite pop star, sport or cartoon figure… backpacks …bigger than them , the infamous glue sticks which I’ll take any day over a bottle of glue that gets stopped up, hard and is so messy…If I left out anything it’s because my mind is running back to those wonderful days…Bus numbers …Lunchroom cards and numbers…Enrollment forms…Bus forms… School Rule’s forms and all of the other forms that have to be collected…Yes, I’ll enjoy my second year even more! 

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“Colors of Attention!”

A blog about colors…not an extraordinary topic…but, don’t we all love color of some sort? …As I read some of the blogs concerning color…it seems green and blue win out…I have to agree…I love those colors in most any shade …I believe it is because of the grass growing beneath our feet and the sky above our heads …Earth and Heaven…Other colors are then applied through our light spectrum … reds, oranges, yellows, indigos, violets…My moods depict my color choices …brights when happy…muted browns, grays and darker when kinda down…Our expression of our self usually  shows in the colors we wear…in our clothes…in our home furnishings…in the car we drive…Personality seems to play a role in there too…When I was younger…give me blue, blue and more blue…NO RED!…too much attention drawn to me …Now, I love red…Do I want more attention?…Hum, never thought about it …

“My Kids!”…

At school …kids were going through their phases…like teenagers do…so much black was worn…Black pants, black shirts,  black shoes, hair dyed “coal-black“ as they say… even black lipstick and fingernail polish …Thank goodness …our kids didn’t get into that very much…Probably because they were mentally behind in their years of age…becoming teens, but more like 10-12 years old mentally…some much younger…Evidently wearing the color black made some teens stand out …made them feel tough…invincible …opositional…at least it seemed that’s what they wanted to portray…Dress this way… was allowed up to a certain extent…Right on the borderline it seemed at times… I wondered if the parents even knew they came to school looking like they did…or were they sneaking around doing it? …It’s hard not to let “Different” reflect in our behavior toward others  …but, when a kid is standing in front of you…looking the way he has chosen…Dressed in black from his head to his feet …you have to be quite good to appear not put off …not offended …not concerned…not reacting …The color “Red” … had better move over… the color “Black” seems to be the attention-getting color these days… Hum???