Dollar Stores and Tulip Town

No one should deprive themselves of the joy of color because color choices, unlike most choices, aren't a matter of money. You are free to select colors that put a smile on your face and edit out the rest. Living with refreshing, life-enhancing color in your room, in the clothes you wear as well as the paraphernalia in your handbag and the accessories on your desk can do wonders to your spirit. Color to me is one of the gifts of grace that is ours to select and a tool to help us live beautifully. Alexandra Stoddard.

Make your office or wherever you work colorful. I do. Actually, I do it to my whole house. My husband is a manly man, a retired Marine, and he lives in this froufrou pink house and loves it. Your hubbies probably want you to be happy, so go with the color that you love best. Beige is sooooo boring and depressing. Simply tint a white with a tiny bit of a beautiful color/pigment instead of brown. I'll never use beige again.
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 I've decided to have a giveaway soon. Just stay tuned because I'm not exactly sure when but very soon. I'll give you plenty of notice. I have ordered a couple more of her books to give away and there will be other stuff also. Just so you know. Truly, you don't want to miss my giveaways. You really don't!
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I have to file my nails every week because of keyboarding so much. They grow so fast since my doctor told me to take more calcium. I've never had great nails but since I chew 2 calcium chews a day they've been growing like crazy. AND it's very hard to type with long nails!
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He's still at it, hubs, I mean. We went to the Dollar stores the other day looking for a certain kind of pen that the man at our bookstore uses and I liked a lot. Flows easily with gel and is clickable. They're called WOW. Couldn't find them but I'll keep checking. They were wonderful to sign my name to the receipt with and I asked him about them. I've told you I'm a fanatic about certain things!

Anyway, we were looking for them and hubs went looking for cheap candy...again. I've told him and told him that Dollar Store cheap candy is just that—CHEAP! He bought some cheese popcorn. I tasted it later at home. He did also. He admitted it wasn't so good. (Need I say more?) Well, I'm gonna...say more that is. I don't buy cheap food at the Dollar Store. It isn't worth it. They get it because no one else will buy it at the regular markets. [Did you know that Dollar Stores have the biggest mark-up on their merchandise than anyone? Yes, this is true.] Anyway, the jelly beans he bought were atrocious also. I got nauseous from their smell even. When I'm dead, he can buy anything he wants, but for now I don't buy cheap food!
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My granddaughter posted on her Facebook a trip to Tulip Town in Mt. Vernon, Washington, they took in April. The most gorgeous tulips in all colors were there. I thought we might go over next year to see them. But it reminded me of a trip they took a year or so ago to the raspberry farms to pick raspberries. Caroline is three years old now so she was just a wee toddler then, but she could pick and eat the raspberries. Granddaughter apologized to the farmer, but they said it was fine that kids will do that. She was eating faster than they could fill baskets. Needless to say, she had the most poopy diapers ever for a couple of days. They thought she'd never stop pooping! We laughed so hard at that, we cried. Here she and our newest great granddaughter are and a picture of the pink tulips, my favorite ones.

I think she looks a bit geeky in this photo but she really is so, what can I say. But as her grandmother I think she's gorgeous and I'm not one bit prejudiced...no, really, I'm not. ;-) Okay, she is kinda cute and Juliette is also.

This is her last year before she got pregnant with the little doll she is holding above, her second daughter. When she's not being a computer geek at Microsoft, she's a cutie. But she is very smart.

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Yes, I still would love to have an outdoor shower.

A gorgeous shade of blue. Actually, I love this little kitchen.

Another pretty patio/picnic area.

A cute quaint neighborhood in England.

Look at this tiny chair. Maybe it was meant for a doll house. Even has its own tiny pillow.

Where do people find these little treasures? An old farm wagon dressed up in pink and blue.

Just some lovely froufrou items.

And yet another bird cage for you to see.

A staged photograph for sure but I think it's adorable. An outdoor, under-the-trees room.

Another countryside pathway. Sort of narrow for cars though.

A cute bedroom with lots of color.

Another stone sink.

Respite from work done cute!

Sigh. How adorable is this room! Look at those curtains and that pillow, rug and settee.

Have a coconut cupcake, but you might want to wait or rethink that after reading the tidbit today.

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Tidbit:

To cure hangovers, people in the Middle Ages would down a plate of bitter almonds and dried eel after drinking. In Outer Mongolia, they slurped down pickled sheep eyeballs in tomato juice. [Ooooh, yuck!!]
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Linking up with NMH Party and Pink Saturday.

Just Photos Today

Reminding you again of my Pinterest page, where I post at least a couple of times a week. You'll see images that aren't yet on my blog so go there for a visual treat of nothing but beautiful images.

Also, I'll keep reminding you until 7/1/2013 that Google Reader will no longer be available. So if you want to keep track of your favorite blogs or, if you are a blogger, you'll need another site to do that. Of course, you could just see them if you have bookmarked them, but you wouldn't see if they're updated so you'd have to check every single one. I'm using Bloglovin' as many others are and while it's not as good as Google Reader, it's still better than having to click on every single blog to see if it's updated. If you want to follow me on Bloglovin', just click on the logo on my side bar.
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This is one of the cutest spots for a dinner I've ever seen. Can you imagine sitting in the shade of this old barn? Yummmmy!

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And another cute way to store linens.

I've always loved purple and it is the favorite color of my great granddaughter. Her mummy buys her a lot of thing in purple or lavender.

A quaint old country neighborhood. They live much closer than we do and I kind of like that idea. Much more secure and that's important to me.

Personally, I love these old stone sinks. I'd much prefer one outside rather than inside but they have so much character.

Several years ago I found some pink towels. Now, I mean a true bright pink, not rose-colored. I have not been able to find any pink towels since then. They are gorgeous, and I'm going to be very distraught when they wear out. Why can't the towel industry come out with just pink instead of a dulled-down pink? This photo reminded me of that. This is a beautiful soft pink but I'm waiting for the true pink to come again.

These little bins are adorable. I wish I could find some for a few items I would put in them.

I adore this old country kitchen. Large sunny windows. Cute old photos on the wall. A sturdy table. Splashes of color in the plant peeking in the photo and on the table.

I'm sure this is a set-up for a wedding but think how cute the idea is for your dining room. Silk flowers and ribbons on the back. Not a lot of trouble or money at all and the pay-off is jazzy.

Yep, we're going out for ice cream tonight!! Did I ever mention I have pink spoons for eating our ice cream? I sure do and it makes the experience even more beautiful.

Yes, I really do like white sofa slipcovers and even had one made for my old Ethan Allen sofa. I can put them on or take them off and have completely different looks. They only cost $400 and I thought that was a steal considering the ugly ones I've seen online.

An excellent, cute and inexpensive way to add storage to your bedroom.

I really like this settee. I've never seen one like it but it looks comfy. Of course, the pink stripe adds to the effect for me.

Just a quaint and cute place for a lunch.

This has to be a shop for Green Gate items. They have the most darling kitchen ware of any store I've seen.

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Tidbit:

Ringo Starr received more fan mail than any of the other Beatles and George Harrison was afraid of flying.
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Linking up with the Dedicated House. 

White

I've been wanting to do a white post for a long time. Oh, there will be a bit of color among the white but not much; it'll be mostly white. So let's get on with it.

A dresser, lamp and shade, frame, curtains and walls all white except for a painting of a rose on a white frame.

White walls, shelves, bowls with a bit of flowers and the door.

Lamp and shade, measuring cup, walls, table and frame on table.

Mostly white with sofa, stairs, lamp and table, pillows, bookcase, walls, dining room table and chairs and white wallpaper with flowers on it.

White walls, sofa, table, chair, pot on table, a bit of color in curtains and pillow.

White walls, rug, sofa, hanging lamp, heater behind sofa, table on far wall.

White kitchen except for the stove, mixer and a plate of watermelon.

White walls, doors, table, chairs, plates.

White walls, glasses and paper in glass, candle holder, round white candles, white picture.

White walls, windows, doors, table and chairs, cover on sofa,

White walls, chair, chest of drawers, rug, bed.

White walls, floor white and beige check, cabinet, doors, sink, table and chairs,

White chairs, basket, cover on table, white pot on table.

White everywhere in this living room with just a touch of red in the pillows on the sofa and red flowers in the pot on the coffee table and chandelier and lace curtains.

White sofa, chairs, ottoman, walls, doors, curtains, armoir, floors painted white

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Tidbit:

Highest legal drinking age in the world: 21, in the United States.

Linking up with Pink Saturday.

Summit Story

Prepare yourself: long post today!

During the 80s, hubby and I, and eventually our daughter, enrolled in some self-help classes in San Mateo, California. A friend loved them and introduced us to them. So we thought we'd sign up for the introductory class. Hubs went first. These weren't cheap classes either. I cannot remember the exact amount each class cost but I'm thinking a couple of hundred in the beginning and up from that depending on the class and where it was. (Some were in Hawaii and some were in Southern California, some were in Arizona at a ranch, and cost in the thousands of dollars.) I went to one in L.A. and enjoyed it. But I digress.

Hubs went to the first one and when he walked in the door from the class that night, he grabbed me and pulled me out of the chair and hugged me like never before. He was so excited. I don't recall him ever being so excited as to do something like that and he's a very caring man.

Anyway, he told me he couldn't wait for me to go. I was to go in the next couple of weeks as that class was 2 days on a weekend. I went to the class and on the second night nearing the end they told us we had to perform a skit. Each one of us. I was mortified! I am not a demonstrative person and certainly not an actor nor have I ever in my life wanted to be on a stage.

We were given boxes full of props and about 15 minutes to figure out what we wanted to do. We each had to do something by ourselves alone or could team up with one other person. I didn't know anyone else in that room! I'm not the type to run up to a stranger and ask if he/she would want to be in a skit with me. I wanted to cry and run from that room. I got through it but to this day I don't remember what I did though I think I told a joke. But...and this is a big BUT...

As they gave us "rehearsal" time and then called time on us, they said they had another surprise. They opened up the 2 doors into the room and our "sponsor/sponsors" were invited into the room, which would have been hubby and my friend. I almost cried and left the room. If I was going to make a fool of myself, I certainly didn't want hubs and Pat to see it. I even muttered under my breath to him and it wasn't nice. I asked him how he could not have told me what was going to happen. I was angry/livid/furious!!! He just smiled. I got through it but I hated making a fool of myself. (I'm sure there's some psychologist out there that would have fun with this story but I don't want to hear it.) Pffffft!

However, I did take more classes and the two that helped me the most were a video class, where we all viewed ourselves as others see us, and a public speaking class.

Now, you would think the public speaking class would have frightened me and it did. We could choose our topic but we didn't know when we'd be called on to speak. The tension was almost unbearable. My heart pumped frantically that whole evening. The classes had different instructors and they could be brutal. This instructor was a very good looking man who I'd seen rip apart some class members. And then my name was called. I walked up on the stage, which was a simple raised platform and stood there. To my disbelief and relief, he was extremely gentle with me. I think I had just radiated fear! I did well as I remember and critiqued by everyone in the class. But as I stood on that stage, my heart returned to normal and I was at ease. I realized then that public speaking was about the anticipation of going up on stage. After that anticipation dissipates, all would be well. To this day, I love public speaking. It doesn't bother me at all, especially when I know my speech beforehand. All the money I paid for all the classes was worth it with just that one class. Oh, I'm sure I got some benefit out of the other classes but that one was the most beneficial to me.

I got rave reviews on my legs! That floored me. I also heard one man say I was a leader. That threw me for a loop as I've never, ever wanted to be a leader. And I have friends to this day that tell me that, but I truly don't care. I'd much rather just be a sailor instead of captaining the sail boat when we belonged to a yacht club. But I knew one man in class had a red pencil and when I viewed all the comments put on a table I knew he was one who said I had great legs. I was a bit intimidated looking at him after that. But I had on a skirt just above my knees and sexy high heels of about 2 1/2 inches. After all, I was the mother of 2 teenagers and I've always dressed modestly but that night those statements made me feel that I really did look exceptionally good.
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This little bottle is definitely my kind of decorated bottle.

I also love this little vignette with that darling striped cushy sofa and slipcover.

If I carried little clutch bags, this would be one of them. But I like one with a strap I can put over my shoulder for hands-free shopping.

Something I wish I had. It's so beautiful.

More ruffled bed covers. I actually love gray a lot but not so much for my bed.

Yes, I know. It would be wonderful to step outside your door and right into your boat on a pond.

Another birdcage froufrou-ed up.

Now, isn't this clever? A beautiful formal home with a rugged outdoorsy picnic table dressed up fancy.

Yes, I love this little pink sun porch!

And, of course, who wouldn't love this little princess haven for our very own?

When we lived in the California southern desert, this is what we awoke to in the spring time. There truly is a beauty and serenity about the desert I love, despite the summer heat.

I collect perfume bottles but when I have to buy them I make sure I like the perfume. One of the prettiest bottles ever is the Lolita Lempicka bottle. Just exquisite. It's blue and silver with the most wonderful fragrance ever.

Simply roses, hydrangeas and other gorgeous flowers for you. I cannot resist flowers!

I'd love to have this chair for hubby. He like arm chairs at the dinner table; I don't.

And this little table would go well in my house, too! ;-) Plus the little poof is adorable. And then there's that exquisite rug! Sigh...

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Tidbit:

The telescope on Mount Palomar, California, can see a distance of 7,038,835,200,000,000 million miles. [We can't even fathom that distance! And yes, that's the way the miles were stated in the book I got it from. That's a long, long way!]
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Linking up with NMH Open House Party.