Getting Rid of Stuff

Another reminder of my pinterest page. There are now over 8,500 photos/images on there that are not necessarily on here yet. If you wish to view them, I suggest you go there and become a follower as I pin on a regular basis, usually at least a couple of times a week.
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We're still working on downsizing our stuff in this house. The other day I gave some solid oak dining chairs to a friend and hubs asked if I really wanted to get rid of them and I said yes very firmly. It seems like he likes all the stuff I've bought over the last 35 years, but there is just too much and at our age; it's time. I don't want to have my kids to have to do it for us if something happened. That's not fair to them and they pretty much don't want anything. They have their own "stuff" and don't need any more. I understand that. Just a few personal things will go to them and the grandkids. I'm just tired of having so much that we can't move things around in this house. My daughter is doing the same thing at her home in California.

Nice weather the past week. Today I asked hubs what the weather was going to be and he immediately pulls out his iPhone. He checks his iPhone for the weather every day. I look out the window and the thermometer on the patio to see what the temperature is. Much easier. He drives me absolutely nuts with the hundreds of apps he has on his iPhone. If I mention something, he has an app for it. Sigh. I may take up drinking and never be sober again!!
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It's so pretty today that it looks almost like this around here. Curtains billowing in the breeze, clear skies and a beautiful day.

Everyone loves stone houses and the atmosphere that it brings to a home. This is especially cute, I think.

Isn't this decorative egg exquisite?

Our irrigation canals around here for irrigating our yards aren't this pretty, but they can come close in some areas around houses here for being shady. But I love the flowers and bridge in the background.

A quaint little guest bedroom in the French style.

A rather plain little living room but it's kind of cute with the French feel.

I like the pink in this room but it looks almost like a setting in a furniture store the way it's set up.

This room certainly asserts itself. Fabulous.

I've always loved rooms like this: huge windows, settee, ruffled tablecloth, pretty curtains on a window and a chandelier.

This is absolutely adorable. Black and white with touches of red and pink. I could live in this porch or sunroom easily. Darling!

Just a sweet dining area in a kitchen done extremely well.

This room belongs in a warm climate with its monochromatic color. Very pretty.

A fancy entry way. Two different chairs done in the same fabric to pull them together.

A cozy pink, white and gold sitting room.

What a relaxing room to dream in. French doors to the patio and a chaise lounge to sit and read. Great room!

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Tidbit:

Henry Ford's son received his first Ford when he was 8 years old. He drove himself to the 3rd grade.
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Linking up with Pink Saturday.

Some Designer Rooms

 My blog looks just a bit different as I've removed a few things. I think it was becoming too cluttered on the sidebar so I took off my Things I Love, Things I'm Not Too Fond Of, and I took off a few things under my logo so now there are only 3 Pages up there. The Google Reader Follower's list will disappear July 1st with their getting rid of Google Reader so that'll free up some space. But if you want to still follow me, do it with Bloglovin' up at the very top right. I  just wanted it a bit more streamlined. So enjoy reading.
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Are there rooms in your heart that no one is allowed to see because they may not be consistent with the design of the rest of the structure? I certainly have such rooms. They're so private that I share them with no one and hope they don't show in my face or actions in any way. They're mine alone to nuture and view from time to time to see if they need something I can give them or just want to be left alone a bit longer until I can visit them with something to add to the decor of that room.
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Most of my friends and acquaintances are kind people. I just seem to have them in my life. It's usually been that way wherever we've lived.

The woman who cuts my hair is a doll. The best beautician ever. Very talented. A good, sweet loving mother to her 2 children, number 3 expected the end of the year. But her father died last month and she told me so softly I almost didn't hear her. I wept with her. He was a very handsome young father in his 40s and she loved him greatly. She sat with him the day he died. I sat there and wept while she cut my hair. I couldn't help it because she is such a sweet, kind, loving young woman and daughter to her father.

Then a few weeks later it was time for a teeth cleaning appointment. I showered, dressed and put on makeup (since they work with 2X glasses looking in my mouth and cleaning my teeth). But just as she started she took a tissue and wiped the right side of my chin. She said, "You had a bit of makeup there." I was so stunned at her thoughtfulness I could have cried. Some people wouldn't have bothered, but Chris is so thoughtful and known me for so many years, she performed that small kindness for me. It brought me to tears later as I thought about how kind everyone is to me. I am truly a blessed woman to know the people I know in my life.

Then I read this by the President of our Church and it expresses my views rather well.

I believe in the beauty of nature-the flowers, the fruit, the sky, the peaks and the plains from which they rise. I see and believe in the beauty of animals. Is there anything more regal than a magnificent horse-its coat brushed and clean, its head held high, its gait a symphony of motion?

I see and admire beauty in people. I am not so concerned with the look that comes of lotions and creams, of pastes and packs as seen in slick-paper magazines and on television. I am not concerned whether the skin be fair or dark. I have seen beautiful people in a hundred nations through which I have walked. Little children are beautiful everywhere. And so are the aged, whose wrinkled hands and faces speak of struggle and survival. . . . Those wrinkles have a beauty of their own, and inherent in their very presence is something that speaks reassuringly of strength and integrity and a love that runs more deeply and quietly than ever before.

I believe in beauty-the beauty of God's unspoiled creations, the beauty of his sons and daughters who walk without whimpering, meeting the challenges of each new day.

I believe in the beauty of good music and art, of pleasing architecture, and of good literature untainted by profanity or verbal filth.

My dear young friends, there is so much of ugliness in the world in which you live.  But you can rise above this and revel in the beauty to be found with a little effort.
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A gorgeous dining room with pretty slipcovers over the back of the chairs.

A fantastic red-accented room.

An astounding blue room with lots of red throw in. I just love designer rooms because they show us ways to make our homes more gorgeous without being expensive if you take the time and ingenuity to do it.

A pale blue rose room. I love the coziness of the chairs around the fireplace.

Another blue room. Beautiful but it definitely looks affordable.

I love lots of chairs in a room. Most people don't like sitting three people on a sofa that is made for three people; two is the usual amount of sitters on a sofa. But I also like chairs for some to sit on also.

A cozy melon colored room with a white sofa and several chairs.

Sofas, chairs, lush pillows, lush curtains, a fireplace. This is s room I'd love.

I like chairs on the outside of the room also. Sometimes conversations start with 2 people sitting on the sidelines. I think this style is perfect.

I love this little simple white shabby room also.

A lovely blue elegant room near the seashore perhaps.

A Gorgeous dark red wall with lots of white and gold thrown in.

Gold and pink in this room. Very expensively decorated.

Simple but gorgeous chairs table and sofa

This is a bit more rustic in a french tradition but these homes are hard to come by, but beautiful however.

ve

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Tidbit:

In the 20th century, more people died of smallpox than in all wars of that century combined.
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Linking up with WOW at NMH

A QuickTutorial

First of all, I'd like to speak to the horror of what happened yesterday in the Boston Marathon. My heart really and truly goes out to those people who thought they were safe that day. How despicable can anyone be to target innocent people who just wanted to watch a marathon on a nice sunny April day? Hubby came home from an appointment and hadn't heard yet so he and I watched it on the computer and both of us couldn't even speak with the lumps in our throats and the weeping in our eyes. I hope everyone says a prayer for the ones left behind that had to witness the horror.
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Recently I was perusing a website for some things I've been looking for and came across a site that had them but her photos were not the best for her lovely and unique items. After all, presentation, and on the internet, photos, are the most important thing when showcasing your items. I emailed her and gave her a quick tutorial on creating more beautiful images. Now, don't think I'm sounding "better than thou" about this; I just simply love helping people on the internet. Yes, it was a great risk that I might embarrass her or turn her off, but fortunately she took it in the fashion it was meant. I've done this with two of the most recognized artists we all love and they were grateful also. Just goes to show you they're all grateful for any help they can get. One might be a great artist but a total ditz when it comes to blogging, photography, or other things about the internet.

 I have to keep up since my granddaughter is so computer savvy. Also, my 3 year-old great granddaughter already has her own computer. It's called Surface. Its passwords for her are to touch her fingers to 3 images on the tablet—an ear, a nose, or an eye in special sequence. Her mummy and daddy are teaching her very young since they are computer programmers. Amazing!


Since Photobucket has a new look and not been too popular with those of us who have been with it from the beginning, I thought I'd give a small tutorial about how photos work on the internet. I think most people have a general idea and some have a better idea, but for the most part the largest majority of casual users have no idea about how they take up space on, not only their computers, but image hosts, such as Photobucket, Flickr, Image Shack, Tinypic, Shutterfly, Imgur, Smug Mug, Postimage, etc.


When I photograph an image for my blog, it will usually be about 3.6 MB—megabytes—and 3888 x 2592 pixels—px—in height and width.  That's huge in terms of pixels. I'll always re-size it to probably about 700 px wide and the height I set to be in proportion to the width. This is done so it won't be out of proportion.

Let me say one other very important thing here: I always edit and try to improve every single photo I post on my blog or my Pinterest, even the ones I get from the internet. There are a rare few that don't need any adjustment as to brightness or removing shadows. I can improve just about all of them, but there are some people who are just so good at photographing their subjects that I don't need to do anything but make them a bit smaller and adjust the pixels. If I get them from the internet, I can not make them bigger, only smaller. They may be a lot smaller than I'd prefer, but they are what they are. However, if they're too tiny, I'll pass them up. I want to see the images in all their glory, not a tiny image barely visible.


I know these are huge but I wanted you to see them well so I'm putting about 6 on here for you to see the difference in the amount of memory your photos are taking up.


Looking at this screenshot you'll notice the small red arrow down at the bottom. You'll also see the little area in the middle right side where it says Image Size and New Size. Notice that I have Constrain Proportions checked (on the 3rd photo down you'll see it) so that it will re-size and not look strange like the photo just after this one.

See how out of proportion this one is. That's what I mean by out of proportion or Constraining Proportions.

Now let's talk storage of these photos. If you store on your computer or on an image host, and your photos are the original size without any editing, you're going to eat up your storage capacity really fast. And that's money. I have almost 18,000 photos on Photobucket but I have yet to go over my limit. At this moment I'm at 4.71% of my limit or 1.1 GB of 23 GB. See what I'm getting at. That's because I edit them to the size I want them to be here on this blog. The size will vary a little bit from time to time. I rarely ever go over 600-700 pixels wide. But, like now in this post, I wanted them bigger for you to see them.

So take a look at the original "size" of the photos I got off the internet. Look at this one below. See on the left where it says 1.7 MB (that's huge) and on the right after I edited and re-sized it a bit, it is 37 KB. That's a huge fraction—about .00002%— but the photo remained the exact same in terms of you looking at it. So, I've saved a lot of space on my computer and my iMac has 12 GB extra storage. Even that's huge! But I don't want it running slow. I want the fastest speed I can get from my Mac. And I get it, too.

And let me say another thing: None of these photos were reduced in actual size or inches, in other words.

Just keep checking these few photos and see the difference below.

These were all done on PhotoShop Elements, a cheaper version of PhotoShop but everything I need. If you're a professional, you'd want the full version for $700 but a PS Elements is under a hundred dollars and even cheaper on eBay probably. BUT, let me say here that you can edit on Photobucket or probably even on your Photo Editor on your computer. I know everyone has one on their computer so you don't even need to spend money doing this. Are you understanding what I'm saying? Save money and room on your computer. If anyone has a question, just email me and I'd be happy to answer them. I make no money doing this, just satisfaction in knowing I've helped someone a little bit.

Now for the beautiful photos.

These pillows must have taken a lot to make, but those little paper or fabric flowers are exquisite also.

Just another beautiful white room with lots of sunlight and a balcony with a view. It looks like an attic room but could possibly be just a second floor room.

And are we loving this darling little quaint cottage? It's much bigger than it looks from the front but how about that circular top. Absolutely cute!

And while I'm on a roll today, look at this other sweet cottage.

I'm trying to decide whether to do two or three ruffles on my French cane chairs. I want the drop cloth for one or two ruffles and a pink and white polka dot  fabric for one of the ruffles. I think I'll experiment tomorrow.

Another sweet kitchen. Love the red Aga with the blue cabinets. And that stone floor? To die for!

Love the little chairs covered with bouquets of flowers.

And now that I've done the silk pink hydrangeas in an old drawer and put it on my coffee table in the family room, I'm seeing them all over the place. I'm tickled pink with the way mine look though.

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Tidbit:

Airbags inflate at a rate of 200 miles per hour.
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Speaking with Confidence and Authority

Another reminder: I post regularly on my Pinterest page so you might want to go visit even more photos that I haven't put on my blog yet. There are currently almost 8,400 images. You truly won't be sorry if you like images of gorgeous things and eye candy. Promise!
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I have had a few friends through the years who were rather wimpy, especially in their voice, speech and conversations. I think it's insecurity from childhood and the teenage years mostly. Young people for the most part aren't sure of themselves yet. Shy maybe. I know I was that way.

In the early 60s, I had a friend who told me her mother thought I didn't have a personality. What?! I had a personality, probably one she didn't like maybe but I had a definite personality, shy a bit but always laughing and humorous. I think later on this friend had psychiatric problems. She was the daughter of a preacher and a kind of domineering mother. I found her on a website of our old school but she seemed distant. We were very good friends and I'm thinking her adult life didn't turn out as well as mine has. Patti didn't seem wimpy when I knew her in the 60s but in the 90s when we communicated a few times via the internet there was just something there that wasn't right. I really don't know what her problems were so we didn't get together as she seemed to hesitate on that issue.

I've always been a person from my late teens/early 20s who was confident and spoke with confidence and later authority also, especially in my job. There's no sense in being wishy/washy or mealy-mouthed about things. I'm not an insipid person. I speak well and try to articulate what I'm saying but I've always spoken with confidence and not afraid to say something. Well, hurting someone is not something I'd do. I hold to good values. But I think when we speak with authority it empowers us to do things that are important. I know it does me. People listen to me AND I listen to friends for advice. I've always been told I'm a Leader. I don't want to be a leader. I want to stay home with my hubby and visit kids and grandkids when I want to. I'm tired of leading. I want to just be a grammy and mom now. I'm too tired to lead! (This conversation came up today with a friend of 13 years and she knows me well.)

I think we should try and get these young people speaking properly and help them with confidence and authority. After all, they'll be our future leaders and the way some of them are right now is a bit unnerving to me. Stand up! Be proud! Speak with authority and confidence. Make this world a better place than it is now.
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This is my absolutely favorite couture gown from all I've seen lately.

Pretty vintage tablecloth setting for a dinner in the yard.

And a gorgeous pink and gold and blue table setting.

Lovely lavender bedroom.

A secret pathway? Hmmmm?

My kind of roses for a table.

This has to be a Christie Repasy chair. It's so gorgeous. I'd love to have it.

I really do like these tiny ruffled bags.

A very unusual living room wall. I'm not sure I'd like all those vines running up my wall but it makes for a stunning picture.

Just a simple decoration for a picnic with cards hung on wires.

Too pretty to eat!

Beautiful chandelier with roses, crystals and butterflies.

Just like this fabric—stripes in pinks.

Kind of a retro feel for this kitchen making it quite adorable.

A lovely home with an abundance of flowers along the lane.

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Tidbit:
The right lung in humans is slightly larger than the left. The total surface area of a pair of human lungs is equal to that of a tennis court.
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