Talking Mushrooms

Near the end of last year, our great granddaughter started talking about 
"talking mushrooms." She told her mummy and Santa Claus that she wanted mushrooms for Christmas. None of us—she absolutely stumped Santa—could figure out what she meant. My granddaughter asked the teachers at her daycare/pre-school if they had read a story or mentioned talking mushrooms at all to Caroline. They said, "No."

Then one day while they were eating breakfast out at a restaurant, a little boy heard her talking about talking mushrooms and said he loved them too, more than the current "hero" to that age group. So he grabbed Caroline's hand and off they went in the restaurant, their own little world.

So I went online and googled talking mushrooms and came up with a book and the old Mario-type movies of talking mushrooms. We asked her if this was what she was talking about but she said no. I bought the book to the tune of $25 and sent it to her and she loved it anyway, but in her 2 year-old mind she couldn't explain exactly what she meant.

Then one day at Michaels they had some candy called talking mushrooms so I bought that for her and she was fine—candy cures everything, ya know. But we've never been able to figure out what exactly talking mushrooms are. So if anyone out there knows, we'd be grateful for the information. We're still stymied.
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Isn't this exquisite? I don't think I'd like to clean it but it is beautiful.

See, flowers can make anything look gorgeous.

While it looks like it's crumbling, it still has a lot of character with its verdigris shutters.

Just beautiful plates.

Even grunge can look pretty if done correctly. ;-)

I like the red and white checks on this chair.

Those verdigris shutters again on a different house, but notice the gorgeous roses also.

I cant quite figure this out except that it's a kitchen somewhere but the banner looks like a medieval joust is about to take place.

I love this little vignette of pink and white striped candles, roses, pink ribbon and pink candy.

Such a pretty solitary place to sit, shaded with an arbor and clematis.

I believe this is a section of a store with all that stuff around but it is none-the-less gorgeous. I see some things I'd like for my home.

How cute are these red and white checked shoes!!

Regular old jars done up pretty for a party. Take a hint for your next party.

Just because I love roses...

I like what they've done with the lawn chairs but the setting is quite striking also.

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Tidbit:

The average person in the UK drinks as much tea as 23 Italians.
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Some Friends Returned from Zimbabwe

We had some friends who had recently returned from a mission in Zimbabwe over for dinner a few nights ago. He brought his computer with a slideshow of their mission for us to see. They loved their mission of 18 months, but said it was definitely time to come home. They did, however, go on a couple of safaris and loved that. They also dearly loved the people of that country. It was quite an experience though.

All the senior couple missionaries lived in a small area with tiny houses close together and were warned to not travel alone, to try and always travel with other couples. The doors and all the windows had bars on them with locks. They were told by their Mission President to be sure and keep them locked at all times unless coming or going. They also had their generator fenced and locked as it would have been stolen immediately. The car also was kept in a locked garage. They were told to never leave anything in the car, whether locked or unlocked. They didn't but one couple locked their computer in their car and it was stolen immediately. The country is very, very poor. Nothing like what we experience in this country. Even the poorest here have more than the poor over there. It's very sad, but they are a happy people in spite of it. They even told us of a village called Landfill People. Yep, it was in a garbage dump. People actually lived there in cardboard boxes right among the trash around them. It was certainly heart rending to see that kind of existence.

But two things happened that turned out to be miracles.

The first one was Thanksgiving and the senior missionary couples fixed dinner for about 100 young missionaries. They wanted to have gravy and someone made it in their home. When Connie (our friends are Connie and Paul) looked in the pot that was about 10-12" tall and not big around, she saw about a third of that pot was full. Well, there was no way that was going to feed 100 missionaries who wanted gravy on their turkey and mashed potatoes. Connie prayed quickly with a lot of hope. When all the missionaries and everyone else finished going through the buffet line, she looked into the pot and there were about 2 or 3 cups left! She said there was no way humanly possible for that to have happened. She was in shock. And all the diners partook of the gravy liberally!

Then another time they were to hand out 300 loaves of bread in the back of their truck to the people. When they saw the long, long line of people wanting bread, Connie told Paul there was no way they would be able to have enough bread for them all. She again agonized on what they would do. Another woman told her to just start handing them out to each person in line and when it was gone, it was gone. Nothing they could do. Again, she prayed. When the end of the line came, and it was a very long line estimated to be about 500, she looked in the back of the truck and there were 5 loaves of bread in there. She was astounded. I think I would have been also, but I do know prayer works.
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What can I say about this dining room? Gorgeous and perfect for the lovers of French style.

I just like the colors and style of the plates. Just a gorgeous setting.

I love this color of aqua or verdigris. Stunning.

A lively vignette with all kinds of color.

Another beautiful setting for an intimate dinner with friends.

This pretty house just struck me as very friendly with the lights glowing from within.

I don't think I've ever seen a chair like this but I'd sure love to find some.

The chairs at the table are exactly like mine with the chair covers over them. Of course, I do love that huge island and its magnificent color.

A cute bunch of flowers brought in from the garden.

While the headboard is very unusual, it still strikes a nice decorating note in this bedroom.

Such a teensy cute kitchen.

Lots of candy colors here.

If only I had this many chandeliers to hand in my windows!

Some beautiful handmade crafts. Darling!

I also display all my aprons in my kitchen. I actually use them also.

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Tidbit:

Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.
~*~

Just Some Thoughts 7/10/2013

I'm back. I really didn't get all done that I wanted to, but I'm a blog junkie so here I am. Is there a cure for it? A shot? Therapy? Rehab? Sigh. I may not post as often but I'll definitely be around at least a couple of times a week.
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I saw a blog the other day, not a fashion blog either, which are very popular, but it had over 18,000 followers and one post had 751 comments! WOW! That's astounding.
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Imperfect people are all God has to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him but He deals with it. (J. R. Holland)
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I've had this insatiable thirst for root beer lately, but not just any root beer, only Henry Weinhards Root Beer. I sent th' hubs to Wal-Mart the other day with a very small grocery list, about 4 items. I had told him to get 2 cases as we've been drinking a lot of it lately. So he got there and they didn't have any cases of 12. He called me to tell me. Sigh. I told him to go ahead and get 4 of the 6-pack cartons. No, I didn't scream or have a breakdown; I very politely told him even if he insisted it would cost more. When I'm in the mood for a H.W. Root Beer, don't even question the price! Double sigh.
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I don't let anyone dull my sparkle. One woman had a good shot at it several years ago and it sent me to a therapist because of it. I told her after that I didn't want her in my life. Period. She kept insisting as she thought I was something special. I'm not. Well, to my family I am, but that's about it. She even had her hubby call me to let her back in my life. We moved to another town about an hour away after that. So, a couple of months ago I met up with her daughter at Costco and tried to ignore her but she's as bad as her mother. Well, her mother was there also and she called her over from another aisle and I just about wanted to fall through the floor and get out of there as soon as I could. That didn't happen. (Plus the fact that it was a hurried, emergency trip to Costco and I looked like a hag. Why don't you run into people you don't care for when you're looking your absolute best?!?!) She wanted my new phone number and I'm not a good liar so I gave it to her. Aaaarghh. Hubs and a dear friend said I should have given her a false one. I just don't think fast enough in those situations. Since she asked for it several times putting it into her cell phone, I'm hoping she copied it wrong. I've since turned off our home message machine and gone with the phone company generic one with the generic voice. I'm such a wimp! Well, not usually, but this was a shock. Plus I didn't want to be nasty, which I can do very well. ;-)
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Many people prefer the comfortable lie. Oooooh, do I cry now or tonight.
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Squeeeeallllll!!!! I'd love to have this for my very own in my backyard. Just a dream, not going to become a reality.

I'm not a big quilt fan but this one is gorgeous with all the pinks and flowers.

Another cute and quaint kitchen.

The color of verdigris is what I loved about this door.

A charming little home in France, Italy or Spain. They have really cute stone homes.

This is one spectacular lighting fixture. It would look grand in my backyard. ;-)

This looks like it's copper but I think it's beautiful even if it isn't.

Can you see yourself strolling down the petaled pathway here?

More lovely flowered china for you.

Our roses are blooming prolifically now. These aren't ours though.

A most unusual tablecloth. It looks like petals. I've wondered how she did it.

If I had a work bucket that looked like this, I might just dust more often. Then again, maybe not. :-)

I love everything about this room. Beautiful!!!!

Another patio to relax on.

Vibrant roses against a vibrant sofa and pillows.

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Tidbit:

In 1928 travel writer Richard Halliburton paid
36¢ to swim through the Panama Canal. [This just goes to show you nobody gets a free ride through the canal.]
~*~

A Woman's Decision

Beginning with today's post, I'm taking a break. There are a lot of things going on in my life, just like all of you. It may be a week, two weeks or a month. We'll see what happens. I just need to get some things done I've been putting off for a long time. But I truly thank all of you who follow and/or read my blog.
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Several weeks ago, we all read about Angelina Jolie having her breasts removed. I'm not fond of her, but I salute her decision to take a very pro-active stance on her body. I'd do the same thing. In fact, I did many years ago.

I'll not go into the details as it's very personal and it wasn't cancer but I made a decision for health reasons and would do it again in a heartbeat. Breasts are not the be all/end all to some women or men. I doubt seriously that many men, and I do mean men, not the narcissistic idiots that come out of Hollywood, marry women for their breasts. I know my hubby didn't. I've talked on this matter before on one of my blog posts. Some women are identified by their chests; I'm not one of them. Be happy with what you have. There are health risks to women with larger breasts. There are also other considerations with that also. I chose to do what I did and was extremely happy with the results.

But I'm glad it was brought to the forefront for women. Don't be afraid to take a pro-active stand on your health matters. Listen to your doctor but make your own decision. He'll inform you but he shouldn't be the one to make a decision for your own body. I'm certainly glad Miss Jolie did what she did so she wouldn't leave her children without a mother. Children need their mothers as much as they need their fathers. Wise decision, in my opinion.
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A very colorful entrance to an adorable place somewhere in Europe. France and Italy are pretty similar in their homes, all very lovely and fascinating architecture. This is a darling place though.

I love gorgeous arrays of pillows as art. I'm thinking of having Love Bunny make me shelves for the family room to display pillows I've made. I need to make more room in my office, where most of them are stored, and in my craft room. I'll be cleaning that out soon. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're heard that before, but this time I mean it as it's getting seriously trashed in there.

Another exceptional place for an al fresco dinner.

A stunning bunch of lavender. I'm not fond of the smell but its medicinal value is wonderful for burns.

An array of vintage hats. How wonderful that this owner was able to get so many with flowers on them.

I'd love to have this small vase. I know exactly where I'd use it.

I love impatiens for their strikingly vivid colors.

Don't we all wish we could create a cute vignette like this? I'd just love to have that old ice cream parlor chair!

Looks like British Colonial decor to me.

Just a bit of lace juxtaposed with peeling windows.

A place to sit and dream while surrounded with gorgeous roses.

These are French-enameled measuring cups. Cute!!!

A beachy-type decor. I do love the colors.

I just loved the stairs in this old home. I doubt I'd ever feel safe going up and down on them. I need a handrail as I'm a klutz, but I love the look. The stone fireplace is also a plus in this house.

A way to decorate a canning car. Just put earrings on it and it's an instant vase.

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Tidbit:

The Houses of Parliament have nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, 8 bars, and 6 restaurants—none of them open to the public.
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