When You Whine.......... and Some Awards

This is what you get when you whine!! LOL I do not recommend this and am absolutely NOT a whiner. Truly, I am not. I jokingly "whined" about not winning Jan's blog giveaway and she told me she had a prize for the "first whiner." That was MEEEEEEE! Sooooo it did pay to "whine" just this once!!! Ya whine, ya win?!?!? :-)

A beautiful book, a darling card in the shape of high heels.....squeeeeeeeal....a box of tea bags, a snippet of needles in a darling card, a bar of lemon verbena soap that smells wonderful, a tabletop picture frame and a little photograph book.

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The Kreative Blogger Award from Erin at Old Grain Sacks and Lavender. Thank you, sweetpea.

I am to list 6 things I value and 6 things I do not value. I then pass it on.

Value:

God and my religion and living forever as a family unit

Husband and children

Humor

Truth

Righteousness -
I'm sadly not a perfect person but I'm striving every minute of the day

Art and technology


Do not value:

People who do not value human life

Guile

Children who have not been taught manners

People who bash my country - the greatest country on this earth

Intellectual snobbery

Orange - this color just sets me off. I'm not fond of halloween for this reason - too much orange. It just does something to my brain. Certain colors can affect people this way. But it's almost like sending this feeble brain of mine into overload!

Now, I think I want as many people who see this to respond. There are over 120 bloggers on my Google Reader and I'd like to know more about them. I could not possibly list them all here unless I wanted to sit here for hours and trust me, that just ain't happenin', chickees!! ;-) Soooo if you read this please take the time to go to your blog, do this and then email me and let me know so I can read it. I'm sure we all share some similarities and diverseness on these issues and would like to read about yours. So please feel free to respond on your own blog.
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Another award from Cindy of Cottageremnant. I am to list 7 things about myself. Don't you chicks know enough about me already?!?! I'm boooooring!!! Lead a quiet life in the burbs with Love BunnnNNNNnnnyyYYYY. Okay, let's give it a try.........

1.
I was a heathen until about 16 years ago when I had a spiritual conversion that rocked me to my core. Yep, it does happen even to people from San Francisco Bay area of Calif. Total 180° turn around from our old lifestyle.

2.
I love coloring in books but don't do it as often as I'd like. I just love the sereneness of it.

3.
I would eat out 5 nights a week if hubby would. I detest cooking meals any more. Seniors should get at break at age 55 and not have to cook at all. I'm sure the government would provide each of us with chefs if we just asked! Of course, that might mean an increase in taxes but hey, what's money, right?!?!?! Sheeeeesh....

4.
I once worked in a burger joint flipping burgers at a young age and never got a tip! Well, maybe one, but it was only once. I worked that job for only a few months though. Maybe that's why I hate cooking meals so much in my older years. No recognition for a job well done.

5.
I've never drunk coffee. Tasted it once as a teenager and hated it. Love the smell but can't stand the beverage. Coffee ice cream mixed with chocolate ice cream is another story, however..... Yummmmmmm

6.
I love the Christmas season but hubs and I don't do the commercial thing anymore at all. We just refuse to get caught up in that. I do, however, get my daughter a box or Good and Plentys for her if she comes to visit on Christmas. She does all the cleaning up for that box of G&P! Well, worth the 59¢ I spend.

7.
When hubby was in Okinawa for 13 months during the 60s we communicated via ham radio operators over the phone. Have you ever had to tell your hubs "I love you, roger, over and out" with 2 other men listening when speaking to him?!?! Very embarrassing. Ooooh, nuuuuuu, my truly embarrassing moment was one of those private things that happen and you can never ever tell anyone about it! Know what I mean.... Nuuuuu, don't even ask! It'll never leave my lips... ;-)

So now if you're reading this then please consider your call to tell 7 ridiculously private things about yourself and let me know so I can read it. Truly, I'd love to see everyone who can respond.
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This Marie Antoinette award comes from Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms. She is one of the absolutely sweetest chicks in blogland. I adore reading her blog and visiting her eye candy on her website. Truly a creative person. She also has a pink house which is definitely my kinda place!! Hah..... But she is a kind and considerate person. And I thank her profusely for giving me this award! Smoooch, kiss-kiss!! ;-)
Now for 7 bloggers to receive this award I'll name

1. Natasha Burns
2. Fitty's Pinky Rose Cottage
3. Shannon Thompson
4. Sweet Cottage Dreams
5. Somewhere In Time
6. Rose Colored Glasses
7. Rose of Sharon

I do so enjoy these women. I enjoy many more also but these were selected this time.
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Don't you just love this white and blue bedroom? I do!!!!

My First Roses Painted Shelf

Okay, I took the leap!! I had this little shelf I found at a thrift store and decided to bite the bullet and paint the ratty thing with some shabby roses. Here is the result. I have to say I am delighted with it. Okay okay, my roses aren't like anyone else's but they're mine!!! I'm on a roll again, chicks!! Wooooohoooooo!!! ;-) Do I hear an offer?!?!?! LOL

Woodsy Retreats

A common dream of some people is to have a summer place at the beach or a cabin in the woods or the mountains. I think I'd prefer a cabin in the woods. I love being alone with my Love Bunny all snuggled in a cabin surrounded by a river or lake. But here we are in the suburban housing development on the outskirts of Idaho. I like it because there are neighbors around and that seems safer for us retired people. Quiet. Just the right size house for us. But woods bring an atmosphere that we love. I'd want my house in a clearing with woods/trees on the "outskirts" so I could have sunlight but I'd want to see the woods in the distance. Maybe a few trees around but nothing that would block the sunlight, just a few trees for a bit of shade. This is a dream; it will never happen at our stage of life. LOL

This is a rustic look and I think it's cute. Kinda has a woodsy look. It's a style I adore.

I remember going to a home about 15 years ago now and walking into their house. They used their family room as their "living room" because they had 5 boys. The actual living room was used as an office because the father was into sports big time and needed a big "office." I walked in and came eye-to-eye with the biggest dead animal head I'd ever seen in my life. A moose or an elk, not really sure. Not that I've seen too many dead animals on walls. Just didn't get that much in California and the crowd we ran with! LOL But I just about passed out it was so stunning/frightening to me. Nuuuuuuuu, I have no problem with people hunting but the dang thing was so big it took up the space of a very large sofa or even dining table jutting out into the room! Plus it was staring directly into my face! Shock, I tell ya. And not one feminine touch in that house! At least the house below has a feminine touch and is quite cute.

Now, this little cottage is screaming to me to take it home! I would love to have this in my back yard but Love Bunny keeps telling me he'd have to change the sprinkler system........as IF I cared!!! LOL This is adorable!

This is the inside of the little cottage above. Can't you just see it as an artist's retreat painting in that wonderful sunlight??

This is close proximity to the above little cottage. I could live with this too! Love it.

This house is in the woods but not actually woodsy but it is very pretty with all its open windows to the woods so I'd call it kinda "woodsy" and could live here very easily. ;-)

Nan's Roses Mosaic Table

This vintage antique table is one I had at my house, took to my daughter in California and she did a mosaic with shabby roses tiles. It is now for sale on her website and a great price because it is gorgeous!

I Had Lunch with an Artist Today.......

I went out to lunch with a small group of older women from my church today. We went to a deli that specialized in gourmet sandwiches. I had the chicken salad sandwich and brought half of it home for another meal. It was a sweet day and I enjoyed myself socializing with these women.

One of the women brought her sister-in-law, who is an artist. (She lost her husband about 6 weeks ago and one of her sons several years ago. She seems very lonely.) We talked about painting. She is supposedly a talented artist. I don't know as I've not seen her paintings yet, but I'd love to visit her home and view her art.

I told her my passion for wanting to learn how to paint - especially a rose. She understood. We chatted mostly about color, light and mediums of paint. I asked her how it was to paint with certain paints and she answered with a few hints to help me.

Towards the end of the luncheon I knew that she knew what I was talking about when she said she loved beauty. My heart leapt with joy as she uttered those words. I realized we were kindred spirits. She looked at me and I knew in that instant that she understood: I live my life beautifully. I live it beautifully in every single way I can. From making my home beautiful to making everyday chores beautiful to making myself beautiful to helping others to see the beauty of life not spent in luxury or wealth or exotic places but in the commonness of everyday life and a life well spent and the beauty of spiritualness. Oooooh, not in the world's view of beauty; I'll never achieve that kind of beauty, although, hubs tells me that I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and I've seen him peaking at those "other" beauties. ;-) He'll sometimes remind me of the day when I walked down those stairs 47+ years ago into his waiting hand to marry me that day. I was no beauty then and am no beauty now but to have him think so is beyond "beauty" to me. Feeling beautiful can MAKE you beautiful. I want my countenance to "radiate" beauty. I would like to think it does.

But back to that lady. It gave me great joy to find someone who understood what I meant about my passion for living beautifully. This is my passion. It will not be taken from me by any mortal person. This is my life and we only get one chance at it here on earth. This isn't the dress rehearsal; this it IT. I shall live it as beautifully as I can. No one has the power to do that but me. Only I have the power to do otherwise.

And I'll have Love Bunny's eyes checked for new glasses soon also!
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I couldn't sleep the other night and got up about 4 am deciding that I was wasting time. I finished putting up the roses wallies and then made 2 cord covers for the paper lanterns. Can you see my "C" initial above the school desk? I'm very pleased with the room. Just need to get some shelves up now and I'm through with my office. It's now a place I love to spend a lot of time in.


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Practicing in my "new" painting room. Today seemed like this is the type of rose I'm doomed to paint for a while. ;-) I'm satisfied.....until I can get a class somewhere. I have a new book with patterns in it. I'll try that and see where it leads me. *Sigh*........