My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Giveaway

I realized a few days ago that I've surpassed 900 blog posts! I wanted to have a giveaway then but decided to wait until this day to combine the giveaway with Kristina's giveaways. You'll do well to visit her. She's truly a hoot. You'll become addicted to this chick and her blog regularly gets hundreds of comments on each post. And do NOT let the photos of Mickey Rourke (whoever he is) scare you away. You'll probably be on this chick's blog for hours reading.
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I am following Kristina's advice to celebrate your love for America and Freedom by fulfilling people's insatiable need for greed and covetousness by participating in Kristina's Giveaway on her blog, which you will LOVE! Hers is the only, and I mean ONLY, blog I have ever found where I went back to her very first post and read all the way through. (Yes, she got better at it. Wink. ) Though Mormon like me, she loves Britney, Mario, Th' Hoff, Las Vegas casinos, Cowbell, a certain office mate—who shall remain nameless (but he knows who he is and his name starts with a Cha....)—and just about any completely weird person (Snuggies are a favorite love of hers even if they aren't a PERSON). I do believe she's seeing a counselor for these addictions, however, so give her a break. I truly do love this chick and her warped sense of humor, which by no means is indicative of all us Mormons—only a few of us. (I've also had serious doubts about her actually BEING a Mormon since she hasn't given birth every 3 minutes like most of us (THEM and not ME!) and regularly states how she despises babies and has an unhealthy fear of all things in diapers and that upchuck and/or smell like baby puke.) In her spare time she knits feminine products for the disadvantaged ladies of the evening and hosts dubious seminars around Utah and lunches with moms who inflict their little munchkins upon her and scare the heck out of her with them. I can tell this by the look of fear on her face when this happens. Go figure!

My giveaway will be six (6) of these coffee filter roses with rose fragrance. I promised Kristina I wouldn't do the Mario Lopez scent of his armpits, just heirloom roses. So just leave a comment on this blog right here. Now, what could be easier, chicks? I also promised Kristina that none of this would ever be known by her Bishop . . . unless, of course, I run short of money at the end of the month and need to increase my bank account. Then all bets are OFF the table, sugar!

And look like this when clustered in groups of six. Uhhhhh, in white of course. ;-)
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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Lemonade and Roses for 4th of July

Happy 4th of July, my sweet blogger friends! I hope each and every one of you takes the time today to think about what our forefathers did and went through to give us this great country. Thank your military and veterans today also. They give up so much to protect us and our country.

No one understands the relationship between individual achievement, dignity and strength than our armed forces. Through every war our soldiers have held this nation's destiny in their hands. They have not failed us. They cherish freedom enough that they are willing to die for it. Our duty to them and to ourselves is to treasure freedom enough to live up to it. The desire for freedom is in every human heart. Thank you!!!!
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I make a fresh pitcher of lemonade everyday. Yep, I sure do. I love it, but I love the fresh kind the best. I don't add sugar until it's poured into the glass. That way visitors or Love Bunny can sweeten it to their preference and with sugar or artificial sweetener. I use artificial sweetener because I don't want the extra calories. It tastes wonderful just fresh squeezed with the pulp floating around in it. Yuuuuummmmm...


And you thought I'd forget the eye candy, huh? As if those two hunks in the above photos weren't enough eye candy for you!! Purrrrrr... Nope, here are some roses I have in the house that are not real—don't know if some are silk but the first one is. I found this one only many years ago and have never found any more like it. Usually people think these are real.

This one feels like a real rose. I have no clue what it is made of but it's a very sturdy material, whatever it is. This has fooled many people with it realness. It is beautiful and I have several like it.

The rest are from my rose garden and were all taken on the same morning—wednesday the 16th of June. Aren't they beautiful? I even Photoshopped some for a blogger to use if she wants to use them for her designs.








The rose garden in front of the house.
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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Pink Saturday 7/3/2010

First of all, I have had so many bloggers email me the past several weeks complaining about losing their old templates. I've told you to save it before doing anything with the new "Design" element. And I've had to save a couple of bloggers bacon. So if you want your old templates back, you can get them. But you need to check out my blogging tutorial for the information at the top of my blog above. The info is there and yes, I'm going to make you work for it, but a good idea would be to check on my post from Wednesday, June 30. That might cause you to not waste so much time. AND next time, be very careful and heedful when I tell you something!
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Please join Beverly of How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday by going to her website and checking out all the chicks. You won't be sorry.

The bloggers I visited last week for the first time were: Christi of A Southern Life, Jenn of The Red Bulletin Board, Sonia of Miss Bloomers and Jen of jnichelle. Visit with them! Cute blogs.
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I finally got to cover this vintage suitcase, but I'm not sure now if I'll put it on the plant shelf. Hmmmm...

Oh, why not! It looks good up there.


Random Thoughts:

The other day I got home from buying gas for my car and hubs asked me what I paid for it. I said, "$2.72 a gallon." He raised his eyes and said, "Ooooh, that's good!" I never, ever in my life thought I'd live to see the day when he said that about $2.72 gasoline!
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Look, can we talk about self-esteem for a minute? I am so sick and tired of people talking about the self-esteem of children and teens. I don't think they worry about it half as much as their moms worry about if their child was prettier, too fat or smarter. That has nothing to do with self-esteem. It has to do with confidence and truly knowing who they are. I know who I am. I have no problem with self-esteem. I'm confident in my ability to be...what(?)...a nice person, a child of God, not a raving beauty (In fact, if homely was a disease and had an organized charity, I could be their poster child.-!) I guess someone in my life—parents, grandparents, hubby—has made me realize how special I am, as each person can feel by just realizing their own abilities and working to the very best of their ability. And don't even get me started on plastic surgery for 12 year olds. That's absurd! When we are resurrected, we'll be just as we are now without all the plastic surgery and gender changes. (And for me that means, no gray hair (and I love it!), no wrinkles, no age spots on my hands, no saggy...uhhhh...you know, and an ideal weight. I can promise you that! So, get a life, live it to the fullest and thank God you are here at this particular time in the history of this earth.
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And speaking of that, the other day I got out of bed and looked in my mirror while hubs was shaving and asked him how he could love somebody that looked that I did in the morning. He looked over at me, closed his eyes and gave me a kiss. Then he said, "Like this, that's how." I knew at that moment how much he loves me.
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I was at Sephora in the mall the other day to buy a face brush for cleansing my face. I paid for it and the saleswoman asked me if I wanted a sample of some face cream or something like that and I said, "No." She kept at me until I finally said NO rather emphatically. I didn't want or need it so why take it when I know perfectly well I wasn't going to be enticed to buy it. So, what is it with people when they simply can't take NO for an answer?
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Why liters instead of ounces? We live in America and don't do liters and yet on every bottle of soft drinks it has liters and I have to guess what ounces they are.
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I'll leave you with these today. I have lots more I can assure you. :-)
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Friday, July 2, 2010

I Got Lost on My Way to the Forum...I Mean Urn

I said I was going to seek out another urn to balance out the 2 plant shelves in my living room. On my way to buy an urn I got sidetracked by a couple of small containers. Excuse me while I cry.

Okay. much better now. I just couldn't pass up these 2 darling pots. The verdigris one is metal.



But this little stone honey is the most delicate shade of blue that I just fell in love with it and had a 50% coupon so you know what I did...bought it also in lieu of the urn.


I feel another trip to the store or nursery coming on. Excuse me...

Oooooh, and yes, I climbed on a ladder to take these pix! See what I do for you chicks.
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wrought Iron Chandelier

Update on Blogging Tutorial by clicking and go to the end of the Tutorial to see some new updates. You won't be sorry you read it but you CAN be sorry you don't. It's up to you.
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Hubby finally found this chandelier up in the garage attic. I bought it on a trip to Pennsylvania in the late 80s to visit his parents. Our son, daughter-in-law and grandson went with us. We toured the countryside one day because I wanted to visit a shop I had read about in a magazine. We found it and purchased several things and she graciously shipped them back for us. It was quite a unique experience and I truly loved it. I bought 2 of these and sold one on eBay for a song. But when I went to the Post Office to ship it, the shipping was going to be $100.00! I almost cried so the postal clerk looked at it again, remeasured and a couple of inches miraculously dropped off! (Now, from looking at this you can imagine what the packaging looked like as Love Bunny had to cup up boxes to make its own box. It truly looked like a space ship and got the most awesome stares in the Post Office that day. Hubs said no way was he going to the P.O. with it. He's such a sadist!) Then it was about $35.00 and off it went. I would have had to refund her money and tell her what happened. It worked out well all the way around and I was saved the embarrassment so I'm happy. But no way would I sell this one after that experience.



So I've decided to paint it white to go with the look of our house now. What do you think? Now for the froufrou-ing of it.


Okay, and now I have the candles in it but I've been so busy with a couple of other projects that I haven't froufrou-ed it up any further than this. And this is the safest place to keep it at this point. Soon!
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