The Easter Tree

Here's my Easter Tree...just full of birds, butterflies, flowers, eggs and Beatrix Potter Characters..
Enjoy!

Steer this way

Well, I've been to a Horse Show and a Lamb Show but this was my first Cattle Show. Raquel's Heifer, Rogue, was in a local Cattle Show that the students use as a practice run.
The whole week before this show, she would run over to the farm and tend to her little girl by washing her and yes, blow drying her, combing her hair and clipping her. The farm was all a buzz and the students were very intense and focused. All went well and when it was all over everyone sighed with relief and exhaled. The kids had a good time and learned so much. From now on till the Fair (the end of July) it's practice practice and more practice.



















Lining up and ready to rock and roll!



Rogue and Raquel with a practically perfect pose





and lining up while being judge...what fun!
















For the Market Competition, which means the judges look at muscle and proportions and the physicality of the cattle, she received 7th place.

And for the Showmanship Competition which means how Rogue stands, behaves, hair and all the aesthetics...which includes how Raquel shows her heifer, she received 9th place.

Raquel is one happy cattle camper ~


update...she now has a lamb too and she had to read Animal Farm this weekend...Is it me or has my life turned into one big barnyard bruhaha?...lol I'll have pics of the little lambykins soon.

Eye of the beholder

The other day I dragged out the old sewing machine. I was on a mission to finish up a couple of things I had started by hand. Got everything together and noticed no thread in the sewing machine ..,.only the white bobbin thread. I needed blue thread so I did what I had to do to put blue thread on a new bobbin and then placed it back in it's bobbin place. I then proceeded to thread the machine...across, down, looped around, back up, through a hole thingy and back down through the eye of the needle...except I couldn't see the hole. Yes, I do wear reading glasses but sometimes I'm in denial or I'm just too focused on what I gotta do, so needless to say, I had to go get some...(I have 5 pairs in the house) and sat back down to thread the needle. I still couldn't see it. I turned on the dining room light and the light on the machine but still..my aim was not good. I came in on the right, the left, straight on, I cut the thread, I wet the thread, cut, wet, cut, wet...but NOOO, it wasn't happening. I wanted to cry out of frustration but I didn't want the machine to see me cry...yes, by this time I'm practically hallucinating and I believe my machine has it out for me. I am determined. I haven't stitched a thing yet and I have been sitting here for more than 30 minutes. Then I remembered Eric has a big magnify glass thing in the garage in one of the big red tool cabinets and I am seeing light at the end of this tunnel. I go get it and with grand confidence I aim it at the needle...Perfect!, I could actually see the needle....without a hole....WHAT? Where did it go? Then it hit me...last time I sparred with this thing, I broke a needle and being so pissed, I ended our relationship. This whole time I was trying to thread a needle without a hole. The moral of this story...well I guess there are several..
Machinery will always win, get your eyes checked on a regular basis and stock up on Ginkgo biloba ...I'm just sayin'

Craftin' Fool

I found a paper mache' box in my craft supply and decided it was time to do something with it.
I covered the lid with lavender paper and the bottom with darker lavender, then, decoupaged some flowers that I cut out from printing paper that I had, then, I poked holes in it and threaded it with purple ribbon. Perfect for Easter ~














then...


I printed out some images of several Beatrix Potter characters
- aside from Peter Rabbit, of course - were Benjamin Bunny, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. Including, Jeremy Fisher, Tom Kitten, Samuel Whiskers, Ginger and Pickles. Her "two bad mice" were called Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca. And, of course, the mischievous Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. I cut them separately and glued them to some poster board, punched a hole on top and again, threaded each one with different pale ribbon. And now I have Easter ornaments for my Easter tree ~



and when I get around to it...I'll take some pics of the Easter/Spring tree, so stay tuned. BTW, I love Beatrix Potter so much that when Raquel was born, her nursery was decorated from ceiling to floor in Potter decor.....and I wasn't even trying to rhyme...lol


Oh Yeah..and I found these little birds at the dollar store..2 for 1 dollar. They were a drab gray so I first painted them purple, then applied some crackle stuff and painted over them with white so the purple could show through. I found some glitter in my craft storage and put them on the wings. They are now sitting on my front porch table...


right now I'm in the middle of stamping on fabric..I'm not sure about it yet...I'll let you all know......I get like this sometimes where I can't stop...like I got a craftin' itch, so I gotta go for it when the get'ins good..then I'll be a slug for a while...

Smell ya later

It seems that the older I get, my smell radar gets picky. Most smells really bother me and I have been know to move over a seat or two or hold my breath just to get away from it. Their not bad odors like stinky stuff, although I would jump hurdles to get away from that, but what most people consider homey, sweet, delicious and wonderful ones. As a kid I never liked the smell of coffee, yep, you read that right and no I'm not an alien life force from some other planet....I just can't stomach the smell let alone the taste and still this day, it makes me gag. And, on top of that, the smell of "new car", "theater popcorn" and "laundry detergent" send me up a wall. Some smells I actually seek out..bread, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon..hmmm, I see a pattern here, but my sense of smell has always been rather sharp and it seems it's getting pickier and pickier with age, but then on the other hand...when I'm at the stables, I'm so used to the smell..it doesn't bother me...go figure.

Anyways, this morning I was at the lab getting blood drawn (im fine) and as I was walking out of the double glass doors to leave, a man, nicely dressed, was coming in and held the door open for me. We smiled, I said thank you and he nodded and said your welcome....but he smelled SO good. All of a sudden this aroma hit me, it was subtle and faint and I don't know what the hell it was...but I liked it. Imagine my surprise when the smell of a pure stranger peaked my curiosity. What was he wearing? Who was he wearing? Should I ask? Will he think I'm trying to flirt with him because, I could of very easily...Note: I'm an expert flirt,I know I am. I've been told I flirt when I'm not even trying, so I could of got it outta him but honestly, I was taken by surprise and I was on a mission to get to Michaels, and I'm a fast walker and so by the time this was all in my head I was opening my car door....but man! I honestly loved that smell so much so that I'm blogging about it...not that anyone's interested, but aren't 'there certain smells that just send you over the edge in a good way? I'm just sayin'

My button fix

I've seen these all over the place on peoples blogs and I really liked them so again I thought...I can do that. My twist on it, is that I used my buttons. Very easy...



First, buy shipping or luggage tags which are very inexpensive~
I dyed them in hot tea and baked them for about 10 minutes to give them that worn look~
Stamped them~
then embellished with buttons and ribbon~









click on pic to get a closer look and if you want details on how to do this, just send me an email right here on my sidebar....then....

I had to snazz up a candle a little so I threaded a few vintage buttons and tied it to the top edge of it




then...I lost one of the Coach emblems on the side temple of my favorite sunglasses...

the side with the emblem and the side without.
The frame is discontinued
and so are all the parts. So I decided to take out the remaining emblem and replace it with...yep,
you got it....










some buttons. But hmmm, which ones should I choose?

I sniped off the loop on the back of the button and then filed it down to make it smooth, then hot glued it in place...

Here you go...Super Optician Crafty Cheap Bunny to the rescue!!

Beach Bunny

Not sure how guys feel about shopping for swim trunks or if they even care. I guess as long as the mesh inside holds down the fort and the waist band can expand while slinging back Margaritas, it should suffice. But us women folk...HELL NO! It's no secret that I am a beach bunny and that I spend a lot of time at the beach or swimming laps at the local community center in the summer, so being in a bathing suit is not new to me. Having been a plus size gal, my attitude has always been, there's always someone who looks worst than me....and there usually is. Yeah, there was always a little more jiggle and a lot more buoyancy than others but it never stopped me from going out and buying a couple of new suits per year...I need two because I always wear one out.

So, it's that time again where the bathing suits are out (don't know why...it's Spring) and I wanted to see what's out there before they were all gone and I'm forced to wear a gunny sack. Having lost weight lately, I had no idea what size to try on. All my clothes are big on me and I'm too cheap to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe, knowing or rather hoping or perhaps wishing I'd lose more. Needless to say, I am now wearing two sizes down from last year, but that's not the shocking part...Oh No, it gets better. Because I've lost weight, my bum if full of wrinkles or at least I think that's what that is. When your a full figure gal the skin is somewhat tight and OK looking, but now, my ass looks like a freakin' Shar pei dog...you know the type, face and body full of wrinkles and crevasses....lol I got an crevasse ass. So instead of me asking my husband if my bum looks fat in this thing, I should probably ask him, " what breed of dog does my ass look like?" Cellulite, wrinkles and crevasses will not stop me from enjoying myself but, DAMN!!, can't a girl get a break? I'm just sayin'

sPRiNg hAs SpRunG

I know it's sPrINg...How do i know?



My lAvEnDEr has bloomed...




...and my pINk JaSmInE




...my little pUrPLe DaIsIes...


and my favorite, CaLLa LiLiEs




...I'm just sayin'

An "aha" moment

I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree and sometimes it takes me a while to see the obvious, but the other day I had a "light bulb" moment. I was watching TV and a reporter was interviewing a recently released convict who raised "rolling pigeons"...yeah, they actually roll. He'd been out of prison for 2 years and was determined to not go back. Having only been interested in pigeons, he decided to use his passion and make a difference in the world...starting with his community which was in dire need of help. He enlisted local teens to help him make pigeon coops and in general, feed and tend to the birds. Eventually, he had ex gang bangers and thugs off the streets and helping him and the community all at the same time. He now writes articles in "pigeon" magazines..(who knew?) and holds competitions for rolling techniques and whatever else these birds do.

So....

Having said that, it kinda dawned on me that animals are kinda magical in so many ways....Yeah, I know....I'm slow sometimes. Animals are a very intricate and personal addition to our lives.
Studies show they bring down our blood pressure, make deppressed people happier and they are our eyes and ears. They are your partner when you are lonely, they keep you warm and they save lives. It's amazing how important all animals are and not only domesticated ones but wild ones too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hippy dippy animal PETA type gal, although I have always had cats, I can separate animals from humans unlike the animal fanatics who take things to the extreme. But it's truly as if animals are here for a purpose in so many ways...just like people. I don't know why I just thought of this...told you I was slow!

When I grow up

As a kid when thinking about your future, of course you have no idea as to what lies ahead let alone a career, but when asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I always came up with "Gift Wrapper". That was the ideal job for me. You get to play with pretty paper and bows and design and decorate other peoples purchases AND get paid for it. I remember going to JC Pennys with my mom and going to the gift wrapping area so full of excitement and anticipating the numerous boxes perched on the wall in varieties of paper. There was the happy birthday box, the wedding box, the manly box, the baby shower bow with the little plastic stork addition on it and all the other boxes that symbolize the occasion. But alas...the only gift wrapping jobs I ever snagged were the ones for my self, but boy...I must say, I can wrap a pretty mean gift.

Then as time went by, I actually developed my interests and started to take notice of my assets and thought I could be a "Concierge". I love to talk to people, love to direct them in the right direction, interested in local attractions, like helping people but most of all...I love hotels. I could live in one for the rest of my life if I had too...especially a 5 star hotel. I could wear a spiffy uniform and be gracious and very informative and everyone one in the place would just love me because I would know where all the action was and where to find a dog groomer at 1:00 am . But again...it was not to be.

So after stumbling in and out of various mindless and mediocre office jobs, my mother who was an optician, needed help at her work. She asked me if I could come in on a Saturday and do some paperwork for her and that I didn't have to do anything else, which was great because I didn't have a clue as to what she did. Well...long story short....I stayed for almost 21 years.
I became an optician. I loved my job all the while being creative and mingling with the public...and believe me..there are some doozies out there but in general, if you treat people kind and with respect, it'll come back at you.

Which leads me to this questions...If you weren't doing what you ended up doing...job, career-wise, just what would you have done? Now that your all grown up and you've experienced life and all that it has to offer and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume your smarter now...just what would it be?

Me? I've always thought that if I ever won the lotto, I'd go back to school and become an Architect. I love drawing diagrams and blue prints of things and if Eric ever said to me, "Hey, babe, wanna demo the house and start from scratch"....well, needless to say I'd need to find out what drug he's on and then run out and buy a sledge hammer cuz I'd be in bunny heaven.
Interior decorator and all around antique/junk dealer would be a close 2nd.
So...how 'bout you all?

Charmed I'm sure

Last summer I was dreaming and fixating like I usually do about a Vespa, you know, that motorcycle thingy that gorgeous Europeans tool around in and greet each other with "Ciao Bella" while balancing a bottle of vino in one hand and a glass of it in the other. See...fixating, but in my world, if I talk about it and someone listens....perhaps it'll come true...which happened today.

Imagine my surprise when I retrieved the mail and there was a Vespa in it...Yep, that's right...a Vespa Charm that is. Brenda, my BFF sent me a gorgeous and whimsical charm of a girl (insert a bunny pic) riding one...and it's green, just like I imagined...




I've been obsessing about where or what I'm going to do with it. I'm thinking Necklace but then again...I want to display it in my house somewhere. In any case...it's perfect AND...the girl is wearing red polka dots...another obsession..Some people just get me.


Brenda you rock!...I'm just sayin'

Welcome....kiss kiss~

Dahlings...kiss, kiss

Sunday evening we had a maaavelous time at our own little Oscar Party. Anybody who is or was somebody was here. All the ladies were dolled up and blinged to the nines..just dripping with diamonds and Hollywood flair.

Sandie rolled up in her limo looking like she owned the town. As you all know, back in her hey day, she was considered "America's Girl Next Door"...until that fake Clara Bow came on the scene. How did we know that talkies would take off and Sandie's squeaky voice was not in vogue.
After serving her time for assaulting poor Clara (she had it coming) we are proud to say, that Sandie is doing well and working animation voice control for Disney...Good to see ya ol' Gal!




OH LOOK! It's Marsha! Ya know, she is a multi millionaire now. Who knew that by her ex hubby recording a tryst between her and her new squeeze would pay off. Remember...?
Marsha? John?, Marsha?? John??, MARSHA! JOHN!, mmmMarssshhaa mmmJohnnn
Those T-shirts and mugs really paid off for her...(and her ex) You look Divine!






Uh Oh...here come trouble. It's Cyn, or should we say Sin? Hollywood's notorious bad girl. Cynthia has seen more black and white than a tour guide on Safari. Give her a couple of drinks and she's the life of the party. It's amazing how well she's held up due to all the stunt work she started after retirement...She's one tough cookie!




Marie...bless her heart. It was so good to see her after all these years. Although she's had a hard time remembering what year this was, she was the best understudy for Natalie Wood in the Broadway Production of "Westside Story" even though Natalie never took to feeling ill, but we know that Marie is chuck full of talent. Which is why we not surprised at commercial time when she jumped up and entertained us with a spiffy rendition of "I feel pretty"...Two thumbs up Marie.




...and me you ask. Well Dahlings, I retired many years ago from show biz where I was the Queen of Magic. My act was unique..you see...a bunny, pulling people out of a hat. Dahlings, people couldn't get enough of me. And now, well now I own and operate a retirement home for mature and dazzling Starlets out in the valley. It's called "Don't let the Sun Set on you for Mature Starlets who still got it Leisure and Retirement Home"....and Dahlings, business is booming.




As you can see, the paparazzi was here and we all looked divine... and every show biz gal knows that any coverage is good coverage right? We all had a mahlevous time schmoozing and chatting up old friends and colleagues. We had a few out bursts and a couple of ruckuses but we carried on till the wee hour of 10. No one does it up like us and they don't make "em like these gals anymore. So tootles for now and maybe you'll see us in the funny papers...kiss kiss

going to the po po

Ok bloggers...I know what I did to have my blog title go awol from your side bar. When I changed my blog look, I wanted to place the title in a different spot, so I found out I could put it in the "blog description" area, BUT, I had to put something in the "title" area because the prompts told me so, otherwise I was unable to relocate to where I wanted to go.

Sooo, the computer genius that I am put a dot (.) that would blend in with the theme that would give me the new location of my real title and so...my title, on your blog side bar changed from words to that dot....Get it?

I apologize ...this is what happens when you let me loose on a contraption...seriously, sometimes I just jump into stuff not knowing the consequences and now....I'm waiting for the blog police to come and haul me away to the po po. So if you'd like, I suppose you could take it out and put it back on because my title is in the title place...get it again? I'll come to your blogs and check it out when I'm done serving time...I'm just sayin'

I pink puffy heart these things

Although I rarely purchase anything pink and hardly own anything in that hue, I still love the color. So in honor of Pink Saturday, I've decided to show you my favorite pink things~
The beauty and luster of a string of pink pearls




The comfort and security of a Pink Chenille Robe



The calm and tranquility of a Pink Sunrise





The allure and drama of Pink Stilettos





Nothing says I love you like a 4 carat Pink Diamond





The whimsy of a Pink Macaroon





...and the freshness of a Pink Tulip welcoming Spring




What pink makes you take notice or turn your head or can't live without?

More Stuff

On my way to Meredith's house I came upon an Estate Sale. I didn't think I would find anything being that it was the second day of the sale. Oh what the heck I figured, I'll stop in...it'll only take me a few minutes.

They didn't have much and everything was pretty much picked over...but, going through everything I spied these...



A cute little red polka dot frame that would go perfect in my kitchen. I am obsesses with red polka dots. And this silver looking tray. I hadn't a clue as to what kind of tray this was but I was drawn to it and it looked old to me. It's a pretty decent size and it has very delicate flowers engraved on the inside surface. The back surface looks like it was hammered and filled with hammer head sized indentions all over it.

So I came home and took a better look at the tray and on the underside it has "Everlast...something" engraved. Turns out it's Aluminum and quite popular in the 30's and 40's. People couldn't afford Silver at this time so the country turned to Aluminum. This company was started by Russian Immigrants in 1932. It's worth according to the internet....at least $25.00.

I payed $2.00 for it and .50cents for the frame....pretty good for running in and out in 15 minutes.....I'm just sayin'