by Sharon | Feb 11, 2017
I love the rain, especially if I can stay home and listen to it.
But, this Saturday morning I ventured out to run some errands.
I was surprised by the number of people walking in the rain. They were strolling, in no hurry, enjoying themselves.
While I was at the grocery store, a woman approached me telling me she was out walking and how she just loves the little town where I live ( and evidently where she lives, too.)
This got me thinking of how truly fortunate we are to live in a nice place and enjoy the weather, no matter what that brings.
It is better to think positively than negatively. And to express that to others as well.
When I returned the cart to the store after putting my groceries in the trunk of my car, I noticed the woman walking out of the parking lot. She was taking her time, looking at all the beauty around her. At that moment, I thought how wonderful it would be to take a walk . . . but I was glad to have my car and I’d be home with my groceries in about 5 minutes.
As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about taking a walk . . . take my camera with me . . . just to capture this priceless moment of serenity with the rain and the beauty the day has to offer.
I’m pretty much comfortable with my laptop, listening to the rain, with my precious Yorkshire terrier, Diva, sleeping next to me.
This is a great day to curl up with a good book, watch a great movie, do a craft item or put together a jigsaw puzzle.
Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I was wondering what Ray O’Bannon of RavensBlight had available to make.
Yes, it is a bit on the dark side, but you have to admit it is unique. It has a skull and spikes around it. Just the thing to give to your special Valentine. It’s truly a one of a kind gift box.
Just click the image to be taken to the PDF you can print out on card stock, assemble and fill with delightful sweets.
Here’s the link to the Assembly Instructions for this exceptional Valentine’s Box compliments of Ray O’Bannon from RavensBlight.
This could be a keepsake box as well. I’m sure I’ll bring it out again for fall. It would be wonderful for Halloween.
The reason I think this box is so great is because of all the people who thoroughly enjoy Halloween and give all celebrations throughout the year with a bit of a macabre twist. Make up a few of these and see how welcome they are among your friends and family.
Whatever you choose to do today, rain, snow, sleet, hail or sunshine, I hope you have a lovely day.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Dec 10, 2016
Remember when you were a child how you’d always be asked, “How was school today?”
I suppose it was one of those opened ended questions adults use for you to “spill the beans.”
Sometimes it did work. We told how Billy got in trouble for eating the paste or how Margaret fell down in the cafeteria with her tray of food spilling all over her and everyone near her. And, sometimes, we just shrugged and said, “Fine.”
Well, I had this neighbor who would ask, “Did anything funny happen at school today?”
That was a different spin on the usual question and it surprised me.
For one, what I thought might be funny may not be funny to an adult and there may be a lesson to be learned from that.
On the other hand, it gave me something to think about and to look for . . . Margaret’s fall was funny — we had chili beans for lunch that day and it was a major mess all over her and all over the floor and some of it splashed on others near her. And, before it was cleaned up a couple of other kids slipped in the chili bean mess on the floor, fell and added to it.
Then, although Margaret tried her best to clean herself up, after lunch the classroom smelled like chili beans.
It was an embarrassing situation for Margaret, but she wasn’t hurt . . . may have ruined her dress, but it was kind of funny . . . especially when others slipped in the chili bean mess on the floor . . . And, yes, it was funny that complete innocent by-standers got splattered with Margaret’s lunch.
It was funny for me to watch the expression on the faces of the kids who got splashed and those who slipped and made wide arm movements to keep from falling . . . but in the process dumped their tray of food down the front of them or the person next to them . . .
I’m sure you, too, can see the humor . . . it is always funnier when you’re observing from a safe distance.
As it turned out, my neighbor gave me something new to focus upon . . . finding humor everyday.
What’s really great is when we can laugh at ourselves.
Putting up tree decorations is usually an experience that can be humorous. I remember getting the ladder and working for about an hour getting the lights up on the house . . . only to discover that I had the plug end on the wrong side . . . Thus I put up the string of light backwards . . . We didn’t have lights that year . . . I was completed disgusted with myself . . . but I can laugh about it. And I’m sure the neighbors enjoyed it!
I have this huge oak tree in front of my house. The leaves have these sharp points on the end . . . I went out to get the mail in my bare feet and I can only imagine the “show” I put on as I tried to walk getting stuck with those sharp leaves.
It is good to laugh. At yourself and to see the humor in everyday activities of others. Yes, they may not appreciate being laughed out, but you can hold it in until later . . .
Remember how you’d be walking in line and someone would step on the back of your shoe giving you a “flat tire.” You were stuck taking a step with the shoe that was on your foot and then sliding the shoe with the “flat tire” with the other foot. It made a funny sound of step-slide-step-slid. And what would make it better is if someone else ahead of you had the same experience . . . sometimes your steps weren’t in unison and it made a funny sound . . .
And, have you noticed, when you see something funny and you’re about to burst out in laughter . . . but you’re in the wrong setting . . . maybe church or a library . . . or someone’s home . . . or formal gathering . . . And, trying to hold in your laughter is almost painful . . .
Those were the good ol’ days . . . and they can be part of your everyday life. Just lighten up and see the humor around you. There is plenty! You just have to look for it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Dec 3, 2016
December and the delightful winter cold!! I love it!!
I’ve been having a great time with my websites and crafts.
I heard water running . . . checked inside the house . . . then wondered why the floor in the hallway was wet . . . No, it wasn’t the dog!!
There was a pipe leak under the house!
I guess the house wanted some attention during this Christmas season . . . so, new pipes it is . . . But first I have to get someone in to dry out the area under the house . . . fix any damage . . . and then the re-piping will begin.
I suppose no time is the right time for repairs. I just know the house is telling me the pipes are old and need attention.
That’s the thing, how often do we crawl under the house and do an inspection? Only when something has gone wrong, right? And even when something has gone wrong and you hire a plumber, unfortunately, not all plumbers take pride in their work. So, you need to call another one to fix the mess the previous one made . . . Just when everything was going so well . . .
Yesterday was cold!! We had wind gusts . . . and I got chilled . . . but a hot cuppa did the trick.
Yes, I’ve been spending way too much time online with my internet marketing group . . . I’m picking up their expressions.
I wonder if more rain is in the forecast . . . I do love the rain when I’m cozy inside. But, I do have a few errands to run this weekend . . .
When it’s cold outside, it’s best to have activities to do inside . . . family games or puzzles . . . videos . . . also reading a good book. I just think the more fun you can have as a family, the better it is for everyone.
I do enjoy family games and I do have a great one to review for you that will get everyone laughing and having a good time.
It’s Speak Out, by Hasbro!!
This is truly a hilarious family fun game. You put in a mouthpiece and try to speak. It’s truly difficult when letters begin with a “P” or “B”, etc. when you need to put your lips together. The players draw a card from the deck and read the phrase as well as they can while having a mouthpiece preventing them from forming words correctly. Such phrases as: “he’s my stealthy pet ferret name Garrett”, “slow down, you careless clown”, “pelicans love pollywog falafels.” And the other players try to figure out “what did you say?” You must correctly guess the phrase in order to earn the card. The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
The game includes 200 double-sided cards, 5 mouthpieces and a timer.
The game is recommended for ages 16 years and up. Younger children can play with adult supervision. The mouth guard could be a choking hazard and should be supervised for adults, too.
You can always make variations by writing out Christmas carol lyrics or lyrics from popular songs or book titles or tongue twisters . . . or movie titles or catch phrases . . . It doesn’t hurt to add your own cards to the deck.
You can always buy more of these mouth guards, which I recommend.
Since you’re playing in teams, you may be able to have more players. And, the game is fun even if you don’t keep score!
You may be interested in these items for your shopping pleasure:
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Nov 12, 2016
There is always a degree of apprehension and anxiety when faced with change . . . along with disappointment, discouragement . . . which leads to challenges and looking for the positive . . .
For some, there may be a pay off to being unhappy, angry, disappointed . . . 
For others, in spite of disappointments, we look for the positive . . . the challenges within ourselves that we must face to accept not getting what we want to something not being what we thought it would be.
I was all into the concept of die cuts and how wonderful it would be to have a plain template . . . but then, having something ready-made seemed to appeal to me more . . . Allowing me to see where I was going . . .
And changing something to my liking from a ready-made printable seemed the easier way to go.
But, in truth, it all comes down to your personal comfort level.
Initially, I was overwhelmed by the pieces, as above, that didn’t seem to have a purpose . . . because I never put it together before . . . and it didn’t look like anything . . . But there are more possibilities for creativity and individuality with the die cut pieces than the ready-to-print-out-and-assembly Gingerbread House.
It does go together nicely and it does have all the icing and embellishments in place . . . The first one will look the same as the second . . . fifth . . . tenth . . . fiftieth . . .
There is no surprise there . . . unless I decide to alter it in some way . . . but such alterations may be much more work than if I started with a die cut template.
Yes, if I want, I could make the die cut elements above into a gingerbread house. I can add a wreath on the front door . . . I could make a fence of gingerbread children . . . I can cut out white window frames . . . and add some white “frosting” to the roof tiles . . . And candy canes . . .
Now look back at the first image . . . The die cut . . .
You have a decision to make . . . What color card stock to do want for the body of the house . . . and for the roof of the house . . .
With the die, I had to decide at that point the colors and cutting the card stock and place it over the appropriate places . . . and later learned how I should have taped it down so it wouldn’t slip . . .
Yes, I was initially overwhelmed and a bit disappointed . . . But, it was all a matter of getting out of my way that I realized there was a learning curve for me . . . I didn’t like it . . . but if I wanted to create something different each time I made this Tim Holtz Sizzix Village Dwelling, I’d have some decisions to make . . . and it started with the first one . . . an experiment . . . and maybe several experiments until I got it right . . .
I had to learn the die . . . and the Sizzix Big Shot . . . then assemble the pieces . . . and decide what else I wanted to do with it . . . add a different roof pattern . . . add a siding pattern . . . It takes a bit of trial and error . . . and some disappointment that it didn’t turn out as initially imagined . . . but it was all about learning . . . and facing each challenge head-on.
I was watching a movie yesterday about this mathematical genius . . . who really didn’t fit in with others . . . not understanding the dynamics of relationships . . . except those associated with numbers . . . He did learn how he missed out on things . . . and found he wasn’t “all that” . . . especially when it came to his relationship with his mother . . . And, in the end, after waiting for her son to respond to her . . . they learned how to communicate . . .
This gets me to a YouTube video I watched of an interview with an adult who had a famous mother . . . and the relationship they had . . . which wasn’t so much love . . . as respect . . . an admiration of her mother’s talents and abilities . . . It struck me a bit strange . . . Yet, many famous people may be incapable of love or conveying it to their children . . . It is all about them . . . their career . . . their life . . .
It’s all a matter of perspective . . . and how we deal with it . . .
Life isn’t easy . . . we are faced with challenges . . . disappointments . . . successes . . . 
The same applies with crafts. The whole concept is to have fun . . . to make something . . . So you get all the tools and paper . . . and find it isn’t as easy as it looks when watching someone else.
You can always throw in the towel and give up or pout and throw the whole thing in the trash . . . or realize it is a bit of a challenge and the first effort may not work out . . . or even the second . . . third . . . oh my gosh! fourth . . . But, each time, you get a bit closer to achieving your goal. Just know that there may be another failure after a success . . . There are no guarantees.
There’s no guarantee that the more you work at it, that you will succeed . . . It depends upon your perspective of success . . . and respecting the tools for what they are . . . and recognizing their limitations . . . as well as your own . . . but having a determination to figure it out . . .
There are always these wise people who have these wise sayings . . . but we can never bring them to mind when we need them . . . So, we need to rely on ourselves . . . depend upon ourselves . . . be gentle with ourselves . . . accept that we’re not perfect and things aren’t always easy . . . and alternatively, things aren’t always difficult . . . We may have cycles of success . . . and cycles of failure . . . but it’s just a cycle . . . and we have to go through it until the tide changes . . .
We control our thought, our actions, our feelings . . . there are some things we can’t change . . . nor control . . . but we can focus our perspective . . . we can look for the positive . . . strive to find something funny or different or interesting or unusual each day . . . Surprisingly, you’ll find it . . . because you’re looking for it . . .
So, what we may be unable to do one day . . . we may be able to do the next . . .
This applies to all things in life . . . I know I throw a lot of concepts at you all at once . . . You may be wondering what I’m thinking . . . But, if you’ve ever had a conversation using Two Cans On A String . . . you miss some stuff and have to fill in the blanks . . . And, drawing the string of what connects life, movies, interviews and crafts together . . . is your challenge of filling in the blanks to make sense out of it for you . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
Oh! I almost forgot!! Click the image of the Gingerbread House on the left to be taken to a PDF you can print out, cut out and assemble. It’s a great treat/gift box.
by Sharon | Nov 7, 2016
We did “fall back” with the time change this fall.
Some experts say that it takes about a week for us to catch up to this time change.
I haven’t found it to be such a big deal, but I live a more relaxing “retired” life and lifestyle. I personally like getting back to normal with the time. It’s nice having shorter days going into winter.
We are in an election year . . . be sure to vote.
I don’t take sides. I have my own opinion regarding the candidates and the propositions and I vote according to my best understanding of the people and the issues. I feel it is my civic responsibility to vote. It is part of being an American. That’s just my opinion. You may not agree and may not want to vote. That’s fine, that’s your choice. So vote, if it’s your thing to do . . . and don’t, if it’s not. It’s your thing and your choice.
The same is true with celebrating holidays. Some of you may be into it . . . while others of you don’t celebrate them. There is no right or wrong, it’s just your thing or not.
I know I get into the holidays. With Thanksgiving coming up . . . many of you may be more interested in Black Friday for all the great deals you may be taking advantage of participating. Well, Amazon has you covered!!
I’ve always found Amazon is the best place to shop. I find it interesting to discover what others “wish for” and then look at the “top gifts” and then explore the “hot new releases.” That gives me a good idea of what gifts to buy for family and friends . . . or something for myself . . .
This gets me thinking . . . And Amazon has great prices and great deals.
It is relaxing to shop at home . . . You can have your purchases delivered to your home or directly to your family and friends. I’m always excited when I get an order delivered to my front door.
Amazon makes it so easy! Just click one of the links above and explore the great products you know you want . . . and those your family wants . . . and maybe a friend or two . . . We’re always on the outlook for that “perfect gift” . . . don’t worry . . . Amazon has it!!!
If you don’t usually shop on-line, this may be a positive change for you. Once you see how secure and relaxing it is to shop on Amazon, you’ll never want to fight the traffic and crowds . . . Amazon’s assortment of products can’t be beat.
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you have a delightful time shopping on Amazon.
Sharon
by Sharon | Oct 2, 2016
The moose population in Alaska is doing quite well.
Since my brother moved to Alaska I get regular weather and moose updates.
It seems my brother’s house is a favorite place for the moose to come and graze. His neighbor took some pictures last month and shared them with me, so I thought I’d share them here.
They seem to have their favorite grazing spots . . . and it looks like they decided to stay for awhile. They don’t seem at all bashful . . . To be honest with you, I wouldn’t like to open my front door and be greeted by this trio.
I would imagine, if they could, they’d go right on in. Last year my brother found some smudges on his window where a moose was looking in . . . the young ones seem quite inquisitive.
There’s no snow yet, but it was a rainy summer and fall in my brother’s neighborhood. Hummmm, I’m wondering if these youngsters are thinking of trick-or-treating . . . That last one seems headed for the front door . . .
They are interesting critters . . . My brother had one big moose that was in the yard earlier this summer . . . and took it in his/her head to attack the gizmo where they put the paper . . . Maybe it was just scratching it’s head . . . It did a bit of a number on the contraption, but it’s still intact and holds the newspaper just fine.
Oops!! The neighbor was spotted taking pictures . . . are they posing for the camera?
Two seem to be alert, while one is busy eating . . . maybe it did find some good treats.
I’m not well versed in the goings-on with the moose population and their migration patterns, but I do know the residence in my brother’s neighborhood do like seeing the moose come around with their young. Such moose sightings are a cause of delightful celebration by bring out the Iphone to snap some pictures.
I am quite grateful for the quick thinking and generous nature of my brother’s neighbor in taking the time from her busy schedule to capture these pictures and share them with me.
I do enjoy seeing nature . . . not necessarily up close and personal . . . but I guess in order to get the good pictures, you have to be right out there.
For now, I’ll be content by taking pictures of my beautiful Yorkshire Terrier and her toy moose.
Yes, I know the vase of flowers behind her appears to be growing out of her head . . . I assure you, ears are the only things protruding from her noggin. She does look a bit worried . . . I think she was just tired of posing for pictures. She should be happy I removed the bow from her top-knot.
Well, be it Alaska Moose or spoiled California Yorkshire Terriers . . . all is well this fine fall Southern California day. It’s now 61° F and will reach a high of 81° F. Tomorrow’s forecast is 76° F with it getting a bit warmer as the week progresses. I am looking forward to fall . . . but summer wants to hang on a bit longer.
Again, I’d like to thank my brother’s neighbors in Alaska for sharing their moose pictures with me . . . so I could share them here with you.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
