Gifts for New Great Granddaughter

I'm somewhat—but not compulsive—about the things of my forefathers and foremothers. I mean if I have something my grandmother gave me, I cherish it, but I certainly would never, ever fight my siblings over something. It just isn't worth the time, trouble or negative feelings you get from those disputations with family.

My parents were divorced after about 38 years of marriage and each remarried. They're both deceased now but my father had a pocket watch from my mother's father. It never stated in any will that it was his—my brother's—so it went to his widow. My brother laments to this day over a pocket watch our grandfather told him would be his. It's been 40 years! I inherited nothing from either parent and I have never, ever—not for one second—given it any thought. Those are just "things" and I have wonderful memories. Those I can hold and savor and take with me to the next life. But my brother has let it wear him down for all these years over things that "could have been." I don't think I've ever done that.

I have a corduroy quilt my grandmother made for me. (That's it in the pictures below.) She made it out of scraps from jumpers she made me when I was a young child. She gave it to me when I got married almost 49 years ago. I used to snuggle under it when I was very cold because it is heavy. When you get under it you'd better be in the position you want because it is so heavy you can't move once it's on top of you! But that quilt will go to Washington state with us next week to be in our great granddaughter's room, and she'll know it came from her great great great grandmother. It sounds so ancient when put that way but it's only 60+ years old.


Our granddaughter and her hubby haven't decided on a name yet but so far they've liked the name Violet or Anastasia. Mandy's favorite colors are lavender, violet and purple and I think she likes pink but her house isn't decorated in those colors. Mostly she used beiges and darker colors but her office has lavender walls. She was going to put the baby in the office and work there when she wasn't at her office at Microsoft. Her hubby's office is downstairs in a big room but since he has so much computer equipment in there it wouldn't hold her office equipment. He does a lot of work at home also since he works for MS XBox as a designer and...well, you can just imagine what that room looks like. But guess what?! All her office stuff has been moved out and it is now officially a little girls room! Gee, what being pregnant can do to a professional chick. *Wink* She's told us we can do lavender, pink and soft greens.

Now, I do not plan on spoiling that girl; I'll leave it to her grandmother, my daughter. That's a grandmother's prerogative. I'm talking about clothes, nursery furniture, etc. But I do plan on making her as much frilly and froufrou-y stuff as I can. The birdhouse below is the first thing I've actually made since learning of her imminent birth and confirmation of her gender. I have a box full of stuff that is going over to Washington with us and so far I have a lamp I made, a crown, the quilt, another doll quilt my grandmother made that I think she'll enjoy having knowing its sentimental value and various other things I think Mandy might want from me. I've already given her my original wedding rings and some jewelry. I think she should enjoy them now and not wait until I'm dead! I want to see the sparkle in her eyes when she is wearing something that came from me.


These pictures were before I finished it with the bow, added a few minor touches and Love Bunny put the screwy thing on top so it can be hung from the ceiling.

This little crown I made last year and was for sale on my selling blog. She'll love this in her bedroom. Fit for a princess, which she is.

In her later years my grandmother had to live in a nursing home but she made these little doll quilts to keep her hands busy and to give to indigent families. This one came to me. She always thought of me and told me I was her favorite granddaughter. I believe it to this day. I think I was.

Another little lamp I made but never sold. It's hers now also. I'm glad it didn't sell. ;-)

I made this a few months ago and it was meant to be a giveaway. It will now go to her and I'll do another one for a giveaway soon.

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Guides on Planning an Outdoor Lighting Layout

Outdoor lighting projects such as garden lighting, park, landscape lighting need a serious planing. A successful outdoor lighting plan requires selecting the right fixtures, then placing and wiring them correctly. The first thing before planing an outdoor lighting is Selecting the right design and components, Walk into any home center or garden center this spring and you’re guaranteed to run into a towering display of low-voltage lighting. You’ll find $69 prepackaged sets and $100 individual lights; plastic fixtures and metal ones; lights you can shine down from trees and up from ponds.

Use waterproof pond lights for illuminating pools, fountains and other water features; offset path lights for lighting walkways; cone lights for highlighting both walkways and the surrounding plants; tree-mounted spotlights for simulating moonlight; and flood lights for illuminating trees, buildings and other large elements.

Consider that a Special lights need special effects too, A MOON LIGHT should be installed 15 to 30 ft. high and have one or more branches between it and the ground to simulate moon shadows. Provide at least 24 in. between the light and branches to prevent “hot spots.”

Here are another tips on designing an outdoor lighting plan:

• If your lights come with press-on fittings—the type that bite through the insulation and into the wire to make their connection—cut them off and use the wire connectors shown in Photo 4. 
• The farther a light is from the transformer (and the more lights installed between it and the transformer), the less light it will put out.  
• Always leave a little extra wire as you hook up the lights. This will give you the freedom to move a light after you’ve hooked it up for testing or after you’ve installed it.
• Burying the wires should be your last step. Lay everything out, hook up your lights, test your voltage, and look at your results at night before burying the lines.
• Purchase a transformer with a built-in photocell and timer. Orient the photocell with some western (sunset) orientation so it doesn’t turn lights on too early.

more information: rd.com

The Eleventh Hour - A Curious Mystery

When I buy a book whether in the book store or online I always write my name in it with the date that I bought it. Thus back in 1990 I bought this very clever picture book. I say clever because it shows intelligence and skill by the author, Graeme Base. The Eleventh Hour - A Curious Mystery is a book that appeals to all ages. It's a mystery albeit for children also. I've included a few photos to provoke an interest. But as you can see, I've never broken the seal at the back of the book. That's not to say I haven't peeked! ;-)
Depending on the cleverness of your child, I should say it's for ages 5 or 6 years old on up. Adults will get a chuckle out of it also.

The book is about solving the mystery of who is eating all the cake for the party. Just an adorable book!
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Outdoor Lighting System of Confort Myojindai with EYE CERA ARC lamps

The outdoor  lighting system for this housing complex was revamped along with exterior improvements of the housing development. Pole lights and approach lights of human scale and height have been set up along the pathways for the development. Here is an outdoor lighting system of Confort Myojindai, located in Yokohama City, Japan.

By combining wide-span light distributing Cerca fixtures and highly efficient EYE CERA ARC lamps, a lighting environment was created, which contributes to energy conservation while ensuring sufficient illuminant for safety. Environmentally-friendly lighting system that controls light pollution gently illuminates the garden.

The solar LED blocks are set up along the roads, for creating a visual guidance effect and therapeutic space, so it make a romantic and safety road to use the roads. [eye]

Beautiful Images For You #1 and Pink Saturday

Join Beverly of HowSweetTheSound and the other participants for Pink Saturday and see all the pink items. You'll be delighted for sure, Chicks.
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I am a firm believer in sharing. I cannot even tell you how many images I have from when I was designing templates. I don't do that anymore but I thought I'd start sharing with you so you can use them also. I probably have well over 10,000 images so I'll put some on here from time to time so you can use in your scrapbooking, crafting or any way you wish. As you can see I'll be numbering them so count on a number 2 sometime soon. I promise you it will be worth it. I have all kinds of images for different holidays. Enjoy.

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Random Thoughts:

Now, you didn't think I wouldn't say something else, did you? Oho, you should know me better than that, chicks. ;-)

At the ward Christmas party at church in December, Love Bunny was dressing for it and I perused his attire with a looooong, slow look at him. Nice Dockers and button-down red shirt.

She: You're not wearing that, are you?

He: Why? Which don't you like?

Looking at himself, he looked puzzled.

She: The Santa hat. (He is one of the church leaders and I thought that was a bit undignified with the Santa hat on his head.)

He decided I was right because we focus on the Savior with our Christmas parties. Kids get candy but there isn't a Santa Claus there.
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Several months ago now I was doing my monthly visiting teaching with my V.T. companion and we were going to a sister out quite a ways from us. I wasn't in the mood that day and as it turned out we spent 5 hours doing this and neither one of us has that kind of spare time.

However, I learned something.

I must admit I had a major attitude that day. We went to this lady's home and she had it built and it was beautiful. We had the tour—a major BIG TIME tour. But when I walked in I saw her very formal dining room set with place settings on the table, I thought to myself that it was a bit showy just to show us her new home. I was thinking she had "styled" it as is done for magazines. Well, I later learned we had been invited for lunch and wasn't even told about it. Now, I was trying to lose some weight and was a bit miffed that I didn't have control over my food on that occasion. But as we were preparing to eat after the hour and a half tour, she served a salad and desserts. But we spent just over 2 hours with her and by the time we left I was ready to "KILL"! I had scheduled 2 hours for the 2 women we visit and when it turned into 5, I was fit to be tied.

But later, I thought about it and realized I missed the major point here: I had a nice lunch. But with the attitude I carried for those hours I lost the purpose for the visit—to bring a spiritual message and companionship to a fellow Christian. I failed that test. I shall be more compassionate in the future.
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A few weeks ago now Love Bunny and I (okay, mostly "I") wanted a hot dog. So since I was driving we stopped at the Chevron Gem Stop station. It's brand new and you could practically live in there with what they offer. Even has a Starbucks. So as we were leaving a man held the door for me. I wasn't sure if he was just being a gentleman or if he thought I was an old lady that needed help with the door. Aaaaack, is this what happens when we are over "39"? ;-)
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What exactly is meant when we say "the far side of town"? I guess that depends on what side of town you live on. So I don't refer to the "far side" anymore; I usually say north, south, east or west side of town.
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I'm going to leave this world kicking and screaming carrying pink, frilly and froufrou-y things if it's the last thing I do......well, that will be the last thing I do. *Wink*
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Bathroom Lighting Design in Several Specific Area Lights

Bathroom lighting is an important element in creating a convenience bathroom, a well designed bathroom lighting can bring your bathroom alive at night or in the day (if you don't have a natural light outlet). As compared to the amount of money you end up shelling out for the cumulative of bathroom accessories including the bathroom vanity. There are several areas that should specific in creating a bathroom light, you can choose one of them or combining several of bathroom lights focus.

The first area is the ceiling bathroom lighting, Scones work out perfectly for a central lighting, usually at the center of the bathroom ceiling. Try to keep central lighting to minimum, it should be just enough to illuminate the bathroom to a visibility level.

The other bathroom lighting design is on the shower room or steam room bathroom light. Here again you can experiment with wall inset lights or go in for frosted bulbs. If you use the shower room for shaving also, then do consider placing the bulb so that there is no reflection or glare onto the mirror

Bathtub lighting can bring the atmosphere of romantic sense. Ensure the use of water resistant sockets near the tub. You can have inset lights along the top corner of the wall near the tub with the lights pointing away from the center of the tub. You can have a artificial candle lights surrounding the tub to give it a romantic touch. Cove lighting would be the best preference for tub lighting as it adds a air of soothing illumination.

Gorgeous Papers #2

Even more gorgeous papers for you to view. This one is a gorgeous Christmas-y one, but I think it could be used for just about any occasion. After all, holly is just a lovely plant of red berries, and white evergreens (is that an oxymoron?) are abundant in many shabby, romantic homes all through the year and doesn't have to signify Christmas altogether. I'd certainly use it all through the year.

For the bird and nature lover. Notice the little bunny at the bottom.

For the lover of old ledgers.

Isn't this a lovely shade of green that complements the fruits exquisitely?

This one would be perfect for a lover of Victorian wallpaper and old wishing wells.

Lovers of all things french and that lovely "french blue" would find a good use for this paper.

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Choosing Area and Type of Outdoor Lighting for Garden

Outdoor lighting type and design should considering several lighting effects, by placing the light at the base of a wall or hedge the light 'cover' over the surface creating a soft glow effect. However this can also be achieved by 'lifting' the light at certain angles to cover the desired area eg. garden area. Good areas and features to concentrate on:- Dining and seating areas, walkways, sculptures, water features, pots, specimen planting, trees, architectural features, garden features, buildings, etc can all be highlighted in a garden to create wonderful, varied ‘textures’ of light.

Uplighting, down lighting, mid-level lighting, step lighting, etc?

You may want to take into consideration how the garden will be used and how the garden will be viewed from the house. Also, consider security aspects, lighting can deter unwanted intruders! Consider how the lights are going to be ‘switched on’ – exteior switch or interior switch? How many lights are required to be switched on at any one time? If you require some areas of the lighting to be separate from others you will require different lighting ‘circuits’. You may want to consider ‘remote control’ lighting, whereby the lighting can be operated with a small keyfob, as opposed to using a switch. Do you require ‘sensors’? [greenways]