Dollar Stores and Tulip Town

No one should deprive themselves of the joy of color because color choices, unlike most choices, aren't a matter of money. You are free to select colors that put a smile on your face and edit out the rest. Living with refreshing, life-enhancing color in your room, in the clothes you wear as well as the paraphernalia in your handbag and the accessories on your desk can do wonders to your spirit. Color to me is one of the gifts of grace that is ours to select and a tool to help us live beautifully. Alexandra Stoddard.

Make your office or wherever you work colorful. I do. Actually, I do it to my whole house. My husband is a manly man, a retired Marine, and he lives in this froufrou pink house and loves it. Your hubbies probably want you to be happy, so go with the color that you love best. Beige is sooooo boring and depressing. Simply tint a white with a tiny bit of a beautiful color/pigment instead of brown. I'll never use beige again.
*

 I've decided to have a giveaway soon. Just stay tuned because I'm not exactly sure when but very soon. I'll give you plenty of notice. I have ordered a couple more of her books to give away and there will be other stuff also. Just so you know. Truly, you don't want to miss my giveaways. You really don't!
*

I have to file my nails every week because of keyboarding so much. They grow so fast since my doctor told me to take more calcium. I've never had great nails but since I chew 2 calcium chews a day they've been growing like crazy. AND it's very hard to type with long nails!
*

He's still at it, hubs, I mean. We went to the Dollar stores the other day looking for a certain kind of pen that the man at our bookstore uses and I liked a lot. Flows easily with gel and is clickable. They're called WOW. Couldn't find them but I'll keep checking. They were wonderful to sign my name to the receipt with and I asked him about them. I've told you I'm a fanatic about certain things!

Anyway, we were looking for them and hubs went looking for cheap candy...again. I've told him and told him that Dollar Store cheap candy is just that—CHEAP! He bought some cheese popcorn. I tasted it later at home. He did also. He admitted it wasn't so good. (Need I say more?) Well, I'm gonna...say more that is. I don't buy cheap food at the Dollar Store. It isn't worth it. They get it because no one else will buy it at the regular markets. [Did you know that Dollar Stores have the biggest mark-up on their merchandise than anyone? Yes, this is true.] Anyway, the jelly beans he bought were atrocious also. I got nauseous from their smell even. When I'm dead, he can buy anything he wants, but for now I don't buy cheap food!
*

My granddaughter posted on her Facebook a trip to Tulip Town in Mt. Vernon, Washington, they took in April. The most gorgeous tulips in all colors were there. I thought we might go over next year to see them. But it reminded me of a trip they took a year or so ago to the raspberry farms to pick raspberries. Caroline is three years old now so she was just a wee toddler then, but she could pick and eat the raspberries. Granddaughter apologized to the farmer, but they said it was fine that kids will do that. She was eating faster than they could fill baskets. Needless to say, she had the most poopy diapers ever for a couple of days. They thought she'd never stop pooping! We laughed so hard at that, we cried. Here she and our newest great granddaughter are and a picture of the pink tulips, my favorite ones.

I think she looks a bit geeky in this photo but she really is so, what can I say. But as her grandmother I think she's gorgeous and I'm not one bit prejudiced...no, really, I'm not. ;-) Okay, she is kinda cute and Juliette is also.

This is her last year before she got pregnant with the little doll she is holding above, her second daughter. When she's not being a computer geek at Microsoft, she's a cutie. But she is very smart.

*

Yes, I still would love to have an outdoor shower.

A gorgeous shade of blue. Actually, I love this little kitchen.

Another pretty patio/picnic area.

A cute quaint neighborhood in England.

Look at this tiny chair. Maybe it was meant for a doll house. Even has its own tiny pillow.

Where do people find these little treasures? An old farm wagon dressed up in pink and blue.

Just some lovely froufrou items.

And yet another bird cage for you to see.

A staged photograph for sure but I think it's adorable. An outdoor, under-the-trees room.

Another countryside pathway. Sort of narrow for cars though.

A cute bedroom with lots of color.

Another stone sink.

Respite from work done cute!

Sigh. How adorable is this room! Look at those curtains and that pillow, rug and settee.

Have a coconut cupcake, but you might want to wait or rethink that after reading the tidbit today.

*

Tidbit:

To cure hangovers, people in the Middle Ages would down a plate of bitter almonds and dried eel after drinking. In Outer Mongolia, they slurped down pickled sheep eyeballs in tomato juice. [Ooooh, yuck!!]
~*~ 
Linking up with NMH Party and Pink Saturday.

Being Content

I am a happy girl. I mean that. I am truly happy where I am. I love my town. I love my home. I love my kids, grandkids, great grandkids but especially my eternal companion—Love Bunny. He really is a great man. Oh, we push each other's buttons, but we know each other so well it's uncanny. But he's not the subject of today's post. Contentment is.

Read the message in the picture below. First photo. Read it. Say it. Believe it. Live it. Are you wanting/lusting for something? Is it something that will give you happiness? If not, then stop it. New cottage at the beach? Trip to France or Italy or South America? Luxury car? Boat? Clothes? Are you doing to die if you don't get it? Then be content with what you do have. Be grateful for it. If you're truly grateful, then that is what happiness is. Being happy brings a contentment to one's self.  Confidence. Satisfaction. If you don't have everything you think you want, so what? If you're not happy, it's your fault. You can change this. With your attitude. I think some people might not believe me, but it's absolutely true: I am happy, content and love living where I am. I care absolutely nothing about seeing the rest of the world. I've seen it and it's no better than where I live in Idaho. I'm happy right where I am. This is my world. ;-)

I remember back in the mid eighties when I was in prime condition and going to jazzercise 3-5 times a week. I love the song "New Attitude"! When that song was played during the hour I just jazzed it up even more.

Then one day, my hubby told me something. Oh, I forget exactly what it was but he said I needed to change my attitude. I truly didn't know what he meant or even how I was to do that. It took me many years to realize it. I've changed my attitude about a lot of things. Ooooh, yeah, I still have attitude about some things but not what's terribly important to my happiness. Be good to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. Be happy with what you DO have and you'll be content. Now, that is not to say you can't have something new. After all, I'm getting a new sofa. :-) But truly be grateful for everything in your life. You'll be amazed at how much happier you are. Personal experience.
*

My motto always. Well, one of them.

Wouldn't this be fun as a birthday gift to a friend who appreciates things like this and the whimsey of such a gift? I'm going to do a couple of these to brighten up some women's day who I know need a bit of this soon.

Another small cottage in Carmel.

What fun colors for the beach.

A few cottages in the English countryside. The Brits do cottages well! ;-)

Darling towels with ruffles.

What a picnic at the beach!

This would look cute in my backyard. I can just hear Love Bunny right now: "You want WHAT?!"

I would rather camp in this than the pop-up trailer. Seriously!

I love this fabric. I wish I had some of it for pillows.

Luscious wisteria drooping down for a beautiful archway to a serene path.

My kind of bedroom. Pink and roses.

Here we go with my favorite color combo: pink and yellow.

Grab a chair, a bucket and a bunch of hydrangeas and stick them in your kitchen! I'm going to do that today. Our hydrangeas are still glorious.

This little idea intrigued me so much that I brought out 4 bottles I have and put some cuffs I made over them. I placed them in my living room and now they don't have to be hidden away in my cupboards.

 And here they are. I don't like photographing glass and these were done early in the morning before the sun even came up so I had to photograph them with the flash on in the house. Ugh. But you get the idea. Kind of French-looking. Romantic French. :-) And I do wear these cuffs to church. I've noticed they're becoming very popular. Haute couture actually.

~*~