Rambling and A Warning Today 5/20/2013

Reminder:

Several days ago I mentioned a giveaway to be held in the near future and that I'd remind you again before I had the giveaway. Well, it's getting closer and for those of you who've never seen my giveaways, you really don't want to miss it. I make something special for each one, but there's more than one item to be given away. The only, and I mean ONLY, requirement is that you be a follower. That's it! I treat my followers well, and since, they've been loyal in following me they get to win. So if you're not a follower now, better hurry and become one before the giveaway begins. I'll give you one more warning before but that's it. If you don't want to enter, that's just fine. I truly appreciate everyone who comes here to read and/or leave a comment; I just appreciate followers a lot more. ;-) Thank you!
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Reminding you again of my Pinterest page, where I post at least a couple of times a week. You'll see images that aren't yet on my blog so go there for a visual treat of nothing but beautiful images.

Also, I'll keep reminding you until 7/1/2013 that Google Reader will no longer be available. So if you want to keep track of your favorite blogs or, if you are a blogger, you'll need another site to do that. Of course, you could just see them if you have bookmarked them, but you wouldn't see if they're updated so you'd have to check every single one. I'm using Bloglovin' as many others are and while it's not as good as Google Reader, it's still better than having to click on every single blog to see if it's updated. If you want to follow me on Bloglovin', just click on the logo on my side bar.
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Since I schedule these posts weeks in advance this is an actual update of my prepared blog because of something I found out on 5/15/2013. I have cancer. It's skin cancer and I've taken steps but I truly need to caution you women out there who are sun worshipers. Don't do it! If you do it now, stop it immediately.

I spent my teenage years at pools sunbathing and my 40s going to Mexico and sitting in the sun for hours and hours. I've had a few horrific sunburns. I'm very fair skinned. Well, I used to be; I'm spotted now because of the sun damage. My eyes are green and we're the most sensitive to sun—photophobia. I am never, ever in the sun without long sleeves on and sunglasses on. I can't even go to the mailbox without sunglasses. The desert sun can be unrelenting also.

When I noticed a sore on my cheek just in front of my right ear appear seemingly overnight, literally, 4 or 5 weeks ago and it didn't go away plus got a sort of scab over it, I told hubby it wasn't getting any better. I tried squeezing it a bit to see if it was a pimple but nothing came out. It also hurt badly at one point. He kept saying it doesn't look bad. But I know my body...well! It wasn't normal and it wouldn't go away. So I called my dermatologist, scheduled a quick appointment with his PA and she didn't even hesitate when she saw it. She said, "It's cancer" and wanted to look at my arms also. At that point I started stripping off all my clothes as fast as I could so she had visual access to my whole body. Nothing anywhere else. Sigh of relief! Three to 4 spots on each arm were cancer. I thought it was just scaly skin as I have dry skin. But she said, "Nope, just a different type of cancer." She froze them on my arms and also the face because she wanted to take a scraping of it, send it to the pathologist immediately to decide our method of treatment. I'll know next week what we need to do. When she said it's cancer, I didn't even flinch; I simply said, "What do we need to do?" I'm very pro-active, very. I wasn't stunned, just glad I followed my feelings and made the appointment. I'm not down a bit. I have faith I'll be okay. Cutting it out is one option if the results come back as the worse type of cancer. 

Here is a photo of it. No makeup and no photoshopping so it doesn't show me in a good light because I really am cute. ;-) But this is the look of cancer, chicks. Oh, discount the wrinkles you see...wait, I think that's my hair, not wrinkles...and no photo taken this close ever put anyone in a good light. So please don't say it can't happen to you. Stay out of the sun and cover up and warn your kids. Slather sunscreen on also. Better to be cautious than sorry.

These are two of them on my left arm, very innocuous looking. I never would have guessed, just thought it was dry patches of skin. These are a bit red from the freezing. I'm brave enough to show these ugly arms because I want to warn you that they didn't look particularly harmful. And skin cancer is one of the worst you can get. You've been warned.

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Have you noticed kids today are far advanced? The teenage years are now starting at 10 years old. Sigh.
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The other day driving though our neighborhood we spotted a storage shed that was much taller and bigger than ours. I told hubs we needed a bigger shed when we moved in. We had it installed before they put in our sprinkler system and grass. I thought it would be big enough then, but I should have realized they're never big enough. We always stuff things in there and even though we don't use them anymore, never get rid of them...stuff. And you know what I'm talking about. Wood. He: Yeah, but I'll use it some day. Pipes/connectors. He: It'll come in handy some day. Things I've thrown in the trash that he says he could use. He: You never know when it'll come in handy. I cannot tell you how much crap he has in there. If we had a bigger shed, sure, it would be nice, but he'd just put more stuff out there he may use someday. I've told him if he dies before me, I'm trashing everything out there except the lawn mower. I think I saw a tear in his eye.
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The other day my wind chimes on the front porch actually played several bars from an old song. I don't remember the song, but it truly did. It sort of threw me for a loop. I thought someone was out there playing with them, but since I can see my front porch with video cams that wasn't so.
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A few weeks ago, someone posted a lovely comment but it had nothing
at all to do with the blog post. It stymied me. It wasn't anonymous or spam because I checked, but it sure was weird.
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Just a very sweet, sweet living room area but it almost looks like a shop.

How would you like this little attic bedroom? Charming, right?

I saw this in a magazine years ago and I believe it's a work area for a bunch of women who like to craft. It is, however, caaauuute!

A cute little vignette of colorful books, trays, flowers, a pitcher and an eiffel tower.

Another clever use of a step ladder.

And a cute way to display photos and glasses of flowers.

Pretty all-white room. I don't see one display of color in there.

Pretty branches displayed with a white embroidered umbrella.

Cottages built along a small road with a little stream. Perfect!

Pretty pink tulips.

Luxurious outdoor patio on a beach.

I love displays like this. So simple and yet so very pretty.

A darling living room with cushy sofa and pillows with a beautiful staircase in the background.

Lovely wallpaper, kind of subdued, but those tiny hanging lamps are astounding.

Pink kitchen, just my style.

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Tidbit:

The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com
And over 35 billion emails are sent each day throughout the world.
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Linking up with WOW. 

What? No Television?

I plan these posts ahead and schedule them ahead. I inadvertently scheduled two for 3/22/2013. You may have missed the second one that came up that day so check back if you weren't viewing two of them for that day. I knew I had scheduled two and meant to reschedule one of them but forgot. I don't like doing that and shall take special care in the future to not let that happen again. The correct one was A Trip to the Supermarkets and the one I meant to change was Trip to Washington. I'd sure hate for you to miss a single post of mine with all the glorious photos I post! ;-) I really blog for the photos as I'm an "eye candy" person.
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Hubs was driving a friend with him to a meeting several days ago and the man starting talking about television shows. Hubs said he hadn't seen one particular show the man mentioned. Then the man asked if he watched the football game. Hubs said he hadn't because we don't have a television. The man turned and looked at him and asked, "Then how do you watch football?" Hubs said, "I don't; we don't have a television." The man was stymied and just kept repeating, "How do you do it?" What is so hard to understand that some of us don't have television and prefer it that way? I know it's not for everyone, but it is for us. We live in a very quiet world. We prefer it that way. I rarely, rarely even have the radio on. But what's so important that we'd need a television? We get news on the internet and can filter what we want to read. And if there's any big catastrophe I'm sure friends would let us know. You might give it a try, maybe for a week and see how different it is in the house, especially with kids. It is much calmer and you do things together as a family if you have kids at home. For us empty nesters, it's also time to be with each other without interruptions. If anyone does this, let me know how it worked for you, please. I'd love to know.
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Gorgeous, gorgeous pillows!

Just sweet bits of fluff for a vignette.

Another cute storage shed made into a respite cottage.

I wish I could do something similar to my back yard but it just wouldn't work I think.

I absolutely looooove white houses with black trim. I hope to paint mine that way when it needs painting.

This little settee would look perfect in my home. ;-)

Cute and inexpensive way to display flowers with a lot of pizzazz.

Looks how rustic this house is but it's decorated fancy. Gorgeous!

A truck bed full of flowers.

A beautiful art deco door done in pink. Lovely.

Just more roses. :-)

Another little pink shed to dream about.

I love these clothespins. I have some decorated ones but think I'll paper them and put some little roses on them like these.

What a beautiful pin cushion.

A perfect girly room!

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Tidbit:
Our state is #1!
Starting with Alabama and all the A states, I'm going to list what each state is #1 in.

Alabama is first in:
Lowest taxes on goods
Adult-onset diabetes

Alaska:
Heliports
Teen death

Arizona:
Copper production
Alcoholism

Arkansas:
Best trained math teachers
E. coli infections spread by petting zoos
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Three Generations Of Women's Hands

This post is my 1200th post. I can't believe I've blabbered that much.
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A friend told me recently that I had beautiful hands and another friend with us agreed with her. I was stunned. I have 70 yr. old hands with brown spots. These hands had been beautiful once. Sometimes when I look at them and see the wrinkles and brown spots of age, I wonder with a start: whose hands are these? A stranger's, certainly an old woman's. Not mine, not Connie's.

But then I see my daughter's and granddaughter's and great granddaughter's tiny little hands and I see mine 30 years ago. Yes, thy have the same structure, the same coloring, except mine are now spotted with age. We use our hands in the same manner and that pleases me. Yes, our hands do look alike. Three and now four generations of hands. All of us women in the family are expressive with our hands. We all keep the nails close-cut because we're all on computers all the time, but all of us have long slender fingers. Mine aren't as slender as theirs are now but they were several years ago.

I'm just thrilled to see my progeny before I die. Many don't, but I love seeing how much we are all alike and the ways we're different. Same temperament for the most part. I wonder how we'll all fit together in the eternity. I'm only speaking of the girls now. My boys are just about all mellow, sweet and kind. We women have more spark to us. ;-) We're all definitely the alpha dogs in the family.
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Let’s start off with some beautiful pillows. Of course, this whole room looks gorgeous though.

Same here. Just a beautiful vignette in someone’s beautiful hobby room.

Rustic meets romantic shabby. Yep, love this room!

This looks like a shop somewhere and I wish I knew where that somewhere was. ;-)

Adorable! And I’m making a set of those COOK letters and giving them away. It’ll be a couple of weeks, but I’m doing it.

Another absolutely stunning lamp I thought you’d love to see.

A bedroom I could live in, you betcha!

Simple stone cottage in the UK.

And another cottage with bright yellow shutters and red flowers surrounding it.

Looks like the owner took a fireplace and incorporated it into a headboard for a beautiful shabby look.

I still have a Pyrex bowl like the yellow one on the bottom. My mother gave it to me over 50 years ago and it was old when she gave it to me. I use it all the time. I’ll never part with it.

These are my kind of colors, especially that pink on the stucco.

A sweet entry for you. I can’t quite get the floor though. Looks like brickwork and some stone showing through where the door swings.

Somewhere in the Mediterranean. I’m guessing Greece.

Even city apartment dwellers long for gardens and a place to sit outside and eat. This has got to be one of the smallest I’ve ever seen though.

Pretty display in a kitchen.

I love the blue cabinets but the tiles would drive me nuts with my OCD. ☺

Cute display of purple flowers.

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