Late to the Party

Legos for Christmas - It's LEGO FRIDAY!

2011-12-02T13:47:00.002-05:00

Legos are high on the list for a couple of the Fab 5 - that's the grandkids, just in case you have forgotten. So to get into the swing of the holidays, I thought it would be fun to share some Lego videos with you all. Ladies and gentlemen, these are NOT the legos of our childhood. So take a look and have fun! Oh, and there might be more through the Christmas season so keep an eye out for them...you'll get the joke and groan after you watch the video...... Merry Christmas!

Hope your Christmas Season comes together in little pieces that make one big Happy Holiday!

Musing about Muses and Christmas

2011-12-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

Oh, yes, I have been away from the blog for months. But when The Muse is dormant there isn't anything I can do about it. I should say the Writing Muse has been quiet, for the Artistic Muse has had me in her grips and control for sometime now. I have been working feverishly on the Etsy shop (which is under a new name, by the way - The Celtic Heart - if you are so inclined as to take a look. The Flyboy's Baby, the original name is now the Vintage section of the shop....stop by and take a look at The Celtic Heart .....as I was saying, I have been a mad woman making Short Scarf Neck Warmers, covered buttons, Christmas ornaments and beaded wrap bracelets, as well as selling 31 Gifts, my newest venture, which I might add, is a wonderful company to represent. So let's get the shameless plugging over with - here are the link 31 Gifts http://www.mythirtyone.com/PamAndGabriel/ . If you are so inclined, please go take a look at both 31 and Etsy! Now onto the real reason for this long awaited post...Okay, I know you all have not lost sleep in anticipation and pondering if I would ever write another blog entry, but I have!

It is the second day of December and the time of the year that I circle the wagons, so to speak. Candles get lit, the house gets decorated, music is on and the TV is set to the sappy holiday movies on Lifetime and Hallmark rather than the news stations. In other words, the real world is shut out, avoided, shunned. If only for a few weeks, I try to capture "the warm fuzzies" before we all return to the chaos and day to day routine of normal life after the New Year.

Last year I shared with you different aspects of Christmas time and the holidays that make it special to me. I hope I accomplished that goal. Just today, I went back and reread some of those blog entries. And it was then that the Muse called her siren's call. Who can deny the Muse? And so I am in the clutches of the Writing Muse once again. Between the magic of Christmas and the overwhelming desire to compose, I surrender....surrender to the wonderful elixir of words and language and phrases, an elixir that is to me as intoxicating as any liquor. How lovely! So given that I have no choice over this element of creativity, I am committing to blogging this Holiday Season. Fulfilling for me, possibly entertaining for you. We shall see.....

So I am committing to writing on the blog once again.....expect in the next month my take on December and the festivities and soul searching that comes during this time of year. A December Word of the Month, some reflective pieces on the holidays, and if they are out there, new Flash Mob videos for Flash Mob Mondays! I know you are all just waiting with bated breath.....hang on, I'll be posting some new stuff shortly!

P.S. And yes, it is BATED breath, not BAITED breath, for those of you who really care and for those of you that think I have a typo. Bated means "almost to stop", thus holding your breath waiting for the next entry to this blog...... End of English grammar lesson. Sorry....I just can't help myself......Carry on!

Requiem for Summer

2011-09-07T13:05:00.000-04:00

"Summer is like the ultimate one-night stand....hot as hell, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it." ~ Author unknown

Summer 2011 in the deep South took us with a vengeance, as it did with most of the country. Days the temperature hovered in the 80's were in the spring and short-lived. Choking ninety degree heat, closer to the century mark, has been the norm with little respite in the form of rain or cooler temps. Our little waist-high pool was much used by the Fab 5 grandkids and I particularly enjoyed the new hammock we purchased and set up in the shade of the trees in the backyard. We anxiously anticipated our vacation to Hilton Head Island at the end of August and enjoyed it immensely even though I had a tooth extracted while there and Hurricane Irene threatened to ruin the last few days but in the end was no more that some heavy rain squalls and wind on our last day.

As we drove back to Atlanta, tired from our vacation and using the proverbial joke about needing a vacation to recover from our vacation, it dawned on me that something had changed while we were away. At first I couldn't pinpoint exactly what the change was. I just knew it had. After riding in silence watching the gray band of highway pass under our car and the dusty trees of late summer edging the interstate slide by mile after mile, it came to me: the light - the light was what was different. It wasn't the light of late summer - that blaring white hot light that heats the air to the point you feel you can't breathe. No, there had been over the course of the week a shift in the light and the haze it produced was the pronouncement that summer is dying and we were witnessing the initial hint of the autumn season that will soon overtake summer and send it on its way. Looking out the big picture window of our home just a few days ago, we saw the evidence of falling leaves scattered on the lawn. Labor Day, summer revelers' last hurray, brought rain from Hurricane Lee and with it temperature highs barely in the 70's yesterday and just 65-68 degrees today.

Yes, temperatures will rebound into the eighties, possibly nineties, as they are expected to do so by week's end. But for all practical purposes, summer is over. Summer with its fireflies and hammocks, swimming pool fun, meteor showers, lush green foliage, watermelons and homegrown tomatoes, popsicles and snow cones, and all the hundred other little things that make summer fun, laid back, worth savoring.

So....Good-bye Summer. For some inexplicable reason I will miss you more this year than usual. I'm not quite sure I know why. Yet I do know, as sure as the passing of the seasons, I will embrace Autumn as I always do. The boxes of fall decorations are already pulled down from the attic, waiting to be placed on the mantel and hearth, around doorways, in the dining room. Hello, Fall.......

"Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. The season comes full with the first frost, the disappearance of migrant birds, and the harvesting of the season's last crops."
- Glenn Wolff and Jerry Dennis

Back to Normal - If I am ever THAT!

2011-09-07T11:14:00.001-04:00

"Writer's block is a disease for which there is no cure, only respite." ~Terri Guillemets

After a short and eventful summer I am back to writing. Most of you know I broke my arm on Memorial Day weekend and that made it quite difficult to write. Then I got busy with grandkids coming to visit, starting a new business venture as a 31 Gifts consultant (insert shameful plug - www.mythirtyone.com/PamAndGabriel), a wonderful week's vacation at Hilton Head Island, joining the Y to get these blasted last 50 + pounds off, and being distracted in other areas of my life. All that adds up to less time to put the thought and effort into writing and the ever dreaded writer's block.

Now, however, Labor Day has come and gone. Putting my thoughts down and playing with words are once again calling my name. I really, truly am back this time to write. Hope you will join me, as in the past, for the ride! Stay tuned......

Owling Update Alert!

2011-07-19T10:39:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I brought to your attention the activity of "owling" and gave you my word that I would be ever vigilant in keeping you posted on the latest crazy trend people around the world are doing to amuse themselves and friends. (Go here if you want to see what "planking", "owling" and "cone-ing" are all about and have a laugh or two!)

True to my word, I want to share with you what I discovered late yesterday. Keep in mind that this hasn't gone viral - yet - and for once I may be ahead of the curve. Imagine that! It seems that "owling" is so....so....Last Week. And geeky - not my words, but according to some young people. A new alternative craze is beginning to take its place. Better get in on it before it, too, becomes obsolete, which could be about 24 hours or 2 months. With these things, you never know. So without further ado, I bring you....

STORKING!

There is even a FaceBook page that you can "like". You can see the above pictures in a larger format if you really, really must.

All this begs the question: What bird would YOU like to pose as and post? Or any other animal. Name one and start your own fad! Comments are welcome, requested in fact, because I want to see what clever internet trend we can start and give these crazy kids a run for their money! Make it fun, make it unique, make it zany and maybe there will be a giveaway involved! Let's go for it!

And, as always, I will be forever vigilant to whatever wild and crazy things are going on out there in this great big world....... Stay tuned! Happy Storking!

Giving a Hoot

2011-07-17T16:17:00.137-04:00

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature." ~ Dave Barry

Sometime last year, if you will recall, I introduced you to Extreme Ironing, as well as Cheese Racing. Fun stuff! I am ever on the outlook for the bizarre and clever ways that young people create to entertain themselves and others and today I think I have outdone myself in bringing these ~~two~~ three items to your attention and edification.

Before I continue, let me say that I think the internet and social networking is, for the most part, fantastic, educational and entertaining. I am not sure which of those three categories these will fall into; judge for yourself....

Are any of you out there familiar with "planking"? If you are, more power to you; you are well ahead of the curve, in my book anyway. "Planking" is the activity, if one can call it that, of lying face down on the ground, yes, prone as one can lie. You must put your face into the ground or sidewalk or whatever, and your arms must remain close to your body, straight down to your side, which in doing so you resemble a plank of wood. Yes, a plank of wood, thus called planking! The object is to do this in the most public of places and the most unusual locations, preferably, and have your picture taken in that position and then post it on the internet.

I guess you would have to be really "bored" (oh, dear, pardon the pun) to do this.

As with most of these type of activities, it seems planking started in England by two guys named Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon in 1997. It has since spread all over the world and is known as "on one's belly" in France, "extreme lying down" in Australia, "facedowns" in the U.S and Ireland and "playing dead" in South Korea. This year there has been an upturn in the number of photographs taken of planking on roofs, poles, fences, and vehicles, with some deaths reported of people planking on balcony railings and falling to their deaths, etc. Wow, who knew?

Not to worry though, it seems that planking may have reached its climax in popularity. Thank God, you are saying to yourself, I bet. Oh, let's not get too relaxed and think that all is well in the world of our youth. No, there is something afoot out there in the internet world that is going to replace planking as the "hey, take a picure, quick" and post it for all the world to see. WHAT IN THE NAME OF SAM HILL COULD IT BE, you are pondering at this very second. It is, my friends, "OWLING".

Owling, yes, owling. And what pray tell, is owling? Well, words cannot do it justice, so see this:

As you can plainly see, to owl is to squat, put a blank stare on your face with eyes wide open, in public, of course, and have someone to take your picture for posterity. And share it for all the world to see. And no, I am not kidding.

SO there you have the latest craze! Wait...hold the presses! What have we here? A new fad has just come upon the scene and is the "new planking' - CONE-ING. Words cannot describe adequately but video can:

As you can see, the object of cone-ing is to go to a fast food restaurant drive-thru, order an ice cream cone and then grab it in bizarre ways. Just taking an ordinary picture isn't enough. The "wow" factor must be upped by recording it on a camcorder and then, like planking, sent out over Facebook or other methods. The ultimate goal is to capture the astounded look on the drive-thru server's face - What fun! Let's be brutally honest here - the person who is working at the drive-thru window is hating life. I mean, it sucks to have that as your job. By being "coned", you can give those people something to share and talk about with their co-workers, family and friends and will make those boring hours go by so much faster. Think of it as your civic duty, your Random Act of Kindness for the day!

But wait! What's this? Just when you think you have this whole fad thing "licked" (yes, i did, forgive me) along comes a twist (I can't help myself) to the "cone-ing" thing. Take a look:

We have covered a lot of ground today, haven't we? I hope I have widened your horizons and educated you so that the next time you are looking for something new to do, you can have a wide range of choices. Make sure you bring your camera and camcorder! In the meantime, I will have ~~an eye out~~ be on the lookout (don't want to start a new fad of eye patch pictures, must be careful what I write) for the latest and greatest crazes to hit the streets.

And remember, just like Heidi Klum says: You're either 'in' or you're out.
What a hoot!

Confession Friday on a Saturday - I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me

2011-07-16T22:50:00.003-04:00

"The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand." ~ Frederick Lawrence Knowles

I'm not quite sure why it is, but for some reason I have become obsessed recently with the moon. There is nothing better than a mild summer night with the requisite slight breeze, clear skies, bright stars and accompanying moon. And lying in the hammock....but that's another obsession to explore later...... Let's get back to that summer night of stars and moons....

My dad was a moon planter. What is a "moon planter", you ask? Someone who uses the moon and its phases to base when to plan and plant vegetables in the garden. He was an avid, die-hard believer in using this system and never a new year came that he didn't get his copy of The Farmer's Almanac to study and chart where and when he would plow the garden in the spring. It was a tradition that farmers believed in, before there were weather forecasts and meteorologists reports ready available. His copy of the current year's Farmer's Almanac was dog-eared and well used by the time May rolled around. I can recall some good natured kidding from folks he amicably endured, but the proof was in the pudding - Dad's garden was abundant and rich in its bounty. He always had the last laugh.

Hey, hey! Don't be so quick to snicker and poo-poo the moon and its effect on planting and growing gardens. Seems now there are some truths that have been discovered recently that confirms and proves that our agrarian ancestors were on to something. Here's how it works: Our planet Earth resides in a large gravitational field. Both the sun and the moon have their influence on this gravity field. When the moon is in its new and full moon phases and the sun and moon are lined up with Earth, the oceans' tides are at their highest. Like the moon's pulling the tides, other smaller, insignificant sources of water are being pulled, too. This results in the moisture rising in the soil, which in turn, increases growth. Thus, the moisture in the soil is at its highest during these moon phases and seeds absorb the most water during the full moon! Who knew? Well, obviously, our ancestors.....

Even today we cannot get away from the folklore that has been passed down to us through the ages. When we hear of people acting strange, committing bizarre crimes, more babies being born than usual, we blame it on the full moon. "Must be a full moon" is our way of summing it up. Yet, upon further exploring of this subject, this, too, isn't just a figment of our imaginations. I came across the following:

Gout and asthma attacks peak during new and full moons, according to work carried out at the Slovak Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Bratislava, where attacks over a 22-year period were monitored.....

Data from 140,000 births in New York City showed small but systematic variations in births over a period of 29.53 days - the length of the lunar cycle - with peak fertility in the last quarter. "The timing of the fertility peak in the third quarter suggests that the period of decreasing illumination immediately after the full moon may precipitate ovulation.'....

A study in Florida of murders and aggravated assaults showed clusters of attacks around the full moon. A second study of three police areas found the incidence of crimes committed on full-moon days was much higher than on all other days. And a four-year study into car accidents found that the lowest number happened during the full-moon day, while the highest number was two days before the full moon. Accidents were more frequent during the waxing than the waning phase.

Another study of some 800 patients with urinary retention admitted to hospital over a period of three years found higher retention during the new moon compared with other phases of the cycle. Interestingly, patients didn't show any other daily, monthly or seasonal rhythms in their retention problems.....

Even what we eat and drink is affected by the lunar cycle, according to a study at Georgia State University. Researchers looked at lunar variations in nutrient intakes and the meal patterns of 694 adults. They concluded: "A small but significant lunar rhythm of nutrient intake was observed with an 8 per cent increase in meal size and a 26 per cent decrease in alcohol intake at the time of the full moon relative to the new moon.''....

While scientists have been trying to prove for some time that the Moon does exert an effect, what has not been established is why. Scientists have until now examined the theory that the Moon triggers changes through its gravitational pull. But the latest research points to an effect on people's hormones. "The lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular fertility, menstruation and birth rate. Other events associated with human behaviour, such as traffic accidents, crimes, and suicides, appeared to be influenced by the lunar cycle,'' said Dr Michael Zimecki of the Polish Academy of Sciences....

"Although the exact mechanism of the Moon's influence on humans and animals awaits further exploration, knowledge of this kind of biorhythm may be helpful in police surveillance and medical practice,'' he said....

The researchers also found links between the lunar cycle and the likelihood of people being admitted to hospital with heart or bladder problems and with diarrhoea. The menstrual cycle, fertility, spontaneous abortions and thyroid disease were also affected. Just how the Moon could have an effect needs further research. Dr Zimecki suggests that it may be the effect of the Moon's gravity on immune systems, hormones and steroids.

He said: "At this stage of investigation, the exact mechanism of the lunar effect on the immune response is hard to explain. The prime candidates to exert regulatory function on the immune response are melatonin and steroids, whose levels are affected by the Moon cycle....

"It is suggested that melatonin and endogenous steroids [which are naturally occurring in humans] may mediate the described cyclic alterations of physiological processes. Electromagnetic radiation and/or the gravitational pull of the Moon may trigger the release of hormones.''

So there you have it. Give the Moon some credit, okay? It's not just hokus-pokus like we thought all along. Which gets me back to my original thought of being ever so conscious lately of the moon- that glorious, mysterious nocturnal orb in the dark sky. I am fascinated by the phases, the waxing and waning, the new crescent, the quarter moon (which looks like half), the full moon, the dark side and the far side. Do you know the difference between the dark and far side? Neither did I till recently. The dark side is the part that faces Earth and us but is not illuminated. The far side of the moon is the side we never see - the other side. And the difference in the waxing and waning? Waxing comes after the new moon, which is the dark moon followed by the waxing crescent, which is the crescent moon with the round part that looks like the round part of a capitol D or a left parenthesis ). Waxing means the shining part of the moon is getting larger, culminating with the full moon. Waning comes after the full moon and the illuminated part gets smaller until the waning crescent that looks like the round side of a capitol letter C ( and ends with the new moon once again. Every 29.5305882 days the moon goes through its phases and starts all over again. And nature responds. I don't know about you, but I find that fascinating. Just think, since the beginning of time and Earth's creation, the moon has been going through its phases, guiding planting and nature and tides.

Then there are the special moons. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox; a blood moon is a harvest moon that appears large and dark orange or red. I've seen these over the course of my life and they never cease to amaze me and give me a little bit of a spooky feeling. The Hunter's Moon -a full moon appearing in October or November, usually in October - was named for when Native Americans tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the winter. They celebrated The Hunter's Moon with a feast. Let's not forget a Blue Moon - the third full moon in a season with four full moons, but some people say it is the second full moon in a calendar month, neither of which happens very often. Thus the phrase "once in a blue moon", meaning something rare or that doesn't occur regularly. And don't forget the intriguing phenomena of the lunar eclipse which happens when the moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. It can only happen when the moon, Earth, and the sun are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Remarkedly, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon.

Oh, and I love the sayings that refer to the moon. "I love you to the moon and back" comes to mind. Remember Ralph on The Honeymooners? "To the moon, Alice, to the moon!" "Shoot for the moon" is always a good thing, no matter how high the goal. I am "over the moon" about my grandkids! "Mooning" - dare I say more? But "mooning" can mean to long for something fiercely, too. Have you ever seen "the Man in the Moon"? I think I have.....

I confess I am not sure the moon possesses any mystical powers, but I know that I find delight and entertainment in it. And I thank the Creator of all things that above us all, every single night, the moon is there for us to admire and ponder and love. So at least one night this summer, take a blanket, or if you are as lucky as I and have a hammock to lie in, and go out and do your own moon gazing and feel the power of the night. Let's go do some howling!

I'll leave you with this bit of entertainment. From Jim Brickman

Moonlight is sculpture. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

At the End of the Evening

2011-07-05T15:33:00.003-04:00

The last of the day's sunlight wanes and I sit and watch night descend on my little patch of woods in my backyard. The warmth of the day remains but the edge is taken off and I know it won't be long until the air cools to some degree. It is the most magical time of the summer day for me and it never ceases to enthrall me.

The birds have finished their supper at the bird feeder and their evensong is over. All begins to quiet now; the backyard is peaceful and still. Before the darkness takes totally over, the fireflies come out for their nightly ritual and produce a light show. I have taken up the habit of waiting in anticipation for the precise moment when I spy the first blink of a lightening bug, soon to be followed by perhaps hundreds more. If I am inside, the lights in the kitchen/breakfast area are switched off and I watch the big picture window as intently as I would a movie screen at a theater. Outside on the patio provides better viewing, except for the mosquitoes, but I can ignore this distraction when there is magic to be seen. The first flicker occurs, followed by another and another and another and then the whole woods seem to come alive with the rising of the fireflies from their dormant state, hidden in the ivy and shrubs sleeping during the heat of the day. At times, they seem to have a hypnotizing rhythm and turn their lanterns on and off in sync, only to change and create a randomly delightful production. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, give or take a few, the blinking reaches a crescendo and begins to taper off until one by one the fireflies extinguish their flashing beacons as the darkness deepens and slides into the official nighttime. A stray critter may occasionally give a blink like the late guest at a party, not wanting to stop the celebration, but eventually even those last minute revelers give over to the sweet night and the stars in the summer sky..... It is truly the fairy lights of the summer and I don't want to let a day go by without watching, even though life intervenes and some days do not cooperate with this nocturnal ritual.

Add to my bucket list the desire to go to Elkmont, Tennessee near Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains in early June. At that time in Elkmont, thousands of fireflies are known to blink in unison. There is a similar occurrence in Congaree National Park located near Columbia, South Carolina. But for now, I will have to be content with my own private firefly theatrics in my backyard, which is just fine.

Last week, as we were watching out the picture window from the kitchen table at the end of dinner in total darkness, my husband asked me what fireflies eat. I answered with the first thing that popped into my head: "starlight and sunlight". Which is a pretty darn good answer, in my opinion. I hope you get to watch the fireflies of the summer at some point this season, even if only for a moment, and ponder the wonders life hands to us freely and unabashed. Enjoy!

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”~ Crowfoot, Blackfoot Warrior

One Year Blog Anniversary!

2011-06-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Well, well......since the nasty fall I took hiking Memorial Day weekend which resulted in three stitches in the mouth and a hurt arm, as well as a very busy schedule last weekend, I haven't done much writing. It was this past weekend I began to realize that my arm wasn't healing and I was feeling way too much pain. Although I had it X-rayed the same day I fell, the film revealed nothing. But most people know when something isn't right.... So off I went to the orthopedic doctor on Monday, had the arm X-rayed again and, lo and behold, the arm IS broken. I am now sporting this horrendous looking splint wrapped in Ace bandages from the base of my fingers to my shoulder on my left arm. It even has a name - a long-tailed gutter splint or a posterior arm splint. This contraption is not very conducive to typing, thus I haven't posted anything this week.

This isn't my arm, but you get the idea! Now add bandages wrapped from tip to top!

Today I realized that my One Year Anniversary of Late to the Party was June 3rd! A whole year of blogging...WOW! I can hardly believe it and I have barely scratched the surface of what I want to write about! Thanks a million to all of you who read it!

Once I have this bloody splint off (I say "bloody" figuratively, not literally - maybe "blasted" is a better word), then I can do a giveaway to mark the occasion! Just bear with me for a couple of more weeks until I can type using both hands and don't have to use the pecking system with one in able to write a couple of sentences. This is exhausting! Be looking forward for that and the Pay It Forward I owe still.

Winner of the Chocolate Giveaway for 50 Followers!

2011-06-02T21:10:00.000-04:00

Finally! I had every intention to draw a winner on Tuesday, but my little accident on the hiking trail put me slightly behind. To prepare for the drawing, I printed off EVERY single comment made on the any post since I had started the blog, as well as each of my followers. Then I folded each one and had Mr. Ed, the hubby, draw a name tonight.

Drum roll, please.....the winner is Debbie of Love the Decor! Congratulations, Debbie, and thanks so much for being a faithful follower and a great friend out there in Blog Land! Some of you might remember that I "met" Debbie through a swap. She was my partner and sent me such lovely things. Oh, and today is her birthday! How cool is that? Just a coincidence, or God-incidence! Happy Birthday! Chocolate is on its way, Debbie!

Looking toward the future, I will be announcing another giveaway soon. Before I do that I need to follow through on my Pay it Forward commitment and that will be coming possibly next week, so stay tuned. As for all of you who follow Late to the Party and comment and encourage me, thank you so very much. Stick with me and see what is coming just around the corner!

June Word of the Month - Insanity and The Art of Saying "NO!"

2011-06-01T20:19:00.009-04:00

It's been a while since I have written anything about my PAB - translated to Pain in the Ass Buddy - in fact, almost a year. You can read my first post about my PAB from last year here. For those closer to me, you know I am referring to my battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis. For some reason I always seem to capitalize those words when they really shouldn't be. Maybe I should stop; maybe it gives the disease too much power that way. Hmmm.....let me ponder on that one....

To continue, before I knew I had RA, I was continually taking on more than I could handle and then paying for it with hurting knees, elbows, neck, as well as low grade fevers, being unable to sleep because the pain intensifies at night. People were constantly asking me to do this or that and sometimes I brought it on myself by volunteering my services before thinking about the effort it would require. Holidays were bittersweet. I have a tendency to cram so much into preparing that by the time a holiday comes around, I am to the point of taking to the bed with the RA flaring out of control. RA flares can be really bad and brought on by stress or trauma or not enough rest and sleep. Of course, I didn't know why I was hurting so badly because I hadn't been diagnosed yet.

Then along came the answer. Rheumatoid Arthritis. For most people who receive that diagnosis, there is a lag between hearing it and the brain and body to comprehend what it means. So after I was diagnosed, I carried on as usual, or tried to is more like it. I didn't know how to say "no". If my children wanted to come for a visit, that was fine even though I might be struggling just to walk. Someone needed help with a crafty project or event? YES! My new house was CLEAN, the floors tended to weekly, if not daily. So what if mopping the floors vigorously made my elbow and shoulder so sore I couldn't move it the next day? It HAD to be done and done immediately! Vacuum and dust constantly? YES! Bake a special dessert for a function at work and stay up way past midnight to get it done? YES! Coordinate the craft projects for our senior citizens holiday project and do so much work prepping and constructing to the point of exhaustion? YES! Spend days on preparing for a cook-out or some other type of entertaining at our home? YES! Shop and wrap and cook and carry on all the family traditions at Christmas? YES! My repertoire was endless; my energy wasn't. I wasn't to the acceptance phase yet. But what is the saying? "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." So true, so true......

I'm not quite sure at what point in this RA journey I finally accepted the fact that I cannot do what I used to do and be able to function daily. I do know it was several years past the original diagnosis and once again I had overtaxed myself and I was in bed with a flare, the kind of flare that feels like there is a crazed mad-man stabbing me with a hot poker in my shoulder, the type of flare that renders me and my affected joint(s) immovable because to do so there is pain so intense it makes me cry out loud. Only a Prednisone steroid dose-pack and lots of painkillers will do the trick of easing up the pain, but the exhaustion lasts for days longer. Like a smack up side the head, as we Southerners say, it hit me that something had to give and if it didn't, it was going to be me - in a wheelchair. And I wasn't going there, in my head or in real life, no way, no how. Message received and delivered. And that is how I added the word "NO!" to my vocabulary.

"Learn to say 'no'. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin."~ Charles H. Spurgeon

It is a hard thing to do, this reprogramming your head. I have always been programmed to assist, work hard, do what it takes, give 100+%. To turn people down when they ask for help or a favor is running the risk of disappointing them or losing their approval, at least I thought. More importantly, I had to learn to deal with my own disappointment. Would I lose my friends' and family's love? No, but would they understand? It was hard for them at first, too, I grant you that. This was a role neither they, or I, were used to or comfortable with. To their credit, after some adjustments to be sure, they have all stepped up to the plate, "manned up", and have eased my burden, which means less stress and wear and tear on me physically and mentally, which means fewer and less severe flares.

The funny thing is, the more I learn to say "no", the easier it gets. At the holidays, our family has kept many of our traditions, but some we've let go of. And you know what? It's all okay. In fact, it's fine. We concentrate on enjoying each other more, laughing and doing things together, instead of just doing because that what we've always done before. I don't cook like I used to; neither do I clean constantly. Time is short and I have learned that cleaning my floors every two weeks or even once a month is just fine! Dust is a protective covering for our furniture, my older sister once told me, and she is so right! I don't let the house become nasty but if the towels are folded tomorrow instead of today, I have the right to put it off. I give myself permission to go have fun first! The chores and household duties will still be there the next day or the day after; the chance to go play with grandkids or Ed or friends may not! Seize the day!

When I stand before my Maker and am asked, "Did you take the time to enjoy life? Did you make memories with your grandkids? Did you do what you could to spend GOOD time with your family and friends? Or did you keep a clean house, do too much, and had to lie in bed while everyone else was enjoying life?", I know what I want to answer!

Saying "no"...... what I thought was going to be terrible and awful has become a blessing. Who knew that such a little word could be so empowering, so freeing, so rewarding?

So, to my friend Gail, who just yesterday got her diagnosis of RA, take heart! There is life out there even with such a PAB! Do yourself a favor and learn to say "NO" now. It is the best medicine you can ever give yourself and the best gift you can give your family. I know it doesn't seem that way at the moment, but trust me...and your instincts.... and make "NO" a part of your vocabulary today and live a glorious life!

"Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best."~ John C. Maxwell

Marco Polo!

2011-05-31T20:42:00.003-04:00

MARCO!

Blog Land is so fun! Playing a game of blog Marco Polo.....come see what it's about here!

The Best Laid Plans

2011-05-29T16:50:00.004-04:00

"The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!" ~ Robert Burns

Yesterday was....well...."the best of times,...the worst of times", to quote Charles Dickens.

On Friday, it had dawned on me that we had not done any hiking since our trip to Hot Springs, NC, last October and I have been itching to hit the trails. While I can't afford a weekend jaunt to North Carolina (or even to North Georgia, for that matter) there is a great place to hike within about 45 minutes from where I live south of Atlanta.

The Pine Mountain Trail, located within FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia, is 20 plus miles of well-maintained hiking trails with some great loop trails that a person can hike for a few hours. Our plans are to eventually hike all the PMT and its loops. So, on Friday, the urge to hike - anywhere, anyplace - got to me and off to WallyWorld Ed and I went to buy items for our picnic lunch, Cliff bars, bugspray and sunscreen. The plan was in motion and our daughter, Gabe, and her two of the Fab 5, Olivia and Carson, accepted our invitation to go with us. Yippee....Hiking here we come!

Saturday dawned bright, beautiful and HOT! We loaded the car, swung by and got the "kids" and off we went. I was STOKED! Our hiking plans were to start out on the Wolfden Loop of the PMT, a route that would take us by some small waterfalls, beaver dams, and yes, a wolfden location from long ago when there were actual wolves in Georgia. We left it to be decided if we would go a couple of miles in on the trail and then backtrack for a 4 mile hike OR to do the whole loop trail for a total of 6.7 miles if we felt up to it. Either way, this trail loop is considered moderate to difficult and we all agreed that we were up for the challenge.

We got to the parking lot at the northeast end of the PMT. There were several cars already parked at the location, which has concrete picnic tables where we planned to eat our packed lunches. Just as we were leaving the parking lot area, a caravan of five cars pulled in. The trail was going to be busy, it seemed, but afterall, this was Memorial Day weekend and families were out doing family things, just like us. This group had babies, toddlers, kids, moms and dads and grandparents, too. It was nice to see others taking advantage of this little jewel of a state park in the middle of Georgia.

So off we went.

Carson, having just turned 8 last week and a new member of the Boy Scouts, took off in the lead.

We walked and walked and walked, up hill, down hill, past the promised waterfalls, over creeks, though soggy areas and dusty, rocky stretches and through some very bad tornado damage, then up a particular long uphill section and we made it to our turning back point. We had done 1.6 miles. Now we had to decide whether to backtrack to the parking lot for a total of 3.2 miles or go the entire 6.7 miles for the whole Wolfden Loop trail. Remember that hiking in that environment is not like walking 3 or 6 miles. It can be strenuous, challenging, can get your heart rate up there. So we stopped to rest on the rock croppings at the top of that section of trail and assess how we were all feeling. We all came to the conclusion pretty quickly that we wanted to continue on and complete the entire 6.7 miles. Yay! Let's do it!!!!

Feeling good, feeling challenged, feeling in control, feeling I was up to this! I was looking at this as a victory and I marvel that I can do this. What a difference two years and a 100 pound weight loss can make! I knew I would probably have some sore muscles in the morning, but sometimes soreness is good! Yes, that's what I was thinking and feeling at the time, but there are times when our joy is complete and we are at our zenith that life has a way of handing us some reality. And that is what happened to me.......

I tripped. Yes, tripped......over a rock. And fell. Fell HARD. Fell hitting my face unto the ground, eyeglasses striking another protruding rock in front of me. Those eyeglasses probably saved me from hitting my eye or brow on that rock. Fell so hard, more to the left side, left arm trying to catch me, resulting in a huge gouge at the base of my palm. The brain's recognition that one is falling is second only to the blinding pain as contact between body and ground is made. In that instant I knew that I had done some serious damage to my mouth and I was expecting to come up spitting out teeth and bone sticking out from my left arm or wrist. I am hurt and it's not going to be pretty......yes, that what I was thinking in that split second.

Gabriel, who was actually last in line, was the first to make it to me. Then Carson, and Ed and Olivia. They helped me roll over onto my back and then sit up. I was spitting blood, but no teeth. Instead, there was a huge gash that I can feel with my tongue that runs from the corner of my mouth into the interior, where my upper tooth almost ripped through to the outside of my skin. Yucky, I know, so forgive me. Gabe got water, poured it into my mouth and I rinsed and rinsed with the cold liquid to try to get the bleeding to stop. By then the wrist and arm were hurting - hurting badly. But the good news was that I could move it, even though there was pain when I did, and I could move my fingers. Ed dug into his hip pack for antiseptic wipes and band-aides to doctor my palm. Quick-thinking Gabe retrieved some ice from one of the water bottles, wrapped into Ed's clean handkerchief and I pressed it onto the corner of my mouth, which was already swelling and showing signs of bruising. My legs felt very shaky and I was wondering if I could even make it back to the parking lot. We had probably walked an additional half mile, making it two miles back to the parking lot. But I had no choice.....it was no decision, really. We certainly couldn't continue on for another four and a half miles; the best was to turn back and hike the two miles back making it a round trip of four miles. And I would do it without eyeglasses, considering that mine had a severely bent earpiece and one of the lens had fallen out and was badly scratched.

And so, off we went for our return trip, me with shaky legs and all. It was hot, bloody hot. There were times I wondered if I would make the next hill, the next slippery creek crossing. But made it I did. By that time, the others were starving, as was I, and I managed to get just a little cold watermelon into my mouth, but not much else. We made the 45 minute drive back, dropped Gabe and the kids off at their house, and then we headed for Urgent Care.

To make a long story short, I stepped out of Urgent Care with a badly sprained arm (not broken, thank God!) and three stitches on the interior of my mouth.

Oh, and some bad bruises on my face and upper left thigh.

But the worst is the injury to my pride and knowing that I took a perfectly wonderful day of hiking and ruined it with my clumsiness, not to mention the remainder of my long weekend will now be spent nursing mouth, arm and elbow, unable to eat solid food, and my whole body feeling like I have been in an auto accident or slammed into a wall by some unseen force.

Such are the ways with "best laid plans."

But do you want to know the strangest thing? Despite all the soreness and pain, I would rather have on my hiking boots and be back at Pine Mountain on the trail! The personal challenge is ON - I'm going back in the very near future to knock out that 6.7 mile Wolfden Loop! Once thrown, the best thing to do is to get back on the horse immediately and that's what I plan to do. Conquer or die, which yesterday seemed like a distinct possibility in that split second before I hit the ground. But I didn't. So, much like General MacArthur, my message to the trail is: "I will return."

Before "The Great Fall" and I don't mean waterfall!

50 FOLLOWERS REACHED!!!! WooHoo! Chocolate giveaway is CLOSED!

2011-05-26T15:14:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I had to "follow" my own blog to get to the magic number of FIFTY! But at least there are 49 of you out there that are true followers and your names are all going in the hat, PLUS anyone that has left a comment on the blog EVER, gets extra chances....that's a lot of names! I have some work to do getting all the names put in, but that darn bag of chocolate is going out to SOMEBODY next week! I will announce the winner on Tuesday after the holiday weekend is over. Thanks a million, ladies. I'll have another goal announcement soon!

P.S. It just dawned on me that I let my 100th post get by without an announcement! ANOTHER reason to celebrate!

Swap sign-up extended!

2011-05-26T15:07:00.001-04:00

Since there are only three of us that have committed to the Inspired Altered Picture and Frame swap so far, I am extending the deadline until Sunday at midnight. If you want to know what it's all about, check out the link on the right sidebar of the blog! There's still time to add your name to the swap..... I'll assign partners on Monday, May 30th! Come join and have make a new blog friend!

Pay It Forward "Awesomeness" - She Picked ME!

2011-05-25T13:38:00.002-04:00

I have often stated here on Late to the Party how the world of blogging is unlimited....unlimited in the many people that blog, the diversity of interests and subjects they write about, unlimited in the way you can touch people lives, people with whom you would otherwise have no contact. I mentioned just a couple of days ago in my "pity party" post that I think I have been flaked on in another swap. Just when you think you have lost hope in the human race, along comes something that restores your belief that there are some pretty darn nice folks out there in blog land. And Monday was one of those days.

It seems that there is a movement going around blog world called Pay It Forward. I have seen several versions of this phenomenon and have been very intrigued by the thought. The rules are pretty simple....if a blogger "pays it forward" to you, then you in turn "pay it forward" to someone else and then they follow suit and so on and so on.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a blog called Cozy Blanket written by Debby. Debby's Cozy Blanket blog is a hodgepodge of her life - her grandchildren and family, things that interest her, events big but mostly small, everyday life events - that she journals. On this particular day that week, she was talking about Pay it Forward and was going to pick someone from the comments on her blog entry. I commented and she picked ME! A few days later, I was contacted by Debby for my address. On Monday, after my pity fit on Sunday, I arrived home to find a small package waiting for me with the best little surprises!

Here are some pics of what I received:


Such cute, sweet things!


Four adorable bottle cap magnets with vintage graphics. Can't wait to put them on the fridge!


The best smelling little candle and a purse size hand sanitizer!


The cutest little notecards and a hand punched butterfly wrapped with beige twine!


A long notepad with wonderful circle graphic and a sweet little gift tag to top it all off!

Thank you, Debby! It was so very nice for you to do this for a total stranger! What a wonderful reminder that there are truly caring people in this world. Debby and I have since exchanged emails and we have so very much in common. And I have a new friend out there in BlogLand whom I will keep up with through her wonderful blog and enjoy the happenings in her life.

As for my part of Pay It Forward, look for an announcement in the next few weeks. I am on the hunt for some small treasures to pass on so I can do a random act of kindness, too. If any of you have any suggestions that a blogger follower might like to receive, please pass it on! I am open for any unusual ideas.

I am truly blessed!

Inspirational Altered Picture and Frame Sign-up

2011-05-24T14:03:00.000-04:00

Just a little reminder that the swap sign-up ends tomorrow! If you would like to join, click on the picture on the sidebar to the right. I would love to have you join us!

Blackberry Winter Into Summer

2011-05-23T13:49:00.001-04:00

Blackberry winter came to the Deep South last week. Blackberry winter is a phrase used mostly in the South which describes a short time period of cold weather - a cold snap, if you will - just as the blackberries are blooming, generally in May. I would swear it was the coolest temperatures I can recall this late into spring in all my thirty-plus years in Atlanta,. Who wears sweaters and jackets in the middle of May in Georgia, for Pete's sake? But what a difference one day makes! We went from 60 degree highs to the high 80's in the span of less than 24 hours and by the weekend, we hit the 90's. It is often said that if you don't like the weather in Atlanta, wait 20 minutes. It can change that quickly, but I think we have seen the last of the really cooler weather till the fall.

Next weekend is Memorial Day, the unofficial start to the summer, and just a few days away from June. Last year I expounded on the the loveliness of June in one of my very first blog entries. I find it amazing that almost a year has come and gone since that early post and June is upon us once more. I am as enamored with the thought of the rich green of June as much as I was last year at this time. June and I have a long-standing romantic relationship, never to be ended, I hope. The pleasures of June are as varied as any month, some so openly blatant and impossible to miss, others subtle and less obvious so that one has to remember to seek them as one would hidden treasure. Maybe a better analogy is like looking at a hidden object picture puzzle - the objects are scattered among a trove of miscellaneous items and they tend to blend in with all the rest. That is, until you find some specific item you have been searching for and you ponder how you could have missed it for so long. Such is the nature of June.

The fast approaching encroachment of June on the calendar has caught me quite somewhat off guard this year, due partially, I suspect, to Blackberry winter, until just this weekend. I was coming out of my garage after the sunset and the evening still had the warmth of the day in it but was easing into the coolness of the night air. In that moment, I was hit with the most glorious, completely seductive perfume of jasmine.

A couple of years ago, Ed and I planted a very small jasmine plant on the side of the house. It was a plant that I had always desired to have. A low-growing juniper bush, part of the original landscaping of the house, had died, and when Ed dug it up, there was a rather ugly, forlorn-looking, empty space at the foundation between the two bedroom windows. I remember thinking when we unpotted the jasmine, placing it into the hole previously occupied by the juniper, how tiny it looked in comparison with the other shrubs, emphasized even more so by the large metal trellis we secured into the ground at the base of the vine to take advantage of the jasmine's proclivity to entwine and fill in. Much to my amazement, the little jasmine thrived and is now so robust that it requires cutting back to keep it in check, a chore I have yet to do this spring. It is something that has just slipped my mind and thankfully so.

When the air full of heady sweet jasmine perfume hit me the other evening, I took the time to step around the corner of the garage to fully investigate. The vine is full and thick on the trellis; it's dark green leaves enmeshed so closely together it was hard to make out individual ones in the encroaching darkness. Highly visible, however, was the bright white of the jasmine blooms. It reminded me of a summer sky..... white stars luminous in the dark-as-pitch night, the type of sky that makes you take the time to sit outside and look for shooting stars. I stood there several minutes, breathing in the sweetness of the perfume and the moment. Not wanting to relinquish the night to the mere mundane of what waited for me indoors, I snipped off a short length of vine with a few jasmine blooms attached and walked inside my house.

Summer, for me, has begun.

Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
So near you are, summer stars,
So near, strumming, strumming,
So lazy and hum-strumming. ~ Carl Sandburg

Confession Friday on a Sunday......This Too Shall Pass

2011-05-22T12:13:00.006-04:00

"Doubt is healthy. It tests one's convictions." ~From the movie Haunted

This weekend has been wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. But I feel somewhat frustrated...... discouraged..... yes, that's the better word.....DISCOURAGED...discouraged that my weight loss has stalled ...discouraged because I'm not sure how to "do" this business idea.....discouraged that I can't seem to get even 50 followers here on the blog..... discouraged that I can't seem to get anyone to sign up for the swap I posted earlier this week.....discouraged because it seems that only a few people that know and love me read this blog. And if they do, is it only because they do so from a sense of obligation and loyalty? And along with all this comes my "oddball" feeling, which I shall explain further into this.

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." ~William Wordsworth

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I write for my own gratification. It is my outlet and helps keep me sane at certain times. Asking me to stop writing is like asking me to cut off my own hand! Something I cannot fathom. Even if it's just a handful of faithful friends and "fam" that read my ramblings, so be it.

"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock." ~Author Unknown

As for the business idea, well, it's just one of a hundred business ideas I have had over the years. No, make that hundredS with an "S". Over and over, I have an idea and then let it go. I stated in the previous post about lack of funds, which has always been the case. So I give up, only to see the idea in stores months or years later. So what makes this time any different? Not one damn thing......except that I am going to go present my idea to a local store owner next week. Not so much to try and talk her into letting me place my product in her store, but more so to get her reaction as to the feasibility and marketability of said product. Not certain of where I go from there or what I do if she is critical or, for that matter, wildly enthusiastic. I would settle for lukewarm. Hope for the best and prepare for the worse.......

Oh, I forgot to mention that I think I've been flaked on in another major swap......the second time in the last 3 months. Not a pleasant experience, I assure you. In all the swaps I have participated, this has never happened to me, although I had heard ugly tales of flaking and flakers.

If this is the norm in swapping even though I have not experienced this until now, then I can certainly understand why no one is signing up for my Inspired Altered Picture and Frame Swap. (Button link is on the right hand side of my blog here.) Except for my dear friend, Faith. Faith, it may just be me and you swapping, babe. And should that be the case, let's do it anyway! It will still be fun! But the invitation still stands for anyone else that might be interested. We would love to have you join us! Sign-up ends Wednesday, May 25th.

"I have gained and lost the same ten pounds so many times over and over again my cellulite must have déjà vu." ~Jane Wagner

And the stall in my weight loss? Well, it is what it is. My RA meds seem to be interfering somewhat. I am on a yo-yo. Back and forth. This week I have lost about 3.5 pounds so far, but next week when I take my Humira shot, it will probably shoot back up by those 4 pounds and then some. My solution? Not quite sure yet. But a gym membership may be in my very near future. I don't have the money for both Weight Watchers AND a gym. In the meantime, while I am trying to cope with this problem, I have to make a commitment to ratchet up the walking and exercising, something that I have let dreadfully slip over the past 5 months. And I know that the exercise increase will help my frame of mind.

I am, and will remain, faithfully committed to my Weight Watchers program no matter what, and that, my friends, is a very good thing. I've missed a lot of meetings recently, partly because of my schedule, partly because of this funk I'm in. So I have to make a promise to myself that I will push WW meetings up on my priority list. I often say that I'm like a drunk with alcohol, such is my relationship with food. WW is my AA. "Hello, my name is Pam and I have been fat free for one week." Or maybe it's my weekly confessional: "Forgive me, Weight Watchers, for I have sinned." Whichever, along with the exercise commitment, I pledge that I will go to my WW meetings, no matter what. It keeps me grounded, for sure. No excuses, no going back. I REFUSE to go back to the way I was and that, my friends, is half the battle won right there!

"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity." ~Christopher Morley

As for the "oddball" syndrome....I realize that sometimes I am hard "to get". I'm just a little on the eccentric, eclectic side. I understand that, I do. I have been that way all my life. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do all I want to do, learn all I want to learn, create all the things I can, write all I want to share, laugh all I want to laugh. My daughters and my sisters have the same "problem", though I would hardly call it that. Maybe "character trait" is the better term to implement in this case. I often explain this feeling as "being in left field, while everyone else is playing in right field." It's a feeling of not "fitting in", but with the added dimension of not really wanting to, of not wanting to settle for a mediocre or mundane life, of running the risk of being ostracized. The circumstances of my life make it somewhat limiting but that doesn't mean I can't endeavor to make it as interesting and as fun and as joyful as I possibly can. And if that makes me a little bit "different", so be it. So I "get it" when I know that people don't quite know how to take me or how to think of me. And that's okay........ it's just that at times like this, I feel the difference. But I wouldn't be otherwise.

A "Normal" person is the sort of person that might be designed by a committee. You know, "Each person puts in a pretty color and it comes out gray." ~Alan Sherman

Don't worry, I tell myself. All this, too, shall pass. And it will, I know that. Confession is good for the soul. I feel better already. Pity party over, now to conquer the day..... which includes going to an art show that my 11 year-old granddaughter is taking part in. I can't wait! She, too carries, the family trait, and "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree". Here's to her "uniqueness" and her creativity and the artist's soul that is in her. All is right in the world......

"Nature made us individuals, as she did the flowers and the pebbles; but we are afraid to be peculiar, and so our society resembles a bag of marbles, or a string of mold candles. Why should we all dress after the same fashion? The frost never paints my windows twice alike. ~Lydia Maria Child

Creative moods and Swap announcement

2011-05-17T17:38:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while....a long dry spell for me. It's not that I haven't wanted to write and blog, it's just that I have had a burst of creativity, as in making something, and most of my efforts have been going in that direction.

I am trying to start a new business, albeit small, or at the very least, make some items for my Etsy shop or for Ebay auctions. All I know is that I want to bring in some "extra moolah" to help our finances. My problem is I think either really BIG and I don't quite know how to start a business of that magnitude and get it up and running, etc. OR really small because I don't have the time and money (and possibly the stamina) to put in the effort. Fear of failure is a big hindrance, I admit. Often times, too many to count, I have thought something was cute, way cool, and that people would go nuts, but it seemed as though not everyone had my taste. What is so frustrating is that 6 months or two years or even five or ten years later, I see the same idea I had and they are selling like hotcakes, when I could barely sell one! I am either ahead of the curve or WAY behind it! Such is life....at least mine. I think this time I have a winner, but I could be deceiving myself, so I am going to put out some trial balloons and see what the tests show before I get all excited. I will be posting more on this topic later, so stay tuned for that news!

With that obsession for creating comes a revved up interest in new crafts and ideas, as well as swaps, craft related or otherwise. I have just signed up for a kitchen towel swap and Tote 'N Note swap. Swaps are so much fun to join, as long as your swap partner doesn't "flake out", a term that means they don't reciprocate and you never receive the items being swapped. I've had it happen a couple of times, but for the most part, swaps are great ways to create or buy something inexpensive for a complete stranger who wind up being long-distance friends! I've never hosted a swap, but I've often thought about it, which brings me to my big announcement.....in just a moment....

While blog hopping the other day in my never-ending quest for new ideas, I came across this wonderful blog called This Art That Makes Me Happy and found this:

Isn't this just lovely?

Vickie Chrisman is the owner of the blog and she makes such wonderful things. But her blog is not just about crafting. She gives us glimpses of her personal life, too. I would encourage you to spend an afternoon just exploring her site. Ah, but that's not all Vickie has to offer. She also has her Etsy shop here. And that is where I found this:

She sells these frames at her shop, which are quite reasonable. I just fell in love with these two projects and so I contacted Vickie. She was gracious enough to respond and give me permission to post these pictures of her work. I hope you agree that these are lovely and wonderful and inspirational...which brings me back to my announcement.....

Vickie's work has inspired me enough to finally decide to host my own swap here at Late to the Party. You would be correct if you have, by now, assumed that the swap will be an altered picture inside a pretty frame! Let's see, what shall we call it? Hmmmm.....How about the An Inspiration Altered Picture with Frame Swap? Sounds like a plan to me!

Here's how it will work - if you want to participate, leave a comment at the end of the post, just make sure I can reach you by email. Or you can email me at mickle1052@yahoo.com with your name, mailing address, email address, your "style", like whimsical, traditional, Victorian, eclectic, shabby chic, etc., along with your favorite colors and things in nature you like....trees, birds, flowers... or anything that gives you delight and makes you happy.....you get the idea.... Each person will have one partner and I will assign each participant their partner a couple of days after the sign-up ends. Sign up will begin Today and I will close it on May 25th. You will create one framed piece and it should be mailed out to your partner by June 17th, which gives everyone two weeks to complete their project and get it into the mail.for delivery. So why not come join the fun?

Let me note one thing - please do not, let me repeat, DO NOT join if you do not intend to follow through and have a tendency to "flake out". It's not fair to the other participants, your partner, or to me as the hostess. I don't anticipate that happening, as I believe that most bloggers and those that follow our blogs are wonderful, well-intended people and I'm sticking to that belief, so don't let me down, okay?

So let's get to signing up ASAP! Oh, and thanks, Vickie, for letting me use your images and for inspiring me with your wonderful work!

P.S. Still looking for that 50th follower so I can give away some Ghiradelli chocolate! Just 5 more to go! Soon, I hope, soon.......

May Word of the Month - My Gypsy Soul

2011-05-03T12:15:00.002-04:00

A new month brings a new Word of the Month!

But before I say anything else, let me express my thoughts and prayers for the people that have lost so much due to the tornadoes and storms last week. My husband's stepsister lost her home and car in Tuscaloosa, AL. More tragic is that her neighbors' baby was killed. Someone that I know and respect lost his home in North Georgia. He, his wife and children are all okay, but they, too, have a neighbor who lost a child. This past weekend I talked to a young woman in Greenville, SC, who formerly lived in Tuscaloosa and she had a friend that was killed. A young man that checked me out of a local store last week had several friends from the University of Alabama that he couldn't get in touch with the day after the tornado and he was worried sick. Here in the South, it seems everyone knows someone who has been touched by this terrible tragedy. Let's all keep praying and supporting those whose lives will be forever changed and saddened by this course of events.

With that said, let me continue with happier thoughts....

I have taken an unexpected hiatus from the blog due to several factors, but I'm back! Consider yourself warned.........

I've thought a great deal about what this month's word would be. For a few seconds I considered tying it in with the fantastic news of Osama Bin Laden's death. The word perseverance came to mind since our troops have never given up in the almost 10 years since the Twin Towers came down. But that would be too easy, too obvious, and we will get lots of that theme in the days to come. So I have decided to take a different tack. Sometimes, in this world of madness, words just need to be lovely and pretty and give us something to reflect on, don't you agree?

Which brings me to Prince William and Kate's wedding. I know, we have all heard it and watched the coverage till we are sick of it and that's not where this is going. What it IS leading to, is that with the beautiful spring weather here over the weekend, watching the Royal Wedding in London that was decked out in its finest, talking to my son-in-law and daughter about upcoming vacations and possibly some hiking in the Appalachians has put me in a state of wanderlust. The month of May particularly, in full springtime mode and on the cusp of early summer, lends itself to wanderlust and thinking of exotic places, at least in my world.

Isn't that a terrific word to say outloud? Wanderlust. Say it with me...."wanderlust". It isn't just about wanting to travel. Oh, no, it has an air of something mystical and intriguing, mysterious and beckoning. The definition of wanderlust is "...a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world...." I like this one - "a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about". And that my friends, is what I have...an "innate" urge to go somewhere, experience something new, explore new horizons. Coming from the German language, it means literally "Wandern" - to hike - and "Lust" - desire..

But, alas, my wanderlust is unfulfilled. Other than a trip to Hilton Head this August, which, don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to immensely, I have no plans to scratch my wanderlust itch. It is the places I haven't been to and have wanted to see that are calling to me today. For years I have had certain destinations on my "bucket" list. These are destinations that I don't want to visit for just a few days, but to explore at leisure, as if there were no time schedules or deadlines to adhere to. And recently, as I approach 59 years of age, I am beginning to doubt that I shall ever go to most of them. Having to work and having limited resources (money) puts a damper on wanderlust.

However, does one ever get too old to dream? I hope not. It would be a sad day if, at a certain age, all dreams die off and never return, don't you think? The death of dreams strikes certain words and ideas from your life, your very soul, and that is not a place I can go to in my deepest inner being.

So, you ask, where is it exactly that my wanderlust would lead me? Ah, that is easy to answer. Here is a short run-down of destinations that take up my dreams of flight:

1) Ireland: The Emerald Isle, Erin, place of leprechauns and pubs. I close my eyes and I am standing in a pub in some small Irish village, a pint of Guiness in my hand and an Irish folk band, complete with penny whistle and bodhran drum, are playing in the corner. I want to wander the countryside and take side trips to places like Dublin and Waterford, and buy Irish crystal and wool sweaters and scarves.

2) Alaska: Land of the Midnight Sun, The Last Frontier State. This is a state of grandeur, glaciers, mountains. Denali, the highest summit in North America, calls for me to come and hike, not climb, mind you, but just hike in the lower levels. Once known as Mt. McKinley, Denali (meaning The High One) and its National Park lands are beautiful from all accounts that I have read or heard. I want to salmon fish, see Kodiak bears and sled dogs, lumberjacks and Yupik Indians, take a day cruise along the coast or on a river to see whales and seals, stay in a cabin. But most of all, I want to talk to the locals to get a sense of the mindset of living in a more challenging environment than that of the lower 48.

3) Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Host city to the 2010 Winter Olympics, a truly international city. I hear that it is very impressive as cities go and the setting by the ocean with mountains in the background is gorgeous. But the absolute main reason I want and need to go to Vancouver is that my baby girl, Lane, and her husband live in the heart of Vancouver near Robson Street. I think that is sufficient enough reason and experiencing Vancouver would just be icing on the cake, especially considering I haven't seen Lane in three years!

4) Montana/Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park is the draw, as well as the Grand Tetons National Park. As in Alaska, the vistas are supposed to be breathtaking. Let's not forget Old Faithful, the geyser of all geysers. A stay in one of the historic lodges would be wonderful! Jackson Hole looks like a must-see, too.

5) Colorado: I'm a big fan of John Denver. He sold me on Colorado through his music a long time ago. The Rockies, as most mountain ranges do, entice me. I want to see aspen forests, ski lodges, and the overall beauty. I want to stand on the Continental Divide. While there, a visit with my nephew in Denver would include some trips to his local watering holes to experience some of his favorite bands. Party on!

6) Tuscany, Italy: My oldest sister and her dear husband, who is Italian - 2nd generation American, took a long desired and planned (39 years worth of dreaming) 2 week trip to Italy this past fall. I am so glad that they got to go! As for me, Tuscany would be just fine. Piazzas, small village markets, olive oil and wine production, religious art, small chapels and large churches are just a handful of things I want to experience. I can just see Ed and me sitting in a small sidewalk cafe drinking wine or coffee or eating gelato.

7) London, England, Scotland and Wales: Do I really need to explain why? For all the obvious reasons.

8) Vermont, New Hampshire: I was fortunate enough about 8 years ago to go to Massachusetts in the fall and visit Salem, Concord, Lexington. We spent one day driving in Vermont and New Hampshire and it wasn't long enough, I can tell you! What I really, really want is to go during maple sugaring time and see the tapping of the maple trees, experiencing first hand how maple syrup is made. That may seem strange to most people, but this has been a life long desire, ever since the second grade when I read "The Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and her account of sugaring. One of the main reasons I can't plan this trip is maple sugaring takes place at the end of winter, beginning of spring when the temperatures begin to moderate and the sap rises in the maple trees. That just happens to coincide with the busiest time of the year at my job as an administrative assistant for two committees at the Georgia House of Representative. Legislative Session is in full swing at that time each year, which means no vacations during that time frame. This trip will have to be strictly the stuff of dreams, at least until I retire, if ever. Sigh....... But every time I eat pancakes I will be there in my imagination!

So there you have my main wanderlust list. Believe me, these are just a few of the places I want to visit. In the meantime, I will have my dreams and make my plans. In my imagination I can wander to no end and satisfy my longings with the placation of "maybe someday" to soothe my gypsy soul.

Do you ever have wanderlust? Or are you a homebody? What are your dreams of travel? Come share where you want to wander off to and why! I would love to hear from any of you! Maybe there is a place I have never considered that you can tell me about.

Bon Voyage and Happy Trails!

Catching my breath and catching up....

2011-04-25T13:47:00.000-04:00

Spring break week is over, as well as Easter and a visit from the Big Bunny with 2 of the Fab 5. The other three are back home safe and sound in South Carolina. Sorry I haven't posted much in almost two weeks but grands take up a lot of time. And what fun we had!

Since today is a state holiday here in Georgia, I am at home trying to resurrect my house. I am on my way to the kitchen and breakfast room area to mop and mop and mop....yes, I have quite a workout waiting for me. But it was worth every minute of it....spills, crumbs, and all.

So once I get caught up today, I will be back posting some fun observations and things that make me and you think and laugh and occasionally cry. In the meantime, enjoy the lovely spring weather.

Oh, one more thing......just FIVE more followers until I hit FIFTY! I am tired of looking at this candy.....it needs to go out to some lucky person SOON! I already have plans for a NEW giveaway that I want to announce, but not before this one is completed. Spread the word! Thanks......now I have a mop waiting for me.......

Five more to go!

2011-04-16T20:37:00.003-04:00

Just need ~~six~~ FIVE more followers and the chocolate will be winging its way to someone.....one chance =Be a follower. Second chance= leave a comment. And I will put in an extra chance for each time my faithful followers have commented on the blog! It's time to reward a lucky follower! And then on to the next goal......with a brand new giveaway!

On My Lifeboat

2011-04-12T16:07:00.003-04:00

I am in the process of reading In the Fullness of Time - 32 Women On Life After 50, edited by Emily W. Upham and Linda Gravenson. I have had it on my list to read for over six months. I have barely cracked the cover and I am already laughing at, pondering over and now writing about the first few pages.

Ms. Gravenson introduces the book by allowing us a peek of some of the contributors and their offerings. At the very end of her introduction, she comments that "these are the women I'd want in my lifeboat." Which got me to thinking.......somehow this rang a bell with me. So I googled "people in my lifeboat" and got some very interesting results. Just as I suspected, this Google search revealed a "social exercise", if you will, in which you pose the question that basically goes like this: If I were to be set out adrift on the ocean in a lifeboat, who would I want to have in that raft with me?

An article by Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD on the website BC Culture gives this premise - you have to chose 9 other people to be in your lifeboat. The two rules are pretty simple. You must REALLY want the people you choose to be in this (mis)adventure with you. Just because someone is family shouldn't obligate you to choose them over anyone else. Rule number 2 is that all the other people you MUST know personally. They can be either alive at the present time or passed on, the requirement is that you have known them personally. You should be totally honest with yourself and examine the reasons you would want to include these nine people in your boat. Remember that your survival may depend on those you choose.

So those are the basic rules. But you know me.....I don't always like to go by the rules. So let's bend one. I think we can drop the "must have personally known them" rule. In fact, according to MY rules, these people must be complete strangers. In addition, let's add or revise the rules so that, just like in Ms. Gravenson's introduction, all the people in your lifeboat must be women.

Now this will require some thought......

but here's my nine fellow lifeboat mates:

1) Margaret Thatcher: This lady, the first and only woman to serve as Prime Minister of Great Britain, is nicknamed "The Iron Lady." Anyone that can stand up to the Soviet Union, lead England through the Falkland Islands War, survive the "slings and arrows" of British politics without ruffling her perfectly coiffed hair, and issue quotes on freedom and politics like this - "Consensus: “The process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: ‘I stand for consensus?'" is not only going to be in MY lifeboat, but I say we elect her Captain!

2) Joan Rivers: Yes, brash and outspoken, full of Botox and Queen of the Facelift Joan. She didn't win Celebrity Apprentice a few seasons ago for nothing. Rather, she outworked all the younger folks with a stamina that an Olympic athlete would envy. She used common sense and tenacity and could give tit for tat to put people in their place. And she makes me laugh. If I'm adrift on the open sea, God knows that I want someone handy with a joke!

3) Golda Meir: Another "Iron Lady", Ms. Meir was cut from the same cloth as Maggie Thatcher. She was the fourth prime minister of Israel and was described by her colleague, former prime minister David Ben-Gurion as "the best man in government". She was born in Russia, moved to America with her family, married and went to Israel to join a kibbutz. At one point in her political career, she survived a bombing. At another time she was diagnosed with lymphoma. As Prime Minister, she ordered the special services to apprehend the terroists that planned and carried out the Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes. She led the Israelis in the Yom Kippur War. Made of strong stuff, that woman.

4) Lee Smith: Southern author.... She was born in Virginia, has written 12 novels and numerous short stories, and has won a number of literary rewards. Indefinitely floating out at sea, there had better be a storyteller on that raft, that's all I'm saying!

5) Marie Curie: Recipient of two Nobel prizes, one in Chemistry, the other in Physics, she was a scientific pioneer in radiology. A woman that smart deserves to be in my virtual lifeboat. If anything needed to be invented, discovered, dissected, fused, studied, probed....you name it...Madame Curie would be our gal!

6) Amelia Earhart: At an early age, Amelia was called a tomboy. She pretended to go on adventures and exploration even then. She was trained as a Red Cross nursing aide, enrolled in college and showed little interest in flying until she went to several flying exhibitions. At the time there were few women pilots and she wanted to spread the word that it was possible for women to fly planes. When Amelia was approached to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic following the feat of Charles Limburgh, she flew on a plane with two men to say she was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air by keeping the flight log but she never was the pilot. She worked as a sales rep for an airplane manufacturing company, had her own designer clothes line, was the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, and a vice-president of National Airlines which was the predecessor of Northeast Airlines. Later, Amelia became the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic. Of course, everyone knows about her unfulfilled quest to fly around the world. She was a gutsy lady, full of life. Who wouldn't want her in their lifeboat?

7) Julia Child: An easy choice! If you don't know who Julia is, then you must have been born on a remote island. I imagine fish or shark would be eaten to survive on this lifeboat trip and Julia would be the person I would want to prepare it....even if it is sushi! Not to mention that she led a completely fascinating life. More stories to hear. And recipes to share...... Oh, and I bet that even on the open sea in a life raft that she would still wear pearls!

8) Katherine Hepburn: Born into a wealthy New England family, Kate Hepburn was anything but conventional. She was educated in all the "right" establishments fitting her background, but chose acting as her career which spanned six decades. She starred on Broadway and in Hollywood films. She defied the image of a typical Hollywood starlet, wearing men's suits because, in her words, they were "comfortable". Without trying to, she started a fashion revolution. Women began to wear trousers at a time when wearing pants was still a no-no. She was brash, outspoken and even into her 80's, swam in the ocean at her home in Connecticut every day at dawn. Kate Hepburn is in my life boat because she would cold-cock another woman should they become hysterical or, even worst, demanding.

9) Mother Teresa: I figure that if ten women are adrift on the sea in a tiny boat, there'd better be a direct line to The Almighty. Enough said, Amen!

So there you have it.....my lifeboat mates! So tell me...Who's in YOUR lifeboat? Leave a comment and share who your nine women mates are and why! Happy sailing.....

Chocolate giveaway still going on!

2011-04-07T21:02:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder that as soon as I get 50 followers the Chocolate will be going to some lucky person. I really thought that I would have that 50 milestone by now. As of now, there are 40 faithful followers and I thank each of you! Not sure how long it will take to get that last 10, but as soon as I get to the "Magic 50" there will be another giveaway announced! In the meantime, I will keep writing. I sometimes wonder if I am just writing for myself, but whether other people read it or not, I am compelled to keep putting the words on this screen. I'll continue to write; I hope you continue to read.

As for the chance to win the chocolates, for every comment since the very beginning, you get an entry for a chance to win! And if you follow, that's an entry, too! I am SO ready to give this chocolate away!

April Word of the Month - Tiny Pieces

2011-04-04T14:41:00.006-04:00

"Courage is tiny pieces of fear all glued together."

~ Terri Guillemets

Courage comes in many forms. Today I am going to tell you about a few.

My oldest daughter is one of the bravest people I have the privilege to know. As with most young parents, she knew in her heart of hearts all was not right with her toddler son. Until the formal confirmation of her greatest fears, there was, at least, hope - hope that whatever she perceived was wrong was all in her imagination. Reality can be devastating. But Courage is surviving the diagnosis of Autism. Courage is facing the facts and getting up the next morning, drying the tears, and beginning the long journey of the parent of a special needs child. Courage is letting go of all the normal hopes and dreams a parent has for that child, replacing them with much different expectations.. Courage is being relentless in the pursuit of information, making hard decisions and sacrifices for that child that will resonate down the years, into the future. Courage is never giving up on that child, recognizing the potential that lies silent within him. Courage is fighting for him, educating others, seeking the best possible outcomes, never settling for the path of least resistance. Courage is having therapists in your home for hours, five days a week for three years. Courage comes in celebrating small victories.

This is the picture of courage, too. This little boy was once lost - lost in his own world, practically non-verbal. Screaming meltdowns happened constantly. He was in a battle to be heard, to emerge. For his mother, it was the wish to hear him say, "Mom" and "I love you." Courage is enduring three years of endless ABA therapy with strangers in his home, strangers that soon become like family. Courage is going to school and coming home to work with therapists 6 more hours of the day. Courage is piecing the puzzle of language together slowly, methodically. Courage is overcoming panic attacks that occur when going to new places, around loud crowds. Courage is recognizing you are different but not giving up.

This is what courage looks like three years later.

But there's more that I want to show you. Below are the faces of true courage. Courage is being spit at, kicked, slapped, and punched and showing up the next day to do it all over again. Courage is sitting for hours in the floor holding a screaming child in your arms. Courage is loving that child unconditionally. Courage is repeating the same word or picture or just simply making a child sit in a chair over and over and over until the behavior or word or emotion is learned. Courage is supporting a desperate mother and father when they think all hope is lost. Courage is never giving up. Courage is saving children, one child at a time, every day for three straight years. Courage is doing this despite the growing numbers of Autistic children, the low pay, Sometimes, courage pays off in little ways. Sometimes, courage pays off enormously.

These are a few of the therapists that have helped Walker, my grandson:

These are our heroes. Last week there was a grand celebration party at my oldest daughter's home. You see, Walker's three years of therapy are at an end. These wonderful people are moving on to other goals, other Autistic kids. Mr. Shawn, the one with the beard, is going back to get his Masters Degree, in what else? Special education in Autism. He is part of our family. He will be missed. But his courage and tenacity remain behind in the bright eyes of a little boy who was once lost. To all the therapists that have had a role in saving Walker, it is a debt that his parents, his siblings and his grandparents and all those who love him can never repay. Thank you from the depths of our hearts.

April is Autism Awareness Month. The statistics are grim. One in every 110 children will develop some form of Autism. For boys, it is 1 in 70. And yet, we bury our heads in the sand. I can only tell you that early detection is vital. And getting therapy is essential. We had better, as a society, take a hard look at funding for these children NOW. I would rather save these children NOW than face caring for them all through their adulthood. Which do you think is more expensive? Three or four years of therapy or a lifetime of institutional living? The choice is ours........

And one last message to Walker, my little courageous boy and to his mother:

"Promise me you'll always remember. You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ~ Christopher Robin to Pooh, A.A. Milne

If only I had half your courage.......

P.S. Paige got her wish. Walker has found his voice. "I love you, Mom," is a commonplace thing in his vernacular. Hopes and dreams may change their forms, but sometimes they are fulfilled.

Confession Friday - Looney gets me every time

2011-04-01T14:59:00.005-04:00

"If an interesting monster can't have an interesting hairdo I don't know what this world is coming to." ~ Bugs Bunny

It's been two weeks since I have confessed! Can you believe it? Time to 'fess up!

I feel sorry for the kids of today. The age of innocence ends way too early for them. My grandchildren cannot imagine the world as I knew it when I was their ages. Even the college interns that work here at the House of Representatives each session haven't a clue of some of the things my generation experienced in our childhoods that no longer exist, at least the way we knew it.

In risk of sounding ancient, which to the youngest generations I guess I am, let's take a look at a memory I have. Most towns had a local theater, including my hometown in Middle Tennessee. On Saturdays, it was a common practice for the theaters to have either a morning or afternoon kids matinee. If I remember correctly, it cost less than 50 cents to get in, a dime would buy you popcorn and another dime a Coke. For less than a dollar, you could go with other unattended children to watch a movie, not a first-run show granted, but a movie, eat your popcorn till you wanted to puke, and never be threatened that Carl, the kid molester, was lurking in the restrooms. And even more mind-blowing is that, for the most part, the kids were pretty well behaved! I venture to say in today's society that 100 or more kids left unsupervised in a theater is a recipe for disaster! But after all, we were the generation that believed it when our teachers repeated the unsettling mantra with dire warnings, "It will go on your PERMANENT record!"

On those Saturdays, my choice of snack was a HUGE dill pickle that came from a enormous jar that sat on the counter of the snack bar. HUGE, did I say? It would last all through the picture show if I didn't bite into it and sucked all that dill goodness out the entire afternoon. It would be shriveled up and limp as a dirty dishrag before I would succumb to actually sinking my teeth into it, usually on the ride home. It was a glorious tradition, that Saturday kids' matinee.

The Crockett Theater in my hubby's hometown of Lawrenceburg, TN.

Going to the movie theater at night was a different experience. It was SPECIAL. A TREAT. A rare occurrence. It was NOT of your everyday routine, but an event to be reckoned with. We would actually get dressed up to go sit in the dark for two hours. Oh, the magic of the movies! The chasing lights on the theater marquee at night screamed Hollywood - okay, as close as we would ever get to Tinsel Town.

I am sure that on any given night or Saturday afternoon across America in any given town, this experience was shared. And all across America, there was one common denominator at either the kids' matinee or the first-run movie event in the evenings - after the movie trailers of upcoming shows, after the badly produced and animated "reminders" to go to the snack bar - THE CARTOON. Sometimes, the cartoon was better than the actual movie. Those cartoons are where my generation cut our teeth on such characters as Woody Woodpecker, Popeye the Sailor Man, Superman, and the Disney characters. But more likely than not, the cartoon of the week or night was a Looney Tunes featured funny.

Looney Tunes were a Warner Brothers production, but they weren't the only cartoons that Warner Brothers made. There was also Merrie Melodies. In the 1930's Warner Brothers wanted to promote their music library and they developed the short feature cartoon to do so. The development of these film funnies was in direct competition with the Walt Disney's cartoon series Silly Symphonies. From 1934 to 1943, Looney Tunes were filmed in black and white, Merrie Melodies in color. But then in 1943, they began to make both series in color. Once both were produced in color, the only basic differences were the music pieces at the beginning and, of course, the opening titles.

Did you know that the name of the all too familiar Looney Tunes theme is "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and the Merrie Melodies is "Merrily We Roll Along"?

The ending of each Looney Tunes cartoon from 1937 to 1946 was Porky Pig bursting through a drum with his "th-th-th-that's all, folks!", except for two where Bugs Bunny took the closing role. During the earlier years, several of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters were a popular success. It was Porky Pig that made his debut and stole the show in 1935 in a cartoon with Beans the cat. Porky, who became an established character of Looney Tunes, was the first superstar of the series. Beans, bless his heart, wasn't as popular and was eventually phased out as were several other characters. Porky carried a heavy load as the only star in the cartoon stable.

But then came Daffy Duck, that spit-spraying, lisp-talking, irritating fowl, in 1937. But the most famous star in all of the Warner Brothers cartoon-dom arrived in 1940. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the one and only, the incomparable, the lovingly annoying, the irascible BUGS BUNNY.

Bugs isn't the only Looney Tunes character that makes me laugh. Who can forget Yosemite Sam, FogHorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat, Pepe Le Pew, the Tasmanian Devil and Marvin the Martian just to name a few?

"Boy, you cover about as much as a flapper's skirt in a high wind." ~ Foghorn Leghorn

Looney Tunes produced its original series for theater run from 1930 until 1969. The later productions in the 1960's lacked the spark and zanier moments that the 1930's, 40's and 50's shorts had, which seems to be related to the closing of the Warner Brothers animation studios. But oh how fun those earlier Looney Tunes are.

Recently I found at a yard sale (imagine that!) a whole collection of Looney Tunes VHS tapes. Since the Fab 5 have never really seen these wonderfully funny cartoons, I bought them, of course. It has been worth every cent spent. I had forgotten just how zany Bugs and the whole crew can be. They remind me of the "a-ha" moment in childhood when I realized that there was adult humor in these silly stories. It is humor that is underlying and subtle in the twist of a phrase or a look. What a pleasure it is for me to hear the grandkids laugh with the pure delight only a child can have when they experience something they have never seen before! I love to watch the old Looney Tunes with them, piled up in my bed. Three of the Fab 5, who haven't been introduced to the Looney Tunes collection as of yet, are coming for spring break in a couple of weeks. Bet you can't guess what we will do one evening, bowls of popcorn in hand?

So that's my confession: I like cartoons. I LOVE Looney Tunes! I think we should start a petition to have the pre-movie cartoon short brought back to the movie experience. How much more fun that would be than the inane pop movie trivia questions that play across the big screen these days! If you haven't seen a Merrie Melody or Looney Tunes feature in a while, go here and take a few minutes to watch one. I guarantee you'll find a smile on your face and some good memories, too.

Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Confession Friday - Magical Mayhem at My House

2011-03-19T00:26:00.001-04:00

"Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter.

Lullabies, dreams and love ever after.

Poems and songs with pipes and drums.

A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.....

That's the Irish for you!" ~ An Irish saying

It's Confession Friday AGAIN!

Another St. Patrick's Day has come and gone. It just happens to be one of my fave days of the year. What's not to like about a hearty meal consisting of corned beef, new red potatoes, cabbage, and Spotted Dog (that's a slightly sweeter version of Irish soda bread that has raisins in it) and scones, wonderful, glorious scones. Being of Irish decent helps make it special, too. I sometimes ponder about my ancestors from across the sea. What brought them to America - the potato famine, religious freedom, or something like escaping the law? Were they from the rural areas, from Dublin or some other Irish town? Whatever the reason, they and other Irish who immigrated along with them over the years carried one thing with them that brings a smile to my face....wee ones, little people....otherwise known as leprechauns!

Ah, I sense among my readers "The Doubtfuls." "No such thing!", you say! "Leprechauns don't exist." You are so very wrong. Of course Leprechauns are real!

You have to know about the wee people to fully appreciate them. The name for Leprechauns comes from the Old Irish word "lurchopan" which means "little body". In the un-Americanized version of Irish folklore, leprechauns do not wear green. In fact, their coats are red. They might wear a vest of green, if they are so inclined. Leprechauns are wonderful shoe makers. Almost all of them own a pot of gold. If you are ever get close enough to catch a leprechaun and hold him, be careful! He has to grant you three wishes OR give you his gold, but you CANNOT take your eyes off him for even a split second because he vanishes instantly. And it would be wise to not listen to what the leprechaun is saying, as they have the gift of gab and can confuse you to the point of frustration so that your choices of wishes aren't the wisest. I, for one, have never been close enough to one to catch him, but my advise would be to pass him by, should you get the chance. Somethings just aren't worth it. Oh, and leprechauns shouldn't be confused with elves, fairies or imps. Fairies are woodland creatures with wings; elves are smaller and not quite as mischievous as the wee folks; imps - the leprchauns' German cousins - are little devils. The pranks that imps play are much more damaging and destructive. Leprechauns shun them like crazy! They get along well enough with elves, even though they think the elves are goody-two-shoes and sometimes play tricks on them that are relatively harmless. I know, I know, you are still somewhat skeptical, right?

So last night was like most St. Paddy's Days at my house. Olivia and Carson of The Fab 5 fame, along with their mom, came for supper and we ate ourselves sick. Every couple of years or so, the kids will spend the night here in the hope that the leprechauns will come and visit. I tried to tell them that the little people don't come very often to the same house, to no avail. Almost eight years old, Carson went to bed convinced that they would come. Olivia wasn't so sure, nor was I. So off we all went to bed. And this is what we woke up to.....those fun-loving leprechauns! Just look for yourselves.....

The drapes were the first thing I saw when I came into the kitchen. Look really hard and you will see a bunny in the chair, not his normal resting place! Naughty leprechauns had moved him in the middle of the night!

The leprechauns wrangled a whole bag of yarn balls down from the upstairs craft room!

They proceeded to string it ALL through the house EVERYWHERE!

This poor little elf was forced down from the top shelf of the bakers rack and "tied" to the top of a chair!


Another little elf got hung on the light fixture over the breakfast table!


The leprechauns plunked this shy elf into the middle of the flowers on the breakfast table!

Oh, my goodness! Our poor little elf was poked inside this bunny head first! I am sure he spent a very uncomfortable night!

Next stop was the kitchen where they got into a bag of pink and white marshmallows!

The leprechauns took some of the marshmallows into the guest bathroom. Some were half eaten!

Someone left a bag of chips on the kitchen desk. Big mistake! They got into it and made a big chip mess!


A full piece of apple pie before we went to bed. The half eaten remains in the morning. They turned over the sugar bowl, put black pepper on the pie, and left a little green shamrock inside the sugar bowl!


they spelled out a message with Ed's toothpicks!


Up on the breakfast bar, the mischief continued.....by opening and half chewing sticks of Key Lime Pie gum!


A roll of packing tape attached to the top of the bakers rack over to a chair and then over to the tray in the center of the breakfast table served as a conduit to get the elves. I am sure they had fun using it as a slide!


The yarn misadventure continued into the living room. ALL over the living room! They upturned a footstool in the process of hanging the yarn over a picture. What you can't see is all the pillows from the couch and love seat in the floor!


In leaving the marshmallows in the bathroom, the soap bottle got knocked over!

You can't even imagine the excitement at 6:30 a.m. when we all came out and saw the mayhem! Proof positive that wee folks had played their mischievous tricks in the wee hours of the morning.

I confess - I am so glad that the leprechauns chose my house to visit! Sometimes magic and mayhem go hand in hand. It's all in your perspective.

If you weren't so lucky as to have the leprechauns come to your house, there's always next St. Paddy's Day!

And if the end of this post finds you still an unbeliever, my deepest sympathies. Magic and leprechauns and two wee ones' excitement is the PERFECT start to a day. I highly recommend it.

40 FOLLOWERS! 10 MORE TO GO!

2011-03-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

FORTY FOLLOWERS! 4/5ths of the way to 50! Just 10 more and the chocolate will be in the mail to a lucky winner! Thanks to all who follow! You will hear me whooping it up when I reach the magic 50!