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Entries by Lois (1373)

Wednesday
Feb162011

Insight #202

I have a new thought about Christmas/holiday/birthday gifts. 

You already know what most people on your gift list like/want, right? Good.

So start shopping now. 

What prompted this thinking?  I've certainly Shopped Ahead other years.

I was just about to toss out a stack of un-thumbed-through catalogues.  But when I was paging through one, found a number of items I KNEW would be a perfect fit for specific people in my life. 

And I thought:  Why wait for the Holiday Frenzy to take you down? 

Start now.   Stash it away.  Just be sure to take note of your purchases.

Call it a day.

A very good day.



Tuesday
Feb152011

Oh my! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!

Joan scores another winning email!

Medical Alert: Worse than bedbugs

What is a calorie?


 

Calories are the little bastards that get into your wardrobe at

night and sew your clothes tighter. 

MY CLOSET IS INFESTED WITH THE LITTLE SHITS.

Sunday
Feb132011

Cheers! 

Had to send this your way!  Too Funny. 

Thanks, Joan!!!

"For all those intelligent, gorgeous, stunningly beautiful girlfriends of mine!!!

Thought for the day  . . . . 

I don't want to brag or make anyone jealous or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school."

Happy Valentine’s Day!



 

Sunday
Feb132011

Blog takes back seat

 For the past several weeks I've been trying to get my mind and arms around:

  • figuring out how to merge music, pictures and video. I've dedicated my days to becoming (barely) proficient at Adobe Premiere.  Whoa.  Brain cells, beware.  Rapid acceleration ahead.
  • developing an online Valentine's card (aka delayed holiday greeting) for friends and family.  Amateurish as it is, it's almost ready for release tomorrow. YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
  • sewing wool scarves into skirts/this has apparently moved past just a Tentative Trend into something Far More Very Permanent.
  • cleaning out closets and sending things to various organizations.  This feels fantastic. 
  • patching holes (creatively) where moths have made a meal.  How DO THEY KNOW which pieces are your favorites?
  • trying to lose the holiday sticky buns I put on around my waist.  I joined JumpStart.  We'll see where this goes.  Hopefully numbers will head south soon.  
  • changing Plain Jane purses into sometimes-wacky/other times, wonderful, usable wardrobe additions.  At least I think so.  Maybe you will, too.
  • creating a circuit of cardio/strength-building stations.  "Know thyself" is the operative phrase here.  It seems that I am totally incapable of exercising all by myself so I hope to snag a few friends to join me in getting back in shape.  Want to come?  Good.   
  • clearing living spaces by eliminating excess and organizing what's left.  This is a Very Large, Life Long task.

All of this feels Very Good.  And has left little time for doing anything else.  I’ve learned a lot and hope to send insights and ideas your way during upcoming blogs. 

Stay tuned. 

And hey, Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Wednesday
Feb092011

Beware of geotagging.

Be sure to watch this video before posting pictures from your phone.  Yikes.

Thanks, Susie!

Thursday
Feb032011

Novel concept

Finally, something I actually use.

Who hasn't succumbed to multiple skin care sales spiels?  Then found that the products didn't perform as promised and the items get pitched?  I have drawers full of these jars.

So when I was introduced to yet another line of skin care products at Mii Amo, I was naturally suspicious/cautious.  Instead of leaping into the line, I decided to tip-toe in by trying a sample of a cream designed for dry skin.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.  So I took another small step.  Moisturizer.  Another two thumbs up. 

Long story shorter:  For the first time in my life, I actually look forward to using these products every day and (get this) night with my new Clarisonic Skin Scrubber.   Each lotion/potion smells delicious, is filled with natural, organic ingredients and, best of all, is quickly and completely absorbed.

The line?  It's Eminence.  Developed in Hungary fifty years ago, Eminence uses European certified premium quality herbs, fruits and flower buds.  Their products are free of parabens, mineral oils, petroleum, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrances. 

Part of their extensive product line is available on Amazon, but I found this site very helpful in selecting products designed for specific skin types and conditions. Travel-size samples are available for a small charge.

And, hey, if you see me around town, cut me some slack.  Just imagine what my face would look like without these two new terrific additions.

 

Thursday
Feb032011

Laughter heals

Thank you, thank you, thank you, DIane!!!

Monday
Jan312011

One wonderful day

A recent email from a friend:

If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was in such trouble that  the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.  When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.  Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
   
May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help  you get untangled from the things that are binding  you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
  
I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.
 
It's a good life!

Sunday
Jan302011

So incredibly funny

SB, too wonderful!  Thank you.

Friday
Jan282011

Who IS this child?

I know.  I know.  Mary Margaret.

I think we might be seeing more of her, don't you?

Thanks for the introduction, Linda.  What a character.

Be sure to check out Mary Margaret's other videos!

Thursday
Jan272011

A walk on the wild side

Thanks, Anne, for sharing this super BBC series.  Too funny!

Click on other videos, friends!  Here is another example.

 

Wednesday
Jan262011

Wishing for winter to end?

GREAT, SB!  thank you. 


Monday
Jan242011

Cool Runnings

We just watched the Jamaican Bobsled Movie for ahhhhhhhh the 10th time? 

Love it.

What comes to mind as one of Your Top Picks?

Wouldn't it be fun to hear from everyone out there in the blogisphere? 

I think so. 

Give it a whirl. 

Come on.  You can do it.

Friday
Jan212011

Again, I have to say...

Is there anything better than Pandora

If so, let me know because as a Major Music Lover, I have not found anything that is so incredibly easy to use and so soul satisfying to enjoy.  And the music stations that I create/evaluate are accessible wherever we go. 

I've spent the last two hours at my computer giving  Thumbs Up and/or Down to my Jack Johnson Radio Station.  You will either know exactly what I'm talking about or you need to...

check it out!

 

Thursday
Jan202011

For those with grandmas

 and those who are

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye.

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62.  My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked,  "Did you start at 1?"


3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room,  putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,  "Who was THAT?"

 

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire, it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed,  taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"


5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.


6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked.  "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."


7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"


8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin,  we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in.  Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa.  Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."


9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure..."  "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine says I'm 4 to 6."


10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool.. "That's interesting," she said,  "how do you make babies?"  "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."


11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote:  "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked.  "Sure," said the young boy confidently. "It means carrying a child."


12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.  Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog.  The children started discussing the dog's duties..  "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another. "He's just for good luck."  A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."


13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived.  "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."


14. My Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as he!


15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

 

Hey, Barb B, where do you find these terrific pieces?  Wonderful!  Thank you!



Wednesday
Jan192011

You chose chaos?

Yep.  Based on rave reviews from two friends AND the fact that they had specifically designated one room in their house to this specific variety of chaos, I lobbed an order into Amazon for the Chaos Tower

The kit is geared for ages 8 and up or grades 3-12.  Three boys (ages 32, 17 and 8) had great fun assembling our tower after dinner one night while on vacation. 

Check out what Edmunds Scientific had to say.   Then, remember to put this on next year's holiday list!  

Two thumbs up for this imaginative bit of machinery!

Two more thumbs up for the fact that I didn't have to put the pieces together!

 

We did based on rave reviews from two parents AND the fact that they had converted/designated one room in their house to this educational toy.

Tuesday
Jan182011

Tropical Family Retreat

"Bob Ramirez and Lorri Kline turned a 2,300-square-foot traditional English-style house in Santa Monica into a 3,700-square-foot tropical retreat, replete with the open-air rooms, exposed wooden posts and beams and the steeply pitched roof of a Bali beach resort."

Check it out!

Kitty, thanks for this link!  Love this concept.

Monday
Jan172011

Mila's Mom is AAAAAAAH-MAZING!

Meet the Mom behind 'Mila's Daydreams'

 

If you missed the initial entry about this incredibly creative mom, see:  Truly Totally Terrific.

Also see this interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYI3tg3vmuA&feature=related

WOW!  What a woman!  Were you ever this creative during your postpartem days?

Much as I love her work, Move on over, Anne Geddes

Sunday
Jan162011

Sonic Sensation

Many, if not most of us, have transitioned from traditional- to sonic-style toothbrushes.  Are you aware that the same kind of thorough cleaning is now available for your skin?

Developed by the inventor of the Sonicaire toothbrush, Clarisonic cleanses so well that subsequent products are far better absorbed.

Check it out.  You, too, may become a convert.  Whether anyone else notices a difference doesn't matter.   I definitely do.

Sunday
Jan162011

TRULY, TOTALLY BRILLIANT!!!

Phenomenal, really.  Here is the Truly Amazing work of Adele Enersen from Helsinki, Finland.  What follows is her maternity leave project.  While her daughter is soundly asleep, she creates a completely different world from whatever she can find around her!  

So incredibly brilliant/creative.  She has quite a stash of wonderful things in her world.  Almost makes me want another child!   Almost.  Thanks, Joan, for sending this my way.