Early July Morning, Cocoa Beach, Florida

Monday, December 17, 2018

This Will Probably Never Get Read....

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself? I bet you have...we all do at one time or another. 

I don't like it when I get those feelings, or feelings of inadequacy. It seems to happen a lot. I can remember, as a little girl, being bullied. It wasn't anything major, but it was bullying. I bet most of us have experienced bullying before. 

Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling inadequate and bullying others is all part of Satan's plan. He wants us to have these feelings; feelings of we are not good enough. 

So...what do we do about it? 

First off, we should NEVER bully anyone. Most of us think of bullying as someone saying terrible things about you or even beating on you, but bullying is much more than that. 

The bullying I got were things like making fun of my pale skin, or my shy nature. Teachers were really bad about this. They never made fun of my skin, but they would yell at me because I wouldn't ask questions, or want to come up to the board to work a math problem; and, yes....I would cry. They hated when I cried, and instead of trying to figure out why, they would feed into it by giving me a hard time about it. I hate it when I cry...and now, I don't. Well, not much anyway.

Some of the bullying I got was that not many people wanted to be my friend. Don't get me wrong, I had a few close friends that are still in my circle of people, but most of the kids really didn't want to have anything to do with me, because I was different. 

Experiences one has in their early life can lead to the way they behave...even being shy. I won't go into any details, but I had such an experience. I was about five, and it was something that should never happen to anyone, let alone an innocent child. 

I have tried to forget that experience, but I can't. Very few people know about it. I have forgiven the person who did it to me, and I try to see what I can learn from that experience to better other people's lives...but sadly, many times I fail.

I also have a very hard time asking for help. When I do, I feel awkward, and many times, the help I've asked for gets looked at as not important and bothersome....or so I think. 

One thing I have been working on is to remember other's...even if they are not so nice to me. We all judge, and before I judge too harshly, I try to remember maybe I don't understand what is going on in their lives. Maybe I would choose the same if I were in their shoes. 

One thing I suffer from is invisibleness. Sometimes it is a good thing, but most of the time it is not. It is very frustrating when you have worked hard on a project, and it goes unnoticed. I feel as if...why even bother?

Okay, so no more pitty party here. Let me get to the point. The point is, all of us have bad days, or bad things that happen. How we deal with them is part of the test. Do we just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves? That would be too easy. What we should do, is get up, brush ourselves off and move on. Try to look at those bad moments as a way to learn. What can we learn to help others?

Helping others is one way to forget our own troubles. There is always someone else who is going through something harder than what we are experiencing. 

Last month, there was a whole town that was burned to the ground in California. Almost 30,000 people lost everything. Some of these people I know; and a lot of these people are at a much better place than many of us that have minor issues going on in our lives. 

There is not much I can do for them, as they are 2,097 miles away. How do I know this?....well.....this summer I made a sign for our backyard. On it were all the places our family has lived, including our children's spouses...and one of them was born and raised in Paradise. 



But...back to what I can do to help. They have been in my thoughts and prayers ever since. Sometimes, when people go through hard times, that is all we can do. A listening ear or a hug, or just being their and letting them know, is maybe all we can do. 

Many times, the hardships we go through in life, are things that we put upon ourselves; the choices we make. But, many times, they are things that just happen. Yes, bad things happen to good people, but, like I've mentioned, what we do about them is the true test. 

Growing up, my parents went through some hard times. They were born during the depression, and their families were destitute. At one time my dad was living in a tent....my mom lived in a chicken coop in someone's backyard that was turned into a shelter. The stories my parents share with me are unbelievable. Did they sit around and feel sorry for themselves? NO! The fact is, until recently, I never knew about these stories. They did not dwell on the hardships they went through. Instead, they took those experiences and learned from them. Instead of continuing to be in poverty, they educated themselves. They saved their money. My dad was able to work at his dream job as a aeronautical engineer and working on the Apollo program, helping to put the first man on the moon. 

My parents gave us a good home. Sure, many times we couldn't understand why they did the thing they did and said the things they said, but now that I know the whole story, I understand more. Not saying I totally understand, because, since I didn't live through what they did, it is impossible for me to fully understand. 

So...next time you start feeling sorry for yourself, thing of others. Think of all those who are going through far more difficult times that you are. What can you do to help. If it is only to remember them in your prayers, than that is ok.....


“Up to a point a person’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and changes in the world about them. Then there comes a time when it lies within their grasp to shape the clay of their life into the sort of thing they wish it to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune or the quirks of fate. Everyone has the power to say, ‘This I am today. That I shall be tomorrow.’”
-Louis L'Amour

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Christmas Tree Dilemma

What do you do about holiday decorations if you have little ones in the home? Do you put up your nice, pretty, and...might I add...breakable collectables? or...do you decorate with handmade items your children create? Or, maybe something else.


The Tappingflamingo is now a Grandmother of three little girls...GaGa is what I am referred as...I love it, lol. 

I am fortunate enough to have at least one of my granddaughters frequent our home...she is two, which means she is learning...A LOT!!!! With toddler learning that means, touch, feel, explore, etc. So, I have a dilemma...and that is what to do about our Christmas Tree this year.


Last year, I went ahead and put a small tree up, and most of the ornaments were not breakable. Little Miss W, didn't seem to bother them that much. This year, I think it might be a bit different. 

I plan to keep my ornament collection way out of reach, and I don't mean toward the top of the tree. 


I am displaying them on the mantle of our fireplace.


I love to collect ornaments from all the different places we travel.


I really like this one from Puerto Rico. I actually display many of my ornaments year round in a curio cabinet. 

Several years ago, when our now 24 year old son was about W's age...he just could not keep his hands off the bright lights and shiny decorations. He knocked our tree down two times. Luckily, nothing was damaged, and we didn't say much to him about it. He was a very good little boy, and normally did what you asked of him, but he just had a hard time with the tree. So...because of this, I am trying to think of alternatives to the ornament situation. 


Years ago when our children were really little, we use to put the tree in a playpen, but I'm not sure that is what we need, besides, the way our house is laid out, not sure that would even work....HECK! Even though we have a nice size home, there is no place for a tree...hence the little tree. 

So....what are your plans? Do you even put a tree up? If you have little ones, what type ornaments do you decorate with?







Monday, November 12, 2018

Christmas Time's a Coming'...soon!

Forty-three days until Christmas! Ten days until Thanksgiving...


Is it too early to put up your tree?

We have not put our tree up yet..this was from last year. Usually, we put our tree up after Thanksgiving.  Personally, I like to celebrate one holiday at a time...although I do decorate for both Halloween and Thanksgiving at the same time. So, why no do Thanksgiving and Christmas together?

So...tell me... when do you start decorating for all the holidays? And...how do you decorate?


Friday, November 9, 2018

GO TEAM!!!!

What are your school colors? Funny thing is, from elementary school to high school, then to Jr. college and university, all but one of those schools had the same colors...blue and white.

I went to St Mary's Catholic school from third grade through the eighth grade and we were the cougars. Go blue and white!!!!


Then in high school, we were the Tigers, and of course our colors were orange and black.

Eventually, I headed west to a church school that was only a two year college. We were the Viking's and our colors were blue and white. Upon graduation, it was off to the big university that the Jr. college fed into, and I found my self, once again, a cougar...and blue and white were the colors. 



TappingflamingoBling is now making fun waterproof adjustable bracelets in school colors. I have most colors, and plan to expand to even more.  


These bracelets are hand crocheted, using high quality wax cording. I hand crochet each and everyone of them MYSELF. 


I'm even thinking about offering fund raiser opportunities.


I know schools are always looking for opportunities to raise some money for athletics, trips, and various other school functions. 


Blue, Black and White...this one would be perfect for the school our two youngest went to.






TappingflamingoBling made several of these camo bracelets for a fund raiser toward a precious little baby who was born with some serious complications. 


I have actually had the opportunity to raise a little money selling these autism awareness bracelets. Our local autism center and Surfers for Autism benefited from these sales. 

If you are interested, you can contact me through my Etsy shop . Just send me a convo, and we can talk about your needs. 

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TappingflamingoBling

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Putting Together Family History Notes

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in my ancestors. Growing up, I knew very little about my dad's family. Never meeting his mother or father, I was always asking questions about them. My dad, being the youngest of a passel of kids, knew very little himself, or so he thought. He never met his father, but he did know his mother pretty well.

For the past few years, my dad has started to open up more about his family. In addition to that, I have had contact with several long lost relatives with very interesting information. Because of this, my sisters and I want to write a book. My dad is also onboard with this, and being that my dad is 84, I feel a great need to get started. I have interviewed him on several occasions. Using the notes from these interviews, I have decided to go ahead and start to blog about them. My sisters and I are not at a point where we can actually work on a book, but I feel using my blog will help to organized our information.

One other reason for writing the story of these people is so that we can learn from what they went through. I share their stories with the world so that we might understand more why they did the things they did, and why their children do the things and think the way they do. Their children being my parent's generation.

I grew up as the oldest of three girls, and our father made sure we had the very best of things, including education. We were not spoiled, but our parents made sure we had what we needed. They were hard workers and taught us well. They taught us to respect others, especially our elders, and also to respect ourselves. I am grateful for the teachings our parents provided us with. All three of us girls turned out pretty well.

I plan to post a new chapter most Sunday. The stories will be from not just my father's side, but also my mother's side. It will be more of a story of my mom and dad, but I do need to give background on their families, as it is very interesting, and explains a lot as to why we are the way we are.

I once wrote a blog about what I call the 11th Commandment..."Thou shalt not judge." My thoughts from this blog coincide with the story of my ancestors, as we do not have their whole story. There are quite a few gaps, so please do not be too quick to judge. I do plan to fill in what I think might have happened from information we have from those times. I will make sure to let the reader know when things are fact and things are speculated. 

So, stay tuned for more adventures from my family roots; The Lynch/Kublinger/Kiblinger line from my father's side, and the Dudley/Driver/Trautwein line from my mother's side. 

By the way...to those who are related, and have more info or questions...please let me know. I would love to make contact with you, and collaborate. 




Wednesday, October 31, 2018

MY Definition of Beach Boho

You have probably heard the term "Beach Boho" before. What, exactly is that? Well I am going to give you Tappingflamingo's idea on that subject.



Beach Boho...Beach Bum....Beach Hippie....Beach Cottage...However you want to refer to it..these are all synonyms...at least in my opinion. 



Can you be Beach Boho and not live near a beach? Of course you can! I was fortunate enough to grow up close to a beach, but since I left for college, then got married, I've only been able to live near a beach for 5 years...and I've been married for 35 years!  So, what I do is dress my body and my house in the beach style. 



I even opened up an online store with handcrafted jewelry that is in this style..."Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul."



So...what does one who dresses and decorates in the Beach Boho style wear? What does she have in her home? Well, I will show you...



As far as my makeup, I like to go very simple. I do use a self tanner, as I am a natural blonde. I have blue eyes, and very light skin. Because of this, I do have to be careful. Growing up in Florida, I did worship the sun quite a bit, and as I have grown older, I'm starting to see the consequences of that. I still love the feel of the warm sun on my skin, I'm just careful not to get too much.

But back to the makeup...I only wear foundation, and blush. Occasionally  I do wear something very light on my lips, but that is it! If I was not allergic, I would wear mascara. 


spending some time with my little girls, Sox

As far as my hair goes, I love to wear it long. My friends ask me all the time when am I going to cut it. I don't see that happening...EVER! I've tried that, and it is just not me. So what if I am almost 60, I have very healthy hair, and I am going to keep it long. I style it very simple. It is cut to shape around my face, and I have bangs. Sometimes I do try to curl it, but for the most part it is straight, because that is how it like to be.



When I dress, I always...well 99% of the time have Birkenstocks on my feet. This started out because of my feet issues...plantar fasciitis, bunions, neuropathy, etc...all due to my dancing days. I do love the fun Birks, though. 


Mom and I in our bright colors

I love to wear bright colors, and most of the time I am wearing capris and a pretty t-shirt. During the few months of cool weather we have, I will wear cropped leggings and a short flowy dress or tunic.

Jewelry...here is the fun part. I LOVE jewelry...and this is why I opened up my shop. So I can make more and share my talent with the world. 


Usually I am wearing shells, 


beaded wire wrapped shell necklace by TappingflamingoBling

or crystals. 

freshwater pearl and crystal geode necklace by TappingflamingoBling


Sometimes I wear long necklaces, 

freshwater pearl and lavender sea glass bead necklace by TappingflamingoBling

sometimes short...

aventurine and wire wrapped broken shell necklace by TappingflamingoBling


hardly ever a choker, though. 


Earrings, 

Czech Bead earrings by TappingflamingoBling


YES! 

carnelian earrings by Tappingflamingobling


And I love rings! 


They don't have to be expensive, though. This one was less than $45, including shipping and tax!

recycled guitar string bracelet by TappingflamingoBling

Bracelets, yep! 

waterproof surfer style bracelet set

Love to stack them. 

recycled guitar string bracelet and waterproof surfer bracelets by TappingflamingoBling

I love to mix them too!



So, how is my house decorated? Well, I call it eclectic. 



Most of the pictures I have are beach themed. 



I like to collect salt and pepper shakers



and I love dishes...I think that is my weakness.


I love light airy curtains, and lots of windows. 

So...there you have it. I am a Beach Bum Boho Hippie Cottage type of gal!



Oh and by the way...I play the mountain dulcimer...and that is about as hippie as you can get....


Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Forest Bead Soup

Some of the last few posts have been about the bead swap I was involved with. This is the last of the posts about Lori Anderson's October 2018 Bead Swap with Donna M Hoblit of VeraDonna Treasures. 


I've done several of these swaps, and this time I did it with a bit of a twist. It is something that I've been wanting to do. 


When I picked out beads for my partner, I kept the same things, because I wanted to create and see how different our pieces are. It is so interesting to see how you can give a group of people the same exact thing to make something, and wind up with as many different things as individuals.


So, let me first introduce what I sent Donna...


Tiger Eye Chips


I love to beach comb and make jewelry out my finds. I decided to send her one of the shell pieces I found on Cocoa Beach. I wire wrapped it using copper wire.


Green Sea Glass Beads


Green Crystals


Champagne Square Crystal Beads


Some interesting glass beads


Some more interesting glass beads


A couple of star crystals.


An owl bead


Gold tone bead caps


Gold tone feather charms


...and this piece. Sorry, not sure what it is called, but it is usually used in necklaces. 


Here is the color palette I used. I love these colors; reminds me of the place where my husband's family is from in Tennessee. 

Okay...so what did I do with all this?


The first thing I did was make this owl ornament.



Since the shell was made by Mother Nature, I could not duplicate it exactly. I chose a similar shell from my stash and wire wrapped it with copper wire. I then added it to this necklace I made using the beads in stations. 


I love to make necklaces this way...putting the beads in stations, because I think is shows off the beads better. 



Hope you like what I did with these beads. I love the natural, organic look, and these definitely fit into that look.

One last thing I did send Donna was....

one of my crochet waterproof, adjustable, surfer style bracelets, in autism awareness colors. Since I have two nephews who live with autism, I always like to share the awareness.