IT'S FOTO FRIDAY AGAIN!!!!

This weeks foto friday is..............(drum roll please)


DOORS! 


Doors? You ask, yes, doors. Do you realize how many doors we have in our homes? Well, there's all the cabinet doors in your kitchens

and bathrooms.

There's also the garage door.

You have doors that hide computers, TV's, and clothes.


There are also front doors and back doors. Your front door should be very inviting.

Both coming and

going....


As I looked at all the doors in our house, I noticed all the door knobs.

This one is kinda ugly and outdated.

This one is old world, and dusty. I promise I do dust. Didn't notice how dusty til I cropped it. Guess I better get out the q-tips.

Those next three are too much the same; boring. 

I like this one, it's kinda quirky, like me! I have a friend that collects different knobs and puts them on her kitchen doors. Maybe I'll do that....
If we ever get into our new home......................

Aren't Families Wonderful!?

This past week was a really nice one. I got to spend it with, "My Three Sons." No not the old TV show, but with my actually three sons.  Who'd a thought that I would have a house full of boys (plus one girl)?

My husband with our three boys

I grew up in a house full of girls. Because of this, I really didn't know what to think of the opposite sex.  I was actually pretty shy, especially around boys. I was sure they didn't care about anything I had to say.  

My and me sisters; around 1978

Now that I am married and have three of my own boys, I have found out that they are not all that bad. In fact, they are at times quite comical, and I love being around them. There are not many things better than to have one of my sons come up to me and wrap their big arms around me and give me a hug. Just to let you know, they aren't heavy, just bigger than me.

I am very grateful to be a mother, and am very proud of my four beautiful children. 

Computers Are Strange Characters

I have a traffic feed on my blog so I can track and see who comes to visit my blog. Lately, I've had someone from Lafayette, California visit over and over again. I have figured out...that's me! Weird, as I am not in California, haven't been for about 35 years. I'm not even close to California. So why is it picking me up as Lafayette, California?  In fact it really should not pick me up on there at all, as I have told it not to. When I blog, I  preview it as I write, so that's why it picks me up so many times.


I tell ya, computers are so weird sometimes..............

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

If you are still Bead Soup Blog hopping go here

You know those stores where you go in and everything cost $1.......or less?  Well, I just love to go in there. They have all kinds of neat stuff in there. In fact, a lot of my serving bowls and dishes came from there...the brightly colored ones...


I remember when my kids were young, my mom would take our kids in there and they would pick out Christmas gifts. They would earn their money, and one by one, my mom would take them in to the store, and they would shop. We talk about those days quite often, and Mom loves to reminisce on how each one of them shopped.  Each had their own personality when it came to shopping. One of them would look at each and every item in the store, one knew exactly what he was shopping for.

We have a new store like this around our mall area. The other day, I was out shopping with one of my friends, and neither of us had been in this new store. We decided to check it out. We slowly went down each and every isle.


When I came to the baggie and foil isle, I remembered I was about out of aluminum foil. I debated, as to whether or not to get some. I was just about out, so I decided to go ahead. This morning, I was getting ready to cook something that needed some foil. Instead of using the stuff already opened (and it was the good kind...name brand stuff), I used the dollar stuff. I opened it up, and wow! I sure know why it was only a dollar. I started laughing, and my oldest son just looked at me funny-like. I said to him, "Here, feel this." He felt it and then looked at me and asked me where I got it. It felt like tissue paper. 


Well, I guess I know why it was only $1. I usually don't get the more expensive stuff, but for this, I'm sticking to the more pricey aluminum foil.

BLOG SOUP NON PARTICIPANT

I have been able to participate in the Blog Soup Bead Party twice, and signed up for my third one a few months ago. Since the bead party has gotten so popular, everyone wanted to do it, so there was a lottery. Needless to say, I did not get chosen, this time, which is fine, as I do have a lot of my jewelry stuff in storage until we move. 

Lori Anderson is the creator of this party, and she has done a tremendous job, to say the least. Next BSBP, Lori has a plan that will allow everyone who wants to be involved the opportunity.



Lori did suggest, for those of us who were not selected to go ahead and be involved on the side. Some got together and swapped on their own. I had something else in mind. Remember all those nice beads I won a little while back from Elisabeth of Beads for Busy Gals? Well, that is what I used for my own Bead Soup.

At first, I had no idea what to do. Should I make ten different necklaces? Should I make one? I decided to make two, and I had one thing left over. I think I might make something more masculine with that.

This is what I dug up out of my stash to go with. Copper wire, copper colored chain, shells, tiger eye beads, clear crystals, glass beads with copper sparkles, and copper fresh water pearls.

But anyway....

here is the BIG reveal...

I call it Elisabeth 

First let me introduce you to the first piece.

I really liked this fishy bead. I took some copper wire and did some wire wrapping, added some small shells, tiger eye beads, clear crystals, and freshwater pearls, and hung it off some copper chain.

I made the clasp--my first try at this. 

At first I was kinda disappointed, as the necklace is longer than I like. I am pretty small around the neckline and usually like the 15 to 16" length, but I have grown to really like this piece, and have found it around my neck a number of times.

Now for the second piece.

I used all the rest of the things Elisabeth sent me (except one thing)

I wanted something totally different from what I normally do. So I added some lace. I love lace, and I also loved this blue bead. 

Then there was this one...

And this one

And then this one...

And another one...

And another one...

Doesn't this one look nice with the copper?

And here's another one...

It doesn't show very well here, but this one is rose quartz...very light pink.

One more...

I'm really not sure which one I like best. They all look real nice together.

I have worn these necklaces individually, but they don't look too bad together.

sorry about the bad background...storms today...not good for photgraphing

They are bit heavy, wearing them altogether.

Well, I hope you enjoy, and if you want to see the real Bead Soup Blog Party, just hop on over and enjoy. Click here to get to Lori's page, she will have a list of all the real participants. There's over 200, so you might want to take a few days to enjoy all the talent.

FOTO FRIDAY

The Guessing Game...

Usually, I am not much of a shopper, but when my mom and I get together, we always seem to go out to eat and shopping.

My parents came for a quick surprise visit. I love when they come. We found ourselves at the mall a couple of times. I was shopping for  certain things. Can you guess what it might be? Look at the above picture. It's green and fluffy....

I'll give you another hint...

Something for the home. I bought more than one kind. My mom really didn't like this one, but for some reason, I did. It called my name. Then when I saw that is was marked down from $40 to $6, it screamed my name.

A quirky pillow!

Let's play this game again.

What is this?

Need a hint? Let's see....

It can be very large or very small.

They come in different colors.

When it is alive, they are squishy, but when they are not, they are very hard.

People like to decorate with them.

They live near the water

A giant starfish. This one came from the Bahamas.

OK...

One more time.

Ya, I know. It's blurry. Can you guess?

I found it in my backyard.

Here's another picture.

This is pretty easy. But can you guess what kind?

Probably even when most of you see it, you won't know what kind.

I got it out of our garden.

Dried it and put it into an arrangement.

It's the bulb off of a garlic plant. Aren't they neat?

Here they are just popping out of their pod.

I love garlic. 

Thanks for playing the guessing game with me.

WHERE IS THE SOUTH?

I was born in Southern California. At the age of about four, we moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Eighteen months later, we moved to Huntsville, Alabama. Just before my eighth birthday, we were living in Central Florida, in the Cape Canaveral area. This was suppose to be a temporary move, but 44 years later, my family is still there. I am really glad I was able to live in that area. It was fun and very different. My dad worked for NASA, and at the time the space program was in full swing. I had the opportunity to see many rocket launches, one of which was Apollo 11; carrying the first man to step foot on the moon.

In addition to the space program, I was able to live near the ocean. I love to go to the beach, and spent many a day there. It has become my favorite place to be.

Jetty Park, Cape Canaveral, FL

About a year or so after I graduated from high school, I found myself going to school in Idaho. Boy what a culture shock! I did grow to enjoy it. I was able to go snow skiing and snowmobiling, and build my first snowman; not to mention, I was able to see snow fall (like out of the sky) for the first time (at age 19!). What a beautiful experience!

After graduating from the two year college, I went to Provo, Utah and attended Brigham Young University. After a few years down there, I married my husband who was also attending BYU. A year after our marriage, we decided to relocate to Nashville, Tennessee (where he was born and raised). Our first two children were born there, and after Bill graduated, we moved to Alabama. After three years, it was off to Wilmington, NC (another one of my favorite places!!!), where our next two children were born. After five years of wonderful Wilmington, we moved to Southern Arkansas where we lived for three years. Then it was off to the cold north; Muncie, Indiana where we spent the next five plus years. Currently, we live in Louisiana. We have been here for 4 1/2 years. As many of you know we are soon headed to Kentucky. 


As you can see most of my life has been spent in the South; Texas, Alabama (twice), Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas and Louisiana. Funny thing is, since we have lived in Louisiana, most of the people here do not consider me Southern. You see, they don't consider any of those states, except Alabama and Louisiana Southern. I just ran into that again today. 


I was told Tennessee is more "Hillbilly." I told her that the Tennessee Hillbillies weren't much different than the Swamp people in Southern Louisiana. She laughed and said, "Oh yes they are!" And this is an educated person.

Fall Creek Fall, TN

My comment to her was this:
"There is this bubble. It takes in all of Louisiana, Southern Arkansas, Southwest Mississippi, and a smiggin of Texas; the part that boarders Louisiana. It's like it's own little 'country.' It's more Cajun (some Southerners have told me they don't really consider Louisiana the true South). You go more toward East Mississippi, and it's entirely different. You don't have all the fleur de lis, delicious Cajun food, and Mardi Gras stuff. It's more pure Southern. There's nothing wrong with that; in fact, it's kinda neat. Something else; I've even been told (by several people) that North Carolina was not Southern because they were in the "NORTH." So I guess that makes South Dakota Southern? mmmm I don't think so. Funny how peoples minds work.

I've also been told that because Louisiana has plantations, that makes it the South. I try to explain that there are plantations all over, not just Louisiana. How about the Litchfield Plantation in Pawley's Island, South Carolina? Oh, well, I guess that is "Southern" since it is in SOUTH Carolina. Well, then, how about the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee? Have you heard of the Gamble Plantation in Ellenton, Florida? There are quite a few Antebellum Plantation homes that dot the South. Sadly, many were destroyed during the Civil War. Many of these majestic Antebellum homes still exist today in the Natchez, Mississippi area. I've been there and it is a beautiful place, rich in history.

Natchez, MS 3/25/08 Stanton Hall 1857

I would like to say, even though I was born in California and lived there for the first four years of my life, and spend five years in Indiana, that does not make me a Northerner. I have spent most of my 52 years in the South, and, therefore, I am a Southern girl! Oh, and by the way, my family is originally from Southern Colorado. For those of you who think Colorado is also a Northern state, well, actually, it is considered Western.

Wet Mountains, West Cliff, CO

So, I guess I'm South-Western? Naaaa...Southern with Western roots.