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Street Shooting with the Olympus OM-D and 14-42mm Zoom

I have many different configurations for the Olympus OM-D. But for street shooting, I often choose the 14-42mm zoom lens and the top half of the Power Battery Holder as my accessories. Combined with a light, discreet, messenger style bag (specific model soon to be announced), I'm ready to record any activity in the city.

Personally, I think the 14-42mm zoom lens is often overlooked by OM-D photographers. It's light, has an effective focal length of 28-84mm (great for street shooting), and is very sharp. I keep a Hoya 37mm filter kit ($59) in my pocket that includes a UV, polarizer, and ND 4X filters.

Jefferson & Jones, SF

For handstrap, I'm currently using the BosStrap G3 Tail/Ultra Light Hand Band ($12). The combination of the BosStrap with the top half of the Power Battery Holder make a very comfortable and secure shooting grip.

Hercules, SF

I used this rig to capture the images posted here. I was in San Francisco yesterday for a few business meetings. In between my appointments, I would hit the streets with my OM-D. And since I have the iPad mini in my bag, there's the option of processing the Jpegs there on location, or waiting to work with the Raw files in Aperture when I return home.

iPad for Digital Photographers

This is the kind of stuff I write about in iPad for Digital Photographers-- now available in print, Kindle, and iBooks format.

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You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.


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TDI Podcast – CNBC Challenge Daily Picks April 24, 2007

Update on Challenge and Picks. Last Pick up 8% in 2 days. Selling and Buying for Tuesday 4/24/27.

Overall, we are still in the Top 1% from following a consistent strategy of utilizing core disciplines of Fundamental and Technical Analysis. In addition, throw in a dash of behavioral Finance, and we have had a good deal of success. The (ALTR) trade brought in a total of $115,000 of profits in the CNBC Portfolio, bringing us up to approximately $1,600,000. Today’s recommendation is one that has potential as it is in a sector that usually sees a high degree of volatility. Today we sold the entire position at the close of the market. See more for today’s pick (ILMN) …

ILMN is the pick for today.

ILMN ChartListen to Podcast and follow along with the Chart to learn more about (ILMN)

(Click image to view chart)

** Listen in to find out how you can win a financial book, video or subscription.

CNBC and The Disciplined Investor are not affiliated – Contest Info

(Horowitz & Company clients do not hold a position in ILMN as of this writing)

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

Oscars! Final Predictions [The Big Two]

Best Picture

Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Should Win:
My favourite is Atonement.

Will Win:
I'd like to begin by saying that this is one of the greatest BP lineups Oscar has ever had. Truly a brilliant representation of the year. Michael Clayton is my least favourite of these, and I might be a little miffed if it wins, but I don't think it will. For me it's a battle between the film that's at the top of every important list this year, No Country For Old Men, and the film that everyone loved, Juno. And I actually think that lil Juno is gonna take this award. $100m+ at the box office, a nomination for its director (more than Little Miss Sunshine's directors managed last year, and that was surely in contention for the win), and the endorsement of two major players in the Oscar game, Roger Ebert and Oprah Winfrey. Personally, I'd be thrilled if it won.

Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Should Win:
Probably the Coens. Or PTA.

Will Win: The Coens
. They're stronger than their film because it's so admirably crafted.

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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

April Meal Planning.... BUDGET CRASH and BURN

Although I still planned all of my monthly meals for April I went way over budget in the grocery and dining out categories this month. Since I am accountable for keeping up these meal planning posts I have to confess that I didn’t follow the #1 rule that has helped me stick to a budget and that is to be AWARE of your budget. It is paramount that you do this or else you will fail. That coupled with the fact that I had completely depleted my stockpile in March having to restock everything this month made it especially difficult. Top it all off with the fact that I am now watching that Extreme Couponing Show (making me constantly feel like I am paying too much for groceries) and you have a frustrating month for budgeting.

I have been reading Stephanie Hillberry’s Blog and keeping up with Janell’s articles on budgeting about using an all cash system, and I totally see the reason for it. If I had an all cash system for groceries and dining out I would have looked in those two envelopes and noticed NO CASH to spend and that would been all I had to do to be AWARE of my budget. So needless to say I am going to try harder this month to stick with my budget. Through this “failure” I noticed a few positives.

First, my mindset has changed when it comes to budgeting. The fact that I even feel bad about going over budget is a big improvement from last year. I could always justify why it was necessary to go over budget, but now that I have stuck to a budget for the past three months (or pretty close to it), I know it can be done.

Second, any amount we go over budget is an amount that doesn't get saved. I have made a goal this year of a number that I would like to keep in savings at all times so having to use that savings actually pains me. Last year we were at a point were we really tight with our finances. Without getting into to much detail I will just say that it was mostly due to overspending. And not overspending on things like TVs, boats, or extravagant vacations, but on things like groceries, dining out, home supplies, and kids stuff. Those things can really sneak up on you and unlike buying a boat they don’t invoke the guilt reflex which makes it easy to justify them so you have to be extra vigilant. It is also true sometimes that if you make more money you tend to spend more and not keep track of it. So whether you are on a tight budget or have some extra laying around, if you want to get any of it into savings you have really have to pay attention to where its going.

Third, I now realize that I have a lot more to learn about budgeting. One being that in order to compensate for those times when my stockpile is totally depleted maybe I need to set a quarterly budget and allow for over spending and under spending to average out over a few months? Or maybe I need to try shopping for meat on sale at the grocery store instead of always buying in bulk, especially since the prices at SAM'S have seemed to go up in the meat department. Maybe I could try to cut coupons (not be crazy about it - Come on who needs 70 bottles of Mustard?) but every little bit helps. Or I could be willing to shop somewhere other than King Soopers when other store have better sales. My point is that in the game of budgeting you need to be flexible and aware in order to succeed.

So yes I failed. I went way over budget and I could rationalize and tell you how it happened but instead of beating myself up about it or making excuses I hope to learn from it. Sticking to a budget is not easy. Good intentions do nothing if you don’t follow through. Budgeting can be compared to dieting, you may really want to eat healthy and lose weight but if you are not willing to eat right and be disciplined in exercise you probably won’t see the results you want. The same is true with budgeting, if you want to stick to a budget but are not aware of how much you are spending you will not succeed in it.

Here are some of the recipes I enjoyed this month:

1. Greek Beef Pasta in a Pot
2. Slow Cooker Thai Chicken
3. Pork Chops with Mango Salsa
4. Homemade Pizza with Leeks and Chicken Sausage
5. *Nachos with Lean Ground Beef, Homemade Fajita Seasoning, Homemade Beans
6. Shrimp Pad Thai (Really Good)
7. *Stuffed Shells filled with Ground Turkey and spinach
8. Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
9. * Indian Butter Chicken ( New Recipe - very good)
10.*Italian Pork Chops with Roasted Ginger and Honey Sweet Potatoes
11. Tacos Salad with Grilled Onions and Green Peppers
12. *Spicy Coconut Noodles, with Grilled Shrimp
13. Easy Baked Tilapia with Roasted Zucchini Chips
14. Thai Lettuce Wraps
15. Cabbage Pockets with Homemade Dough
16. *Red Pepper Cashew Chicken Stir-fry
17. Salad with Grilled Chicken Sausage

For the recipes that do not have links you can email me directly for the recipes, The recipes that have the asterisks are the ones that were new this month.

Emily S said...

It's okay, don't get down on yourself. Like I said on Sunday, it's definitely a learning process, and I have been known to "fail" quite a bit recently in our budget (especially eating out and my own spending money budget). A budget isn't something you can really set and stick to all of the time, it has to be re-evaluated constantly and adjusted. You rock Jess!

Anne said...

The picture of you with those receipts? PRICELESS!
I know it can be frustrating - I'm working on it too! I've enjoyed several of your other recipes so thanks for posting!

Jessica said...

Thanks ladies! That picture is funny isn't it! I am glad you are enjoying the recipes Anne!!


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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I can't believe that Christmas is just days away... hours away. Our little red house is soooo excited about the season this year. We have so much to be Thankful for and are enjoying the newest member of our family who gets to join all of our traditions this year.

Before I get busy telling you all that we have been up to, I want to show you one of the projects I have been working on. Remember the beading??? Well here it is :

Isn't it pretty?? I think it came out awesome. I was only able to get 1 of them and Im hoping Hobby Lobby gets more in so I can get another one to place on the other side of my big foyer mirror. I <3>

I also have been up to a lot more. Those pictures will come soon.

Traditions are in full force around here. We are busy
getting all of our presents wrapped and cookies baked. I do love this time of year.

Last week we made our gingerbread houses and had a blast. The mess hit an all time high and still continues as they pick it apart to eat...

Sunday Night was our church's Christmas program. It went beyond well. The talent and cast were awesome!! My two older girls are the angels on either side of the manger and I am Mary holding my sweet Girl. She did so well but I did have a nursery worker and a baby doll behind the stage just in case a quick switch before entering...

Last week we went to this house right in the next town that opens up to the public just to spread Christmas cheer. They have over 200,000 lights and a million blow ups. It truly isAMAZING! My kids LOVE it. They play christmas music, have a fire and Santa hands out candy canes. They also give out hot cocoa and popcorn so you can enjoy the sights...all for free.They do have donation buckets to help pay the power bill and of course we donated.

This is my Sweet Penny and I. Her first time at "The light house.." as my littles call it. Her eyes were sooo big as she looked around and saw all the twinkles....

Rumor has it that tonight Santa will be coming around on the fire truck to our home. WeCAN'T WAIT!!!

The kids are super stoked. Im super stoked.... Its awesome.

For those wondering, YES, we do Santa. He is not the focus of the season. My kids are verywell versed in the true meaning of Christmas. That is never ever put on the backburner but we do also enjoy the fun of Santa. He gives the kids 1 gift each for Christmas, we make reindeer food for his reindeer and sprinkle it on the lawn for Christmas eve. I believed in Santa as a young girl and so did many of my friends who also grew up in the church. We were told the truth around age 7 when we started asking a billion questions and never once did we everconfuse the magic and make-believe of Santa and the true living God we serve.

*** Disclaimer***So, with that being said, please don't message me with messages about what a horrible thing it is to believe in Santa. I frankly don't wish to discuss that with you and you will have no influence over decisions that happen in our family***

Just Sayin

Anyway 99% of my readers (which are all of you ) are sooo super sweet and I love you all so please pay no mind to that disclaimer.

I plan on doing some blog hopping later today and this week so PLEASE!!!! let me know if you blog about your traditions and Christmas festivities. I would just love it!

  1. I believe in Santa too! The magic that he brings to the season is just as important as the Joy and Hope that HE brings (HE being Jesus, in case you didn't catch on...though I'm sure you did!). And while the commercialism of Christmas can be annoying at times, I do LOVE buying gifts for others and seeing the looks of excitement as they open each box under the tree...

    Long story short, I'm right there with you: Santa, gifts, cookies, lights, AND OF COURSE Jesus are ALL what makes the holiday season so wonderful (in my humble opinion)! :-)

    Merry Christmas!!

  2. You are so sweet. I love reading your blog!

    I feel the EXACT SAME way about Santa.

    I wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

    Yes, there are some posts on my blog about our Christmas traditions and I am hoping to find time to write one tonight or early tomorrow about some crafts the kids and I made for Christmas :)

  3. Love the disclaimer! Totally made me laugh! I think Santa rocks, for what it's worth!

  4. Santa is a favorite in this household and I love your little Light House, I really wish we had something similar here. Growing up with had a Christmas Lights Lane, I think it was actually called Candy Cane Lane in California. Every year my parents would tuck us into the truck and go look at the lights, I miss that. We still drive around with our kids but it is nothing compared to that street. Love your beading.

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Episode 48 - Darn Media - The Geek Night In

September 22, 2015
Hello and welcome back to The Geek Night In. We're here, we're nerdy, get used to it.

This week Laura, Tilley and Kate chat about Doctor Who, North Korea, Flash Fiction and a bunch of other nerd stuff.

Find us on iTunes by searching The Geek Night In, rate us (we're totally a 5 star show) and send us your feedback, questions and topic suggestions to LauraK@IndieHaven.com.

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Thursday, 21 October 2010

Victoria Sandwich

The Victoria Sandwich is an icon of British baking and has been doing the rounds at the likes of picnics, fetes, parties and cricket teas since time dot. Moreover, it's not too hard to understand the reason for this: it requires little ingredients, is simple to make - especially when using an all-in-one recipe - and, of course, tastes fabulous.

Presentation-wise, a Victoria Sandwich is filled with a jam filling and, for the more indulgent among us, an additional layer of whipped cream. Alternatively, as I know from many Birthday cakes my Mother made for me when growing up, the Victoria Sandwich can provide the perfect basis for cakes with elaborate icings and decorations.

The following is a tried-and-tested recipe for those who fancy a spell in he kitchen.

3 eggs

Self-raising flour

Caster sugar

Whipped cream (optional)

1) Get out eggs, flour, sugar and butter well in advance of baking so everything is up to room temperature and the fat is nice and soft.

2) Preheat oven to 200oC.

3) Grease and base-line two 8in (20cm) round cake tins.

4) Place eggs on scales and weigh out equivalent amounts of flour, sugar and butter.

5) Cream the butter and sugar before adding the eggs one at a time and stirring in.

6) Steadily add flour and fold it in so as much air as possible is incorporated.

7) Turn out mixture into prepared tins dividing it equally.

8) Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins or until it springs back to the touch or slightly shrinks back from the sides of the tin.

9) Remove from oven and leave to cool a bit before turning out on to wire racks.

10) Once cooled completely, add a layer of jam to one of the sponges. If you wish to add a layer of whipped cream, take the other sponge, invert it and spread with cream.

11) Combine the two halves so the filling is sandwiched between the two sponges and finish by dusting the top of the cake with icing sugar.

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Tim Keefe

First appearing with the Troy Trojans in 1880, Tim Keefe toiled for the mediocre club for three years before moving to the New York Metropolitans of the American Association in 1883.  The change of location served him well as he won 41 games, completing all 68 games he started to the tune of 619 innings pitched.  He would win another 37 the following year before being purchased by the New York Giants in 1885.  His win totals over five seasons with the Giants were 32, 42, 35, 35 and 28.  He led the league in wins in 1886 and 1888 and in WHIP (admittedly a statistic that didn’t exist at the time) four times.  While his skills dropped off when he jumped to the Players League in 1890, and never really returned, he still finished his career with 342 wins with a lifetime ERA of 2.63 and a .603 winning percentage.

Keefe was a labor activist and loathed the Reserve Clause, leading him to be a driving force behind the Players League.

Tim Keefe

July 20, 2011

Cambridge, MA

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Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Treasures in Trust on the Slindon Estate and the Belloc connection...

Much of the West Sussex village of Slindon is part of the National Trust's 3,500-acre (1,419ha) Slindon Estate on the southern slopes of the South Downs between Arundel and Chichester. The estate, the setting for this lovely walk, was originally designed and developed as an integrated community and it is the Trust's aim to maintain this structure as far as possible.

As well as the village, it consists of a large expanse of sweeping downland dissected by dry valleys, a folly, several farms and a stretch of Roman road. Glorious hanging beechwoods on the scarp enhance the picture, attracting walkers and naturalists in search of peace and solitude. Parts of the estate were damaged in the storms of 1987 and 1990, though the woods are regenerating, with saplings and woodland plants flourishing in the lighter glades. Typical ground plants of the beechwoods include bluebell, dog's mercury, greater butterfly orchid and wood sedge.

Take a stroll through Slindon village as you end the walk and you can see that many of the cottages are built of brick and flint, materials typical of chalk country. During the medieval period, long before the National Trust was established, Slindon was an important estate of the archbishops of Canterbury. Even earlier it was home to Neolithic people who settled at Barkhale, a hilltop site at its northern end.

To help celebrate its centenary in 1995, the National Trust chose the Slindon Estate to launch its 100 Paths Project, a scheme designed to enhance access to its countryside properties by creating or improving paths. This glorious, unspoiled landscape offers many miles of footpaths and bridleways, making it an excellent choice for a country walk.

What to look for:

As you stroll through peaceful Slindon Wood, at the start of the walk, look for the remains of the medieval Park Pale, more commonly described as a bank and ditch. This was originally designed to protect the park's deer. In palaeolithic times, the sea extended this far inland - hard to believe now as you look at the wooded surroundings. A preserved shingle beach indicates that the sea was once 130ft (40m) higher than it is today. Courthill Farm, towards the end of the walk, was once the home of the French-born writer Hilaire Belloc and his wife when they were first married. He spent part of his childhood in the village.

Where to eat and drink:

The Newburgh Arms at Slindon has a good choice of food. As well as sandwiches, jacket potatoes and salads, the menu offers steak and kidney pie, shepherds pie and a selection of roasts. There's also a children's menu and a summer beer garden.
While you're there

Have a look at the Church of St Mary, which is partly Norman and greatly restored. Inside is a rare wooden effigy to Sir Anthony St Leger who died in 1539. Slindon House, now part of a college, was one of the rest-houses of the Archbishops of Canterbury during the Middle Ages.

Tour and explore a sprawling National Trust estate on this glorious woodland walk which offers fine views of Sussex:

Distance 4 miles (6.4km)

Minimum time 2hrs

Ascent/gradient 82ft (25m)

Level of difficulty Easy

Paths Woodland, downland paths and tracks, 4 stiles

Landscape Sweeping downland and woodland

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 121 Arundel & Pulborough

Start/finish SU 960076

Dog friendliness Unless signed otherwise, off lead, except in Slindon village

Parking Free National Trust car park in Park Lane, Slindon

1 From the car park walk down towards the road and turn right at a 'No riding sign', passing through the gate to join a wide straight path cutting between trees and bracken. The path runs alongside sunny glades and clearings and between lines of beech and silver birch trees before reaching a crossroads.

2 Turn right to a second crossroads and continue ahead here, keeping the grassy mound and ditch, all that remains of the Park Pale, on your right. Follow the broad path as it begins a wide curve to the right and the boundary ditch is still visible here, running parallel to the path. On reaching a kissing gate, continue ahead, soon skirting fields. As you approach the entrance to Slindon campsite, swing left and follow the track down to the road.

3 Turn left and follow the road through the woodland. Pass Slindon Bottom Road and turn right after a few paces to join a bridleway. Follow the path as it cuts between fields and look for a path on the right.

4 Cross the stile, go down the field, up the other side to the next stile and join a track. Turn right and follow it as it immediately bends left. Walk along to Row's Barn, cross the stile and continue ahead on the track. The folly can be seen over to the left.

5 Continue straight ahead along the track, following it down to some double gates and a stile. Pass to the right of Courthill Farm, turn right and follow the lane or parallel woodland path to the next road. Bear left and pass Slindon College on the right and St Richard's Catholic Church on the left before reaching Church Hill.

6 To visit the Newburgh Arms, continue ahead along Top Road. Otherwise, follow Church Hill, pass the church and make for the pond, a familiar weeping willow reaching down to the water's edge. Look for mallard ducks here. Follow the obvious waterside path to enter the wood and on reaching a fork, by a National Trust sign for Slindon Estate, keep left and walk through the trees, back to the car park.

Courthill Farm

1 comment:

  1. You will not eat at the Newburgh now. First its stables and outbuildings went, then its internal walls, then its garden and finally its licence. It is now a house hemmed in by others. Remember the days when the landlord's beautiful blonde daughter was there and Buckle Adames was in his cups and you could see the flash of the Owers on far sea-horizon. Happier days.


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Herman Cain ad: Gasping goldfish is a metaphor for flailing economy

The ad starts with a tipped-over fish bowl, and a goldfish that washes out onto gravel, flailing.

"This is the economy," says the girl.

"This is the economy on stimulus," the girl continues, as the near-dead fish is covered in dirt. "Any questions?"

The ad was posted on sickofstimulus.com and created by Cain Solutions, Cain's economic post-campaign project, to point out what he deems the ineffectiveness of economic stimulus.

But while it is clear in its message that different economic solutions are needed, the ad gives little direction or explanation as to the specific problems of economic stimulus.

"The goldfish is fine, but our economy isn't," reads the description on the ad's YouTube page. "Are you Sick yet? In essence, stimulus has been just like throwing a bucket of water on a fish and expecting him to swim on land. We want Solutions, not more Stimulus coming from Washington D.C."

The Congressional Budget Office said earlier in February that Obama’s 2009 stimulus package continues to have a significant effect.

The bill raised fourth-quarter 2011 gross domestic product by as much as 1.5 percent, it states, and lowered the unemployment rate by as many as 1.1 percentage points.

Cain is the latest in the ranks of politicians to use children to enhance their political message. Earlier this week Rhode Island Senate candidate Barry Hinckley (R) employed his 5-year-old son to point out the failings of "career politicians."


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2011 MLB Season: Unorganized Stray Observations

2011 MLB Season: Unorganized Stray Observations

Presented without order or pattern, with varying levels of explanation or insight, merely because they interested or surprised me:

No one in baseball has hit more doubles (44) this season than Jeff Francoeur. By the time that you read this, Ben Zobrist (43), Alex Gordon* (41) or someone else may have caught him, but that is a ton of doubles for the free-swinging Francoeur. In fact, three of the top seven doubles hitters are Royals, with Frenchy, Gordon, and Melky Cabrera (39).

*While we’re getting off on tangents, Alex Gordon is having a hell of a year too. Not many recover from the hype-to-bust roller coaster, but Gordon’s .304/.377/.505 is a great story.

The Dodgers have a positive run differential (+9).

In their disastrous August, the Giants scored 78 runs in 29 games (2.69 runs/game). They scored two or fewer runs 17 times. No amount of pitching can carry that anemic of an offense.

Four of the top five home run hitting teams are in the AL East (Yankees – 190, Red Sox – 173, Blue Jays – 165, Orioles – 159), with the only other being the Rangers at 168. While Yankee Stadium, the Rogers Centre, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards have all been launching pads, Fenway Park has continued to suppress home runs.

Justin Verlander has thrown at least six innings in all of his thirty starts, including twenty-six quality starts. His season is shaping up to be a carbon copy of Felix Hernandez’s 2010, which was good enough for a Cy Young with only 13 wins. With Verlander’s 21 wins and role on the Tigers, is there any way that he’s not a slam dunk winner in 2011?

Albert Pujols’ OPS by month:
April – .758
May – .752
June – 1.197
July – .955
August – .951

I’d call it a slow start and nothing more, as after May, he’s been back to being Albert Pujols. With Matt Holliday being the only big contract on the Cardinals’ books ($109MM 2011 payroll, $52.6MM committed in 2012, $35.8MM committed in 2013), it will be interesting to watch how generous they are with their franchise player.


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Thursday, December 31, 2015

NOTD Catch Up

I can't clean up all my pending photos before the end of the year, but I can catch up with my nails of the day that haven't made it into the blog yet. Because getting our house ready for sale then relocating to Idaho took up so much of my time, I've been wearing a lot of strips, since they're fast to put on and don't need dry time.

The black and silver argyle of Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Prep's Cool graced my nails in early November.

I followed that with Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Plum's the Word, which I planned to stamp over but never managed to get around to doing.

I did stamp on the next Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips I put on. I topped Ruby Do strips with Revlon Untamed, using a plate I didn't write down, and sealed with Diamond Dry topcoat. This combination was on the subtle side; the stamping showed up very prettily in some lights, and all but disappeared in others as it shifted from brown to gold to purple. It was kind of fun.

You've already seen the strip-based Mickey Mouse stamped nails I wore to California. After that, I returned to Ruby Do and stamping for Thanksgiving. I stamped with Borghese Rapido in Siena, an unnamed Urban Outfitters, and Sally Hansen Salon in Bronze Ambition.

Again, I didn't jot down the plate I used; bad blogger. I was going for an autumn look, so overlapped leaves in the three metallics. The Borghese was similar to the Revlon from the earlier look; depending on the angle, it was sometimes invisible.

After Thanksgiving, I decided to give Essie Sleek Sticks another try. Bad idea. I didn't have any better luck coaxing them on my nails than the last time I used them. I used the Shoot the Moon design, which has a dotted silver design on a solid turquoise blue background, which wrinkled terribly and couldn't be smoothed out well. I refuse to believe it's me, since I use other strips successfully.

They didn't wear well, either; here they are after not quite two days. Granted, I was packing boxes and suitcases over those days, but still, yuck.

One advantage the Essie strips have is they do peel off easily; no remover needed.

After the Essie, I put on Revlon by Marchesa 3D Jewel Appliques in Jeweled Noir. These have two designs with white, gold, and red on black, with some of the "jewels" being dimensional. I hadn't used Revlon strips in ages, and it didn't go that well back then, but I've got the strips so figured I'd use them. I got a few wrinkles when putting them on, as they aren't nail polish but rather thicker stickers, but nothing like the Essie, and the design was busy enough to distract from the wrinkles.

These wore a lot better than the Essie. Here they are eight days later. I was able to touch up the tips with plain black creme polish, which helped.

And finally, what I've had on my nails this week, Incoco Nail Polish Appliques in Midnight Countdown. I had to get these on, as this is my last chance to wear something with "2015" on it and be timely. This strip set has four designs in black and gold with very fine holo shimmer.

I've been enjoying seeing how the sparkles pop in different lights. We haven't had much sun around here, but the little bedside lamps in the condo work just fine for bringing out the holo.

And now I'm caught up with my manicures ... until I change my nails, probably tomorrow, if I'm feeling up to it. I've unfortunately come down with a sore throat/sinus thing and am taking it easy today hoping to bounce back sooner. I hope the turning of the year finds all of you happy and healthy!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Last Displays of 2015

With the year quickly drawing to a close, it's time to fit in one last display post. Today I've got a mix of the last few things I saw in Michigan before I left and what I spotted on my first official display hunting trip in Idaho last week. Some of these are holiday displays I probably should have made an effort to post earlier; some look more like spring releases out early.

At Fred Meyer in Idaho, I saw the Essence Mountain Calling display. When I got to it, there were three polish colors left: Snow Alert, Let's Climb Mount Beauty, and Today is Fun Day. I relly wish I knew what other ones there were ... this is a perfect collection for me right now, what with just having moved to a mountain.

In the core display for Essence, they had Nail Candies, which I hadn't seen before even though I don't think they're new to Essence. Left to right: Peachy Keen, Sweets for the Sweet, Always in My Mint, empty slot for Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, Oh Lolli Lollipop, Soda Pop & Candy Shop, Like Love Birds, A Hint of Mint.

FingerPaints holiday offering is 'Tis the Season to Sparkle, which thank goodness isn't all glitters or I would have had to buy them all. Left to right: Golden Glaze, Tinsel & Tidings, Romanesque Rouge, Vintage Vincent, Be Merry & Sparkle, Sterling Sculpture.

I first saw the L'Oreal Mad for Plaid display at Bed Bath & Beyond in Michigan; I also spotted it at Fred Meyer in Idaho last week. This has seven cremes and a golden metallic: Classic Check, Plaid Please, Regal Red, Schoolgirl Chic, Tartan Teal, Bundled Up, Navy Knit, Pop of Plaid, and Feeling Kilty.

At a Walgreens in Idaho, I saw a different new L'Oreal display, Bohemian Beauty. This looked to be seven cremes and a glitter, but it was hard to tell as it was on a high shelf. I had to hold the camera over my head to get the shot. Left to right: Sunkissed Silver, Boho Babe, Peaceful Pink, Radical Rose, Flower Crown, Blissful Blue, Totally Turquoise, Gypsy Glitz.

The only place I've seen the Orly Infamous display is at Sally Beauty. There are six shades in this one, only five of which my store had when I got there. Front row: Frenemy, 15 Minutes of Fame, Gossip Girl. Peeking out from behind the front row: Scandal, Front Page, empty slot for Makeup to Breakup (dark dusty teal blue creme).

Walmart is once again part of my display hunting rounds now that I'm in Idaho because it's one of the only chain stores that carry polish in the small town closest to me. They have Pure Ice Shine with Gel Tech, which is that brand's version of the no-light gel system with color and a special topcoat. I didn't take the time to document what the shade names were because it was two days before Christmas and just being in the store made my head hurt with all the chaos around me.

At Bed Bath & Beyond in Michigan, I saw the Revlon Love is On display with new core shades: Stunner, Romantique, Adventurous, Vivacious, Hypnotic, Irresistible, Desirable, Passionate. I later spotted it at Ulta as well.

The Sally Girl Winter Wonderland display with scented nail polish and remover pads was still on the counter at Sally Beauty as of last week. Four polishes here: Pine Tree (red shimmer, for some reason), Vanilla (silver glitter), Peppermint (red glitter in white base, that makes sense at least), and Sugar Cookie (red and green glitter in light tan base).

Sally Hansen has apparently reformulated Complete Salon Manicure (again? seems like they've done this before). Now it's got keratin. The relaunch display, which I saw at Ulta, is full of what I think of as "muggle colors" from the existing core collection; I mean, I wear them sometimes, but they're pretty tame. Front row: Clear'd for Takeoff, Plum's the Word, Raisin the Bar, So Much Fawn, Shell We Dance. Back row: Red My Lips, Ruby Do, Wine Not, Pat on the Black, Pink Pong.

These new Complete Salon bottles have two numbers on the top; not sure what that's about.

Ulta also had a display of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, touting it as "new & improved". These new shades are much brighter and more interesting on the whole than the Complete Salon repromotes. Front row: Pink-terest, Electric Pop, World Wide Red, Byte Blue, Let's Get Digital, Digi-teal, Gigabryte. Back row: Head Bang, Scarlet Starlet, V-amplified, Motley Hue, Punk-ish Purple, Rock On, Stilettos & Studs.

On my last trip to Meijer before we left Michigan, I finally saw the Studio M holiday display, 'Tis the Season. Most are core or reissues, but there were a handful of new shades. Top row: Red-ical Gypsy, Gingerbread, Blue Funk, Flurries (new), Hot Cider (new), Gold Mine (new), Baldwin Blues, Kaleidoscope. Second row: Party Girl, Slammin Red, Trinket (new), Sexy Siren, Jingle Jangle, Sex Symbol, Slammin Red, Sparks Fly. Third row: Holiday Splendor, Antiquated, Sparks Fly, Berry and Bright, Mamba, Glitterati, Drama Queen, Holiday Splendor. Bottom row: Poparazzi, Lust, Northern Lights (new), Magnetism, Purple Medallion, Love Light (new), Savoy Nights, Wish Upon a Rockstar.

Ulta had the limited edition Whim winter collection in a separate section of the core display. There are ten shades in this group: Cocktails & Fairytales, Blush & Bows, Sapphire Slipper, Dreaming in Glitter, Moonlight Moments, Sage of Innocence, Sheer Embrace, When the Clock Strikes, Thyme to Celebrate, Let's Cuddle.

That's it for now; pretty short for a display post, but I suppose that makes sense since it's only been about a month since my last one. I expect we'll be awash in spring displays soon; I hope I can get out there and catch them before they get picked over. I'll be interested to see how quickly things move here versus back in Michigan.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas NOTD

Merry Christmas to those of you celebrating today! Mother Nature has outdone herself on the white Christmas front here in Northern Idaho—we've had four feet (122 cm) of snow in the last week!

On the slopes yesterday:

For this holiday week, I applied some festive nail polish strips from Incoco. I used the O Christmas Tree design, which I think was maybe new last year; I pulled it out of my strips stash so can't be sure. This has a silver foil background with multiple sizes of dots in red, pink, and two shades of green, plus accent nail strips which have dotted Christmas trees.

I experimented with one nail on my left hand and cut a Christmas tree out of an accent strip and stuck it on top of the dots; that wasn't that successful since it all blends together. But still festive! (I haven't unpacked my lightbox yet, so all the nail photos today are taken next to a window in natural light.)

My mysterious right hand makes a special holiday guest appearance:

These have been holding up well; after five days, I've got some tip wear and a growth gap at my base but otherwise my left hand looks good.

My right hand doesn't look quite as nice; I've scraped off parts of the strips on my thumb and index finger getting my ski pass on and off the metal ring that attaches it to my coat. I need to find a better solution there, as the pass is also a method of payment for lunches and such on the hill; we load it with more funds when we run out so we don't have to carry cash or other cards while we ski.

I hope all of you reading this are having a wonderful holiday season!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Wet 'n' Wild We're the Wild Ones

Unlike the restraint I showed in only getting two-thirds of the new shades SinfulColors put out for Holiday 2015, I grabbed all six of the limited edition polishes from the Wet 'n' Wild We're the Wild Ones display. Left to right: Naughty and Iced, Bring the 'Pagne, Where My Ho Ho Hos At, Holiday Spirits and Wine, Los Feliz Navidad, Garnet My Heel Broke.

I paired these up for swatching purposes because my impatience was getting the better of me on that particular day; so many polishes, so little time! First up, Bring the 'Pagne with an accent nail of Naughty and Iced. Bring the 'Pagne, is an icy blue slightly textured glitter with both micro and small glitter pieces (what look like darker flecks on some nails in photos are just the larger glitters catching the light differently). I used two coats of this one. Naughty and Iced is a gold polish with a similar finish, though I only used one coat of it. I did add topcoat to both of these, as I wanted more of a shiny look. To get these really shiny, though, would require either additional coats of the thin topper I used or one of a plumping topcoat. Of this pair, Bring the 'Pagne is more suited to my skintone, and I liked it so well I've had it on my toes for the past couple weeks.

Holiday Spirits and Wine got an accent nail of Where My Ho Ho Hos At (I suppose with a brand name like Wet 'n' Wild, a shade name like that is no surprise). Holiday Spirits is a wine jelly with scattered silver and holo microglitter; I used two coats, no topcoat, and it was plenty shiny on its own. Where My Ho has the same micro and hex glitter texture finish that the first two polishes I shared have, just in a .pewter color. I used one coat plus topcoat, but probably should have gone with two coats.

I took this pair out in the sunshine to get the glitter in Holiday Spirits to pop.

Los Feliz Navidad with an accent of Garnet My Heel Broke made up the final pairing. Loz Feliz is another textured polish with the micro and hex glitter, but not monochrome like the previous ones. This has a deep blue base with gold and violet-leaning blue glitter. I used two coats plus topcoat for my swatch. Garnet My Heel Broke is also textured, but unlike its other bumpy siblings in the collection, just has silver microglitter in its black base. I think this name would have better paired with the reddish polish in the group rather thna this one, since most people think red or wine when they think of garnet stones. I used one coat plus topcoat of Garnet but should have done two.

In direct low light, you can see that one thin layer of topcoat doesn't smooth out the texture entirely. You can also see the pretty pops of color coming off Los Feliz.

This collection does feel festive to me, appropriate for New Year's Eve parties. I wonder why they didn't either go with all textures (and put that on the display) or do a more balanced mix of texture and non-. I expect some people bought these and put them on and just thought they were bad, bumpy glitters since neither the display nor the bottles say anything about the textured ones being textured that I recall.

What the collection doesn't feel to me is fresh, but of course I went texture polish crazy back when every brand seemed to have them, so it would take something really different in that arena to catch my interest. These textures all look similar to ones I've already got. Bring the 'Pagne looks like Orly Aqua Pixel. Naughty and Nice looks like L'Oreal The Statement Piece. Where My Ho Ho Hos At reminds me of L'Oreal Diamond in the Rough, OPI Baby Please Come Home, and possibly GOSH Frosted Purple and Orly Plum Pixel, and may. Los Feliz Navidad looks like L'Oreal Too Dimensional. Garnet My Heel broke puts me in mind of Zoya Dahlia, Nicole by OPI A-nise Treat, L'Oreal Rough Around the Edges, and Orly Black Pearl. I wish I'd brought all those out with me to Idaho so I could do comparisons but alas, very tough choices had to be made.

So I'd say, if you missed the texture trend in the last couple years and feel regret about that, these would be good to grab. The odd one out here, Holiday Spirits and Wine, is very pretty, so if I can only keep one, that'll be it from this collection.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Selections from SinfulColors Holiday 2015

This time I have a really good excuse for my gap in posting: I packed up most of my wardrobe and a lot of other stuff and drove across the country, relocating for ski season to northern Idaho. Along the way, Mr. K and I also attended a nephew's college graduation and hosted a mini family reunion. I did bring a fair bit of nail polish with me, and stamping supplies, and glitter, and they do have stores here for me to stalk displays in (though no CVS, Meijer, or Five Below, and I have to drive an hour or so to get to the nearest Walgreens and Rite Aid), so I will be blogging in between hitting the slopes. Right now, though I have some swatches backlogged from before I started trying to decide what I'd need to pack to get through the winter.

Because I really am trying to cut back on my stash expansion, I only got four of the new SinfulColors shades that were in the big holiday display: Silver Crush, Star Studded, Touch of Class, and Flake Out.

Touch of Class is a silver grey shimmer with pinkish lavender highlights.

Unfortunately, the lavender pretty much disappears on the nail, with the overall impression being a brushstrokey, slightly lumpy silver grey. On the plus side, it only took two coats despite being a light color.

Fortunately, I had glitter to distract me from the disappointment of Touch of Class. Flake Out has sky blue hex glitter, holographic white snowflake glitter, and blue shimmer in a transparent base.

I dabbed one coat of Flake Out over Touch of Class, fishing for the snowflakes. The blue shimmer in Flake Out's base gets lost against the silver grey, but the glitter stands out.

Silver Crush has silver square and shard glitter and silver holo bar glitter in a clear base.

I tried Silver Crush over Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Midnight Affair; since I wanted to see Flake Out over a darker base, I used it on an accent nail. I did two coats of the glitters over the blue. Silver Crush went on easier, as it had no shaped glitter to fish for. I added topcoat to smooth things out though they really weren't that bumpy. You can see how much better the blue shimmer in Flake Out shows up against the darker base color.

There is a gold version of Silver Crush called Twilight Twinkles which I passed on in favor of the other golden glitter in the display, Star Studded. This is a close sibling to Flake Out, with stars instead of snowflakes and gold shimmer and glitter instead of blue.

I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Cafe au Lait as a base, leaving an accent nail bare to show Star Studded on its own. I did two coats of Star Studded over the neutral base and three coats on its own on the accent nail. The stars were easier to get out of the bottle than the snowflakes in Flake Out.

I can't recommend Touch of Class, but I do like the glitters. Silver Crush was the easiest to apply but I liked the look of the other two more, as they had the shimmer in the base, too, so were more interesting to me.


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Feb 28, 2010

365 Cards: Sketch Sunday!!

Hey there!! This is it. My final day with 365 Cards. I sure am going to miss all the fabulous ladies over there and the wonderful challenges. Pam really knows how to stretch you creatively and I am so happy to have had the chance to participate for this past year. I have learned so much and have had such a great time being able to create every week. I hope I get to come back often to play along with the new DT members.

Ok for the final challenge we have a sketch...

And here is what I created:
I stamped right on the patterned paper. Added some buttons and this gorgeous gold ribbon.  Thank you so much to all of you for your visits and constant sweet comments. I am grateful to all of you... my 365 Cards FRIENDS!

I hope to see you around the blogosphere! I will continue to create and share cards here a few times every week so be sure to keep checking back. I will be here!
Thanks for visiting!

Feb. Guest Designer: My Stamp Box!

Hey there folks! Wow, what a crazy few days it has been here. I wanted to post these thursday night but right when I tried to our power went out (we were having a CRAZY storm) then my oldest son got a flu bug or something and threw up ALL night long. Then last night we almost had a fire in the basement (such a long story...the firemen even came!) so I am just now getting to posting this.

Wanted to stop in and share a little bit I did for My Stamp Box this fabulous month of February! I was elated to hear from Bettina at My Stamp Box a few months ago and of course JUMPED at the chance to design for them this month. I had a really fun stamp set to work with and have some cards, a scrap page and project to share. You can check out the blog posts HERE and HERE. And for those of you who want a bit of eye candy to go with it, here are just a few things that I did. I hope you check out the fun stamps that My Stamp Box has to offer and take some time to go blog hopping through all the amazing projects and tutorials they have.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrap Page Using "Itty Bitty's" stamp set. Released February 2010!

Feb 25, 2010

365 Cards: Signature Style

Hey there peeps! It's getting late here on a wednesday and you can see that I am so late with my post, but I am getting it done just in time! This week at 365 Cards we are celebrating. ONE FULL YEAR of 365 Cards. Those of you who joined in on the fun from the beginning should have a serious stack of cards to show!
Just one year ago I was asked to be on the design team of this great blog and participate twice a week with challenges for all of you to join in. Unfortunately that year has come to an end, and with a new baby to take care of I thought it appropriate to step down after a wonderful year at 365 Cards . I wanted to thank Pam and all the other fabulous designers at 365 Cards for such a fun and wonderful opportunity. YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

Today's challenge for me was to create a card using my signature style. Well, lets just say I was plain STUMPED! But I did pull out some things that I LOVE to use and find myself turning to again and again. I love to background stamp, and of course use buttons and twine, so here is what I came up with:

I used gold ink to stamp some medallions on my craft card base. Then I added some Terra Cotta ink with a text stamp. Then added more medallions with a brown ink. Lots of background stamping for ya! I popped up my frame with some dimensionals to showcase my sentiment. And of course I had to add my twine and rustic button. Thats a signature for ya! I hope you all have loved playing along this past year not just with me but with all of the 365 Card designers. We sure have had a great year!

Hope to see what you all create for today's challenge: You will need to scraplift something from this card and also use some modern influences to create your card. The sky's the limit folks!

Thanks again for playing and be sure to join in some other Sketch Fun HERE for your chance to win some free stamps!

Thanks for stopping by .

Stamps: Giga Guide Lines, (Papertrey Ink), Vintage Frames (Sassafras Lass)
Ink: Galaxy Gold (Brilliance), Close To Coco (SU!), Terra Cotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Terra Cotta (papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Lace Scallop Punch (Fiscars), Jute Twine, Rustic Button (Papertrey Ink)

Feb 23, 2010

You Make Me Smile

Hello. How are you??  Today's card is something I made up really quick with some new stamps. Well, new to my stash anyway. I love them. Really really love them.  Everything Alli Edwards does is just down right great.

The sentiment is perfect and actually makes me smile. Thanks Alli for making such great stamps! The grass and cattail are from Technique Tuesday. Again, very fun to work with.
I added a simple strip of polkadots to finish off this baby. Simple, clean and to the point. What are you doing today?? And what makes you smile?? I would love to hear it!

Today its raining/snowing. A perfect day to stay in and bundle up. Which is exactly what we plan on doing here. Don't forget to join in the fun over at Pink Persimmon and take a shot at winning some new stamps! Visit this post HERE for details and get crafting!

Thanks for stopping by.

Feb 21, 2010

365 Cards Sketchy Sunday!!

Good Morning to each of you this fine sunday. Yesterday I said good-bye to my  mother and put her on a plane. Oh how sad it is! She was here for a week and helped cook, clean and take care of kids. I wonder to myself how in tarnation I will do this on my own! We loved having her here and hope we can take care of ourselves without her.

Today's sunday sketch:
Here is my take:
I opted not to round my corners because I love the crispness of the square. I stamped my flowers on the original diamond and then trimmed the edges by 1/2 inch. I think matted the entire thing adding in the trimmed edges back in. I stamped my sentiment on vellum and placed it over the flowers. You can see the big ones in there somewhere.
The rest if patterned paper and cardstock. I used some stamps from Technique Tuesday. The are a lot of fun to use.
Ok... baby is crying. Must run!

Be sure to check out the Pink Persimmon sketch contest going on for the next week. You can read about it HERE and be sure to leave me a link of your creation. You can win some Pink Persimmon Stamps!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Stamps: Spiro Garden (Technique Tuesday), Simply You by Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday), Vintage Frames (Sassafras Lass)
Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink), Graphite Black (Brilliance),
Paper: Sweet Blush, Rustic Cream, Ripe Avocado, Vellum (Papertrey Ink), Amy Butler PP

Feb 17, 2010

Pink Persimmon Blog Hop & Giveaway!!!!

Hey there everyone! Today is an extra special day because I get to do more than one post! Today Pink Persimmon is having a sketch contest to win a SLEW of fun stamp sets from Pink Persimmon! If you would like a chance to win some PP Stamps from my blog here, take a look at the sketch, create a card/project/layout and post a link to your creation on THIS post. I will be giving away the SINGING BIRDS set to one lucky winner!!
Here is the sketch:
You are welcome to use this however it inspires you! I rotated the sketch to create my card:
Tweet Tweet!!! This is the CUTEST set. And it could be yours!! So get inspired, take some time and come back here to this post and leave me a link to your creation. You have until February 28th at midnight to get your post up. And here is the kicker.... You can enter to win at the other creative team members websites too! They are each giving away their own set. But you will need to create a separate card for each blog contest you enter... so get crackin'!

Again, here are the deets for those of you who want to participate:
1. Create a NEW card/project/layout based on the sketch and post a link to THIS post to be entered to win SINGING BIRDS (the set above)
2. Create a NEW card/project/layout based on the sketch for EACH stamp set you want to win and post a new link to EACH  Creative Team Member's blog for a chance to win even MORE stamps! (Check out their posts by clicking on their names:)

3. And don't forget to Have Fun!!

I hope you feel inspired and I look forward to drawing a winner come March 1st! Good luck and Happy Crafting!!!

Stamps: Singing Birds (Pink Persimmon)
Ink: Graphite Black (Brilliance)
Paper: Terra Cotta, Spring Rain, Ripe Avocado, Stampers White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Rustic Buttons, Jute Twine (Papertrey Ink), Lace Scallop Punch (Fiscars), Earth Element Markers (SU!)

365 Cards: Seven Sketches Week!

Good day to you this wonderful Wednesday! We have a fun week for you going on over at 365 Cards. This week every DT member has created a sketch for you to try out. Today is wednesday which means it's my turn! Here is the sketch I put together:
I drew up this sketch and then seemed to be inspired in a different way when it came time to make my card. Here is what I did:
I added a little rotation....I have been in Valentine's mode so the hearts got used again.  However I didn't want it to be a traditional red/pink card. The sentiment that I included is more of the feel I wanted to get across. I pulled out some cork paper to stamp my background on. I overlapped the white hearts and some text stamps. Popped up the hearts and added my twine and buttons for the last finishing touches. You can see the border line I drew in in black around the outer edge. I wanted it to be distinct but still subtle.

This card is set aside for my parents-in-law. They have been so wonderful to come and take care of me the first week being home from the hospital while my husband was away. I don't know if they realize how much help they actually were, but I am pretty sure I would have died (and my kids too) if they hadn't been here. I am SO grateful they are in my life. They love me (uh, i think..) and they love my kids and for that I am eternally indebted.

That's all for this wednesday's 365 Card installment. I would love to see what you create with this sketch. I hope you find it inspiring! Until next time .....

Stamps: Background Basics: Hearts, Heart Prints (Papertrey Ink), Loving Words (Ali Edwards)
Ink: White (Brilliance), Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink) Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie (SU!)
Paper: Smokey Shadow, Stampers White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cork Board (Michael's) Vintage Button, Jute Twine (Papertrey Ink), Black Marker (SU!)

Feb 14, 2010

365 Cards Sketchy Sunday!!

Good Morning and Happy Valentine's Day!!  Welcome to today's 365 Cards Sketch:

And welcome to my loving card for today's occasion:
Oh won't you Be Mine?? I took the circle from the sketch and just ran with it. It turned out quite bit different from the sketch, but it was inspiring which is the point right?

I use a lot of fun stamps on this one. Of course one of my Pink Persimmon favorites: Ric Rac Circle. I think you will be seeing a lot of it! Also I pulled out some Terra Cotta Satin Ribbon from Papertrey Ink. This color is truly delightful....

So how many of you are watching the Olympics!?!? So much fun right? All the events are in full swing which means my DH can now come home. FINALLY we get to have him for 2 straight weeks. Hopefully he will be able to refrain from working for that long ; )  Baby Kai is doing well. He is sleeping great, but for some reason is forgetting how to eat! I think its the pacifier that has thrown him off, so we tossed it out. Hopefully he will be back to his regular eating self in no time.

I hope you have a great sunday and send some love to those around you. Happy Valentine's Day!

Stamps: Ric Rac Circle (Pink Persimmon) Background Basics: Hearts, Heart Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Terra Cotta Tile (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa (SU!)
Paper: Kraft, Rustic Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Terracotta Tile Satin Ribbon (Papertrey Ink) Nestability Tags (Spellbinders)

Feb 10, 2010

365 Cards White Space Challenge

Hello Wednesday and Hello friends!!  It's the middle of the week. A day when the recycling goes out, the school week is half over and I get to share with you a 365 Cards challenge! Wednesday's are glorious!  Today's challenge issued by Pam is a White Space Challenge. That is take the image below and keep the white space empty! Which means that only the embellishments/sentiments etc. can go in the black space.

Here is what I did:
Happy Birthday Birdie! I pulled out the Pink Persimmon stamps. Ric Rac Circle for the background. Paper pieced cupcake and birdie (American Craft Papers) and a double layer banner. Pretty simple and straight forward.
Here's a little close-up for ya. I love these vintage-y funky stamps. They are so much fun to play with. If you don' t have this ric rac circle, I suggest you pick one up. It really is stunning when it's stamped out.

So that's all for my wednesday card. Last night school was canceled for the incoming snow storm, so the kids are home and hopefully we will be able to play in the snow today. I however, would prefer to stay in bed, but methinks a 5 and 3 yr. old will not be too happy if I suggest that as the activity for the day. We will see how things play out. Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you have a good one.

Love to you and yours.

Deets: All Pink Persimmon unless noted.
Stamps: Vintage Greetings, Vintage Cupcake, Ric Rac Circle
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red (SU!), Black Graphite (Brilliance)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Craft Fair Pattern Paper (AC)
Accessories: Pop Dots

Feb 8, 2010

Pink Persimmon + Divine Twine Valentine!

Happy Monday Morning!!! Today I wanted to share a few things Pink Persimmon. You can check out the blog HERE... There are some great Valentine ideas that the creative team has put together for the month. You should check it out!

Here is my little contribution:

The kids are doing Valentine's Day this friday because the holiday falls on a sunday this year. This is a little Valentine treat I will be sending in Ronin's lunch box. It's a 4x4 glassine bag filled with candy.

I love this ric rac circle stamp set. It's simple but SO versatile. The final stamped image is so fun. I used it straight on my glassine bag and used the dotted journal lines to stamp my punched out hearts. I LOVE the scroll banner in the Vintage Greetings set. It's just so perfect in so many ways. I tucked my hearts in under it and popped up the sentiment that was stamped with THIS alpha set.
I folded over the edge of the glassine and punched two small holes through the flap and the front of the bag. I tied the whole thing up with some DIVINE TWINE. I LOVE this stuff!! The black and white was perfect for the look I was going for. Um... have I told you already how many wonderful colors this twine comes in?  You should check it out HERE. Just try to resist... I dare ya!

Pink Persimmon has some really great and versatile sets that can be adapted for any occasion. PLUS they have some great valentine sets as well. You can check out the post HERE and also check out some fun stamps HERE.

Also, just wanted you to know how GREAT the owners and creative team are for this company.  They have been so lovely with the arrival of baby Kai. They made up some cards for me! You can check the post out HERE on their blog. It's been so amazing to get to know wonderful ladies from all around that just dish out love so freely. I feel so grateful for the people I am getting to know and the amazing opportunity it is to be apart of this creative team. THANK YOU ladies for making this an unforgettable time for me!!

Thanks for stopping by today. Let's stretch out Valentines Day and celebrate love all week long!!
Love to you and yours

Stamps: Vintage Greetings, Ric Rac Circle, Small Soda Pop Alpha Set (Pink Persimmon)
Ink: Black Graphite (Brilliance), Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Stampers White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Glassine Bag, DIVINE TWINE, Marvy Heart Punch

Welcome Baby!

Hello there to you today! I just wanted to stop by here and share with you a few pictures of our new little guy. Malachi Axel Larsen:

He was born on February 4th at 9:12 in the morning. If you are interested in the story you can find it HERE on my personal family blog. There are a few more pictures over there as well.
Here are my three boys. (the older two have matching chocolate cookie on their mouths ; )  The boys are so excited to have their little brother home. I am glad to be here as well, although the quiet of the hospital was quite nice ; ) We are all doing well and recouping just fine. Wanted to share this with you all since I know you have been watching my baby timer all these months! He is finally finally here! And a final word on his name...(Seems its a bit different than people may have expected ; ) Malachi means "messenger from God" I love the meaning and feel it is a bit softer for a baby, although we do plan on calling him Kai (k-eye) for short. Axel is a Scandinavian family name from my husbands side. We did not want to name him after Axel Rose but if he wants to be a rocker, then we will love him just the same ; )  Thanks for all of those who voted on my name poll and for all your support these last few months with being prego and having my hubby gone. It's been quite a journey and we are excited to start this next phase, so wish us luck!

Hope your sunday is going well. See you next week for 365 cards on wednesday and a few Pink Persimmon posts as well!! Also, I haven't heard back from my second winner of the Stamp It! Magazine. PLEASE contact me ASAP so I can send it out to you.... Check the post HERE to see if you are one of the winners. If I don't hear from you by monday I will draw a new winner! Thanks for playing!

Thanks for stopping by.

Feb 7, 2010

365 Cards: Sketchy Sunday!

Good Morning! It's sunday and I actually have this scheduled to post because as I type this I am getting ready to go to the hospital to be induced and don't know if I will be up for posting on this actual sunday morning. BUT regardless, I do have a card for you that I would love to share.... Here is the sketch from Pam over at 365 Cards. I LOVE this sketch. It's so great. I think it works no matter which way you turn it.
I chose to rotate the sketch because I had some stamps I really wanted to use and they worked like this:
I just love these stamps from Technique Tuesday. I wanted to make a simple and flat card for my hubby for Valentines Day. He is a simple card kind-a guy, so I stuck with one layer (well, if you don't count the popped up sentiment). The sentiment is Ali Edwards. Again another stamp set I just ADORE!  Ok folks. That's it for today. Can you believe the one card I make and edit with my husband sitting next to me is this one... so now he know what he is getting for Valentine's day ; )

Ok. I hope to be back soon with baby news since technically I should have come home yesterday. I just want to say thanks for stopping by and for all your loving support!
Have a good one!

Stamps: Growing Wild (Technique Tuesday) Loving Words (Ali Edwards)
Ink: Terra Cotta Tile, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink), Old Olive (SU!)
Paper: Stampers Select White, Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Terra Cotta Tile Satin Ribbon, Jute Twine (Papertrey Ink)

Feb 3, 2010

365 Cards: Stamping Boutique Week!

Happy Wednesday! Today's Stamping Boutique image is so cute, I just knew I wanted to use it. Check it out:

Today's 365 Card challenge is to use a heart as your dominant shape so of course this image goes perfectly. I colored up the image and then made a little heart punched button out of paper to tie on. It shadows the tied up heart in the tree. Sorry this image is a bit washed out. The paper that mats the image is actually a light moss green and the card base is dark chocolate. A lot cuter in person ; )

Ok. That's all for now. I am heading to the doctor today to see what we can do about this baby that has stage fright. Daddy leaves sunday so this newbie needs to get MOVIN'!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope all is well with you !

Feb 1, 2010

Happy Birthday Doggies

Good Monday morning to you all! Today I am sitting around just waiting for my contractions to pick up. I had quite a few last night and really thought I would be in the hospital by now, but you know how that works. Hopefully today with all the errands that need to be run, things will get kicked into high gear and we can get the baby show on the road! Today's card is coming to you with all Pink Persimmon goodies:

I made up these scottie dogs and added some Divine Twine to their collars. Aren't they just cute!? I love this Dog Set by Pink Persimmon. At first glance I didn't think I would use it all that much, but you know these dogs are just too cute to ignore. I can see me using them for a lot of occasions.
This card was made up for my MIL who loves little dogs. Her birthday and my 3 yr. old had a birthday celebration this week. I am a bit grateful I wasn't having a baby on either of their birthdays. Now if he could just come already things would be perfect!

Also, wanted to share with you a NEW woman's blog with all sorts of fabulous things to offer. Great posts each day on life, love, family, fashion and everything in between. I present to you HOPSCOTCH.   Check it out cause today I have a little post up all about the adventures in child rearing. So stop on by and let me know what you think and while you are at it, you should SUBSCRIBE!!!

Also, I wanted to announce the winners of the Stamp It! Magazine from Paper Craft. Drum Roll Please.....

#2: ScrapAddict
#5: Rebecca's Card Hobby

Congrats Ladies!! Please email me or leave a comment with your address so I can get your magazines out to you before this baby comes!! (and believe me, you do have at least one day) Hope you enjoy all that you see in its pages. It's a really great magazine!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to see you on wed. since I have another 365 Card to share!

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Is the Ferguson, Missouri community unique in its inability to deal with a troubling death with still unanswered questions?  Of course not. Ferguson is any town when reason disintegrates into the chaos of aggressive confrontation.

Ferguson is not a community in decay or a broken ghetto as some news outlets have portrayed it.  It will surprise many of my Louisiana readers to learn that I attended high school in Ladue, a small community right next to Ferguson, and to know that I regularly made the fifteen-minute drive there for weekend dates.  The racial demographics have changed, but the town is still made up of working class neighborhoods that continue to sprawl throughout St. Louis County.

That’s not to say that Ferguson is the safest place to be roaming about.  The Wall Street Journal reports, “the city has 190 crimes per square mile, compared with a national median of 39.3.  If you live in Ferguson, you are twice as likely to have your car stolen or get mugged, or have your house broken into than if you live in Averageville, U.S.A.”  Kind of makes you feel right at home if you happen to live in New Orleans.

Louisiana communities, by comparison, have been relatively peaceful.  Racial confrontations in Jena back in 2007, and in New Orleans following Katrina come to mind.  Although the Bayou State has a proliferation of crime significantly above the national average, racial calm has generally prevailed.  And give the devils their due.  Politicians, particularly out of the state capitol, may be incapable of balancing the state budget, and solving a long list of quality of life problems.  But racial strife has been minimized by active mayors and other officials both black and white, who have been fairly successful at defusing potential racial confrontations.

In the Ferguson crisis, no one comes out in a positive light.  No one.  Guilt and innocence is determined on television, as one rumor after the other is reported as fact.  Typical was MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who tweeted out: “I think the security problem in Ferguson is not solvable through policing. Until charges are brought against Wilson, this will go on.”  Wilson was the police officer who fired the shots that killed Brown.  So much for any fair investigation taking place.

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon jumped to pre judge by calling for the “vigorous prosecution” of Wilson.  Attorney General Eric Holder had no problem immediately jumping into this local dispute by sending in 40 FBI agents, and demanding a third autopsy on Brown.   He traveled to Ferguson to lament about his personal experiences in not believing the police.  The New York Times quoted Holder as telling locals in Ferguson that “he could understand mistrust that many young blacks felt towards the police.”  More pre judgment. As for the President?  He has just stayed put on the golf course.

The Mayor and county officials loaded up with military weapons and armored vehicles to create an atmosphere of a war zone.  Far from defusing the crisis, their actions just poured more fuel on the escalating fire.

Ferguson is 67% black, but the Mayor, the chief of police, and 5 of the 6 council members are white, and local African Americans claim an unfair radical balance.  But these white officials were elected by this majority black city.  Elections have consequences, and voting results show a lack of black participation.  If you don’t go to the polls, you have only your self to blame.

Michael Brown told his family a few weeks before his death that he saw the face of God and “now I believe.”  Then he went ahead and robbed a convenience store of cigars and ruffed up the clerk.  Let’s just say he was no angel.

And we have not heard a peep from the shooter, Officer Darren Wilson.  The failure of the Ferguson police department to give out Wilson’s side on just what happened is troubling to those who want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Like so many of these racial confrontations including Watts, Jena, Rodney King, O.J., Travon Martin and many others, this too shall pass. There is a leadership quotient that is missing in Ferguson.  Chaos and confusion has to be addressed by community leadership way before confrontation happens.

Every city and state can make mistakes.  But Louisiana seems to have gotten it right far more often than other parts of the country. Ferguson, as it goes forward, could well learn a lesson.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Louisiana Senate Incumbent in Fight of Her Political Life!

August 22ed, 2014
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana United States Senator Mary Landrieu has always been a survivor in Bayou State politics. She’s been successful in four races for the U.S. Senate, but the elections have always been close, and until now, her opponents have never had the full weight of the national republican campaign apparatus behind them. But this time it’s different. Landrieu is in the political fight of her life. She’s under an all out assault by republican organizations all over the country.
There’s a good reason why so much attention is being paid to this Louisiana election. The stakes are sky high. Which party controls the U.S. Senate may be determined by who wins in Louisiana. The Bayou State’s unique “jungle primary” pushes the runoff election back until early December. Every other state election will have been decided by then. And if control of the senate comes down to one vote, which a number of political prognosticators believe could happen, the Louisiana election will captivate the political eyes of the nation.
Can Landrieu pull it off again? Landrieu’s biggest hurdle is not her two aggressive opponents, but rather a number of problems she has created on her own. The lady is facing a high mountain to climb because of two things: her controversial senate record, and her continuing campaign blunders.
Her political problems were highlighted after she became the deciding vote to pass Obamacare in the Senate, for which she was dubbed “Obamacare Mary,” a yoke Landrieu’s had to carry for legislation highly unpopular in Louisiana. Adding to her burden, she’s been a longtime champion of The Patriot Act — a distasteful law that allows widespread spying on every American citizen.
She’s received criticism for her vote to tax Louisianans on all out of state Internet sales, a tax increase also highly unpopular back home. Another Landrieu proposed tax would double the security passenger fee – a fee that air travelers would have to pay on each flight. In 2011, she became chairman of the Senate’s Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, yet her opponents charge that her leadership on immigration reform has languished as she’s failed to offer any suggestions or legislation to curtail the mass of illegals crossing into the United States.
Landrieu has been a champion of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which is presently under siege because of allegations of corruption and cronyism. Most recently, her republican opponents are on the attack for her attempts to block legislation that would have imposed human rights sanctions for atrocities in Venezuela.
But aside from her voting record, Landrieu’s bigger problems involve the handling of her politics. In recent years, she’s rarely returned to the state, and is running a re-election campaign orchestrated from Washington, driven by millions of dollars in campaign contributions from all over the country. Last year the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate reported that Landrieu was forced to pay penalties and interest three different years for failure to pay property taxes on her Capitol Hill home, valued at $2.36 million, on time. Just last week, USA Today and CNN reported that Landrieu has flown in private planes on multiple occasions for campaign events paid for with taxpayers dollars, a violation of federal law.
She is also being accused of running a campaign that is aloof from local involvement, with key supporters complaining that phone calls go unreturned. In the northern part of the state, key public officials, including the Mayor of Monroe and the Public Service Commissioner have volunteered to help the Senator get out the democratic vote, but have received no response. Apparently, the entire Landrieu campaign is television driven by out of state public relations firms.
Nevertheless, Landrieu still has a lot going for her. She is the incumbent and has done her share of political favors over the past 18 years. But, at least for now, her campaign has lost any sense and understanding of retail politics. Voters are not happy with incumbency and the Washington insider mentality. Landrieu is making a big mistake by not engaging, relating to, and personally engulfing a constituency that is skeptical and needs some major reassurance.
And yes, the election is not yet over, but Mary Landrieu is close to being on the ropes. She has less than 10 weeks to turn it all around.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at .   You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Do energy companies have a responsibility to mitigate the damage caused by their drilling for oil and gas in Louisiana?  That’s the issue now being litigated in the controversial levee board lawsuits now in the courts.
Louisiana was seduced by an outside industry full of vast economic promises. The money came in easily and there can be no dispute that many new jobs were created.  But when you put the financial tally to paper, has it been worth it?
A number of Louisiana politicians, including Governor Huey Long in the 1930s, and Plaquemines Parish dictator Leander Perez in the 1950s, made off like bandits by creating family controlled corporations and awarding themselves public oil leases that made them hundreds of millions of dollars.  Oil company cash has flowed into state and local political campaigns for decades.
Perez was particularly aloof from the public interest when he used his political clout to blackmail then Governor Earl Long back in the late 1940s to reject a federal-state split of off shore oil.  President Truman forged a compromise on the federal-state land dispute by offering Louisiana two thirds of all off shore oil out to a three mile boundary, then one third of all production from that point on out into the Gulf. Perez opposed the deal as his “vested interest” made him greedy, and Louisiana ended up receiving not one penny after a protracted battle all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The failure to take this settlement has cost Louisiana, by several studies, more than $500 billion (that’s billon with a “B”) in lost revenue.
Back in the early 70s when I was first elected to the Louisiana senate, 40 percent of the state’s budget came from oil and gas royalties.  This year, some one-billon dollars is budgeted from oil and gas income, but the state budget has grown to $28.5 billion.  So the mineral income is a diminishing return. But still, there’s been a continuing flow of oil money filling the Louisiana state treasury.  But what about the environmental damage left behind? Numerous oil pits and petroleum waste dumps crisscross the state, with a maze of corporations making it often impossible to determine who caused the damage. The hundreds of miles of pipeline cutting through the south Louisiana marsh cause a football field loss of Louisiana land into the Gulf every day. The continuing coastal erosion caused by oil production has dramatically weakened the wetlands hurricane protection system.
History shows that Louisiana and a number of southern states were in the economic doldrums before the advent of oil.  Other Gulf States with no minerals had to create new jobs with the limited resources at hand. Taking the approach that their future economic development was in the heads of their students, these states have jumped ahead of Louisiana in a number of economic and environmental measurements. That’s why universities in surrounding states like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas are ranked considerably ahead of Louisiana’s academic institutions. They had to use their brain power.  But in Louisiana, it was oil.
Remember the 1950s movie Thunder Bay?   Jimmy Stewart plays an oil wildcatter who discovers oil in the Gulf. When the locals rise up in arms, Stewart makes no bones about what they face.  “There’s oil under this Gulf.  We need it.  Everybody needs it.  Without oil, this country of ours would stop and start to die.  And you would die.  You die,” he tells the crowd.  “You can’t stop progress.  Nobody can.”
Stewart might have been right, but history tells us, time and time again, that with resources and power, there is responsibility.  Did Louisiana accept the riches of the land, but fail to demand that those who set the rules, those who govern, be good stewards of these bountiful resources? Or did the state just stand by, pocket the money, and demand little in protection and environmental accountability?
It may not be completely fair to call it a deal with the devil.  But you have to take the bad with the good.  The bucks have been rolling in for years. And now it’s payback time.  So as the blame game and finger pointing continue, there is plenty of fault to go around.  And that’s what this lawsuit against the oil companies is really all about.
“Modern technology owes ecology an apology.”
Alan M. Eddison

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Nixon, Watergate and Louisiana!

Thursday, August 7th, 2014
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Forty years ago this week, Richard Nixon became the first and only president to resign from office.  Those of you too young to remember the events surrounding Watergate missed one of the most riveting episodes of American history.  Nixon survived a number of bitter political fights, but he had always been able to bounce back.  However, it was his own words in secret recordings that he personally authorized in the Oval Office that finally led to his downfall.

Throughout his political career, the 37th President made a number of trips to Louisiana.  Nixon’s first visit to Louisiana was with his wife Pat in 1941, shortly after they were married. “I remember how we were moved by the wonderful food and the good music, but most of all by the warmth of the hospitality,” he often recalled.  He made fast friends with trumpeter Al Hirt and clarinetist Pete Fountain, both of whom he later invited to perform at the White House.

Nixon lost his first bid for President in a close defeat to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Some 10,000 votes could have changed the outcome, and some political observers still feel the election was stolen from Nixon by election shenanigans in Chicago.  Two years later, he tried for a political comeback running for governor of California, but was defeated by then Governor Pat Brown, whose son is the state’s governor today.  Nixon told reporters he was through with politics, and they “wouldn’t have Nixon to kick around any more.”

But rumors surfaced a few years later that he again might be interested in the Republican nomination.  I was class president at Tulane Law School in 1966, and had the chore of arranging speakers.  On a whim, I wrote Nixon asking him to address the Tulane student body.  To my surprise, he accepted.  Over a lite lunch at the Tulane Student Center, he quizzed me about Louisiana politics and asked a number of questions about my background and future plans.  I found him engaging, funny, and quite the dominating figure one would expect of a former Vice President.

I introduced him to the packed crowd, and it was obvious from his remarks that he was running for president again.  He invited my wife to be and me to join him for a Republican Party fundraising dinner that evening, and future governor Dave Treen joined us.  Treen and I both felt like we were listening to the next president.

As the evening ended, his chief of staff asked if I would consider joining the campaign by heading up a Nixon for President group being formed in New Hampshire, the first primary state.  I was tempted, but chose instead to begin a new family and a new law career in the Crescent City.

My only other meeting with Nixon was in July of 1972 at the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in the south Louisiana town of Houma.  We both were there for the funeral of Louisiana Senator Allan Ellender. An hour before the funeral, over a thousand people were packed into the street in front of the entrance. Metal barriers had been set up to keep the crowd at bay, and the church was surrounded by state troopers, local police officers and numerous Secret Service agents. It became obvious why there was so much security. President and Mrs. Nixon were to join a long list of dignitaries to remember the Senator.

I had no official invitation, and was just one of the crowd standing on the outside of the barriers. I was a new state senator then, and I hollered out a greeting to a colleague, state Senator Claude Duvall, who was inside the barrier. It was a stroke of luck, because Claude was in charge of the seating arrangements. He graciously opened up the gate, and led me into the cathedral. Half an hour later, the official delegation that had just arrived from Washington was escorted into the church sanctuary.

When the President entered, he was led by the Secret Service to sit directly in front of me.  I introduced myself and reminded him of his visit to Tulane, and the offer to go up to New Hampshire.  He said that I had missed a great opportunity.

 Watergate proved otherwise. But he also told me that if I had to be living and working somewhere, Louisiana was one of the best places to be.  He sure was right about that.

"You know, I always wondered about that taping equipment but I'm damn glad we have it, aren't you?"

President Richard M. Nixon to Watergate co-conspirator H.R. Haldeman

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at


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Monday, March 31, 2014

 Mama's Friend has a son who just had triplets!!  Can you imagine the sweet little blessings in that home!  Two Girls and a Boy to add to the two Boys that they already have!  What a wonderful family!  My prayers and blessings go to their sweet beginnings.  I sewed up three little baby quilts for the new babies and I'm going to do a couple of pillow cases for the big brothers.
 I drew a picture of an elephant and then cut him out and picked three different fabrics and used heat bond.  Then I did a little (not heavy) zigzag stitch for added security.

And of course what little girls quilt is complete without a few Dresdens.  :)  Oh how I love little Dresdens.
My niece's birthday is coming up and I made her a little zipper pouch and filled it with some goodies.  Oh how I love my little petunia, she's grown up into a beautiful young woman and she's a wonderful Mama.  I will always see her a that little three year old that I covered with petunia from head to toe one blissful summer so long ago.

My heart is full of wonderful thoughts and hopefulness; spring had a way of doing that.

   Oh and if you're looking for some fun charity gatherings then head over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict and see what Sarah has going on with Hands 2 Help

-Little Mama Hen


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Teacher’s Kitty Passed Away Suddenly, But What Her Students Do Next? Just Watch Her Face…

When Mrs. Andrew’s cat passed away one day, her students noticed she was understandably distraught and saddened. So, the kids planned the sweetest surprise possible… During class, they brought her flowers, cupcakes, and balloons to cheer her up.

Mrs. Andrews is clearly surprised and thankful for the kind gesture, but just keep your eyes on her face when she sees her next gift…She never expected this! You’ve got to see her reaction; her face is priceless. Watch:

Now that’s the perfect present to get!—SHARE this sweet video with your friends!

Please leave your comments below:


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Press Release: The Mustang Madness 2016

Mustang, 24th November

The first edition of The Mustang Madness – a cross country mountain bike stage race held in upper and lower Mustang, Nepal started today 24th November 2016. The event is held in 7 stages covering a total distance of 220Km Continued. The first stage of the event started today from Kagbeni (2800m) and ended at Muktinath (3850m) vm1e3fo. Mr. Raj Kumar Shrestha took the lead in first stage with a timing of 57min and 50 seconds, followed by Mr. Buddhi Bahudur Tamang at 1hr2min44seconds. Mr. Man Bahadur Thapa Magar from Nepal Army came in third after completing the stage in 1hr 2min 56 seconds.

Mr. Rajkuram Shrestha said ‘ Trail today was short but  all uphill and tough. The nature of the course changes everyday and there are some big downhills tomorrow. I will try by best to keep this lead.’ Mr. Buddhi Bahadur Tamang who came in second said ‘I took it easy today as it was the first day of the race. From tomorrow I’m giving my 100%.’

Total of 12 participants with 5 internationals registered for this event. Participants are from United Kingdom, Germany and Nepal. Two international participants could not start the race because of extenuating circumstances.

Among the 10 participants 2 are women. In this open competition the prizes are Rs 125,000 (USD 1250) for first, Rs 75,000 (USD 750) for second and Rs 50,000 (USD 500) for third. Winners are decided on aggregate timings from the seven stages. The later stages of this event follows the route of  Chele (2900m), Ghami (3600m), Lo-Manthang (3800m), Tange (3300m) , Marpha(2700m) and ends at Tatopani (1250m). The race ends on 1st December 2016 at Tatopani.

Dedicated to promote and develop the potential of MTB trails and adventure tourism in Nepal, the event is designed to let participants ride their MTBs in exotic Himalayan desert landscapes but also gives them ample time to explore and experience the rich cultural and historical Mustang region of Nepal. Mr. Ian Morrison form Uk said ‘It’s quiet amazing to have a race in this location. It is stunningly beautiful, magical and the landscapes are remarkable. The organizers have done a spending job and so far everything has been absolutely amazing. I am looking forward to the coming stages.’

The event is organized by Adventure Sports Nepal in association with Nepal tourism board and is supported by Himalayan Expeditions and Gnarly Biking. Event organizer Shikhar Pandey says ‘The aim is to develop international standard events using and developing local manpower and skills. This is the first event and we have kept it small but our plan is to make it bigger and better in the coming years.’

Shikhar Pandey

Event Manager