how cute

how cute is this little bunny???.....go to my side bar and click on fuzzy fuzzy cute cute....it will make you smile today!

yall

you need to watch this video....what a fun idea!!! great ideas for Easter...fun for the kids...

click below:

http://www.hgtv.com/videos/chocolate-decorations/2374.html

take time to listen...

I’m Innocent!
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DOWNLOAD: DownloadREAD: James 1:19-25
Be doers of the Word. —James 1:22
All of the students at a school in Florida—2,550 in total—were in trouble. A message system notified every parent that their child (or children) had detention that weekend for bad behavior. Many kids pleaded their innocence, yet some parents meted out punishment anyway. One mother, Amy, admitted that she yelled at her son and made sure he showed up for his detention on Saturday.
To the relief of 2,534 kids, and to the embarrassment of some parents, they discovered that the automated message was sent in error to the entire student body when only 16 kids actually deserved detention! Amy felt so bad about not listening to and believing her son that she took him out for breakfast that Saturday morning.
We all have stories to tell about circumstances that have shown us our need to listen before we speak. We’re naturally tempted to come to quick judgments and react angrily. The book of James gives us these three practical exhortations to deal with life’s stressful situations: “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).
In life’s stresses, let’s be “doers of the Word” (v.22), and take the time to listen and show restraint with our words and anger today. —Anne Cetas
A judgment made without the factsIs sure to be unfair,So always listen to both sides—You’ll find the answer there. —Branon
Listen to understand, then speak with love.

hint

just in case you are checking my blog...here is a "hint" of what is coming in the mail...hopefully this week....to those who contributed to my naming contest!....i got so excited getting this ready for you...and truthfully...originally i was only going to send ONE thing......but then this idea popped into my head...and you are getting TWO things....somehow i seem to always do that to myself......but am having SO SO much fun with the new idea...and of course it will be added to my already long list of "products" i would eventually love to sell......it is through this kind of venture they seem to "get born" for me!"the little Easter girl"

girls!

hey girls! you know who you are....hint...it's in the mail!

our anniversary mountain weekend

so, this past Friday, we packed lightly and headed for the mountains to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary! what a beach does for MOST people...mountains do for us!!! we quite desperately have needed a get away, as it seems we deny ourselves the luxury of "time out"...aka vacation or any kind of respite.....and though a weekend barely meets the need....it sure gave us a head-start....and brought us to the realization of how important it is to pay attention and nurture that need!!!.......well........we fell in love with a little cabin called "Bearly There"......waaaayyyyyy at the top of a mountain.....

so here we are...on our way....

...the little covered bridge on our trek up the mountain....isn't it sooo cute...let me tell ya...my heart was racing...seriously....
when we finally got there after creeping up the mountain, hoping there would be no oncoming traffic...we found our little Red Riding Hood cottage in the woods....called "Bearly There'!....i was almost squealing with delight...from the minute we drove up.......i could see the little lamps on inside...the caretaker had prepared it for us and it was a welcome sight indeed!
this is the view off the screened in back porch!.....ahhh.......peace...quiet....nature...
..the comfy screened in porch....so cozy...so inviting!...altho...believe it or not..it was chilly out there...so we didn't stay there as long as we would have liked to!
...cool view from the porch...

...and yes....there was a deck, with a hot tub....so...my brave sweetie got in...after dark....in 30 degrees temps!!!......i did NOT participate....he loved it....

...here is Larry with binoculars...looking for..., well, for ANY kind of wildlife, really...but we would have LOVED to see a BEAR...that, by the way, is my life long goal...to see a bear in the wild...something i have not seen...YET...i was just sure i was going to fulfill that dream this past weekend...but, alas...these are the only bears we saw....


this little bear watched over us while we slept in our little old fashion feather mattress bed, with a twig headboard! so cozy!
we spied this tennis ball..perfectly wedged into the trees...after reading the guest book we discovered that a guest was throwing the ball for his dog and it lodged in the tree!!!!.....btw.....this was a pet friendly cabin, so, of course, Simba came along with us...he, however did NOT have a good time.....he was so scared and so nervous...we just "knew" he must be smelling a bear....don't you think???
here are the "living quarters"........just right!

...and this is what hubs kept busy with! and oh, how he loved it! and i did too!...it was surprisingly cold way up there on that mountain!....he kept a fire going all Friday nite and all day and nite Saturday!!!!.......it was wonderful!!!!


below is a picture of the cabin when snow was on the ground!

a funny sign on the porch:
...and sadly...the weekend came to a close...and so did the fire....the last few burning embers of the warm, wonderful fire!

a little note....

hey bloggies...i just have to insert a little "disclaimer" here...if you are awaiting your little surprise from me, (if you don't know what i am talking about, read the last few blogs...)........i will be sending them out on Wednesday, not Tuesday, (tomorrow)......be sure you let me know when you get them!!! ;-)

the REVEAL

Good Afternoon , sweet bloggie friends!!! ......ok, here's the scoop!........NO ONE is a WINNER!!! but!

EVERYONE is a winner!!!!!

thank you for all the wonderful , beyond fantastical name ideas!......i loved each and every one! they really got my juices flowing and my mind working.....and tho i am sure i should have had my mind on more important things in life......i thought a LOT about this name thing!.......in the course of that thinking process......i started feeling that the doll's name should reflect her blonde hair and pig tails.......so of course Dutch names come to mind.....Scandinavian names come to mind......

then i looked up vintage names and came upon many that each of you had already suggested, plus more, of course....i stumbled upon Flossie...it really caught my eye....she was from a long ago book...can't remember which one...like Little Women...or one of those series books from my childhood years......however....i got past that one, as more of YOURS came to me...... there definitely turned out to be like a top 3....but i dare not mention them because i truly loved all of your suggestions!!!

BUT!

in the end...i really did not use any of the exact combinations you gave me......however, if i were to declare a winner..it would have to be my friend Lynn, the shy one, who submitted so many darling names, because i chose the first name from her list.....

SO!

here she is with her new name!

okay......so don't jump to conclusions...that i am not keeping my word!!! even tho we all know this is just for fun....i did, after all, promise a PRIZE!...so keep reading!!!

BUT!

first let me tell you why i chose this name....you must pronouce and say it with a bit of a "whimsical" twist, perhaps somewhat like an Italian chef would put his/her two fingers to his lips and throw his hands in the air, saying something mmm-goodish in Italian...ya know what i mean, jelly bean???..you have to make it "dance" off your tongue, got the picture? well, i hope so!.....cuz it does make a difference, REALLY!.....like....CLARa isaBELLA!....get it?

.i looked up the meaning of these words and loved the name further! here is what i found:

Clara means clear, bright, famous

Isabella means consecrated or devoted to God...however...

Bella on it's own means beautiful....

i just loved the whole combination...too bad this is not a real live child!!! (ha).......

so i came up with :

Clara....is.....a.....bella...

get it?

well, enuf of my whimsy for the day....here is where YOU come in, those of you who gave me your wonderful name suggestions!!! i am going to send each of you a little gift from me, just cuz i want an exuse to do so!!!......so i need your addresses.....please email them to : ugogrl52@windstream.net.. watch your mailboxes!!!..please let me know when you get your gift....i will try to mail them out by next Tues., so don't forget to send me your addresses!...

and thank you for the fun you have allowed me, and hopefully you had fun as well!!!!

flowers from my hunny

today is our wedding anniversary...and sad to say...we spent it apart for the first time ! i know, i know....so ...just ...so...

WRONG, right?...well, it can't be helped...if we want to continue to pay the bills....so, alas....we celebrate in our hearts!!!..........don't feel too sorry for us...we are celebrating this weekend with a little rendevous in the mountains!

anyhoo....these flowers arrived today from the Mr....i love them!

NAME UPDATE !

okay, so i want to thank y'all for the names so far...i love so many of them...maybe i should go buy some more vintage dolls so i can use them!.......well..i will work on that one.....but i do have several favorites and i am trying to "narrow" them down!.....so....here's the gig: you have til tomorrow nite to send me more names......then, Wednesday i will annouce the winning name and another surprise announcement!!!!.....woot woot!

bday surprise!

today two little heads peeked in the classroom at Michael's where i was working and surprised me with a beautiful vase of flowers and the most darling little doggie cake i have ever seen! the little dog is actually two little cupcakes...is it not to die for cute??? the two little monkeys were Carter and Ava! we shared lots of hugs and kisses and thank you's and they went on their merry way!!! what a sweet and pleasant surprise!!!

i told you!

well, here it is....a "hint" of what the winning name's contributor will get......this is the original artwork,(that has to stay with me) manipulated in an editing program......i will create something for you involving these characters!!!.........remember...keep it vintage...keep it whimsical...keep it original!!! i love the names so far!!!

enter as many names as you can possibly think of!!!

antiquing is a GOOD thing!

do you not just LOVE this darling little vintage doll i found in a flea market/antique store????

i absolutely fell in love with her, while cruising the shops with Ron and Nancy last week! along with many other things, i must confess...but this little gal stole my heart!.......she is very vintage.... i don't have any stats on her...would love to know how old she is.....she is in excellent condition.....but definitely NOT a copy.....her arms and legs are some kind of a vinyl.... her face is in such good condition! obviously she wasn't PLAYED with much, if at ALL.........i am guessing late 40's into the 50's?????? anybody out there in blog land have any ideas?????

i haven't named her yet...feel free to contribute your ideas about that too! IN FACT.......random thought here...........please leave a name suggestion...and IF i choose your name......i PROMISE to send you something artsy i have made!!! DEAL????????????????? .....i want a vintage name....a sweet name......she is in ballet attire.....

i will look forward to your ideas........... i am NOW rolling around ideas for my "artsy" gift to the winner!!!

how fun! i love to give things away!!!!

NASCAR

see the SEA of people??? well, i was one of the umpteen millions (or so it seemed) attending the Atlanta Speedway to view the Nascar races last Sunday! i felt all along i would be punished for skipping church, yup....that musta been the problem!!

seriously...we had friends from Iowa who are NASCAR junkies through and through who were taking a vacation to the south and to see us...and Nascar just "happened" to be occuring simutaneously with their vacation dates! woohoo! at first we declined going with them...we have NEVER been to a race...and quite frankly felt it was just a little "too" expensive...however, when we found out they could get us half price tickets...we caved in!...after ALL what harm could there be??? it might be FUN, right???? we should LOVE it, right????? after all, THEY LOVE IT!!! isn't that PROOF enuf???..........

hmmmmmmmm, well......i must preface the remainder of my comments and musings with the following statements....firstly.....i, in no way am criticizing the sport or our dear friends who love it!....and secondly.....Larry loved it.....so the rest of this post is MERELY the thoughts in my own head!!!!

i thought i would share with you what was really going on in my thought process from the very beginning to the very end...thoughts and then actual happenings......so bear with me!

i started the day with hopeful thoughts, thinking perhaps this might be somewhat like a carnival, with happiness and laughter all around...they wanted to arrive early, so as to be able to "shop" the racer's "wares".....SHOP, i thought to myself.....well, shopping is always a good thing, at least i think it is......surely i will find something very wonderful to buy also!.......so off we went, bright and early....OFF TO THE RACES!!!

...so we get there....and all of a sudden i realize we had to park about 100 miles from the actual event...well, not really...that is just how it 'felt" to me.....so we start the 'trek"....all the while seeing tail-gating galore...and did you KNOW that people actually CAMP for a week before the races right at the race track????......i find this unbelievable...but WHATEVA!

well, SOON......we, the females have to go to the bathroom...i was OVER-FLOATING from the many cups of coffee i had, JUST to wake me up and get me going that morning.....and we look around...and all we could see was row after row of, yup, you guessed it...OUTHOUSES!!!........there is NOT a more disgusting and disappointing site than that to me....while my eyeballs are floating.....and what is worse...the men and women used the SAME ones...oh ugh , puke, sick, vomit....i can hardly stand the thought of that, but there they were...men AND women in the same lines.....oh, what to do, what to do, i asked myself...then realizing i had NO choice...or just have WET pants....so we get in line.....and soon realize that the women were coming out of those pit holes saying there was NO toilet paper...so...ONLY the men could use them (and for only one thing...if ya know what i mean here folks)

so we excercise our cagleing ability and "hold" it......and trekked on to the information booth....and they duly pointed us to the restroom building! aha....they ARE civilized!!!....well, relief came and now we are ready to SHOP!!!......

or so i thought.....but actually........WHO wants to pay $25.00 for a cap or a shirt with a race car driver's name, who i never even KNEW existed before this day????.......not me...i would rather save my shopping money for TJ Maxx......so, well, NO shopping today......

meanwhile.......the wonderful cool breeze of the beautiful morning air was quickly turning into HEAT and BLAZING SUN....and if you know ME AT ALL....you KNOW...i am not a happy camper in temperatures above 70 and i literally melt in the sunlight......oh boy........and of course along with the heat comes the humidity...which leads to very BAD hair.......and melting make up.......and, well, you fill in the blanks....just let me tell ya...NOT A PRETTY PICTURE!

so along our way we go, and finally it is time to enter the stadium and find our seats......we do that and get settled.....and i knew Ron and Nancy were alive with anticipation and Larry was too.....but the minute my behind hit those horrible hard and unforgivable aluminum seats, and as soon as i realized the sun was BEATING into my left side with the utmost of heat and burning.......i was in for REAL trouble....i wanted to cry, scream, run, or all three, but i DARED not to...i certainly did not want to be the "big baby" and ruin everyone's fun....so i endured...and i do mean that in every sense of the word.....along with the enduring...i prayed...really i did...for a breeze...just any ol breeze...please, please Lord....and maybe just send that sun behind a cloud for the rest of the day....PLEASE!.......

somewhere along the way...they handed me a cap........so i put it on my already destroyed hair do...thinking how on earth can i add HAT head to the mess???

now, in the mean time.........NO ONE on planet earth could have prepared me for the NOISE!!! i did know there would be noise and i knew we might need headphones or ear plugs, but NO, dear bloggies, did i dream there would be noise like that!!!....it hurt my head, it hurt my eyes, it hurt my skin...and it definitely hurt my HAIR!!!.........i used the ear plugs because, seriously if i had put those headphones on my already heated up ready to explode head.....well, that is just what would have happened ...an explosion of expansive proportions, no doubt!

so i endured...and endured......i tried to act like i knew what was going on.....but honestly...it didn't even look like a race to me.....just going around and around and around.....only once in a while a little excitement....i was actually sitting there thinking..oh i hope there is a crash, or a fire...and massive danger...oh my word...then i thought how horrible of me to think in such a way....but the races i saw as a kid were on the fairgrounds and they TORE up the track and knocked everyone else OUT!! and i loved it.......but, no, this was too sophisticated, i guess...so i sat, and endured, and sweat, and twisted and turned, trying to believe aluminum really is comfortable, it's all in me head, it's all in me head.....and FINALLY! Nancy asks me to accompany her to the ladie's room!..........ahhhh.........finally,.....a way to escape, if but for a few minutes!.......

well, i gotta tell ya......once i got out of there...WILD horses couldn't have drug me back to my seat........so i, alone, sat outside the stadium for the rest of the race...people watching and counting the minutes!!!

Finally it was time to leave...and guess what happened to me??? i was wearing flip flops and of course they decided to FLOP...one of them broke and i now had to walk around concrete, gravel, trash, glass and whatever else debris...with one flip flop on and one flip flop off...i tried walking bare foot...and it was just too painful...so i HOBBLED all the way to the car.....like the ol grampa on the real McCoys!!!.......NO KIDDING.... i was so embarrassed.......at first...then i realized that i was a site for sore eyes and things couldn't get much worse anyway......

oh....air conditioning, home, bed, civilization never felt so good!!!!

Larry said his highlight of the day was when, after the race had evidently started.....(i had been listening for "GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES".....but never heard it).......and about 5 minutes into the race i leaned over and SCREAMED to him........has it started????...i seriously wasn't sure...there sure wasn't anything exciting happening down there!....he was laughing his head off...but no one heard it because NO ONE COULD HEAR ANYTHING!

suffice it to say...i will NOT be attending Nascar any time soon.....but give me an old honky tonk fairground race at NIGHT...and i'll be there with bells on!...or maybe checkered pants on, who knows!

coming soon!....a post about my NASCAR EXPERIENCE!...

this is such a good reminder, from Our Daily Bread

March 8, 2009
The Time Will Come
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DOWNLOAD: DownloadREAD: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. —2 Timothy 4:3
A USA Today article describes how parents today seek to initiate their children into a world of all faiths. Ema Drouillard, who runs a ceremony service, was asked by a couple to conduct a service for their baby, Greer. The mother said, “We just wanted a larger spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn’t want to get specific. I wanted all her bases covered.” The couple said, “We just do Christianity L-I-T-E” for Greer, who “believes in angels and fairies, leprechauns and Santa Claus.” This illustrates the low value placed on scriptural truth that is so prevalent in our culture today.
The apostle Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would prefer “lite” spiritual meals and would not tolerate substantive teaching (2 Tim. 4:3-4). He predicted that false teaching would increase and be embraced by many because it caters to the needs of their flesh. They have a craving to be entertained and desire teaching that leaves them with good feelings about themselves. Paul instructed Timothy to combat this by teaching doctrines according to God’s Word. The purpose of his instruction was to correct, rebuke, and encourage others (v.2).
As believers we are called to teach and obey the Word of God, not to scratch the itches of our culture. —Marvin Williams
Lord, teach us from Your holy WordAll error to discern,And by Your Spirit’s light help usFrom Satan’s snares to turn. —Bosch
Stand on the Word of God and you won’t fall into error.

To realize The value of a sister:

Ask someone Who doesn't have one.

To realize The value of ten years:

Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize The value of four years:

Ask a graduate.

To realizeThe value of one year:

Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realizeThe value of nine months:

Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realizeThe value of one month:

Ask a mother who has given birth to A premature baby.

To realizeThe value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realizeThe value of one minute:

Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realizeThe value of one-second:

Ask a person Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

LOSE ONE..