Opposites Certainly Do Attract

Just a reminder: 
For those of you who don't know or realize it, I have a Pinterest page with well over 11,000 images. All "eye candy" you would love to see. I post daily or at least very often there. Go visit it. I really don't like tooting my own horn but I will here: In just 6 short months, there are 7,500 followers there, so you know the images are beautiful. Your choice. But if I were you, I wouldn't miss them. ;-)
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Stymies me: 
Why don't I have any tattoos? For the same reason you don't put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari. I see the most beautiful young women, and young men for that matter, who have gorgeous skin—youthful, glowing, smooth, vibrant—and just want to cry. I couldn't put something on my skin that diminishes the skin I was born with.
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Men who leave 10 minutes early to go 1/2 block but wait until 8 minutes to the hour to go 1 and 1/2 miles to pick up a companion to go back the 1 and 1/2 miles to visit another person. Sigh. You know this happened in this household, right?
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The train wreck that recently happened in Spain was caused by the engineer being on his cell phone. Now that hundreds of people are dead because of that, maybe he'll be a bit more careful. Hmmmmm? Sickens me, because I've very nearly been hit by women talking on their cells while driving.
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My hubby and I are both fairly smart, but we're smart in different things. He can talk to someone for hours about different trains, but he can't concentrate on another language enough to learn it. I, on the other hand, know not a thing about trains but I can whip him savagely in learning languages. I'm more of the arts and he's more of the sciences. But as I've said before, we are different in so many ways. Once a man told us while we were together that we were nothing alike. We looked at each other and smiled because we've been married over 52 years. I almost said to the man, "It must be the sex." If I had, I have no doubt he would have been flustered. He's a man that wouldn't say much and would probably blush. But we've made it this far and I expect we'll go out of this world together and spend the rest of eternity together. Opposites can very well do great together with a commitment to love each other to the end of time and beyond and we do.

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A beautiful window. Too bad it has to have iron bars on it. Looks to be in another country though. Actually, I think the bars add interest to the window.

Tulips and narcissus.

Just a simple, beautiful basket of fading roses.

Oh, yum! I love chocolate and coconut together. I'm such a sucker for sweets.

A very cute and open kitchen. Love that look.

Gorgeous camellia.

A sweet vignette in a house. Living here would be relaxing I think.

More gorgeous pillows to drool over. Love these.

A homeowner who loves to sew cute pincushions to look like cookies.

Another relaxing area in a backyard.

I wish I had a space for a couple of these eggs. I'd make them in a minute. They are so cute. Maybe I'll make a few to put in a bowl somewhere in this house.

I saw this and thought it was delightful. How cute it is to place pretty flowerpots on a short ladder like that!

A charming blue and red bedroom.

I'm lovin' this colorful small kitchen and dining room in my favorite colors, pink and red.

And another crafter put her talents to good use. Adorable.

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Tidbits:

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs had his first job at age two when he modeled in an ad for Baskin-Robbins ice cream shops.

Steve Martin once worked at Disneyland selling maps and guidebooks.

Billy Bob Thornton once spent eighteen month working in a Los Angeles pizza parlor. He was so good he work his way up to assistant manager.
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Linking up with Pink Saturday, French Country Cottage, 

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A Woman's Decision

Beginning with today's post, I'm taking a break. There are a lot of things going on in my life, just like all of you. It may be a week, two weeks or a month. We'll see what happens. I just need to get some things done I've been putting off for a long time. But I truly thank all of you who follow and/or read my blog.
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Several weeks ago, we all read about Angelina Jolie having her breasts removed. I'm not fond of her, but I salute her decision to take a very pro-active stance on her body. I'd do the same thing. In fact, I did many years ago.

I'll not go into the details as it's very personal and it wasn't cancer but I made a decision for health reasons and would do it again in a heartbeat. Breasts are not the be all/end all to some women or men. I doubt seriously that many men, and I do mean men, not the narcissistic idiots that come out of Hollywood, marry women for their breasts. I know my hubby didn't. I've talked on this matter before on one of my blog posts. Some women are identified by their chests; I'm not one of them. Be happy with what you have. There are health risks to women with larger breasts. There are also other considerations with that also. I chose to do what I did and was extremely happy with the results.

But I'm glad it was brought to the forefront for women. Don't be afraid to take a pro-active stand on your health matters. Listen to your doctor but make your own decision. He'll inform you but he shouldn't be the one to make a decision for your own body. I'm certainly glad Miss Jolie did what she did so she wouldn't leave her children without a mother. Children need their mothers as much as they need their fathers. Wise decision, in my opinion.
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A very colorful entrance to an adorable place somewhere in Europe. France and Italy are pretty similar in their homes, all very lovely and fascinating architecture. This is a darling place though.

I love gorgeous arrays of pillows as art. I'm thinking of having Love Bunny make me shelves for the family room to display pillows I've made. I need to make more room in my office, where most of them are stored, and in my craft room. I'll be cleaning that out soon. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're heard that before, but this time I mean it as it's getting seriously trashed in there.

Another exceptional place for an al fresco dinner.

A stunning bunch of lavender. I'm not fond of the smell but its medicinal value is wonderful for burns.

An array of vintage hats. How wonderful that this owner was able to get so many with flowers on them.

I'd love to have this small vase. I know exactly where I'd use it.

I love impatiens for their strikingly vivid colors.

Don't we all wish we could create a cute vignette like this? I'd just love to have that old ice cream parlor chair!

Looks like British Colonial decor to me.

Just a bit of lace juxtaposed with peeling windows.

A place to sit and dream while surrounded with gorgeous roses.

These are French-enameled measuring cups. Cute!!!

A beachy-type decor. I do love the colors.

I just loved the stairs in this old home. I doubt I'd ever feel safe going up and down on them. I need a handrail as I'm a klutz, but I love the look. The stone fireplace is also a plus in this house.

A way to decorate a canning car. Just put earrings on it and it's an instant vase.

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Tidbit:

The Houses of Parliament have nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, 8 bars, and 6 restaurants—none of them open to the public.
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A Question I Asked Hubby

When my granddaughter was here in March, I had her try on my wedding dress. I just wanted to see if it would fit or, truthfully, see how much larger than her I was as a bride. She's normally a size 2, but is probably a 4 right now because of the pregnancy but she gets weight off so easily I could scream. Ain't so with her grandma! Anyway, it wouldn't even zip up past her hips. Talk about depressing. I thought I'd cry since I was smaller than her when I got married. She's always been tiny even at 5' 4 1/2" tall, exactly like me. My daughter, her mother, is 5' 11" tall. I am the shortest one of our family. Granddaughter is also endowed with the family chest. We all have more than is wanted in that department. Just our heritage as my mother, all my aunts, my maternal grandmother and most of my cousins are well-endowed in that area. Why is it that all of us who have it don't want it and others who don't have it want more? A friend of mine is small and would like a bit more, but I'm always telling her: No, you don't. You really don't.

But that brought me to asking hubby about it. I said, "As a man, why do all of you look at the chests at women?" He, being a man, should know. His very serious answer? "We're hard-wired." I nearly fell over laughing. He's so honest about it. He looks at women just like any other man. I doubt most women are that concerned about the size of their chests.

Oh, and granddaughter? She eats like a horse. I mean she packs it away. Candy? Loves it! Pie, cake, ice cream? Eats it often. Always has to have dessert when we go out to eat. And just like me, if I bake a pie or cake for a special occasion, I have to eat some as soon as it cools from the oven. Drives my hubby nuts. That happened at Thanksgiving at her house. I baked the pie the day before and she and I had some. Hubby just glared at us both. She's so like me, more than her mother really. She just never seems to get fat. Life is not fair!
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A beautiful clearing in a yard for this dining setting and torches walkway, lots of plants and a building with a canvas top. Perfect for warm evening dinners.

Looks like a large kitchen in the mountains if looking through that far window. It looks like snow covered mountains back there. But it is a huge kitchen.

This must be a very northern European country photo of a living room. You get such marvelous light in that part of the world and simple lines of furniture with bright coverings for the furniture.

Another way to store your bedding and laces. Charming.

A sweet setting of flowers on a charming table.

What a tub to bathe in. Lots of room around for setting soaps, towels, bottles of scents and perfumes, and candles.

Another beautiful purple decorated bottle.

Aren't these cute?! A really fun way to jazz up your paper clips.

Has to be in Europe somewhere. Beautiful lavender and periwinkle wisteria.

A door to an old cottage with a purple door, knocker, mail slot and a #10 on its door.

It took a brave person to paint her gate this color, a woman with vision I think. Just beautiful!!!!

Another compact kitchen but elegantly appointed with essentials.

A bed or sofa to dream in with a canopy overhead and done in relaxing white with 2 splashy throw pillows for color.

I. Want. This. Purse! It's the cutest thing I've seen in  froufrou bags.

I'm still working on my 2 French cane chairs. Maybe soon I'll have them all done and can show them to you.

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Tidbit:

Spam filters that catch the cord "Cialis" will not allow many work-related emails through because that word is embedded inside the word "specialist."
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Living A Beautiful Life...Sometimes

During the 1970s and 1980s, I discovered Alexandra Stoddard and her books. I fell in love. If you've never read any of her books, you've missed a lot. The first book I read was Living A Beautiful Life. It changed my life as I've said before. I've read, and have, several of her books. They're calm and beautiful to read. She can be spiritual also. But it's her sense of how to live a beautiful life that drew me to her books.

I was working as the highest paid woman in a very top Fortune 500 company at the time and needed more serene time in my life. Those books taught me how to achieve it. While, she's a top decorator, and one of my favorites, she's a prolific author also. She has a keen sense of color and fabric. Her books take you on a journey to find happiness in this life.

A few weeks ago while cleaning out some beautiful storage boxes in which I have papers, ephemera, my clay flowers, etc. stored, I came across some of her Beautiful Living Companion brochures she would send out to us subscribers. I loved receiving them but I don't think she kept it up very long as she was too busy. But in one, and there are no dates on these, just volume numbers, it had to be from the 80s, I found a quote from her I'd like to share.

"There is no beauty without order. I've discovered that to the degree that we are organized we are in control of our lives. Haven't you found that the times when you allow your life to overwhelm you with chaos are the times when you are going through emotional turmoil as well?"

I found my answer is exactly as she spells it out. I'm not only disordered in my life/home, etc, but in my mind also. I'm not attending to my garden: the one I have in my head and the one I have when I sweep my arms out to encompass my life and home or, in other words, my environment. I have to have a calm talk with myself and sometimes it takes more than a one-time sit-down. Sometimes, it takes days or even a few weeks to get that calmness I need to pursue something. But absolutely first, comes the ease of the mind. Then comes the "getting to it" of it. That's how I function most of the time and I'm guessing a lot of you mimick that as well. Think on that statement. It has certainly helped me. There are times when I simply sit and read for hours and hours upon days and days because I just can't handle much at that moment. No, I'm not fragile, just have to contemplate it for a while. And my sweet, sweet hubby accommodates anything I want to do. He's my angel. Sometimes, I truly wonder how he puts up with me. Truly.
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A dining room that pleases me. Chairs are darling. She has a bench on one side. Lots of pink, polka dots, checks and stripes. Lovely!

My kind of vignette also.

Love the sofa but where do I sit on it?! Beautiful pillows also.

We should all be lucky to have a dishwashing/sink area like this. Loooove it!!!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Dream on, bloggers.

A sweet night light. We have some of these for emergencies. I just thought of something: I could froufrou them up and bring them in from the garage. Today is the day I do that!

A very clever idea for old spoons and teacups: make it into a hanging lamp.

See, I told you leather sofas could be beautiful in a shabby chic home.

I recently went to a blog when she posted on mine. I'd never heard of her before, but on her blog sidebar she has a saying: I just want to make pretty things even if no one cares. My thoughts exactly. I feel the same way. I just want pretty things around me even if no one understands it.

I would give much to have this gorgeous pink cabinet. I don't think I've ever seen one so beautiful.

I love pretty cakes and these are indeed beautiful.

A house filled with roses can never be ugly. I can't wait until our rose bushes start blooming.

I also love pretty clocks and have more than I need, even in the living room I have 4 pretty ones, all working.

While the chair is lovely, the cushion is what makes it look so comfy.

Several years ago, my daughter gave me some Old Country Roses cups and saucers as she had place settings for about 25 people. She was scaling down. I decorated them and placed them around the house, but this one tipped on its side and made to look like a birds nest is prettier and much more clever than mine. Love it. Maybe I'll redo a few of them like this.

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Tidbit:

 Steven Spielberg is Drew Barrymore's godfather. After seeing her nude in Playboy magazine, he sent her a blanket with a note telling her to cover herself up.
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Linking up with NMH Open House Party and Pink Saturday.

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