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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Oh, Reeeeeeeeeeeaaaally??
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Secrets You Can Learn from the Tools of a Trade
The barn and milking parlor I am attempting to paint for Joann represent the dairy farm Raymond had. If you've ever been on a dairy farm or lived downwind of a dairy farm, you might have an inkling of the work involved. I am pretty sure my inkling is a very slight fraction of the whole picture of being a dairy farmer, though.
Joann, when I look at that saw and try to remember the dairy farm, I realize how little I know about your dad. I know I loved his smile behind the glasses. I know every Sunday after Thanksgiving, I will not fail to think of Raymond when I hear the first car coming down the driveway at my mom and dad's. I know Raymond always seemed an especially happy soul amongst all the Greers coming and going at a gathering.
On the surface, the things I don't know (or have forgotten if I did know them when I was a kid) are most probably easily answered. How did Raymond come to be a dairy farmer? He obviously liked to build things; did he sometimes work construction, too? When he moved off the dairy farm, was his workshop enough to keep him happily occupied or did he still miss the daily rhythms of the farm?
Somewhere in here, the line of thought becomes more than just points connected by a straight edge. The "line" of thought becomes more of a branched tree of many thoughts. When I hold the handle of that saw and contemplate how to make those damn dairy cows in the pasture look like cows and not some random splotches of paint with four legs and a tail, it's not just the painting on my mind. I wonder whether your dad enjoyed morning or evening milkings the most and what it was about those times of day he liked best. I wonder if he stopped to watch the sun rise every morning, listened to farm reports on the radio, and worried about the price of milk and what it meant for his way of life. I wonder what he looked at and mused about when he sat outside the screen door of the milking parlor and took a break.
And you know I have all sorts of questions about the things he made in his workshop, why he made them, and why this saw with the broken handle saw so much use. Just this last time when we were home, Pop was talking about some of the things his daddy had the boys do. Granddaddy Greer had those five boys doing all kinds of things and writing this makes me wonder what Uncle Bill taught Raymond and the rest of his kids. You know, I mostly remember Uncle Bill after his stroke, remember him calling Aunt Lula from his bed. "Luuuuuuluuuuuuuuuu, can I have some candy?" "Luuuuuuuluuuuuuu?" Your daddy moved into town next door to them around that time, right? How many memories of his dad before the stroke joined him in his workshop?
If I sat quietly with my right hand gripping the handle of this saw, would I be able to feel any of the thoughts Raymond felt when he was woodworking? The handle has been worn smooth by use. Would I be able to hold it and feel the rhythm and the sweat that wore it down to this point? What secrets about shaping wood would it teach me? You can learn a lot from the tools of someone's trade. . .
P.S. I know my little brother is standing over your shoulder while you read this. He's probably making a crack about me doing too much talking and not enough working. He might even be right. . . but I bet he also knows this isn't just any old handsaw blade that needs painting ;-)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
P.S. And Then the Little Birdie Said I Oughtta Tell You About These Peeps!
- Mallory's blog, For the Love of Beads, is a wonderful place! You can see her glass creations, read her goals for the new year, read reviews of lots of interesting artists' shops from Etsy, and smile at Spike the doggie!
- The Ramblings of a Lunatic Mom and Lampworker is Michelle's way of connecting with glass folks and friends. Check out her glass goodies, marvel at how the boys seem to get cuter every time you see them, and high five Mich for sticking up for what she believes is right!
- PEtra suggests http://carocolor.blogspot.com/ for a good read, and I suggest PEtra's own Beadnik blog and see what's happening with this "contemporary glass beadmaker...from outerspace." Just scroll down the page for all kinds of terrific glass and photographs-- PEtra is one of the bestest!
Another thing I'd like to do is say a big THANK YOU to Capt. Elaine for passing along a blog award! Yep, the internet sure does a lot in the way of bringing us all together with people who share our interests! Isn't it great?
P.S. Here are some more peeps that little birdie told me you might enjoy:
- The Bead Blog
Woohooooooooo! That oughtta keep ya entertained and happy for a while! Now, to figure out how to escape the Mommy-Brain Syndrome today and get some work done. With temperatures in the teens, the kiddos won't stay outdoors for very long at a time. Two snow days in a row is practically guaranteed to result in a few minor squabbles, don't ya know!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Little Birdie Told Me!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Speaking of Developing Your Own Style. . .
We've been talking about "How to Dress Like an Artist," as well as the artist's cloak (remember the last paragraph?). The point of these blurry faux action shots of Katie (okay, okay, I forgot the camera was in no flash mode) is that outrageous style is something some people develop early in life. I think that's the point. . .but you know me and rambling thoughts, so who knows what ideas we'll stumble across today :)
Kate is a non-girly-girl after her own Mommy's heart, except she does non-girly-girl with a flair I could never have imagined when I was six years old and she's been dressing herself since she was four! Some of those early combinations of red with pink or shinysequineddressup with t-shirt were a little much. I would make her switch to jeans instead of the fake fur pretend dressup skirt before we left the house. Occasionally, I would look the other way when she chose plastic Barbie-style high heels instead of real shoes.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Draw with a Pen-- Just Do It, My Friend!
This is what happens when Katie "just feels like drawing a house, not a particular house but just what I want to draw." Kate's stylized people are very intriguing to me. Lately, they have developed a few very long eyelashes at the corners of their eyes, and this slight exaggeration does much to tell you about each character. I also really like the towers she added to her house, very magical. Way to go, K-a-t-i-e!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
How to Dress Like an Artist, the I'm a Grown Woman and I Just Wear What I Like Edition
- First admission. I have always wanted to look like one of those people with "style," one of those casual but elegant women who can mix vintage and modern and end up looking like they stepped out of a magazine instead of like someone threw them into a thrift store dressing room and made them get dressed in 30 seconds. It seems that these women are almost always the creative or artistic type. I thought that would be me, but I'm always a day late for the newest trend and a dash of flair too short. So, even though I've always wanted to look like an artist, I've never quite gotten the hang of this sort of style. . .and I sigh when I admit to myself that I don't really want to go to any of the trouble these women do in order to look that way.
- Besides those unique women who have that casual but elegant and creative look, have I ever really paid attention to how someone's dress fits in with their creative/artistic background? Yes and no. Yes, because during college, I could pick out the art majors a mile away (it had to be the burgundy hair flashing against the black trenchcoats). No, because I've learned you usually can't read the entire book of a person's life and personality by simply skimming part of a chapter. I remember one of the librarians during my grade school years. She looked like an "artist" to me, with her hippie-cleaned-up-for-a-day-job clothes and long hair in braids. . .but she was a librarian, and her husband was the artist in the family. Looks can be deceiving, no?
- I think for me, once I really found the medium (glass!! hot, molten glass!!) that let's me express myself, I started feeling confident and complete on the inside. Dang, all of a sudden my preference for worn out t-shirts and torn jeans makes sense! I can work in those. I can wipe spilled bead release on the hem of my t-shirt. Who cares if the glass spits and pops little pieces onto my old jeans when I'm torching? If I want to practice using that hand-me-down welding machine (oh, I gotta get that thing out again!), then short hair that springs back to wild, uncontrolled life after I remove the welding helmet is perfect.
- But do I *look* like an artist? Ummm, no. I don't think so. . . unless you look beyond the clothes and start to see me. See my obvious delight when someone asks what I make. See my eyes twinkle when I tell someone else, "Oh, you can do that, and here's why I know you can." See my ears perk up when someone has a new tool or a piece of scrap metal or a bit of glass. See all those things about me, the way I notice and admire those same types of things about you, and you'll never forget I am someone passionate about making things. That, right there, is my artist's cloak of many colors, and I like to think I wear it well :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
If You Fill It, Will the Squirrels Come?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
C'Mon, Show Me a Great Piece of Glass!
There's mine, along with a link to more pictures of her in my BeadArtists.org gallery pages. Okay, I showed you mine. Now, it's time for you to show us yours :) Leave me a link in the comments, and I'll post your name and the link right under this paragraph. Get click happy, peeps! Let's have some fun!
Deborah's Glass Beads-- Hey, Deb, great to see ya! I love this green in Electrical Static!
Lindis is a gorgeous piece of glass wrapped into a glorious pendant, DaBatt Deb!
Oh, my, talk about Fire and Ice and demanding but delectable Divas! Check Mallory's newest ladies!
Yummy! Marcy's given everyone an Ice Cream Mini-tutorial!
Diana, your ceramic and glass goodies are yet another fine example of great glass!
Thanks for playing and clicking, everyone!!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
This Much I Know Is True :-)
- Boys will be boys will be boys, especially when it comes to toys. Uncle Bubby was quite delighted to show James the car collection again this weekend. The difference this time is that James has started to really notice cars. Yesterday morning, he ran out of the house in sock feet to get a closer look at the car. Mind you, this is the car he has ridden in off and on since his birth. Mind you, it was still verrrrrrrry cold outside. Why did he run outside without his shoes? Because I had the car's trunk lid up and he had to see "if those are two different lights on the back of the car, Mom. Can't you see it? The red lights are on the bottom *and* on the trunk. That's sweeeeeet!" So, you can imagine James' newfound delight at the thought of getting to inspect the car collection in Uncle Bubby's room!
- Time stands still in Michael's (or Hobby Lobby or any other craft store) and in Barnes & Noble. This is especially true if you do not have these types of stores in your hometown. Whenever I come to my parents' for a visit, I almost always end up going to Michael's and the bookstore, even if I can't think of a single thing I need. Today was one of those days, and I thoroughly enjoyed browsing all around Michael's, even though I walked out empty handed. Ah, the bookstore was nice, too. I snagged a book about labyrinths for $4. Can't wait to open that up and browse.
- Winter is beautiful, really it is. I know that to be true, really I do. I'm trying to convince myself that I can stand a few more months of such beauty. I'll let you know how that goes...when I unthaw!
- A bit of inspiration in the form of a colorful picture is always welcome! Check out Mallory's blog (For the Love of Beads, in the side bar) to see an awesome set of pictures of her lava lamp, as well as a creative challenge. Looks like fun!
- When you start out by saying "this much I know is true," you will inevitably tick off your muse and not be able to think of all the important things you wanted to include in such a list, LOL. Guess that means tonight is a short one, folks! Hope you've each had a terrific weekend and that Monday treats ya right!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Little Mrs. Merry Freaking Sunshine Says:
- It is always easier to apologize than to ask permission.
- A half-assed, but-let-me-explain-why apology is not a real apology.
- When the world hands you lemons, ask if you can please substitute limes, and make a big margarita. Once again, I think I am fixated on warm places and vacations at the moment, LOL.
- Don't Dish. Don't Direct. For crying out loud, if you're gonna watch t.v., then go ahead and put up with cable's constant price increases. Trust me. The satellite always messes up in the middle of the fourth down or at the most dramatic point of the movie.
- Aw, come on, don't even try to tell me you didn't see that 25 m.p.h. sign! This might be the first house as you leave the farmland and come into our little town, but surely you can spare a minute of your drive, especially if you are driving one of those tractor trailers to the grain elevator...Damn, son, you've got the rest of the winter to sell that grain, but my children are gonna cry for months and months if you run over their cat. P.S. It's quite likely that someone is going to have to restrain me to keep me from personally going to hunt you down and torture you until one of us dies if you lose control of that vehicle and come up in my yard and endanger my children in any way.
- Read the directions, okay? If you can't understand them, then ask someone. Seriously. Dude, I have a college education and still have trouble understanding some directions...but if I need to ask a question, then I do it.
- Thank goodness, the houses in this neighborhood are far enough apart that we can't look out the kitchen window straight into their dining table to see what's for supper. Of course, this could come in handy if your neighbor happens to be a really great cook. Let me tell you, though, while we are looking for houses and are tempted by beautiful houses that happen to be set very close to other houses, it is good to be reminded that a neighbor can make or break your peace at just about any time if they choose. You get this little tidbit of wisdom because I've been thinking about what a rotten neighbor is doing to hassle the peacefulness of someone's household lately. . .and I don't like it!
- There. Yes, I do feel better now. Thank you. You know what? I've hit that stage in life where I'm trying to be a better person, trying to let other people live their lives without me trying to steer them in the direction I find appropriate, trying to do my best to live and let live. BUT along with the beginning of this awareness comes a heightened awareness of the intolerance and ignorance of people who haven't traveled the same distance on this long and elusive journey to maturity. And, no, I don't really want to ever reach the end of this journey, but I do want to keep making progress as I go. And, yes, I do have lots of gratitude for those of you who've already been where I am now. . .thank you for putting up with me!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Soak It Up
Every time I scan past this picture, the same sensation fleetingly crosses my mind. It is the sensation of warmth from laying your palm onto a piece of terra cotta that has been soaking up the sunlight.
Can you tell what season it was when this picture was taken? Early winter. My eyes see the purpled hen and chicks with some crinkled outer layers, but my brain sees a warm, sunlit flowerpot.
Feel it? Bet you don't even have to close your eyes to imagine it. If you are a gardener, you've picked up so many pots that you can feel the not quite smooth, barely bumpy, fairly interesting texture of this pot, just by looking at a picture or hearing the words "clay flowerpot" or "terra cotta". If you are a lover of gardens, you've trailed your fingers lightly across many a clay pot as you walked through gardens, stopping to admire everything from hardy hens and chicks to delicate impatiens.
Feel it? Bet the creative part of you doesn't even have to stop and think about it, you just feel it, soon as your eyes light upon the image. The artist in you, the lover of beauty, the soul who is appreciative of all the many varieties of color and texture made possible by Nature. . .the artist grabs this image and begins to play with it. You begin to mentally catalog the colors you like and don't like, the almost imperceptible differences in texture from top to bottom, the balance or imbalance of clay and plant and wood. Isn't it amazing how many of these vignettes our brains hold?
Life. Soak it up!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hey, Is Everybody A-Okay Today?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Zen and the Art of Gambling at the DragStrip
I can tell you, however, that I have glimpsed the possibility for addiction in myself. Yep, and it comes in the form of arcade games with Chuck E. Cheese ticket bonanzas (go ahead, click it, you know you want the jingle "where a kid can be a kid" stuck in your brain for at least the next thirty-six hours). In case you've never experienced Chuck E. Cheese, let me tell you, it's like crack for kids. Uh-huh, addiction might be a theme here. By the way, you know how guys have this annoying habit of claiming they go to Hooters just for the terrific chicken wings (as if! just admit you're going to ogle the chicks, guys, and don't try to feed us baloney about chicken wings)? Well, just as Hooters might indeed have pretty good wings, C.E.C.'s does have decent pizza, all things considered (and when I say "all things considered," I mean that parents with kids in tow don't usually get to enjoy a fine brick oven pizza in a quaint little bistro).
What do parents do while their mini-me's play ski-ball and jockey for position in the line for the fake roller coaster "ride" game? Well, the first few times, you nervously tag along behind your offspring, feeding them tokens, carrying the soda cups in case someone clears off your table while you're up, and fending off five year old hustlers who target innocent newbie kids, asking nonchalantly, "You got a token I can have?". The nice thing about C.E.C.'s is that those little hustlers are really the biggest threat to your child and a fake smile accompanied by a "Does your mama know you're hustling my kid?" usually takes care of that problem. You see, parents and kids get matching numbered handstamps when they enter the place, and kids cannot leave the premises without an adult with a matching handstamp. There ya go-- temporary peace of mind for the price of a pizza. After a few more trips, you finally figure out you don't really need to follow the munchkins and wince every time they "waste" a token on a game that obviously isn't going to give up any tickets (tokens go in the game slot, play the game, win anywhere from one to hundreds of tickets, take tickets to cheesy prize counter at end of visit to redeem for cheesy prizes).
What's a parent to do while the kiddos play, then? Don't say call somebody on your cell phone, because you'll never be able to hear them over the din of all the games, shrieking two year olds, and Chuck E. Cheese's animated, fur covered, rodent robotic, rock band! You can try a book (I took along one about creating backyard attractions for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife this time), but chances are you'll find it hard to concentrate. Chances are, there will be some obviously seasoned C.E.C. parent veteran playing a game near your table, and you will become mesmerized by their ability to make the game spit out tickets, tickets, and more tickets. Hey, if you're gonna go, you might as well hope for lots of tickets, right? Sunday night, our table was right by one of those hit the button as a certain light is lit for a split-second kind of games. This particular one mimicked a dragstrip-- Corvette revving its engine (don't even ask how many decibels are possible on a mere game), announcer booming the countdown, and the peel of tires as soon as you hit the start button.
Wait a minute, Ang. Where in the name of all things strange does Zen come into this post? Hang on, I'm almost there. I sat there listening to the "announcer" over and over and over, as some thirty-something dad played that game for all the tickets he could get. He was pretty good, too. His back was to me, but I could tell how he was timing it from the slight movement of his right shoulder a second after the peel of tires. Oh, yeah, I had to try that. While the kids are away, the mommy will use some of their tokens and play!
Needless to say, the game wasn't as easy as that guy made it look. Hand-eye coordination being what it is, you must know I was handicapped from the get-go (go ahead, call me Grace, call me clumsy, call me just plain un-freaking-coordinated, it ain't news to me). I fed the game a token. Hit the start button. Tires peeled. Lights traveled down the strip. Damn. Missed it. No 57 tickets for me, just three measley tickets. Repeat about four times. Hmmph. Sit back down. Read about birdbaths and try to resist sneaking a few more of the kiddos' token stash.
Well, shoot, we paid for the tokens, didn't we? And the kids are gonna be happy if we add to their tickets, right? Of course, right. I grab five more tokens (we used the coupon deal that came with 100 tokens this time, so maybe James and Kate won't notice). Three tickets, stopped about four lights before the jackpot bulb. Four tickets, close but no jackpot. Here's the Zen part, guys. I could feel my arm moving, could feel the effort to make my hand press the button a split-second too early or too late. . .but the next time the tires peeled, my body almost felt as if it was floating along with the electric current and I hit the jackpot without even feeling as if I'd moved. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! That right there, that had to be some sort of Zen moment!
Oh, do you have to ask? You know I took more tokens and tried it again. And again. Hope the kids don't notice too many tokens missing. Here, one more time. Aha! Jackpot #2. Still the sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Zen moment. Same with Jackpot #3. Just in case you didn't hear me, it was swwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttt!
I think I'm hooked. Anybody want to meet me at Chuck's for lunch?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Help Me Convince Myself. . .We Create Because We Need to Create, Right?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thief! Cat Burglar!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Little Mrs. Merry Sunshine Chokes on a Lemon Seed While Attempting to Make Lemonade
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Gimme Some Lovin'. . . and Spread It Around to My Friends :)
Ah, what a great song!
So, some of youse guys has been spreadin' da love, and I gotta say Tanks for dat!
Rachel from Wilmoth Farms Handmade Soaps passed along this cool Kreativ Blog award.
These are the rules:
1. The winner may put this award on their blog.
2. Please put a link to the person that presented you for this award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to all their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.
Deborah from Sweetwater Designs Lampwork passed along this Lemonade Stand blog award.
Pass the award along and nominate up to ten blogs which show great attitude/gratitude.
Thanks, ladies! It's an honor. . .and it's always hard for me to narrow down any list and just pass along an award for a few, so thanks for being patient with me :)
So, how did I do it? Who did I pick? Bwahahahahaha! I didn't. Well, at least, I didn't try to pick five or ten of my favorite blogs that I follow (waaaaaaaaaaaay too hard to narrow that list down!). Also, I have to admit (yet again) my utter haplessness when it comes to copying images on the web and reposting them, so you have to go to Deborah or Rachel and snag your own award image.
May I present to you, my cop-out of the day, chosen after a couple of hours of thinking about this, getting stumped, going to fix a peanut butter sandwich, checking on the kitten, checking on the cat, checking on the children who are constantly bothering the kitten by checking on her, typing a few more sentences, still not being happy with what I've written, etc. Here are links to blog posts about unusual blogs or ideas for blog posts :)
Vandelay Design on 13 Ways to Create Unique Blog Content
Blog Core Values on Unusual Blogs
Ode Magazine is an online community with several blog contributors
Truly Unique and Outstanding Blogs listed here
Hope you'll have fun checking out these links! I know I'm going back in search of one I saw in a list. It was named "World's Dullest Blog," and the last entry had over 200 comments!
P.S. If you want tried and true good blog reading, just click on any of the great blogs on my Smidgeon of Reading blog list :)


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Walnut Creek, Calif., Sept. 4, 2014 – CUE and The Learning Revolution Project have announced the lineup of keynote speakers for the first ever Online Summit featuring Google for Education. This event will take place entirely online, all sessions and keynotes will be recorded via Google Hangouts on Air, and registrants will have access to the recordings indefinitely. Q&A time will be provided for all sessions.
The keynote lineup is as follows:
SATURDAY (all times Pacific)
9am: Jon Corippo - The CUE Rock Star Story: Get on the PLN Bandwagon
1pm: Jordan Pedraza - Power to the People: Communities as Platforms for Innovation and Change in Education
5pm: Esther Wojcicki - A Conversation with Esther Wojcicki and CUE CEO Mike Lawrence
SUNDAY (all times Pacific)
9am: David Theriault and Sean Ziebarth - BRAWLING with Google (Battle Royale All Will Learn)
1pm: Hank Thiele - Changing to a Culture Built On Collaboration
5pm: Cristin Frodella - Will speak on her role leading Google's Global Education Marketing Team
Registration for this weekend's summit is $40 and is now open at www.giesummit.org. This low price includes unlimited access to the archives as well as a one-year membership to CUE. The online summit will take place September 6 & 7, 2014 • 9am-7pm (Saturday), 8am-6pm (Sunday) Pacific Saving Time (GMT-7). Visitwww.giesummit.org for more details on the event and in-depth bios on all the presenters.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So as I keep yapping on about, I moved to Brighton at the beginning of the year. But due to lack of money and my general dislike of leaving the house, I haven't explored as much as I like. I have like 3 friends here. Give me a break. But last weekend my honorary twin sister Orla came to visit from Ireland, so I had no choice but to go full tourist mode. And it was great.
So for your consideration, here is how to do Brighton in a weekend. It works better if you and/or your guest like vegan food and shopping. 'Cause that's kind of what Orla and I are all about.
As a side note: my blog photography is pretty dire in this post… it was more of an Instagram Story type weekend than a blog one. But then I realised it would make a great blogpost and I'm stuck with these wonky atrocities. Sorry, Blog Gods.
Oz came on Friday evening and after some screaming and carrying her suitcase up five flights of stairs, we were ready to EAT. We headed into Kemptown for drinks in what we thought was a typical old man bar, but turned out to be a drag bar. It was the perfect place to show Orla just how, well, Brighton Brighton can be. We then headed to Purezza for dinner. Purezza is a vegan pizzeria and it is AMAZING. Vegan cheese is hard to get right and it was my first time actually trying vegan pizza but I am in love. After demolishing our pizzas, we knew we couldn't leave without trying more – so we split a vegan orange mocha cake. And guess what? Also delicious! Who said vegans only eat rabbit food?
We finished off the night with some drinks in the South Lanes, where I took Orla to two of my favourites: The Mesmerist and The Marwood. We then parted ways ready for a full day of FUN SIBLING EXPLORING AND BONDING TIMES WOO!
On this day we had intended to meet at 10 or something… only to finally meet at like 12. Just another part of the family resemblance. For brunch we decided to hit up VBites, another tasty vegan establishment. I was sad we had missed the breakfast menu, but not for long after I saw they had a falafel wrap on the menu. I got said wrap and an iced green tea (my fave). Orla is more adventurous with her food and tried the vegan duck pancake – but she said it was great and judging by the quality of my falafel, I'm inclined to believe her. We also split some sweet potato fries with garlic mayo because FOOD. In fact, we loved this place so much we came back. More on that later.
We took a walk down the pier for some serious Instagramming (Orla) and Pokémon hunting (me). Then we both literally hunted Pokémon in the arcade. Please note the lack of pictures with any Jigglypuffs. We did not win. After the pier we explored the South Lanes by daylight and did a little window shopping, before heading into Churchill Square for some actual shopping. By this point, we were hungry again so wandered over to Glazed for vegan donuts. VEGAN DONUTS. We were exceedingly lucky because we got the last one and it was so good. But even better than the donut, was the doggy that worked there. His name was Donald and I love him. He wore a bandana. Sadly I didn't take a picture of the dog as I was too busy being licked so here is Orla modelling our donut.
Suddenly, because BRITAIN, it begain to rain so we ducked into Black Mocha for some caffeine and shelter. I'd been meaning to try this place for a while but wasn't impressed with my coffee. Other people have told me that it's actually pretty good so I'm willing to give it another shot, but honestly, meh. Once the rain stopped we darted back to Oz's hotel (via a quick detour for wine and crackers).
And this is the point I became an idiot. I didn't book a table. When we did finally emerge from the room, we were starving. We asked about a table at The Curry Leaf and were told it would be an hour. We agreed and off we went to the nearest bar. An hour comes, still no call. After ninety minutes we go to ask. Basically we ended up standing by the door staring at them until we got a table. By this point I was so hungry that I would have eaten anything. Hence the lack of photo. There is no time for Instagram when you reach that level of hunger. I don't even remember what I ordered, other than I decided "fuck vegan weekend" and ordered a naan bread out of pure starvation. I think it would be unfair to review The Curry Leaf when I probably would have literally eaten my own shoe at this point, but it was good – just not a patch on my favourite Brighton Indian, Planet India. After this we decided on an early night to prepare ourselves (and our stomachs) for the next day.
Sunday started off at my new love, Small Batch Coffee. I picked a vegetarian sausage roll as a snack and got an oat milk latte. I sat waiting patiently for my coffee arrive so I could take a picture of both together, but it took so long I got bored and ate my sausage. Turned out they forgot about me. Luckily they gave me a voucher for a free coffee so who cares? And honestly, that latte was so good I would have come back anyway. I'm just gonna go right ahead and say it, best coffee in Brighton. No, in Britain. NO. THE WORLD.
After a little while exploring the North Lanes and avoiding the rain, we met my friends for a meatless roast at The Prince George. I was so excited for this. And I wish I could say it lived up to its expectations but… THEY FORGOT ABOUT ME. Yes, mere hours after the coffee shop forgetting about me, a restaurant forgot to bring me my food. I think I'm actually cursed, but whatever. Considering my food came when my friends were halfway through with their own, I didn't take a picture. I just tried to catch up. I think I ordered the wellington. It was good, I guess, but my Yorkshire Pudding was hard as a rock. I'll definitely go back, but only because I drank the best gin of my life in there and I need to taste its sweet, sweet nectars again. They didn't offer me a free drink though. Hmmmph.
After lunch we did some more shopping down the North Lanes, but as it was Sunday, things were closing. We headed back to The Mesmerist and had a few more drinks before we got sleepy. Although we swore we wouldn't eat anything else, we got Subway before leaving because we are ravenous monsters. #NoRegrets
For our Last Supper (ahem… breakfast), of course we headed back to VBites. This time we were in time for breakfast, so I had the most delicious hummus, spinach, and mushrooms on toast. SO. GOOD. Orla had the same, she agrees. After that it was time to take Orla back to the station. But we did have a little bit of time… so we grabbed some more oat milk lattes from Small Batch before we said our final goodbyes.
I had such a good weekend and am so glad Orla came to visit. I probably never would have gotten around to trying half these places if she'd never come to see me. So thank you, Oz, and I'll see you in Berlin this August for Round Two.
You can follow Orla's Twitter and Instagram here because she is much cooler than I.


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"Run from the police? Picture that. N***a, I'm too fat…
I f**k around and catch a asthma attack (*heavy breathing*)" – Notorious B.I.G.
So, there are a couple of essential plot points that need to be established up front. First, as most of you know, I was diagnosed with asthma a few weeks ago. Hilarious, right? Well, it gets better. On Mother's Day, while unhooking my kid from his car seat, I tweaked my back. It bothered me for the rest of the day and, because of all the meds I'm already on, I didn't take anything stronger than Tylenol for the pain.
We join our story on Monday, May 11, already in progress:
5:15 PM - Much to my surprise, ten hours of pushing papers from an uncomfortable 10-year-old chair hasn't alleviated one bit of my back pain. I shuffle off to call it a day, but not before one final round of casual office flirtation.
5:20 PM - I share my back anecdote with a gal in my office. She recommends simple, innocuous aspirin and offers me a pair of Bayer. I pop the pills.
5:45 PM - Dinner is leftover Mother's Day BBQ. There's not much left, so it's finished off fairly quickly. I sneak a piece from Mrs. Bootleg's box of chocolates for dessert and then walk outside to keep an eye on Jalen.
5:55 PM - My stomach is not…quite…right. I leave the boy with a half-assed directive to stay out of the street and head back inside. I'm a little foggy on this part, but I somehow ended up in front of the TV with the Mets/Braves game on ESPN-HD.
6:00 PM - Jalen sees baseball and comes running in. He proceeds to crawl all over me, while peppering my senses with questions like "whose stadium are they playing in?" and "why is the pitcher batting?" and "which one is #5?" At some point, I
6:02 PM - And, there goes the leftover Mother's Day BBQ. And, the chocolate. And, the chicken sandwich from lunch. And, now the dry heaves. And, some more dry heaving. And, I'm spent.
6:05 PM - Thinking the worst is over, I stand up to leave and realize that my breathing is a wee bit labored. This has happened before – several times, in fact – in recent months, but not in the two weeks that I've been on my asthma meds. Besides, whenever it's happened before, it's gone away on its own.
6:10 PM - Not wanting to get Mrs. Bootleg too concerned; I'm still in our shoebox-size bathroom upstairs. It's about 64 degrees, but I'm sweating like, yes, 42 minutes of old-school Patrick Ewing. My so-called "panic inhaler" is close by, so I take a couple of puffs.
6:15 PM - I've never been what you call "cool in a crisis", so when the panic inhaler doesn't take, I pretty much…panic. I'm officially wheezing and race downstairs to the front door for some fresh air. I notice, of all things, Jalen is already fast asleep on the couch. He never passes out before 8:00 PM these days. Thanks, National League!
6:20 PM - I've dropped to my hands and knees, violently breathing in and out. Believe it or not, I'd never had one of these attacks in front of Mrs. Bootleg, so of course I find a way to time the worst one for her audience. She insists on taking me to the emergency room, but between frantic gasps, I resist. My thinking: we'll sit in the waiting room for two hours, by which time the attack will have passed. The doctors will tell me I have asthma ("Really? Gee, thanks!") and we'll get to pay $100 for the privilege.
6:35 PM - Still outside, still on all fours. I can't tell if the wheezing is getting worse, but it damn sure ain't improving. I'm inexplicably burning up and seem to have lost the ability to respond to Mrs. Bootleg's repeated requests to get my Black ass off the ground and to the ER. When she asks about the ER for the hundredth time, I finally relent.
6:36 PM - For some reason, I had taken my shoes off while I was in the bathroom, so I went upstairs to retrieve them. Maybe it was the simple exertion from scaling those 13 steps, but all of a sudden, the wheezing stopped.
And, so did the breathing.
I began making a weird clicking sound and, of course, panicked some more. I managed to choke out an "I can't breathe!" to Mrs. Bootleg, before I couldn't talk, anymore. Mrs. Bootleg told me later that my lips and fingertips were a lovely shade of blue, by now.
She asked if she should call 911 and this time, I wasn't putting up a fight.
Next: AMBULANCE!


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SEATTLE – Robinson Cano was once again absent from the Seattle Mariners' lineup on Sunday afternoon, though manager Lloyd McClendon said the star second baseman is "doing fine."
But that doesn't mean there's a timetable for his return. McClendon doesn't know for sure when Cano's left-hand contusion will heal enough for him to play again, but the manager indicated Cano's return might not be that far off.
"I think it's a combination of pain tolerance," McClendon said. "He's a tough guy, but we've got to manage 162 games, not a three-game series or four days. As a former player, I know how painful bone bruises can be and how nagging they can be, and the right thing to do is to get it quieted down so he can proceed and get ready to play again.
"We're almost there. We'll see how he is tomorrow. But he won't be in there (Sunday)."
Cano, whose .327 batting average ranks fourth in the American League, suffered the contusion of his left hand – his top hand when he holds the bat – during a game last week against the Angels when the knob of the bat jammed into his hand as he swung at a pitch.
This is the first time Cano has missed four consecutive starts since 2006, when a hamstring injury landed him on the disabled list and caused him to miss 35 games.
McClendon said Cano has been able to work on "everything else" besides hitting since he suffered the injury – "taking ground balls, getting his cardio in" – but that he's not been able to work on any hitting drills while he waits for his hand to recover.
With Cano out, the Mariners again turned to veteran utility man Willie Bloomquist to fill in at second base. Bloomquist came through with a pair of RBI singles on Saturday, helping the shorthanded Mariners to a 3-2 victory over Detroit.
Bloomquist batted ninth on Sunday and was again productive, driving in a run with a double in the fifth inning after singling in his first at-bat.
Meanwhile, infielder Nick Franklin, who is 0-for-14 with nine strikeouts in his last four games, did not play on Sunday. Franklin is batting .128 in 52 plate appearances with the Mariners this season.
"(Bloomquist) had a good game (Saturday) night and Franklin didn't," McClendon said. "Just trying to find options for guys that can help us win games.
"He's a veteran guy. He knows what he's doing. He has not had a lot of opportunities but when you're a utility player, that's what happens," McClendon said of Bloomquist before the game. "When you do get those opportunities, you've got to take advantage of them. He's done that."
Seager better at Safeco
Throughout his four-year career, third baseman Kyle Seager has hit considerably better on the road than he has at Safeco Field. This year, though, that script has been flipped.
In 210 career road games, Seager is batting .281 with 32 home runs and 114 RBI. In the same number of home games prior to Sunday, Seager was hitting .234 with 21 homers and 87 RBI.
But his numbers – particularly his power numbers – have been far more impressive this season at Safeco than away from it. Each of Seager's team-leading eight homers this season have come at Safeco. And those eight homers match his Safeco season total from 2013.
Through the Mariners' 26 home games prior to Sunday, Seager's OPS was .989. His best full-season OPS at Safeco came last season, when he posted a .690, and his career OPS at home is .685.
McClendon said he would like to see Seager raise his average – he's batting .258 this season (.297 at home, .229 on the road) – to the .285 range.
Which means that for the first time in his career, Seager would do well to replicate his Safeco numbers on the road, and not the other way around. He had another two hits on Sunday.
"I think he has a better plan. And the plan is not to hit home runs," McClendon said. "The plan is to hit doubles and hit the ball the other way. I think because he's committed to that, when they make mistakes he can take advantage of them. He's becoming a better hitter.
"My goal is to not see him hit .260. I think he's a .285, .290 guy who can drive in 85 to 100 runs, and that's what we're trying to get him to be. He's buying into it. He's getting better."
Walker's next rehab start Tuesday
Taijuan Walker will continue his min0r-league rehabilitation assignment with a Tuesday start for the Tacoma Rainiers against the El Paso Chihuahuas, McClendon said.
The right-hander, who is recovering from a shoulder impingement, began his rehab work by pitching three innings for the Rainiers on Wednesday. He allowed four runs on five hits, and said that while he was disappointed in the results, he "felt good," physically.
Groin tightness for Jones
Center fielder James Jones left Sunday's game in the eighth inning due to tightness in his left groin. The Mariners termed his departure precautionary.
"Just a little tightness," McClendon said afterward. "I'm sure he's going to be fine."
Jones was 2-for-4 on Sunday with an RBI. He singled in the bottom of the seventh, then was replaced by Cole Gillespie when the Mariners took the field to start the eighth.
On tap
The Mariners travel to New York for one game on Monday, a makeup of their scheduled April 30 game that was rained out. Right-hander Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Mariners against Yankees right-hander David Phelps (1-2, 3.38 ERA).
Seattle then travels to Atlanta to begin a two-game series against the Braves on Tuesday. The Mariners have not announced a starting pitcher for that game, though McClendon said a decision will likely be announced Monday.


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Chat / Just Talk / Vent Line
Yeah, I get it. Sometimes you just wanna shoot the shit; talk about your problems; relieve your boredom.... or just hit pause on your lonely existence and interact with someone that you can be upfront and honest with.
Or maybe you need to vent. I'm cool with that, too. In fact, vent calls may be my favorite calls to take. Anger is real, anger is genuine.... believe me, I've felt it. And for the record, I know what it's like to feel the need to vent my shit without actually having anyone to vent to. It's not a place that I'd wish on anyone. Which is why I'm offering myself up to you.
For the record, I have my own opinions. I'm not politically correct. And while I MAY give a shit about your feelings, I will still tell you what I truly think about you, your situation, or whatever you have to talk about.
This is the one and only line where you will be able to access ME. The TRUE me. Care to talk?


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So deciding on an outfit was tricky. Below are the outfits I narrowed it down to . My best advise always take a picture of yourself, or in my case have your lovely boyfriend do it for you. Looking a yourself in a picture can make your decision a lot clearer. Sometimes a shape you thought looked great on you can hug you in all the wrong places.
Learn about what shape your body fits into and pick clothes that match that shape , it's time to embrace your apple or pear!!!
Everything in these pictures were bought in Princess Polly In Brisbane City.
I loved all the outfits but decided on the one below!! Did I make the right choice?


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Author Archives: kathrynbalado
My Family
My grandparents are vistiting from New Jersy. When they come they always bring me something like: sillybands, an ipod, cookies from my grandmas job at the bakery. We always go fun places like tommorw we are going pumkin picking at … Continue reading
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Joe Jonas
Look did you guys know that Joe Jonas and Miley Cyrus are gonna get married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wiccan Haus Event & Giveaway Day 4
10 comments:
- Vanessa N. said...
Great post. An awesome story came from a bad situation. Thanks for the giveaway.
- July 21, 2012 at 2:31 AM
That may have been a rough road trip but it brought about a great series idea! I'm looking forward to more books in the series.
- July 21, 2012 at 8:36 AM
- Dominique Eastwick said...
Thanks everyone I meant to leave the Wiccan Haus blog for people to follow :)
We love Visitors and Thank you Danielle for hosts us :)
- July 21, 2012 at 10:07 AM
- Lisa Cox said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- July 21, 2012 at 12:26 PM
- Lisa Cox said...
UGH! I hate traffic! Sounds like one heck of a horrid trip, but it's always fun when you have your own movie running in your head.
- July 21, 2012 at 12:34 PM
- Carin said...
We just moved to the East coast and are finding that what we are used to on the freeway (60 mile means an hours travel) is not the case anymore.
I look forward to reading your work.
- July 21, 2012 at 4:27 PM
- Rhonda D said...
I can so totally relate. I live in Oklahoma - no real traffic jams there, but we go to Houston and New Orleans to visit family or go to Dallas for Baseball and OMG. I just want to scream. I think it's worse for me, because we aren't used to it at all. :)
I read the first of the series and definitely plan to read the rest. I loved it. Thanks so much for coming up with it.
- July 21, 2012 at 4:32 PM
- Julianne said...
We've had some "fun" times in New Jersey and Maryland too. It was a real trip. It's so cool how you came up with the idea for this series. I'm so very interested in finding out more about Wiccan Haus and the people in it. Thanks for sharing.
luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com
- July 21, 2012 at 10:23 PM
- Mel Bourn said...
I love learning how an idea starts and is used. It is amazing how our frustrations will lead us to bigger things.
- July 21, 2012 at 11:35 PM
- ReneAva said...
Congrats Rhea R!
- July 24, 2012 at 7:18 PM
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This Manual Covers 2003 Yamaha ROAD STAR / MIDNIGHT / LE / MM / SILVERADO Motorcycle Service Manual. This manual is just like what the Yamaha dealership uses to do any repairs or maintenance!
This file is sold by handymanuals, an independent seller on Tradebit.
|File Size
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I am always thrilled to see New Orleans featured in a major magazine! The July/August issue of Elle Decor features a beautiful New Orleans home decorated by Tommy Clements.
Where have I seen this before Joni? Love the white slips and a lantern on the coffee table!
Another family room in the same vein by Joni Webb -
Hello Elle! Call Joni!!
Tommy kept the palette neutral and the window treatments spare, using simple bronze rods hung with off-white linen.
Still there remains a sense of the city's heritage with a handful of French pieces.
The animal print on the stool is Ralph Lauren Home
To mix it up in the monochromatic palette, bursts of color are used in the living room via fabrics and art work.
Below: Dining room chairs upholstered in Ralph Lauren Home fabric
The master bedroom is huge and has a deep balcony that puts you eye level with the trees. The house backs up to Audubon Park, which is essentially the back yard.
and a Turkish Oushak carpet, part of a new collection the owner has acquired
Unfortunately the artist is not named in the article
The chrome stools are Knoll
Go out and get your copy of Elle Decor today. Blogs do not replace magazines! Especially with small scanned images like these! Blogs only entice you, and enhance what magazines tirelessly offer to us month after month. Nothing can replace the pleasure of holding a magazine or a book in your hands.
"A Sure Thing" is written by Julia Reed a fabulous writer and resident of New Orleans who knows a thing or two about doing up an old house here. So get the July/August issue of Elle Decor so you can read the entire article.


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When someone asks me what I've been up to and I reply "A three-week trip to Iran," I most often hear in response "Really? Why?" There are lots of reasons, needless to say, all of which I'll talk about in due time. But let's start at the very beginning: When did Persia first come into my consciousness?
I realize, to my surprise, that it was my mother playing In a Persian Market from sheet music on our family's piano. I must have been about eight or nine. The sheet music's cover, at least to my memory, was a market with tents of some sort and a camel and was printed on dusty orange paper.
If you want to listen to it, here is the link to youtube.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Introduction to the Second Set of Snippets: Persian Music, Markets and Caravanserai
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ENGAGE on Tory toffs debating Israel's right to exist.
Bonus links: Solomonia on the debate; Ian Bone's Oxbridge posts; the Independent Working Class Association versus the Oxford Union; Judeosphere on Finkelstein.
All posts about: Nick Griffin/the BNP, David Irving, Norman Finkelstein, Ted Honderich, Ilan Pappe.
Solidarity with democratic revolutions worldwide | South London subcultural arcana | unearthing political confusionism | triangulating two-state, one-state and no-state solutions | critical diaspora culture | anti-antisemitism | Sylvia Pankhurst, Hannah Arendt, Bayard Rustin and W.E.B. Du Bois | dub, grime, country, soul and blue.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Last November it was Nick Griffin and David Irving. This month it's Finkelstein, Honderich, Pappe and Karmi
More stuff like this: Against free speech fundamentalism, Fascism and anti-fascism, Izzy/Pal
3 comments:
"Finkelstein, Honderich, Pappe and Karmi"
The four angry horsemen of the apocalypse.
- 11 January, 2008 22:16
- Roland Dodds said...
Why not dispute the right of North Korea, Syria, and Saudi Arabia's right to exist?
Ah, I see. It is much easier to pick on the Jews than it is to tackle real totalitarian regimes. The modern left truly makes me sick.
- 12 January, 2008 08:35
- Will said...
The modern Righty really makes me sicker. As they always have.
- 14 January, 2008 01:53
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The wind blew at 85 mph. The temperature hovered around 52 degrees. The squall roared in from the sea. The snow was a rapidly shrinking grayish strip lying in a gully. It was covered with skiers.
Welcome to skiing in Scotland.
I'd skied from New Zealand to New England, from Squaw to Sugarloaf, but I'd never seen such terrible conditions -- or such determined skiers.
Take, for example, my day at Scotland's newest ski area, the Nevis Range. Because of lack of snow, I joined several hundred Scottish skiers hiking from the base lodge to the T-bar, the only lift still operating.


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Weekend rewind. If you want to play along, grab the above button and tell me all about your weekend!
Friday ~ No work for me today!! Yay! I am hoping that I have only one more week of training left, so I can get to my 2 days a week schedule! I played catch up on things I have neglected this past week and a half. Groceries in the morning, did some baking, just wish I could figure out why none of my bread will rise.....I may have to go find a bread maker at the thrift store! Then it was off to the craft store to get supplies so I can make a new spring-ish wreath for my front door.
Then back home to play with the pup for a bit, make dinner, spend a few minutes with the hubby before I headed out for Robyn's for girls night and to work on my wreath.
Before I left, I was surprised by my hubby with these pretty tulips for our anniversary! The card was really cute too. It had two Boston Terriers on the front, one holding the others foot in his mouth, on the inside it said, "I love you, and I'm not letting go! Happy Anniversary!" Such a sweet guy I have!!
My friend Kim helped me (I should say, did most of the work) with my wreath! I love how it turned out! Right now the S is just sitting in the middle, just waiting for my hubby to help me with some fishing line to hold it in place!
Saturday ~ Slept in a little, then it was time to head out on a road trip with my hubby for our anniversary. No real place in mind of where we wanted to go.
Out of the blue, John says, "Isn't there and IKEA in Michigan?" So that's where we ended up!
I love this store, just wish its not so crowded!! It was fun to browse, we did get some pretty purple sheets for our bed (yeah I know, travel across the state to get sheets.. LOL), and a new floor lamp for the living room. We hit a couple of antique shops on the way back home, and then stopped at Logan's for dinner in Lansing.
Sunday ~ Church in the morning, then home to tackle the laundry, made dinner: baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn and homemade bread (not from scratch though...from a box). Vegged the remainder of the day, until it was time for Walkers!! Favorite time of night on Sunday's!
Let me know if you play along.
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Apart from its authentic Spanish settings and star performances this production owes much to the exacting standards set by Carlos Kleiber.
The focus in the opera is firmly on the principals, Carmen, Don Jose and the Toreador and the interaction between them. Amongst them, Domingo is the only Mediterranean who can give the necessary emotional fire that an audience looks for. His sincerity in the role and in acting is admirable throughout.
Zeffirelli's staging is complex and a joy to behold: horses, a donkey, flirting señoritas, market vendors, a pastor and his tutelage, children mimics of an army all engage the mind and the eye. His groupings complemented the well-filled authentic sets. The television production team had one chance to get it right since the first night was televised for live transmission. They achieve remarkable results giving much variety especially in close-ups. The orchestra is well recorded but theatre limitations mean that the principals are not ideally balanced when singing up-stage. Fortunately this does not affect the clarity of the choral singing. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review
This production, from the Vienna State Opera is a typical Zeffirelli spectacular. The opening act sets the tone with the stage well populated by people and diversions such as vendors and children eating fruit. The second act, set at Lilas Pastia, gets a big round of applause as does that to act four, and that is before the parade of horses that follow the quadrilla led through by the banderillos and picadors, all lavishly attired. Everything is on a grand scale…the handling of the fight scene between José and Escamillo, particularly its ending, well handled…
It is interesting to see how [Carlos Kleiber] draws his magic from the players who respond to his minimal beat on one hand…to violent animation on other occasions.
The audience response is well over the top with prolonged applause after José's flower song…
As well as the possibility of being a visual spectacular, the success of any performance of Carmen depends, more than many stage works, on the singing and acting of the four principals. In the eponymous role low mezzo Obraztsova sings effortlessly with round creamy tone in her act one arias…A young Plácido Domingo sings the supposedly besotted José with strong lyric ardour. His acting is convincing and he holds nothing back whilst being tasteful at the same time. In his singing and acting he is matched by the Scottish soprano Isobel Buchanan as Micaela…she sings and acts outstandingly with elegant phrasing, purity of tone and exemplary expression in both her arias…The minor parts are all sung and acted adequately particularly the Mercedes and Frasquita of Cheryl Kanfoush and Axelle Gall. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review
This was a great night at the Vienna State Opera in every way with lengthy ovations throughout…It's a pleasure it is to watch Carlos Kleiber on the podium! This historic video should be in every collection. Don't miss this one, if you don't already have it. © 2012 ClassicalCDReview.com Read complete review


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Sunday, April 11, 2010
Gotta Love that Spring Thing!
I bought this hydrangea -- couldn't resist!
And I'll probably go back for gerbera daisies, too.
The colors knock me out.
I need these for the garden this year. (No, I don't need them. I want them.)
And the purple and green makes me smile.
And it's only just begun.
16 comments:
- anno said...
Sure enjoyed this Spring Fling! You made it a good time for everybody...
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- TheEccentricLady said...
LOVE the peach dasies! I NEED them also, lol. Hydrangea's are my favorite. I have many varities in my garden. My oakleaf leafs are just beginning to come out!
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- BONNIE K said...
Hydrangeas are my favorite too, and I am so annoyed that our plant comes up every year but never flowers! I love those orange flowers too.
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- Jane Rosemont said...
Oh Jeanie, these are so much fun.
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- Janet said...
That hydrangea is so beautiful! I love the pink and light green colors. And the gerbera daisies just make me smile. Spring is definitely a colorful time of year!
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- Debby said...
So many beautiful colors. Hydrabgea has to be my fav of all.
- Sunday, April 11, 2010
- beth said...
hee hee....
and it's only just begun !
how true is that !
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- Sugar Bear said...
This is my absolute favorite time of year! Beautiful flowers.
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- ...... Bobbi said...
That's a beautiful hydrangea! I think they are one of my favorite summer-time flowers, especially those with the big mop heads!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- ~*~Patty Szymkowicz said...
I am a big sucker for flowers...any flowers...ALL flowers!
Love your selection here Jeanie, gorgeous!
Happy Spring!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- Naturegirl said...
Jeannie I'll take one of every selection! That hydrangea I hope you plant in a pot and put outdoors!I have a purple and plan on doing just that! Happy Spring!!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- joyce said...
I wish we could grow hydrangeas here...I love big slowers!
And, there are always so many cute little signs around for herb gardens, almost makes me want an herb garden. (I suspect I have some herbs in my rockwall garden, they're very fragrant, but haven't got a clue what they are)
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- paris parfait said...
So pretty, especially the hydrangea! Happy Spring, my friend! xo
- Monday, April 12, 2010
Beautiful flowers to admire whilst we begin our journey into Winter! I've finally got my computer back from the repair man and so have finally written a long overdue thank you post for your lovely OWOH tea chest!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- Joanne Huffman said...
Hooray for spring and pictures of flowers!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
- Kitty said...
Someday I am going to remember to "save" my comments before I try to send them. My dissertation went off into cyber-space! We will have to remember to come back to this next January when we need to remember that spring will indeed come!
- Monday, April 12, 2010
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Friday, 11 December 2009
First ladies of Latvia and Armenia at the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts in Yerevan
The Cafesjian Centre for the Arts reports that first ladies of Latvia, Mrs. Lilita Zatlere, and Armenia, Mrs. Rita Sargsyan, toured the Centre's exhibition galleries on 11 December 2009.
1 comment:
- nazarian said...
Sometimes I wish the elected officials were actually elected so that I had neutral or maybe positive words to say about them or their families. I know it';s not Rima's fault but I can't bring myself to even look at that photo.
- 11 December 2009 at 15:43
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Paper Makeup is having a pre order sale.
Make sure that you check out all of the darling
stamps that they have and take advantage of the sale!! There was a challenge over at Paper Makeup in PCP to use green, orange and white in your card. I chose this sentiment and I used the stamp set Swirlie Buds for the images. This was a really easy and quick card to make because there was no coloring... only stamping. So this time, the stamps did all of the work and i think they did a great job! I used my nesties to cut all of the shapes and I mounted the green layer onto a white card. I added the small pearls in the corners of the card for a little interest. I stamped the sentiment on sparkly white paper and it really looks nice in real life. Have a great day and happy shopping!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Paper Makeup Sentiments (and a pre order sale!)
Posted by Dawn at 3/24/2009 09:36:00 AM
Labels: nestablilites, paper makeup
9 comments:
- Kim said...
Dawn that is beautiful!!!!!
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- Danni said...
What a pretty card!!
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- Tina said...
This is so pretty!
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- Christi said...
Beautiful Dawn!!
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- Sankari W. said...
I totallllllly LOVE that sentiment!! That is such a perfect sentiment to give to someone dear to you! LOVe the colors and the layout of your card!! Beautiful!
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- Dawn Mercedes said...
Nice way to show off the sentiment!
- Wednesday, March 25, 2009
- gale said...
Wow this is really pretty. I love the shading you did-it looks perfect.
- Friday, March 27, 2009
- Heather said...
Great card! This is just beautiful! I love how the sentiment is the main focus! Great job!
- Wednesday, April 01, 2009
- CathyRose said...
Sweet card, love the sentiment and the color combo you used!
- Saturday, April 04, 2009
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text:
It's easy to talk about how much you can afford … but what we think we can afford, and what we can actually afford, are two very different things. To know how much car you can buy, here's a step by step process to figure out your costs.
Start with your monthly budget. If you're wrapping up a car loan, ask yourself if you want a payment that's lower or can afford a higher payment. Sit down with your bills and work out just how much room you've got in your budget for a monthly payment, so you've got an absolute ceiling.
Look at what you have available in your savings for a down payment. Generally, it's recommended you have 15 to 20% of your total costs sitting in your bank account, but that's not workable for everybody. If you don't have a down payment, a good place to start if you can is to set aside the payment you've already worked out from your budget. If your finances can't pass this "stress test," it's good to know now and have a better sense of what you can afford than to try and guess when shopping.
Determine the true value of your trade-in. Remember, you don't have to completely pay off your car to trade it in … but if your car isn't fully paid off, you'll have to deduct what you have left on it out of your trade-in value. For example, if you've got a trade-in worth $9,000, but you still have $2000 in payments left, your overall trade-in is worth $7000. This would also be a good time to ensure you can actually trade in your car.
Next ask yourself: "How long do I want to pay for this car?" Let's say you want to pay $200 a month for six years. That works out to $14,400 over that span of time. This gives you a rough idea of the pricing you should look at for cars you want to buy. When shopping for cars, look for the manufacturer's suggested retail price, or MSRP, and the dealer's invoice price. The former tells you how much the car is supposed to cost, the latter tells you, in theory at least, how much the dealership has to charge you to break even on the car. If your total falls between those two price ranges, that's a car you can afford.
Research any taxes and fees you'll be required to pay, and add that onto the price. This will vary state by state, but they can be expensive and you don't want to get surprised. Add that to your price ranges to get a sense of the overall cost.
Get financing quotes from car loan lenders. Yes, this step comes before you step onto the lot. Enter in what you're looking for and look for quotes with the lowest interest rates. The less interest you pay, the lower your monthly payment.
Finally, add it all together. Say you got financing for $15,000, plus $2000 you have in savings, and a $7000 trade-in. That gives you the overall cost of what you can afford: $24,000. Don't mention this to the salesperson: It's their job to try and get you to buy the most car possible, after all. But if you go in knowing what you want, and with the financing to buy it, all that's left to do is haggle down the price.


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Monday, September 15, 2008
Homemade pickles
Cucumbers, sliced
Onion slices
Apple Cider Vinegar (although, I didn't have any and used 90% rice vinegar and 10% balsamic)
Water (equal parts to vinegar)
Salt and Pepper
Put them all in a tupperware or a bowl with a seal, and throw in the fridge overnight. The serve as a side to anything from burgers to brauts.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Guester Blog: Yo Soy!, Rosalind's a review
When we asked The Food Monster what he wanted to do to celebrate his 24th year on the planet, he said all he wanted was to find an All-You-Can-Eat mecca. We all did a bit of research but didn't find anything that looked too appetizing (to my disbelief, I couldn't even find a decent looking all you can eat Indian buffet!!! Anyone know of a good one in town?! Preferably on the east side?). Further brainstorming brought us to the idea of Ethiopian Food. What better place to try Ethiopian for the first time than in Little Ethiopia?! With a little more research, we decided to make a rez for ten at Rosalind's.
Not all of the minions in our party were new to Ethiopian cuisine, but we still couldn't really figure out how the hell to order in a way that would satisfy everyone at the table. We ended up just having the waitress bring us three big sampler platters. While we waited, we ordered a couple bottles of vino, including a traditional Ethiopian honey wine which was crazy tasting. It was as if someone had emptied the entire contents of a plastic honey bear into the bottle and mixed in three or four drops of white wine. T'was definitely too sweet for me, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy it. As the food arrived, the vegetarians positioned themselves far from the carnivorous Food Monster and got to work chowing down on the veggie platter.
Ah but first there were the yam balls. This little app was basic but good enough--just balls of yam, lightly fried. Nothing to write home, or even blog, about. So on to the main digs...The platters each had a big huge crepe with dollops of various mushes which one eats with the bread that is provided. That's right baby--no utensils in Ethiopia--you have to tear off chunks of the bread, called enjera, to use as a scooper. Basically, this is a dieter's worst nightmare as it means you have to have a big load of white carbs every time you take a bite of anything. How do those Ethiopians stay so svelte?! The enjera is spongy and sour and has a texture that is strikingly similar to neoprene. So much so, that by the end of the meal we were saying "Hey Food Monster, quit hogging the wet suit!"
The dishes that came on the veggie sampler were collard greens, lentils in red pepper sauce, split peas with onions, steamed carrots, and a sort of pickled slaw. Basically everything tasted good but it was all just different variations on a mush theme. By the end of the meal I felt like I had eaten about twelve times as much bread as anything else. The more experienced Ethiopian diner's among us seemed to conclude that this wasn't the best example of the cuisine, but I think Ethiopian food may just not be for me. It's just a blander version of Indian. At the end of the day, there wasn't really enough substance to satiate all the people we had--just a whoooole lotta bread. Good thing The Food Monster had planned for our next stop on the b-day tour to be at Mashti Malone's!
Guest Blogger: John David, Sweet Frite!
A photo essay of Sweet Fr îtes Part 2 can be seen here.
Sweet Fr î tes!
So now that everyone's closeted away all their white and come to terms with the dwindling days of summer, I thought I'd finally write my guest blog post on our labor day cookout…now only ten days too late J
The Labor Day weekend up at our little hill-top hideaway was eventful. On Sunday, the whole gang participated in an annual Echo Park Scavenger Hunt—legs were shaven, tattoos were inked, and certain teammates wound up making out in a dumpster. L.A. fun at its finest.
Needless to say, we were all a tad tuckered come Monday. And so the idea of a cookout met only half-hearted enthusiasm and ill-attempts at actually putting together an official mayview barbeque. But of course, the evening rolled around, the food monster and his goons got hungry, and we decided to throw together a late-night, labor day cookout.
One trip to Von's and one disgruntled phone call to the Von's manager later—don't ever solicit a food monster on an empty stomach—and we were back in the compound kitchen, cooking up a spread of Labor Day deliciousness. Uncle Cray made his carnivorous burger bliss; the food monster stirred up some sweet sangria, per my request J; and I tried my hand at hamburger sans viande…a.k.a homemade veggie burgers.
But my pride and joy was beside the soy on my plate: the homemade side sweet potato fries. And so I'll keep my first guest blog post short and sweet. I know you're all on the edge of your seats, mouths-watering and patience-waning. Without further ado, the recipe for the perfect post scavenger-hunt, oh golly I have to go to work tomorrow with no eyebrows, late-night, bittersweet, labor day's almost over and we're not gonna get another long weekend 'till thanksgiving, Sweet Fr î tes Sweet Potato Fries:
· 4 or 5 Large Sweet Potatoes
· Olive Oil
· Honey
· Cinnamon
· Sea Salt
· Slice the Sweet Potatoes into hefty slices, based on the particular size fry you fancy.
· Scatter the slices across a greased baking sheet.
· Generously shower the wedges in olive oil.
· Bake at around 375-400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
· 5-10 minutes before removing from the oven, swizzle honey over your wedges and powder them with cinnamon and sea salt.
· Remove, let cool, and enjoy.
1 Glass of Angel's Juice White Wine (Leftovers)
Orange Rind
Orange Chunks
Mango Chunks
Frozen Strawberries
Orange Juice from Concentrate
Lemon Rind
Lemon Juice
Agave Nectar
Sparkling Water
After mixing all of the ingredients, I put it in the fridge to chill and for about 30 minutes, then served with the fruits of Uncle Cray's Hamburger Bliss.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I used a cheap beer in Foster's, which isn't actually anywhere close to Australian for beer, and an Oatmeal Stockyard which was in my fridge and Joe hadn't consumed yet. I added the beer and saurkraut and simmered the brauts for about 20 minutes,then I removed the brauts with tongues and put them in a pan on high heat to sear in the goodness and brown the outside.Seared Vegan Brauts
Then I drained most of the beer out of the saurkraut and onion mixture, and returned the brauts to keep warm until they were served. Vegan Brauts, returned to saurkraut
I love them with mustard, mayo, ketchup, and some cheese sprinkled on top. Here, one is shown with mustard, cheese, and homemade pickeld cucumbers and onions. Which my girlfriend taught me how to make and I will share in a future post.
Get out there and pretend you are at a game, and enjoy!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Guest Blog: Housemate Joe: The Oinkster, a review
My house mate Joe decided to try his hand at food blogging. For awhile, everyone around him had one, and he had considered starting an anti-food blog, the problem was he likes to eat everyday. Anyhow, here is his review of the Eagle Rock restaurant, The Oinkster.
Hello internet –
If you didn't already know, it was the Food Monsters' birthday on Sunday, and after spending the previous evening in a monster-mandated cyclone of Ethiopian food, Persian ice cream, and long-winded, occasionally disturbing party games, the monster and I gathered ourselves together on his birthday afternoon and embarked on a late day lunch quest.
I had heard stories of a hamburger renaissance in Eagle Rock and thought Sunday would be just the time to see what all the nonsense was really all about. A message board on Chow.com recommended The Oinkster, a "slow fast food" restaurant on Colorado Blvd. and, with the help of the monster's trusty GPS device and my hastily scrawled directions, we took off in search of a delicious burger.
However, once there, we decided to blow off our original hamburger idea and try some of the other, more interesting items on the menu. First, we got the Oinkster pastrami sandwich,
which came topped with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and red cabbage slaw. While it was a little pricey for your typical fast food meal ($8.99 for the sandwich, $11.99 if you want the combo meal), the meat was so perfectly tender and flavorful that the sandwich would not have been out of place if served at a much "fancier-style" restaurant. You know, the kind where men have to wear tuxedos, women have to wear ball gowns, and all of the waiters have chandeliers instead of hands. Everybody knows those kinds of restaurants, right? Anyway, moving on…
Next, we got the pulled pork sandwich ($6.99), which the menu described as being "brined with soy and honey then slowly roasted and smoked" and topped with red cabbage slaw, caramelized onions and Carolina BBQ sauce. It was exceptionally tasty with the pork itself being very high quality and well prepared. The monster pointed out that he didn't think it measured up very well to authentic Eastern North Carolina-style BBQ. I told him to shut up and we proceeded to slap fight in the restaurant for the next forty-five minutes. It was really embarrassing. Anyway, in the end, I think we both agreed it was still a good choice considering how rare good, carefully made BBQ is to find in Los Angeles. [The Food Monster: I meant, in a comparison with Eastern NC BBQ it would be considered terrible. If you put it up against a normal sandwich, exceptional]
Both sandwiches came with a side of Belgian fries, which were fresh, crispy, and -- if the Food Monster is to be believed -- authentically Belgian. Oinkster also apparently makes all of their own sauces, including a couple different variations of ketchup and mustard, which were good for dipping the fries. [From top to bottom: A combination of honey mustard and The Oinkster mustard, BBQ Sauce, The Oinkster Ketchup]
The menu also lists a garlic aioli sauce and a lime mayonnaise but we didn't get a chance to try either of those. [The Food Monster: Having the lime Mayonnaise would have helped the Belgian fries in there authenticity, still, they tasted like how I remember them.]
The "slow fast food" slogan made me think that we could be waiting a while for our meal, but it arrived about only 5 or 10 minutes after we ordered, though I'm sure the wait time can be longer if the place is crowded. Also, I wish we could've tried the angus beef burger (which is seems to be a signature item), or the Oinksterade (their combination of lemonade and orange juice), or any of the several beers they had on tap (including one of my favorites, Arrogant Bastard), but I needed to keep the F.M. out of a food coma so that he could drive us back home.
Overall -- and I don't know if this counts as official "Food Monster" opinion -- I thought it was a great meal and definitely worth the trek over to Eagle Rock if you're in the mood for a good sandwich. Consider The Oinkster Food Monster roommate approved! [The Food Monster: As well as TFM approved!]
The Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
I hope you enjoyed Housemate Joe's approach to food blogging. I did, almost as much as the meal itself. I would like to try one of their Milkshakes next time, but the Ice Cream maker I got for my birthday, from Housemate Joe, Von Scrumptious and her little brother, should keep me at home for awhile.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Mushroom Basil Goat Cheese Pizza
We got the hankering for some pizza one night. I will tell this story through pictures, the final products being from two different nights. The Pizza sauce made two pizzas, we used 2 crusts. . Ingredients came from Trader Joe's.
Mushrooms, cleaned, sliced, sauteed with minced Garlic
Basil, cleaned, ripped
TJ's Whole Wheat Crust, rolled out according to directions
TJ's pizza sauce Mushrooms and Garlic
Herb Crusted Goat Cheese from TJ's
Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella
1/4 of the pizza was made without the cheeses for the Vegan that ate with us.
For an a little something extra,
rub a drizzle of Olive Oil into the crust, then a few drops of Honey, and a sprinkle of Cinnamon, which gives a slight sweetness to the crust and balances out any savory pizza.
- The Food Monster
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Base White Sauce Recipe
1 part Butter
1 cup Milk (may need more)
1 cup Flour
Start by getting your ingredients ready, then start cooking your pasta according to its directions.
Then with equal parts, I used 4 TBS of each, add the butter to a non-stick pan until it is just melted. Add your flour until it is well coated.
Then slowly pour in your milk while stirring, once you add the milk, you want to keep stirring throughout the rest of the process. Your mixture should look like this.
If it is too thick, add some more milk and keep stirring, I used up 2 cups total. The goal is to have it simmer with bubbles popping for 1 minute, then once it gets to the consistency you like you can remove it from heat and serve. To spruce things up a bit, I sauteed up some Broccoli and Peas in a pan and added them to the pasta dish. I used enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, so the broccoli could absorb some of it. To finish off the meal, I plated it and put some Quatrro Formaggio cheese on top and some chopped tomatoes. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Town and Country - a Review
The other good thing about this place was the awesome blackberry jam/preserves/compote/concotion.
Unfortunately, that's where the good parts ended. It wasn't a hectic morning, half of the tables were empty and we were lucky enough to get two waiters. They were both unattentative at best and we couldn't figure out which one was the real waiter. It took a long time to get an extra set of silverware, I had to get up to get some salt from a table across the room that nobody was using and to top it off, they could only accept two forms of payment. Either Cash and one card, or two cards and no cash, but definitely not 5 cards.
Listen, we are trying to pay you money, if you do not have the means to accept it, i.e. no credit card machine then that's one thing, call yourselves cash only, but if you are half empty and can't take the money that I want to give you, then don't charge for the meal.
I skipped one part, the food, it was pretty good, despite it being overpriced, and outrageously priced for add-ons.
The tiny fruit salad cup that comes with the pancakesdoesn't even come with it unless you ask for it. I understand you are trying to save money and all, but at least accompany the pancakes with it, as somebody else at the table will probably eat the poorly assembled blend of melons. While I am at it, making the $5-6 pancakes cost an extra $3-4 for an egg and some bacon on the side is a bit much don't you think?
The other people at my table got some sort of breakfast burrito which wasn't bad, and what appears to be eggs and avocado.
I can't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there were a lot of things off about this place, and you should never leave with several bad tastes in your mouth. I rate this place slightly above average for the food, poor for service, below average for value and the experience. If you have the guts to venture in here, let me know how it goes, otherwise save yourself the trouble and money and walk down the street in either direction and find something better.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Guest Blog: Uncle Cray, Hamburger Bliss
Uncle Cray here, writing my first ever blog of any kind. I've got a quick recipe for some hamburgers that are so good you'll spit on a vegan passing by in the street for missing out on this true Hamburger bliss. Anyway, here goes...
Start with whatever amount of hamburger meat [ground] you want. Add enough Worchestershire sauce to soak the meat. Well saturated is the goal, not dripping wet with the stuff, the meat should smell like the sauce or the flavor won't survive the grilling, and you DON'T want that.
Next add about a spoonful or two of minced garlic or garlic powder and/or Mrs. Dash will do the trick.
Next chop up half of an onion (or more depending on your taste), doesn't matter if it's red, yellow or white, although I prefer red. Add this to the meat and hand mix, making sure the garlic, onions, and any other mixins that you desire are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
Finally, add in three or four shakes of pepper to complete the concoction, hand mix thoroughly again.
Now that the meat is mixed you're ready to grill. Make sure the grill isn't on too high or you'll end up with hockey puck burgers. I'm sure you aren't down for eating hockey pucks unless you hail from Canada or Detroit like Yo Soy!
Make sure also that you don't squish the patties down on the grill or you're just gonna squeeze out all that delicious Worchestershire sauce flavor, and possibly scorch the meat too when the sauce causes huge flames to rise and burn your burgers...this ain't Burger King people, no flame broilin' necessary, only krunkliciousness. So, for lazy folk here's the simple recipe laid out in short bus form for all to enjoy.
Hamburger meat: evenly mix in minced garlic and/or garlic powder, worchestershire sauce, pepper, chopped onion....then grill to perfection and enjoy. The amounts of each ingredient aren't scientific, it's purely a personal choice, just make sure to account that a bit extra is perfect as some of the flavor cooks out on the grill, although I've found a George Forman grill is a bit better about keeping the flavah.
Anyway, there you have it, Uncle Cray's Hamburger Bliss, coming in via The Food Monster, this is Uncle Cray saying "food is good eatin', Family Guy is bad writing". Mwaaa Haahaa!
There you have it, a simple hamburger recipe that roused the crowd here last night at our labor day Barbeque. You can look forward to recipes for Sangria and Sweet Potato Fries (pictured above).
Monday, September 1, 2008
Broccoli, Pea, Tomato Omelet with Avocado and Rye Bagel
My pan was at medium heat and in went the omelet mixture:
After one flip and a little bit longer to cook, The omelet came out of the pan. While it was cooking I had prepped a rye bagel, with melted butter and seedless boysenberry jam, and a ripe avocado.
But really, you can have any bagel, with any condiment, a side of your choice, and any combination of omelet ingredients and you would end up with a healthy great tasting breakfast.


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Peres says Francis only leader capable of ending today's wars
Peres said that "perhaps for the first time in history, the Holy Father is a leader who's respected, not just by a lot of people, but also by different religions and their representatives,
"In the past, most wars were motivated by the idea of nationhood. Today, however, wars are incited above all using religion as an excuse," Peres told the Catholic magazine, Famiglia Cristiana, ahead of the papal meeting yesterday.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed that Mr Peres, who ended his presidential term in July, had requested the meeting and told the Pope about his idea. Pope Francis, however, did not commit himself to the proposal.
"The Pope listened" to the idea just as he always does with any peace initiative, "showing his interest, his attention and encouragement," Fr Lombardi said.
But "the Pope made no personal commitment" and reminded Mr Peres that the Vatican has the Pontifical Councils for Interreligious Dialogue and for Justice and Peace – two offices "that are suitable" for supporting or following such initiatives, Fr Lombardi said.
Pope Francis also met later in the day with Jordan's Prince El Hassan bin Talal, who, for the past four decades, has worked to promote interfaith understanding and dialogue around the world.
Mr Peres said Pope Francis would be the best person to head such a world body: "In fact, perhaps he is the only leader who is truly respected" in the world, said Mr Peres, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 with Palestine Liberation Organisation Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Premier Yitzak Rabin.


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Old Naples Florida
Old Naples Real Estate
You may conduct your own search for Old Naples Florida Homes, Old Naples Florida Condos, or Lots in Old Naples, or you may contact us directly for more information.
Old Naples Florida, sometimes referred to as "Olde Naples," is a section of the City of Naples located between 7th Ave N. and 13th Ave S. west of US 41 (the Tamiami Trail) and the Gulf of Mexico. All of the avenues, shaded with beautiful palms and Banyan trees, lead directly to the beach and afford both visitors and residents alike with adequate parking for strolling along the beach or frolicking in the warm Gulf waters. Within the confines of Olde Naples Florida are some of the finest restaurants and shops in the area. One can enjoy the many special evening events held on both 3rd St S and 5th Ave S. as well as dine 'al fresco' on warm sunny days and pleasant evenings.
Main Areas in Old Naples
Third Street South:
Running parallel to the Gulf of Mexico, Third Street South located just three blocks from the Gulf and the. famous Naples Pier. The Naples Pier (which can be seen behind us in the photo of us at the top of the page), a must see for all first time visitors, extends 1,000 feet out into the Gulf and is a favorite spot for romantic sunset views, fishing or just enjoying the sight of magnificent beach front estate homes. Third Street South is a concentrated area of shops, boutiques, restaurants and galleries. Special events such as The Christmas Tree Lighting and monthly Thursday Nights on Third during season feature wine tastings and gallery viewings along with outdoor music and performances by local artists make this one of the centers of night life in Naples.
Fifth Avenue South:
Fifth Avenue South is located in the heart of Old Naples. Located just off of US 41 (the Tamiami Trail) just as it turns east towards Miami, it is a long palm treed boulevard that runs directly to the Gulf and is comprised of commercial buildings, restaurants, galleries, coffee shops, boutiques and residential condos. Like Third Avenue South, it too is the host for Thursday Night festivities held on the second Thursday of each month during season and is the site for local festivities like the St. Patty's Day Parade, and monthly juried art shows featuring talented artists and artisans from all over the country.
Cambier Park, Arthur Allen Tennis Center, Norris Community Center and the Von Liebig Art Center:
Located just one block south of Fifth Avenue South, Cambier Park includes the band shell, a children's playground and the Arthur Allen Tennis Center. The tennis center features a full compliment of tennis related activities including tournaments, training and classes. The Von Liebig Art Center on the western side of the park, is open free to the public, operated by an endowment fund servicing the public with exhibitions and educational programs.
Tin City and Bayfront:
Tin City, on the western side of Naples Bay, is a collection of restaurants and souvenir shops that provide a beautiful view of the boats as they pass by or an occasional pod of dolphins or a meandering manatee. Bayfront, located on the opposite side of US 41 from Tin City, is a compilation of restaurants, docks and condos. It is a colorful announcement that you "have arrived" in Naples Florida.
Homes in Old Naples Florida
Old Naples Florida derives its charm from the many colorfully painted cottages often festooned with bougainvillea, royal poincianias, and assortments of hibiscus bushes; however, homes in Naples vary in style and size.
While some of these smaller homes have given way to much larger, more modern homes, built to conform to the latest hurricane standards, there is enough variety to satisfy everyone's tastes. Throughout Old Naples there are also condos and townhomes ready for their owners to visit during "season" with little 'muss and fuss´ within walking distance to fine dining, galleries and shops.
My Home Tracker
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Home ValuesFind and compare local neighborhood home values


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UGG® Australia Gissella has been discontinued and is sold out. Try these styles instead:
UGG® Womens Blayre II Boots$199.99
UGG® Womens Brienne Boots
Regular Price: $199.99
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You'll illuminate in Gissella. Posh and inviting, you'll be the talk of the town with these on. Place your order now!
» Sheepskin insole
» Shaft is leather lined mostly in sheepskin
» Top of foot is leather (no wool)
» Zippered opening on back
» Uppers are soft suede
» Decorative buckle on side
» Sculpted latex rubber wedge
» 5-6 inch shaft height
» 3 inch high heel
» Part of the Women's Greenwich Collection
» Style #5593
» Comes with carrying bag
» Shipping weight: 4 pounds
Additional Info
Additional Info
|Shipment Dates
|No new shipments scheduled.
|Discontinued Style
|Style Number
Sizing Charts
Getting the right size is easy!
First, even if you already know your shoe size, we recommend printing the corresponding sizing chart to confirm your size (Adobe Reader is necessary to view the charts).
Then, after you have your true size from the size charts, view the recommendations on each individual product page under the heading Sizing Recommendations under the Description tab and use that information to determine the size to order. Sizing recommendations vary by style, not manufacturer, so do not skip this step.
The sizing recommendations you see on our site are based on our many years of experience selling UGG footwear. Our staff tries on each style individually and we talk to customers regularly about fit, so we know exactly how your footwear should feel and how your footwear will break in over time. Remember, these are general recommendations only and your experience may differ.