Ok, if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could take only one music album with you, which one would it be? That is the WordPress topic of the day. Kind of fun, so I thought I would play along… I like to listen to Alicia Keys – AS I AM. It starts out with the Intro that is slow and sultry, you have to turn up the volume to be sure it’s even on… then it segues into more of a beat, perfect for walking… I love to listen to it when I’m cooking or painting… So I think I’ll go ahead and turn it on now and get dinner rolling… How about you? What ONE album would you take with you if you were to be stranded…? I guess we should all take that one album with us since between the wild weather and the traffic we most certainly can be “stranded” in our cars! You can listen to these songs at www.aliciakeys.com !
Sugar. Not sure why, but I’m craving something sweet right now in the biggest way. I’m trying to re-route my thinking, but I’m not too successful so far… banana for the resistant starch to make me skinny (ha ha), ok… now some oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, more resistant starch… ok, I think i’ve worked my way up to something tasty! Maybe some homemade brownies or that darn apple crisp that was so good I can’t get off my mind… Poey… I had visions of Sugar Bakeshop in downtown Charleston pop into my head… oh what I wouldn’t do for a lemon cupcake, or a caramel cupcake, or just about any other cupcake, not being piggy… just wanting a cupcake, not a big cake… I. DON’T. THINK. Hmmmm… If you get a chance, check it out, we’ve had most of their cakes (except chocolate, for that we always go to the Chocolate Cake Charleston, the best chocolate cake in the world, and a future post!)… Sugar Bakeshop shows their cake images as a slideshow, so I couldn’t include here, but check them out at www.sugarbake.com ! If you haven’t been before it’s worth the drive FROM ANYWHERE! They even make dog cookies, and let me tell you, Charlie gets just as excited about his cookie as we do with our cupcake! Have a sweet day, until tomorrow…!
What’s one thing you like to do on a Sunday? One thing we like to do is take Charlie (JRT) to the James Island County Dog Park. We had heard so much about this specific dog park, then we decided to check it out… The dog park is separated for small dogs under 25 pounds, which is where we started with Charlie… He finally graduated to the “big dog” side where there is a LOT of land to run, there is water to stand in to cool (he’s not a swimmer yet, but he will go stand in the water and maybe do a few paddles, even when it’s brutally cold!). If you have a dog do you take it to the dog park? if not, give it a try some time, you meet (mostly) nice people and the dogs are awesome to watch!
Charlie and his PBGB friend, Birdie…
See the water in the distance… This is where ALL the dogs are in the summer… In the winter everyone is really hoping they DON’T, but they always do…
This was his running buddy this past week… This dog was hilarious, would jump over smaller dogs while he was running…
This is what he looks like after soaking in the nice cold water then running and rolling in sand… The sun in his hair, he’s having the time of his life!
I am someone who loves gadgets. I love computers and all the fun stuff that comes along with them… until it gets super technical… I am creative. I learn quickly. But I draw the line at super complicated code talk… I might as well be in Siberia… We have an iPad, but couldn’t watch the videos… seemed like a shame. After taking it to the Apple store and trying their network, I determined it wasn’t the iPad itself, next I thought it might be our cable service, maybe I wasn’t paying for high speed Internet, a call to Comcast said I was paying for it… hmmm, then WHY did everything take so long to load, why could I not watch a short uTube clip? Hmmm, only thing I could think of would be the router, so I called Linksys. They couldn’t determine a problem with our router. So back to Apple, tried again, and the iPad was fine… I could watch video at my parents and they have Comcast and a Valet router… SO… maybe it IS the router! Off to Staples we went, armed with a 15% coupon and we are now proud owners of a Valet Plus. They say it’s easy. Whattttt? It’s so easy we did it in NO TIME! This is brilliant for those of us who don’t need the complicated settings that many of the other routers provide. I can watch painting videos again! Woohoo! If you’re in the market for a router and are dreading setting it up… LOOK NO FURTHER! This thing is awesome! Until tomorrow…
Have you ever laughed so hard you cry? I LOVE when that happens! You can’t plan for it, something just strikes you as hilarious and you lose all control… It has happened to me many times and they say it’s GOOD FOR YOU! I just read something about this, WHY do we cry when we’re really laughing? They’ve been studying this (ugh, please study more important things!!) and they just don’t know… I can remember my mom and I stopping at this little roadside diner. Very small place. We were seated near the window… I think its after we worked at a boatshow all day in Detroit and were over tired… we got the giggles that turned into full blown I-just-can’t-stop laughter… It’s like doing hundreds of sit-ups once you’re done, ha ha… Everyone was looking at us like we weren’t right or perhaps had too much to drink, but neither was the case… It. Just. Happens. There are countless times my sister Bridget and I would either see something funny or the funny bone is just tickled for some reason and we just lose it… same with Fred. I can’t wait until the next time this happens.
Do you need a laugh? Well if you haven’t seen Modern Family (on ABC) the ‘Caught in the Act’ preview, it cracked me up, especially the very end… can’t wait to watch the show! I wish you a weekend full of laughter!!! Get out there and laugh, laugh hard, laugh with someone, laugh alone and most of all… LAUGH OFTEN!
Video link via U Tube (it’s only 1 minute 23 seconds long…):
I’ve been putting something off and I need to stop… Well actually I don’t need to STOP I need to START… start what? Painting… Not painting a wall, shoot, if that’s all I had to do THAT kind of painting would get done in a hurry! It’s the other kind, the kind that requires skill and creativity… Oil painting… You know when you have something you should be doing, but for some (sometimes unexplained) reason you just don’t get to it? Well, that’s me. I was on a good roll several years ago… then I think a series of paintings I wasn’t happy with just got to me… What am I doing? Do I even know? Then it was too hot… now it’s too cold… hmmm, actually TODAY is a perfect day, but I’ve got other things to get done. See what I mean? But I have it back on my mind daily.
I need to start painting again… SOON! Or else I’m going to turn the sunroom/studio back into a nice sunroom/reading area! When I look back at some of my paintings I’m thrilled, I actually am HAPPY with them… so what was my problem then? My guess is that I was comparing myself to “good” experienced artists, and in my mind I just wasn’t measuring up. Well this is the year to turn things around. Wish me luck… I’ll need it, ha!
I love seeing before and after pictures of rooms that have been given new life! The before pictures always seem cluttered and dark, full of unnecessary things everywhere. The after pictures seem crisp and clean, no extra stuff sitting around taking up space and collecting dust… Here are a few great before and after pics from www.coastallivng.com! If you have a room that might resembe one of these before pictures… just know there IS HOPE! Paint is probably the cheapest transformer of a room and it can have such an impact! See if you agree… of course their view sure doesn’t hurt, wouldn’t you love to look out at that each day?
Once upon a time there was a neat little design store in Charleston, SC. They sold funky cool things but at a higher price point than most. It was fun to go in and get good ideas… and then… we spotted this cotton canvas throw. I’m not talking about a rough stiff canvas I’m talking about a nice worn cotton canvas… but ohhhh the price tag… I went back to buy it for my husband for his birthday, hee hee. After spending too much time inside the store fighting with myself (not out loud, no worries!) I just couldn’t part with $185 for a COTTON throw… So I didn’t get it… not sure what he ended up with that year… hmmm, hope it was good! Fast forward a few years. We’re in Maine, in this small fishing village with a cool shop full of neat things. We walked in and spotted TWO. The owner said it was the end of the season so she gave us a discount if we bought both… IT WAS MEANT. TO. BE. Woohoo… we packed up those throws, along with a few other goodies she had and went on our merry way. We bought BOTH throws for less than ONE at the little shop in Charleston. The company didn’t used to have a website or sell online, but they do now. We have acquired a few more as well as a coverlet and some pillows that we absolutely love! So if you’re ever in the market for a wonderful, worn, soft-to-the-touch throw, this is the one for you! It’s delightful! Check it out at www.utilitycanvas.com. They now have patterned throws as well as solids (click on the symbol of the house to get to the home type goods). Another plus… you just toss it in the washer and dryer and it only gets better!
What made me start writing a blog? Hmmm, first i believe I challenged myself to see if I could figure it out. I had time on my hands and a new puppy (Charlie) that would sleep if I was sitting at the desk, so that was a motivating factor! Ha ha! I created a blog LIFE WITH CHARLIE http://lifewithcharlie-barbara.blogspot.com/, it chronicled his first year and at times was hilarious. It received great support which amazed me, I really couldn’t believe anyone would read anything that I had written, I mean really, who cares that my dog just pulled all the toilet paper off the roll and had it spread from one end of the house to another, ha ha… But people did, other people with dogs I would imagine. I stopped that blog once Charlie turned one year old… I had plans… I wanted to figure out how to create a WordPress blog, another challenge, yay! I had no idea that I would keep it up, I wanted to see if I could set it up, but then I was hooked. In hindsight I wish I would have picked a better name for that blog… Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – I thought what better way to share some of my photos than a photo blog? As the year went on I had other ideas, sometimes I want to share a great recipe or design element, travel tip or just a thought without having one of my photos to back it up. I launched https://barbarastroud.wordpress.com blog on 1/1/2011 and I am trying to keep it up daily. I hope you find something challenging (in a good way) in your everyday life… it keeps you young! Glad you stopped by for a vist! Have a great weekend! Until tomorrow…
Something to think about… (thanks to WordPress for the topic) WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD ONE HOUR TO LIVE? Hmmmm. Not something I like to think about… I would want to spend time with my husband, I would want to talk to my family (after all I only have an hour, not enough time to jump in a car and get to Summerville OR on a plane and get to Michigan!) and I would want to take a few minutes to write a letter to those who have made my world a much better place. I would want them to have something that shows them how much I truly loved them and how deeply I felt about them. Then I would just want to be close to Fred and say goodbye to Charlie… I. WOULD. PRAY. Oh, and if I was so lucky as to have a box of See’s dark chocolate caramels in the house I would go ahead and eat them, well, I would save Fred a few, but what the heck… might as well. I would still want to quick brush my teeth at least. Then I think I would set the house up for Fred, make things exactly as he likes them. Personally I’m hoping when we’re very very old, once we’re no longer healthy, that we fall asleep in each others arms and wake up in Heaven. If that happens, no one needs to be sad for me I will be thrilled! What would you do with your final hour? By the way, Eat Pray Love was a good movie if you need something to rent! Until tomorrow…
I grew up in Michigan. I know about cold, or at least I USED TO KNOW about cold… I’ve been in South Carolina for the past 22 years so I know less about the cold than I used to! I remember vivid details of one ice storm when I was young. I remember it being SO EXCITING! How nice to be that age with no worries, everything is an adventure! I remember how we didn’t have power, but we had a fireplace and had that puppy going strong! I remember tree limbs breaking and big hunks of ice jamming the river. I remember neighbors coming over to use our stove/oven because ours was gas and theirs was electric. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. I remember moving the furniture in the living room which is fairly large against the walls and bunches of us spread out our sleeping bags to be in the room with the fire. We had a radio that was tuned to a station that told scary stories, ohmygosh, I will never forget that! Fast forward to today… As I type this sleet is hitting the window and Charlie (Jack Russell) is barking at it, he’s not sure what this stuff is! Why does it make noise? Ha ha… When cold weather and rain strikes we usually go to the store to gather supplies, ha ha… Get food to cook/bake as well as treats, because anytime bad weather strikes, you must have a ‘Storm Party’ (per our nephew, Maxwell). So we usually get a fire going in the fireplace (ha, I say ‘we’, but it’s Fred that does all that, and an awesome job of it I have to say… wish he was home now!), pour a glass of wine, read, talk, and if I get my way we’ll play cards, play with Charlie and generally just have a big time. We love a good storm party, how about you?
When it’s time to hit the hay we crawl into our bed that has a Pacific Coast down (www.pacificcoast.com) comforter (lightweight). You wouldn’t believe how warm it gets QUICKLY! A wise investment indeed (we bought ours on sale at Macy’s last year, also available at Amazon, etc. etc.). We turn our heat almost all the way down at night, it rarely comes on. We both like sleeping with it pretty chilly (high 50’s/low 60’s), ahhhh, I’m already looking forward to crawling back into that bed tonight! Until tomorrow…
I know yesterday I said I might take the weekend off, but since WordPress is offering a topic a day to blog about I hate to not participate… Today’s topic: How do you stay focused?
Well, let me start by saying I have a pretty great system that works well for me… on the other hand sometimes I think I’m stuck in the zone, and on paper I am über organized, yet I haven’t actually gotten anything done yet, ha ha… I have a journal that I write notes in basically, what I need to do for the day, what to make for dinner, what I need at the store, who I’ve contacted, medical notes, notes about pretty much anything during the day. IT COMES IN HANDY. I can refer back to it at any time and pull up important details that would otherwise be lost. I also have a monthly day planner like the one in the picture. I prefer the cheap thin ones to the thick ones, I seem to use it more. So between the journal and the monthly planner, oh, and my BlackBerry Calendar I know where I should be and when I should be there… How do you stay focused? Hope your Saturday is a great one! Until tomorrow?
The WordPress daily post subject today is to share something that makes you smile… OK, it seems rather sad that I pick a phone as the “something that makes me smile”, it’s not actually the phone (although, I have to say I love this phone, and it DOES make me smile, well, most of the time)… It’s what’s ‘inside’ the phone. A sweet message from Fred (my husband) that he left several months ago. I love his messages, his kind words, his enthusiasm, THAT is what makes me smile! What makes you smile? An interesting subject no doubt, I had so many possibilities, then I tried to think of something where I could have the post and the image go together and tada… Blackberry Bold it is…
Here’s to many things that make you smile today! Until tomorrow…
Eyewear for the irreverent and slightly jaded… Hmmm, have you seen Eyebobs reading glasses? If you’re of the age where your vision up close is heading south, you may want to try a pair of these! They’re ultra cool, check out their website! www.eyebobs.com. I know we all fight it as long as we can holding objects (omg, the MENU!) farther and farther away but there comes a point in time where you have to give it up and get some glasses, oh it’s so nice to see again. What fun, huh? This is the pair I bought, they have lots of funky styles, check them out!
What was your best accomplishment of 2010? Hmmm, I try to think of what my best accomplishment was and I think of lots of little things but nothing substantial. Nothing that will make me sound important, ha ha… I guess to do good, help those who need it and not take the small things in life for granted. I’m very fortunate to be married to the most wonderful man in the world. I have a great life, a sweet (well, at least when he’s sleeping) dog, a house we love in a city that offers so much. So I will keep in mind during this new year not to take things for granted, no matter how small. I will love and APPRECIATE my family even more, and mostly from a distance, sigh… Until tomorrow…
Have you tried Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day hand soap? It’s wonderful! We started using it several years ago when we spotted it at Whole Foods. It has a wonderful scent (and many to choose from!), I remember our first bottle was Geranium scented… it doesn’t dry out your hands and all that jazz, very nice. I’ve seen it at Target, Walmart, even the grocery stores, keep your eyes out for it! I would like to try some of the rest of their line, check them out at www.mrsmeyers.com.
Well, my husband is on the dreadmill, uh, I mean treadmill, good for him. When he starts a (self inflicted) “get fit” program he goes 110%, while I think of different (more healthy) dinners to make, and make notes and THINK… now’s the time to get off my duff and do too… ha. I think I’ll start the year slowly deep cleaning the house and (re) organizing all the drawers and closets. I am good at that! Ha… time to get rid of excess which we are really good at since we don’t have space to store items that aren’t used. I think we’d be in trouble if we had a big house with lots of storage.
I hope the beginning of 2011 is looking bright for you! Until tomorrow…
