Etsybloggers April 25th, 2011 Blog Carnival by Alice's Owl

Alice's Owl ... I just love this name of her etsy shop and blog!!!
www.alicesowl.etsy.comwww.alicesowl.bogspot.com
phoenixphire.alicesowl@gmail.com

3): Share with us your favorite part of April. What about it is so special to you? Why? Do you remember it from childhood? Did a special friend introduce the two of you? Did you discover it yourself while out on a bike ride or spring stroll? Perhaps you just were pulled to it and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since then. Show it to us, describe it to us, make it our favorite part of April too!

I'd met him for time the first that warm night.  Unbeknownest to me, it was the evening that would later change my life, and that of my children, forever.

Knowing him for a couple of years before we had our first date on my birthday, however I will never forget that fateful evening when I was first introduced to my future husband by my then boyfriend.

Friendships can be fragil and ours was. Kim and I had hit it off, and shared margaritas by the pool one summer afternoon to toast my birthday.  A couple of weeks later I was attempt to avoid her sons birthday pool  party at the house, because I knew that he would be there, afterall it was his home, and my heart was in no mood scared to fall in love, I comminted it to be so.

That week I mailed Pete's birthday gift knowing I would not attend his party, afterall Kim said that Rob was dating his ex-girlfriend again.

The afternoon that Pete's gift arrived at the house, Kim called to inquire.  After some pressure, my o]position was explained.  She understood.  That evening, the phone ran again, this time it was him!  Heart thumping, hands sweating ... he said, "I heard that you were not coming to Pete's party?" God, if he would only talk forever ...  It was a question.  I would need to talk.  Gulp! 

Finding my voice, I told Rob that it would be best that I not be there.  He said, "I want for you to be here" ... a little less that two years later we married our best friends, each other.  April 1, we celebrated aout 11th year of marriage to one another.  Often, my heart still skip-thumps when I see him.

Etsybloggers March 28th, 2011 Blog Carnival by Devine Designs Jewelry

Devine Designs Jewelry

Cowgirl Bracelet

Pick one topic:
1. April birthstone: diamond- write about it's history, gem info, whether or not you like them, or if this is your birthstone!

2. April Fool's Day: Do you participate? Tell us about a joke you played on someone, or if one has been played on you. What do you think about this "day"?

3. What is your favorite gemstone and why?

Have fun choosing your topic! Cindy

Being the jokster that I am, with a side of sarcasm to boot, something fun always comes to fruition on April Fool's Day, also known as All Fool's Day, and our 11 year wedding anniversary!

As soon as I read choice number two, "Tell us about a joke you played on someone", a trick I played on our then middle school daughter, who is now in college, flooded my cebrial forefront..

It was a weekend day, and spur of the moment I decided to rush into her bedroom, turn on the lights, and wake her up telling her that her alarm must not have gone off and she was going to be late for school.

As she very sleepily jolted out of bed and started to put some clothes on, she suddenly realized it was not a school day!  Upset, but happy to go back to bed for a few more hours, we only laughed together many years later.  I laughed on and off all day long, each time I thought about it, and then again just now. 

Think maybe I will call her early April Fool's morning and give it another try!

Fun fact:  In Scotland, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.

February 25th Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival Hosted by Janet of Honey From The Bee

Theme Choices:

1) St. Patrick's Day will be our next holiday. Write about any St. Patrick's Day traditions you have or memories... crafts.... food...

2) Thinking Green... write about what you're doing to make this a greener planet. This could be about your art or just around the house or at work.

Putting the four R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover the resource into action.  Reverse the way you think about waste. Is it a matter of priorities, what you don't want to give up and what you can give up.

In my opinion, it is just ethical towards our fellow humans to not use too much of the resources and to not degrade the planet. This is a great way to think on this:  "One of the actual definitions of the word sustainability is being able to meet our current needs without compromising future generations abilities to meet their own needs. But what that really means is that not so much their ability but the capacity of the planet to provide the resources that the future generations will need."

Did you know that there are cyclical reasons to be more environmentally friendly? 

1. When you buy products in America:  You have less shipping, less overseas transports of goods which of coarse cuts down on the over all carbon footprint. Some, such as myself, see this as a patriotic duty.

2. Eat less or no red meat:  The meat industry has a large carbon footprint, energy use, water use, land  use. That quarter-pound of meat for a hamburger is rather resource intensive. We tend to have a lot of heart disease and poor health because we eat too much red meat.

3. Anything like using compact florescent bulbs, just taking the time to conserve water, conserve electricity. That helps the planet. But at the same time we pay for water, we pay for electricity. So a lot of these little things that you can do to be more environmentally friendly are also just going to save you money. 

4. Composting is the "full circle":  Composting is nature's process of decomposing organic materials through a combination of biological and chemical processes. Biological such as worms, insects, bacteria, fungi and  other micro organisms eat away waste and chemical processed such as oxidation and reduction.  The waste breaks it down further to create a rich soil.

If you are able to do this, then you create the best potting and garden soil.  If neither of these are your things, just spread the composted end product on your yard and watch the results!

5.  Cooking:  Whenever you boil something (including water), use a container with a tight fitting lid and keep the lid on so that the heat does not escape and the boiling takes place quickly and more energy efficiently. Cooking without a lid allows all the heat to escape and the process will take a much longer time (and will use three times more energy) than if you kept your lid on! 

If you are boiling vegetables or pasta, once the water reaches the boiling temperature, turn the stove off and let it cook in the hot water with the lid on. You will be saving much more energy this way.

6. Bring your own recycled cloth bags to hold your shopping so you are not using their plastic or paper  bags.  Recycling your paper and plastic products can cause pollution if not done by an eco friendly facility.

Green living can come a long way in keeping your house and your family's health at its very best.  That is my sixth-cents!