John McCutcheon plays Leviathan. Hammered dulcimer

I absol love John McCutcheon.. if you havent experienced his music.. check him out. I grew up going to his concerts and dancing away... he can play any instrument Im sure of it!

Anyway, I needed a little mellowing out after this tradegy of a work week... so I thought I would give my ears some tasteful tunes.

Hope you enjoyed as well.

My best friends wedding

My best friend FINALLY got married to her partner of FOREVER... and I wasnt there. That sucks living so far away. The two of us went to college together, and have shared some pretty interesting times (and secrets) throughout the years.... love her to bits.

Here are a few photos:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Just a reminder.... its Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

or, if you like.. use it as an excuse to get your man to do it!

Water Wise

Just wanted to drop some friendly reminders on being a bit more water considerate in todays world. Everyone seems so concerned about the price of fuel/petrol/gas, and there is good reason for that... but I didnt want everyone to lose sight of how much water is wasted everyday. It seems that we can easily take for granted this resource, and we need to be aware of our usage and wastage. Are you WaterWise?

Here are a few quick tips or hints (aside from the obvious of install water saving taps, shower heads, etc):

Bathrooms:

• Turn the tap OFF while you brush your teeth. Have a cup handy for rinses.


• Fit a flow regulator & an aerator on your taps to reduce the water flow


• Install dual flush toilets (if you havent already that is...a dual flush unit can save up to 8 litres of water every half flush & 6 litres of water every full flush)

In the garden:

• Water plants at the roots NOT the leaves


• Group plants together which require similiar water needs


• Mulch can reduce evaporation by up to 70%...thats heaps less water wastage, and more time not in the garden on the weekends!

Laundry:

• Use a detergent which is environmentally friendly (less suds generally)


• Try to hang your clothes on a drying rack rather than using the dryer (sorry, had to add that one!)


• Make full use of your washing machine... dont do 4 small loads if you can do 1 large load


• Use your cold water option as much as you can

Kitchen:

• Run the dishwasher when its FULL


• A smaller sink will keep your water warmer longer. The larger the sink, the more you tend to fill it up

So my fellow blog readers.. what tips do you have to save water? Lets get a list of comments going on some simple, everyday water wise solutions. Tell me your tips for saving on water around the home & garden.... I am curious as to how good of a list you can come up with.

Grandmas are the BEST~!

It is the End of Month, which means chasing everyone and trying to get money owed, stock take, sorting employees hassles, etc...

As about now, I am about 3 hours behind my normal routine of things... all because no one else can remember that the END OF MONTH duties ALWAYS FALLS ON THE LAST WEEKDAY OF THE MONTH. Its not out of the ordinary, but somehow, no one else seems to remember the date, or the job that they are given EACH end of month. So.. I have sorted them, and am tidying up my stuff. No stress really, just wish everyone could figure out the routine.

But, I have had very little time today to update on the blog... so, I thought I would dazzle your eyes with a photo of some of my favorite people who are very dear to me.

My cousin (the one in the bridesmaid dress) had a wedding this weekend in her hometown which my grandma happens to live in as well. My grandma is the stunning woman in the vivid blue outfit. I love this photo.. grandma gives the best hugs, and it when I look at this photo, I can feel her hugging me as well. By the way, my cousin... is younger than me, but TALLER than me.. I think I might (if I dont slouch) just sit under her armpits....

Love ya melonhead.. thanks for letting me steal the photo!

Saturday excitement

Went to dinner with Firestick J on saturday. Went to the local town and had a fantastic Thai dinner. Of course, after stuffing our faces, we decided to head for a little walk thru town and "try to not look like buddha" anymore. Plus, its always a bit interesting to wander the streets and see the sights... opps, i mean the dress code of the teenagers.

After deciding that we NO LONGER understand ANY part of the fashion trend of the local kids who hang out at bus stops, we decided to head home and have a coffee. Nothing was happening outside of our little "community where we live" but nothing was happening in town either.

A quick change into some daggy looking pajamas and a coffee & a chat latter, Firestick J and I stumble upon a water in the neighbors courtyard. Imagine it... Firestick J is across from affected neighbor, and I am next to affected neighbor. Neither of us wanted to be pitching buckets of water....so we went to investigate.

What we found was a water main, which was to all the units, had a pinhole of a leak. So, the plumber was called out (mind you: evening weekend rates) which involved a lot of mud, shoveling, digging plants, sorting pipes..etc.

We assisted the operation from 10:30 pm until 2 am on sunday morning.

I cant really say that we are confident to fix another one should we stumble upon it, but at least we know what is what in the pipe section of the concrete.

Needless to say, I think the complex manager will be instituting a curfew for Firestick J.... so that any incidents we stumble upon we find before 10 pm...

Ah, but it was so nice to know that we helped stop a flood, and it was great being able to make a coffee on sunday morning... which, had we not stumbled upon the mess of water, we would of have NO water on sunday...

We almost are superheros....right?

Its that time of year again...

I always loved candy corn. My grandma would always have a stash of it at her house. Actually, everyone in MN had a stash of it at their house.

Its that time of year when you always see it around. Everyone is eating it. Everyone eats it different.

This year... I get nothing.. nadda... zilch... zip. Can someone spare some candy corn for a woman who cant buy it in this country?

Oh.. and in case any of you readers are from my childhood and remember the days of CRAP' N CRUNCH.. I must tell you... a box of Peanut Butter CRAP' N CRUNCH made it into my cupboard about 2 weeks ago. I was delighted. I thought I was doing really well on rationing the food source and making it last.

Eh Gawds! I had a bowl last night for dinner, and I am down to one bowl left.... I so did not milk that one long enough (get it.. milk it... cereal.. ha, its funny!).

My new coffee cup

One of the guys at work has given me a new coffee cup:

And yes, most days are like that for me here at work.

Im curious

Why is it that when you live overseas, as an American.. you often hear these words: "Why is it in America, you people ALWAYS...... (insert some tacky tag line here)?"

For example:

The day the media told us about another gun shooting in the USA:

"Why is it in America, you people ALWAYS carry guns to school and want to kill people?"

"Why is it in America, you people ALWAYS think the best way to solve things is to shoot?"

~OR~

The day the media had its anniversary special on 9/11:

"Why is it in America, you people ALWAYS think of only yourselves?"

etc, etc, etc... get my point?

Anytime there is a shooting in a school in the USA, the media (which by the way... Mr Packer, who lives in Florida and owns a large chunk of media in the USA and AUS) floods the tv, papers, internet and so forth with the news...

BUT WHEN A GUY IN FINLAND http://www.newsweek.com/id/160420 posts a video on a popular video sharing site, gets questioned by police and LET GO due to "lack of evidence" and then goes and KILLS 10 people and BURNS the bodies... not a word is mentioned here except for a snippet on the morning news.

Shits me. Is it not one and the same? Is not human life the same no matter where you are?

Homesick

I dont know what it is today.. maybe its that its a bit dreary outside and cold and blustery...much like a MN September day. Maybe its just reminding me of things. Things I miss.

-the first snowfall
-the laughter of my friends
-the scurry to find your scarf before heading out the door
-one of my best friends wedding
-seeing my friends' kids grow up
-seeing my friends grow up
-spending Thanksgiving with Grandma
-not being the ONLY family to celebrate Thanksgiving in a 100km radius
-feeling the cold chill in the evenings
-looking at the frost on the windows
-etching your name into the frosty windows
-de-icing my eyelashes in the winter

Sounds odd to miss all these things. But, for whatever reason, MN still holds my heart. I love driving the section from Stillwater to Wisconsin and being able to see the Welcome sign.. it just makes me melt.

I would love to see the reactions!

"A total standout is Shevonne Bliss’ pair of trompe l’oeil tennis shoes which have been painted like a flip-flops, complete with faux toes baring an impossibly chic, scarlet pedicure. You could wear these even in the winter when your fiending the days you can crawl back into your summer wardrobe!

While none of the shoes in the Pimp My Flats exhibition aren’t really intended as footwear, the shoes make adorably stylish home decor pieces. For £35 (US$69.48) a pair, they make pretty cute gifts for those shoe-obsessed fashionista friends as well." Courtesy of Trendhunter.com

Oh..& Happy Bday Uncle Danny!

Body Art Carnival. Sunday Photos

This guy was all smiles while the crowd was walking by and admiring the artwork. I'm thinking Fightin Mad Mary (http://whereisgoodservice.blogspot.com/) should try to do some eyeshadow like hers! What do you think Mary... are you up for the challenge with all that neat sparkly eyeshadow?

This was odd...
Opp!s... almost gave away his real name... ha! Orville & I kept cracking jokes about this outfit... in the end, I think the funniest one was: So, do you think she does tricks? How much does she charge for a trick? And... I could go on and one about the jokes.. but its prob not that funny to anyone but me.

Body Art Carnival - Part 2

Do you notice that they are painted from the painting in the background? Paint was used on these models.
I was intrigued by the shading of green on the face. I liked this one. This one was an Airbrush job. I think it turned out really well. I took a photo of her, and the model smiled and posed for me (obv another shot). I think she could consume an audience. Maybe I would classify it as a favorite, as far as Pro Team would go.
The face is an interesting piece on the belly. I think I would have made the nostril be the belly button, but hey, we cant always think alike can we? This one looked impressive when you were in person, but not so much in the photo, now that I look at it today.

Monday-itis!

Its monday afternoon.. I have 3.5 hours left of work and I have been counting since 6.25 hours ago. Its turned out to be a nice day outside: not a cloud in the sky, little bit of the breeze (just enough to help keep you cool) and the sun is beaming down.

I want to be in the pool- or

I want to be having a coffee & a chat- or


I want to be going for a bike ride- or


I want to be sitting on the beach enjoying the day.





Its seems that my weekend was just so busy that I didnt really get a chance to "do nothing". I had a great weekend, but today... today I just want to be outside. In the breeze. Feeling the sun.

Remember the Gold N Plump & Prayer?

You knew it had to happen... check this site out...http://www.startribune.com/business/28701149.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7EaDiaMDCiUT

Ta-Da

It was a very good night last night at the concert. I will give you the scoop when I have had some sleep... surviving on 2 hours of sleep and am currently at work trying to stay awake well enough to do the taxes... yuck!

So, needless to say I will catch you up on the goss later..maybe tonight after a nap... or tomorrow.. but I will fill you in. All is well tho!

Well, for all my die hard fans of the blog (ha! I made myself laugh!) here is the picture of Orville... he was waiting outside the door anxious as anything waiting for the show to start. He didnt really want a photo taken, but oh well....

Doesnt he look like a kid in a lolly store, so full of excitement!

Photo to appear

I got a photo.... of Orville. Post it later today.

For goodness sake.. do not gather in groups of 10 or more or look like your having fun!

Do you remember being a kid and playing in the park? I grew up at the park... spent many days and nights in the park being active. I recall ice skating on the rinks until my toes were too cold to feel anything... and then I would still skate for another 2 hours. I recall the days of playing football, field hockey, basketball, dodgeball, handball... you get the idea.

As kids we never acted up or "got out of hand". We never, NEVER got in trouble by the neighbors while we were at the park. But, back in those days, you knew your momma had every right to sit your a** down and give you a good talking too....and if you were REALLY bad, you knew that the nearest adult had the right (only if your parent wasnt available immediately). Either way, as kids, we knew that if we stepped out of line.. there would be consequences... and most of the time they would be severe enough to overtake any bit of fun we had getting caught.

There is a park in California (Costa Mesa area) which has banned team sports (classified as any activity with 10 or more people involved). Council planted trees & boulders to help control the ban of team sports being conducted in the park. All because of some "periodic complaints" about noise & safety from nearby homeowners.

Serious? So no one can be a kid anymore? You cant get the neighborhood kids together and have a game of ball... what happens if 4 of you are playing hopscotch and 3 are playing handball, and 3 of you are talking... is that a group activity?

Oh but in being fair... parents can not be parents anymore. Parents do not want to take any responsibility for their children or actions. Dang, parents do not even want to know where the kids are most of the time anymore. (obv I am not talking about EACH parent, but a large % of parents have become blah-zey about it all).


But then again, how many kids do you see outside riding bikes? Mowing lawn? Helping with the gardens? Playing with the other kids on the block? Pretty few.

Who knows.. maybe this ban is only applicable to the fit and healthier (lifestyle) of adults who choose to be active and partake in activities with their friends.

"Signs, signs, everywhere a sign

Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind

Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign"

Jeff Martin "Coming Home"

The concert is tomorrow night. Which means tonight, I have to get my purse stocked with goodies!