Happy Birthday to Gary

I am wishing Happy Birthday to Gary, but it is a sad day... Gary would have been 29 years old today, September 29th. He was Veronica and George's youngest son. He passed away when he was only 16 years old. Veronica is my cousin -- when she was little and my mother was not married yet, my mother and Veronica were so close. Veronica always called my Mom her second mother. And then when I was born, Veronica was a big part of my life as well. She was always over our house and always a part of our lives, no matter where we went or what family parties we had. Veronica met George, got married and had three great boys. I was always close to her kids, going over her house to visit and to babysit when the boys were little. Gary was the sweetest little kid - he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was so cute! When he was very little, about three or four, he loved karate and wearing his little white karate suit. It is a nice memory that I always think of. Here he is as a little boy,he was probably around 10 years old (and that's my son as a baby).

We all miss Gary today on his birthday. Veronica's two older sons miss their younger brother VERY MUCH. My son and I miss Gary so much. And Veronica and George are still heartbroken. But Veronica honors Gary each year on his birthday. It is a hard day for her and my heart goes out to her. Whomever is reading this, if you could say a little prayer for Veronica and her family today, for their peace of mind, it would be greatly appreciated.

Gary, we are lovingly thinking of you on your birthday today... You will always be missed...

Gloria

Linky Party!

Those of you who visited me the other day have seen my "Tea Towels" post below, but I am linking to Pam at "Be Colorful" today for her "Motivated Monday" post. Buying these towels have motivated me to be happy! So please drop by Pam's blog and check out her post, and the other Linky Parties for Motivated Monday. Thanks!

Best,
Gloria

My New Tea Towels...

I thought I would show you my new new tea towels that I just purchased yesterday from . I emailed a few of you One Kings Lanethe link to sign up to get a $15.00 credit, right off the bat, to buy something. These 100% cotton towels were a set of 9 for $22, plus $7.95 shipping. With the $15 credit that I had from joining One Kings Lane, these ended up costing $14.95, total. So they wound up at $1.66 each. The towels originally sell for $45 and they are from Xochi. Aren't they pretty?



I can't wait until they arrive. I think these will go very nicely in my kitchen, which is mostly red, with blue accents. Isn't it something how a simple purchase can make one so happy? Or maybe I am just simple-minded? :)

Oh, one more thing about One Kings Lane. If you would like to join, can you please use the link in the email forwarded to you from One Kings Lane showing my name? This way, I will get a credit to my account when you sign up and when you use your credit. I will appreciate it very much. Thank you! UPDATE: TO JOIN ONE KINGS LANE, CLICK HERE!! THANKS!

P.S. If you didn't get my email or lost it, and you'd like to join, may I ask if you could please email me letting me know so that I can get the invitation sent to you in order for me to get a credit to my account?? My email: gloria.vincent@yahoo.com THANK YOU!

********UPDATE: no need to take the time to email me: click HERE to join! Thanks!

Regards,

Gloria

Now what in the world can I use these for?

So, OK, any ideas what I can do with these? I was online on Ebay one day recently, and since I am on a "Robin's Egg Blue kick," I came across these finials. I said: "I gotta have 'em! I am bidding!" Then, AFTER I bid, of course, I was like: "Oh, I don't need them. That's spending money I don't have, on something I wouldn't know what to do with anyway." (I am in no way creative, plus I am pretty lazy to boot.) So guess what? I won the bid. I was like, "Great, now what."

So the four finials came the other day. I didn't even open the box yet. Can you please take a look at the pics and give me some ideas? (I am SO lazy, that these aren't even my photos, these are the ones from the ebay ad.)

Thank you for your help!

Gloria

I miss you, Ma...

September 21st -- Today is my mother's birthday. Her name was Fran (Frances). She passed away five years ago and I miss her so much. I miss her being here to talk with me, and to give me advice, and give me "pep talks" when I need them. I miss her being here for my son. I miss making her a cup of tea and her saying, "Oh, thank you, this hits the spot!" I miss making her a meal and hearing her tell me, "Oh, this is so good, why is it that something always tastes better when someone else makes it for you?"

She was the Best Mother and the GREATEST Grandmother to my son. She loved him more than anything else in the world. He still very much misses her too. We talk about her a lot and we always bring up something funny she used to say and we laugh. She had a great, sarcastic sense of humor. She was also the type of person that would give you the shirt off her back (my father was the same way). My father's sister, Aunt Madelyn, always told the story of when she first met my mother, she admired my mother's hat and my mother took it off and gave it to her. That's the way my mother was. And I can't forget to say: She was also the best cook. I miss her cooking so much! I especially miss her gravy. She was the BEST gravy maker. Oh, and the BEST apple pie maker too!

And I miss her stories so much!! She always had one and would always make everyone laugh. Here's one of her stories from when she was little, that I told on an earlier post: click HERE to read it.

Well, thank you for listening to me while I missed my "Ma" -- which is what I called her and what I'd yell when I wanted her. And I'd yell it loudly. "MA!!!!" And when I was annoyed with her, I'd call her "Mother." I guess we all do that with our Moms, no?

My love to my mother today, who is somewhere, up there, watching out for me and her Grandson.

Miss you and Love you, Ma...

Glorianne

My Adorable Custom Color Clothespins!!

Well, I saw some adorable little things in an Etsy shop one day recently... decorated clothespins, little works of art. They weren't the colors that I wanted for my kitchen, so I emailed the artist, Caroline, from Cinderella Moments, and I asked if she could do a custom color job for me of red, robin's egg blue, and another color, maybe yellow? I LOVED the little houses on the clothespins too! So she agreed and I felt so special. Look at all of my pictures below. Aren't they the most adorable things you have ever seen? She is so reasonably priced for these little masterpieces too. She also included one of her beautiful gift tags as a little extra gift (shown on the right side of the clothespins). Wouldn't that tag look lovely on a package? Or you can even use some to put on wicker baskets to list what each basket contains. There are so many uses for these little tags.
OK, here are the photos: If you'd like, you can check out her listing on Etsy for the first batch of clothespins that I saw, they are still there. Here's the link, click HERE. And when you go onto her Etsy shop, you will see all of her GORGEOUS dollhouses that are hand-made by Caroline! She is truly a gifted artist.
Here's her newest one, Whimsical Christmas Dollhouse:

And Caroline also put up a NEW set of clothespins. Click here to see them. If no one snaps them up, then they are coming home with me in the next few days! Since I have the ones she just made me, I want to give someone else a chance at these first. :)

Thank you again, Caroline, for my custom job. I love the colors of the clothespins and the little houses too.

And if you want to see Caroline's blog, it is called: http://www.shopcinderellamoments.blogspot.com/ -- she also showcases all of her GORGEOUS dollhouses on her blog.
I hope you will all visit Caroline's Etsy store and blog. She is one of the most talented people I know!

Best regards,

Gloria

******UPDATE******

Dear Caroline has featured me on HER blog! I love it and am so honored! Please go to see -- Click HERE. Thanks!!

Feeling Old... That's what she said

"That's what she said. "

Have you heard this going around? I was watching Big Brother when the show was still on for the season (it ended on Sept 15th - Hayden won - but I wanted Lane to win) and they were talking about "that's what she said." Apparently, it's some thing that one says after somebody says something, after somebody tells a story or whatever. But THEN, I googled it and it said that it is 'used to add naughty innuendo into a conversation.' (I won't go into THAT here, or give an example, please google it yourself!)Then I was looking online at Urban Outfitters (I love them, by the way) and they had something for sale with that phrase on it (see photo above). I said to myself, "How long is this around? What am I missing? When did I miss it? Where did this come from?" So I yelled into my 19 year old son in his room: "Did you ever hear about people saying "that's what she said?" And he yelled back: "Yeah, and I hate that, it's so annoying!" So, apparently 'the young people' know all about it. And that's when I feel OLD... I mean, I used to know about this stuff!! Man, I am SO glad that I watched the VMA's on MTV last Sunday, and also watched "World of Jenks." I have to try to keep up! It makes me feel less old and more "in the loop." (Which shows you how old I really am: who uses the phrase "in the loop" anymore??)

But I am STILL going to try to stay YOUNG!!!!!!

Well, please excuse me, I have to go lie down now and take a nap. First I have to take a pill for my arthritic knee...

Best,

Gloria

One More of my Favorite People!

Greetings - I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I have to expand on my post of yesterday... I forgot to include a most important person! Kim at My Domestic Bliss!

If not for Kim, I would never have discovered SITS! One day on her blog, she encouraged everyone to join SITS, and I am ashamed that I forgot to mention her in my post yesterday as one of my favorite people. Kim is the sweetest, kindest, friendliest, best-est thrifter, yard-sale-er, bargain hunter ever! Here is her picture -- isn't she cute?? :)


I am sure that many of you know Kim already, she's got lots of Followers, and rightly so! She is a top notch blogger and she has a handsome hubby and two beautiful girls and, a little one on the way! If you haven't been to her blog, head on over there. If you HAVE been on her blog, did you make sure to see her beautiful kitchen? If not, click here. She has the most gorgeous decorative hutch with lovely little items displayed; and she has other special little things all over her kitchen.

To end, thank you, Kimmy, for your friendship and kindness since I entered the blogging world!

Best, Gloria

What Blogging Means To Me

Hello and Happy Friday. Today is the last SITS challenge in their "Back to Blogging Event" and to participate in winning the gorgeous Electrolux Washer and Dryer. This giveaway is being generously sponsored for SITS by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances. Check out their beautiful websites!

Our task today is to write about why we blog, what purpose has it served us, and in what way have we benefitted from sharing a piece of ourselves online in this way...

To start with, I somehow (and I have no idea HOW!) found a blog by someone named Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Well, when I saw this southern lady's beautiful porch, I almost fainted because of how beautifully and serenely decorated she has made her porch. It is a screened-in porch and it is so lovely. I am sure that most of you are Followers of Susan's and I am not telling you anything new! If you have NOT visited her blog, you must do yourself a favor and do so. Susan was so nice and encouraged me to start my own blog and she became my first Follower! I will never forget her kindness.

So that is the simple reason of WHY I started a blog, to just try something new. And the purpose it has served me? Well, I was laid off from my job, as many in our economy were, and this has helped me to keep up my computer skills and keep current with things. So this all sounds pretty unemotional, right?

But now, for sharing how blogging has benefitted me... Well, I never thought that I would meet such nice people. Specifically, I have met four people who I can honestly now consider friends. I would like to introduce them and, again, I am sure that some of you might know them! The first is my dear Sheila, Mrs. Magpie. Her blog The Quintessential Magpie, is just the best! She is very whimsical and loving and special. She has been a great friend and mentor. My second friend that I must mention is my cohort in laughter and that is Anne of Calamity Anne. She has the best sense of humor and her posts are the funniest! You must check her out. She has sat through many of my long-winded emails, with my telling her stories of this and that. My other colleague in humor is Jan at BobbiepinsBoardwalks. She also, like Anne, has the best sense of humor and it is reflected in her posts. I met Jan through Anne! And last, but certainly not least, is Gloria at Happy to Be. What a lovely lady! She is very warm and wonderful and always signs her emails to me: "the other Gloria" So cute!! :)

So having been able to meet these great women online is just the best surprise and blessing that has come out of blogging for me. I thank them for drawing me into their worlds, and I am very grateful for all of their friendships!

Have a great weekend,

(photo courtesy of google search)

Day 2 - For Thelma and Louise

Greetings - this is Day 2 of the SITS Back to Blogging Event! I am completing the required task for my entry to win Thelma and Louise, the beautiful Electrolux turquoise washer and dryer, being given away by the SITS girls (The Secret is in the Sauce) and their sponsors for this event: Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and last, but not least, Florida Builder Appliances.

Our task today is to re-upload a post that you wish more people had paid attention to.

Well, since I just did it on Saturday, September 11th, and it is close by below, I will not repeat it all, but would ask you to either click HERE to go directly to the post (and here to read the 9/11 post with photos), or just scroll down a day and you will view it. The reason that I wish more people had paid attention specifically the the "addendum" I had posted, is that my friend's husband, Vinny, was quite affected by 9/11, since he was a NYC fireman on the scene. He shared with me that he wished that he could have done more for everyone there. I remember telling him that he was a true hero, because HE was there on the scene that day, while all of the rest of us were at home, helplessly watching this unfold on TV. So if I can get one more person to hear Vinny's story via this "Day 2 SITS task," then that would be wonderful!

Thank you for joining me today.
Best regards,
Gloria