Free Valspar Paint Sample Offer...

Greetings! I saw on another blog (and please forgive me, I do not remember the lovely blog person who had done a post on this!) that Valspar is having a give-away for a free paint sample. You also get a $5.00 coupon towards a gallon of Valspar paint, plus a mini roller and paint tray.

Here's the color I got, I want to paint a few "little" things, like a little basket, etc.

It's called: Watermelon Slice. (Against my red background, you can't see it that great, but it is a pretty, bright, vibrant color!)

I know for a fact that it's "closed" for today, but check back in the morning -- They advise that they open at 9 AM Central time. I got mine this morning and got an email that it will be on it's way! Enjoy!

Here's the link: http://www.valsparpaint.com/valpaint/store/fsColorWall.html

Best,

Gloria

Baby twins talking to each other FUNNY

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME UPLOADING A YOU TUBE VIDEO! So I am not doing it the way I wanted it to turn out... I wanted my words before the video, but I am still learning! Anyway, I wanted to take a minute to upload this -- I saw it on the Today Show this morning, and thought it was so funny and thought that those of you who haven't caught it yet would enjoy it! Best, Gloria

APOLOGIES TO MY BLOGGING FRIENDS!!!

I want to say that I am SORRY because I have gotten many emails from friends and comments that I haven't even approved yet, plus comments that I HAVE approved, but haven't gotten a chance to personally reply to all of you kind souls leaving me comments since my being back to blogging after getting my new laptop after six weeks! So I hope that you will forgive me. I have a couple of things I even want to post about and haven't even gotten the chance. I admire all of you who upkeep your blogs! It's tough work! So I am hoping that you bear with me... I will get to all of your emails and comments in the next few days. I am only going to concentrate on YOU this week! I feel blessed that a lot of you have been bearing with me and leaving comments. Those of you who I haven't written to yet, THANK YOU for your friendship. I also have SO many of your blogs to still visit yet! The good Lord will bless you for your patience! I will leave you with the photo below, which I found and I think is SO funny... BUT, I hope that you are NOT thinking this about ME. :)

Best, Gloria

P.S. Photos courtesy of Google!

Come One, Come All -- Come discover a new online shop: THE CHUNKY MERMAID!!!

GRAND OPENING!

Discover a terrific new online shop, opened by one of our own beloved bloggers, and my dear friend: Calamity Anne!!!

Here's Anne:

Anne's shop is named: The Chunky Mermaid -- offering shabby chic wooden signs! To celebrate her opening, Anne is having a wonderful Giveaway. Here's what she is giving away to one lucky person!

And I am also proud to say that I am one of Anne's first customers! I just purchased this sign below from her shop this morning:

Isn't it terrific?? I cannot wait to get it in the mail and put it up in my kitchen.

Here's a couple of other signs below to tempt you to visit Anne's online shop. These are only a small example to show you that she can take one idea, but have many different colors and fonts. She has a wide assortment. She can also 'custom' whatever font, or color, or saying of your choosing! Also, shipping is included in the price. There is one sign there, the first one in her shop, that I absolutely love... It is a sign that would be so lovely to give as a gift for an anniversary or wedding gift or, for purchase for one's own home, of course. Well, you'll see what I mean when you visit Anne's shop! ;)

Here's the two different, yet similar, signs I just spoke about:

And last, but not least, is ANOTHER sign that was done by Anne... NOT currently available for sale in her shop though! Anne custom-made it for me. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is my token 'saying' that is always coming forth from my lips (which I should be ashamed to admit), but it is now a sign hanging on my wall. I love it!

So please be sure to visit "The Chunky Mermaid" for some great signs! Click on logo below to go directly to the website to check it out and enter the give-away!

Best,

Gloria

== P.S. To visit Anne's regular blog: http://www.calamityanne.com/

THE PRODIGAL BLOGGER RETURNS!!!

Greetings!! I have missed you all!!

Although the picture to the left is of the prodigal son returning, I am using this only as an example... I certainly would not be wearing only a lower skirt and showing my top and legs... Trust me: you would NOT want to see my top and exposed legs. --Although my dyed hair IS that color... :) But I wanted to use this picture in the hopes that my blogging friends will "embrace" my return!!

I FINALLY got a new laptop. My former laptop was too expensive to repair, so I purchased a new one and just received it yesterday. What a fiasco with the old laptop! I've not been able to blog or read emails for well over a month and I have been beside myself. I especially cannot tell you how much I have MISSED all of your blogs that I regularly visit. I have missed all of my dear blogging buddies. I first took the time to clear my "Spam" folder last night and I am now working on my emails. So, although I hope to visit your blogs in the week to come, I KNOW that I will not be able to leave comments on your blogs on old posts -- although I AM going to try to catch up and see what I've missed!! I look forward to seeing what you've all been up to! I hope to do a new post of my own sometime next week also.

In the meantime, I want to say how much I have missed having my laptop in order to visit your blogs. I have so missed keeping up with what's going on in your lives. You are a great bunch of women. I have realized how blessed I have been this past year to be able to read your blogs as you share your lives, your stories, your adventures, your families, your homes. I truly am grateful for all of your friendships, and I am NOT just saying that.

Again, please bear with me for the next week or two as I get myself "up-to-speed!" I will eventually visit all of you!

Until then, I am so happy to be back and I hope you are ready to have yourselves a great Spring to come! Love to you all.

Best,

Gloria

P.S. I also wanted to mention: Today is St. Joseph's Day, March 19th. St. Joseph is one of my favorite saints. I am Catholic... but even if you are NOT Catholic, I am sure you can appreciate Joseph, as he was Jesus' father on Earth... If anyone would like a wonderful St. Joseph's prayer that I have that was my Mother's favorite prayer, please let me know. I will gladly forward it to you.

BLOG HIATUS: Laptop Repair

Dear Fellow Bloggers: My laptop is in need of repair; therefore, I will not be blogging for a while. I am sending it out for repair. I will, hopefully, be back to blogging soon! Until then, take care.

Best,
Gloria

The "CSN Winner" and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day!

and

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CSN WINNER!

The Winner, chosen via Random.org:

#5 - Christine!!

From the blog: "Christine's Home and Travel Adventures"

Congrats, Christine -- it couldn't have happened to a sweeter person, on a sweeter day than Valentine's Day!

Thank you again to all who participated and, hopefully, we will have another CSN give-away in the near future. I hope you all have a wonderful day and receive some nice Valentine's gifts!

Best,

Gloria

CSN GIVE-AWAY!!!

Hooray! It is time for another $35.00 CSN Give-Away!
There are SO many items one can purchase from CSN, from "small" items to "LARGE" items!
An example of this is computer desks for the home. <---- click on the blue!

I use a laptop myself, so I wouldn't think that I necessarily needed a formal desk, but I just looked at the CSN website to see what they newly have to offer before doing this Give-Away post. Someone might think as I do, that one wouldn't need to utilize a desk if they have a laptop, but I saw a couple of GORGEOUS desks (see photos below) that show a laptop living there. Thought you'd like to see... one of these CSN computer desks would look great in a home office, even without a whole, huge computer set-up! Aren't these great?

And now, for my CSN Give-Away...

One entry per person. All you have to do is let me know you are a Follower -- either an old Follower, or signing up as a new Follower. That's it!

Note: Contest opens today, Wednesday, Feb. 9th, and ends Sunday, Feb. 13th (midnight, EST)

Winner will be announced on Monday, Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day!!

And if you are not familiar with CSN, you'd better check them out!

Because if you are the CSN $35 winner, you will have to decide what you'd like to get!! ;)

Best,

Celebrating Black History Month ~ Mother Hale

Greetings to all! February is Black History Month, and one of the people I would like to tell you about, and honor, is Mother Hale. You might not have ever even heard of her. As many of you know, I am from Brooklyn, NY -- and I heard of Mother Hale when I was younger, when I lived in B'kyn... May I tell you about Mother Hale?

Her name was Clara McBride Hale. I first heard about her, oh, goodness... maybe in the 1980's... when I was in my 20's? Mother Hale lived in Harlem (she was originally from North Carolina and grew up in Philadelphia, PA). She moved to NYC after she married, and she and her husband had two children of their own. I remember that I either read about her, or maybe saw a local show about her all of those years ago; all I know is that from that time on, she made a big impression on me. Why? Well, what she would do is take in children who needed to be cared for. Her husband died in 1938, so she began caring for children in her home... I'm not sure if she was compensated or not in the beginning, when she first started; but I DO know that in her later years, she would take children in for FREE when mothers would drop them off at her door, be it from poverty, drugs, whatever. I remember they said that Mother Hale never refused taking in a child. She would care for these kids, feed them, clothe them, raise them, educate them, all with help from her own money and from donations. How wonderful is that?

Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy my honoring Mother Hale during Black History Month. I also hope you enjoy the photos below that I gathered from the internet.

I would normally have asked if you could contribute to the Mother Hale House for the babies and children but, alas, there was scandal on the part of her daughter in 2001 (long after Mother Hale passed away). It was written that her daughter misappropriated funds from the foundation, so the Hale House for live-in children is no longer -- but they DO still have day-care and community services. And if you are wondering: Yes, I have donated $ myself. I would never ask anyone to do something that I, myself, have not done. :)

Anyway, here are the photos.... I will give the link to the website, to read more, at the end of the post...

As you can see, she was honored by the White House (there she is with Nancy Reagan). Please visit the website to read about how, in 1985, President Reagan honored Mrs. Hale!

HONORING ~

Clara McBride Hale: April 1, 1905 - December 18, 1992

Here's the website -- Please visit to read more or donate to the day-care/community services if you would like to... Even if you don't feel moved to donate, please click on to just to read more about Mother Hale and honor her this month! Thank you!

Click HERE.

Best,

Gloria

Note: Photos courtesy of Google Images.

Important Info for those who use Cell Phone Cameras...

Greetings, all. I have been feeling 'under the weather' with my winter allergies, hence I have not posted in over a week.

However, one of my good friends, Iris, just emailed me with info that I think you might find interesting, so I thought it was important to share.

It seems that if you post a picture online, taken with cell phone cameras (GPS-enabled cell phones and Smart phones), someone could right-click on your photo and get an exact reading of where you are located -- i.e., your home address... It's called "Geo-Tags."

The news video really is enlightening... And scary....

You might want to consider just using your digital cameras from now on to post photos.

Watch this NY ABC news story HERE.

Best,