PAJAMA PARTY KIT

download

Well.... I've had several requests regarding my pajama party kit... and I think all you who took part in my pajama party would be ok for me to share the kit at this late date? It's full of plushy soft flannelette papers, twinkly painted toenails and even a pocket and button down pajama front!

Our darling daughter called to say she is coming for a visit and my element treasure box is on 'E' so I had to sift thru my back up files to find something for you all today.

So... I am making this entry very brief so I can clean, pack and then spend some quality time with our girl. You all have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

OUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, MELANIE!

Today in History:

• 1831 - Quebec & Montreal incorporated
• 1854 - Japan opens ports to foreign trade by Commodore Perry
• 1870 - Thomas P Mundy became 1st black to vote in US (Perth Amboy NJ)
• 1880 - Wabash Ind - 1st town completely illuminated by electric light
• 1889 - Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opened
• 1917 - US purchases Virgin Is from Denmark for $25 million
• 1918 - 1st US daylight savings time goes into effect
• 1923 - 1st dance marathon - NYC - Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hrs
• 1932 - Ford publicly unveiled its V-8 engine
• 1949 - Newfoundland becomes 10th Canadian province
• 1963 - LA ends streetcar service after 90 years
• 1966 - USSR launches Luna 10 - 1st spacecraft to orbit moon

BARB'S HANDY TIP #235

Learn some Arts and Crafts - in time for Easter, you know?

I found this wonderful resource recently - chock full of great content on almost any type of craft you could be interested in. This is what the author of the site says:

"Are you an Arts and Crafts lover like me? Don't worry as we are not alone. Arts and Crafts are introduced to us at a very young age and for some of us it becomes a passion that never goes away. I have spent hours, weeks, & months compilling this directory of very useful Arts and Crafts related websites."

" Why? you ask... Well there are hundreds of thousands of Arts and Crafts websites made for and by people like you and I. Although this is awsome, finding that particular product or piece of information can be troublesome. I have put together this directory of Arts and Crafts website by handpicking evry single website one by one and visiting each of them. I have separated them into useful categories and included a search to make it even easier for you to find what you are looking for. "

ARTS AND CRAFTS WEBSITE

SHABBY WAVE BORDER AND TEMPLATE

download

I've included the template for the 'wave' edge for you again as some of you commented that you found that handy! Any more 'shabby' ideas you would like me to create while I am on this theme?

Thanks for sharing your comments and experiences regarding cell phones and getting your ears pierced - for those of you who may have missed yesterday's entry you can read other reader's responses to this entry by opening up yesterday's comments - I sometimes find your comments more interesting than my entries!!! I love my blog to be your blog, a two way conversation!

Speaking of comments - I would like to share a little tip with you that I've learned. When I comment on someone's blog, I will often 'right click' on the COMMENTS function of the blog and then choose 'open in new tab' or 'open in new window' This allows me to switch windows and be able to actively see the blog content while I am commenting. If the blog entry is long, or if I want to respond to certain parts and can't keep it all in my head (usual for me) then I am able to do both things at once. I never lose track any more!

MY BABE ON A LAKE IN THE STATES

Alternately, you can do the very same thing with your email account - well, for sure I do it in Hotmail all the time. When I don't want to 'reply' to an email (sending it back to the sendee with all the information still attached) sometimes I will open another windows browser window and open my Hotmail TWICE... I use the second browser to create a new email but reffer to the first window in which I recieved the original email. This way, I also have the ability to 'copy and paste' just the sections I want. I'm curious to know if you find this helpful too!

SPRING RAINBOW AT BLUE LAKE, WA

Our moving date remains murcurial. We live in the land of orchards and vineyards and when the weather suddenly decides to warm up then the land wins. Our new home, being on 22 acres, 7 of this in orchard is coming in second to the needs of the fruit trees at the moment. I keep trying to drive but God is in control... I would have had everything over there... but I also know it's taking more than we bargained for in packing etc.

I heard another very interesting article on NPR radio this morning - you might want to check it out, LISTEN TO IT IN AUDIO:

By the time a government water-treatment plant was built in Yuma, Ariz., the extra water it created wasn't needed. Now, climate and population changes have prompted authorities to test the desalinization plant.

LONE PINE, KALEDEN BC

I've got another hint regarding exacto knives. When you need to 'shorten' the blade to take it down to a sharp new point, either put a piece of tape on the blade, down past the one you want to shorten it to, or place a cloth over your hand when you press down on the blade so that the old end does not fly up and injure you!

I spent most of yesterday shredding. We borrowed a shredder and I went through our files. I wound up with over two huge garbage bags. I had two thoughts while doing this -

I had the shredder on the floor. I was shredding documents when a cheque fluttered off to the side. I bent waaaayyy down to retrieve it and a sudden chill went down my entire spine... I have fairly long hair and it could have easily fallen into the blades - ! Yes, if you have longer hair promise you will tie it back before you ever attempt this... also it might be wise to put your shredder up high so you're never leaning over it. Always unplug it when you empty the shreds.

The second thought I had was how good it felt to get rid of all this paper. All this stuff. All this past. I read somewhere that we should keep only personal records to about three years... and I had to draw a parallel to my personal life. Its not that we ever want to bury the past, simply that we need to compost some of it. We don't want to forget or deny any of it, but it does us no good to keep packing it with us everywere. I think that spiritually its the same... sort of like this:

The past should be like a springboard, not a hammock.

Phillipians 3:13-14

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

I strain to reach the end of the race and recieve the prize.

I'M NUTS - THATS WHY I'M 40 FEET UP IN THE WIND!

So, with another busy day ahead I reluctantly beg my leave of you till tomorrow. Thanks so very much for all your comments and encouragement... when I take my coffee breaks through the day I love to find my mailbox filled... its my chocolate, seeing as I'm being careful of my waistline! (least till we get to Mother's house for Easter... haha)

Today in History:

• 1822 - Fla became a US territory
• 1842 - Dr. Crawford Long - 1st physician to use ether as anesthetic
• 1858 - Hyman Lipman of Phila patents a pencil with attached eraser
• 1867 - US purchases Alaska for $7 -200 -000 (Seward's Folly)
• 1870 - 15th Amendment passes - guarantees right to vote regardless of race
• 1932 - Amelia Earhart 1st woman to solo cross the Atlantic
• 1948 - Mahatma Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi
• 1981 - Pres Reagan shot & wounded by John W Hinckley Jr

BARB'S HANDY TIP #234

Podcasting! Listen at YOUR Liesure!

Miles and I are truly enjoying the world of podcasting... there is a wealth of information and entertainment and knowledge just waiting for you! I hope you will set aside some time to learn how to download podcasts!

what is a podcast, and how do i listen?

Virtually anyone with a computer and recording capabilities can create his or her own podcast. Podcasts may include music, comedy, sports, philosophy -- even people's rants and raves. Find out more HERE

HOW TO.COM - CREATE OR LISTEN TO A PODCAST

Once I've learned, where do I find podcasts?

The following are a two links to get you started. The first is a general database (with a search feature) of almost every subject and type available - some are Vodcasts too (video podcasts!) The second link is for Christian Podcasts! Enjoy...

PODCAST ALLEY

CHRISTIAN PODCASTING

SCRAPPING SIGN ELEMENT

download

Miles to the rescue! Even though he is 'swamped' with all sorts of work, he rose to fill my need here on the blog - for you all! Thank goodness - as yesterday was filled from end to end!

Miles had a meeting in Penticton - one hour drive north. Because most of you who read here might not know about where we live... well our community is about 4000 people and Penticton is much larger, so a drive there is basically like going from the country to the city. It's always exciting to me. Miles always frees up a bit of spending money for me, no matter how stretched our budget is!

We took our friend Melanie along with us, picking her up along the way. Miles dropped us of at a store on mainstreet, along with a cell phone so he could phone us and have us ready for pick-up when his meeting was done.

I need to interrupt this thought for a moment to talk about the cell phone subject for a moment. See, we've only had a cell phone for a VERY short time - ya, I know, we are VERY behind the times... anyways I have to tell you I am finally getting the gist of it and actually figure out it's ME ringing... and there's not a rattlesnake in my pocket, or I'm not having a fit... its the cell phone in my pocket! LOL Alright, you KNOW what I'm asking here - I would love your cell phone stories! I am sure there are many of you who've got good cell phone stories to share here?

Ok, so Mel and I combed the MTF store from end to end. We bought some wonderful things - including a shower curtain for our new home, some heavy duty rubberized gardening gloves for moving and since we will be living on 22 acres, possibly for getting our hands in the soil... and snacks and ... tea!

I think my tea was my favorite buy - I've looked at it before and desired it, but yesterday I took the plunge. Miles and I have our habits... yes, coffee and tea. These are our areas of weakness and we lavish ourselves in this area. I've learned a lot about tea from my friend GINA too, as she is the ultimate Tea Lady!

Miles and I differ in our tea tastes. Miles likes a good, strong, black, highly caffinated tea while I love herbal teas. I'm down to the last bag of the supply my sweet sister sent me for Christmas ( :) thanks Beans!) So the one I chose at the store had me intrigued. I chose a blend called Wild Encounter. The ingredients are:

hibiscus flowers, apple pieces, rosehips, elderberries, strawberry pieces, passion fruit pieces, kiwi pieces, raspberry pieces, sunflower blossoms, rose petals, blue corn flowers, fruit flavors. mmmm....

Not only are the ingredients yummy, but they are PRETTY and they come in the coolest triangle shaped bags! You can read more about them at the Novus website HERE.

Don't look at the price on the website, as I said we bought them at MTF which is a discount store - prices are way cheap... you can read about why the prices are cheaper at the MTF website HERE, though basically its because they buy damaged or liquidation merchandise. So shopping there I paid $3.99 Canadian while they retail on the Novus website for $6.50 American - quite a savings!

Next we walked down to the mall to spend to the last pennies - which I did within 13 cents. I managed to buy an entire flat of strawberries which we will be living on for the next week - good for the diet at least.

OWWIE MEL - in my day we did it with a hammer and nail - kiddin!

Melanie got her ear re-pierced. I haven't watched this process for quite some time... so long in fact that I was floored by how much it has changed. We got it done at Claire's. The whole set up is so formal and business-like. Not at all what I remember from my childhood. Now we have rubber gloves, forms to fill out and choices of several dozen studs to choose from. Way back when I was done, I don't remember any rubber gloves - did not have to sign my life away and you took what you got for a stud, usually meaning it was some gold or silver button looking thing. How 'bout you?

I have another thought for you to ponder... there was an article on the news the other night. A young woman gave an interview because she was upset because she got asked to get off for wearing too much perfume. Not once, but twice. I really had to think about this one because though I agree that we should have personal choice to wear perfume, I know some people are very sensitive to it. I think that even tho, I would have not wore it TWICE knowing that the same driver would be bothered by it! What are your thoughts on this?

DUMPSTER DIVING

I thank the Lord we don't have to do this for all our needs...

(he's going for boxes, folks - home hardware keeps a bin just for clean boxes...)

Could’ve Been
With J Moss and Tye Tribbett

(K. Franklin)

It could’ve been me with no clothes, no shoes and no food to eat
It could’ve been me, without Your love
Lord tell me where would I be
It could’ve been
Me in the cold with [everything gone]
No house, no job [outside all alone]
Sitting trying to figure out [where I went wrong]
Can somebody help me [tell me what do I do]
Can’t feed my kids need [money for the rent]
Bills after bills but [everything’s spent]
The enemy telling me you [might as well quit and]
With tears in my eyes crying [Lord please get me through]
See it’s easy to complain [‘bout material things]
When you don’t have to worry [‘bout whatever life brings]
But somebody tonight [don’t know what they gonna eat]
So I gotta be careful [‘cause it could’ve been me]
See that’s the reason [I just can’t thank You enough]
No matter how hard I try, Jesus I realize
Breakdown : Oh…Oh

Vamp 1
Thank You [2x] [then I] could’ve been me
You didn’t have to do it, no. Thank You

Vamp 2

Too good to stop now Father
I wanna give You thanks some more
All the things I’ve been through
Now I see I’m better than I was before
When I think about all You’ve done
How You’ve opened up every door
I can’t help but say thank You
And if You wanna help me get up on the floor [help me now]

© 2005 Zomba Songs/Kerrion Publishing (adm. by Zomba Songs)/Lilly Mack Music (BMI)

This day in History:

1871 - Albert Hall opens in London
1932 - Jack Benny debuts on radio
1973 - US troops leave Vietnam - 9 yrs after Tonkin Resolution

I also want to share a little tip with you readers too - I'm always amazed how many people don't know about this. When you want to select a portion of text from a document, web page etc... simply place your cursor BEFORE the place you want to begin, then hold down your SHIFT KEY, then, holding down the SHIFT key all the time, place your cursor where you want your selection to end. This means you don't have to DRAG... even if you go down pages and pages!
Now, further (and this is a way way cool ink saving tip...) at this time, if you are wanting to PRINT this selection you have made - and ONLY this selection, you now go to PRINT and when your dialogue box comes up, choose SELECTION... your printer will print ONLY what you've highlighted!

BARB'S HANDY TIP #234
Thats a WHAT Type File???

This is a list of file extension names or suffixes that indicate the format or usage of a file and a brief description of that file extension. In general, if you have the program that uses that file extension, that program can be used to open or otherwise use the file.

Every File Extension in the World

SHABBY SCALLOP AND TEMPLATE

download

Boy, when I get on a kick to create a certain type of element I just can't stop making things along the same theme. No, I have not forgotten about the zoo animals... I do have some plans to create more of 'em... but I needed to take a break from them for a bit. I've included a template along with this pink element so that you can cut out your own decorative borders from the papers of your choice!

Packing, cleaning, packing, cleaning. Thats what's new with me. So, because my life is not boring to me but is not particularly entertaining for you to read about, I will use some interesting filler for you to brighten up your day. I feel responsible for you all - you often leave me wonderful comments about my blog being a highlight in your day - so I shan't disappoint! :D

So recently I featured a picture of my dearest husband losing his breakfast onto his lap. That was in front of his computer. He should not eat there. He WON'T eat there any more. If he does, he knows more than his eggs will be scrambled. Well, funny but I was grazing the internet today and I found something which would have come in handy (well course he will disobey me and eat cookies over his keyboard!) Someone was certainly thinking when they created the following item - a keyboard which you can wash in the sink. Truly!

SPILLKEY KEYBOARD

Unotron washable keyboards and mice
(courtesy TechDigest)

Keyboards and mice get pretty disgusting. That is, we know they get disgusting, but because they don't look all that bad, we tend to let it slide to the point where they're literally laden with more bacteria than the lavatory seat. Unotron offers an alternative: SpillSeal keyboards and mice that can be washed in normal (or antibacterial) soap and water whenever you like. Available in wired or wireless models, starting at $30.

AHHH... SPRING HAS SPRUNG

(these are my faves - they used to grow on my Gramma's lawn!)

My friend Alison was 'sperimenting around with a new chocolate chip cookie recipe the other day and deemed it unfit for her to waste her time on again... I wonder if she has tried the following recipe I found for engineers to make them?

PRINCIPLE

Chocolate chip cookies are food created by reagents found naturally in the environment. Reagents are combined and then baked, i.e. treated with dry heat, especially in an oven for a prescribed period of time. This procedure is used to create crunchy disks (known as cookies) for human consumption.

MATERIALS

1. 532.35 cm 3 gluten (White Lily ä All Purpose, Knoxville, TN)
2. 4.9 cm 3 NaHCO3 (Arm & Hammer ä , Princeton, NJ)
3. 4.9 cm 3 refined halite (Mortons ä Table, Chicago, IL)
4. 236.6 cm 3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride (Land o’ Lakes, Arden Hill, MN). Store 2-8 ° C
5. 177.45 cm 3 crystalline C12H22O11 (Dixie Crystal â Granulated Extra Fine, Savannah, GA). Can be stored indefinitely if properly handled. It is recommended that sugar be stored in an odor-free environment at 40 - 100°F and less than 60% relative humidity.
6. 177.45 cm 3 unrefined C12H22O11 (Dixie Light Brown â , Savannah, GA). Store in an odor-free environment at 50 - 90° F and more than 60% relative humidity. Can be stored for over one year if stored as recommended.
7. 4.9 cm 3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde (Penzey’s â , 35% alcohol. Product #92256, Brookfield, WI). Store at room temperature.
8. 2 calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein, Gallus sp. Store 2-8 ° C
9. 473.2 cm 3 theobroma cacao (Nestle’s Toll-House Semi-Sweet Morsels, Nestle’s SA)
10. 236.6 cm 3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10), optional. See Limitations.

OVEN

Reactor Vessel, 2-L jacketed round, 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr
Reactor Vessel, 2-L with radial flow impeller
316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm)
screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer

PROCEDURE

1. To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr, add reagents one, two and three with constant agitation.
2. In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm, add reagents four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogenous.
3. To reactor #2, add reagent eight, followed by three equal volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1.
4. Additionally, add reagent nine and ten slowly, with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.
5. Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm).
6. Heat in a 177 °C oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown (10-12 minutes). Reduce time if cookies are too brown; extend time if cookies are not browned sufficiently to make a crunch when bitten
7. Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25 ° C heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

EXPECTED RESULTS

60 cookies of medium golden-brown color are generated.

QUALITY CONTROL

A technologist should visually examine each batch of cookies produced. If either consistency or degree of browning is insufficient, the mixture should be remixed and/or time of baking adjusted.

LIMITATIONS OF PROCEDURE

2. Care should be taken to mix reagent 9 evenly through the mixture to ensure “chips” are equally distributed in each cookie.
3. For high altitude baking (585 meters): Increase reagent 1 by 25%. Add 2 mL H2O with reagent 1 and reduce both reagents 4 and 5 to 33% each.
If cookies are not sized consistently when placing on sheet, yield may be affected.
Note: Some humans have serious allergic reactions to consumption of some reagents in this product, especially reagents 9 and 10.

REFERENCES

Crocker,Betty et al. 1979. Chocolate Chip Cookies. Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. Golden Press, New York, p. 108.

This day in History:

• 1797 - Nathaniel Briggs of NH patents a washing machine
• 1941 - Novelist & critic Virginia Woolf dies
• 1943 - Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff dies
• 1969 - Eisenhower the 34th pres dies in Washington at 78
• 1979 - Nuclear accident at 3 Mile Is - Middletown - Pa

courtesy sxc

Psalm 139:13

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I was thinking about this scripture the other day, when my dear friend GINA and I were chatting. Gina has not knit before, and I've promised to teach her sometime in the future. I try to tag scripture in my mind with visual things, and in this case it caused me to want to learn more about what it means to 'knit' something together. Besides the usual way of joining fabrics together with knitting needles there is also a definition which describes 'knit' as to tie or link together or to gather something into small wrinkles or folds. So God took time to create us - He followed a pattern and did not just jumble us together. I wonder how long He thought about exactly we should physically be like - and how He made each of our 'parts' work together seamlessly!

courtesy sxc

BARB'S HANDY TIP #233
Learn to Knit - and some Free Patterns too!

I hope Gina, you wait for me to show you, but it never hurts to do some research ahead of time! The following two sites are terrific resources, and who can't love some free patterns?

LEARN TO KNIT

KNITTY - FREE PATTERNS

SHABBY PINK CORNER 'THINGS'

download

I really didn't know how to name these elements. They could be used for all sorts of things - they can be anything you wish, with a little imagination! I've included a shiny pink staple - and I would love to see what you use them for.

As I was saying... yesterday (we won't go there, will we...) Where, oh where did the weekend go? All that remained was four lonely balloons hiding under an armchair (na, na, Melanie - you missed some!)

Sunday was heart warming for me as we had two friends join us at church! See, our church is little. Adding two extra people on a Sunday is noticeable. Its not because our church is 'strange' or anything. Its just small, is all. I think our friends will agree, the preaching rocks. We have few people but within the few we still have young folks, old folks, kids etc... its all kinda like in miniature, sort of. I like it. I feel very protective of my 'little' church family. But for some reason, when I bring a guest - I feel the same as when I used to bring friends home to my 'real' family when I was a kid. I SO always wanted my family to like my friends and vice-versa.

We took our friend Melanie out to our new house on Saturday, on her way home as she lives north of here. We took a few boxes to unpack and we got to see all the work that's been done. The carpets are laid, the lino too, new windows in the basement. The central vac system even sucks. I am getting totally excited to MOVE IN.

I FOUND A SAND CAVE!

Yesterday was supposed to be a full work day - I was supposed to be helping Miles assign key words into a website - a long an tedious job... sigh... but I was saved by the sun, literally. We woke to bright sunshine and azure blue skies. Yesterday was a day for exercise, so Miles suggested driving me north about 1 hour to a small community called OK Falls where there is a beautiful hike and bike path which lies along the left hand side of Skaha Lake. The path is revamped from the old Kettle Valley Railway bed and goes for miles upon miles. We walked one hour north and one hour back. Such a nice way to get our exercise - and of course I took my camera along!

MILES DID NOT COME 'CAVING' WITH ME...

(he's not a lazy-bum, honest!)

I wanted to share something helpful with you, which I discovered in IE7... perhaps you already know and if so, just ignore this tip. Miles is always asking me to forward interesting websites to him and usually we are both on the chat so its quite simple to do so. If we are not, however, I used to have to open my email to send a link. I discovered, by accident the other day, that if you have the website you want to send then you can just look up on your IE toolbar, locate the icon that says PAGE and using the drop down menu choose 'send link by email' and there's also a 'send page by email' This is going to save me a lot of time!

SPRING'S FIRST BUTTERCUPS!

I mentioned the other day that I am currently reading the book 'Colour - Travels Through the Paintbox' by Victoria Finlay. It's proving to be a fascinating read and Miles has asked me to read portions of it to him, as well. Actually, whenever we travel, we read to each other along the way. We've devoured many, many good books while traveling our way across country!

The latest chapter we read was about how the colour white was used, and in particular how in the past it was used as and in makeup. We all know that long, long ago it was fashionable to appear as pale as one could. Well in the 1870's a fashionalbe and popular product of makeup came on the market - Bloom of Youth, which was manufactured by the company of George W. Liard. Unfortunately, though the makeup might have achieved the desired look to the wearer, it was not very good for the health.

See the use of this product eventually led to the death of, in one instance, a housewife by the name of Maggie Angeloglou. She had faithfully applied the face cream daily until she died in 1877 - of LEAD POISINING.

Maggie was not the first to die this way - lead white had been used all across history, from the Egyptians, the Romans and even the Japanese Gieshas (they liked the look of it because it contrasted completely with their teeth which they blackened with oak galls and vinegar.
Even today we use makeups we know are harmful! But it kinda makes you wonder when Maggie would have 'clued in' to what was causing her to be so sick.

This is how it may have went for her:

• 
  I would apply my Bloom of Youth.
• 
  I would begin to feel lazy, unenergetic.
• 
  I might stop sleeping well - which would give me a pale complexion and hollows in my cheeks.... in those days the men liked this look on us!
• 
  My legs would begin to feel unstable - I might wind up in bed all the time. In those days, again, men sorta liked us to be 'weak' - this would enhance our attractiveness, perhaps.
• 
  I would start to notice little blue marks - tiny plumb lines on both my wrists and ankles (good thing we wore long dresses!)
• 
  Then, I would begin to have some 'plumbing' problems... wouldn't be able to evacuate and would begin vomiting and would deteriorate to kidney failure.
• 
  I might be acting pretty strangely at this point too....

When do you think we would have figured out what exactly was the cause? Was the price worth it? I think not... in fact, a while ago I provided a helpful link to a website we should all visit regularly ... its all about what companies can get away with putting into the products we use to beautify ourselves daily. Don't you deserve to KNOW what's in your makeup - and don't take it for granted that because you buy from a reputable company your getting a safe product. There really are not many guidelines and controls set up that companies HAVE to follow... so you better arm yourself. You can go to the website here:

SAFE COSMETICS

PROVERBS 31:30

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

OUR TWO HOUR WALK TOOK US

FROM THIS SHRUB TO THE FAR POINT!

Today in history:

1855 - Abraham Gesner receives a patent for kerosene

1860 - ML Byrn patents corkscrew (NY)

1912 - 1st Japanese cherry trees planted in Wash DC

1964 - Earthquake strikes Alaska - 8.4 on Richter scale - 100 die

1980 - Mt. St. Helens becomes active after 123 years

Some famous birthdays on this day:

1845 - Wilhelm R”ntgen, discovered X-rays (Nobel 1901)

1863 - Sir Henry Royce, Rolls-Royce founder

1879 - Edward Steichen, pioneered American photography

1924 - Sarah Vaughn, Newark NJ jazz singer

BARB'S HANDY TIP #232
Plan Your Garden - VIRTUALLY!

It's the perfect time to think about how you want your outdoor space to look next summer. Whether it needs a complete redesign or a simple face lift, our user-friendly tool will help you visualize your dream garden.

BBC'S THE VIRTUAL GARDEN

PRETTY GLITTER RIC-RAC

download

I had the BESTEST and most interesting and informative, entertaining blog entry for you today. I just spent one hour preparing it. I lost it. What can I say but whaaaaa...

I DON'T have time to retype it. I will do for tomorrow. Thus today's hint:

SAVE A DRAFT.

ALWAYS ALWAYS SAVE A DRAFT.

DRAFT BEFORE YOU PUBLISH.

SAVE.

SAVE.

SAVE.

see you tomorrow.

SHABBY PINK FLOWER

download

Thank you all so very much for your comments and encouragement. Without you my blog would be just a .... hmm, not sure but it would not be what you've helped me make it. Every time I recieve a comment it touches my heart. Thanks so much. It would not be the same without you.

we all need to lean on each other!

BARB'S HANDY TIP #231

Keep A List - ONLINE!

Ta-da List makes list making and tracking easy. And, since it's web-based, you can make a list at work and still get to it at home or anywhere else you have a computer or internet access (even on a mobile phone).

TA-DA LIST

THE 'THINKER' CHIMP

download

Doesn't this guy resemble that 'thinker' statue? This fella was created using another reference photo provided by Melanie - and reading her blog it sounds like she's had a not-so-fun week so why don't you slip over and just leave her a *hug*? You can find her blog HERE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!

We had a par-tyyyyyyy... We had home-made pizza, and ice cream cake and chocolate and popcorn and presents and a movie. Our dear freind Melanie came and spent the night at our house (she lives 20 minutes away, in another community!) What can we say, 'cept a good time was had by all. We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you Mel!

The Things I Prize

These things I prize

and hold dearest of worth:

Light of the sapphires skies,

Peace of the silent hills,

Shelter of the forests,

Comfort of the grass,

Music of the birds,

Murmurs of the rills,

Shadows of clouds

That swiftly pass,

And, after showers,

The smell of flowers

And of the good brown earth, -

And best of all, along the way,

Friendship and mirth.

-Henry Van Dyke

LAYOUT BY BLOG READER CONNIE

background scene by Connie

zoo animals by Barb Derksen

Isn't it so CUTE? Thanks to Connie who provided htis layout she created using some of the zoo animals. Connie has a very cool FREE download of some 'spagetti flowers' on her blog for you, as well! You can find her blog HERE. Thanks so much Connie!

I would love your close up, well posed & high quality digital photos of animals. Some of you have been sending and I really appreciate this. Would love all sorts of animals! You can email me at lalalime@hotmail.com can you please put element animals in the subject line?

I am making this entry short as Melanie (birthday) is visiting with us and we are taking her out to our new house when we drive her home. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

While blogging this morning we heard a fascinating article on NPR radio about music - in particular about Bflat... anyone who's musical will enjoy -

For reasons that remain mostly mysterious, the note we call "B flat" does the oddest things. It aggravates alligators, it lurks in the stairwell of an office building, and it emanates from a supermassive black hole 250 million light years from Earth.

You can here the article in audio form by clicking HERE (click the LISTEN button)

BARB'S HANDY TIP #230
Whassat Accent Sound Like?

The speech accent archive uniformly presents a large set of speech samples from a variety of language backgrounds. Native and non-native speakers of English read the same paragraph and are carefully transcribed. The archive is used by people who wish to compare and analyze the accents of different English speakers.

THE SPEECH ACCENT ARCHIVE

AWESOME OSTRICH ELEMENT

download

Ok, this creature makes me just laugh out loud! I can't help it... WHAT WAS GOD THINKING??? This critter was created using a (terrific) reference photo from MELANIE... thanx Mel! Any of you out there in blogland got more??? I would love your photos of animals of ANY KIND - high quality and preferable they be well posed! You can email 'em to me (along with permission) at lalalime@hotmail.com I will credit you on that day's blog!

• 
  Here are some interesting facts about Ostriches:
• 
  Ostriches cannot fly.
• 
  The fastest running bird is the Ostrich, which has been clocked at 97.5 kilometres per hour.
• 
  The ostrich has two toes on each feet which gives it greater speed.
• 
  Ostriches skeletons and fossils have been found which date back over 120 million years; ostriches are a true dinosaur.
• 
  Ostriches produce the strongest commercially available leather in the world and some of the most beautiful feathers.
• 
  Ostrich meat is a red meat and is very low in cholesterol, calories and is almost fat free. Ostrich meat resembles beef in its appearance and is cooked almost the same way. Ostrich meat tastes just like... well, it tastes just like ostrich meat.
• 
  Ostriches have the best feed to weight ratio gain of any land animal in the world. They are successfully farmed in at least 50 countries; from the coldest climates of Alaska to the equatorial areas of central Africa.
• 
  When fully grown an ostrich has one of the most advanced immune systems known to mankind.
• 
  Ostriches are so powerful that a single kick at a predator, such as a lion, could be fatal.
• 
  Ostriches stretch out their neck and lay their head on the ground to keep from being seen, hence the myth that ostriches hide in the sand.
• 
  An Ostrich will live to be 50 - 75 years old.
• 
  Although an ostrich egg is the largest of all eggs, it is the smallest egg in relation to the size of the bird.
• 
  Females sit on eggs by day; males sit on eggs by night.
• 
  To soft boil a fresh egg would take one hour. To hard boil would take 1 1/2 hours.
• 
  An Ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month until it is 7-8 months old.
  
  
  

CD LABEL I DESIGNED FOR AUTUMN'S FUND RAISING

(click HERE to find out more!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DEAR FRIEND MELANIE OLSEN - TODAY!

Mel's coming to celebrate with us tonight!

Yesterday was a very busy one again... Miles and I drove up to Oliver where we had some business to take care of, and he took me for a killer 2 hour, 12 km brisk walk along the hike/bike path. The day was cold and grey and overcast but I managed to snap off a few photos of some things. Its funny how that goes... at the beginning of our walk I'm all gaga about any little thing that moves, in regard to taking photos, but by the end of like the 10k mark it has to be something pretty durn special to make me want to stop from getting my tired bumm back to the van...

LOOKS PRETTY COSY, NO?

Do you use FotoFusion? I have freinds who rave 'bout it.. and there seems to not be an awful lot 'out there' in the way of templates and such for it... so, if you do use it, you will welcome the following site! My friend Sonya and Katy are playin' around with creating FF and PS templates and have some for you to download at their blog site! Don't forget to leave 'em some lovin' for their generosity!

KISSED STUDIO

TUMBLEWEEDS KISSIN' UP TO THE FENCE!

Now, out there soooooooooomehwere... a friend of mine is stuck in a stuffily little office... now I don't exactly know if you are in a cubicle or not, I don't remember you are if you told me.... at any rate, dear friend, the following is for you - an emergency backup for if you fall 'sleep in your section. (p.s. thanks for the great caffeine fix yesterday - I was so wired up when I arrived home my husband did not quite know what to do with me - kiddin' )

Best Excuses If You Get Caught Sleeping In Your Cubicle

* It's okay... I'm still billing the client.

* They told me at the blood bank this might happen.

* This is just a 15-minute power-nap like they raved about in the last time management course you sent me to.

* I was working smarter, not harder.

* Whew! Guess I left the top off the liquid paper.

* I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!

* This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people!

* I was testing the keyboard for drool resistance.

* I'm in the management-training program.

* This is in exchange for the six hours last night when I dreamed about work!

* I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?

* Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.

* The coffee machine is broken....

* Someone must've put decaf in the wrong pot.

* Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won't wear off!

* I was cross-training for telecommuting.

* Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!

* I wasn't sleeping. I was trying to pick up my contact lens without hands.

COLOUR -TRAVELS THROUGH THE PAINTBOX

by Victoria Finlay

(what I'm reading now)

Part travelogue, part narrative history, COLOUR unlocks the history of the colours of the rainbow, and reveals how paints came to be invented, discovered, traded and used. This remarkable and beautifully written book remembers a time when red paint was really the colour of blood, when orange was the poison pigment, blue as expensive as gold, and yellow made from the urine of cows force-fed with mangoes. It looks at how green was carried by yaks along the silk road, and how an entire nation was founded on the colour purple. Exciting, richly informative, and always surprising, COLOUR lifts the lid on the historical palette and unearths an astonishing wealth of stories about the quest for colours, and our efforts to understand them.

SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON TODAY IN HISTORY:

Lewis & Clark reached Pacific coast

1840 - 1st photo of moon taken

1929 - 1st telephone installed in White House

BARB'S HANDY TIP #229

Get Thinkin' Easter!

I know I've featured this particular site in the past, but you know how that goes... and the content on this site is relevant and ever changing, same as my reading population is too, I imagine. There is an absolute WEALTH of fun Easter ideas here. See, even though our kids are grown and gone I still like to stay current for my readers (and my BIGGEST kid, my sweet husband) so I check out issues and back issues of this magazine, amongst others and glean the best info for you! Don't miss out on the fabulous VIDEO PODCASTS of recipes and projects. Enjoy!

FAMILY FUN EASTER IDEAS

SHINY SEA LION ELEMENT

download

Isn't this sea lion so cool? Thanks again to MELANIE who provided the reference photo to create this sweet critter! You can leave some love for her blog if you have time - I'm sure she would appreciate hearing from you.

Here's a bit more about Sea Lions that you might not know!

A Sea Lion's diet consists of herring, squid, halibut, small sharks and the occasional penguin.

They live on the Pacific Coasts - British Columbia to Mexico and also the Galapagos Islands.

Females are called Cows, the males are called Bulls.

Some bulls grow a thick mane like a lion.

They can weigh up to 1000 pounds.

The name of the Sea Lion came about because their roar sounds like that of a 'real' lion - this making them considered to be the most 'vocal' of mammals.

Sea Lions can swim up to 25 miles per hour and have good hearing!

HE CAN TRIP-TROP OVER MY BRIDGE ANY DAY!

My sweet husband took me for a walk along our local canal system yesterday morning. It was such an unexpected treat as his time is so valuable these days! You see, my sweetie put together the entire taxes for us - saving me this dreary job. He thought it would take him far longer than it turned out to be in the end, so it was sort of his way of celebrating!

I need to praise my man here... he's got an overflowing plate right now, but when I pack and clean, he vocally appreciates and praises me for doing so. He apologizes for being unable to help me right now, with this area. Now, of COURSE I would love for him to be able to help, but you know, he does so much else I truly don't EXPECT him to have to do this end of things. All the same, it touches me deeply that he even notices what I'm struggling with.

SPRING ARRIVING AMIDST THE RUSHES

I would like to share an entry which I receive in an inspirational newsletter - I think you may truly enjoy it. If you would like this one, and more, you may want to sign up for the newsletter from All Worship by clicking HERE:

LIVE A DIFFERENT LIFE--NOW

This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend.

Dear Susan,

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.

I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

-- Author Unknown

NEW LIFE EMERGING

ECCLESIASTES 3:22
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

ECCLESIASTES 5:19
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

DO YOU SUPPOSE THERE IS A KITCHEN CUPBOARD GUY,

A BACK DOOR GUY, A...

BARB'S HANDY TIP # 228
Look It Up - EASILY!

You come across a word you don't recognize - or you need a quick synonym for a word. You don't have to get up and get your dictionary, nor have to open up a word program or go online either. The secret? There's a nifty little program I've been using for a few days now, and its proving itself VERY helpful. It's called WordWeb and its a free download. It comes with it's own library of words and can even do audio of speech-to-text, standalone, if you have that feature enabled from your existing word program. If you're like me you will be wondering how you did without it! By the way, its FREE!

WORD WEB

MELANIE'S GORILLA ELEMENT

download

I hope you like the Gorilla - and I KNOW... someone pointed out that Melanie seems like such a SWEET name for such a hulking critter... and that's true, however, the credit goes to Melanielemonyr who provided me with the reference photos. You can thank Melanie yourself if you would like, by leaving some love for her at her BLOG!

I do not add any drop shadows etc to my elements, and so I would recommend adding some drop shadow and loads of beveling to make this guy come 'alive' If you don't know how to do this you are welcome to contact me to request me to do one 'with'...

Now, lets get to know this species a bit better:

• 
  Gorilla's have unique nose prints just as humans have unique fingerprints.
• 
  In 1972, a gorilla by the name of "Koko" was taught ASL (American Sign Language) for the deaf. By the year 2000, the gorilla could understand approximately 2,000 English words.
• 
  Gorilla gorilla gorilla is the scientific name for the animal gorilla.
• 
  Human birth control pills work on gorillas.

LAYOUT BY BLOG READER KATE

Royanna Fritschmann- papers, dragonfly, butterfly, art inspire word art

Cari Lopez-Flower

Barb Derkson-Giraffe and Zebra (aren't they cool!!)

Nanci Rowe Janitz - Tea Wordart

Luciana - stacked frames

Fonts; Magic cards, Artistik, tasapainsaisti, Besign, Lipstick traces, chocolate box decorative, collie 10V, Cosmic Two

Thanks so very much Kate, for your delightful layout! - and for sharing with us. We look forward to see your next one. You can leave Kate some praise at her gallery HERE

SPRING HAS FINALLY COME TO OSOYOOS!

My sweet husband took me out for a walk first thing in the morning yesterday - well, first thing being about 9 a.m. due to the fact our CO2 detector died at 3 a.m....giving of little spurts of high pitched, ear piercing noise as it made it's way out of this world. It would squeal, stop for a bit, squeal, stop and so forth till Miles buried it in some pillows. Needless to say we were less than rested by the time morning arrived.

It WAS nice to walk by daylight... the sun was very warm and grass is greening and birds returning and buds awakening on the trees. The lake level is down and so the beavers have dammed the pond up very high. They were very busy over the winter, eating down trees of a huge size! Color is turning up in the fresh red willow stalks and the burnt umber of the new Russian Olive trees. These things stand out against the faded grey/brown remnants of winter foliage.

We enjoyed the outdoors more knowing we would be inside for the rest of the day - doing paperwork and graphics. Miles was preparing all our taxes - no small feat - and each year us vowing to be more organized. I hear I am going into training to take this job over when we get organized at the 'new place'... sigh - I am utterly grateful to have escaped it to date, but I do know I need to help.

CD COVER FOR AUTUMN'S FUND RAISING CD

I finished up the cover of a CD for a little girl named Autumn. Autumn suffers from Luekemia and is one sick little girl. You can learn more about Autumn here:

TEAM AUTUMN

Our dear friend Penny Buhr Johnson orchestrated getting the CD into existence, along with many volunteers and businesses. Penny has a link located to the left of this entry - she is a wonderfully talented musician. Penny teaches Music for Young Children.

Well, it's off for another busy day - you have a good one. By the way, if you're digging around in your photo collection and have high quality photos of zoo animals - any ones you've not seen yet - well posed - farm animals, bugs, pets - I would love to turn them into elements. Your more than welcome to email me anytime - be sure to put scrapping elements in the subject line! I would, of course credit you on my blog if I use your photos!

BARB'S HANDY TIP #227

Make a Face!

Apperently this site is mucho popular ... how come YOU GUYS didn't clue me in? (ha,ha!) At any rate this is one cool and fun site.

MONOFACE