2014 - 01 Positive Quote Mardi Gras

"Be Amazing!   It is up to me to Illuminate the world!"

King's Cake   http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc148.htm   and some other images:  King's cake images  A traditional cake for Fat Tuesday or the day before Lent.  First time I have made it...I think it's more a New Orlean's tradition but I like it!  It is fun and the cake is very good!!!!  I made two and froze one!   Hey there are even seasonal Kings cakes!  https://www.randazzokingcake.com/pages/Seasonal-King-Cakes.html   Check it out for Easter, St. Patrick's day...etc......cool!!!!

 The second photo is of my Tap Dance Seattle class with Mardi Gras Head Gear with me, Bill, Gigi, Stacy, Karen, Nancy, Karlyne, Darcy?, and Amy  (from left to right)!  The exercise is great and the people are so friendly and enterprising.   

Amy has a facial and waxing business:  http://www.theskinfirmseattle.com/  

Darcy owns Neilsen's Bakery in Downtown Seattle.  http://nielsenspastries.com/   and some images:Google Images of bakery

Today I have made my blog private....so I can focus more on inspiring myself and not be dissappointed when not many people read my blog.  It is mostly for me...I always loved getting the feedback but it was pretty scarce in coming.  I had this crazy idea that my bog would go viral all by itself, in that millions would want to read it.  Boy, was I off the mark on that one.  My entries were not bad but they were mostly non-controversial and safe.  I also knew I did not want to do the marketing or to create controversy to make my blog a universally sought resource.  It might happen some other way but not that way.  That's ok with me.   I know I have good things to say and do!  So here I will record some of my wonderful happenings and inspirations.   I will only allow those who really have an interest in being my blog friend to see my blog at this point.

Pink Saturday - Flowers and things

Time for another Pink Saturday posting...this week I am posting some pics of pink flowers I had around the house awhile ago,  a pink building in Vegas, one in Arizona and a pink tinted sunset in  Scottsdale, Arizona.    I guess I'll need to go on a pink photo shoot soon....I love the color yet it is not always easy to find a pic of it in my folders....I'll have to fix that.   In any case be sure to visit the Pink Saturday blog by Beverly...she has an amazing following and inspires me to post..as you can see from some of my recent posts.   It's a positive thing to encourage others to post...while posting some very cool things yourself...that's Beverly!

Pink Saturday Link

 

 

Here are my pics for the Pink Saturday post:

 

Ahhh,  Sweet Peas in my Bathroom!

 

Oriental Lily on my porch!

 

Double Delight Rose on my coffee table....

 

Wild horses in Vegas?...maybe Arizona....Albuqurque...gosh

I've forgotten where now that I am looking at the pic!!!!

 

 

Pink building definitely taken at ASU...Arizona State University

Pink Sunset in Scottsdale, Arizona with a bonus pool reflection!

 

 

Well that's it for now until next time....I'll be on the lookout for more pink in my life...why?  Because I like it!!!!!

2013 - 01 Pink Saturday Jan. 5th NEW YEAR

Ringing in the New Year - 2013 with a bit of a cold!   Darn those bugs and viruses.  However, I did also change my header picture to a view of our Space Needle here in Seattle on New Years night/morning depending on how you look at it. 

      For more Ringing in the new year blogs and entries visit:

                                         Pink Saturday entries Jan. 5, 2013

I love the celebrations of the new year!  I made a couple of New Years icons for the occasion...one is the header:

the other is another view of the fireworks showing the whole space needle. 

 

 

Yes, I stayed up until after midnight welcoming the new year.  There is always so much to think about.   Got the call from my daughter and really loved that...except I had laryngitis...you never know how much you miss your voice until its' gone!  It's come back now, yay!  



  
   A  few days ago it snowed and inspired me to take some snow pics that I am belatedly posting here.   Including some house decorations.    The little hummingbirds kept coming to inspect the red ornaments I hung in the Rose of Sharon trees.   The snow was not a heavy falling but was enough to create a little winter wonderland for a day or so.  Then it melted.   This year's Christmas tree theme was winter wonderland.  There were snowflakes, icicles, white birds, red bows and red ornaments on the tree inside as well.  I love putting the decorations on the tree and as usual I added a few more this year despite us getting a much smaller and thinner tree.   The little doll in the tree is one I made many years ago in our first years of marriage.  I didn't have much money then and decided to make dolls for a couple of my nieces for Christmas.   I kept one as a momento and put it in my tree every year.   One of the two dolls for my nieces still shows up on her mom's tree...the other one is MIA.   They had their names embroidered on them.  I keep thinking of making more...maybe for next year...if I get started early.  Same thing goes for the little soldier clothes pins.  I made them and have slowly been giving them away.  I truly love them.   A few years ago I found some angel dancer clothes pins to go with them.   I'm glad I'm writing this since it is giving me ideas.     Those ornaments hold so many memories.  

     The snow people on the mantle were made by my husbands mom.  Her name was Delores.   She passed away quite a few years ago but they always serve to remind me of her at Christmas time.  It wouldn't be Christmas without her snow people watching over us from somewhere in the house.   It's all her fault I'm so in love with Holiday bazaars....she enjoyed them so much.   The stockings by the fire are hung with those removable Commander hooks.  What a great technology.  I always put an orange in each stocking because it reminds me of a story my mother told me from when I was young only 2 years old so I don't remember the happenings.  They didn't have a lot of money for that Christmas and fruit was in short supply where they lived at the time....so when she had the opportunity to buy some oranges she scooped them up and gave them to us for one of our Christmas presents....well, we (my younger sister and I) were too young to know how special this present really was...so my mother later confided that she and my dad ate the oranges and enjoyed them immensely....so now I always put an orange in the stockings for that enjoyment to live on!!!!

 Here I am thinking of Christmas and it's January 4th!    I'm still working on my resolutions and goals for 2013 but one of them is to remember things that interact with people in special ways...like this blog and remembering birthdays and anniversaries.   That's a good thing.    Ringing in the new year with memories and bells!  There are several bells in some of these pics...check out the inside tree decorations, The front door and the mantle.  I collect them...as well as play handbells at special Church services......but that's a story or two for another posting....

              I'm so happy to be posting!      

2012 - 09 Pink Saturday Inspirational post Front Porch

It's time to post on Pink Saturday and I've been posting via my other photoblogatory blog because I usually use my own pics but today I wanted to pass on a couple of Pinterest sites that have absolutely inspiring Pink posts....  the first one is:

   Pink World   and has a gorgeous little pink front porch...posted....as one of her entries.. I loved all her entries and of course am following her.  She is from Lisbon...and her name is Paula Trinidad...I went to the original entry for the photo she pinned and it was on a site called:  Houzz  at this link:   houzz  .  They encouraged embedding in you blog!  That is great!...It's an idea site for interior decorating...very cool and inspiring.

Tropical Exterior design by Atlanta Interior Designer Suzanne MacCrone Rogers


Another cool pinterest post with pink is called:  cor-de-rosa     which is by Claudia Andre from Bazil...we live in such a cool world....she had some pink heart glazed cornbread cookies that looked pretty good!!!!!
They actually came from a Martha Stewart site originally:   Martha's Pink heart cornbread cookies

For more Pink Saturday posts please visit:

at this weeks posted link:    Pink Saturday post this week

2012 - 08 Inspiration Galore on Pin It

Hello all!   Today's post is about a cool place to get positive inspirations from crafts to music and more.   It's called Pinterest and you can find all sorts of things get you in the mood for what ever you may need to do at

www.Pinterest.com  .  

People ask me what's the difference between Pinterest and Facebook?  I'm not the expert but in my opinion, which of course I value highly, (lol),  Pinterest is where you might find things that lift your spirits, that give you ideas and ultimately ways to connect with others that have like interests.  People use it to get fun food ideas,  crafty projects, music to inspire you and all sorts of things.  At least that is what I see.  Some of the participants have business connected with their interests and may guide you there with a link but only if you are interested.  Places like Etsy.com  and others. 

In effect it is like a little bulletin board where you can 'pin' your interests and go back to view them for inspiration or just fun.  Of course to pin you need to open an account but you don't have to pin...you can just surf.

For example...I like cats...do you?  this link to a Pinterest site is all about cats and how to view them in fun ways.

 http://pinterest.com/sabacat/kittymeowmeow/   

If it makes you smile that is what I would expect!   So if you need a lift you can check out some sites or create one of your own and start your own collection.

Does that get you to thinking?  LOL....

It's ok to stay on the fence about it.......do some research.  I'm guessing that if you are a blogger you will love it!

Smiles,  Maria

2012 -07 Inspiration - I SO THINK SO!!! I DREAM

Now sometimes a person comes into a life that truly is inspirational.  Yet, why hasn't it been known?  Who knows...appearances are always deceiving and yet we judge.   Truly do we not know when we judge first.  This singer was the amazing Epitome of that very thing.  Why can we not be patient and let people show themselves?  We are so vain...aren't we? Susan Boyle - I have a Dream   .  Sometimes we just have to have a leap of faith....and trust in someone else.   Don't you think?

Shirt/Blouse Art 2012 - 06

I was googling for a men's peasant shirt for a friend as a positive act of kindness...and I not only found a great link to purchasing one which you will see further down I discovered this great idea from a young woman who blogs about Cultivating Home!

I love it when people are creative and do really neat things....especially with clothing. It can be so practical. The romantic touch is what I'm finding here. It's so positive when people do inspiring things.

First:
This link is to the blogger who redid a men's shirt to make it into a really sweet woman's blouse.
http://www.cultivatinghome.com/2011/06/mens-dress-shirt-to-womans-blouse-sort.html

She shows how to do it too on her Cultivating Home site in a sort of Tutorial. ...and she inspires others!


Second:
A really cool thing is that one of the comments linked to another person's site who made a little girl's blouse from a little boy's shirt!

http://thepleasanttimes.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-blouse-from-rag-bag.html


Third: My successful search for a peasant shirt for a man resulted in this really cool link to the Tudor Shoppe:

http://www.tudorshoppe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=MS

I think this is quite romantic..but there were plenty of others up on the site. This kind of like the opposite of a men's to woman's shirt....more of a woman's peasant look for a man! I love it though. It is dashing and is reminiscent of the pirate look of adventure as well.


All in all a good topic for the day's positive art site!

________________________________________________________