Faux Mimosas

I recently stumbled upon the coolest find! These sparkling Italian sodas are available at World Market. They are only $0.99 cents.

Get them cold first then pour in a nice glass. They taste just like a champagne mimosa to me. Wonderful stuff. And you can have one at work and feel like you are having a cocktail! Decadent!

I have to hide these from my son Andrew as he loves them too. They also had a blood orange version which I have not tried yet. Andrew beat me to it.

Final Days on PurrPrints Giveaway

I love kitties and I especially love Becca's etsy shop Purrprints.

The giveaway this month is a 5x5" signed archival print of PurrPrints most popular design, Kitty Love, in red and brown. The contest ends on Monday, August 31, so run over to the Bluegrass etsy team blog and enter!!

Five Point Plan (affirmations)

Five point plan
Originally uploaded by sarah_gardner

I love this!

Great affirmations to think of each day. Created by Sarah Gardner.

Happy Week - Top 10 Happy Things

I wanted to get my final "Happy Week" post in yesterday, but I was pretty busy with a birthday party for my mom. Better late than never I suppose!

Here is my Top 10 List of things that make me happy:

1. My husband - finding him in my late 30's was the best thing that's happened to me! I am glad to have found him and can't imagine my life without him.

2. Family & Friends - what would we do without them? They love us unconditionally and are always there when we need them. I am also blessed with new friendships made with the Bluegrass etsy team.

3. Art & Creativity - art brings joy to my life and being creative is truly a gift we share to make others happy! Taking photos reminds me of happy moments in life.

4. My art room/studio - for years I worked on my dining room table and had my buffet filled with rubber stamps and papers instead dishes. It was not the best situation and it was visible when you walked in the front door of my old house. I always, always, wanted a room of my very own. When I remarried, and gave up my old house, my husband made this a reality for me in our new home. I am thankful for this each and every day. It's a wonderful place for me to retreat to, lose myself and listen to music really loud.

5. Nature - I met my husband online and the reason I was drawn to his profile was that he mentioned hiking. We enjoy being on the trail as day hikers. Our favorite places so far have been Mt. Rainier and the Smokey Mountains. We were engaged on a trail in the Smokies.

6. Music - I love music! My version of hell is a car without a radio. I sing in the car often, although my family will tell you not very well. Music has a way of instantly lifting my spirits. I just heard about a study researchers did with terminally ill patients. They took vitals before and then played relaxing music, then took vitals again. Not surprisingly, the patients' heart rates were decreased from the relaxing music. Great feel good music like James Brown or Al Green is a favorite of mine. If you like them too, check out Black Joe Williams' song Sugarfoot. It's new but it sounds very James Brown retro. It's at itunes. Check it out and I dare you to sit still listening to it!

7. Pets - there is something to be said about the unconditional love you get from pets. I can't imagine a day without our two kitties. They bring us so much joy. When our cats show affection, the worries of the day just melt way. They are another thing I can't live without.


8. Chocolate - all problems fade for me when chocolate is consumed. You have to keep consuming it though, which becomes a problem. Use sparingly.

9. Bubble baths - although I rarely get to indulge, it is a wonderful feeling to use all the hot water in the house for a long hot soak in a bubble bath. A glass of wine is also handy, along with a good book. Curious kitties playing with bubbles on the edge of tub is optional.

10. Sunshine - The feeling of the sun warming my face is like no other.

11. Autumn - yes, I was only supposed to list 10 but I could not leave off my favorite season. I love pumpkins, candy corn, spiced cider, mulled wine, falling leaves, Halloween and fall color!

So what things make YOU happy?

More Happy Week Musings

I have really enjoyed the posts this week from others and I've also enjoyed the challenge of blogging each day, and keeping it all very positive!

Something happened earlier in the week that blindsided me and would seriously affect not only me, but lots of other people that I care about. I instantly went into flight or fight mode and thought about the actions I would need to take immediately and considered the worst case scenario. About an hour later, I went to lunch. I got into my car and turned on the radio which was set to Oprah radio on XM. The wonderfully gravelly voice of Maya Angelou came on right at that moment. She said that it is always best to stay in the moment. If you think ahead and worry about what is going to happen tomorrow, chances are it might not even happen and you waste your energy on things you can't control. She reminded listeners to Stay in the Moment. That was definitely an "aha" moment for me. I have not heard that spot replayed again, so I think the timing was just for me, to get me back in the moment. And while I am not 100% convinced that the threat that bothered me is gone, I am not quite as concerned about it.

The quote below is especially good because it reminds us that you have to have some rain with the sunshine and a little sadness to really appreciate the happy times. So true!

"There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."

- Carl Jung

Finally, I leave you with a clever retro video on happiness.

Watch tomorrow for my final post on Happiness Week - My Top 10 List! :)

Happy Week - RAKS & Surprises!

I love surprises in the mail and I also love surprising my friends and family with handmade gifts. Creativity is such a wonderful gift we can share with others!

Last month I was collecting funds from our team members that are participating in a local craft fair in September. I received a check from Kelly Graves of WhimsyBeading. Included in the envelope with her check and business cards, was this lovely beaded wish bag. I about fell over from excitement! I was familiar with the wish bags from their etsy site but I had not seen one in person and certainly not one with a fleur de lis in my theme colors! I have shown this off to everyone as it's so unique.


I recently participated in a Pay it Forward type project on Facebook. We simply posted that we would make something during the year for the first five people that signed up. They in turn, would agree to do the same for others, to pay it forward. After doing this, Elayne with ChezChani surprised me with this lovely resin pendant of my logo! How cool is that?? I have it on a purple ribbon and wear it with pride. Elayne's logo is a sunflower and she created one for herself to wear at shows. What a great way to promote your brand!


Our etsy team leader, Libby Goldsmith of Maylees Garden knows I am a big lover of floral scents, especially lilac. She was able to get some lilac oil for me and turn it into a roll-on perfume oil. It's wonderful! Not only because I love the scent, but because she surprised me with it.


So use your creative talent to create a special something for a special someone. Or make little mini art items and leave them at public places for people to find. Stick them in library books, leave them at a bus stop, a nursing home, or in a hospital waiting room. You never know how your creative spirit might lift some one's mood and change their day!

Spread the word about Happy Week and keep the happy spirit alive! For other musings about Happy Week, visit CuriousGirl-Lisa. Her blog has a listing of everyone participating this week!

Happy Week - Day 3 - Sarcastic Wednesday

Here is your chuckle for the day - this being day 3 of Happy Week.

You gotta love Hoops and Yoyo. They really crack me up.