Wordless Wednesday

Thought Provoking

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up.
Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

Have a great day

Unique Commodities
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Welcome Back Lily!

We sure did miss you Tulips Treasure Box AKA Lily! Welcome back to being active on the Etsyblogger forum and it is already starting to feel like home again with you there!

Tulips Treasure Box has some of the most exquisite and gorgeous jewelry!

As a jewelry artisan, I look up to her!

Craft It Forward

I love looking at other crafters blogs because you come across so many neat ideas! I was looking at Beaded Tail’s blog and she is doing a Craft it Forward so I decided to be a copy cat and do the same! So here goes!

I'm going to offer a Craft It Forward to the first five people to respond to this post. You will get something handmade by me!

Here are the restrictions that come with this:

*There are no guarantees you will like what I make although I sure hope you do!
*What I create will be just for you
*You'll receive it this year (2009)
*The item will be a surprise to you and can be ANYTHING handmade
*And in return, all you need to do is post this text into your blog, email me the link back to your Craft it forward blog and make 5 things for 5 people. My email address is uniquecommodities@yahoo.com

The first 5 people to respond in the comments section WINS!!!!!

Memories for Life Start here

Want to give a gift to someone that reflects uniqueness? or a gift that is representative of every occasion? Want to have a gift that helps you create Memories For Life? Then start here!


Whether you want....

To celebrate family

to give a great birthday gift

to give an amazing wedding gift

to give a wonderful gift to a parent to celebrate their new bundle of joy

to give your sorority sister a most unique gift

You don't have to go far! Memories for Life has amazing hand made albums and other unique items!!!

Check out her blog Too: Memories For Life Scrapbooks

Beauties by Etsybloggers

You Know you love Chic Fil-A

You know you LOVE Chic Fil-A when you:

1. Leave work having not eaten since about 9 am and drive past Taco Bell, Zaxby's, Burger King, Rush's, Sonic and several other restaurants all excited because you can't wait to get to Chic Fil-A to get your #4 Chicken Club Sandwich, Waffle Fries (with Polynesian Sauce) and Sweet Tea!
   
   
2. Get to Chic Fil-A, Step out of the car, go to grab your purse only to realize that you left it in your desk at work (CRAP)!
   
   
3. Get back in your car, drive back to work, call your co-worker to get her to bring your purse out to you and drive for the 2nd time past Taco Bell, Zaxby's, Burger King, Rush's, Sonic and several other restaurants to go back to Chic Fil-A for that #4 Chicken Club Sandwich, Waffle Fries (with Polynesian Sauce) and Sweet Tea!

Yep! I LOVE Chic Fil-A!

Washington Post Neologism Winners

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its
yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate
meanings for common words.


The winners are:

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

6. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.

8. Flatulance (n.) Emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steam roller

9. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.

10. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

11. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

12. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word
from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter,
and supply a new definition.

Here are this year's winners:


1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

3. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

4. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

5. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

6. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.

7. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

8. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

9. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

10. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

11. Dopeler effect=2 0(n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

12. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

13. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

14. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

Wordless Wednesday

The Government and the Rancher

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous
pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan
sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?'

Bud looks a t the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his
peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure, Why not?'

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer,
connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and
exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the
image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and
says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.'

'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says
Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on
amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the Bud says to the young man, 'Hey, if I can tell you
exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?'

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay,
why not?'

'You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government', says Bud.

'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie, 'but how did you guess
that?'

'No guessing required.' answered the cowboy. 'You showed up here
even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already
knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows...this is a herd of sheep. ..

Now give me back my dog!

Unique Commodities

Here's looking at you kid!

Nothing like a little humor to get you through a dog gone ruff day!

Unique Commodities

Caturday Night Fever!

Go kitty go kitty go! Doing the Happy Dance is so much fun!

Wordless Wednesday

A little Tuesday Humor

Hand Picked Friday Features

I figured I would join in on the feature fun! I know by Friday we are all tired and ready for some relaxation and laughter! Time to wind down from the week!

SO HERE IS.....

A Little Relaxation!

A little humor....

An Afternoon at Riverbank Zoo

Sunday I decided to go to the zoo with a friend of mine! I love nature because it makes me feel so connected to God and the River Bank Zoo here in Columbia, SC is really nice. I needed to just get away and have a time of refreshing and although the zoo was fairly crowded, it was still great! I also bought a membership so Zionna and I could make some grandmommy/granddaughter memories. Here are a few pics of some of the things I saw at the zoo!

Wordless Wednesday

Boundaries

Being a mom and a woman in general, I have had a difficult time much of my life setting “Healthy” boundaries. I tend to feel GUILTY when I say “no” or sometimes I just second guess my response. I am learning though especially as my children have grown to become young adults (ages 19 and 21) the impact of NOT setting healthy boundaries. Both of my kids live at home with me. One for health reasons and the other because they are a single parent and getting on their feet. My brother lived with me for over a year and as soon as he moved out, my mom moved in for over a year after that. I finally had to ask my mom to move out and I felt tremendous guilt doing so. I have found myself asking - Will I ever have my own space? Am I selfish for wanting it? How much is too much to ask? Should I want to always support my kids? My mom? My family? No matter how much I do often times I have felt it is never enough or someone always has a complaint. Several of my friends recommended that I read the book Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend so I purchased the book back in January. It sat on my shelf until this past Friday. Finally I made the decision to start reading it and just getting through the first chapter, I so related to it that I cried and eerily felt some relief! I will definitely share the journey of my experience reading this book! In celebration of the start of my journey to setting healthy and freeing boundaries.

Here are a few Etsy items I found with interesting Boundary Titles! I so relate! How about you?

Boundaries - Abstract Art

Moveable Boundaries

Blurring The Boundaries

Etsybloggers - Let's Go Green!

What do you do (or what can you do!) to make your etsy business or home a little bit greener?

Truly we all need to look at what it means to Go Green and equally important is what It will mean to our future if we do NOT Go greenIt has been shared that preserving the world’s natural resources is the responsibility of EVERY individual both at work and at home. !. I was reading an article on World Watch Institute that shared 10 ways to go green and I decided to list there here! Personally for me is that I no longer buy paper plates, plastic silver ware or cups! I purchased the compact Fluorescent bulbs and love the money I save on my energy bill! I don’t eat a lot of meat! Not much at all actually. I also am a yard sale junkie and I Use BookMooch to get the books I want and to recycle those that I have! I even have a few 'Go Green’ Tote bags in my shop!

1. Save energy to save money.

· Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

· Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.

· Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

· Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.

· Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. If you must use a dryer, consider adding dryer balls to cut drying time.

2. Save water to save money.

· Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.

· Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.

· Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

· Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3. Less gas = more money (and better health!).

· Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

· Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.

· Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4. Eat smart.

· If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.

· Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

· Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.

· Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain [pdf]. This is especially true for seafood.

5. Skip the bottled water.

· Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

· Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

· Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.

6. Think before you buy.

· Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.

· Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.

· When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't.

· Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

7. Borrow instead of buying.

· Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.

· Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

8. Buy smart.

· Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.

· Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.

· Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you'll be happy when you don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

9. Keep electronics out of the trash.

· Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.

· Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.

· Recycle your cell phone.

· Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.

10. Make your own cleaning supplies.

· The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.

· Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

Two Zany Zebra's Featured Etsy Blogger

What a pleasant surprise for the awesome SAHM! TwoZanyZebra's is our Featured Etsyblogger of the month! I have a grand daughter so I loved all I saw in her shop! LOL!