Let's Mary Poppins That!

I like things that make me laugh.

And housework isn't one of those things.

And that's why I think it's important to surround yourself with cheerful things that also serve a purpose.

For instance, why would you salt and pepper your food with these..

When you could do the same job with a pair of pink flamingos...specifically pink flamingos in hats & 

high heels...

This will open your bottle,

  

But, any one of these will make opening that same bottle feel like an EVENT!

Shotglass?

Or Shotglass, Dollface?

Scrubbing pad holder, egg cups and whisks....all have the potential to make you smile.

Because, you know what?

Mary Poppins herself said, 

"In every job that must be done

There is an element of fun

You find the fun and snap

The  job's a game."

I like ordinary household things with a sense of humour because ordinary household living isn't really all that funny. 

I love their "in spite of it all" attitude.

And so does my new coffee mug.

Your Song of the Week - Ophelia

In memory of Levon.
With a big thanks to Lee Rocker and Buzz Campbell for doing him proud with this cover of my favourite Band song.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=415608298458706

Putting the Social in Social Media

People are always dissing facebook and twitter as shallow interactions where people do nothing more than post pictures of their last meal and put themselves in grave danger of being seduced by someone posing as professional / female / male / gay / straight / kinky / not kinky / something they are not.

Well, here's what Social Media has done for me this week.

• I found out my old, old friend (who I've rejuvenated contact with thanks to social media, such as blogs and facebook) is coming to my province and wants to visit.
• Been invited to lunch with some friends who I used to work with but never really knew very well but have gotten to know via twitter
• Seen pictures of my brand new great-nephew and chattered about him with his mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunts and uncles.
• Posted pictures of the baby pictures of the father of the brand new great-nephew for all the family and extended family to discuss physical similarities
• Discovered that a heavy metal band AND a rockabilly band AND a blues band are having concerts/cd releases in a town near me all next month!

So, my point is, if you think Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and the like are colossal wastes of time, you aren't using them right.

Things I Wish Were Mine #10

I am being a greedy guts for having two "Things I Wish Were Mine" posts in a row, but if you see this book and you don't burst out laughing, you're no friend of mine.

Written by Baxter Black, who also wrote "Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky?

C'mon- you wish it was yours, too, don't you?

Things I Wish Were Mine # 9

We are now officially entering the third year of needing a bathroom floor.

I can't find anything I like.

I can't find anything I can afford.

And I can't find anything I like well enough to even try to afford it.

Flooring spends much of its time trying to look like something it's not. 

If it's not wood, it's trying to look like wood.

If it's not stone, it's trying to look like stone.

And if it's not doing any of these things, it is a geometric pattern.

And that is all. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of variation from the above themes.

The other day, it dawned on me....Why isn't there flooring with art on them?  Flowers or leaves or polka dots?  Why is that left for the walls only?  Old time linoleum did better than modern day vinyl when it comes to flare!

Look at this beautiful, framed piece.  I don't think anybody will ever frame anything that I've looked at over the past 2 years....

(From http://vandm.com/Framed-Vintage-Floor-Linoleum/3_239_60=560_product=6610.aspx )

And then, I found this company.  http://www.harveymaria.co.uk 

Want to walk through a flowerbed in you bathroom?

Try this        or maybe something more subtle?  

Maybe you prefer feathers?    or Cowboys?   

So much imagination.  So much style.  And so much choice on the website....

Go there....http://www.harveymaria.co.uk

If I could find some flooring like this....I would finally have a floor!

25 Things About Me

Okay - I'm cheating.  I haven't blogged in ages and here is this....a pathetic, regurgitated facebook list from March 2009.

1 I can never remember whether the sun is revolving around the earth or if the earth is revolving around the sun. I don't really understand why everyone thinks it matters so much.

2 I read every word of every book I read

3 I'd rather paint a room than clean it.

4 I eat at least 2 cups of raw vegetables everyday - I used to eat a pound of carrots, but I've diversified my portfolio

5 I love live music. My retirement plan consists of sleeping in the day and staying up late at night going to see music.

6 I met my husband in a bar & I adore him. I'm crazy about him and my two kids.

7 I have made every curtain & every bedspread in my house, but I will swear to you that I cannot sew. I only sew large squares to cover windows and beds.

8 I like to imagine where, in your house, I would place my furniture

9 I read obituaries of strangers & keep the ones of the people I wish I'd met

10 I was fired from piano lessons from 3 different teachers. I think it might be because I haven't got a musical bone in my body.

11 I worry...........alot

12 I think the best place to be trapped would be a grocery store with all the trashy magazines, the candy, the chips and the ice cream.

13 I was in Katimavik in 1978-1979 and I feel a special bond with all the Katimavikers I've ever met.

14 I have had two of my best friends since before I was 7

15 When my cats follow me from room to room, I am flattered

16 I care what you think of me

17 I don't like lazy people or people who don't pull their wieght. I value old fashioned qualites like loyalty, industriousness, dependability, honesty & fairness

18 I'm very serious about the mug I select to drink my tea or coffee. It matters.

19 I record things. Books I've read. Books I want to read. Movies I watch. Movies I want to watch. Birthdays. Facebook statuses. You name it....I document it.

20 I'm embarrassed by ceremony

21 I'm pretty loyal and it takes alot for me to turn my back, but once you've lost me....I'm gone.

22 I am often socially awkward.

23 If I had 6 months to live, I would start smoking again and put all my funeral money into throwing a huge party at my house. I would hire a bunch of live bands. There would be the Weber Brothers, Lazy Devils, Luther Wright & the Wrongs, Paul James, the Sadies, Steep Canyon Rangers, the Royal Crowns. I'm not sure who else....You would have to bring your own food and a lawn chair. It would be a good time. I promise

24 I can't cook at all. The idea of having to do so frightens me. I never read recipes in magazines, I dont want to talk about recipes and I don't understand why other people do.

25 I get confused at street corners if the light is green but the "don't walk" sign is lit up.

And that's it - that's 25 Random things about me 

Before & After: Beware the Makeover Edition

When you've lived in a house for a really long time like I have, when you take pictures of a decorating project, it's kind of depressing because in the back of your mind, you know that today's before pictures are yesterday's after pictures.