Shielded with Favor

Mike and I are reading a Psalm a Day right now.  One of the things I love about the Psalms is that no matter what your emotion, you will likely find it expressed there.  It can really be a helpful guide for praying when you just can't find the words.

I am praying for some friends who are facing very serious health challenges.  It is such a helpless feeling to see someone you care about hurting.  I literally woke up one day praying, but my words seemed too pitiful to appropriately cover the situation.  I know that God's work is not dependent on my words, but still, I searched to express my thoughts.  Today I went back to Psalm 5:11-12.

"But let all who take refuge in you

rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

so that those who love your

name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous,

O Lord;

you cover them with favor as

with a shield." NRSV

I am sure there have been times I've read over those verses and just thought they sounded nice.  Today, they really speak to me.  I love picturing God spreading protection over my friends, shielding them with his favor. 

Dorothea and John Denver

Last week Mike and I were in Colorado Springs.  As I mentioned earlier, he was attending a church conference and I was pretty much just coming along for the ride.  I wasn't a part of the meetings so I spent some time waiting around in the lobby.  I realize some may think that was miserable for me but those would be people who don't know two things about me... 1) I love to people-watch.  2) I love to crochet and I can do that just about anywhere. So, watching people AND crocheting at the same time makes for a lovely event as far as I am concerned.  A hotel lobby isn't quite as good as an airport, but it is pretty close to being as much fun for me.

It was our last evening there, and I was again in the lobby crocheting, when I met a lady named Dorothea.  She was a bit older than me and was not with the church group.  She came out of the hotel bar with her wine and sat near me.  We started visiting and I learned some things about her.  She was on some sort of wildlife board and they would be meeting at the hotel the next day.  She'd driven down from the mountains early and was just spending the evening relaxing.  I liked her right away.

Dorothea mentioned a display she'd seen, associated with our conference, that said something about feeding the children.  She made a comment, "It's like John Denver used to say, it's not that there isn't enough food but it isn't distributed fairly."  Well, that caught my attention.  You see, I am, by association, a John Denver fan.

Before I even dated Mike I knew he loved John Denver music. 

The guys in our class in high school teased him about it as many of them were more fond of the rock bands of the 70's.  Mike, however, is very musical himself and John Denver had been a big inspiration to him as a teen.  I think Mike can sing and play any John Denver song, and he does it quite well. 

Mike writes songs himself, a lot of songs, and some are kind of in the same category of style I guess.  Actually, Mike's appeal to me even more, but it is possible that I may be prejudiced.  Even so, I think most people would agree they are very, very good.

Do you remember Annie's Song?  Isn't it one of the most beautiful love songs of all time?  Well, my middle name is Ann and on our second date Mike played a diddly he'd thrown together called, Sue Annie's Song.  Neither of us really remember that song now but I do remember the idea of it and it was sweetly silly.  I was charmed!  That was the first of many songs Mike wrote for me.  I will tell you more about Mike's music another day.

Mike and I were able to attend 4 different John Denver Concert's over the years.  It was a lot of fun and he really was a great entertainer.  By the 4th one I kind of hoped he'd notice us and invite us into his hotel or bus or whatever to visit with us.  It is my belief that John needed some help with his theology and I think Mike could've helped him a bit.  After that, they could've got out their guitars and sung together.  Now THAT would've been a great blog!

One Christmas I was pretty proud of myself when I found an autographed John Denver photo on E-Bay.  Of course, I couldn't tell you if that was actually his autograph, but Mike accepted the gift graciously.

Anyway, back to Dorothea...  She wasn't just quoting John Denver from some PBS talk, she'd known him personally as she'd lived in Aspen for 25 years.  She spoke of what a great human he was.  She was on the school board and sometimes he'd come to speak to the kids, elementary as well as high school, about world hunger.  She told me he made her promise to keep a scheduled talk a secret.  He just wanted to speak with the children without parents (and publicity) showing up.  She really thought  a lot of him.  It was nice to hear that side of his story. 

I was so happy when Mike came out into the lobby so he could also meet Dorothea.  I didn't want to make too big of a deal about it because I didn't want her to think we were weirdos, even though maybe we are.  I even dreamed once that I invited John Denver and Annie over for supper, so I guess that officially qualifies me as a weirdo.  We are aware John Denver had some things in his past we didn't really want to know, but for that night, we only got to hear good things about him.  It was lovely.  I am glad to have met Dorothea.

Are there celebrities, dead or alive, that you wish you could meet?  What would you want to talk about?

Water...such a gift from God!

Water.... we all need it! 

Have you ever been really, really thirsty?  You know, like having to avoid water for awhile before surgery or on a hike that went longer than you thought and you didn't bring water?  When you are really thirsty, water becomes something you can't stop thinking about!

And what's more beautiful than water?  It is photogenic, whether it be one drop or an ocean!

I took this picture at the resort this past week.  It is just a little manmade waterfall, silly really, but isn't it pretty?  I sat and watched it long enough that I then started wondering if anyone around thought I was a little weird.

I love water.

And when you need cleaned, you need water more than soap.  Just a simple shower can wash away sweat, bacteria and lots of other stuff I don't want to think about because this is supposed to be a "pretty" post.

We are being warned that the river near our house is going to be dangerously high soon.  There are many parts of our country that have seen devastating flooding this year.  Water can also be very, very powerful!

All this and more helps me understand why God chose water as the earthly element for baptism.  It represents cleansing, power, and is essential for life.  I thank God for water!

Procrastination Pays... Sometimes.

This past week I tagged along to Colorado Springs with Mike.  He had a conference to attend and my work right now is portable, so I went along.  Here are some pictures from our ride down there...

I couldn't believe we were in snow in May, well, yes I can, but that didn't mean I thought it was right.  Luckily, after that first day, it was beautiful!

We took too long even deciding if we were going to attend and by the time the decision was made, all rooms at the conference hotel were taken.  So, I went on Priceline and tried to see where we could stay.  I'm not going to tell you how much time I spent on that project because you'd find out I have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder when it comes to finding hotel rooms.  I'm CRAZY but I enjoy it so who cares?

Anyway, I love staying in hotels, but I usually expect too much for what I want to pay.  This time, however, my expectations were not only exceeded but surpassed!  I decided to do the "Name Your Own Price" thing and hit the jackpot!  For $62 per night we got to stay at Cheyenne Mountain Resort.  It was only 6 minutes from the conference hotel, but so spectacular!  The first day I just sat out on an upper deck, looking out over a pool, golf course, little lake, and best of all, Cheyenne Mountain, all while crocheting my little heart away.  It was so peaceful and calm!

Our room was also quite lovely.  I was  impressed most with the personal reading lights built in to the headboards.  It doesn't take much to please me I suppose.  Really, though, that's pretty cool, don't you think?

And this is our own little deck where I ate my lunch....

And random photos from around the resort...

Even as I luxuriated, though, I thought of friends who are suffering.  It is such a strange thing, to feel so much happiness and distress at the same time.  I am acutely aware that all that is beautiful in my life can disappear in a blink.  I am trying to learn to live in a way that I will notice the good and the beautiful more, even when I am not staying at a posh resort.  I am so grateful for all that has been given to me.

The Guessing Game

Hmmmm.... did anyone else lose their posts this morning?  Mine disappeared and can't be found.  Oh well, here we go again....

I think this picture was taken by my Aunt Terry, but I'm not sure.  Do you know what you are looking at?

If you guess correctly (just write it in the comment or e-mail to onlythemanager@yahoo.com) you will win an e-gift certificate for 30% off an entire order from http://www.etsy.com/shop/wyomingrose .  It's not hard, really.  Just leave a comment or e-mail me because it likely really is what you think it is.  Be sure I have your e-mail so I can send you the code for  the 30% off!

Praying

This has been a hard month already, with a lot of bad news.  We are all fine, but people we love have been affected by death and illness.  We are feeling the pain of four families.  So, we pray.... and pray.... and pray... and pray.

For the four families we know who are dealing with pain and worry and sorrow, God is there.  They are all families of faith.  It makes me wonder, though, how do people get through the hard times without faith?

I'm focusing on Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for harm, to give you a future with hope."

Again, I thank God for HOPE, hope for a time when death and illness and worry and sadness and misery are no more.

Sam, Crazy Fiction Writer

Our son, Sam, is about to graduate high school.  It is such a strange feeling!  When I was expecting Sam, Mike and I realized that by the time the baby I was carrying graduated high school, we'd  have been raising children for 30 years!  That seemed like it would be such a long time, but here we are already.  How did that happen so quickly?

The other night we attended a senior awards night at his school.  Sam didn't want to go but that was no surprise.  He also doesn't want to go to his own graduation.  We are still parenting, though, and we aren't offering options in these two situations.

We'd forced Sam to attend a similiar ceremony when he was finishing his years at Jr. High.  We'd known he was being honored with one award then, but it turned out he was called up to the stage 5 times!  The award that night that was most special to us as parents was when he received the "Kindness Award".  This was a position voted on by parents and students alike.  Before they announced the name, as they were giving the description, I remember thinking that it sounded like an award Sam should win!  Sam had been out of school the day they'd done this voting and knew nothing about it.  He seemed a bit distressed by it, probably thinking this award lowered his "cool" status or something.  We loved it!

So, we went to awards night.  Mike and I graduated from a class of 13.  We knew everyone, their families and their friends.  For us, it was rare to attend any school function and spot a stranger.  At this ceremony for the seniors, there were hundreds of people that didn't even look familiar.  I wish our kids could have attended a smaller school.  No, I don't say that just because these ceremonies would've been a LOT shorter with fewer kids to honor!  Well, maybe that is a little bit of that wish...

Sam had to make the long walk to the stage to receive recognition for a scholarship he was receiving.  We'd known about that ahead and were grateful for it.  The fun was when they started to do "in house" awards.  A presenter would tell the name of an award and a bit about how the decision was made as to who should receive the award.  In most cases it seemed to be the teachers who chose the recipients.  There were quite a few awards for things such as "Spirit" and "Quiet Inspiration".  Since Sam didn't like to join extra-curricular activites we weren't expecting him to receive any of these awards.  They were rightly going to the kids who were in all the plays or helped out at various functions. 

However, as they started to read the description of one award my instantaneous thought was, "Sam is going to win that!"  He did!  It was the award for Outstanding Fiction Writer.  Sam has really shown talent in his writing and had won a similiar award way back in grade school.  He is a kid with interesting thoughts and he is good at expressing them in compelling ways.  Usually he instills a fair bit of humor into this process, making it fun for the reader.

Sam received a certificate as well as a journal.  Unlike me, he was surprised that he was given this award.  He'd never noticed that he'd impressed any of his teachers with his writing.  He was most pleased when he read what was written in the journal as it was written by his favorite teacher.  I thought it was an interesting inscription...

I think Sam was proud to be thought of as having some craziness!

Congratulations, Sam!

The Shy Tulips

My daughter's blog is titled, Little Things Are Big ( http://maria-rose.blogspot.com/ ), because she wanted to acknowledge all the small things that make up for a great life, things that we often take for granted if we even notice them at all.  I've learned a few lessons from her.

You know how tulips usually smile out their bright colors ridiculously early, often while there is still snow on the ground?  Well, mine were really shy this year.  For WEEKS they looked like they were about to open but did not.  Other flowers were blooming, but not the tulips.  Last week I decided to take their picture everyday and FINALLY I got what I was hoping for.  Here are the pictures from last week.  It took me until about Wednesday to realize the dandelion was stealing the show and had to go.  Although it took all week to reach full glory, you'll see the tulips really had a surprise waiting inside!


A Great Day

WOW!  I had a great Sunday/Mother's Day!

I love Sunday mornings anyway because I get to go to church.  It is a solid spot in the week.  It is a time to refuel.  I love our church family so it is also a time to be with friends.  Best of all, it is a time to sing.  I just love singing!  I wasn't given the kind of voice that sounds all that great by itself, but I enjoy singing in a group.  Our Worship Team sings such great songs with talented accompaniment; it is a highlight in my week for sure.

Anyway, before church one of my Sunday School Students presented me with 2 gifts she said were a late Easter present.  One was a chocolate cross (I can't show the picture because I ate it right after church) and the other was this beautiful bracelet featuring lots of angels.  It is pretty, huh?

Then, after church, Mike and I went out to eat with Sam, Maria & Eric & Cordelia, and our family friend, Laura.  I only have pictures of Cordy as my camera was in need of charging.  We were at a Chinese restaurant and Cordy was showing the best way to slurp noodles in order to get the most fun out of each one. 

Later, Cordy saw a Buddha statue and saying, "Tummy!" stuck her finger in his bellybutton.  No pictures of that because it kind of creeped me out.  I don't really want to talk about it anymore...

On the way home I called Ben.  I'm so grateful for all the ways to communicate with him and Sara (cell phones, Facebook, Skype, etc.) as they are in North Carolina.  Ben asked what I had planned for my day and I told him I was planning on a nap as soon as I got home.  Don't worry, Mike was driving so this was not a dangerous conversation.  Anyway, Ben asked if I was going to go for a bike ride.  I told him no because I really didn't have a bike anymore.  I then went on to tell him about a bike I'd seen this past week that reminded me of my childhood bike that had NO gears, a big seat and fat tires.  I concluded that conversation as we were nearing our house.

Mike pulled into the driveway and opened the garage door, using the magic opener.  He just sat there so I figured he was letting me out without having to negotiate the tight garage space.  FINALLY, I realized that he couldn't continue into the garage because there was a BRAND NEW BIKE sitting there!  It was the bike I'd just finished telling Ben about!  Mike and the kids had got it for my Mother's Day gift!  It had a big bow on it as well as a perfumed lotion I'd recently admired at Bath and Body Works!

My goodness!

I came on into the house and on my bed, where the planned nap was to take place, was this beautiful plant.  Sam had bought it for me.  It is called an orange star and I think it is beautiful!  Orange is my favorite color and this plant really appeals to me! I admit, I'd pointed it out to Sam a few days ago.  I drop hints because I know my boys would feel bad if they forgot.

So, I postponed the nap.  I dusted off the old bike helmet and went for a ride around the block. then I just kept going.  I went down to the river and followed a bike path for awhile.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day and I felt like I was in 2nd grade, riding my new bike.  What a lovely gift!  I am a bit sore today but it is the happy kind of sore.

I am so very blessed.  My family is really the true gift.  To be loved by such a group of people, it is more than I could have ever hoped for!

Her Name is Grace

My Mom's name is Grace.  I don't know how her parents could have known who she would become but they gave her the perfect name.  I looked up the word, grace, and found this meaning... elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.  It is as if the dictionary writer's knew my Mom!

This picture is her in the mid 1980's.  To her right is a photo of some of her grandchildren.  Does this woman look like anyone's grandmother? 

When I was a teenager, out with my Mom, we were often mistaken for sisters.  Maybe that should have bothered me but instead, it contributed to my pride in her.  It also made me hopeful and grateful for genetics! 

But more than her physical beauty, my Mom lives by her faith.  I don't think many realize this, but she's really the one who came up with the slogan, What would Jesus do?  Really!  When I was little, I remember her telling me that I should always try to behave how Jesus would.  She didn't just say those words, though, she lived them.  That was her greatest gift to her children.

This woman has been dealt some pretty harsh blows in life.  She's had more than her share of disappointment, but she always came up smiling.  During rough patches she displays more character than anyone I know.  She really, truly puts others first and she does so without a hint of martyr. 

Don't get me wrong.  My Mom is also a woman of strength and determination!  She is very, very smart and can accomplish anything she sets out to do.  I will tell you she can make most any shack into a beautiful home.  She infuses beauty into corners of the world that seemed to have none.  That is one of her greatest talents.  She could make her children feel secure during the most tumultuous circumstances, and she could breathe kindness into the worst of situations.

My Mom mothered more than just her own children.  All of my friends wanted to be around her more.  One of my friends referred to her as Mommy #2, not displacing her own mother but showing what my Mom meant in her life as well.  I ALWAYS knew I was special because I was HER daughter.

So, here's to the best example of womanhood I have ever encountered.  I am so very grateful for this woman who raised us and loved us unconditionally, this woman of talent and compassion, this woman of true grace... my MOM.

I love you, Mom

Back to Sewing!

Yesterday, as I worked on my room some more, I kept turning green!  No, I wasn't sick.  I mean, literally, I kept turning green.  Remember that I was spraypainting the dresser the day before?  Apparently you really should do it outdoors or in an open garage as the can says.  Although I couldn't see green anywhere, it kept showing up on my hands!  It seems a green dust had formed on some surfaces.  My computer was in there (Netflix kept me entertained as I worked) and so everytime I use my computer yesterday, I got green fingers.   It was weird.

The important thing, though, is it is all back in order and my dream room is again being used to create!  No carpet yet, but that will come.  I also haven't had the guys move my new/old sewing machine and cabinet up from the basement yet.  I'll tell you more about that someday but it will stay downstairs until the carpet is in.

Here is a picture of two of my shelving units.  The one on the left has fabrics, patterns, etc.  The one  on the right has jewelry-making items as well as beautiful yarns.  I don't know what it is but I just love looking at all that potential there, especially the fabric and yarns!  It is kind of like I have my own craft store!

This is where I sew.  I was so excited I had to start a quilt already.  I've been watching the series Eli Stone on Netflix as I worked so I just kept watching it while I sewed.

So, I am going with Kate W.'s suggestion of calling it the Paisley Room.  I just love paisley fabric and I love saying the word Paisley.  I looked it up on Wikipedia and found that the design we know as paisley is from India and Iran.  The word, paisley, is from a town in Scotland.  I have some Scottish roots; maybe that explains my love of that word!  I even like Brad Paisley!

Lucky for you all, I just backspaced over an educational lesson regarding paisley.  I decided to leave a little mystery, meaning I didn't want to get tooooo boring.

You probably can't see it but that quilt top has some black and white paisley in it.  I noticed that a LOT of my fabric is paisley.  I'm going to move my paisley giraffe in there for inspiration and I think I will make a paisley wallhanging for decoration!

Kate, I thank you!

Dora Has Left the Building!

I've been BUSY working on the room where I do my projects for Wyoming Rose Boutique.  (See here... http://onlythemanager.blogspot.com/2011/04/good-bye-dora.html)  I still haven't settled on the name for that room but I am considering some of the suggestions I've already received.  Any more ideas? 

Every smidge of Dora and the castle is off the walls and they are now painted a soothing color called "Timothy Tan".  That's kind of a weird name but I really enjoy the calming effect of "just enough" color. 

I ripped out the lavender carpet and plucked a lot of staples out of the floor.  New carpet soon!

Yesterday I was ready to finish it all up.  I drug all my supplies and junk out into the hallway.  It looked like the hallway of a hoarder! 

Sam got up and made a comment that he hoped DFS (Dept. of Family Services) didn't come and take him away.  That puts a funny mental image in my head.  Sam, at 17, is probably 6'3' or more and I pictured a little petite social worker coming to his rescue.

My plan was to arrange the furniture and then move everything back in.  The new carpet is probably a month or so from happening so I wasn't going to wait for that.  I have sewing to do!  So, I started to move things around to see how I wanted it to be.

One of the pieces of furniture there is an old dresser of Sam's.  We'd got it when he was a baby but somewhere in his younger years he'd started putting stickers on it.  He was so pleased with himself, I left them there.   

It then became kind of a joke.  He'd add stickers on it all the time.  By the time he was a teen-ager he was adding things like the long sticky strip that comes on a new t-shirt that says

medium

medium

medium

medium.

I looked over all the stickers and it was kind of like a little tour of Sam's childhood.

     

My favorite was the "Hello My Name Is" sticker from a church event.  He'd written his name and below it in paranthesis he'd written (catman).  That made me smile because for years he referred to himself as Catman.  He still really enjoys our cats but I'd not thought of that nickname in awhile.

After that nostalgic moment I decided that instead of just putting the dresser in with plans to clean  it up later, maybe I'd better follow Nike's advice and "Just Do It".  So, I got out my little bottle of Goof Off The Miracle Remover and started scraping.  I felt like I was being watched... 

... but I kept at it.  It took a long time to get them all off.  I was pleased when I stood back and looked at it.  But, there was another problem.  The drawers didn't all close properly.  So, I took out all the drawers and identified the screws that were prohibiting closures.  I got that problem fixed but one drawer didn't close right still.  So, I played musical drawers until I found that there was just one drawer that fit in one of the spaces.  This was not ever a top quality piece of furniture but at least it was now usable.  I'd used most of my morning just scraping stickers!

THEN, I got a brainstorm!  I remember a can of green spray paint I'd purchased for another project.  I opened the window for fresh air and started spraying.  I was so excited!  Unfortunately, I ran out.  By now it was early afternoon so I jumped in the car and went in search of matching spray paint.  It took 3 stores until I found the match, across town of course.  I finished up the dresser and liked the result.  What do you think?

THEN, I glanced at the old Christmas Popcorn Tin I'd been using for my trash.  I know, I know, classy.

So I just kept spraying...

FINALLY, I was ready to move into the room.  That seems like a simple thing until you know that I had FOUR big tubs of things such as quilt squares, jewelry parts, patterns, old clothes that may become quilts, and lots of things difficult to identify.  Much of this was from my Grandma Rose's home and I needed to sort and organize.

Grandma Rose died just before Christmas.  She was the original Wyoming Rose.  She did everything crafty and saved left-over bits and parts for potential future use.  She also seemed to have the same problem as me, starting a new project before finishing the previous one.  This results in a lot of half-completed treasures!  When her house was cleaned out and things were being taken to thrift stores, craft things were saved for me and my cousin, Diahann, to add to our own craft supplies.  I was a bit overwhelmed by the bulk of all this but it is so precious to me.  I opened one tub and the smell of Grandma's house come poofing up to my face.  I just stood there weeping.  I miss her so much!

I never did completely clean out our hallway before I crashed into bed.  Luckily, DFS hasn't shown up but rather than risk it, I'd better finish up the job.

I'll show the final pictures of the room soon!

I am a Hypocrite!

So, did you read yesterday's blog? 

Well, I'm a big fat hypocrite. 

Yesterday I took Maria and Cordy to the mall, a tradition we seem to do about once a week.  Our husbands met us at the food court at noon for lunch.  After lunch we all went to pet puppies at the pet store, then the guys left.  Maria and I often go drive around after our mall lunch, visiting until Cordy falls asleep.  We then get fancy coffee for a little treat...great tradition! 

Yesterday, Cordy was really worn out and as we left the mall, it was obvious she was getting very tired.  This picture isn't from yesterday but it gives you the idea...

Well, I needed to run into Walmart for an item so Maria took Cordy out of her car seat and we headed in.  Just as we were making our way through the parking lot with the sleepy little girl, I remembered that I'd just blogged about my irritation with people taking their little kids shopping when they needed to be napping!  I busted myself!

Luckily, Cordelia rarely throws a fit.  She just sagged into her Momma and blinked long slow blinks.  I promise you, we did NOT talk mean to her!  Once we were back in the car, though, we'd gone maybe 2 blocks before she was out!  Poor little girl with the thoughtless Grandma!

Even though I felt guilty, I still enjoyed my cup of flavored coffee.  I went with butterscotch yesterday.  Yum!

One day, when returning my shopping cart to the little corral place, someone walking by offered to take my cart.  Such a simple offer but it made me feel just a little bit better about the world.

Truly, it only saved me a few steps but it really did more than that.  

You know how sometimes a little event in a store can put you in a bad mood?  Maybe someone races to get in the check-out line before you or they talk real loud on their cell phone while blocking the aisle?  One of the worst for me is shopping in the early afternoon, hearing all the little children crying their way through the store while their parent talks in a mean voice to them.  I really want to just suggest they take naptime seriously and plan their shopping trips around that.

Oh, wait... this post is going in the wrong direction and I'm getting kind of down again!

OK, back on track!  I wanted to just talk about how one simple little gesture can  brighten someone's day.  I'm not talking about changing a life, but you never know how far that one gesture could go.  Perhaps by offering to return a shopping cart for somebody you put them in such a good mood they go home and speak more kindly to their child, who then loves up on the puppy instead of pulling it's tail.  The puppy grows up more calm and doesn't bite the mailman.  The mailman then has a brighter outlook on life and smiles at a group of teens as they drive by.  The teens then feel valued and instead of joining a gang and spraypainting grafitti, they go to college. While at college, one of them develops an interest in medical research and eventually becomes world-renowned for developing a cure for cancer...all kinds of cancer! 

Whew!  Good thing you offered to return someone's cart to the cart corral!

I AM A WINNER!

I won! I won! Yay for me!

I was bouncing around the internet one day, reading blogs, and I happened upon http://yellowrosegiftscompanyblog.blogspot.com/ .  I'm not even sure how I got there but it was a nice blog.  This blog is about a home based business and they make scented candles, one of my favorite things!  They happened to be having a contest to name a new fragrance.  That sounded intriguing!  If you are interested, check in on their blog now and then as they apparently do these contests from time to time.  You, too, could be a winner! 

They listed the main scents in their formula... "I am a blend of pine, apples and cinnamon, bayberry, a touch of holly and a hint of vanilla."  Doesn't that sound yummy?  So, I just tried to imagine where I'd be if I were smelling those scents.  My winning entry was FOREST BAKERY.   I'm kind of proud of it; can you tell?

I don't enter many online contests.  The truth is, I don't enter unless it is something I really think I'd like.  This contest was meant for me!  Mike sometimes calls me "the nose" because I really, really like to smell nice scents.

This is not a picture of my actual nose.  This is a picture of my dream nose! 

Apparently, this is a legacy I've passed on to my children.  One of my children, who shall remain nameless, used to say to me, whenever we were in a mall, "Momma, do you want to go smell stuff?"  He enjoyed it also but now denies that and won't go with me to smell stuff anymore. 

Luckily our grandaughter, Cordelia, is now a willing participant.  About once a week Maria and Cordy and Mike and I meet at the mall for lunch.  We have a whole routine of things we do with Cordelia there and one of those includes a stop at a scent store to smell stuff.   The staff there knows us, or at least they know Cordy!  I'd better make it clear that we stop at that store BEFORE Mike joins us at the mall for our lunch.  He only goes into that store long enough to buy me a gift card from time to time.  That's true love, huh?  Apparently, most people who shop at those types of stores are estrogen producers.

Anyway, I see that Yellow Rose Gift Company also makes candles that, when melted, can be used as oils for your skin!   http://yellowrosegiftsco.com/massage.html  I may have to try some of that as I am always looking for help for my skin.

These people know candles and at the store site you can read interesting little tidbits of info. 

(Pictures and Candle Trivia are taken directly from http://yellowrosegiftsco.com/ )

Candle TriviaDid you know that a
candle has a memory?
When burning a candle
for the first time, it's
suggested that you burn
it one hour for each
inch in diameter.
This will allow the pool
of wax to extend to the
outside edges and will
prevent your candle from
forming a "canyon" in
the center. Burning a
candle this way will also
set it's memory.  Each
time you burn the candle
it will "remember" to
burn to it's edge.  

I didn't know that, did you?

So, you ask, how do I order a Forest Bakery candle?  Well, since you asked, go to

http://yellowrosegiftsco.com/  and scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "fragrances".   There you can read about Forest Bakery.  I suppooooose you can read about other fragrances as well.  Then, click back to the main page and click on Tureen Candles.  There you get to write in what fragrance you prefer (forest bakery, forest bakery).  As you shop around you will also see they offer bath salts, soaps, even pet shampoos!

By now you are probably wondering if this is a paid advertisement.  Nope.  I am just excited to be a contest winner!  I appreciate that they are sending me a free candle and I wanted to pass on the "nice".

I can't wait for my prize to arrive!