"I See What You're Saying!"

Welcome to the "I See What You're Saying" party!!



Please be kind...you're lucky you're getting anything!! It's not fancy, people! My almost-three-year-old son was sitting on the other side of the camera, cracking up and moving in closer so you'll hear him--and see a little peak, too!

Check out the link below so you can see everyone else at Linda's blog, "2nd Cup of Coffee!!"

Click HERE

I've already checked out the first few brave participants and it's a riot! Now I've got some ideas for future video posts of my own! See, you guys make me brave! I may have to make this a weekly event! :)

P.S. I never could get my first video choice uploaded to Blogger and the one I put on You Tube is the wrong one!! Oops! :)

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You...BFFs

I'd like you to meet Katharine, my BFF from waaaay back in 5th grade! She reads this blog and I know she knew she'd end up here eventually, because we had our pictures taken so frequently back in "the good ol' days!!"

This first shot is marked 1990. That's my mom's shirt but I'm actually lovin' my purple pencil skirt and wide belt with the gold buckle! Yeah, baby!! Good Lord, I was skinny!

K has on a classic early 90s belt, too, and you know I love me some polka dots!! Fabulous!! I bet we were headed to church.



These pictures must've been a little later, maybe 1991??

And what's not to love??

Remember those cute dresses with the tiered skirts?? Very Debbie Gibson. I'm surprised K isn't wearing her "teeny bopper hat" with this dress! She had fantastic bangs, don'tcha think??

Here's a funny story: she got new bedroom furniture back then and her vanity ended up with such a thick layer of hairspray from achieving this look, that her mother made her spray her hair in the garage!! Hilarious!! It was Rave hairspray, if you're wondering.

Then there's me in that awesome acid-washed denim skirt. That top had a matching skirt, 2-tiered, and similar to what K is wearing with the wide black band in the middle, but you could like unbutton it to wear it alone. Sweet.



I looooved my wardrobe during those years!! I believe I'm wearing the classic pink frosted lip gloss here, too.



We're pretty darn cute!! heehee

Fallification Check List

1. New candle in my favorite bird cage candle holder (and fall polka-dot ribbon--how fun is that??), CHECK



2. Fall table, complete with leaf place mats and orange plates, CHECK



3. Fabulous Gold Canyon fall scented candle (Mulled Cider), CHECK



4. Tea station, complete with mini Longaberger basket and leafy garland given to me by a dear teacher friend many years ago...CHECK



5. Fall chocolate for nibbling (I love M&Ms in fall colors!), CHECK



6. Falled-out entryway, CHECK. I still need a little potted somethin'-somethin' for inside the bird cage.



7. Leafy throw for my favorite chair, CHECK



8. New fall pillow covers, CHECK



9. Fall pedicure (we wear open-toe shoes year-round in AZ!), CHECK



10. "Trick or Treat" $5 shirt from Tar-jay for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, CHECK



What are YOU doing to fallify?? If you post about it, let me know and I'll add a link to your blog!! :)

"I See What You're Saying" Test run

I hope you're planning to participate in the "I SEE What You're Saying" blog-a-thon on Sept. 30!! For all the info., click on the cute picture below to visit the "2nd Cup of Coffee" blog.



I AM!

And, ooooh, this is a seriously ROUGH cut!!

End of the day with faded makeup and no lipstick, my son interrupting (and calling you all "bawgers" which is his word for "boogers"), hair a mess...but, a peek at my "real life!" I sound gruff and tired...do I always sound that way?? And I'm not so great in front of the camera--need more "eye contact!" Well, OK, and no kid interfering. Yeah. This video is fraught with problems.

ANYway...planning to participate?? I highly suggest a test run! I'm being brave by posting this...so be kind.

The real deal will (hopefully) be much better. Fresh makeup and natural lighting will go a long way!! I'll keep practicing, too! :) Hope to SEE you then!

P.S. Mute my playlist before watching...or enjoy the music as a sort of "soundtrack" to go with the movie! :)

Friday's Find

Gold Canyon candles!!

Need to fallify your home with the scent of pumpkin pie, cinnamon, crisp apples or cloves cooking on the stove? Then indulge!! And, no, I'm not a rep--just a big fan!! :)

They're a local company in the southeast Phoenix valley city of Chandler. My mom and I fell in love with them in 1998, when we sold them at the Hallmark store where we both worked. People walked in and said, "What's that smell??" We sold a lot of those candles. I keep at least one burning almost at all times in my home. People frequently comment on how good my house smells!!

Now they're a direct sales company and only available through a rep or from the company web site.

They are heavenly! They have two wicks, too, so they burn nice and evenly. I have never smelled a fragrance I don't like. Their holiday lines are fantastic. My rep convinced me to always buy the biggest size--you can always put it away until the next year and the price difference in minimal!

My favorite for fall is "Mulled Harvest" and my holiday favorite is "Cozy Christmas." I also keep their auto fresheners in my car at all times--"Fresh Orange" is my favorite.

Here's the deal. Once you go Gold Canyon, you never go back to cheap-o, generic jar candles. These are superior in every way. Their tea lights are also fabulous--they are in a clear container so the color shows through your candle holder!

Hop on over to their web site--shipping is only $5.95! You can view the entire catalog on-line!!



Trust me, you'll be hooked!!

Gold Canyon Candles web site

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You...formal wear

So this was a "Valentine's Day Banquet" for the youth group of the church my dad pastored back in...oh, 1989??

I believe this entire ensemble was borrowed because I don't remember shopping for it. Probably came from my older cousin, Chickie. I bet it was her prom dress from, like, two years earlier. I think we stuffed tissue into the shoes so they'd fit. I mean, you couldn't not have the dyed-to-match shoes!!



I went with my friend, Mike, who was very sweet and even gave me a kiss on the cheek before we headed home! He also gave me the wrist corsage I'm wearing on my left wrist--and even matched it to my dress!!



As I was editing this, I remembered another detail: stick-on pink fingernails!!!! Oh, my goodness, that was the only time I remember doing that--how funny~!! See them??



I was evidently "crowned" (or sashed) the "Dutchess." See the banner?? Now, here's the thing: There was three categories: Queen, Princess and Dutches. And, oh, maybe eight eligible young ladies?? I mean, the pastor's daughter had to get something. Third place is pretty pathetic. I think the two other girls were older than me so they won based on some sort of seniority. I recall just being glad to have gotten something.

Aaaaaahh, taffeta. The swish...the sheen...that lovely shade of blush pink...ya gotta love it.

Yes, it had crinoline underneath. So comfy. And check out those poofy sleeves--to match the hair!!



Good ol' church banquets!! Sometimes I miss the good ol' days.

P.O.O.P.I.E. party!!

It stands for People Opposing Objectionable Pretend Plants In the Environment.

The party is hosted by The Nester, whom I adore.

I love the idea of having live plants and flowers in ones home...BUT, I have a severely black thumb so you won't see very many real plants at my house!

This is the only surviving live plant at the moment, in the center of my dining table.



Beyond that, I use fakes for a sort of "garden feel" throughout my home. Here are some of my favorite fakes:

Two lil' guys for this atrium...



This lily of the valley in the tea cup that perfectly matched the saucer I already had...



and my fake pots o' hydrangeas in my entryway. Oh, there's many more--but these are my favorites!!



For fall, I adore these $1 pumpkins. News spread in Bloggerland about them at the Dollar Tree and they are FAB!



Check out the oodles of other entries at

Nesting Place

Fabulous Fall (and lil' giveaway)

I looooove fall. It's my favorite season! So let's celebrate fall, shall we?

My TEN Favorite things about Fall (it started out as 5 but I couldn't stop there!)

1. candy corn



2. changing leaves



3. taking my son to the pumpkin patch



4. apple cider



5. cute trick-or-treaters



Phooey!! Your comments reminded me of even more...

6. my son's birthday (3 this year!)



7. my birthday (31 this year!)



8. Thanksgiving with my hubby's family (and this pic personifies it well)



9. my annual fall tea party (to be a "Crafternoon" this year)



10. and getting out all my fall decor!!! My porch last year (it'll be better this year--stay tuned)



So I got up from a nap and had the energy to make this card. Cute lil' tree and owl.



The inside has this cute graph paper for your personal note.



And it comes with an off-white envelope.



Want it? Comment with your list of your FIVE fave things about fall and I'll pick a winner Friday morning!

I could be blogging...

...but instead, I'm going to take a nap.
I will post again soon!!! Hang in there! :)

Friday's Finds

First of all, Shelly told me about THIS:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Yep, I live in the west. Arizona, more specifically and the Phoenix valley to be exact. There's a huge hodge-podge of people here so you end up with a sort of "blended accent"...or a non-accent, as I evidently have. My Florida buds do sound "twangy" to my ears. My folks' have retained more of the accent than I have--I almost never get asked where I'm from anymore. So this was pretty accurate! My only major problem at this point is enunciating the difference between "line" and "lion," a problem I've had almost all my life.

Now onto my other finds!

Ya know ya gotta do a nice Goodwill run every once in a while.

I scored this polka dot mug for $0.69! It matches the plate and bowl I got last year for my polka dot-themed birthday party. Plus it's a lovely fall color!!



I also got this cutie pie bird cage candle holder (on the left), marked $6 from some boutique. It was $3, a little steep for Goodwill...but it's charming and goes with my other bird cage candle holder nicely, so I had to have it!!



As the "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!" song goes, "Life is filled with treasure!" Happy treasure hunting!